A Christmas Baby for the Cowboy Read online

  “I don’t need a doctor,” she insisted. “You are totally overreacting.”

  She spread the antiseptic cream over her wounds and started wrapping the gauze around her wrist. Hopefully that would prove to Cash that she didn’t need a doctor’s care.

  He was still holding his phone in his hand, looking uncertain, when it rang.

  His gaze widened when he read the caller ID, and then he frowned, his brow furrowing. He cleared his throat before answering.

  “Sharee? What’s up?”

  There was a high, shrill chatter on the other end of the line. Alyssa could hear the voice but couldn’t make out the words.

  “Slow down,” Cash said, his breath coming in short gasps. “Where are you?”

  Sharee said something and Cash nodded.

  “Do you have someone to take you to the hospital?”

  Alyssa’s ears perked up at the news.

  “There’s no reason to panic,” Cash said. “Just do your breathing exercises or whatever and get to the hospital as soon as possible. I’ll meet you there.”

  When he punched the end button, he pressed the phone to his chest and stared out the window, unseeing.

  Alyssa tied off the gauze and moved to Cash’s side, tentatively touching his bicep.

  “Cash?”

  “Sharee is in labor.” His voice was deep and rich with emotion.

  Their gazes met. She could see sparks of pure panic along with elation and his muscles quivered beneath her touch. She could only imagine how fast his pulse was hammering. Her own was thumping wildly and her nerves buzzed like a hive of bees.

  “What hospital?” she asked, trying to get him to focus.

  “St. Anthony’s. Her mom is taking her. She—she wants me to be there.” He choked on his words. “My daughter is coming into the world today.”

  “Would you like me to go with you?”

  Chapter Eleven

  Cash couldn’t believe Alyssa had offered her support when she was so clearly—and rightly—still angry with him.

  That wasn’t something that would change with time. He knew there was no way to change things, no way to fix it.

  And yet here they were, in the hospital elevator on their way to the fifth-floor maternity ward, side by side.

  He’d been too nervous to talk much on their way to Dallas, and he didn’t know what to say, anyway, so they’d ridden in an uneasy silence. Alyssa just stared out the passenger side window, lost in her own thoughts.

  She’d taken the lead when they’d reached the hospital, asking at the information desk where the maternity ward was and where the elevator was located.

  “You’ll need to call Sharee when we reach the floor and let her know we’re here.”

  Cash was already fishing his cell phone out of his pocket. The lady at the front desk had informed them that the hospital gave each mother a special door code they would only share with people they trusted and wanted to see.

  He wasn’t certain Sharee trusted him, and he didn’t think he would be someone she’d want to see, either, especially now. But then again, she’d called him, and she’d sounded anxious for him to meet her at the hospital.

  Not nearly as anxious as he was to be here. His baby daughter was about to be born. He was a bundle of nerves. He hoped he wouldn’t quiver too much the first time he held his precious infant in his arms.

  Taking a deep breath, he punched in the code and slid a glance at Alyssa when the lock turned green, allowing him to open the door.

  “Why do you think she called me?” he whispered as they made their way down the hallway toward Sharee’s room.

  “Because you’re the baby’s father,” she said, tucking her hand under his arm.

  He didn’t know why her touch reassured him as much as it did, but he would take it.

  “Other than that, I can’t say,” she continued. “But don’t worry about that right now. Just enjoy this moment and savor every second. You’ll only get to experience the birth of your first child once.”

  His throat closed so tightly he couldn’t breathe. He made a croaking sound and Alyssa chuckled.

  “I think that pretty much sums up how every new father feels.”

  “Here we are,” Alyssa said as they approached Sharee’s room. “I can wait in the family room if you want.”

  He made a choking noise again and clutched her hand so tightly she winced. He loosened his grip and glanced at her hand. At least it was her right hand and not her injured left hand. In his current state, it was a mistake he could easily have made.

  “Don’t leave my side,” he whispered, his voice husky. “Please.”

  “I’m right here,” she assured him, putting her other hand over his.

  The door was open, but Cash knocked on the jamb to announce their presence.

  Sharee was half sitting in bed, her gaze fixed on the television, which was playing a soap opera. She glanced their direction but then returned her attention to the television, holding up one finger asking them to wait.

  Sharee didn’t appear to be in any distress. He waited, thinking she was between contractions, but even after five minutes, nothing changed, other than the soap opera going to a commercial.

  “Finally,” Sharee said, as if Cash hadn’t rushed to her side as quickly as possible. “I wasn’t sure you were going to come.”

  “You think I wouldn’t want to be here for the birth of my daughter?” He couldn’t help the bitterness that crept into his tone.

  “No, you’re right. I knew you’d come when I called you. Alyssa, you’re welcome, as well.”

  “Where is your mother?” Alyssa asked.

  Sharee made a dismissive gesture. “She’s long gone. She dropped me at the door and drove off. Thankfully, nurses pay attention to a woman who is clearly in labor.”

  “Did your contractions stop after you got here?” he asked, perplexed.

  Sharee laughed, but there was little mirth in the sound. “Oh, I’ve had plenty of contractions. I’m having one now, in fact. See the paper over there?” She pointed to a machine that was spitting out paper with scribbles on it that reminded Cash of a lie detector.

  “The big rises and falls are contractions. You can see they are getting closer together.”

  Alyssa walked over to the machine, appearing fascinated by it. Cash thought it might be a way to give him and Sharee a modicum of privacy.

  Cash was glad Alyssa was here with him. And he was frankly shocked that Sharee’s mother wasn’t here.

  “Isn’t your mom going to be your coach, or whatever it is?”

  Sharee snorted. “As if. She doesn’t even want to see the baby that makes her a grandmother.”

  Cash felt as if he’d been kicked in the gut. What kind of woman dropped her laboring daughter off at a hospital and left her there unattended?

  “Well, I’m not leaving,” he told her. “I will be here when my daughter is born.”

  “Which shouldn’t be long now, if this machine is anything to go by,” Alyssa said. “It looks like your contractions are getting really close together.”

  Sharee made a face. “Yeah. I hope it’s soon. They won’t let me eat and I’m starving. Laboring is hard work.”

  He shook his head in confusion.

  “I had an epidural,” Sharee explained. “I asked for one as they wheeled me up to the fifth floor. You know how demanding I can be when I want to be.”

  “So, you don’t feel anything?”

  “I can feel my muscles contracting, and there’s lots of pressure, but no pain. I just want to get this over with.”

  Sharee had called him to be here, and he was about to ask what decision she’d made regarding their daughter, when she suddenly groaned.

  “That was different,” she said, her breath suddenly coming in short gasps.

 
; “Should I get a nurse?” he asked.

  “Please.”

  This was the most serious Cash had ever seen Sharee. She appeared to barely be aware of what was going on around her.

  Cash rushed into the hallway and snagged the nearest nurse, telling her what had happened with Sharee.

  Within minutes, the room was full of medical personnel. There was nothing he could do that wouldn’t be getting in the way, so Cash moved to the far corner of the room and sat in the only chair, clasping his hands in his lap and whispering a prayer for Sharee and the baby.

  To his surprise, Alyssa had moved to Sharee’s side and was holding her hand and wiping her brow, murmuring encouragement to her.

  Waiting was hard. Watching Sharee fight to bring their daughter into the world was even harder.

  Unable to remain seated, Cash stood and looked out the window instead. He couldn’t imagine how husbands watched their beloved wives giving birth.

  If it was Alyssa on that bed—

  But it wasn’t Alyssa. It was Sharee. And they still hadn’t worked out what was going to happen to the baby once she was born.

  Suddenly the room, only moments before abuzz with voices and action, went completely silent.

  What was wrong?

  Cash whirled around, his heart in his throat. Everyone stood stock-still, staring at the tiny bundle in the doctor’s arms. The doctor handed her off to a nearby nurse, who’d been ready and waiting with a receiving blanket.

  The nurse gently but firmly rubbed the baby’s chest as she smiled and cooed at her.

  “Come on now, little girl, let’s hear those lungs of yours.”

  For another moment, nothing happened. Cash’s heart slammed against his chest. He wanted to do something, anything, to help his baby, but he was powerless.

  “Lord, please,” he whispered.

  As if in answer to his prayer, the baby opened her tiny mouth and let out an enormous wail, clearly unhappy to have gone from the warmth of her mother’s womb to the cold, bright world.

  “There you go, love,” the nurse said, placing the baby into Sharee’s arms. “Get in some bonding time with Mama before we get you cleaned up and weighed.”

  Sharee’s face blanched and Alyssa’s distressed gaze met Cash’s. Nothing had been decided, other than that Sharee did not want to bond with her infant.

  “Take her and wrap her up,” Sharee rasped through a dry throat. “Then give her to her father.”

  Cash reached for the chair and sat down hard.

  Give her to her father.

  Could that mean what it sounded like it meant?

  Was he going to get to take his daughter home?

  * * *

  Alyssa’s heart overflowed with joy at Sharee’s words, and she gave the woman’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze, but Sharee shrugged it away.

  “It’s no big deal,” she mumbled wearily.

  But it was a big deal. To Cash. To the baby. And to Sharee. Whatever Sharee’s thoughts had been, and might still be, regarding the child-free life she wanted to live, she was doing something very brave here. Something strong.

  “My lawyer already drew up the papers, Cash,” Sharee said. “I’m giving you full custody. I’ve thought about it a lot. You’ve cleaned up your act, and you want our daughter. I can’t say that right now. But when we talked, you gave me a lot to think about. I would—that is, I’d like you to send pictures of her to me from time to time.”

  “Of course,” Cash agreed immediately, bounding out of his chair and approaching the bed. “Whatever you want. And I’ll always leave it open for you to meet her.”

  “Your daughter is in good hands,” Alyssa assured her. “Cash will be a great dad.”

  “You’ve made me so happy.” Cash’s voice was husky with emotion. “You have no idea.”

  Alyssa smiled at him. She knew what the gesture meant to him, and how relieved and full of joy he must be right now.

  The nurse returned with the baby, now cleaned up and swaddled. She wasn’t crying anymore but was sound asleep.

  “A healthy six pounds, eight ounces and twenty-one inches,” the nurse announced.

  “Is that good?” Cash asked Alyssa.

  “I think so,” she responded.

  “Dad, why don’t you sit down on the chair over there and hold your daughter,” the nurse suggested, pressing the baby into his arms the moment he reached the chair.

  For a long time, he just stared down at the little bundle of humanity sleeping in the crook of his arm.

  “She’s amazing,” he whispered. He lifted his gaze to Sharee, but she wouldn’t quite look at him. “What are we going to name her?”

  Sharee shook her head. “That’s for you and your girlfriend to decide.”

  “Oh, I’m not—” Alyssa started, but Cash cut her off.

  “What do you think, Alyssa? Any names come to mind for the brightest star in my world?”

  “Your star? You could call her Stella. That’s Latin for star.”

  “Baby Stella,” Cash whispered. “It’s perfect. Welcome.”

  A nurse returned with a bottle of formula and Cash fed Stella for the first time, not even complaining when more formula came back up and spread all over the shoulder of his black T-shirt than had stayed in her tiny tummy.

  “There are certain tests we do before releasing Baby, so we’ll keep her overnight,” the nurse explained. “She’s running just a bit of a fever. Nothing to worry about. But we are going to give her a round of antibiotics just to be on the safe side. You’ll be able to take your little bundle of joy home with you tomorrow. I can bring in an extra chair for your girlfriend if you both want to stay. These chairs pull out to make beds—but I warn you they aren’t very comfortable.”

  “Can you put them in a different room? I really need to get my beauty sleep,” Sharee requested sharply.

  The nurse agreed to the move, but Alyssa wasn’t sure what to do. Not surprisingly, Cash wasn’t about to leave his daughter behind. And since he’d driven them both up to the hospital, that pretty much left Alyssa without options.

  “You can drive my truck home and send someone back for us tomorrow,” Cash suggested.

  “I don’t mind staying,” she said, and laughed at the expression of utter relief that passed across Cash’s face. He’d have baby duty all night and might need to be spelled from time to time.

  If the nurse was surprised by Sharee’s request, she didn’t show it, and within an hour, Cash and Alyssa were ensconced in a small room in the far corner of the maternity ward. The room was a great deal smaller than the one Sharee had been in, but the privacy was nice. Cash offered her the bed while he took the chair and pulled Stella’s bassinet up next to him.

  He called his mother and let her know she was a grandma. Unlike Sharee’s mom, Cash’s mother was thrilled and immediately started making plans to fly down to Texas and spend some time with Cash and his new baby.

  “I’ll be taking her home on Thanksgiving Day. I can’t think of anything more appropriate.” He grinned.

  Thanksgiving.

  In all the excitement of Stella being born, Alyssa had put thoughts of the store and the family aside. She’d intended to get Emerson’s ready to go today and then spend all of Thanksgiving with her father and Eddie.

  “You and your mother—and Baby Stella, of course—are welcome to share our table at my dad’s house for Thanksgiving dinner.”

  “Really?” She supposed it wasn’t any big surprise how stunned he looked, considering everything they’d been through.

  She was shocked that she’d made the invitation.

  She’d planned to share the cooking with Eddie, so she quickly phoned him and explained the circumstances. He assured her it wasn’t a problem and he’d be happy to cook the entire holiday meal. He was just glad they’d all be together, a
nd he was happy to hear Cash and his family would be joining.

  Family get-togethers were more important to Alyssa than ever now that Aaron and her mother were gone. She hated that she might have to short shift her father and Eddie and sneak out to work on the store.

  But maybe she was just putting too much pressure on herself. It wasn’t perfect. Emerson’s would be what it would be. She would do her best to get the displays up first thing on Black Friday.

  Kickfire would just have to understand. Or not. The town, anxious to start their Christmas shopping, would likewise simply have to deal. How that would affect the store in the future was anyone’s guess, but she had to do what she thought was right.

  Cash wanted her here to help care for Baby Stella, and for tonight, they were her priority. Tomorrow—and the future—would take care of itself.

  Chapter Twelve

  Cash was surprised that Alyssa was willing to stay the night in the hospital to help him take care of Baby Stella.

  He was scared to death at the thought of being left alone with the baby. Alyssa’s presence was beyond reassuring. Plus, it removed any awkwardness he would otherwise have felt knowing Sharee was somewhere on the maternity ward.

  He didn’t know if Sharee would grieve over the choice she’d made, though he suspected she would. It would rip his heart out to be separated from Stella. But Sharee hadn’t appeared to waver when she’d asked for Cash and Alyssa to be given another room. He prayed she’d find peace with her decision.

  In the meantime, he was bonding with his precious daughter. He didn’t know what he’d expected, but for this first night, at least, if he was wide-awake, it wasn’t because Stella kept him up.

  Alyssa had curled up on the bed and was dozing. She’d been under a lot of pressure and stress between renovating Emerson’s for Kickfire and the stupid way he’d dropped the bomb about Aaron on her. She had needed to hear the truth, and hear it from him, but his timing could have been a lot better.

  He should have waited until after her big Kickfire debut, so he could do his promo work for her and she could bask in her success.