Someone's Baby

And a bullet hole in her shoulder.

Cade toughened his heart and his thoughts. He carried her inside and laid her down on his open sleeping bag. She was pretty, but young. Much too young for an old man like him. In fact, too young for the jerk claiming to be her husband. No wedding ring, either, he noticed. In fact, no rings at all.

Since carrying her inside hadn’t started the bleeding up again nor roused her, Cade turned his attention back to the screaming infant. He was afraid the little guy would hurt himself crying that hard.

The baby quieted instantly as soon as the nipple returned to his mouth. Cade let him drink for several minutes before pulling the bottle back. He had to get the supplies inside before it got dark. Junior was not happy.

“Okay, fella, hold your horses. I’ll be right back.”

He off-loaded the food supplies first. Then he dug out the first-aid kit and a couple of jugs of fresh water, removed the spare blankets and added the two new shirts he’d bought himself today. The young woman would need something to put on once he cut off her fancy shirt, and these were all he had to offer beyond the change of clothing in his bedroll.

The baby had really worked himself into a state by the time Cade hauled all the stuff inside. He dropped his hat on a chair and turned back to the infant.

“Shh. Hush. It’s okay. The feed bags can wait. I’ll get them later.” He withdrew another bottle from the contents of the bag and stuck the nipple back in the baby’s mouth with one hand and tried to unwrap the kid with the other hand.

“We’ve got to get you out of this wet stuff. You stink worse than the outhouse, kid. You’ll get a rash or something sitting around in it like this.”

What the heck was he doing playing nanny to some baby? He didn’t know anything about kids. Especially one as small as this. He’d probably hurt him with his big clumsy hands. Look how tiny his fingers were! How could something this small make so much noise?

“You’re awfully loud, you know that, tiger?” The baby ignored his commentary to suck down the formula.

“Man, you were thirsty. Guess I shouldn’t be surprised. It must have been hot as Hades under that tarp. But you’re going to get a stomachache drinking like that.”

In the end, he waited for the baby to finish the bottle. The kid instantly began to whimper again wanting more.

“Hang on. I’ll see what I can do as soon as I get you changed, okay?”

Obviously it was not okay based on the noise and the way the baby began to flail his arms and legs. Cade stripped away the wet garments. A gauze pad covered his stomach. For a second, his heart stopped. Had the infant been hurt as well? He peeled back the pad carefully and discovered the stump of the umbilical cord.

Cade swore. “Sorry, kid. But that looks nasty.” There was dried blood around the withering navel. Was it supposed to look like that? Should he be doing something for it?

“Why couldn’t you have been a kitten?”

First, he’d better get the wet diaper off. Paying close attention to the way the diaper fastened, he removed it.

“You’re a she!”

Why that surprised him, he couldn’t have said, but the infant quieted at his exclamation. She stared up at him with wide, trusting eyes.

“Oh, yeah, you’re definitely a female. Don’t be batting those baby blues at me, kid. You’re like every other woman I’ve ever met, you don’t like being wet or dirty, do you? Must be something you’re all born with. Now hold still while I give this diapering business a try. How the heck is this supposed to work? You’re a lot smaller than these diapers, kid…No…Hold still. Don’t kick your legs like that…Will you hold still?”

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?