Special Delivery (Mountain Meadow Homecoming 1)

by Laura Browning

  “Give me a refresher. Her water’s already broken.”

  “How’s she holding up?”

  “Other than being scared, breathing and color seem okay. I haven’t checked her pulse.”

  “It’ll be elevated. I’m not so worried about that. Has she said anything about feeling the need to push?”

  “No.”

  “Chances are she’s not fully dilated yet. Clean her, get her changed, and make her comfortable. Check to see if you can see the baby’s head, then give me a call.”

  Jake punched End and stared at the blank phone screen. What the fuck? He was barely on a first-name basis with Holly and Jenny wanted him to… He looked at Holly’s pale face and wide eyes. Jake blew out a deep breath. Time to put his personal interests aside. This was professional. Right. And he was no doctor.

  “Holly?” Tyler’s voice came from the doorway. His face was pinched and pale as he took in her soiled clothing. “What’s wrong? It’s too soon for the baby, isn’t it?”

  Jake heard the edge of hysteria in the boy’s voice and realized he must be thinking about losing his parents the year before. Now the only family member left was bloody and in pain.

  “It’s okay.” Holly’s smile vanished as another contraction slammed into her. “Just a little early. No big deal.” She panted and closed her eyes as if to hide her fear from her brother.

  So Jake smiled. “Your niece, Uncle Tyler, has decided it’s time to be born, and she and Holly will need our help. Can you be a big man and do that?”

  Tyler straightened his thin shoulders. “Y-yes. Yes. I can.”

  “Good. I just got off the phone with Doc Owens. She says we need to get Holly cleaned up and make her comfortable. Can you find me a nightgown?”

  “Yeah.” Tyler went to the chest of drawers and pulled out an oversize T-shirt. “Here you go. It’s what she usually sleeps in.”

  Holly lay against the pillows, sweat beading her brow. She must be so tired, and he felt nearly helpless to change that.

  “Great, buddy. Now get me a warm washcloth and a clean towel so Holly can wash.” As soon as Tyler left the room, Jake stripped off his jacket. “Can you clean up, or do you need help?”

  Her gaze slid away from his. “I—I’m going to need some help.”

  Jake skimmed her cheek with his fingertips. “Now’s not the time to be embarrassed. You and I are gonna get to know each other a whole lot better in the next few hours. Doc says not to move you.”

  Holly’s eyes widened. “Have you done this before?”

  “No,” he admitted. And he wasn’t sure he wanted to do it now, but he couldn’t tell her.

  She smiled, weariness plain on her face. “Couldn’t you lie to make me feel better?”

  He stroked the hair off her face. “No. We need to be straight with each other about what’s going on. It’s the only way to get you, the baby, and Tyler through it too.” And me, his internal voice shouted.

  Holly nodded. Her expression relaxed somewhat. If she still didn’t quite trust him, she at least didn’t look petrified anymore.

  Tyler returned and handed them the cloths.

  “Thanks, man. Say, if you’ve got any coffee around here. I could use a pot.”

  “There’s some in the freezer,” Holly said. “You remember how to make it, Tyler?”

  “Yeah.”

  Jake grinned. “Then get to it while I help Holly.”

  As soon as Tyler left the room, Jake hefted her to her feet, supporting her with one arm while he helped her remove the damp nightgown with his other. He wiped her, patted her dry, and then slipped the clean shirt over her head.

  As much as he tried to be objective and impersonal about the whole process, his insides were in a knot. He’d never seen a pregnant woman’s body before and he marveled at all the changes. When he looked into her face, she blushed and looked away.

  “Don’t, Holly,” he blurted. “You’re beautiful.” Jake felt heat in his cheeks, but he refused to look away. She was pretty. She needed to know that.

  Her laugh was half sob. While she sat in the chair near the bed, Jake put additional towels over the mattress. He’d never seen a human baby born, but he had helped with cattle births on the farm when he was a kid and knew clean and easy weren’t necessarily part of the process. When he was done, he helped her onto the bed just as another contraction began. He sat next to her and held her hand. How the hell was he going to do this?

  “Doc said I should make you comfortable. Would you rather sit on the bed or move around a bit?”

  Holly’s eyes were so bright they almost glowed. “Sit for now. Have Tyler get the extra pillows out of his closet. I’m so tired. I guess the pains I’ve had since yesterday weren’t false labor like I thought.”

  “If you’ll be all right for a few minutes, I’m just gonna check on Tyler, and then I need to call Doc and the chief. I’ll bring those pillows, too.”

  Holly laid a hand on his arm, and he stopped to look at her.

  “Thanks, Jake. I know you didn’t expect this, but I can’t tell you how glad I am you’re here. I thought…”

  He squeezed her hand. “You thought you were going to have to do it by yourself.”

  She let out a relieved breath. “Yeah.”

  He grinned. “You’da done it, too.”

  * * * *

  The weather deteriorated as the night wore on. The tick, tick, tick of freezing rain continued to beat against the windows and onto the rusted tin roof. In a strange way, Holly found it soothing, like being cocooned inside the small house.

  Jake’s presence was more reassuring than she might have imagined. He sent Tyler out to his truck to bring in the emergency kit he kept in the backseat and then had her brother fill two of the collapsible five-gallon water containers he pulled from the kit. Tyler gave him a questioning look.

  “Why ya having me get all this water?”

  “In case the power goes out, buddy. If you lose power, you’ll lose the well pump—so no water. After you’ve filled the containers, fill the tub, too. I’m gonna call Chief Jones to let him know where I am and talk to Doc Owens.”

  He sat in the chair next to her bed to make his calls. Holly shifted position, rolling to her feet awkwardly. When Jake started to rise, she waved him back.

  “I’m okay. I just need to move around some.”

  While she walked around the room, she listened to Jake’s end of the conversation with Chief Jones. The weather situation was worsening. Jake pinched the bridge of his nose while he listened.

  “Look, I’m sorry to leave you in the lurch like this. I know it’s not our jurisdiction…”

  When he hung up a few minutes later, Holly said, “If being here is getting you in trouble…”

  He glared. “Don’t even finish that sentence. Ernie told me to stay right here. Sam and his deputies can cover until I get back.” He studied her belly. “You doing okay?”

  Holly nodded. “A little tired.” Another contraction started, so she held onto the bedpost and rode it out. She knew Jake was worried. She tried to smile. Then he surprised her by coming around to rub her shoulders and her back.

  “That help?”

  “Yes.” Another stronger contraction doubled her over. “I think I need to sit, and Jake?”

  “What?”

  “I think you should call Doc again. I feel like I need to push.”

  Jake helped her to bed, propped her with the pillows, and left the covers over her. This wasn’t how Holly had pictured the birth of her baby. This man was little more than a stranger, but as he moved around her with easy grace, his hair falling over his brow and his gaze flicking her way with concern, she realized if Doc Owens couldn’t be here, she was glad Jake was.

  He was on the phone with Doc. He listened for a few moments, huffed out a breath, and ran his fingers through his hair before he said, “Yeah, I’d already kind of figured that, Jen.” He paused an instant and then han
ded the phone to her. “Doc wants to talk to you. I’ve got to go scrub.”

  “Hi, Doc.”

  “You okay with this, Holly?”

  She smiled as Jake left the room. “I don’t have a lot of choice, but yes. Jake’s doing a great job.”

  “Good. I know you’re a little uncomfortable with people you don’t know, but he’s a good guy. You’re going to be pretty busy here in the next little bit. Just keep in mind everything Jake does is to help you and the baby. Okay?”

  “Yes. I feel like I need to push.”

  “Sounds like you’re close. Let me talk to Jake again.”

  He had just returned from the bathroom and used a towel to grab the phone from her. After a minute or two he held it out to her. “Hit the End button, please.”

  That’s when the lights went out. Jake swore, and Holly’s heart skipped a beat. As if he sensed that flutter of panic, Jake squeezed her knee. The gentle pressure reassured her.

  “Tyler?” he called calmly.

  “Yeah?”

  “Get in my emergency kit. You’ll find two flashlights, some candles and matches. Bring them here, please.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Tyler walked in with a flashlight beam already bobbing in front of him. In another minute, several candles cast a soft glow around the room. Jake’s lips quirked. “Someday you’ll have some great stories to tell your little girl.”

  Holly’s laugh cut off as another strong contraction started.

  “I need to take a look to see how close we are to the real work.” He glanced at her. “Still feel like you need to push?”

  “Yes.” She panted.

  “Easy, honey. Big breaths. Just relax. We’ll get your baby here right and tight. Tyler, I’m sorry, buddy, but you’re going to have to be an active participant. I need you to hold the flashlight so I can see.”

  “Okay.”

  This had to be tough on Tyler and was no doubt more than he wanted to know about how his niece was getting into the world. “Ty, if you’re not okay with this, we’ll figure something out.”

  He swallowed. “I’m okay. Really. I watched Jimmy Pruitt’s beagle have her puppies, so I have some idea.”

  If Holly hadn’t been in so much pain, she would have laughed. In fact, she could have sworn she heard Jake do just that.

  “I remember delivering a few puppies,” he said, “but I think we’ll bypass the part where you swing the little guys to get them breathing, and I don’t think Holly will need to bite through the umbilical cord.”

  “Ooh.” Tyler made a face. “That’s just gross.”

  Jake’s eyes twinkled. “What do you think?”

  “I’m all for snipping,” Holly assured him.

  Jake put a hand on her knee. “I’m just gonna take a look, okay?”

  The heat of his palm offered some comfort, but everything took a backseat to the simple need to push the baby. “Hurry.”

  “Oh, wow!” Tyler whispered at the same time Jake spoke.

  “I see the top of her head, Holly.” A note of excitement crept into his deep voice. He glanced at her and grinned. Her contraction eased. When Holly half laughed and half sobbed, he patted her leg. The touch was enough to reassure her. “You’re doing fine. Doc says you should push with your contractions, but easy. As soon as the head’s out I’ll need to suction and check to make sure the cord’s good.”

  She nodded, feeling a mixture of awe and fright. The life inside her had taken control, and she had no say at all in what was going on. As another contraction began, Holly sobbed and began to push. It hurt, more than anything she could have imagined, but even the pain paled next to the anticipation.

  Jake told Tyler, “Prop that flashlight right there. Take the other one into the kitchen and bring me the bulb syringe I saw on the table. More towels, too.

  “You mean the thing with the squishy rubber end on it?”

  “Yeah. Then come sit next to your sister and tell her what a great job she’s doing.”

  Jake’s gaze reassured her that everything was okay. Her nerves settled. When the next contraction came, she concentrated on bearing down, the effort almost enough to overcome the pain. She was nearly done. Just a little more and her daughter would be here.

  Jake laughed. “That’s it. The head’s out, honey. Relax a minute.” He reached for the bulb syringe. She supposed he must be suctioning the baby’s nose and mouth, but she couldn’t see. Holly tried to catch her breath.

  “Jake…” Her body took over and the next contraction sent the baby out into Jake’s waiting hands. He cradled the infant for just a moment, and even with her blurring vision, she saw his eyes well over as well. As if he realized, his expression went blank and he blinked several times before he laid the infant on her stomach and began drying the baby. There was just the faintest tremor in his big hands as he touched the newborn, but he made no attempt to hide it. Jake was as overwhelmed as she was. The baby cried, angry mewling sounds, and her tiny face screwed up as she voiced her displeasure at this unwelcome change in her surroundings. The warm weight of her daughter now rested on her instead of inside her. Her miracle.

  Holly reached trembling fingers to stroke her child. Her baby. She swallowed against the thickness in her throat. “Is she okay? Is she perfect?”

  “The most perfect baby I’ve ever seen.”

  Holly smiled and let her head fall against the pillows. She was okay. “Thank you, Jake,” she managed to choke out.

  Tyler’s eyes were huge.

  “How you doing, Uncle Tyler?” Jake murmured.

  “I’m good. Wow!”

  * * * *

  Jake stared at the umbilical cord. “We’re not done yet. Call Doc, Tyler. Just hit Redial while I wash.”

  Tyler held the phone for him as he came out. Jenny ran down the directions to deal with the cord, then explained Holly should try to nurse the baby to help stimulate contractions to deliver the afterbirth. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing compared to the baby, just a little messy.”

  The afterbirth was a snap compared to delivery, but fatigue had worn them down. By the time Jake settled Holly on clean sheets so she could nurse, cleaned everything, and put it away, he was exhausted. He returned to her bedroom to find Tyler curled on one side of the bed watching as the baby slept. Jake sat in the chair next to Holly’s bed. When she smiled, the wariness she’d treated him with had disappeared. For right now, trust had replaced it. The change floored and scared him. He swallowed past the thickness in his throat.

  “You were amazing, Holly. I don’t know many women who would have been so calm in this situation.”

  “I didn’t feel very calm. I don’t know what we would have done without you. I was so scared, and then you got here…thank you.” Tears welled again, spilling down her cheeks.

  He touched the wetness, brushing it away. “I’m just glad I was here. I’ll bring you some Tylenol, then you need to rest.” He tapped his fingers against his thigh. “You…uh…you didn’t tear or anything.” Shit, he so didn’t want to go into this. “I just thought you should know. Doc will check you out and all.”

  Holly smiled. “I had a great delivery guy.”

  At Jake’s signal, Tyler scooted off the bed and blew out the candles. Jake waited for the boy to precede him out of the room, then said to Holly, “I’ll leave the door open. If you need anything, I’ll be in the living room. Just call me.”

  He checked in on her a couple of times and found both her and the baby sleeping. She looked exhausted, not even stirring when he brushed a stray lock of hair off her face. His gaze moved to the tiny bundle of the baby, as delicate as a porcelain doll. A fierce surge of protectiveness moved through him, and not just for the baby, he realized. His emotions had been riding a roller coaster since he walked in the door. Now looking at them both, he realized a connection was there. He’d been interested the first time he saw Holly, and that had only grown as she tried to juggle her pride with what sh
e knew was best for her brother and her baby—and how what was best always won. He would get them both to the hospital just as soon as he could, and then? Then he would move them in with him—her, the baby, and Tyler.

  Now, all he had to do was convince her. He hadn’t told her his suspicions about someone looking for her. Eventually, he would have to. For a moment, Jake wondered if moving her in was for them or him. He’d wanted a family, and fate had put one right in front of him.

  Holly and Noelle. Tyler’d said Holly wanted to name the baby Noelle because her birthday was supposed to be around Christmas. Well, it was December. An early Christmas gift. He touched the infant’s head with his big palm and shifted his gaze to Holly’s pale face. He had helped her bring this baby into the world. He hadn’t counted on how that changed things. Emotional ties bound them together, and he wondered where it would lead.

  Chapter 4

  Jake stamped his feet and blew on his gloved hands. Ice glittered on tree branches like a million prisms the next morning, but he had a lot more to do than admire its beauty. His focus was on getting his precious cargo out of here. That meant clearing the trees and branches littering the rutted road.

  By chance, his chainsaw and a can of gas sat in the bed of his truck. He’d loaned them to one of the patrol officers who had taken his kids to cut a Christmas tree. Now Jake could put the saw to better use clearing a path for a holiday package to get to town.

  As he and Tyler dragged the last of the branches off the still slick road, the boy asked, “Are we taking Holly and Noelle to the hospital today?”

  Jake slapped bark and snow from his uniform with his gloved hands and grinned. “I hope so. I’ll call Chief Jones and Sheriff Barnes in a minute to see how the roads are. If they say four-wheel drives are moving okay, we’ll take Holly and the baby to see Doc.”

  “They’re okay aren’t they?” Tyler asked.

  Uncertainty clouded the boy’s face, so Jake put an arm around his shoulders. “’Course they are, Tyler. We did a great job helping Holly. It’s just a precaution. Kind of like having the teacher look over your work at school.”

  “Oh. Okay.” Tyler tossed branches on the pile near him with renewed energy, a grin back on his narrow face.