Forever Santa Page 8

  “How many are left to do?” Emily asked.

  Gracie put her cup of tea down. “Three complete sets plus the hem on the one I’m working on now.”

  “Sounds to me like we arrived at the right time,” Emily said. And before anyone could say another word she set up her machine and started sewing.

  Trent pulled open the side door on Nathan Gray’s barn. He’d known Nathan for years. They’d been friends at school, hung out at Charlie’s Bar and Grill when they’d been old enough, and worked through their share of heartaches together.

  Nathan had begun woodworking first, creating furniture for his family and friends long before Trent knew how to use a lathe. When a barn fire nearly killed Nathan, his hobby became his sanctuary. When his nightmares kept him awake he’d disappear into the barn, working on his latest project until he was ready to drop from exhaustion.

  On some of those nights Trent joined him, watching what he did, creating his own simple pieces of furniture.

  “About time you showed up.” Nathan looked up from his workbench.

  “In case you’ve forgotten, we’ve got a small renovation project going on. What’s in the lathe?” Trent nodded toward the piece of wood Nathan was sanding.

  “Steering column for a pedal go-kart for Catherine.”

  “She’s two years old.”

  Nathan shrugged his shoulders. “You’re never too young for a racing car.” He picked up a picture he’d torn out of a magazine and passed it to Trent. “I’m going for the red gloss finish with a black pinstripe along the steering column.”

  The go-kart in the picture was all sleek lines and open space. “She’ll fall out.”

  “Already thought of that,” Nathan said. “I’ve bought a racing seat with a five-point harness. Once she’s strapped in she won’t be able to move.”

  “Amy was okay with you putting Catherine in a go-kart?”

  “It’s a surprise.” Nathan smiled.

  They both knew the surprise would have to come with a lot of convincing. Amy kept a close eye on Catherine and she wouldn’t be impressed with Nathan strapping her into a go-kart. Trent had no idea whether Catherine would reach the pedals, let alone move the thing.

  He walked to the far side of the room and lifted a drop cloth off his work in progress. The wooden rocking chair should have been finished a week ago, but life had snuck up on the McKenzie household and left him short of time.

  Nathan leaned against the bench and watched him lift the chair onto a frame they’d made. “Did that fancy polishing tool arrive?”

  Trent hung his jacket on a peg on the wall and pulled a parcel out of his pocket. “It arrived a couple of days ago from Virginia.” For the last few weeks, he’d been looking at the best way to polish the rocking chair. He’d found a website that mentioned Don Williams and the polissoir he sold. Made from tightly bound broomstraw, it worked beeswax into the wood, creating an impressive finish to any piece of furniture.

  “Take a look.” Trent passed Nathan the polissoir. “Where’s the paste wax?”

  “Top drawer on the right hand side of the workbench. Are you sure this will work?” The polishing tool was as long as Nathan’s hand and didn’t look like it would do much of anything.

  “Best invention since sliced bread. Watch and learn, buddy.” Trent rubbed the paste wax along the arm of the rocking chair, working it deep into the wood.

  After a few minutes, he used a clean rag to buff the wood to a glossy sheen. “It’s not difficult, it just takes time.”

  He kept rubbing until the top layer of wax shone under the fluorescent lights. “What do you think?”

  “I want one,” Nathan said.

  “It’s just as well Santa anticipated your needs then, isn’t it?”

  “Always knew he was a man worth believing in. Talking about Santa, Jordan told me you’ve got a Christmas present due next summer?”

  “Have you ever heard any news from me and not my brother first?”

  Nathan shook his head. “Not that I can recall. Although you did get married to Gracie before you told anyone, including the bride.”

  “We’ve moved on since then,” Trent muttered.

  “Yeah. Straight into being parents. How do you feel?”

  “About being a parent or my brother’s big mouth?”

  Nathan crossed his arms in front of his chest and stared at Trent. “It wouldn’t matter how long you’ve been planning for a baby. When it happens it must knock your socks off knowing you’ve created another human being.”

  “I feel better already,” Trent said dryly. He picked up the paste wax and rubbed it into the rocking chair. “I can’t believe we’re having a baby. Gracie’s tired all of the time. I’ve taken the coffeepot out to the barn.” When Nathan looked at him as if to say what does coffee have to do with pregnancy, he added, “The smell makes her want to throw up.”

  He picked up the polissoir and started working the wax into the wood. “We’re both worried about what will happen, if the baby will be all right.”

  “Why wouldn’t it be all right?”

  Trent rubbed a bit harder. “I don’t know. There are thousands of things that can go wrong. We’re older than most parents. There’s a lot to think about.”

  Nathan passed him the t-shirt he’d used to buff the wood. “Trust me. Gracie’s body knows what it’s doing. When my cousin was pregnant she must have read every book about pregnancy and giving birth. It didn’t do any good. Her baby came when he was good and ready and everything else fell into place. Do what you can for Gracie. That’s about all you can do until the baby’s born.”

  “What do you do with a baby?”

  “Damned if I know. Catherine was ten months old when Amy arrived in Bozeman. My best advice is to build your baby a go-kart.” Nathan laughed at the frown on Trent’s face. “You’ll be fine. From my limited experience I’d say a baby needs a full tummy, lots of sleep, and a whole pile of love. Make sure Gracie’s got the same thing and you can’t go wrong.”

  Trent stared at the rocking chair. “You think that’s all there is to it?”

  Nathan walked back to the go-kart’s steering column. “There’s probably more, but you deal with it when it happens. What else is happening on the Triple L? Jordan didn’t tell me about his breakup.”

  “How did you know about it?”

  “Amy showed me Doris’ Facebook page. There was a picture of Tracey shopping at the mall and she wasn’t holding Jordan’s hand.”

  “Does Jordan know about the picture?”

  “I’ve got no idea,” Nathan said. “But I heard Tracey wasn’t too happy.”

  Trent didn’t want to ask how Nathan knew that. Bozeman was a small town. Everyone knew your business quicker than you did. There wasn’t a man alive that could outwit the gossip mill and Trent wasn’t about to try. “She’s been seeing someone for a few weeks, but only told Jordan about it last weekend.”

  “How’s he doing?”

  “Not that great. He’s buried himself in the barn conversion. While the flooring contractors are varnishing, he’s working on the website.” Trent waxed the next area of wood.

  Nathan picked up a sheet of sandpaper and started working on the steering column. “Got to be better than what most men do.”

  “He tried that on Friday night and ended up seeing Tracey.”

  “He needs to take up woodworking.”

  “I’ll tell him you said so.”

  Nathan sighed. “My barn’s going to turn into a rustic escape for men with issues. You could add it as an optional activity on your ranch vacation business.”

  “Worked for us.” Trent smiled at the scoffing noise coming from twenty feet away. “All you need is a coffeepot and you’d have the perfect man cave.”

  “Yeah. And I know someone who’s got one going cheap.”

  Trent laughed and kept polishing.

  Chapter 10

  Gracie waited inside the main reception area of the hospital for Trent. A big wooden sculp
ture sat at one end of the room, with lots of red chairs surrounding it. The seats were filled with adults and children waiting to be seen by doctors.

  “Sorry it took so long.” Trent appeared beside her. He was out of breath and looking almost as nervous as she felt.

  “Did you have to park far away?”

  “Someone pulled out of a parking space just after I dropped you off. Do you want to head upstairs now?”

  Gracie glanced at her watch, then at the people around them. There were at least two people coughing and a baby with a runny nose. “We’re half an hour early, but I don’t suppose it matters.”

  Trent wrapped his arm around her waist and they moved toward the elevators. “How are you feeling?”

  “Better since I started eating the nuts Emily gave me.” As well as her sewing machine, Emily had arrived at the ranch with a big container of her sister’s secret weapon against morning sickness. When she’d been pregnant with Christopher, Nicky had constantly eaten the nut and dried fruit mix. She was sure it was the only thing that had stopped her getting morning sickness. Gracie was so over the constant feeling of wanting to vomit that she’d try anything.

  They rode the elevator to the second floor in silence. Gracie had so many thoughts going through her brain that she didn’t know what to say.

  “It’s going to be okay.” Trent squeezed her fingers and smiled.

  The doors pinged open and they walked into the obstetric clinic.

  Gracie looked down at her appointment card, then up at the receptionist. “Hi. I’m Gracie McKenzie. My husband and I have got a four o’clock appointment with Doc Johnson.”

  The lady behind the desk typed something on her keyboard and frowned. “I’m sorry, but Doc Johnson’s been called away on an emergency. Are you happy to have your scan with another doctor?”

  Gracie looked at Trent.

  “How long do you think Doc Johnson will be?” he asked.

  “I really don’t know. He left half an hour ago and asked to have all his appointments transferred to the on call physician.”

  Gracie didn’t want to sound ungrateful, but this scan was important. She wanted to know that the doctor looking at their baby knew what they were doing. “Who’s the on call physician?”

  “Doctor Amy Gray. She’s very good…”

  Gracie breathed a sigh of relief. “We know Amy. Yes, that will be fine.”

  “Did you remember to drink the water Doc Johnson listed on your information sheet?”

  Gracie could feel every drop of the water she’d drunk sitting in her bladder. “Yes. All done.”

  “Great. You’re all set to go. I’ll let you know when Doctor Gray is ready.”

  “Let’s go over by the window,” Trent said. “At least it’s got a view of the parking lot.” He took his hat off, twirling the brim in his hands.

  “Do you want to know if we’re having a boy or a girl?” Gracie asked.

  “They can tell this early?”

  “Our baby’s a perfectly formed little human.”

  “Already?”

  Gracie squeezed Trent’s knee. “Nicky gave Emily a couple of books for us. I’ll show them to you when we get home. So do you want to know the sex of our baby or not?”

  “Do you want to know?”

  Gracie had been thinking about that all night. She was the worst person to tell a secret to. Even if it was mildly exciting she had to tell someone. If they found out the sex of their baby she wouldn’t be able to keep it to herself. On the other hand, she’d been feeling so rotten that she wanted to put an identity to the little baby growing inside of her.

  “I think it would be kind of nice. What about you?”

  Trent thought about it for a few minutes, then nodded his head. “Let’s find out.”

  “Gracie and Trent?” Amy stood in front of them and smiled. “Nathan told me you’re expecting a baby. Congratulations. Come on through.”

  They followed Amy into a dimly lit room. “Do you know what happens when you have an ultrasound?”

  Gracie shook her head.

  “Have a seat on the bed and I’ll explain everything.” Amy pushed a button and the bed lowered toward the floor. She laughed at the smile on Gracie’s face. “When women get into their last trimester it can be difficult to get in and out of the bed. This helps a lot.”

  “It helps when you’re short, too.” Gracie glanced at Trent.

  “I could make a platform for our bed?”

  Gracie nodded and sat on the bed, waiting for Amy.

  “I’m going to put gel on your stomach and move a thick wand over the top.” Amy lifted a tube of something out of a container. “This gel helps the wand to emit and receive sound waves through your skin. From all of that information, we get an image of your baby on the computer screen. Do you have any questions?”

  Gracie reached for Trent’s hand. “Can you tell us the sex of our baby?”

  “Do you want to know?” Amy looked between them and they both nodded. “I’ll do my best, but it depends on how far along you are in your pregnancy. And sometimes a baby doesn’t want to show us whether they’re a boy or a girl. If they curl themselves into a ball it’s impossible to tell. Shall we get started?”

  Gracie lay down. She pushed her jeans down to her hips and her shirt above her stomach. Amy squirted light blue gel on her tummy.

  “It’s warm,” Gracie said. “I was expecting it to be cold.”

  “We aim to please,” Amy said as she moved the wand over the gel. “Here we go.” Amy pushed a button on the ultrasound console and moved the wand to the left.

  Trent leaned forward, watching the screen. “I can see a little body.”

  Gracie smiled at the screen. A little hand moved, then their baby’s entire body did a somersault inside her tummy. She looked at Trent. He had tears in his eyes and a wide smile on his face.

  Amy held the wand firmly against Gracie’s stomach. “Your baby’s having a great time. I’m going to take a few measurements and see how far along you are.” She worked quickly, pushing more buttons and moving the wand quickly. “Your baby’s thirteen weeks and three days old. That would make your due date about June 18.”

  She kept moving the wand, stopping every few seconds to take another snapshot of what they were seeing. “I’m going to freeze this image and we’ll listen to the heartbeat.”

  Trent squeezed Gracie’s hand as a loud, fast, heartbeat filled the room.

  Amy kept moving the wand, explaining what she was seeing. “Let’s see whether your baby’s a boy or a girl. I’ve just got to change the direction of the scan…like this…and here we are. Congratulations, you’re having a girl.”

  Gracie stared at the screen and felt tears running down her cheeks.

  Amy reached for a box of tissues and held them out to her. “It’s okay. It’s a lot to take in when you see your baby for the first time. I’ll take a couple of images for your photo album and then you can go home and celebrate.”

  Gracie watched their baby’s face; the little nose, pouty lips, and rounded chin. “I think she’s got your lips, Trent.”

  He leaned forward, staring at the screen as if he wanted to imprint every detail about their baby in his mind. He pushed his lips into a funny pout and smiled. “Maybe. I wonder if she’ll have the McKenzie dimple?”

  “That,” Amy said as she wiped the gel off Gracie’s tummy, “will have to wait until later. A 3D or 4D image will show you the dimple. The best time for that scan is between twenty-six and thirty weeks.”

  “We’ve got a long way to go.” Gracie looked at Amy. “Does everything else seem okay?”

  “As much as I can tell at this stage. How are you feeling?”

  “Not quite as tired as I was last week, but my morning sickness is still there.”

  Amy pulled Gracie’s top over her tummy. “It won’t last forever. Just keep nibbling on small amounts of food between your main meals. How often are you vomiting?”

  “Usually once in the morning.
The rest of the day I just feel like I’m going to be sick.”

  “If you’re ever worried about how sick you feel, just call the hospital. Doc Johnson will send another appointment out to you in the next couple of weeks. The next scan will be when you’re twenty weeks along.”

  Trent helped Gracie into a sitting position. “I’m going to be outnumbered in our home. Three females living under one roof can’t be healthy.”

  “Don’t let Mrs. Davies hear you say that,” Amy said. “She’ll put you on dishes duty for the rest of the pregnancy. Here are the images of your baby girl.” She put the photos in a white folder and handed them to Gracie.

  Gracie gave Amy a quick hug. “Thanks for doing the scan.”

  “It was my pleasure. Take care on the road. The weather’s supposed to get worse over the next few days.”

  Trent pulled his hat on. “Don’t worry. We’ll be going extra slow on the way home. Have a merry Christmas.”

  “You, too.” Amy walked with them to the reception desk. “And if you need the bathroom, Gracie, it’s down the corridor on your left.”

  “You read my mind.” Gracie waved goodbye and held Trent’s hand as she quickly followed Amy’s directions. “How does it feel to know we’re having a daughter.”

  “Like the most important and scariest thing in the world.”

  “I know.” She glanced at a door and sighed. “Thank goodness.”

  “I’ll wait for you here.”

  She passed Trent the photos and smiled. “Have another look at our daughter’s lips. They look just like yours.” And before Trent said anything, Gracie disappeared inside the bathroom.

  Trent held Gracie’s hand as they walked across to his truck. It was already dusk and fast heading into night.

  “Those clouds look menacing.” Gracie clicked her seatbelt into place and stared at the black clouds hovering over the mountains.

  “Hopefully we’ll be home before the storm hits.” He turned the heater on and reversed out of their parking space. “I could make you a wooden platform to get in and out of bed. I just don’t want you falling off it in the middle of the night when you go to the bathroom.”