A Cowgirl's Heart Page 4

  Mitch pulled her close as the sobs racked her body. “I know it doesn’t feel like it right now, but everything is going to be all right.”

  “You don’t know that.” Deb sobbed.

  “I do know that. You aren’t alone. Your friends care about you a lot, and you’re going to be a great mom. You are one of the most capable people I know. Heck, I knew that when I asked you to marry me in kindergarten.”

  Deb gave a watery little smile. “At this rate, I’m going to have to hold you to that proposal.”

  Mitch gently lifted Deb’s chin and stared intently into her eyes. “There would be worse things than being married to you.”

  Flustered by the look in his eye, Deb’s head pounded and swam at the possibility it promised. “Had an ultrasound today,” she blurted.

  “Is the baby healthy?” Concern made deep furrows appear in his tanned face.

  “Yes.” She took the ultrasound photo from beneath her hand, gently tracing her baby’s face. “Would you like to see?”

  “I would be honored.” Mitch took the photo from her hand, holding it as if it were the most precious object he had ever been entrusted with. He let out a whistle. “That’s one cute anklebiter.”

  “It’s a girl,” she said softly.

  “Really?” He looked at her excitedly. “A pretty little girl, just like her mommy.”

  Deb blushed. “I hope she ends up better looking and definitely smarter than me.”

  Mitch looked at her, his face serious. “I wouldn’t change a thing about you.” Suddenly, his expression lightened. “This calls for a bloody celebration, and I reckon I know exactly what we should do.”

  Deb bit her lip, feigning concern. “I’m almost too scared to ask.”

  “Come on, woman. Get in my car and prepare to be dazzled by my ingenious plan.”

  She laughed, suddenly feeling light again. These days, it felt like she ran the full gambit of emotions—and that was just before breakfast. “You’ve got me curious now,” she said, rising. “Lead the way”.

  Mitch looked in danger of bursting with pride at his own cleverness as they pulled up in front of the big white letters emblazoned across the blue background. Deb burst out laughing. “I give up, I’m confused. Why are we at Walmart?”

  Mitch gave her a wounded look. “Because, my dear baby-girl-Mommy-to-be, I figure you haven’t had a chance to get stuff for the little angel yet. So, to help celebrate your exciting news, my gift to you is that we are going shopping for everything she needs.”

  Deb was momentarily robbed of the power of speech. How could she explain she had been too scared to buy things for her little girl? That to do so would have been to admit to herself that this was actually going to happen, that she was going to have a baby? Shame rose up in her, despair—her ever constant companion these days—hard on its heels. She hung her head.

  “Did I do something wrong?” Mitch sounded panicked. “Please don’t cry, Deb. We can leave if you want.”

  She took a deep breath, her eyes filled with indecisiveness, before gathering herself. “Mitch, you haven’t done anything wrong. I just wasn’t ready to do it before today.” Deb was surprised at the truth ringing through her words, strength starting to flow through her limbs again. “I think I would like very much to go shopping for baby stuff with you.”

  Mitch looked as if he didn’t quite believe her. Or maybe it was just that he wasn’t sure what emotion would spill from her next. He gave her hand a squeeze. “Let’s bloody do this then.”

  As they walked across the parking lot, Mitch continued to cast side glances at her. “Okay, what is it?” asked Deb.

  Mitch looked unrepentant at being caught. “I was going through names in my head and seeing if they would fit the little tacker.”

  “I have no baby stuff and I haven’t even started thinking of names. I’m the worst mom in the world, aren’t I?” Tears threatened again.

  Mitch’s look of terror returned. “No, no. I’m sure you’ll have it all sorted before she makes an arrival. You can borrow one of my names if you like.”

  Deb blinked her tears away. “What have you got?”

  “Lily? No that doesn’t seem right. Bess?” Deb shook her head sharply. “You’re right. Grace? Anyway, you have plenty of time to pick one. But for now, I reckon we have much more pressing matters to attend to.”

  Confused, she began to panic as she considered all the things she might have forgotten. Mitch gave her a teasing smile. “Motorized, or push?”

  “What?”

  “Would madam like a trolley that she pushes or a motorized one?”

  “I don’t think I have ever driven a trolley before,” she declared, marveling at the ingenuity to take away all physical effort in shopping.

  “You only live once. Decision made,” Mitch said, walking beside one. “Your chariot awaits, your majesty.”

  And thus began one of the most surreal shopping experiences Deb had ever partaken in. Mitch was the perfect gentleman—funny, considerate and attentive. Deb found herself wondering if he was like this with all his girlfriends before shaking the thought clear from her mind. It didn’t matter what he was like with his girlfriends. They were friends, and she was pregnant with another man’s baby. Mitch stopped his banter when he noticed she had fallen behind. “You coming, Mommy?”

  “Sure am, Mitch,” she said, accelerating forward.

  “Good, ‘cause I reckon I just saw a lady walking a bloody big-arsed lizard on a leash.”

  “Get out! Where the heck is she?” she said, face glowing with excitement.

  “I kid you not. In the baby carrier aisle which, incidentally, is where we need to head next if my list is correct.” He scootered off, his trolley loaded high with purchases.

  Deb gave a happy little smile as she shrugged. When in Rome…

  Chapter 7

  The stacks of boxes were uniform in that they all retained a precarious lean to the side. So much as a hint of a breeze would likely be enough to send their precious contents tumbling to the ground. Amidst this precarious environment, Deb sat, legs crossed as she basked in the warm glow of—dare she say it—happiness. She rubbed her belly as she contemplated the shift in her emotional wellbeing, checking carefully for the cold ball of fear. Unable to locate any traces of it, she breathed in, luxuriating in the almost-forgotten feeling.

  The slam of a kitchen cupboard shook her out of her Zen-like state. It was good while it lasted, she mused as she pushed herself up off the floor. Knocking her knee as she crossed the room, she gave the offending box a threatening glare. She really needed to look at assembling the glider chair or at least move it out of the way, but that was tomorrow’s problem. Through the open doorway of Frankie’s old room, she eyeballed Megan as she huffed about the kitchen, tension radiating from the tight set of her shoulders. This was going to be fun.

  “Hi, Megan. Is there anything in particular you are looking for, or are you just enjoying taking your displeasure out on the innocent cabinetry?” she asked drily.

  “Not all of us get our meals delivered you know,” Megan acidly replied, continuing to forage through the pantry. “Or just skip off for most of the day and leave others to do all the work for that matter.”

  A twinge of guilt vibrated through Deb. “I’m sorry about that. I thought I’d told you about my ultrasound today.”

  “You said you would be done by lunchtime.”

  “I was. I came back, and you were nowhere to be found. Then Mitch took me to get some baby stuff.” Deb mentally rolled her eyes. Like that was going to make this better.

  “Oh, so you just assumed I didn’t need any help? What, not even a quick call to see if I was okay? For your information, I was at the feed store picking up some more wormers for the horses, then I had to go to the saddlery to get the rugs they mended, and then I went to the hardware and got some fencing wire because we’re out and the new mares went through a fence last night. Oh, and a quick trip to get more first aid supplies from the vet.
” During her tirade, Megan’s voice progressively got louder and higher pitched. “So, while you’re off on shopping trips with lover boy, I’m keeping this stud going, and I’m getting bloody sick of it.”

  “Look, I’m sorry, but don’t you think that’s a little unfair? It was one shopping trip, and Mitch is just a friend.”

  “Oh, come on. He’s following you around like a lovesick puppy. It makes me want to puke.” Megan said hotly, slamming her hands down on the kitchen counter in frustration. “You know what?” She spun around angrily. “I wish I had never bloody come here. Everyone has someone else. Frankie has everyone and everything. She doesn’t have time for me. You have Mitch and this baby. But what about me? I’m just good enough to keep everything going and sometimes I get thrown a few crumbs.”

  Deb stood frozen, taken aback by the unexpected outburst from her friend. Guilt wormed its way deeper into her heart. What kind of a friend was she to not know this was how Megan was feeling? She took a tentative step forward.

  “Megan, I had no idea. I’m so sorry you feel this way. I swear I’ll try harder around here.” Remorse etched a hard groove in her forehead. “I know I’ve been caught up in this pregnancy thing, but that’s no excuse to not know how you’ve been feeling.”

  Megan gave a frustrated sniffle. “It’s not all your fault. I mean, I get you have a lot going on. It’s just that I really like Mitch and, just this once, I wanted it to be me, you know?”

  “He’s just a friend. But you’re one of my best friends and I love you, even if you’ve been a bit of a cow lately.”

  Megan’s lips quirked. “I probably deserve that. I might have been a bit difficult to be around lately.”

  Deb snorted. “A bit? I reckon that’s the understatement of the year!”

  “Fine. I’m sorry, too. I can’t promise I won’t get jealous with Mitch giving you attention, but I’ll try not to revert to full cow mode.”

  “I meant what I said. You’re one of my best friends. I’ve missed you, and with this little one coming”—Deb rubbed her belly gently, a soft smile on her lips—“I really need you.”

  Megan gave another sniff, drained of her anger. “Aww, come here.” She pulled her into a rough hug, careful not to squeeze too hard. “So everything is okay with the baby?” she asked as she released Deb.

  “I’m having a little barrel racer. It’s a girl!” she announced proudly.

  Megan pulled her into another quick hug. “I’m going to be an auntie to a little girl. Heaven help me.”

  “Well this little girl wants Tim Tams. Do you think I can find any over here?” Deb said, changing the subject.

  “I’m sure if anyone can, it’ll be you,” Megan said, laughing.

  “You’re where?” exclaimed Deb.

  “The hospital. Look, they’re bloody trying to make out it’s more than it is. I’m slightly concussed and have some stitches, not completely cactus. It’s like they’ve never seen a bloke that’s copped one from a mule before,” Mitch said through the phone.

  Deb choked on her laughter. “Sorry, what did you say? A mule?”

  “Yes, a mule.” He sighed in exasperation. “Look, I can tell you the full story when you come and pick me up. You will come and get me, right?”

  “Well, I was going to wash my hair tonight, but now I need to get the story about this mule. Guess I’d better come sort you out.”

  “Gee, thanks. See ya soon.”

  Megan looked up curiously, obviously intrigued by the one-sided conversation she had overheard. “Do I even want to know?”

  “Yeah, nah. I’ll give you all the details once I extract them from Mitch. From what I can gather, he’s got a concussion, so I reckon it might be best if I bring him back here and he can sleep on the couch tonight.”

  “Nurse Deb to the rescue,” Megan teased. “I’ll make up the couch for him while you’re out.”

  “Thanks.” Deb grabbed her keys off the counter. “Oh, and Megan?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I know the exact number of Tim Tams I have left, too. Don’t even think about it.”

  “Frank is the mule?” Megan asked.

  Mitch gingerly perched on the couch to pull his boots off, the large purplish contusion at his temple in stark contrast against the pale flesh. Deb thought he looked kind of cute sitting there all banged up and feeling sorry for himself. She hadn’t noticed the little pale band of skin just below his hairline where his tan stopped before. A side effect of working out in the sun wearing a hat.

  “No, Frank was the pig. Also known as Frank the Tank to his friends,” he sourly replied.

  “I thought you said a mule kicked you,” Deb said.

  “A mule did,” he muttered.

  “What was the mule called, then?”

  Mitch mumbled something incoherently.

  Deb leaned forward. “I didn’t quite catch that.”

  Mitch leaned back in the couch and crossed his arms over his chest, a what could only be described as an ornery expression fixed on his face. Amused, Deb was rather unkindly starting to see a resemblance to the mule in the story.

  “Princess Gertrude Merrytoes,” he ground out.

  Megan’s brow wrinkled. “I’m confused. What does Frank have to do with you getting kicked?”

  Mitch stubbornly thrust his jaw out. “Earlier today, I was hungry. So I pulled into a diner. I didn’t check the bloody booth before I sat and ended up sitting in some spilt grub—eggs and bacon to be precise. Anyway, I cleaned myself up and got on with my day.”

  “Get to the good part,” Deb instructed, impatiently shooing him along with her hand.

  “So, I’m trimming Princess Gertrude Merrytoes’s hooves, and she’s best friends with bloody Frank the Tank. I didn’t really think too much about him sniffing around, but he must have smelled his relative on my backside. Next minute, Frank has a mouthful of my bloody butt. I start screaming blue murder, which must have pissed Princess Gertrude Merrytoes off. She lets off an almighty wallop and kicks me in the head.”

  Deb gave a little cough, Mitch looked at her suspiciously. “So, these stitches you mentioned earlier … are where, exactly?”

  Mitch looked at her, his face pinched as color suffused it. “My backside. The stitches are on my bloody backside.”

  The girls exploded into peals of laughter as he sourly watched them succumb to their hysterics.

  Long after Megan had excused herself to go to bed, Deb lounged in the overstuffed armchair opposite Mitch. A companionable exhaustion pleasantly filled her body as they both watched the television together. Maybe this is what it would be like to have a man to settle down with? She could imagine, after a long day of both working, coming home and sitting together after putting the baby to bed. No need for conversation to fill in the silence. Just this wonderful feeling of being perfectly in sync. A sharp jab caught her off guard, causing her to exclaim in consternation.

  Mitch looked at her in alarm. “Are you all right?”

  Deb pressed her hands to her stomach in wonder. “I think she might have just kicked me.” She gave another little jump as the jab came again. “She just did it again!”

  Mitch looked at her in amazement. “Strewth, is she meant to be kicking already?”

  She smiled gently, her face soft as she cradled her belly. “Yep.”

  Jaw slack, Mitch fixed his gaze on her. “What does it feel like?”

  Deb turned her attention inward focusing on every twitch she felt. “Like butterflies are fluttering about in my belly. It’s hard to describe, but it feels magical. Would you like to feel it?”

  “Is it okay? I mean, I don’t want to hurt the little blighter.”

  Deb smiled affectionately at the banged-up farrier, stitches in places he’d rather they weren’t, concussion and all. And he was worried he would hurt her baby. “Come here and give me your hand.”

  Hesitantly, he complied. She gently held his hand to her stomach. After a few moments, Mitch began to pull away. “Maybe that�
��s all she feels like doing for tonight.”

  “Shh,” she admonished, patiently waiting for her daughter to make a move. A sharp jab pushed against the hand in protest. “There,” she said in satisfaction, smiling up at Mitch. “Did you feel that?”

  A look of wonderment fanned across his face before he broke into a beaming smile. “I sure did.”

  Deb proudly cradled her belly. “She’s a strong little thing, isn’t she?”

  Mitch, his eyes lingering on her face, gave a lopsided smile. “Just like her beautiful mommy.”

  Deb’s heart did a funny little flip-flop as his blue eyes looked deeply into hers, his warm hand still pressing against her rounded stomach. Feeling flustered, she stood suddenly, her large belly hitting Mitch in the face and knocking him off balance. He toppled backwards and let out a yelp of pain as his backside made contact with the floor.

  “Bloody heck. I’m sorry, Mitch,” she apologized as she helped him to his feet. It was made all the more comical by her belly once again getting in the way, this time of being able to bend over fully.

  “As long as you bloody promise not to make any sudden moves where my butt is concerned, I’ll forgive you,” he said painfully, gently settling himself onto the couch.

  “I think that’s my cue to say goodnight,” Deb said.

  “I didn’t mean you had to go to bed.”

  “It’s past my bedtime anyway, and these days, this little princess”—she looked down fondly at her belly—“wakes me up, like, a million times having to go to the bathroom.” Deb blushed sheepishly, suddenly conscious she might have overshared a little too much personal information.

  Mitch grinned at her. “She’s helping you get your steps in for the day.”

  Deb snorted. “Mate, I get more than enough just with moving all of the horses around before I even do anything else around the ranch. And on that note, I’ll say goodnight.”