he gave her a careful look, he nodded and reached for his end of the stretcher.
JEFF HAUSEN HAD BEEN in Cactus for a year. He knew most of the citizens by now, and he’d even begun to be accepted by the older members of the community. Though he supposed he’d be called the “new” doctor until he was eighty.
But he’d never met Diane Peters.
He’d heard of her, of course. Gabe and Katie were his friends. When he’d visited Cactus to talk with Doc, he’d met Katie…and been attracted to her, in spite of his intentions.
Gabe, however, had rushed his beloved Katie to the altar to stake his claim. The Peters family, Katie’s family, was large, but Diane and Raine had remained in Lubbock, the nearest large city, except when they returned for Katie’s wedding.
“How badly hurt is their mother?”
Her question jolted him. He realized they’d reached the back of his Suburban. He laid his end of the stretcher on the floorboard and climbed in. The racks he’d had installed to hold a stretcher would come in handy.
“Bad,” he muttered in answer.
Once the boy was settled, he climbed back out.
“Do you want me to stay back here with him, or ride with the little girl?”
“The baby,” he replied. “She’s getting hysterical and this little guy should be all right until we get there.”
She nodded and hurried around to the back door where the baby was screaming.
The immediate lowering of the sirenlike screams showed he’d made the right decision. He stepped to Cal’s side. “You going to get some help?”
“No, probably not. I’ve got the woman’s purse. There wasn’t much in the trunk but some remnants of a picnic. Red paint on the car. I’ll be back to the office shortly.”
“Okay, I’m taking these two in. I imagine the woman will need a lot of work, so I’ll be tied up for a while.”
With a nod to Cal, he strode to his vehicle. “Everything okay?” he asked as he climbed in.
“Yes,” Diane Peters said quietly. She was sitting as close to the baby seat as possible, but he didn’t have to tell her to keep the baby buckled in. Instead, her arms were cuddling the little girl, soothing her as best she could.
He started the car and made a U-turn. Then he sped toward the clinic.
WHEN THEY REACHED Cactus, Diane saw Doc waiting for them.
His comforting presence made her feel more settled.
“You got this covered?” Dr. Hausen asked as soon as they were unloaded.
“Yeah, and Sam’s getting everything ready.”
Doc had always sent his more serious patients into Lubbock for treatment, but the clinic had been enlarged, and both doctors were young and well-trained.
After the other doctor had disappeared, Diane said, “Things have changed a lot since I’ve been gone.”
“For the better. Sam and Jeff make a great team.” Even as he talked, he was examining the boy. Then he asked one of the nurses to x-ray him.
“How about I check out this little angel now,” he suggested, holding out his arms.
The baby had settled down as long as Diane held her. But Doc’s offer didn’t sit well with her. She clung to Diane’s neck, her sobs starting again.
“Well, we know her tear ducts are working well,” Doc said wryly. “Why don’t we sit down over here,” he suggested, waving to several chairs.
As she held the little girl, soothing her as much as she could, Doc listened to her heartbeat, checked her eyes and ears and felt her head.
“I think she has a mild concussion, probably a bad headache. I’m going to give her a mild sedative which should help the pain and maybe settle her down. Do you want me to have them set up a bed for her?”
Diane frowned. “Maybe I’d better continue to hold her. And keep her near her brother. She’s happier when she can see him.”
“You’re a good girl, Diane, just like your sister. Are you staying home now?” he asked as he opened a cupboard.
Straightening her shoulders, she replied, “I’m staying.” She didn’t feel she had a choice. Katie had given up her dream of college when their father died and spent the next ten years putting her siblings through school. Now she was married with a new baby. It was time for Diane to take some of the burden from Katie’s shoulders.
Doc paused, frowning at her over his shoulder. “You happy about that?”
“Of course. I’ve already been offered a job with Mac and Gabe.” She worked hard at the enthusiasm. “Since Rick Astin moved here, there’s a lot more work.”
“Yeah, he’s made a big difference. He paid for the improvements around here, including the ambulance. Nice, isn’t it?”
“Yes. It sure came in handy today.” The little girl screamed when Doc approached her again, a needle in his hands.
“She’s obviously been to the doctor and gotten shots before,” Doc said calmly over the noise she was making. “That’s good.”
The nurse returned with the X rays as Doc administered the shot. By the time he’d finished examining them, the baby had subsided in Diane’s arms, her lids drifting closed, her breathing becoming more even.
“Good, she’s quieted down,” Doc said, checking the little girl again. “We’re going to set the boy’s arm. Then we’ll settle him into a room and you can take his sister in there, okay?”
“Sure, Doc. I’m going to call Mom while you’re doing that, so she won’t worry.”
“Good.”
Her mother was alarmed when Diane called. Gabe had called Katie after the interview, to tell her how things had gone, and she’d called their mother, so Margaret had been expecting Diane home an hour ago.
“I was so worried,” she exclaimed.
“Sorry, Mom, I’m fine. But I found a wreck, with the people injured and I came back to Cactus to help with them.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. But you’ll be home soon?”
“I don’t think so. I’m holding the little girl. She’s maybe two. The mother is being assessed, so I think I’ll stay with the children until we know something.”
She hadn’t realized she’d made a conscious decision until she’d answered her mother. But she couldn’t abandon the sweetheart in her arms. Or the little boy. He couldn’t be older than four. If she had children that age, she’d want—but she didn’t intend to have children. She’d already made that decision.
She settled in a chair
