He watched her tug on her jeans while he slipped on his own. “I’m exactly who you think.” He shrugged on his shirt. His eyes on hers, he buttoned the edges together calmly. “Dr. Josh Colter.”
Patience put on her blouse, realized too late she had buttoned it up crookedly and had to start all over again.
He followed her around the room, while more and more she felt like a fool. “Just say it, Patience,” he ordered gruffly while she sat down on the edge of the bed to yank on her boots.
She let her booted feet hit the floor with a disgruntled thud. Hands braced on either side of her, she stayed where she was and tipped her head to his. “All right, I will. What else do you know about Alec’s disappearance from my life? What haven’t you told me?” If Josh was a law officer, he had to know something, especially if Alec’s life and Josh’s had been somehow intertwined.
Josh leaned against the bureau, his expression becoming both brooding and frustratingly distant once again. “I couldn’t have prevented Alec from jilting you, if that’s what you’re asking,” he replied. “By the time I had more or less stumbled onto…things…just as you have, and witnessed some things I shouldn’t have seen, crucial decisions had already been made and Alec’s fate was sealed.” He paused, his broad shoulders tensing beneath the soft cotton fabric of his shirt. He regarded her, an uncompromising glint in his gray eyes. “The bottom line is that Alec Vaughn inadvertently got involved with some very bad people around the time of your wedding. The way things were then, he had no choice. He had to disappear for a while. He couldn’t come back to you, because then he would’ve been putting you in danger. And I know for a fact that he wanted you to be safe more than anything, because he did love you, Patience, with all his heart.”
Patience took solace in that much. So she hadn’t been wrong about the genuineness of Alec’s feelings for her after all.
“Five years after all of that, he died,” Josh continued.
“You’re telling me his death was not an accident?”
Josh’s eyes were haunted as he grimaced and speared her with a level look. “The newspapers said it was pneumonia and I accept that, as I recommend you do. If you want to be safe, if you want the baby we may just have made to be safe, you will not ask me any more questions, period.”
They stared at each other in silence.
Patience had only to look into Josh’s eyes to know he was keeping his own confidence as a way of protecting her, too, and that there would or could be no negotiating with him on this subject.
The strange thing was, she really wanted to trust Josh. Whether she liked it or not, the danger in pushing too hard for the truth from him was very real; if she went too far, she sensed he would simply walk away and she would never see him again. And yet, by the same token, how could she have a future with Josh without knowing everything there was to know about him? Wasn’t there danger in that, too?
Just then, the phone began to ring. Josh went to answer it. He listened intently, then said, “I’ll be right there,” and hung up. As he turned back to Patience, his expression was unaccountably grim.
“What is it?” Patience asked, alarmed.
“It’s Mandy,” Josh replied. “She’s started to have her foal and she’s in trouble.”
Chapter Nine
Dear Patience,
I see my long-lost love in someone else. Is it possible he was reincarnated?
Sincerely,
Still in the Past
Dear Still in the Past,
Get glasses. You’re imagining things.
Don’t Be Caught Singing off the Wrong Song Sheet,
Patience
“How did Mandy get in the second stage of labor without anyone noticing she was foaling?” Patience asked as she and Josh left his quarters and headed quickly over toward the foaling barn.
“Sometimes a mare can slip through the first stage of labor without having any contractions you can see, and move right into the second phase, which seems to be what is happening with Mandy.”
“You’re worried.”
“According to Soaring Eagle, Mandy’s water broke a few minutes ago. There’s no sign of the outer sac yet.”
Patience struggled to recall what she knew. “And that should have occurred right away, with the onrush of the water, right?”
Josh nodded. “Normally, you’d be able to see one foot, which is why Soaring Eagle telephoned.”
Soaring Eagle was inside the foaling stall, talking soothingly to Mandy and carefully washing her hindquarters and perineal area in preparation for the delivery of the foal.
Mandy was lying down on her side, her chestnut coat slippery with sweat. Her tail had been bandaged from the end to just below the bone of the tail to keep it out of the way during the birth. As Josh entered the stall, she rose up on her sternum, then lumbered slowly and clumsily to her feet.
“She’s been up and down several times,” Soaring Eagle said, handing Josh his medical kit. “Can’t seem to get comfortable.”
Patience watched as Mandy suffered another contraction and another, her pendulous abdomen tensing visibly with the strain. Without warning, she dropped down again and lay back so all four legs were extended stiffly away from her body. She was lathered in sweat. After another thirty-second interval, she suffered another contraction.
And another. “She really seems to be in tremendous pain,” Patience worried.
“I know.” Josh tugged on a pair of surgical gloves and knelt down beside Mandy and examined her briefly. “The foal must be stuck.”
Slim strode in breathlessly, sweat streaming from beneath the brim of his hat. He looked stressed to the max as he announced to one and all, “That colt that’s not halterbroke is going wild. Refuses to come in from the pasture and he’s already kicked one of the handlers. If Josh and Patience can spare you, Soaring Eagle, maybe you could see if you could calm him?”
“Go on, both of you,” Josh said, his glance and manner steady. “Patience and I will handle things here.”
The two men slipped off. Josh and Patience were alone with the struggling mare. “Slip on a pair of gloves,” Josh directed calmly, apparently having no qualms about her ability to help him with the impending birth. “I need you to give me a hand with the foal.”
Patience knelt beside him and Mandy. Anxiously, she noted that the edge of the gray outer sac surrounding the foal was visible, but there was still no evidence of the colt’s foot. Josh didn’t have to tell her that was a bad sign.
Josh reached inside Mandy and carefully ruptured the sac that had protected the foal during parturition. Working gently but quickly, he dislodged the foot. Patience breathed a sigh of relief as he eased it out of the birth canal. Within minutes the second forefoot was visible, then the foal’s muzzle.
While Patience soothed the mare with a gentle voice and soft strokes of her palm, Mandy continued to labor hard, her sides heaving with the force of every contraction, her entire body lathered in sweat, until at last the foal’s head and neck appeared. Again, she paused, breathing hard and trembling from head to foot.
“Why is she stopping?” Patience asked, as Josh carefully peeled the outer sac from the foal’s face and checked to make sure the cord was still intact and not wrapped around the foal’s neck.
“She’s exhausted,” Josh replied. “Probably needs a minute to collect herself.” One hand still on the emerging foal, he patted Mandy’s flank reassuringly. “C’mon, girl, don’t give up on me now,” Josh urged quietly. “Not much more. We need to get this baby out of there.”
Whether she understood what Josh was saying or was just ready to try again, Mandy worked to expel her foal. Two more contractions and the foal’s head and neck appeared. Then one shoulder, spindly brown chest, abdomen, hips and hind legs. Both arms extended, Patience helped catch the still, lifeless foal.
“She’s not breathing,” Patience said, beginning to panic despite herself.
“I know.” Josh grabbed the bulb syringe out of his med
ical kit and cleared the foal’s nasal passages. “Nothing. Looks like we’re going to have to apply oxygen.” He slipped a mask on the foal.
Patience waited and prayed his efforts to resuscitate the beautiful chestnut foal would be successful.
Finally, the foal shuddered, opened her eyes and seemed to be breathing on her own, while her exhausted mama went into a comfortable resting state.
Elated that all was well, Josh and Patience exchanged tremulous grins. “We did it!” Patience said, tears of happiness shimmering in her eyes.
“We sure did,” Josh said. With Patience’s help, he began to pull off the rest of the amniotic sac. When that was done, Patience took one of the towels Soaring Eagle had brought into the stall earlier and began the process of vigorously toweling the soaked, shaking foal dry, working at the same time to stimulate warmth, respiration and circulation.
“You look like you’ve done this before,” Josh remarked approvingly to Patience, watching as she took great care not to disturb the still-pulsing umbilical cord.
She nodded. “It was the only part of the birth Uncle Max would ever let me assist in,” Patience said.
When she had finished, she and Josh curled the foal close to Mandy’s hindquarters and held her there as they waited for the oxygenated and enriched blood to pass from Mandy to her new foal.
Satisfied the foal was now successfully breathing on her own, Josh first reduced, then removed the oxygen and clear plastic mask from the foal’s face. Working in unison, he and Patience waited another minute, then, seeing the umbilical cord was no longer pulsing, let go of the sleek foal. She kicked away from her mama with instinctive force, severing the umbilical cord in the process. Josh quickly applied navel antiseptic to protect against infection.
Josh and Patience waited to see what Mandy was going to do. When she did not rise to her feet, they scooted the foal around to her head. Oblivious to the others in the stall, Mandy inspected her newborn, then began to lick her clean. The foal, looking as if she were in seventh heaven to be attended so tenderly, cuddled even closer to her mama.
Patience felt her eyes fill with tears of happiness. She looked over at Josh, who seemed inordinately happy and relieved at the joyous outcome, too. If this was what it was like to share the birth of a foal, what would it be like to share the birth of their child? she wondered. And knew more than anything she wanted to find out.
“Pretty neat, huh?” Josh said happily.
“As many times as I’ve seen a mare give birth, it never loses its miracle quality for me,” she told Josh softly, wondering if there was anything more satisfying than bringing new life into the world. And she knew it must be even more incredible to bring your own child into this world, especially knowing your child was the result of a great and wonderful love.
“That’s because it is a miracle,” Josh said as he quickly and expertly cleansed and prepared the udder for nursing.
As if on cue, the foal struggled to her feet on spindly legs. Mandy followed. At first, the foal was unable to find the proper location to nurse, so Josh and Patience guided her gently to the appropriate spot on her mama’s belly. She took in only six swallows of colostrum before she fell back, content but exhausted, into the straw.
While her newborn rested, Mandy went into the last part of labor, expelling the placenta that had nourished her foal in the womb. Josh made sure everything was as it should be, then stitched Mandy up while Patience soothed the mare and attended her foal.
When he was through with Mandy, Josh gave the foal tetanus and Penstrep injections. “So what are you going to call her?” Patience asked.
Josh thought about it a minute. “How about Impatience?” he teased. “Since she was in such a hurry to be born.”
“Get serious.”
“I am. An extraordinary filly should have an extraordinary name, don’t you think?”
Patience thought about the chestnut colt they had just delivered, with the long, streaked white nose and dark black forelock and mane. She released a soft, contented sigh. “She is beautiful.”
Josh leaned toward her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “So are you. And our babies will be, too. And I do intend to have some with you, Patience.” He bent toward her, their lips met, and they kissed with a tenderness that went all the way to her soul.
Slowly, they drew apart, and Patience knew the magic Max had wanted for them was descending on them full force.
“IF IT WEREN’T for the terms of Max’s will, I’d tell you to go on back to the house,” Josh said after a moment. The truth was, he wanted to make love to her desperately, but he couldn’t leave until Soaring Eagle came back to take over the postpartum care of the mare and her foal.
“No problem,” Patience said softly. To Josh’s relief, she seemed as eager to be with him as he was to be with her. “I don’t mind waiting,” she confided as she scooted even closer to Josh. “Besides, I want to be here to take care of Mandy and Impatience.”
Seeing what a natural Patience was around the stables, Josh understood why Max had wanted to give the horse operation to her. She would love it just as Max had. “Did you hang out here much when you were growing up?” he asked.
Patience nodded and drew her knees up to her chest. “As much as I could. I was pretty busy with school and family activities.”
Josh could imagine that she had been. From what he saw, Patience never seemed to sit still for a moment. “Did you get attached to any of the foals?” he asked casually, knowing that no matter what happened in the future, he would remember this moment in time, and the way they’d made love earlier, forever.
“Only once,” Patience admitted softly. “I fell in love with a foal that had already been promised to a buyer.” She shook her head regretfully, remembering, and turned her eyes to his. “Max warned me not to get so emotionally involved with the animal, but I was there when he was born, and I just couldn’t help it. When he went off to the owner’s farm after he had been weaned from his mama, it about broke my heart,” she admitted in a voice that quavered.
Josh couldn’t be sure, but he thought there was a film of tears shimmering in her eyes.
“After that, I was a little more careful. I didn’t visit any single foal enough to get my heart broken again.”
And she had done the same after Alec, too, Josh thought. Not allowing herself to get involved with any other men. Though he couldn’t say he was all that disappointed about that.
“Who does Impatience belong to?” Patience asked.
“Me.” Josh brushed his knuckles across her cheek and knew that this was yet another bond between them. “So you can visit her anytime you want,” he promised. “I’ll make sure of that.”
GOLDIE LAY at Patience’s feet. Patience reached down to pet the golden retriever on the head. “I know. You want to get out to see your sweetheart again. But you are not the only one having problems, Goldie.”
Goldie looked up at her with sober black eyes.
“I have another column to write. It’s due by tomorrow evening. The only problem is, I just can’t concentrate.”
“Maybe you just need something to eat and a good night’s sleep,” Josh suggested, sticking his head in the studio door.
It was more than just that keeping her mind from her work, Patience thought. It was because of Alec, and all she still didn’t know about the circumstances surrounding his death.
Oblivious to her prickly mood, Josh suggested affably, “Why don’t I see what I can rustle up for supper?”
Patience nodded. It had been hours since they had eaten lunch and she was hungry, too. “I’ll be in to help in a minute,” Patience said a little distractedly.
As soon as Josh had disappeared, she turned her computer back on. Going through the newspaper syndicate’s data bank, she made an E-mail request for information on mob activity in the Yale area around the time of her wedding and Alec’s disappearance, and again in Louisiana around the time of his death, five years later. She also wanted to get
a look at the obituary that said he had died of pneumonia. And she wanted to know more about Holly Diehl. Just who was she? And how and why had Josh been involved with Holly? Was it possible the two of them were both federal agents, involved in some kind of ongoing investigation? And if so, why didn’t Josh just tell her that? Surely he knew by now he could trust her to keep his confidence.
At the sound of rapid keystrokes, Goldie perked her head up. Patience felt a flash of guilt. She pushed it away. “I have to do this, girl,” she told Josh’s dog.
Goldie tilted her head slightly to the side.
“I know Josh thinks I would be safer if I remained in the dark about everything that went on back then, and now, but I have to know,” Patience whispered. One way or another she was going to find out the whole truth, whether Josh helped her or not. And then, and only then, would she decide if she should further her involvement with Josh, because like it or not, she was precariously close to falling deeply, irrevocably, headover-heels in love with him.
Patience forwarded the request for information via electronic mail, then switched off her computer. “In the meantime, I guess I better get in there and help Josh in the kitchen.”
She headed that way, Goldie trotting happily after her. Since they had returned Wrangler to his owners, he hadn’t been back. As a result, Goldie—who was still in heat—was much happier in a general sense, though still seemed to be feeling the effects of unrequited love. Which in turn made Patience wonder if maybe the key to happiness was simply getting rid of the male in your life who was constantly tempting and exciting you and yet making you miserable…. At the moment, Goldie sure seemed better off.
Josh was standing in front of the refrigerator, peering at the contents thoughtfully. “What are you in the mood for? Hot? Cold? Sweet? Spicy?”
The Ranch Stud Page 15
