Epilogue
Maddy
Three years later.
“You don’t need to pretend it doesn’t hurt, it’s okay, Maddy.”
I shook my head. “I’m not pretending,” I replied, as I pretended the pain wasn’t tearing through my entire body. I kept my expression neutral but knew my cheeks were going red from the effort and a small squeak slipped out of me.
“Dammit, Tough Girl,” Leo groaned and wiped a damp cloth over my dripping forehead once more. “Do you need anything?”
“I just need you to keep doing that,” I responded, squeezing his free hand with all my might.
“I know this is tough for you, but I didn’t realize how tough it was going to be to watch you do this,” he dropped his head.
“Hey,” I said, lifting his chin. “It’ll be so worth it. And we’ve both been through worse.”
He snorted. “My punctured lung was not worse than this!”
My mind flashed back to the moment I saw it happen and I almost disagreed with him. Then another contraction hit and I changed my mind.
Yep, this was totally worse.
Leo had ridden for another two years after his injury and didn’t let it hold him back or make him any more cautious.
He wanted to see out his career at full throttle before his body decided it could no longer cope with the pace and physical requirements.
After two years Frank retired and six months later, Leo transitioned into coaching.
He said if Frank couldn’t be his coach then he didn’t want anyone else.
Now Leo taught some of the younger bull riders, wanting to work with a rider all the way through their career so he could be there for it all, the highs and the lows, the way Frank and Daddy were with him.
He had also taken Tilly under his wing, mainly at her insistence. He wasn’t sure at first about her riding. But after watching her a few times, seeing her fearlessness and the intuition she had around bulls forced him to reconsider.
Unfortunately, not everyone was happy about it. Leo and Kat had more than a few disagreements about what she should be doing; getting a college education, or getting straight onto the professional bull riding circuit while she was young enough, talented enough and hungry enough for the wins.
Tilly ended up surprising us all, doing a one-eighty and declaring she was going off to college.
No one could figure out the reason she was suddenly desperate to leave town.
I had a sneaking suspicion it had something to do with the fact that Tori and Max’s one night stand had resulted in a pregnancy, now they were living together.
Leo trained Tilly whenever she came home for a visit to get her ready to hit the ground running when the time came.
She was tenacious alright. She was tough and aggressive, and both Mama and Daddy would be so proud of the way she handled herself.
She wasn’t the baby anymore now that she was twenty.
I was glad to see she would carry on our tradition of careers that would terrify parents.
“Hey Doc,” Leo called, his tone relieved, as the doctor entered the room.
“Hey folks. Let’s have a look, shall we?” Doctor Forster began to examine me. After a moment, she made a note on my chart and declared, “another hour or so should do it.”
“Another hour?” Leo exclaimed, his expression stricken.
I gotta say, I wasn’t happy about it either, but I had prepared mentally for what was to come.
“It’s okay,” I soothed, rubbing my hand down his tense arm.
“It’s not okay,” he replied.
“I know it’s hard, but labor can take a long time. Have some faith, your baby girl is coming,” Doctor Forster said and with that, left the room.
Leo turned to me, cupping my jaw and smoothing his thumb over my cheek.
“I’m so proud of you. You’re amazing, you know that.”
I pshed. “I’m only doing what women have done for centuries.”
“I don’t care. You’re doing it and I’m fucking proud. You want anything?”
“Our bed?” I groaned as another spring poked me in the back.
I was not enjoying the hospital mattress.
If I’d had my way, this baby would be coming into the world in my and Leo’s little cottage on the grounds at Redemption Ranch.
It had been built and we’d moved in six months ago.
There was nothing like waking up to the sound of birds in the morning, the cows lowing in nearby pastures and the horses neighing in the stables.
Both of us had grown up at that ranch and nowhere else felt like home.
However, as much as I wanted to have my baby there, I needed to make sure I had everything I needed in case anything went wrong.
Pregnancy had been hard; I hadn’t been able to do as much physically as I used to.
I’d had to step back at work which was tough when I passed the Lieutenants exam last year.
The promotion came with more paperwork than I liked but the responsibility of leading a team and taking control of the scene at any situation added a challenge that I relished.
I missed the thrill, but when the time came to get back to the action, I would be ready.
In the meantime, I would enjoy motherhood and watching my family grow.
Was I still terrified of losing loved ones? Yes.
Did my fear of losing my child keep me up at night? Sometimes, when I couldn’t shut out the noise.
But I didn’t let it stop me from living my life, for fulfilling my dreams with the man who knew me the most. My soulmate. And I couldn’t wait to give him the one thing he’d been craving his whole life; his happily ever after.
Leo chuckled. “You’re my favorite, you know?” he said, pressing a kiss to my forehead.
I leaned into that kiss, grinning wide “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Good.” I snuggled down all satisfied. “Because you’re mine, too.”
Forty-five minutes later, everything went crazy in the hospital room. I was officially in active labor. I was terrified and in a pain I never thought I’d experience. But I got through it all, because of him.
He stayed by my side for hours, wiping my brow, holding my hand, believing in me and murmuring words of encouragement the entire time. I don’t know what I did to deserve him, but I thanked all the stars in the sky that he was mine.
After another two hours, just when I thought I couldn’t possibly take anymore, little Amelia Valkner came into the world with a fierce battle cry and flailing fists that had me sob-laughing.
Yep, she was definitely our child.
The nurses took her away to clean her up and I tried to fight off the desperation to scream at them to bring me my daughter!
Finally, I was presented with the wriggling bundle.
I took her eagerly, peering down into her little scrunched up face, and already, I could see her dad’s features.
Her shock of blond hair and her nose mirrored his.
And was that a dimple? Gah, she was the spitting image of him.
And Leo, he hovered next to me, practically bouncing on his toes with excitement to meet her. His deep brown eyes shining with unshed tears as I lifted her into his arms and said the words that I knew would mean the world to him.
“Congratulations Cowboy, you’re officially a daddy…”
The End.
Keep your eyes peeled for more of my Cowgirls coming next year – can you guess who’s story is next??