The Baby Barter

by Patty Smith Hall

  “Good.” Mack took a deep breath to Thea’s relief. “She was breathing kind of shallow when I found her. I wondered if she had some smoke inflation.”

  “No, just mad she’s got to go to the hospital.” She glanced toward the ambulance. “I’m surprised they haven’t been over here to get you ready for the ride back into town.”

  Mack tried to chuckle but it came out as a cough. “I’m not bottling up the ER on the count of my sorry hide when there are others in the community who need to be seen.”

  That’s what he thought. Didn’t he realize he’d been unconscious for a spell? Smoke inhalation, concussion, each possibility worse than the last, shuffled through Thea’s mind. Whether Mack liked it or not, he needed to be checked out by a doctor. “You’re going, and that’s it.”

  A stubborn glint flared in Mack’s eyes. “It’ll just be a waste of time.”

  Well, bullying only made him dig in his heels even deeper. Maybe there was a more persuasive way to convince him. Thea leaned forward and pressed her cheek against his, the stark smell of smoke a reminder of what she could have lost. She whispered softly into his good ear. “Please, Mack. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you. Do it for me. And for Sarah. She’s lost so much already. Don’t take a chance of her losing you, too.”

  His jaw loosened slightly against hers. “All right, Thea. I’ll do it. For you both.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  In the end, Mack got Thea to compromise. No hospital but Beau agreed to meet them at their place after Thea got her mother settled in at the hospital for the night.

  “The Lord was watching out for you this evening, Mack,” Beau said a couple of hours later as he tossed his stethoscope around his neck and made notes on a piece of paper resting on the coffee table. “What possessed you to run into that house in the first place? From what I hear, it was almost fully engulfed by the time the fire department got there.”

  “Mrs. Miller was in there.”

  He’d like to think he would have done the same for any of the folks in his county, hoped he’d respond in the same way as he had tonight. But he wouldn’t be honest with himself if he didn’t admit the prospect of Thea losing her mother had played a very definite role in his response tonight. The look of absolute devastation that marred her expression in those first few moments after their arrival, the look of complete and total loss haunted him even now. She had borne so much in her life—losing her father, then her sister. Her nephew and niece. If she’d lost her mother, too...

  Mack grimaced. But wasn’t that what was happening already? Mrs. Miller hadn’t been herself in months, even before Eileen had died. The confusion only seemed to grow worse with each passing day. What if Thea had been at home in bed asleep when the fire broke out? Would Mrs. Miller even have remembered her daughter? The thought sent a shudder through him. No wonder Thea clung to the hope Sarah was her niece. The child would be the only family she had left.

  I will never leave you or forsake you.

  Mack had held fast to that verse in the days after his father and his mother had died. Still, he remembered the deafening silence of his parents’ house in the months after Mom’s death, the feeling of being totally alone. No one who shared your history. No one to call your own.

  Well, he was Thea’s family now, and he’d be there for her. All the days of their lives, if she’d let him. She wouldn’t have to bear her mother’s illness alone.

  “How’s our patient doing?”

  The men glanced up to see Edie Daniels walking quietly toward them, a tray of sandwiches and sugar cookies along with a pot of coffee in her hands. Mack had once fancied himself in love with the beautiful engineer, but what he felt for Thea filled up parts of his heart he hadn’t known existed until she’d come back into his life. If tonight had taught him anything, it was that whatever time he had left on this Earth he wanted to spend it loving Thea.

  Beau moved the papers to a side table, then stood and hurried to take the tray from his wife. “You shouldn’t be carrying something that heavy.”

  “Really, Beau.” Edie flashed her husband a teasing smile. “I’m not going to break.”

  “Maybe,” he answered as he dropped a kiss on her brow. “But you’re the only wife I want so I’m not going to take any chances.”

  The tender look they exchanged made Mack duck his head. Beau’s life had not been an easy one. An abusive father and time in a Germany POW camp had seen to that. But the love he’d found with Edie Michaels and his newfound faith in Christ had changed him, set him on a solid path.

  How would Thea’s love transform Mack? She’d already brought him through the pain of his disappointment, showed him how to serve others with a glad heart. What other lessons would they learn together as the years passed? Could she ever learn to love him?

  Mack glanced toward the doorway that led to the hall. “How’s Thea doing?”

  “Better than I would have been.” Edie filled one cup with coffee and handed it to him. “She wanted to get out of those smoky clothes and freshen up a bit before she joined us.”

  It felt as if she’d been gone forever. Probably a reaction to this evening, but he wanted to be close in case she needed him. “Could you go and check on her? She’s had a rough night and I’d feel better if I knew she was okay.”

  Edie studied him as if he were one of those building plans she used to draw for the War Department, then nodded to her husband before standing and heading down the hall.

  Mack glanced over at Beau. “I might have breathed in my share of smoke tonight, but what was that look all about?”

  His friend chuckled as he reached for the coffeepot. “We had a friendly argument going, and my darling wife thinks she’s won.”

  Mack wasn’t sure he wanted to know, but curiosity got the better of him. “What was the argument?”

  Beau glanced down the hall, then settled back, taking his cup with him. “Edie said you would fall in love with Thea.”

  Mack raked a hand through his hair and chuckled. And he thought he’d played it so smooth. That made him laugh even harder. “How did she figure that out?”

  “She recognizes that dog-eared look a man gets when he’s pining after a woman.” A cloud of steam rose as Beau blew across the hot liquid before taking it to his lips. “Met, matched and married, all within a month. That’s pretty quick.”

  “Eight years and a month, but then who was counting?”

  “I told Thea you had a thing for her back in high school, but she said it was my imagination.” He took another sip. “I have to say, since she’s been back, I’ve seen more of that guy who didn’t have a huge chip on his shoulder.”

  Mack rubbed his eye. Had he really been that awful? Probably, yeah. “I didn’t know how to handle what had happened to me. The accident, losing my chance to go to school. It was a lot for me to lose.”

  “You blamed Thea.”

  He was ashamed to admit he had. It had been easier than facing the truth, that he’d caused the wreck that cost him any hopes he’d had for the future. “I realized I was wrong. The accident was all my fault.”

  “I’m glad you figured that out. Maybe now, you’ll consider going to school and becoming a lawyer just like you always talked about doing.” Beau nodded slowly as if mulling over that particular piece of information. “Though, after tonight, you may have a hard time convincing the town council to let you out of your contract.”

  “So now they want to keep me on as sheriff?”

  “Are you kidding? You’re a hero.” Beau laughed. “What do you want to do?”

  Mack knew what he wanted. He wanted everyone gone so he could finally tell his wife how much he loved her. Kiss her the way he’d been dreaming of since the day they got married. Try to convince her to make their marriage a real one with children and laughter and love. Ye
ars and years of love.

  Mack glanced over at his friend. “Thea thinks I should go back to school, too.”

  “So you told her about the accident?”

  “Ms. Aurora convinced me I should.” Mack set his cup back on the tray. “But the more I talked to Thea about it, the more I realized I’d blamed her because life hadn’t turned out exactly as I’d planned.”

  “It never does. But I’ve learned the hard way that God takes whatever mess we make out of things and works it to our good and His glory.”

  Boy, wasn’t that the truth, Mack thought, though even a few weeks ago, he couldn’t possibly have seen the good in the past eight years. Looking back, he would only wonder at God’s faithfulness in the face of his anger. Maybe it was past time he talked to the Lord about it.

  “So, what are you going to do?”

  Mack’s shoulder ached when he shrugged. “It depends on what Thea wants.”

  “And if Thea wants you?”

  “Then I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure she never regrets it.”

  Beau reached for a sandwich. “Yep, I’d say you’re in love.”

  “And if Thea doesn’t want that?”

  Beau chuckled. “Do you know what my part of the argument with Edie was?”

  Hadn’t his friend heard him? “Well, if you disagreed with her then that must mean you thought that I wouldn’t fall in love with Thea.”

  “No.” He leaned back into the sofa. “I thought that Thea would fall in love with you first.”

  “You thought that Thea would...” The memory of those first seconds after he’d woken up, the tiny worry lines that were etched in her forehead, the shimmer of tears laced within the dark fullness of her lashes played out in his mind. She’d been more than a little concerned.

  Thea cared about him?

  Even now, the thought that she might somehow have feelings for him radiated warmth though his veins. It didn’t matter how deep her feelings went. They’d have something to build on, caring and trust, a base to work from as partners, friends, someone who was committed to him and to their family.

  Thea.

  Beau and Edie couldn’t leave soon enough for Mack.

  * * *

  Thea glanced around the living room thirty minutes later, her robe pulled tightly around her, the letter Mack had given her in the moments before he’d run into the flames in her pocket. Only after they had returned home and she had escaped to the quiet solitude of her bedroom had she looked at the envelope, the return address reaching out and grabbing her attention.

  Mrs. Williams. The woman who’d delivered Sarah. Why had Mack given it to her? What did the letter mean?

  As if sensing her presence, Mack opened his eyes, exhaustion and worry lining the area around his forehead. “You okay?”

  A slight smile lifted the corners of her mouth as she studied him for any signs of distress that warranted medical attention. “You’re the one who ran into a burning building tonight.”

  “All in a day’s work,” he quipped.

  She glanced down at the two cups stacked neatly on the coffee tray then at Mack. “Did Beau and Edie leave already? I wanted to thank them.”

  Mack nodded. “They needed to get home, but they wanted me to tell you good-night and that they’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Of course. Edie must have been tired.” Instead of coming farther into the room, she stepped behind the rocking chair. It was the only thing keeping her from making a complete fool out of herself by throwing herself into his arms.

  Telling him she’d fallen in love with him, that she wanted a real marriage might be more difficult than she’d thought. “How are you feeling? Headache, nausea?”

  “I’m okay, sweetheart, really I am.” Thea’s heart skipped a beat at the endearment. “If Beau had had any reason to worry, he wouldn’t have thought twice about admitting me to the hospital.”

  Thea relaxed for the first time in hours. “Good, but I’m still going to keep my eye on you.”

  Mack gave her a lopsided grin. “I certainly hope so.”

  Thea’s fingers dug into the rocker’s headrest. How could Mack be flirtatious after what he’d gone through tonight? Hadn’t he lost enough—his dreams, then tonight, almost losing his life—all because of her family?

  “How’s your mom?”

  Thea drew in a deep breath to steady herself. The reality of her mother’s illness had finally sunk in. “The nurse said she’s sound asleep from that sedative the doctor gave her. He’s going to arrange an appointment with a doctor who specializes in diseases in the elderly. She can’t stay by herself anymore.”

  Mack stood and crossed the short distance to her, wrapping his arm around her waist and drawing her close. “I’d like to go with you to talk to the doctor, if you don’t mind.”

  Thea glanced up at him, startled by the sincerity in his expression. How would Mack feel about her mother when he learned she might have lied about Eileen’s child? “Why would you want to do that?”

  Mack dropped a gentle kiss on her brow. “We’re in this together, aren’t we? Come on.” He guided her over to the couch, then—still holding her close—sat down beside her.

  Mack smoothed her hair away from her face. “Let’s think about that tomorrow. There’s something else we need to talk about right now.”

  He wanted to talk about the letter now? Thea pushed a few inches away, anything to put some distance between them. Might as well get this over with.

  “Is this about the letter from Mrs. Williams?”

  “Yes.”

  Her heart galloped in her chest. “All right, but first there’s something I need to tell you.” She wet her lips. “Sarah can’t be Eileen’s baby. Momma told the paramedic that Eileen’s baby died.”

  “We don’t know that that’s the truth.” Mack pushed a stray curl behind her ear. “All we have is your mother’s word, and that’s not very reliable.”

  “You knew?” The question came out strangled and high-pitched. Thea cleared her throat. “When?”

  “The day the kids came down with the chicken pox and I went by your house so your mother could pack you a bag. Her thoughts were scattered all over the place so I didn’t take her talk about Eileen’s child too seriously.”

  Mack had suspected Sarah wasn’t Eileen’s since before the wedding, before his proposal? “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  His thumb feathered lightly over her chin before he cupped her cheek in his hand. “Because we didn’t have any real proof and until we had some kind of confirmation, I didn’t want to risk hurting you.”

  That must mean something, but what?

  “Do you know why I gave you that letter?”

  A sheen of tears sprang to her eyes as she bit her lower lip. “To let me know you knew who Sarah’s mother was?”

  He shook his head. “I already know who Sarah’s mother is.” Mack tapped the tip of her nose. “You.”

  Thea hadn’t expected that answer. “Me?”

  “Sweetheart, you may not have given birth to her, but Sarah doesn’t have any other mother than you.”

  She was confused. “Then why did you give me the letter?”

  “Did you look at it?”

  Thea refused to tell him she’d stared at it for the last half hour. “Yes.”

  “Did you notice anything about it?”

  What was there to notice? It was a plain, unopened...

  She lifted her eyes to meet his, a spark of hope flaring up inside her. “You didn’t open it.”

  “And I don’t plan to. I don’t care what it says.” Mack reached over and pulled her onto his lap, rocking her back and forth, brushing comforting kisses against her brow. “You poor sweetheart. I really mucked this up, didn’t I?”

  She
sniffed. “I don’t know. I think you’re doing okay so far.”

  Mack’s laughter rumbled beneath her ear. “When I sent that letter off, I wanted answers about Sarah’s mother. And if Sarah was your niece, you needed to know that, too. By the time Mrs. Williams replied, I knew it didn’t matter who had given birth to Sarah, only that you were Sarah’s mother and that I had fallen very much in love with you.”

  “Oh, Mack!”

  She threw her arms around his neck, her body pressed against his, her tears wet against her cheeks. Mack cradled her head in his hands as he tilted her head back and lowered his mouth to hers.

  Several minutes went by before they broke apart, breathless and gasping for air. Thea was still trying to regain her voice when Mack spoke. “I love you, Thea. I love your sweet spirit, and the way you boss me around when I’m sick. I love the way you love our little girl, the way you’ve always loved your family, so unconditionally.”

  She buried her face in his shoulder. “I could have lost you tonight.”

  “But you didn’t.” He dropped another kiss on her hair.

  She lifted her head and met his gaze, his blue eyes dark with longing and just a touch of uncertainty. “I can’t stand the thought that you could have died without my telling you how very much I love you.”

  Mack cradled her cheek, his thumb tracing the path of her tears. “You do?”

  Thea leaned into his hand. “I think I’ve been in love with you since we were in high school. I just didn’t know it until now.”

  All in God’s timing. Just like Ms. Aurora said. He kissed her cheeks and the tip of her nose before brushing a soft kiss against her lips. “I sure hope you do, sweetheart, because I love you so much. I want this to be a real marriage.”

  A brilliant smile graced her lips. “I want that, too, Mack. I want to be your wife.”

  “Sweetheart, you’re more than just my wife. You’re the mother of my child. You’re my family. And I’ll love you forever.”