by Miley Maine
This time, however, we were ready.
When the pain wouldn’t go away, I hastily shook Danny awake, whispering, “Baby, I think it’s time.”
“What? Now?” He automatically jolted out of bed, swiftly picking up the duffel bag we had prepared as I nodded in confirmation.
As if he had suddenly grown an extra pair of hands, he simultaneously checked to make sure the bag had everything we needed, helped me out of bed, led me out of the room, woke up Billy and told him to get dressed, and called Michael.
As we drove into the night, and in between the alternating periods of pain and deep breaths, I could hear the pep talk Danny was leading.
“Breathe, Honey. Breathe,” he whispered as he held my hand.
“Hands on the wheel, Cowboy,” I hissed.
“Okay, Billy, take this one.”
I felt my boy’s little hand reach out from behind us and grab mine, pressing it lightly as he encouraged me, “Be strong, Mommy. Like when I broke my arm, remember?”
Not knowing if I was laughing or crying, I felt my shoulders shake as I struggled to respond nicely. “Yeah,” I sharply exhaled. “This is just like it.”
As the car bolted through the empty roads, I felt as though it weren’t going fast enough. I couldn’t wait to get to the hospital. To get it over with. To meet my baby.
Reminding myself of how much I loved Billy, and how eager Danny was to have his own child, I powered through the pain, telling myself that it would all be over soon.
And it was.
Well, not too soon. But everything came to an eventual end, didn’t it?
I had to admit that labor was a little easier this time, now that I had some sort of an idea of what to expect and what to do.
“Oh my God,” Danny whispered as he handed her to me. “Isn’t she the most beautiful little girl you’ve ever seen?”
His eyes beamed with an endless amount of love.
When I finally met my precious baby, tears of joy rolled down my cheeks, washing away the hours of suffering. I gently took her into my arms, examining the tiny details of her adorable face before she opened her eyes to greet me.
I inhaled deeply and looked up at Danny, who was now sitting next to me, his fingers softly brushing her fine brown hairs. The look on his face was indescribable—a combination of relief, happiness, and pride all rolled into one.
Our Katie was healthy and looked exactly like her father—utterly and undoubtedly gorgeous.
When Billy and Michael were finally allowed into the room, my child’s boyish excitement put us both to shame. He let himself jump up and down, raising both hands in the air without restraint. A moment later, he settled down and carefully approached, extending his neck forward.
“Can I touch her?” he murmured, his eyes wide with awe.
“Gently,” Danny instructed him, softly guiding his little fingers to feel her tiny hand.
“Wow,” he muttered. “She’s smaller than Sally’s brother!”
I twittered, still light-headed, “Yeah, she’s brand new.”
“And pink!” His eyebrows shot up.
“You were pink, too, when you were born.”
“No, I wasn’t,” he giggled, his finger leisurely touching the skin of her arm.
“She’s beautiful,” Michael joined in. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you, Mike,” Danny exhaled with relief.
“Everyone’s on the way,” he announced. “They all wanna meet the baby and say congrats.”
“Oh, man, it’s so late,” Danny scoffed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “The hospital staff’s gonna be so pissed.”
Michael shrugged, sitting down on a chair by the wall. “I wouldn’t worry too much ‘bout it. Everyone here’s family, they wanna be there for you.”
Before long, the room was buzzing with our loving friends coming to share the precious moments with us. They brought chocolates, food, drinks—I almost couldn’t believe the amount of the strings the doctor had to pull to let them all in.
But deep down, I knew that everyone loved the Downton’s, and everyone’s actions ultimately came from a good place.
When we took our baby home, everything felt different. I was now a mother not only to one but two wonderful children. All my apprehension about doing it all alone faded the moment we set foot into the house since Danny was ready in full gear to help with anything and everything.
“Billy didn’t poop like that!” he said one time with a cringe as he changed Katie’s diaper.
I peeked quickly before faking a disgusted face. “Oh, yeah, that’s all yours.”
“Damn you!” he playfully strained. “But seriously,” he folded the used diaper with the tips of his fingers, “did he?”
I chuckled, “Of course he did, you just don’t remember.”
He made a dramatic shudder. “Scary shit.”
“Literally,” I giggled.
A whole new side of Danny shone through this time around, now that my mother was out of the way. He was an amazing father and a cooperative husband who didn’t save any efforts in carrying the load with me, in spite of his own work at the ranch.
For the first few weeks, I thought about his strategy with Michael in retrospect, and it made perfect sense. He had been honing him through the months of pregnancy so he could fill in for him in some of the meetings and tasks while he freed up some more time to spend with me and the kids.
After the first rough months of sleeplessness and exhaustion passed, I began to claim control over my time once again. I slowly got my momentum back with writing as little as one page a day, gradually working my way up to my original pace.
With each passing day, Katie looked more and more like her dad, with her soft, black locks and dark, brown eyes that could pierce through you for days.
Billy, on the other hand, seemed to be the little sponge most children were, absorbing his father’s behaviors and mirroring them whenever he had the chance. His kindness and gentility shone through, unmasked by his striking bravery and natural intelligence.
Danny treated him like a grown-up, and Billy definitely understood that, which made him deal with everything in a balanced way. The playfulness in him, however, never faltered as he explored new ways to interact with his little sister, ride his pony, and explore his surroundings.
Settling into the life of a rancher’s wife and a novelist was easy, especially that my husband and children were everything I had hoped for and more.
Working in the breathtaking landscapes of the ranch came naturally to me since my alignment with the elements around me grew steadier every day. With every passing hour, I could understand why Danny loved this land so much.
One day, after putting the kids to be, we sat out on the porch with a bottle of wine and a blanket for two. As I poured the crimson liquid into the shiny glasses, I mused, “Did you always know you wanted to live on a ranch?”
Softly smiling, he shrugged before taking his glass. “Not really. I just knew I wasn’t a city boy.”
I nodded with a grin before sipping the delicious beverage.
“Where did you wanna live?” he wondered.
“Oh,” I tittered. “I’d never been to many places that were different, so I didn’t know. Everywhere I’d been was somewhat like my hometown.”
“And here?”
I gazed into his eyes, which mirrored the glimmering of the stars above us. “Here is heaven.”
He leaned in and kissed me, and I knew there was no other place I would rather be.
Hope you enjoyed reading Danny’s story. Read Jake’s story next which is the 2nd one in the Downton Cowboy series. Read an excerpt from Jake right here in the following pages!
Excerpt: Jake
Jake
“C’mon, boy,” I urge on Flint, my black stallion, before I swiftly get on top of him and off we go.
“Good mornin’, Mr. Downton!” The ranchmen greet me with smiles and enthusiastic hand waves as I pass them by.
I
return their greeting, nodding and gesturing in acknowledgment.
Enjoying the ride across my land over to round up the cattle, I think back to last week and the painful incident that turned out to be a wonderful blessing.
I was on my daily run out on the ranch as part of the day’s work, with Flint strutting on without a care in the world, when a snake crawled up from under a rock, scaring the shit out of the poor horse.
Before I could react, my terrified stallion let out a loud whinny as he rose up on his hind legs, kicking forward and throwing me off in the process.
Now, I know what falling from a horse is, and always will be, one of the risks I have to take if I want to continue doing what I do, especially in these parts where nature is left pretty much as it was intended to be.
What happened next, however, was the novel part.
I look down at the rock amongst the weeds as I recall taking the hit.
Man, did it hurt!
When my head landed on the ground, it wasn’t greeted by the usual soft soil covered in grass. Instead, the rough surface of this very rock was what rendered me unconscious for a moment—or longer.
I simply passed out.
When I finally opened my eyes, the shadowy silhouette of a woman was bent over me. At first, I couldn’t tell who she was or what she was trying to do.
My face was also…wet? Was I sweating?
I couldn’t tell.
The sun was right behind her, aimed at my unfocused eyes.
Furrowing my eyebrows, I squinted, willing my vision to readjust as quickly as possible.
“Are you alright?” Her sweet voice sounded as though it came from somewhere far away. She quickly approached where I was sprawled with a great deal of concern.
“Uh—” I reached with my fingers to feel the back of my head. Checking for bleeding was usually the first thing to do. There was no blood.
I then placed both palms back on the ground, looking around to check my surroundings. Flint was nearby, clearly shaken.
“What happened? Do you remember?” she continued, shifting in her stance, and this time, blocking the sun.
I blinked a few times while my eyes grew accustomed to the light, shaking off the influence of the hit.
I could finally see her.
And, what a sight she was.
The most beautiful creature I had ever laid eyes on was standing right in front of me in a pair of worn-out jeans and an old shirt. The fabric of her outfit was smooth enough to cascade freely down every line and curve, revealing just how sexy her figure was.
The first two buttons of her checkered shirt were undone, and as she was bending down to tend to me, her breasts were spilling out a little, showing just an inch of cleavage that hugged a small, dangling diamond in a thin gold frame.
But the way I saw it, she outshined the diamond.
“I—I fell.” I struggled to come up with the words as I willed my eyes away from her chest.
Her dark blue eyes scanned me from under long, black lashes, and she smiled, raising an eyebrow. “Think you can move?”
“Yeah. Yeah.” Fumbling over the warm grass, I pressed my palms against the ground and pushed myself to sit upright.
“Careful, now,” she whispered, her hands hesitantly approaching me.
I wasn’t sure if the smell of fresh Arabian jasmine came from my surroundings or her scent. Silly me, those flowers didn’t grow anywhere near here. It was definitely her earthy perfume, making me more lightheaded than I already was.
Smiling at the memory, I ride Flint ahead, passing the rock that was now linked to the sweet encounter of me meeting Belle for the first time.
As I move on to check on the herd next, I gaze at the horizon and the extent of my estate. This ranch is everything to me. I love the land, the space, the house, and every little partition that I have built and maintained with the help of my loyal men.
I work hard, too, since it’s always best to keep in the midst of things.
When I arrive at the enclosure, Buck’s grinning face greets me from behind the fence. “Jakey! Mornin’.”
Buck Eli is my foreman and number one employee.
When my older brother, Danny, inherited a huge place from the guy he used to work for, he gave me this very ranch. And Buck Eli was my first hire.
Being the extremely generous man that he is and knowing the hardships we all faced growing up, Danny put me in charge of my own land and gave me the green light to run it, however I pleased. Not only did he give me a second chance at life, he also did the same thing for our two brothers.
“Mornin’, Buck. How’s it goin’?”
“All good and dandy at the J. Downton ranch, sir!” He’s always positive, that man.
But, he’s right, all is good and dandy. In fact, on the few occasions when I get to see Danny, he repeatedly praises my work around here. We don’t meet much, although Danny’s ranch is just a short ride away. When we do get together, it’s always bittersweet.
When you’re trying to forget about your painful past and abusive father, let’s just say that the last thing you want to do is talk about it. And, that’s just how I deal with it, along with Frankie, who was born just two years after me and remains the closest to me of all three.
Frankie and I share the same views on the world, money, and women, and we often get together with or without the rest of the gang.
“Say,” Buck scratches the back of his neck, “will Miss Frances be returnin’ soon?”
“Why do you ask?”
“The missus wants to bake ‘er a pie.” He chuckles. “Sorta’ like a thank you.”
“For what?”
“I’ve been tellin’ ‘er ‘bout your good moods lately and how it all makes the workin’ day easier.”
“Is that right?” I chortle.
He adjusts his hat.
“Truth be told, Jakey, you ain’t been so cheerful in months.” He shrugs and I get down from my horse, taking off my hat as I regard him with a keener ear. “Since she came along, you’re happy.”
“Oh?” I smirk, pulling up the corner of my lips. “And, when were you gonna tell me this?”
“Easy boss, I’m tellin’ ya now!” He flattens his palms in the air, raising his eyebrows.
“I ain’t mad.” I shake my head, scoffing. “I just didn’t think it was so obvious.”
“Well, it may not be for the other men, but I know you best.” He wags a finger as his other hand fiddles with the brim of his hat.
“Damn, you do.” I chuckle, getting back up on my horse. “Well… I’ll let ya know.”
Galloping away, I decide on making my next stop the stables.
Has my bad mood been showing through all this time? And why hasn’t he told me? How come nobody warned me? Were they scared? Afraid to look like they were prying or imposing in some way?
And have I been that different since she showed up, so different that people notice the change?
For God knows how long, I’ve been trying to act as normal as I can, thinking that it was actually working. I’ve been smiling and joking around, laughing with the men and my brothers when they come to visit.
I thought I was doing a great job.
At my next destination, Jeb is carefully brushing a mount in the shade.
“Hey, J,” I holler.
“Mornin’, Downton.” He sits back with the brush in his hand. “How’s it goin’?”
“All good, how ‘bout you? Need a hand?”
“It’s alright.” He waves one hand, shaking his head. “Dale’s comin’ soon.”
“How come he’s late?”
“Some’ ‘bout his sister, I dunno.”
“Are they alright?” I furrow my eyebrows.
“Yeah, yeah. Think it’s some kinda’ drama.”
“Ah.” I knowingly nod.
Sisters. What do I know of those?
Growing up, the four of us had to deal with a different kind of drama. The cuts, the bruises, the adults yelling long i
nto the night. That was our brand of tragedy.
Leaving to head over to my shed, I reflect on what my life would be like now if I had Belle Frances in it for the long haul.
In my constant attempts to not become my father, I constantly worry that I might so easily turn into my mother. Too benevolent to be intimidating, too nice to fight back. The woman of my dreams needs to be good at heart because God knows I can’t handle another heartbreak. I simply won’t accept another abusive person into my life.
But Belle… she seems different.
I spend the rest of the afternoon in my office shed, reviewing numbers and working out finances. One of the things I had to learn when I was given this place was how to work with payroll sheets, vendor invoices, and veterinarian schedules.
Since Buck has a lot of experience from his previous job in Texas, he was the one who taught me most of it. Frankie, on the other hand, was the people person who let me in on some of the tricks and tips for how to win over my employees and gain their loyalty.
Working and concentrating, I barely notice the time, and when I finally raise my head from the last file, I see that the sun is setting outside.
Hastily gathering the files and tossing them in the drawer, I think about what I’m having for dinner.
As soon as I get into the house, and just as I take off my hat and hang it over the hook behind the door, the phone begins to ring.
“Hello?” I answer it, undoing the first couple of buttons on my shirt.
“Jake, how are yah?” It was Frankie.
“I’m good, man. How are you?”
“Alright. Listen, remember you were ravin’ ‘bout your vet the other day?”
“Yeah, Dr. Emmett is the best. What is it?”
“Well, my doc’s got a bad bout o’ the flu. He don’t wanna infect my ranchmen, and I won’t risk it. Think Dr. Emmett might be willin’ to pass by for a routine checkup?”
“Wait, gimme a few minutes. I’ll call ‘im, see if he got a free slot.”
“That’d be ace.”
I hang up and immediately dial Emmett Jefferson’s number. It rings a few times before his wife’s voice greets me.
