Lou stared at the gorgeous blonde in the back seat of their truck. As Kendrick got into the driver’s side, Lou got in the back with her and reached for the first aid kit.
“Where the hell are you heading this time of night and in a storm like this?” Lou asked as Hendrick turned in his seat and looked at her, too.
She had gorgeous baby blue eyes, blonde hair, and full, pink lips. She was so strikingly beautiful, he couldn’t even process his thoughts. She held her arms over her stomach and that was when he noticed how round she was.
“Please. Get me to Ella Brazos’s farm. Please,” she said and closed her eyes, seemingly in pain.
“Ella’s? Honey, you need a hospital,” Kendrick stated.
“We aren’t getting her to one in this weather and with the bridge flooded out. How do you know Ella?”
“Please. The baby is coming. Just get me there,” she said.
“Baby?” Kendrick asked and looked down just as Lou reached out and undid her coat.
“Holy shit. You’re having a baby?” he asked, his heart instantly pounding. His thought about how he found the woman incredibly attractive, but now that he knew she was pregnant, and maybe some guy’s woman, he felt like a dick.
“Where the fuck is the father?” Kendrick asked, raising his voice.
“He shouldn’t let you out driving on your own in weather like this. Jesus, what the fuck?” Kendrick carried on.
“Just drive her to our place, Kendrick. We aren’t making it the twenty miles to Ella’s. I’ll call the sheriff,” Lou said, pulling out his cell phone.
She grabbed his hand.
“No. No, please, no sheriff. Just get me to Ella’s,” she stated.
“Honey, it’s too far. Where is the father? Do you want to call him and let him know the baby is coming and that you’re with men that can help you?” Lou asked her. She held his gaze. Her gorgeous baby blues were filled with tears. “There is no father. It’s just me and my baby.”
Lou looked at Kendrick, who narrowed his eyes and just seemed to stare at the young woman.
“Kendrick, drive and call the others on the way. Have them get things ready. I’ll call Ella,” Lou told his brother.
* * * *
Vye cried out as another set of contractions came just as they lay her on a bed.
“Holy shit. She could have died out there, and the baby, too,” some tall man said. There were five very large, serious-looking men in the room, and still no Aunt Ella.
“Please. Ella,” she said, panting for breath and trying to breathe. Lou, the one guy who comforted her since getting her into the truck, came over and held her hand, then caressed her forehead with a washcloth.
“She’s trying to get here, but I don’t think she’s going to make it in time. We’re going to have to deliver this baby, honey.”
“No. Oh, God, no, please, this can’t be happening. Haven’t I gone through enough? Goddamnit, I can’t take this bad luck anymore. I can’t.” She cried and then gasped as another contraction hit.
“Okay, I know this is a bad situation all around. You don’t know us and we don’t know you, but we’re soldiers, trained men in military abilities and some medical ones. We can handle this until Ella comes along and takes over and Doc arrives. He’s making his way through this torrential downpour. Trees are down and it’s a damn obstacle course. So, let’s work together. Introductions will help. I’m Tex,” the tall man with the dark black hair and huge, muscular body said, and she breathed through the pain and nodded.
“I’m Frankie,” the man with the black beard, a scowl on his face, and tattoos on his arms told her. He was scary. She swallowed hard.
“I’m Pierce,” the man with a very short, reddish brown crew cut and a beard said, looking dead serious. Maybe he was pissed that she’d invaded their home like this.
“And you know I’m Kendrick,” the flirty one with the blond, shoulder-length hair said.
“And I’m Lou. So, what’s your name?” Lou asked as he held her ankle and caressed it.
“Evonna, but my friends call me Vye,” she said and then gasped. “It’s coming. Oh, God. I feel it.”
“Okay, sweetie. I’m going to pull down these pants and get ready.”