The Baby Compromise

“I should tell you about my parents. Ma’s heart isn’t as good as it used to be. She doesn’t get around much anymore. And Pa had an accident three years ago.” He hated to even talk about it. He hero-worshipped his big father. Never saw him as old. Never expected to see him laid up and in pain. “He’s pretty crippled.”

Heidi leaned forward and whispered in Rebecca’s ear. He heard enough to guess she’d asked about Pa.

“I’m right here. You can ask me.” He lifted his arms and looked at them. “Unless I’ve become invisible.” He grabbed Rebecca’s hand in mock alarm. “I’m not, am I?”

Heidi giggled.

Rebecca’s eyes rounded and her mouth formed a rosebud.

He jerked his hand away. “Sorry.” He hadn’t meant to touch her, but despite the embarrassment between them, he didn’t regret it. He liked discovering the cool silk of her skin. “It’s just I got so scared thinking I’d disappeared.”

Heidi muffled another giggle. “You’re still here.”

“Oh, good. Then you can talk to me.”

She met his gaze, her brown eyes measuring him.

He let her look, hoped she saw that he liked her and didn’t think she was ugly.

“What happened to your pa?”

“You mean his accident?”

She nodded.

He snapped the reins and gave far more attention to the road than it required as he sorted his emotions from the facts. When he’d achieved a reasonable amount of success, he spoke. The emotions didn’t leave entirely, tightening his throat so his words sounded strangled. Perhaps the others wouldn’t notice.

“We were driving cattle and something spooked them.” That something had been Colton calling out a greeting to the neighbors passing by, including the family’s pretty daughter, who had caught his eye on more than one occasion. So he’d waved his hat and whooped loudly. At the same moment a deer bolted from the brush. Together, it was enough to send the herd of cows racing for the wide-open spaces. Pa had tried to turn them. Colton closed his eyes as he saw it all in slow motion, felt every agonizing heartbeat. Pa’s horse had fallen, tossing the man into the midst of the thundering hooves. By the time Colton got to him, he was barely alive. And wishing he wasn’t. “Pa got trampled in the stampede. He’s never recovered.”

Pa didn’t complain, but ever since then he could hardly walk and had never again ridden a horse. The man who had lived to ride. And every day Colton faced the reminder of his own stupidity. He had been no green kid. He had been twenty-five at the time. Old enough to have a few smarts stored up.

He felt Heidi and Rebecca watching him and pushed aside his regrets.

“Maybe they would like someone to help them.” Heidi sounded as if she might like to be the one to do so.

Colton could think of nothing better, but he was never certain how Ma would react, and with Pa...well, it kind of depended on how much pain he was in. But he didn’t know how to explain those details to Heidi, or Rebecca. “We have a fairly big house.”

He studied Rebecca. “Probably not what you’d think of as large, but there’ll be room for us all.”

She spent a few seconds studying the landscape, then looked at Colton. He saw the doubt in her eyes and wondered at the cause. But he didn’t have long to wonder.

“Will I have a private bedroom?”

Some perverse part of his brain made him answer, “You and Heidi could share with Ma. Her bed is... Well, I’m sure you’ll manage. She don’t snore too loud. I can barely hear her two rooms away.” It was all true.

Her eyes filled with horror.

“Pa can bunk with me if necessary. Though I might decide to sleep on the floor, rather than risk bumping him and causing him pain. But don’t worry. I’ve slept on the ground lots of times when I’m out with the herd. Or even just for fun. I’ll be fine. Just fine.” Again, still true.

Rebecca stared at him. She swallowed loudly and looked away. Her fingers plucked at a fold in her skirt. Faster and faster. She swallowed again and pushed her shoulder back, then faced him, determination branded on each of her features.

“Mr. Hayes, I fear I have misunderstood you. I don’t believe this arrangement will work.”

He laughed. He hooted. He tried to control his merriment, but every time he started to speak, chuckles rolled up and could not be contained.

She considered him. At first she was surprised, then confused. Then she grew concerned, no doubt wondering about the state of his mind. As he continued to laugh, she grew annoyed. “I fail to see what’s so funny.”

He held up a hand, signaling her to wait. “I’m trying—” He swallowed back a laugh. “Let me explain.”

“I think that would be a good idea.”

He nodded, stilled his chuckles, but couldn’t hold back a grin. “I was joshing.”

“About what?”

“About you and Heidi sleeping with Ma and me sleeping with Pa. We have two unused bedrooms. Pa built big. He said there was no point in being mean about the size of one’s house.”

Rebecca’s eyes narrowed.

“You and Heidi can each have a room if you want. Or you can share. You can have the baby in the room with you or I can keep him with me.” He waited for her reaction. She didn’t disappoint him.

“He’ll share a room with Heidi and me.”

“The offer is open if you change your mind.”

“I won’t.” She faced straight ahead.

He chuckled softly and repeatedly.

“You think it’s funny to play tricks on someone?”

“Hugely funny.”

The way she considered him, he wondered what she had in mind. But perhaps she only meant to inform him that she didn’t like his sense of humor. Or worse, maybe in her fancy life back East she was expected to be serious at all times. Now, wouldn’t that be a contrast to the informality of Evans Grove?

What a shame if she didn’t know how to laugh. But he’d soon teach her how.

Now, that was something to look forward to.

They turned down a laneway.

“We’re almost there.” He might have announced impending disaster the way Rebecca straightened and Heidi pressed into the back of her seat.

“Relax. They’re my ma and pa. You both know how nice I am. They’re every bit as nice.”

Rebecca snorted. “What an interesting concept.”

He simply grinned. Time enough to prove it.