Tears brightened Willow’s eyes. «But the mares need him more than I do.»
«Wolfe will help the mares. He loves horses as he loves nothing else on earth.»
«Except you.»
Jessica smiled sadly. «Tree That Stands Alone doesn’t love me. He cares for me, that’s all, and it’s more than I deserve.»
«Nonsense,» Willow said.
«No. Simple truth. Everything Wolfe said about me last night was true. I forced this marriage against Wolfe’s wishes. He wanted a Western wife like you. He got an aristocrat who didn’t even know how to comb her own hair.»
Jessica smiled at the look of shock on Willow’s face. «’Tistrue, I’m afraid,» Jessica said. «The hairbrush was as foreign in my hand as a gold coin in a beggar’s grasp.»
«Dear Lord,» Willow whispered.
«But I’m learning, thanks in large part to you.» Jessica smoothed her hand over Willow’s hair. «Rest. You’ll need your strength to bring Caleb’s baby into the world.»
Willow turned and looked out the window. Nothing showed but trees bent and writhing in the wind.
«They won’t be able to hear the rifle,» she said calmly. «They’re upwind of us.»
Silently, Jessica agreed, but she went to the porch anyway. The wind sucked the door handle from her grasp and sent the door slamming back upon the wall. The air was icy. Shivering, she raised the carbine that had been a present for a wedding that should never have taken place. The gold and silver inlay smoldered in the subdued light of the storm.
She fired three spaced shots, waited, then fired three more spaced shots. Shivering violently, she lowered the carbine and retreated to the house’s shelter. After a brief struggle, she managed to shut the door once again, closing out the icy wind.
For a long moment Jessica stood alone in the living room, gathering herself for what was to come. Then she went to work.
Ignoring her trembling hands, she scrubbed her sharp darning scissors, wrapped them in a clean towel, and set them on top of the pristine receiving blankets Willow had prepared with such love. The thought of wrapping up one more tiny corpse sent a wave of sick despair through Jessica. She had seen the baby clothes and carefully made cradle. She had seen Caleb’s love and Willow’s pleasure when he held his hand on her womb and felt their baby move.
Please God, let this baby be born alive.
The wind battered the house, sending a chill through Jessica. Quickly she gathered a book and a chair and went back to Willow.
«It seemed to help Mother if I read to her,» Jessica said with a calm that was wholly false. «If that doesn’t appeal, I’ll just sit quietly until you need me.»
«Please,» Willow said quickly, her voice strained, «read.»
«Try not to hold your breath when the pain comes,» Jessica said gently. «It only makes it worse.» Jessica beganreadingAMidsummer Night’s Dream.
Time went quickly, marked off by contractions that became closer together and harder, until only a handful of minutes came between. The demands of birth took Willow’s body, made it rigid, and dragged low sounds from her.
«Try not to fight it,» Jessica said quietly. «Birth is stronger than any of us. We can’t conquer it. We can only share it with the babe.»
Very slowly, Willow relaxed despite the continued grip of pain.
«Here,» Jessica said, taking a piece of leather strap from her pocket. «Put this between your teeth.»
Neither woman heard the front door open. Nor did they hear Caleb’s voice calling for Willow. Jessica’s first realization of Caleb’s presence came when a pair of riding gloves hit the floor at her feet and a large masculine hand reached past her to Willow.
«No!» Jessica said fiercely, blocking the hand with her body. «Wash yourself first. Nothing dirty must touch her or the child or you’ll risk fever.»
Caleb grabbed the fallen gloves and left the room in a rush. When he reappeared he was dripping water, smelling of soap and wearing nothing but a pair of clean breeches. He dressed quickly.
Willow let out a low sound as the contraction peaked. When her eyes opened, she saw Caleb fastening his pants. Almost guiltily, she let go of Jessica’s hand, spat out the strip of leather, and concealed it beneath the covers.
She wasn’t quick enough. Few people were when it came to hiding things from Caleb’s golden eyes.
«I toldJessi not to fire the rifle,» Willow said. «The mares —»
«Wolfe found them,» Caleb interrupted as he reached for a shirt. «What’s this about a rifle?»
«I tried to call you in when Willow began labor,» Jessica said as she wrung out a cloth to cool Willow’s face.
«I didn’t hear any shots.»
Jessica glanced at the window. It was still light outside. The wind still howled. None of the other men had returned.
«Then how did you know to come?» she asked.
«I heard Willow calling my name.»
Jessica stared at Caleb, but he had eyes only for his wife. He was kneeling next to the bed in a carelessly buttoned shirt. No one but Jessica noticed the half-unfastened clothing as Caleb bent down to Willow, talking softly, stroking her hair and smiling at her with such tenderness that Jessica felt tears catch in her throat.
When the next contraction came, it was Caleb’s hands that Willow gripped. She struggled not to cry out, but couldn’t stifle a rough sound.
«Go ahead,» Caleb said. «Scream or curse or cry. Whatever helps.»
Willow shook her head.
When the contraction passed, Jessica fished out the piece of rein Willow had hidden beneath the covers. She put the leather strip on the blanket next to Willow.
«I prepared this and kept it near because I knew you would need it.» Jessica said. «If you won’t cry out or use the leather, I’ll tell Caleb to leave. The last thing you should be worried about is fighting yourself so as not to upset your husband. He put the babe in your body. He can share in the pain as well as the pleasure of its birth.»
Willow’s mouth set in a mutinous line.
Caleb kissed his wife and said something too soft for Jessica to hear.
«I didn’t want to worry you,» Willow said. «Love, you get upset if I burn myself cooking.»
He lifted her hands and kissed them very gently. Then he picked up the leather strap. The marks of her teeth showed clearly. His fingers tightened on the dark leather.
«If I could bear it for you, I would,» he said roughly.
«I know. Just having you here helps me.»
It was true.
Despite the force of the contractions, Jessica saw that the lines of tension in Willow’s face had eased. When Caleb bent his head and whispered to his wife, the smile she gave him was as full of love as her eyes.
Then Willow’s body was claimed once more by the demands of birth. Caleb felt the tension of her muscles. Without a word, he held out the strap. She took it between her teeth just as a powerful contraction arched her whole body.
After that, there was little time for anything but easing Willow in small ways while she performed the hard work of bringing another life into the world. As the rhythmic fury of birth progressed, Jessica prayed silently, fiercely, that it would not all be in vain, all the wrenching pain and the blood, the set agony of Caleb’s face speaking eloquently of his fear and love for the woman who was giving birth to his child.
Finally, the contractions came so quickly that there was no time between for Willow to recover. Panting, sweating, dazed, she tried to smile at Caleb, only to be swept up once again.
«How much longer?» Caleb asked tightly of Jessica.
«As long as the babe requires.»
