Page 68 of Rancher Seeks his Sweetheart

The woman nods, her skin clammy, her whole body tensing as what looks like another contraction wracks through her.

I leave them there and rush to my truck as asked. Moments later, I’ve got Charlie’s medical kit she keeps in the truck along with a picnic blanket stowed away there and quickly make my way back to the paint aisle.

“It’s lucky I dragged my husband here to pick out paint colors today, isn’t it. Looks like you wanted to do the same before this little one decided to make an early appearance,” I hear Charlie say as I return, a soothing smile on her face.

Having been through three births with Charlie, I step in to help steer the ship—if you will–when I recognize the lost look on the dad-to-be’s face.

“Hey. You’re Jonathan from the Animal Rescue, right? I’ve seen you there a few times. Austin Graham. I’m from Bull Mountain Ranch.” I hold out my hand to shake his.

“Yeah. Sorry, I recognized you too. I’m just a bit…,” he sighs, shooting Scarlett a worried glance.

“Distracted? Totally understandthat. Been through this three times myself. Is this your first?” I ask while Charlie talks to his wife.

He chuckles and rubs the back of his neck. “Is it that obvious?”

“A bit. I had the same deer-in-headlights look when we had our first.”

"Tell me what to do? I want to help her I’m just a bit?—”

"Lost? Yeah. Just do whatever Char tells you to do and whateverScarlettasks. And remember, whatever your wife says or does durin’ laborcannotbe held against her," I say, reaching out and squeezing his shoulder. "She just needs you, Jonathan. Your job is to be there for her."

Charlie overhears us and looks over her shoulder at me with a huge smile. “Come over here, Jonathan. I need you to get behind Scarlett and support her weight while I examine her.”

I nod his way. “Just remember, do what you’re told and soon you’ll get to meet your baby.”

“A girl,” he breathes as he carefully works with Charlie and Scarlett to slide behind his wife and support her. “We’re callin’ her Abby.”

“That’s a beautiful name. We’ve got three little ranchers ourselves. Hart who’s eight, Livvie who’s five, and our two-year-old princess, Maggie,” Charlie replies as she positions herself between the other woman’s legs.

Feeling like an outsider looking in—and rightly so—I stand back, averting my eyes when needed, keeping an eye on Jonathan, and being here if Charlie wants help with anything.

Twenty minutes later, the sound of sirens from the town’s only ambulance fill the air. By then, it’s too late to move Scarlett who’s already pushing and squeezing her husband’s hands so tightly they’ve turned white.

"You need anythin', Dr Graham?" one of the EMTs asks as they enter the aisle.

Charlie turns her head and shakes it. “This baby ain’t waitin’ for no one.” She uses the opportunity to wipe her brow and shoot me a loving relieved look before returning her attention to a panting and Lamaze-breathing Scarlett.

Ten minutes later, with me cheering on, and Jonathan grimacing in pain—but not as much as Scarlett is—Baby Abby enters the world with an almighty wail that has my eyes misting up along with everyone else who’s here.

Not just because I've just witnessed the miracle of birth. It's because I've just watched my wife in her element, doing what she was born to do, what she left town—and me–to do. And it was worth every lonely moment because it was amazing. Mind-blowing.

When she finally hands over Scarlett's care to the EMTs and makes her way over to me, I wrap her up in my arms and hug her tight before cupping her face and kissing her deeply, pouring all of my pride and love into it.

“You’re incredible,” I whisper against her lips, still in awe of the woman standing in front of me.

She smiles up at me, eyes shining with unshed tears. “We make a good team, don’t we?”

"We do." I press another kiss on her forehead. "I'm so proud of you, Charlie," I say, holding her close as we watch the ambulance whisk Scarlett, Jonathan, and baby Abby away to the hospital.

I’m so lucky to have this amazing woman by my side. Life with Charlie has never been boring, and I wouldn’t change a thing.It’s filled with love, adventure, and unexpected surprises—like paint aisle childbirth experiences.

“Should we go home now, or?”

Char jolts and jerks away from me, shooting me a disbelieving look. “Why? We came here to pick a paint color for my babies’ treehouse, so that’s what we’re goin’ to do,” she says definitively.

“Yes, ma’am,” I say, lips twitching.

Her gaze softens. "Besides," she moves in close, tipping her face up to mine, "I seem to have nice memories of paintin' with you. Just not white. Never white."

“Hmm. I remember a request bein’ put in by Livvie for purple. Could you live with purple, Mama?”

“Yeah, love. I can live with purple. Let’s go.”

In the end, we chose a bright purple for Livvie, a sunshine yellow for Maggie, and a sapphire blue for Hart’s man shed outside the treehouse–something Uncle Toby insisted on building for his nephew. Then we went home and all five members of our little family helped paint.

All in all, a productive day.