It was like trying to pin a wet octopus. Her arms and legs thrashed and she began crying again, probably wanting more milk. Eventually he got her wiped off and the dry diaper in place—after a fashion.
“It ain’t pretty, kid, but it should do the job.”
He found rubbing alcohol in his kit and dabbed a little on the cord where it had been bleeding. The baby objected.
“Sorry, little girl, but you’ll get an infection or something.” He covered the area with some antibacterial cream and a small bit of gauze.
After digging through the bag, he came up with a second outfit and finally won the battle of getting her into it. Then he reached for another bottle of formula.
“Mouthy little thing, aren’t you? You want what you want when you want it.” But he found an unaccustomed smile curving his lips as he watched her drink. She was beautiful. Her eyes stared complacently up at him, then closed peacefully as he rocked her gently in his arms.
“You’re going to grow up to be a heartbreaker, you know that? You’ll lead some dumb male on a merry chase, won’t you, little one?”
Running the back of a knuckle over her soft skin, he marveled at her tiny countenance. There was something almost soothing holding her like this. Wisps of light-colored hair and a small pointy chin were her only real distinguishable features. He glanced over at the mother to see if her chin was pointy, too, and found himself being observed by a pair of light-blue eyes.
“So, you’re awake. How do you feel?” Unnerved to be caught off guard that way, the words came out sharper than he’d intended.
The woman’s mouth parted dryly. The tip of her tongue licked at her chapped lips and he realized the baby wasn’t the only one who was thirsty. She tried to sit up and her face contorted in obvious pain. “Is…the baby okay?”
“Your daughter is fine. She was just wet and hungry. I’ll get you some water and have a look at your shoulder in a minute. She’s already polished off a bottle and a half and she’s nearly asleep.”
The cabin was growing dark. He needed to get the rest of the supplies inside and arrange some light so he could see before it grew too dark. A fire wouldn’t be amiss, either. He’d need to make dinner and he desperately wanted a cup of coffee.
The baby’s frantic sucking had slowed right along with its breathing. He took a chance and set the infant back in her carrier. With a contented sigh, she seemed to settle back, peacefully asleep. Cade reached for a lantern and used a few seconds to fire up the wick.
“Let me get a fire started and put some water on to boil, okay?”
The woman’s eyes had closed again. She didn’t answer. He walked over and laid a hand on her forehead. A little warm. Was she running a fever? He hoped not. His first-aid kit wasn’t as up-to-date as it should have been. She lifted her eyelids with obvious effort to peer up at him.
“Here. Let’s try a little water.” He found a cup, wiped it out with the inside of his clean handkerchief and offered her water from one of the jugs he’d brought inside. Like her daughter, she drank thirstily as he held her silky head. Damn, but she had nice hair, even if some of it was matted with dried blood. Her eyes closed and he laid her back down.
“Stay with me, okay?”
“’kay,” she whispered, but she didn’t open her eyes again.
Cade frowned. This wasn’t a good sign. How much blood had she lost? The wound might become infected. Bringing her inside had been a really bad idea. He should have taken her straight back to town or over to the doc’s place.
“Listen. Can you hear me?”
“Yes,” she replied without opening her eyes.
“I’m going outside to the truck. I’m going to radio Hap to send us some help. It’s going to take awhile, but I’ll get you to a doctor as quick as I can, okay? Miss? Hey. Can you hear me?”
He touched her cheek lightly, but she didn’t move. Her chest rose and fell in steady rhythm. She’d fallen asleep.
Or into a coma.
That thought scared him with gut-clenching intensity. As he squatted beside her, the sound of his truck engine coming to life was like an unexpected thunderclap. Cade leaped to his feet. In three short strides he was at the door.
“Hey! Hey hold it! Come back here!”
Someone was stealing his truck!
Cade raced after the vehicle as it barreled away down the rutted path that served as a road. He shouted to no avail. The bastard had no intention of stopping. While Cade hadn’t gotten a clear look at the driver, he didn’t need to. It had to be his brother-in-law, Luís.
But how had the kid known where he was? How had anyone known where he was?
An icy finger of fear raised the hair on the back of his head.
What if he was wrong? What if that hadn’t been Luís?
In the deepening twilight, Cade controlled a moment of panic. He forced himself to think. The line shack was a long way from the road. Hell, it was a long way from anything. How had Luís gotten here?
Cade surveyed the landscape surrounding the shack. There was no sign of another vehicle or a horse but the kid couldn’t have walked in. A drifter? There was a draw out behind the cabin to the east a ways, and of course the hills behind the shack. It was possible that a drifter had been camping nearby and seized the moment.
It was also possible that the drifter hadn’t been alone.
That thought stopped him cold. The isolation of the line shack was complete. Without that truck he had no means of communication or escape. Cade cursed his stupidity and the bastard who had driven off. His options had just vanished, leaving him stranded with a badly wounded woman and an infant.
Another chilling possibility worked its way forward. What if the woman’s husband had followed him here? A remote chance, but barely possible. He hadn’t really paid any attention to others on the road once he left town.
If it had been the husband, the bastard would have had to leave that little silver car of his out near the road. That meant he walked in, which meant his car wasn’t far away.
If it had been the husband.
Cade couldn’t leave the woman and the baby alone to check out that theory or any of the others. This was a perfect place for an ambush. Once he was out of sight all the bastard had to do was ditch the truck and circle back to the clearing.
Cade swore viciously. Every possibility he could think of presented potential danger. His rifle was inside his truck. The only weapon he had with him was a .38. He was pretty sure it only held three or four rounds.
Cade headed back inside. He lit a second oil lamp and dug his gun out of his gear. The feel of the heavy metal was reassuring. At least he wasn’t totally defenseless.
His pulse hummed with tension as he walked back outside and checked the wood box. Supplies were on the low side, but adequate for tonight. The real blessing was that he’d unloaded the important supplies before the bastard stole the truck. He had food, bottled water, blankets and his gun. What he didn’t have was a radio, transportation, more than one box of diapers or a lot of spare formula for the baby.
He hoped the woman could breast-feed soon or they were going to find out how the infant liked powdered milk. Cade primed the pump and let the water run until most of the brown discoloration was replaced by clear water. He filled a couple of pans with the water and lit the wood-burning stove. After stacking more wood inside, he dragged the table full of supplies over against the front door. At least no one could