Maya’s Triple Dare(Divine Creek Ranch 6)(37)
She looked up at Richard and saw that he, too, was watching as they moved off.
“Wow,” Maya said, her eyes burning just a bit.
“Yeah.” His voice was barely a whisper.
“That’s true love.”
He turned his gaze to her and gestured with his thumb in the direction the aged couple had gone. “Think you could handle some of that?”
Willing herself not to cry at his sweet question that was more of a declaration, she nodded and pressed her lips together so her chin would stop quivering. She was thankful when Richard put an arm around her shoulders, drew her to his side, and directed the shopping cart down the aisle.
He insisted on paying for the groceries and loaded them into the back of the truck after starting it for her so the cab could cool off. As they rode down the state highway toward the Divine Creek Ranch he put his hand over hers on the console between them and held it the whole way home, their fingers intertwined. The warm feeling that suffused her heart and the memory of the elderly couple so clearly in love came close to bringing tears to her eyes.
* * * *
Kendall looked on in amusement at the scene before him, along with the rest of the men. The girls were jumping up and down, cheering and weeping at the news Rachel had just shared with all of them. Eli watched Rachel indulgently before receiving handshakes from all the men.
Michael Martinez, formerly Palacios since being adopted by his stepfather Angel, approached the group and patted Rachel’s thigh. “Rachel-baby, what does ’specting mean? Why are you crying?” Evidently, five-year-old Michael couldn’t stand to see a woman weeping any more than the rest of the men.
Rachel smiled at Michael and sat down on the sofa in Grace’s living room and drew him with her. She glanced up at her husband, Eli, and wiped tears from her eyes.
“Michael-baby, sometimes ladies cry when they’re very happy, not just when they’re sad. ‘Expecting’ means I’m going to have a baby this winter, at Christmastime.”
Michael’s eyes lit up. “Oh! Cool! High five, Eli!” he hooted as Eli sat down beside Rachel and put out his hand for a smack from Michael. “Gonna have a little boy? He can hang out with me and A-zar.”
Kendall chuckled at Michael’s abbreviation of his brother’s name. Eleazar was a mouthful for a five-year-old.
“I don’t know what I’m having, honey. I just found out this morning. But if it’s a boy he can hang out with you, and you can teach him all kinds of stuff, okay?”
“’Kay.”
Kendall and his brothers, Wes and Evan Garner, Ash Peterson, and Angel and Joaquin Martinez adjourned to the kitchen with Jack, Adam, and Ethan while a discussion about baby preparations ensued among the girls. Ethan and Richard sliced the brisket while Kendall and the rest of the men got fresh beers.
“So how are things going with the EMT training, Eli?” Boone asked as he helped Jack cut up the barbequed sausage.
Eli was currently burning the candle at both ends, working security at The Dancing Pony and attending emergency medical technician courses in Morehead. He had hopes for getting on with the Divine Emergency Medical Services Department.
“Hard but good. They keep us on our toes. Rachel is excited because it means fewer late nights. It could also mean that I help with delivering the baby,” Eli replied as he leaned against the counter. The man was seriously tall, towering over the rest of them, even Richard and Adam. When he talked about his wife it was plain to see that he loved her deeply.
“How did she talk you into that?” Kendall asked.
Eli smiled and shook his head. “It was my idea.”
“Really? You don’t mind seeing—”
“The baby I helped put there being born? No, man. Not at all. Rachel is excited about it, too. We’re taking special classes together, and I’m going to be her childbirth coach.”
Kendall shook his head, not sure he could watch Maya go through the pain of labor and then watch their baby actually being born.
Adam said, “Kendall, I know how you feel, thinking about being there for something like that. But when it’s yours it’ll be different. I remember thinking there was no way I could watch Grace go through that, but I’ve realized since then that she’ll need us. Her needs take priority over my fears.”
Eli nodded in agreement. “Rachel’s even talking about having the baby at home, maybe using the big tub and having a water birth.”
Ethan chuckled. “They both are talking about that. Part of me still hopes Grace gives birth in the hospital with as little pain or risk as possible.”
Kendall couldn’t help but notice the satisfied smile on Ethan’s face when he mentioned his wife. And Eli looked like he could handle whatever he had to in order to be there for Rachel. Kendall understood that kind of devotion. If Maya wanted him there for that event he knew he would be there for her, too.