Healing the Forest Ranger

Lyn’s brow crinkled, and her voice filled with apprehension. “Are you saying you can’t treat Kristen?”

“No, I can work with your specialists in Reno. I’m sure we can come up with something to allow me to help you out, but I wanted you to know up front what I’m able to do.” He made some mental notes of how he might install support bars for Kristen to hold on to as she learned to walk better. A floor mat and some practice stairs would help out, too. It wouldn’t take much to create a therapy room for the little girl, yet it could make a big difference in the quality of her life.

“I understand,” Lyn continued. “Dr. Fletcher said if anyone could help us, it was you.”

Cade chuckled, unable to resist feeling pleased by the flattery. “I’ll do my best. I wouldn’t want to disappoint my old teacher.”

“He also said you’d served several tours of duty as a marine in Afghanistan. When you got home, you finished medical school and focused on prosthetics because you had a good friend who lost his leg in the war.”

Cade stiffened, taken off guard by how much she knew about him. She’d touched a raw nerve buried deep inside. Dallin had saved his life, putting himself in harm’s way. Cade owed everything to Dal and much more. “Good ol’ Dr. Fletcher. He always did have a wagging tongue.”

“I didn’t mean to be nosy,” Lyn said. “It’s just that Kristen’s father was also a marine.”

“I see. Semper fi.” Cade nodded in understanding. Just one more thing he didn’t want to like about this woman.

“Always faithful,” she said.

“I’m sure your husband was a good man.” Cade almost groaned. Now he was making small talk with her.

“My daddy was the best,” Kristen said.

Cade looked away, the knowledge of their loss impacting him more than he liked. He patted Kristen on her good knee before rolling his stool backward. He didn’t want to know about Lyn’s dead husband. Or anything else about her, for that matter. “Why don’t you stand and walk a few steps for me, sweetheart?”

The girl tossed a hesitant glance at her mother, then did as asked. Bracing her hands against the armrests of her chair, she lurched to her feet. She bit her bottom lip, obviously concentrating. Trying hard not to show her clumsiness. Lyn stood close by. Too close. Her hands were open and ready to catch the girl if she fell.

Kristen walked forward, bending slightly at the waist and sticking her bottom out before jerking the prosthetic leg forward. The end result was that she walked with a pronounced limp.

Cade stood and stepped over to give Kristen some guidance. He had to brush past Lyn, catching the tantalizing scent of some kind of fruity shampoo. Sweet and feminine. “Excuse me.”

Lyn stepped back, but not far enough. Her gaze centered on Kristen like a mother eagle watching her young. And that’s when Cade wondered if she was a bit overprotective.

“You definitely need a new prosthesis,” Cade said. “We can get one fitted for you. I’ve got some good contacts for that. In the meantime, I’d like you to work on a few things for me. Can you do that?”

Kristen nodded, her blue eyes wide as she gazed up at him with a mixture of gratitude or doubt, he wasn’t sure which.

“First, I don’t think you’re trusting your prosthesis enough. It won’t collapse under you, so let it do the work for you. It’s strong and can bear your weight. As you walk, you need to make sure your hip is over the foot.”

He modeled the posture with his own hip and leg. “Set your weight down on the foot of your prosthesis before you take another step. Trust that it’ll be there for you. Brace your hand on the wall if you need to support yourself. Then bring through your good leg. This will pull you up onto the toe of your prosthesis. Keep your hip over your foot. That will load the springs in the prosthetic foot so it’ll help propel you forward on your next step.”

Cade directed Kristen through the motions. When her hip and leg moved out of position, he gently pressed them back into proper order, and Kristen was soon taking less awkward steps.

Then he moved away. Without his aid, utter panic filled Kristen’s eyes. “What if I fall?”

Lyn took a step toward her daughter, but Cade held out his hand to stop her from interfering. “Then you fall. What’s the worst that’ll happen?”

He waited, letting both daughter and mother digest this comment. Hoping Kristen realized that falling wasn’t the worst thing she should fear.

“People will laugh,” Kristen said.

“So let them. And what will you do?”

He hoped she didn’t say she’d cry. He couldn’t restore her leg, but he could help her toughen up so she could cope with her life.

“I get back up?” she asked.

A question, not a statement.

“Of course! Have you ever seen someone else fall down?” he asked.

The little girl nodded. Her mother looked tense and wary. Apprehensive.

“And did you laugh?” he asked.

“No.” A vague response. She didn’t understand what he was getting at. Not yet, anyway.

“Why not?”

“Because they fell down and might be hurt. I don’t laugh because I know how it feels.”

“Of course. But they don’t just lie there. They get back up, right?”

Another nod.

He bent slightly at the waist so he could look her in the eyes. “Kids fall all the time, Kristen. You just gotta quit being afraid of it. I can teach you how to land on your bottom so it won’t hurt as much. If you fall down, do you already know how to stand back up without help?”

She nodded, her eyes filled with a bit more trust, but not enough. Not yet. This poor girl had a lot of issues she needed to resolve if she was ever going to walk well and lead a normal, happy life.

“Then there’s nothing to be afraid of, is there? You can get back up and walk on your merry way,” he reiterated.

She looked down, her chin quivering. A strand of golden hair swept past her cheek. She looked so sweet and vulnerable.

Just like her mom.

“But kids laugh when I fall,” she said.

His heart gave a powerful squeeze. “Then let them laugh. Show them it doesn’t bother you one bit. And pretty soon, they won’t laugh anymore.”

Cade couldn’t help wondering if Lyn had discussed this topic with Kristen. From the profound concern in her eyes, he knew the ranger cared deeply about her daughter. But maybe Kristen needed to hear this dialogue from someone besides her mom.

Maybe Lyn needed to hear it, too.

Taking a deep breath, Kristen took another step, and another. She pressed her tongue against her upper lip, seeming to concentrate on doing what he’d shown her. Learning to trust her prosthesis. Lyn tightened her hands into fists as though she fought the urge not to assist her child.

“Hey! I’m doing it better.” Kristen smiled at her mom.

“You sure are, honey,” Lyn agreed, her voice thick with emotion.

Cade’s gaze darted to Lyn’s face. Against his better judgment, he sympathized with the ranger and her cute daughter. How could he resist? He’d thought about telling Lyn he couldn’t treat Kristen, but that went right out the window. Only an unfeeling ogre would turn their back on this woman and her child. They needed him. Maybe even more than Dal had needed him after he’d lost his leg.

“When you feel the resistance of the prosthetic toe, you tend to want to avoid it rather than learning to work with it. Believe in your prosthesis. Make it work for you. Trust it to be there,” Cade advised.

“But it hurts.” Kristen cringed.

“That’s a different matter. You need a better-fitting socket. I can give you some extra thick socks to wear over your stump, but I think this socket is too loose. You have a bony prominence that needs a flexible area around it so it won’t cause you pain.”

“I knew something was wrong.” Lyn sighed.

“We’re gonna take care of that for you,” Cade promised. “We’ll get you fitted for a new prosthesis. I also want to give you some new exercises I think will strengthen your balance, abdomen and thighs.”

He continued working with the child, learning her range of motion, strength and coordination. “You’re quite limber and strong. I don’t want you to lose that, so exercise every day. You just need more confidence.”

A bit of hope filled Kristen’s eyes. “Maybe when I get my new socket, I can play soccer with the other kids.”

Lyn shook her head hard. “No, honey. You could get hurt doing that.”

“Ahh,” the girl groaned. “Dad would want me to try.”

“Well, Dad isn’t here.” An unyielding edge of sternness laced Lyn’s voice.

Definitely overprotective.

Cade stood silently, listening to this exchange. What had happened to Kristen’s father? Why wasn’t the guy here with his family?

“Kristen’s father was killed in the accident when she lost her leg,” Lyn explained as if she could read his thoughts.

From the sadness filling her eyes, Cade realized she’d divulged something very personal. Right now, she didn’t look like the proficient forest ranger he’d met last week in Secret Valley. Now she just looked like a worried mom. Vulnerable and exposed. And that made him feel strangely protective of her.

No! He shook his head. The last thing he wanted was to feel sentimental toward this woman and her child. He was Kristen’s doctor, nothing more. He must remain neutral. With all his patients.

Cade cleared his voice. “I’m sorry to hear that. But with a running prosthesis, I don’t see why Kristen couldn’t play soccer. Staying active will help her retain her range of motion.”

He looked at Lyn, keeping his gaze insistent and unwavering.

Lyn’s mouth tightened. “A running prosthesis won’t be necessary. I doubt I can afford it anyway.”

“We can talk about the cost later, but don’t worry. We’ll find a way to make it happen.”

Why did he say that? Getting Kristen a running prosthesis at little or no cost would mean that he had to call in some huge favors. But if it meant she could run and play with the other children, he didn’t mind going out of his way for this little girl.

Lyn tilted her head and gave him a stern look as she enunciated her next words. “No. I don’t want Kristen hurt again.”

Okay, he got it. In a way, Cade couldn’t blame Lyn. Her husband had been killed and her daughter had lost her leg in a bad accident. No doubt Lyn didn’t want to lose any more. He didn’t argue the point, but their situation troubled him. Kristen’s psychological needs were just as important as her physical needs. Being overprotective wasn’t good if Kristen was to ever develop enough self-confidence and autonomy to lead a fairly independent life.

Cade would treat Kristen the best he could and keep his distance from them otherwise. He and Lyn would never be friends. Nothing more than acquaintances. And for some odd reason, that made Cade feel strangely sad inside.

Chapter Three

“I like Dr. Baldwin.” Kristen glanced at her mother as Lyn drove them home an hour later.

The girl rolled her car window down halfway, and the afternoon breeze teased golden wisps of hair that framed her oval face. A tangy smell hung in the air, and Lyn hoped it might rain up in the mountains. The wildlife sure needed the moisture.

“You do, huh?” Lyn kind of liked Cade, too, even if he didn’t like her. The way he’d put Kristen at ease had impressed Lyn. It’d been a long time since she’d seen Kristen actually try to do what her doctor suggested. It wasn’t that the girl was contrary, but rather, she seemed to have given up hope of ever walking normally again.

Truth be told, Lyn had almost given up, too.

“Yeah, he’s a lot different from Dr. Fletcher.”

Lyn silently agreed, but kept up the small talk, delighted to see her daughter smile again. “How so?”

“Dr. Fletcher is so...old.”

Lyn laughed. “There’s nothing wrong with old age as long as you get there, hon. Dr. Fletcher was always nice and helpful.”

“Yeah, but Dr. Baldwin is handsome, and he smells nice. He’s lots different,” Kristen repeated.

Lyn laughed. Cade definitely smelled good. But he was unusual in other ways, too. His dark, gleaming eyes, his gentle frankness as he showed Kristen how to walk properly, his solid good looks. Lyn just hoped she could trust him to do what was best for her child.

“We’ve been too busy and gone way too long without you seeing a doctor,” Lyn said. “Now that we’re settled in, I’ll get you to physical therapy every week.”

“With Dr. Baldwin, that’ll be nice,” Kristen said.

Hmm. Maybe Kristen had a small crush on the attractive doctor.

As they ate dinner that evening, then prepared for bed, Kristen talked nonstop about Cade. Today had been a great start, and Lyn felt an inkling of optimism for the first time since Rob’s death. Perhaps Cade was just what Kristen needed.

* * *

The last thing Lyn expected the following morning was Cade showing up unannounced at her ranger’s office. Looking up from a pile of paperwork stacked on her desk, she found his tall silhouette outlined in the doorway and inhaled a sharp breath. He’d appeared silently out of nowhere, and she wondered how long he’d been watching her work.

“Cade! You startled me.” She glanced behind him, speculating on where Cindy, her office manager, was and how he’d gotten past her without interception.

He gave a lazy shrug. “Sorry. I had an idea and decided to stop by to see if you might be amenable.”

He didn’t smile, but his gentle eyes betrayed his inner feelings. He wanted something. From her.

“You got a minute?” he asked, his thumbs hanging casually through the belt loops of his blue jeans.

She stood and indicated a chair across from her desk. “Sure! Please, sit down.”

He sat, lifting one long leg to cross the booted ankle over his opposite knee. She caught his subtle aroma of spice and leather, and her gaze lowered to the hollow of his throat where a thin, white scar ran along the front of his throat. Almost as though he’d been sliced by a knife.

She swallowed and focused on his face. “So, what did you want to talk about?”

“I’m actually here in an official capacity,” he began. “I’m the wild-horse representative for the Toyakoi Tribe.” He paused as though letting this information sink in.

“I’ve heard of them, but what does Toyakoi stand for?” she asked.

“Mountain peak. We’re a federally recognized Shoshone tribe with our own constitution.”

“I see. And what can I do for you?”

“You said you go into the mountains on Fridays. I was wondering if it might be possible for me to accompany you now and then.”

She hadn’t expected this request. Not at all.

“I don’t have time to go out every Friday.”

He shrugged. “That’s okay. I’d like to accompany you when you do have time.”

“But what about your doctor’s office? Don’t you have to work?” she asked.

“I only work in my office three days a week. The rest of the time I usually do research. For now, I’d like to spend some time with you, checking on the mustangs.”

She tilted her head, an edge of suspicion filling her voice. “You mean you want to spy on me? To see if the big bad forest ranger is plotting the demise of all the wild- horse herds?”

He hesitated, his eyes crinkled with misgivings. “No, I don’t want to spy, but I do want you to show me the problems so I can better understand how to help the wild horses.”

She shook her head and laughed, trying to lighten the tense mood. “All right, I can accept that. But remember, I want to help the mustangs, too, Cade. I really do.”

“I hope that’s true. I’ve been thinking over what you said last week about the wild horses, wildlife and domestic livestock all being equally important. I think we should work together to find some satisfactory resolutions.”

“But last week you weren’t interested in hearing my ideas.”

He gave a lazy shrug. “I’ve reconsidered.”

Hmm. Maybe this could be a good thing. Working together with the Toyakoi Tribe might help alleviate a lot of tension between the horse advocates and the government entities.

“You realize the Bureau of Land Management has jurisdiction over the wild horses, not the Forest Service. I can’t decide anything for the mustangs,” she said.

“Yes, but I also know you have the power to call the BLM in to look at the situation and then get them to consider rounding up the mustangs and move some of them off your ranger district.”

He made a valid point.

“It’s not my ranger district, Cade. I’m merely the overseer here. And I won’t pretend I’m not very close to being forced to call in the BLM now. The horse and burro population grows by about twenty percent each year. Without any natural predators, that means they double in size about every four years. There’s just too many of them, and the damage has become quite serious.”

She didn’t mention the myriad of ranchers she had breathing down her neck, asking her to do something about the problem soon. She’d handle the ranchers the same way she would the Shoshone Tribe. With honesty, professionalism and tact.

He sat back in his cracked leather chair. “Look, Mrs. Warner. All I’m asking is that you involve me in your decisions. I can do a lot to talk about this with the Shoshone people and keep this problem from blowing up into a big hornets’ nest. We might be able to assist with some decisions, if you’ll let us.”

Yes, she was highly aware of that. Maybe a partnership of sorts would be wise. If Cade saw firsthand what she was dealing with in the mountains and valleys, he could take that information back to the wild-horse advocates and gain some support for what must be done.

“Okay, you’re welcome to come along—on one condition,” she said.

“And what’s that?”

“You call me Lyn. I don’t like formality if I can avoid it. I’d like us to be friends.”

He blinked, his eyes glinting with hesitancy. “Okay, I’ll call you Lyn. When is your next trip? What are the plans?”

She noticed his omission of them becoming friends. That was okay. She’d learned long ago that she could work with people she had no fondness for. As long as she maintained her composure and worked professionally, it wouldn’t be a problem. At least not for her.

“I’ll be taking a horse trailer up into the McClellan Mountains on Friday and then riding into Barton’s Canyon to look at the creek there. If you want to tag along, you’ll need to bring your own horse. We can ride together, but plan to stay out all day.”

He flashed her a devastating smile. “Deal. I’ll even pack us a lunch.”

“That’s not necessary. I can bring my own food.”

“I want to do it. I promise you won’t regret it.”

She let the subject drop. What she ate for lunch was the least of her concerns.

They made a few more arrangements, with Lyn planning to drive out to Sunrise Ranch so they could load his horse into her Forest Service trailer. Then they’d drive up onto the mountain and unload the horses. They’d spend the entire day riding across some very rugged terrain together.

Lyn doubted her sanity for agreeing to Cade’s proposal. Being near this man made her jittery for some peculiar reason. She tried to tell herself that working with him would help with resolving the wild-horse problems. But it could backfire on her, too. If he didn’t like what he saw or didn’t believe what she told him, he could make a lot of trouble for her with the Toyakoi Tribe. Then she’d be forced to override him and call in the BLM anyway.

The last ranger on this district had dealt with a lot of angry people and even a death threat. Lyn wanted to avoid that, if possible. If she disagreed with Cade, what impact might that have on Kristen? Cade Baldwin was now Kristen’s doctor. Lyn certainly didn’t want him for an enemy. No, not one bit.

* * *

This was a mistake. Cade never should have come here to Lyn Warner’s office and asked to be included in her visits to the wild horses. No matter what she thought, he didn’t want to make trouble. But neither did he want to see the mustangs driven to and fro by a helicopter, captured in a corral, and then loaded on a truck to be transported miles and miles away from their home.

“What exactly are you planning to look at on Friday?” he asked, trying to ignore a large picture on her wall of a black stallion with a long flowing tail and mane as he raced across a meadow of green grass. Absolutely spectacular. Remembering Lyn’s camera, Cade wondered if she’d taken the picture.

Her chair squeaked as she sat forward. “Being new to this ranger district, I’ve never viewed Barton’s Canyon. I’ve been told that the creek is in bad shape, and I want to see it for myself. The Forest Service has worked hard to build up a nice band of desert bighorn sheep in that area, and I want to make sure we don’t lose any of them.”

Cade thought the bighorns could surely cause as much damage as the horses. “How many sheep are we talking about?”

“Approximately thirty-three, including rams.”

Okay, maybe not. Even Cade knew there were many more mustangs running wild across the range than there were sheep. He’d seen the horses himself and knew the bighorn were way outnumbered.

“You like bighorn sheep, don’t you?” she asked.

Her question took him off guard. “Of course. I love all the wildlife.”

“Good. Because I’m told they’re in danger right now. Not enough food and difficulty getting to a decent water source.”

But how could the mustangs cause that problem? The horses were just living out there, trying to survive. It couldn’t be so cut-and-dried. There must be another reason the bighorn sheep were in danger. Maybe this was just another scare tactic. A strategy Cade had seen other government employees use in the past. Next he expected Lyn to blame the mustangs for the demise of the mule deer and antelope, too.

Something inside him hardened. “I hope you’re not going to blame all of this on the wild horses.”

She took a deep inhale and paused for several moments as though choosing her words carefully. “I’ll tell you what, Cade. Let’s ride up Barton’s Canyon and take a look. I’d like to view it before I make any judgment calls. Maybe my people are wrong in their reports and there isn’t a problem. That would make my job much easier. I wouldn’t have to disturb the horses. But if something is wrong, it’ll speak loud and clear, and then I’ll need to deal with it accordingly.”

Her reasoning impressed him. No thumping her fist on the desk. No insisting the horses were to blame. If she could stay impartial until she saw something wrong, then he could, too. Or at least, he hoped he could. “That sounds fair to me. But what kinds of problems have your people reported?”

Her brow furrowed. “Let’s just wait. If something’s wrong, we’ll see it. Let’s educate ourselves first, and then we can talk about it in depth, okay?”

Again, her insight startled him. He hadn’t expected the new forest ranger to be so reasonable. And that made him even more suspicious that she might have hidden motives.

“Okay.” He answered slowly, afraid he might have to defer to her judgment on this topic. After all, what did he really know about vegetation and wild animals? As a medical doctor, he’d studied plenty of science and biology. He was definitely smart enough to see through a shell game. But he knew almost nothing about ecosystems, watersheds, wildlife and grazing needs.

What if there was something wrong? And what if Lyn blamed the problems on the wild horses? Cade could write his senators on behalf of the Shoshone Tribe, but the BLM had the law on their side. They’d do whatever they deemed was right.

“And if we don’t find anything wrong, will you leave the mustangs alone?” He didn’t want the bighorn sheep and other wildlife to suffer, but neither did he want her to move the horses if they were innocent.

“Absolutely.”

But in her eyes, he saw doubt. And a bit of regret. And that gave him a shivery foreboding. “You seem skeptical.”

“I am,” she admitted. “I have a master’s degree in ecology, and I do this job for a living, Cade. I’ve seen this situation before. The problems aren’t always easy to address, but the cause seems to be consistent in these circumstances.”