Читать книгу Big Sky Daddy - Linda Ford - Страница 12

Chapter Three

Blossom! Caleb had almost laughed at the name. The animal looked more like trash than a flower, but he would respect Teddy’s devotion and hope the boy wouldn’t end up with a broken heart.

Lilly bent over a cut on the pup to examine it more closely, and then let out a sigh. “It’s not deep.”

“Blossom sure likes me washing her.” Teddy wiped at the fur. Indeed, the dog opened her eyes and focused on Teddy, who leaned closer. “You’re so pretty. Prettier than any other dog I ever seen.”

Caleb chuckled. The dog would likely grow into a good-sized animal with long silky hair like a collie. Her face, on the other hand, would probably look like she’d run into a train. “Beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder.”

Lilly made a sound—half grunt, half sigh. “Seems to be true on many levels.”

Caleb considered her at length. It sounded like she had personal experience with the old saying, but it couldn’t be on her own behalf. She was quite the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. “I met your twin this morning. What about your other sister? Is she older or younger?”

“Cora. She’s two years older. She got married a short time ago and she and her husband, Wyatt, live on a small ranch not far from here.”

“How old are you?” Teddy asked, the question so out of the blue and so inappropriate it shocked Caleb.

“Son, we don’t ask personal questions.” He needed to give the boy some lessons on how to carry on a conversation with a woman. Not that he would mind knowing the answer. There was something about Lilly that made it impossible to guess her age. She had a twinkle in her eyes and a freshness about her that spoke of young innocence, but several times he’d glimpsed wisdom lurking in the depths of her gaze.

Lilly chuckled. “It’s a perfectly natural question. I’m eighteen.”

Teddy considered it a moment. “Mr. Frank said you and that girl you were with are twins. So your sister is eighteen, too?”

“That’s correct.”

“I’m five.”

Caleb ducked his head to hide his smile at how Teddy delivered his announcement. As if it carried a huge amount of importance.

“My pa is twenty-five. Isn’t that right, Papa?”

Caleb didn’t know whether to laugh at his son’s audacity or to scold it. The boy had developed a sudden need to tell Lilly everything. Everything? He hoped not. He did not want Teddy informing Lilly that his mama had been murdered and his papa had shot two men. And worst of all, that his papa might have been the one to injure his leg. Perhaps he could distract the boy. “Blossom is watching you.”

Teddy smiled at his dog and patted her back. “My mama was twenty-four when she died.” Teddy cocked his head as if thinking about Amanda’s death.

Caleb held his breath. Teddy had refused to say a thing about the day of her murder ever since it happened. Please don’t start talking about it now. Not in front of a stranger. How would Caleb deal with the press of regrets and the weight of sorrow if he had to confront his past before this beautiful woman? He swallowed hard and gritted his teeth. He would not let his emotions escape into the open.

“Papa, does that mean she’s still twenty-four?”

His lungs relaxed and released the pent-up air. “I suppose it does.” Forever twenty-four. For some odd reason the notion gave him a measure of comfort.

Lilly touched Teddy’s head. “I’m sorry about your mama.” She shifted her gaze to Caleb. It was soft, gentle, full of compassion. He tightened his jaw. Her expression would have shifted to horror if she’d known the details. Lilly rubbed Teddy’s back. “I’m so sorry, Teddy. I lost my own mama and papa when I was three.”

He looked at her. “You did? I thought that man was your pa.” He was referring to Mr. Bell.

“He is. He and my ma found us and adopted us.”

Teddy studied her unblinkingly.

Lilly met his look with a kind smile.

Finally Teddy spoke. “I’ve never known anyone who was adopted. I found Blossom.” He turned to Caleb. “Can I adopt her?”

Caleb chuckled. “I don’t think it’s called that when it’s an animal.” Teddy already had his heart set on keeping the dog. The animal wasn’t as sorry looking as she had been when they’d found her, but she still looked mighty poor. “How is she?” He directed his question at Lilly.

She continued examining the dog. “There are some serious cuts, but nothing is broken that I can tell. She’s awfully tender over her ribs, though, so it could be some of them are broken. They’re certainly bruised. I’ll get some ointment to apply to the cuts. She needs to rest and get some proper food in her.”

“Lilly, you have guests. I didn’t notice anyone drive up.” The sound of a new voice drew Caleb’s attention. Mr. Bell stood in the doorway.

“Hi, Pa. You remember Mr. Caleb Craig and his son, Teddy? They found this dog and brought her to me for some care.”

“Of course, the Caldwell cowboy.”

The man’s voice revealed no emotion, but Caleb felt condemned by the statement.

Mr. Bell rumpled Teddy’s hair. He knelt by the dog and ran his fingers through her fur. “Found her where?”

Caleb answered the man. “Down the road about three miles.”

Mr. Bell grunted. “Close to where the Bixbys live. He’s a man with no regard for God’s creation. Lets his animals suffer. Uses his land unwisely. What’s your verdict?” He asked the latter to Lilly and she repeated what she had told Caleb.

Mr. Bell nodded. “He might benefit from Ma’s tonic. She gave me a shot of the stuff and I feel better already.” He chuckled. “Might be the nap and a hot drink of tea helped, too.”

“I was going to ask her for some.”

Mr. Bell planted a hand on Lilly’s shoulder. She smiled up at him. Their love was obvious. It seemed neither of them regretted finding the other.

A found family full of tenderness and love. It was almost enough to give a man hope—

He jerked his thoughts away from that trail.

Mr. Bell headed for the open barn door and then paused. “Lilly, you need any help with the dog?”

“I think I can manage on my own.”

“Then I’ll be in my shop.” The man disappeared through the door.

Lilly went to the neat room in the corner and returned with a jar and a roll of bandage. She looked from Caleb to Teddy.

He felt her hesitation and wondered what she wanted. He didn’t have to wait long to find out.

She knelt in front of Teddy and commanded his attention. “I am going to fix Blossom’s cuts.” She explained how the ointment would help the wounds heal. “Now Blossom might not like me touching them.” She let the information settle in Teddy’s brain.

“Sometimes you gotta do what’s best, even if it’s hard.” The words seemed to come from a dark place inside Teddy.

Feelings of pride and pain warred inside Caleb.

Lilly squeezed Teddy’s hand. “You are exactly right. And very wise.”

Teddy beamed.

“Now here’s where you have to make a choice. Do you want to stay even if you have to see Blossom crying, or do you want to have your papa take you outside and wait until I’m done?”

Caleb jerked forward. “May I speak to you?” He indicated that they should retreat to the tack room.

She rose slowly. Leaving her supplies behind, she joined him, though she hovered just inside the door as if ready to take flight.

“I don’t think he should have any choice in this. I’ll take him to the wagon or over to the pump for a cold drink of water.”

She refused to meet his eyes. “I’m sorry I spoke out of turn. But I’ve already given him the choice.” She shot him a look of defiance.

“Papa, Miss Lilly, I’ve made up my mind.”

Caleb knew he wasn’t mistaken in thinking Lilly was relieved about the interruption. Maybe he was, too. He had no desire to engage in an argument with her about what was and was not appropriate for his son. All he wanted was assurance the dog Teddy had adopted on sight would live.

Teddy sat up, his expression eager.

“Son,” Caleb began, intending to warn the boy that they were leaving the barn, but Teddy had already started to talk.

“I decided. Blossom is my dog. She wants me to stay.”

Caleb jerked back. How could he disagree with that kind of conviction? “Very well. But you must be brave.”

Teddy looked so determined that Caleb stifled a chuckle.

“I can. I remember how. Mama told me.”

Caleb stared. In the past nine months, Teddy had steadily refused to talk about Amanda’s death. Many had suggested it might help the boy if he did. Seems finding this dog had done something for Teddy that Caleb, the doctors and even Amanda’s parents had not been able to do.

Lilly squeezed Teddy’s shoulder. “Blossom will be much happier with you here.”

Teddy beamed.

Another thought surfaced. Maybe Lilly had played a role as well, with her gentle kindness and direct way of talking to Teddy. If she and Blossom combined forces, could they help his son? He didn’t expect the pair could figure out what Teddy needed in order to walk again, but it seemed at least they might help him come to grips with Amanda’s death. That would be worth something.

Would she agree to spend more time with his son? But even if she did, how could he ask her without risking his job at the Caldwells’? Ebner made no secret of his antagonism toward the Bells.

Lilly knelt beside the dog, her knuckles white as she held the jar and supplies she’d brought.

Caleb’s heart went out to her. She had a difficult job to do, applying ointment and dressings to the wounds. It would be doubly difficult with Teddy watching. Maybe she regretted allowing Teddy to stay. “Teddy, it’s not too late to change your mind,” he said.

“No. I gotta do this. Big boys don’t let hard things stop them from doing what they have to.”

He narrowed his eyes at the boy. Where had Teddy heard those words? Had Caleb spoken them to his son? He didn’t remember doing so, but then a person can say a lot of things carelessly that a listener might take seriously. He’d best watch his words in the future. He didn’t want to make the boy feel he had to take on a load too big for his little shoulders.

Lilly gave the boy a gentle smile. “Then let’s get it done.”

“Is this when she cries?” Teddy’s voice was clogged with sadness.

She sat back to study him. “You don’t have to stay.”

He blinked back tears. “I can be brave.”

“Very well.”

Caleb sat behind the boy and held him close. “You won’t be alone.”

Lilly studied him. He wished he could read her expression. Did she see his care for Teddy and approve of it? Or was she able to see past all that to his pain and guilt? He was getting plumb foolish. Of course she couldn’t see anything of the sort.

She ducked her head and set to work. She screwed the lid off the jar and dipped her finger into a thick yellowish ointment and applied it to the first wound.

As expected, Blossom yipped.

Grub ambled over to investigate. He shoved his nose into Lilly’s neck as if to inform her she’d hurt the other dog. She elbowed him aside. “Grub, go lie down. Everything is just fine here.”

Grub padded back to his spot in the patch of sunlight pouring through the open door.

As Blossom whined, Teddy smoothed the fur on her head and whispered, “It’s okay, little one. We’re going to make you better.”

Lilly kept her attention on her task. She applied the ointment to many of the wounds, flinching when Blossom cried. Some of the cuts she left open to the air, and a few she wrapped with bandages. When she was done, she sat back. “That’s the best I can do for now. I’ll get her some of Ma’s tonic. But first, I’ll bring her water.”

Teddy looked at her with eager eyes. “I’ll take good care of her.”

“I know you will.” She shifted her gaze to Caleb. “I really think she needs to stay here a few days so I can watch for infection.”

Teddy let out a small cry. “She has to come with us.”

Lilly caught his hand. “Teddy, I promise I’ll take really good care of her for you.”

“No. No.” Teddy shook his head. “I’m not leaving her.” He turned to Caleb, his eyes wide. He plucked at Caleb’s shirt front. “Don’t make me leave her. Please, Papa.”

Lilly closed the ointment jar and tidied up the bandages. She took them back to the tack room and then stood at the doorway. “Caleb, may I speak to you in private? Teddy, will you watch Blossom carefully while I get her some water?”

Caleb took Teddy’s hands and waited for the boy to look him in the eye. “I’ll be right back. You hear?”

Teddy nodded. His eyes remained too large. His pulse beat frantically in the veins of his neck.

Caleb followed Lilly outside to the pump, where she already had a pail full of water.

She faced him. “I know this might seem presumptuous, but why not leave Teddy here? I can make sure Blossom doesn’t get infected and he can be with his dog.”

Caleb stared. This was what he wanted, wasn’t it? But he couldn’t leave Teddy alone.

Nor could he afford to lose his job by risking Ebner’s ire.

What was he to do?

* * *

Lilly almost choked the words of invitation out. Not because she didn’t welcome Teddy’s company or think it would do him good to be with his dog.

But because she knew it would inevitably mean seeing more of Caleb, and there was something about him that made her heart pull at its moorings. A dead wife. A son who, for whatever reason, needed crutches to walk. Yet rather than seeing a man wallowing in self-pity she’d seen numerous glimpses of a tenderhearted man. She’d seen it in the way he’d held Teddy as she ministered to the dog. She’d seen it in the way his eyes filled with concern that Teddy might be upset by watching her work. And she saw it now in the way his expression went from surprise to interest to doubt and finally to decision.

“I couldn’t leave him. He’s not been away from me since...”

She waited, but he didn’t seem about to explain further. “I understand. But the dog...”

He looked past her to the horizon. “Yes, the dog. It’ll upset him some to leave her.”

She nodded. But there was little more she could offer. “If you leave Teddy here, perhaps Ma and I could help with his leg.”

Interest flared in his eyes and then faded. “I’ve been to a dozen doctors and they’ve not helped.” Doubt and hope seemed to cling to his words.

“Do you mind telling me what happened? Is his leg broken?”

Caleb turned so she saw only his profile—he swallowed hard and sucked his lips in. “His ma was murdered.”

A gasp tore from her throat. “I’m sorry.”

He nodded but continued to stare at something far off. “I found two intruders. They came at me with guns. I used mine.” He sounded as if he were working hard to grate his voice from his throat. “When it was over they were dead. Amanda was already dead—murdered by the pair.”

“And Teddy?” she whispered, hardly able to take it in.

“Amanda must have seen the intruders coming and made him hide in the closet. When I found him, he’d been shot in the leg.”

“Oh, no.” Pain and sorrow twisted through her with such vengeance she couldn’t breathe. “How awful.” Caleb’s face contorted and she knew he was reliving the horror. The only comfort she could offer was the one thing Ma had taught her. Sometimes all a person could give another person in pain was presence and touch. She pressed her hand to his arm. “Caleb, I am so sorry. It’s too dreadful for words.”

A shudder shook him hard. He turned to face her, his eyes dark as a summer storm, his mouth a white line.

She too shuddered at the frank agony she saw.

“That’s not the worst part.” His voice was a hoarse whisper. “I’ll never know if I was the one who fired the shot that hurt him.”

She nodded, understanding this feeling of guilt must edge every thought, every glance at his son. What comfort could she offer him? Only the truth.

“You have no way of knowing it didn’t come from some other gun, either.”

He nodded, but she could tell the words had not gone farther than his ears.

“How long ago did all this happen?”

“Nine months. Almost ten.”

That long and the boy’s injury still remained? There had to be something wrong, likely an infection. One that long-standing was unusual and—she shuddered—usually life threatening.

“Has the wound not healed?”

“It’s healed, but he can’t use the leg. And I have no idea why. No doctor has been able to help me.” He told her about the many trips he and Teddy had taken to find help. “I have to get him to a doctor down east.” He stepped away as if he were already on his way. “I can’t leave him here. I need the job at the Caldwells in order to pay the special doctor.”

She nodded. She and Ma used only common sense and old-fashioned remedies, along with herbs and poultices. Surely a special doctor would have newer things to offer. But if the infection had gone to the bone...

She shivered. If she could do anything to help, she would. She opened her mouth to ask him to reconsider taking Teddy away for the night.

Caleb turned on his heel and strode toward the barn before she could utter the words.

She rumbled her breath out. She’d been about to suggest he stay, too.

How had she so quickly forgotten that he was a Caldwell cowboy? Rose would be shocked.

Worse, she’d shocked herself by how much she’d been drawn to this man and his pain.

She could see Teddy through the open barn door, leaning over his dog, crooning words of comfort when he himself needed those same words. Likely some of Ma’s medicinals wouldn’t do his leg any harm, especially if infection had gone deep inside, but that type of deep infection usually resulted in severe pain, and the boy didn’t appear to be suffering.

She or Ma could at least provide comfort measures to Teddy until Caleb took him to the special doctor.

Never mind that his father worked for the Caldwells.

Halfway across the yard, Caleb’s feet slowed and he slowly came about to face her. With measured steps he returned to her, his expression full of determination.

“Tomorrow is Sunday. I don’t have to be at the Caldwells’. If your invitation is still open, I accept for the day.”

One day! What could she hope to do for Teddy or Blossom in one day?

“Unless you’ve changed your mind. Perhaps your family wouldn’t welcome a Caldwell cowboy.” He had clearly mistaken her hesitation.

Rose would have concerns, but she’d voice them in private. Ma and Pa would take a wait-and-see approach. As for Lilly, she’d make the most of the limited time, grateful in a way he’d not be there longer. The locked doors around her heart shuddered every time she thought of what he’d been through. “The invitation is still open.”

Caleb gave a quick nod. “I’ll deal with the consequences when I get back.”

“I’m not trying to discourage you, but are you sure about this? From what I’ve seen of Ebner and the others, they won’t be happy to know you’re consorting with the enemy, so to speak. Only the Caldwells view the disagreement in such terms. We only want to be left in peace to farm our little bit of land.”

“I only want to do what’s right for Teddy. I’m sure I can make Ebner understand that.” His words rang and his dark eyes flashed.

Lilly had her doubts, but she’d never before let the Caldwells stop her from doing what she thought was right.

She certainly wasn’t about to let them stop her now.