All I Want for Christmas: A Kinnison Legacy Holiday novella (10 page)

“You and Liberty get things straightened out?” Dalton asked, filling up his Styrofoam cup.

Rein glanced at his brother. “Yeah, we did.”

Dalton smiled. “That’s good. You guys still trying, I presume?”

Rein chuckled. “Is this any of your business?”

“Hey, dude. She opened up to me. And she is my half-sister. So, yeah, maybe a little,” Dalton answered. “Besides, I care about the both of you.”

“Aw, that’s sweet,” Rein said with a grin.

“Asshat,” Dalton muttered.

“By the way, had a visit the other night.”

Dalton’s gaze darted to his. “Really?”

“Yep, thought I was going looney-toons.”

Dalton nodded. “Sounds about right.”

“Don’t you want to know what he said?”

“Okay, sure.” Dalton leaned against the hospitality counter.

“He’s happy with what we’ve done with the ranch, for starters. Happy to see Michael involved, but we shouldn’t work him too hard.”

Dalton tipped his head and stared at Rein. “Are you making this up?”

Rein held up his hand. “God’s truth, unless I was under the influence of Jamison.”

Dalton raised his brows. “Anything else?”

There was more, but Rein preferred to keep the rest between him and Jed—at least, for now. “Not really.”

Dalton shook his head. “I thought when it happened to me that I was crazy.” He looked at Rein. “But I guess we all can’t be crazy… right?”

Rein lifted his mouth in a half grin and gave his brother a dubious look.

Dalton used his cup to hide his finger, flipping off Rein.

The surgery door swung open and Clay walked out cradling a small bundle in his arms. The wide grin on his face masked the fact that he’d neither slept nor shaved in several hours. His countenance fell when the pediatric surgeon followed from the surgery area.

“Mr. Saunders?” the man asked, approaching Clay.

Clay lifted his chin, appearing to steel himself for what news might follow. “That’s me. Is this about my daughter?”

Rein reached for Liberty’s hand as the small crowd stood to offer Clay support. She’d returned from the cafeteria a few minutes after him, looking green around the gills. Waving it off as being tired and stressed, she’d joined the others in their prayer vigil.

The man placed his hand on Clay's shoulder. “First, your daughter’s going to be just fine.”

Clay dropped his head back and squeezed his eyes shut before facing the doctor. “Oh, man, thank you. Thank you.”

“She had what we call TTN, or Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn. Basically, fluid got into her lungs, making her have to breathe harder. It’s fairly rare in preemies, but sometimes happens in Cesarean deliveries simply because the fluid isn’t squeezed out like it would be during a vaginal birth.”

“Is she going to be okay? Will this affect her as she grows?” Clay asked.

“Not usually. We’ve got her on a breathing machine now, just until the fluids clear out and she can breathe on her own. I expect she’ll be ready to go home with her family in two or three days. When your wife gets settled in her room, I’ll see that you both get up to see your daughter.”

“Aubrey,” Clay said. “Her name is Aubrey.”

The doctor, who appeared to be in his mid-to-late thirties, smiled. “I’ll let the nurses know.” He leaned over and pulled back the blanket to take a peek at the newborn in Clay’s arms. “Both girls?”

“Yessir,” Clay said with pride marking his response. “This is Ava.”

The doctor chuckled. “I have twin girls of my own in middle school right now. Please accept my condolences.” He patted Clay on the back and gave him a grin.

“Gavin Beauregard, is that you?” Betty skirted around the crowd and held her arms out to the surprised man. “I haven’t seen you since you were knee-high to a grasshopper. How’s your mama?”

The doctor peered at Betty with a frown. “I’m sorry, ma’am. Do I know you?” He smiled and took her hands in his.

Dalton raised his brows and glanced at Rein, as if to say, “this woman knows no strangers.”

“Back in the day, before Jerry swept me north, I lived in New Orleans. I remember your mama when she’d come into my daddy’s market to buy his special Cajun seasoning.”

“Did either of you know that?” Wyatt whispered as he came up behind his brothers.

Rein looked from one to the other. “I’ve never heard her mention it. But that might explain the café serving grits twenty-four seven.”

The physician narrowed his gaze. “You’re not that Betty?” His face brightened. “I remember now. I must have been what? Six, maybe seven at the time?” He shook his head. “What a small world.” He chuckled. “My mama is doing fine. Still likes to cook Cajun cuisine, but daddy doesn’t fancy it much. His tastes run a little bland for a New Orleans resident.” He winked at Betty. “I do miss my mama’s cooking.”

Betty pulled him into an unexpected bear hug. “Well, now, we have no strangers in this bunch. You’ll have to come up to End of the Line sometime to try some of my cooking. I might even whip up some shrimp and grits, if I can find any worthy around here.” She smiled and patted his hand.

He rolled his eyes heavenward in appreciation of the offer. “I may just take you up on that, Miss Betty.”

He slapped Clay on the shoulder. “Congratulations, but if you’ll excuse me. I’ve got a patient… uh, Miss Aubrey to check on and some paperwork to catch up on.” He looked at Clay. “We’ll be in touch a little later.”

Clay shook the doctor’s hand. “Thank you.”

Ava Marie Saunders spent the next few moments being the rock star of the enamored audience of the Billings maternity ward waiting room.

Rein sat down next to Liberty as she held the sleeping child. Life was damn funny, he thought. Once, his whole life was about cattle and wondering about his next construction contract. Now, he dreamt of moments like this. “Hey, you hold that baby like a pro.”

“You want to hold her?”

Rein eyed the tiny package. She appeared far too small, too delicate for his big, rough hands. Without thought, he rubbed his hands nervously over his knees. “Yeah… she’s little, really little.” He glanced up and met Liberty’s beautiful gaze.

“You won’t break her.”

“I might,” he said, offering a wry smile. Her tiny head alone would fit in the palm of his hand.

She handed him the child, and Rein’s heart faltered at the enormous sense of responsibility that washed over him.

“Just cradle her in the crook of your arm,” Liberty guided him. “There, just make sure you have her head supported.” She leaned back and smiled. “Just like a pro.”

He’d held his niece, Gracie, and his little nephew, Sawyer, only a few months old, but neither seemed as fragile as tiny Ava. Once tucked in his arms, however, he couldn’t take his eyes off her, nor could he stop thinking about Cody and how being called dad had affected him.

***

Thursday morning, Rein woke to the sound of Liberty in the bathroom. He walked in, carefully pushing open the door, and found her on her knees, viciously scrubbing the tub. He blinked a couple of times, and checked the clock on the bedside table over his shoulder. It took a couple of blinks to register that it read five a.m. “Honey, are we expecting guests?”

Her dark hair was drawn up in a ponytail and she was wearing her cotton pajama bottoms and a T-shirt. Given the sweet dream he’d been having; he was more than ready to haul her back to bed—pink Playtex gloves included.

She glanced up at him as she blew a wisp of hair from her face. “This tub was a mess.” She returned to her task with renewed fervor.

Rein stared at her fine little ass bouncing gingerly with her intensity. The cotton knit fabric molded every curve. He knelt down beside her. “You need some help?” He eyed the narrow swath of bare skin showing between her shirt and waistband. “This kind of thing can be hard on your back, sweetheart.”

He rubbed his hand over her back, dipping between her thighs.

She shot him a look. “You know I’m trying to work here.” Her sentence hitched when he stroked her once.

“So am I. What’s a guy to do when he wakes up to his wife’s ass—mind you, exquisite ass—flashing him in the face?”

“Me cleaning turns you on?” She leaned on her elbows, her hips pushing back against his fingers.

“Sweetheart,” he whispered against her temple. “Everything about you turns me on.”

She drew up on her knees to face him, tossing the gloves into the sink. She cradled his face in her hands and captured his mouth in a no-nonsense kiss. “You need a shower,” she said.

He pulled her to her feet and stepped in the shower, drawing her in after him. “I need more than a shower, darlin’.”

An hour later, they sat together at the kitchen island. Liberty nursed a cup of tea and poked at a bowl of oatmeal that she thought had sounded good until placed in front of her.

Rein reached out, taking her hand. “Sweetheart, are you feeling okay? Maybe you should make an appointment to see Doc Johnson.”

She squeezed his hand. “I’m fine. I just haven’t slept well, thinking about everything.”

“Hey, you sure I should go down to Billings tonight? I can ask Wyatt or Dalton to step in as Kris Kringle.” He studied her face. She looked pale.

“I’ll be fine. Clay and Sally are coming home today and we’ve been planning some meals to take over until Julie gets back to help out. I have them in the freezer--I’d just planned to stop by a little later to drop them off.”

“If you like, I can drop the food by on my way to Billings. It’d save you getting out in the cold.” He eyed her. “Maybe you’re coming down with something, sweetheart.”

She dismissed his concern. “Rein, there’s no need to baby me. I’m just tired. With Cody and the holiday gathering, and now Clay and Sally’s twins born early—I just have a lot to accomplish before Christmas.”

He smiled softly, tucking a stray shock of hair behind her ear. “Which is why you’re cleaning the tub at the crack of dawn?”

“Cleaning relaxes me,” she said, giving him a side-glance.

He took her hand, kissed the inside of her wrist, and smiled. “Here I always thought it was me. Looks like I’m going to have to step things up. You suppose that adult store outside Billings has a mop and maybe a bucket?”

She eyed him. “You are a sick man, you know that?”

“Yeah, but damn, girl, you married me, didn’t you?” He gave her a wicked grin.

“That I did.” She smiled and shook her head. Taking a few steps toward the sink, she paused a moment and seemed to be getting her balance when Rein noticed her knees begin to buckle.

He lunged for her, catching her before she fell, easing her to the floor. He realized she’d fainted, and when he got no response from her, he called the ambulance, now on speed-dial. Within the hour they were on their way to Billings for the second time that week.

Four hours later, Rein sat in a chair beside Liberty. Her face was pale against the sterile white hospital sheets. She’d come in severely dehydrated, and drifted in and out of consciousness the past few hours. They’d admitted her to run tests in order to determine why, exactly, she’d fainted other than being dehydrated. He wasn’t about to leave her side, not even when Aimee offered to give him a break.

Sally and Clay had stopped in before heading back to End of the Line to take their girls home. Wyatt, who readily accepted taking over the Santa role at Miss Ellie’s holiday party, also assisted in getting the prepared food down to the Saunders’ house.

Sitting in the hospital, watching daylight turn to dusk and snow begin to fall, Rein thought about when the roles had been reversed. When he’d been shot, he fought to heal from his wounds because he didn’t want to lose her. A myriad of possible concerns flitted through his mind. He couldn’t lose her, too.

“Hey.” Liberty opened her eyes. “How long have I been asleep?”

He scooted his chair closer to the bed and reached for her hand. “You’ve been drifting in and out for a few hours. Just in this past hour have you slept soundly.”

She glanced outside. Her eyes darted suddenly to his. “What about the party? Ellie and the kids?”

He squeezed her hand. “It’s all good, including the food you made for Clay and Sally. Wyatt and Aimee have it under control.”

“I’m sorry. This is silly. I just haven’t been taking very good care of myself.”

Rein brought her hand to his lips, leaving a kiss on her fingers. “The nurse said that the doc should be around soon with an update on the tests they ran. God knows they took enough of your blood for a transfusion.” Rein smiled. “You hungry?”

She looked up at him. Dark circles shadowed her beautiful eyes. “Not really, thanks. How about you, did you eat?”

“A nurse brought in your lunch, but you were sleeping. I helped myself to the pudding cup.”

“Of course you did.” She smiled, then glanced at the carafe on the nightstand. “Is there any water in there?” She licked her lips.

He poured a glass and helped as she took a few sips through the straw. “Better?”

She nodded and lay wearily back on her pillow. She shut her eyes.