Pulling up to the Bledsoe house, Ray glanced at Buttercup in the passenger seat of his Jeep. Her skin had more color than it did when she arrived, her cheekbones less pronounced. There was also another slight difference in her looks, a sweet smile was on her face. Saying a quick goodbye to Ray, Buttercup shut the door to the Jeep. Eagerly, the young woman ran up the front walkway to the white colonial style house. Diana Bledsoe, looking like the picture-perfect glow of pregnancy opened the door and gave Ray a wave, as did Buttercup. Waving back, Ray drove down the road heading for the bar.

Seated at a table with Buttercup at the wedding, Diana had grown attached to the young girl. Her husband was leaving town for a few weeks, and she was hoping Buttercup could stay with her for a few days, painting and prepping the nursery and keeping her company. Having extended her stay by another week, Buttercup had been happy to help.

Knowing Buttercup was safely in the hands of a woman that he respected, Ray got to work at the bar. Flipping on the lights and music, Ray felt the absence of his enjoyment in his familiar routine. As he readied the glasses and polished the bar top, Ray felt out of sorts. With Buttercup in town, Evan growing like a weed, and Jessica constantly turned on by his taking her in hand, the dim room that smelled of stale beer, no matter how well Ray had it cleaned, had suddenly lost its appeal as a place to be spending his time.

Maybe the bar was just a waiting room. Somewhere to be until something better came along. And now, something had come along, and it was so much better it had shifted the entire paradigm on which Ray had built his existence.

The floor beneath Ray’s feet was scuffed to a lighter color, the result of the large man standing in the same spot practically all his waking hours for the past twenty years. Ray stood on the spot, and made the decision to do what he had imagined doing many times before. Grabbing a piece of paper, Ray picked up the marker that would forever change his life.

Careful to use his neatest handwriting, Ray printed the words that had played over in his mind for years. Satisfied with his work, Ray grabbed his roll of duct tape from its home on the bar. Picking up his handiwork, Ray walked to the door of the bar.

The heavy oak door swung shut behind Ray as he went out into the daylight. Sunshine warming his back, Ray taped the sign to the front window of the bar. Standing back with his arms crossed, Ray read the words out loud to himself. “Ray’s is closed. Maybe forever.”

“Now just what in tarnation are you playing at, Ray Stevenson?” The crotchety voice startled Ray and he looked to his left. Mr. Callaway stood, hands in his Wranglers, shooting daggers from the sign to the bartender.

“Read the sign, Mr. Callaway.” Whistling, Ray took the bar door keys from his pocket. The lock made a click, as he turned the key, finalizing Ray’s decision. Singing Closing Time at the top of his lungs, the sound of Ray’s voice drowned out Mr. Callaway’s arguing. Ray hopped in the Jeep, slammed the door, and headed down Main Street.

* * *

Finding the house empty, Ray laughed at himself. Of course, Jessica and Evan were out, Jessica wasn’t expecting Ray for dinner. He usually came in from the bar at about half past two in the morning, just another reason to get out of the bar game.

Switching to singing old Garth Brooks classics, Ray flipped the radio to the game and began rummaging around in the refrigerator, taking out the fixings for an omelet. Placing the ingredients on the counter, Ray heated up the cast iron skillet he kept on the stovetop. Ray was just getting to the chorus of Friends in Low Places, when his phone rang.

“Hello,” Ray said, over the sizzling of the butter pat hitting the hot pan.

“Ray,” Buttercup’s voice wavered on the other end of the phone, sounding panicked.

“What’s going on? Are you okay?”

“It’s Diana, she is in the bedroom, screaming and clutching her stomach.”

Diana’s due date was still weeks away. Ray’s midwifery skills kicked into high gear. “Screaming continuously or in bursts? How often?”

“About every one to two minutes. It started just a bit ago. I called you right away.”

“Buttercup, hang up with me and call 911. Describe the situation and tell them that you have a woman with you that is possibly in preterm labor. I’ll be there in five minutes.” Three if he could get the Jeep to go over sixty miles an hour.

Flicking off the heat on the stovetop, Ray quickly scribbled a note for Jessica, grabbed his keys from the counter and raced out the front door.

* * *

Greeted by a very pale-faced, but calm Buttercup, Ray followed her to the back of the house. As they entered the hallway, a loud guttural scream came from the bedroom. Recognizing the sound, Ray knew there wasn’t much time.

Despite how the media inaccurately loved to portray emergency home births, an irritation of Ray’s, they just aren’t common. With only about one baby in two hundred arriving suddenly at home; women have been known to give birth unexpectedly in cars, in the back of an ambulance, or anywhere else the baby had decided to make their arrival. When a baby was ready to be born, it was like a tornado heading towards your house, there was just no stopping them.

“Crank the heat up, Buttercup,” Ray spoke calmly as he approached the young Mrs. Bledsoe. She was laying on her back, knees up, panting in between screams. Trying to give Ray a smile, Diana’s face crumpled as she howled in pain. Ray’s hand smoothed the damp hair from her forehead as he kneeled by her side.

“Diana, I’m here now. You may not know it to look at me, but I have attended more births than most doctors.” A terrified look crossed Diana’s face as Ray said, “I’m just going to get scrubbed up and be right back.”

“The baby can’t come yet. My husband is out of town and the baby isn’t even due.” Diana grabbed Ray’s arms, clenching her teeth, “Don’t leave me,” she stuttered. Buttercup returned from the thermostat, grabbing Diana’s other hand in hers.

“Buttercup is with you. I am going to wash my hands, and then I will be right back,” Ray assured Diana.

“Squeeze away, Mrs. Bledsoe, you can’t hurt me,” Buttercup cooed softly.

Leaving the women, Ray washed as thoroughly as he could in the small master bedroom. As he was drying his hands, he heard the words, “I need to push! I need to push! Ray!”

Returning to the bedside, Ray locked eyes with Buttercup. “Quick as you can, gather these things.” Buttercup nodded. “Large towels, an empty plastic bowl, and a big pot of warm water, tap water will be just fine. Bring me a few towels for the floor, first.” Buttercup nodded.

Bending down, his face close to Diana’s to get her attention. “You’re going to have to let go of Buttercup’s hand, Diana,” Ray said softly.

Dianna nodded, whimpering, “It hurts so much,” letting go of the tight grasp she held on Buttercup. Finally released, Buttercup scurried from the room.

Wrapping his arms around Diana, Ray said, “Let’s get you standing, ma’am. Gravity is a blessing in childbirth.”

“Childbirth!” Diana exclaimed. “I am not having this baby, I am just not ready,” her words dropped off as she howled in pain, then returned with, “I need to push!”

Grabbing Diana tightly, Ray pulled her as she scooted along to the end of the bed. Having seen several quick births in his lifetime, Ray knew there was no need to check Diana’s cervix. The first time Diana had said the words, “I need to push”, Ray knew her cervix would be dilated the full ten centimeters. Placing his hands under both of her arms, Ray lifted Diana and stood her on the ground, supporting her weight, worried her knees would be weak from the pain.

Buttercup returned with the towels, as well as a large, black garbage bag that she had grabbed. Placing the towels by Ray, Buttercup instinctively smoothed the garbage bag out on the floor, layered some of the towels over it, then rushed back out of the room to gather other supplies. Ray gave Diana a reassuring smile, leading her to step over the towels.

“Won’t be long, now,” Ray said. “Bend your knees for me, that’s it. Okay, ma’am, I’m going to peek here.” Ray raised her skirt and saw exactly what he was hoping for. The baby was crowning. “Your baby has a head full of hair, Ms. Diana.”

Chocking back a laughing sob, Diana covered her mouth with her hand.

Returning with the pot of water, topped with a plastic bowl, Buttercup placed the items by Ray’s side.

Knowing the slender, young woman was stronger than she looked, Ray directed Buttercup to stand behind Diana’s small frame, holding her arms under Diana’s, and locking them in front to support her.

“Okay, Diana,” Ray said in the calm voice he had learned from his mother. “When you are ready, squat and bear down.” With another scream, Diana pushed, letting her breath out. A bit more of the baby’s head was showing.

“One more push, honey, and this little pumpkin’s head will be out.” Ray braced his hands, ready to catch the baby. A minute later, Diana gave her loudest scream yet, bared down, as her body released the newborn baby boy into Ray’s waiting arms. Ray quickly checked to be sure the cord was not looped around the baby’s neck, holding the slippery baby firmly in his hands. Grabbing a clean towel from the stack next to him, Ray quickly wrapped the baby up tightly, careful not to crush the cord. Waiting for that crucial moment, Ray laughed with joy as the baby took his first breath, then gave a piercing wail in protest of leaving his mother’s warm womb.

Buttercup eased Diana down to a seated position on the floor, her knees spread open. Diana leaned back on the bed, holding her arms out, the sight of her child bringing joy to her face. “Diana, meet your son,” Ray placed the bundle on Diana’s chest, careful with the cord. Sirens from the ambulance could be heard pulling up to the house. “You did wonderful, sweetheart,” he whispered, smoothing her hair back from her forehead.

Diana pulled the towel back, examining the face of her new baby. Ray knew there was a few minutes’ peace before the placenta would have to be delivered. Though he normally preferred the quiet skin to skin contact of mother and baby. This little boy being a preemie, Ray wanted them to get to the hospital and get checked out.

Ray looked to Buttercup. With her face pale and hair disheveled, Ray was taken with her beauty. The grin that spread across his sister’s face changed her entire appearance. There was a confidence in her eyes that hadn’t been there before. Buttercup’s calm nature and quick thinking had made her a crucial part of the successful delivery.

The agony of childbirth could be shocking to witness. The joy of new life that followed was the most amazing miracle on God’s green Earth and an experience that forever tied people to one another. Ray was grateful to have shared this moment with Buttercup.

* * *

Carrying a sleeping Evan on her chest, Jessica quietly shut the front door behind her with the heel of her boot. Tiptoeing through the house, she entered Evan’s pale blue nursery. His nightlight mobile softly shining. Since Ray had officially moved in, they had been training Evan to sleep in his own room and the nightlight had been a crucial piece of the puzzle. Evan couldn’t sleep without it.

There had been a lot of tears and midnight wake-ups, but the couple’s hard work had paid off and now Evan was sleeping better in his own space. Gently, Jessica lay him down in the crib, smiling at his chubby cheeks and little red lips. Evan gave a sigh, curling up on his side, and was back asleep.

Changing into her coziest sweats since Ray was working tonight, Jessica padded into the kitchen to make herself a snack. Flicking on the kitchen light, Jessica was surprised to see eggs and vegetables covering the countertop. Having left the kitchen spotless and the front door locked, Jessica felt a confused panic. Who breaks into a house to make an omelet? The mystery was solved when she spotted the note by the carton of eggs.

Diana possibly in labor, don’t wait up.

No scary movies.

P.S. Closed Ray’s today, maybe indefinitely, talk soon.

All my love,

Ray

Still staring at the words on the note, Jessica’s mind felt numb. Never had three lines of writing contained so much life-altering information.

Diana was in labor and wasn’t due for almost two months. Jessica said a quick prayer for the young lady and decided to text Ray later for an update. Buttercup had been at Diana’s today so that was one positive. Buttercup had a hard-outer shell, and Jessica guessed that her composed nature would make the young woman an incredible helper in an emergency. Jessica wished she could do something to help, but the baby peacefully sleeping in the crib was her priority. Ray would have the situation under control.

The movie part was going to be difficult because she most certainly would be waiting up for Ray. There had to be a good show she could binge watch on Netflix, something mainstream that would be scary but not too scary. She wondered how Ray would feel if he came home finding her watching the one show whose trailer peaked her interest. A crime investigation about a handsome serial killer breaking into women’s homes when they were all alone at night. Deciding Ray would not like that very much, Jessica moved on to the last line of the note.

Ray’s was closed. Perhaps forever. Memories of her younger years, dancing at the bar, drinking with friends, then later, those special date nights with the hunky bartender made Jessica feel nostalgic for the place. But if Ray’s heart wasn’t in it anymore, Jessica supported his decision to move on. If she was being totally honest with herself, the hours were terrible. If she couldn’t watch murder mysteries, then she wanted Ray’s arms wrapped around her in bed at night.

Cleaning up the mess to clear her mind, Jessica surveyed the food. She tossed the eggs in the trashcan, having no idea how long they may have been out and not wanting to take the risk. Gathering the vegetables, Jessica balanced them on her arm opening the refrigerator door. A tomato fell from her grasp, hitting the floor as Jessica tugged open the crisper drawer in the refrigerator.

Moving a squash and a cucumber to make room, Jessica’s hand hit something rock hard. Placing the veggies on the shelf, Jessica knelt, investigating the drawer further. Halfway behind the squash was a rectangular package. Expecting a tray of tofu, one of Ray’s latest cooking experiments, Jessica was puzzled by the weight in her hand as she pulled it from the crisper. Plastic was wrapped tightly around the bundle, over a layer of what looked like white butcher paper. The block was a little larger than a brick, and heavy. Strange. Ray was famous for trying new recipes, maybe inside was an ingredient for an exotic meal to reveal the ‘I quit my job and closed my place of income’ announcement dinner.

Peeling back the crackling plastic, Jessica tore a corner of the paper to get a closer look. It couldn’t be.

“Cold, hard, cash,” Jessica murmured, giggling hysterically. “And it’s even cold from being hidden in a vegetable drawer.” Running her thumb along the edge of the stack of bills, Jessica let out a low whistle. “What the…” she stopped mid exclamation, distracted by the flashing and buzzing of her cell.

Keeping a firm grip on the block in her hand, she picked up the phone and in her current frazzled state, read the long string of text messages out loud. “Won’t be home till tomorrow. Mother and baby well. Delivered baby at home, transferred to hospital. Mrs. Bledsoe is strong but exhausted. Will stay to assist until husband returns first thing tomorrow. Talk soon, phone not getting reception in hospital. No means no for scary movies. Love you till it hurts.”

Breathing a sigh of relief for the new mother and premature baby, Jessica put her phone down on the counter. Pride welled in her chest. Ray was an amazing husband and father, but also a helper for those who needed him. And to top it off, the sexy, muscled bartender could deliver babies. Chuckling, Jessica thought there was sure to be a generous helping of Moose Juice, in Diana’s future.

But where had her baby delivering, ex-bartender, daddy acquired such a vast amount of cash? Holding the block with two hands, again, she felt the weight of it. Where had it come from and why was it in the vegetable drawer? Feeling like Nancy Drew, Jessica had read the entire series as a girl, she tried to put the pieces together.

It had to be Ray’s. He must have brought it when he moved in just a few weeks prior. Maybe this was his savings. But why hadn’t he just put it in the bank, why the crisper? The revelation hit Jessica like a punch in the gut. Ray was specifically hiding the fortune from her.

Making salads for Jessica at almost every meal and raising a brow until she had taken a few bites, Ray knew that the one place Jessica would never go was the vegetable drawer. He must have hidden it thinking Jessica would never even open the drawer.

Jessica went to the living room, double checking the front door was securely locked and tossed the brick down on the coffee table. She knelt by the coffee table and stared at the package. It only took one moment of debating with herself to decide to open the paper the rest of the way. Pulling off layer upon layer of plastic wrap, revealed the bills to be crisp and dry, protected from the moisture of the refrigerator. Unfolding the white butcher paper, Jessica gasped at the face of statesman, inventor, diplomat, and American founding father, Benjamin Franklin. There were three bundles in total, all the same thickness, each individually wrapped and secured with a rubber band.

Jessica’s mood hung somewhere between elation and terror. Her husband was rich. But how? How does a bar owner in a town the size of a postage stamp, make this kind of money? Surely not legally. But Ray Stevenson was the most upright citizen she knew, there had to be a reasonable explanation.

Filing through all she knew about Ray, Jessica tried to remember if he had ever mentioned a previous lucrative career or an inheritance. His father had left; his mother was a midwife and raised Ray alone.

And why the shoestring budget for the wedding? Something wasn’t right. Another nagging, question tickled Jessica’s brain. Was there more cash hidden in the house? Nancy Drew instincts kicked in, overwhelming any nagging guilt that she should wait to talk to Ray, directly, before investigating.

Thinking about where else Ray would think to hide cash, Jessica sat, cross-legged in the middle of the small living room, gazing around the nooks and crannies of the house. Ray had jokingly complained that Jessica never cleaned the bathroom. It was true, and Ray had taken over the chore himself, even before he had moved in, not one to be able to live in a mess.

Jumping up from her seated position, Jessica hurried to the bathroom. The cabinet under the sink was where Ray kept the cleaning supplies, at least she thought, Jessica had never opened that cabinet. Too yucky with all the plumbing pipes from the sink stored inside, Jessica chose to keep her cosmetics and toiletries tucked safely in the drawers of the vanity.

The door creaked a little when she opened it, protesting her nosiness. At first glance, she saw nothing unusual. Toilet bowl cleaner, glass spray for the mirror, a can of Ray’s favorite sprinkle powder cleaner, ironically titled, ‘Barkeepers Friend’, and two tubes of bleach wipes. Almost closing the door, Nancy Drew shook her head at Jessica in her mind’s eye. A real detective would perform a more thorough investigation.

Jessica picked up the cylindrical, plastic wipes containers. The first one felt like the same weight as the one in the kitchen. She put it back and picked up the second one. It was further back in the corner of the cabinet. Bingo. It was heavy as heck. Excitedly, Jessica grabbed the container, leaving the cabinet wide open in her haste, and ran back to her place at the coffee table.

Snapping open the plastic lid, Jessica sucked in her breath. Inside the container sat another package. Identical in appearance, the brick was wrapped in white paper with plastic around it, confirming Jessica’s suspicions. There was more money in this house, and it was Ray’s intention to keep it hidden from her.

Jessica tore through the house, searching every inch of the small cottage. When she had opened every door, drawer and pulled every item out of every closet, she stretched out, exhausted and sweating, on the couch. Rosy rays of the early morning sun shown in her Eastern facing windows, streaks of light covering the mounds of cash on the coffee table that she had procured.

There were three more sets of three bundles. Thirteen in all. All Benjamin Franklins. She had found three stacks behind Ray’s collection of tear jerker mushy romance DVDs, never watched by her. And, the jackpot, a brick she had found in the freezer, hidden under the bags of frozen peas and broccoli.

Throwing her arm over her eyes, Jessica was just drifting off to sleep when she heard Evan’s giggling voice. Crap. She pulled her heavy weight up off the couch, making her way to the kitchen, brewing a pot of very strong coffee. As it percolated, she dropped the stacks of cash into an empty duffle bag. Too tired to even begin to think about how to approach the subject of the hidden money, she shoved the duffle bag under the bed.

Grabbing her happy baby from his crib, Jessica laughed as he patted her chest, saying, “pancake.” Once Evan was settled into his chair with his mini pancakes and syrup dipping cup, Jessica assessed the state of the house. Doors flung open, drawers hanging askew, blankets, books and movies covering the floor, Jessica began to think maybe Ray had been right to call her a little messy. It looked like Nancy Drew had a little cleanup work to do.