Part 42 (1/2)

”It's a girl,” Fern said, in awe of the tiny human being that now looked up at her with wide blue eyes. ”But she's awfully tiny.”

”I just hope I'm around when . . . you have your . . . first,” Rose said when she managed to catch her breath.

”Madison said I didn't have to have any children if I didn't want to.”

But how could she not want to be part of this magical cycle of life? Only a woman could bring new life into the world. Only a woman could create a new human being where there had been none before. How could she possibly refuse this most precious of gifts?

”Well, I want this baby and many more like her,” Rose said, trying to twist her tired body so she could see her child. ”Hand her to me.”

Fern laid the baby on Rose's chest, then cut and tied the umbilical cord and wiped the infant clean.

The child was small, red, wrinkled, and had very thin blond hair. She didn't make a sound until Rose cleaned out her mouth and sharply flicked the bottom of her feet with her finger. Then she started to scream in earnest.

”At least I know her lungs are clear,” Rose said, smiling proudly. ”You're a beautiful baby, aren't you, sugar?” she crooned. ”Daddy's going to be so proud when he sees you.”

”I hope he's proud enough to keep from wringing our necks,” Fern said. She knew George Randolph well enough to know he was not going to be pleased at his wife's giving birth with only a novice midwife to attend her.

”What are you going to name her?” Fern asked.

”I don't know. I can't decide whether to name her after George's sistershe died as an infantor after his mother. I think I'll let him choose.” Rose looked down at her still-swollen body. ”I had hoped to be a good deal thinner when this was over. I guess I've been eating too much. Unless I'm to look like an apple dumpling for the rest of my life, I'll have to start eating a whole lot less.”

”Let's see about cleaning you up,” Fern said. ”You don't want your husband seeing you looking like this.”

”You're just full of flattery today, aren't you. I know I'm not looking my best just now, but Ioooe?” ”Hit him over the head and drag him. I'd rather have him mad at me than George.”

”Or Hen,” Pike added as he climbed in the saddle. ”The doc don't shoot too straight. n.o.body can remember when Hen Randolph missed what he was shooting at.”

Fern let her horse canter on a loose rein. He knew the way home from the cow camp without her help. It was just as well. Her head was too full to bother with something as trivial as finding her way home.

She still couldn't get over the birth of Rose's babies. She had known they were coming. Well, she'd known at least one was coming. But nothing had prepared her for seeing Rose lying in that bed, looking down on her newborn daughters as though they were the two most wonderful babies that had ever been born.

Fern wondered if her mother had felt that way about her. She couldn't help but wonder how she would feel about her own baby. About Madison's son or daughter.

She supposed it had been that magic, that basic desire to create life that had caused her mother to try to have a second child when she knew she shouldn't.

She knew Madison wouldn't expect that of her. And she wouldn't expect it of herself, but then she had never wanted to have a houseful of children like Rose. One or two would do. Just thinking about seeing Madison with his own child, being able to hand it to him herself the very first time, made her misty-eyed. Having children was what life was all about, and she wanted to live. She had spent too many years trying to numb herself. Now she wanted to experience it all.

She didn't want to do it in Boston; the idea still frightened her, but she guessed she could try that, too. She had almost let fear rob her of her entire life. She made a vow never to do that again. No matter what challenges life presented to her, she would not run away again.

Fern's pony neighed, and she looked up to find herself face to face with Sam Belton.

”I don't know where she is,” Mrs. Abbott said to George, her hysterical sobs making her words nearly unintelligible. ”One minute she was sitting on the front porch, the next minute she was gone, vanished into thin air.”

”Well, she couldn't have gone far,” George said. ”Not in her condition.”

”That's what I thought, but she's been gone all day. Surely she would have come back by now.”

William Henry pulled on his father's sleeve. Absentmindedly, George picked the youngster up and gave him a welcoming kiss, but his eyes never left Mrs. Abbott.

”Are you certain she didn't say anything about where she was going?”

”Nothing,” Mrs. Abbott moaned. Dramatically putting her hands over her face, she collapsed onto a sofa. ”I've searched my mind for hours. She didn't say a thing.”

”Maybe she went off with Fern,” Madison suggested.

”Fern's at the farm.”

”Daddy,” William Henry whispered in his father's ear.

”Not now, son,” George said. ”I've got to find your mother. She shouldn't be away from the house this long.”

”I think we should notify Marshal Hickok,” Jeff said. ''Maybe you ought to check with the doctor first,” Hen suggested. ”If anything did happen, it's bound to have something to do with the baby. I'll go if you'd like.”

”I'd appreciate it,” George said.

”And I'll go see the marshal,” Jeff volunteered.