The Rancher's Blessed Event by Stella Bagwell Read Free Book Online Page B

you’re okay? Does anything feel broken?”
    Broken? Oh dear Lord, the baby! What had the fall done to it?
    What little bit of color that had been returning to Emily’s face instantly vanished. “I don’t know!” she said in a panicked rush.
    He frowned “What do you mean, you don’t know? Can’t you tell me whether you’re hurting or not?”
    â€œI’m not hurting.”
    He looked relieved. “Then do you want to try to stand up now?”
    She shook her head and tears suddenly collected in her eyes. The baby was everything to her. She couldn’t lose it now! “I’m afraid,” she whispered.
    â€œEmily, you’re not making sense. What are you afraid of? I’ll keep the cattle away.”
    Shaking her head, she bit her lip and glanced away from him. She had to tell him. She couldn’t keep her condition from him now. God help her, she might need medical attention. “I’m afraid—for my baby.”
    He stared at her in stunned disbelief. “Baby? My Lord, are you telling me you’re pregnant?”
    Slowly she turned her head until her blue eyes were gazing straight into his. “Yes.”
    His face like granite, Cooper silently. lifted her in his arms and carried her to the truck.
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    â€œEmily, the best thing you can do now is go home, relax and try not to worry. The results of the ultrasound tell me your baby’s heart is beating normally and everything appears to be intact.”
    Clutching the paper gown against her, Emily looked worriedly up at Dr. Bellamy. The physician was in his seventies, completely white headed and possessed a kindly face, which could normally put the most harried hypochondriac at ease. He’d been her aunt Justine’s boss for nearly twenty-five years and during that time he’d delivered her daughter, Caroline, and Emily’s younger brother, Ethan. He’d also delivered her aunt Chloe’s daughter, Ivy.
    â€œDoes that mean the fall didn’t hurt the baby?”
    Smiling, he gently patted her shoulder. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
    With everything inside her, Emily prayed he was right. To have a child of her own was what she’d dreamed and longed for down through the years. If something happened now she didn’t know if she could go on.
    She tried to relax and swallow the lump of fear in her throat. “But I fell so hard the wind was knocked from me. I can’t believe it didn’t hurt something.”
    Seeing her need for extra reassurance, Dr. Bellamy shook his head. “Emily, even though we doctors have all sorts of new technology and knowledge at our fingertips, there’s still a lot of things we’ll never know. Especially when it comes to pregnancies. A fall on a feather bed can cause some women to miscarry, while others are unaffected by car wrecks and falls from high places. Just be grateful that you appear to be in the latter category.”
    â€œBut I’ve miscarried before,” she countered in a voice hushed with fear. “Doesn’t that mean—”
    The doctor folded his arms across his chest and made a tsking noise with his tongue. “It simply means something was wrong with that particular pregnancy,” the doctor interrupted her worried argument. “It doesn’t mean anything will be wrong with this one.”
    Walking over to a cabinet counter, he picked up her file. “Now get dressed and go home. Unless something unexpected comes up, which I very much doubt, I’ll see you at your next regular checkup.”
    Emily nodded that she would obey, then thanked him as he went out the examining room door.
    Once she was dressed, she found Cooper in the waiting room. From the stoic look on his face it was impossible for Emily to tell what he’d been thinking, however, the moment he spotted her he rose and walked to meet her.
    â€œI’m ready to go home,” she told