Extended Epilogue

October 15, 1870

2 Years Later

Judy clapped her hands in delight after she finally managed to sing a lullaby all by herself. She jumped up and down, making her long, red curls bounce with her. At three years old, she was more than adorable.

She’d worked hard to learn the little song so she could sing it to her baby sister, Angel. Judy was very interested in her little sister and always wanted to help take care of her.

Florrie looked at the girls, and her heart melted. It was hard to believe that Angel was already nine months old and another baby was on the way. The Lord had blessed her and Clint. Each child was a gift from God, and she hoped there would be more children in the next few years.

Judy touched Florrie’s growing belly. Florrie put her hand over Judy’s. “Maybe this baby will be a little brother. Would you like that?” She knew Judy would be happy no matter if the baby was a boy or a girl.

Florrie thought Clint would be thrilled if she gave him a son. But, like Judy, he would be happy with the baby either way. Clint was a great father to the girls, but that didn’t surprise her at all.

“Yes! Oh, yes. Little bruder.” Judy grinned and gently laid her head against Florrie’s belly.

Donna came in with a feather duster in her hand. “How’s my girl today?” she said to Judy.

“Good, Grandma. I learned the whole song!”

Donna beamed at her. “I knew you could do it. You’re getting to be such a big girl now.”

“I can sing it for you, Grandma.” Judy giggled.

“I’d love for you to sing me to sleep,” Donna said, ruffling Judy’s long red hair.

Judy giggled again and turned to Florrie. “Can we go see the horses?”

“I’ll watch the baby,” Donna said. “Go ahead and take her to see the horses if you want.”

Judy loved horses more than anything outside of the family.

“She’s going to be a horsewoman at a young age,” Florrie said.

It secretly pleased her to no end. She still hadn’t really learned to ride, but it made her happy that Judy would learn at an early age. A woman should be able to ride a horse. A person never knew when they would need to know how to sit on a horse and ride like the wind.

Donna smiled. “I think you’re right. She’d point at every horse she saw before she could even speak. You should get her a pony in a couple of years and let her start learning.”

“Not a bad idea. There’s no question in my mind that she’ll want to ride.” As she spoke, she got Judy’s coat and put it on her, then pulled her own coat on. She turned to her daughter, saying, “Let’s go see the animals.”

“I want to see the prettiest horses,” Judy said matter-of-factly.

“Okay, we’ll see the Appaloosas.”

Those were Judy’s favorites. She loved the horses with their flamboyant coat patterns.

She took Judy’s hand and led her outside.

She couldn’t believe how much the ranch had changed since she’d first come there, but the changes were all good. The horse farm was thriving. Clint had a small herd of cattle in a back pasture, too, but their main focus had shifted to the horse business.

A warm breeze lifted her hair, and the distinct scent of autumn rode on the air; she breathed it in.

She loved fall.

Some of the trees had already started changing, their green leaves shifting into bright oranges, reds, and yellows. Soon enough, all the trees would wear bright colors, their last display before late fall winds ripped them away. Then, winter would set in with a vengeance.

She led Judy toward the pasture where the Appaloosas were grazing on tall grass.

All of the fences had recently been replaced and whitewashed, and it looked very nice. Three large horse barns had been built, including an indoor riding ring so they could train horses no matter what the outside weather was like.

On one side of the property were the darker horses bred for the military. On the opposite side were the Appaloosas. Recently, Clint had purchased some pinto mares and a gray mare aptly called Ghost. He’d recently begun talking about a palomino he’d seen for sale.

Florrie knew it was only a matter of time before the palomino turned up in the pasture. When Clint had gone into the horse business, he’d fully embraced and committed to it. And so far, they were doing very well.

Florrie spied Clint and Greg working on one of the outbuildings. “Let’s go see Daddy and Uncle Greg.”

“Okay,” Judy said, tugging at Florrie’s hand to get her to walk faster.

Judy led her over to the shed.

“Hey, Florrie,” Greg said when he noticed them. “Leila wants you to come over and visit soon. She missed seeing you the other day when you stopped by with Clint. She almost never goes into town alone.”

“I’ll come over in a day or two. I’ve been busy fixing up the nursery for the new baby.”

It didn’t seem like there should be so much to do, but it had kept her busy for a couple of days.

Greg chuckled, rubbing his neck. “Leila’s fixing up our extra bedroom for a nursery, too. She’s so excited; she can’t wait for the baby to come.”

“Our babies aren’t going to be far apart. That’s for sure,” Florrie said with a grin. “Maybe one of us will have a Christmas baby.”

That would be the most wonderful gift they could receive: a Christmas blessing.

“I would love that so much if Leila had a Christmas baby,” Greg said, grinning broadly.

“Well, maybe you will.”

“Mommy, I’m gettin’ cold,” Judy said, sticking her lip out.

Florrie almost laughed at her theatrics. Judy had already mastered the art of drama.

“Okay, baby,” Florrie said, her voice playful. “We’ll head back to the house so you can warm up.”

They trekked back to the house, and Florrie tossed more wood into the fireplace. It was only a few minutes before the blaze had intensified, and the heat rolling off it felt wonderful.

Donna had finished her dusting, and judging by the sounds, she’d migrated to the kitchen and was probably working on something for dinner.

Angle slept peacefully in her cradle close to the fire.

Florrie still wasn’t used to seeing the house as her home. She’d never had nice things before. She knew it was silly, but she’d grown up hard.

She ran her hand over the velvet covering on the sofa. It felt warm and soft beneath her fingers. She hadn’t had anything like that in the saloon; she’d had almost nothing there. But those times were behind her. This was home, and it always would be.

Florrie turned to Judy. “Honey, why don’t you draw while I go help Grandma with dinner?”

“Okay!” Judy raced out of the room to get some paper and pencils.

The baby kicked, and Florrie put her hand on her belly and smiled. It was one of the things she loved about being pregnant. She loved feeling the baby move and sometimes even being able to see a little foot pressing against her stomach. It was such a miracle.

She thought about the little boy she’d lost at the saloon, and her eyes misted. He hadn’t been planned or even conceived out of love, but she’d loved him nonetheless, and losing him had hurt and still did when she thought about him.

Many things in life were blessings and gifts from God, but none more so than children. What would he be like if he’d lived? She would never know, and that hurt. She would never forget him, even if he hadn’t lived more than a few moments; they had been moments of a precious life.

She sighed and wiped her eyes.

Donna stopped work on the pretty pink sweater she was knitting for Judy and peered out the window. “Greg’s out there.”

“I wonder what those two will do today,” Florrie said. “You know, when they go a day without seeing each other, they have to spend time together the following day.”

Donna laughed. “I know. Sometimes, I think they’re attached at the hip.”

A moment later, Greg burst through the front door, which was unusual as he preferred to use the kitchen entrance.

He grinned at them. “Mornin,’ my lovely ladies.”

“Okay, what are you up to? You have guilt written all over your face,” Florrie said with a sigh.

“Not guilt,” he said, holding his hands up. “A business opportunity.”

“Oh, no.” Donna put her knitting in her lap. “You’re definitely up to something.”

“What kind of business opportunity?” Clint said as he entered the sitting room with a big cup of coffee. “You want a cup of Joe?” he said to Greg.

Greg shook his head, but he was so excited that he reminded Florrie of a little kid, and she had to bite her tongue to keep from giggling.

“Well, yesterday morning, I found out that poor old Mr. Greenwald had passed away.”

“What happened?” Clint asked, his eyes widening.

“Mrs. Greenwald said he had a heart attack, and by the time Doc got there, he’d already passed.”

Florrie didn’t know the Greenwalds at all, but she knew they ran a big horse breeding and training farm.

“Mrs. Greenwald has decided she’s going to sell out and move to Kentucky. That’s where she’s from, and her family’s there.”

Clint snorted, seeming to catch on to Greg’s plan. “We can’t afford to buy their operation, not even if we sold both our ranches. They’re very wealthy. Besides, we have horses for the army and the color breeds. We’re doing good. More than good, actually.”

Greg frowned, shaking his head. “I have no interest in selling my ranch, and I know you feel the same about yours. But we’ll never have a business like theirs with what we’re doing. Plus, this is a three-way partnership with Marshall. I’m thinking we could start another business, just you and me.”

Clint took a long drink from the coffee cup and then said, “What exactly do you have in mind? Those are racehorses. We know nothing about that business. And I’ll be honest, this sounds risky as all get-out.”

Greg sat down close to the fireplace. “No, we don’t know anything about raising racehorses. But Charles Anderson has practically breathed it for nearly forty years.”

Charles was the Greenwald’s trainer.

“Charles’s going on sixty years old,” Clint pointed out.

“That’s right, and he’s lived on that farm for the last thirty years. He doesn’t want to leave the area, but no one else is in the business. So, he’s hurting right now in more ways than one, with Mrs. Greenwald planning to move away.”

Florrie could practically see the gears spinning in Greg’s head.

“I know Charles a little,” Greg said. “And I talked to him when I went to see Mrs. Greenwald. Charles knows which mares are the best and which two-year-olds are the best prospects. Those horses will be sold, and Charles will be left without a job.”

“We can’t afford thoroughbreds. Or a horse trainer. And we can’t do it ourselves.”

“No,” Greg agreed, “but we can take out a business loan.”

Clint frowned, his brows furrowing. “I don’t know. I don’t like the idea of being in debt to the bank.”

“I don’t either. But this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. What if the army doesn’t renew our contract? That’s the bulk of our business. With Charles’s help, we could climb higher than we ever could on our own or with Marshall.”

Clint stared intently at Greg, his expression not giving much away. “What did Charles recommend?”

Florrie’s heart pounded in her chest.

It wasn’t her decision, but the idea of debt scared her. On the other hand, the idea of a racehorse business was kind of exciting. She knew from her days at the Silver Eagle that men loved betting on horses, and a prized horse was worth a lot of money. Though she’d never even considered them being anything other than comfortable, the idea that her children would never have to worry couldn’t be ignored.

Greg rubbed his eyes, then said, “Charles said there are seven high-quality mares in foal to their best stud, the stallion, and five two-year-olds that he’s just started training that would make a good foundation for a breeding program. So, thirteen horses. We’d have to build a track to train on, along with Charles’s salary.”

“I’m seeing scary amounts of money just to get started.” Clint shoved his hair back and let out a long breath. “We’d have to build another barn, too.”

“I know it’s a lot to take in,” Greg said, “but I think we should do it. We have a five-year contract with the army. The money we get from selling horses to them could pay the banknote. The money we make from the other horses could be the money we live on. Charles’s salary comes out of the borrowed money. Clint, we’ll never get a shot like this again. I want something to leave my children that will be a real legacy.”

Florrie and Donna exchanged a glance. Donna lifted one eyebrow and shrugged slightly.

“Have you talked to Leila about this yet?” Florrie asked.

“Yeah, I have. She said she didn’t know the first thing about horses, so she would leave it to me to decide. I think we should go all in. What do you all think?”

“Ma, what are your thoughts on this?” Clint’s face was set with faint worry lines on his forehead, but other than that, he wore a neutral expression.

Donna frowned slightly. “Son, I’m pushing fifty years old. I can tell you that many opportunities come with great risk. But, sometimes, those opportunities can change a person’s life forever. Sometimes for good. Sometimes for bad. Your father chased an opportunity and died, along with his son. You chased the same opportunity and have succeeded. There’s no guarantee either way.” She paused and glanced out the window, then she added, “I think Greg has an idea worked out that could be successful. But who knows? It’s a gamble.”

“Points taken,” Clint said, turning now to her. “Florrie, what about you? What are your feelings on it?”

“Well, I don’t know that much about horses in general. Other than what you’ve taught me. I guess I’m in agreement with Leila. It would be nice to leave a real legacy for our children. I also agree that there’s risk involved with taking a banknote. But Greg seems to have a workable plan.” Heart pounding, she concluded, “I guess if you want to do this, I wouldn’t object.”

Clint sighed. “So, it’s more or less on me.”

“I guess so, hoss,” Greg said.

Clint rubbed his forehead. “I can’t make a decision like this until I go talk to Charles and see the horses.”

“Fair enough,” Greg said, and that was that.

***

The following morning, Clint and Florrie accompanied Greg and Leila to the Greenwald farm. Donna had remained behind to watch the children. Florrie and Leila rode in the buggy seat behind Clint and Greg so they could chat and let the men talk business.

Florrie had warmed to the idea overnight, but she knew they would be going into an astronomical amount of debt if they decided to go through with the purchase. And that scared her. There was no sugar-coating the truth.

Hopefully, meeting with Charles Anderson would help them make an informed decision.

“Don’t you think this is an exciting opportunity?” Leila asked, practically bouncing in her seat.

“I do,” Florrie agreed, feeling a bit more hesitant. “But it also scares me.”

That was an understatement. If it didn’t pay off, they could lose everything if too many things went wrong. And they would very soon have three children depending on them. On the other hand, if things went well, they could make a lot of money, and not just for themselves. They could do a lot of good with some of that money. There were poor people in the community who they could help—people who really needed some assistance. People had been willing to help her when she’d needed it the very most. This would give her an opportunity to repay the kindness given her.

Florrie had never even driven by the farm before, and when it finally came into sight, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

What looked like a mile of white fence stretched before her with the pasture divided off into smaller sections, each one filled with fat horses lazily grazing on the lush grass. Then the house came into view, and Florrie nearly swallowed her tongue.

A pearly white, two-story house with red shutters sat atop a knoll that overlooked the property. Huge trees grew on the sides of the house, and clusters provided shade in the pastures for the horses.

Most of the horses had large foals at their sides, and several in one pasture had a foal at their side and were already in foal again.

“I don’t think we can afford these horses,” she said after a moment of silence.

“Nice, isn’t it?” Greg chimed in.

“It’s very nice,” Florrie agreed. “Looks very expensive, too.”

“Never said it was going to be cheap.”

They turned into the driveway and drove up past the house and straight to the horse barns.

An older man with white hair came out of one of the barns to greet them.

“Charles!” Greg called, waving at the man.

Charles lifted a hand and waited for them to get out of the buggy.

“We brought the wives so they can see the horses, too,” Greg said as soon as they were all outside.

“Sure,” Charles said, giving both Florrie and Leila a cursory nod. “That’s no problem.”

Greg made introductions, then got out of the way for Charles to show them the animals.

“The mares I want to show you are down this way,” Charles said, leading them down the fence until they came to a pasture with a dozen fat mares.

They were all chestnut and bay, like the horses they sold to the military. But they were much taller and had a thinner build overall, though each one of them was obviously carrying a foal.

“These are some of the best mares on this farm. They’ve been bred to the best stallions. These aren’t racing horses. Though all of them have been raced and did very well. These are strictly broodmares. Their foal crop is the future. Two of the mares have foals at their side. Obviously, those two will cost more. You’re getting three horses for the price.”

“What are we talking about cost-wise?” Clint asked, and Florrie steeled herself for the answer.

“The mares in foal are $1,000 each. The ones with a foal at their side are $1,500 each.”

Florrie thought she might pass out from the shock. She’d known they would be expensive, but she hadn’t expected that. Clint and Greg sold horses to the military for $180 each, after all, and that was considered top dollar.

Charles wasn’t done, either. He continued, “The stallion will be $2,000, and the two-year-olds are $500 each.”

Florrie swallowed hard, suddenly feeling out of breath. “That’s a lot of money.”

“And I make $2,000 a year to care for and train them,” Charles said.

“We’ll need a new barn,” Florrie muttered.

“And you’ll have to pay someone to make the racetrack. There’s no getting around it,” Charles finished.

Florrie wasn’t a mathematician, but it didn’t take her long to arrive at the astronomical amount of money they would have to borrow from the bank. With Charles’ salary for one year, that was nearly fifteen thousand, and that didn’t include the cost of a new barn or the racetrack.

How could they possibly afford to do it?

“All of the horses that don’t sell beforehand will be auctioned off in a month,” Charles said. “Obviously, these are the best of the crop. I’m hoping you’ll buy them and hire me on. As you can imagine, there aren’t a lot of jobs around here for someone like me. And I don’t wish to return to Kentucky, where the jobs are plentiful.”

Florrie and Leila shared a look. Florrie was pretty sure Leila was having the same worry over the amount of money it would cost to just get started.

Clint rubbed his temples, then his forehead. “Can we see the stallion?”

“Of course, he’s in a pasture away from the mares. We have three studs, but this one is the best.”

Charles led them around the barn to a large pasture with a huge chestnut horse. He stood at the far end with his head raised high and the breeze lifting his mane.

Florrie had to admit that he was a magnificent animal.

“He was a top racing horse,” Charles said. “All his offspring show great promise. Come with me. I’ll show you the kind of track you’ll have to install.”

They followed Charles further back on the property until they came to a huge, oval-shaped track with a low white fence that went all around it.

“You understand that in a business like this, you don’t just breed horses and sell them. You can do that in your current business. But that won’t work with racing horses. You’ll have to actually show that they have value if you want to fetch top dollar for your prospects. Now, that doesn’t mean you have to race them yourselves, though you can, because most of them will need to be ready to race before you even think about selling them. You’ll want to sell them to other people who will race them so you get a name for your horses.”

Florrie and Leila looked at each other again.

Could they pull it off? Could they run a business like this? Charles was talking about something that took a big investment and a lot of work. This business made selling horses to the military look like a stroll through the park.

Would a bank even lend them the amount of money they would need to even begin? They’d have to put both ranches up as collateral.

Florrie honestly didn’t know what they should do.

Charles walked with them back to their buggy. “Don’t wait too long to make a decision. I know it’s a tremendous amount of money and something you’ve never done before. But I can guarantee those are the best picks of the horses, and they won’t take long to sell. I’ll tell people you’re first in line if you’re interested. If you’re not, that’s fine, too.”

Clint nodded, then said, “We’ll talk it over tonight, and someone will ride over tomorrow and let you know if we’re going to pursue obtaining the funds. We won’t keep you hanging.”

“I appreciate it,” Charles said.

As they went down the driveway, Florrie swallowed and said, “Well, that’s a lot of money.”

She put her hand on her swollen stomach.

It was a business proposition that could make them a lot of money or ruin them. What was the right thing to do?

“For a lot of horses,” Greg countered.

His forehead was creased, though, as if having to make a decision was harder than he expected.

“Okay,” Clint said, “how much do you know about their business, Greg?”

Greg took a deep breath. “I know they sell horses for big dollars if they’ve proven themselves on the track. There isn’t any competition for their business. And if we buy all those horses, that’s probably going to be the biggest single sale they get. That means we’ll be in their position as far as no competition.”

Leila piped up, “I know there are no guarantees, but I think we should do it. We shouldn’t let fear stop us from doing something that could be a good thing.”

“Here’s how I see it,” Greg said. “We might not be able to get a loan. If that’s the case, we stop right there. If we get the loan, we get the horses and hire Charles. If things start going bad, Charles will know how to sell the horses to get the most out of them, and we pay the loan down as much as possible from selling the horses. We’d have to finish paying it from the sales of the other horses. I’m not looking to get super rich from racehorses. But I’d like to leave something that will keep my children from ever having to worry after I leave this world. I think it’s worth a shot.”

Clint drove the horse for a short while without speaking. Finally, he said, “This isn’t without risk, but I think Greg has a pretty good plan if things go bad. So, I’m going to say we should give it a go.”

***

The next two months passed so fast that Florrie could hardly believe it. It had taken nearly a month to get the money for the loan. They’d started work on a new barn immediately and built a manager apartment on the barn for Charles, who preferred to be with his beloved horses.

They put off bringing the horses as long as possible so they could complete a new pasture to keep them separate from the other horses. But once that was finished, they made several trips to transport the new horses.

Charles moved into his apartment and settled right in.

They would have to hire someone to build the track, and Charles would oversee that work.

Everything was falling into place, and everyone was looking forward to Christmas.

Donna brought out the last box of Christmas decorations and set them in the corner of the sitting room.

Florrie glanced out the window with a sigh. “I wonder when Clint will get home with a tree…. Judy has been looking forward to decorating all day.”

This was the first year Judy would be old enough to enjoy helping with the tree.

“Probably pretty soon,” Donna said. “There are lots of suitable trees on the property.”

“If I know Clint, he’ll spend two hours looking for a perfect tree.”

But to her surprise, in less than an hour, he came through the door with a big, bushy pine tree.

“Daddy!” Judy ran to him and grabbed onto his leg.

Clint grinned, his smile soft around the edges. “Hi, sweetie. I brought this nice, big tree just for you.”

“I want to put ornaments on!” she exclaimed, clapping her hands.

“And so, you shall. Just have Mommy help you, okay?”

“Okay!”

Then, her attention shifting to other matters, she scampered off to look in the boxes Donna had brought down.

“It’s beautiful,” Florrie said, her eyes widening as she examined the entire tree.

It was almost too tall, but it would fit. He’d really found a perfect tree.

Clint set the tree in the stand and positioned it in front of the window. “Okay, my lovelies, have at it.”

Florrie, Donna, and little Judy dug through the boxes and bags, selecting lovely ornaments to put on the tree. The wrapped garlands of red, silver, and gold beads. Then, Donna and Florrie took turns handing ornaments to Judy so she could hang them on the lower branches. Judy laughed and carefully placed the ornaments until she couldn’t reach any higher.

Florrie and Donna decorated the top of the tree, which Judy couldn’t reach. Donna placed a lovely golden star on the top. Then, Donna and Florrie carefully hung tinsel on the branches until the tree shimmered with the delicate silver strands.

“Do you want to decorate the windows?” Florrie asked.

“Yes, let’s make the house as festive as we can,” Donna said, offering a little laugh. “I feel like going all out this year.”

“Let’s do it, then,” Florrie said, her thoughts interrupted when the baby kicked hard. “Oh!”

She put her hand over the foot that pressed against her.

“Everything okay?” Donna asked, her brows furrowing.

“The baby kicked me good. He or she has been really active the last few days.”

“He,” Donna corrected. “I know this one is a boy by the way he’s positioned.”

“That would be wonderful,” Florrie said. “But I’ll be happy with either. I just want him or her to be healthy.”

“He’s going to come soon,” Donna warned. “You wait and see.”

Florrie didn’t know when the baby would come, but she would be happy when it was over. Angel had been a long, hard delivery. Hopefully, this time, it would go quicker.

She rubbed her stomach and smiled.

Where once her life had been so hard, Clint, Donna, and her children had made it wonderful.

“I’ll work on the windows,” Florrie offered.

Donna looked through the boxes. “I’ll put garland around the doorways.”

“Let’s make this place even more beautiful.”

She’d never been happier.

***

A week later, Clint burst through the kitchen door with a huge smile on his face, practically buzzing with excitement. “Florrie, Ma, Leila’s having the baby. Get ready. We’ll go over and wait with Greg. He’s a mess and needs support before he dies of fright.”

Donna clasped her hands together. “Finally! I can’t wait to see the baby. If she’d been two days later, it would’ve been a Christmas baby.”

“Is Doc there?” Florrie asked.

“Yes, he’s there,” Clint said. “I’m so happy for Greg. He’s been thrilled the entire time she was expecting.” Then, he turned back toward the door, saying over his shoulder, “I’ll hitch up the gelding to the buggy and pick you up in a few minutes.”

Greg paced back and forth in the sitting room until Clint said, “For God’s sake, you’re going to wear a path in wood planks if you don’t calm down.”

Florrie and Donna sat on the sofa together and watched the minutes tick by on the clock. Florrie had to fight back her own fear more than once. Why was it taking so long?

But finally, eight hours later, a baby’s cry cut through the air, bringing all of them to their feet.

Greg let out a loud whoop of joy, and then tears began streaming down his face. “I’m a daddy,” he whispered. “I can’t believe it,” he choked out. “I’m a father!” A huge grin spread across his face even as the tears still ran unchecked down his cheeks. “This is the most beautiful day of my life.”

“Congratulations, old man,” Clint said and laughed, and Florrie noticed his eyes misting over, too.

Florrie and Donna hugged and shared matching smiles.

The doctor came out and said, “Greg, you have a beautiful son.”

“Thank you, Doc. Thank you, God.” His smile was infectious, and his eyes shone with pure love.

***

Two days later, Florrie had just finished wiping off the table after making breakfast for the children when a grinding cramp squeezed her stomach. She gasped at the sharp jab of pain, nearly tumbling over.

“Donna!” she called, her voice strained.

Donna practically ran into the kitchen as if she could tell by Florrie’s tone that something was happening.

“The baby’s coming.”

She grabbed the back of a chair and gripped the wood so hard that she thought it would break under her hand, sweat already coating her forehead.

Donna went to take her arm, guiding her. “Let me help you to your bed. Then I’ll get Clint so he can go fetch the doctor.”

“It’s Christmas. He won’t be in his office.”

“Don’t worry. Clint will go to his house.”

Florrie felt tears burning her eyes, and she shook her head. “I’m going to ruin his Christmas.”

“No. He’s a doctor,” Donna said, her voice gentle. “These things happen all the time. He’ll just be glad to assist another life into the world. I’m going to find Clint and get him going.”

Before she could say anything else, Donna hurried from the room.

Florrie braced herself as the next contraction tied her in a knot of pain. While the pain wasn’t unfamiliar, it seemed worse than the last time, though it probably just seemed that way because she’d had time to forget that it felt like glass cutting through her each time the spasms hit.

But it meant the arrival of a new life, their child, and that made the pain bearable. She would get through it, just like before. Still, it didn’t make the present moment any easier.

The minutes ticked off as she waited for Donna’s return. Angel had been asleep in her bassinet, and Judy was drawing. She wished Donna would hurry back so the girls wouldn’t be alone, at least.

Another pain tore through her, drawing a gasp from her lungs. They were coming much too fast. They were….

She let out a cry as another one struck. And with horrible clarity, she knew the baby was going to come before the doctor got there.

“Donna!” she called, her throat choking around the words. “Donna, help me!”

***

By the time Clint and the doctor arrived, Florrie lay in a sweaty heap in her bed, where she cradled a small bundle to her chest. Donna sat in the only chair in the room, and she looked wrung out—her eyes red and her hair frizzy—but she smiled wearily at Florrie. “Better late than never, I suppose,” she said.

They hurried to her room, and Clint stopped dead in his tracks, glancing back and forth with wild eyes. “Florrie?”

She smiled, allowing her head to fall back against her pillow with a sigh. “Clint, meet your son.”

Clint looked dumbfounded, standing in place as if he couldn’t move forward; then, a huge smile spread across his face, and he practically raced to her side.

The doctor beamed, giving her a warm grin. “Merry Christmas, Florrie.”

Later, after the doctor had left, Clint sat beside Florrie’s bed and just stared at her and the baby, entranced.

“Florrie,” he started, his voice a hoarse whisper, “I don’t know if I can ever tell you just how much I love you. I just can’t put it into words. But you filled a hole in my life that I didn’t even know was there. And now, we’re a family—a wonderful family—and I thank you so much for coming into my life.”

Florrie’s eyes misted, and she wiped them before the tears could fall.

“I don’t know if you have any idea of how much I love you, Clint. You saved me, gave me love, and completed me when I thought I was so broken that I couldn’t be fixed. You will forever be my hero. The hero who saved me.” She smiled at him, her lips nearly aching with how much she’d been doing so lately. “I love you, Clint. Thank you for showing me what love and happiness truly are.”