Married in Montana

by Kirsten Osbourne

  She was surprised to learn there was only one class per grade in both history and English. There was no separation into honors classes at all. She'd teach all four levels of English, which didn't bother her. She had been given the list of books to be taught, and the kind teacher she was taking the place of, Mrs. Childers, had even provided her usual lesson plans for the semester.

  Mrs. Childers had been there to meet her that morning, and the two had some time to talk. The other woman was hugely pregnant.

  "When are you due?" Savannah had asked.

  "September fifteenth."

  Savannah had eyed the other woman's stomach skeptically. "You're only seven months along? There's no way!"

  Mrs. Childers had laughed, placing her hand on the beach ball that doubled as her abdomen. "Twins. They run in my family, and I've been blessed with them."

  Savannah had grinned. "Are you healthy?"

  "Oh yes. I wanted the whole semester off because I'll be nursing, and I want to bond with my babies. I also thought it would be easier for the students not to have to switch teachers mid-way through the semester." She shrugged, leaning forward and whispering, "Plus, I could really use a little time off after teaching for ten years."

  "I can handle it. I've been teaching for five years."

  "I hear you married Scott Ward. He's a good man."

  Savannah nodded. "A bit clueless, but good." Was there anyone in the area who didn't know she'd married Scott?

  "I've heard that as well. He's thought of very highly in this area. Tends to do a lot for people and the community as a whole. You married a good man."

  "Thank you for saying that. I think so, but it's always good to hear." Savannah had been pleased with the conversation, wondering what Scott had done for the community that he hadn't told her about. If he wasn't bragging about the things he did, then he was a better man than she'd realized.

  They were slowly getting to know one another, uncovering hidden nuances every day. He still made her crazy, but she was growing more and more used to his Neanderthal ways.

  She pulled up in front of the house, noting there was a truck there that she didn't recognize. Did Scott have friends over? She wandered into the house and found him in the kitchen. He looked at her with surprise. "I didn't expect you yet!"

  She looked at the clock. "It's after four."

  "I guess I was thinking a full workday, so you wouldn't be here 'til five-thirty or so."

  She shrugged. "For a teacher a full workday is eight to three." She walked up behind him and hugged him, resting her chin on his shoulder. "What are you cooking?"

  "The only thing I know how to cook. Bison steaks and baked potatoes." He hated cooking, and had to think about every little thing he did. He needed to get her out of the kitchen so she'd stop distracting him.

  "Thank you for going to so much work for me. I was planning on cooking when I got home."

  "Tonight's on me." He put the foil wrapped potatoes in the oven and then turned to her, hugging her close. "It was strange not having you here today. Even though I'm usually out on the range, I like knowing that you're in the house waiting for me."

  She smiled. He was saying sweeter things every day now. Who would have thought he could have figured out something that nice to say even two weeks before? It was so much better than complaining that she had been off working when he didn't want her to. "What's the truck out front?" she asked.

  "It's a surprise." He pointed to the stairs. "Why don't you go straight upstairs and get changed into something more comfortable. Dinner will be ready in an hour."

  "I can finish dinner," she offered, hating the idea of keeping him from what he needed to do.

  "No. You go on. I was planning on having everything ready when you got home. Since I didn't, you have to wait upstairs."

  "Everything?"

  "No questions." He put his hand in the middle of her back and steered her toward the stairs. "I'll call you when you can come down."

  Savannah didn't need to be told twice. She was tired, and a nap sounded wonderful. She went up the stairs and changed into shorts and a tee shirt before climbing into bed. She was asleep within moments.

  *****

  Scott took longer than he'd expected to finish dinner. He'd never actually made a salad before, and he wasn't sure how small to make the pieces of lettuce, so he watched a YouTube video to figure it out. One video led to another and it was thirty minutes later before he headed back to the kitchen to finish making the meal.

  When he was finished, he looked around the dining room one last time. It was ready. He just hoped Savannah appreciated all the work he'd gone through to make the evening special for her. He wanted her to understand that she was special to him, even though he was terrible at showing it.

  He went up the stairs and found her in bed sound asleep. He'd expected her to be reading or something, as that seemed to be her recreational activity of choice. He sat beside her on the bed, shaking her awake. "Savannah. Wake up."

  Savannah woke up slowly, surprised to see at Scott looming over her. "Is it morning already?"

  He chuckled. "It's supper time. I just finished cooking. Are you hungry?"

  She nodded, sitting up slowly. "I am. They brought in pizza for all the teachers today, but that was a long time ago." She glanced at the clock on the nightstand before swinging her feet to the floor. "Thank you for taking care of dinner tonight. The first couple of days back to work are always exhausting."

  He frowned, not liking the idea of anything making her so tired, but he bit his tongue. He wasn't going to tell her she couldn't work when he knew it meant so much to her. He may be slow at learning these things, but he did learn.

  Savannah followed him down the stairs, surprised at what she saw. He'd set candles on the table and lit them. "Candles? You like to see what you eat."

  "And you like to eat by candlelight because it's more romantic." He pulled her chair out for her. He brought her a plate from the kitchen with a steak and a baked potato on it. "Medium well, just like you like it."

  She smiled, pleased that he'd remembered. "It looks delicious," she said as she cut open her baked potato and added butter and cheese. She was surprised to see a salad there as well, but he'd obviously gone all out.

  While they ate, he asked about her day. "Are you going to get to teach any of the Shakespeare plays you like?"

  She shook her head. "No, it'll be the same plays I usually teach. I do get to teach Cyrano de Bergerac to my sophomore class though, and that's a favorite of mine."

  "Isn't that the guy with the big nose?" he asked.

  Savannah sighed. That's what everyone asked when she mentioned the play. "It's so much more than that. There was a good version done in the early nineties with Gerard Depardieu. It was in French, so you have to read subtitles, but it's worth it."

  He shrugged. "Are there any English versions?"

  "Just one, but it's an old black and white, and not very good. The Depardieu version is so much better!" She knew he'd never agree to see a movie with subtitles, but she wasn't afraid to talk about how good she thought it was. She would talk about Cyrano de Bergerac all day if she could find someone willing to listen.

  "Are you teaching anything else you're excited about?"

  She smiled, taking his change in subject without offense. "I'm teaching world history, first half to one grade and second half to another. Should be interesting."

  "Have you taught history before?"

  She shook her head. "No, but I took almost enough hours to be certified in it. I've always loved history."

  He didn't say anything to that, because to him, history was just a bunch of stories about dead people. He loved science, though, and had excelled in every science class he'd ever taken, particularly biology. The knowledge had prepared him well for ranching. He had majored in management.

  "So you'll be teaching just the first semes
ter?" He needed to make sure that hadn't changed. He wanted her home.

  "Yes, I'm going to take over for Mrs. Childers. She's due to have twins on September fifteenth, so she decided to take the entire semester off."

  "Bethany Childers?" he asked.

  "Why? Did you date her too?"

  He laughed. "Nope. Not her. I dated her younger sister, though."

  "Of course you did." She rolled her eyes. It seemed as if he'd dated every woman in the entire state sometimes.

  After dinner, he told her to stay put, and then he cleared the table, putting the dishes in the sink and running water over them. He came back from the kitchen with a box of chocolate.

  She smiled as she looked at it. They were all milk chocolate covered caramels. "You really listened to me." She jumped up and threw her arms around him. "Thank you!"

  He grinned, hugging her back. He took her hand and led her toward the back door, opening it wide. When she stepped out onto the porch, she stopped, staring in astonishment. There was a brand new hot tub sitting on the porch on the opposite side from the porch swing.

  "A hot tub?"

  "I talked to Lachele Simpson, and she told me that water is calming for women, so if I was going to continue to act like a dumb man, I should at least get you a hot tub so you could de-stress." He shrugged.

  Savannah put her hand over her mouth, trying to hold in the laughter that wanted to bubble up. "Thank you for listening to her!" She shook her head. "Are you trying to get points for being sweet?"

  "I'm trying to get back the points I lost for giving you a present I bought for my dead mother and then accusing you of having PMS. I've done some dumb things with women, but I really need a dumb man award for messing that up so badly."

  She did laugh then, unable to hold it in any longer. She threw her arms around him and hugged him. "Thank you! I accept."

  "You accept what? The hot tub?"

  "Your apology. I know I'm going to be getting a lot of them over the years, and they don't always have to be this grand." She didn't want him to think that he needed to spend thousands of dollars on her every time he made her mad.

  "So the chocolates would have been enough? Jesse said I needed a big gesture for being that stupid." Scott shrugged. "Just so you forgive me, I'm happy."

  She smiled and nodded. "How could I not?" She waved her hand toward the hot tub. "This is a big apology." And one she really wanted to get into.

  He walked to the other side of the hot tub and picked up something hidden from her.

  She smiled. Flowers. "Petunias. I love petunias." She took them from him, burying her face in the bouquet. "Thank you again." She shook her head at him.

  "What? Why are you shaking your head?"

  "I'm forgiving you, but lavish gifts won't always fix what's wrong between us."

  "I know. I just wanted you to see that I really was sorry." He waggled his brows at her. "Wanna do some naked hot tubbing?"

  She sighed. "Now I see why you apologized."

  "Nah. I got that even when you were mad."

  She laughed, the sound making his heart beat faster. "You are a mess, Scott Ward."

  He shrugged. "That's what you like about me!"

  "I'm not so sure about that." She quickly stripped and got into the hot tub, surprising him. "You didn't think I'd do it, did you?" She hadn't been sure she'd be able to do it either.

  He shook his head. "Not at all. I'm not complaining though!" He followed suit, removing everything and stepping into the tub beside her. He'd thought to bring towels out and have them beside the tub, and he was thankful for his foresight then.

  She sighed as she sank deeper into the water. "This is nice. I think I'll really like it in the winter."

  He put his arm around her shoulders and smiled. "I finally did something right, didn't I?"

  She laughed softly. "You sure did. How many people did you get advice from?"

  "You don't think I could have thought of this all on my own?" He put a hand over his heart. "I'm offended! You've wounded me to the quick!"

  "I know you talked to Dr. Simpson and Jesse. Who else?"

  He shrugged. "Just Jake. He told me I should do it all today while you were gone, and I should cook dinner. The chocolates and flowers were Jesse's idea. The hot tub was Lachele."

  She looked at him. "What was your idea?"

  He pulled her onto his lap. "I'm not much of an idea man, but I did come up with the idea of luring you into the hot tub naked all on my own."

  She laughed softly. "Somehow, that doesn't surprise me at all."

  "See? I do have some good ideas."

  She kissed him. "This is the best idea you've ever had. I'm really impressed."

  "Contrary to popular belief, I'm not just a pretty face."

  Savannah could do nothing but laugh in response. The man was crazy. Was it any wonder she was falling in love with him?

  Chapter Nine

  The last two weeks in August were teacher in-service days. Savannah was required to be at the school every day, and she worked on decorating her classroom and planning her lessons. She would go mostly by what Mrs. Childers had left for her, but there were a few modifications she'd make as she went along. She couldn't follow another teacher's lesson plans exactly.

  It was Wednesday of the first week of in-service when she started feeling sick. She threw up twice before breakfast, but after some dry toast she felt better. Since she would have little contact with others, she didn't worry about being contagious and just pushed through, going to work anyway.

  When the same thing happened both Thursday and Friday mornings, she stopped at a pharmacy on the way home from work for a pregnancy test. She was late, but since her cycle had never been terribly regular, she hadn't been concerned. It wasn't until the vomiting started that she worried something was wrong. Or maybe right. It really depended on how she looked at it.

  She wasn't certain she was ready to be pregnant. She and Scott had just figured out how to live together without making each other crazy. They were doing much better than she'd dreamed they would be doing at this point. He still did stupid man things on a regular basis, but knowing that he cared, and that he was trying, made a big difference in her mind.

  She put the test in her purse before heading into the house, not wanting him to see it if he was home for some reason. Usually he was still out on the range when she got home, but he'd surprised her a couple of times, and she didn't want him to get his hopes up until she knew for certain.

  She went straight upstairs and into the bathroom, sitting on the window seat in there to read the instructions for the test. It said it could be taken at any time of day, with first thing in the morning being most accurate. She decided to give it a try anyway, and hope it came out right. If it was negative and her symptoms persisted, she could always take another.

  Five minutes later, she stood staring at the test, her heart filled with hope and dread at the same time. She was pregnant. She'd wanted her husband to love her before that happened. She wanted the baby with everything inside her, but seeing the second line on the test filled her with sadness.

  She went into the bedroom and cried, wishing she could feel more positive about her future.

  After a few minutes, she pulled herself together. Walking into the bathroom, she looked at the test one more time. Taking a deep breath, she made the decision to do something she never thought she would. She would wait to tell Scott. She needed to know he cared for her before she told him. She would never feel secure otherwise. How could she?

  *****

  Scott could sense a change in Savannah that evening, and he couldn't figure out why. When he asked her about it, she just shook her head and looked teary. He didn't know how to deal with a woman's tears, so he backed off.

  "How would you like to take a weekend trip to New York?" he finally asked, hoping it was just a touch of homesickness that was bot
hering her. "We could get tickets for Wicked."

  She smiled, happy that he remembered how she felt about the musical. "That sounds nice. Can you take the time off?"

  "Will it make you happy?" he asked.

  She nodded. "I'd be happy to see my mom and go see a play. I want to show you New York." The idea of showing him her city excited her. She wanted to show him Broadway and Central Park.

  "Then I will make the time." He hugged her close. They were on the porch swing watching the sunset. It was her favorite way to end the day. They got into the hot tub after the sun went down most nights, but for some reason, she wanted to watch the sun go down from the swing.

  They planned their trip for Labor Day weekend, knowing that they would have a bit of extra time. School started the Tuesday following Labor Day, so they'd need to be back in town by Monday evening, but they would have two full days in New York with no problem.

  Savannah made the arrangements for the show, and she called her mother to let her know they were coming.

  Mrs. Blyton seemed reluctant to agree to spend much time with her and Scott. "I'm not sure I'll have time that weekend."

  "What's going on, Mom? Don't you want to see us?" Savannah wasn't upset, but she was very surprised. Her mother had always put her first in her life, and although she'd gone overboard, this was overboard in the opposite direction.

  "Do you remember Joseph Fordman from church?" her mother asked softly.

  Savannah grinned. Joseph Fordman was the man she'd been hoping her mother would agree to date if she was out of the picture. "Of course, I do. He's the sweetest man I know."

  "We've been seeing each other, and we have plans for that weekend. He wants to take me to a show, and we're going to do some sightseeing right here in New York. It's amazing the things he's shown me in the past two months. I've lived here my whole life and never seen them."

  "I'm so happy to hear that. I've wanted you two to get together for so long."

  Mrs. Blyton was silent for a moment. "I couldn't have a relationship with a man until I knew you were happily married. You are happy aren't you?"