Their Miracle Baby

Chapter 10

The first time Venetia awoke during the night, she was aware of the warm body next to her only enough to roll over and throw her arm across Lewis’ chest. He stiffened when she did, but then relaxed when her breathing told him that she’d gone back to sleep. He knew that there would be hell to pay the next morning, but they both had their clothes on, so she’d know that it had only been from necessity.

Could he help it if she’d snuggled up to him when she was sleeping? Did she really think he’d push her away? He’d just claim he’d been asleep, when in fact he’d not been able to go to sleep since he’d crawled into the pallet with Venetia. Just being this close to her had him in turmoil, knowing that he couldn’t touch her, do the things he’d been dreaming about for so long.

He knew that he should be trying to live in the moment, but it was so hard with her lying next to him, soft and warm, like so many times before. Memories of those nights had been haunting him with visions of what he’d lost for so long that all he wanted to do now was erase them with new memories. When he finally fell asleep, Venetia was wrapped firmly in his arms, and he was enjoying the moment.

Venetia woke slowly the next morning, then realized with a start that she was wrapped in Lewis’ arms, her head resting on his shoulder and her leg thrown over his. She had a vague recollection of waking in the night startled to find someone in bed with her, but immediately recognizing that it was Lewis, she’d gone back to sleep; it never registered that he wasn’t supposed to be in her bed.

She laid there, her body tense as she tried to remember what had happened last night. She couldn’t have possibly had s*x with him. That she would remember, besides she still had all her clothes on so it was unlikely that anything had happened. The last thing she remembered was Lewis guiding her to this hut, then it all went blank. Lewis was still asleep, his heart beating in her ear, so she tried to carefully slide out of bed. He must not have been as asleep as she thought since as soon as she moved, he tightened his arm around her.

“Good morning. Let me explain before you get mad,” he said, knowing she was going to be angry.

“Okay, but this had better be good,” she said, looking up at him.

“The villagers have this crazy idea that we’re married. I’ve tried to make them understand that we’re not, but they won’t budge. This was the only place to sleep last night, it seems word got out that we’re here. I spent most of the day yesterday treating patients,” he said, meeting her eyes.

“Well, I guess that’s a good enough reason,” she said begrudgingly. “But I do have to get up and check on our patient. If she’s still doing well today, we’re in the home stretch, but I don’t want to leave her yet.” She started putting on her shoes.

“Another day here isn’t going to hurt anything. I’m going to try and go hunting with the men. I might learn something new, but first I have to convince them to take me,” he said, as they walked to the kitchen area for breakfast.

“I have a feeling you’ll be able to charm them into taking you,” she teased.

“I’ll do my best. I’m a little rusty, there hasn’t been much need for my charm around here lately.”

“Well, I guess you don’t realize just how charming you are when you aren’t even trying.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he said, surprising her by kissing her quickly on the lips.

Blushing, she stammered, “I have to go find my bags and change my clothes. I’ll see you later.”

Venetia walked away her heart pounding. Waking up next to Lewis this morning had been wonderful. And then he’d kissed her so sweetly just now, nothing demanding, just a simple kiss. She’d been waiting for fate to guide her, to tell her when the time was right. Now they were here together and would be for a few days, sleeping in the same hut. It was clear that fate had spoken, but before she committed herself, she and Lewis had to talk.

Venetia spent the first few hours of the day with the new mother and baby; they were doing well and she would feel secure leaving tomorrow. After lunch, she found herself with some time on her hands. Lewis had gone hunting with the men, and she really didn’t need to sit by the mother’s side all day.

So, she dug out her notebook, which was never far from her side and wrote up a report on the birth. It had become her habit to write down a brief description of her day each night, thinking it might provide useful when she got home. She was sitting by the fire pit, which wasn’t lit this time of day, but provided enough smoke that the bugs stayed away.

A commotion just at the edge of the village caught her attention. The hunting party must have returned victorious. That would mean a huge feast that night. Her stomach began to growl at the thought of fresh roasted meat. Before she’d come to the Brazil, she’d taken meat for granted, but here there were plenty of meals that were virtually meat free. It was a healthy diet, but at times she craved the taste of meat.

Putting her notebook away, she joined the rest of the villagers who were flocking to the edge of the village to see what the hunters had brought home. When she spotted them, it was Lewis who was carrying the kill. Pride welled up in her bre*st, when she realized that he’d been the one to bring down the big boar that was strung up on a pole. It was then that she knew without a doubt that she was falling in love with Lewis again. Not the false love they’d felt before but a love with the foundation to survive.

A kill this big would require the help of everyone in the village, and Venetia wasn’t about to miss out. Some of the men carried the boar off to be butchered, while another group began to prepare a pit to cook it in. She was headed off to join the women who would begin to prepare the dishes that would go with the meat. Everyone would contribute something, and she always traveled with something to contribute.