A Child on the Way

by Janis Reams Hudson

  “I’ve heard enough,” Jack said. He stepped forward and broke Roger’s hold on Lisa’s arm.

  Livid and panicked, Roger pulled the gun from his pocket, but Jack was so close, almost on top of him, that Roger couldn’t bring the gun up to fire. He swung with his right fist and took Jack by surprise.

  Jack staggered back, swearing at himself for underestimating his opponent. Then he saw the gun and his blood chilled.

  Lisa saw it, too. Saw Roger raise it and aim at Jack’s chest. She screamed. “No!” She swung both her arms upward and knocked his aim skyward just as the gun went off.

  With a snarl, Roger backhanded her. The blow stunned her and knocked her off balance. She fell into the dirty mound of snow at the side of the road.

  Before Roger could take aim at Jack again, Jack roared in rage and dived, catching him around the waist and taking them both to the ground. To hell with the gun in his belt, Jack thought through a red haze. He wanted to pummel the bastard with his bare hands.

  Roger rolled and came up on his knees. Once again he swung hard with his right fist.

  Jack dodged, taking only a glancing blow to the shoulder. While the man’s guard was down, Jack threw a solid punch to his gut and followed with a quick series to the head and face. Just as he took him by the collar and reared back to hit him again, someone caught his fist in midair.

  “He’s done for,” Trey said.

  Jack blinked to clear the fury and sweat from his eyes and saw that Trey was right. Hampton’s eyes rolled back and he went limp. Jack let go of his collar and let the bastard fall facedown in the mud.

  “Here.” He pulled the gun from the back of his belt and handed it to Trey. “Keep an eye on him.”

  Stoney was helping Lisa to her feet.

  Jack was at her side in an instant. “Lisa, honey, are you all right? Are you hurt?”

  “Jack.” With a glad cry, she threw herself into his arms and peppered his face with kisses. “Oh, Jack, I prayed you’d come. I was so scared. He had a gun and he threatened to hurt the baby and I didn’t know what else to do but hope Stoney realized I was trying to tell him something was wrong. I couldn’t put anything in the note because Roger dictated it. Oh, God, he said he’d kill you.”

  “It’s all right now. I’m fine.” At least he would be just as soon as his heart left his throat. And as soon as his hands quit shaking. And just as soon as he got a good solid taste of her, which he did right then. He tasted cold and fear, but also, incredibly, along with the sweet honeyed taste that was Lisa, he tasted…joy. “And you’re fine.” He stopped and kissed her again, just to reassure himself. “You are fine, aren’t you?”

  She nodded. “I’m cold and wet from the snow, but—”

  “Here.” Jack stripped off his sheepskin jacket and placed it around her shoulders. “Let’s get you to the house so you can get out of those wet clothes.”

  He carried her to his rig and started the engine to warm up the interior. By then County Sheriff Dane Powell had pulled up. While Jack rolled down his window and spoke with him, Lisa huddled gratefully beneath Jack’s coat and relished the warm air blasting from the heater.

  The sheriff had been only a few miles away when Stoney’s call had come in, she learned. Jack told the sheriff what had happened.

  “Ms. Hampton.” Sheriff Powell tugged on the brim of his hat. “I’ll need to take your statement. The sooner we do it, the fresher everything will be in your mind.”

  Before Lisa could answer, Jack spoke. “I’m going to take her to the hospital to get checked over.”

  “Oh, Jack,” Lisa protested. “That’s not necessary.”

  “He hit you,” Jack said, practically growling.

  “Yes, he hit me, and I’ll have a bruise on my cheek. That’s not worth a trip to the hospital.”

  “You fell.”

  “I landed in deep snow on my hands and knees. If you want the truth,” she said, smiling, “that’s the first time I’ve been able to lie on my stomach in months. If it hadn’t been so cold and wet, it would have felt good. My back actually quit aching for a minute. I don’t need a doctor, Jack.”

  “But—”

  “This baby is important to me. If I thought for a minute either one of us was injured, I’d be begging for a doctor.”

  Jack heaved a sigh. “All right. If you’re sure.”

  “I’m sure. All I really want right now is a hot shower.”

  Jack and the sheriff spoke for a few more minutes.

  The sheriff said, “Let me get this fellow into a cell, then I’ll either send one of my deputies out to get Ms. Hampton’s statement or I’ll come myself.”

  “Thanks, Dane.” Jack shook his hand.

  The sheriff placed Roger under arrest, handcuffed him and read him his rights.

  “I never thought I was a vindictive person,” Lisa said as she watched the sheriff stuff Roger into the back seat of his patrol car, “but that’s one of the sweetest sights I’ve ever seen.”

  Jack merely grunted in response. He would have preferred a hearse. “Let’s go home and get you into a hot shower.”

  “And those are the sweetest words I’ve ever heard.”

  “Then come here. You’re too far away.” He helped her slide across the seat until he had her pressed up against his side with his arm around her. “That’s better. Now we can go home.”

  Home, Lisa thought with relief and longing. But it wasn’t her home. A huge wave of sadness swamped her. Her troubles with Roger seemed to be over now. The thought of returning to Denver, to her house there, left her feeling empty inside. How was she supposed to leave Jack? Yet what excuse could she use to stay?

  He pulled up at the back door and carried her into the house.

  “This is really getting to be a habit, you carrying me. Don’t get me wrong,” she told him, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I like it. But I can walk, Jack.”

  “Humor me, okay? When I realized he’d made you leave with him…” Jack stopped just inside the back door and rested his forehead against hers. “I don’t ever want to be that scared again.”

  Lisa pressed her lips to his. “Neither do I.”

  “Feel better?” Jack had hovered outside the bathroom door while Lisa showered. Not because he thought she might need him, but because he needed to be close to her.

  Wrapped in her long terry-cloth robe and toweling her hair dry, Lisa halted in her bedroom doorway. At the sight of Jack sitting on the edge of her bed, obviously waiting for her, her heart skipped a beat. “Much,” she said in answer to his question.

  Jack rose and stood before her, devouring her with his eyes. “I’ve got lunch, if you’re interested.”

  Her stomach chose that moment to growl. She smiled. “I guess I’m interested.”

  He cupped her face in both hands and kissed her, his tongue sliding in to dance along hers. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

  Lisa leaned against him and rested her head on his shoulder. “I am now.”

  Tell her, Jack thought. Tell her you’re in love with her. But when he opened his mouth to say the words, what came out was, “I’ll be downstairs.” Coward.

  As he went downstairs and left her alone to get dressed, he knew that, yes, it was pure cowardice that kept him from telling her he loved her. What if she hadn’t meant what she’d said last night when she thought he was asleep? Maybe it was just one of those things women said when the sex was good. Maybe she was just grateful for the help he’d given her. Wasn’t she always thanking him for something? Maybe that was all it was. Gratitude.

  So ask her if she meant it.

  Oh, yeah, sure. Hell, if he had the nerve to do that, he’d just up and tell her how he felt.

  Okay. He would take the rest of the day to work out the words. After Dane came, took her statement and left, Jack would carry her up to bed—No. He would take her home with him. He wanted her in his bed, where she belonged. He would tell her there. That would be better.

  When she came dow
nstairs a half hour later, she looked refreshed, but she was still a little pale. Jack didn’t like it. He’d made soup and sandwiches, and watched her eat.

  “I could have lost you today,” he said.

  At his words Lisa’s breath eased out and she couldn’t get it back for a long moment. “I didn’t know you wanted to keep me.”

  “I’m sorry. Maybe that didn’t sound right. But I’m not ready to see the last of you.”

  Her heart thudded. “You’re not?”

  “After last night, you have to ask?”

  She swallowed. Her face grew hot. “Last night was…”

  “Yeah.” He reached across the table and clasped her hand. “It was.”

  Suddenly the dull ache in her back sharpened.

  “What’s wrong?” Jack asked instantly.

  She rubbed at the pain. “My back. Whew. It hurts.”

  Jack stood so fast his chair nearly toppled over. “That’s it. We’re getting you to the doctor. Now.”

  The ache was growing stronger. “I don’t think I’m going to argue with you.”

  Within minutes they’d put on their coats, grabbed Lisa’s purse and medical file and were on their way.

  They didn’t make it.

  Chapter Twelve

  It was thirteen miles of rough gravel road from the house to the paved county highway that led to town. Telling himself he was being expedient rather than reckless, Jack made it in twenty minutes.

  “How are you doing?” He pulled out onto the highway and headed north for Hope Springs.

  When Lisa didn’t answer, he looked over at her and felt the blood drain from his head. “Lisa?”

  With her head pushed back hard against the headrest and her hands gripping her belly, she gasped. “I think…Jack, I think the baby’s coming.”

  His mouth went dry. “You’re in labor?”

  After a long moment she eased. “It came on so fast.”

  “Okay.” He swallowed, licked his lips. “Okay, just hang on. We’ll be at the hospital in less than thirty minutes.”

  Barely a minute later another fierce pain gripped her. “I don’t think,” she managed between gritted teeth, “the baby’s going to wait that long.”

  Jack checked the speedometer. He was doing seventy-five. “I know it seems like it—”

  “You do, huh?”

  Making allowances for the fact that she was in pain, he ignored the tone of sarcasm in her voice.

  “It takes time. We’ve got time.” He hoped they had time. The road was straight, clear and dry. He pressed down on the accelerator.

  “No.” She let out a high keening moan. “Now. The baby’s coming now.”

  Oh, God. “Okay. Okay.” He slowed down and pulled off onto the shoulder. He could at least get her more comfortable. “I’ve got blankets. Sit tight. I’ll make a bed for you in the back. Just…just pant. Like they do on TV.”

  He grabbed his cell phone and hopped out of the rig. By the time he reached the rear door he had dialed 911. He climbed in the back and, one-handed while he held the phone to his ear, dragged his toolbox out of the way and arranged the two blankets he kept for emergencies. If ever there was an emergency, this was it.

  He gave the 911 operator his name and location. “We’re having a baby out here. We need an ambulance.”

  “How far apart are the contractions, sir?”

  “Lisa, they want to know how far apart the contractions are.”

  “Apart?” she said with a grunt of pain. “They’re supposed to be apart? Oh, God, I’ve got to push.”

  “Don’t push. Not yet. Not yet.” Into the phone he said, “I gotta go,” and tossed the phone aside.

  Within seconds he was at Lisa’s side, lifting her from the seat and carrying her around to the back cargo area of the rig. He made sure all the doors and windows were closed so there wouldn’t be a draft. He tore off his coat and stuffed it behind her head and shoulders, with her hips resting on the folded blankets.

  Nothing was sterile. How could she have a baby in the back of his rig?

  It couldn’t be helped, so they would just do the best they could. God, she was hurting, and it was killing him.

  Newspaper. Wasn’t that supposed to be pretty sterile? Trey had brought the newspaper with him that morning to read while Jack drove them to the section of fence that needed repair. He grabbed the paper from the back seat and placed it next to Lisa.

  “How you doing?” He knew as he asked that it was a stupid question.

  “I don’t know,” she huffed out. “I think…I think I’m scared. It’s too soon. The baby’s not due yet.”

  No, the baby wasn’t due yet. And maybe it wasn’t coming right this minute the way she thought it was. This was her first baby. Maybe the sudden labor pains were just panicking her. But even if she was right and the baby was coming right now, Jack felt suddenly calm. Deep down inside he knew that this baby and this woman were going to be fine.

  He took her hand. “Don’t worry, cupcake, everything is going to be all right.”

  “You’re not going to be able to call me that much longer.”

  From the corner of his eye Jack saw Dane Powell slow down in the oncoming lane. He pulled off and parked directly across the highway from them and got out. “Need help?” he called through the back window of Jack’s rig.

  “Get in and drive,” Jack called back. “We’re having a baby.”

  Lisa’s eyes filled. She wondered if Jack realized he’d said we. She wondered if he knew that he was grinning like a new daddy. Then she couldn’t wonder about anything but how to get through the newest pain that threatened to tear her apart.

  Jack turned back to her. “Ah, baby, I’m sorry it hurts. I’m going to get your pants off you now, okay?”

  Lisa groaned, knowing that even as she did, the sheriff—a virtual stranger to her—was climbing into the driver’s seat. “Why does childbirth…have to be so…undignified?”

  “Humph,” Jack said. “Don’t worry about Dane. I imagine he’s seen a naked woman before. Besides, he’s not even looking.” Jack removed her shoes and set them aside, then waited until the contraction eased before gently working her maternity slacks off. So as not to make a big deal out of it, he took her panties at the same time.

  “You two ready for me to drive?” Dane called from the driver’s seat.

  “Go,” Jack ordered. “Where the hell’s the ambulance?”

  Dane put the rig into gear and pulled out. “About five minutes before you called 911, Homer Blevins plowed head-on into Mabel Ditwiler in front of the high school.”

  “Homer Blevins?” Jack’s attention was on Lisa, but he hoped his conversation with Dane might distract her even a little from her pain. “What’s he doing with a driver’s license? He’s blind as a bat.”

  “He doesn’t have a license. He found the place where his daughter hides the car keys and decided to go for a spin. He got banged up some, and Mrs. Ditwiler says she’s going to sue the city, but all in all it could have been a lot worse. Anyway, the ambulance is delayed, so you get me. Now,” he added, giving it the gas, “let’s get this new mama to the hospital.”

  “Sheriff?” Lisa said, panting.

  “Yo.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re more than welcome.” He smiled into the rearview mirror. “I’m here to serve.”

  “Okay, now,” Jack said to Lisa. “I need to see what’s going on.” Gently he eased her knees up and apart and braced her feet against his knees. His heart knocked hard beneath his ribs. “Yep, we’ve got a baby on the way. I see the top of the head. Are you panting?”

  She started panting again. The next contraction came in a matter of seconds as the vehicle gathered speed and raced down the highway.

  “Go ahead, cupcake,” Jack encouraged. “Holler all you want. This is no time to be stoic.”

  It didn’t make him feel any better when she gave in to a deep groan. He would gladly have taken the pain away from her and into his ow
n body if he could.

  Her face was flushed and sheened in sweat, her hair matted against her skull. He’d never seen a more beautiful woman in his life.

  She groaned again. “I need to push.”

  “Don’t push yet. Don’t push.”

  “How’s it going back there?” Dane called. Jack took another look. “I can see the top of the head.”

  “Don’t let her push until the head is out.”

  “You’ve done this before?”

  “I’ve seen a film.”

  “Ah, an expert, then. Here’s the head.” Supporting it in both hands, Jack grinned up at Lisa. “Almost there, cupcake.”

  She snarled at him. “You are going to stop calling me that.”

  “With the next contraction, push.”

  He barely got the words out before the next contraction gripped her. Her face contorted into a mask of pain and effort. The long rolling groan came as if from the depths of her soul, as if her life depended on getting it out.

  “We have a shoulder,” Jack told her. “One more time, honey, push hard. You can do it.”

  Panting, gasping, Lisa pushed with all her might. The second shoulder appeared, and the rest of the baby slipped out into Jack’s hands.

  “My God.” His vision blurred. Grinning so hard his jaws ached, he held the baby up for Lisa to see. “You were right. She’s a girl, and she’s breathing and beautiful.”

  Lisa sobbed once, then laughed.

  “Here you go, little cupcake,” he crooned to the baby. He pushed Lisa’s top up out of the way and placed the baby on her bare stomach.

  “Jacqueline,” Lisa murmured, stroking the top of the baby’s head.

  “What?”

  Lisa met Jack’s gaze steadily. “I’m naming her Jacqueline.”

  Jack had to blink to clear his vision. “Lisa…I…don’t know what to say.”

  “Everything okay back there?” Dane called.

  Lisa swallowed. “Jacqueline Dana.”

  With a smile that wobbled, Jack repeated the name. “Jacqueline Dana. You hear that, Dane? This little cupcake’s name is Jacqueline Dana.”

  In the driver’s seat, Sheriff Dane Powell had to swallow three times before he could speak around the lump of emotion in his throat. Then all he could manage to say was, “Wow.”