Until she picked up the baby and the diaper fell off. Eva groaned and tried again. Cody just cooed at her and waved his arms, as though cheering her on. Finally she got the thing attached so it would stay put.
Once Cody was re-dressed she carried him to the kitchen. They’d installed little green night-lights in the hallways so they didn’t have to turn on every light in the house and wake up everyone. Martha Rose said the baby would go back to sleep easier if he didn’t have lots of stimuli.
Padding barefoot across the cool tiled floor, Eva opened the refrigerator and squinted at the bright light. She snatched out a bottle and quickly shut the door. Thankfully, Martha Rose had made up several bottles before bed. All Eva had to do was warm up one. A simple task for anyone but her. What if she got it too hot or too cold? She’d never done this before and felt mighty uncertain. Concentrating, she tried to remember what Martha Rose had told her to do.
“A pan of hot water,” she said to Cody, moving about the dark room with ease.
Balancing the baby with one arm, she worked fast, setting the bottle in the pan of hot water and waiting several minutes while she rocked Cody and sang to him. Aunt Mamie had showed her how to test some drops of milk on her wrist to make sure the temperature was just right. But Eva’s hands shook as she picked up the bottle and offered it to little Cody. He latched on to it ferociously and she jerked in surprise. Then she chuckled.
“You sure are hungry, aren’t you, little man?” she said softly.
She walked back to his room and sat in the comfy gliding chair. He sucked greedily as she rocked him in the dim light. She hummed a lullaby, trying not to stare at his adorable chubby cheeks. But she couldn’t resist. He was the cutest, sweetest thing she’d ever seen.
Toward the end of the bottle he fell asleep and she placed him in his crib. As she stared down at his cherubic face, she couldn’t help feeling proud of her accomplishment. Nor could she fight off a feeling of absolute love as it pulsed over her in shocking waves. She’d do anything to protect this innocent baby. Anything to keep him safe. She’d promised herself never to love another man. If she didn’t love, she couldn’t be hurt. But she’d already broken that vow. And there was no sense in trying to fight it. Because she loved little Cody Stillwater like her own.
After walking back to her room, she curled beneath the warm covers, feeling happy and satisfied. Maybe if she couldn’t have kids of her own she could love other people’s children. Maybe she could do this job after all.
Early the next morning she wasn’t so sure. She was awakened by Cody’s cries. Within moments she’d pulled on her fluffy bathrobe and was standing beside his crib. Seeing her, he waved his little arms and smiled, effectively melting her heart.
“Good morning, sweetheart. Did you sleep well...?”
The question died on Eva’s lips. She stared. And swallowed hard. Reaching down, she flipped Cody’s downy blanket aside. He panted happily, completely oblivious that anything was wrong. But a horrified gasp erupted from Eva’s throat.
A rash, bright red and hot to the touch, covered the baby’s face. A quick inspection of his tiny body told her it went no further. Just his cheeks. What a relief. But she must have done something wrong. Something bad.
A gush of panic rose in her throat, bringing with it a deluge of memories. Costly mistakes she’d made recently that had taken hours of work and lots of money to repair. But Cody wasn’t a broken piece of equipment or a ruined batch of bread dough. He was a human being. A little innocent person who was depending on her to take care of him. Making an error with him could be catastrophic.
She held out her hands as if to offer reassurance. “Okay, sweetheart. Don’t worry. We can fix this. I’ll take you to the doctor. Give me just a minute to get dressed.”
She scrambled for the doorway, hurrying to pull on her clothes. She splashed water on her face, ran a toothbrush around in her mouth, then jerked a brush through her long, tangled hair.
Back in Cody’s room, she saw that he lay completely at ease, his sparkling brown eyes wide and curious. As though he had absolutely no idea that he had a problem. No doubt he’d get hungry before long. Eva raced to the kitchen and warmed up another bottle for him. Through the window she saw that the sun was barely peeking over the eastern hills. A bit early to go calling on the doctor, but she couldn’t wait. Cody was too important to her.
No one else in the house was up yet. Eva scrawled a hasty note for Aunt Mamie, then secured Cody in his car seat and scurried with him out the front door to her truck. Correction. Ben’s truck. The one he’d said she could use while she lived at Stillwater Ranch.
It took her five minutes to get the car seat buckled in tight. She couldn’t figure out the contraption and wished she had a user’s guide handy. Finally it clicked into place.
The truck engine roared as she started it. The tires spit gravel as she peeled out of the wide driveway. She tapped the brake, trying to control her speed. An accident wouldn’t help anyone.
She barely noticed the beautiful autumn morning. Russet-brown leaves were scattered across the dirt road. The sun painted the eastern horizon with streams of pink and gold haze and glimmered against the short field grass. Herds of Black Angus cattle grazed lazily on the stubby pasture lands. The crisp morning air smelled of hay and horses. Nothing seemed amiss in the world. Yet Eva’s hands were shaking like aspen leaves in the wind.
Think. What might have caused Cody’s rash? What if she’d done something wrong when she’d put him down for the night? What if she’d used too much lotion after his bath? Or fed him too much milk? It could be anything. She had no idea. Only that she had to get the baby over to Tyler. And fast.
It took fifteen minutes to drive to Tyler’s place. Thankfully the Grainger ranch was close by. Only now did Eva realize she should have called first, to ensure he wasn’t in town making early rounds at the hospital. She was happy to see his blue truck parked out front.
She glanced at the yellow frame house with white trim and an overhanging porch. A modest red barn stood off to the side. Rows of boxwoods edged one corner of the house. A pretty fall wreath hung on the front door, ornately decorated with grape twigs and leaves of burnt orange, red and yellow. Tidy flower beds trailed the serpentine walk path. Everything neat and in its place. Not surprising considering how fastidious Tyler was with everything he did. But Eva figured the wreath was his mother’s doing.
After hopping out of the truck, Eva hurried around to the passenger side, unclicked the seat belt from Cody’s car seat and lifted him out. She folded the blanket over his head, instinctively knowing the cool morning air was too much for his little lungs.
When she turned to go inside, she froze. Tyler stood beside the house. Their gazes met across the expanse of the yard. He was dressed in his work clothes and holding the handle of a bucket. As though he’d just been heading out to do his morning chores before working in his medical office.
She scurried over to him. “Oh, Tyler. I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Eva. What’s wrong?” He set down the bucket and reached out a hand to clasp her arm. His eyes creased with concern as he met her gaze.
“It’s the baby. Something’s wrong with him. I don’t know what I’ve done, but it’s bad. Please help him.”
Tyler indicated the house. “Come inside and I’ll take a look.”
Clutching the baby close against her chest, she hurried along as he led the way. Just hearing his calm, steady voice brought Eva a modicum of comfort. Knowing he was near made her think all would be well. He’d know what to do. He’d take care