The Gem: The Malloy Family, Book 12 Read online

  He raced into the woods straight for her favorite spot. She couldn’t climb trees any longer, but she would no doubt find a way to hunt. He scanned the woods as he went, but there was no sign of her. She would have gone further in, he was sure of it.

  A low-pitched moan sounded from ahead. That was Charlie. His heart pounded as he ran toward the sound. He found her in her makeshift trouser dress, covered in blood, leaning against a tree and clutching her belly. Her bow and quiver were in her hand. His heart stopped and he fell to his knees in front of her and touched her distended belly.

  “Sweet Jesus, honey, what happened? Is the baby coming? Are you in pain?”

  She smacked his hand away. “Yes, the baby is coming and yes I’m in fucking pain!”

  “The blood. There’s so much of it.” The coppery scent filled his nose, making his stomach flip. “Is that normal? We need to get to Isabelle.”

  He tried to pick her up, but she slapped his hand away again. “That’s not my blood.” She raised her head and grinned at him. “I got Big Buck.”

  He stared at her, his heart still pounding so hard, his ribs hurt. “You did what?”

  “You heard me. I got Big Buck. Right through the heart. Zing!” She made an arrow motion with her hand. “I had to dress the kill, and that’s when my water broke. It goddamn hurts.”

  Eli swallowed the lump in his throat until he could speak again. “You were dressing a kill in the woods while you were in labor?” He knew he was shouting, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself.

  “Don’t yell at me.” She moaned again and tried to squat on the ground. He pulled her back to her feet. “Damn you, Eli.”

  “We need to get to Isabelle.”

  “And then come back and get Big Buck. I managed to string him up on the tree using the branch for leverage—”

  “Jesus Christ, woman!” He scooped her up in his arms no matter how much she protested. “You have lost your mind.”

  “Don’t jiggle me too much or I’ll pee on you,” she grumbled in his ear, promising retribution for his high-handedness.

  “I don’t care if you shit on me. I’m getting you to your sister so you can deliver our baby.” He was scared to pieces for her. He had no experience with women in labor, although Isabelle told him Charlie was healthy, as was the baby. He held his entire heart in his arms.

  Nothing could happen to Charlie.

  Charlie wouldn’t admit it to Eli, but she was scared. Quaking in her boots. She wanted to weep and wail like a female, but she didn’t. She was strong and tough. Having a baby wasn’t that hard. Women did it every day, every minute of every day. She could do it. She would do it.

  She was afraid she couldn’t do it.

  Eli got her to Isabelle’s door in record time. Good thing he had long legs. His heart pounded against her side. He was as afraid as she was. It made her feel a little less scared to know she wasn’t alone.

  “Isabelle!” Eli kicked at the door.

  Iz opened the door in a hurry, her eyes wide. She spotted Charlie, who no doubt looked mad with blood everywhere, and her face blanched.

  “It’s not mine. I got an elk before labor started.”

  Her sister’s color began to return. “You scared me. I’m not a doctor, Charlie, and I don’t know what I would do if you needed one.”

  Eli carried her in and set her on the exam table. “You would do what you’ve always done. Figure out how to save your patient.” He had the same faith in Isabelle that Charlie did.

  “I need to wash my hands.” Isabelle closed the door. “Get her out of those bloody clothes.”

  “You want me naked?” Charlie almost screeched.

  Isabelle sighed. “You’re not wearing anything under that?”

  “Well, no, it’s hot.” Charlie didn’t want to explain her undergarments to her sister.

  “Eli, go get her nightgown and be quick.” Isabelle shooed him out the door. “I’ll get everything else ready.”

  Charlie almost smiled at how fast her husband flew out the door. He was very sweet and she was lucky to have him as her partner. Another pain ripped through her and she gasped.

  Isabelle was washing her hands in the deep basin she had beside the small stove. She always kept hot water ready for patients. “How long has it been since the last contraction?”

  “I don’t know. Ten minutes, maybe fifteen.” Charlie gritted her teeth against the pain.

  “Did your water break?”

  “Yes.”

  “When?”

  “Almost an hour ago! What difference does that make?” Charlie screamed at the height of the contraction, then was able to take a breath as her body loosened.

  “An hour? What were you doing all that time when you should have been here?” Isabelle dried her hands with a scowl.

  “Doing what I had to do. Keeping a promise I made years ago. Now I can be a mother to my child without regrets.” Charlie couldn’t explain why she had to take down the buck, but she knew in her gut it had been the right thing. Life would change significantly with a child. Now her past could stay behind her and the future would be in front.

  “Later we can discuss how foolish that was. For now we’re going to get that baby born healthy.” While Isabelle arranged her instruments, the door burst open.

  Eli stumbled in, looking more like the boy she remembered meeting one snowy day. He held out the nightgown with a shaking hand. “Here it is.”

  “Help her change and then we can clean her up.” Isabelle was all business when she worked as a healer. A lot less sweet than she normally was. Charlie couldn’t take it personally even if she wanted to.

  Eli made quick work of taking off her clothes, which he never had trouble doing, and Isabelle washed her before putting on her nightgown. Isabelle put a towel under Charlie and then glanced at Eli.

  “I have to examine her.”

  Eli looked completely horrified. “All right.”

  “Go get Big Buck and bring it back to the smoking shed.” Charlie wasn’t going to lose the meat, rack or pelt. That big animal would provide a great deal of money she might need for the baby.

  “What? I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Yes, you are. Go get that goddamn elk or I’ll never forgive you.” Charlie shook her fist at him. “I might even punch you in the balls.”

  Isabelle laughed while Eli took a step backward.

  “How long will it be?” Eli asked Isabelle.

  “I don’t know and neither does the baby. At least a few hours.” Isabelle patted his shoulder. “Do what she asks.”

  “What she told me to do.” He frowned.

  “Go get the elk or she won’t stop nagging you.” Isabelle opened the door. “I promise she won’t have the baby until you return.”

  Eli stood at Charlie’s side and spread his large palm on her belly. “I love you.”

  It was all he needed to say and all she needed to hear. She managed a crooked smile. “I love you too. Now get moving so you can come back. I want to have this baby.”

  He kissed her hard, then kissed her belly and flew out the door. Charlie’s eyes pricked with tears.

  “He is a wonderful man and he’s going to be a wonderful father.” Isabelle took Charlie’s hand. “Do you want him here for the birth? Mason had been exposed to birth on the plantation he grew up on, and the process was familiar, if frightening. Eli has nothing to draw from.”

  Charlie had little time to consider whether Eli would stay after he returned. The business of birthing a baby was messy, painful and the most exhausting experience of her life. Time passed and the two of them worked in tandem. As the contractions grew closer together, Isabelle mopped her brow.

  “You’re doing well. The labor is progressing more quickly than I expected. Your son or daughter is anxious to greet the world.” Isabelle checked inside Charlie
once more. “I believe you’re ready to push, tamia.”

  Charlie wiped the sweaty hair off her cheek. “Eli isn’t back yet. You promised him.”

  “Babies do not wait for their fathers if they have a mind to make their entrance. I will apologize to him.” Isabelle fetched a clean towel from the stack on the shelf and positioned herself between Charlie’s legs. “When the contraction begins, push. Do you understand?”

  Charlie had never worked so hard in her life. She screamed, grunted, cursed, pulled a piece of the table off with her bare hands—and most of all, she pushed. Her child depended on her to do her best, and she was not about to let that baby down.

  “The head is crowning. One more big one.” Isabelle looked awful with her hair hanging in strands around her perspiring face. Her expression was of determination and focus.

  “Thank you, Iz.” Charlie didn’t want to forget to say it. “Thank you for helping and for being here for me.”

  “Always.” Iz patted Charlie’s foot. “Now, let’s get this baby born. Ready?”

  Charlie pushed with every fiber of her being and the baby slid out into Isabelle’s waiting hands. The door burst open and Eli stood there, his dark hair a mass of windblown knots, his eyes uncertain. He saw the baby and paled.

  “I missed it.”

  “No, you’re here for the best part.” Isabelle made quick work of cleaning the baby, cutting the cord and swaddling it in the blanket.

  Charlie was exhausted beyond measure, but she watched as her sister handed Eli the tiny bundle with a smile in her heart. This was what life was all about. Being loved and loving in return. Sharing ups and downs, triumphs and tragedies. Eli was her partner, always at her side.

  “I’d like you to meet your daughter.” Isabelle beamed at Charlie. “It’s a girl.”

  Eli gazed down at the baby and walked over to Charlie. He kissed the baby’s forehead and laid her in Charlie’s arms. “She’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

  Charlie never expected to be a mother, never wanting to be one, but at that moment, she wondered how in the hell she had ever thought that. The baby was a perfect angel, with Eli’s dark hair and Charlie’s short nose.

  “Hello, Marie.” She kissed the baby’s soft forehead. “Welcome to our family.”

  Eli smiled at the two of them. “I love you both so much, my heart is about to burst.”

  “Don’t do that, because I need you. She needs you.” Charlie took his hand. “I love you too.”

  The last Chastain sister had finally found what she sought. Her happiness was found in the wilds of Wyoming, beside a man who loved her for who she was, not the color of her hair or the clothes she wore.

  Life had come full circle and they had created a child of their own. Love had triumphed over all.

  About the Author

  Beth Williamson, who also writes as Emma Lang, is an award-winning, bestselling author of both historical and contemporary romances. Her books range from sensual to scorching hot. She is a Career Achievement Award Nominee in Erotic Romance by Romantic Times Magazine, in both 2009 and 2010.

  Beth has always been a dreamer, never able to escape her imagination. It led her to the craft of writing romance novels. She’s passionate about purple, books and her family. She has a weakness for shoes and purses, as well as bookstores. Her path in life has taken several right turns, but she’s been with the man of her dreams for more than twenty years.

  Beth works full-time and writes romance novels evenings, weekends, early mornings and whenever there is a break in the madness. She is compassionate, funny, a bit reserved at times, tenacious and a little quirky. Her cowboys and Western romances speak of a bygone era, bringing her readers to an age where men were honest, hard and packing heat. For a change of pace, she also dives into some smokin’ hot contemporaries, bringing you heat, romance and snappy dialogue.

  Life might be chaotic, as life usually is, but Beth always keeps a smile on her face, a song in her heart, and a cowboy on her mind. ;)

  www.bethwilliamson.com

  Look for these titles by Beth Williamson

  Now Available:

  Marielle’s Marshal

  Branded

  Endless Heart (as Emma Lang)

  The Malloy Family

  The Bounty

  The Prize

  The Reward

  The Treasure

  The Gift

  The Tribute

  The Legacy

  Hell for Leather

  The Present

  The Fortune

  The Prospect

  The Jewel

  Devils on Horseback

  Nate

  Jake

  Zeke

  Lee

  Gideon

  Private Lives

  On His Knees

  Coming Soon:

  Devils on Horseback: Generations

  Adam

  Jesse

  Clint

  Elias

  Spencer

  Devils on Horseback: Millenium

  Her Bucking Bronc

  His Prairie Blossom

  Her Dark Cowboy

  His Dream Spirit

  Don’t miss the other titles in Beth Williamson’s Malloy Family Series!

  When life falls apart, love can make you whole again.

  The Malloy Family, Book 11

  As the “beautiful” sister, Isabelle Chastain always struggled to be taken seriously. But as her family immigrates to Oregon Territory, she loses her sister Francesca to marriage, and her parents to dysentery. It’s time to take control.

  With an empty wagon and a broken heart, she and her younger sister Charlotte turn for home to search for another sister, Josephine, left behind to recover from typhoid. The last thing Isabelle needs in her path is a naked, bleeding man left to die in the dirt.

  Dazzled by a friend’s stories of California gold, college professor Mason Bennett left North Carolina to get his share. All his dreams of adventure and riches got him, however, was robbed, beaten, and left for dead.

  As Isabelle stitches him up, he discovers her wit is as sharp as her needle. But when vagabonds seize their wagon, they must band together to save themselves—or any hope for a happy future could disappear.

  Warning: Saddle up for an Old West yarn, complete with a beautiful woman with more strength than ten men, a professor turned cowboy, a love that defies the odds, and adventure that will leave you gasping for more.

  Running from the past…and running out of time.

  The Malloy Family, Book 9

  French-born Francesca Chastain came to New York with her family to find a better life. Now she is fleeing a nightmare. Her past chases her from New York and she must run, and run hard.

  Her journey to the land of milk and honey is interrupted by the accidental squeeze of a trigger. And the man on the other end of her blunder is a man like none other she’s ever met.

  After three years working Oregon-bound wagon trains, John Malloy has almost saved enough money to start his own horse ranch. And almost met the end of his life at the hands of fiery, green-eyed Frankie, a confusing, frustrating woman who responds to his flirting—then disappears.

  No one is more relieved than Frankie when John races to her rescue, but now they’re trapped in the wild. And the shadows of both their pasts are closing in…

  Warning: Inside you’ll find sexy heat, danger, Old West violence, gun-toting bad guys and an emotional roller coaster. Prepare to fall in love with the Malloys all over again with witty, strong women, stubborn, heroic men and a love that launched a legacy.

  The lie that saves her life could destroy their love.

  The Malloy Family, Book 10

  Josephine Chastain never thought a case of typhoid would force her Oregon-bound family to lea
ve her behind in Fort John—in the care of the last man she trusts. Others in the wagon train may have accepted Declan Calhoun’s motives for kidnapping her sister Frankie, but not Jo.

  When she wakes up from the three-week fever, though, she finds some things have changed. Declan is her husband. And their cabin is too small to contain the growing desire between them.

  While Jo fights for her life, Declan finds himself falling for the bookish Chastain sister. A woman with a spine of steel and a seemingly bottomless well of smarts. In other words, everything he can never be.

  Yet now is not the time to confess the little white lie that has thus far kept her safe. Not when he must figure out how to escape a quarantine that’s turned into extortion. And resist Jo’s determination to seduce him before she learns the truth. Before the unforgiving wilderness between them and safety claims their lives.

  Warning: Be ready for a learned but stubborn woman, a man with a dark past who needs redeeming, and an adventure that will light your hair and your panties on fire.

  eBooks are not transferable.

  They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

  11821 Mason Montgomery Road Suite 4B

  Cincinnati OH 45249

  The Gem

  Copyright © 2015 by Beth Williamson

  ISBN: 978-1-61922-867-2

  Edited by Amy Sherwood

  Cover by Kim Killion

  All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: July 2015