Rough Creek

by Kaki Warner

  Dalton went.

  “What did Mama and Len want?” Raney asked when he returned to his seat.

  “I’m not sure. They were either asking me to get you pregnant or take you to Plainview. Maybe both. I’m not sure why.”

  “What?”

  “I know. Weird. But if we went to Plainview, we could deliver Timmy’s presents. Unless you’d rather I get you preg—”

  “Great!” Raney bolted from the chair. “Let’s go.”

  “To Plainview?”

  “Of course, to Plainview. Hurry. Before Joss starts into labor again.”

  When they crossed the main lobby, they ran into Len’s husband, Ryan, on his way in. Raney hadn’t seen him in several months and was surprised at how much he’d aged. Or maybe it was worry that had etched those deep lines in his face.

  She introduced him to Dalton, and they chatted for a moment about Joss’s condition and Grady, then they sent him on his way up to maternity. Raney wondered if he knew about Len’s eye surgery. If not, he was in for a surprise.

  As they drove out of the hospital parking lot, Dalton called ahead to let his parents know they were coming. Which worked out perfectly, his mom told him, since Timmy was coming for supper that night, and now they could turn it into a party. “He’ll be thrilled. Drive safe.”

  “Well, that’s disappointing,” Dalton said as he set his cell phone back in the cradle on the dash. “Guess I won’t be impregnating you tonight.”

  “Bummer.”

  “Maybe tomorrow. Unless you’re already knocked up. How reliable are those pills you’ve been taking?”

  “That’s not funny.”

  An hour later, they pulled up to the curb in front of a neat, but modest, house completely shaded by two big pecan trees and a wide front porch. Apparently, Timmy had been watching for them. As soon as they started up the walk, he banged out the front door, wearing a big grin. “Dalton! You came back!”

  Raney watched the brothers hug, and thought again how kind Dalton was, and how gently he treated those he loved. He would make a wonderful father someday. Maybe a father to her own children. Although what they were going through with Joss made her a bit apprehensive about the whole motherhood thing.

  Supper was a grand affair with all the trimmings—pork chops, green beans, potatoes, and a fresh fruit salad. Conversation throughout the meal centered around Timmy, who talked almost continually and with great enthusiasm about his job washing windows, cleaning gutters, repairing the wood fence, and anything else that needed doing around the group home. “I am a good worker,” he said proudly. “I do repairs at the church, too. And guess what! They pay me lots of money.”

  “You like staying in the group home?” Dalton asked.

  Timmy nodded. “People there are nice to me. And I have a friend. His name is George. He sleeps by me in the boys’ room. He never wets the bed, but he snores a lot. And guess what! I can read. Maybe I can read to you sometimes, Dalton, like you used to read to me before you went away.”

  “I’d like that, buddy. But not tonight. Tonight, we get to open presents.”

  “Because it’s my birthday!” Timmy shouted, so happy he could hardly sit still.

  After they cleaned up the dishes, they had cake and ice cream, then Timmy opened his gifts. He was thrilled with the belt and toolbox and spent an hour packing and unpacking each several times. But the most treasured gift was the red suspenders, which he insisted on wearing with his jeans. “I look like Dad now,” he announced, hooking his thumbs under the red straps. “I am a hard worker, too. Just like Dalton.”

  Raney suspected he’d try to wear the suspenders with his pj’s that night. She smiled, enjoying Dalton’s family more every time she was around them. There was a lot of love in that house. Like Mama said, the Cardwells were good people.

  She and Dalton were giving their final good-byes when Mama called, saying Joss had finally gotten busy. “It’s going fast. You’ll probably have a new niece by the time you get here. Visiting hours are over at eight, so you’d best hurry.”

  Once they’d cleared town and were heading south on I-27, Raney said, “That was fun. I like your family.”

  “They like you, too.” Dalton grinned at her. “Even though my dad thinks you’re too good for me.”

  Raney looked at him in surprise. She’d thought she and Mr. Cardwell were on great terms. Granted, he wasn’t particularly talkative with her, but she’d thought that was a natural reticence. Was he really trying to discourage Dalton from pursuing her? “In what way am I too good?”

  “Money, position, probably brains, too. And I know for a fact you’re prettier.”

  Raney didn’t agree. With any of it. “That’s terrible. Why would he say that? I thought he liked me.”

  “He does. It’s me who’s not measuring up. Probably thinks you’ll figure that out before long, and he’s trying to shield me.” He said it with a smile.

  Raney wasn’t amused. “Shield you from being hurt again? Like with Karla?”

  “Hell,” he muttered. “Why does everybody think our split-up was a big deal?” There was an edge to his voice that surprised Raney. “We both knew it was coming and were okay with it.”

  “And yet,” Raney said, watching him carefully, “she’s back and trying to pick up where she left off.”

  He laughed. “Can’t blame the poor girl for having great taste in men, can you?”

  No, Raney couldn’t. And she couldn’t make light of what his father said, either. “Maybe your dad’s afraid the Whitcombs will gobble you up and you’ll forget all about him. He’s already given up his ranch and one son. Losing you, too, would be a terrible blow.”

  Dalton looked surprised. “He’s not losing me.”

  “No? How often have you talked to them, or visited them since they moved?” She saw by the downturn in his expression that he thought she was criticizing. She wasn’t. But she could empathize with his parents because she knew what it felt like to be left behind while everyone else moved on. She didn’t want Dalton to unknowingly make his parents feel that way.

  “I’ve visited them twice this week,” he reminded her.

  “And look how happy that’s made them. Your mother mentioned several times how much she missed her boys. You should try to visit them a couple of times a month, at least. I’ll go with you, if you’d like. Your mother’s cooking alone would make the trip worthwhile. And maybe you could call more often. Keep them informed about what you’re doing. I can see it means a lot to my mother when she hears from Len and KD.”

  He glanced over again. This time his expression was more pensive than defensive. “No wonder you Whitcombs are so close-knit.”

  Raney nodded. “Especially since Daddy died. That was a hard lesson about how quickly things could change, and how people could simply disappear from your life without warning. Now speed up. I want to meet my beautiful new niece.”

  * * *

  * * *

  Actually, she wasn’t all that beautiful, Raney decided later, when they stood in the corner of Joss’s crowded room, watching a nurse show Grady how to change a baby, while another nurse showed Joss how to work a breast pump.

  They had only just arrived and wouldn’t be able to stay long since visiting hours were almost over. Raney had barely had a chance to hold the baby. So tiny, such precious doll-like hands, and barely enough hair to show she’d be blond like her parents. Raney was terrified she’d break her. But didn’t want to let her go.

  Then the nurses had come in to show Grady how to swaddle her, and the doctor had breezed through, saying everything had gone well, Joss was doing fine, and the baby’s head should assume a normal shape within a few weeks.

  Raney’s horror must have shown. Even Dalton had been struck mute.

  On her way out, the doctor had pulled them aside. “It’s nothing to worry about.” She’d gone
on to explain that since Joss’s cervix had dilated days before delivery, when the baby’s head dropped into the expanded opening, it caused two small, plum-sized hematomas to form on the back of her head. “It’s superficial. In a few weeks you won’t even notice. Best say your good-byes soon. It’s almost eight.”

  Superficial, okay. Not that noticeable from the front, maybe. But when the nurse showed Grady how to hold the baby against his shoulder to burp her, and Raney and Dalton saw for the first time how the two rounded lumps sort of squared off the back of her head, it was still shocking. And a little funny-looking.

  Dalton dipped his head down and whispered in Raney’s ear, “Sorta gives new meaning to the word blockhead, doesn’t it?”

  “Hush,” she whispered, fighting a smile now that she knew the baby was okay.

  “Look on the bright side. She probably won’t roll off the changing table.”

  Raney choked back a laugh and elbowed him in the ribs. “Stop.”

  After answering a raft of questions and assuring the new parents that everything was fine, the two nurses made their escape. Before Dalton could get them both into trouble, Raney went to Joss’s side. “How are you feeling, Little Mama?”

  “Sore. Happy.” She yawned. “Grateful.”

  Raney patted her sister’s shoulder. “You’re tired. We should go. If we leave now, we can make it back to the ranch by ten. Unless you want us to stay?”

  “No,” Joss said around another yawn. “They want me to sleep so I can recover faster. Almost sounds like they’re trying to get rid of us.” She smiled over at Grady, who was beaming down at his precious square-headed daughter. “But before you go, we want to ask you to do something.”

  “Sure. What do you need?”

  “Plan our wedding.”

  “Are you serious? Dalton, did you hear that? My baby sister’s getting married!”

  Dalton grinned and thumped the new father’s shoulder. “Well done, Grady.”

  “Nothing elaborate,” Joss said. “Just something simple, like Len’s.”

  Len had had two hundred guests at a lawn wedding. It had been a logistical nightmare. “Have you set a date?” Raney asked.

  “Not yet. But probably December.”

  An outdoor wedding in December? That would never happen. But rather than get into it now, Raney leaned over and gave her sister a hug. “I’m so happy for the two of you. Grady’s a great guy. We really like him and are delighted to have him in the family.” A thought arose. “Where are you two planning to live?”

  Not at the ranch . . . please.

  “At the ranch,” Grady said. “Until I find us a place in Austin.”

  Raney fought to keep her dismay from showing.

  Apparently not well enough to fool Dalton. His arm came around her shoulders in support. Or maybe in a one-armed warning. Trying to sound cheery, she said, “Not L.A. or New York? Maybe Nashville? I thought those were the hot spots of the music industry.” Not that she wanted to get rid of her sister. Not really. But the chaos that always surrounded Joss could be exhausting. And with a baby . . .

  “Austin has a big music scene. And one of the buyers for my songs lives there.”

  Raney didn’t have to fake her delight at that news. “You sold some of your songs? That’s wonderful!”

  “I know.” Joss beamed at her fiancé. “Grady just told me. He thinks I can make good money writing songs, and we won’t have to tour unless we want to.”

  “And once Lyric gets older,” Grady added, “we can all tour together.”

  “Lyric?”

  “Oh, I forgot!” Joss cried. “That’s what we named her. Do you like it?”

  “It’s perfect. She’s perfect.”

  “I know! Right? Except for her head, but that should go down soon.”

  As the men wandered over to the crib with Lyric, tears flooded Joss’s hazel eyes. Reaching out, she took Raney’s hand. “Isn’t it amazing, sis? Me, wild child and dream chaser, now a mother. Crazy, huh? But I’ve never been happier.”

  Raney could see that. She had read somewhere that childbirth was a natural high. Maybe it was true. Her sister certainly looked happier and more radiant than she had six hours ago. A baby and a fiancé and a songwriting career, all in the same day. Yet, somehow, the family had survived.

  Raney glanced over to see Grady reluctantly hand over his daughter to Dalton. The look on Dalton’s face as he smiled down at the baby brought a catch in Raney’s throat. He was such a good, dear man.

  “Let’s hope Len is as lucky with Ryan,” Joss said, yawning again.

  Realizing she hadn’t seen her older sister and her husband since she and Dalton had returned, Raney asked where they were.

  “On their way to the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport.”

  “Really?” Raney thought they were hardly speaking. “Where are they going?”

  “Hawaii. On a long-deserved second honeymoon, Ryan said. He already had the tickets when he arrived. First class. They fly out tonight, that’s why they had to rush off. With the four-hour time difference, they’ll arrive in time for a fabulous oceanside dinner at their resort—some big, fancy place with so many vowels in its name I can’t begin to pronounce it. They don’t even have time to pack. Ryan said they can buy whatever they need while they’re there. Isn’t that romantic? I told them if they waited a bit, Grady and Lyric and I could go with them. Sort of a two-honeymoon deal. But Len said they had to go now while the kids are at camp.”

  Raney could imagine her older sister’s panic at that suggestion. But she was glad Len and Ryan were trying to work things out. “Did Ryan say anything about Len’s surgery?”

  “Not in front of me. But I think it surprised him. He kept looking at her funny.”

  Across the room, Grady wore a worried frown and held out his hands, obviously anxious to have his baby back in his possession. Raney thought it amusing that Dalton, who might never have held a newborn before, seemed more relaxed handling an infant than Grady did.

  “Where’s Mama?” she asked Joss.

  “At the hotel, checking out. She’s been waiting for you and Dalton to come back so she can go home and sleep in her own bed. Dr. Jamison thinks we can go home day after tomorrow, too.”

  Joss let out a deep sigh and looked over to where Dalton and Grady were making faces at her daughter. “Oh, Raney, it’s all so wonderful. This has been the most wonderful day of my whole life! Other than the actual birth, of course. That was awful. But look what I got for all that hard work. My turn, Daddy,” she called, holding out her hands.

  Grady came and gently laid the infant in Joss’s arms. Seeing the look on her sister’s face gave Raney a twinge of envy. Would she ever be so happy and so in love and so fulfilled?

  She might.

  With Dalton.

  So why was she fighting it?

  CHAPTER 23

  Poor Mama must have been exhausted. She slept most of the way to the ranch. Raney was tired, too. She’d never realized having a baby could be so tiring for those waiting for it to happen. When they finally got home, it was almost midnight. With muttered good-nights to Dalton, she and Mama stumbled upstairs.

  The next two days were blessedly quiet. Mama said to enjoy them, as all would change once the new parents arrived with that precious, beautiful little baby—Mama’s words, not Raney’s. And she was right.

  On the afternoon of the third day, Joss and Lyric and Grady descended. And right behind them came a mountain of baby things Mama had ordered—a stroller, car seat, playpen, toys and more toys, a baby bathtub complete with tub pals, monogrammed hooded towels, bibs for every occasion, picture books, mobiles, enough stuffed animals to fill a zoo, and tiny hangers full of hideously expensive but adorable little outfits that Lyric would outgrow in a month.

  Seemed like a lot of stuff for a baby who couldn’t hold up her head yet, or fo
cus her eyes well enough to see her new belongings. But such was the power and spending habits of grandmothers.

  As Mama had warned, literally overnight, life as they knew it changed forever. Crying at all hours—the baby, too. Puking, peeing, and pails of dirty diapers to cart out. Careful examinations of every small scratch or bump or flake of dry skin—on the baby, too. And general, continual chaos. All because of one tiny, square-headed, seven-pound-eleven-ounce scrap of wailing humanity. And the baby’s mother, too, bless her heart.

  After two weeks, Grady decamped, giving the paltry excuse that he had to make a living and find a place for his new family to live. Raney wouldn’t have been surprised if they never saw him again. Not that she would have blamed him.

  Then they all settled in for the siege. The baby ate and grew. The new mother ate and whined. The grandmother struggled to maintain reason. And with Raney trapped in Babyville trying to help, she got a taste of life without Dalton, except for hurried dinners at night. She didn’t like it.

  September passed in a haze of exhaustion. Raney helped as best she could and escaped to the barn whenever she had the chance, which wasn’t often enough. She had heard that all babies came into the world as sociopaths, totally fixated on their own needs and wants, with no concern whatsoever for the people around them. Then over the next twenty years, the parents were supposed to turn them into functioning, productive, independent, and loving human beings.

  No wonder the jails were full.

  And yet . . .

  Whenever Raney held the little darling and looked down into those innocent blue eyes, something shifted inside of her. Her brain would turn to mush and she’d find herself doing the most idiotic things for a smile, a burp, a tiny hand wrapping around her finger. And even more incomprehensible, whenever that happened, she yearned for a square-headed baby sociopath of her very own.

  Such was the power of newborns.

  It was confusing and exhausting, yet strangely compelling.