Lorelei sat straighter as her focus honed on the flask hanging from his shoulder. “Oh my.” She rose in a fluid motion and stepped to him, reaching out. “I can’t believe I forgot.”
He gave her a light smile. “Sounds like you’ve had a lot of distractions today.”
She looked past him toward the hearth, where her other two sisters knelt. “Rosie, I’m going to feed Curly before we eat.”
Her eldest sister straightened and swiped stray hairs from her cheek. “Our meal is ready. I don’t suppose you’d let us eat before him.”
Lorelei shook her head. “He’ll gulp this down quickly. And this way he won’t cry all the way through our meal. Feel free to begin without me.”
“We’ll wait.” Rosemary’s words came out on a sigh.
But as Lorelei opened the door and stepped into the fading daylight, a prickle of unease slipped through him. Was it safe for her to go out alone after dark fell? Hadn’t whatever happened today proven the danger that came with unexpected visitors?
He glanced around the room. Riley had knelt beside his wife, and Rosemary and Faith bent over the fire again. Maybe White Horse was outside, but he might have retired to his lodge.
He strode to the door. “I’ll see if she needs help.”
No one tried to stop him, and he didn’t wait long to give them another chance before slipping out the doorway.
ten
Tanner followed Lorelei outside, and the cool evening air of the open plains settled around him, soothing some of the worry from his spirit. Lorelei had already reached the barn, and as she slipped inside, the bawling they’d heard before shifted into a long pitiful cry. As soon as the sound faded, the tinkle of Lorelei’s voice rose in its wake.
The melody drew him toward the barn, and he pulled open the door. Her voice murmured from one of the stalls that lined the right side, mixed with splashing as the calf slurped.
“I’m sorry I’ve neglected you this afternoon, especially after your fright. It’s just that Juniper’s home, and she needed me more than you did for a while. It’s hard to believe, really. That I’ll be an aunt.”
Realization slipped through Tanner. That must be why her sister looked so ill. His cousin Cameron’s wife had suffered from sickness while she carried their son. The few times Tanner had seen her, she’d looked pale and fragile.
“I don’t know what to do. About you, I mean.” Her voicehad turned sad. Did she realize Tanner had entered the barn? She must have seen the moonlight when he opened the door—dim though it be.
“I’m not going to let you starve, never fear. I won’t let one of those unscrupulous men take you either. But I can’t bring danger to my sisters, especially with Juniper’s condition. I simply can’t. If something happened to the baby ... or to any of them...”
He was a cad to continue listening, for she must not realize he stood there. He took a step forward and cleared his throat, not loud enough to startle her but just to make his presence known.
“Who is it?” Her voice rang sharp with an edge of fear.
You really are a cad.He should’ve known she’d be frightened if she couldn’t see who was there. She had no way of knowing it was him. “It’s me. Tanner.” He stepped to the stall door where she could see him.
What a sight she made. Such a fetching image as she bent to hold a bucket low enough for the calf to reach. She had to brace her feet because of the animal’s tenaciousness as he gulped down his meal.
Tanner searched for something to say that might pass for casual conversation. “He’s grown since I last saw him. And no wonder, with the way he drinks that milk.”
Her mouth curved in a sweet smile as she looked down at her charge. “I’m glad he’s healthy.” Then she turned to Tanner. “And I’m especially thankful for your milk that keeps him so. I’m still amazed you brought a cow just at the time our need was most dire. The Lord’s hand at work, no doubt. It would have been much harder to care for him any other way.”
Tanner raised his brows. “How else would you have done it?” The calf wouldn’t be able to eat grass at this age.
Lorelei pressed her lips together. “We have a few mares who’ve foaled already. I probably would have tried to milk them, or maybe even tried to get one to nurse him as a surrogate.”
Tanner bit back a laugh. She might think he was laughing at her, but it was more the idea of the horse nursing a buffalo calf. “That would be a trick.”
She shrugged, and her cheeks appled. “I would have tried if I couldn’t find another way.” She lifted her gaze to meet his again. “I’m thankful I didn’t have to.”
The way she loved this calf ... Though he didn’t quite understand it, her dedication made him respect her.
Which brought him to the question he’d not gotten an answer to. “What happened today? Your sister said a man died?” He tried to keep his voice steady. To keep out any sign of the tension lodged in his throat.
Sadness washed over her expression, and she looked down at the calf again. She didn’t speak for a long minute. “Everything happened so fast. I’m still not sure how the situation reached that point. Three men were here. Trappers. One of them climbed into the corral before I could stop him, then he wouldn’t come out. He caught Curly and was trying to get him out through the gate. When I tried to scare him with my rifle, he pulled out a pistol and tucked down behind the calf. I didn’t know what to do, then White Horse showed up and the man turned the gun on him. I think he would’ve killed him. But he didn’t.” Her voice trailed off, and the pain there squeezed his throat.
