by Devney Perry
Hours later, the ranch was crowded with people and I had traded my post in the kitchen for a chaise lounge outside, visiting with Gigi and Emmeline as the kids played in the yard. Inside, Khloe and Maisy had come to my rescue, taking my place in the kitchen to work with Mom and Olivia as they prepared everything for the big dinner tonight.
“Ba, ba, ba, ba.” Adeline, my almost one-year-old niece, crawled over and pulled herself to her feet by my chair. With one hand, I stroked her pretty brown hair while the other rubbed the side of my belly. As nonchalantly as possible, I snuck a glance at my watch.
Surprise. My backache wasn’t a backache. This baby was coming a week early.
I was definitely having contractions and, holy hell, those fuckers hurt. They weren’t close enough together for me to raise the alarm but I was having a hard time concentrating on the conversation.
“What’s wrong?” Gigi asked me.
“Huh?” I looked up from Adeline. “Oh, I’m fine,” I lied. “The kids seem like they’re having fun.”
In the yard, Rowen and Mason were running around while Ben and Coby did their best to keep up. Draven, Nick and Emmeline’s one-year-old son, was more interested in the sand box than in playing with the bigger kids.
“Did you get the nursery finished?” Emmeline asked.
“Yep. Silas set up the crib, and I finished my last load of baby laundry last—ouch!” My hands immediately clutched my belly as I breathed through the strongest contraction yet.
“You’re having this baby today, aren’t you?” Gigi asked.
I nodded. “I think so.”
She held out a hand to help me up off the chair.
“I’ve got the kids,” Emmeline said as Gigi walked me inside. “Good luck!”
I followed Gigi blindly into the kitchen, the reality of what was about to happen both unnerving and exciting. Oh my god. I’m having a baby.
“Olivia,” Gigi said into the kitchen, “would you mind going down to the corral and telling Silas he’s about to be a daddy?”
The room erupted in cheers and clapping. Mom and Olivia rushed to my side for hugs and kisses before making room for Khloe and Maisy.
“I need my bag,” I said. “Would one of you buzz down to the house and get it? It’s in our bedroom, right inside the closet.”
“On it!” Maisy bounced toward the door with a beaming smile.
I sucked in a sharp breath as another contraction started, gripping Mom’s hand as I waited for the twisting pain to subside. “Phew. I am definitely getting the drugs.” I had been flip-flopping on whether or not to try a natural childbirth. Definitely not.
Waddling outside with my entourage, I caught a glimpse of Maisy’s car disappearing down the gravel road toward our house.
A few months ago, the construction crew had finished building our forever home. Silas and I had gone a little crazy on size, building a five-bedroom, three-bath house on the edge of the meadow where he’d had first taken me fencing. We’d opted for a craftsman style instead of log but had incorporated a lot of wooden beams and stone accents to give it a rustic feel.
It was everything I wanted in a house, designed with plenty of open space for family time and entertaining friends.
My head whipped away from the road and toward the corrals as the sound of a galloping horse pounded our way. I smiled as Silas came barreling up on Courage, his cowboy hat shielding his dusty face from the sun and his T-shirt pulled tight across his rippled stomach. God, he was sexy. Any other day, and I’d sneak him into the now-empty barn apartment for some afternoon nooky.
Silas swung down off Courage and took the porch steps two at a time. “You’re in labor? Are you okay?” he asked as he wrapped me in a hug.
“I’m fine.” My nose scrunched up as I pushed him back. “But you smell like burnt hair and cow shit. I’m not pushing out this baby with that smell wafting in my nose. You need to shower.”
He lifted his armpit and sniffed. “It’s not that bad. Let’s go.”
“Oh, no you don’t,” Gigi said. “She’s right. You stink. Shower, use extra soap, then meet us at the hospital.”
“Hold up.” Another contraction started and I grabbed Silas’s hand as my uterus squeezed. When it stopped, I looked to Gigi and said, “Time to go,” before turning to my husband. “Silas, shower. Don’t forget the car seat.”
“Lis—”
“Now is not the time to argue with me, baby.” Water ran down my legs and pooled at my feet. Okay, that was kind of gross. “Silas!” He was staring at the puddle with wide eyes but at my shout they snapped to mine. “Get a move on.”
He turned on his heel and leapt down the steps, sprinting for the barn.
Maisy returned with my bag before Gigi and Mom helped me into her car and off we went, speeding down the road toward the hospital. Gigi made short work of the trip, but by the time I arrived, my contractions were less than a minute apart.
“He’d better hurry.” Bad smell and all, I needed Silas with me now.
I waited for a contraction to pass before pushing open my car door, but before I could step out, Silas’s hand was there to help me down.
“How did you get here so fast?” I asked. “And you showered?”
“There was no way I was missing my girl’s arrival just to obey the speed limit. Come on, babe.”
Four hours later, Silas and I were staring at our beautiful baby girl.
Victoria Noelle Grant.
I was exhausted and in desperate need of a nap, my entire body ached, and things between my legs would never be the same.
But I’d never been happier in my life.
Silas
“Let’s take a walk, cricket. Give Mommy a chance to rest.”
I wrapped up my girl in the black band that Felicity had shown me how to use. I looked like a total putz wearing this baby carrier, but I didn’t care. At least it wasn’t pink.
And Vic loved it. The only way to get her to sleep was by walking her around. The minute you’d sit, she’d start screaming her head off. At one month old, she already resembled her mother in more ways than just looks. She’d inherited Felicity’s feisty spirit.
“Lis?” I stroked Felicity’s hair. She’d fallen asleep on the couch about twenty minutes ago.
“Hmm? Is she hungry?” Her head barely lifted off the pillow.
“I’ve got her. We’re going to take a walk. Get some sleep.”
She nodded and drifted off to sleep before I stepped away.
Fuck, she was beautiful. That woman, my daughter. They both took my breath away.
I grabbed my phone and a spare bottle from the fridge, then headed outside. We strolled along the gravel drive that wound up to my parents’ house, enjoying the early afternoon sunshine. In the distance, Mom was working in her garden and Dad was on the riding lawn mower.
“See all this, Victoria?” I bent down to kiss her soft hair as she slept. Her little nose rested against my chest. “It’s a special place. With you and Mommy, it’s where my dreams came true. Proof that miracles do happen on the Lucky Heart.”
I am, by no means, a ranching expert. The ranch activities depicted in The Lucky Heart are solely based on my experiences working on my husband’s family ranch in central Montana. When I met my husband in college, I knew nothing of agriculture, but over nearly twenty years, I’ve learned a few things. For the most part, my job is to stand by the fence and stay out of the way, but I help where I can and am not too bad with a pair of fencing pliers. One thing I have learned for certain is that no two ranches are alike. The way things are done on the Perry Ranch is unique and done for many reasons based on its size, location, history and available resources. But, though the Lucky Heart ranch is fictional, I hope you’ve enjoyed this glimpse into the ranching lifestyle that I’ve come to respect and cherish.
Jamison Valley Series
The Coppersmith Farmhouse
The Clover Chapel
Thank you for reading The Lucky Heart. I am truly blessed to h
ave such amazing readers.
To Elizabeth Nover, my unbelievably talented editor. Thank you for helping make each story shine.
Thank you to Sarah Hansen, Julie Deaton and Stacey Blake for the special touches you give to my books. Thank you to Nazarea at InkSlinger PR, the team at EverAfter Romance and all of the book bloggers who promote this series.
Thanks to my family and friends who support my writing wholeheartedly. And to Bill, my own handsome cowboy. Thank you for making my ranching education fun over the last fifteen years. I can’t wait to see what new adventures the Perry Ranch has in store for us and the boys.
The Outpost
Coming November 2017!
Trapped in his tiny mountain cabin, she didn't expect to fall for his big heart.
Exposing a prominent criminal family with an investigative news report didn’t exactly work out the way Sabrina had hoped. Instead of basking in the glory of her article’s success, she’s on the run from a powerful man who wants her dead. To stay safe, she’s forced to trade one bad situation for another. Stuck in the Montana wilderness, she’s secluded from anything resembling civilization or the modern-day world. The only good thing about her situation is the gorgeous mountain man assigned to protect her. Too bad he isn’t the slightest bit interested in a city girl like her.
Beau likes his life quiet and simple. Give him a peaceful day hiking in the woods with his dog, and he’s a happy man. He has no use for large crowds, noisy cities or dramatic women. So when a hotshot reporter rolls into town, dragging her big-time problems with her, he should have run for the hills. Instead, he volunteered to keep her safe. Bringing her into his world won’t be easy, but if he can convince her that Montana isn’t as terrifying as she believes, they might just be the perfect match.
Devney lives in Montana with her husband and two children. After working in the technology industry for nearly a decade, she abandoned conference calls and project schedules to enjoy a slower pace at home with her kids. She loves reading and, after consuming hundreds of books, decided to share her own stories.
www.devneyperry.com
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