Chapter Ten

Dan unhitched the horses and removed their harnesses, cutting them loose in the paddock. He carried the tack over to the tack room and paused. Becky Jane was piling some horse blankets over a bale of hay.

“I know we pay you enough to afford a place to lay your head.”

She rolled her eyes and continued layering blankets.

“Seriously, BJ, what’s up?”

She placed her hands on her hips, and it was obvious she was spoiling for a fight. “Winter storm. Pregnant mare. Usually not a good combo. Thought it would be best to be on site.”

“I feel pretty confident Shelby has room for you at the lodge if you feel it’s that important to be here.”

“And just how am I supposed to notice the signs of labor from the comforts of a duvet?”

Dan held his hands up in surrender. “You’re gonna do what you’re gonna do, as always. But please don’t freeze to death. If Shelby finds out I knew you were sleeping here and didn’t make you go someplace else, she’ll string me up and use me as a piñata.”

“Noted. Now move on to the other pregnant being on the property.”

His face warmed, but he met her gaze straight on. He wasn’t embarrassed by his gestures for this evening. Sofie deserved it and more. Saluting her, he strode off.

“Oh, Dan?”

He glanced back.

“Remember what I said about winter storms and pregnancy.”

He waved. Becky Jane was a worrywart. A good-hearted, sometimes-right worrywart, but he doubted, in this case, it was anything more than an old wives’ tale. Especially when it came to applying it to humans. Shaking his head, he hurried back to the stalls.

Sofie stood in the barn, trailing her fingers along the wood, stopping to read name plates here or there, rubbing the snouts of any horses who came to investigate the visitor. He took a moment to memorize the curve of her cheek, still pink from the biting winter air. The way she absentmindedly rubbed her swollen stomach. The sereneness of her face, relaxed and happy. All good signs for the rest of the night. After that kiss, he intended to explore a lot more of Sofie Pennington.

She caught him looking and smiled. That smile had knocked his breath out the first night and still had the same impact.

He crossed over to her and took her free hand, bringing it to his mouth and dropping a kiss on it. “Tired?”

She didn’t miss his hidden meaning. “Not at all.”

“Good.” He tucked her arm through his. “’Cause I have some hot chocolate in my cabin with your name on it. Or cider. Whichever floats your boat.”

“Oooh, chocolate all the way.”

They climbed into his truck and drove the short distance through the increasing snowfall. His cabin was lit up on the outside but still bare of decorations. Maybe now he would. Give Sofie a nice memory while they built a few for themselves.

After letting her in and getting her settled on the couch, he set a pan on the stove and dumped in the ingredients for his homemade hot chocolate. Then he took a moment to get the fire started in the fireplace.

“I could get used to this.”

He looked over his shoulder, surprise clearly evident on his face.

She blushed. “I meant fires every night. I never had reason to have them back east, except for show, I suppose. Here they seem a natural part of life.”

He poked a log and shifted the flue and faced her. “You can get as used to this as you like.”

She smiled. “Can I now?”

He joined her on the couch. “Absolutely.” They met each other halfway, waiting no time to pick up where the kiss in the sleigh had left off. Franticness tugged at both of them, and Dan wanted more, only… “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t,” she said, running her hand down his chest and tugging at the waistband to free his shirt. The first feel of her small hand, skin on skin, froze him, his muscles flickering under the hesitant touch. “Sofie…”

“Shh, just go with it.”

He rubbed her back and brought a hand around and cupped her breast. She arched and moaned, and he tested the weight of the other one with equal results.

She yanked and tugged, and he broke the kiss allowing her to pull his shirt down his arms and off. Her gaze devoured his chest, her eyes moving along the lines her finger following in the wake. It took willpower he didn’t know he had to hold still and let her explore. To not crush her to him when her fingers were replaced with lips. To not take control when her tongue tasted his skin.

“Sofie, I have to see you.” He didn’t recognize the gravelly voice that came out of him, but she must have known how close to the edge he was. She shifted back and reached for the end of her shirt and pulled it over, revealing a gorgeous pair of breasts encased in white. He traveled down her body, and the rounded swell of her stomach caught his attention and his heart.

She must have followed her gaze because her hands moved to cover. “I guess I’m not very—”

“You’re stunning.” He removed her hands and trailed his fingers over the swell. The gorgeous silky skin pulled tight under his fingers. Small marks on either side were darker, and he traced them. “Beautiful.” Dropping a kiss on the top, he then moved his attention to the luscious mounds covered in white lace. He palmed first one then the other, and Sofie’s sighs nailed him straight in the groin.

“I don’t want to hurt you, but I need to touch every inch of you.”

“You won’t hurt me.”

They shifted positions, and Dan moved underneath her, allowing her to settle across his lap, a move that sent south what little blood hadn’t already traveled there. She looked down at him with so much trust and care and passion that a part of him felt guilty. What had he done to earn this time with this amazing woman?

“Ready, cowboy?”

She leaned down and kissed him hard. Her urgency laced the sweep of her tongue as her fingers worked at the button on his jeans, a hard task when her belly was blocking part of the area.

He slid his hand between them and tried to help.

Suddenly, she stilled. “Oh no.”

“What?”

“No. No. Not now.”

Dan didn’t need further explanation. Her lips trembled, and her eyes were wide with fear. Gone was the expression of passion from just a moment before.

“Sofie, look at me.”

Glazed eyes rose to meet his, and he smiled. “You got this.”

She shook her head. Gently, he caught the movement and stilled her. “We got this.”

A tear slipped out and rolled down her cheek, hitting his thumb. He wiped it away.

She shook her head. “I’m not ready. Nothing’s ready. I don’t even have a bag or a car seat or…or a home! I thought I’d have more time.” She took a hiccupping breath. “I’m scared.”

“So am I. I’m guessing that’s normal.”

A weak smile appeared.

Dan helped Sofie off of him and onto the couch. He found her shirt and slid it over her head, allowing her to finish as he searched for his own clothing. “Oh my.”

He spun around so fast he was dizzy. “What?”

She had pushed up off the couch and was standing awkwardly. “It’s just… They call it water breaking, but I guess I imagined a big gush.”

He glanced at the floor and then the couch.

“More like little gushes with movement,” she elaborated. She looked at him, and the blood drained from her face. “I’m having a baby.”

He gripped her hands. “Yes, you are.”

…

“But I’m not ready.”

It sounded like a wail even to her ears. What had she been doing this last week? Playing house with a cowboy. Making out on his couch. She should have been making plans. Buying baby stuff, finding an apartment. Reading up on birth. All things she had kept putting off and putting off—because the truth was, she was scared shitless. She was on her own. Her choices mattered and would dictate what was happening with her son. For the rest of their lives.

“Can anyone ever be really ready?”

She wanted to slap him and kiss him. Of course, he was trying to make her feel better, but now was not the time.

He kissed her fingers. “I’ll get the truck warmed up and phone the hospital.”

She hated that she was so helpless at the moment. Dan was doing what he did best and taking charge, but it still grated.

“Oh no.”

While Sofie had been dithering over Dan’s take-charge attitude, he’d been opening the door to the cabin. She hurried behind him to find a blanket of snow blocking their sight. She couldn’t even see his truck, which she knew to be no more than ten feet from the porch.

“It must have gotten stuck in between the ridges. It’s happened before.”

“What got stuck?” Sofie gripped the doorway as a wave of tight, slightly painful movement hit the center of her stomach.

“The storm. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just a…” Her gaze flew to his.

“Contraction?”

She nodded. Of course she would be in labor. Her water had broken. Or at least that’s what she assumed the gushes of fluid were about.

“Go back in and stay warm until I can get the truck out.”

Since she wasn’t about to shovel snow, she nodded. He layered up quick and shut the door. His head popped back in. “Maybe time them? Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do?”

“I don’t think that’s necessary. What I have read so far says the first time can take forever.”

He didn’t look convinced but wisely held his tongue and left. She snorted and paced his cabin. She may have been putting off some decisions, but she hadn’t remained completely clueless during the pregnancy. First time deliveries were often long and drawn out. Of course, at least 50 percent of women didn’t have their water break.

Dan was back sooner than she expected, and the look on his face was frightening.

“It’s coming down faster than I can clear it. I might have to try and find the bobcat to clear a path. Should I try and get Shelby to come stay with you while I clear? She could probably get a horse through this.”

She nodded but another contraction ended the movement on a groan.

“How many?” He was at her side in a moment.

She breathed through the pain, like a bad cramp, having no idea if she was doing it right, but she figured at this point anything that worked was right. Once it subsided she held up three fingers.

His eyes bugged. He rushed into the kitchen and picked up the phone, but he slammed it back down a moment later and let out a string of curses.

She would have laughed if the fear and panic weren’t multiplying at an exponential rate.

“The storm’s taken out the lines.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Sofie, this is Wyoming. It happens. We’re in the mountains and the wind is just ping-ponging between the peaks.”

She held out her hands in a plea, since words failed her. She was about to give birth on her own and she was stuck in a blizzard.

“Will you be okay for ten minutes?”

“You’re leaving?” she shrieked then cursed herself. Wasn’t she supposed to be on her own, anyway? No support. No jokes. No softened eyes looking at her, understanding how upset and concerned she was. How scared to death she was.

Dan gripped her cheeks and forced her gaze to his. “I’m going to get help. I can’t get you to the hospital and the hospital can’t get to you. Rather than try it and be stranded on the side of the road in this storm, I think its best we stay here and play the hand we’ve been dealt. But there’s someone who can help us stack the deck. Trust me?”

And despite the little urges of fear at him taking charge, she did trust him. And she didn’t quite know what to do with that blind faith. She smiled and nodded. He made sense, and he was right, the last place she needed or wanted to be was the side of the road. Hell, the cows would probably come back again just to spite her.

He rummaged in his closet and came out with two radios. Setting and checking them both, he handed one to her. These will work. “If you need me, or anything happens while I’m gone, you just press this and talk. Try it.”

She did as instructed, and he smiled. “Good, now sit down, and I’ll be back.” He swooped in with a kiss. “You’ve got this, Sofie. I know you do.”

As he slammed the door shut, she wondered if his parting statement was as much for himself as it was for her.

…

Dan ducked his head farther into his muffler and searched desperately for the fence. If he could follow that, he could get to the barns. He just prayed Becky Jane remained the stubborn, pig-headed redhead they all knew and loved. ’Cause if she actually did the smart thing and went up to the lodge to rest, especially given how the storm had turned, well, his job and time away from Sofie just got a whole lot crazier. He stumbled through a snowbank and squinted, trying to gauge just how far he’d come and how far he had to go, when movement caught his eye. A flash of bright red.

“BJ,” he yelled, most of the sound lost in the wind. But the red object jerked, and he shouted again. Moving toward her as fast as he could, he made out her shape doing the same. Stubborn to the end. He was counting on that tenacity because he was about to ask her to do something he had no trouble picturing her response to.

“What are you doing out here?” he asked when they were close enough that he thought she might understand.

“Birth went fine. New little colt already up on wobbly legs. I layered up the straw and blankets but figured with the storm turning like this, I was a fool to try and stay in the tack room. Your cabin was closest.” She kept moving, and Dan turned and followed. “Sorry if I’m ruining your night.”

Dan smiled. The normally astute vet hadn’t put two and two together yet. “You just might be saving it.”

She stopped moving, but he put a hand on her shoulder and pushed her forward. “Just how good are your delivery skills?”

Widened eyes peeked at him through her red muffler and hat. “You left her alone in labor?”

That was the end of their conversation. They both hurried, stumbling through the wind and snow. Dan prayed that he hadn’t been gone too long, and that Sofie was doing exactly what he told her.

He pushed up the last two steps, dragging Becky Jane with him. They tried to get through the door at the same time, and Dan stepped back, letting her in first. Then he slammed the door, sealing them in. The fire had died, and the room had a slight chill.

Sofie lay on the couch, breathing deeply. She met his gaze as she gripped her stomach, sweat leaving trails down her temple despite the chill.

“Get that fire blazing, find as many towels as you can, and hot clean water,” said Becky Jane. Dan moved to do as he was told, for once not bristling at her tone or her orders.

“You brought the vet?”

Dan and Becky Jane both looked at Sofie and burst out laughing. It was either that or let the panic take over. He had no idea what Becky Jane was feeling, but he was at his breaking point. He had brought a vet. To deliver Sofie’s baby.

“Large animal vet, to be precise, but more importantly, I’m a volunteer firefighter in all the spare time I have. How far apart are the contractions?”

The rumble of their conversation continued as Dan gathered everything he’d been ordered to. He focused on the task and not the pain that crept into Sofie’s voice. He wanted to take it away from her. To relieve her of anything that brought a frown or a shadow to her face.

“I need to look,” he heard Becky Jane say, and a quick glance showed Sofie torn between modesty and the need to believe Becky Jane knew what she was doing. He didn’t wait to see how it played out, instead running up the steps to gather anything soft and absorbent he could find. He had faith that Becky Jane would get Sofie to do what needed to be done.

He came back down to find Becky Jane reappearing from under a draped sheet. She looked at him. “How fond of this couch are you?”

“You do whatever you need to do.”

She nodded.

He brought the remaining stuff and set it on the coffee table, which had been moved back to allow Becky Jane some room. One more log on the fire then he grabbed the washcloth he’d wet and dabbed at Sofie’s face. “Thank you,” she said.

He kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear, “You’re amazing.”

She laughed. “I haven’t done anything yet.”

Becky Jane moved one of her legs. “You’re about to.”

While definitely a team effort, Dan was nothing more than a mouthpiece and a stirrup. He whispered encouragement and counted, his palms acting as leverage as Becky Jane helped Sofie to figure out where to push and how hard. Everything shifted to slow motion. Dan lost track of how many pushes or where he was in his counting. He uttered more prayers for Sofie and her baby than there were stars in the sky.

“Last one, Sofie. I know you’re tired and in pain and a whole host of other not-so-pleasant things that most of us will never understand, but I need you to give it everything. Push right here where my fingers are.”

They all took up their positions, and Dan held his breath.

“That’s it,” BJ coached. “Hold on.”

Sofie groaned, the painful sound ripping Dan up the middle. Becky Jane grabbed another towel.

“Now push.”

Sofie grunted, and Dan was mesmerized as out came a wriggly mess of arms and legs, and—yes, it was a boy. Becky Jane quickly rubbed his back and cleaned him off, and a cry split through the room.

Wrapping him up, she lay him on Sofie’s chest. “Dan, it’s probably best you not watch this part.”

He hadn’t planned on it. Instead, he was lost in the miracle of this angel holding her baby boy to her chest. The look of pure love and joy overshadowing any lingering pains. He dropped to his knees, overwhelmed with emotion. How could he express the joy spreading through his chest? How could he thank her for letting him in on this most precious moment? He’d been searching for a family of his own and he knew he’d just found it.

Sofie looked at him, tears running freely. “Thank you. Thank you for keeping us safe.”

He brushed his lips across her cheek. “Thank you for trusting me to do so.”