A Baby for the Deputy

by Cathy McDavid

  “Not a chance, Mel. This is official business.”

  “And I’m someone with information who can assist with a case that’s very important to me. To this whole town.”

  “I get that. But I’m not changing my mind.”

  She reluctantly relented and recited the address.

  Radioing Shonda, Aaron instructed the rookie deputy to meet him at Gail’s house. While he didn’t anticipate trouble, it was always better to have backup.

  “Go home and get some sleep,” he told Mel when he was done.

  “I will. In a while. I don’t want to leave Cracker Jack alone.”

  “Cracker Jack?”

  “He needed a name.”

  Because Mel didn’t want the foal to die without one.

  “I’ll come back to check on you when I’m done,” he said.

  “You don’t have to, Aaron.” She hugged the foal’s neck and then straightened.

  Seeing the sorrow in her eyes, he wanted to kiss her. And would have if he thought she’d welcome it.

  “Yes, I do,” he said. If only to tell her how he felt.

  Leaving her was hard and required all his willpower. But from the moment he walked out of the stables, his entire attention became focused on his job.

  Approaching Gail’s house, he noted the lights were on, which Aaron hoped meant she was home. A call to Shonda confirmed she was two minutes away. He parked along the curb and waited for her.

  The moment Gail answered the door and saw him and Shonda, she burst into sobs. “Oh, God. I’m sorry. It’s not my fault. I was played.”

  All right. Not just a source of information. She was involved.

  “Ms. Saunders,” Aaron said, “I’m going to need you to come with me to the station for questioning in connection with a series of horse thefts in the area.”

  “Am I under arrest?” she squeaked.

  “No, ma’am.” Not yet.

  After more tears, she went in search of her purse and to make sure the cat had food, Aaron and Shonda accompanying her. She didn’t ask to take her own vehicle. Rather she agreed to let Aaron drive her, which he hoped signaled her willingness to cooperate.

  Aaron left her in the backseat to confer with Shonda and instruct her to follow him and Gail to the station.

  The other deputy sighed. “I would have never pegged her as the type to associate with criminals. I feel strangely let down.”

  “Probably why she was able to pull it off. The least likely suspect.”

  Gail didn’t say much during the fifteen-mile trip to the nearest Sheriff’s office. Aaron anticipated pulling an all-nighter and phoned Nancy to let her know. She didn’t sound as mad as she usually did. Perhaps they were making progress.

  Four hours later, the chief deputy released him. Gail had confessed, even telling them where in the mountains the horse thieves had constructed a makeshift horse camp.

  Aaron drove straight to the horse stables at The Small Change. Mel’s truck wasn’t there. No surprise. It was the middle of the night, and she’d no doubt gone home for some much-needed sleep.

  That didn’t stop the insecurities from assailing him. Weeks—if not months—late, he’d finally admitted to loving Mel. Only she was nowhere around to hear his declaration, and, at this hour, he didn’t dare call or go beating on her front door.

  He may well have lost her, and it would serve him right. Aaron had only himself to blame.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Mel had been with Cracker Jack since 5:00 a.m.—two long, grueling hours ago. Ronnie had offered to call and reschedule all her appointments for the day, freeing up Mel to tend the foal.

  On the outside, she maintained her composure. Inside, she was a wreck. The steps she’d taken were merely prolonging the inevitable. Cracker Jack had another day at the most. Possibly less.

  “Please, please, sweetheart,” she cooed, and scratched the foal between his ears. “Don’t quit on me. If you would just try to stand.”

  Lying hastened his organs shutting down. Mel had already seen the beginning signs.

  He did no more than slowly blink his unfocused eyes.

  Within the last hour, his breathing had become labored, exhibiting an ominous, gravelly quality. Intravenously replacing the fluids lost due to his intestinal infection made no difference. The most Mel could—and possibly should—do was make him comfortable.

  The giant lump lodged in her throat burned as if she’d swallowed a hot stone. This was highly unusual for her. Sure, she’d wept before when a patient didn’t survive. Mel wasn’t unfeeling. This time, her despair knew no bounds.

  She could fault pregnancy hormones, but to blame them entirely would be a lie. Mel suffered because she hadn’t healed from losing Aaron. She might never heal. Then what? Find a new line of work?

  “You look plumb tuckered out.”

  “Hi, Dad.” Mel pushed to her feet from where she knelt beside the foal, her bones aching and ready to snap in two. She didn’t bother trying to smile.

  “You’re here early. Pull an all-nighter?”

  “I went home around midnight.”

  “And returned at five, I was told.”

  “This is an emergency.”

  “Mel, you have to take care of yourself. Think of the baby.”

  “I’m planning on napping in the bunkhouse later, if no one minds.”

  “You really should go home. Wearing yourself out won’t save that foal. Nature’s going to take its course regardless of what anyone does.”

  Mel bent and retrieved the thermos of coffee resting in the open medical case. “Want some? It’s just decaf but at least it’s hot.”

  “Decaf’s great. Dolores has me cutting back to one cup of regular coffee a day.” He gave his head a dejected shake. “She’s torturing me.”

  “She loves you.”

  “For no good reason I can fathom. Did Samantha tell you she entered the Richland County Fair Rodeo next week? Theo’s giving me a couple days off.”

  “No, and good for her.”

  Mel’s youngest sister now had two wins under her belt, a first and a third place. She’d stopped helping Mel as much, focusing on training with Ronnie and babysitting Frankie’s girls. Mel was happy for the teenager, though she’d have to find someone else to assist her. Or cut back on her practice—the least favorable option, as far as she was concerned.

  Aaron wouldn’t agree. He’d been nagging her a lot recently about working less. She supposed she should be glad they were talking and that he cared enough to nag. She might have to break down and hire part-time help to quiet him.

  She stretched and rubbed the small of her back. “Been a long twenty-four hours.”

  “Heard you helped with rounding up those good-for-nothing horse thieves,” her father said. “Lots of happy people today.”

  “They’re not convicted yet.”

  “They will be. Caught red-handed from what Josh says.”

  “I’m just glad it’s over.” No more foals left motherless.

  “How’s Aaron?” Her father glanced around. “Thought he might be here.”

  So had Mel. “In bed, probably. He had a longer night than any of us.”

  What would it be like waking up next to him? They’d never experienced that and likely wouldn’t. For a moment before he left to talk to Gail, Mel had sensed a change in him and hope flared—only to have it extinguished.

  Why was it she and Aaron seemed destined to always be on the wrong track at different times? Now, permanently.

  “It’s a shame things didn’t work out between you and him,” her father said. “He’s a good man.”

  “Guess it wasn’t meant to be.”

  “Don’t reckon you’d patch things up, given the chance?”

  Yes.

  “I’m not sure that’s what he wants
.” Mel glanced down at Cracker Jack. There had been no change in the last five minutes.

  “Nancy’s coming to dinner this week. You mind?”

  Her father’s offhand remark got her attention. “No. Why would I?”

  “Could be awkward.”

  “She and Dolores are friends.”

  “Nancy knows about the baby. She mentioned it when she and Dolores were on the phone last night.”

  So, Aaron had finally told her. “Really.”

  “Dolores said she acted like she didn’t mind. But here’s the interesting part. She mentioned a duplex apartment one of their Bunko ladies has for rent.”

  “Oh.” That surprised Mel.

  Was Nancy moving out to give Aaron space for when the baby came or because they’d fought over Mel? She was curious, though uncertain if she should ask.

  The foal suddenly made a pathetic wuffling sound. Mel bent and petted his neck, noting his hide was losing its elasticity.

  “I wish there was more I could do.”

  “Have you tried giving him honey?” her father asked.

  “Yes. Twice.” Mel didn’t usually subscribe to home remedies. This time, however, she’d been desperate.

  “What about salt? They say if you rub the inside of a foal’s mouth with salt, it’ll make him thirsty and encourage him to drink.”

  Mel studied Cracker Jack. He was lying on his side in the soft sawdust bedding. She looked closer to make sure his narrow chest was expanding and contracting. “I’m not sure he’s strong enough to drink anymore.”

  “Might be time to let him go.”

  She knew her father was right; she just didn’t have the willpower to walk away. Mel vowed if he started to suffer, she would make the difficult decision all vets dreaded.

  “How did Theo take the news of the horse thieves’ capture?” Small talk kept her spirits from sinking any lower.

  “Blames himself for not being here.”

  The Small Change owner was still in the hospital, receiving treatment for his fall, though he was expected to be released before the coming weekend.

  “That’s ridiculous,” Mel said.

  “Of course it is.”

  “You talk to Gail’s uncle? How’s he doing?”

  “He’s devastated, naturally. Can’t believe she betrayed him and the ranchers. He’d have sold the store years ago if not for her. She’s his right hand. Or was. Almost like a daughter to him.”

  “I can’t imagine what he’s feeling.”

  Then again, maybe she could. A little, anyway. Mel had felt betrayed when she learned about Samantha and Carrie Anne. Eventually, she’d come to understand and forgive her father. She had Aaron to thank for that valuable lesson.

  Seems one good thing had come out of their relationship. Two, counting the baby.

  Her father started to speak, only to pause. His cell phone must’ve been on vibrate for he removed it from his pocket and answered with a robust, “Ray Hartman speaking.”

  She watched his expression change by degrees as he listened, going from interest to shock to excitement.

  “Right,” he said, grinning broadly. “Be there as soon as I can.”

  “What’s going on?” Mel asked.

  “The horse thieves had a makeshift holding camp on the east side of the mountain, about a mile from Javelina Crossing. Gail told the authorities all about it.”

  “I know. Aaron left me a text message.”

  According to Gail, when the thieves stole enough horses to fill a stock trailer, they would transport them to a slaughterhouse across the state line that didn’t ask a lot of questions. Mel was appalled. She was also shocked that someone she dealt with on a regular basis and had liked was involved.

  “Well, believe it or not,” her dad said, “Game and Fish rangers were able to locate the holding camp. Five horses are there.”

  The number screamed at Mel. “Five?”

  “All mares. Could be they’re the pregnant ones stolen from the maternity pasture.”

  Cracker Jack’s dam might be among them!

  “The rangers are sending me directions. I’m headed out there now with a truck and trailer.”

  Mel scrambled to collect her equipment. “I’m coming with you!”

  “’Fraid not, honey.”

  “The mares might require medical attention,” she insisted.

  “Which you’ll give them the moment I return. But, for now, you’re needed here.” He entered the stall and took her by the shoulders. “You keep that foal alive for a couple more hours. You hear me?”

  His words fired Mel’s determination. She could do it. She could keep Cracker Jack alive. She refused to entertain the thought of anything else.

  “Hurry, Dad.”

  He left, and Mel wasted no time tending to her patient. The wait was excruciating. Thirty minutes later, Samantha unexpectedly showed up.

  “Can I help?” she asked.

  “I thought you were babysitting.”

  “Nancy’s watching the girls.”

  Would wonders never cease?

  Mel gave her sister a look. “Did Dad send you?”

  “He called and told me what happened. Coming here was my idea.”

  The teenager’s sincerity touched Mel, making refusing her impossible. Besides, she’d recently grown fond of having her youngest sibling tagging along.

  “You don’t by chance have a box of salt,” she asked.

  Samantha looked at her strangely. “Salt?”

  “It’s Dad’s idea. Run to the ranch house and ask whoever’s there if we can borrow some. I think I saw the housekeeper’s car pull in a little while ago.”

  Mel and Samantha kept up a constant conversation with Cracker Jack, assuring him that his mother was on her way, even though Mel didn’t know for sure. Calls to her father went straight to voice mail, but that was expected, considering he was at the base of the mountain.

  Finally, at long last, Mel heard the rumble and clang of a heavily loaded livestock trailer. Samantha ran down the aisle, returning moments later to report the good news.

  “It’s them! They’re here.”

  Mel bent and, cradling Cracker Jack’s small head between her hands, she kissed his warm nose. “Stay with us, sweetheart.”

  As if he understood, the foal opened his eyes and blew out a weak breath that felt like the brush of dandelion fluff on Mel’s face.

  She couldn’t wait. Together, she and Samantha left the stall and went out to where her father had parked the truck and trailer in front of the stables. The doors of the truck flew open and several ranch hands spilled out, along with her father.

  That wasn’t what had Mel’s undivided attention, however. She stared at the SUV with the official logo on the side parked behind the trailer. The one with the driver behind the steering wheel wearing a familiar dark Stetson and aviator sunglasses.

  * * *

  AARON WAS HALFWAY out of the SUV when Mel reached him. Her riotously pounding heart made speaking difficult, and she needed a moment to recover.

  “Wh-what are you doing here?” she managed.

  “I went with the Game and Fish rangers to retrieve the horses. They’re considered live evidence and will be held in a secure facility until the trial is finished, if there is a trial.”

  “Did the thieves confess?”

  “No. I wouldn’t be surprised if they eventually accepted a plea agreement. Gail’s statement is pretty damning.”

  “Will she get in trouble?” Mel was thinking of the feed store owner.

  “Her confession and willingness to testify will go a long way in reducing her charges.”

  “I still can’t believe she was involved.”

  “According to her, she wasn’t in on it from the beginning. She genuinely believed Monty Schartz—he’s one
of the two perpetrators—was romantically interested in her and that his questions about her job and the goings-on in town were because he cared.”

  In her early forties, living alone, divorced for over fifteen years, no children. It was easy for Mel to see how Gail might have been taken advantage of by a man pretending to like her.

  “Eventually,” Aaron said, “she figured out what was going on.”

  “Why didn’t she turn this Monty and his partner in?”

  “She claimed by then she was afraid of him and what he might do to her.”

  “Poor Gail. She must have felt vulnerable and in over her head.”

  Aaron had been in deputy mode since arriving. Now, his expression softened around the edges as he met her gaze. “I can’t say much more. This is a pending investigation.”

  “I understand.” Throwing caution to the wind, she touched his arm. “You must be exhausted.”

  Lines of tension marred his handsome face, and weariness showed in his eyes when he removed his aviators.

  For a long minute, they simply stood there. Mel willed him to say the words she yearned to hear. The ones that would erase all her doubts and allow her to reveal what was in her heart.

  “Mel. I—”

  He was cut off when one of the ranch hands lowered the rear gate on the trailer with a metallic bang. Inside the trailer, the restless horses stomped and shifted and kicked. The nearest one lifted her head high and whinnied shrilly. In the enclosed space, the sound was deafening.

  Samantha hopped onto the trailer’s running board and peeked inside. Ignoring their father’s warning to be careful, she reached her arm through the opening and petted one of the mares.

  “I’d better help with the unloading,” Mel said.

  “Right.” Aaron put on his sunglasses and returned to his SUV. Standing by the open driver’s door, he spoke into his radio.

  Mel sighed, wishing she knew what he’d been about to say to her.

  The first mare backed out of the large trailer and down the ramp, spinning around the instant her hooves made contact with the ground. A ranch hand grabbed hold of her lead rope before she could get away.

  Mel quickly assessed the mare. She wasn’t Cracker Jack’s dam. And other than a few nicks and cuts and a thick layer of dirt, she appeared to be in good shape. The ranch hand led her off to the maternity corral for a long drink of water and all the hay she could eat.