Page 18 of The Cowboy's Unlikely Love

He chuckled. “I’m sorry that little Boris is giving you such a hard time.”

She let out a sigh as the pain subsided, then glared at him. “Where in the hell did you come up with ‘Boris’ for my precious little boy?”

With a straight face, he said, “Boris is a nice name. You’d be surprised how many Borises there are out there.”

A faint smile lit her face, and she shook her head. “Oh, I’d be surprised all right.”

He laughed and winked at her before glancing down at his phone on the seat beside him where he was timing her contractions. Two minutes to go.

By the time they reached the hospital, her contractions were a little over two minutes apart. Her labor was progressing quickly. He dropped her off at the ER, calling for a wheelchair and turning her over to a nurse before driving around to find a parking spot in the crowded lot.

Maternity was on the third floor, and he found that they’d taken her straight up.

When he got there, Taylor was checking in, which took about ten minutes and three contractions. After the third one, he said to the woman behind the desk, “Listen, she needs to deliver this baby. Can’t we do this paperwork later?”

The woman, probably used to nervous fathers, said, “We’re almost finished. Just give me two more minutes, Mr. Benson.”

At that, Taylor looked at him, a red blush climbing toward her cheeks.

He smiled and shrugged, then said, “Thank you, ma’am. I just know she’s in pain, and I can’t bear that.”

True to her word, a couple of minutes later, the woman said, “OK, you all can go on through that door on the left and check in at the nurses’ station.” She smiled. “Congratulations and good luck.”

He helped Taylor to her feet, and as they entered the delivery area, he felt her hand start to tremble. He squeezed it and bent to her ear. “Don’t worry. I’ll stay with you through the whole thing if you want me to.”

She looked up at him and he could sense the fear in her eyes as she said, “Please stay. I don’t think I can do this without you.”

He slipped his arm around her shoulders and drew her close. “I have no doubt that you can, but you don’t need to worry. I won’t leave your side, honey.” Too late, he realized what he’d just called her, and then he decided he didn’t care. She knew what she was facing, and she was alone and afraid. He’d probably call her much more than “honey” before this day was over, and he wasn’t worried about that at all.

A nurse led them to a spacious room equipped with a hospital bed, a large recliner, a loveseat, a warming table where they would put the baby right after he was born, and a machine with a monitor on top that Colt was sure would be used on Taylor soon. He stepped out of the room to give Taylor the privacy she needed to change into a hospital gown.

When he went back in, she looked so forlorn sitting all alone in the bed. He went over and pulled the covers up around her. “Are you cold? It seems kind of chilly in here, don’t you think?”

She reached for his hand, holding on tight. “Yes, I’m freezing in this thin gown.”

“Let me go see if they can bring you another blanket.”

She nodded as he turned toward the door.

He asked at the nurses’ station. “We’re in room thirteen, and I was wondering if we could get a couple of blankets. Taylor’s freezing.”

The woman behind the desk smiled. “Of course. Someone will be right in. Next time, you can just push your call light on the remote and someone will help you.”

He nodded and headed back toward the room. When he entered, the first thing he did was look for that remote, finding its cord wrapped around the head of Taylor’s bed. He freed it and handed it to her. “If we need anything else, we can just call.”

A moment later, a nurse came in carrying two blankets. “Hi, I’m Melinda. I’ll be your delivery nurse. These are just out of the warmer, and they should heat you right up, Taylor.” She took a couple of minutes to spread them out over Taylor’s legs.

“Oh, that’s wonderful. Thank you, Melinda.” Taylor smiled at the woman.

“Now we’re going to get you all set up, young lady.”

Colt met Taylor’s gaze and raised his brows, asking wordlessly if she wanted him to leave the room.

She shook her head no.

He went over and stood beside her, clasping her hand.

Ten minutes and several contractions later, Taylor was hooked up to the monitors and all settled for the duration. She asked Melinda, “Is my doctor here yet?”

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