The Ranger Takes a Bride (14 page)

Chapter Sixteen

Two
weeks later, Alejandra kneeled before the fireplace in the main room, scooping the small shovel deep into the cold ashes. She eased the full shovel out, and tilted it over the bucket, clamping the brown paper over the opening as the fine ash rose in a cloud. Wrinkling her nose, she fought the tickle of powder that escaped. She held the paper still until the cloud inside had time to settle, then extracted the shovel, and replaced the paper over the bucket. No sense in making more of a mess than she had to.

A hoarse, barking cough sounded from the next room over. Anna's chamber. The tiny sound had to be baby Martin, and it had been frequent for the quarter hour she'd been working in this room. Had he succumbed to the same illness Anna had been fighting the last few days? She'd said it was only a cold, but the cough that drifted from that room sounded like more than a cold.

Alejandra set the shovel aside and wiped her hands on her apron as she rose to her feet. Maybe there was something she could do to help with the baby. Did Mama Sarita know of a
medicina
she could make to ease the coughing?

She tapped on the door, but the coughing sounded again, drowning out her knocks. Pushing it open, she stood in the doorway to take in the scene. Mama Sarita paced at one end of the room, Martin propped on her shoulder as she bounced and soothed. A sniffle sounded from the bed, where Anna lay against pillows with a cloth to her nose. Were her nose and eyes red from tears or the sickness?

That high-pitched hoarse barking sounded again, and Alejandra's gaze shot back to the babe. His whole body wracked with the noise, and after three coughs, he sucked in deep gasps of air.

In four long steps she was by his side, propelled by the knot in her stomach. She couldn't stand there and do nothing while little Martin could barely breathe. "What can I do to help?"

Mama Sarita turned, still swaying and bouncing as she soothed the baby with a hand on his back. "We should go prepare medicine." The look in Mama Sarita's eyes, along with the deep lines taking hold on her forehead, tightened the knot in Alejandra's midsection. When Mama Sarita was worried, things were bad.

"Tell me what to make."

But instead of answering, Mama Sarita turned to Anna, whose pale skin almost blended with the white blanket wrapped around her. "I'll take Martin with me to the kitchen as I tell Alejandra how to make the remedy."

Anna only nodded as her teeth began to chatter. She was in a bad way, too.

Alejandra grabbed a blanket from the foot of the bed and spread it over the other quilts that covered her friend. "Can I do anything for you?"

"T-t-take care of m-my baby."

"Sí." Alejandra smoothed the hair from Anna's forehead, and almost jerked her hand back from the heat there. "I'll be back soon with broth for you."

Anna didn't respond, except for her shivering, as her eyelids drifted shut.

That pitiful barking cough sounded again from behind Alejandra, squeezing her heart. She turned from her friend and strode toward the door, motioning for Mama Sarita to follow.

Once they'd traversed the short hallway to the kitchen, Alejandra spun to face her friend. "What should I do?" Her eyes drifted to the babe. A wheezing noise accompanied his every breath. They had to help him.

"Get out the largest pot, and fill it with water. Stoke the stove fire with as much wood as will fit in the opening. We need the water to boil quickly."

Alejandra was in motion before Mama finished speaking. The fire in the large cook stove had died to mostly white coals, as she was letting it go out so she could clean the ashes. What awful timing. She balled the last of her brown paper and built a teepee of bark around it. As soon as the fire took hold, she added a small piece of dried split wood. Good. Now for the pot.

As soon as she had the cast iron crock full of water and settled on the front of the stove, Alejandra checked the fire and added several more pieces of wood.

"Alejandra."

She spun to face Mama Sarita, who had draped a quilt over little Martin. It rose and fell with each raspy breath that sounded from the fabric.

"Ride out and find Jacob. Tell him to send for the doctor. I'll do my best to ease the babe's breathing, but he needs medicine."

The knot in Alejandra's stomach grew even larger. A doctor? Just hearing the word took her back to when the doctor had tended her that awful day when she was twelve years old. Her hand stole up to her cheek.

"Go."

The single word kicked her into action. Alejandra strode down the hall, trying to keep her footsteps light so she didn't scare Anna. Grabbing her cloak from the peg by the front door, she slipped outside. A cold wind blasted her, but she pushed through it as she sprinted to the barn. Inside, Juan poked his head from one of the stalls.

"I need to borrow the Palomino," she panted. "The baby's sick, and I need to find Jacob to get the doctor."

His face clouded, but his pace quickened as he picked up a rope halter and slipped back into the stall he'd just left. A moment later, he strode out, pulling the golden-colored mare behind him.

"I just need a bridle. I'll ride bareback."

He shot her a raised brow look, but reached for a leather bridle and slid it onto the mare's head.

After boosting her onto the horse's back, Juan patted the animal and looked up at her. "Via con Dios."

"Sí." She squeezed her heels into the mare's sides, and they were off at a canter.

It wasn't until she'd been riding for several minutes, that Alejandra realized she should have asked Juan if he knew where the men were working today. She'd never been anywhere on the ranch except to the river that day with Edward. She'd head in that direction. But Anna said this ranch covered hundreds of acres, spreading in all directions.

She reined the horse to a walk and looked around. No cattle or horses were in sight. Had the men said which way they were going that day? In her mind, she replayed the scene at the table that morning.

Paco had taken an extra serving of hotcakes, saying he needed meat on his bones since the temperature had dropped. Monty elbowed the man and said he should be thankful he didn't have to chop ice in the river yet. Did that mean the cattle were being pastured beside the river?

That might be as good a place to start as any. Besides, that was the one trail she knew, and wouldn't have to worry about getting lost.

When she reached the start of the trees that lined the river, Alejandra reined the mare to a halt. The ground didn't show any fresh hoof prints, especially not what she'd expect from hundreds of cattle.

Alejandra scanned the landscape in the other directions. The pasture continued to her right, curving around the trees as it opened into a wide grassland. Maybe she should follow the tree line in that direction. The herd could be around the bend.

A single snowflake drifted down in front of Alejandra, shifting her focus to the sky above. Several more flakes floated from the low gray clouds. Perfect.

After following the trees for about five minutes, tiny specks appeared in the distance, loosening some of the tension that spread across Alejandra's shoulders. The cattle. She pushed the mare into a run.

Soon, one speck separated from the rest, cantering toward her. Jacob met her halfway, reining in his pinto. "What's wrong?"

"We need a doctor." She fought to control her panting. "The baby's cough is much worse, and he's not breathing well. Anna's in bed with a fever."

Jacob spun his horse and yelled to Monty, who had ridden up behind him. The men conversed in American for a quick moment, then the foreman wheeled his horse back toward the herd.

Jacob waved a hand as he kicked his horse. "Come on. Let's get to the house."

Alejandra pushed her horse, but the winded Palomino mare couldn't keep up with Jacob's muscled pinto. And he didn't slow down to wait for her. Not that she wanted him to. The panic that twisted his face when she'd delivered her message had intensified her own fear.

Juan was walking Jacob's gelding when she reined in at the ranch yard. He took her horse as well, and nodded toward the house. "You let me take care of these two. You're needed more inside I'm sure."

Once in the house, Alejandra followed the sound of voices to the kitchen, where Jacob stood with his son in his arms. He held the babe near the stove, in the path of steam wafting from the pot of water. Emmaline sat at the table, munching a slice of bread and watching the scene with wide eyes. If her disheveled hair told the story correctly, she must have just woken from her nap.

Mama Sarita ladled something into a cup, but looked up when Alejandra stepped in the room. "Mija, take this broth to Anna. You may need to feed her if the fever is too high."

~ ~ ~

Over
the next three hours, Alejandra helped where she could, flitting back and forth between Anna's chamber and the kitchen. Cool damp rags to cool Anna's burning face, as much drinking water as she would swallow, a fresh sleeping gown to replace the sweat-soaked one that clung to her.

The steam finally seemed to help baby Martin breathe easier. And the intense relief that flooded her chest was mirrored in the sagging lines of Mama Sarita's face.

"Gracias, Dio." The older woman breathed the prayer as she swayed back and forth with the child laying against her shoulder. He'd fallen into an exhausted sleep, his back rising and falling with each ragged breath.

Emmaline wasn't speaking much, but still sat at the table with blue eyes wide and the puppy in her lap, her doll clutched against her. As soon as Alejandra slid the pans of cornbread batter into the oven, she moved to the table and settled into the chair beside the girl. Alejandra stroked a strand of fine brown hair out of the child's face.

"Do you smell that stew simmering, Emmy? There's nothing that smells better than a beef stew." Alejandra smiled at the girl and reached for her hand. But Emmaline climbed onto her lap, snuggling in as Alejandra wrapped both arms around the child and the dog. The warmth that flowed through her was enough to offset the coldest blizzard.

Sol, disrupted from his sleep by the shuffle, opened his toothless puppy mouth in a wide yawn. Shaking his head, he looked around in that head-tilting way puppies do, then lay back down and chewed on Alejandra's hand. Resting her head against Emmaline's, she inhaled the little girl scent.

Emmaline was the first to break the silence. "Alejandra, can we pray for Mama and baby Martin?"

The child's quiet words stiffened Alejandra's shoulders. Could she pray? It had been so many years. And God hadn't listened to her prayers before. Maybe He would hear those of this child.

"Sí. I'll listen while you pray."

"Dear God." Emmaline's quiet voice was muffled as she lay against Alejandra's shoulder. "Please help Mama feel better, and baby Martin, too. Help him not to cough anymore, so we don't have to worry. Thank You. Amen."

~ ~ ~

Later
that evening, Alejandra sat on the edge of Anna's bed while the other woman ate beef stew. The doctor had come and gone, leaving a tincture of medicine for Anna, and instructions to place a drop in the child's mouth if his coughing continued. He'd said it was a good thing the baby had been born already bigger than most, or he may have been too weak to endure the sickness. Anna's fever seemed much better, but her eyes still held that glassy, red-rimmed look of sickness.

"Martin is still sleeping?" Anna seemed to search Alejandra's gaze for the truth.

"Sí. His papa is rocking him in the big room. His breathing is better, and I haven't heard him cough in a while."

The answer seemed to satisfy Anna, because she took another bite of the stew. "I'm sorry you have to nurse us both. But I must say I'm thankful you and Mama Sarita are here. I'm not sure what we would have done without you."

Alejandra ignored the compliment. "It's hard to watch the niño pequeño struggle so. I'm glad he's better."

Anna nodded. "Yes, it's awful being so helpless. I'm just thankful God had it under control."

Under control? "If God is taking care of things, why is the babe sick at all?" Alejandra couldn't keep a hint of bitterness from her voice.

Anna settled her spoon into the bowl in her lap, then sank back against the bed. Oh, no. Alejandra hadn't meant to upset her. When would she learn to keep her thoughts to herself?

"I guess I can't answer that." Anna didn't sound angry, but thoughtful. Her gaze searched out Alejandra's face. "I don't know why Martin is so sick at only three weeks old. But I do trust that God has the situation in hand. I've seen Him work amazing miracles, and His master plan is much better than anything I would have thought of."

Anna's voice grew softer. "Sometimes hard things happen to mold us. But if there's one thing I've learned through the years, no matter what happens, I'd rather be in God's hands than anywhere else." A smile touched her fever-chapped lips.

I'd rather be in God's hands than anywhere else.
Alejandra stared at Anna as the words tumbled through her mind. Anna had been through so much in her life. Family members died through terrible events, her family home burned. She'd been forced to move to a strange land, then endured any number of rough hardships on the ranch. All those things happened against her will. Outside of her control. So how could Anna say she'd rather be in God's hands than anywhere else? Hadn't God let these things happen?