“Who shot the trapper?” Hopefully it wasn’t Lorelei.That kind of weight was smothering, even when there was no way to avoid it. He knew the fact well.
“Riley.” The name came out as little more than a murmur.
Tanner eased out a breath. At leastshedidn’t have that burden.
He let silence settle as his thoughts whirled. This had to stop. Men were so unpredictable when they’d gone for months or even years without seeing women, and the lore surrounding white buffalo added so much more likelihood of danger. Now that the brother-in-law was here, he could help protect the place. But he’d been here earlier, and a man had still died.
That buffalo simply couldn’t stay on here at the ranch and endanger these women. What could he say to convince Lorelei to let it go? It sounded as if she now realized the danger. Perhaps she would be satisfied to find a safe home for the animal.
He toed the ground in front of the stall’s opening. “I think we should move him to the fort. I’ll keep watch over him night and day, and maybe he would nurse directly from my cow. That way he won’t bring any more danger to you and your family.”
She opened her mouth, probably to object, but he raised his hand to stay her. “He’ll still be yours, unless you’d rather I buy him outright. If you want to keep ownership, I’ll just take care of him. You can pay me for the milk, and we’ll call it even. Or don’t pay anything at all. We’ll just call it a good turn from a neighbor.” He’d rather lose the profits at this point, so long as he could draw the danger away from these sisters.
When he finally allowed her room to speak, she gave aslight lift of her mouth. “I appreciate what you’re attempting. I do.”
His gut tightened as he waited for the refusal that would come next.
She exhaled a breath that sounded like it weighed a thousand pounds. “I just can’t stomach the idea of sending him away when he’s still so young. Anything could happen to him. What if he needs me and I’m not there?” She raised her gaze to Tanner’s with that final question, and the turmoil in her eyes made him want to step forward. To promise her he would make it all right.
He couldn’t promise that, but what he could commit to ... “If anything happens to him, I’ll come for you straightaway.”
The calf had finished his meal and was noisily licking the bottom of the pail. Lorelei didn’t seem to notice as she studied Tanner. The pain marking her expression showed the depth of her anguish. “If he’s hurt or sick, you won’t be able to leave him. Do you have any veterinary experience?”
He scrounged for anything he could offer that would relieve her angst. “I watched our dog deliver puppies when I was a boy.”
Her face shifted to a doubtful expression. “Were there complications?”
At least she was trying to give him a chance to prove his ability. “Not that I can recall. The sight of blood doesn’t bother me, though. I’ve always been able to keep a clear head in dire situations.”
She managed another weak lift of her lips. “I suppose that’s something. I’ve been nursing injured animals since Iwas a girl. My father always let me help him tend the sick or wounded horses on our ranch.”
Another of those monumental sighs leaked from her. “I suppose I need to think on it. I know I can’t put my family in danger any longer. I never dreamed a simple buffalo calf could draw so much attention, especially out here when there are thousands and thousands of them.”
She released one hand from the bucket and scrubbed the curly hair on the animal’s forehead. “You don’t mean to cause trouble, do you, fella? You’re just a sweet boy.”
That singsong tone did something to his insides. Made his chest lighter. Made him want to step forward and stroke the hair from her face. Would it be soft? Those smooth brown tendrils looked like rich tea and probably felt like velvet. Or maybe the finest rabbit fur.
She slipped the pail from the calf’s mouth, and its bawling complaint broke the trance Tanner had somehow slipped into. He stepped away from the opening so she could move out of the enclosure, then he lifted the logs into place to close the calf inside.
He followed her through the open barn door. Darkness had fallen outside, not so much that they couldn’t easily see the path to the house, but enough that a few stars winked down at them. Walking beside her felt a little like escorting her across one of Boston’s many pleasure grounds.
Not that he’d ever taken a woman for a stroll across the green. Once, he’d saved a gray-haired matron from a pickpocket and escorted her back to her party, where she should have stayed to begin with. But that was back in the days when he’d walked the constable’s beat.
Now his life looked very different, yet the woman beside him had turned out to be the greatest surprise of all.
“No, silly. Leave your hoof in the water. That’s the only way you’ll get better.” Lorelei kept one hand firmly holding the calf’s hoof in the salt water while she stroked him with her other. White Horse stood on the animal’s other side, his strong arms holding the calf still.
Curly let out a complaining bawl but didn’t try to move this time. She sent White Horse a smile. “Thank you for helping me with this. It would be a lot harder if I had to do it by myself.”
Yesterday morning, Curly had begun limping, and by midday he could barely put weight on the left front leg. She’d helped cure abscesses in horses before and was fairly certain that was his problem now. Unfortunately, the remedy included soaking the hoof in salt water three times a day and keeping the hoof wrapped so it would stay clean the rest of the time. The warmth in the sole meant the abscess would likely rupture at any time. The sooner the better, for that was part of the healing process, but they’d still need to continue these treatments for at least another week.
White Horse merely grunted his response, but they’d been working together so much of late that she could easily fill in his words in her mind. This time he likely meant he was happy to help.
His awe toward the calf had gradually shifted into a kind of tender reverence. The two of them still stayed close to the ranch buildings while Rosie and Faith spent most ofthe day with the horses. Riley and Juniper were here too, but June rarely ventured out of the house. When her sickness was the worst, she rested. Otherwise, she’d taken to preparing meals and catching up on washing and mending. Riley tried to make himself useful around the place, but he usually kept close to Juniper to help with whatever task she began.
A shift in White Horse’s demeanor broke through Lorelei’s thoughts. He’d straightened and now stared through the open barn door. She looked the same way, but could see nothing out of the ordinary. Only wide blue sky and unending grassland.
Then Riley called from outside the barn, his tone low and urgent. “White Horse.”
