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“I told you, she has a fever. I’m trying to determine why and how bad it might be.” Bella never looked up at him, though she could feel his body’s warmth seeping through her thin clothes, making her wonder if she might be running a fever, too. “Where is the child’s mother?”
A long, deadly silence followed her question, and Bella realized the baby had quieted down.
“My wife, Kaydie’s mother, was killed in a car accident a couple of months ago.” His voice was so hushed, Bella could barely make out the words.
He laid a firm hand on Bella’s shoulder. “Who are you?”
Keeping both hands on the baby’s warm body, Bella turned her head to answer him. “I’m sorry for your recent loss, señor. My name is Isabella Maria Fernandez. But please call me Bella.” She managed a half smile, trying to ignore the brushfire he’d ignited inside her with his touch. “Can we have our discussions later? Right now your daughter’s welfare should be your first concern.”
“She is my first concern.” His fingers dug lightly into her shoulder. “Where are you from, Bella? Who sent you?”
“No one sent me.” Did this man not realize how potentially serious a high fever could be? “Please. I will tell you everything just as soon as I am satisfied the baby is not in immediate danger.”
“What do you know about this kind of thing? Do you have children of your own, or are you a doctor?”
His hold on her shoulder tightened, and she winced involuntarily. “In my country I am a licensed nurse. I received training in the United States to be what you call a practical nurse.” She tried to twist free of his grip. “Por favor, you’re hurting me. Let me do what I can for your daughter. Then we will talk.”
He eased his hand from her shoulder, but his six-foot frame towered over them as he continued to keep a steady watch on his daughter. Bella thought he must truly be concerned and aware of his duty to his own flesh and blood, but he didn’t seem to know the first thing about how to care for a sick child.
“Do you have a flashlight and a baby thermometer?” she repeated.
“I saw a flashlight in this drawer.” He pulled open a cabinet drawer and handed her the heavy metal light. “There may be a thermometer in Kaydie’s things in the front room. I haven’t had a chance to unpack yet.”
He hesitated while Bella coaxed the baby to open her mouth. With one free hand she held the child’s head and with the other Bella pointed the light down her throat.
The father looked as if he wanted to pace the floor, but his obvious leg injuries held him back. “I’ll go look through her things for a thermometer. I think the boxes are marked.” He took his crutch and began to limp toward the doorway but turned before he’d gone through. “Will she be all right?”
“Yes. Your daughter should be okay. Her throat looks fine and she doesn’t seem to be in as much distress as she was when I arrived. Let’s just take her temperature to be sure, though. Okay?”
The norteamericano father nodded once then disappeared on his mission.
“Ah, niña,” Bella cooed to the child. “What are you doing way out here with a man who can barely help himself, let alone take care of a baby? Why is there no woman to attend to you?”
Bella had been struck by the lack of emotion in the gringo’s voice when he’d mentioned his wife’s death. Perhaps he was still so grief-stricken that he dared not even speak of her in case he broke down. Bella knew lots of men in Mexico who would act in that same way. She vowed not to mention the baby’s mother again unless he brought her up first.
Bella felt sure that the fever had already lessened its grip on the child’s body. “Kaydie, wasn’t it?” The baby’s light-blue eyes stared up at her in that curious way some babies had. “Well, Kaydie. Let’s see if we can make you a little more comfortable.”
After turning on the water tap, Bella waited a few minutes for the water to reach the right lukewarm temperature. Carefully she placed the baby in the sink, but not directly under the water’s stream. Cupping her hand, she put a bit of the water on the baby’s chest and tummy, then let the water fill the sink.
“How does that feel?” she asked in Spanish.
Kaydie responded by widening her eyes and hiccuping. She seemed to understand the language—or perhaps it was the tone that Bella used. Or maybe the baby just liked the feel of the tepid water on her heated skin. Bella turned off the water faucet and held the baby in the sink while the water turned colder.
“Are you giving her a bath?” The father’s voice startled Bella as he dragged himself back into the room. “I found a thermometer, and I brought her diaper bag.”
“Good. Set the bag down on the table, then come here and hold Kaydie while I take her temperature.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he grumbled while he did as she’d asked.
Bella knew a disgruntled tone when she heard one, but she didn’t care. He had an air about him that, like many norteamericano men, said he was powerful, rich and accustomed to getting things done his own way.
But right now he needed her help. And he could darn well do things her way to get it.
She dried Kaydie off and wrapped her in a clean towel. Instructing the child’s father to sit, she placed her in his lap. While he held the baby, Bella stuck the digital thermometer in her ear to take her temperature.
“You know my name, señor,” she asked as she held the thermometer in place. “May I ask for yours?”
“Gentry,” the man bristled.
When Bella continued to watch him expectantly, this Gentry fellow seemed to realize he had more of a name than just that.
“Cal Gentry.”
Bella shrugged a shoulder. A nice name, she thought. But not one she’d ever heard before. Cal had said it as though she should definitely be impressed. She wasn’t.
“Well, Cal, your daughter’s temperature must have subsided with the cool bath. This thermometer says 101 degrees.” Bella put aside the thermometer and lifted the baby back into her arms. “Does she have a change of clothes in that bag you brought?”
“I guess so.” He picked up the bag and scooted it over the tabletop toward her. “I think I saw some clothes in there. But I didn’t pack it, so I’m not positive.”
She could’ve guessed that this father would be unsure about his daughter’s care. When Bella had first held her, the baby’s pink dress was buttoned backward and the tabs on her plastic diapers dangled dangerously below it.
She held Kaydie against her left shoulder. With her other hand, Bella rummaged through the duffle. She found powder, creams and antibiotic wipes in one of the side pockets. Inside the main compartment were several changes of clothes, plastic diapers and a few small bottles filled with juice and water. Another pocket revealed baby-strength liquid aspirin substitute, vitamins, a few bottles of rehydration fluid and jars of processed baby food.
What Bella wouldn’t have given for such a fantastic stash when she’d worked with the small bands of Mexican families on the border. She’d been making do with whatever was handy for so long that she almost didn’t recognize some of the things.
Jealousy and curiosity got the best of her. “If you didn’t pack this bag, then who did?” she finally asked.
He scrunched up his mouth and rolled his eyes. “I guess I made a big mistake. I was so anxious to make a fresh start and come back to the old family homestead that I hired the first nanny I could find who would agree to leave Fort Worth.
“The woman hadn’t learned to like Kaydie yet, as she’d only been with us a couple of days. So when she got a good look at the place in the sunlight, she threw her hands up and claimed the cabin was falling down and not safe.”
“She left you and the baby alone here?” Bella was stunned. What kind of woman would do such a thing?
“Yeah. I told her to go. There’s absolutely nothing the matter with this old place. I think it looks great. If I can manage to get some temporary help with the baby, I’ll do just fine here.”
An hour later Cal was still wondering who this absolutely beautiful and sensual woman was and why the heck she’d apparently been wandering around on the Gentry Ranch alone. It just didn’t add up.
She’d been busy, giving Kaydie some of the children’s Tylenol after the bath. Then she’d dressed the baby up in soft nightclothes, still too busy to adequately answer his questions. But she seemed to know exactly what she was doing with a sick baby, so he shut up and let her attend to things.
Cal peeked into the little room off the kitchen that he’d planned to make into the nanny’s bedroom and where he’d set up Kaydie’s things last night. Bella bent over the crib, laying a soft baby blanket lightly across Kaydie’s feet.
After she’d finished, she sat down on the single bed by the baby’s portable crib, watching Kaydie sleep as the dim shadows of twilight darkened the room.
“Is she better?” he whispered.
Bella got up and crept toward him as he stood in the doorway. “Sí. The fever has subsided.”
He backed away to let her come into the kitchen.
The minute she’d partially closed the door behind her, Bella drew a deep breath. “I think perhaps Kaydie’s father also needs his sleep. You look as though it’s been a very rough day, señor. I noticed the bed in the baby’s room. You’d better sleep there tonight in case she needs you.”
She sighed and tried to stifle an obvious yawn. “If I may be permitted some water for my journey and perhaps a few directions to the border, I should be on my way.”
“You’re leaving?” That thought hadn’t occurred to him.
In fact, Cal had been quite relieved to think she would be here all night in case Kaydie awoke in trouble. And besides, they still needed to talk. He wanted to find out all about her. He wanted to talk to her. Tomorrow. When he could get a better grip on things.
Couldn’t she see he and Kaydie needed help? But more than that, couldn’t she feel the same draw he felt when he looked at her? There was something… something…
Well, maybe it was just lust, but it felt deeper, more fundamental somehow. Cal was not about to let her out of here until he had a chance to explore what was happening between them.
Tired and irritable, he knew he couldn’t cope with Kaydie any more tonight, either. Tomorrow, after a good night’s sleep, everything would seem easier and clearer.
“You cannot leave tonight. You’ll sleep here,” he commanded. “I’ll bring your things.”
Two
“Me perdona?” Bella questioned Cal’s words in a deliberately hushed voice because she didn’t want to wake the baby.
But she also narrowed her eyes at the demanding and arrogant gringo. Perhaps her English was rustier than she’d thought. Certainly, he had not just commanded her to sleep with him.
Because she was so tired, Bella felt sure her ears had played tricks on her. He’d simply meant that she spend the night, nothing more sinister than that. Obviously her hunger was playing games with her mind.
Still, she knew an order when she heard one. Whether he’d been demanding that she sleep with him or ordering her to spend the night for safety’s sake, he was in for a fight.
She lifted her chin in defiance, but her empty stomach betrayed her. Its rumbling complaint could be heard throughout the house. She folded her arms across her waist and tightly held herself together in the middle.
If she remained still, maybe Cal would ignore the noisy reminder that she hadn’t eaten. He might even help her to be on her way. She was still worried that the men who chased her would be closing in, so she needed to leave this cabin and find a place to hide soon—before her presence put the baby and her injured father in grave danger.
But no such luck. He’d definitely heard her stomach’s grumble. It would’ve been hard to ignore. The stern and commanding expression on his face melted into a cocky but utterly disarming smile. The jaunty ladies’ man was back. Even with his disability, he gave the impression of being strong and virile—yet still tender and giving.
“You are pardoned, sugar. But it’s not hard to tell you’re hungry. Where are my manners?” He took her elbow with his free hand and gingerly guided them both back into the kitchen. “Let me get you something to eat. And I’ll make us some coffee.”
Bella allowed him to lead her back to the kitchen table. To tell the truth, the weakness from hunger had already begun to show up in her lack of stamina and the silly wanderings of her mind. But she was grateful for his charity. She knew she wouldn’t have lasted much longer.
She’d decided to accept his hospitality, but also made the decision that he would not make demands on her just because she was a woman alone in the wilderness. If she chose to stay for the night, it would be because she wanted a safe place to sleep—not because he’d insisted.
All these months on the open range, working with families of migrants, had taught her to watch out for herself. She would not be coerced by force—or by charm.
But goodness, when he smiled and that warm glow in his eyes focused on her, the attractive and tempting Cal Gentry was certainly a joy to behold. Not only did he look good enough to eat, his scent drove her to distraction. And his voice washed over her like rich Mexican chocolate. Dark, deep and sensual.
Bella knew he was in pain, she could see the fine lines of it around his eyes, but he still seemed to need to be the host. “I can do this myself,” she told him. “I’m a good cook. Just sit and tell me where things are.”
“No, thanks. You’re my guest, and you helped with the baby. I can handle it.” Trying to keep the slight irritation out of his voice, Cal took the water pitcher from the refrigerator and showed Bella where the drinking glasses were kept.
Exceedingly grateful that the kitchen in this cabin was compact and efficient, he knew his disjointed movements might be slow, but he figured he could get the job done with everything so easily accessible. And maybe, with a little coffee, he’d be able to think clearly enough to ask a couple of his questions.
While he brewed coffee, she drank two big glasses of water, then sat down quietly at the tiny table with the yellow-checked plastic cover. He wondered who she really was and what she might have been going through before she showed up at his door. She looked half-starved and exhausted, but her natural beauty and her passion for life shone brilliantly through bright, clear eyes.
“Will you tell me now how you came to be at our door this afternoon, Bella?” He struck a casual pose as he continued fixing her coffee and a sandwich. “What’s a practical nurse doing alone on Gentry ranchland?”
When she turned her deep-set, brown eyes to stare up at him, their depths seemed to contain more mysteries than answers. “I did not realize I was on your ranch, señor. I have been walking for slightly less than two days, searching for a safe way back across the border to my home.”
“The Mexican border? You’re a long way from any normal crossing point here.” Cal tried to ignore the inexplicable tug in his gut whenever he looked at her. “In fact, we’re about 250 miles from Lake Amistad, and that’s as close as the Rio Grande comes to the ranch. You’re really lost, aren’t you?”
She heaved a huge sigh. “Sí, I suppose I am. That was the reason I decided to risk stopping here. I was out of choices.”
“But how did you get onto the Gentry Ranch? What are you doing walking across the range alone?” The questions poured from his mouth. “And how did you come across the border in the first place?” He set the sandwich he’d made down on the table in front of her and reached above the counter for a couple of coffee mugs for them both.
Before she answered any of his questions, she daintily picked up the turkey sandwich and took a bite. Her eyes closed as she swallowed the food, and the passionate expression on her face looked as if this was the best meal she’d ever eaten. Cal knew his cooking abilities left a lot to be desired and the sandwich fixings had been rather plain in the first place. It was just lunch meat on wheat bread—not ambrosia of the gods.
“How long has it been since you last ate anything?” he inquired.
Bella quickly swallowed two more bites before she answered. “I will answer all your questions, but this is the first food I’ve eaten in two days. May I finish first?”
“Two days?” The woman was truly starving to death.
Cal wondered if he would be so polite and quiet if he hadn’t had anything to eat in forty-eight hours. He took a bowl of fruit off the counter. Placing the apples and bananas on the table in front of her, he sat down and waited, encouraging her to finish every last bite of sandwich.
After she’d washed down the sandwich with the coffee, Bella sighed once more. “Thank you, Cal.” She eyed the fruit, but folded her hands in her lap. “I believe it might make me sick to eat too much after such a long time. I will try a banana later…if the sandwich settles well.”
She seemed so poised and unhurried. He reached for an apple himself, suddenly feeling ravenous. Man, if it was him who hadn’t eaten in that long, he’d be grabbing and stuffing by this time. Just who was this woman, anyway?
Bella took one more sip of coffee as he bit into his apple. “There,” she said. “I think I can talk now. I appreciate your hospitality.”
He swallowed and reached for her hand with his free one. “It’s nothing, Bella. I would’ve fed you earlier if I’d known. You should’ve told me.”
She shook her head. “The baby came first. It was only right.”
Bella looked down at their joined hands. The glow of heat she’d felt when he touched her had been a surprise. She’d thought herself immune to such feelings of lust after all this time on the open range, away from temptation.
“Now then, where to begin?” She considered pulling her hand from under his, but decided to leave it where it was for the moment. “This is the first time that I have actually crossed into your country illegally. I did not realize how far into Texas we’d come.”
She knew her words had taken him aback when he quietly removed his hand and took another bite of apple. Bella wondered what he’d say when he learned she was running from such dire circumstances.
“Perhaps I should begin at the beginning and tell you why I have been working in the Mexican countryside near your borders,” she said, sighed and then continued. “Several years ago my church in Mexico decided to start a…how do you say it…‘missionary outreach.’ Is that not right? Anyway, many of our poorer countrymen take huge risks to come to your country. Unfortunately, too many of them also die for their trouble. We wanted to…I wanted to…make a difference for a few.”
“So you…did what? Went on a hunger strike?” Cal interrupted.
There was that arrogant tone again, even through the disarming grin. The man just oozed sex appeal in his trendy designer jeans and blue-striped western shirt. And his new clothes covered a broad chest narrowing down to perfect slim hips, too. But he couldn’t manage to keep his demanding, rich-man’s ways hidden for long.
Judging by the look of his expensive clothes and the smug sexual way he stared at her, he appeared to be a man used to getting his own way. She had no doubt that the women around him fawned over him, spoiling him and making him cocksure of himself where it came to the opposite sex.
She wasn’t quite sure what he was doing in this cabin that looked a little shabby around the edges, though he’d said it was temporary. But she knew he lived on a big Texas ranch and could afford a nanny for his child. Bella wondered if she should bother explaining anything to this demanding and probably extremely rich charmer.
Since he was her host, she decided to try. “No. For four years the church has sent teams to our border,” she began again. “We camp out, eventually finding small bands of migrants heading north. We take them health care and a rudimentary knowledge of how to remain safe during their journey through the wilderness.”
“Do you try to talk them out of coming here?” he asked.
