Texas Haven (26 page)
Burke came charging out of the house, scooped Annie up into his strong arms, and put her into the car. He looked
shaken
. She wished she could tell him it was going to be all right
, but
there was no way to know for sure.
“
Hang in there babe, I
’
ll get you there,
”
he said trying to reassure her.
My hero
,
she thought. Another sharp pain sliced through her middle.
“
I don
’
t want to worry you
, but
I need to get there
n
ow
!
”
she cried out as yet another contraction happened.
By the time they arrived at the hospital
,
Annie was working on her breathing exercises
—
pant, pant, breathe. The Lamaze class mentioned thinking about a happy place. Right now, she wanted to grab her instructor around the neck and tell her that there
was
no such thing as a
happy place! There w
ere
only places filled with labor pains.
She was wheeled to her room and immediately the nurse helped her change into a hospital gown. She was told that the doctor would be right in.
This time she screamed as another sharp pain rolled through her.
“
Burke! I need Burke!
”
The on call doctor came in and told her that Burke was getting a gown on for the delivery room.
“
You
’
re progressing rather quickly. I
’
m Doctor Potter. Don
’
t you worry about a thing, were going to wheel you in now.
”
It was a whirlwind of activity. She pushed
and pushed. Finally, when she thought she couldn’t take it
anymore
the baby was born.
Annie could see Burke looking worried.
“
Is something wrong with the baby?
”
she anxiously asked as she tried to sit up.
“
We need to take care of you, lay back down
,
”
t
he
d
octor explained.
Tears were pouring out her eyes as she waited for an answer. She prayed and prayed. What if something was wrong? Was the baby all right? It seemed to take forever
, but
finally she heard the baby
’
s cry. She cried out in relief.
“
Burke?
”
He came to her side in his yellow hospital gown, reached over, and kissed her.
“
He
’
s perfect, just perfect.
”
The nurse put the baby in her arms. Annie
’
s heart expanded right then and there. He was beautiful with a touch of red hair on his head. The love, the instant bound took her by surprise. Smiling at Burke her eyes misted.
“
We are so blessed.
”
Burke put his finger in his son
’
s hand and watched him grab hold of it.
“
We are. We really are.”
Chapter Thirteen
Now Annie knew that the calm serene feeling she had right before her son
’
s birth must have been some sort of sign from God. She
’
d never know
n
such joy, such bliss. They had decided to name him Seth. It was an old Dawson name. They drove up to the house, which Burke had lovingly dubbed Dawson
’
s Haven after he learned of all the strays that she had surrounded herself with.
The house welcomed her home
.
S
he could feel it. The roses swayed back and forth in the light Texas breeze. This was her home and she loved it. They would make wonderful memories here together. They would raise their family here and prosper.
Mrs. Harvey was standing on the porch, waiting
, but
she quickly ran toward the truck
as it pulled up
. Opening the passenger door, she gave Annie a quick going over and then laid her eyes on the baby.
“
Oh he
’
s beautiful!
”
S
he took a tissue out of her apron pocket to dry her tears.
Annie smiled at her friend.
“
Yes he is. Let
’
s get him into the house.
”
“
Of course,
”
Mrs. Harvy agreed as she stepped out of the way so that Burke could help both Annie and the baby out of the truck.
Annie had been worried that there would be many people at the house
, but
only Sherry and Ted were there. They immediately admired the baby.
Burke settled Annie on the couch and kissed her. He handed her the baby and stood back looking proud. He was going to be a great father
.
S
he just knew it.
“
You just wait a few months and you
’
ll have yours,
”
Annie told Sherry.
“
I can
’
t wait! Just imagine our children will play together and grow up together.
”
Sherry
’
s hands immediately went to her blossoming middle.
“
I can
’
t wait. Seth is such a doll! I
’
m so glad he
’
s okay. When I heard that you went so early, well I
’
m just grateful.
”
“
So are we,
”
Burke said.
“
I can see you
’
re tired and this one needs to put her feet up. Congratulations to you both!
”
Ted said
,
pulling Sherry along.
“
I
’
ll be back soon so we can visit,
”
Sherry said as she was led out the door.
“
Mmmm
,
I have you two all to myself,
”
Burke murmured. He sat on the edge of the couch. Annie could feel his intense perusal and it gave her a warm tingly feeling. She felt as though she was going to bust
.
S
he was so filled with joy.
“
Okay! Now let
’
s figure out the schedule and
,
well
,
there is a lot to talk about. So many things. For example, there is the bathing schedule, the feeding schedule
,
the stroller schedule. I know there must be more to plan
,
”
Mrs. Harvy said excitedly.
“
I also heard somewhere that you have to sign up for preschool as soon as the baby is born. The cleaning schedule will have to be changed. I can
’
t vacuum while the baby is sleeping. Oh my
,
there is just so much!
”
Annie laughed.
“
I think the way it works is that we plan around what Seth does. At least for the first month or so.
”
“
The men will have to tread lightly. Maybe we should come up with some sort of signal to let them know to keep it down
because
the baby is sleeping. Hmmm
,
well, I
’
ll think of something. Don
’
t fret about it.
”
Seth began to cry and Annie felt the milk let down in her breasts.
“
Sounds like someone is hungry.
”
“
I
’
ll give you some privacy
,
then,
”
Mrs. Harvy said a bit reluctantly.
“
So much to plan. Why didn
’
t we think of these things before little Seth was born?
”
Laughing as she opened her blouse
,
Annie looked at Burke.
“
I think that I
’
m going to have more help than I need.
”
“
Perhaps,
”
he said as he handed her their son.
“
I wonder how the men will feel about the quiet signal
?
”
“
Don
’
t worry
,
it
’
ll be business as usual. They said at the classes I took that a little noise is good.
”
It embarrassed her at first to have Burke watch, but he seemed so amazed by the whole process that her embarrassment quickly waned.
“
I
’
ve never seen anything so beautiful in my entire life,
”
Burke told her in awe.
Annie smiled.
“
Well, be ready to be awed many times a day plus a few times at night,
”
she teased.
“
You give me so much joy. I love you
,
Annie, you are a strong courageous, smart, loving
woman,
and I
’
m so proud that you are my wife.
”
The look in his eyes almost made her cry. He was so sincere. He gave her what he promised
—
he gave her happiness.
“
Seth is going to be as handsome as you.
”
Burke smiled and watched as she finished feeding Seth. He
even
looked amazed when she changed his diaper.
“
I
’
m so thankful for what we have together. Look at this miracle of ours. He
’
s a symbol of our love.
”
“
Your sweet words are working wonders
,
C
owboy,
”
she teased.
Annie had never felt so content, so
happy,
or so complete in her life. Later that night after they got Seth to sleep
,
she wanted to take a short walk to see the horses.
They walked together in the moonlight
,
holding hands. The sky was awash with sparkling stars and the breeze felt wonderful. It was hard to believe that she was a Texan now. Who would have believed
it
? It had been a wonderful day with Seth and Burke. Annie didn
’
t remember ever smiling so much before.
Stopping at the corral, Burke turned her and cupped her face gently in his big hands. He looked into her eyes and then he gently kissed her. He took her into his strong, loving arms pulling her as close as she could get. Tears pricked the back of her eyes as she hugged him back.
She had done it. She had won this hardheaded
c
owboy
’
s heart. He was her husband, her heart
,
and her haven.
*
THE END
*
About The Author
Kathleen Ball can easily read a book a day. She loves any type of Romance novel, especially Western Romances. Kathleen lives in Fort Worth, Texas with her wonderful husband. She has one son a Marine. Originally, from Rochester, New York, Kathleen finds Texas culture amazing. The more she immerses in it the more she likes it.
You can find updates on all of Kathleen's novels, releases and current works in progress at www.kathleenballromance.com
