Above Rubies (Rockland Ranch) (11 page)

             
Sometimes he left the ranch to work and one time he even had a helicopter out there flying him and Rob around looking at the snow covered countryside. Kit was more intrigued than ever. 

             
Even after several hours of research, she understood somewhat, but was sure she still hadn’t a clue what it was he did.  A few days later she had a chance to find out more.

             
She was doing her school work and could hear him working next door, but for the first time he didn’t sound very happy.  He was on and off the phone and she could hear his computer keyboard, and papers rustling.  Finally she heard him swear.

             
She was so surprised that she got up from her chair and went next door.  Hesitating at the threshold, she stood there and watched as he talked on the phone, then hung up to run his fingers through his already mussed hair.  When he saw her standing there, he turned and asked, “What?  You’re not ticked off at me too, are you?”  His obvious frustration, compared to his usual easy going charm, for some reason made her laugh out loud.  Once she got started she was having a hard time keeping a straight face and when she thought about him swearing, she laughed again.  He was a hoot when he was aggravated! 

             
At first, he just looked at her in disgust, but the worse he fussed, the more hilarious he was to her.  Finally, he cracked a sheepish smile and chuckled with her.  “It’s not really funny, you know!”  She cracked up again.  “I’m in a government bureaucracy quagmire and all you can do is laugh.”  He tried to make his tone severe.  “Just for that, you can get in here and help me.  Can you keyboard in your cast?”  She nodded, trying not to laugh again.  “Good.  I need you.  Have you got time to work for me for a while?”

             
She finally realized he was serious.  “Sure.  All I was going to do was go fold laundry.  Tell me what to do.”

             
He sat her at his computer to fill out an official report.  He explained what figures went where and said, “If there’s something you don’t understand just ask me.”

             
She went to work and he began pulling stacks of computer printouts, correlating them to several large maps spread out on the big central drafting table.  As he worked he scribbled notes.  Occasionally she asked him questions.  As she worked through the report, eventually he sat beside her with a monstrous calculator.  It had buttons she’d never dreamed of understanding and she’d never seen anything like it.  He calculated and penciled in figures for her to input and she entered it all. 

             
They worked that way side by side for a couple of hours.  Eventually Naomi came in carrying a box of crackers and said to Kit, “I wondered where you'd gone off to.”  She glanced at her son and laughed which sent Kit into the giggles again.

             
He looked at his mom. “Not you too!  Kit has already filled the ‘laugh at Rossen’ quota for the day.  She thinks this is funny!”  Naomi laughed again as she tried to smooth down his hair.

             
She sweetly asked, “Apparently you have government business today?  What report is it this time?  Or are we applying for some kind of permit?”  He began to grumble under his breath and both women went off into peals of laughter again. 

             
After a few more minutes of pestering him, Naomi left saying she’d hold lunch until they had time to eat.  Kit was grateful for the crackers.  It had been too long since breakfast and the nausea was threatening again.

             
It was after three o’clock when they finally finished the report and went to eat.  Walking down the hall beside him on the way to the kitchen, she realized she was going to be sick and told him to go on without her.  She tried to wait until he was into the kitchen, but she had to hurry.  She could tell by the look on his face when she finally made it in, that he knew she’d thrown up.

             
He came up to her and rubbed her shoulder and said, “I’m so sorry.”  He pulled her chair out to seat her.  “I completely forgot that you had to eat sooner.  You were such a great help to me and I made you sick.”  He pushed her soup over to her.  “Come on.  We’ll feed you quick and you’ll feel better.”

             
It didn’t exactly work that way.  She was ill the rest of the day and several times in the night and Naomi brought food to her right in bed to try and get a handle on it from the start of the day.

             
Rossen came in looking seriously penitent with a jar full of M&Ms to give her.  He looked down at her as she sat at the breakfast table still feeling slightly green.  “I’ve brought you a ‘please forgive me’ gift of chocolate.  Maybe this will work.” 

             
Naomi put pancakes and sausage in front of him and said, “Technically, M&Ms aren’t terribly nutritious food, but I guess they can be considered the fifth food group in a pinch.”  She winked at Kit.

             
Whether it was the M&Ms or not, something helped and she felt much better that day.

             
After that, Kit helped Rossen in his office more days than not.  He was doing the engineering and paperwork to drill another well on the ranch and it was a lengthy and in-depth process.  Kit didn’t always understand what she was working on, but she felt much more useful. 

A
t the end of two weeks when he came to her with a sizeable wad of cash, she thought he was nuts and said, “I’m living with you, and your family is paying all my bills.  This would be too much even if I wasn’t.  Don’t be silly.”

             
Rossen replied, “No Kit.  It’s not too much.  We’d have to pay someone this much anyway and you’ve caught on in record time and never make mistakes.  Not only that, we know we can trust you to work here in our home and that’s something that can’t be bought at any price.  Take the money.  It’s important that you have some of your own to get things you need or want, without having to ask for it every time.”  He pushed it into her hands.  “You’ve earned it Kit.  It wouldn’t be right not to pay you.  I’m sorry we can’t get you a bank account without some ID.  If you aren’t sure you can manage it well, take it to Slade.  He’s a financial wizard and handles money for several of us.” 

Again
, she was floored by the goodness and honesty of this family.  Back home, her foster parents had demanded she hand over the meager amount she'd earned at her job at the school, and made her work as a maid at their hotel without ever even mentioning pay.

                                                        ****

             
Her first prenatal appointment was that week and she was nervous about it.  She had no idea what it would entail and secretly worried she'd somehow injured the child inside her with her previous malnutrition.  Naomi took her into town and as they were sitting in the waiting room she patted Kit’s fidgety hands with her calm ones.

             
"There’s no need to be nervous.  She’ll probably just talk to you and measure your tummy.  Maybe some blood tests, but nothing too scary.  You’ll be fine.”

             
Kit was still glad when it was over and they could go home.  They'd determined she was about twenty weeks along and was due around the end of May.  They made another appointment for a couple of weeks out for an ultrasound, then sent her home saying everything looked good.

             
On the way out of town Naomi stopped and bought her some books about pregnancy.  One was a kind of reference book about what to expect and the other was a book of the most amazing photographs.  It was actual photos of developing fetuses in different stages of gestation, Kit was overjoyed with it.  Somehow the appointment and books helped her to understand much better what was happening and she began to look forward in anticipation instead of worrying about how she would manage.

             
She was in the great room on the couch looking through them that night when Rossen came through.  “What are you reading?”  He leaned to look over her shoulder.  “What is it?”

             
She answered, “That is a newly conceived fetus.  Look at this one!”  She turned over several pages.  “This one is about the same far along as I am.  Check this out!”  They stuck their heads together to study the tiny human being in the photo.  “It’s even got finger nails already!  And hair!  It’s only about ten and a half inches long, but is that cool or what?”

             
                                          ****

             
Naomi watched them pore over the book together as she made spaghetti and garlic bread.  A few minutes later when Slade and Isabel came in, all four of them studied the book in rapt amazement.  Naomi smiled as she bustled around her kitchen.  It was going to be really fun to be a Grandma and watch all of this unfold.

             
Isabel came into the kitchen to make a salad.  As she chopped she commented, “Those pictures are incredible!  I had no idea it was like that!” 

             
Naomi just smiled, thinking to herself.  “You’ll get an idea what it’s like soon enough.”

             
                                          ****

             
Slade and Isabel’s wedding was just another ten days away.  Kit had nothing dressy enough to wear and they didn’t want to brave the snowy roads all the way to Salt Lake City, so Isabel and Kit got on-line to shop.  She ended up with a sapphire blue dress that was almost floor length.  It was a princess cut that was flattering, but would hide her tummy somewhat.  She could no longer conceal her obvious pregnancy even under her big sweatshirts.

             
It was that evening she first felt her baby move inside her.  She’d been sitting cross legged on the couch in the dark, quietly playing her guitar and singing when she felt it.  At first it almost felt like her stomach growling, but then became unmistakably different.  When she realized what was happening, her guitar fell silent and her mind raced.  The fact of a small human being inside of her had never been so plainly manifest.  She sat deep in thought with her hand over her belly.

             
Over the past month she'd gone from constant worry about how she would survive with an unplanned pregnancy and all that it entailed, to looking forward to a precious new life with anticipation, and with sweet feelings of peace.  Rossen’s encouragement to picture joy and in some deep sense, coming to terms with the reality of a child combined, to fill her heart with a mother’s love and need to nurture and protect.

             
The next day, sitting in Rossen’s office at his computer, she felt it again.  She forgot what she was entering and put her hand to her tummy, hoping to feel more, this time thrilled with the life that was growing inside her own body.  It was an incredible thing!

             
                                          ****

             
He heard the abrupt end to her keyboarding and glanced over at her, as she slipped a slender brown hand over her rounded stomach, wonder on her face.  He understood she was feeling the baby inside and his own emotions somersaulted in reaction.  He tried to look away and focus on his work, but the mother and child across from him owned his concentration. 

             
He’d been doing better.  He’d thought he had.  They’d been working side by side most days comfortably, and she‘d been a huge help to him through this project.  What he’d thought was a lessening attraction, he now realized was just the fact that he wasn’t frustrated about her when she was right there with him.  Their friendship was so easy and comfortable he’d almost decided the overpowering interest would wane in time. 

             
What he was feeling now, watching her with her baby, was in no way a waning emotion.  He’d never imagined in his life this urge to take care of another person or persons.  His need to care for them was a primal instinct that left him completely at a loss as to how to deal with it.  And that frustration wasn’t even dealing with the fact that when she was close or when he watched her, she truly did make it hard to breathe.  He sat at his drafting table almost groaning to himself as he tried to tell himself over and over and over that she was only seventeen.  Finally, unable to even start to get his emotions under control, he set his work aside, quietly got up and went to his truck and drove home.

             
                                          ****

             
Slade heard Rossen’s truck pull into the garage and he was surprised.  Rossen had left early that morning planning to be gone all day and possibly into the evening to try to finish some sticky government project he and Kit were working on.  It was only late morning and Slade wondered what was up.  He wandered through the house after a few minutes and saw Rossen through the glass windows in the pool house, furiously slamming away at the speed bag.  He heard him out there for most of an hour, his speed intense at first, then eventually slowly winding down to an exhausted stop.  He went down into his room and Slade heard the shower start up.  Rossen never emerged from behind his closed door before Slade had to leave for an appointment.