Page 175 of Huckleberry Hill
Dad had left the hospital an hour after we’d given him the news about the baby. He wanted to stay, but I insisted he go. There would be damage from the storm, and he might need to lend a hand to one of our neighbors since they’d done the same to help with our cattle. He left with great reluctance, but I assured him I was fine—I had Declan, and despite Dad’s reluctance, he knew that Declan was more than capable of taking good care of me.
“I can carry you up the porch steps,” Declan offered.
It was late afternoon and even though the rain had stopped, the sky was still gray, and everything was slick and muddy. The last thing I wanted was for him to lose his footing and have us both go down.
I shook my head. “I just need to go slow.”
We finally made it up the porch steps and without a word, Declan crouched down to help me take off my shoes so I didn’t have to bend over.
Bathing was going to be interesting.
The front door opened, and Muddy stood at the threshold. “Thought I heard the truck. Wasn’t sure though. Hours of rain has my ears buzzing.”
“Did you talk to Dad?” I asked.
“Briefly,” she said. “He told me about your injury. Come in and sit down. I’ve got the salve ready.”
“Salve?” Declan asked as he closed the front door. He began helping me out of my jacket.
“Old family recipe,” I explained. “We put it on everything from scrapes to bruises to goose eggs on the forehead. It cures everything.”
“Fair warning, it stinks,” Muddy said.
I heard the clop of tiny hooves on the wooden floor before Tempest appeared. She immediately trotted over to me and pressed her head to my leg. I wanted to lean down and pick her up, but there was no way I could.
Declan scooped her up and held her toward me. I rubbed her head and sighed.
“How did she do during the storm?” I asked.
“Slept right through it,” Muddy said with a smile. “She’s a cute thing. Kept me company and didn’t cause any trouble. Well, she did eat a part of my crocheting basket, but I’ve forgiven her.”
“No accidents?”
“No accidents,” she said. “You should probably take her out though. It’s been a few hours since she’s gone.”
“I’ll take care of it.” Declan kissed my cheek and then headed for the front door with the baby goat in tow.
“You need to sit,” Muddy said, gently taking my arm and guiding me to the den. I eased down onto the couch and slowly lifted my shirt.
Muddy whistled. “Look at that battle wound.” She unscrewed the mason jar, the scent of the salve hitting my nose and making my eyes water.
“You gave us all a good scare, Hadley.” She scooped a finger into the salve. “I’ll be as gentle as I can.”
“I know.” I inhaled sharply at the touch of her finger. The salve was room temperature, so thankfully it didn’t chill my skin. “So Dad told you about my injury. Did he tell you anything else?”
Muddy shook her head which was bent to the task. “No. I’m sure he wanted you to be the one to tell me you’re having a baby.”
I gasped. “How did you know?”
She looked up and smiled at me, her eyes clear with wisdom. “I had a feeling.”
“A feeling?”
“A dream, actually,” she said. “Oh, about five days ago I had that dream.”
“What dream?” I asked.
“I saw a little baby with dark hair and blue eyes. Spitting image of Declan.”
