The Rancher’s Surprise Triplets

Chapter Four

Louisa couldn’t remember ever being so relieved to see someone come to the door. Father had been home a couple of hours ago but was called away again almost immediately. She struggled alone trying to cope with the babies growing increasingly fussy. Now Bo was here and she meant to take advantage of another pair of hands. She grabbed his arm and dragged him inside. “They’re all crying at once.” She handed him Theo. “Sit in the big chair and hold Jasper too.” Thankfully he obeyed her request without comment. Likely he took in her ruffled appearance, her hair in untidy strands, and decided she needed rescuing. She hurried to explain her desperation. “They’ve napped. They’ve eaten and consumed their milk. I’ve treated their earaches and sponged them to take down their fevers, but they are more and more unhappy. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.” She’d wiped noses and changed diapers. She’d sung. Most of all, she felt like joining them in a good cry.

He jostled the two babies on his knees as she put more warm oil in Eli’s ears. He wailed a protest.

“What makes babies unhappy?”

“Being sick. Having earaches.”

“What else? Maybe missing their mama?”

She stared at him. How had he seen the problem so clearly? “Of course. The poor little mites.” Every bit of fatigue and frustration ended. “Maybe these little toys you brought will comfort them.” She handed one to each of them. Only Jasper took the offered toy.

“I didn’t bring them. They were on the step. I thought maybe you dropped them or—” He bolted to his feet, a baby in each arm. “Their mother? I must look. You sit and hold them while I try and find her.” They traded places and she sat with the three babies squirming and sobbing in her lap.

As he dashed out the door, she sang to the babies. “Safe in the arms of Jesus.”

A little later, he tapped on the door and reentered. Eli slept but the other two continued to fuss. Seeing that Louisa had made a bed for them on the floor again, he took Eli from her arms, laid him down and covered him with a light sheet. Then he took Jasper and left Theo with Louisa.

“They seem to like my singing,” Louisa said somewhat apologetically.

“Then sing.”

She cleared her throat and began the song again. “‘Safe in the arms of Jesus.’”

“Good choice.” He grinned at her then joined his voice to hers, his deep and rich, like finest chocolate, and even the fussing boys grew quiet as if they wanted to hear him better.

Soon the two babies slept in their arms.

Louisa didn’t want to put Theo down. Didn’t want to end this moment of sweet harmony. Bo made no move toward putting Jasper down. Perhaps he too felt the stir of something peaceful between them.

“How was the fair?” she asked, her voice low so she wouldn’t disturb the sleeping baby in her arms.

“A good turnout. We brought in more than I expected. That’s a good thing. Seems we’ll need more money than we originally thought.” He inclined his head toward the babies.

“How sad that a woman feels she has to give up on her offspring.” Though her note suggested she expected to die. If they could find her, perhaps they could aid her so she would live.

He nodded. “But an unselfish act, wouldn’t you say. I’m sure it was extremely hard for her but she loved them enough to do what she thought was best for them.”

Louisa understood about sacrifices for the sake of love. “Love is a powerful compeller.”

“I saw it in action today.” He told her about a lost boy being reunited with his parents and an older boy helped by his kind father. “Then to keep things in balance there was this other man.” A man who appeared to send his son to commit a crime then to abandon him when he was caught. “It reminded me so much of my father. Not that my father was involved in crime. Oh, no. He was an upright citizen with a successful business. All I can say is he must have treated his employees and customers better than he treated his family.” He shifted Jasper. “I find that odd. Shouldn’t those in your family deserve the best you have to give?”

“I certainly believe that.”

He studied her across the room, his pale eyes catching the lamplight and holding it.

She wanted to say more. Wanted to learn more about him. Tell him about her family. But again, she couldn’t find the words.

The door eased open and Father entered the house, smiling when he saw the triplets all asleep. “Bo, it’s good to see you helping.” He smiled at the baby sleeping on Bo’s lap then turned to Louisa. “Has their fever stayed down?”

“It’s been two hours since it last spiked.”

“Good. Good. Let’s pray it lasts.”

Louisa’s conscience stung. She’d been so preoccupied she hadn’t thought to pray for the babies since earlier in the day.

A quiet knock came on the door. Father opened it to Brandon Stillwater.

“I thought I would check on the triplets and see if there is anything they need.” He glanced about the room at one curled up on the floor, another in Louisa’s lap and the third sleeping in Bo’s arms and chuckled. “Looks real good on you, brother.”

“Don’t be thinking I’ll do something foolish. You know how I feel about this.” His glance included the babies and Louisa.

Oh, yes, he included her. Not that he needed to. She was no more interested in marriage and family and him than he was in her and domesticity. She eased to her feet and lowered Theo to the quilt beside Eli, then lifted Jasper from Bo’s arms, doing her best not to touch the man but failing. Her hand slid across his chest, feeling the strength and warmth. Her arm brushed his shoulder. And her heart reacted with a kick against her ribs. She ignored her reactions and put Jasper down beside his brothers. She stood over them, smiling at how peaceful and sweet they were.

Bo and Brandon stood on either side of her, fencing her in so she couldn’t escape. Escape? From what? She knew what she was—her mother’s caregiver—and who—the doctor’s spinster daughter. The plain one. But she was at peace with her role in life. The role God assigned for her. Except looking after the babies and sharing their care, even for a few minutes with Bo, triggered a deep maternal longing.

“I’ve heard there is nothing more peaceful than a sleeping baby,” Brandon said. “And here we have it in threes.”

Father stood to one side. “I hope they stay that peaceful throughout the night and their fevers don’t return.”

“Why don’t we pray for that?” Brandon had his hat in hand and held it to his chest. “Father God, You see here these three little ones. We trust You have sent them to us for a reason. Help them get well. Help them sleep well.”

Bo didn’t wait for his brother to finish. “Help us find their mother and be able to help her. And may the fair be a success.”

“And may Your name be honored. Amen.”

Louisa realized the two men finished each other’s speech and likely their thoughts. Wouldn’t it be fun to see the same thing, only with three little boys? Even now they interacted among themselves with a unity she found endearing.

Bo and Brandon stepped toward the door in unison. “We bid you good-night,” they said as one. And in matching movements placed their hats upon their heads as they left the house.

Louisa grinned. “Do you suppose they know their actions are like mirrors of each other?”

Father chuckled. “I don’t suppose they do.” He looked at her temporary arrangement for the triplets’ bed. “Will they be okay here on their own for the night?”

“I plan to sleep on the sofa so I can keep a watch on them.” They were able to scoot around a bit but hadn’t moved much so far because they weren’t feeling well. No doubt once they felt better that would change. It would be a challenge to keep them safely corralled.

That was a problem she’d deal with when the time came and count herself blessed for the little time they were with her. She covered a huge yawn.

Father chuckled. “I can see you’re tired. I’m off to bed. I hope they sleep for you. Good night, daughter.” He kissed her on her cheek and retired to his room closest to the clinic area off the kitchen.

She didn’t move for a moment as she looked toward the room not yet ready for Mother. Somehow she must manage to tend to that job as well as care for the triplets. A smile lifted the corners of her mouth. The room could wait. For now she would enjoy having some babies to care for.

She prepared for bed, careful not to make any noise and disturb the peaceful babies. With a pillow for her head and quilt for cover, she got as comfortable as she could on the sofa. It had been a busy day and her muscles welcomed the chance to relax.

Sleep came softly, filled with dreams of three little boys toddling about, laughing at each other and running to her for comfort. Even in her dream she knew it wasn’t possible but the dream was sweet, nevertheless.

A sharp cry wakened her and she looked about, disoriented. Then remembrance flooded back and she bolted upright. One of the triplets was crying. If she could get to him in time, she might prevent him from waking the others.

Even as she struggled to her feet, a second voice joined the first. By the time she lit the lamp, all three fussed.

One sounded hoarse. She bent close. Theo struggled to breathe. The other two coughed. They had grown worse. She gathered Theo into her arms. “Poor little boy.” She rubbed his back and spoke comfortingly to him.

The other two lay at her feet, coughing and miserable.

She sat on the floor, her back to the sofa, cradling the babies around her. She propped them up on pillows so they could breathe easier but Theo’s air whistled in and out. He needed steam, but when she tried to push to her feet, they all protested and she sank back.

Father slept through it all, for which she was grateful. His nights were often disturbed and cut short by calls.

The sound of Theo’s lungs working so hard grew more intense. She needed to boil water but she didn’t have enough hands. If she went out of their sight, they would panic, making it even more difficult for them to breathe.

Lord, help me. She should have sent for Annie but the girl was so excited about going to the fair that Louisa didn’t want to spoil her fun. In fact, she hated to ask anyone to give up time at the fair.

Theo coughed and gagged. He struggled to suck in air.

A dark wave rushed through Louisa. Don’t die. Don’t die. Please, God, help me.

Relying solely on instinct and experience as the doctor’s daughter, she flipped him over and patted his back. He coughed and coughed until she thought he would surely cough out his lungs. And then he sucked in a whistling breath and her own lungs gasped in air.

She could not delay any longer. She must steam Theo—all of them—and ignoring the tortured cries of Jasper and Eli, she perched Theo on her hip as she hurried to the kitchen, built up the fire and filled the kettle.

How would she get steam to each of them? Normally she would have built a tent out of sheets, but if she disappeared from sight to fetch them, the babies would get even more upset. She grabbed the nearest thing that would work—a linen tablecloth. Placing a pot of steaming water on a chair where she could make sure the triplets couldn’t touch it, she sat on the floor, gathered them to her knees and draped the cloth over them all, her head forming one tent pole, the back of the chair, another. Steam filled the small area. The moisture dampened her pores, and within minutes, the babies’ breathing eased.

She remained there, closeting them into a cocoon of moisture. The water cooled but inside the tent the air continued to be warm. The babies coughed, but they didn’t choke.

Theo began to whistle again with each breath. Knowing she couldn’t leave it so long this time, she folded back the cloth and did her best to slip away from the babies. They fussed at being disturbed but she had no choice and repeated the procedure.

Even when the triplets slept, she dare not let herself fall asleep for fear she wouldn’t hear a change in their breathing soon enough.

Oh, for morning. Maybe some good soul would appear to help her. Finally the first pink rays of sunrise colored the eastern sky. Father rose, but at the sound of someone in the waiting room, he immediately left. “I’ll see who it is.” A moment later, he stuck his head back in the room. “A man has been seriously injured in a fall. I must attend him. Will you be okay?”

She’d managed the babies all night. “I’ll be fine.” But as he left she realized how alone she was.

Who would help her? She pictured Bo with babies on his knee. They had settled for him. But he would assume they were in her capable hands and turn his feet toward the fair. Already she could hear sounds of the animals coming to life and the people who had camped nearby awakening and calling to each other. The scent of their campfires teased her nose.

The babies stirred. Theo breathed easier but Eli did not.

She abandoned them long enough to get dressed and boil more water. They protested at her departure but she had no choice even though their crying further compromised their ability to get in enough air.

She desperately needed another pair of hands. Lord, please put it on someone’s heart to stop by and offer help. Maybe Brandon would check on the babies and she could ask him to send Annie.

It wasn’t Annie she wanted to show up or Brandon she wanted to knock on the door and offer to help. It was his brother. But she understood that Bo had no reason to call. He had other things on his mind that precluded Louisa. Too late, she reminded herself she should have thought the triplets not herself.

* * *

Leaving his capable foreman Clint in charge of the ranch, Bo left early for town, anxious to supervise day two of the fair. His heart overflowed with gratitude for the success of day one. Peaceful with the knowledge of how well the day had gone, he’d expected to sleep soundly, but a riot of images troubled his rest. A man sneaking into the bank and finding the safe left open. The money gone. Another scene of wind blowing away the tents and leaving nothing but the shivering figure of a lone woman. Mixed feelings as he realized it was the mother of the triplets. Three babies struggling to climb into his lap. Memory of the latter dream brought a smile to his lips.

There was something mighty appealing about the idea.

A hard frown quickly replaced the smile. He would never be a father. He couldn’t trust himself to be what a child deserved.

He leaned forward in anticipation as he approached Little Horn. Families and groups of people camped along the side of the river and in the shelter of the trees, staying the entire three days of the fair. Everyone moved about, preparing breakfast and visiting with those around them.

Bo waved a greeting to those he passed, happy to see how many stayed for the second and, hopefully, the third day. He didn’t stop even though several invited him to join them for coffee or breakfast.

Something urgent pressed to his mind and he rode directly to the bank. Two men—different than the two from last night—held their positions, one at the back and one at the front of the building. Both waved to him. The man at the front called, “Everything is as it should be.”

Those words sang a refrain in his head as he continued on his way to the fairgrounds. Again, people were up and about, feeding their animals and taking care of business. No tents had blown away. None had fallen down. Edmund McKay rode over to his side. He was a responsible rancher, a founding member of the Lone Star Cowboy League. He’d recently married Lula May, a widow with several children. It appeared the man had found happiness with the newly-acquired family. Bo wished him all the best but wouldn’t allow himself to think he’d like the same things.

“See you’re checking on things,” the man said.

“See you are too.” They grinned at each other.

Edmund’s brother David joined them in time to overhear their remarks. “How are the babies?” he asked.

“I’m headed that way to check on them now,” Bo answered. “No one has heard anything about the mother?”

The sheriff sauntered over. “I asked around. She had to arrive by some means, so I asked Mr. Crenshaw at the train station if he’d noticed anything unusual. He chuckled and said with so many people coming and going about, all he took note of was whether or not they had a ticket.” Jeb shook his head. “He wasn’t any help.”

Bo thought of how much he and Brandon had relied on their mother’s love and care. It had gone a long way to balancing out the way their father treated them. He wished the same steady presence for the triplets. “I sure wish we could find her.”

“We’ll keep looking,” Jeb reassured him before he patted Bo’s horse and moved on.

Bo moved on as well, heading down the street toward the doctor’s house. Everything as it should be. The words sang through his head again. When he realized he thought of Louisa and the babies in the same song, he silenced it. He would check on the triplets. Only out of concern for their well-being. Not because he enjoyed the warmth of their little bodies against his chest or because he liked the way they accepted him. And most definitely not because watching Louisa with them soothed his soul. No, it was simply his duty to make sure they were okay. When people asked him about them he wanted to be able to answer them with the latest information.

He arrived and took his time draping the reins over the post and looking about as if taking stock of the early morning activities. Anyone observing would come to the conclusion he wasn’t in a hurry to see the occupants of the house before him. He wanted to convince himself of the same.

He sauntered casually up the steps and rapped on the door.

Louisa threw back the door, grabbed him and pulled him in. She held Eli, the baby’s eyes glassy, his nose running.

The other two wailed at being left. He took in the rumpled quilt and white sheet on the floor. The scattering of pillows. The wooden-back chair in the middle of the room. A very marked contrast to the peaceful scene of last night.

“You need some help?” He didn’t wait for her answer but went to the big chair and pulled the pair from the floor to his knees.

Louisa stood in the middle of the room. Dark shadows curled below her brown eyes. Eyes that had a hollowed-out look to them.

“A rough night?”

She scraped a hand over her brown hair. “I know I look a mess.”

She certainly looked worn-out and frazzled but a mess? No. There was something appealing about her looks...like a woman who put the needs of the triplets ahead of her own. “You look like a woman who spent a difficult night with three babies.” How would she react to that observation? It didn’t sound complimentary though in his mind, it was.

Her chuckle made him blink.

“If you intended that to make me feel better then thank you, but I have to tell you it missed the mark.”

He grinned at her. “Believe me, it was meant as a compliment.”

Her gaze searched his. “How is that?”

No reasonable explanation came to mind but he did the best he could. “To see you willing to give of yourself for these little fellows...well, it reminds me of my own mother.”

A sweet expression smoothed her face. “That’s a very nice thing to say.” She sat in the chair facing him and lifted Eli to her shoulder, patting his back.

On his knee, Jasper and Theo seemed content to lean listlessly against him. “I thought they were on the mend.”

“All three of them developed coughs in the night. They took turns having a croup attack.” She leaned her head against the back of the chair. “I think they’re improving this morning.” Slowly her gaze came to his, full of warmth. “Now that you’ve compared me to your mother, I think I deserve to hear more about her.”

He shifted to accommodate the restless babies. “She was the most patient woman. She tried to protect us from our father by sending us to the nurse as soon as he came home, but Father knew that’s what she did, so when we turned seven he said we no longer needed a nurse. That’s when we really got to see him for what he was. Before that whenever we saw him and Mother together she smiled and looked happy. But we soon learned it wasn’t real. She tried her best to hide how hurt she was but she couldn’t all the time. He would tell her she was useless. Nothing but a pretty useless ornament. She’d never be able to survive without him. So often she was reduced to tears.” He stopped speaking as his throat tightened. He’d never before told anyone how he’d felt but now the words poured forth. “I wanted to protect her but soon learned if I intervened it only made things worse for her. I can’t tell you how often I was ashamed because I couldn’t help her.” His insides grew brittle as he recalled the cruel words and taunts. “He tried to turn Brandon and me against each other but he couldn’t succeed.”