Love's Sweet Surrender (30 page)

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help her put on her shoes and stockings because she couldn’t reach her feet.

He loved helping her bathe. He'd wash her hair, scrub her back and even sometimes get in the tub with her. They would laugh and splash to the point that Carmen would cringe every time she heard them because she knew there would be water all over the floor. Each and every night he would hold her close to his side while their baby kicked against him.

The day came when Edward and Kathleen were to arrive by train.

Excitement hung thick in the air. Lily rose early that morning even though she and Carmen had been cleaning and preparing the house for days. The train was due to arrive around eleven, but she wanted to make sure everything was perfect.

When the time finally came to leave the house to pick them up, they all scrambled to the wagon with the children piling in the back and Seth and Lily in the front.

She stood for a moment and gripped her stomach with her hands.

“Are you all right, sweetheart?”

“I’m fine, Seth. Just a few pains here and there. Nothing to worry about.”

“Are you sure?” His concerned gaze raked her from head to toe before he helped her into the wagon seat. “This isn’t going to be too much for you, is it?”

“I wouldn’t miss this for anything,” she said, settling in the seat.

“I’ll take it slow then. We don’t want that baby coming before it is time.”

“Oh, stop worrying. It will be fine. This baby will come when he or she is good and ready and not before.” She rested her hand on his arm to reassure him, but she had begun to worry a bit herself. The pains had started earlier in the morning and hadn’t really let up as the day wore on. She wasn’t sure if it was time, so she bore the pain without saying anything to her husband to keep him from worrying.

When they reached town and pulled into the station, the children jumped from the back of the wagon, excited to see the train.

Seth checked his watch and said, “They must be running late. It should have been here by now.”

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“Could be. I don’t think they hardly ever run on time with the robberies happening so frequently,” she replied, resting her hand on her stomach while another pain moved across her belly.

When the train finally rolled into the station, the anxious passengers almost jumped from it while it was still moving.

“Something’s wrong, Lily. Let me see what I can find out. Stay here, all right?”

* * * *

Dread gripped his belly and clenched it tight. Seth walked near the engine while the people disembarked hurriedly.

The pale face of the engineer peered around the edge of the cab when Seth approached the train. “What happened, Sam?” Then Seth saw it. Blood.

Bright red blood splattered the walls and dripped from the metal floor. The body of the conductor lay sprawled across the metal grate.

“They attacked, Seth. They are blood-thirsty killers now. They’ve never killed before, but when Matt here tried to stop them, they shot him, shot him dead, they did.” Sam almost slipped down the steps while he struggled to get off the train.

“Damn it! This has to stop! Someone has got to find a way to stop this craziness. It’s not safe to travel at all these days.” Seth took Sam’s arm and helped him up onto the platform as the man wobbled against him.

“There was a passenger hurt in the back. Some man from back East.

You better check it out. I’ll be fine. Just let me rest here a minute.” Sam wearily sat down on a bench.

Seth hurried to the train in search of the wounded passenger.
God,
please don’t let it be Lily’s father.

“Seth!” Lily yelled, obviously frightened. “Come here. What’s happening? What’s going on?”

“It will be all right, sweetheart. The robbers got the train again and killed the conductor. Sam said there is a passenger hurt, too. I’m going to go aboard to see what I can find out. You wait here. I’ll be right back.” He tried to reassure her as he protectively touched her thigh in a caress.

“Be careful, please. I’m scared, Seth. I don’t see my parents.”

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“Just stay here. If they do come out, have them stay here with you. I'll be right back.”

He walked back toward the train to search for the hurt passenger and to search for Lily’s parents. Once he approached the train, he swung himself aboard and started walking between cars. When he reached the second-to-the-last passenger car, he saw a man and a woman sitting in the last row.

The woman stood over the man, crying hysterically. A streak of dirt lay smeared across her cheek, and her hat sat tilted on her head, barely covering the blonde hair beneath. Both of the passengers wore formal traveling attire that spoke of probably being from back East.

“Ma’am,” Seth said as he approached. The woman moved aside, and Seth could see the man propped against the wall with blood streaming down his face.

“Oh my! Can you help me, please? My husband, he’s dying!” The woman almost dissolved in a puddle on the floor as tears streamed down her face.

“Kathleen, please,” the injured gentleman pleaded. “I’m not dying.” The man held an embroidered handkerchief to the wound on his head.

“Are you Edward and Kathleen Backman?”

“Why yes, how did you know?”

“I’m Seth Sanford, Lily’s husband.”

“Pop?”

“Johnny. Run for the doctor, please,” Seth said once Johnny had reached them. “This man needs to be looked at.”

“Sure, Pop, I’ll be right back.” Johnny said before he ran back up the aisle.

“Seth? Lily’s husband?” Kathleen questioned.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Where’s Lily?”

“She’s in the wagon, ma’am. She’s been having pains all day, and I didn’t want her to get down." He raked his fingers through his hair. "Hell, I didn’t want her to even come to town with us, but she insisted she wouldn’t miss your arrival for anything, not even for the birth of our child.”

Lily had been trying to hide the pains from him, but he’d seen her wince and shift with each pain. He had been present for all three of his other Ebook piracy is stealing. It is a federal offense.

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children’s births, and he knew what to expect. He feared the baby would be coming any time.

Edward chuckled. “That’s my Lily, all right.” The older man tried to stand. “Help me up, son, and we’ll get off this blasted train.”

He helped Edward to his feet. “Would you care to tell me what happened?”

“Damn train robbers stopped the train and stripped everyone of their valuables. They didn’t like it when I wouldn’t turn over my wallet to them, so they pistol whipped me.”

* * * *

Lily sat stiffly in the wagon seat while she tried to look over the crowd gathering nearby. There was a lot of concern over the news of the death of the conductor and the passenger injured. She still couldn’t see her parents over the passengers' heads, and she began to panic.

Her face contorted with the pain ripping across her belly, and she panted, trying to relieve it. She closed her eyes and tried to relax until Seth returned.

The next sound she heard was her husband’s voice. “Lily, sweetheart?”

Her eyes popped open with a start. “Seth. Edward! Kathleen! My goodness. What happened?”

“He was pistol whipped by the train robbers,” Seth quickly answered.

“Are you all right?”

Seth took his father-in-law under the arm and moved toward the back of the wagon so he could sit until the doctor arrived.

“I’ll be fine, Seth. I just think we need to get home. I don’t think our son or daughter is going to wait much longer.” She grimaced when another pain rippled across her stomach and her knuckles turned white while she gripped the side of the wagon.

“Johnny, Jarod, Anne! Come now!” Seth yelled. “We need to go home immediately.” Lily heard the panic in his voice and so did the entire crowd as they turned to see what was going on. The doctor arrived, and Seth informed him of the probable impending birth.

“What’s wrong?” Kathleen asked, standing beside the wagon.

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“Lily is having birthing pains, and the baby will probably be here soon.

We need to go now.” The boys jumped into the back of the wagon, and he lifted Anne over the side. “We’ll have to come back for your trunks or have someone bring them out.”

“Of course, son, of course.” Edward scooted into the back of the wagon like he was born there, and the doctor helped Kathleen aboard.

“Doc, can you come out behind us and have someone at the livery deliver their trunks?” Seth asked, jumping into the driver’s seat. Without waiting for an answer, he flicked the reins, and the wagon lurched forward.

"Damn it, woman, stop trying to be so strong. I know you are in a lot of pain.”

“It’s not like there is anything you can do about it, Seth. It’s natural for women to have pain with birthing babies,” she whispered beside him, but she was getting worried too. The pains seemed to be coming very close together now.

“I knew I shouldn’t have you let you come.” He flicked the reins over the horses' backs, urging them faster. “This has been going on all day, hasn’t it?” Her eyes widened when she glanced at him. “Don’t look at me like that, Lily. I know everything there is to know about that beautiful body of yours so when something is not right, I’d know it.” Her face heated as a blush splashed across her cheeks.

“I’m sorry. I just didn’t want you to worry, and I didn’t want to miss Edward and Kathleen’s train.”

“I’m sorry too, sweetheart. I just didn’t think you really wanted to have our baby in the back of the wagon. I thought you’d much prefer our bed.”

Seth put his arm around her to pull her close, and she snuggled up next to him

“I do, but you’d better hurry.” She groaned and almost doubled over with the pain.

* * * *

I knew I shouldn’t have let her come.
The panic in her eyes struck a chord, and he yelled to the back of the wagon, “Hang on, everyone. We need to move faster.”

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The wagon rolled into the front yard of the ranch. Seth pulled the team to a halt, yelling for Carmen. She quickly came rushing from the house, sporting a worried look.

“What’s wrong, Mr. Seth?”

“It’s Lily.” Fear gripped his chest like a belt, getting tighter and tighter.

“I think the baby is coming. We need to get her in the house quickly. The doctor is coming, but I don’t know if we have time.”

He jumped down, ran around the wagon, and swept his wife into his arms and carried her into the house.

Once he reached the bedroom, he laid her softly on the bed.

“Sweetheart, we need to get you changed into your nightgown. Can you stand for a minute while I help you?”

“Seth, I’m having a baby, I’m not sick,” she grumbled and struggled to get off the bed. He held out his hand so she could pull herself into a sitting position. When she stood, a gush of liquid spilled from between her legs onto the floor, and Lily looked at it for a moment, completely in a daze.

“Well, I guess we’ll be having a baby, Miss Lily.” Carmen grabbed some linen to soak up the puddle on the floor. "You should wait out in the front, Mr. Seth."

He finally managed to get Lily into her nightgown even though she protested with every breath. He picked her back up and laid her on the bed, trying to help her to settle in a comfortable position when the pain came again. "I'm not going anywhere, Carmen. I was present for the others, and I'll be here with Lily through this one."

"But Mr. Seth…"

"I'm not leaving, and that's final."

"All right, but don't say I didn't tell you to."

“Carmen, are you sure this is it?” Seth pulled up a chair and sat next to the bed. He took Lily’s hand in his, stroking it with his thumb. “Isn’t it too early?” His shifted his gaze to Carmen’s across the room while she readied things for the coming birth.

“This baby is going to be born soon, Mr. Seth. Ain’t no stopping it now.”

He’d never been this frightened when Victoria had given birth, but with Lily, he was terrified he'd lose her.

“Where the hell is that doctor?”

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Carmen pulled the sheet up around Lily’s waist, and when she looked, she said, “No time for him. This baby is coming now.”

“Now?” Seth asked, and Lily gripped his hand so tight, he thought she’d broken his fingers.

“Yes. Move now. I’ve got work to do,” Carmen said as she got between Lily’s legs to help her birth their child.

Seth moved to make room for Carmen, shifting closer to Lily’s head, and he whispered to her when her face contorted again, “It will be all right, sweetheart. I love you.”

He wanted to take her mind off the pain, but it didn’t appear to be working very well when he heard her moan again.

“All right, Miss Lily. You must push now.”

She moaned and surged against the pain as he whispered softly in her ear. He couldn’t imagine the pain she bore, but it was tearing him up inside to watch her wiggle and squirm on the bed with each pain gripping her in its vice.

A desperate scream ripped from her throat just as the baby, wailing in a high-pitched cry, slid from her body. A tear slid down Seth's cheek when Carmen announced, “You have a little boy.”