The Marshal Takes A Bride (27 page)

***

Sarah sat in her office trying to work while Lucas took a nap, unable to concentrate as she thought of Brad Riley and Tucker. She glanced over at the bouquet of roses and wisteria blossoms. They were the early bloomers heralding the arrival of spring, and Brad had picked the sweet-smelling flowers from his ranch and brought them to her.

But the nicest compliment he had given her was telling her he couldn’t sleep last night for thinking of her. She had suffered a hard time herself falling asleep. Brad had been part of the reason her eyes had refused to shut, while Tucker Burnett had charged through her mind, repeatedly falling through that window to come crashing down at her feet.

It seemed every time she closed her eyes, the sound of shattering glass had jarred her awake. And while she had lain there and tried to count sheep, the only thing she had managed was to count the faults of each of the two men who filled her dreams. One of whom seemed to jump over the fence in a steady rhythm.

She closed her eyes, determined to put the image of Tucker out of her mind, to erase him from her heart. No matter what had transpired between them in the past, she had to move on with her life. No matter that he was Lucas’s father, she had to give up on him. Regardless that she had loved him for years and tried before to put him out of her heart, this time she was going to succeed if for no other reason than her son.

She glanced over at the boy, who lay sleeping soundly on the pallet she had made for him. Her grandfather had been unable to keep him today, so she had brought him to the office, determined to make it fun for both of them.

Finally, he had worn out from playing and had gone down for his afternoon nap.

She picked up her quill pen, determined to concentrate on the notes she was making for Dr. Wilson. This morning she had called on the doctor, who was recovering quite nicely. In two weeks he would be coming back to work, and she would be free to go home to Tombstone or decide to stay in Fort Worth.

And while she had arrived under the false pretense that her grandfather was ill, determined to leave at the earliest convenience, she suddenly was loath to depart. No matter what happened between her and Tucker, or her and Brad, she had found a new sense of belonging by working in the clinic with patients who needed her. A sense of rightness.

But she didn’t know if she could stay here and work in the same town as Tucker and fall in love with Brad. And though she was trying, falling in love with Brad would be impossible if she didn’t get over loving Tucker.

The back door opened and slammed shut. Sarah turned around in her chair, frightened by the sound of footsteps running toward her. She jumped up, determined to put herself in the path of whoever was coming in the clinic.

A tiny woman, her face covered by a big, floppy hat, came down the hall. It took Sarah just a moment to realize that Kira was hurrying toward her. Her ashen face framed her dark eyes which were wide with fright.

“Kira, what are you doing here? Did anyone see you enter the clinic?”

“I don’t think so,” she said breathlessly. “Dr. Sarah, you must come.”

Sarah stepped toward the girl. “What’s wrong?”

“Baby comes. Mrs. Rose baby come now. She all alone,” Kira said.

“Let me get my bag,” Sarah said, walking toward the table and picking up the satchel that carried her supplies. She opened the bag and did a quick routine check to make sure she had everything she could possibly need.

Then she glanced down at Lucas sleeping soundly on the floor and back at Kira.

She couldn’t leave than here alone, with the threat of danger that they would be found.

“Kira, tell me all you can about Rose. Is the baby coming right now?” Sarah asked, hoping she had more time.

“Mrs. Rose standing in kitchen when water gushed from between her legs. She cry and clutch her belly. No one home but me and her. She send me for you. Husband gone. Should be home soon.”

“Dear God, they left the two of you alone? And her water has broken.” She did a mental rundown of estimated time until most first babies came. Usually they were late in showing up, but occasionally one would make an unexpected appearance. “Okay. You have to stay here with Lucas. I can’t take him with me. But I want the two of you at Grandfather’s hotel. You’ll be safer there. I’ll get the wagon; you get Lucas.”

Sarah took two steps toward the back door and sighed. “We walked over from the hotel, with Brad. I don’t have the wagon.” She glanced at Kira. “How did you get here?”

“Horse out back.” She touched Sarah’s arm. “I stay here with boy. We be safe till you get back.”

Sarah glanced at Kira. “I really don’t have much choice. Promise me you’ll stay here. Don’t go outside. Don’t open the door for anyone. I’ll send word to my grandfather to help you as soon as he can.”

Quickly Sarah penned two notes that she would give to a messenger boy she knew. One for her grandfather and one for Tucker.

She flipped the sign to CLOSED and locked the door. Then she pulled the shades so that hopefully no one could see in.

“Go. Take care of Mrs. Rose,” Kira insisted.

Sarah took one more glance at Lucas. She walked over and kissed him on the cheek, not waking the child. She didn’t like this. She felt uneasy, but Rose needed her. And her grandfather would be back soon.

“Okay, I’m leaving. Don’t open the door for anyone, Kira. My grandfather has the key.”

Kira shook her head. “No one get in. Go.”

Sarah backed out the door, her bag in her hand, before she ran to the horse and climbed into the saddle, her skirts in the way.

Chapter
Fifteen

Sarah rode the horse as fast as she could while still feeling in control of the animal. It would do no good for her to have an accident and hurt herself on the way, though babies generally came whether the doctor was there or not.

Judging by the time Kira arrived at the clinic, once Sarah appeared at Rose’s side, it would be close to four hours since the woman had gone into labor. While most first babies took hours to be born, there was always the chance that this child would be different.

Sarah rode through the gates of the Bar None, anxious to see Rose. She pulled the horse to a halt in front of the big house. Travis came running down the steps.

“God, am I glad to see you!” he said, as Sarah swung down from the saddle. She untied her medical bag from the saddle string.

“I left as soon as Kira found me,” Sarah replied. “How is she?”

They walked up the steps of the house, past the rose bushes in full bloom.

“I don’t know, Doc.” He ran his hand through his hair nervously. “She seems okay until a pain hits her. And then she’s hurting.”

“How far apart are her pains?”

“About every twenty minutes.”

Sarah laid her hand on Travis, pausing before they went into the house. “You know, Travis, we could be in for a long night. First babies are usually slow to arrive.”

“Yeah, I figure it’s a lot like a foal being born or a calf, except it’s my wife and my baby,” he said, his face turning white.

“Babies are born every day,” Sarah reassured him, entering the house. “Is Rose upstairs?”

“Yes,” he replied, pacing the entryway of the house, glancing up the stairs.

Sarah patted him on the hand. “I’m here now. When the rest of the family arrives, you’re going to need to tell them what’s going on.”

“I never should have left Rose. I had to ride out and check on a fence that had been blown down. Mother was gone, but Rose assured me she would be okay. She told me she was feeling fine, and then this happens. I should never have left her.”

“Maybe she wasn’t feeling any pains at the time,” Sarah reassured, trying to calm him down.

“Can I come up and be with Rose?” he asked. “You can come up for a few minutes, but then it’s better if the husband waits downstairs. Tucker should be here soon.”

“I sent word to Tanner and Beth. They’re working on their new home,” Travis said, running a hand through his hair.

“Sarah, I really appreciate your coming for Rose. Please don’t let anything happen to her,” Travis said fretfully.

“I’ll do everything I can to help her,” Sarah replied. “Now I better get up there and see my patient.”

“Okay. I’ll give you a few moments alone with her before I come up.”

“Thanks.”

Sarah hurried up the stairs and down the hallway to Travis and Rose’s bedroom. She opened the door just as Rose had a contraction.

“Oh, Sarah, I thought you’d never get here,” Rose said, grasping onto the bed sheets until her knuckles turned white.

“Don’t hold your breath, Rose. Pant until the pain passes,” Sarah instructed. Dropping her medical bag in a nearby rocker and coming around the bed, she took Rose’s hand. The woman squeezed her hand.

After the contraction had passed, Sarah asked Rose, “When did the pains start?”

“I don’t know. My back has been hurting since yesterday, but the hard pains didn’t start until after my water broke.”

“Lie back and let me examine you, Rose,” Sarah instructed. When Rose complied, she quickly examined the young woman. “Looks like we’ll have a baby before morning.”

“It’ll take that long?”

“I don’t know for certain; but you’re not ready, and first babies generally are slow in making their appearance.” Sarah washed her hands in a bowl of water, dried them quickly and then came around to the side of the bed.

“Let’s get you up and walking. Not only will that speed up the baby coming, but it’s better for you. When you feel a pain coming on, grab the bedpost and hang on. Tell me so that I can help you. We’re going to do this together. Okay?”

“Yes. Travis was the one who insisted I get into bed”

Sarah shook her head and smiled. “Goes to show you how much men know about babies. But I must admit your husband is pretty nervous.”

“It’s because he has no control over the situation.” Rose gave a nervous laugh just as another contraction hit her. “Oh, my God. What have I done? I’m about to become a mother. I’ve never even been around babies much.”

Sarah shook her head, laughing at the woman. “It’s a little late to back out now. You’ll do fine. Come on, let’s start walking.”

***

The closer they got to the ranch, the more Tucker yelled at the horses, pushing them to their limits. After he received Sarah’s note, he had found his mother shopping at Pearl’s, and together they were hurrying to the ranch.

“Son, slow this wagon down before you kill us both,” Eugenia cried. “I’m just as anxious to get there as you are, but I doubt this baby will be born in the next hour. Believe me, I’ve waited a long time for this child. Nothing is going to stop me from being there when it’s born."

Reluctantly, Tucker pulled on the reins, slowing the animals. “I just want to make sure that Rose and Travis are okay and that Sarah got there all right I worry about her riding to the ranch by herself.”

“Sarah knows how to take care of herself. She’ll be fine. Travis is a concern. After all, this is his first child.” Eugenia sighed. “I remember your father was beside himself until Travis was born. Actually, he was frightened during all three deliveries, until each one of you kids arrived. I do miss him, especially at times like these.”

Tucker sent his mother a fleeting look, surprised at this sudden insight into his father. “I never thought Papa got excited about much of anything.”

“Your father was not one for showing his emotions—kind of like you boys are—but he loved each and every one of you. And he was excited about each baby that came along.”

“I guess I never saw that side of him since I was the youngest.”

“No. But he was more excited when you were born than probably all the rest” She paused “I lost two babies before we had you, and we were afraid there weren’t going to be any more children for us.”

Tucker turned and stared at his mother, seeing tears in the comers of her eyes.

“It just about killed your father to have to bury those babies. Your papa was a loving father, who made you kids mind because he wanted you to grow up to be strong-minded adults who are honest and hardworking men he could be proud of.”

 Cottonwood trees lined the road their new spring leaves bright and shiny in the late afternoon sun. Tucker paid them little mind as he thought of his father burying two babies. He shuddered as he realized that all three of them had become strong-minded stubborn adults who worked hard to take care of each other.

Yet his father had never accepted him not working on the ranch. He had always wanted him to be more like Travis, handier with a rope and branding iron than a gun.

“I guess I was a disappointment to him, since I ran off and became a gunfighter. But I wanted to see the world I didn’t want to work on a ranch all my life, like my brothers. I wanted some independence.” Eugenia laughed “Oh, Tucker, you were never a disappointment to him. In fact, you are probably more like him than the other two. Your papa wasn’t always a rancher. Before I met him, he didn’t want to settle down. He dreamed of coming to Texas and starting the ranch, but not with a wife. He wasn’t going to marry.”

Tucker chuckled. “I guess his boys aren’t much different, are they, Mother?”

“Not in the least.”

The ranch came into view, and Tucker couldn’t help but feel a sigh of relief at the sight of the old homestead sitting on the hill.

The sun was setting low on the horizon, casting shadows in the yard of the big house as they pulled up front. Tanner and Beth’s wagon was parked out front along with one of the stock horses that he knew was used around the ranch.

Eugenia scrambled out of the wagon and up the steps of the front porch before Tucker could stop her. He secured the brake on the wagon and then jumped down. Glancing up, he saw Sarah standing at the window of Rose and Travis’s bedroom.

She was here. Somehow just looking at her, knowing what she was doing for his brother and Rose, gave Tucker a warm feeling. Sarah was a fine woman in every sense. She was smart, kindhearted and loving, responsive and fun.

And he could marry her if he could just release his heart and give up his dreams.