Chapter 4

It worried Heath when Jarrod didn't feel well enough to eat much. Despite what he said about not having a concussion, Heath was pretty sure his older brother had at least a mild one. When they settled down to sleep on the floor of the living room, after Grant and his wives had gone to bed, Heath was restless. He felt like, between Jarrod having a head injury and Abagail having a baby, this might be a very rocky night.

"Go to sleep," Jarrod suddenly said in the quiet darkness.

"Sorry if I'm keeping you awake," Heath said.

Jarrod rolled onto his back from his side. "You're not. But you're worried I won't wake up if I fall asleep."

"You didn't eat much."

"I never eat as much as you do."

"Your stomach is upset."

"Just a little. Go to sleep."

Heath sighed. "It's not just you I'm worried about. I think Abagail's gonna have that baby tonight."

"She might," Jarrod said. "But there's not a lot either one of us can do about that. We can't even help much when it happens."

"I can go for a doctor if she needs one," Heath said, "but then – then we have to go along with the Grants' story to an outsider."

Jarrod rolled onto his side to face his brother. "If she has that baby tonight, then the important thing is that baby. If it takes lying to get a doctor here, then we'll just have to do it but work harder at convincing Grant that he has to do something this time, really do it."

"We're gonna have to do that anyway."

"Yes, we are. But not before morning, whether Abagail delivers tonight or not. Go to sleep."

Heath chuckled. "More and more I see why everybody calls you Pappy."

Jarrod was silent for a moment but then said, "When I went off to the war I was a kid. When I got back, I was a man who had commanded troops who were kids. I suppose I just kept on doing it when I got home and found two little siblings who had no idea who I was, and a brother who had been in command of troops himself but didn't really want to do any more commanding, not of the family anyway. Nick gravitated to Father and the ranch. Mother gave me that look of hers – that 'help me please and if you don't I'll take some kitchen implement to you.'"

Heath chuckled again.

"I just kept commanding," Jarrod said. "I know it makes me bossy and I know you don't feel like you need any commanding – "

"No, no," Heath said. "Not commanding but sometimes I do need some good advice. It wasn't until I joined this family that I realized that sometimes I don't make the best decisions."

Jarrod rolled onto his back again. "We all have that problem when we're young. We grow up and become wise when we realize that we don't always make the best decisions, and we ask for help."

"You don't ask for help very often."

"That's because I've gotten used to Brother Nick giving me his 'help' whether I ask for it or not."

Heath chuckled one more time.

But Jarrod was quiet for a moment before he said, "I'll ask for help now. Assuming I can ride tomorrow and Big Louie can carry me – assuming we can't talk Grant into divorcing one of his wives or moving on to Mexico – I think we have to go to the law and turn him in and I don't see any way out of it. Do you?"

"No," Heath said. "Not if you want to keep your law practice and we want to stay out of jail. But we might best be ready for one more thing."

"We might best be ready for him to turn violent," Jarrod said.

"He knocked you out with a rifle butt before," Heath said.

"How well I remember," Jarrod said. "But there are two of us with him now. I doubt it will make him less violent if he feels threatened, but it will help us keep him from hurting either one of us."

"If that baby comes tonight, you think it might make him more peaceable?"

"I don't know," Jarrod said. "It might make him feel more threatened. There's no way to tell until it happens."

"I don't want you to feel like you have to deal with this on your own."

"I don't," Jarrod said. "I tried to do that the last time so you and Nick wouldn't end up in trouble, but that didn't work out so well either. And this time you were in it up to your neck before I even woke up. Just don't you feel like you have to deal with it on your own because I have a headache. I'll be all right tomorrow."

"Tomorrow's gonna be a hard day," Heath said.

"So go to sleep," Jarrod ordered one more time, more forcefully this time.

And Heath chuckled one more time. "Yes, Pappy."

XXXXXXXX

When the loud cry woke them up, it was just beginning to turn light enough outside to see inside. Heath jerked awake first. Jarrod sat up more slowly.

"You awake?" Heath asked.

"Oh, yes," Jarrod said.

Abagail's wails from the bedroom continued.

"It looks like you were right," Jarrod said.

Heath got up. "I'll put some water on to boil just in case it's needed. You stay down for a little while longer. Don't try to move around too much while I'm busy."

Jarrod sat up but didn't get up. He could see under the door to the bedroom that there was light lit in there, and in a moment, Grant came out, closing the door behind him. Abagail was crying fiercely now.

Grant saw Jarrod awake on the floor and Heath getting some light on in the kitchen. "Eliza threw me out," Grant said.

Jarrod smiled. "Heath is getting some water boiled."

Grant sat down on the sofa, his head in his hands, cringing each time Abagail screamed. "I suppose it's God's punishment on woman for Eve's transgression."

Jarrod did not believe that for a moment but he knew many religious people did. "She's a strong young woman," Jarrod said. "And before long, you'll have a son or a daughter."

That made Grant smile. "A child of my own – finally."

Jarrod felt pleased for the man, and he knew that even though there was going to be a serious talk about the future between the two of them, it wasn't going to happen now. But Jarrod also felt dizzy. He didn't get up – he couldn't get up – but he didn't let on yet how he felt. Now was not the time.

Heath came back from the kitchen. "You gotta let me know if she needs a doctor," Heath said.

Grant shook his head. "She won't need any doctor. Eliza will care for her. She's helped with birthing before."

"That's good to hear," Jarrod said.

Just as soon as he said it, there was a deep wail from Abagail and then the healthy mewling cry of a baby.

Jarrod smiled. "That's even better to hear."

Grant started to get up to go back into the bedroom.

Jarrod reached to stop him and grabbed his leg. "No, you stay out here. Let the women do their work."

"That's about as fast as I've ever heard a baby to come," Heath said.

"Abagail's been uncomfortable for hours," Grant said, sitting back down but not at all comfortable himself. "But I know, it don't always happen this fast."

Heath knew there wasn't any coffee or tea in this house. "What can I get you to drink, Mr. Grant?"

Grant shook his head. "Nothing just yet. I just can't think of anything until I can see Abagail and the baby."

The baby and Abagail both began to quiet down. Jarrod looked up at Heath, who stood looking down at him. It was hard to believe the birth of a baby was going to be the easy part of this day, but right now, that's what it was looking like.

Because Heath could see that Jarrod wasn't getting up, that he was holding onto himself for the sake of what was happening in the other room, but he wasn't well. The hard part of this day was still ahead.