Another side of Heartland

Chapter 73

-Caleb-

I held Mallory's hand as I drove to Maggie's and rubbed my thumb across the back of her hand. 'Can you believe we are having a happy healthy baby girl?' Mallory smiled looking over at me and she shrugged. "Sometimes it's hard for me to believe anything about our situation" I raised Mallory's hand up to my mouth and kissed the back of it. 'You will be the best mom.' Just as I was turning into Maggie's, Georgie popped up. "How was the appointment? Do you know what your having?" Mallory laughed and fished the sonogram pictures from her stack of papers from the doctor and laid them on the center console for Georgie and Katie to look at. 'It's so cool that you have an actual baby in there.' Katie said as she looked at the pictures. "She is going to be beautiful." I said once again kissing Mallory's hand. 'She? It's a girl?' We nodded and Georgie excitedly clapped her hands together. Mallory slid her hand from mine and snapped individual pictures of the sonogram photos and then started sending them to people.
She sent pictures of the sonograms to all of the most important people and then I poked her. "Let's go eat?" Mallory nodded and put her phone down and the four of us made our way into the diner. Once inside and seated Soraya came up to us and took our order and at the very end of Mallory ordering she said "can you also bring me a chocolate milkshake, baby girl can't stop thinking about it" Soraya wrote it down and it took a full five seconds before she realized what Mallory said and she squealed with joy. "I'm so excited for you guys! Soraya bent down to hug Mallory. So the appointment went well?" Mallory nodded. 'Yeah they said everything looked good, next month sometime we will go to a bigger office for them to do several tests just to make sure of everything but they say I'm as healthy as can be.' Soraya smiled again and then looked over at me. "I'm so happy for you guys. I'll put your order right in." We enjoyed lunch and laughed and talked and then made our way back to the truck. When Mallory picked up her phone she laughed *53 new text messages* 'somebody is excited about the baby news.' Mallory nodded and started sifting through the text messages. I turned the radio on and we drove back to heartland in relative silence. When we got back the girls wanted to go for a ride and we agreed so Mallory went inside to put riding clothes on and I saddled Ghost and Dragon. We took a long trail ride around the property and we rode out to check on the guest ranch. "I need to come out this week and clean a couple of the cabins. Lou told me there were a few guests next week." Georgie nodded. 'I can help you out, mom said I could make some extra money cleaning a little.' I turned in the saddle to look at Georgie. "Wanna come out here tomorrow afternoon?" Georgie nodded and Caleb spoke up. 'I need to go into the feed store and stock up. Katie can hang out with me' we headed back to the house to put the horses away.

When we rode into the yard Ashley was standing in the doorway of the barn. "Why is she here?" I shrugged my shoulders at Katie and glanced at Mallory. When we got closer I stepped down off of ghost. "Ms. Stanton what can we do for you" Ashley glanced at the others and then looked back at me. 'I need to speak to you' I rolled my eyes "oh no I must be in trouble" Katie laughed and Mallory took ghost and walked into the barn with the girls. I smiled as I watched Mallory walk away my eyes accidentally drifted down to her ass and Ashley cleared her throat. I turned back to where Ashley was. "Yes, what can I do for you?" Ashley cleared her throat and scuffed her feet on the ground. 'I'm getting married' I glanced at the ring on her finger. "I have noticed" Ashley was starting to look uncomfortable. 'I just need you to sign these papers. And this money is yours.' Ashley held up a stuffed bank envelope. I pinched the bridge of my nose where I could feel pressure building. "What exactly am I signing?" Ashley scuffed the ground again seeming uncomfortable. 'It's just that, well, Jason makes a lot of money and when it was mentioned that you paid for some things for me and he is worried..' I took a deep breath in let it out through my nose. "Ashley,I was married to you. That's what husbands do, they take care of their wife." 'But Jason comes from money and.' "But nothing Ashley. I would never EVER ask for anything from you or your family. I am happy and I am settled. I have an amazing wife and we have a baby girl on the way and I am set. But if signing these damn papers are what you need. Sure." I snatched the papers out of Ashley's hand and read over them. They just stated the I could never as for money or compensation for things I had done or purchased for Ashley while we were together. I scratched my signature on the papers and shoved them back at Ashley. 'Your going to have a baby?' I nodded with finality. 'Congratulations Caleb. I'm glad your happy.' Ashley tried to hand me the bank envelope and I shoved it back at her. "I don't want that" Ashley lowered her hand and frowned. "Money doesn't fix things Ashley, money isn't always the answer. I wish you the most happiness." I turned and walked back to the barn where my wife was waiting for me.