“He was left here late last night.” Tanner’s lips tightened. “I’m guessing he’s been kept inside a barn or something for a long time, because I’m pretty sure he’s got thrush on his feet.”
“That’s not a common ailment here in the desert.” Wyatt climbed the fence and walked closer for a better look, barely aware that Tanner followed. “He seems lame... Did you notice he doesn’t flex his foot?” He spoke soothingly while he lifted the horse’s leg and probed the tender heel and frog area.
“Yeah, I noticed. Lack of flexing usually means his hooves didn’t get cleaned much.” Tanner’s voice was low and gruff. “Which certainly seems to be the case.”
“It’s hard to understand cruelty to animals,” Wyatt agreed softly. “You’re doing the right thing. Keep him in the fresh air, get him to walk around, and watch what happens.”
“Can I call you if it doesn’t clear up?”
“Of course. Meanwhile, keep his heels trimmed back.” Wyatt swept his hand across the horse’s flanks after releasing his foot. “He could stand some extra oats, too.”
“He’s getting them,” Tanner said with a nod. “Don’t worry, Wyatt. My foreman, Lefty, Moses and I are all keeping a close eye on this guy. He won’t suffer at Wranglers.”
“You’ve got some great stock here, the kind I’d like to add to my own ranch someday.” Wyatt surveyed the other horses with their shiny coats in the surrounding paddocks. Someday, he promised himself as he closed the gate. Then he wondered if he could keep that promise.
“You’re anxious to get back to Cade.” Tanner wasn’t asking a question.
Wyatt nodded. “I used to be a workaholic, but after Taryn died, I vowed I’d always put Cade first.” Self-conscious about revealing that, Wyatt kept his head bent as he cleaned his boots on the grass.
“A good thing for all fathers to remember,” Tanner agreed. “But doing your job isn’t ignoring Cade. He’s not suffering. He’s probably still sleeping, in fact. And he’s got an amazing caregiver in Ellie. She’s really fantastic with kids. She used to have lists of people begging to get their kids into her day care.”
“It was nice of her to watch him for me.” So Ellie had run a day care. Was that how she’d known Cade was going to be sick that day in the store? “I thought she was a nurse.”
“She is. But when Gracie was born, Ellie wanted to stay home with her. So she set up a day care in her house.” Tanner made a face. “Believe me, there were a lot of unhappy folks last August when she closed down Fiddlesticks—that was the name of her day care.”
“If it was successful, why would she do that?” He had no business asking anything about Wranglers’ nurse, but Wyatt was curious.
“Gracie was ready for school. Ellie figured it was a good time to get back to nursing.” He grinned. “Sophie and I have been blessed having her here at Wranglers. The kids just adore her. Cade will, too. You’ll see.”
Privately Wyatt doubted his son would be around Ellie Grant enough to get to that stage, but he simply nodded and kept his opinions to himself, anxious to see how his son had fared.
“He’s still asleep,” Ellie said meeting them at the patio door. “I’ve just made some coffee and put a tray out here. Want some?”
“Sounds good. I see Sophie’s car. I’ll just go see if she needs help,” Tanner said. “You two go ahead.”
Somewhat self-consciously Wyatt followed Ellie to the table under a lacy mesquite tree where she’d set a plate of cookies, a carafe and three mugs. Cade lay nearby in the shade in a makeshift bed in an old washtub, eyes closed, breathing deeply.
“He’s still sleeping.” Wyatt was somewhat surprised to realize two hours had passed.
“Of course.” Ellie smiled, her eyes lighting up as she glanced at the little boy. “He wore himself out yelling, I guess. Gracie used to do that. Drove me bonkers sometimes. She’d get so tired out that she couldn’t seem to relax and let sleep come. I was usually so exhausted that when she finally crashed I did, too.”
“Except when you had to open your day care,” he added. “Tanner said you had a long client list.”
“I did. It was fun if exhausting. I was ready for a change. Especially after—” She checked herself as a fleeting frown washed over her face, then regrouped and shrugged. “I was pretty nervous about letting Gracie start school.”
“Why?” He sipped the coffee she’d poured.
“Until then I’d been in total control of Gracie’s world.” Her lips tilted in a wry smile. “The thought of allowing someone else to take over and not be there to see she was all right caused me some sleepless nights.”
“So how did you handle it?” he asked.
“With Sophie’s help.” Ellie grinned. “I’d consulted her about some catering, she led me to the Lord, and she’s been mentoring me ever since. She suggested I needed to start trusting that God cares as much and even more about Gracie than I do, so now I’m trying to trust Him. Since I’m a control freak where Gracie’s concerned it’s not easy, but I’m learning.”
“Was Sophie catering something for your day care?” he asked as he selected one of Sophie’s homemade cookies from the plate Ellie held out.
“Uh, no.” Ellie hesitated. To Wyatt she looked sort of embarrassed. “Something personal, but it turned out that I didn’t need her services after all.” Her diffidence surprised him.
“She sure has a good reputation as a caterer. Well deserved, judging by these cookies.” He savored the lemon flavor. “I’ve heard about her success all over Tucson.” Wyatt glanced around. “Just like I’ve heard about Tanner’s success with this place.”
“Sophie’s amazing, and Wranglers Ranch is a fantastic ministry. I am so happy to be part of it,” Ellie enthused. “And Gracie loves school, so God took care of that worry, too.” She studied him, her head tilted to one side. “How do you manage work and Cade?”
“Mostly I don’t,” Wyatt admitted. “My wife died about a year ago. Since then work has come a distant second.”
“I’m sure.” She touched his hand fleetingly. “I’m sorry, Wyatt.”
“Thanks. Anyway, I’m Cade’s only parent now, so I’ve been trying to be sure I’m there when he needs me.” He made a face. “Only thing is, toddlers don’t have much downtime. And that makes it hard to build up my veterinarian practice.”
“And you must do that—build it up?” Ellie’s eyebrows lifted as she waited.
“Yes. It’s very important to me.” He wasn’t going to tell her why, though he could see the question lurking in her eyes. “But it’s difficult. Just yesterday I agreed to be at a client’s place in the morning, but then Cade bumped his head on the coffee table. After that he wouldn’t settle down, so I had to cancel.” He made a face. “Doesn’t make for a good working relationship with your clients or help your reputation when you have to withdraw from a call.”
“No, I don’t suppose it does.” Ellie frowned. “Couldn’t you hire a caregiver to come in?”
“I do sometimes,” he said, feeling defensive. “But she wasn’t available yesterday morning when I called.”
“I can see that would be a problem. What about scheduling specific work hours? You could hire a caregiver from, say, eight to noon. While they watched Cade you could work, knowing you’d be available for him later.”
“Actually I did try that once when Cade was younger. It didn’t work.” Wyatt reconsidered. “Maybe it’s time to try it again. Thanks.” The agency would be relieved if he had regular