by Lori Wick
And Cassidy did give Meg the message, but all Meg did was laugh. In fact, it wasn't until Cassidy went to spend the night there on Saturday that Meg took Jeanette's words to heart. Just after midnight Meg's pains began. Trace was dead asleep when his brother came to his room and asked him to ride for the doctor. Cassidy heard the voices in the upstairs hall and peeked open her door to find Brad holding a lantern.
"Has it started?" she asked from around her door, coming awake in a hurry when she saw Trace rushing for the stairs, his shirt only half on.
"It has," Brad said before slipping back into the bedroom, trying to remain calm even as he questioned their decision to be so far from town and Doctor Ertz.
Praying for her friend, Cassidy put a robe on and made her way down to the kitchen, lit another lantern, and put the coffeepot on. She sat at the kitchen table, not as awake as she thought, and waited
108for the coffee to boil. She heard Trace come back with Doctor Ertz but stayed where she was. Trace eventually wandered in. "Hey," he said, his voice still rough from sleep.
"Hi," Cassidy said in return, thanking him when he went to the pot and poured mugs for each of them.
"Let's move to the living room," Trace suggested. "It's more comfortable in there."
Cassidy trailed after him as he led with the lantern and made herself comfortable in one corner of the sofa. Exactly when she dropped off to sleep, she didn't know. Neither was she aware of Trace and the blanket he spread gently over her.
"That was bad!" Meg gasped, relieved that Doctor Ertz was there but a little afraid of how much harder things might get.
"You're doing all right," the doctor said, checking her again. "Do you feel like you need to push?" he asked.
"Yes," Meg said, still breathing heavily.
The doctor turned to Brad and asked, "How long ago did things get going?"
"She woke me with her first pain at midnight."
The doctor shook his head, knowing it was only about two o'clock.
"It's almost unheard of in a first baby. Things don't usually go this fast, but I think you should go ahead and push, Meg."
Meg nodded, tired but a little excited too. When the neXt pain hit, she pushed for all she was worth.
Trace stood frozen at the bottom of the stairs and listened to the tiny cries of a newborn baby. His heart pounded with the intensity
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of what he was feeling. All he could do was stare when Brad came down the stairs.
"A girl," he said quietly.
"Meg?"
"She's good."
It was then that Brad caught the shimmer in his brother's eyes and felt tears thick at the back of his own throat. Wordlessly the men embraced.
"Kiss Meg for me," Trace managed when they broke apart. "You can come up in a few minutes."
"Okay."
"Where's Cass?"
Trace laughed a little. "She fell asleep in the living room." "She'll be sorry she missed it."
"It was fast," Trace said, just now realizing it.
"That's what the doctor said."
The doctor was coming down the stairs just moments later, telling Brad that all was well with both Meg and the baby.
Brad thanked him and walked him to the door, but Doctor Ertz only clapped him on the shoulder and laughed a little.
"If I'd known it was going to go that fast, I might have advised she stay with Jeb and Patience."
Brad had to laugh to. He'd steeled himself for hours of misery, but as with everything else in the pregnancy, it hadn't been the way he figured.
It took a moment for Brad to realize the doctor had left. He'd been standing there staring into the dark yard, letting the weight of the night's events sink in. He was a father.
qr
When Cassidy awoke, the living room was light and she was alone. Struggling into a sitting position and pushing the hair from her face, she tried to remember why she was in the living room. Her heart felt
110as though it stopped and then started again when she remembered Meg and the baby that was coming.
"Good morning," Brad called, coming from the direction of the kitchen, a tiny person in his arms.
"Oh, Brad," Cassidy whispered. "I fell asleep. I was going to pray Meg through the whole thing, and then I fell asleep."
"It's all right," Brad said with a smile, taking a seat next to her. "Would you like to hold my daughter?"
Cassidy couldn't speak. Brad put the baby in her arms, and all she could do was stare in wonder at the perfect little person God had sent.
"It went fast," Brad was saying, but Cassidy barely heard him.
A girl. Her friend Meg had had a girl, and she was the loveliest thing Cassidy had ever seen, all pink and rosy, her tiny brows and lashes very dark like her mother's.
"How's Meg?" Cassidy suddenly remembered to ask, looking anxiously at Brad.
"She's sound asleep. I brought Savanna down so she could rest."
"Savanna? You named her Savanna? That was Meg's favorite name."
"Mine too," Brad said.
Cassidy smiled hugely. When she spoke again, she was looking at the baby but still made Brad laugh.
"I believe I'm going to sell my shop. I'm quite certain I should move here to the ranch to be a full-time nursemaid."
111
CASSIDY ENDED UP GOING WITH TRACE TO CHURCH.She was not
going to leave the ranch without seeing Meg, but that lady woke up with an hour to spare. As Cassidy sat on Meg and Brad's bed, the two friends were able to visit, hold the baby, and share in the miracle that had happened in the night.
"I'm selling my business," Cassidy said, making Meg smile. "I already told Brad. I'm going to be moving out here full time and taking care of this baby."
Meg laughed but still said, "She's wonderful, isn't she?" 'Amazing," Cassidy agreed. "I don't know if I'll make it all the way until Wednesday."
"Come back with Trace after the service," Meg invited.
"Your family will want to visit," Cassidy said, making herself step aside. "Just as soon as they hear, they'll be on their way."
"I'm glad you were here," Meg said.
"Then you didn't hear the news," Cassidy returned dryly, frowning at herself "I wasn't here. I fell asleep in the living room and slept through the whole thing."
It hurt Meg to laugh, but she couldn't help herself Holding her stomach and trying notWlaugh too hard, Meg took in Cassidy's disgruntled face, her own slowly turning red with laughter.
Thinking back on it now, sitting by Trace in the wagon on the way to town, Cassidy had to smile. Trace spotted it.
112"Thinking about the baby?"
"And Meg. She was very understanding about my sleeping through the birth."
Trace's own shoulders shook.
"She laughed too," Cassidy admitted, the disgruntled look back on her face.
"You meant well," Trace said, but the words came out on laughter, and she knew she was not going to be allowed to forget this.
Cassidy might have said more, but they both spotted the buggy coming toward them. Jeb and Patience Dorn were headed for the ranch. Trace stopped when they came abreast of the wagon.
"You must have seen Doc Ertz," Trace guessed.
"We did," Patience said, "but he wouldn't tell us anything-only that everyone was doing fine."
Trace smiled slowly.
"Trace Holden," Patience spoke, sounding like the protective aunt she was. "I'm sure Meg had her baby. You've got to tell me what she had."
Trace only smiled at her, and Jeb laughed. Patience gave up on him.
"Cassie," she began, but everyone had to laugh when Trace's arm went swiftly around that lady so his hand could cover her mouth.
"We've got to get going," Trace said, managing to sound regretful, all the time holding Cassidy's mouth under his fingers. "Otherwise we'll be late for the service."
Again Jeb could only laugh, and Patience had to join him. Trace put the wagon into motion, and Jeb did the same. Cassidy
turned to look at the man next to her.
"I wasn't going to tell," she defended herself.
"I couldn't take that chance," Trace returned without apology.
"So tell me," she said. She was not going to let it drop. "Will I be allowed to speak to anyone this morning? Or are we keeping this a secret from the entire church family?"
113"I wouldn't torture you in that way." Trace managed to sound repentant. "It would be cruel not to allow a woman to talk for that many hours."
Cassidy's mouth dropped open, and Trace shouted with laughter. That he was more than pleased with himself was quite clear.
"You can stop laughing any time now," Cassidy said, but he chuckled his way into town.
As soon as they were spotted coming alone to the church, the congregation made swift deductions. And Cassidy ended up with plenty to tease Trace over.Hewas the one who could not stop talking about his newborn niece.
Jeanette walked home swiftly from church. She would head out to see Meg and Brad in a few hours, but in the meantime she had someone else to talk to. Asking Heather not to disturb her, Jeanette went to the porch, shut the door behind her, and sat down to speak with her sister.
"She's here, Theta," Jeanette whispered past a suddenly tight throat. "Your granddaughter was born in the night. Brad has a baby girl."
For long moments Jeanette could not say anything. Tears poured down her face, her eyes desperate to have her sister focus on her and the news she was sharing.
"Oh, Theta, I don't know if I can stand this. You would be so proud of Brad and Trace. They're both so special. And Meg. She's amazing, and she's made Brad a father. You're a grandmother, Theta."
Jeanette's heart couldn't take any more. She sobbed into her handkerchief, fresh grief pouring over her. She cried loudly enough that both Heather and Becky heard her. They would not have disturbed her for anything short of a fire, but it hurt their hearts to hear Jeanette cry.
An hour passed before Jeanette emerged from the room. She did nothing to hide the tears she'd shed, and at Becky's insistence,
114allowed herself to be fussed over, sitting down to have some dinner. Heather requested the small buggy and horse from Timothy, who did odd jobs and had kept the grounds and stables for Jeanette as long as anyone could remember. As soon as Jeanette was done eating, both women saw her on her way, convinced that a visit to see baby Savanna was just what she needed.
"I didn't know feet came in this size," Trace said, Savanna lying on his arm. Brad chuckled from his place next to him on the sofa, both men just wanting to look at her. "Look at those toes," Trace said next, and Brad could only stare.
For a moment he looked at the way Trace dwarfed his daughter and knew that when he held her it must have looked the same way. Savanna fit on Trace's forearm, and her pale skin and tiny hands were almost startling next to Trace's huge tanned paw.
As they watched, Savanna decided to peek her eyes open. There had been very little of this in the fourteen hours she'd been with them, and both men responded.
"Hey, Savanna," Trace said.
"Can you wake up?" Brad coaxed. "Your mother wants to get a better look at your eyes."
In the midst of this, the front door opened, and both men heard Jeanette's greeting. Almost at the same moment, Meg came from upstairs, a bit wobbly, but doing well. The family gathered in the living room. With more than a little laughter and even some tears, they told Jeanette the story of Savanna's arrival.
There is no way to describe how I feel about Meg's baby,Cassidy wrote in a letter to her mother that night.I didn't know anything could be so tiny and perfect. The envy I feel that Meg has a husband and
115baby is not the vicious type, but it's still there. I can't help but wonder if God's plans for me will ever include anything so wondrous.
Cassidy could not keep writing. She kept picturing the baby in her mind, her heart in awe over God's work. Closing the letter and folding it for the box, she lay quietly for a long time before she slept, thoughts of Savanna Holden filling her mind.
Thinking back on Rylan's sermon, Trace sat up in bed on Sunday night and read the notes he'd taken. Rylan had been talking about God knowing people's every thought and feeling, and how foolish they were to think that they could hide any fears or sins from Him.
Rylan shared many verses, and Trace began to turn to some of them, starting with Proverbs 15:11: "Hell and destruction are before the Lord; how much more then the hearts of the children of men?" And then 2 Chronicles 6:30 and 31: "Then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and render unto every man according unto all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men;) that they may fear thee, to walk in thy ways."
Trace read these verses over a few times before going to the first chapter of Acts where he read, "They prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men." The last verse Trace had written down was the one he decided to memorize, Psalm 44:21: "Shall not God search this out? For he knoweth the secrets of the heart."
I think You don't know me sometimes, Lord. I try to hide the fears I have and my doubts about the future, thinking all the time that no one knows. But You do. Please help me to trust You with all of me and all of my life.
Trace lay quietly then, thinking about the full day it had been. He was ready for the life Brad had, at least he believed he was, but clearlyGod had otherideas, or it would have happened for him too.
I really do struggle to trust You at all times, Lord. In those hard
116
times, when Meg is in labor or finances are slim for the ranch, I turn to You and trust, but for my whole future, it doesn't come so easily.
Trace went on to confess his lack of faith and trust, and to ask God to help him to see his faults right away, take responsibility for them, and commit to change. It had been a long day. Trace was weary, but he didn't let himself fall asleep until all was right between him and his God.
Meganhad moved into their bedroom, her daughter in her arms. Brad was asleep. With a heart so full of amazement she could barely form thoughts, she held her daughter close, rocking her and kissing her small head. She had nursed her for a while, not sure Savanna had taken much in, but the baby had fallen to sleep again and Meg found herself wide awake.
These first few weeks would probably be draining. Her schedule would be off with a baby to take care of. Savanna's needs would take a little getting used to, but at least she felt well. Savanna had been born in less than three hours. Meg was barely even sore.
"Meg."
That lady heard a soft murmur from the bed but knew that Brad wasn't really awake. She stayed quiet, not wanting to wake him, and sure enough, the room fell quiet again. It was then that Meg knew she had to try to sleep. She would be worth nothing the next day if she sat up half the night holding a baby who wanted only to sleep. Surrendering Savanna back to her cradle, Meg climbed into bed and tried not to think about how weary she was going to be in the morning.
' Nt,
"Good morning, Trace," Jessie Wheeler greeted the moment she opened her door on Monday. "You're in town early."
117"Yeah," Trace agreed, suddenly doubting his intentions. "Something specific I can show you?"
"Boots," the cowboy said, glad she offered.
"For yourself?" Jessie asked, already moving that way.
"No." Trace found it easier to respond when she wasn't looking at him. "I need to see the smallest pair you have."
Jessie stopped and stared at him. After a moment, she smiled very gently.
"Did Meg have her baby?"
Trace nodded, unable to hide his pleasure.
"Boy or girl?"
"A girl. Savanna."
"That's pretty. And of course she needs boots."
"That's what I was thinking."
Jessie laughed a little, but there was nothing mean-spirited about it. She took Trace to a shelf and produced the smallest pair of boots he'd ever seen. They were all black with just a ti
ny bit of detail. Trace picked them up, unable to stop his smile.
"They were actually a special order, and then the customer changed her mind," Jessie explained. "And because they're rather pricey, they've never sold."
"How much?"
Jessie gave him a number that would call for a bit of extravagance, but his heart was set on Savanna having boots. She was a rancher's daughter and nothing else would do.
"I'll take 'em," Trace said.
Jessie wrapped the boots neatly, handed them off with a smile, and spoke some final words. "Be sure and bring her in once they fit."
Trace had to laugh. Small as the boots were, Savanna's feet would take a good deal of growing to fit into them. The cowboy thanked the mercantile owner and went on his way.
118"Well, Trace," Chandler called with pleasure when that man stepped into the bank. "What brings you to town on a Monday morning?"
"Just a quick trip to Jessie's." Trace grinned and then admitted, "I've been spending my hard-earned cash."
"Come to get more?"
"As a matter of fact, yes."
"How are Meg and the baby?" Chandler asked as he got the money Trace requested.
"I'm not sure how well the night went. Meg was tired this morning, but I guess that's to be expected."
Chandler nodded before asking, "When do we meet with Rylan again?"
"I don't know. I think I heard Philip say his schedule is busy right now."
"At the telegraph office?" Chandler asked with surprise. "Yes."
"When do you leave for Burton?" Chandler asked next, checking on the cattle drive.
"We're planning on September thirteenth."
"Is there much to do before then?"
"Not as much for me as for Brad. He's going to move Meg and Savanna in here to Patience and Jeb's, so he's got more to do on his list."
The men talked about nothing in particular for the next few minutes, and then Trace left the bank. He was going to head straight out of town but decided to make a swift stop to see Rylan. That man wasn't home. Trace left for the ranch still not knowing when the men would meet again to study.
"I didn't think this day would ever come," Cassidy said to Meg
119on Wednesday afternoon. "I've been dying to hold this little girl again."
"I find that I don't want to do much else," Meg.admitted, looking at her daughter in Cassidy's arms.
