Nellie (The Brides of San Francisco Book 1) (24 page)

Nellie got tears in her eyes and she gazed at him with a wide smile. “You said our baby.”

“It is our baby. Yours and mine.”

“Yes, but you could’ve said her baby or my baby but you said our baby.”

“Nellie, I think you’re a little crazy right now. That’s okay.” He patted her hand. “You can be as crazy as you want.”

“Blake, it hurts.” She held her stomach and he kept his arm around her shoulders.

He tapped on the top of the carriage and opened the little flap there that let him speak to the driver. “Hurry Otis or we’re going to have the baby in here.”

“Yes, sir”

Blake heard the crack of the whip over the horses’ rumps.

Nellie sat there wide-eyed, a hand rubbing her rounded stomach. “It’s alright we have time. It took hours before either Henry or Violet was born. We don’t have to hurry…”

“What’s wrong? Nellie?”

Her eyes widened and she gasped. “My water broke. I’m sitting on a wet dress. It’s going to be ruined. You can’t get that out. This baby may be coming a little quicker than I thought.”

“Doesn’t matter, you won’t wear this dress again anyway. If you like it that much, we’ll have another one made.”

Blake looked out the window then back at Nellie. He began tapping his foot, and then he looked out the window again.

“Stop that and talk to me, Blake. Take my mind off of the contractions.”

He stopped tapping his foot. “What do you want to talk about?”

“Tell me how the amusement park is proceeding.”

Glad of any reason to take his mind off the impending arrival of his child, he talked and talked, while she grimaced every few minutes or so.

“It’s going well, we should be able to open next week. We built south of town, right on the water. There are games of chance and a house of fun. It’s full of mirrors of different shapes and sizes. You look fat in one, skinny in another, short in one, tall in another. And there’s a barrel roll, where huge barrels, barrels so big you can stand in them, well one spins this way and the next spins the other,” he used hands to show the spinning barrels. “And you have to walk through them. These are just a few things in the House of Fun. There are several carousels, and a huge picnic area where families can come and be by the beach and still have tables and chairs or benches to sit on. They can picnic and play and ride all in one place. I think it’s going to be a hit.”

“That’s wonderful.” She panted through the new pain that hit.

“Nellie, you listen to me.” He squeezed her shoulders. “You will not have this baby in the carriage. You will wait until we get home and have this baby properly.”

Frowning, she looked up and grimaced. “I’ll do my best dear, but I have fast births once my water breaks.”

The carriage pulled to a halt and Blake jumped out.

Nellie stood and bent to get out the door. “Ohh, Blake.”

Blake helped her down and then scooped her up as though she didn’t weigh as much as a whale.

“Will you make it to the bedroom, or do you need somewhere closer?”

She grimaced. “The bedroom if you hurry. My bedroom. I don’t want our bed messed up. After the baby comes, you can move me in there.”

“As you wish.”

He ran up the stairs two at a time and then ran down the hall, all the while carrying Nellie. He burst through the door to her bedroom and stood her next to the bed. “Bertha,” he yelled.

“Hang on while I get you out of these clothes.”

His fingers flew over her buttons. She hadn’t worn a corset, just a chemise and pantaloons. No crinoline either, the garment was too uncomfortable. When she stood there naked, he turned down the bedding and stooped to pick her up.

“Get me a nightgown first but not the black one.”

He chuckled. “Don’t want Doc Walsh, seeing that one myself.”

“Make sure it has buttons down the front.”

He got one of her cotton gowns, the ones she no longer wore. Blake had broken her of that habit and she slept naked next to him now.

When she was satisfied, he picked her up and laid her on the bed. Then he pulled the covers up and over her.

“Just the sheet, for modesty only. Doc Walsh is going to pull it all down anyway.”

“Just so,” said the doctor from the doorway. “So, you’re ready to have this baby are you, Nellie?”

“More than ready, doctor. More than re…owww.” A pain hit her and she wanted to push. “It’s coming doc, better hurry,” she panted through the pain.

“Blake, you go into the other room, please.” As soon as Blake was gone, the doctor said, “Okay, let’s have a look now.” Doc raised the end of the sheet to her knees, pushed her nightgown up and over her knees to her thighs. “The baby is crowning. Lucky I didn’t get here any later or Blake would be catching this little one. Nellie, I need you to push, hard.”

“Errrr,” she pushed, harder than she ever had before. Then she stopped and panted.

She did that several more times, always hoping it would be the last one.

“One more time, now. Almost here, just one more big push.”

Nellie nodded, took a deep breath, and pushed for all she was worth.

“There we go, that’s a good girl, Nellie. He’s beautiful.”

The doctor took the baby held him by his feet and swatted his butt. The baby let out a yell.

“I heard a baby cry,” said Blake crashing open the sitting room door. “Do we have a child?”

“Yes, come in Blake. You’re wife is a amazing. She’s fine and your son is fine. Good healthy set of lungs he has.” Doc handed the baby to Bertha to clean up. She washed the small one, then put on a diaper and wrapped him tightly in a small blanket, not a whole lot bigger than one of his diapers.

Blake went to Nellie and kissed her on the forehead. “You did great, my love. We have another son.”

Doc Walsh came over with the baby cleaned up and swaddled tightly.

“Here is the little Master Malone. Any idea what you’re going to name him?”

Nellie took the baby in her arms. She ran a finger over his face, leaned down and smelled his hair, taking in his baby scent. Then she unwrapped him and together she and Blake counted his fingers and toes. She rubbed his belly with her hand, careful of his umbilical cord.

“He’s perfect,” they said together, gazing at each other with goofy grins and then Nellie laughed and so did Blake.

“In answer to your question, Doc, we haven’t talked about it,” said Nellie. She looked up at Blake. “But I thought we could name him after you. Blake Malone II.”

“I don’t want to name him after me and my other children think he’s special. I want them to treat him like just another brother. Henry wants to name him Daniel. Daniel Malone. What do you think?”

“Is that what you want, Daniel Malone?” Nellie gazed up at her husband. He was so handsome. His black hair had a sprinkling of gray at the temples. No one even noticed it but her.

“Yes, I do.”

“Then that is what we’ll call him,” she said. “Looks like he’s going to have black hair and I bet gray eyes.”

“I don’t know about the eyes,” said Doc, “But he has the black hair.”

Blake went to the doctor, shook his hand and gave the man a twenty-dollar gold piece.

“Thanks, Doc. Have your office send me the regular bill. That is just a present.”

Doc said, “Well, I believe my work is done here. Bertha and I will leave you three alone for a while.”

“Thanks, Doc,” said Blake and Nellie in unison.

After the doctor left and they were alone with Daniel, Nellie said, “Blake, help me unbutton my gown. I need to feed him.”

He opened the front of her nightgown and she bared her breast. Then he sat on the bed next to her and watched her bring the baby to her nipple. The little mite, latched on with a little coaxing from Nellie.

She closed her eyes and grimaced a bit.

“Nellie what’s wrong?”

She looked up at her beloved husband, smiled and said, “Nothing’s wrong. Nursing is just uncomfortable the first few times. Until my nipple gets used to it, the suckling can be painful.”

He smiled. “I should have worked harder to make sure it was ready for our son.”

“You did fine. It’s always this way. It won’t hurt after a couple of days, but it’s important that he suckle right away.”

“When will you be ready for the children and staff to come in?”

“The kids can come in as soon as he finishes eating. The staff after that.”

Blake leaned over and gave her a kiss on the forehead and when she turned her head to look at him, he kissed her full on the lips.

“What was that for?” she asked, a smile playing at her lips.

“For being my wife and making me the luckiest man on earth. For giving me a wonderful family, more than I could ever have asked for, for giving me a new son to love.” He teared up. “For being you, Nellie Malone. Just for being you. I don’t know what I would do if you weren’t in my life.”

“Well, you’ll never have to find out. I love you, Blake Malone, more each day.”

“And I you. Always. You are my love and my life.” He kissed her again and then touched his son.

Daniel nodded off to sleep but Nellie put him on to her diaper covered shoulder and burped him.

“You want to hold him?”

Blake hesitated for just a moment and then nodded.

Nellie handed Daniel to his father.

The baby was sucking his fist and staring up at Blake.

Blake cooed to the baby. “Hello, sweet little man. You are so small but your mommy and daddy love you very much.” He kissed the baby’s head. “His hair is so soft, heck, he’s soft all over.”

Watching them, Nellie chuckled. “Baby’s usually are.”

“Can we come in now?” called Henry from the door.

“Yes, come in and meet your brother.” Blake handed Daniel back to Nellie.

Henry pushed open the door and whooped. “A boy. Yes.”

Blake laughed. “Show a little enthusiasm, boy,” he teased.

The boy came close to the bed, gave his mother a kiss on the cheek and then looked down at his little brother. “He’s awfully small.”

“Lemme see,” said Violet, pulling on Blake’s pant leg. “Lemme see.”

With a laugh, Blake picked her up and held her so she could see Daniel.

“He’s all red and wrinkly,” she observed.

“He’ll grow into his skin. You looked the same way,” said Nellie. “Pretty soon he’ll be chubby and pretty, and you’ll want to play with him. He’ll get into your stuff and generally drive you crazy, but you’ll love him anyway. That’s just how it works, especially when you’re a big sister. Are you ready for that, Violet?”

“Yup. I’m ready. I be a good big sister. Just like Henry. We’ll be bestest friends and me and Henry will show him all the best places to hide and how to play and how to get Cook to give you cookies and everythin’.”

“You kids are going to be the best brother and sister this little one will ever have,” said Blake.

“We’re the only brother and sister he’ll have,” said Henry, wisely.

“Until we have another baby,” said Nellie.

Wide-eyed, Blake looked down at her. “We just got this one, and you’re already planning on the next one.”

“Uh-huh.” The blush of motherhood filled her and her love warmed her heart. “I want lots of babies with you, but if we never have any more, I’m fine with that, too. I just want to love you.”

“And I you. Thank you for being my mail-order bride. My life has done nothing but get better since you came.”

“Mine, too, my love.” She smiled. “My life became complete with you. Only with you.”

Blake leaned down and gave her another kiss.

“I love you,” he whispered.

Her throat tightened but Nellie grinned at her loving husband. “I know.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cynthia Woolf is the award winning and best-selling author of nine historical western romance books and one short story with more books on the way. She was born in Denver, Colorado and raised in the mountains west of Golden. She spent her early years running wild around the mountain side with her friends.

Their closest neighbor was one quarter of a mile away, so her little brother was her playmate and her best friend. That fierce friendship lasted until his death in 2006.

Cynthia was and is an avid reader. Her mother was a librarian and brought new books home each week. This is where young Cynthia first got the storytelling bug. She wrote her first story at the age of ten. A romance about a little boy she liked at the time.

Cynthia loves writing and reading romance. Her first western romance Tame A Wild Heart, was inspired by the story her mother told her of meeting Cynthia’s father on a ranch in Creede, Colorado. Although Tame A Wild Heart takes place in Creede that is the only similarity between the stories. Her father was a cowboy not a bounty hunter and her mother was a nursemaid (called a nanny now) not the ranch owner.

Cynthia credits her wonderfully supportive husband Jim and the great friends she’s made at CRW for saving her sanity and allowing her to explore her creativity.