When three days had gone by, and there was no call, bob began to worry. It gave him time to think, though, about lots of things, not the least of them what Greasy Face had told him Dannie would want. He wished he could hear her say it ... somehow ... but he knew the old man was right. If things had been the other way around, he would have urged Dannie to find love again, and another father for Kyle, if he could.

By the time two more days had dragged on, and there was still no call, Bob resigned himself to having to deal with more loss. The sprouts of hope that had sprung up began to wilt. He told Rowdy to schedule him for something long and hard.

Rowdy had been furious that he'd missed all the excitement. When Crystal had told him all about it, he'd come to see Bob, but there hadn't been much to talk about, at that point. It was a waiting game, and it looked like things weren't going to go down the way Bob had begun to hope they would.

He was, in fact, in the process of digging a latrine at the line shack where, it was quite possible, he had become a father for the second time in his life, when one of the hands came tearing up on a lathered horse. Bob was digging with a shovel, the old fashioned way. There was a pile of lumber stacked nearby, brought out by wagon, that he planned to build the outhouse with when the pit was ready.

He heard the hoof beats, and recognized the urgency in them. When he saw the horse, he almost cursed.

"This had better be damned important," he growled at the young ranch hand. "Rub that horse down right now!"

"Sorry, Boss, but Rowdy said for me to get you back to the ranch yesterday, and said I was fired if I didn't."

"What's wrong?" asked Bob, stretching his back.

"Got no idea," said the man, getting off his horse to take care of it. "He didn't say. He just told me what I told you, and said where you'd be."

He had to saddle Ranger. By the time he was done, the young cowboy had rubbed his mount down, and given him water, sparingly.

"You walk that horse back to the barn," ordered Bob. He put on his hat, and mounted Ranger.

"Yessir," said the cowboy, a little glumly.

Ranger was feeling feisty, and wanted to run, so Bob let him, for a mile or so. Then he pulled the big black down to a canter and went on. He'd gone two more miles when he saw dust up ahead.

It was Rowdy, and Dave and Linda Ronson were with him.

Both of them looked a little bedraggled, and Linda was favoring her buttocks, leaning from side to side to ease the discomfort. At least this time, she had the reins in her fingers. They stopped before Bob got to them, and Bob cantered to within yards before he pulled Ranger up.

"Didn't expect to see you," he said.

"I told that boy to get you back pronto," growled Rowdy.

"He almost killed his horse trying to do just that," said Bob.

"We owe you an apology," said Linda Ronson suddenly.

"Beg your pardon?" Bob asked.

"We lost your number. The doctors kept wanting to do more and more tests. By the time Brenda started screaming, and we thought to call the Last Wish people to get your number again, she told them she was through with tests, and was coming back here."

Dave Ronson took off his hat. He didn't look mad, this time.

"I just loaded them up and we all came here," he said. "We owe you a debt of gratitude. I'm sorry I punched you."

"I don't understand," said Bob.

Linda got animated. "They don't know why - they've never seen anything like this - but the doctors are all convinced that, when Brenda got pregnant, the hormones that produced started killing the tumor. It's even smaller now, Bob! You saved our baby's life, Bob!" She started sniffling.

Bob was thunderstruck. He had no idea how to respond.

"She's back at the house," said Dave. "She wants to see you."

"She didn't ride out with you?" Bob asked.

Rowdy snorted.

Linda looked injured. "A girl in her condition? Riding around on a horse? Bumping along? I wouldnt hear of it!"

Bob thought about how Dannie had ridden regularly until she was seven months pregnant with Kyle. Then, the only reason she stopped was because her belly stuck out so far that it rubbed the saddle horn uncomfortably. He decided this wasn't the time to educate Linda Ronson.

Now Bob did let Ranger run, for as long as he wanted to, which turned out to be almost all the way back. He left the Ronsons in Rowdy's company, when they told him to go on ahead. It was pretty plain that they no longer had any objections to him ... seeing ... their daughter.

She was standing on the veranda, dressed again in a sundress.

He pulled up short, to avoid raising a cloud of dust around her. She watched, apparently placid, while he climbed down from his horse. His eyes drank her in. The sundress was held up by a strap that went around the back of her neck. The ends of that strap widened, to attach to the bodice, which supported her breasts, and showed them off at the same time. He saw the bumps of her nipples under the thin fabric.

"I'm sorry we couldn't call you," she said, her voice subdued. "Are you mad at me?"

Bob remembered the torment of each day that passed, while he waited for the call that never came.

"No," he said. "I'm not mad at you."

"I'm really pregnant," she said. "They checked. My due date is March fifteenth. They said it was too early to tell whether it's a boy or girl."

"I'm glad," said Bob, just enjoying looking at her.

"They also said that being pregnant is what made me get better."

"I know," he said. "Your parents told me."

"They aren't mad at you any more," she said.

"I know that too."

"Do they have a school here?" she asked.

"School?"

"You know," she said seriously. "Teachers ... class rooms ... stuff like that."

"I guess so," he said. "I never really paid any attention."

"I should probably finish school," she said.

"Here?" he asked.

She nodded.

She seemed so sure of herself ... so confident. She fact she was going to have a baby didn't phase her. He felt himself stiffen, inside his pants.

"What have you been doing?" she asked. "I can't hug you and kiss you when you're all filthy like that." She sniffed. "You probably stink too."

"I have to work," he said. "It's a ranch. There's lots of work to be done."

"There are other things you need to do on this ranch too," she said. There was passion in her eyes. "But you need a shower first," she said. She didn't move, but her meaning was clear. Just in case, she said it out loud. "I'm very horny right now."

"Your parents will be along pretty soon," he said.

"I already told them I'm staying in your room tonight," she said, as if she were only mentioning that the table cloth was cream, instead of white.

"You did, did you?" he asked, grinning.

"Uh huh," she said. "I feel all dirty from the ride here. I think I need a shower too."

"You don't look dirty," he said. "You look luscious."

"You just want to ravish me again," she said, her face completely serious.

"I confess," he said, taking a step toward her. "And if you're going to take a shower too, it doesn't matter if I get that pretty dress all dirty."

He swept her into his arms and kissed her hungrily. Her placid behavior vanished, and she became wild, pulling at him and grinding her body against his.

"I'm soooo horny," she moaned, pulling him toward the door of the house.

He stopped, and she jerked as he stopped her too.

"What?" she moaned. "Come on, Bob!"

"We can't do this if you haven't agreed to marry me," he said. "Are you going to marry me?"

She rolled her eyes. "Of COURSE I'm going to marry you, you silly man. Why do you think I came back?"

"I thought maybe you were just ... horny," he grinned.

The shower was quick, but thorough enough to have them both panting as they dried off together. She ran and jumped on his bed, flinging her arms wide, and spreading her legs. As he appeared to be about ready to jump on top of her, her hands came in and shielded her abdomen.

"Careful," she warned. "Don't squish our baby."

Their lovemaking didn't last long either, by virtue of the fact that, as soon as he was fully inserted in her, she had her first orgasm. By the time, two and a half minutes later he groaned and pumped her full of thick white cream, she'd had another, and was close to a third. It didn't really materialize, because he stopped thrusting into her, but she didn't really care. This was just the appetizer, and she knew it. She was going to sleep in a big, soft bed with her lover, and father of her baby, and the anticipation of that was almost as much fun as doing it would be.

When they were done, they got dressed, and, hand in hand, went downstairs, where her parents were sitting in the parlor, sipping cool drinks. Crystal was talking to them.

Brenda dropped Bob's hand and went to sit on her father's lap. He looked uncomfortable, but melted when she put her arms around his neck and hugged him.

"Daddy, can I marry Bob? He asked me very politely."

"Well ..." he cleared his throat. "You're still awfully young, young lady."

"They have a school here and everything," said Brenda, lying through her teeth. "And I already have my home schooling books, that we've been using at home. I'm a year ahead of all the other kids my age, in regular school. If I work really hard, I might be able to graduate before the baby is born."

She didn't let up there, though. She kissed her father's cheek. "And my baby needs a real Daddy ... who's married to his Mommy. That's what I had when I was growing up, and I think that's the best thing. It was for me."

Linda covered her mouth with the fingertips of one hand. Her eyes were smiling.

Dave frowned. "He really asked you?"

"He did," she said. "He'll beg, if I ask him to. You want him to beg?"

"Brenda!" gasped her shocked mother.

Brenda looked at her mother and shrugged. "I'm just trying to figure out how to get Daddy to say yes," she said. "Don't I get points for being creative?"

"What you should get is a paddling," growled her father. "Now, get off my lap. It's not decent."

Bob spoke. "I can promise you she'll finish school," he said. "If she doesn't, I'll paddle her myself."

Brenda tried to look hurt, but wasn't very good at it.

"Tell you what," said Dave. "We'll leave her here for a week or two, and then check back with you, Bob. You may have changed your mind by then. She can be a real handful, and she's disappointed me on more than one occasion." He said it completely seriously, but Linda spoiled it by laughing.

He got up and took his wife's elbow, obviously getting ready to leave.

"Can't you stay for supper?" asked Crystal, who had watched the whole thing, and was smiling from ear to ear.

Dave put his hand over his eyes, like he was rubbing them. "Afraid not. You see, for the last four years, I've been preparing for my only daughter to die of cancer. Now, I'm leaving her here, knowing she and this young man here are going to ... well, become very close. We'll just leave it at that." He frowned. "I can't actually figure out which is harder. I think I'll just leave, so I don't have to deal with it any more."

Brenda ran to him and hugged him, kissing him on the cheek.

"I love you, Daddy," she said.

"I know, sweetheart, and I love you too. That's why we're leaving."

Linda came to Bob, and hugged him.

"Thank you for saving my baby," she whispered in his ear, and then kissed his cheek."

"It was my pleasure," he said automatically. When Linda's mouth fell open, he hastily said "I mean ... I'd do it again any time!" Linda started laughing as Bob covered his face. "You're welcome!" he said through his fingers.

"We'll find out what we have to do to make this go smoothly," said Linda. "I worried about what to do, but I think this is the right thing. You'll be patient with her, won't you? She IS very young."

"I'll love her," said Bob. "And I'll treat her at least as good as I treat my horse."

Linda blinked, and then smiled. She turned to go after her husband.

Later that night, Brenda dropped her last piece of clothing on the floor and rolled on the bed. She lay on her side and raised one leg, bent at the knee. She was splayed open to Bob.

"You gonna rub my belly, like you do Dammit's?" she teased.

"I might, at that," he said softly.

"I heard what you told my mother," she said. "about treating me at least as good as you treat your horse."

"It was a compliment," he said.

"I know that," she said, rubbing her pussy lips, while he slowly got undressed.

She rolled to her back and opened herself for him as he crawled on the bed.

"If you're going to treat me like a horse," she said, reaching for him, "then I feel like galloping right now."

They both galloped, late into the night, until both were lathered up with sweat.

The next day Bob hauled himself out of Brenda Jean Ronson, and out of their bed. He got dressed and, while she started making wedding plans with Crystal and Donna, he went to check on the horses. Having seen the young cowboy riding one much too hard, he wanted to inspect them all. When he was done, he wandered down by the bunkhouse. He saw Greasy Face sitting on the porch again, a wooden bowl in his lap, and leather packets of herbs laid out neatly on the porch boards beside him. He went to sit with his old friend.

Bob sat down beside Greasy Face, who was mixing up some kind of paste in the wooden bowl. Greasy Face made most of the concoctions that all the ranch hands used, for whatever ailed them at the moment.

"Looks like the little flower has come back again," commented the old man.

"She's here to stay," said Bob, still feeling the joy of that.

"It is a good thing," said Greasy Face. He tasted the paste in the bowl and made a face.

"You helped," said Bob. "If you hadn't told me she was pregnant, I don't know what would have happened. I was still fighting ... things."

"Who knows?" mused the old Indian. "Maybe this is what I came here to do."

"Way back then?" Bob chuckled. "You're very patient."

"This has been a good place to be," said the man. "I'm glad, if anything I did helped be'yoo' ni' come to live here. She will be a good woman."

Bob nodded. "I'm curious. When you laid your hands on her ... that day when her mother asked you to ... how did you know what was inside her?"

"With my hands on her belly, I could feel the spirit of the child," said the old man, adding something to the paste. He stirred slowly. "I felt your spirit in the child, and knew then, who had lain with the girl."

"And her breasts?" asked Bob. "Did they feel like they were getting ready to make milk?"

Greasy Face looked at him sideways, and a smile cracked his lips.

"No, it has just been many years since I felt the breasts of a woman. I didn't mean to dishonor you, neneeceeb. I hope you will not punish me for this."

They heard Bob's laughter all the way up at the house.