“I’ll do all I can,” he murmured, then quickly left for the living room and the telephone.
Less than three minutes later, he returned to Emily’s side. A pale blue nightgown was clutched in one hand. “I thought you might want to change out of that wet thing you have on.”
She nodded, then reared up off the pillow as pain suddenly surged through the lower part of her body. “Did...” After the one word, she panted for several seconds then tried again, “Did you call for emergency help?”
“Yes. Your uncle Roy is going to take care of everything. Including calling your parents.” He didn’t go on to tell her that her suspicions were right. The weather conditions had turned into an all-out blizzard, forcing traffic off the road or, at best, a crawl. Even worse, most of the emergency transport units had been called to a vehicle pileup in the mountains.
“He said to tell you not to worry, Justine says first babies take several hours of labor before they make an appearance into the world. You’ll be in the hospital long before then.”
Emily looked anything but reassured. “I hope she’s right. But the way these pains are coming I don’t think I’ll be that lucky.”
She tugged the dirty gown she was wearing up over her hip, then held up her arms so that Cooper could pull the garment the rest of the way over her head.
Glancing away from him, she murmured, “I’m sorry you have to see me this way.”
He picked up the clean gown and searched for the neck. “Emily, don’t be embarrassed. I’ve seen you before.”
“Yes. But I was slim then. Not like this.”
She was having labor pains and not one medically trained person was around to help her. That it should matter how she looked to him now, amazed Cooper.
“You’ve always been beautiful to me, Emily. Even now.” And he couldn’t have meant it more.
He slipped the ring of fabric over her head. She glanced up at him and her eyes told him how grateful she was for his words, his touch, for simply being at her side.
“Just wait a few more minutes and you’ll change your mind about that,” she tried to joke.
He helped her get the gown down as far as the top of her hips, then covered her with the sheet.
“Now what?” he asked, feeling as helpless as a calf stranded on the wrong side of the fence.
Emily shook her head. “I don’t—”
Unable to finish because of another racking pain, Cooper glanced at his watch. From what he’d seen on TV it was important to time the pains and see how frequently they were coming.
Once Emily was able to talk again, she reached for his hand and squeezed it. “Cooper, do you think something is wrong with the baby? Answer me truthfully. If you think it’s a possibility, tell me.”
Concern marring his features, he eased back onto the side of the bed. “Was the baby moving earlier this evening?”
Nodding, she bit down on her lip and tried not to cry. “Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. When I visited Dr. Bellamy at the first of the week, he said the baby’s heart sounded good and its head was down in the birthing position. But that sometimes happens weeks before.”
He pushed strands of blond hair off her face. “Then what makes you think something might be wrong?”
Her worried gaze clung to his. “Because it’s too early. Usually premature births happen when something is wrong.”
“Emily, honey, you’re borrowing trouble. I’ll bet that little fella of yours just decided he couldn’t wait any longer to see what was going on out here. Besides, the doctor’s calculation on the due date could be wrong.”
That was true enough, Emily thought. Her cycle had never been regular so Dr. Bellamy had more or less guessed as best he could on the due date. She tried to relax, but another pain was building in her back, tearing through her sides like a hot branding iron. By the time it was over she felt utterly drained.
“I think you should go get some clean towels from the bathroom,” she said weakly.
He tried his best to appear calm, even though another glance at his watch told him it had been less than a minute since Emily’s last pain.
“I’ll be right back,” he assured her.
For the next fifteen minutes Emily’s pain continued to increase in severity. Cooper used a cool cloth to wipe the sweat from her face, but other than that he could do little else for her.
Though he kept it. carefully hidden, he was inwardly cursing the weather, the untimeliness of her labor and most of all the fact he couldn’t make it all better for her. Each time the pain tore through her, he wanted to ram his fist through a wall. Instead, he gripped her hands and murmured anything he could think of to encourage her.
“I’m going to go look out the front,” he told her. “I might be able to see some lights coming.”
She shook her head. “Cooper, I’m in labor, I’m not crazy. It will take an ambulance forever to get here.”
“Well, your dad or uncle Roy might make it sooner in one of their four-wheel-drive vehicles.”
“I wouldn’t get in it now—”
Cooper felt as if his own insides were tearing as he watched the agony twist her face.
“Emily? Are you all right?” He’d asked her that question many times already, but he supposed he needed reassuring as much as she did.
Her knees were already drawn up. She motioned for him to pull back the sheet. “I—think the baby is coming! Now!”
He couldn’t be shaken by the sight of her blood. Nor could he let himself think for one moment how his own mother had taken her last breath after giving birth to him. It wasn’t going to be that way for Emily. She was more precious than his own life to him. He had to do everything in his power to get her through this. Her and the baby!
Pulling back the sheet, he pushed the tail of her gown out of the way and bent down for a closer look. “I can—yes, I think I can see the crown of his head!”
“Oh, thank God,” she said weakly, then strained up off the pillow as another tremendous pain consumed her.
“Emily, I think—all you need to do now is bear down and push.”
“I’m trying—I don’t have much strength—left,” she groaned, then gasped in several long breaths.
He grabbed the washcloth from the nightstand and wiped her hot brow. “I know, darling, I know. But try. It’ll soon be over and the pain will stop.”
With everything inside her, Emily bore down again. And again. Cooper clasped the inner part of her thighs and willed the little head forward.
“That’s it, Emily! It’s coming! Once more and the baby will be here!”
Her head swimming with pain and exhaustion, she tried to do as he instructed. Then suddenly Cooper was shouting excitedly and she felt the blessed relief of the baby passing out of her.
Cooper quickly grabbed the newborn and turned him facedown so any mucus would drain out of his mouth rather than in.
“He’s a boy, Emily!”
“But is he breathing? Is he all right?”
As Cooper massaged the tiny back, a loud squal emitted from the baby. He sagged with joy and relief.
“He’s breathing all right. Listen to that voice!”
With a clean towel, he wiped as much of the afterbirth from the baby as he could, then lay it on Emily’s stomach. “I figure he’ll be much happier there than anywhere else. Besides, I’m not sure about cutting the umbilical cord. I’ll let the doctor do that.”
Tears of joy streamed down Emily’s face as she brought her hand up to the baby’s red, wrinkled cheek. Her child was here and safe.
“Oh, Coop, thank you,” she whispered weakly. “Thank you for bringing my baby into the world.”
Cooper’s eyes brimmed with tears, but he managed to blink them away before Emily could see them.
“I didn’t do anything, Emily. You did it all.”
He eased down beside mother and child, who was still bawling as though he wanted everyone in Lincoln county to know he’d arrived.
Rubbing a
finger over the infant’s damp head, Cooper looked to Emily’s drained but joyous face. “He’s beautiful. Like his mother.”
Her hand crept to Cooper’s arm and she tugged weakly. He leaned closer as emotion balled in his throat.
She kissed his cheek, then smiled up at him. “You’re my hero, Coop. You always have been.”
Chapter Ten
“Emily, he’s absolutely perfect. He couldn’t have looked more like you if he’d been stamped from a mold.”
Emily smiled at her mother who had just returned from her third trip from the hospital nursery.
“You sound like a typical grandmother.”
Laughing, Rose took a seat in the vinyl chair beside her daughter’s bed. “Of course I do. It’s my right.”
Emily scooted to a sitting position and pushed her tumbled hair away from her face. Nearly twelve hours had passed since an ambulance had arrived at the ranch and took her and the baby to the hospital. Cooper had rode in with them. But he’d had Harlan take him back home earlier this morning to take care of feeding the cattle and horses.
Since then, Emily had recuperated nicely. Other than being sore and a little weak, she’d managed so far to shower and eat a big lunch. As for the baby, he’d already nursed at her breast and Emily was still in a euphoric daze at being a mother.
Rose made a motion with her hand around the room. “Judging from all the flowers and balloons in here, everybody is as happy as I am about the baby. It looks like a florist shop in here.”
Emily pointed to a potted calla lilly a nurse’s aide had brought in a few minutes earlier and placed on the bedside table. “Another one came while you were down at the nursery. It’s from Charlie.”
Rose leaned up in her seat and pulled the card nestled amongst the lush green leaves. “Way to go, Em! Hope I can see you and the new baby soon. Love, Charlie,” Rose read, then smiled winsomely. “You and Charlie became buddies the first time you saw each other.”
Emily chuckled. “I had just become a teenager and Charlie was six. He wore a holstered cap pistol on his hips and pretended he was the Durango Kid. Now he’s all grown up, handsome and a bona fide Texas Ranger. I can only hope my son turns out as well as Charlie.”
“Charlie is a wonderful guy,” Rose agreed. “But I don’t want my grandson to be a lawman. I’d worry about him all the time, just like Justine does Charlie.”
Emily didn’t necessarily want her son to be a lawman, either. But she would never tell him he couldn’t be. She wanted him to grow up to be his own man, strong and selfassured.
“Right now I’m just relieved my son is healthy. Since he weighed seven pounds and was fully developed right down to his fingernails, Dr. Bellamy says he was conceived much sooner than he’d first calculated.”
“And I just thank God you and Cooper had the good sense to know what to do. Your daddy and I are both relieved.”
At the mention of Cooper’s name, Emily let out a wistful sigh. “Oh, Mother, you can’t imagine how wonderful Cooper was through it all. I’m beginning to think he might really...care for me and the baby.”
Rose smiled gently at her daughter’s glowing face. “I’ve always thought so.”
Emily glanced down at the thermal blanket covering her lap. “I’ve been praying that he’s changed his mind about leaving. Especially now that he’s seen the baby. But I—”
A knock on the door cut her sentence short. Rose went over to invite the caller in. When she saw it was Cooper, she quickly informed her daughter she was going to the cafeteria for a little lunch.
“I didn’t mean to run your mother off,” he said, as he stepped inside the room. It was filled with all sorts of potted plants and cut flowers. Bright balloons with words of congratulations were tied to the foot of the bed and the handles of several cups of candy sat on the windowsill. Feeling like an idiot for only having a hat in his hands, he moved toward her and the bed.
Emily’s heart soared at the sight of him. He was dressed in dark jeans and a rust colored shirt. His face was clean shaven and his hair brushed into neat waves. He’d always looked good to her under any conditions, but now after all they’d been through together, it was like falling in love with him all over again and her joy shone like a light on her face.
“You didn’t make Mother leave,” she assured him. “She’s been here all morning. It’s time she got out of here and went to lunch.”
Smiling at him, she motioned for him to take the seat her mother had just vacated. “Have you had your lunch? Did you remember there was a bowl of chicken and dumplings left over in the fridge?”
He hadn’t thought about eating, much less what was in the refrigerator. “I ate a little snack. Don’t worry about me. What about yourself?”
She patted her stomach, which felt absurdly flat to her now. “I stuffed myself at lunch. The baby did, too. Did you go down to the nursery and look at him?”
Cooper hadn’t planned on it, but the minute he’d stepped into the hospital corridor something had come over him.
He’d went straight to the nursery and stared through the window for long minutes at Emily’s new son.
“He looks like you.”
Emily chuckled softly. “That’s what Mother and Daddy and the rest of my family say. They also think you’re wonderful for delivering him.”
A ruddy flush crossed his cheeks. “I didn’t do anything. I just happened to be there.”
She shot him an engaging smile. “Now, Coop, there’s no need for you to be humble about it.”
Emily was like an excited kid at Christmas, Cooper thought, and she was trying to include him in her joy. Oh God, she was making this even harder on him.
Propping his ankle on his knee, he stared at the toe of his brown boot. “Have you decided what to name him yet?”
“I have. If you agree.”
Surprise arching his brows, he glanced at her. “Me? What do I have to do with it?”
Her smile quavered. “Well, you might not like what I have in mind. If you don’t, be honest and tell me.”
“Emily, you shouldn’t be worrying about my opinion. I wouldn’t know the first thing about naming a baby, anyway.”
Her eyes continued to hold his and her heart thumped with love. “Well, you might in this case. I want to name him Harlan Cooper Dunn. After my father and you. If that’s all right with you.”
Cooper was stunned. He’d never expected her to name her child after him. He didn’t know what to think or say.
“Emily—are you sure?”
She leaned over and reached for his hand. He gave it to her because he had to, because at that moment he needed to touch her just one more time.
“Of course I’m sure. I think it’s a strong, wonderful name that my baby can be proud of.” She desperately wanted to say our baby, but she still wasn’t sure how he was feeling. Last night she’d been certain he looked at her with love, touched her with love. But now, today, he seemed different and her heart began to pound with dread. “I only hope that he grows to live up to his name.”
“If that’s the way you really feel, then I’d be honored.”
She let out a breath of relief. All this time she’d felt as if Cooper resented the baby. But after seeing the gentle way he handled her son last night, she couldn’t believe he didn’t have a bit of tenderness in his heart.
“Thank you, Cooper. I’m so glad you approve.” She squeezed his hand and a smile returned to her face. “Was everything all right at the ranch? Did you give Native Moon an extra block of alfalfa?”
He’d even given Emily’s Appaloosa a brushing, but he wasn’t going to tell her. He didn’t want her thinking he’d grown soft and sentimental. Once he was gone, she needed to think he’d been happy to go. It would be easier that way.
“Yes. I did.”
“Oh, thank you. And, Cooper, before you head back to the ranch, would you mind picking up a few baby bottles at the store? I know I’m breast-feeding, but he’ll need some water now and then. Aunt Justine
and Chloe have a date set next month for a baby shower.” She laughed and gave his hand another squeeze. “But since little Harlan Cooper decided to make an early appearance, I don’t have anything I need yet.”
“When are you and the baby going home?”
She grimaced. “In the morning. As far as I’m concerned I’m ready to go now.” She glanced away from him suddenly and Cooper wondered at the faint blush on her cheeks. “I’m sorry I made such a mess of your bed. But now—” Pausing, she looked back at him. “I’m glad the baby was born in your bed. It seems right somehow.”
He closed his eyes at the memory of her writhing in pain, calling his name and gripping his hands so tightly at times his fingers had gone numb. He’d hated seeing her in so much agony and hated even more that he hadn’t been able to do anything about it. For as long as he lived, Cooper knew he would never forget last night or the fear and joy that had swept through him as Emily’s baby had slipped into the world.
“I’m glad it’s all over for you.”
Smiling, she patted her flat stomach. “In a few weeks, I’ll be able to ride Native Moon all the way to the back of the ranch.” Her glance at him was suggestive. “That is, if I can talk you into doing a little baby-sitting. But don’t worry,” she added before he could make any sort of response. “I won’t make a habit of it. Just now and then when I get the urge to ride.”
She was killing him with her words and smile and touch. He had to open his mouth and tell her why he was really here before he lost his courage.
“Uh...Emily, I think—” With her hand still holding onto his, he moved from the chair to the side of her bed.
“Yes?” she asked, her eyes glowing at having him even closer.
He drew in a bracing breath and tried to look away, but something about her beautiful face wouldn’t let him. “When I leave the hospital I won’t be going back to the ranch.”
Her brows lifted. “Oh, you have some other chores to do? If that’s the case, then don’t bother about the baby bottles. I’ll have Mother pick them up before we leave the hospital in the morning. I know you have more than you can do as it is. And I’ve been thinking a lot about that, Cooper.”
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