Country Boy vs. City Girl

by Shanna Hatfield

  Jenna let out the breath she was holding and Josh could almost see a weight lift off her shoulders. Jenna nodded her head, unable to speak.

  When they arrived home, Josh unlocked the back door and opened it then returned to get Jenna from the pickup. Scooping her up, he carefully carried her into the house and set her down then walked with her into their bedroom. Josh helped her remove her coat and suit jacket before she sank onto the bed. Pulling off her shoes, he covered her with a quilt that was across the foot of their bed.

  “Do you need anything? Do you want to change your clothes now or can I get you something to eat or drink?” Josh leaned on the bed with his arm braced against the headboard, concern etching grooves in his forehead.

  Reaching up, she placed a hand on each side of his face and stared at him for a minute. “No. I think I’ll just rest for a while. Maybe you could run into town now.” She gave him a kiss then settled down onto the soft bed.

  Josh pulled the shades down to darken the room and shut the bedroom door on his way back out of the house. Running into Wal-Mart, he left the prescription at the pharmacy, grabbed a cart and started doing some grocery shopping. If he was going to have to do the cooking, things were going to have to be pretty simple. He selected a stack of magazines and a couple of best-selling novels. Jenna was going to be bored out of her mind if she had to stay in bed for the next six to eight weeks. Stopping back by the pharmacy, he paid for her prescription before he got in the check-out line where he ran into Callan.

  “Well, Josh, what are you doing here?” she asked. Giving him a hug, she couldn’t miss the tenseness in his shoulders. “Is everything okay?”

  “No. Jenna started having contractions this morning and I had to go pick her up from the hospital. The doctor has ordered bed rest.”

  “For how long?”

  “For as long as we can put off the babies’ arrival,” Josh said, absently taking off his ball cap and running his hand through his hair. “I don’t know when I’ve ever been so scared as I was when Barb called this morning. I feel like I’ve lost five years off my life.”

  “Josh, I’m so sorry,” Callan said, squeezing his hand. “What can we do to help?”

  “Maybe you could stop by in a few days for a visit. I think we’ll have to take turns keeping Jenna entertained.” Josh pushed his cart farther ahead in the line while Callan started pulling items out of her cart and placing them on the conveyor.

  “I’d be happy to help out. Just tell me when to show up and I’m there. Can I bring you meals or do anything else?”

  “Well, if you could help out with meals on the days you come over, that would be awesome. I can cook, but I think Jenna will get tired of my limited menu selections in a hurry.”

  Callan laughed. “Sure. Anything else?”

  “No. I just need to figure out a way to get Jenna’s car home. I think it is still in the parking garage at work.”

  “Well, I could stay with Jenna while you and Clay go pick it up. He gets done with class at three today. The girls are home at three-twenty. The girls and I could keep Jenna company and I could fix dinner for everyone. What do you think?”

  “Sounds like a great idea. I’ll let Jenna know as soon as I get home.”

  Josh loaded Callan’s bags in her cart then paid for his own items and they walked out together.

  “So you and Clay will come over about three-thirty then?” Josh asked as he helped Callan put her groceries in her car.

  “Yes. If you think of anything you need in the meantime, just let me know,” Callan said, closing the trunk and turning to look at her brother. “Josh, just remember God knows the plan and everything will be fine.”

  “I know. Love you, Cal.”

  “Love you, too. See you in a while.”

  <><><>

  “Now you girls remember you need to be quiet and not jump on Auntie Jenna’s bed or anything,” Callan warned again as they got out of the car and walked to Josh and Jenna’s back door. Before they could knock, Josh opened the door and welcomed them inside.

  “Hi Audrey. Hey Sweet Pea. How was school today?” Josh asked, giving each of the girls a hug.

  “Fine,” Audrey said, sipping on the juice box Callan handed her when she got off the bus. She slipped off her backpack and left it on the floor by a barstool.

  “My day was great,” Emma said with her typical enthusiasm. “We got to see a movie about baby froggies. What are they called?” she asked, looking at her dad.

  “Tadpoles,” Clay supplied.

  “Yeah, we saw a movie about tagpoles and frogs and toads. It was awesome,” Emma said, launching her wriggly little body onto a barstool and swinging her feet.

  “It sounds awesome,” Josh said, leaning over and rubbing her nose with his, making her giggle.

  “So you two are going to help your mama take good care of Auntie Jenna while your daddy and I go get her car, right?”

  “Yep,” both girls answered with firm nods of their heads that set their curls bobbing every direction.

  “Great. We’ll be back before you know it,” Josh said, rubbing a hand over Audrey’s head, further messing up her hairdo. “Thanks again, Callan, for all this.”

  “You’re welcome. We are happy to help, aren’t we girls,” Callan said as the girls nodded again.

  “Need anything from the city?” Clay asked as he kissed each of the girls on the head then gave Callan a kiss on the cheek. Holding her hand, she walked with him and Josh to the door.

  “No. I’ll have dinner ready when you two get back. Drive careful.”

  “We will,” Clay said, giving her a warm kiss and a wink as he followed Josh out the door.

  “Mama, we saw you kissing Daddy again,” Emma said in her sing-song voice.

  “You did?” Callan said, placing her hand over her heart in mock dismay. “Oh my goodness. Whatever will I do now? Am I in trouble?”

  “Mama,” Audrey said, rolling her eyes and accentuating every letter of the word. “We can’t make you be in trouble.”

  “You can’t?” Callan asked, sitting down at the counter and pulling Emma into her lap. “Who can?”

  “Daddy,” Emma said. “But then he’d be in trouble, too, because he kissed you.”

  “Oh, so what are we going to do about it?” Callan asked the girls, her face serious.

  “No more kisses the rest of the day,” Audrey said, meting out a harsh punishment.

  “None?” Callan asked, looking crestfallen.

  “Nope,” Emma shook her head.

  “Not even to wiggly little girls,” Callan asked as she started wildly kissing Emma’s cheeks and head, making both girls giggle.

  “Stop, Mama!” Emma giggled. “You’re going to smofercate me.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” Callan said, setting Emma down and getting up. She grasped Emma and Audrey’s hands and they went down the hall to the master bedroom. “Now let’s be very quiet and see how Aunt Jenna is doing.”

  Quietly pushing open the door, they found Jenna on her side propped up in bed flipping through a magazine.

  “Well, hello there,” Jenna said with a smile as the girls walked to the bed and stood at the side. “I thought I heard giggles.”

  “We came to keep you company,” Audrey said, carefully sitting down next to her aunt. “Mama said we have to be quiet and can’t jump around like a bunch of wild… what was it you said, Mama?”

  “Banshees,” Callan said, giving Jenna a wink. “Do you need anything Jenna? Can we get you anything to drink or eat?”

  “I’d love some mint tea,” Jenna said. “Maybe the girls can tell me about school today while you make us all some tea.”

  Callan left Emma talking about “tagpoles” while she made the tea and put some cheese and fruit on a plate. She thought they all might enjoy a snack before she started getting dinner ready. Returning to the room with a big tray, she set it on a corner of the bed. She gave the girls half full cups of not quite hot tea then handed Jenna a full steaming cup. Pu
lling a chair up closer to the bed, she and Jenna visited until the girls got bored and asked to watch cartoons.

  Instead, Callan had them dig out their homework and get busy at the kitchen table while she started dinner preparations. A warm casserole, a salad and hot bread sounded like a good idea for a meal, so she soon had a chicken and noodle casserole in the oven, mixed up a batch of popovers and put together a tossed green salad. By the time Josh and Clay returned with Jenna’s car, the girls had finished their homework and were helping set the table.

  Jenna had shuffled into the family room where she was propped on her side watching the news. Snagging a footstool out of the pantry, Josh placed it beneath the table then went and got Jenna. Walking with her to the table, he pulled out her chair and made sure her feet found the little stool.

  “Oh, it is so nice to be upright,” Jenna said, looking around the table. “Thank you so much for making dinner, Callan, and for rescuing my car, Clay.”

  “You’re welcome,” they both said. Clay leaned toward Callan and started to kiss her cheek and was interrupted by Emma’s giggling.

  “No more kisses, Daddy. Mama can’t have any more kisses today.”

  Clay turned and looked at his daughters. “Who says?”

  “We did. We saw you kissing before you left and now Mama can’t have any more.”

  “They laid down the law, Clay. There wasn’t anything I could do about it,” Callan said, patting his hand and shaking her head with a pout.

  “Huh. We’ll revisit this later,” Clay said, placing his napkin on his lap and staring across the table at the girls with a look only a father can muster. Turning the conversation in another direction, he looked at Jenna with a smile, “So, Jenna, do you have Netflix?”

  “Nope. But we might have to check it out,” Jenna said, taking a helping of salad and passing it along to Josh. “I may finally have time to read all the books I’ve wanted to read and watch all the movies I keep thinking I’ll get around to seeing someday.”

  “Atta girl. Put a positive spin on this,” Clay said with a big smile. “You’ll be so well read and fluent in movie-lore you’ll be able to compete on Jeopardy.”

  Everyone laughed and the meal finished on a lighthearted note. Callan and Audrey did the dishes. Josh helped Jenna into the family room where he, Clay and Emma kept her entertained for a while. When the kitchen was clean and set to rights, Callan picked up the girls’ backpacks and suggested they head home for the evening.

  Emma and Audrey put on their coats then leaned over Jenna to each give her a kiss and hug.

  “Thanks for letting us visit, Auntie Jenna. We’ll come back another day,” Audrey said as she threw her backpack over a shoulder and walked toward the door.

  “Thanks Auntie Jenna,” Emma said before she ran out to the car that Clay started earlier so it would be warm.

  Callan hugged both Josh and Jenna then slipped her arms into the coat Clay was holding for her. Clay gave Josh a pat on the back and Jenna a kiss on her cheek as he pulled on his own coat.

  “Call if you need anything at all,” he said as they walked out the door.

  “Thanks, guys,” Jenna yelled from her spot on the couch. “I appreciate it.”

  “Thanks again. You two are the best,” Josh said walking them to the door. Watching them together, he laughed and couldn’t help adding, “Just remember, you are on kissing probation.”

  Callan rolled her eyes and gave his arm a playful slug. “Just wait until you have four little eyes watching your every move mister and see how funny you think it is,” Callan said as she and Clay walked out into the cold and waved one last time.

  Sauntering back into the living room, Josh sank down beside Jenna and put his arm around her.

  “How are you holding up, little mama?”

  Jenna turned her head to look at Josh and smiled. “I’m doing okay. You know, you really have the nicest family. Is there anything that sister of yours won’t do for you?”

  “Hmm. Nothing I can think of,” Josh said, looking thoughtful. “She and Clay have always been there if I needed help. We’ve been there for them. That’s what family does, right?”

  “Well, yes,” Jenna said, rubbing her belly. “I just hope our boys grow up to be as close as you and Callan. I always thought my sisters and I were close, but I can’t imagine them dropping everything to come help me with a problem the way Clay and Callan do for us. And you’ve done the same for them. It is really a blessing.”

  “Yep. I know it,” Josh said, placing his hand lightly on her stomach, which seemed to get bigger by the day. “Do you want to sit here awhile or would you like to go back to bed?”

  “I’m sick of staring at the bedroom walls already. Can we just hang out here for a while?” Jenna snuggled against Josh as he grabbed the remote and flipped through the television to see what was on.

  “You bet. Are you in the mood for reality nonsense, a cop show or a comedy?”

  “Some of those reality shows cover all three don’t they?”

  Chuckling, Josh agreed. “They sure do.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Josh and Jenna settled into a new routine. He spent as much time in the house with her that he could. When he needed to go out to do something, he made sure she had everything she needed close at hand and always had his cell phone with him. He kept her cell phone charged, sitting on her nightstand.

  Family and friends had been great to take turns coming to visit, usually in the afternoons and many of them brought a meal. Callan called around and arranged for someone to bring a meal every other day. That way Josh only had to fend for them a few times a week. Everyone who came brought Jenna bits of news, shared stories or just sat and visited about nothing of importance.

  One Saturday, her friend Barb from work drove out for a visit and caught her up on all the office news.

  “Mrs. Gordon was nearly beside herself the day I took you to the hospital. She says you’re the best person she’s ever had in that position and she isn’t letting anybody mess with it. So whenever you are ready to come back to work, rest assured your position will be available.”

  “That is good to know,” Jenna said. She was worried about having to stop working with no advance warning. She’d been trying to get things ready for her maternity leave, but with so many weeks left before her due date, she didn’t have everything done she’d planned to do. Now she couldn’t do anything to help at work or at home.

  Thankfully with it being winter, it was a pretty slow time for Josh on the farm. He cleaned the house, bought the groceries and did whatever needed doing. Jenna reminded him about paying bills and he had even figured out her filing system. She decided during her bed rest to take up crocheting and Maggie Chandler, Jake’s mother, came over a few times to help her learn.

  Maggie arrived that afternoon bearing a pan of lasagna, yarn and a pattern for a baby blanket. She and Jenna worked intently for a couple of hours. Two little blankets, one tan and the other navy blue, were starting to take shape. Josh helped Jenna out to the couch right after lunch so that is where she and Maggie were now working.

  “You are a quick learner, Jenna,” Maggie said as she whipped through another row of stitches, watching Jenna go much slower, but doing a great job.

  “I so appreciate you teaching me, Maggie. At least this gives me something to do with my hands and a challenge for my head.” Jenna concentrated on the hook flashing back and forth in the yarn, following Maggie’s directions carefully.

  “I’m glad we could spend some time together. Bobbi speaks so highly of you and Josh, and that boy of mine thinks the world of the both of you.”

  “So what is Jake up to these days?” Jenna asked. She hadn’t seen him since Christmas and assumed he was busy finishing up his work at the bio lab before he transitioned into his new job.

  “Oh, he’s been staying out of trouble working extra hours at the lab. He really did like the work, but said he can’t stand being in an office all day. You know him. He’s a b
it of a wild child. You can take the boy out of the country, but not the country out of the boy.” Maggie laughed and looked out the window a minute before she continued with her crocheting.

  “I’ll be glad to have him closer to home, that’s for sure. I think he’ll enjoy working at the extension office and he’ll be able to get out of the office most days, which should keep him from getting so antsy. You should see him when he comes out to the farm after having been in the office and city all week. He acts like he did when he was five and couldn’t sit still for a minute. Constant motion, that one.”

  “Well, we sure enjoyed having him with us for the summer. He was a huge help to Josh. You raised a fine boy, Maggie.”

  “Thank you, Jenna,” Maggie said, patting her leg. “He is a good boy. I just wish I could do something about his taste in women. My stars, you should see some of the girls he has dated, not that he ever brings them around for us to meet. Isn’t there an old country song about liking women on the trashy side? That would be Jake.”

  Jenna laughed. “Oh, I’ve seen him out a time or two. Maybe it’s a phase he’ll grow out of. I bet when the right girl comes along, he’ll change his ways.”

  “I certainly hope so. Well, look at me going on. You’re going to have two boys to handle. I hope they grow up to have much better taste than my Jake.”

  The women continued their crocheting for a while then Maggie put the lasagna in the oven to warm up along with a loaf of crusty bread.

  “Thank you for coming Maggie. I’ll keep working on this blanket and maybe have it finished by the next time you come,” Jenna said.

  “You are doing just fine with it, Jenna. Keep at it and you’ll be done before you know it. It was a treat to visit with you, dear.”

  “Thanks again. And tell that rascal Jake the next time he is home to stop by for a visit,” Jenna called as Maggie walked toward the door.