The Cowboy’s Return

by Aarsen, Carolyne

This was followed by a moment of silence. The furnace kicked in, drowning out the still-blowing wind. Beyond the room Summer heard Lucas talking to Misty.

  A kettle whistled, then was shut off. A radio was playing some type of country and western music.

  Such domestic sounds from this rag-tag group of individuals.

  “I understand.” Still holding the baby, Glenda looked around the room, frowning. “We’ll need to lay her down in some type of bed, however.”

  Even baby Jesus had a manger, Summer thought, trying to get her brain to come up with a solution.

  “I’ll see what Lucas can find.” Glenda called his name, and he was immediately there, standing in the doorway, dominating the room with his presence. Strong. Dependable.

  “Did you get any service?” Glenda asked.

  Lucas slowly shook his head, glancing at his phone as if hoping it would kick in.

  “No. But do you need anything else?” he asked, staying where he was, as if waiting for instructions, his eyes on her, a gentle smile curving his lips.

  “We need something for the baby to sleep in,” Glenda said. “Something like a small crib, a box. Wait, I know. A dresser drawer.”

  They both looked around the room but there was only a closet in here, no dresser.

  “I have blankets we can line it with if you can find one.”

  Lucas scratched his head, mouth pursed in thought as he looked at the baby, then back at Summer. “I’m sure I can find one. I’ll be right back.”

  “Thank you,” Summer said, struggling with the sleep fuzzing her brain. She felt she should help out. She was Glenda’s nurse, but now Summer’s patient was taking care of her.

  Glenda still held the baby, cooing to her, talking. Doing the things that Summer, as a new mother should be doing. But she had no emotional energy or will.

  She tried to stay awake, but slowly sleep pulled her down with heavy, thick fingers, and through the growing fog she heard Lucas say that he found something.

  And then blessed darkness.

  * * *

  “You should be sleeping,” Lucas said, his arms resting on the bed, leaning close to Summer. “Glenda finally is, though I know she set an alarm to get up and check on you in a few hours.”

  She angled him a languid smile then eased out a sigh. “I just had a sleep.”

  “For only a couple of hours.”

  “It was enough.”

  “How did feeding the little peanut go?” Lucas glanced over to the so-called crib he had rigged up out of a dresser drawer from his parents, now Glenda’s room. They had set it on a couple of ladder-back chairs to get it off the floor. He and Glenda had found a soft blanket to line and pad it, and now the baby was sleeping peacefully inside.

  Misty had made herself a self-appointed babysitter, and the moment she came in the room, she went to the make-shift crib and rested her head on one end, her eyes fixed on the baby.

  “She’s got a strong sucking reflex, so that’s a good thing.” Summer stopped, and a curious expression crossed her face.

  “I’ll feel better once we can get you both to a hospital. I wish you didn’t have to go through all this here with just me and Glenda to help you.”

  “Me too,” was her soft response. “But it’s done now.”

  He had so many questions he wanted to ask her, but he knew he had to tread carefully. They were still discovering their own relationship, and now the baby she had such mixed feelings about had made an unexpected appearance.

  A peep from the crib drew him over to it. Misty glanced up at him, but then her gaze returned to the baby. Lucas smiled down at the tiny body nestled in the blankets. Then she released another feeble cry, her face scrunching up, her mouth opening. One miniature hand emerged from the blanket, making small jerking motions as a louder cry came out.

  Lucas bent over, stroking the baby’s head, trying to console her, but she cried again.

  “Do you need to feed her?” Lucas asked, wondering what to do.

  “No. I just did. Maybe she needs to burp.”

  Summer struggled to a sitting position against the pillows and held her arms out for her baby.

  Lucas hesitated, not sure he would know how to pick her up, let alone hold her, but she cried again, Misty whined, and he saw Summer trying to get out of bed.

  “Just stay there, I’ll bring her to you,” he said. He slipped his large hands under the baby’s impossibly tiny body and picked her up. She flailed as he did, and his heart jumped. He moved toward the bed with the baby held awkwardly in his outstretched hands.

  “I’m thinking you’ve never handled a baby before?” she asked, grinning at his awkwardness.

  “Never.” With a surge of relief he managed the hand-off without dropping her. “I knew the peanut was small, but really?”

  “I wish I knew what she weighed,” Summer said, nestling her against her chest, patting her gently on the back.

  “Less than a square bale of hay and more than a baby puppy.”

  This elicited a chuckle and another smile from Summer, which warmed his heart. He knew she was tired after the baby was born, but there was a distance to her that disturbed him. Seeing her smile made her more like the Summer who was, once again, taking over his heart.

  He was about to ask another question when her phone, lying on the nightstand beside her bed, binged.

  Lucas yanked his own phone out of his pocket. “Yay, we finally have service. I need to call the hospital right away.”

  “I agree, but before you do that, can you please get my phone for me?” she asked. “That’s my text notification.”

  Lucas came around and picked up the phone, fighting the urge to glance at the screen. It was none of his business who was texting Summer at ten o’clock at night.

  She glanced at the screen and sucked in a panicky breath.

  “Is everything okay?” he asked, wondering what could cause such a strong reaction.

  For a moment she said nothing, then she looked down at the baby.

  “Can you hold her while I deal with this?”

  Lucas braced himself again, but this time he slipped the tiny bundle of humanity into his arms, feeling more comfortable with her. He tried to hold her the way he saw Summer do it as he sat down on his chair, snuggling her close.

  Meanwhile, Summer was replying to the incoming text, her jaw set as her thumbs danced over the screen. She waited, staring at the screen, then another bing and she tapped out another reply.

  Then she held her phone face down, against her chest, her expression confused.

  Lucas wanted to know what was going on but fought to stifle his questions.

  The little peanut stirred in his arms and as he glanced down, she opened her mouth in a huge yawn then burrowed into him, one tiny hand resting on his chest.

  “Everything fine?” he asked, hoping the concern racing through him didn’t come out in his voice.

  She looked over at him, her eyes glistening. Then she blinked rapidly, sitting up, still clutching the phone.

  “That was Eve. She heard about the storm, and wanted to make sure I was okay.”

  “Good. But we need to call the hospital.”

  “I’m okay,” she said, waving off his concern. Then she drew in a shuddering breath. “I know I need to talk to Eve. But I… I don’t know what to do.”

  Her pronouncement sent a chill through his body and shifted the atmosphere in the room.

  They were both silent, both lost in their own thoughts. Lucas would have loved to know what was swirling behind that enigmatic look, but Summer let nothing show.

  He snuggled the baby a bit closer, as if to shield her from the uncertainty hovering over her. Once again, he wondered what Glenda had gone through when she was handed the responsibility of a child she didn’t know what to do with.

  He struggled with his emotions, but then realized it wasn’t his decision to make.

  “It’s your decision, your call, your child,” was all he could say.

 
; Summer glanced over at him, then at the bundle of life curled up against him. Her only reply was to rub her eyes, shake her head, and release a heavy sigh, eyes closed.

  And what did that mean?

  He waited, Misty beside him, her nose resting on his legs, still keeping guard over the baby.

  Then Summer’s phone slid off her chest onto the bed beside her.

  She had fallen asleep.

  Lucas stayed in the chair for a few more minutes, waiting to see if either Summer or the baby would wake.

  But in the silence all he heard was a faint snuffling from the baby and Summer’s deep, steady breathing.

  It was then he realized another sound was missing. The wind that had howled around the house had died down, and utter stillness surrounded the house.

  The storm was over.

  Still holding the baby, he got up and walked out of the bedroom to the front door. He flicked on the porch light, and all he saw when he looked out the window was an unbroken blanket of snow. But it was quiet. Peaceful.

  “Guess we just have to wait to get dug out,” he murmured to the baby nestled in his arms.

  Should he call 911? Was there still an emergency? And would they be able to come out on these roads? Would they send in a helicopter?

  He knew the baby was premature and would need to get checked over. Making a decision, he walked over to the other suite and got his phone. He laid it on the table and, one handed, glanced at the clock. Six o’clock in the morning. Tricia would probably be up, so he punched in her cell phone number.

  It took two tries before she answered.

  “Hey, how are you doing over there?” Tricia asked, sounding flustered. “Sorry I didn’t answer sooner, I’m getting breakfast ready for the family.”

  “Well, Summer had her baby—”

  “What? Now?”

  “Well, technically a few hours ago.”

  “Oh my goodness, how is she? How is the baby? What did she have? You guys are stuck out there, aren’t you?” Then, before he could reply, he heard Tricia’s muffled voice calling out to whoever else was in the kitchen that Summer’s baby had been born. Some more conversation followed and then Tricia came back online. “I've got you on speakerphone. The guys are heading out to plow out the yard but Kane said he would start up another tractor and head over right away. So what did Summer have?”

  “A little girl, and so far they both seem okay. Summer is resting now.”

  “Aww. Is the baby cute?”

  Lucas looked down at the top of the baby’s head. “I don’t know. She’s got red skin and has a fluff of dark hair.”

  “Oh my goodness, I wish I could come and see her. What’s her name?”

  Lucas was silent at that, not sure what to say, and then he heard Tricia’s swift intake of breath. “Sorry. Wasn’t thinking that one through. This must make things difficult for her.”

  “Kind of beyond that,” he said, thinking of the mixture of emotions Summer was dealing with.

  “You’ll need to get her to the hospital.”

  “That would be ideal, but I can’t get there if the roads aren’t plowed out.”

  “I can call Gordon at the county,” he heard Zach say. “Tell him it’s an emergency. If Kane plows your yard out, and they get on that road right away, you should be able to leave in a couple of hours.”

  “That would be great.” Lucas looked down at the little peanut lying so peacefully in his arms. As he had told Summer, he would feel a lot better once a doctor had seen them both.

  “At least the power is back on,” Lucas said. “How did you guys make out?”

  “We have a generator, so we could keep most things going,” Zach said. “Though we had to huddle in the house. Got crowded.”

  Lucas laughed at the dismay in Zach’s voice. “I better go,” he said, wanting to return to Summer’s side. If she had to get up he wanted to be there to help her.

  “Kane will be over as soon as he can get the tractor going,” Tricia put in. “He’ll probably be using the John Deere, the one with a ridiculous number of tires.”

  “Eight is hardly ridiculous,” Lucas heard Zach protest.

  “Fine. Anyhow, it’s his pride and joy, Lucas, so show respect when he gets there,” Tricia said.

  Lucas chuckled again. “Thanks, Sis.”

  “Stay in touch. If anything changes, let us know. I’m sure Stars can bring in a chopper.”

  “I don’t know if that’s necessary, but like I told Summer, I’ll be glad to get them both to a hospital.”

  They said good-bye and Lucas stood there a moment, phone in one hand, the baby cradled in his other arm. She fidgeted, yawned again, twitched her head, and then dropped back to sleep.

  He set his phone down and lifted her, nuzzling her impossibly tender cheeks, inhaling the newborn scent of her. Faintly spicy.

  “So what’s in your future, little peanut?” he whispered, cuddling her close, surprised at the wave of love and yearning that washed over him. “And how are we going to get through this all?”

  “Everything okay?”

  Glenda’s voice behind him startled him.

  “I thought you were sleeping,” Lucas said, turning.

  “I was for a while, but now I’m awake, and I know I won’t fall asleep real quick.” She cocked her head, listening. “Sounds like the storm is over.”

  “I was just talking to Tricia. The Tyes are coming to plow the driveway, and Zach will pull some strings to get our road done. Then I can take Summer and the baby to the hospital.”

  “I’ll feel more relaxed once a doctor has a look at them both,” Glenda agreed. She sat down at the table, one arm resting on its surface.

  “And how about you? How are you doing?” Lucas asked. “If I take Summer to the hospital, how will you manage?”

  “I’ll manage just fine,” Glenda said. “Summer was only supposed to work for me for another week or less anyway. At least that was the length of the contract.”

  “Will you move back to the city?” Lucas asked.

  Glenda shrugged as if she wasn’t sure herself.

  “You’re welcome to stay until you decide,” Lucas said, sitting down beside her, cradling the baby closer. “I’m not sure what will happen when Summer comes back from the hospital, but there’s enough room for everybody. I’m sure we can figure it out then.”

  Glenda gave him a gentle smile. “That’s nice to know,” she said. “I appreciate the offer. But why don’t we wait to see what the next few days brings?”

  He heard the uncertainty in her voice, and he glanced down at the baby once again. It was like they were living minute to minute right now. He didn’t know what the next few hours would bring, let alone the next few days.

  “I’m making a cup of tea, do you want some?” Glenda asked, pushing herself to her feet.

  He wanted to protest, thinking he should take care of it himself. But Glenda was already trundling over to the counter, pushing her walker. With a few efficient movements she got the water boiling in the kettle and pulled the teapot and the mugs out of the cupboard. She walked back without her walker and sat down beside Lucas, leaning in close, her fingers stroking the baby’s cheek.

  “She sure is precious,” Glenda said, a note of awe and wonder in her voice. “I feel so honored to have been part of her birth.”

  “Part of it? You were way more than just part of it,” Lucas said. “I’m so thankful you were around. I can’t imagine what I would have done without you.”

  “You would have done the same thing I did—the job that is at hand.” Glenda gave him a smile. “You’ve probably been in much worse situations, and I’m sure you just do what you’re supposed to do.”

  “I suppose, but it doesn’t feel the same.”

  Glenda was quiet a moment, still looking down at the baby. “I hope you’re okay with me being here.”

  “I am, actually.” He patted her on the arm, and when she looked up at him, they shared a smile.

  Step by careful
step, they were moving to a better relationship.

  The water boiled, and Glenda returned to the counter. She looked steady on her feet, and Lucas could see she would be able to be on her own soon. He wasn’t sure what she would decide, but as he watched her pour water into the teapot, humming a tune under her breath, he felt a curious sense of belonging. A feeling that things were working out.

  Then he looked down at the little girl in his arms.

  And as he did, he prayed. Prayed for this little baby, for Summer, and for himself, that he could support Summer no matter what she decided.

  Because he couldn’t imagine walking away from this precious life.

  Chapter 14

  “So Dr. Henneson gave the all clear on your baby,” Shannon said, smiling at Summer. “And you’re in good health too, which is quite something, considering how this baby was born. Dr. Henneson wants to admit you overnight, however, because your blood pressure seems low.”

  Summer returned Shannon’s smile, lying back on the hospital bed in the emergency room, inhaling the familiar scent of antiseptic and that hospital scent that was harder to pin down.

  “Summer’s a real trouper,” Lucas said, his hand on her shoulder in a protective gesture.

  “She always has been.” Shannon set the chart on the rolling table beside the bed then paused a moment, glancing from Summer to Lucas. Summer could almost hear the questions roiling through her head. Shannon wasn’t exactly a friend, but they had all gone to school together. Shannon probably knew that Summer and Lucas had dated at one time. That they had broken up and now, here they were. Seemingly together, yet unmarried, with a baby that had no name.

  The situation would create some questions for Summer if she was in Shannon’s situation, yet Shannon exuded a quiet confidence and welcome lack of curiosity about the entire situation. Though she had asked the baby’s name, she showed no surprise when Summer said they hadn’t chosen one.

  “And how are things going for you, Lucas?” Shannon asked with a gentle smile. “I’m sure re-entry into civilian life has its challenges?”

  Lucas waggled his hand in a vague gesture. “It does, but it’s nice to be back in Rockyview.”