The Rancher’s Surprise Triplets. Linda Ford

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СКАЧАТЬ something else to do besides fight.”

      “I didn’t start it.”

      “Next time walk away.”

      Jamie spun on his heel and did exactly that.

      Bo sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He could do without all these problems. And if he didn’t hurry he was going to be late for the meeting he’d called.

      He returned to the main pathway between booths. People came from all over the county to display and sell their wares. He eyed the fine saddles in one booth and promised himself he’d come back for a closer look. Booth after booth revealed the abilities of the Texas people—fancy tooled leather harnesses, fine linen embroidered tablecloths. For a flash he thought of his mother. Wouldn’t she have liked one of those? Across from that booth Mrs. Longfeather showed her turquoise and silver jewelry and other Native crafts.

      “The young bucks are restless,” she said in her soft voice.

      He understood she referred to Jamie and Peter. “I should have given them a hard task to do so they wouldn’t have time for getting into trouble.”

      “Some are born for trouble as the sparks fly upward. Others need the strike of the flint to start a fire.” She paused and studied him with her bottomless black eyes. “Still others turn from the fire, afraid of its burn, at the same time depriving themselves of its warmth.” Her study of him continued. Was she trying to tell him something? But she turned away and arranged a display of jewelry.

      Bo hesitated. He wanted to know where she saw the Hills and the Colemans. Where she saw him. Except he didn’t. Like she’d pointed out, some men would deprive themselves of warmth in order to avoid the burn. And why he saw his father in the flames, he could not say. Shaking his head, he hurried on.

      Before he arrived at the meeting tent, he stopped to speak to one of the boys he spent time with through the Young Ranchers program they’d started last year. “Would you run to the doctor’s house and ask Miss Clark to bring the babies here?”

      The boy looked a little startled, then took off like a shot.

      Bo ducked into the tent that served as a temporary office—meant mainly for lost and found children and items, a first-aid station, and to provide information. The members of the league were all there. Abe Sawyer and Gabe Dooley, both ranchers, had joined the original members. Bo glanced about, making eye contact with each of them before he began to speak.

      “We have a situation.” He explained about the triplets. “We haven’t been able to find the mother, so in the meantime, we must make arrangements for these babies.”

      Every one of them stared at him. He couldn’t say if they were shocked more by the fact of triplets in their midst, that the babies had been abandoned or the thought of asking someone to take on the care of three babies.

      Lula May McKay, wife of Edmund, one of the three McKay brothers, and the only woman on the league, was the first to speak. “My heart goes out to this woman. I know what it’s like to feel so desperate.” She’d been a widow with five children to care for when Edmund found her and fell in love with her. He wrapped an arm about her shoulders and pulled her tight to his side. “I was fortunate enough to have Edmund come alongside me. We need to find her and let her know that we will help her.”

      There came a murmur of agreement.

      Bo nodded. This was what the league stood for...helping those in need.

      Brandon had joined the meeting at Bo’s invitation and Brandon stepped forward. “If I may speak?”

      The others grew quiet.

      “Jeb and I have been asking around to no avail. The mother seems to have disappeared.”

      Jeb stepped to Brandon’s side. “It can prove mighty hard to find someone who doesn’t want to be found in a crowd like what’s out there.” He tipped his head and they all nodded, the sounds from outside plenty loud enough to let them know the crowd’s large size.

      Blustery Casper Magnuson spoke. “People don’t vanish into thin air. You’re the sheriff. You should be able to find her. Isn’t that what we pay you to do?”

      Lula May waited for the protests at Casper’s remark to die down. “Where are the babies now?”

      “I left them at the doctor’s to have them checked out.”

      David McKay stepped forward to speak. “Are you telling us the babies have something wrong with them? Is that why the mother left them? Three sick babies is a lot of work.”

      His sister-in-law chuckled. “Sometimes one child is a lot of work.” That brought gentle laughter from everyone at the reference to eight-year-old Maggie, who kept her father on his toes as he tried to keep her out of mischief.

      Casper waved them to silence. “Three sick babies who aren’t even part of our community. I don’t see that we have any responsibility toward them. Send them to the orphanage at New Braunfels.”

      All three of the McKay brothers spoke at once, protesting that idea.

      The discussion grew louder and more discordant.

      Bo tried to get control of the meeting but Casper was not about to be silenced.

      The tent flap parted and Louisa pushed the cart full of babies into their midst. Her father followed.

      Bo released his pent-up breath, relieved that the doctor had seen the babies. As quickly as it escaped, his breath rushed in and stalled. What if the doctor had bad news about the three little ones?

      No one spoke. Even Casper stopped yelling as they all stared at the matching babies.

      Whatever Louisa and the doctor had done for them, the babies were no longer crying and sat up in the cart, looking around the circle of strangers. Theo’s bottom lip quivered and tears pooled in his bottom eyelids. Eli stared unblinkingly and Jasper lifted a pudgy little hand as if to say hello.

      Lula May was the first to recover. “They’re darling. Oh, Edmund, can we take them home?”

      Edmund’s mouth worked but nothing came out. Lula May nudged him. “I’m joshing.” Bo thought she looked dead serious. “Of course we can’t take them. Our hands are full with our own family.”

      Doc Clark cleared his throat. “These babies are sick. Nothing serious. Colds and ear infections, but I think it’s best if they stay with us until they’re healthy. That will give me more opportunity to assess their development, though from what I’ve seen, they are sturdy babies. Louisa can look after them.”

      Bo watched Louisa for her reaction but her expression gave away nothing. “Are you okay with that, Miss Clark? I seem to recall you mentioning how busy you were.”

      She shifted from smiling at the babies to frowning at him. “They need medical attention at the moment.”

      He took that as her agreement to keep the babies for as long as they needed medical care and turned back to the others in the room. “We need to come up with a plan for when they’ve recovered.”

      Casper crossed his arms to consider Louisa. “You should find yourself a husband. СКАЧАТЬ