Page 41 of The Texas Cowboy's Lady
“To the hospital?” Matt asked. “Shouldn’t we take along the expectant mother too?”
“The doctor has a plan, and the hospital is where they will bring Sammi Jo in, so he said we should be there. Or I should be there—you guys can stay here.”
“And miss this? Not on your life.” Matt rummaged in the bottom of his file cabinet as the others shrugged into raincoats again. He stood up in triumphant, a bottle of champagne in his hand. “I’ve been saving this bottle for when our little man joined the party. Looks like it might be today. So best to be prepared is my motto.”
*
Dr. Damian anda nurse in blue scrubs waited at the desk when the elevator reached the fourth floor and opened to let the trio of men step off. Beaudry shook hands with the man, and they followed him into a private waiting room.
Jaxson glanced at the woman and then glanced again, this time at the nametag.
“When did you make it back home? Why didn’t we know before now?” Jaxson and the nurse shared a hug.
“Kenzie!” Beaudry said. “You’re Dr. Damian’s nurse? I thought Sammi Jo had said you came back from Dallas to work in the ER in the trauma unit at the hospital in Lubbock.”
“Partially correct, but a detour came along. We’ll sort it out later, but I’m here and, yes, I am going to be working with Dr. Damian on this case.”
The doctor nodded. “I just found out this morning when I consulted with emergency ops that Kenzie is related to you via marriage or some such. But she’s here because she is assigned to the answer to our problem, hopefully. Special ops include helicopters, and we believe we can get a chopper in the air during the next lull in the storm and get Sammi Jo back here. We need a pilot experienced in the arena of fast in-and-out procedures, and they have a new one that fits the bill along with the medical expertise. With flying not recommended—in fact, the rest of air flights are grounded right now—he volunteered and is using his own aircraft to handle it. This is a volunteer mission. Are you guys on board with this plan?”
“Sammi Jo says she is. And if you say this guy can get in there and get the job done, then we’re with you. And I want to go along,” Beaudry responded.
“That won’t be possible, as we are limited with room and there will be the pilot and Kenzie and the rest is the equipment that might be needed to get her and the baby, and the other two ladies away from the flood waters and in here. Kenzie, we need to get moving,” said a tall man in the bright-red flight suit and helmet who had entered the room behind them. They swung around to face him.
“Everyone, quick introductions,” the doctor said. “This is the pilot who volunteered his expertise and craft to go get Sammi Jo. Major Deacon Hayes.”
“Introductions will have to wait. I’ve a small window, so we’ve got to move.” He headed out the door he came in from. The others hadn’t any time to get a word or reaction in.
“It won’t do any good for me to tell you not to worry,” Kenzie said, her hand gently laid on Beaudry’s arm. “But we’ve got this. We’ll be back before you know it, cuz.” She grinned, then turned and headed down the hallway after the figure striding way ahead of her.
*
“We got this.”Six weeks later, Beaudry said those same words to Jaxson, as they stood together at the end of the aisle, under the glass cross window in the old stone church. Light from the setting sun made it possible for the light of the golden hour to filter down upon those gathered. The bride had wanted that moment for the ceremony. And Jaxson had timed it over and over to make certain the sun would be cooperating, and the weather and anything else, in order to give Laurel every moment of her dream for the perfect day.
A soft guitar played Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” and the bride followed a beaming Lacy down the aisle. A couple dozen special guests were gathered in the pews. Sammi Jo and little Jefferson sat on the front row along with Kenzie and Sean and CeeCee. Even Lucky made his presence known, guarding the newest addition to the family, staying close beside Sammi Jo and the baby. This time, the pup’s bow was white and sparkled.
Jaxson’s gaze didn’t find the other guest in attendance. That was a mystery that was only going to be unraveled in time. Once Sammi Jo had delivered a healthy six-pound, eleven-ounce son just minutes after the chopper had returned to the hospital, and everyone had rejoiced and emptied the bottle of the vintage champagne, both he and Beaudry went in search of the pilot who had managed to make a miracle happen. The baby had been breach, which would have made a home delivery by untrained people, notably Laurel, a nightmare and dangerous. It had been forestalled long enough for them to reach the landing pad. Jefferson would have quite the stories to tell in years to come.
Then Beaudry and Jaxson had found another shock when they searched out the pilot to thank him later that evening. It seemed that Jefferson wasn’t the only surprise Hawkes to make his presence known that day. Major Deacon Hayes had turned to them, sans helmet, familiar jade eyes meeting theirs. And a small birthmark below the man’s right ear caught Beaudry’s sharp eyes. He reacted first.
“I came to thank the man who saved my wife and son today. And why is it I have a strange feeling that you aren’t exactly the stranger we first thought? Are you?” It was more statement than question. Jaxson looked between the two men in confusion.
“In one way, you could say that,” the major responded. “I suppose we are related. Although I had no idea about all of that until I heard the destination and that one of the Burkitts had married a Hawkes. So, yes, we share a mother. I came about from her affair with an army vet named Dallas Hayes. He drank himself off this earth a while back, after Mother disappeared, leaving us down in the valley on the border. But who cares about past family history on a day such as this?”
“Well, it seems we have some things to catch up on. Especially since the last we heard was that you had disappeared over in the Middle East a while back,” Jaxson had begun, picking his way carefully in what felt like some minefields, judging by the look on Beaudry’s face at the time. “But perhaps that can wait for better days when everyone is home and settled again. Just know that we owe you a debt that we take seriously. Thanks, doesn’t cover it.”
“It does for me. Just take care of your little family. That’s thanks enough.” The man had few words and he had said them, so he turned and soon disappeared around a corner. They had told Kenzie to bring him to the wedding, but that evidently hadn’t panned out. That would have to wait until things settled a bit, but they needed to put that piece of family history in perspective. Except now was not the time for any other thoughts.
“Breathe,” came the whispered directive from Beaudry into Jaxson’s ear. How was that even possible? Laurel stood inside the door. The gold light fell about her like a spotlight. The ivory-lace gown flowed down her body and pooled into a natural train. The ivory satin of the waistband and the long ribbons that trailed from it matched the ribbon of the cascade of cream roses and bright wildflowers that suited the setting. A long veil of ivory lace, held in place by a pearl-encrusted clip, fell the length of the train. She looked like a fine porcelain angel walking toward him. His heart was bursting with pride and an encompassing feeling called love. Jaxson remembered Sam Burkitt’s words on that day so long ago and he had followed them.
He had set his dream, his heart, his love free to follow her own path, which led away from him... but not forever. She had returned to her home, to her heart... which she vowed had always remained with him.
Several hours later, Jaxson smiled down at the beautiful woman in his arms as they circled the dance floor at their reception. “Well, Mrs. Hawkes, it seems we have a bit of a quandary.”
“Really? And what would that be?” Laurel felt like she had never smiled so much in her life. The utter joy inside her had no bounds. From the moment she had entered the old stone church and her gaze locked with Jaxson’s, her heart felt ready to explode. Nothing else had ever matched the happiness of this moment, and she doubted anything ever could.
“There is a small matter of a bet we made. One that I made. Something about betting that you would be gone back to California before spring. And if I lost that bet, I would dance at your wedding. Well, I make note that I am paying off my losing bet. You stayed. And it is a bet that I am so grateful for losing.”
Laurel slowly nodded. “That is true. I remember. But I was betting at one time that you would be married to another woman before Christmas. So, I suppose I technically lost it. And you never really agreed to it. So, it cancels out. Neither of us won.”
Jaxson shook his head, his gaze warm on hers. “I beg to differ. I have married the lady of my dreams and she is staying right here in this cowboy’s arms. That makes me the winner of the jackpot.”
“I’ll agree to that if we just call it a draw. This lady is indeed right where I was always meant to be... home in Texas on the Aces High, with my cowboy.”
The End
