Epilogue
The church in Golden.
Emily squeezed Ben’s hand hard.
He turned his head and looked over at her.
“Now?” He mouthed the words conscious of the ceremony taking place.
She nodded vigorously, her lips pressed tight together.
He raised his gaze to the ceiling and shook his head.
“All right let’s go.”
Ben stood.
“Excuse me folks but I need Doc and Mrs. Martin to come with me. The rest of you can carry on.”
“Is it time?” asked Rory from where he stood in front of the reverend.
“Yes,” said Ben who helped Emily to walk down the aisle.
“Can you hurry this up, sir?” Rory asked of the reverend.
Reverend Jacobson just smiled.
“We’ve got time, Rory,” said Reverend Jacobson gently. “These things take a while. Now where were we? Oh, yes. Do you Rory Schroder take this woman, Alexandra Grayson, to be your lawful wedded…”
Emily didn’t hear the rest of the ceremony as Ben swept her into his arms and carried her to the carriage.
“Take her down to my office,” said Doc Martin as he clamored into the back of the carriage after helping his wife in.
Ben got in next to Emily.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“No, I’m not all right. This hurts. Never again.”
She blew out small breaths, as she breathed through the pain. Her hand under her stomach, seemed to help as did leaning forward.
“You better get used to having one child, because I’m never doing this again. Ahhh.”
“It’ll be fine, son,” said Mrs. Martin from the back seat. “They all say that, but she’ll forget the pain when she has the baby in her arms. Trust me.”
Ben flicked the reins and the buggy started moving. He repeated the motion again and again.
Each time the buggy jolted forward a bit, Emily moaned and held her stomach.
Finally, the horses had galloped the mile or so from the church to Doc’s office.
“Whoa.” Ben braced against the footboard and pulled back hard on the reins. “Whoa, boys. We’re here.”
Doc Martin jumped down with the agility of a man of thirty rather than sixty and then helped his wife out.
Ben came around to Emily and aided her to the ground before sweeping her back into his arms and carrying her inside the doctor’s clinic.
He followed the doctor and got her settled onto the bed in the first room.
The clinic in Golden was the most modern anywhere in the area.
The town fathers had built it in the hope of attracting a doctor to the town and had been successful.
Doctor Martin had answered the advertisement immediately after the ad came out in the Rocky Mountain News.
The clinic boasted three examination rooms and one surgery. There was an office for the doctor and a waiting room with a desk for a secretary or nurse. The waiting room had chairs for six people to sit while they waited for their turn with the doctor.
“Let me check you now, Emily. How long have you been having contractions?”
“Since dinner last night. Well, just after dinner, when my water broke.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” asked Ben.
“Because you wouldn’t have let me go to Rory’s wedding and I wanted to go.”
“Dang right I wouldn’t have. You’d have stayed home in bed where you should have been.”
“You two stop arguing. This baby may be here quicker than we thought. Ben go out to the waiting room. I’ll come get you when the baby’s here,” said Mrs. Martin.
Ben bent down and kissed Emily.
“I love you.”
She nodded and closed her eyes as pain gripped her.
Mrs. Martin pointed at the door.
“Out. Now, Ben.”
“All right.” He turned back to Emily. “I’ll be right outside.”
The pain passed and she smiled up at him. “We’ll see you soon.”
About thirty minutes after Ben had gone to the waiting room, Rory, Alexandra, Jane, Curt and the kids showed up.
“Well, are you two hitched now?”
Ben extended his hand to Rory.
Smiling, Rory took Ben’s hand and shook it firmly.
“We are. Turns out it was a good thing you didn’t stand up with me.” He jutted his chin toward the examination rooms. “How is she?”
“I don’t know. They threw me out a half hour ago.”
“Might as well sit down and wait. It’s going to be a while before the little one makes its debut,” said Jane.
“I’d agree with you if Emily hadn’t told the doctor she’d been having pains since her water broke last night.”
“Last night! Goodness, she could have the baby at any time then,” said Jane, her hand at her throat.
“I know. That’s why the doctor sent me out. I was just getting in the way in there.” He turned to his pretty new sister-in-law, with her bright red hair, freckles and spectacles. “So Alexandra, how do you like married life so far?”
“I’d have to say it’s exciting.”
Ben ran a hand around the back of his neck.
“Not usually so much, believe me.”
An hour and a half later, Mrs. Martin appeared.
“Ben, we’re ready for you now.”
“What do we have?” he asked her.
“You’ll see. Come on back now. The rest of you wait until you’re called.”
Ben followed her back and when he saw his wife, he smiled.
She was sitting up in the bed, a small bundle on her lap.
He approached the bed.
“How are you?”
Emily smiled up at him.
“I’m perfect and so is our son.”
“A boy.”
He looked down at the baby in her lap.
She quickly unwrapped the child, which the baby took exception to and began to cry.
Emily grinned down at the baby.
“He doesn’t like being naked in the cool air.”
Ben smiled as his son clenched his fists and kicked with his feet.
“It won’t be for long. He’ll be fine.”
After they’d both counted his fingers and toes, Ben ran his hand over the downy bit of blond hair, just like his mother.
Emily swaddled the baby.
“What shall we name him?”
Ben shook his head.
“I don’t know. We just never seemed to have the right time to discuss it.”
She took the baby up into her arms.
“I’ve been thinking we should name him after your father. I think he’d be very proud of you—the way you’ve run the ranch, took in Rory and gave him a full share, took care of you mother for as long as you could, and even that you married me instead of Melissa.”
“I think Joseph would be nice. I’m sure Dad would like it.”
“And for his middle name, yours. I don’t have any idea of my parents names, so it is logical that he be named after his father. He’ll be Joseph Benjamin Logan.”
“I like it.”
He bent and kissed his son’s tiny head, the fresh scent of newborn babe wafted up to him.
The baby wrinkled his nose.
Ben laughed.
“Are you ready for visitors? The rest of the family is here.”
She nodded. “Of course. He especially needs to meet his Uncle Rory and Aunt Alexandra. After all they will be sharing our home.”
“Yes, they will. Let me hold him, please.”
“Of course.”
She handed little Joseph to his father.
Ben kissed the baby again and then leaned down and kissed Emily.
She leaned back on the pillows stacked behind her.
“Did you ever think that all the things that happened to us this past year would happen? Did you ever think you’d fall in love with me?”
He shook his head at his stupidity.
“How could I have predicted all those events, except one? How could I not fall in love with you? I think it happened as soon as I saw you, but I was too stubborn to admit it.”
She smiled up at him.
“I’m glad you finally came around. I love you, Ben Logan.”
He placed his lips upon hers and kissed her gently, reverently.
A more beautiful sight he’d never seen as he looked down at his wife and his son. His chest puffed up as he realized he’d achieved his dream. He had his family. The one he’d dreamed of having.
“Thank you for my son, Emily Logan, and I love you very much. Forever and a day.”
She smiled up at him. “Forever and a day.”