Tristan's Destiny, Bonus Book #1.5

by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel

  This man beside her was better than any fantasy she’d ever have. “You’re a wonderful lover. So understanding and caring.”

  “Oh, come on now, I’m nothing more than a guy in love with his pregnant wife.” He circled her breast with his fingertip. “I’ll warn you now, though. Once our baby is born and you’re back to normal, don’t expect gentle. Loving, yes…always.” He crushed his lips against hers as if giving an example. “I’m eagerly waiting to cut loose. Kind of the way the waves in the Pacific crashed against the pier.”

  “Me, too.” She brushed her fingers through his hair, her hand remaining on his face. “I love your Pacific analogy. It’s a great memory by the way. This should get interesting, huh?”

  “Oh, hell yeah, to say the least.” His phone rang again so he bent over to get it. He examined the screen to see who it was. “Maybe I’ll want more when I come home, so rest up.” Tristan winked at her. “Hey, Mom, I’ll be there in about twenty minutes.”

  Nora raked her nails down his back until he hung up.

  He dropped beside her again. “I wish you were going with me.”

  She sighed, saying, “Tell your cousin and Velia ‘hi’ for me. I’ll be fine. After all, I just worked up a nap.”

  “Take it easy, okay. I’m only a phone call away…well, an hour.”

  Nora lay on her back, extending her limbs. It felt so good to stretch. “I’ll be sleeping.”

  Tristan gathered his clothes before going into the bathroom. When he came out, he handed her the remote along with her phone. “What about your dinner?”

  “I’ll have leftovers since you’re not crazy about eating them.”

  He leaned on the bed and kissed her. “I’ll bring you a carry-out for later or tomorrow. I love you, baby.”

  Nora wrapped her fingers around his nape, seeking another kiss. “Have fun. You know I love you, too.” She pulled the cover up—listening as he went out the back door. Her truck started. In the still night, as he eased toward the main road, she no longer heard the crunch of gravel and sand beneath the tires. Closing her eyes, she placed her arm over her midriff. Sleep, my little angel.

  Chapter 11

  A few days past her due date now, Nora went to work. She leaned back in her office chair and stretched her back, needing more room today because baby couldn’t get situated. She examined the feeling. “Whew, that was different.” Could it be? Finally? It wasn’t a kick. She brushed it off, so she could concentrate on getting her post written.

  She’d be taking a short hiatus from the blog after publishing this post. Everything had been caught up and Tristan could handle the rest on his own. Of course, she’d help with the magazine if he got behind.

  Nora fanned her face with her hand. “It’s so hot. What’s with the air conditioning?” she asked Tristan in the other office, “Hey, are you hot, or is it just me?”

  “Yeah, I’m hot. You tell me that all the time.” He peeked up from his desk, his bright eyes sparkling. “It feels fine to me. Take a break.”

  “I’m about ready to publish this last post. Give me a minute.” She did another scan in preview mode, then it was sent off. “I want to talk to you anyway.” Nora got up and stood in the doorway. “Do you have a minute?”

  “Always for you. Are ya all right?”

  She sashayed over to his desk and Tristan pulled her onto his lap. “Are you trying to break your chair? Then we’d both fall. We don’t want the baby born right here.” She brushed hair back from his forehead, yet it fell right back. Hmm, do I brush it back because it’s sexy when it falls in his face again?

  “What did you want to talk to me about?” he asked, closing a document.

  “We need to come to a final decision on the baby’s name.”

  “Good idea this late in the game.” Tristan closed the laptop lid. “Let me up. I need some of Mom’s iced tea first. Want some?”

  “Sure.” She followed, but he halted her.

  He picked up his glass from the table beside the window. “Put your feet up, I’ll get it for you. Take a break. I’ll be right back so we can talk about the names.”

  Nora ambled to the window. Two of the horses romped in the pasture. Most times, her mare and the filly frolicked in that section, too, but today they were in the back corral because of the heat. Selva appeared at the gate, calling Roark and Sammy George to take them to the back, too.

  She eased down to the sofa, rubbing her hand over her belly, so loving when the baby moved or kicked. At this point, she’d love to feel it move in her arms. Any day I’ll be delivering. Being a first time mom caused jitters—afraid of not doing something right, but on the other hand, her heart raced in excitement. Oh, what do you look like, little one?

  Tristan returned with cold glasses of tea. “How ya feeling now?” He took a seat beside her.

  “A bit tired.” Nora stretched her back again unable to find the right position.

  “Get comfortable. You know you’re not supposed to be working this many hours.” Tristan lifted her legs to his lap. “Mmm, soft skin.” He dripped water from the frosty glass over her legs.

  “You have to be bad, don’t you?” He knew she liked him that way, never wasting an opportunity to take advantage at any given moment.

  “Can’t help it with a beautiful woman beside me.” He faced her. “I’m glad this is your last day for a while. You still aren’t totally recuperated from the accident.”

  “Tristan, I’m fine now. At more than nine month’s pregnant, I’ll be tired. Besides, all I do is sit here anyway. The same thing I’d do at home, but now I get to look at you in your office, unless you’re out working on the ranch.”

  “But admit you have a tiny bit of stubbornness in ya.” He slipped her shoes off. “I get to look in and see you working, too. After all that is what I hired ya to do, lady.”

  Pulling boss rank, huh? “Funny man. Admit, you like my stubbornness.”

  “Sometimes.” He smoothed his hand over her legs to remove the droplets from his glass. “Well, sweetie, back to baby names. Since both of our grandmothers were named Rose, I’ve been thinking…”

  Nora frowned when he couldn’t resist tiptoeing his fingers a little higher under her shorts.

  Tristan grimaced when she caught his hand. “Aw, come on.”

  “I love the idea of having Rose for a middle name. It goes perfectly with a girl’s name that came to me in the middle of the night.” She studied the question mark in his eyes.

  “Hey, I was thinking of a middle name for a boy, but…we’d call him by this middle name. You know…if it’s a boy.” He diverted his gaze and took a drink from his glass.

  The softness on his face nearly made her cry. Damn, he’s made me a happy woman. “What is it?”

  “You tell me first, Nora.”

  “If it’s a girl…” Nora shifted to a different position. “This one isn’t sure what position to be in today.” She took a sip and handed him her glass to set aside. “Let’s call a girl, Trista. It’s a combination of our names. Tristan…Nora. Get it?”

  Tristan chuckled. “I get it, darlin’. You’re giving me a swelled head by naming my kid after me.” He gently patted her stomach, holding his hand there afterward. “It works for me. Trista Rose. Trista Rose Carlson. Yep, i-it’s perfect.”

  Nora witnessed him choke up. She pictured calling for a little girl. Trista Rose. “Now what did you have in mind for the middle name for a boy? Tristan what?”

  “Chance.” He blurted it out. “Hell, we can name our daughter, Chance. We met by chance. Everything is by chance around here. Tristan Chance Carlson.” He hesitated. “But remember, we’d call him Chance.”

  “Or Chance Tristan,” Nora teased. “No, you’re right. You’re absolutely right. We named our baby!” Her body jerked and she sat up straighter. “Dang, this little one is giving me all kinds of havoc today.”

  “You okay? That was a big jerk for a movement. I felt it under my hand.”

  It was much more than a movem
ent. “Trust me, you only felt part of it.”

  “Hey, what about Chance for our daughter’s middle name. It’d be different.” They were interrupted by a knock on the door. “Just a minute,” said Tristan. “We’ll tell the family the names later?”

  “All right, but Trista Rose, not Trista Chance. She’ll be teased. Lordy, it’ll be bad enough if she has my red hair. No.” Nora lowered her legs to the floor and Tristan stood.

  “Have it your way, but remember I love that red hair.” When he opened the door, Selva stood there. “Come on in, what’s up?”

  Selva took a few steps inside. “Can I see you out back for a minute?” He removed his hat, nodding to Nora.

  Tristan grabbed his hat from the rack near the interior door and crossed the room back to Selva. “Yeah, sure, I’m free now.” He said to Nora, “I’ll see ya at home.”

  “I’ll visit with your mom before leaving.” She took her glass from the table. “You two, don’t work too hard out there in this heat.”

  “Nah, a storm’s coming. We’ll stay close. Hey, tell Mom the names if you want.” He came back to give her a kiss. “I love you, ya know.”

  “I love you, too, ya know. I’ll tell them. They’ll be excited.”

  “Catch ya later, darlin’.” Tristan winked before going out the door with Selva.

  Nora closed down her laptop and gathered her phone along with her lunch bag. She walked out the office door, heading toward the kitchen. Destiny sat at the table, coloring.

  “Hey, sweetie, ready to go home? I’m taking off early.”

  “Yep.” Destiny leaned closer to the paper as if hiding it. “This is for you guys.” She swooped it up and showed it to Nora. It was a picture of her with red hair, her daddy with a cowboy hat, Destiny with her red hat, and a baby with a pink hat.

  “Destiny, this is beautiful. I see you put a pink hat on our baby.”

  “That’s because I’m having a sister.” She packed all her crayons into the box.

  Nora winked at Judy. “I love it. So will Daddy. You drew a nice family.”

  “I need to get my backpack.” Destiny scooted off the chair and took her plate to the sink. “Be right back.”

  Nora arched her back and sat on the edge of the chair, her hand massaging her lower back. “Oooh! That one hurt.” Destiny stopped at the doorway to see what happened.

  The sparkle in Judy’s eyes couldn’t be denied. Her hand shot to her mouth to cover a gasp. “Nora?”

  Nora shook her head, so Judy didn’t ask the question she was about ready to ask. “Destiny, go get your things.”

  Judy tossed a dishtowel into the air and held Nora by the shoulders. “Dear, the look on your face shows fear, yet joy at the same time.”

  “Judy?” Nora gave a short nod. Her heartbeat drummed in her chest. Could she be hours away from delivering their baby? Am I in labor? “Do you think—”

  “Nora, dear, you’re in labor. I see it on your face. That was more than a little ouch.”

  “Yes, yes, it was more.” She covered her face but peeked through her fingers. “Omigod!” Nora clutched Judy’s shoulders. Her throat tightened. “I don’t know, I really don’t.”

  “We have to get Tristan.” Judy rushed to the counter to get her phone.

  “No, not yet. This could be one of those false alarms. He’s busy out there with Selva. A job came up. Besides, I’ve been having twangs since the accident. The doctor said everything was fine other than being past my due date.” Nora nodded a bunch of times, and tears filled her eyes. To think she could have lost the baby in the accident still shook her sanity. The hell Tristan went through waiting. “I need to be sure.”

  Destiny came back into the room. “Mom, why are you crying?”

  “I’m so happy.” Nora smoothed her fingers over Destiny’s loose waves. “We’ll have to pull this into a ponytail if you play outside. It’s so hot today, yet it does look like rain.” Nora asked her to sit. “I need to tell you two the names we chose for our baby. We discussed it a few minutes ago.” Nora was so proud to be sharing this with them at this moment. “If we do have that sister you want, her name will be Trista Rose. Do you like that name?”

  Destiny gave a big old grin, the gap showing where she had lost her teeth. “I love it! It’s like my daddy.” She repeated the name. “Trista Rose. Can I name a stuffed animal that?”

  “Not if it’s your sister’s name.” Nora held Destiny’s hand. “But listen. I’m saying if we have a boy, his name will be Tristan Chance, but Daddy wants us to call him Chance.”

  Judy laughed. “That makes so much sense. I swear it does. That man has the right mindset for sure.”

  “I like that name, too. If I have a brother that is an okay name.”

  “No matter what it is, we’ll love it either way. Right, sweetheart?” Judy asked. “A boy or a girl, we’ll love that baby with all our hearts.”

  Destiny nodded in agreement, but Nora knew their little girl had her heart set on a sister. Time will tell. She gave Destiny a hug. “You know it won’t be long before we all know.” Nora choked up as she had another pain in her lower back. She checked the clock on the wall. “We better get our things, so we can get home.”

  “Can I stay with Grammy?” Destiny twisted her shoulders back and forth. “I forgot about our movie.”

  “Oh, dear child, I forgot all about that movie, too.” Judy nodded her approval. “It’s too hot to play outside anyway.”

  “You can stay,” said Nora. “I’ll get my purse and bag from the office.”

  “Destiny can go home with her dad later, or I’ll bring her home. You take it easy, Nora. Call right away if you need me.”

  “I will.” Nora hugged them before trudging toward the office. She collected her items and headed to her truck. This afternoon she was exhausted. She drove down the driveway, turning right onto the road toward their home. Normally, she’d walk, but she had extra to carry this morning.

  Tomorrow, she’d have Tristan bring files she’d need for the magazine. She’d stay home. Maybe even sleep in. Off to the east, thick, black clouds lay low, darkening the sky. The closer they rolled to the earth the more they rumbled. In the distance lightning broke through the lighter and higher clouds of gray. No doubt the upcoming storm was about to roar in like a raging lion, as the weatherman had predicted. It would soon be heading this way from over the mountain.

  When Nora got inside her home, she dropped her bag to the table, and settled on the sofa. She raised her feet to the ottoman, concentrating on the type of pain that felt like skin tearing on the inside of her lower abdomen.

  She called Tristan, but there was no answer. She didn’t know what Selva had wanted him for, but she didn’t see his truck at the barn on her way home. He could’ve been anywhere on the property though. Dialing Jase’s number, he answered when she was about to hang up. “Hey, do you know where your brother is? He isn’t answering his phone.”

  “Nah, I haven’t talked to him today. Do you need me?”

  “Um, I don’t know…I mean, no I don’t think so.” She climbed the stairs to change into something more comfortable but gazed out the window to see if Tristan was near the ring.

  “Nora, are you sure you’re okay? I know you’re overdue.”

  “I’m okay, but I need Tristan.” She paused. “If you see him, ask him to call me?”

  “Of course. Hey, that storm’s coming closer. I better gather my horses.”

  The mare looked agitated in the corral. Sammy stood on the other side. She spoke to herself, but out loud. “I don’t see the filly out there.”

  “What’s that?” asked Jase before hanging up.

  Nora cranked her neck so she could see more of the area. “The filly isn’t in the corral. The mare sure is agitated out there. She’s not out there, Jase, so something must’ve happened.”

  “I’ll run over. Nora, just wait at home and I’ll let you know.” Jase hung up.

  “Wait here?” I can’t wait here. Taking her time
going downstairs, she pulled on her barn boots in the mud room. Heading out the door, she stopped abruptly.

  A popping sound? What was that? Nora peeked downward. “Uh oh.” She held her stomach. Her chest heaved, yet she was rejuvenated by adrenalin. The warn trickle between her legs was not there seconds ago. “My water broke! Omigod, it’s happening.” Our baby’s about to be born. She headed to the bathroom. When she came out she changed her clothes in the laundry room and grabbed her truck keys. She drove to the barn the back way, the bumpity-bump on the makeshift road, not helping at all. An intense pain torn at her lower back. If she stopped she might get stuck in a rut since the last monsoon had left it a mess. That would be awful.

  A clap of thunder cracked. Rain came down in a rage. Lightning bolted to the ground in front of her. She pulled up in front of the barn door and rolled her window down as Stuart brought in the horses. He came to the entrance. Rain blew in, pelting her in the face. “Where’s Tristan, Stuart? Do you know? I can’t get a hold of him.”

  Stuart removed a lead rope from one of the stall doors. “Ma’am, I have to get the mare in before it gets worse.”

  “But wait! I didn’t see the filly out there. Did you bring her inside?” Of course! He probably already did. She was unable to think straight now. The filly would’ve been brought in first.

  He diverted his eyes momentarily. “I hate to tell you, but that’s where Tristan is. The horse got out again, but he didn’t want Destiny to know, so he took the truck. Trailered Roark up into the mountains about an hour ago. He must be in a dead zone. I haven’t been able to reach him, either.” He nodded toward the back. “I gotta get that mare now.”

  He pivoted but faced her again. “Hey, don’t take the same way home. The road will be washing out.” He started to leave, but asked, “You okay?”

  Had he read the terrified look on her face? Nora’s bottom lip curled and she was about to cry, but she didn’t know why. This wasn’t the way she wanted to tell someone she was in labor. Jase pulled up in front of her and jumped out of his truck. “Nora, I told you I’d take care of this.”