Unexpected Hope (Book 2 in the Red Valley series)

Chapter 21

Levi sat in the darkened room; the only light was the soft orange glow of the fire. He studied the small pale hand in his. All of the joy he felt earlier when Doc had told him that Hope had not lost the baby, but that they were having twins, was gone. Doc had stayed a couple of hours but had to get back to town to see his other patients. Grace and Cole had stayed a little longer, but they too, had to go home.

He'd been by her side for hours. The only time he hadn't been was when he'd gone out to the barn to talk to Tuck and Cole. Rage filled him at the thought of someone, most likely Jed, getting that close to his family, and no one knowing it. Not one of his men had seen or heard a damn thing.

Cole had sent over several of his own men to help patrol the ranch at night. Levi decided to have two men watch the house and barn, two men would patrol the outer perimeter of the property and two men would patrol the area in between. A soft knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Come in." He said after clearing his throat.

The door opened, and Harold walked through carrying a tray. "I thought you could use some coffee. He said as he set the try down on the bedside table. He picked up the coffee pot, filled an empty cup from the tray, then set the pot on the hearth to keep it warm. "Levi, you have to eat something." He said as he looked at the plate of untouched food he'd brought up earlier.

"I can't. Just the thought of food makes me sick to my stomach. I'll be fine now that I have some coffee. Thank you for bringing it." He replied quietly as he took a sip of the strong, bitter brew, wincing slightly from the taste.

"Sorry, I know it's not near as good as what Hope makes." Harold said with a smile. His smile fading as he looked down at the woman he'd come to think of as a daughter. "How is she? Has there been any change?"

"She's moaned a few times, as if she's in pain, and she tried to mumble a few words; nothing that I could make out though. But, she still hasn't opened her eyes."

The older man walked over, placing a comforting hand on Levi's shoulder. She'll be fine, you'll see. She's young and healthy. Look, I'm going to head off to bed. Call me if you need anything. And try to get some rest. You look like hell."

A minute later the door closed with a soft click, and once again, Levi was alone with his wife. He'd never been much on praying, it had never seemed to work for him. But right then, that was the only thing he could think to do. So, he got down on his knees beside their bed and prayed. He must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knew, someone was running their fingers through his hair.

For a moment he couldn't move, then slowly raised his head to see violet eyes looking back at him. "You're awake." Her eyes closed again, and he knew that she was once again asleep.

She tried once again to open her eyes. She knew she wasn't alone because she could hear someone else breathing. Slowly, she managed to crack her eyes enough to know the room was dark except for the waning light of the fire. Turning slightly, she saw a familiar dark head lying on the bed beside her. She slid her hand over to run her fingers through his disheveled hair.

Hope tried to say something, but try as she might, no words would come out of her mouth. A small smile formed on her lips before her eyes closed for a moment, then opened, as she watched her husband slowly begin to wake up. Her brow puckered slightly as she realized that he'd been kneeling on the floor with only his head against the bed. He said something to her but her eyes were already closing as sleep consumed her once again.

Levi sat there for a moment not knowing what to do. The fog in his brain finally cleared as he realized that he was still kneeling beside the bed. Good Lord, how long had he been down there? Pain shot through his legs to his toes. It felt like needles were pricking the bottom of his feet as he managed to stand up and begin to work blood back into his abused limbs. After walking around the room a few minutes, the tingling finally stopped. He stoked the fire then undressed and crawled into bed next to his wife, sliding as close as he could without actually touching her. Doc had assured him that she didn't have any broken bones but he didn't want to take the chance of hurting her. It only took a minute before sleep claimed him as well.

Levi woke several hours later as something soft brushed against his cheek. Opening his eyes, he could tell the sun was just coming over the horizon, giving the room a warm, rosy glow. Propping up on one of his elbows, he leaned over placing his lips on Hope's forehead. No fever that was an excellent sign. With gentle fingers, he explored the side of her head feeling for the knot. The swelling was almost completely gone. That was also an excellent sign. "Hope. Hope." He whispered. Her eyelids began to flutter and she mumbled a few words.

Hope could hear someone calling her name. She tried to open her eyes but it felt like they were glued shut. After a moment, she tried again to open them, and was rewarded with the sight of her husband's handsome face smiling back at her. Warm lips brushed against hers for a tender kiss.

"How are you feeling? Do you hurt anywhere? Can I get you anything?"

She was truly touched by the depth of emotion in his voice and eyes. "Water." She managed to get out. The bed shook as Levi got up, then slid into his trousers. A moment later he was standing in front of her in just his snug pants holding a glass of cool water. Leaning down, he slid his arm under her shoulders, lifting her. He brought the glass to her lips, allowing her to drink several sips before he eased her back down. "Better?" Nodding, Hope glanced around the room with a confused look on her face. "Do you remember what happened?"

She lay there for a moment; he could tell she was searching her memory, trying to recall the events of the day before. Her eyes widened as her hand flew to her rounded stomach. "The baby?" She choked, trying to hold back tears.

Levi set the glass on the bedside table then eased down on the bed beside her, taking both of her hands in his. "Everything is fine. In fact, it's better than fine. They're wonderful. Doc Baker examined you and said that he heard two distinct heart beats."

"So the baby is okay?"

"No love, the babies are okay."

"Babies?" She whispered, as her hands moved to her stomach. "Is he sure?" She couldn't help but smile at the thought of having twins.

"He said that he heard two separate heart beats."

"But I don't think twins run in my family." Hope whispered

Levi could tell something was bothering her. "I have identical twin sisters, but Hope, what's wrong?"

"I don't remember."

"That's okay. A lot of times people forget traumatic events." He said as he took her hand in his running his thumb over the back of it.

"No, you don't understand. I don't remember anything before meeting you. Nothing!" Panic was beginning to set in and her head was starting to pound.

"Hope, calm down, breathe, and take deep breaths. I want you to close your eyes and rest. I'm going to go down and fix you something for breakfast. Then, we will talk about what you do and don't remember and I'll also send one of the men to get Doc Baker." He leaned over and kissed her forehead, finished dressing, then went downstairs with his heart pounding and a feeling of dread.