The Midwife's New-Found... Page 13

  'And I love you, too, but you'd better improve with age.'

  He looked around at the dying light and the last of the reflection shining off the lake and back at her in his arms. 'At this moment my life is perfect. You know, the day you left me all those weeks ago, I couldn't get you out of my mind.'

  He went on. 'You need to know that my need to see you dragged me out of my safe bubble. Do you know how hard that was? Because of you, I had to uproot myself from the beach, follow you here, and even go back to working in a hospital, which I said I'd never do again.'

  'And Tammy.'

  'My darling daughter is my excuse, not the reason I'm here. We could have got to know each other somewhere else but it would never have been as nurturing as you have made it here. Jut another facet of how much I owe you.'

  He kissed her. 'All the angst and change and facing the past has been so worth it because of what I've found with you.'

  He kissed her again. 'Because finally I have you in my arms and I'm not letting you go.'

  'So you think we could stay here for a while?'

  'Because you're here I could stay anywhere. But I love the lake and the healing it's brought. I'm sorry I was sceptical when I got here. I was pretty bad, wasn't I?'

  'You were very sceptical,' Misty agreed.

  He grinned. 'Do you forgive me?'

  'I admit you were under stress.' She tilted her head at him, considering. 'I'll think about suitable compensation.'

  His eyes darkened and she felt the clench in her gut he could cause just by inference. She was a basket case.

  'I like the sound of that,' he said.

  Not that kind of compensation, but she couldn't help the secret smile that curved her lips. 'You may not like my idea. I think I'll get you to do a talk at the young mums' class on complications in pregnancy. And share the babysitting I have to do for Montana and Andy's anniversary at the end of this week.'

  'I think I could handle both of those if you were there.'

  The promise of other compensations shimmered between them and she tried to distract herself from inviting him to do more than just kiss her here in the dark. Now that she'd discovered how it felt to be with Ben she didn't know how she was going to last until she could be with him again. She hoped he was good at organizing fast weddings. The man was turning her into a nymphomaniac.

  Misty hid her smile as an amusing thought crossed her mind. 'You known I have this vision of you surrounded by crying babies. Maybe I'm having triplets. Three daughters.'

  He couldn't hide his horror. 'You saw this? You're kidding!'

  She laughed. 'Yes. I'm kidding. No vision.'

  He wiped his brow with mock relief then looked down at her indiscernible pregnancy. 'I wonder if our child will be able to save the person they love, like you saved me?'

  'Will you mind too much if they do?'

  'How could I? Without your gift I wouldn't be here. But promise me you'll never leave me, especially surrounded by crying babies.'

  She rested her head on his shoulder, finally able to believe that everything would turn out right. Ben did love her and they would make a wonderful life together. 'I'll never leave you, my love, and as for the babies, we'll see.'

  'As long as we're together,' he said, and the wonder in his voice made tears spring to her eyes.

  'Despite the fact that you can be hard work, I love your company, your crazy-man ways and the way you make me feel like I'm the most special person in the world.'

  He looked down at her. 'You've taken me on—you'd have to be the most special person in the world.'

  He grinned at a thought. 'You know I'm going to be just as horrible to your midwife when you go into labour. I'll be even more of a mess.'

  'Impossible,' she said, and laughed up at him. He caught her hand and pulled her to him.

  'I'm pretty basic. I can't stand seeing the women I love in pain.'

  'Ah, but what a cause.'

  * * *

  They didn't wait. The wedding was held the next week, on the beach at midday, because Ben said that's where his new life had begun, thanks to Misty.

  The bride wore champagne silk and the groom's tie matched her gown as it kissed her ankles and floated above her bare feet as she crossed the fine sand.

  The trouser legs of Ben's suit were rolled up at the bottom as he stood and waited for her to join him on the shore.

  Misty saw the waves breaking ahead of her as she walked towards him. The man who had changed so much in her life and made her realise the strength and vulnerability that came from loving another person with such depth.

  Ben looked so strong and tall yet with such love shining from his face as he watched her approach that she blinked tears away because today was for joy.

  Ben was her man, her soulmate, and there would be trials and laughter, and a world of love with him because she would be an equal partner in their journey to celebrate life.

  Later, on top of the cliff, the guests milled joyfully outside the tall white lighthouse that looked over the ocean and the windows were open in the sprawling keeper's cottage to let the scent of the ocean blow through the revellers as they partied.

  When the guests had departed, Misty and Ben strolled along beside the white picket fence that marched crisply around the cliff edge and overlooked the ocean below. Ben held firmly to his wife's hand as they gazed over the ocean that had brought them together.

  He lifted Misty's hand to his lips and dropped a gentle kiss on the inside of her wrist. 'To my wife, my life, my love,' he said, and pulled her back against him so he could rest his hands protectively over her stomach.

  'Thank you for saving me and now I'm going to save you for the rest of your life.'

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  TAMMY LOOKED BACK AT the waiting room where she'd spent the morning in early labour. 'Can Emma come?'

  Louisa spoke up. 'I can mind Grace, if Emma will let me. I'd love to.'

  'Emma?' Misty smiled at the girl. She knew Emma would love to be with Tammy the whole way through.

  Emma looked at Tammy. 'If you think it would help you, of course I'll come.'

  Which meant Ben was superfluous and was left standing outside the bathroom door, as he'd known he would be.

  Ben looked at Misty as she passed in front of him after his daughter. 'What if she needs me?'

  Misty paused. 'As soon as she asks we'll call you in. You'll have to wait for that, Ben.'

  He stood forlornly outside the bathroom door and listened to his daughter moan. He became more and more distressed. He paced, he tried to read, he walked to the residence and back, and finally he sat outside the door with his head in his hands and tried not to listen.

  Inside the room Misty could see that Tammy was fine between contractions, even laughed occasionally, and moaned because that was the noise her body told her to make.

  'Good opening noises,' she said to Tammy, and Emma encouraged her to let the sound out.

  By late afternoon Tammy's time was close.

  Misty went to see how Ben was faring and, not at all to her surprise, he looked a mess. She put her arms around him and hugged him.

  'What are you doing to her in there?' Ben shook his head as he tried to speak rationally despite all the fear that bubbled inside him.

  Misty stepped back and gazed at the man she loved, thought about how hard it must be to be only hearing the hard bits, with none of the windows of lightness that occurred in the calm. 'She really is fine, Ben.'

  'It doesn't sound as if she's fine.'

  'Tammy,' Misty called through the door.

  Tammy's voice came back, softly, a little spaced with the focus of her thoughts on the baby inside her. 'Yes?'

  'Tell your father you're OK, please, honey.'

  'I'm fine, Dad.' Then the next contraction came and she began to moan.

  Ben wrung his hands. 'I don't think I can stand this.'

  'Go for a short walk, Ben. I'll phone your mobile when she's ready. I need to get back in with her.' She s
hook her head and kissed his cheek. 'I can't believe this. You've seen hundreds of babies born and you're a mess.'

  * * *

  Half an hour later Ben heard the words he barely dared to hope for.

  Tammy's voice. 'I want my dad!'

  Misty opened the door and Ben swept past her and knelt beside the bath to hold his daughter's hand. As he gazed into the sweat-beaded face of the young girl he'd watched grow into this powerful young woman, he thanked God and Misty, the woman who had saved him in more ways than one, so he could be there for his daughter at this moment.

  Suddenly, it was all over before Ben had even realised how close it was, and Tammy's baby was born.

  'It's a boy,' Tammy said softly and lifted her son from the water to cuddle him against her breasts. 'Hello, there, little Jack.' She looked at Misty and Emma and then at her father as if to say, See what I've done.

  'I'm going to call him Jack because I've always liked that name for a boy. Then, of course, he will be Benjamin after his grandfather.'

  'Jack Benjamin is a lovely name,' Ben said, and he shook his head at the glowing woman that was his daughter. 'I'm so proud of you, Tammy,' he said.

  She looked serene and proud of herself, too, and he owed a lot of that to Misty for having faith in his daughter he hadn't had.

  He looked across at his wife and blew her a kiss. He dared to hope she'd forgiven him for taking his stress out on her. Again.

  'Congratulations, Grandpa.' Misty smiled and the love in her eyes promised bucketfuls of forgiveness, and a life of love and laughter and wonderful times that he'd only ever dreamed was possible.

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-3306-9

  THE MIDWIFE'S NEW-FOUND FAMILY

  First North American Publication 2009

  Copyright © 2009 by Fiona McArthur

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

  ® and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

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  Table of Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE