Picking up the baby’s car seat and moving him with her, Eva stepped over to greet the two men.
Carson thrust out a hand and smiled as he spoke in a subdued voice. “I came to check on Ben. How is he holding up?”
She shook the man’s hand, highly conscious of Tyler standing beside her. Even without looking, she could feel his gaze resting on her. A fissure of awareness swept down her spine. She was suddenly self-conscious about her appearance. Was her hair in place? Did her makeup look nice? She hoped Tyler wouldn’t notice the white stain on her coat from where Cody had spit up on her.
“He’s doing as well as can be expected, but no improvement,” she said.
Carson shook his head. “I’d hoped he would be coming out of it by now. That day he had the accident, he was so upset when he called to tell me he’d found the baby on your doorstep. I should have told him to stay home and I’d drive over to him.”
“What happened?” Tyler asked.
Carson shrugged and slung his thumbs through his belt loops. “Ben missed the monthly League meeting. That wasn’t like him at all. Especially since he knew we’d be discussing all the cattle rustling and other thefts we’ve had going on lately. After the meeting ended, he called and told me that he’d found a baby on his doorstep. He was pretty shaken up by it all and wanted to talk. He said he’d ride over to my place, but he never arrived. When I called later on, I found out that he’d gotten bucked off his horse and was lying unconscious here in the hospital.”
Tyler shifted his booted feet. “Well, he’s getting the best of care. I can guarantee that.”
His comforting words brought warmth to Eva’s chest.
“Did his doctor say when he should come out of the coma?” Carson asked.
“No, but the longer he’s out, the worse his prognosis becomes.” Eva spoke softly, not wanting Aunt Mamie to overhear their conversation. It was upsetting enough without scaring the woman any more. The last thing Eva wanted was to make Mamie sick with worry.
“It’s in God’s hands now,” Carson said.
Eva nodded and tried to smile. But under the circumstances she found the situation a bit hopeless and sad.
“Yes, we need to have faith. God will carry us through,” she said, determined to believe her own words.
Tyler made a low, derogatory sound in the back of his throat. He looked away and she got the impression he didn’t agree. That wasn’t so strange when she considered that she hadn’t seen him in church since he was a teenager. As a kid he’d always attended with his parents, but not anymore. And she couldn’t help wondering what might have changed him.
“Any news about your missing horse?” Eva asked Tyler.
He shook his head. “No, but the sheriff’s working on it.”
“I think the league’s Rustling Investigation Team should pay a visit to your place, just to have a look around. They might be able to figure out who stole your horse and saddle,” Carson said.
A hard glint filled Tyler’s eyes. “I’ll take any help I can get. In fact, I’d like to become a member of the team and help with the investigation, too.”
Carson blinked in surprise. “But aren’t you leaving town soon?”
“Yes, but does that matter?” Tyler asked.
“I guess not, but I didn’t think you’d be interested,” Carson replied.
“Well, I am. I’d like to help out until it’s time for me to leave, if that’s okay. I want to catch the thief as bad as anyone else. And I want my mare back, too.”
Eva caught a hint of anger in his voice. She knew Tyler was upset about losing his horse, but she didn’t think he had time to join the league in its investigations. No doubt having his mare stolen had incentivized Tyler to get involved. The situation had become personal to him. Yet she detected something deeper within his motives. She just had no idea what that might be.
* * *
“Okay, I think we can arrange for you to become a member of the investigation team,” Carson said.
“Good. I’d appreciate it.” Tyler forced himself to speak in a calm voice.
Recovering his sister’s stolen horse meant a lot to him and his mother. The theft was a deep invasion into their private lives. Knowing that someone had sneaked into their barn late at night while they were sleeping made both him and Mom feel violated. It also made him furious. As though he’d let his baby sister down again. He hadn’t been able to save her life back when she’d got sick, but he sure as shootin’ wanted to get her horse back. He’d promised her that he’d look after Applejack. That the mare would live out her days in comfort. Not become fodder for the slaughterhouses. He had to keep his word. He had to recover the mare. And he didn’t want to share his personal reasons with anyone else.
“I’d like to help with the investigation, too,” Eva said.
Both men stared at her in astonishment.
“But why?” Carson asked.
She inclined her head toward Ben. “I’ve got one cousin in a coma and the other one is in Afghanistan fighting a war. With a new baby to take care of, Aunt Mamie has a lot on her mind right now. She doesn’t need to worry about thieves, too. She needs my help to look after the ranch. I’m trying to take some burdens off her. I’m all she’s got right now. It’s the least I can do for my family. So, I want to help.”
The baby made a little squealing sound. They all looked down as Cody squirmed, stretched and yawned. His little eyelids fluttered open and he looked up at the adults standing around him. Eva swung the car seat back and forth in a gentle rocking motion to quiet him. Tyler watched her, thinking her jaunty movements were adorable. In spite of her misgivings, she really was quite good at caring for a child.
“His rash looks a little bit better already,” Tyler observed.
She nodded with satisfaction. “Yes, thanks to you.”
He flashed a wide smile, unable to help himself. Her words brought a joyful fullness to his chest. For some reason this woman’s opinion mattered a great deal to him. When he’d come here to check on Ben, he hadn’t expected to see Eva, too. But being near her caused his heartbeat to speed up.
“You sure you want to join the investigation team, Eva? They’ll be traveling around to visit various theft sites, and you’ve got this little guy to look after.” Carson gestured toward the baby.
“Yes, I’m sure. I’m not trained in investigation work, but I can sure be vigilant and ask a lot of questions. And Cody won’t be any trouble. He’s a good traveler and he sleeps most of the time anyway,” she insisted.
Carson nodded. “All right, then. I’ll make the necessary arrangements.”
She gave a decisive nod. “Thank you.”
Carson bent down to smile and touch the baby’s hand. Cody promptly latched on to the man’s finger and Carson laughed.
“He’s got a strong grip, but my hands aren’t very clean,” he said.
Eva beamed with pleasure and Tyler could hardly take his eyes off her.
“When are you returning to Austin?” Carson asked.
It took Tyler a moment to realize the man was speaking to him. He jerked his gaze away from Eva, feeling embarrassed to be caught staring at her. “Um, I’m scheduled to leave the day after Thanksgiving.”
But now Tyler wasn’t so sure. He didn’t want to leave his mother until he’d recovered his sister’s horse. That might take some time. Mom already was upset that he was going away, because she’d be all alone. Until this year she’d let most of their land lie fallow and hadn’t been running any livestock. This summer,