Waiting for Morning (The Brides Of Last Chance Ranch Series)

by Margaret Brownley

  Outside the sun was hot and the sky bright. A horse and wagon was parked in front of Caleb’s office and a wave of disappointment washed over her. Already he was with a patient. Never mind. She would sit in the waiting room until he was free—even if it took all day.

  Just as she reached his office the door swung open and a woman stepped outside with a young boy Molly immediately recognized.

  “Hello, Jimmy,” Molly said. She then introduced herself to Jimmy’s mother. “Dr. Fairbanks told me the good news.”

  Mrs. Trotter smiled. “I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to thank him.” She gazed lovingly at her son. “You can go to Mr. Green’s. I’ll meet you there. And remember, no bonbons.”

  Jimmy gave a whoop and headed for the mercantile store.

  “Dr. Fairbanks told Jimmy to order a baseball and he would pay for it,” Mrs. Trotter explained.

  “That’s very kind of him,” Molly said. Trust Caleb to know exactly what the boy needed. “I’m so happy for you and your family.”

  “We’re very blessed. You have no idea how hard it is to care for a sick child. It affects the whole family, you know what I mean?”

  “I believe I do,” Molly said.

  “And Dr. Fairbanks! I tell you that man is a wonder. Did you know that he was up all night at the Randall ranch delivering a baby? The poor man doesn’t sleep. Thank God he doesn’t have the responsibility of home and family.”

  Molly’s heart sank. “I guess that would be a problem.”

  Mrs. Trotter nodded. “Yes, indeed. Dr. Masterson always said a physician either cared for a wife and children or cared for his patients. He couldn’t do both.”

  Jimmy called to his mom.

  “I better let you go,” Molly said.

  “It was lovely meeting you.” With a quick wave of her hand, Mrs. Trotter hurried along the boardwalk toward Green’s Mercantile.

  Molly turned to stare at Caleb’s door and her spirits sank. “You have no idea how hard it is to care for a sick child.”

  Donny wasn’t sick but he needed a great deal of care, and she knew all too well what that could do to a family.

  An older man with a cane brushed past her and opened the door to the doctor’s office, a jangling of bells announcing his arrival. He waited for her to enter ahead of him but she shook her head, backed away, and turned. Without a backward glance she walked to the livery stables as fast as her still-woozy head would allow.

  Chapter 35

  Eleanor sat in the rocking chair on the verandah enjoying the warm night air when Brodie joined her.

  “I heard she’s back,” he said. He leaned one shoulder against a post and rolled a cigarette.

  Eleanor stopped rocking. She never thought to see Molly again. Certainly not at the ranch. It would seem that she underestimated the girl. “She’s back.”

  He licked the paper. “The first thing she did was get back on Sandstorm. Not many people would do that after eating dust like she did.”

  The girl had spunk, all right. No question. “This is not a horse ranch. If she plans to stay she’s going to have to learn about cattle.”

  Brodie stuck his cigarette in his mouth, swiped a match on the sole of his boot, and lit it. The smell of tobacco smoke wafted in the air. “What do you want me to do with Orbit?”

  “Orbit?”

  “The blind horse.”

  “Oh, that.” The horse would never survive the wilderness, so releasing it was out of the question. Nor could they sell it. “Do you know anyone who might be willing to take him?” It was a long shot. What rancher would take on the expense of a horse that didn’t earn its keep?

  “Nope, no one.”

  Eleanor let out a sigh. “Let me think about it.”

  Brodie moved away from the steps and headed toward the bunkhouse. “Maybe we should just shoot it,” he called over his shoulder.

  But Eleanor’s thoughts had already drifted away from the horse and settled back on Molly. All of a sudden the girl looked promising. Eleanor would never have guessed it, but it was true. Maybe, just maybe, she had found her heir.

  Donny sat by the open window of his room, his body frozen in horror.

  Shoot it! They’re going to shoot Orbit!

  He gripped the arms of his wheelchair, sweat dripping into his eyes. Brushing the back of his hand across his damp forehead, he tried to think.

  His thoughts scrambled. Somehow he had to save Orbit, but how? It took him the best part of an hour, but he came up with a plan—a daring plan.

  Molly had already retired for the night, but he waited until he heard Miss Walker climb the stairs to her room. He waited until the bunkhouse lights were out and the distant howling of wolves and moos of cattle were all that broke the silence of the night.

  He grabbed the blanket off the bed and tucked it around his waist. He then flattened the feather pillow across his lap.

  Ever so quietly he wheeled himself through the darkened house. A third-quarter moon slanted a white beam through the windows of the main room, allowing just enough light to see.

  He opened the front door and wiggled his chair onto the verandah. He stopped to catch his breath. After closing the door he slowly approached the top of the steps. His heart thumped and sweat broke out on the back of his neck.

  He arranged the pillow in front of his chest and face and almost decided not to go through with his plan. “Maybe we should just shoot it.”

  With grim determination he filled his lungs with air, reached for his wheels, and spun them forward.

  The chair shot off the verandah. Missing the steps the chair hit the ground with a thud and tipped over. Donny was thrown facedown in the dirt. The pillow and blanket softened the blow, but even so he was dazed and out of breath.

  Doc Fairbanks’s voice sounded in his head. “Breathe. Force those lungs open.”

  He waited until his breathing was almost normal before reaching for the overturned wheelchair. Stretching full-length, he lifted the chair with one hand and tried pushing it upright. It took several tries before he succeeded.

  Gritting his teeth, he propelled himself with his elbows and eased himself around until he faced his chair square on. He then worked his way forward on his belly. He grunted and groaned but kept plowing his elbows into the dirt, dragging his lifeless legs behind.

  Grabbing hold of the footrest, he rested for a moment. Doc’s voice sounded in his head, telling him where to put his arms, how to breathe. Inch by painful inch he made his way into the seat of his chair, turning his torso around until he sat square.

  “Whoopie!” Startled by his own voice, he covered his mouth with his hand and froze, hoping no one had heard. He did it! He made it all the way outside and down the steps by himself. The rest should be easy.

  Only it wasn’t. It was difficult to wheel his chair over soft ground and several times his wheels sank into a rut, almost toppling him over.

  By the time he reached the barn he was drenched with sweat, his shirt sticking to his back. He wiped his wet hands on his trousers before rolling inside. The barn smelled of heated horseflesh and hay. The moon shone through the hatch of the hayloft and he wheeled toward the beam of light.

  “Orbit,” he called softly, though it was doubtful that anyone could hear him inside the barn.

  He rolled past each stall. Several horses stirred and one nickered. Orbit was in the end stall. His head hung over the gate bobbing up and down.

  “It’s me.” He held out his hand and Orbit tickled his palm with his velvety soft nose. “I won’t let them hurt you. I won’t!” Donny swallowed the lump in his throat. If only there was another way. “Are you ready?”

  He wasn’t even sure he was ready. He slid his hand along the gate until he found the latch. It lifted easily. He rolled back, pulling the gate with him. The stall opened and Donny rolled away.

  “Come on, boy.” Orbit walked ever so slowly from the stall and Donny guided the horse out of the barn with his voice. “That’s it. Keep going.” He didn�
��t stop until he’d rolled a good fifteen or twenty feet away from the barn. The horse stopped behind him. “Go. Go on.”

  Orbit cocked an ear but didn’t move. His coat shone in the moonlight like one of Molly’s shiny dresses. He swished his tail and lowered his head as if searching for Donny’s hand.

  “You can’t stay here. It’s not safe. You need to find your pack.” Horses had a keen sense of smell and hearing, and he knew from careful watching that Orbit’s were greater than most. He counted on them to guide the horse to safety. “Go!”

  Still the horse stayed. Donny turned his chair around. “You don’t give me any choice.” He slapped Orbit’s side and the colt bounded off.

  No sooner had the horse’s hooves faded away than a wolf howled in the distance. Shivering, Donny turned toward the ranch house and forced his wheelchair over the uneven ground. A couple of times he had to stop and work his way out of a rut, but he finally made it back to the verandah—and stopped.

  He forgot about the steps. Going down was one thing, but going up was altogether something else. Spotting the pillow on the ground where he’d left it, he threw himself forward and landed on top of it. He hit his elbow hard and tears sprang to his eyes. “Ow.”

  Calm down, calm down, calm down. Gotta breathe. He went through the exercises Doc had taught him, forcing cool night air into his lungs. He then belly-crawled to the steps. He was out of breath and beginning to wheeze but he kept going. Hands on the bottom step, he tried pulling himself up, but without the use of his elbows he couldn’t get enough traction. He tried again and again until at last he fell back on the ground, exhausted.

  Molly awoke to banging on her bedroom door. Before she made it out of bed, the door sprang open and Miss Walker’s voice floated across the dark room. “Molly, your brother needs you.”

  Molly’s feet hit the floor before the words were barely out of Miss Walker’s mouth. Grabbing her dressing gown, she shoved her arms into the sleeves as she ran. “What’s wrong with him?”

  “He may be hurt. He’s outside.”

  “Outside?” Molly sprinted along the hall on bare feet, then raced down the stairs and out the front door. A couple of cowhands gathered in a circle.

  Molly flew down the verandah steps and dropped by Donny’s side. The sky was still dark but the light from Stretch’s lantern bathed Donny in a yellow glow. Dry blood stained the elbows of his dust-covered shirt, but she could find no other injuries.

  “What happened?” she cried.

  “Now don’t go gettin’ all riled up,” Ruckus said. “I don’t see no broken bones. Far as I can tell he’s got no serious injuries. Just some skinned knees and elbows is all.”

  She turned back to her brother. “What are you doing out here?” She brushed the hair away from his face. “How did you get outside?”

  “I did just what Doc Fairbanks taught me to do. I got back in my chair by myself.”

  Donny grabbed her arm. “I had to let him go, Molly. I couldn’t let them shoot him.”

  “The boy ain’t been makin’ much sense,” Feedbag said. “I fear he’s what you call delirious.”

  She studied her brother’s face. He didn’t look delirious but he did look different—older somehow. “Who did you let go?”

  “Orbit.”

  She pulled back. He was confused. “Orbit’s in the barn. I put him there last night.”

  Donny shook his head. “No, he’s not. I let him go.”

  She stared at him. “But . . . that means you made it all the way to the barn.”

  “I did. I had to. Brodie was going to shoot him.”

  Molly looked up at Brodie. “Is that true?”

  Brodie gave a sheepish shrug. “He must have overheard me talking to Miss Walker. I was just joshing. Miss Walker would never let anyone harm a perfectly healthy animal even if he is blind as a bat.”

  “He might not be perfectly healthy for long,” Stretch said. “A little blind horse ain’t gonna survive very long out there.”

  Donny’s eyes rounded in horror. “But . . . but . . . I thought he would find his way back to his pack.”

  Stretch shook his head. “He ain’t got no pack. He was born and raised right here on the ranch. He don’t know anythin’ else.”

  “He’ll be all right,” Feedbag said. “Long as he don’t fall in no canyon or meet up with no wolves—”

  Donny gave a strangled cry and his fingers dug into Molly’s arm. “You gotta find him.”

  “I will, Donny, I promise, but first we’ve got to get you inside. Would someone please go and fetch Dr. Fairbanks?”

  “Miss Walker already sent Wishbone into town,” Ruckus said. “With the doc’s newfangled machine he should be here in an hour or so.”

  Donny’s eyes filled with tears. “I don’t need a doctor.” His fingers dug deeper. “You gotta find Orbit. If anything happens to him . . .”

  Molly squeezed his hand. “We’ll find him. I promise.” She stood and addressed Stretch. “Would you mind carrying my brother to his room?”

  “What about Orbit?” Donny cried.

  Brodie lifted his hat and raked his hair away from his face. “Since I’m the culprit that caused the trouble in the first place, I guess it’s up to me to make things right. Soon as the sun comes up I’ll look for the horse.” He swung around and stalked to the barn.

  Molly moved out of the way to let Stretch and Feedbag pick Donny up off the ground.

  “But what if Brodie doesn’t find him?” Donny called as the men carried him into the house. “What if it’s too late?”

  An hour later Molly stood at the foot of Donny’s bed watching Caleb wrap gauze around Donny’s elbows and knees.

  “Scissors,” he said, holding out his hand. Molly quickly found a pair of scissors in his black case and handed them to him. Their fingers touched and she quickly pulled her hand away. It took longer to wrestle her gaze from his.

  Caleb snipped the length of gauze and attached it with adhesive. “Looks like you gave your funny bone a wallop.”

  “I don’t know what’s funny about a funny bone,” Donny muttered.

  “Then you probably won’t see anything humorous about the humerus bone either.” Despite Caleb’s best efforts he was unable to get Donny’s mind off Orbit.

  “How could I have been so stupid?” Donny moaned. “All I did is put Orbit in danger.”

  Molly’s heart went out to him. “You didn’t mean any harm, Donny. It was an accident. You thought you were doing what was best.”

  “Your sister’s right,” Caleb said. “We all make mistakes. I recently made a very bad one that could have caused a little boy to die. Sometimes God gives us second chances to set things right.”

  Molly nodded. “And sometimes third, fourth, and fifth chances.” She looked directly at Donny. “We all make mistakes. My biggest mistake was treating you like an invalid when clearly you’re not.”

  Donny gave her a beseeching look. “If you don’t look for Orbit, you’ll be making another mistake. Brodie won’t find him, I know he won’t.”

  Caleb tossed his supplies back into his leather bag. “Brodie’s an expert in catching horses.”

  “Yes, but Orbit always goes on the far side of the corral whenever Brodie comes near.”

  “That’s not true,” Molly said. Was it? Come to think of it, she never did see Brodie and Orbit together.

  Donny nodded, his eyes serious. “Molly, I’m right. I know I am. Orbit won’t go to Brodie, but he’ll come to you and he’ll come to Magic.”

  Caleb glanced at her before turning back to Donny. “Your sister and I will go and look for him on one condition. You stay put until we get back. I’m almost out of bandages.”

  “I won’t leave my room. I promise.” Donny waved them away. “Go! Hurry!”

  Chapter 36

  Magic sat on Molly’s lap while Caleb drove. Nose in the air, the dog’s pendent ears were pinned back by the wind.

  “I think he knows that Orbit might be in trouble
,” she said, her voice loud enough to be heard over the rumbling motor.

  Caleb nodded. “That dog knows more than what’s good for him.”

  Something moved ahead and Molly craned her neck. “Wait, I saw something.”

  As if to concur, Magic barked. Caleb came to a rolling stop and a black cow and calf emerged from the brush onto the road in front of them.

  Molly blew a strand of hair away from her face and sighed. They’d been looking for hours and nothing. She had no idea that the Last Chance covered such an enormous area. The ranch spread mostly north and south, with the east backing to free range. The south was bound by canyons, the north by hills. The property line to the east was fenced to keep out maverick horses and stray cattle. Unless someone had recently cut the fence again or the gate was open, Orbit couldn’t have reached free range. That meant he was still somewhere on the ranch, but the rugged terrain to the south gave her little consolation.

  They veered off the cattle trail and the auto bounced up and down and side to side.

  Caleb stopped the car. A high granite wall rose directly ahead of them. “We can’t go much farther,” he said.

  She glanced over her shoulder. “Maybe we should double back. We could have missed him.”

  He looked almost as frustrated as she felt. “We should have come on horseback. The motor is likely to scare him.”

  She shook her head. “No. He’s used to the sound of the motor. Whenever you drive up he runs to the fence to wait for Magic. That’s why—”

  His gaze sharpened. “Why what, Molly?”

  She moistened her lips. “Orbit would have heard the motor unless he was injured or—”

  He reached for her hand. “Or out of earshot.”

  “He has very sensitive ears,” she said.

  Magic jumped up, paws on the dash, and barked.

  Caleb groaned and released her hand. “All right, all right.” He climbed out of the vehicle and reached for Magic. “There you go,” he said, setting the dog down. Magic sniffed the ground, following some invisible trail around cacti and scrub brush.