Hero in Cowboy Boots Chapter 5

Hero in  Cowboy Boots  Chapter 5 Pt. 2 V. 1 wc 883

 

June 7 10:00 a.m.

Mark stopped in the hospital gift shop and selected some fresh flowers and a tiny cowboy outfit for little Mark Lee before strolling up to Jayda’s room.  She was in the bathroom, so he stood outside her room and watched the normal hospital activity going on around him.

Nurses, doctors, visitors, and other staff members scurried around him, everyone on a mission. But they all smiled at him, and some even congratulated him on his new son.  He smiled but didn’t correct them, only dreamed it was true.

Jayda had impressed him with her courage and devotion to little Mark Lee, and her smile just made Mark’s day. Especially since his surprise in the naming the day before. What an amazing and wonderful day that was, despite the lack of sleep for all of them!

He smiled as he recalled the  middle-aged lady who waited on him in the gift shop. She congratulated him on the new baby, thinking Mark was the father. How sweet!

Hearing Jayda cooing softly to her baby, Mark knocked on her door and waited for her to signal him to enter. Her smile when he opened that door made his heart sing. What is that all about? They’d only known each other for a few hours. How is she bewitching him so fast?

He’d vowed to never marry or fall in love again after Lucinda’s abandonment. He’d swore he could be happy without a female around. Yet here he was: all hearts and flowers over a woman he’d known for less than a full day. It was ridiculous! But wild horses couldn’t drag him away from this room today.

“Hi,” she  greeted him. I hoped you’d make it back today. I know you are busy on the farm. Did you have any tornado damage?”

“No, thank God. I saw a few branches lying on the ground, and some lawn furniture tipped over. That was the extent of it.  I drove by your house too. I didn’t see anything disturbed there either.”

“Thank you. That’s great news. Did you have breakfast this morning? They serve delicious sausage and cheese casserole in the cafeteria. I ate some. I felt ravenous this morning.”

“Awesome, but I ate some toast and a couple of hard-boiled eggs at home before I left.  Maybe I’ll catch some lunch later on before I head home.” He moved closer to the bed and peered over the blankets at Mark Lee. “How’s the little guy doing today?”

“Oh, he’s just doing great! The doctor says he’s in the upper percentile on all his APGAR scores, whatever that means. The doctor seemed pleased and so did I too. I wish I had taken some prenatal classes when I first learned I was pregnant. I thought I could save some money and that was the most important thing to me at the time. After all, women have been having babies without doctors since Adam and Eve. But then a nurse told me I was very lucky, because many of those babies are born with birth defects or miscarried, or died right after birth! If I had known all of that, I’d have taken the classes and seen a doctor regularly like most moms do now.”

 Jayda gazed down at her son and smiled. Her face gentled and she looked up at Mark. “There are things more important than money.”

Mark’s gaze went from the baby to Jayda’s face and his breath caught mid-breath. She looked so beautiful. She had taken some time since yesterday to apply light makeup, and it enhanced her natural beauty.

Mark’s heart did some gymnastics in his chest, and he let out that breath. Lord help me, I’m falling in deep for this girl. In two days!

He cleared his throat and swallowed. “Yes, Jayda. There certainly are.”

“Oh! I almost forgot! I can go home tomorrow! Isn’t that cool? Uh, since my car is in the ditch…is there any way you could take me home? I’ll pay you back!” Jayda pleaded with Mark.

“Yes! I most certainly can take you home, and there’s something I meant to tell you yesterday, but I forgot.”

“What?” Jayda looked up at him. She couldn’t imagine what he was talking about.

“Yeah, well, when I got home yesterday, after chores were done, I took my tractor and pulled your car out of that ditch. There didn’t seem to be any damage done during the storm, so I was able to drive it to your place. I parked it behind  your barn so that if Brad comes by looking for you, he’ll think you are gone somewhere. So I’ll just drive you to your house. I can move the car wherever you wish after that.”

“Oh Mark, I’m so sorry I’m such a burden to you. I’m causing you so much extra work and I have absolutely no way to repay you.”

“Nonsense! It’s no extra work for me. Besides, it’s not every day I get a baby named after me, Jayda. That’s worth a million dollars to me!”

Mark placed a hand on hers on the baby blanket. The look he gave her made her heart skip, then her pulse quickened until it was racing.  Those gorgeous blue eyes!