by Marla Monroe
They dropped the chickens and cow off at the Riley’s place and borrowed a horse. The men helped her up and hooked the sled to it so that the horse pulled it. She rode while they walked. She really didn’t see why she couldn’t walk, but they’d been adamant that she not walk when she could ride.
The first night they slept together under blankets next to a fire. She tossed and turned, bothering the men until Jeremy finally wrapped her in his arms and kept her still until she finally fell asleep. The next day was much like the first. They stopped every two hours to rest and drink water. They made her eat snacks even though she wasn’t the one doing the walking. They insisted that sitting on a horse was just as hard as walking since she had to use muscles to keep on the horse. She just sighed and ate the snacks.
The second night she slept better knowing they’d reach Holly’s place early the next day. She couldn’t wait. She was so excited that when they finally walked into the clearing to the house she nearly fell off the horse trying to get down. Garrett yelled at her, making Jeremy shake his head at the other man.
“Holly? Are you here?” Amanda called out.
Jessup and Evers came barreling out of the house ahead of Holly, who held a baby girl in her arms.
“Amanda? Is that really you?” Holly called out. “We thought you were gone forever.” Holly handed the baby to one of the men and ran down the porch steps to meet Amanda in the yard. They held each other crying as they both tried to talk at the same time.
“Where did you find her?” Jessup asked as they cried and held on to each other.
“It’s a long story. Maybe we could sit inside and go over it with a cup of coffee?” Jeremy suggested.
“Good idea,” Evers said, carrying the baby inside.
Amanda and Holly held hands as they all sat around the table in the kitchen. The men filled everyone in on Amanda’s kidnapping and how they’d freed her and that they’d become a family.
“You’re pregnant?” Holly nearly screamed. “You’re having a baby. My baby is having a baby. I don’t believe it.”
“I’m hardly a baby, Holly. I’m twenty-two now.” Amanda reached over and caressed the baby’s cheek. “How old is she now?”
“Eighteen months old. She’s precious. Just wait until you have yours. You’ll see.”
“I was hoping you could tell me what to expect. I don’t have a clue what I need to do,” she said.
“I think we’ll go into the den and talk,” Jessup said. “Let you two catch up.”
The men all refilled their cups and moved into the other room. Evers handed the baby over to Holly. Amanda figured they didn’t want to go through the stages of pregnancy. Well, she didn’t much want to either, but she needed to know what to expect.
“I can do one better than that,” Holly said.
“What do you mean?” Amanda asked.
“I can give you a book on pregnancy to take back with you. When I was pregnant we got several of them from the library in one of the towns close by,” she said.
“Oh, that would be perfect. But I still want to find out what you went through. I figure with us being sisters, we’re probably going to have the same problems,” Amanda said.
“How far along are you?” Holly asked.
“Um, I’m not sure, but I figure I’m a little over three months. It’s kind of hard to tell. I wasn’t keeping up with time or anything.”
“I know what you mean. I wasn’t either. So are you past the morning sickness part?” she asked.
“Pretty much. I get nauseous occasionally, but I haven’t gotten sick in a couple of weeks.”
“That means you’re probably more like four months. You’re going to start getting hungry all the time and eat more. That’s normal. Go with it. You’re growing a baby and need more food. Don’t worry if you gain weight. You’ll end up losing it pretty fast once you start working again and also with taking care of the baby. They’re a lot of work.” Holly grinned at the little one clapping her hands as her momma bounced her on her knee.
“Want to hold her?” Holly asked.
“Can I?”
“Of course. You’re her aunt.”
Amanda reached out and took the sweet baby into her arms and marveled at how heavy she was. She held her close and inhaled how sweet she smelled. Would her baby smell so sweet, and would she know how to hold her as an infant?
“See. You’re a natural. She usually fusses when someone other than me or the guys holds her. Even when Mrs. Johnson holds her.”
“You’ve seen her since I’ve been gone?” Amanda asked.
“Yeah. She was devastated. They couldn’t figure out what happened. They finally decided that someone got you. It was the only thing they could come up with,” Holly said.
“When I leave here, I’m going to go there and get my things so I can tell her what happened. I don’t want them to worry about me anymore. I’m happy and fine,” she said.
“I know you can’t stay long since it’s planting season, but I sure wish you could. I hate that we don’t live closer together, but at least we can see each other once or twice a year. That’s something,” Holly said.
“How is Lucille?”
“She’s had her baby, too. He’s a little monster. Kept them up all night for the first few weeks. Now he’s sleeping all through the night and giving them some rest,” Holly said.
“I wish I could see her, but we can’t go to all three places. You’ll tell her I’m fine and that I miss her?” Amanda asked.
“Of course. She’ll be so relieved and excited to hear all your great news.”
“I’m excited for her about her son. Tell her for me.”
“I will.”
For the next hour Holly talked about what all she went through with her pregnancy. Some of it worried Amanda, and some of it was a little embarrassing, but she was glad her sister didn’t leave anything out. She needed to know. The not knowing was the hardest part of anything.
By the time it was bedtime, she was worn out and ready. They took the baby’s room where there was a queen bed, and they pulled the baby bed into the master bedroom for the night.
“Did you learn everything you wanted to know?” Jeremy asked.
“Yeah, and some things I didn’t want to know,” she admitted, making a face.
“I bet,” Garrett said.
“The best thing is that she has some pregnancy books, and she’s going to give me one to take back with us,” Amanda said.
“That’s great news. Why didn’t we think of that? When we go to the library in town, we’ll get that and some books for you as well. We can do that one day after we’ve planted before we have to start weeding,” Jeremy said.
“That would be awesome,” Amanda said. “I can’t wait to get some more books.”
“We’re going to need to build you some bookshelves to line the wall behind the chairs in the den. Stacking them on the floor isn’t working,” Garrett said.
“Yeah. It makes it hard to see them, and they gather dust too easily,” she said.
“Plus it’s a fire hazard,” Garrett added.
“There’s plenty of wood out in the barn that we can use to build plenty of shelves for you,” Jeremy said. “Something to keep us busy next winter.”
“As if you don’t already have plenty to do with shoveling snow,” Amanda said, shaking her head.
“Come on, go to sleep. We need to get an early start to the Johnsons’ place,” Garrett said.
The next morning, they said good-bye to Holly and her men and started the short trip toward Amanda’s old home. Amanda had gathered some seeds from Holly as well as the book that Holly had promised her. Now she’d get her things and say good-bye to her old home.
When they finally pulled up outside the house, Mr. Johnson was sitting on the front porch with the two boys. He stood and grabbed the ax he kept handy near the back door.
“Amanda? Is that you?”
“Yes. I’m fine, Mr. Johnson. This is Garrett and Jeremy.
They rescued me when I was kidnapped last fall,” she called out as Jeremy helped her down off the horse.
“Mamma. Come out here. It’s Amanda. She’s back,” Mr. Johnson called out.
The older woman came out, wiping her hands on a dishcloth, then ran out to pull Amanda into a hug. “Gracious, child, I thought you were gone forever. Whatever happened to you?”
“It’s a long story. Can we come in?” she asked.
“Of course you can. We’ll have pie and coffee. Come on in.” The older woman pulled at her, leading her up the porch steps and into the house.
Amanda looked back at her men and smiled. They looked a little warily at Mr. Johnson but followed behind her.
Once again they went over the story of her kidnapping and subsequent rescue by the guys and that they had formed a family. She held back telling them she was pregnant, thinking that she wasn’t sure it was a good idea. They were having trouble accepting that she was with Garrett and Jeremy as it was. They still saw her as the little girl she’d been when they’d come to them all those years before.
“I was hoping I could get my things to take back with me,” Amanda said.
“Well, of course you can,” Mrs. Johnson said. “Are you sure you want to go back with them? Your home will always be here if you need it.”
“I know, but I love them, and my home is with them now,” she said, looking at them with a soft smile.
“Everything is still like you left it. We didn’t move anything. I guess I was always hoping you’d come back. And you did. We missed you something terrible,” she said.
“I missed you, too. I hated that you worried about me and I couldn’t tell you that I was okay. We couldn’t travel during the winter though,” she said.
“No, of course not. I’m just thankful that you came now and told us you were safe. That means a lot to me, child.” Mrs. Johnson teared up. “Come on. Let me help you pack up.”
Amanda followed her surrogate mother upstairs and began packing up her clothes. They chatted about cooking and how different harvest had been for them without all of them to help. Amanda felt for the other woman. It had to have been hard on her.
“Well, we don’t have to have as much as before without you girls here. The boys eat more than before, but they can work more, too. So, it’s not so bad,” she said.
“Do you think I could get some of the seeds for the herbs and the flowers I liked to grow? I want to have a garden at my place now,” Amanda said.
“Of course you can. Do you have any fruit trees there?”
“No. There are some berry bushes, though, so we’ll have some jelly,” Amanda said.
“I’ll send some apple butter back with you as well. Now let’s see. What else did you have here?”
Amanda gathered her things, and she and Mrs. Johnson started carting it down the stairs, where Jeremy and Garrett met them and took the bags from them.
“We’ll get them. You don’t need to be carrying anything, ladies,” Garrett said.
“Is there anything else up there?” Jeremy asked.
“Another bag,” Amanda said.
“I’ll get it, Tom said and rushed up the stairs around them.
Mr. Johnson shook his head. “That boy only has one speed, and that’s fast.”
Jeremy and Garrett both laughed. Amanda watched as her two men carried her things out to the sled to fasten them down. Then she followed Mrs. Johnson into the kitchen where the other woman gathered up several jars of apple butter, jelly, and preserves for her then showed her where the seeds were.
Amanda set about gathering the seeds, placing each sample in a separate envelope and writing what they were on the outside. Once she had all that she wanted, she slipped them down inside the old bag she’d kept out and threw the strap over her head. She hugged the Johnsons and the two boys good-bye and let Garrett help her climb back up on the horse. They would get several hours down the road before having to stop for the night.
Amanda talked almost nonstop the entire way about her life with the Johnsons and her sisters as memories stirred inside her. The men didn’t seem to mind. Either that or they were just tuning her out. She really didn’t care. She just needed to remember as they made their way back toward home.
After several hours, the men called a halt, and they settled in for the night. Amanda snuggled between the two men and dreamed about babies and flowers so that, when she woke the next morning, she felt as if she’d run a race all night trying to keep up with a toddler and picking flowers until her hands were sore.
“You don’t look like you slept much. Are you okay?” Garrett asked her the next morning.
“Yeah. I slept, but I dreamed a lot. I’ll be fine. Just need to wake up,” she said.
He gave her some water and then handed her the jerky to eat. She chewed on it for a good long while wishing for a meat pie instead. The meals they’d had at Holly’s had been good. She missed that and the pie at the Johnsons’ place.
Once again, they started off with Amanda riding the horse. Several times they stopped to rest and let Amanda stretch her legs. She had to admit that riding wasn’t as easy as she’d thought. Her legs were sore and achy after so much of it the last few days. She welcomed the brief reprieve each time they stopped.
The second night she slept much better but still wasn’t ready to get up the next morning. She was so tired. She really just wanted to sleep. She was sure that had something to do with her being pregnant. She couldn’t wait to get home so she could read the book.
When they finally made it home, with the cow pulling the sled and the chickens on the back with her clothes and things, she was ready to crawl into bed. Her entire body felt like it hadn’t slept in days, though she knew she had.
“You look beat, babe. Go lie on the couch while we tend to the animals. We’ll be in in a bit,” Garrett said.
“Don’t know why I’m so tired,” she said with a yawn.
“It’s the baby. You’re going to be tired like this. Go lie down. We’ve got this,” he said.
Amanda didn’t wait around for them to say anything else. Jeremy had already checked the house and said it was empty and safe. She crawled on the couch and covered up with a blanket and instantly fell asleep.
Chapter Eleven
Amanda felt like a beached whale whenever she sat down and had to get back up. It took one of the guys pulling her off the couch or out of a chair. She felt like her belly stuck out six feet in front of her and her ass stuck out three feet behind her. They guys told her she was exaggerating, but she sure didn’t feel that way.
To make matters worse, the harvest would begin soon and she was due sometime in the next month. How would she ever be able to handle a new baby and putting up all those vegetables? They had to get them put up in order to have food in the winter. The more she stressed over it, the more her body ached.
“What are you doing?” Garrett asked when he caught her wringing her hands in the kitchen.
“Just worrying about how we’re going to handle the harvest if I have this baby next month.”
“Just like Jeremy and I did before you came. Now stop worrying. We’ve got this. All you have to worry about is staying rested and taking care of yourself. This worrying isn’t good for the baby.”
“I know, but I can’t help it.”
“Go sit on the back porch and I’ll bring you out a glass of tea. Jeremy is finishing up in the garden, and then he can join us,” Garrett said.
The men never left her alone at the house. One of them stayed within the confines of the yard at all times. They weren’t taking the chance that she needed them or that someone might try to steal her from them. That meant that one of them worked the garden alone while the other one tended to chores around the house. They switched up each day so they had equal time with her.
In the beginning when they were planting, she went with them and actually got to help by following behind Garrett, who opened up the earth to drop in the seeds, with Jeremy following her, c
losing it up and tamping it down. Then she’d sit out there in a chair with an umbrella over her head while they weeded. Once it got too hot though, they made her stay in the house, and one of them stayed with her.
Amanda settled her bulky body on one of the rocking chairs and sighed. It always felt good to get off her aching, swollen feet. She sighed and breathed in the fresh air.
Moments later, Garrett appeared with tea and one of the fritters she’d made. She smiled and took both.
“Thanks. You always know what I want,” she said.
“How are your feet doing?” he asked.
“They’re swollen and aching. I don’t get it. I’m hardly ever on them, and they still swell up like balloons. And my head hurts all the time now,” she said.
“I’m worried that you’ve got that eclampsia thing the books we got talk about. I don’t know what to do about it except keep you off your feet and in bed. I think you need to start staying in bed from now on. Those headaches worry me,” Garrett said.
“Garrett, I’ll go crazy lying in bed all day every day. I’ve got a whole month to go,” she whined.
“I don’t want to lose you, babe. This eclampsia thing is dangerous. You read about it. You’ve got all the symptoms that we can check. Please don’t fight me on this. I only want what’s best for you and the baby,” he said.
“Can we talk about it later when Jeremy comes in?” she asked.
Garrett sighed. “Fine. We’ll talk about it then.”
Amanda rubbed circles around her belly. It itched, and the baby tended to kick her all the time it seemed like. Especially at night when she wanted to sleep. Like now, it was quiet and not moving around, but the moment she lay down to nap or get some rest, it would wake up and play a round of football in her belly.
They sat outside drinking their tea and rocking until Jeremy came up carrying the hoe and shovel along with his water pouch. He nodded at them then put away the tools and stepped up on the porch.
