Jake gestured to his bedroom next door, and she hurried to the phone beside his bed. “Gabe?”
“Anna? It’s Carrie. She’s hurting real bad. And bleeding.”
Anna didn’t waste any time. “I’ll be right there. Call the ambulance.” She hung up the phone and sprinted for her room. It only took a couple of minutes to change into jeans and a shirt. She stepped into loafers as she ran out the door.
She found Brett waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs.
“I’m coming with you.”
“No, I don’t have time for you,” she muttered, rushing past him. She didn’t need to be distracted, either.
By the time she backed her car out of its place, though, Brett slipped into the front seat, startling her.
“What are you doing?” she demanded, throwing on the brakes.
“Going with you. Come on, what are you waiting for?”
She didn’t know. Ramming her foot down on the accelerator, she roared down the driveway. As the ranch house lights dimmed behind them, she caught her second breath.
“Why are you here?”
“To take care of you.”
She took her gaze off the dark road only momentarily, but she muttered, “That’s crazy. You’re the one with a concussion.”
“I don’t have a concussion. It’s late at night. I don’t want you out alone.”
“I can take care of myself,” she protested. “Don’t you remember the first time we met?”
“Yep. You threw me on the floor.”
“Well, then? You should’ve stayed in bed.”
“Nah, I’ve been sleeping. I don’t need to rest.”
She growled in protest even as they sped through the night. “I don’t have time to play, Brett. Carrie is having problems.”
“I’m not here as a playmate. I’ll do what I can to help, and if I can’t help, I’ll stay out of your way.”
One of his big hands pushed back the riotous curls from her face and then settled on her shoulder. It felt so good she had to protest again. “This is foolish behavior.”
“No more foolish than you jumping into the corral with a mad bull romping around. In fact, I’d say my accompanying you is a lot less dangerous. Wouldn’t you?”
She glared at him before turning back to her driving. She didn’t want to discuss her behavior this afternoon.
AS THEY SPED through the night, Brett kept his gaze on Anna, taking in her uncombed hair, no-makeup face, thinking how beautiful she was. How natural and basic her approach was, putting others first, racing to give help.
Sylvia hadn’t even been willing to help do the dishes. What Anna would face at the Browns’ would be a lot more difficult.
Anna braked and pulled into the driveway that led to a small house, its porch light blazing.
“Is there anything you need carried in?” he asked as they came to a halt.
“My bag is behind the seat. If you’ll bring it, I’ll go on in. Both of them need some reassurance, if nothing else.”
“I’m right behind you,” he assured her. And he was, as soon as he removed her keys from the ignition and grabbed the medical bag. She’d left the door open, and he didn’t bother to knock.
Following the sound of voices, he reached the open doorway to the bedroom where Carrie Brown and her husband were. Both of their faces were white, fear written in their eyes.
Brett didn’t know much about having babies, but he knew the situation was dangerous. And having already lost one baby, he knew Gabe and Carrie were afraid tragedy might strike again.
“Anything you need?”
“No. Carrie, do you mind the company? Brett could hold your other hand. Maybe tell you a few funny stories,” Anna suggested with a smile. Brett could tell she was worried and was trying to hide it from her patient.
“Anna, is the baby all right? When the bleeding started, I was afraid—I felt it move!”
“Of course you did, Carrie. Now, I need to take your blood pressure and temperature before the ambulance gets here. You let these men do the talking while I do, okay?”
“Oh. But—”
“Brett, did you tell Carrie about our rodeo today? He turned a flip in the air. Almost broke his head,” she said with a smile.
Brett understood Anna’s silent command and began relating little stories from the rodeo, hoping to distract both Carrie and her husband. He even talked about Roy competing with him for Anna’s attention, and bragged shamefully of his success.
In the meantime, Anna worked quietly, taking Carrie’s temperature, her blood pressure, and then listening to the baby’s heartbeat.
Brett admired her strength and control. Even in the few minutes since they’d arrived, he could see Gabe relaxing a little. Carrie, however, was strung tight as a wire.
“Can you hear the baby’s heartbeat? Can you?” she demanded.
“Hey, Carrie, she can’t hear you and the baby, too,” Brett teased. “As soon as they finish their conversation, she’ll talk to you. And if that child’s as long-winded as Gabe, she’ll get back to you around Christmas.”
“Hey, I’m not talkative!” Gabe returned, surprise on his face.
“I know,” Brett muttered, “and I could use some help distracting your wife.”
Gabe took Brett’s not too subtle hint and began asking Carrie about what she wanted him to pack for the hospital. He even went so far as to get a pen and paper to make a list. Brett almost lost his control when Carrie explained about the baby clothes’they’d need. He only hoped they were right.
The wail of the siren came through the night. He’d always considered that sound alarming, but now it was a comfort. It gave knowledge that help was on the way.
“Perfect. They’re almost here,” Anna said, putting away her stethoscope.
“Is everything all right?” Carrie asked anxiously, forgetting the list.
“Anna?” Gabe asked, too, his voice shaking.
Brett wondered how he’d feel if his woman, Anna, were in Carrie’s position. He probably wouldn’t hold together as well as Gabe was.
“Everyone’s safe for the moment. We’ll know more when we get you to the hospital and can hook up the ultrasound. They’ll have alerted Doc, and he’ll be waiting for us.”
Gabe went to the closet and grabbed the suitcase and began throwing things from the list into it. By the time the ambulance attendants entered the bedroom, the suitcase was full, though who knew if any of it would be useful.
Anna turned to Brett as they put Carrie on the stretcher, Gabe walking beside her holding her hand. “Can you follow with the car?”
“Yep. Gabe with me or you?”
Anna took a deep breath, worry all over her face. “He’d better come with me.”
When they reached the ambulance, she said to Gabe, “Go sit up there by Carrie’s head.” Then she turned to Brett. “I’ll see you at the hospital?”
“I’ll be right behind you.”
To his surprise, she lifted up on her tiptoes and gave him a brief kiss that had him wanting more. “Thanks.”
Before he could respond, she was in the ambulance, closing the back door, and the driver raced off into the night.
He went back and closed the front door, then got in Anna’s car and followed the ambulance into town.
Man, Pete was right, he thought as he drove along. Having a baby was hard. Maybe because the whole thing was beyond any man’s experience. Not knowing what was happening was the hardest thing of all.
When he reached the hospital, he found Gabe pacing the waiting room. “Did Doc come in?”
“Yeah. He was waiting for us. They won’t let me in there.”
“They’ll be out to talk to you soon, Gabe. They’re just trying to do the best they can for Carrie.”
“But if she’s having the baby, I’m supposed to be with her. I promised her I’d be there for her,” he said, his eyes wide with panic. He took a turn about the room, then came back to Brett to confess, “Sometimes I pass out if
there’s much blood.”
Courage had a lot of definitions, Brett decided, including Anna ignoring a big bull to run to his side. But poor old Gabe was showing some courage, too. He didn’t want to be anywhere near an operating room. But for his wife, he was pleading to be beside her. Brett clapped him on the shoulder and paced the room with him.
Five minutes later, Doc came into the waiting room. “Gabe, we’ve got a little problem here. We’re going to have to take the baby, do a cesarean. You understand?”
Brett braced the other man, his heart aching for both Gabe and his wife.
Gabe jerkily nodded his head. “The—the baby?” he whispered.
“We’re going to do everything we can to take care of the little tyke. It’s early, of course, but babies usually make it at thirty-four weeks.”
Gabe sagged against Brett. Bracing his friend, Brett studied Doc. “Anna? Is she going to help you?”
“Yep. She’s scrubbing now. I’ve got to go. Gabe, you want to be in the operating room with Carrie?”
Brett felt the shiver go through his friend, but Gabe nodded. “Yeah,” he said hoarsely. “I got to be there with her.”
“Good boy,” Doc said, patting him on the shoulder. Then he nodded to Brett. “It’ll take about an hour or so.”
Gabe followed Doc down the hall on wobbly legs. Brett remembered to call to Gabe as he walked away. “You need me to call your parents?”
“Uh, yeah,” Gabe agreed before he went through the double doors.
Brett fished in his pockets for a quarter and called Gabe’s parents, who lived there in Rawhide. Carrie’s parents lived in Cheyenne, several hours away. Brett figured Gabe’s parents would know how to get hold of them.
After Gabe’s parents’ arrival, Brett had company in the waiting room as he waited for Anna. She’d had a long day, with no chance to rest. Unless you counted the few minutes in his bed, and resting hadn’t been on his mind. She’d be exhausted. But he was proud of her.
When Doc came out again, he was alone. Gabe’s parents rushed to him, and Brett followed, looking for Anna.
“Carrie is fine. A little weak. She lost quite a bit of blood, but we’re giving her transfusions. The baby is a boy. He’s a little puny, of course, but he’s holding his own.”
Now that he knew everyone was safe, Brett waited patiently for the eager questions to be answered. He had one of his own. He was ready to take Anna home.
“Anna?” he asked as Doc turned to go.
Doc’s eyebrows rose. “You her official keeper, young man?”
Brett never hesitated. “Yes, I am. She’s bound to be exhausted. I’m waiting to take her home.”
Doc nodded, grinning. “Good choice, Brett. But it’ll be a while before she can go, ‘bout half an hour. She’s settling Carrie in.”
Brett nodded. He knew Anna wouldn’t leave before everything was taken care of. She never put herself first. That was why she needed him.
Not that he would interfere with her work. But she needed someone to pamper her a little when she wasn’t delivering babies. She needed someone to let her know how special she was. And that someone was him.
He’d been encouraged at the corral when she’d kissed him back. Of course, he’d said it was for luck. But she didn’t shy away. Then, when she’d run to his rescue, he’d figured that was a good sign.
Jake had visited him before he’d drifted off to sleep earlier, and he’d related what he’d heard about how Anna had told Roy off for criticizing Brett. He’d fallen asleep figuring how he’d tell Anna first thing this morning that he loved her. That he wanted to marry her, to hold her close to him all his life.
When she’d woken him up that last time, and he’d come fully awake, he’d intended to take advantage of the situation, glad he wouldn’t have to wait until morning. But they’d gotten distracted.
It looked as if that declaration would have to wait until they’d both had a little sleep.
When Anna appeared, Brett reminded himself again that now wasn’t the time for a proposal. Her pale face made the freckles stand out. He wanted to haul her into his arms and kiss each one of them. And any other part of her that wanted loving.
“How’s Carrie and the baby?” he asked softly.
She didn’t smile, but she nodded as she pressed her lips tightly together. “I think they’ll both make it. Carrie’s stabilized.”
“Ready to go home?”
His words brought a faint smile, pleasing him. “Yeah. It’s been a long night.”
He took her arm and led her to her car, the passenger side. “I think I’d better drive. I haven’t been working the last couple of hours.”
Anna didn’t make any argument. When he got in on the driver’s side, he reached out and slid her over the bench seat until she was sitting next to him. Her head fell naturally to his shoulder.
Starting the car, he backed out of the small hospital parking lot and soon had them on the road back to the ranch.
“I want to thank you for helping tonight,” Anna whispered, not moving as she leaned against him.
“No problem. I was real proud of you,” he added, turning to kiss her brow.
She swallowed noisily, then seemed to struggle to say, “There wasn’t a lot I could do. I wasn’t s-sure the baby would make it.”
“It must be hard for you when something goes wrong.” He couldn’t imagine having to face the death of a baby. Or a young woman in the prime of her life. His arm tightened as he thought of Anna in Carrie’s place.
She was pressed against him, one hand clutching his shirt. It made him feel good to know that she wanted him to hold her close. That she depended on him. As tired as he himself was, however, it took a few minutes to realize that Anna had begun to tremble.
“Anna, are you all right?”
She didn’t answer except for a low sob.
He pulled the car to the side of the road and shut off the engine. “Sugar? What’s wrong? Is she not going to make it?”
Though he tried to see her face, she buried it in his shirt. He was relieved when she shook her head, but her sobs were deeper. He ran his hands up and down her back, unsure what to do.
“Anna, what—?”
“It’s my mother all over again,” she cried. “Only there wasn’t anyone to help her. Just me…and I couldn’t!”
“Of course you couldn’t, Anna. You were only six years old. It’s not your fault. And you saved Carrie tonight. And the baby.”
She gulped several times before she rubbed her hand over his shirt. “Sorry. I’ve got your shirt all wet.”
He didn’t mind. Especially since she stayed pressed against him. He brushed her hair back and stroked her cheek. “No problem.”
“It’s just that…every time, I see my mother. I feel that panic rise up in me, as if I were six years old again.” Her sob turned into a hiccup, and she buried her face again.
“Mercy, sugar, you go through this every time?”
She shook her head. “Only when—when it’s bad, like tonight. And usually I’m by myself when I fall apart. Sorry, Brett. Guess now you know what a coward I am.”
He wrapped both arms tightly around her. “I don’t know any such thing. I know you’re brave, and skilled, and caring. I know that you care more about other people than you do about yourself.” He tilted up her chin to kiss her trembling lips, trying to restrain his urge to devour her.
Those soft lips molded themselves to his, and she pressed even closer. Her need only fed the fire burning inside him. He loved her response. There was nothing coy about Anna O’Brien. She made him feel good all over…in more ways than one.
He only hoped he did as much for her. He worried that she would later think he’d taken advantage of her emotional needs. “Anna, are you sure?”
She looked up at him, her eyes wide. “I’m sure. I was sure earlier, in your bed. I’ve fought what you do to me for too long. I need you, Brett. I need to feel you inside me, around me. Don’t stop.”
; Whatever the lady wanted, he readily agreed, his lips returning to hers. As if it were a sacrifice. He would’ve died if she’d backed off.
She was such a little thing, and yet she held his heart in her hands. His lips left hers and trailed down her neck, tasting her soft skin.
Just like this afternoon and earlier tonight, he was claiming her, and she wasn’t saying no.
His hands slid under her sweatshirt as his mouth devoured her. He had to touch her skin, to feel her warmth. He came to an abrupt halt, however, when he realized she wore nothing beneath the sweatshirt. If he’d known that earlier, he wouldn’t have been able to think of anything else.
Pulling his lips away, he gasped, “You’re not wearing a bra!”
Embarrassed, she pulled her shirt down and tried to sit up. “No. I’m—I’m not very big. No one can tell.”
Brett pulled her back across his chest, his mouth returning to hers and his hands sliding up her slim form. His hands eagerly slid under her shirt again, cupping her breasts.
Several minutes passed before he lifted his mouth to respond to her comment. “You’re perfect, Anna O’Brien. Absolutely perfect.”
He began pushing the sweatshirt up, unable to wait to see her milky skin in the moonlight, to touch every part of her. He’d forgotten his exhaustion, and hers, too.
When he’d removed the shirt, he paused in reverent awe before his hands cupped her small breasts again, his thumbs gently stroking. Her breasts were the most beautiful he’d ever seen.
She gasped several deep breaths but didn’t protest him having pulled her sweatshirt from her slim, lithe figure. His lips sought hers as his hands stroked her.
He was pleased when she began unbuttoning his shirt. The feel of her fingers on his skin set him on fire. Soon he was bare-chested, too, and she ran her fingers through his chest hairs, sending shivers all over him.
In spite of the small space in her front seat, Brett was eager to completely disrobe. All his plans for a beautifully romantic seduction, which he’d almost achieved in his bed earlier that evening, had flown out the window.
All he knew was that Anna was his. Forever and ever. And he was going to get around to informing her of that fact in case she had any doubts. Soon. Right now he had other things on his mind.
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