Rocky Mountain Wedding (9 page)

“I'll put in the orders and we'll take a look at the lab results, then go from there.”

“Okay.” Relief pulled the knots out of her shoulders. She relaxed against the pillows, suddenly so exhausted.

Elsie squeezed her hand. “It's all precautionary, dear. Just to make sure. Isn't that right, Meg?”

“Yes. We want to make absolutely certain that the baby is one hundred percent healthy.” She backed toward the door. “Do you want me to call Sawyer?”

“No.” It came out fast and harsh. “I mean, not yet.”

Meg glanced at Elsie, then back at her. “You might want him here, Ruby. Especially when we get the test results back.” There was a hint of a warning in her tone. And Ruby got it. The woman had to prepare people for bad news all the time.

“He's still out searching for Brookie. I don't want him to know. Not until she's safe.” She snuggled Lily again. “Besides, I have plenty of support.” All of her best friends were crowding her with their love.

Meg smiled again. “Okay. That's your decision. Let me know if you change your mind. I'd be happy to call him and ease his concerns, if that would help.”

“Thank you,” she murmured. But a conversation with a doctor would not be enough to ease his concerns. He'd already lost a baby once. If he found out she was here, he would come.

“All right, then. I'll check back in after we get the labs.” With a wave good-bye, she trotted out the door.

“All good news,” Elsie insisted, stealing Lily from the bed. “Soon we'll have answers. And Brookie will be home. And we'll all be gathered tomorrow for your beautiful wedding.”

Ruby closed her eyes and held on to that word.

Soon.

T
he Walker Mountain Ranch had always been Sawyer's second home. A refuge of family and comfort and safety. He'd spent so much time there growing up that he knew the land, the steep slopes, the rocky cliffs that loomed above the lodge. Now the mountains beyond the log structure seemed cold and treacherous. There were so many places to slip and fall. There were the resident bear and mountain lions. As a kid he'd never given the dangers of this land a second thought, but the knowledge that Brookie might be out there—a tiny needle in the haystack of thousands of acres—made his lungs fill with sand.

“Still can't find Moose,” Bryce said, trotting up to him. “He's gotta be with Brookie. He wanders, but he always comes when he hears the whistle.”

Why hadn't the dog heard it? Because he was too far away? Because he wouldn't leave Brookie's side and she wasn't able to walk? He shoved the thought out of his mind and faced his cousin. “I called Thomas. They're headed over.” The four of them wouldn't be able to search the acreage alone. Ben and Isaac were already scouring the cabins and the interior of the lodge. He and Bryce had swept the land that lined either side of the driveway, but there'd been no sign of her. No sign that she'd been here. Maybe they were wrong…

Bryce clamped a hand onto his shoulder. “She's gotta be here. With Moose. We'll find her.”

Sawyer scanned the acreage spread out all around them. Hope waned. They had so much ground to cover. “Thomas also said he called out search and rescue. They're hoping the weather clears so they can get the chopper up.”

From the look of the clouds building above them, he wasn't too optimistic. Which meant they'd better get going. “We can search the back of the property while we wait for everyone else to get here,” he said.

“Sounds good,” his cousin agreed. “I'll take the stables.”

“I'll check out the maintenance barn, then head on up to the north.” Sawyer jogged in the opposite direction, trying to peer into the shadows between the evergreens while he made his way to the back side of the lodge.

“Brookie!” he shouted, the smallness of his voice mocking him. Like she'd ever be able to hear him out there.

He sprinted past the woodpile and along the north side of the lodge, but the back patio sat vacant. Passing the swimming pool, he skidded down the small dirt embankment to where the trees grew thicker, darkening his vision, hemming him in, unearthing a memory.

He'd been lost in the forest once. The summer after he'd turned six his dad had taken him on his first backpacking trip. While his father was setting up the tent, Sawyer had wandered. He hadn't meant to go far, but he'd heard a hawk crying out somewhere nearby so he'd tried to follow the sound. Next thing he knew, he stood in a valley instead of on the swell of land where they'd decided to make camp. When he'd glanced around, he'd realized everything looked the same. The trees and the rocks and the carpeted forest floor. He couldn't even see the peaks; the trees were too tall and too thick. That's when panic had spurted through him.

If you're lost, you stay where you are. Don't move,
he'd been told his whole life. So he'd sat underneath a pine tree, huddled and terrified, sure his dad would never find him—that he'd have to learn to hunt and live off the land, build his own shelter and figure out how to start a fire. There was no better feeling he could ever remember than that moment when his father had rescued him from the spreading darkness.

According to his dad, he was missing for only about twenty minutes and he was only a quarter of a mile from where they'd pitched the tent. But he remembered how the stark loneliness had hollowed him. He'd never felt so alone. Until now. The moment he'd realized Brookie was gone, he'd shut out everything else, isolating himself in a wilderness of emotion he couldn't express. Even to Ruby. The one who'd reached out to him such a short time ago and reminded him that he wasn't alone.

Hunger pains stabbed his gut. He wished she was with him now, holding his hand while they searched for Brookie together. He needed her. God, he needed her. But she hadn't even called him back. Probably because he'd been such as ass to her.

Outside of the maintenance shed, he stopped and dug out his phone. He had to hear her voice. Had to beg for forgiveness for trying to keep her out. After ripping off his glove, he dialed her number, holding his breath until the line clicked and she answered.

“Sawyer? Did you find her? Did you find Brookie?”

He let her voice fill him, let it seep into those cracks in his heart. “No. Not yet,” he murmured. “But I think we're close.” They had to be close.

“Okay,” she whimpered. “Okay. I know you'll find her.”

“I'm so sorry I tried to keep you out,” he said, closing his eyes against a sting of emotion. “I want you with me, Ruby. I need you.” The confession broke him free. “Can you come?”

“I want to.” There was a catch in her voice, as though it were on the verge of breaking. “I want to so much. But I can't.”

Can't.
The word stunned him into silence.

“You were right,” she almost whispered. “The stress. It's too much.”

The wilderness seemed to close in on him. “Are you okay? Is the baby okay?”

“Yes,” she said with a fortifying strength. “Everything's fine. I just need to rest a while.” In the pause, he thought he heard something in the background. A radio? “I'll let you go so you can look for her,” Ruby said quickly. “I love you, Sawyer.”

“I love you, too,” he managed before the line clicked. A thread of worry stitched his chest tight. Earlier she hadn't cared how tired she'd been. She'd stormed the streets driven by the same conviction that had enabled her to overcome so much in her life. But now she wouldn't come. No. She said she
couldn't
come. And Avery had been acting so weird on the phone earlier…

“Hey!” Bryce's shout snapped up his head. “You find anything yet?” his cousin called from the other side of the shed.

“No.” He tried to clear his head. Ruby had said the baby was okay…

“We need the ATVs to search the hills.” Bryce swiped sweat from his forehead and shed his coat. He must've sprinted all the way from the stables. “Just heard they're calling for snow tonight. Up to a foot.”

Urgency pounded through Sawyer. Snow meant freezing temperatures. Hypothermia. “Okay. The ATVs. Yeah. You can take one out to the west and I'll go—”

Woof!

“—north.” Sawyer choked on the word. Bryce's head lifted, and he scanned the trees. Neither of them spoke. Sawyer couldn't. He swore that was Moose's low bark. Swore it.

“Moose!” Bryce's shout echoed back to them. His stuck his fingers in his lips and whistled.

Woof!

He hadn't imagined it. That was Moose barking. Not close, but not miles away, either. He strained his ears.

“I think it's coming from this way.” Bryce yanked on his arm and they raced around the maintenance barn, hoofing it down the narrow path that skipped over a small brook and ended at the trailhead to the waterfall. The secret Walker Mountain Ranch oasis, where Ruby had placed a memorial to his unborn son, Matthew.

Woof!
Moose bounded out of the woods, ears flapping, tail lashing the trees.

“Good boy, Moose!” Bryce called, clapping his hands. Both of them shot up the trail while Moose ran circles around them.

“She's at the waterfall. She has to be.” Brookie knew it well. They'd hiked there so many times this fall to visit her brother's memorial…

His cousin halted. “I'll go back and get the ATV. Meet you up there.” He shot down an embankment and disappeared.

Sawyer flew over the packed dirt, unsure how his legs were even moving. At the top of the first incline, he spotted Brookie's pink bike stashed in a bush. She couldn't have ridden it all the way to the waterfall. It was too steep.

“Where is she, Moose?” Sawyer gagged out, still afraid to believe. So close. This whole time she'd been so close.

The dog leaped and spun in another circle, barking like he'd lost his mind. Then he tore up the trail and out of sight.

Sawyer's lungs burned. His quads pinched, but he sprinted hard up the switchbacks, seeing nothing but the trail and his boots until the trees cleared and it was right there—the falls, the pool, the bench.

Brookie. Curled up on the bench. Sleeping.

A surge of joy he'd never before experienced caught him up and pushed him to her, heart reeling from the relief of waking from this nightmare. Colors flooded his vision again, where everything had gone gray. His lungs unlocked and let in the sweet mountain air.

Moose beat him to the bench and licked the girl's face until she stirred. Her head lifted and she saw him.

“Daddy.”

He would always remember the way she said it. That look of pure wonderment on her face. He knew that feeling. The one where you were being rescued, pulled out of a lonely dark place when you thought maybe you would have to live there forever.

“You're here,” his daughter sighed, her dark eyes drooped and groggy.

Sawyer caught her in his arms, not caring that he might be crushing her. “My princess,” he breathed. “Oh God, my little princess.”

He held her that way for as long as it took for his heart to stop thrashing his ribs, feeling her warmth, her soft cries against his shoulder.

“We were so worried, Brookie. We missed you so much.”

“I'm sorry,” she sobbed, tearing herself away from him, peering up at him with a look that broke him. “I couldn't sleep anymore. And I wanted to be with Matthew.”

“You could have woken me up. I would've come with you.” Tears mingled with the sweat that ran down his face. “I'd go anywhere with you. Anytime.”

“I didn't want to bother you.” In between sniffles she hiccupped. “Now you have a baby coming…”

His hands cupped her cheeks and guided her gaze to his. “You are just as much my child as the baby is.” He knew she might not believe him now. But he would prove it to her every day. Eventually his love for her, Ruby's love for her, would undo the damage her heart had sustained over the years.

“I'm sorry,” she said again. “I'm so sorry, Daddy.”

“I know. It's okay, baby.” He hugged her. “We have to call Mom. She's so worried. We've been searching everywhere for you.”

He dug out his phone and dialed, then held the phone between him and Brookie.

The speaker crackled. “Hello? Sawyer, dear, is that you?” Aunt Elsie. Why was Aunt Elsie answering Ruby's phone?

“Yeah. It's me. And Brookie.” Those hot tears singed his eyes. “We found her. Where's Ruby?” He couldn't wait to tell her, couldn't wait to hear the same relief he felt in her voice.

There was a long pause. “Ruby is in with the doctor right now,” Aunt Elsie said quietly. “We had to take her to the hospital.”

“Mom's in the hospital?” Brookie cried, tears clouding her eyes again. “Because of me?”

“No,” he assured her as he clicked off the speaker and brought the phone to his ear. He clenched his hands into fists so Brookie wouldn't see him shaking.

“What happened?” he asked his aunt, bracing himself against the fear that tried to claw through his happiness.

“She's had some pain and cramping. She didn't want you to worry, dear. She wanted you out searching for Brookie.”

Pain and cramping. That was exactly what his ex-wife had experienced before she'd miscarried…

“The doctor is running some tests. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, but I know she'd love to have you here.”

Nothing to worry about? His jaw locked. “Yes. I'm coming. We're coming,” he sputtered, body already in motion. He whisked Brookie into his arms so he could run down the trail and meet Bryce. “Tell her I'm on my way.”

R
uby had never cared much for doctors. The few she'd seen in her unsettled life had been formal and indifferent. But Meg had this easy way about her. Maybe it was the freckles and the cropped blond hair. She could've been a teacher or a perky barista at the local coffee shop. If it weren't for the white coat and scrubs, you'd never know she'd spent the better part of her life in school.

“So the blood work looks okay,” Meg informed her, rolling the stool closer to the gurney.

“That's good, right?” Paige asked. She was the only one who'd stayed in the room when Meg had come back. Elsie, Julia, and Avery had wanted to give them some space, Ruby suspected, though they'd claimed they needed to use the bathroom.

“Yes. That's good news.” The doctor scanned a chart. “Your iron levels are low, so I'd like you to start taking a supplement.”

A supplement. Ruby let out a steady breath. That sounded easy enough. “Of course. I only found out about the pregnancy a few days ago, so I haven't had time to pick up a vitamin.”

Meg nodded in that friendly, understanding way. But then her face tightened into a more serious expression.

Ruby felt Paige's hand on her shoulder.

“You're also measuring significantly small for how far along you are,” Meg said.

The tenor of concern in her voice kicked up Ruby's pulse. “Small.”

“It could be the way you're carrying, but I called your OB, and he definitely wants an ultrasound so we can check on the baby's growth.”

Ruby met Meg's eyes, searching for something to steady the rush of fear that swooped in and dropped her stomach. “Why wouldn't the baby be growing?”

“Sometimes there's an issue with the cord or the placenta,” Meg said carefully. “Or maybe the baby is really petite. We won't know until—”

The door crashed open and Elsie rushed in, followed by Avery, Julia, and Thomas. “They found her! Oh, Ruby, they found Brookie!”

“What,” she gasped, clutching at the sheets to pull herself upright.

“She was at the waterfall,” Elsie sang. “Can you believe it?”

“Moose led Bryce and Sawyer there,” Thomas added. “She'd fallen asleep on Matthew's bench.”

“Thank God.” Meg scooted her stool out of the way so everyone could crowd the bed.

They all closed in, cheering and hugging and sniffling. But Ruby felt frozen in place. The strength she'd amassed to carry her through started to crumble. And now she could let it go. She didn't have to be strong anymore because Brookie was home. Emotion whirled—joy and fear and relief and anguish—churning her into a whirlpool that took over the last bits of strength until she was hunched over and weeping into her hands.

“Oh, honey.” Paige leaned down and held on to her.

“They're on their way here right now,” Elsie soothed.

“I'll give you all a minute,” Meg said, squeezing Ruby's shoulder. “The ultrasound tech should be here soon.”

Ruby couldn't even nod. The tears and heartbreak flowed out of her and she felt so weak. But it was okay. Because the people around her were strong. And they would hold her up.

They did, comforting her with hugs and murmurs of love.

“Ruby.” It was the only voice that could've lifted her head. She couldn't see through the blur of tears, but she could feel Sawyer in the room. Her body responded with a good hard squeeze, and she swung her legs over the side of the bed. But before she could run to him, to Brookie, they were there. Brookie threw herself into Ruby's arms, and it suddenly felt as though the world had miraculously been made right. That connection with her daughter surged, pumping joy into the limbs that had been lifeless and weary.

“I'm sorry, Mom. I'm so sorry,” Brookie whimpered against her shoulder.

The room quieted, everyone else filing out, leaving only her and Sawyer and Brookie, a huddled mass crying on the bed. Sawyer had managed to get those strong, powerful arms around them both, as though he were holding their little family together.

“Oh, Brookie.” She stroked the girl's soft curls. Love doubled the size of her heart. “I'm not mad. Not at all. I just missed you.” Her voice had gone soggy, but it couldn't be helped. “I can't imagine my life without you, sweet girl. I love you so much.”

“I love you, too.” Though she and Sawyer had said those words to Brookie many times, the girl had never said them back until right then.

“I won't leave again. I promise. Not without asking,” Brookie cried, clinging to Ruby. “I didn't mean to scare you. I didn't mean to hurt the baby. Will it be okay?”

Ruby looked into Sawyer's eyes. His were searching, almost pleading with her to say yes. She slipped her hand into his. “They're doing tests to check on the baby. But I think
he
or
she
will be okay.” She leaned down to plant a kiss on the girl's forehead. “And it wasn't your fault. Not at all. The doctor said this kind of thing happens sometimes.”

“Okay.” Brookie sighed. “Okay.”

The door opened, popping that protective bubble that held them in. Elsie practically dragged in a poor scrub-clad woman. “This is Lisa. The ultrasound tech,” she announced, as though it were her place to introduce everyone and make sure they were doing their jobs. “I found her in the hallway.”

The woman greeted them with a warm smile, despite being ordered around by an elderly woman. “Nice to meet you all,” she said, pushing over her cart.

“Hi there.” Ruby wiped the tears from her face. But she didn't let go of Brookie. God, she might never be able to let go.

“Are we ready to get started?” the tech asked.

She and Sawyer shared a look. On the off chance something was wrong, she didn't want Brookie to be there to hear about it.

“Actually,” Elsie broke in. “Thomas and I were hoping to take Brookie upstairs to the cafeteria for a doughnut.”

The girl's eyes sparked. “I
am
pretty hungry.”

Ruby pried her arm off the girl's shoulders. “Okay.” She pulled her in for one more hug. “But hurry back.”

“We'll have her back in no time,” Thomas assured her. Smooshing Brookie in between them as though promising they wouldn't let her out of their sight, they left the room.

“So it sounds like we're going to do some measurements,” the tech said, guiding Ruby to lie on her back.

“Yes. That's what the doctor said.”

Sawyer eased onto the mattress and threaded his arm around her, stroking her hair in the most comforting way. “What are you looking for?” he asked. And Ruby felt the tremble in his forearm.

“Meg said my waist is measuring smaller than it should be for how far along I am,” Ruby answered. “She just wanted to make sure the baby is growing.”

Sawyer's brows knit tightly together. “Why wouldn't the baby be growing?”

While Ruby explained the possibilities Meg had gone over, the tech focused on pressing some buttons on the machine. Then she lifted Ruby's hospital gown.

“This'll be cold,” she warned before squirting goo on her belly.

It was. Slimy and cold.

She pressed the wand into Ruby's skin. “This'll help warm it up.”
A heartbeat pitter-pattered on the small speaker.

Sawyer's breath caught. “That's the baby?”

Ruby nodded, watching the screen where a small form was taking shape.

“Found the head,” the tech murmured, clicking the keyboard a couple of times. “See the eyes? The nose?”

“Yes,” she whispered. The power of it knocked out her breath. “Wow. I can't believe there's a tiny little person in there.”

Tears slipped down Sawyer's cheeks. He held her hand tightly in both of his. “Does it look okay? Is the baby big enough?”

“I'll let the doctor go over the results with you,” the tech said, gliding the wand lower on her belly. Then she winked. “But so far so good.”

Sawyer blew out a breath.

Ruby squeezed his hands.

The tech paused the wand right underneath Ruby's belly button. “Do you want to know the gender?”

Sawyer leaned closer to study the monitor. “That's a boy. Definitely a boy.”

“Good eye,” the tech confirmed.

“A boy,” Ruby repeated. “We're having a baby boy.” God. She'd never thought she would say those words. Never thought she would feel the signs of life growing inside of her. They both watched, captivated as the tech moved the wand and clicked the keyboard, showing them the tiny hands, the sweet little feet.

“That's about all,” she finally said, wiping the wand with a paper towel. “Like I said, the doctor will go over the full report with you.” She glanced around as though wanting to make sure no one would hear. “But in my professional opinion, this is a very healthy baby.”

“I knew it,” Sawyer said with a wide grin.

The tech waved a quick good-bye and pushed the cart out of the room, leaving them alone for the first time in too long.

“Ruby.” She loved when he said her name like that, all low and tortured, like he needed her. He climbed onto the bed, stretching his beautiful body out next to her and gathering her into his arms.

His body never failed to wrap hers in a luxurious warmth. Even on a gurney. Even in the hospital…

“I screwed up.” His cheek rested against hers, the stubble sending a cascade of tingles down her right side. “I didn't mean to shut you out. I just wanted to fix everything for you.”

She peered at him sideways. “You
do
have a quite the hero complex.”

He grinned, traced her cheek with his finger. “Can't help it. I never want you to hurt again. I want to give you the perfect life.”

“Perfect doesn't exist.” Life was joy but also pain. Fear and courage. Suffering and triumph. And love. Love is what made all of it—even the sadness and scary moments—worthwhile. She turned to him, so they were face-to-face, chest-to-his glorious chest. Then she wrapped a leg over him for good measure. “We'll never have a perfect life or a perfect family, Sawyer.”

“I know.” The frost that had held his face so still and cold earlier that morning had melted away, revealing the friendly creases that lined his mouth, the crinkles that softened the corners of his eyes. “I'll stop shooting for perfect and aim for happy instead,” he teased, placing his hands on her hips and hitching her closer to him.

“It's not your job to make the rest of us happy,” she reminded him. “We work on it together. We choose it. All of us. Together.”

“Together,” he repeated; then pressed his lips against hers.

Most of the time Sawyer loved the loud chaos of family. Most of the time. But not when it interrupted him making out with his soon-to-be-wife. The two of them could've used a few more minutes alone, but the crowd paraded in anyway—all of the people who knew him and Ruby the best filling the room until it was stuffy and loud.

Brookie launched herself onto the bed between them, cuddling up against her mom, then closing her eyes and sighing as though she'd never been more at peace.

Tears brightened his fiancée's eyes again as she wrapped the girl in her arms.

“Oh, just look at you.” Aunt Elsie sniffled. “Such a beautiful family.”

Sawyer peered at his daughter, grinning at the sight of chocolate smeared under her chin. She looked so whole and happy. So healthy. Their little girl. And now they'd have a boy, too.

Paige elbowed her way through the crowd until she stood at the edge of the gurney. “You guys are killing me! What'd the doctor say?”

Sawyer shared a look with Ruby. “We haven't seen the doctor again yet, but the tech said the baby seems to be very healthy.”

“Oh, thank God,” Avery gasped, leaning her head on Bryce's chest.

With a slight nod and a big smile, Ruby prodded Sawyer to continue.

Good thing, because he wouldn't be able to keep this next bit of news a secret for long. “And it's a boy. We're having a boy.”

Brookie gasped. “A brother! I'm getting a brother!” She leaped to her knees and started to bounce on the bed, swinging her arms around Sawyer's neck and hugging him tight. He caught her and stood, twirling her around while she giggled and squealed. Everyone else closed in, too.

“Congratulations.” Bryce whacked him on the back while Avery hugged Ruby.

“Such great news!” Julia wheeled herself over and squeezed his hand. Isaac scrubbed Brookie's hair. “You'll make a great big sister,” he said, earning another openmouthed grin.

Paige threw her arms around both him and Brookie, squeezing so tight he almost gagged. “You two can call me to babysit anytime,” she said with a wink at Brookie. “I'll let you do whatever you want.”

The girl giggled.

“We'll keep that in mind,” Sawyer said with a roll of his eyes.

“Don't worry. I'll be there to supervise. Make sure she doesn't spoil them too much,” Ben added with a playful tug on his wife's hair.

Sawyer laughed. Something told him Ben would spoil Brookie just as much as his wife did. And that was fine by him. The more people she had loving on her, the better off she'd be.

Aunt Elsie and Thomas pushed their way past Ben and Paige. The older man shook his hand. “You deserve this, Sawyer. You'll make a great dad.”

“Thanks.” He would do his best. And when he didn't know what to do or how to fix things, he'd hit up one of the other dads. He had a lot of good examples to choose from.

“Sawyer, dear,” Aunt Elsie murmured sweetly. “Why don't you help me find Meg so we can break Ruby out of here?” She obviously had some hidden agenda, given the direct gaze that halted his argument. Even though he was pretty sure Meg didn't need to be bossed around, he followed his aunt out into the quietness of the hallway.