Free To Wed in Texas by Jodi Thomas Page A

from a man already running backward as she reached out. She was vaguely aware of another side of their shelter going up.Now the women were hidden from all but the distant trees bordering the cemetery.
    Karlee raised AmyAnn’s hem and watched in wonder. The baby’s head slowly appeared. Within what seemed seconds, a tiny body lay in her hands. He was wet and blue and so slippery she could hardly cradle him. She tried several ways to hold him, then decided on lifting him by the feet out of all the blood and water.
    The widow relaxed back into the grass. “Is he breathing?” she whispered.
    Karlee stared at the liquid dripping from the baby’s mouth and nose. “No,” she answered. Sorrow choked her own breathing.
    She held him in one hand and patted his back, trying to force the fluid from him. “Breathe!” she demanded. “Breathe!” The pace became harder. There was nothing else to do.
    After only a few more pats, the baby jerked and breathed, then let out a cry. His jelly-like body took shape as air filled his lungs.
    “Yes!” Karlee shouted. “Yes, he’s breathing.”
    She looked up smiling and saw the woman’s body contract once more. Warm, sticky liquid and blood seemed everywhere. About three feet above the woman’s head a hand poked through the blankets. Nervous fingers held a long Bowie knife.
    Karlee giggled. She didn’t have to ask who was on the other side of the wool wall. “Thank you, Wolf.”
    She took the knife and cut the cord binding baby and mother, then tied each end as the baby wiggled atop the pile of rags.
    “Where’s the woman in labor?” a voice shouted from near the church. “I’m the doctor.”
    “Over here!” Wolf’s gruff holler answered. “Only she ain’t a woman in labor no more. She’s a mother!”
    The doctor stepped between the blankets, glancingfirst at the baby then the mother. “Take care of the babe, Nurse,” he ordered. “I’ll make sure the mother isn’t hemorrhaging.”
    Karlee wanted to scream that she didn’t know what to do, but then she smiled, realizing she must have done it right if he thought she was a nurse.
    She wiped the baby off and wrapped it in a square of cotton that looked very much like the covering for the church altar. The infant was wiggling and making all kinds of noises with his mouth wide open, just like a newborn bird’s.
    She crawled up to the new mother and lay the infant at her side. “He’s beautiful,” Karlee explained. “Prettiest baby I’ve ever seen.”
    “Thank you.”
    Karlee shrugged. “I didn’t do anything. You did all the work. I just watched the miracle.”
    “You’re an angel God sent in my darkest hour,” the widow announced. “I will be forever in your debt.”
    AmyAnn’s pale hand covered Karlee’s bloody one. “Forever your friend,” she whispered and closed her eyes. “Forever.”
    “Doctor?” Karlee fought panic.
    “She’s fine,” he answered quickly, understanding Karlee’s fear. “Lost a lot of blood, she has. Best to let her rest for a spell, then we’ll see about getting her home and putting her in a proper bed.” He lifted the baby. “And this little fellow is grand, just grand. I think I’ll nickname him Rip.”
    “Rip?” Karlee questioned.
    “Yeah, Rest In Peace like the headstone here says. He’ll be one brave man, I figure. For anyone born in a cemetery ought to have no fear of dying.”
    He slowly stood, building his height one joint at a time. “Stay with her and little Rip for a while.” Without a word, he slipped a small derringer beneath the stackof clothes. “This won’t hit nothing more then three feet away, but it should make enough noise to attract attention. I’ll tell the men you’ll fire if you need help.”
    Karlee started to shake her head and tell the doctor how much she hated firearms, but then she remembered the Union officer. She didn’t want him to return and find her and AmyAnn alone. She could fire a round to call for help.
    The doctor looked