It’s just cramps, Cheyenne. Nothin’ you can’t handle.
Easing off the breaks, I started for the main road again. Thank fuck I hadn’t gotten it stuck. I needed to get to Charlie’s so I wasn’t alone. Maybe she had service. But the wind and rain were so strong it took everything in me not to go off the road. Tree branches littered the ground almost everywhere I looked.
The barn came into view and a familiar maroon truck along with it. The headlights pierced through the fog and rain and a sigh of relief escaped me. Thank God Cash and his dad were back. I parked and hopped out, forcing Brandy to stay in the truck.
“What the hell are you doin’ out here?” Bad shouted, poking his head out of the window of his truck.
My clothes were soaked through by the time I made it close enough for him to hear me. “We have a fuckin—” Another contraction barreled into me, and I slammed my eyes closed. Forcing air into my lungs, I breathed through the pain until it finally ebbed once more. Wiping water uselessly from my face, I focused on Bad.
“What the fuck was that?” Cash asked in the passenger seat.
“Well, fuck,” Bad grumbled. “She’s in labor, dipshit.”
Hearing someone else say it out loud sent a wave of terror through me. I didn’t want this to happen like this. I needed Maverick here.
“My service is shit. I need to get ahold of Mav.”
“Where the hell is he?” Bad asked. “Wait, get in the damn truck. You’re fuckin’ soaked.”
I hopped into the backseat, closing the door behind me. “Him and Ryder are fixin’ some fence out in the back pasture.”
Cash scoffed. “In this fuckin’ weather?”
“They lost a couple cows. They didn’t really have a choice.”
Bad growled out a curse. “I can’t believe Mav ain’t here.”
“I was fine before he left. This started like half an hour after. But I couldn’t get a hold of him because of the storm.”
Cash pulled out his phone, the home screen lighting up. “I gotta couple bars.” Unlocking his home screen, he called Maverick, handing me the phone.
“What the hell do you want, Ca—”
“It’s not, Cash,” I interrupted, some of my nerves easing at the sound of his familiar, deep voice.
“Chey?” Fear rang in his words. “What’s wrong?”
“I… I think it’s time.”
“Fuck. Where…you…comin…” Static and wind chased away his words, before the phone call dropped entirely. Because of course it fucking did. I let out a growl as I clicked on his name again. But it just went straight to voicemail.
“Shit! What the hell do I do?” My hands trembled as I tried to call him again but no answer. The phone wouldn’t even connect. When I glanced at the screen the two measly little bars were gone. “What do I do? What do I do? I can’t do this—” The words died on my lips as I gripped the door handle hard enough I thought it might break. “Fuck,” I growled, drawing the word out in a long breath as I rode through the wave of another contraction.
“Cash, start a fuckin’ timer on your phone. Every time she has a contraction, note it. See how far they are apart.” Bad looked back at me. “We needa get you to the hospital.”
“What about Mav?” I hardly even recognized my voice. It sounded shrill, high-pitched, pained. “I can’t do this without him.”
“Chey, what matters right now is gettin’ you somewhere safe to deliver that baby. Mav will be there.” Bad’s words were calm, sure, but it did little to stop the fear flooding through my veins and trickling down my spine. I couldn’t be in labor.
“Maybe it’s just Braxton Hicks?” I offered, but even Cash had the common sense to shake his head. I sighed in defeat. “I need to tell Charlie. See if she can keep an eye on Brandy for me.”
“I didn’t see her Tacoma in the driveway when we pulled into the ranch,” Cash replied.
“Alright. Well, can we drop Brandy off at the house and I’ll change? Then we can go.”
Bad frowned, almost like he was going to argue, but finally sighed.
It took us another five minutes just to get back down the road. Thunder and lightning had joined the fray, along with hail that pelted down so hard I was surprised the windshield hadn’t broken. I’d had another contraction in that time—the longest so far.
