A Baby For Lord Roderick. Emily Dalton

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СКАЧАТЬ happened to have been the romantic hero in some of her more vivid girlhood fantasies. She supposed it was all those hours in the tree, watching him, making up stories about him….

      She grabbed the digital thermometer from the countertop and swiped the probe with an alcohol swab.

      “Do you need me?” Doug demanded. “Because if you don’t, I’d better get back to the Gas ’n Go. I’ve called Lamont and I’m meeting him there.”

      Allie looked up. “You called Lamont out tonight?” Lamont was the county’s Crime Scene Investigator.

      Doug nodded curtly. “Attempted murder is pretty serious stuff, Allie. Got to get the evidence while it’s fresh.”

      Murder. Allie could hardly believe something like this was happening in Annabella. She nodded, then said, “Go to the hall closet and get the small quilt Grandma Lockwood made, please.”

      Doug immediately turned and headed for the door. She caught sight of Bea hovering just behind her father, trembling with either excitement or fear. “Get a blanket for Bea, too,” she called after him.

      Doug was a lot easier than Liam to order around, even if he only did what he was told when he wanted to, or really needed to, as now. Besides, he knew where everything was.

      She turned back to the baby, pushed the sweater just far enough aside to expose his bottom, and inserted the probe. She could have used the ear thermometer and got an instant reading, but she’d found the rectal thermometer to be more accurate and it took only a few seconds longer.

      Liam kept his hand on the child’s chest and stomach, his fingers making tiny, caressing circles. With his free hand, he reached back and rubbed Bea’s neck and shoulders, trying to calm her. Once upon a time Allie had watched those hands whittling sticks, building a birdhouse, digging in the dirt for nightcrawlers or for stones to skip on the pond by Mary’s house. Liam’s grown-up hands were elegantly shaped, the fingers long and tapered, the nails immaculately groomed.

      But it was the way he was trying to comfort both children at once that made her smile up at him and say, “Don’t worry. I think the baby’s going to be fine. By the looks of him, he has only a mild case of hypothermia…thanks to you. You must have found him very soon after the birth. You did just the right thing bundling him up in the sweater and finding help. I’ll know exactly what to do, too, as soon as I get this temperature reading.”

      Liam didn’t return her smile. His green, matinee-idol eyes stared back at her for a moment, then his gaze shifted to the baby. Her overture rejected, Allie felt a little stab of hurt, of annoyance.

      The thermometer beeped and she read the temperature with a sigh of relief. She was tempted to smile, but remembered the response to her first smile and didn’t. “Just as I thought, his temperature is only slightly below normal. We can treat him here and save him the trauma of a trip to the hospital tonight, particularly since it’s still raining like gangbusters. He’ll be much safer, warmer and dryer here than en route to a facility seventy miles away.”

      Liam straightened up and pulled Bea against his side. “I called the operator from a pay phone. She told me to wait there for the sheriff. He showed up about two minutes later—which was quite a relief—then I followed him here. But I assumed he called for an ambulance. Wouldn’t that be routine?”

      Allie picked up her stethoscope and hooked it around her neck. “Not necessarily, but we’ll ask Doug. On a night like this, we’d be lucky to get one. Our nearest ambulance center is located in Kamas, same as our nearest hospital. They both service an area that’s sparsely populated but very large in terms of miles. And getting to some of the more remote areas can be tricky on the system of highways we’ve got in this part of the state. We’ve learned to take care of what we can on our own, or drive like the wind to get someone to Kamas if there’s a life and death situation.”

      Liam gave a slight, disapproving shake of his head. “What if this had been a life and death situation? What if it still is?”

      Allie was now convinced of something she’d suspected all along…that Liam didn’t have a gnat’s worth of faith in her abilities. Again she told herself that he’d just been traumatized and was probably not his usual charming self.

      She took a deep breath and forced an understanding smile. “Trust me, Lord Roderick, the baby will be fine. I really do have the situation under control.”

      At his continued doubtful scowl and silence, she spoke up again, this time her words more clipped and pointed. “I may practice in a rural area, but I’ve still got all the skills necessary to be a doctor. There’s no time to poll the townspeople for an opinion of my abilities, but I’ve got a pretty darn good reputation. If you’ve got doubts about my credentials, however, my framed diplomas and certification documents are displayed over my desk in the next room.”

      If Liam was chagrined by her mild sarcasm and felt an urge to apologize, Allie didn’t wait to find out. She fit the stethoscope to her ears and listened to the baby’s heart and lungs. Although slightly tachy, his pulse was strong and had a regular sinus rhythm. His respirations were a little shallow, but the airways sounded clear as a bell. There was nothing unexpected, nothing she couldn’t treat right there in the office.

      Next she removed the oxygen mask—he was pinking up very nicely already—and checked the baby’s pupils and reflexes. They were normal. Then she gently moved the baby’s arms and legs, probing and testing for possible breaks or bruises. He seemed fine, but follow-up X rays at the hospital tomorrow would be a good idea.

      During the entire examination, the baby didn’t make a peep. He just lay there, listlessly staring. Allie figured he didn’t have the energy to cry, but she’d soon fix that.

      Doug came back in the meantime and confirmed her suspicions that he hadn’t bothered to call an ambulance at all. He’d decided to wait for Allie’s take on the situation. Despite everything else wrong with their relationship, at least Doug believed in her abilities as a doctor.

      Now her ex-husband was standing at her elbow, looking uncomfortable as he held out the small quilt. Allie understood his discomfort. Grandma Lockwood had made and given the quilt to Allie in anticipation of a great-grandchild, and had died still believing that she and Doug would someday have a baby of their own. Allie had always intended to give the quilt to someone who could actually use it, but despite lots of friends and relatives having babies, she just couldn’t bring herself to part with such a precious gift. It would be like giving away a dream.

      After Allie took the quilt, Doug handed a regularsize blanket to Liam. Liam had picked up Bea in his arms to cuddle and soothe her while Allie examined the baby, and now he quickly settled her in a chair by the door, tucking the blanket snugly around her from neck to toes.

      Bea remained silent, but her worried look must have prompted Liam to say with a reassuring smile, “Don’t worry, love. No need for the hospital. The doctor says the baby’s going to be just fine.” Then he stooped and kissed her on the top of her head.

      Bea’s pinched little face relaxed a bit. Now if only Bea’s father actually believed what he was saying, Allie thought wryly.

      “Anything else you need before I go?” Doug asked.

      “I’ve got premixed bottles of formula in that bottom cabinet in the kitchen by the fridge. You know, where I’ve always kept the bottled water? Heat one for a minute or so under the tap. Room temperature would normally be fine, but this little guy could use something warm.”

      Doug СКАЧАТЬ