The Bartender (Sweet Texas Love Book 3)

by Shanna Handel

Bending down, his face close to Diana’s to get her attention. “You’re going to have to let go of Buttercup’s hand, Diana,” Ray said softly.

  Dianna nodded, whimpering, “It hurts so much,” letting go of the tight grasp she held on Buttercup. Finally released, Buttercup scurried from the room.

  Wrapping his arms around Diana, Ray said, “Let’s get you standing, ma’am. Gravity is a blessing in childbirth.”

  “Childbirth!” Diana exclaimed. “I am not having this baby, I am just not ready,” her words dropped off as she howled in pain, then returned with, “I need to push!”

  Grabbing Diana tightly, Ray pulled her as she scooted along to the end of the bed. Having seen several quick births in his lifetime, Ray knew there was no need to check Diana’s cervix. The first time Diana had said the words, “I need to push”, Ray knew her cervix would be dilated the full ten centimeters. Placing his hands under both of her arms, Ray lifted Diana and stood her on the ground, supporting her weight, worried her knees would be weak from the pain.

  Buttercup returned with the towels, as well as a large, black garbage bag that she had grabbed. Placing the towels by Ray, Buttercup instinctively smoothed the garbage bag out on the floor, layered some of the towels over it, then rushed back out of the room to gather other supplies. Ray gave Diana a reassuring smile, leading her to step over the towels.

  “Won’t be long, now,” Ray said. “Bend your knees for me, that’s it. Okay, ma’am, I’m going to peek here.” Ray raised her skirt and saw exactly what he was hoping for. The baby was crowning. “Your baby has a head full of hair, Ms. Diana.”

  Chocking back a laughing sob, Diana covered her mouth with her hand.

  Returning with the pot of water, topped with a plastic bowl, Buttercup placed the items by Ray’s side.

  Knowing the slender, young woman was stronger than she looked, Ray directed Buttercup to stand behind Diana’s small frame, holding her arms under Diana’s, and locking them in front to support her.

  “Okay, Diana,” Ray said in the calm voice he had learned from his mother. “When you are ready, squat and bear down.” With another scream, Diana pushed, letting her breath out. A bit more of the baby’s head was showing.

  “One more push, honey, and this little pumpkin’s head will be out.” Ray braced his hands, ready to catch the baby. A minute later, Diana gave her loudest scream yet, bared down, as her body released the newborn baby boy into Ray’s waiting arms. Ray quickly checked to be sure the cord was not looped around the baby’s neck, holding the slippery baby firmly in his hands. Grabbing a clean towel from the stack next to him, Ray quickly wrapped the baby up tightly, careful not to crush the cord. Waiting for that crucial moment, Ray laughed with joy as the baby took his first breath, then gave a piercing wail in protest of leaving his mother’s warm womb.

  Buttercup eased Diana down to a seated position on the floor, her knees spread open. Diana leaned back on the bed, holding her arms out, the sight of her child bringing joy to her face. “Diana, meet your son,” Ray placed the bundle on Diana’s chest, careful with the cord. Sirens from the ambulance could be heard pulling up to the house. “You did wonderful, sweetheart,” he whispered, smoothing her hair back from her forehead.

  Diana pulled the towel back, examining the face of her new baby. Ray knew there was a few minutes’ peace before the placenta would have to be delivered. Though he normally preferred the quiet skin to skin contact of mother and baby. This little boy being a preemie, Ray wanted them to get to the hospital and get checked out.

  Ray looked to Buttercup. With her face pale and hair disheveled, Ray was taken with her beauty. The grin that spread across his sister’s face changed her entire appearance. There was a confidence in her eyes that hadn’t been there before. Buttercup’s calm nature and quick thinking had made her a crucial part of the successful delivery.

  The agony of childbirth could be shocking to witness. The joy of new life that followed was the most amazing miracle on God’s green Earth and an experience that forever tied people to one another. Ray was grateful to have shared this moment with Buttercup.

  Carrying a sleeping Evan on her chest, Jessica quietly shut the front door behind her with the heel of her boot. Tiptoeing through the house, she entered Evan’s pale blue nursery. His nightlight mobile softly shining. Since Ray had officially moved in, they had been training Evan to sleep in his own room and the nightlight had been a crucial piece of the puzzle. Evan couldn’t sleep without it.

  There had been a lot of tears and midnight wake-ups, but the couple’s hard work had paid off and now Evan was sleeping better in his own space. Gently, Jessica lay him down in the crib, smiling at his chubby cheeks and little red lips. Evan gave a sigh, curling up on his side, and was back asleep.

  Changing into her coziest sweats since Ray was working tonight, Jessica padded into the kitchen to make herself a snack. Flicking on the kitchen light, Jessica was surprised to see eggs and vegetables covering the countertop. Having left the kitchen spotless and the front door locked, Jessica felt a confused panic. Who breaks into a house to make an omelet? The mystery was solved when she spotted the note by the carton of eggs.

  Diana possibly in labor, don’t wait up.

  No scary movies.

  P.S. Closed Ray’s today, maybe indefinitely, talk soon.

  All my love,

  Ray

  Still staring at the words on the note, Jessica’s mind felt numb. Never had three lines of writing contained so much life-altering information.

  Diana was in labor and wasn’t due for almost two months. Jessica said a quick prayer for the young lady and decided to text Ray later for an update. Buttercup had been at Diana’s today so that was one positive. Buttercup had a hard-outer shell, and Jessica guessed that her composed nature would make the young woman an incredible helper in an emergency. Jessica wished she could do something to help, but the baby peacefully sleeping in the crib was her priority. Ray would have the situation under control.

  The movie part was going to be difficult because she most certainly would be waiting up for Ray. There had to be a good show she could binge watch on Netflix, something mainstream that would be scary but not too scary. She wondered how Ray would feel if he came home finding her watching the one show whose trailer peaked her interest. A crime investigation about a handsome serial killer breaking into women’s homes when they were all alone at night. Deciding Ray would not like that very much, Jessica moved on to the last line of the note.

  Ray’s was closed. Perhaps forever. Memories of her younger years, dancing at the bar, drinking with friends, then later, those special date nights with the hunky bartender made Jessica feel nostalgic for the place. But if Ray’s heart wasn’t in it anymore, Jessica supported his decision to move on. If she was being totally honest with herself, the hours were terrible. If she couldn’t watch murder mysteries, then she wanted Ray’s arms wrapped around her in bed at night.

  Cleaning up the mess to clear her mind, Jessica surveyed the food. She tossed the eggs in the trashcan, having no idea how long they may have been out and not wanting to take the risk. Gathering the vegetables, Jessica balanced them on her arm opening the refrigerator door. A tomato fell from her grasp, hitting the floor as Jessica tugged open the crisper drawer in the refrigerator.

  Moving a squash and a cucumber to make room, Jessica’s hand hit something rock hard. Placing the veggies on the shelf, Jessica knelt, investigating the drawer further. Halfway behind the squash was a rectangular package. Expecting a tray of tofu, one of Ray’s latest cooking experiments, Jessica was puzzled by the weight in her hand as she pulled it from the crisper. Plastic was wrapped tightly around the bundle, over a layer of what looked like white butcher paper. The block was a little larger than a brick, and heavy. Strange. Ray was famous for trying new recipes, maybe inside was an ingredient for an exotic meal to reveal the ‘I quit my job and closed my place of income’ announcement dinner.

  Peeling back the crackling plastic, Jessica tore
a corner of the paper to get a closer look. It couldn’t be.

  “Cold, hard, cash,” Jessica murmured, giggling hysterically. “And it’s even cold from being hidden in a vegetable drawer.” Running her thumb along the edge of the stack of bills, Jessica let out a low whistle. “What the…” she stopped mid exclamation, distracted by the flashing and buzzing of her cell.

  Keeping a firm grip on the block in her hand, she picked up the phone and in her current frazzled state, read the long string of text messages out loud. “Won’t be home till tomorrow. Mother and baby well. Delivered baby at home, transferred to hospital. Mrs. Bledsoe is strong but exhausted. Will stay to assist until husband returns first thing tomorrow. Talk soon, phone not getting reception in hospital. No means no for scary movies. Love you till it hurts.”

  Breathing a sigh of relief for the new mother and premature baby, Jessica put her phone down on the counter. Pride welled in her chest. Ray was an amazing husband and father, but also a helper for those who needed him. And to top it off, the sexy, muscled bartender could deliver babies. Chuckling, Jessica thought there was sure to be a generous helping of Moose Juice, in Diana’s future.

  But where had her baby delivering, ex-bartender, daddy acquired such a vast amount of cash? Holding the block with two hands, again, she felt the weight of it. Where had it come from and why was it in the vegetable drawer? Feeling like Nancy Drew, Jessica had read the entire series as a girl, she tried to put the pieces together.

  It had to be Ray’s. He must have brought it when he moved in just a few weeks prior. Maybe this was his savings. But why hadn’t he just put it in the bank, why the crisper? The revelation hit Jessica like a punch in the gut. Ray was specifically hiding the fortune from her.

  Making salads for Jessica at almost every meal and raising a brow until she had taken a few bites, Ray knew that the one place Jessica would never go was the vegetable drawer. He must have hidden it thinking Jessica would never even open the drawer.

  Jessica went to the living room, double checking the front door was securely locked and tossed the brick down on the coffee table. She knelt by the coffee table and stared at the package. It only took one moment of debating with herself to decide to open the paper the rest of the way. Pulling off layer upon layer of plastic wrap, revealed the bills to be crisp and dry, protected from the moisture of the refrigerator. Unfolding the white butcher paper, Jessica gasped at the face of statesman, inventor, diplomat, and American founding father, Benjamin Franklin. There were three bundles in total, all the same thickness, each individually wrapped and secured with a rubber band.

  Jessica’s mood hung somewhere between elation and terror. Her husband was rich. But how? How does a bar owner in a town the size of a postage stamp, make this kind of money? Surely not legally. But Ray Stevenson was the most upright citizen she knew, there had to be a reasonable explanation.

  Filing through all she knew about Ray, Jessica tried to remember if he had ever mentioned a previous lucrative career or an inheritance. His father had left; his mother was a midwife and raised Ray alone.

  And why the shoestring budget for the wedding? Something wasn’t right. Another nagging, question tickled Jessica’s brain. Was there more cash hidden in the house? Nancy Drew instincts kicked in, overwhelming any nagging guilt that she should wait to talk to Ray, directly, before investigating.

  Thinking about where else Ray would think to hide cash, Jessica sat, cross-legged in the middle of the small living room, gazing around the nooks and crannies of the house. Ray had jokingly complained that Jessica never cleaned the bathroom. It was true, and Ray had taken over the chore himself, even before he had moved in, not one to be able to live in a mess.

  Jumping up from her seated position, Jessica hurried to the bathroom. The cabinet under the sink was where Ray kept the cleaning supplies, at least she thought, Jessica had never opened that cabinet. Too yucky with all the plumbing pipes from the sink stored inside, Jessica chose to keep her cosmetics and toiletries tucked safely in the drawers of the vanity.

  The door creaked a little when she opened it, protesting her nosiness. At first glance, she saw nothing unusual. Toilet bowl cleaner, glass spray for the mirror, a can of Ray’s favorite sprinkle powder cleaner, ironically titled, ‘Barkeepers Friend’, and two tubes of bleach wipes. Almost closing the door, Nancy Drew shook her head at Jessica in her mind’s eye. A real detective would perform a more thorough investigation.

  Jessica picked up the cylindrical, plastic wipes containers. The first one felt like the same weight as the one in the kitchen. She put it back and picked up the second one. It was further back in the corner of the cabinet. Bingo. It was heavy as heck. Excitedly, Jessica grabbed the container, leaving the cabinet wide open in her haste, and ran back to her place at the coffee table.

  Snapping open the plastic lid, Jessica sucked in her breath. Inside the container sat another package. Identical in appearance, the brick was wrapped in white paper with plastic around it, confirming Jessica’s suspicions. There was more money in this house, and it was Ray’s intention to keep it hidden from her.

  Jessica tore through the house, searching every inch of the small cottage. When she had opened every door, drawer and pulled every item out of every closet, she stretched out, exhausted and sweating, on the couch. Rosy rays of the early morning sun shown in her Eastern facing windows, streaks of light covering the mounds of cash on the coffee table that she had procured.

  There were three more sets of three bundles. Thirteen in all. All Benjamin Franklins. She had found three stacks behind Ray’s collection of tear jerker mushy romance DVDs, never watched by her. And, the jackpot, a brick she had found in the freezer, hidden under the bags of frozen peas and broccoli.

  Throwing her arm over her eyes, Jessica was just drifting off to sleep when she heard Evan’s giggling voice. Crap. She pulled her heavy weight up off the couch, making her way to the kitchen, brewing a pot of very strong coffee. As it percolated, she dropped the stacks of cash into an empty duffle bag. Too tired to even begin to think about how to approach the subject of the hidden money, she shoved the duffle bag under the bed.

  Grabbing her happy baby from his crib, Jessica laughed as he patted her chest, saying, “pancake.” Once Evan was settled into his chair with his mini pancakes and syrup dipping cup, Jessica assessed the state of the house. Doors flung open, drawers hanging askew, blankets, books and movies covering the floor, Jessica began to think maybe Ray had been right to call her a little messy. It looked like Nancy Drew had a little cleanup work to do.

  Chapter 7

  “You have to be kidding me!” Carrie’s mouth hung open wide, gaping at Jessica. “Where is Ray now? Why haven’t you asked him about the cash yet?”

  “Ray is still at the hospital with Diana. I haven’t seen him yet.”

  Wes leaned on the doorframe of the kitchen, listening and laughing quietly to himself, as Jessica and Carrie whispered between themselves. Catching the words, Ray and Benjamin Franklins, he took his coffee and snuck out the door before the women could spot him. Let the women have their gossip, Jessica would find out soon enough. He just hoped the ladies didn’t get themselves into trouble with their snooping.

  Sneaking out the front door, Wes walked down the long road, past the ranch house and the barn, and climbed into his truck, placing his travel mug gently into the cup holder. Now, that Ray was family, he was providing the ranch, as well as his coffee fiend wife, Jessica, with Texas’ finest coffee beans. Ray made the habit of picking up several pounds weekly in Kent. Wes never wasted a drop of the delicious brew.

  Rolling down the windows to let in the cool, spring morning air, Wes headed to the Poke Town Post Office. Much to the suspicion of Post Master Glenn, Wes had been frequenting the place as of late, doubling his usual visits.

  As he pulled into the empty parking spot, Wes looked up at the handwritten sign on the door of the bar next door. Chuckling at Ray’s abrupt dismissal of his lifelong career, Wes read the words aloud,
“Ray’s is closed. Maybe forever.” Good for him, Wes thought, getting out of the truck. Good for him.

  Wes and Ray had become close over the past few months, and Ray had discussed his reservations of the bar lifestyle. At the end of the conversation, Ray had looked around his own bar walls with a look of utter disdain, causing Wes to wonder how much longer Ray would be a bartender.

  Glenn looked up from his want ads as Wes entered the tiny Post Office. “Wes! What a pleasant surprise, three times, this week. Love seeing a fresh face. There has been a real lack of social exchanges since Ray shut down our bar.” Slapping the newspaper down on the counter, Glenn went to the back to retrieve The Lonestar Cattle Company’s mail.

  Wes usually came to the post office, once per week, like clockwork. Routine held Wes together. Running the ranch and caring for his family and employees who were family as well, left little room in Wes’ life for ‘winging it’. Flying by the seat of her pants was Carrie’s way to approach life, not Wes’. Always running late and harried by her poor planning, Carrie was his opposite in this way, and her last-minute tendencies often led to the seat of those flying pants being warmed by his hand.

  With the possibility of Garrett dropping a line, Wes had taken to frequenting the small office. “Just checking the mail,” Wes said casually. Phone calls were not a part of the program at Freefall, but letter writing was encouraged. Having not yet heard from his brother, Wes’ hopes rose just a tad as Glenn handed him the bundle.

  Today, Wes’ change in routine was well rewarded. A huge, childish grin crossed Wes’ face as he glanced at a stack of bills and adverts, topped off with the bright, shiny colors of a postcard.

  “Thanks, Glenn,” Wes said, turning and hurrying out of the door before questions could be asked. Any communication from Garrett was a gift and Wes wanted to enjoy it, alone. Carrie had warned Wes not to get his hopes up about the results of the rehabilitation program, but how can you not when your baby brother has a second chance at life? Eager to read the card, Wes climbed into the truck.