"There's no need," Jessie said quickly. "I'll be fine. You stay. The fireworks are your favorite part of the jubilee."
"Well, if you're sure," Ruth said hesitantly.
"I'm sure. I just want to lie down and rest. Don't worry about me."
"All right, dear. Dallas, you take good care of Jessie, you hear? And be nice to her."
"I'm always nice," he said under his breath, taking his sister-in-law's elbow and propelling her toward the parking lot.
"I'm sorry to be so much trouble," she said when they reached his truck.
"No problem." He opened the door and waited while she got situated. Damn, she was big and round with her pregnancy. What was Cameron doing away at a time like this? Climbing in, Dallas started the truck and pulled onto the highway.
"You like Gillian, don't you?" Jessie asked after a few minutes of silence.
Dallas gripped the steering wheel. Why were women so damned nosy? "I wouldn't say I like her, exactly."
Jessie shook her head. "Okay, putting your lust aside--it looked like you were actually having fun with her. You were acting almost human the entire afternoon."
"What do you mean by that?" Dallas said. "I'm a nice guy. You don't think I'm a nice guy? Gee, thanks."
"Well, you're not always very nice to me," she said in a small voice.
Dallas kept his eyes on the road. "Oh hell, not this again. Get off it, Jess. I'm glad you married Cameron. I'm sorry I've acted like a bastard to you. There, I've apologized. Are you satisfied now?"
When she didn't answer, he looked across the cab. Jessie's face was scrunched up and she was massaging her back.
"What's wrong? Nothing's wrong, is there?" A terrible premonition snaked down his spine. Maybe his mother should have come home with them.
Jessie let out a long breath. "No, I need to lie down. I'm all right. Honest." She smiled, then leaned her head against the seat and closed her eyes.
Dallas stepped on the gas. The sooner he got Jessie home, the better. The big diesel truck ate up the miles. Pulling around to the back of the ranch house, Dallas parked and helped Jessie from the truck. He didn't like this one little bit. She looked like she was in pain, but putting on a brave face for his benefit. Once in the house, she went straight to her bedroom.
What he needed was a drink. Pouring himself a shot of bourbon, he sat at the table in the kitchen. He thought of the afternoon. Jessie was right. He had enjoyed being with Gillian. It had been a long time since he had relaxed and had fun. Especially in the company of a pretty woman.
Just thinking about Gillian made him hard with need. He wanted her more than he cared to admit. Why did she have to work for Copper River Oil? That sure as hell complicated matters. He nursed such malevolent feelings about the drilling; it was difficult to separate his emotions. Not that he felt anything but lust for Gillian, he assured himself.
He turned when he heard footsteps in the hall.
Jessie stood in the doorway, holding her stomach with one hand, clutching the doorframe with the other. "My water broke," she said, her eyes wide with anxiety. She bit her lower lip and looked like she was struggling not to cry.
"Oh hell!" Dallas jumped up from the table and knocked over the kitchen chair. "What do you mean your water broke? You said you're not due for another month. Don't do this to me, Jess."
"I'm not doing anything to you. You have to take me to the hospital." She turned away and started back down the hall to her room. "I'm going to get my things together--" She stopped suddenly, holding on to the wall for support. "And Dallas--please hurry!"
"I'll call Austin on his cell phone," he said, helping her to her room. "The hospital's an hour away. Think you can hold on? Don't you dare have this baby right now."
"I'll try my best to hold on. But Dallas, quit talking and get moving." She closed her eyes in pain. "My stuff is in that overnight bag. I'll sit right here until you're ready."
Dallas nodded, grabbed the bag and headed to the back door. He tried to call Austin. There was no answer. Damn. His cell phone must be turned off. He called the sheriff's office. The sheriff could relay the message to his mother and brothers at the carnival.
He had to get the truck running and get Jessie in it, then drive her to the hospital. Dallas jerked open the back door. He stopped short when he nearly collided with Gillian. She was standing on the step ready to knock.
"What the hell are you doing here?" He slammed the door shut behind him.
Gillian stepped back. "I need to talk to you. I didn't like the way things were left hanging this afternoon. I know you have a problem with me working for Copper River Oil, and now--"
"Yeah, I have a problem with it." He brushed past her and headed toward the truck.
Gillian waited a second before following. "I wanted to say I had a good time this afternoon--"
Dallas stopped and took hold of her arms. "Listen, I can't go into this right now. I have another problem to deal with. A big problem. A huge problem. Jessie's having her baby. Mom's still at the jubilee. Cameron's in Honolulu. And I'm in one hell of a mess."
"Jessie's having her baby now?" Gillian said, her eyes wide. "Oh my God. Is she all right? I'll leave. We can talk another time."
Dallas gripped her arm tightly. "You're not going anywhere. I need you. Go inside and help Jessie to the front porch. I'll bring the truck around. I have to get her to the hospital. You're coming, too."
Gillian tried to pull away. "I can't. Really, I should leave--"
Dallas jerked her to him and kissed her hard on the mouth. "I can't do this alone. I need your help. Go get Jessie and help her to the front porch. I'll be around with the truck in a couple of minutes."
He turned away and hurried to the truck before she could think of any excuses. He couldn't believe Jessie was having her baby. He was going to have a serious talk with his brother when this was all over and done with. Leaving his very pregnant wife and going to Hawaii, of all places. It was eighty miles to the hospital. He hoped to God he could get Jessie there in time. If not . . .
Gillian and Jessie were sitting in the rocking chairs on the porch when Dallas pulled the truck into the gravel drive in front of the house.
"Did you call Ruth?" Jessie asked, standing up and holding her tummy with one hand, her back with the other.
"No, but I got hold of the sheriff. He's going to find her and Austin and tell them to meet us at the hospital," he said, as he helped her to the truck. He closed the door, looked at Gillian and pointed to the towels and sheets in her arms. "What are those for?"
"In case we don't get there in time."
"Don't even think that." Grabbing her arm, he led her around to the driver's side. "Get in." He pushed her to the middle of the seat and climbed in beside her. He adjusted the air conditioner, then leaned over to check on Jessie. "You all right?"
Jessie nodded, then grimaced as a contraction hit her. "Let's go, Dallas. Now!"
"Right. Hang in there. I'll get you there as fast as I can."
Gillian turned toward Jessie. "You need to concentrate on your breathing and relax. Work with the contractions. Don't tense up. You took a Lamaze course, didn't you?"
Jessie let out a whoosh of air. "Yes, except I haven't practiced much. I thought I had more time." She frowned again. "Oh my God, I'm having another one. They sure are close together."
Gillian held her hand. "Ride the contraction like a wave. Relax and breathe. Here, I'll help you."
Dallas glanced at the two women. Gillian's attention was focused on Jessie, helping her count through the contraction. Forcing down the helpless feeling in his gut, he stepped on the accelerator. He had to get to that damned hospital.
"How did you know what to do?" he asked Gillian, after the contraction passed.
Keeping hold of Jessie's hand, she angled her body a little toward him. "I was my sister's coach when she was pregnant. My brother-in-law didn't think he would survive in the delivery room. He faints at the sight of blood." She smiled at him, then quickly
turned back to Jessie.
Something inside his chest constricted when Gillian smiled at him. Dallas didn't want to delve too deeply into his feelings about her. With her body jammed against his in the crowded cab of the pickup truck, the throbbing pressure in his groin kept time with the rhythm of the wheels on the pavement. Ever since Gillian had arrived at the rig, his world had turned upside down. Between the frustration about the drilling and the sexual tension emanating between Gillian and himself, Dallas thought he would go crazy.
But right now, he couldn't think or do anything about any of it. He had to get Jessie to the doctor.
A loud moan from the passenger seat sent his stomach plummeting. "Damn, I could strangle Cameron for leaving at a time like this."
"It's not his fault," Jessie said. "We thought we had plenty of time. He'd committed to this conference long before we were even married. So don't you dare be mad at Cameron." She took several calming breaths, letting them out slowly.
"You're doing fine," Gillian said. Sitting straight in her seat again, she looked at Dallas. "Cameron's your brother? Her husband?"
"Yeah," Dallas said. "And he should be the one doing this. Not me. It's his baby. His wife. And he's a goddamned doctor!" He shook his head, keeping his eyes on the road. "I'm going to kill him when he gets back."
"Dallas, don't be mean!" Jessie moaned, then started whooshing with her breathing technique again. Another contraction had started.
Gillian guided her through it, making soothing noises, wiping Jessie's forehead, helping count the breaths.
Although the contraction only lasted for several minutes, it seemed like an eternity to Dallas. He pressed the gas pedal closer to the floorboard.
When Jessie fell back against the seat to gather strength for the next contraction, Gillian angled toward him again. "So Jessie's staying at the ranch while her husband's away. Where do they live? How long have they been married?"
Dallas gripped the steering wheel tighter. "What is this? Twenty questions?" he asked impatiently.
Gillian wiped a wisp of hair from her cheek. "I'm trying to make the best of a panicky situation. Excuse me for even trying."
Dallas let out a long exhale. He didn't want to admit even to himself how close to panicking he really was. Gillian was offering a distraction, and he had no right to snap her head off. "Okay, I'll play along," he said. "They live in Salt Fork. They were married last spring. She's staying with us while Cameron's away at a medical convention in Honolulu. She wasn't supposed to have this baby for a month or more. Nonetheless, Cameron had no right to go off like he did."
Jessie struggled to sit up. "And you'll probably hold it against him for the rest of his life, won't you? Just like you hold the drilling against me. You'll never forgive me. Never."
"Damn it, Jessie," Dallas said, gripping the steering wheel even tighter. "I apologized to you, didn't I?"
"Shhh. You mustn't get upset," Gillian said to Jessie. "Lean back and try to relax."
Jessie sniffed and did as she was told.
Gillian turned on Dallas. "Don't argue with her," she said in a whisper.
"I'm not arguing," he said between clenched teeth.
"I know you're upset and that you're angry with your brother, but we've got to think of Jessie and the baby."
"I am thinking of them. I can't think of anything else--" A loud groan from Jessie cut him off in midsentence. "What's the matter now?"
"I think the baby's coming," Jessie said, panting and whooshing. "And I mean right this minute. Oh no, I want to push. I have to push now!" She fell back against the seat, her face contorted with pain.
"Don't push," Gillian said. She turned to Dallas. "Stop the truck."
"What do you mean stop the truck? We're not going to do this on the side of the road. We need to get to the hospital." He couldn't believe this was happening.
"Stop arguing and stop the truck. Babies don't care where they're born."
"Dallas! I can't hold on much longer," Jessie said with another groan. "Please, do something."
"I don't like this," he said, pulling off the highway onto the shoulder of the road. He left the motor running, so they could still use the air conditioning. August in Texas was hot, even in the early evening.
Gillian hustled him out the door and made Jessie lie down in the seat. She put a sheet under her and used a folded towel for a makeshift pillow.
Jessie moaned and writhed on the seat. "I've got to push. I need to push."
"Don't push yet," Gillian said. "Concentrate on your focal point. Breathe deeply and relax, but don't push."
"Why can't she push?" Dallas asked, watching Jessie struggle with the contraction.
"We need to check to see if the baby's head has crowned first." Gillian dug in her purse and fished out a small plastic bottle of hand sanitizer. She squirted some of the gel into her palm, then handed the bottle to Dallas.
He gingerly took the bottle and stared at it then at the woman standing in front of him. "We need to see?"
"Yes, we. I'm going to coach her. You're going to deliver the baby." She turned quickly away when Jessie let out a loud wail.
Dallas grabbed her arm. "I can't deliver this baby. I don't know what to do. What if something goes wrong? What if I hurt them?"
"We don't have much choice, do we? That baby is coming whether we want it to or not. And it's coming now. I've been a coach before and can do more good calming Jessie and helping her with the pain. You'll have to wing it."
Jessie groaned and held her stomach. "Will you two decide who's going to do what! We don't have all day." She bit back a sob. "It hurts. God, it hurts. Do something, please!"
"All right," he said, wondering what he had done to deserve this. "You take off her pants," he said to Gillian. "Then cover her with a sheet and get in the cab with her. I'll take it from there."
Gillian flashed him a smile, then went to work to get Jessie ready.
Dallas cleaned his hands with the sanitizer; the alcohol felt cool on his skin. He tried to think of all the calves he had delivered. It couldn't really be that much different, could it?
When Jessie grunted with the force of another contraction, Dallas walked to the door of the passenger side. Hell yeah, it was different. This was Cameron's wife. It was a whole lot different.
Taking a deep breath, he looked at the two women in the cab of his truck. They were watching him, depending on him. He squared his shoulders.
"Okay, Jess. I need to check on the baby." He cleared his throat. "I have to look under the sheet."
"It's all right, Dallas. Just do it," she said between gasps. "I'm going to have to push soon. I can't help it."
Dallas lifted the sheet. "I see the top of the baby's head." He looked at Gillian. "You think it's all right if she pushes now?"
"Yes." She helped Jessie rise up on her elbows. "All right, Jessie. Push. Push with all your might."
"Oh God, I don't think I can do this," Jessie said with a sob. "And look how I'm messing up the truck. I'm sorry, Dallas. I'm sorry for the mess. I'm sorry about the drilling. I'm sorry--"
Dallas closed his eyes a moment and took a deep breath. "Shut up, Jess. Don't worry about any of it except the baby. Now push." Sweat broke out on his forehead as Jessie grunted and pushed.
It wasn't long until a small crumpled body slid into his hands. Immediately, a sense of wonder settled in the region around Dallas's heart. He caught Gillian watching him. Tenderness and something else shone in those incredible brown eyes of hers. He felt a tug, some kind of a bond with her. Hell, everything was getting more complicated by the minute.
"Dallas," Jessie whispered. "Is it a boy or a girl?"
He swallowed a lump in his throat. "It's a boy, Jess. You have a boy." He stared down at the tiny infant, and the baby started to cry. Good God! He had just delivered a baby. Cameron's baby. His nephew.
Dallas placed the baby on Jessie's tummy. "Here you go. Say hello to your son."
"Thank you," she said, touching the bab
y's head. "He's beautiful."
Dallas looked at Gillian. "What do I do now? I have to cut the cord. I can use my pocketknife, and we have the sanitizer to clean it, but I don't want to hurt her."
Gillian dug in her purse again. "I'll call the hospital on my cell phone."
"Why the hell didn't you think of that before?" Dallas asked. "They could have talked me through this."
"Everything was happening too fast," Gillian said. "They'll tell us what to do now and we'll get Jessie and the baby to the hospital as soon as possible."
The Cowboy's Surrender Page 12
