Choose Your Heart

by Callie Hutton

  Before she had a chance to catch her breath, he turned, took her into his arms, and her mouth dried up. The smell of man, leather, and his musky after shave drifted to her. His hands slid down to her waist, and rested comfortably there, leaving a trail of warmth. She moved her palms up his chest, then grasped his rock hard biceps. This more intimate touch fanned the embers in her stomach, spreading heat waves all the way to her fingers and toes.

  He was taller than Cody. When she and her husband had danced, her forehead came to his lips. With Damian, the top of her head would fit right underneath his chin. He kept a decent space between them, which reassured her. In fact, she was amused to realize she felt the need to move closer. And she couldn’t stop staring into his eyes.

  This is crazy. I just met the guy. I know nothing about him. He could have a wife and seven kids tucked away somewhere.

  What the hell am I doing?

  Chapter Two

  Damian drew Kerry closer and his lungs seized. Yep, her curves were all he thought they would be and more, and they fit him perfectly. The heady perfume of her hair and whatever shower gel she used, mixed with her own unique scent, had desire pounding through his veins.

  He re-played her words. “Sounds lonely.” How did she figure that out so fast?

  After a few years of the same old, same old, he’d almost given up finding the right girl to settle down with. Only recently he’d come to the conclusion that he would never find her here. His ma always told him if you hang out in bars, the only people you meet are drunks. Or sluts, he could’ve added.

  He glanced at Kerry as she broke eye contact with him and looked around the room, her impression of the place evident on her face. Suddenly, he wished he hadn’t brought her here.

  Finished with her perusal, her gaze landed on him again. Everything and everyone in the room disappeared as he lost himself in her eyes. He’d spent most of his adult life waiting for the right girl, and as crazy as it sounded, he had a troubling notion he’d just found her. And she was only passing through.

  Despite the erotic images his mind conjured up of this sexy woman, something else about Kerry drew him. He wanted to talk to her. Get to know her. Find out what she thought about things. Where she’d come from, and why a job in Albuquerque? Why did her finger show remnants of a ring? Was a new man waiting for her?

  That thought rankled.

  “Why Albuquerque?” The question popped out before he knew it.

  Kerry shrugged. “Why not?”

  “A man waiting for you there?” He could have bitten off his loose tongue.

  “No.” She shook her head. “I decided to make a change. New job, new place to live.”

  So she’s free. Not that it mattered. She’d soon be on her way. This little bit of time spent together might be all he would ever have—a depressing thought.

  His arm tightened as he maneuvered her around another couple. As casually as he could, he asked, “Sort of like running away?”

  She stiffened in his arms. “No. Not running away.”

  The scattering of freckles on her pert nose right above full, lush lips wreaked havoc with his senses. The combination of curvy, sexy woman and childlike innocence drew him like no woman ever before.

  “I hear Northwest Texas Hospital in Amarillo is looking for nurses.”

  Why did I say that? She probably thinks I’m hitting on her. Well…I am hitting on her.

  Kerry frowned. “I already have a job lined up in Albuquerque.” She chewed on her lip. “What about you? Married?”

  He shook his head. “Nope. No wife. In fact, never even came close.”

  The dance came to an end, and Damian grabbed her hand as they returned to the table, reluctant to break the connection.

  “I’d like to go now.” Kerry eased her hand from his, then retrieved her purse from alongside her chair. “Just let me run to the ladies room first.”

  She slung her purse over her shoulder and headed toward the restrooms. Damian eyed her curvy bottom as she sashayed across the room. Her tanned legs drew more than one pair of eyes, and it disturbed him to feel a twinge of jealousy.

  He stretched out his long legs and crossed his arms. She seemed in quite a hurry to be done with him. He’d take her to a motel, and try very hard to coax a phone number out of her. He glanced around, seeing the honky tonk through her eyes. Kerry sure as hell didn’t belong in a place like this. Ma was right. If you’re gonna meet the right girl, go to the right places.

  Well, Ma, I might have met the right girl, but she’s headin’ south.

  “Hey, Damian?” Gus leaned over the bar and shouted above the twangy wails coming from the jukebox. “Do me a favor, would ya?”

  “Sure, what’s up?”

  The bartender wiped his hands on a towel and came around the counter. “A while ago, Bev asked if she could leave cause she weren’t feelin’ good.”

  Damian nodded for him to continue.

  The old man slung the cloth over his shoulder and placed his hands on his hips. “I just looked out the window, and her car is still in the parkin’ lot.” He waved his arm around. “With her gone, Marshall off tonight, and Kiera out of town, I can’t leave to check on her.”

  Concerned for the waitress, Damian was pushing his chair back before Gus finished. “No problem, I’ll take a look.” He snapped his fingers and turned back. “When the girl I came with returns from the ladies room, let her know where I went.”

  He elbowed his way through the gathering crowd, side-stepping cowgirls looking for action. The humidity covered him like a blanket when he stepped outside. He gave a quick look around, and headed for Bev’s Jeep. She appeared to be sleeping, her head thrown back, her eyes closed.

  Damian tapped on the window. “Bev?”

  She stirred and turned her head toward him. Sweat beaded her forehead, and she grimaced. “Damian?”

  “You all right, darlin’?”

  She shook her head and gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles turning white. “No. I’m...in...labor,” she panted.

  He pulled on the handle. “Open up, honey.”

  Bev unlocked the door, then leaned back again. Damian tugged the door open, and his stomach took a tumble. Water puddled at her feet, and she chewed on her bottom lip, a slight moan escaping.

  Panic hit him square in the face. He started off, then turned back. “Don’t go anywhere.”

  Thinking what a dumb thing to say, he raced toward the building, ripped the door open, and plowed through the crowd. Just as he reached the bar, he eyed Kerry coming from the direction of the ladies’ room, and made a quick detour in her direction.

  “What’s the matter?” Her eyes grew wide as he barreled toward her.

  “You need to help me.” He grabbed her arm and dragged her across the floor, pushing dancers out of the way.

  Kerry pulled back. “Wait a minute. What’s going on? And let go of my arm, you’re hurting me.”

  “Labor,” he puffed as he shoved the bar door open.

  “Stop.” Kerry dug in her heels. “Tell me what this is about, you’re scaring me.”

  Damian took a deep breath as if to calm himself. “I’m sorry. I’ve never had to deal with this before.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “You remember our waitress?”

  Kerry nodded. “The pregnant one?”

  “Yes. Bev.” He ran his tongue over dry lips and tugged her forward. “Well, she’s about to be not pregnant very soon.”

  She sped up. “She’s in labor?”

  “Now you got it.” He jogged in front of her, leading the way to Bev’s Jeep.

  Kerry opened the door and leaned in. “Hi, Bev. My name is Kerry, and I’m a certified midwife.”

  The woman bit down hard on her lips and gave her a slight smile, more of a grimace.

  “Right now, I want you to breathe slowly, and I’m going to ask you a few questions. Okay?”

  Bev gripped her distended belly and nodded.

  “How long have you being having contractio
ns?”

  “A couple...of...hours.”

  Kerry eyed the puddle on the floor. “Okay, that’s fine. Now, when did your water break?”

  The woman panted. “About...ten minutes...ago.” She let out a low moan. Sweat beaded the woman’s forehead as she wiped the moisture from her upper lip.

  Kerry rubbed the woman’s belly. “Okay, try to relax. We’ll get through this together. Is this your first baby?”

  Bev shook her head, and held up three fingers.

  “Your third?”

  She nodded and moaned again. The mother’s breathing turned into a soft pant as she worked her way through a contraction. Kerry laid her hand on the swollen belly, and the tightening then relaxing of her abdomen signaled her contraction had lessened. If this was her third birth, there probably wasn’t time to get her to the hospital.

  “All right, Bev. Are you breathing okay? Remember to pant.”

  She nodded and closed her eyes.

  “How far apart are the contractions?”

  Bev held up four fingers.

  “Listen to me, hon. I’m going to have Damian carry you inside, will you be all right for a few minutes?”

  The woman shook her head furiously and grabbed Kerry’s hand. “No. Don’t bring me back inside. It’s too embarrassing to be dragged through the bar with all those people. Just leave me here.”

  Kerry turned to Damian. “We can’t do that, I need more room.” She shifted her eyes back and forth in thought. “Can you carry her to your truck? Put her in the back seat?”

  “Sure.”

  Apparently relieved to have someone else in charge, Damian reached in and eased his arms around Bev’s shoulders, and under her knees.

  “Hang on now, darlin’, I’m gonna give you a ride.”

  Bev grunted her response, and Kerry quickly returned to the bar. Once more, she fought her way to the counter where a man stood behind it, wiping glasses. Gray hair and a handlebar mustache gave him a look of a character right out of an Old West photograph. His leathered skin spoke of years in the Texas sun.

  “What can I get ya, little lady?”

  “Nothing to drink.” She raised her voice to be heard over the crowd. “Your waitress is in the parking lot about to give birth. There are a couple of things I need for you to do.”

  “Bev?” The old guy’s tanned face blanched. “She’s in labor?”

  “Yes. Can I ask you to call 911?”

  He nodded. “We’ve been through this before. A couple of months ago Marshall’s gal gave birth right here.” Mumbling to himself, he reached behind him to the phone on the back wall.

  “Tell the operator that Bev might be too close to giving birth to be moved, but we need someone here to transport mother and baby.”

  If possible, the bartender paled further, and his fingers shook as he punched in the numbers. “I’m getting’ too old for this here stuff.”

  Kerry tapped her foot as the man talked briefly with someone on the other end.

  “Miss, the 911 operator said it will be a while because the medics are out at a crash on Route 40.” Gus still had a slight pallor.

  “Okay. In the meantime, I’ll be outside.”

  He put his hand over the mouthpiece. “Wait, shouldn’t you bring her in here?”

  “No. She’s in Damian’s truck, and comfortable there. The way things look, it won’t be too long.” Kerry leaned closer. “Can you get me some clean bar towels?”

  Gus reached under the bar, then handed her a stack of towels. “I have some more in the dryer in the back but take these for now.”

  “I’ll also need scissors, twine, anything I can use to tie off the cord.”

  She left a green-faced Gus rushing to do her bidding. Relieved that the music had stopped and the dance floor relatively clear, Kerry raced back out.

  Damian had moved Bev to his truck, and had her settled in the back seat. His pinched features relaxed once Kerry hurried up to them.

  “How can I help?” He directed his comment to Kerry as he kneaded Bev’s shoulder when she let out with another low moan.

  “Gus is gathering supplies for me, can you go pick them up?” She grabbed his arm as he turned. “And see if you can find some antibacterial hand sanitizer.”

  Kerry continued to coach Bev as the woman worked her way through contractions. She’d done this many times before, but never in the back seat of a truck.

  She shook her head. There was a first for everything.

  Within minutes, Damian hurried to the pick-up, his arms loaded with towels, a bottle of sanitizer wedged in the crook of his arm. “Gus is still searching for the scissors and twine.”

  Kerry knelt on the floor next to where her patient lay on the seat, clasping her hand and murmuring. He grimaced as Bev gripped Kerry’s hand so hard he thought she would break every delicate bone.

  When the contraction eased, she leaned back on her heels, and with a reassuring smile, slid the towels under the mother’s backside. His stomach rolled as she eased down Bev’s soaked panties, and dropped them on the floor.

  “Damian, can you see if Gus was able to find scissors and string?”

  After giving her a curt nod, he left the women. He’d attended hundreds of livestock births, but never a woman’s, and definitely not someone he knew. The thought left him a bit queasy. Bev had graduated high school with him, and while Damian had gone off to college and hit the books, she married her high school sweetheart and began producing offspring at an alarming rate. He wasn’t too sure how he felt about witnessing the birth of this newest addition.

  Once he’d returned with the requested items, Kerry flashed him a grateful smile, then focused on the job at hand. She soothed the laboring mother, and ordered him to climb in behind Bev and rub her back in between contractions.

  Damian was beyond impressed. Kerry exhibited professional confidence. Cool and calm, she encouraged Bev and praised her progress. Anyone watching would have thought she was about to deliver a baby in the best equipped delivery room in the finest hospital.

  “Has anyone sent for Bev’s husband?” Kerry asked as she snapped on latex gloves from the box Gus had sent out with a curious young woman. The poor girl had glanced into the truck, paled, and backed up, returning to the bar in a hurry.

  “Tex is generally on the road.” He pushed back the soaked hair from Bev’s forehead. “Is that where he is, darlin?”

  Bev nodded and grimaced.

  “Seriously?” Kerry grinned as she glanced at him. “Her husband’s name is Tex?”

  Damian returned the grin and shrugged.

  Kerry scooted in front of her patient, coaxing her to lie on her back, and then pushed her knees apart. After a quick look, she glanced up. “Hold her against your chest. Then take her knees and pull them toward you. I can see the baby’s head.”

  Hands shaking and sweat beading his forehead, he moved into position. He was about to witness the birth of a child. No matter how many animals he’d seen emerge from their mothers, nothing would ever compare to this.

  Damian watched mesmerized as Kerry laid her hand on Bev’s belly, her palm rippling over the giant lump.

  “Push, hon.”

  Her patient groaned, her face beet red as she bore down. Her eyes squished, and she fisted the towel underneath her.

  “Good.” Kerry lifted Bev’s dress and examined the area again. “It won’t be long now. Maybe one or two more contractions.”

  Gus hurried up to the truck and pointed toward the highway. “The ambulance just pulled up.”

  “Perfect. We’re about done here.” Kerry wiped her forehead with her arm, and then spoke in soothing terms. “One more push, hon. Give me one more push. Now.”

  Damian swallowed and glanced away when Kerry reached beneath the woman’s dress and shifted her knees further apart.

  “Good, you’re doing fine. It won’t be much longer.”

  Bev tensed, let out with a scream, and bore down again.

  The baby boy slid out of its
mother’s body just as two medics pushed a gurney up to the truck. Kerry quickly used her index finger to clear the infant’s mouth. The baby sucked in a breath, and let out with a wail.

  Damian released the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Hopefully, he wouldn’t embarrass himself by having anyone notice the tears standing in his eyes. His trembling fingers ran through his hair, tugging at his scalp. Never in his life had he witnessed anything so incredible. He took in a deep gulp of air and grinned.

  Kerry’s face lit up, and her gaze connected with his. In the flashing light from the bar, their eyes locked. Her face shone with sweat, curls plastered to her head, almost as if she had given birth.

  Damian’s gut clenched, and a powerful, totally unfamiliar feeling raced through him.

  He fought the urge to grab this woman and kiss her senseless. His previous sense of finally having found the right one for him hit him like a fist to the gut.

  Dude, you’re in big trouble.

  Chapter Three

  Damian followed the ambulance transporting Kerry with an exhausted mother and new son to the hospital. Still unsettled by feelings for this woman he barely knew, he smiled in admiration for how Kerry conducted the delivery of a baby in probably the worst circumstances she’d ever had to deal with.

  She’d been focused, professional, and compassionate. Observing how she handled herself turned him on as much as the dance they’d shared. If he accomplished nothing else tonight, figuring out a way to keep Ms. Mackenzie from rushing right off to Albuquerque would make for a successful evening.

  He swung the truck into the hospital parking lot as the paramedics unloaded Bev and the baby. Kerry hopped out of the back of the ambulance and hurried into the hospital behind the gurney. Damian parked the truck, then followed them into the emergency entrance.

  The room held the usual late night sufferers. Small children cried in their parents’ laps. Two men glared at each other, one holding a wad of blood-soaked paper towels to his forehead, the other with an ice pack on his eye. A teenager, who obviously had too much to drink, lay snoring next to three friends who played cards. Late night misery in Amarillo.