Dreaming of Tomorrow Read online

  One of the other riders, a nurse named Anna, sat down and talked to her during a break in the action, shooing David out to check on Raider’s legs and take care of him.

  She finished with, “I’m sure most of your aches and pains are from the fall. You’re lucky not to have any scrapes or cuts. I’d keep that leg up and keep some ice on it. Also, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you were pregnant.”

  “I took a home pregnancy test several months back,” Emily admitted. “My periods had been very irregular, and I had gained about fifteen pounds. But the test came back negative.”

  “Still, have you had any unprotected sex in the last nine months?” she persisted.

  “Well, yes, lots of times, but even if the test was wrong, I have an RN living with me. Wouldn’t she notice?” Emily paced uncomfortably.

  “Maybe not, you sure don’t have a pregnancy belly.” She smiled. “Is it getting worse?”

  She peered into Emily’s eyes.

  “Yes.” Emily nodded.

  Just then, David came into the tack room. “How is she?”

  “I’m sure she’s find, she just needs to keep ice on her leg,” the nurse said. Then she casually asked, “David, will you do me a favor and scratch me from the rest of the day’s events? And please ask the ambulance attendants to come and check Emily out?”

  “I thought they looked at her at the arena.” He was worried and trying not to let it show.

  “They did, I just think a quick follow-up may be in order.” She smiled calmly at David. “Did Emily tell you she wasn’t feeling very well before the fall?”

  “No, she said she was fine.” David reached out to take Emily’s hand. “But I had a feeling. . . I’ll be back.”

  He kissed Emily and left in a hurry.

  “I have an idea,” Anna said calmly. “Why don’t we get you out of those jeans and into something more comfortable?”

  The only thing she could find was one of David’s shirts. It had long tails that came down Emily’s legs. Anna helped Emily change and as she worked she asked, “Why don’t you lay down again until we get the paramedics here to check you out? Can’t hurt.”

  Anna helped Emily lie on the cot they’d put in the tack room. She spread a light horse blanket over her legs.

  She asked Emily softly, “Can I take a quick look?”

  At Emily’s nod she followed the question with action by raising the blanket and taking a quick look.

  “Emily, I’m afraid you’re wrong about not being pregnant,” she said with a smile. “You’re in active labor and almost fully dilated.”

  “How can I be?” Emily gasped. “I rode in a horse show today!”

  “Yeah, both of you did.” She laughed. “And you did really well.”

  “Until I fell.” Emily worried. “Anna, do you think the fall hurt my baby?”

  “I’m not sure, that’s why I wanted the paramedics on hand, but I think the way you landed, on your backside, was the best way to land. I’m sure the baby is fine.”

  Just then Emily’s water broke.

  “But I haven’t had any labor pains, just a backache!” Emily protested. “And a general sense of not being well.”

  “Consider yourself lucky.” She held Emily’s hand. “I felt like I’d swallowed a turkey for months, and then had nineteen hours of labor.”

  “I guess I am lucky,” Emily gasped, finally feeling a contraction, “but surprised. I watched this TV show about women who gave birth without ever knowing they were pregnant, do you know the one I mean?”

  Anna nodded and Emily continued, “I thought those women were really dumb. Now, I’m one of them.”

  “And you’re not dumb.”

  The paramedics came hurrying in, followed by David. The nurse told them Emily was too far along to be moved. In fact, she was fully dilated and crowning.

  “Okay, Ma’am, on your next contraction give a push,” the paramedic said.

  “Our baby’s going to be born in a barn,” Emily said. “That can’t be good.”

  “Sweetheart, it was good enough for Christ.” David could hardly stop smiling.

  And it worked out just fine for Emily, too.

  After the baby boy was born, they bundled Emily and the baby up and transported them to the hospital.

  “We need a name for him,” David said as he leaned over and kissed Emily gently. “How about Pete?”

  “Daddy would love that, and David for a middle name?”

  “Works for me.”

  At the hospital they whisked Emily and the baby away to check them both out. David filled out the endless forms and then finally got on his cell phone and called Nick, who said she’d fly home immediately. Next he called Kate and told her.

  For once she was stunned speechless. When she got over her shock, she said she’d call the ‘gang’ and they’d set up a nursery for the baby.

  Kate got into action; she enlisted her friends Laura, Lanie, and their husbands, plus talked to Julia and had her take care of Mae. Her husband drove her to the hardware store where she picked out a paint color and a paint that was especially made to be odorless and safe for newborns. Then they went to the house and met with Laura and Lanie. The husbands got to work painting the bedroom next to the master bedroom and the women went shopping.

  “Hey!” The men protested, “How come you get the fun part and we get the hard part?”

  “Because we get the hard part of the pregnancy, and as for hard parts, it’s yours that causes all the problems, anyway.” Kate laughed at them.

  The women went to a store that specialized in baby things and went nuts. They got it all: the crib, changing table, a rocking chair, tons of cute clothes, onesies, rattles, pacifiers and more. And diapers, lots and lots of diapers. They had just about finished the room when Nick arrived.

  David called and said they’d be home the next day.

  Shortly after they got home, David was sitting next to Emily watching her nurse the baby.

  “Emily, do you know what tomorrow is?” he asked.

  She thought. “No, what is it?”

  “It’s the anniversary of the day we met.”

  “Oh my goodness!” Emily gasped. “Who could have believed a year ago that the day I volunteered at a horse show would be the day that changed my life?”

  “Yeah, a year ago you said you were dreaming of tomorrow, well tomorrow’s here. Did it live up to your dreams?”

  “God’s been very good to me and gave me more than I could ever dream of, so much more.” Emily smiled as she leaned in to kiss her husband.

  Epilogue

  When Kate, Laura and Lanie came to visit, once they had seen and coddled the baby, they sat in Emily’s living room drinking orange juice.

  Laura remarked, “Wow! Emily, you met the perfect man and you never had to go hunting for him. You just kind of ran into him.”

  Lanie paced and turned to face Emily. “You also never had to lift a hand for your wedding!”

  Kate gulped her juice. “And you never had to suffer the symptoms of pregnancy: the morning sickness, the mood swings, feeling like you swallowed a blimp, or even labor pains. What did you do for all this?”

  Emily laughed, then winked at them. “I prayed.”

  Other books by Susan Kohler

  The Paddle Club

  Hot Crossed Buns

  Another Batch of Warm Buns

  The Heart of The Beast

  Working Romance

  Who’s Taming Who?

  Asentaderas Cruzadas Calientes

  (Spanish language edition of Hot Crossed Buns)

  Note to Readers

  Please visit my website at:

  www.susankohlernovels.com

  I have excerpts and information on my novels: the kinky ones, the dark historical romance, and the contemporary romances.

  Sue