Christmas Catch-Up II (River's End Ranch Book 37) Read online

  "Or broken. What about the rest of you?" He glanced at her stomach, and Lily suddenly felt nervous. What if she'd hurt the baby somehow with the fall?

  "I think I'm going to have some good bruises, but it's just my hand that really hurts."

  "Let's get you down to the ER."

  Cody helped Lily get her coat on, and as she zipped it up, a horrible cramp swept through her. She almost fell over, the pain was so intense.

  "What is it?"

  She could hear the worry in his voice. "I don't know, a cramp." She bit her lower lip as another one came, not as strong as the first, but just as worrisome.

  "I was going to drive you, but I'm calling 911 instead."

  A few minutes later, they could see the flashing lights of the ambulance coming down the street. They told the two EMTs what happened, and they carefully strapped Lily onto a stretcher and put her in the ambulance. Cody followed behind in his truck. While they drove to the hospital, one of the EMTs checked her vital signs. Since she was pregnant, they considered her high risk, given the cramps she said she'd had, and she was brought right into a room when they reached the ER.

  A few minutes later, Cody found her room, and they waited for the doctor to see them. When he did come in, Lily was relieved to see that it was Clark, who she knew from trivia. His brother Bryan had recently fallen in love with her friend Melissa’s sister, Melanie.

  "I was hoping we might get you," Lily said. "But I wasn't sure how often you still worked in the ER."

  "I'm still here quite a bit. I split my time between the ER and Orthopedics, and I often pick up holiday shifts for people that need it off more than I do." He grinned, and Lily found herself relaxing. Clark had a bit of a reputation as a lady's man, but she didn't believe it. He was charming and flirtatious, but she'd seen the softer side of him more than once. He'd be a catch when he finally met the right woman.

  "So, what's going on here? What happened?" Clark asked. Lily told him about the fall and the cramps. He tenderly felt her hand and frowned. He also looked at her bruises where she landed on her side.

  "I'll order some X-rays immediately for your hand. I suspect you may have a break or a very bad sprain. We won't know how bad until we can review the pictures. We'll also do an ultrasound and see how the baby is doing. Hopefully, the cramping was just because you disturbed his or her sleep." His tone was light, but Lily could tell he was concerned, too. Cody, meanwhile, was still gripping her other hand tightly, and she could tell he was worried sick about her and the baby.

  The ultrasound technician came in right away, and both Lily and Cody sat quietly watching as she ran gel over Lily's stomach and then did the ultrasound. It looked like a bunch of jumbled images on the screen, and the technician said nothing as she worked. Lily knew they couldn't give her the results that the doctor would need to review and then share the information with them. As soon as she finished, someone came to take her to X-ray, and once that was done, she and Cody sat in the small room, waiting.

  Meanwhile, her hand throbbed and hurt so bad. They'd given her some acetaminophen for the pain, and it was starting to take the edge off. It felt like they were waiting forever, but finally, Clark was back, and he was smiling.

  "So, I have good news and bad news. It looks like the baby is fine."

  Cody let out a big sigh while Lily felt her eyes well up with relief.

  "But you did break your wrist. I'm going to fix you up with a splint, and you'll need to limit using this hand for several weeks. No more hanging mistletoe."

  "We have enough mistletoe," Cody said with a smile.

  Clark carefully wrapped Lily's hand in the splint and then secured it firmly. He gave her instructions to follow and told her to come back to his regular orthopedics office for a follow-up visit in a month's time.

  "If all goes well, you'll be able to take the splint off then."

  "Thank you," Lily said gratefully.

  "Now we can go home and relax," Cody said.

  "And have dinner," Lily added as her stomach growled. They'd been in the ER for several hours, and it was almost nine o'clock.

  "This will be a Christmas Eve to remember," Cody said with a grin.

  "Oh, and I have another bit of news for you, if you're interested," Clark said with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

  "Did you see the sex of the baby?" Lily wondered.

  "I did. Do you want to know?"

  Lily and Cody exchanged glances. "I'd love to know, if Cody does."

  Cody nodded. "What are we having?"

  "Congratulations, you're having a little girl."

  * * *

  An hour later, after Cody heated up their cold dinners and they'd eaten, they settled in for the night. Hope snuggled close to Lily's side, sensing that something was wrong, while Cody did the same. They sat on their favorite sofa, facing the tree and TV. They were sipping mugs of hot chocolate with mini-marshmallows and even though it had been a chaotic night, Lily felt blessed to be home and safe. A broken hand would heal, and soon they'd be having a little girl.

  "What do you think of the name Bethany?" she asked. They hadn't talked much about names, but this one had suddenly come to her, and it just felt right.

  "I love it." Cody reached behind him and held up a sprig of mistletoe. "You went to so much trouble for this, we might as well use it."

  Lily laughed and then leaned in for a sweet kiss. "Have I told you yet today that I love you?"

  "Now my day is complete. I love you, too, Lilybell."

  She smiled at his favorite nickname for her.

  He kissed her again and added softly, "I can't wait to meet our little Bethanybell."

  Maddie and Wade

  Merry Manager

  Maddie was tired. She was sick of being tired and on bed rest. She missed being at the spa, being active, and seeing her clients. She missed her routine. And she was really getting tired of being home alone most of the time. Her nine-year-old daughter Vivian was at her friend Violet’s house, and her husband Wade was in his office at River's End Ranch—while Maddie sulked at home, feeling sorry for herself.

  She wasn't usually such a grouch, but she was just so over it. She wanted this baby out. She was excited to meet the new member of the family, but she was tired of being pregnant. She sighed...then decided her pity party for the day needed to be over and it was time to move on. Vivian and Wade would be home soon, and she tried to not complain too much in front of them. Especially since Wade was so excited about the baby, his first, and was doing everything he could to make things easier for her.

  And it was Christmas Eve! She really needed to shake the blues and get a dose of holiday spirit. She cheered up when she remembered what Jaclyn had dropped off for her yesterday. She'd come by for tea and along with a bag of her usual snickerdoodles, she'd also given Maddie a roll of buttery shortbread dough and a little jar of what she called 'fairy dust', which was pink and blue sugar sprinkles.

  "Just slice and bake when you feel like fresh-baked cookies and shake the fairy dust over them when you take them out of the oven," she'd instructed.

  Maddie eased herself out of bed and padded down to the kitchen. The smell of cookies baking would be a nice welcome for Vivian when she got home and for Wade, too. Everyone loved Jaclyn's cookies, and of course Maddie would have to have a few as soon as they came out of the oven.

  She made herself a cup of apricot tea while she sliced the dough, placed the pieces on a cookie sheet and popped them in the oven. While they baked, she relaxed and sipped her tea. When the cookies were done, she put another batch in and shook the sugar sprinkles over the cooling cookies. She waited a few minutes then tested one for herself, taking a bite and enjoying the sugary goodness. Her blue mood was already lifting as the cookies baked and after eating two of them, she felt decidedly less grumpy.

  Vivian came rushing through the door just as Maddie finished wiping down the counters.

  "You're out of bed! And I smell cookies!"

  Maddie smiled. "Ye
s, I made cookies. You can have two now, and we'll save the rest for after dinner."

  "Okay. Are we still having pizza for dinner?"

  “Yes, Wade’s picking it up on the way home.” They'd decided to celebrate the night with Vivian's favorite meal, pizza, for Christmas Eve. It was easy, too, as Maddie wasn't up to cooking much these days and Wade could bring it home from the restaurant at the ranch where they made the best pizza.

  "I'm going to sit in the living room and read for a while. Do you want to join me?"

  Vivian nodded, her mouth full of cookies. As soon as she finished, she grabbed a book and sprawled out on the carpet in front of the fireplace and next to Maddie's recliner.

  "Melissa said this was her favorite Nancy Drew book when she was my age!" Vivian said excitedly. Maddie smiled. Her daughter was such a bookworm and had found a kindred spirit in Melissa, who owned the bookstore at the ranch. Melissa was also an author, and Maddie thought she'd heard that she had a book that was coming out soon. Or maybe it was already out?

  "What are you reading, Mom?"

  "The Duchess. It's the newest Danielle Steel."

  Vivian turned her attention back to her book for about two seconds, before asking, “Can I give you both my gift, before we have pizza?" She seemed so excited that Maddie just nodded in agreement. They'd discussed exchanging one gift on Christmas Eve.

  "Sure, honey."

  * * *

  The next few hours were relaxing ones as both Vivian and Maddie lost themselves in the worlds of their books. They both jumped a little at the sound of Wade's truck in the driveway. Vivian jumped up and ran to the door, getting there just as it opened and Wade walked in.

  "Merry Christmas Eve!" Vivian greeted him.

  "Same to you. Are you excited for some pizza?" He set several cardboard boxes on the counter and then walked over to where Maddie was sitting. She started to get up and he leaned over and kissed her, so she sat back down.

  "Don't get up. You look comfortable. How was your day?"

  She smiled. "It was fine. I made cookies. Jaclyn's, actually."

  "They smell great."

  Vivian was hopping around behind them, full of excitement.

  "Can I give you my gift now?" she asked.

  Maddie laughed. "Of course."

  Vivian looked at Wade, her expression serious as she said, "Please sit down, Wade. The show is about to begin."

  Wade glanced at Maddie and she just shrugged, having no idea what Vivian was up to. Wade sat on an ottoman next to Maddie and took her hand while they waited for Vivian to begin whatever she planned on doing.

  She went to the center of the room, stood tall and smiled at both of them. And then she began to sing. Maddie's jaw dropped as the most beautiful voice she'd ever heard began to sing one of her all-time favorite songs, Hallelujah.

  Well I heard there was a secret chord

  That David played, and it pleased the lord...

  Wade gave her hand a gentle squeeze, and she glanced his way. He looked as awed as she felt. By the time Vivian stopped singing, Maddie had tears of joy streaming down her face. She and Wade clapped, and Wade stood, to give her a standing ovation. Maddie slowly stood as well, and Vivian ran over and hugged her.

  "Vivian that was the most special, thoughtful gift. Thank you," Maddie said.

  Wade hugged her, too. "Thank you, honey. That was amazing."

  "How did you learn to sing that? And how did I not know you could sing?" Maddie was confused. Vivian had never sung around the house before. She was always curled up with a book. Her daughter seemed delighted by the question.

  "My music teacher, Mrs. Andrews, says I have perfect pitch. She had all of us sing in class individually, and she picked me for a solo in our next recital. Ever since then, she's been working with me. She said I'm really good!"

  "That's an understatement," Wade said.

  "I know you love that song, Mom, so she helped me with it."

  "It was the best gift I've ever had," Maddie said and meant it. Her daughter's gift had touched her soul deeply. It also erased any remnants of the blues and let the holiday spirit all the way in. Maddie looked around the room at her little family and couldn't speak for a moment, she felt so choked up with happiness. And then she remembered that she had something to share, too.

  "I have some news," she began. "I spoke to the doctor today."

  Wade immediately looked concerned, and she squeezed his hand to reassure him.

  "It's all good. I just had a question, and when she called me back, she asked me again if I wanted to know what we were having. I said yes. Are either of you interested? Or we could keep it a secret," she teased. They'd initially said they wanted to wait and be surprised, but the more Maddie thought about it, the more she wanted to know.

  "What are we having?" Vivian was dying to know. Wade simply nodded.

  "It's a boy!"

  Wade smiled so big that his eyes crinkled around the corners. "A boy? Really?"

  "It could be Wade, Jr." Maddie loved the idea of her son sharing his father's name. A mini-Wade.

  "I never really thought about that, but wow. That would be really special," he agreed.

  "It's been a pretty special day."

  "How are you feeling?" Wade asked.

  Maddie smiled. "I'm feeling good. Really good." She looked around the room.

  "Who's ready for pizza?"

  Bernie and David

  Bernie’s Birthday

  "Did you get it?" Bernie asked her husband David as he walked through the front door. People were due to start arriving in about a half-hour, and she was completely ready, except for one thing.

  "Here you go. Hopefully, the third time is the charm." David smiled as he handed over the small white pharmacy bag. His smile faded for a moment, though, as he asked, "Are you sure you want to do this now? We could wait until later, when everyone leaves. Just in case the news isn't what we want."

  Bernie grabbed the bag and shook her head. "No, I need to know now. I have a really good feeling about this. I'd love to have something to celebrate when everyone arrives."

  "Okay. I'll be here waiting. Maybe I'll make a coffee." David popped a K-cup in the Keurig coffee maker as Bernie went to the bathroom in their bedroom. She ripped open the package, followed the instructions and waited for the results. She didn't have to wait long. Unfortunately, she didn't get the news that she was looking for. She felt numb as she threw the test in the trash and made her way downstairs after splashing cold water on her face.

  David took one look at her and didn't say a word. He wrapped her in his arms and tenderly kissed her forehead.

  "It's just not our time yet. The doctors have said there's no medical reason why we shouldn't be able to have children. It will happen when it's meant to," he said. She knew he was trying to make her feel better. She agreed with him, but it still hurt. She sniffled and tried to pull herself together.

  "I know. I need a tissue."

  "I'll get you one." He returned a moment later and handed her a soft tissue. She suddenly had two others trying to make her feel better, too. Tiny, the enormous cat she'd had forever and Buttercup, David's pretty little kitty, both swirled around her legs and rubbed against them until she leaned over to pet them both, and it did make her feel better.

  "It'll be fine, and it will help to see everyone soon and get my mind off of it."

  "How about a hot chocolate? You could slip a little Kahlua in it. That might cheer you up," David suggested.

  Bernie laughed. "It might!"

  While David made her hot chocolate, Bernie opened a bag of potato chips and set them by a bowl of her famous white bean dip that was green from parsley and fragrant from garlic and lemon. She set out guacamole and salsa on the kitchen island, along with a bowl of tortilla chips and a platter of cheese and crackers. There was a hot spinach and artichoke dip warming in the oven along with a cookie sheet of puff pastry appetizers like pigs in a blanket and spinach pies. She also had a tray of mini baked stuffed p
otato bites to go in the oven and French onion soup tarts. She was ready.

  Jaclyn and Simon were the first to arrive, followed by Jack and Melissa and Lily and Cody. Bernie raised her eyebrows when she saw Lily's hand in a split.

  "Something tells me there's a story there?"

  Lily laughed. "There is. It could have been a lot worse, though. I'm lucky."

  Jaclyn brought a platter of Christmas-style snickerdoodles that she proudly handed to Bernie. They were cut in the shape of wreaths, dusted with green sugar, and had raspberry jam at the top where the red bow would be. They looked delicious.

  "Oh, I love your earrings!" Bernie exclaimed when she saw the delicate gold fairy wings swinging from Jaclyn's ears. The older woman smiled happily.

  "Thank you. They were a Christmas gift from Simon. I gave him the tie that he's wearing. Do you like it?"

  Bernie smiled when she saw the festive tie that Simon was wearing. It was green and covered with gnomes wearing Santa hats.

  "I love it!"

  Barbi and Ryan arrived a few minutes later, and Barbi happily announced that she'd soon be able to join them for trivia nights.

  "Good, we need all the help we can get!" Simon said as he reached for a pig in a blanket.

  Maddie, Wade, and Vivian walked through the door a moment later.

  "I'm sorry we can't stay longer," Maddie explained as Bernie handed her a glass of sparkling cider with raspberries floating on top. "It's wonderful to get out of the house and see people. I promised Wade I wouldn't overdo it, though, so we're only allowed to stay for an hour."

  Bernie hugged her. "I'm just glad you came. How are you feeling?" She knew Maddie had been struggling with being stuck at home and out of the loop.

  "I think the worst of it is behind me. I'm getting excited now and just feeling grateful for all the support. Everyone has been wonderful." She told Bernie about Vivian's incredible gift and how no one knew she had such an amazing voice.