Chapter 13
Reese
T he spring fundraiser had been a huge success so far.
I swore that most of the people in Crystal Fork were here at the fundraiser, and probably some from other areas as well.
It was crowded, but it had been such a fun day.
I loved arts and crafts, and I had a bagful of goodies stashed in the booth that Millie was overseeing.
“The auction is going to start soon,” I told Devon as we strolled around and looked at the items to be auctioned. “Have you had your fill of the food yet?”
I stroked my forefinger lightly over the beautiful turquoise and silver necklace.
I wasn’t going to get my hopes up, but I was hoping Devon was right and that I could put in the winning bid.
There were other incredible things to be auctioned off, including a beautiful painting of Millie’s, but the intricate necklace was the only thing I planned on bidding on.
“Never,” he said with a grin. “I’ll go back for dessert later.”
I wasn’t sure how he could even think about dessert after all of the food he’d eaten, but he’d worked pretty hard earlier in the day.
As things had wound down a little, Millie had waved us away to go enjoy the things the fundraiser had to offer.
Devon had immediately headed for the food booths, but we’d gotten around to most of the stalls after his hunger was satisfied.
We hadn’t really talked much about my offer of friends with benefits that I’d stupidly blurted out the day before.
Today, I still didn’t know what I’d been thinking.
Maybe it was the excitement of seeing him come home and that stunning welcome home kiss.
Maybe it was something Silas had said that had gotten me thinking.
Or…maybe I’d just had a change of heart.
I didn’t want to have regrets, and I’d never felt as close to a man as I did to Devon.
The chemistry between the two of us was almost palpable in the air around us whenever we were together.
I wanted to know what it would feel like to be with someone who cared about me and would probably make me shatter into a million pieces in bed.
I’d get that from Devon, and it would be a first for me.
I didn’t want to pass on the opportunity to feel that way.
I knew if I did, I’d probably regret it in the future.
I wasn’t a woman who threw caution to the wind, but if there was ever a man worth doing that for, I was looking at him right now.
Devon leaned down and grumbled beside my ear, “If you don’t stop looking at me like that, I’m going to kiss you right here in front of the entire town.”
“Like what?” I said with surprise.
He straightened up and lifted a cocky brow. “Like you’d like to have both of us naked right now with my head between your gorgeous legs. You were thinking about sex. Admit it.”
God, could he really read my thoughts that easily?
“You have lust on your mind, sweetheart. I can see it in your eyes, and I recognize that look because it’s the same way I look at you.”
Our gazes locked, and the intensity of his stare sent searing heat between my thighs. I didn’t know exactly what he was thinking, but I definitely knew it was carnal.
“You can’t kiss me in front of the entire town,” I said, tripping over the words.
“I can’t?” he said in a low, husky baritone. “Watch me. You did give me permission to touch you whenever I wanted. I want, Reese. I’ve been wanting since you strolled out of your apartment this morning in those jeans and that skimpy top.”
It was warm today, and since I knew I’d be doing physical work, I’d dressed appropriately.
I wouldn’t say the crop top I was wearing was skimpy, but my skinny jeans were form-fitting because they were older and had been washed repeatedly. The crop top was just short enough to see a tiny bit of skin when I moved.
Apparently, that was enough for Devon because he was looking at me like he was starving, and I was his entrée.
It was heady to have a man like Devon look at me like this.
I wondered how I’d never noticed the way that he looked at me before this very moment.
Silas had obviously noticed.
I’d probably been too caught up in fighting my own emotions to notice that he was feeling the same way I did.
“I’m going to end up taking you up on that deal. You know that, right?” he asked in a come-fuck-me voice that made me half crazy. “I’d like to be a better man and leave you alone so you can find your dream guy, but I’m actually a selfish asshole.”
My heart stuttered as I asked, “Are you? Please don’t feel pressured to—”
“Fuck! I don’t feel pressured,” he interrupted. “I feel like I’m going to lose it if I don’t get you into my bed. But this can’t be just friends with benefits for us. A hookup isn’t going to work for me. Not with you.”
I wanted to ask him what he meant, but my words were cut off as I saw the Chief Of Police jogging toward me waving his arms in the air.
“It’s Ralph,” I told Devon. “Something is wrong.”
He turned and watched as the older man approached us.
When he arrived, his expression was grim. “We need you, Reese,” he said in a troubled voice.
“What’s happening?” I asked.
“Gloria is in trouble. I think she’s in labor. Something’s not right. She’s at Millie’s booth. I’m sorry to do this—”
“Don’t be,’ I insisted as I hauled ass toward Millie’s booth with Ralph and Devon right behind me.
There was no doctor in Crystal Fork.
People drove to Billings for their healthcare.
“Gloria is having really bad contractions almost continuously,” Ralph told me as we ran. “Her husband said she’s had a previous precipitous labor if that means anything to you.”
“Shit!” I cursed. “Somebody needs to call an ambulance to get here from Billings as soon as possible.”
“I’m on it,” Ralph said as he pulled his phone out of his pocket.
I arrived at the booth to see a woman that was obviously in hard labor. She was on a pile of blankets behind that booth so that she was out of sight of onlookers.
Anna and Hannah were kneeling beside Gloria with what had to be her husband on the other side of the pregnant woman.
Millie was standing close by with a worried expression on her face.
“Ambulance is on the way,” Ralph yelled from the other side of the booth. “What else can I do?”
I looked up at him from the kneeling position between Gloria’s legs that I’d dropped into seconds ago.
I locked eyes with the Chief of Police and said, “I’m going to have to tell her.”
He nodded grimly.
“Can you get everyone out of the area right now,” I asked him abruptly.
I rattled off several things that I needed, and Ralph took off on a scavenger hunt to see what he could find.
“Gloria,” I called softly as I took her hand. “My name is Reese. I’m a women’s health nurse practitioner. Before that, I was a labor and delivery nurse. Can I take a look to see how you’re progressing?”
The woman looked relieved as she panted and nodded her head between contractions.
“Are you her husband?” I asked the man beside her.
“Yes, I’m Tim. I didn’t know this would happen. She’s only thirty-seven weeks. We were going to head to Billings to stay with family right after the fundraiser just to be safe. I barely got her to the hospital with our first child. She’s been having those false contractions on and off for a while now. The doctor said it was nothing to worry about. She didn’t even know she was in labor until her water broke. The contractions started coming hard and fast right after that. I was afraid we wouldn’t make it to the hospital before she delivered. I didn’t know what to do.”
Okay, now I understood why they weren’t immediately in a panic when she started having a few contractions. Braxton Hicks contractions weren’t that unusual. Gloria obviously hadn’t known that she was in labor when her contractions were first starting.
A woman who had experienced precipitous labor with a first child was more likely to have it happen a second time.
A precipitous labor was lightning fast and possibly life-threatening for both the mother and child if they didn’t have proper medical intervention.
The couple was smart to take precautions to stay in Billings for the last few weeks of her pregnancy.
Unfortunately, this little peanut obviously had a mind of their own.
“It’s not your fault,” I said soothingly as I lifted Gloria’s sundress to take a look at her progress. “Do you know if you’re having a boy or a girl?”
“Girl,” he answered, his eyes wide with fear.
I needed to calm this expectant father down.
Since her labor had gone so fast last time, he’d never really had a chance to be a delivery coach.
He was also probably worried because he’d been through a precipitous birth with his wife before.
Luckily, Gloria seemed calmer than he did right now.
I wished I had a bright light right now, but I didn’t need a spotlight to see what was happening.
Crap! She’s already fully dilated.
At the rate that she was progressing, this baby was going to be born right here in the park before the ambulance arrived.
We certainly couldn’t shove her in a car or even one of the Remington helicopters at this point.
This baby was coming now.
I’d worked in an office setting with an OB/GYN physician before I’d moved to Crystal Fork. I did a lot of prenatal care, but I’d never delivered a baby by myself. I wasn’t a midwife, so I wasn’t licensed to deliver a baby on my own. I’d assisted with a ton of high-risk deliveries when I’d been a labor and delivery nurse, but I’d only had one experience with a doctor not arriving before the delivery.
However, since there wasn’t a doctor in sight, I was all she had right now.
“Got what I could find,” Ralph said as he tossed some items to me and put a bottle of saline and antiseptic on the counter. “I’ll go look for more stuff. Kaleb and Tanner are helping me.”
All I could think was bless the townspeople in Crystal Fork.
Some of them had obviously had some medical supplies that they’d given up for a fellow citizen in distress.
The rubber gloves weren’t sterile, but they were better than nothing.
I quickly doused my hands, the gloves, and my forearms with the antiseptic before I pulled on the gloves.
This wasn’t going to be sterile by any means, but I wanted Gloria to be as clean as possible.
“Ralph!” I shouted before he was out of hearing range.
“Yeah!” he called back.
“How far out is that ambulance?”
There was silence for a moment before he answered. “ETA is about fourteen minutes.”
I took the pad that he’d brought and scooted it beneath Gloria.
“They aren’t going to make it in time, are they?” Hannah asked fearfully.
I glanced at Gloria’s progress and shook my head subtly.
“What can I do to help?” she questioned.
Since Hannah was fully versed in the childbirth procedure, I told her, “Stay calm and help keep Gloria calm. She’s crowning. You know what that means. Keep her relaxed and tell her not to push right now. Pant with her if you have to. You know the routine.”
Hannah nodded and brushed a lock of hair from Gloria’s head as she took her hand and helped her pant through her contraction. Anna tried to calm Gloria, too, and added her soothing voice to Hannah’s.
Tim tried to assist, but he looked like he was about to fall over himself.
The poor guy looked like he was in a full-blown panic attack.
“Tim?” I said softly.
He turned his wild eyes to mine.
“It’s going to be okay. Try to stay calm for Gloria. This will all be over soon. She needs you right now.”
He nodded slowly, and his panic seemed to calm a little as he realized he needed to be strong for his wife.
“You’re right,” he said as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. “I have to keep my shit together.”
“You’re doing fine,” I said soothingly. “It’s okay to be nervous, but the ambulance will be here in a few minutes. You’ll be seeing your baby girl shortly.”
He took a deep breath and let it out. “I’m never going to do this again. Two kids are enough.”
I smiled at him reassuringly before I snatched the bottle of saline from the counter and used it to get Gloria as clean as possible.
I’d kill for some betadine at the moment, but I was grateful for the items Ralph had gotten for me.
“Can I help with anything?” Millie questioned from behind me.
“I could really use a clean baby blanket or some towels. Preferably both,” I answered without taking my eyes off Gloria’s progress.
“I’ll find them,” Millie said determinedly before she left the booth.
I took a deep breath and let it out, knowing this baby was going to be here before anyone was ready for it.
I was just praying that whoever was driving that ambulance had a lead foot.