A Baby on the Ranch

by Stella Bagwell

  Spotting an aisle of infant items, Katherine turned the buggy in that direction. “So it doesn’t matter to you if they’re saying you’ve been keeping a single woman with a baby in the house with you?”

  Lonnie chuckled. “Who’s gonna blame me after they take a look at you?”

  His compliment put color in her cheeks and, in an effort to avoid any more remarks on the matter, she quickly put her attention into searching for the baby items she needed.

  Thirty minutes later, Katherine had everything on her list and then some. After passing through the checkout, where several of the checkers left their posts to view the baby Sheriff Corteen was holding, the three of them left the building. Once they reached Lonnie’s truck, he handed her the baby and began to load the packages in the back compartment of the cab.

  He was placing the last bag into the truck when the pager at the side of his hip began to buzz. Mumbling with frustration, he looked at the number, then helped Katherine into the passenger seat.

  “Looks like the office is trying to contact me,” he told her. “I guess Mitch has come up against something he can’t handle.”

  After Katherine and the baby were settled, Lonnie joined her on the driver’s side and quickly reached for the cell phone on the dashboard and punched in a set of numbers.

  “Mitch—oh, Scarlett. Where’s Mitch? He’s supposed to be taking care of things. Who needs me?”

  Scarlett quickly answered his question. “Mitch left a few minutes ago, Sheriff. It appears that Eddie Landers is holed up out at his place with a shotgun. Won’t let anyone near him.”

  “Dear God! Is he threatening to harm himself?”

  Lonnie’s question had Katherine darting a concerned glance at him.

  Scarlett went on. “That’s what it sounds like, Sheriff. He’s out to harm himself or anyone who comes on the place. Mitch and Josh have gone out there in a squad car to try to reason with him, but I think Eddie wants to talk to you.”

  Lonnie kept his groan to himself. What a time for an old acquaintance to have a mental breakdown.

  “All right, Scarlett. I’m already here in town,” he told the dispatcher. “I’ll head to the office right now. Do you think you could drive Katherine and the baby back out to the ranch for me?”

  “Oh, no! Don’t put your officer to all that trouble,” Katherine said to him in a hushed voice. “We can wait for you.”

  With his hand over the telephone’s mouthpiece, he glanced grimly over at Katherine. “You can’t wait. This is an emergency that might take hours. I just don’t know yet.”

  Gauging the serious look on Lonnie’s face, Katherine decided the best thing she could do right now was to follow his instructions without argument.

  Nodding, she said, “All right.”

  He quickly relayed the message to Scarlett to be ready to leave the office in a few minutes, then quickly ended the call.

  “Can you tell me what’s going on?” Katherine asked once he’d put away the cell phone. “You look very worried.”

  “I am worried, Katherine. An old friend is threatening to shoot himself or anyone who comes near him. I’ve got to get out there and stop him.”

  Katherine suddenly froze in her seat. Lonnie might be shot! Or even worse, killed! Just the thought paralyzed her with fear.

  “Lonnie! You’re the sheriff! You’re supposed to be doing administrative work, not facing a maniac with a gun!” she exclaimed.

  He looked at her as though she’d suddenly lost her mind. “Hereford isn’t some big city, Katherine, where a sheriff sits behind a desk all day, giving orders and signing papers. I’m a working member of the force here, and if that puts me in danger, then that’s just a part of the job. Do you think I’d ask my men to do something that I wouldn’t do?”

  Katherine swallowed hard. She was behaving like a frantic wife. She had to get ahold of herself before he got the idea that she was crazy about him.

  “No,” she answered meekly.

  “Damn right, no.”

  Her face deathly pale, she reached over and touched his shoulder. “I’m just scared for you, Lonnie. I…don’t want to think of anything happening to you.”

  The concern he heard in her wobbly voice had him plucking her hand from his shoulder and drawing it to his lips.

  Katherine shuddered with longing and fear as he kissed the back of her hand, then turned it over and kissed the palm.

  “Don’t fret, Katherine. It’s going to put wrinkles on your brow.”

  And if she wasn’t careful, he was going to put tears in her heart.

  She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Do you know what went wrong with this man? Is it common for him to be violent?”

  Lonnie shook his head. “Eddie’s one of the kindest, gentlest human beings I know. It would be hard for him to lift his hand to a biting dog.”

  “Then what do you suppose has happened? Does he have a family?”

  Lonnie’s glum nod answered her question.

  “Yeah. A wife. Two kids. Eddie wouldn’t hurt his family. He’s been having financial trouble here lately. He lost his corn crop this fall to a bad hail and windstorm. If I were a betting man, I’d say all of this stems from that.”

  Katherine had to remind herself to keep breathing as her eyes slanted toward the revolver strapped to his hip. “Lonnie, you won’t…just try to walk up to him, will you? Even if a person is normally gentle, sometimes they crack under pressure. This man might hurt you.”

  Reaching across the seat, he lifted her chin with his forefinger. “Don’t worry, Katherine. I’m not about to let that happen.”

  Less than two minutes later Lonnie screeched the truck to a halt outside the sheriff’s office.

  “Just wait here in the truck,” he instructed as he slung off his seat belt. “I’ll send Scarlett out to take you home.”

  As he opened the door and slid to the ground, Katherine couldn’t help but call out to him.

  Pausing, he glanced questioningly back at her and in that moment Katherine did her best to memorize the rugged lines and planes of his face. She truly cared about this man. If she hadn’t known it before, she certainly knew it now. Yet now wasn’t the time to reveal her feelings. She wasn’t sure there would ever be a time.

  “I…I just wanted to say good luck.”

  “Thanks, Katherine.”

  With a brief smile, he gave her a little salute before he trotted off toward the front of the building.

  Less than five minutes later, a young woman somewhere near Katherine’s age, with short, chestnut hair and dressed in a Sheriff’s Department uniform hurried toward the truck.

  After sliding into the driver’s seat, she looked over at Katherine and, with a bright smile, extended her hand.

  “Hi. I’m Scarlett O’Grady.”

  Encouraged by her warm greeting, Katherine firmly shook the other woman’s hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Katherine McBride. And that’s my son, Lonnie David, in the child seat in the back.”

  Instantly Scarlett twisted around in the seat so she could view the baby, and just as instantly she squealed with pleasure at the sight of his cherub face framed with a blue blanket. “Ooooh, he’s so cute! He looks like you, I’ll bet you’ve already heard that.”

  Katherine smiled faintly. “It was one of the first things Lonnie said after little David was born.”

  Scarlett gave the baby one last look, then turned in the seat and began to fasten the safety belt. “I’d love to take time to hold him. But as you’ve probably already heard, things are a little crazy around here. I need to get you home and get back here to the station as quickly as possible.”

  Katherine grimaced as Scarlett put the truck into Reverse and backed onto the street.

  “I feel awful about being a nuisance,” she told the dispatcher. “I could have driven myself back, but Lonnie seems to think I’m still not up to doing anything the least little bit strenuous.”

  Scarlett waved a dismissive hand at her. “Oh, do
n’t think anything about it. You’re not a nuisance. Emergencies can happen at any hour, day or night. Lonnie’s used to them. Everyone on the force is used to them.”

  The sudden urge to cry had Katherine turning her face toward the passenger window and blinking the moisture away from her eyes. “Do situations like this happen often?”

  “You mean like Eddie?” Before Katherine could answer, Scarlett went on, “No. We’ve had some armed robberies and a shoot-out or two before. But don’t worry about Lonnie. He’s a good lawman. He’s well trained and he knows what to do. That’s why the people of Deaf Smith County like him. That, plus the fact that he’s just generally nice and fair.”

  Scarlett’s confidence in her boss helped to vanquish the fear that had enveloped Katherine. This professional woman wasn’t breaking down at the idea of Lonnie facing a violent man with a shotgun so neither should she. But the awful quaking deep inside her refused to go away.

  “How long have you worked for Lonnie?”

  “Three years. I’ve been going to college on the side. I’m trying to earn a law degree, but at the rate I’m going I’ll be gray-haired by the time I ever see the inside of a courtroom. That is, as a lawyer,” she added with a chuckle.

  The young woman negotiated the truck onto a highway that would eventually lead them to the Rafter C. As the town of Hereford disappeared behind them, Katherine thought about her own future.

  Before she’d become pregnant with David she’d had all sorts of plans. To go back to college and get a degree in business, maybe even go into the field of money management. She’d dreamed of saving enough money to put down on a little house somewhere near Fort Worth or maybe even move down to the hill country near Fredricksburg or Kerrville. Then Walt had come into her life and she’d begun to picture him in her plans. And it was a nice image, the two of them facing the future together.

  Except for Celia, Katherine had never had anyone to love her and spend time with her. Just having Walt as a constant companion had made her happy, and she’d faced each day with an eagerness she’d never felt before. Back then, becoming Walt’s lover had seemed like the natural progression of things. He’d assured her over and over that he’d found his one true love in her and that as soon as he saved enough money, the two of them would get married.

  Katherine had sincerely believed him, and she’d planned and looked forward to the day when she would have a family of her own. They would have a real father who adored them. Her children wouldn’t have to wonder who their father was or why he’d not cared enough to be a part of their lives.

  The corners of her lips turned down with mocking regret. Those plans seemed so foolish now, and in spite of having little David, she felt more alone than she’d ever felt in her life.

  “Do you have a family around here?” Katherine forced herself to ask, more to make conversation than anything.

  “Not a husband or children yet. But I belong to a big family. And they’re always trying to tell me what to do and how to do it. Sometimes they can really get on my nerves. Especially my brothers and sister. But Lonnie is always quick to remind me how lucky I am. And when I stop and look at him, I realize that I am lucky.” She cast a pointed glance in Katherine’s direction. “You know, he doesn’t have anybody. That’s why all of us on the force were thrilled when we heard about you.”

  Katherine’s brows inched upward. “Me? I’m just here for a few days.”

  “Oh. Is that all? We all thought—well, with Lonnie carrying on so about the baby and you naming him Lonnie David—we thought there had to be something between the two of you. Is there?”

  Katherine wasn’t used to people she’d only just met being so blunt with their questions. Yet Scarlett’s curiosity didn’t offend her, it only made her cogitate even harder. Was there something between herself and Lonnie? He’d said so. He’d said the two of them were partners. But what kind of partners and how soon was their partnership going to come to an end?

  “I, uh, I really like Lonnie. A lot. But I don’t believe either one of us is ready for something—serious.”

  “Hmm. I don’t get it. What’s stopping you? Unless—” She paused and glanced thoughtfully at Katherine. “Oh, I wasn’t thinking. I guess you must still be involved with the baby’s father.”

  Katherine stiffened at the very thought. “No! Not at all!”

  Scarlett shot her a surprised look. “Then I guess I really don’t get it. If you like Lonnie ‘a lot’ then what’s stopping you from getting serious? Or don’t you think he’s a hunk? I sure do. But we’re just friends, you know, like brother and sister.”

  Glancing down at her lap, Katherine realized her hands were clamped together in a tight knot. She purposely separated them and tried to clear the huskiness from her throat. “Believe me, Scarlett, I noticed right off what a wonderful guy Lonnie is, but I’ve been through a lot these past few months. I don’t want to make any more mistakes.”

  Scarlett’s brows inched upward. “And you think you’d be making a mistake if you got involved with Lonnie?”

  Yes! No! Dear God, she didn’t know anymore. At this moment she was more frightened for his safety than anything. “I don’t know, Scarlett. I just don’t know.”

  Once they arrived at the Rafter C, Scarlett helped Katherine get the baby and all the packages into the house before she jumped back into the truck and took off at full speed in the direction of town.

  Feeling as though she’d been lifted up by a tornado, then suddenly dropped back to earth, Katherine tried to collect her senses as she put David to bed in his bassinet and stowed away the things she’d purchased in town. Yet she couldn’t settle her nerves, and it was only a matter of minutes before she was up and walking the floor.

  For once, the quietness of the house only added to the tension that twisted every muscle in her body. Out of desperation she clicked on the television and hoped one of the local news services had picked up on the standoff. But of course the closest channel was broadcast from Amarillo and it wouldn’t have had time to send a news crew this far away. So she waited and watched and imagined Lonnie in all sorts of terrifying situations. And imagined, too, how she would feel if he were taken from this earth.

  His job as a sheriff had never struck her as being overly dangerous until today, until she’d seen with her own eyes that he was more than a figurehead, he was a hands-on lawman. How did a woman deal with this kind of fear, the fear of losing her man?

  Stop it, Katherine! Lonnie isn’t your man. He isn’t yours to lose.

  The little voice yelling at her stiffened her spine, yet it did little to relieve her shaky hands and stop her urge to pace through the small house. Eventually, David must have picked up on her disturbed state of mind. He woke long before his normal nap time was over and began to fuss loudly.

  Katherine changed his diaper and let him nurse, but even that didn’t seem to satisfy her son. After several attempts to rock him back to sleep, he finally gave in to the gentle movement and the soft lullaby she sang to him. But he didn’t stay asleep for long, and she spent the remainder of the afternoon carrying and patting and rocking the fussy baby.

  By the time darkness had fallen, she was exhausted. Not just from dealing with David’s crankiness, but from the constant worry and wonder about Lonnie’s safety. So far she hadn’t heard anything on the television or the radio, and Katherine was on the verge of making a nuisance of herself and calling the Sheriff’s Department when she heard a vehicle pull to a stop outside the house.

  Rushing to the living room, she swung open the front door just as Lonnie was about to open it. The unexpected movement caught him off guard and caused him to stumble forward over the threshold.

  “Whoa, girl!” He caught her by the shoulders just as he steadied himself on his feet. “I nearly fell right on you. Are you all right?”

  She took one look at his dear face and burst into sobs. “Oh, Lonnie! Lonnie!”

  With one hand, he reached behind him and shut the door. With the other h
and, he drew her against his chest.

  “Aw, honey, now what’s the matter?” he asked softly. “I’ve never seen such a fountain of tears.”

  Flinging her arms around his waist, she held on to him tightly and thought she’d never felt anything as good as his rock-hard body, she’d never smelled anything as heady as the unique scent of his hair and skin.

  “I’ve been so worried about you. I kept waiting to hear what happened and when I didn’t I was afraid something horrible had happened to you!”

  She was clinging to him as if she would never let him go, and as Lonnie looked down at her head buried against the middle of his chest, he felt his heart burgeoning with an emotion that couldn’t be mistaken or ignored.

  He loved this woman. Loved her with every particle of his being. No matter what happened between them in the future, those feelings would never change.

  “Katherine. My little darling, you shouldn’t have worried. I’m fine. It’s all over. Eddie’s been taken to a place where he can be treated.” He brought his fingertips beneath her chin and tilted her face up to his. “See? I’m too ornery to get hurt.”

  She tried to sniff away her tears. But in spite of the effort, the salty stream continued to flow down her cheeks. “There’s not a ornery bone in your body, Lonnie Corteen,” she said in a weepy, accusing voice.

  Chuckling under his breath, he gathered her close against him and simply held her for a long moment. “Some people might give you a debate over that, Katherine.” He brought a hand up and stroked the back of her head. As he pushed his fingers through the silken strands of her hair, he asked in a voice that was full of both amusement and reproach, “Were you really that worried about me?”

  Instantly she tilted her face up so that she could look at him. The disbelief she saw in his expression both amazed and angered her. He didn’t have a clue as to how much she’d suffered during these agonizing hours!

  “You big lug!” she exclaimed as she gripped the front of his shirt. “I’ve been worried out of my mind. You could have been shot, maimed, killed! I’ve been going around here for hours nearly pulling my hair out!”