Sammy's Story Read online

  Barry came back to the table with the drinks she’d asked for and a root beer for himself. He sat across from her and nodded to her nachos. “How do you like them?”

  “I was waiting to try them until you came back to the table. I didn’t want to be rude.” She’d been tempted, though. They did look good!

  “Try one!” He shook his head, like she’d lost her mind.

  “They’re good!” She opened her Sprite and took a sip. “Thank you for cooking.”

  “I’m not sure you can count nachos as cooking.”

  “It’s more than I could have done tonight.”

  He told her about Bart deciding to stay in town as they ate.

  “Does this mean we get a discount from Bob’s?”

  Barry laughed. “No, but Bob will put a flyer in every to-go order and have one on every table.”

  “That’s probably better than a discount! Awesome!” Sammy kept eating her nachos. They really were good and not what she’d expected at all. She thought he’d just throw some cheese on chips and microwave them. This was infinitely better.

  After they’d finished eating, he sent her back to the couch. “Sleep for a few more minutes while I get the dishes washed.”

  “You’re doing dishes, too? I think you must be the most wonderful man ever.” She kissed him quickly before doing as he’d told her and lying back down on the couch. Every minute of sleep she got at that moment was absolutely precious.

  When Barry finished with the dishes, he sat beside her, determined to let her sleep for another hour or so. She was curled into a little ball on her side, so there was plenty of room for him. He grabbed her remote and turned on the show he’d been binge watching, making sure the volume was low.

  It was two hours later when she woke up and looked at him. “I really did crash, didn’t I?”

  He nodded. “But you needed sleep. All is good.” He paused the show he was watching and turned to her. “Feeling better?”

  She nodded emphatically. “Yes!”

  “Good. Because I have plans for the rest of your evening.”

  She grinned, sitting up and moving toward him. “Tell me about these plans.”

  He wrapped his arm around her and brought her lips to his. “I thought we could start with a little kissing . . .”

  “Oh! I like kissing.”

  They sat together on the couch for twenty minutes, gently exploring one another as they kissed. It was leisurely, not as intense as usual. It was obvious Barry was half-expecting to be interrupted at any moment, and he wasn’t putting his heart into it.

  “Do you think maybe it’s time to move this party to the bedroom?” she asked softly.

  “Sounds great to me!” He grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the bedroom. “Maybe you should put your phone on mute.” He was joking but only sort of. He was determined that someone was watching and deliberately going into labor as soon as they started trying to husband and wife.

  She frowned. “You know I can’t do that.”

  “I do. I wish you could, but I understand.” He pushed her down onto the bed and followed her down, kissing her madly, finally amping up the passion. Now that they’d actually made it to the bed, he was feeling optimistic that this would be able to make it to its natural conclusions.

  She was still wearing her scrubs from work, and he pulled her shirt off, silently thinking this was the furthest they’d ever gotten. It was probably time for the text. When there was no sound, he cupped her breasts in his hands, his thumbs finding her nipples through the sheer silkiness of her bra.

  When she moaned, he knew she was with him, and he rained kisses over the tops of her breasts that were visible through the bra before reaching behind her, unclasping it, and throwing it to the floor. For a moment, he just stared at what he’d uncovered before leaning down and taking one nipple into his mouth and sucking on it softly, his tongue toying with the tip.

  He stood up then and stripped off his own clothes, leaning down and divesting her of her scrub bottoms and panties.

  Covering her with his body again, he moved his hands all over her body. “You all right?” he asked softly.

  She nodded. “So good!”

  And that’s when the sound came. He groaned and rolled to his back. “I swear I’m going to kill that thing one of these days.”

  She reached for her phone and read the text message. Karlan didn’t believe me at first, and then he looked at the part of the sonogram you’d circled for him. He thinks you did it deliberately through some kind of sorcery.

  Sammy laughed and looked over at Barry, who was lying on his back with his arm thrown over his eyes, obviously frustrated. She moved over to him, and started kissing him.

  After a moment, he pulled away. “Not a delivery?”

  “Just a patient letting me know her husband’s reaction to having a little girl instead of a boy.”

  “Does that mean we can finally finish what we started?”

  “Unless I get another text . . .”

  He shook his head, laughing softly. “It’s laugh or cry at this point.”

  “I’d prefer to skip both and just make love.”

  “I can do that, too . . .”

  Afterward, Sammy lay on her side, her head pillowed on Barry’s shoulder. “We didn’t get interrupted,” she said softly.

  He chuckled. “I wasn’t sure we’d ever make it through.” Kissing her forehead, he added, “The wait was so worth it.”

  “Well, I’m glad to hear it!” She snuggled closer. “I think I’m going to like being married.”

  “I know I will.” He gathered her even closer, holding her. “Maybe our rotten streak is broken now, and we won’t get interrupted every time we start kissing.”

  “I sure hope so. And speaking of interruptions . . . I’m going to need to text Hope back.”

  “She’s the one who texted you and almost made me die of anguish?”

  “Feeling a little dramatic this evening?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “Not at all. Feeling a little . . . satisfied.”

  “Glad to hear it!” She reached for her phone and quickly tapped out a response. Tell Karlan the gender is determined by the man.

  “Now I have the munchies,” he said.

  “The munchies? What are you hungry for?”

  “No idea.” He got out of bed. “I’m going to go see what I can scrounge. You hungry?”

  She shook her head. “Not at all. Just tired. I think I’m going to shower really quick and sleep.”

  He looked at his phone. “It’s only eight-thirty.”

  “I know, but if there are no deliveries tonight, I’m going to be well-rested tomorrow.”

  “A well-rested wife sounds good to me.” He wandered out of the bedroom in search of food, while she headed for the bathroom and her shower.

  Saturday morning, Sammy went to visit her new nephew while Barry went to the store. When she got to Tabby’s house, she was greeted by a very harried Arch. “The baby wants nothing to do with me. He just wants to eat and sleep!”

  “That’s pretty normal,” Sammy told him. “He doesn’t need anyone but Mama for the first few months, and then Daddy becomes important.”

  Arch frowned. “But I want to be important now! Do you think he’s mad at me for not being there when he was born?”

  Sammy just laughed. “Where are they?”

  “In the living room. He’s nursing, and she’s smiling contentedly.”

  Sammy headed to the living room and found her sister and nephew exactly as Arch had said she would. “Good morning.”

  Tabby looked up with a grin on her face. “Good morning. I have a baby.”

  Sammy sat down beside her sister on the couch. “How’s he nursing?” she asked.

  “Beautifully. I was sure I was going to have to come to you for lactation help, but he’s doing great.” Sammy was a midwife and a lactation consultant, and she was proud to do both jobs. Most of the time, midwifery had to come first, though.<
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  “I’m so glad he’s doing so well.” Sammy’s arms ached to hold him, but he was nursing so well, she didn’t dare even suggest it.

  “Arch was mortified he missed the birth. He’s convinced the baby is mad at him for not being there for it.” Tabby giggled. “I may have told him he’d have to do something to make it up to both of us.”

  “You’re mean!” Sammy said, grinning. “He tried so hard to get here on time.”

  “I know he did, but he shouldn’t have gone on that business trip.”

  “Did you tell him that before he left? Or did you wait until he’d missed the birth to start giving him advice about when to travel?” Sammy knew her sister and how she was. She had a feeling about what the answer would be.

  “Well, not until he got home, but he should have known not to travel.” Tabby looked down at the baby again. “His little cheeks are so soft. With all the babies I’ve delivered, you’d think he wouldn’t be quite so amazing to me.”

  “Well, you did make and cook this one yourself.”

  Little Wright finally stopped nursing, and Tabby offered him to Sammy. “He’s all yours if you want him.”

  Sammy took him eagerly. “How could you tell I was dying to play auntie and hold my nephew?”

  “It was written all over your face. I’m glad you’re as excited as I am about him.”

  “There’s no doubt. I’m glad one of us finally had a baby!”

  “You’re up next. You two trying?” Tabby asked.

  Sammy nodded. “I want a couple of babies, and I don’t think I should wait much longer if I want them to be healthy.” They both knew the risks of having a baby when you were over thirty-five.

  “I’m sure you won’t have any issues. And you know I’ll help you out if you do.”

  Sammy wrinkled her nose. She didn’t want to have to take drugs that would put her at risk for multiples. “I know. Thank you!”

  “How’s married life?”

  “Good! Barry is absolutely amazing!”

  Tabby smiled. “You’ll have to bring me some books from his store. You know what I like.” She reached to her side and picked her purse up off the floor, pulling out fifty dollars. “I’m going to have a little time to read while I’m home with him.”

  “I’m happy to do it.” Sammy tucked the money into her pocket, careful not to dislodge the baby.

  “Any deliveries this week? Other than mine of course?”

  Sammy laughed. “Three total. Every time Barry even thought of getting amorous, I’d get a text for another delivery.”

  Tabby laughed. “That’s how it goes, doesn’t it?”

  “But all babies were born happy and healthy.” Sammy listed the other two mothers who had given birth during the week.

  “Well, hopefully that won’t always happen, but it will continue to happen. The whole situation has frustrated Arch more than once.”

  “It’s what they signed on for when they married us,” Sammy said with a shrug. “I warned Barry, and I’m sure . . . well, you didn’t get a chance to warn Arch, did you?”

  “I still can’t believe all of you tricked me into marrying him.”

  “Well, you would never have gotten there on your own. You two were flirting forever.”

  Tabby just shook her head, refusing to talk about it more.

  Arch came into the room then, frowning at Sammy. “How come he lets Sammy hold him and not me?”

  “Sammy was there when he was born. She caught him coming out, like you were supposed to.” Tabby smiled sweetly at Arch, but it was obvious she wasn’t going to let it go for a while. Sammy hoped that she and Barry never got to that point, but she’d never seen a married couple who didn’t.

  “And I’m his auntie!” Sammy said with a grin. “You guys did so good with this little guy.”

  Arch smiled, walking over to her and looking down at his son. “I still can’t believe we made such a perfect baby,” he said.

  Tabby laughed. “The perfect half comes from me.”

  He shook his head. “You’re a mess, Tabby O’Donnell.”

  “But I’m your mess now.”

  “You sure are.”

  Sammy took that as her cue to leave. “I’m going to run to the bakery and get some kolaches while I can. You guys need anything?”

  Tabby shook her head. “Just those books. For now, I’m going back to bed. Little Wright has been keeping me up all night every night. Eventually he has to stop that.”

  Sammy nodded. “He will.” She handed the baby to Arch as she got to her feet. “He’s going to love his daddy.”

  Arch smiled and nodded. “I hope so.”

  Sammy let herself out, driving to the bakery. She got triple the number of kolaches she usually did and drove into town. She knew that Barry still hadn’t tried them, and she wanted him to understand her love for kolaches.

  When she got to the bookstore, she was surprised that the little parking lot was full. Surprised, but happy. She walked to the door and saw that Barry was sitting at the desk ringing up a couple of customers. There were more waiting for him.

  Everyone in line was clutching multiple books. Sammy couldn’t be more excited for him. She walked around the desk and sat in the chair beside him, setting the bag of kolaches on the counter. She had no idea how to ring people up, or she would have immediately started helping.

  Instead as each person came to the front, she thanked them for coming and engaged in a bit of conversation. “How did you hear about the bookstore?”

  “My sister just had a baby. She said her midwife married the man who owned the store the day of the birth, and she wanted everyone to be supportive of the store. I think she must have called thirty people at least. A group of us drove over from Haskell earlier today.”

  “I delivered the baby.” Sammy grinned. “I’m Sammy Ross.”

  “No, you’re not!” Barry protested. “You’re Sammy Hamilton.”

  Sammy shrugged. “Newlywed. I forgot.” She’d considered keeping her last name, but . . . he was very excited about it. She would have to take his last name after all.

  “My sister said such amazing things about you,” the woman told her. “Would you take a patient from Haskell?”

  “Of course I would!” Sammy smiled. “You’d have to be able to drive to my clinic in time for the birth, though.”

  “It’s not that far. I could do it.” The girl grinned. “I’ll get your information from my sister and make an appointment. I just found out I was pregnant a couple of weeks ago.”

  “Well, I’ll look forward to seeing you, then.”

  Barry took the girl’s money and bagged her books. “You’re bringing me customers,” he said softly. “I should have married you sooner.”

  Sammy laughed. “People just had to know you were here. That’s the whole thing.”

  “Well, I guess they’ve figured it out.” He checked out the last person in line and turned to her. “What did you bring me?”

  “Kolaches. I think I told you about them. I got four different flavors for us to try.”

  He dug into the bag and pulled out one of the little treats. “It just looks like a hunk of dough.”

  “It’s so much more than that!” She bit into hers and showed him the insides. “This one is sausage and cheese. I think it’s my favorite except the bacon and cheese and the lemon-filled and the . . . Okay, I love them all!”

  Barry bit into his kolache and stared at it for a moment. “This is good!”

  Sammy nodded emphatically. “They make them fresh every morning. I want to move into the bakery just for the kolaches.”

  “I think I could live off these things.” He looked into the bag to see how many there were. “So we each got six?”

  Sammy laughed. “Four for me and eight for you.”

  “I think I love you, Sammy Hamilton.”

  Just as he said the words, the door opened to the store, and in came Karlan and Hope Culpepper. Hope hurried over to Sammy. “He’s still not happy
that it’s a girl. He’s going to fall in love with his little princess, though, isn’t he?”

  “Of course he will.” Sammy grinned at Karlan. “I had nothing to do with the gender of your baby!”

  Karlan wrinkled his nose. “Okay, where are the mysteries?”

  Barry jumped up and showed Karlan to the books he was looking for. “What are you looking for?” Sammy asked Hope.

  “Romance. Karlan keeps me happy, but every woman needs just a little more romance in her life, doesn’t she?”

  “I would think so.” Sammy led Hope to the small romance section. “Barry is going to beef up this section based on my recommendations.”

  “Barry is a smart man.”

  Ten

  Sammy spent the day at the bookstore with Barry, helping out with everything she could. She learned to run the POS system and helped shelving books. As trade-ins, he’d gotten a lot of romances, and she worked on expanding the romance area.

  By the time the store closed, she was tired. “What do you want for supper?” she asked as they headed out the door. She had a bag of books she would deliver to her sister the following day tucked under her arm.

  “Do you want to do the diner? Or Bob’s? Or we could even head to Laramie for a meal.”

  “I don’t think I should go that far from the clinic. Not when I’m the only one on call. It hurts that Tabby is out. I’m sorry, but we’re stuck here in town.”

  He shrugged. “Let’s do the diner, if you’re all right with that. I don’t want to cook, and I don’t think you do either.”

  Sammy grinned. “I rarely want to cook!”

  “Then the diner it is.” He led her to his truck. “We’ll pick yours up after church tomorrow, if that’s all right. If you need to go anywhere tonight, it’ll just be the clinic, right?”

  She nodded. “Right. And I don’t have anyone else within two weeks of due date. We should be good. But just in case . . .”

  “No, I can understand that. When Tabby is working again, I’m taking you to Laramie for some Thai food.”

  “Sounds good to me.” She got into his truck with him and leaned back in the passenger seat. “We should grocery shop after we eat. The cupboards are getting bare.”