Cowboy Creek Christmas by Cheryl St.John & Sherri Shackelford

Author:Cheryl St.John & Sherri Shackelford
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2016-11-08T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Two

She wasn’t dying. Her baby wasn’t dying. She wanted to see her child’s eyes and touch the tips of her baby’s tiny fingers. She wasn’t leaving this world without a fight.

With his heavy enunciation, Colton spoke, “The reverend will marry us.”

The offer took Beatrix aback. “You have no wife?”

A grim smile lifted one corner of his mouth. “Nein.”

Certainly he’d been married before. He was handsome and kind. Not old, but not young, either. Surely that sort of man had been married by now? A widower, perhaps.

“Warum ich?” she asked.

Why me? Why had he offered? She was nothing to him.

“I will give your baby a name.” He clasped his hands and rested his elbows on his knees. “If that is your wish.”

Some of her confusion eased. He was offering her a name, not a life together. Though no one had said the words aloud, they were all avoiding the same truth. Her life was slipping away. If she lost her struggle, her child would be an orphan. An orphan at the mercy of these strangers. But that prospect was not so frightening when she thought of the mercy already shown by this gentle giant of a man.

Her time was running short. Decisions must be made. She didn’t know Colton Werner, but she hadn’t known Quincy Davis, either. At least with the sheriff, she had the word of his cousin. This man was unfamiliar to her. Through her pain and misery, she sensed a contradiction in Colton. He was offering the marriage as much as a kindness as a sacrifice.

What had he done in his life that required a sacrifice?

Leah, the midwife, spoke, and Colton translated.

“She says that I am a good man.” His face flushed. “She says that your baby will always have a home. You will always have a home.”

Despite their charity, a part of Beatrix held back. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. The kindness of these people, strangers, was almost too much to bear. Dare she trust in their generosity? Colton brushed the tear from her cheek. “What about your family? How can we reach them?”

“No. No family.”

Let her sisters believe she was settled and content, as she had planned to be. Let her father believe whatever he chose. Though weak in body, her consciousness had not diminished, only narrowed, and she battled with herself. Her hope in the future warred with the experiences of her past.

Another labor pain struck, and the urge to push temporarily robbed her of any rational thought. Leah voiced instructions, and Colton translated.

“Very soon,” Leah said, her eyes kind. “You’ll meet your baby soon.”

Colton Werner would give her a baby a name. A strong, German name her father would loathe.

“There are better men,” Colton’s voice grew thick. “But there’s no time.”

His admission flooded her with reckless gratitude. Her grandfather had said that only the blessed could see beautiful things in humble places. Colton was a humble man.

Beatrix studied her unexpected savior. “You served in the war?”

“Yes. Four years.”

He was hearty and fit.

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