Struck By The Texas Matchmakers

“Oh.”

“Okay, Cal,” the doctor called, “bring the little one over here.”

When Cal started toward the Suburban, the little girl’s cries went up an octave as she reached over Cal’s shoulder for Diane. The doctor frowned at Diane, taking her by surprise. He left Cal and came to Diane’s side with the stretcher.

“Why didn’t you tell me you knew them?” he demanded.

Diane stared at him. “I don’t. I’ve never seen them before.” What was wrong with the man? First he didn’t trust her and then he accused her of being irresponsible?

He didn’t respond to her statement. Instead, he gently moved the little boy onto the stretcher. “Are you up to carrying one end?” he asked.

Diane nodded and struggled to get up, her legs having gone to sleep. Suddenly, strong hands closed around her waist and lifted her to her feet.

“Are you okay?”

Embarrassed, she nodded again and bent over to reach for one end of the stretcher.

“Maybe you’d better go comfort the baby and let Cal come help me,” the doctor suggested.

There he was, dismissing her again. “I can manage,” she assured him, her shoulders stiff.

Though he gave her a careful look, he nodded and reached for his end of the stretcher.

JEFF HAUSEN HAD BEEN in Cactus for a year. He knew most of the citizens by now, and he’d even begun to be accepted by the older members of the community. Though he supposed he’d be called the “new” doctor until he was eighty.

But he’d never met Diane Peters.

He’d heard of her, of course. Gabe and Katie were his friends. When he’d visited Cactus to talk with Doc, he’d met Katie…and been attracted to her, in spite of his intentions.

Gabe, however, had rushed his beloved Katie to the altar to stake his claim. The Peters family, Katie’s family, was large, but Diane and Raine had remained in Lubbock, the nearest large city, except when they returned for Katie’s wedding.

“How badly hurt is their mother?”

Her question jolted him. He realized they’d reached the back of his Suburban. He laid his end of the stretcher on the floorboard and climbed in. The racks he’d had installed to hold a stretcher would come in handy.

“Bad,” he muttered in answer.

Once the boy was settled, he climbed back out.

“Do you want me to stay back here with him, or ride with the little girl?”

“The baby,” he replied. “She’s getting hysterical and this little guy should be all right until we get there.”

She nodded and hurried around to the back door where the baby was screaming.

The immediate lowering of the sirenlike screams showed he’d made the right decision. He stepped to Cal’s side. “You going to get some help?”

“No, probably not. I’ve got the woman’s purse. There wasn’t much in the trunk but some remnants of a picnic. Red paint on the car. I’ll be back to the office shortly.”

“Okay, I’m taking these two in. I imagine the woman will need a lot of work, so I’ll be tied up for a while.”

With a nod to Cal, he strode to his vehicle. “Everything okay?” he asked as he climbed in.

“Yes,” Diane Peters said quietly. She was sitting as close to the baby seat as possible, but he didn’t have to tell her to keep the baby buckled in. Instead, her arms were cuddling the little girl, soothing her as best she could.

He started the car and made a U-turn. Then he sped toward the clinic.

WHEN THEY REACHED Cactus, Diane saw Doc waiting for them.

His comforting presence made her feel more settled.

“You got this covered?” Dr. Hausen asked as soon as they were unloaded.

“Yeah, and Sam’s getting everything ready.”

Doc had always sent his more serious patients into Lubbock for treatment, but the clinic had been enlarged, and both doctors were young and well-trained.

After the other doctor had disappeared, Diane said, “Things have changed a lot since I’ve been gone.”

“For the better. Sam and Jeff make a great team.” Even as he talked, he was examining the boy. Then he asked one of the nurses to x-ray him.

“How about I check out this little angel now,” he suggested, holding out his arms.

The baby had settled down as long as Diane held her. But Doc’s offer didn’t sit well with her. She clung to Diane’s neck, her sobs starting again.

“Well, we know her tear ducts are working well,” Doc said wryly. “Why don’t we sit down over here,” he suggested, waving to several chairs.

As she held the little girl, soothing her as much as she could, Doc listened to her heartbeat, checked her eyes and ears and felt her head.

“I think she has a mild concussion, probably a bad headache. I’m going to give her a mild sedative which should help the pain and maybe settle her down. Do you want me to have them set up a bed for her?”

Diane frowned. “Maybe I’d better continue to hold her. And keep her near her brother. She’s happier when she can see him.”

“You’re a good girl, Diane, just like your sister. Are you staying home now?” he asked as he opened a cupboard.

Straightening her shoulders, she replied, “I’m staying.” She didn’t feel she had a choice. Katie had given up her dream of college when their father died and spent the next ten years putting her siblings through school. Now she was married with a new baby. It was time for Diane to take some of the burden from Katie’s shoulders.

Doc paused, frowning at her over his shoulder. “You happy about that?”

“Of course. I’ve already been offered a job with Mac and Gabe.” She worked hard at the enthusiasm. “Since Rick Astin moved here, there’s a lot more work.”

“Yeah, he’s made a big difference. He paid for the improvements around here, including the ambulance. Nice, isn’t it?”

“Yes. It sure came in handy today.” The little girl screamed when Doc approached her again, a needle in his hands.

“She’s obviously been to the doctor and gotten shots before,” Doc said calmly over the noise she was making. “That’s good.”

The nurse returned with the X rays as Doc administered the shot. By the time he’d finished examining them, the baby had subsided in Diane’s arms, her lids drifting closed, her breathing becoming more even.