Samson and Sunset (48 page)

  After five weeks, I woke up nauseated.
This was the morning sickness I'd felt three times before in my
life. Well, I was off to see Doc Sam and he confirmed it: Shay and
I were having a baby. I knew that Shay was going to be ecstatic
with the news that, once again, he was spot on! I never felt
younger in my life. That man could take his boots off and I’d be
pregnant.

  Shay was out branding cattle, but I
just couldn't wait. I drove to the pasture, and I could see all the
guys out roping and branding. I sat in my car a while just to watch
Shay. I marveled at how he'd chase down a steer, rope it, and tie
it down while someone drove the brand into its hide. As I sat
there, my body started trembling at the sight of Shay in action. I
could feel the pulsating throb. What a deal! Here my body was
saying it needed Shay and he was out busy with the livestock. Maybe
this wasn't such a good idea…

  It didn't take long for Shay to spot
me and ride over to the car. I sat there looking up at him and
said, "Hey cowboy, how would you like to brand this little
filly?"

  Shay looked down at me, grinning. "I'd
love to brand you, babe, but you'll have to settle for a little
Shay Man love. Wait here a second." With that he gave me a quick,
sexy wink and rode back over to the ranch hands. He got off his
horse and handed the reins over to Joe. He took off his gloves as
he was walked back to my car and I could tell my Shay Man was as
turned on as I was. He opened the driver’s side door; I slid into
the passenger’s seat as he got in, and we were off! Driving down
the road, headed for our favorite spot by the lake.

  My Shay stopped the car right under a
big oak tree. He jumped out and walked around to my side, opening
my door and helping me out as usual. Ever since the first night I'd
met him, he would reach for my hand and hold it sturdily while I
climbed out of the car. I always thought that was so gallant. What
a guy! He left the car door open and put in an eight-track
tape—love songs by Lionel Richie, one of my favorites, he knew.

  The grass around the lake was lush and
green. Shay put his arms around me and swept me away in that Shay
hold I loved so well. He kissed me for about ten minutes and then
gently worked those magic fingers to the front of my shirt, opening
the buttons, moving as if in slow motion. It was so sensuous, so
tender, and one of the most fulfilling liaisons we’d ever had.
Every time was the best time with Shay.

  With every gentle stroke and thrust, I
felt more loved. Shay was whispering in my ear, "Babe, I love you
so much, I'm so glad you came out to the pasture, I was actually
thinking about you, and babe you know what that was doing to
me."

  "Well, Daddy, I came for a reason," I
said to him.

  It took a few seconds and then he
stopped, pulled his head back and braced himself on both hands,
push up style. "You just called me Daddy,” he grinned. “Does that
mean what I think it means, babe?"

  I looked into those warm, brown eyes
and smiled. "Yes, Daddy, you were spot on. I'm seven weeks
pregnant. You’re going to be a daddy again."

  "Well, King Shay rides again!" He
spent the rest of our lovemaking session showing me how happy he
was about the baby. As they say, actions speak louder than
words.

  After about two hours Shay went back
to work. We had decided we'd tell the kids that night.

  At supper, I said, "Well, Sterling,
Maggie, Mom, my little bambinos; Dad and I have something we want
to share with you.” I looked at Shay, who was beaming. “You tell
them, sweetie.”

  "Oh, how did I get so lucky to do the
honors?" Shay asked.

  "Enough already," Wes said, "just tell
us! Am I getting a new car? Something I can wrap my arms around
that will be my own special baby?”

  "Well, you got one word right in
there, son: baby. Yes, you can wrap your arms around it. In fact,
you can even babysit.” Shay stepped behind me and put his arms
around me. "Mom and I are having a baby. My princess is pregnant,"
Shay said with such pride. Then he gently turned me around to face
him and kissed me so sensually.

  Everyone was elated. Our little Patty
was so excited, she kept saying, "My own real baby sister or
brother! My very own! I'll babysit, Mom. I’ll take care of you like
I did when you were in the hospital. Oh, I just can't wait!”

  "When are you due, Kathrine?" my Mom
asked.

  "Around the middle of March," I said
as I winked at Shay.

  It was our secret, but we knew the
exact time Shay’s love had engulfed my body and produced that
special spark of life: the late afternoon of Patty Cake’s birthday
party, on June 16th, 1980. Shay had pinned me down in the circle
drive, tickling me and asking, "Who's the King?” We had conceived
this little life after Shay had carried me into our suite, with six
wide-eyed teens looking at us like we were two loony teenagers.

  I noticed how quiet Kelly was, and
then she excused herself from the table and went up to her room. I
looked at Shay, and he saw my concern. I excused myself for a
minute and went up to Kelly's room. I tapped on the door and, since
it was always open, I let myself in.

  "Kelly, sweetheart, what’s the matter?
Are you upset because of the new baby?" I sat down beside her on
the bed.

  "Oh no. I'm excited about the baby.”
She looked at me with concern in her eyes. “But, Mom, are you sure
you’re not too old to be pregnant?"

  "Kelly, darling, I'm only 38 years
old. Some people don't even have their first child until they’re
38."

  "But Mom, I remember when you were in
the hospital with the lump in your breast. I was so scared—I didn't
want to lose you. I couldn't lose you, Mommy. I couldn't handle
that. I’m scared something might happen to you!” Kelly had tears
running down her cheeks. I put my arms around her and rocked her
back and forth.

  I stayed with Kelly until I thought
she was feeling more secure about the pregnancy then I kissed her
forehead and asked if she felt better and wanted to go finish
supper. She nodded and we both went back down to the table with the
rest of the family.

  Shay kept looking at me while we
finished eating. I knew he was wondering what had upset Kelly. When
supper was over, the first thing he did was pull me into our suite
and ask what was wrong with Kelly.

  "Shay, she's happy about the baby, but
she thinks I might be too old to be pregnant and she's scared of
something going wrong. She's afraid she'll lose me," I told
him.

  “Could that happen?” he asked, a flash
of concern showing up in his eyes. “I never even thought about
that.” He took me in his arms and rocked me like a baby. “But
Callie, you’re so young!” We sat in silence for a few moments,
while he smoothed my hair back thoughtfully. “I don't want anything
to happen to you either, princess. Now you two have raised concerns
in my mind, so I'm going in to talk to Doc tomorrow.”

  "Shay, I'm going to be fine. Honestly,
I really am,” I assured him. “Think about it; we’ve done this so
many times before. We know the drill. It’s not like it’s my
first!”

  I know it was reassuring to Shay that
I wasn't worried, but, much to my surprise, he still went to Hudson
the next day to talk with Doc Sam. When Shay got home he was
delighted to tell me that Doc said I was in great shape and being
pregnant was probably a good thing for me, especially since he knew
my love for babies. We reassured Kelly and finally got that little
drama sorted out. I could see how thrilled Shay was—he did love me
pregnant.

  It was around the first of September
and the trucking business was going great. Shay really stayed on
top of it—plus he ran the whole Westover ranching operation. I’d
taken to calling him my man and a half. He always did more than one
man could do, but that was Shay. The next evening we were eating
supper and Shay got a phone call from one of his drivers, saying he
couldn't take a load to Missouri in the morning. It was a product
he had to get there, so—you got it—Shay said he'd take the load. I
was so heart- broken; sleeping without my Shay Man was torture. I
could ask if I could go along, but with Patty starting a new school
I knew I needed to be here at home to get her settled. It was so
important for Shay and me that she always felt safe in her new
family life. From the time we found her, for as long as we lived,
we were going to make her feel secure and loved.

  Shay left very early the next morning,
so I woke up with him to enjoy the last few minutes wrapped in the
warmth of my perfect husband's arms. He didn't pack much, he was
going to drive all day, sleep somewhere, and unload the next
morning. He'd pick up a back haul on return and be home the third
day. He always took his briefcase, so when he ate at a truck stop
he could do his logs and get some farmstead paperwork done. I
walked him to the truck. He pinned me to the trailer and kept
kissing me.

  I thought he'd never get this little
trip underway—the sooner out, the sooner back, I told him. Then I
watched the red metallic semi go down the “little road,” as we
called the driveway from the farmstead to the highway. He turned
left and then it was just me standing there with my eyes filled
with tears. Three nights without Shay, how could I handle that? I
went back in and tried to sleep a couple more hours. Well, that was
fruitless.

  It was the first day of school and
Kelly was driving. Wes was excited because he knew next year he'd
be 16 and be doing the driving every day. Patty was a little
shaken, but Kelly helped her pick out a great outfit, and having
her and Wes as her siblings, who were both very popular in school,
would help her adjust quite well. Everyone in the whole area knew
we had found our long lost, biological daughter who was switched at
birth. It took 13 years of searching and never giving up, but it
paid off when we found our little girl, our Patty Cake. Finally our
family was complete.

  Kelly told me not to worry about
Patty. She told me she and Wes would take good care of her. Patty
was the only one of the three who was crying when they left. She
hugged me so tight, saying, "Mommy, I'm going to miss you so much,
and I miss Daddy too. I wish he was home, but I'm going to do real
good, Mommy, and get good grades. You and Daddy are going to be so
proud of me." Wes got in the back, giving up shotgun for Patty. Now
that amazed me. When it came to family, Wes was a big softy, just
like Shay.

  That same morning Shay called around
11:00 am. He had just left, but I think he was already homesick,
and he wondered how the kids were dealing with getting ready for
their first day of school, namely Patty. I could hear him choke up
when I told him about her tears, and wishing Daddy was home. He
called again at 3:30 pm to see how their day went, and much to his
disappointment they weren't home from school yet. "You can call
later, darlin', when you stop for supper. Where are you going to
stop to fuel and eat?"

  "Well there's a little town,
Pesterville, Missouri. It's not a very big town—it's smaller than
Hudson. But they have a truck stop, so I'll probably stop there,
eat and sleep. It's only 50 miles up the road to my drop off.
Callie, I'll call after I eat,” said Shay. “I love you and miss you
so much, princess. I want to put my lips on that juicy body of
yours and devour it."

  "Shay, is this phone sex? ‘Cause I
think you could do me over the phone. You’re turning me on. So stop
with the sensual talk, you’re making my body pulsate—I'm getting
off the phone. I have kids due home very soon. I don't need to be
in this condition! I love you, Shay. You go to Pesterville and
pester someone there. Gee, what a ridiculous name for a town!” I
laughed.

  "Okay smart mouth,” said Shay, “you
think I'm in Hicksville, I get the message.” And with that we said
our goodbyes and finally hung up. We had a hard time getting off
the phone when we were talking to each other.

  The kids got home about 20 minutes
after Shay had called and were disappointed that they had missed
Dad. Their day was really fun according to them and they were lucky
enough to get all the classes they'd requested. I told them Dad was
going to call again during supper and they could all take turns
telling him about their big day.

  We sat down to eat at 5:00 pm to a
wonderful meal, but I was never able to eat when Shay wasn't
home—I'd get a lump in my throat. So I had some tea and orange
juice, and few sips of my soup. Everyone was having a fun time at
the table, chatting away to Grandma Marie and Hulda about their
day. I kept watching the clock and waiting for the phone to ring.
Supper was over and the kids asked me if I was sure Dad said he was
going to call at supper. "Yes, I'm sure," I said. The one thing
about Shay was his dependability.

  Bars

  Mom and I sat in the den, chatting,
having coffee and tea together. I told Mom I was concerned that
Shay hadn't called when he said he would. I didn’t mention the fact
that another woman had entered my mind. I knew she wouldn't
understand—Mom hadn’t seen how women
still
acted around
Shay. I know women, and believe me; they couldn’t keep their hands
off of my Shay Man. I hoped Shay remembered the promise he’d made
me that he would never step out on me again.

  Mom tried to reassure me, telling me
that things do come up. Sometimes you can't get to a phone when you
say you’re going to. I dreaded going to bed that night. Going to
bed without Shay was unbearable. I read for about half an hour,
finally turning out my light and trying to go to sleep. I had no
idea what time the phone rang. I know it was late. I grabbed it so
fast that I wrenched my back, flipping over to get to the phone.
Wow, I could hear my Shay Man's beautiful voice. "Callie, this is
Shay, I need you to
not
talk. You just shut and listen to
me," he said with authority.