“Mom! Mom! Mom! Wake up! It’s happening.”
Claire sat up so fast, she clocked her elbow against the lamp sitting on her nightstand. “Ouch,” she cried, blindly grasping for the thing before it crashed to the floor.
“Hurry,” Adam added, the crack of light that stretched from the bedroom door seeming to slice the room in half.
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” she murmured sleepily, glancing at the clock. Two o’clock in the morning. Of course it would have to be at 2 a.m. Wasn’t that when every pregnant mother gave birth? She glanced at the spot where Ethan had lain next to her earlier that evening. He’d been called out to a farm and actually he was the one that insisted babies—even the furry kind—always seemed to know when nobody was around.
“Who called?” she yelled to her son, but he was already gone, probably off to get dressed. How had she not heard the house phone?
You’re exhausted.
Planning a wedding. Organizing a baby shower. Traveling between her place and Ethan’s. They didn’t want to live together. Not until they were married. It’d surprised her how old-fashioned Ethan turned out to be when it came right down to it. He even refused to live at Colt and Natalie’s place, insisting he get a place of his own. So they sneaked around behind Adam’s back, keeping their visits short, although tonight’s visit had been preempted with Ethan leaving before Adam came home from spending time with his aunt and uncle. It was hell, but she’d set a date around Christmastime. Chance would be out of the Army by then. She’d have her whole family around her, including Natalie and Colt’s new baby.
Speaking of that...
She hurriedly pulled on her clothes. No time to doll herself up, at least not according to Adam, who practically bounced on his toes.
“Took you long enough.”
She ignored him, even though inside she smiled at his impatience. There was little doubt her son was on the mend. His blood tests continued to show no signs of cancer, so much so that they were told not to come back to the doctor for another six months. By the time she and Ethan were married she hoped to receive the gift of her son’s official remission. Adam’s doctor seemed to think that was more than probable. And one thing she’d learned during this whole ordeal—doctors didn’t say things like that unless they were pretty darn sure.
“Have you heard from Ethan?” She started her van, glancing over at the row of kennels. Thor’s was empty. The former combat dog had become Ethan’s constant companion. Ethan took him everywhere, even when he was called out at night.
“That’s who called.”
So he was already at the hospital. Good.
They arrived in record time, although not fast enough for Adam, who raced through the clinic’s back door. She raced, too, if she were honest with herself, because now that the time was finally here she couldn’t wait to see what the stork would bring them.
“Is she okay?” Adam asked when he spotted Ethan standing by a room off to the side of the main examination area.
“It’s all looking good.” He caught her eyes and his smile did the same thing to her that it always did. It made her insides warm and her spirits lift in a way that always seemed to make her feel less troubled, less anxious—and loved. “I think she’s going to be okay.”
Claire moved up next to him, peering into the room that was lined with kennels, one at the end containing a female Belgian Malinois that panted as if she’d run a mile.
Thor’s babies were about to be born.
As if sensing his impending fatherhood, Thor stood in the middle of the room, a low-pitched whine barely audible above the drone of the electronic equipment in the exam room.
“So no C-section?”
Ethan wrapped an arm around her, drawing her close, a smile on his face as he stared down at her. “I don’t think so. I did an ultrasound when I noticed she was dilated and I actually think she’s going to be okay. All that worry for nothing, although I’m glad we kept her here just in case.”
They’d been worried that as a maiden bitch she might have trouble delivering. It was common to Belgian Malinois, being more slight of frame than their German shepherd cousins.
“Well, I’m glad you looked in on her before going home.”
He nodded. “Going to be a long night.”
“But you’re used to it.”
He was the hardest-working man she’d ever met. Once he’d made the choice to go back into veterinary work he’d thrown himself into it whole hog. Mariah couldn’t stop singing his praises. Together they’d increased their client base by 50 percent—in just a few months. They were already talking about bringing on another veterinarian. Ethan even had someone in mind, a friend of his from the Army.
“I’m used to it, but it’ll make for a long day tomorrow.”
She nodded in sympathy, only to jump when the back door burst open, a pregnant Natalie sailing through the door. Her sister-in-law was one of those women who didn’t look pregnant, not yet at least, unlike Mariah, who’d given birth to a healthy baby boy a few weeks ago. It was why Mariah had brought Ethan on board, although she’d long since asked to make it permanent. Ethan had accepted and so the Via Del Caballo Veterinary Hospital had a new partner.
“Well?”
“I can’t believe you came down here,” Claire said.
“Are you kidding? I wasn’t going to miss this. That’s my bitch in there.”
The words sounded so funny they all laughed. Natalie had purchased the female Belgian based on Ethan’s recommendation. She wanted a dog to help protect the ranch and the precious number of high-dollar horses they cared for, but she didn’t want to take a dog from Claire’s program, and since Ethan wanted a breed, a plan had been born. Four months later that plan was about to happen.
“Well?” Colt asked, bursting in next.
“Nothing yet,” Ethan said.
Her brother wore his usual denim shirt and black cowboy hat. He caught her gaze and shot his gaze heavenward before saying, “You’d have thought we were on the way to the birth of Jesus.”
“I can’t wait to see what my baby’s babies look like,” Natalie said.
“You say that now, but wait until you have to take care of them all,” Colt said.
“How could you not love taking care of puppies? Besides, they’ll be at Claire’s until they’re big enough to come home.”
She clearly had him there, and Claire had to smile. If she and Ethan shared half the love her brother shared with his wife, they’d be the luckiest people on Earth.
As if sensing her thoughts, Ethan’s gaze caught her own, his eyes softening, and there it was again, the feeling of peace and happiness and contentment.
“Something’s happening,” Adam said.
They’d talked about banning him from the birthing room, but it wasn’t as if her son hadn’t seen cows born in the pasture, and so her six-year-old stared transfixed as Lady went to work. Ethan moved in close. Natalie moved to the head of her dog, soothing her. She’d owned the dog for four months, but it was clear they were already bonded.
“It’s a boy!” Ethan announced.
“Whoo-hoo,” Adam said. “My own Thor.”
As if he could hear his name, the father of the puppies whined again. Claire smiled and patted his head. Soon Natalie would be giving birth. Then it would be their turn. With any luck, she and Ethan would have a child of their own next year.
As if sensing the direction of her thoughts, Ethan met her gaze again, a puppy cuddled in his arms. She didn’t know why, but the sight of her big handsome military hero holding that tiny bundle of fur made her heart flip over backward. He smiled. She did, too, her eyes misting up as she watched her family huddle around the dog, even Colt assisting at one point. Nine puppies later, Lady was all done, mom and puppies resting quietly while brother, sister, wife, fiancé and son looked on.
“That’ll be you soon,” Colt said to Natalie.
“Good Lord, I hope not. If I give birth to nine babies someone will need to shoot me.”
They all chuckled. Claire felt a hand on her back. She looked into Ethan’s eyes. She knew he was thinking the same thing she was. One day they would be pregnant. One day Adam would have a brother or a sister. One day their family would be complete. It might not happen next year. It might not happen for a while, but Claire was okay with that. They had their whole life ahead of them.
“I love you,” he silently mouthed.
She smiled, lifted her head, kissed him as a way of answering back.
Adam snuggled up next to them. Her hand fell on his shoulder and in that moment, that exact second, Claire knew the dark days were behind her. It was as if God gave her a glimpse into the future, a moment of clarity in which she somehow knew that it would all work out. Adam would be cured. Ethan would love her forever. And if there were bumps in the road, their love would carry them through.
And it always did.
* * * * *
Be sure to look for the next book in
Pamela Britton’s COWBOYS IN UNIFORM series, available in June 2016 wherever Harlequin books and ebooks are sold!
Keep reading for an excerpt from HOME ON THE RANCH by Trish Milburn
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