His eyes narrowed. For a moment he stood perfectly still, absorbing the shock waves that seemed to be exploding through him at the mere touch of her. Then he knelt down and set the calf on its feet. It stood uncertainly a moment, then hurried off to find its mother, while Hazard and Erin stood side by side watching with identical smiles of delight.
From his vantage point, Cody watched the unfolding scene with a slightly bemused expression. Old Wes Wilde used to say that love never happened when it was convenient. If Cody didn’t know better, he’d guess that right now, while Wes’s son was fighting the bitterest disappointment of his life, he’d just been shot with a double whammy. In the form of cupid’s arrow.
Cody figured he’d just keep his thoughts to himself for a while. Because, unless he was badly mistaken, those two didn’t have a clue about what was happening between them. But it would come to them, sooner or later. His guess was soon. Very soon.
Chapter 5
“I can’t see much point in staying here.” Hazard led Erin toward the truck. “We may as well get back to the house and see if these blood samples will tell us anything.”
He turned to Cody. “Want a lift back, or are you staying up here?”
“I’d just as soon go back to the bunkhouse. If you want me to patrol the herd again tonight, I’ll have Russ bring me back up after dinner.”
Hazard nodded. “Thanks, Cody. I appreciate it.” As he helped Erin into the truck, he added, “I’m thinking now that a patrol is just a waste of good manpower. Half a dozen wranglers did without sleep last night, and we lost even more calves than the previous nights.”
“Don’t go giving up hope, son.” Cody climbed in and watched as Hazard wearily turned on the ignition and put the truck in gear. “There’s an answer to this.”
“You sure of that?”
“Yep. We just haven’t asked the right questions yet.”
“I hope you’re right.” As the truck swayed over the hillsides, Hazard held on to that thread of hope. He had one of the brightest researchers in the country on his side. If anyone could solve this, it was Erin.
“Hey, you two.” Ace opened the door to the lab and leaned his frame against the doorway. He’d changed from suit and tie to more comfortable jeans and a shirt with the sleeves rolled to the elbows. “Maggie says to tell you dinner is ready.”
“Dinner?” Hazard glanced up from the microscope and rolled his shoulders. “What time is it?”
“Almost seven. Maggie held off as long as she could. But Chance and I are starving.”
Hazard glanced over at Erin, who was still peering at the serum on her slide, before scribbling notations in a notebook. Neither of them had bothered to eat since breakfast.
“Okay. Tell Maggie we’re on our way.” He slid off the stool and crossed to Erin. “Come on. It’s time we took a break.”
She shook her head. “Not yet. There must be something here I’m missing. This is the last slide. And so far they’ve all been the same. Completely normal. Maybe this one will tell me something new.” She continued staring intently through the microscope. “Come on,” she muttered in frustration. “Show me something. Anything.”
Hazard waited a moment, then touched her arm. At once she looked up, then over at him.
There was no denying what she felt each time they touched. Heat. The most incredible heat. And then a trickle of ice along her spine that had her struggling not to shiver.
“Erin.” He took a step back, needing some space between them. He couldn’t think when he got too close to her. “It’s time to admit defeat. We’ve been at it all afternoon. And we’ve found no sign of illness or disease in these samples.”
“That’s just it. There should be something. I mean, these calves aren’t just killing themselves.”
“Maybe they are.” It was time he faced facts. “Maybe their immune system is too weak. Or maybe we’ve bred a herd with a genetic defect that will come to light someday. For now, it’s time to admit that we don’t have any more answers now than when we started.” He turned away. “Let’s wash up and head over to the kitchen for something to eat.”
She gave a reluctant nod of her head. Defeat wasn’t easy for her. But she’d given this her complete attention, to no avail. It was time to get back to her own work, her own lab. Her own life.
She washed her hands at the sink and followed Hazard to the kitchen.
They opened the door to the sound of raucous laughter. After the complete silence of the lab, it took a moment to adjust.
Everyone was talking at once. Ace and Chance were relating some silly story from their childhood. A story that had Maggie and Cody nearly doubled over with laughter. Even the dour Agnes was chuckling.
Between rumbles of laughter Chance was saying, “So I said to Hazard, pay up. You owe me a buck. And Hazard says, you didn’t win. The bet was that I could hook Ace up with a rope and pulley and get him across the river. He only got halfway across before the rope broke. So I don’t owe you a cent. You owe me.”
“Yeah,” Ace said with a self-deprecating grin. “And while they’re arguing about who won, I’m being swept down the river by the current. And I’m hollering like a stuck pig. And nobody cares. All they care about is collecting their bet.”
Erin had paused in midstride, her mouth dropping open at the story.
Hazard casually held her chair and eased her into it, then took the seat beside her.
“And when we got home that night, Dad wailed the tar out of both of us and said if we ever tried that stunt again with our little brother, we wouldn’t have any skin left.”
“See?” Ace passed a basket of hot rolls. “You two really wanted to get rid of me. It’s amazing that I made it through childhood with you guys around looking out for me.”
“Hey, we managed to save your hide as often as we risked it,” Chance said. “How about the time I hauled you out of that gravel pit, up by the old mine?”
“I always figured you only saved me because I was wearing your favorite boots and you didn’t want to lose them.”
“Well, there was that.” Chance winked at Erin, and she began to understand that they were merely teasing. Since she’d never had a brother, she wasn’t sure just how to take these three tough-talking men. And try as she might, she couldn’t imagine her stern, proper father ever exchanging rollicking tales of a misspent youth at the dinner table.
“So, Doc.” Ace popped a hot roll into his mouth. “How’s the lab work going? Have you and Hazard solved the mystery of the dead calves?”
She shook her head. “I’m afraid not. We’ve exhausted all our theories. And none of them have worked out.” She glanced at Hazard, then away. “Hazard thinks we ought to admit defeat.”
“What do you think, Doc?”
She stared down at her plate. “I’m not one to give up. But I’m sure the university expects me to return tomorrow. I’m already a day later than I’d anticipated. I suppose I’ll do as Hazard asks and admit that this one has me stumped.”
“You’re going back?” Chance shot a look at his brother. “Without an answer to the deaths?”
She spread her hands. “What else can I do?”
Chance waited a beat before saying, “Did Hazard tell you why he was so concerned? Why he sent for you in the first place?”
“I would think that’s obvious. A rancher hates to lose so many calves, when they’re the future of his herd.”
“It’s a little more than that.” Ace polished off another roll. “This happens to be an experimental herd, hand picked by Hazard and nurtured by our foreman, Peterson.”
Erin turned to Hazard. “You never told me that. What sort of experiments are you conducting?”
Hazard shot his brother a killing look before turning his attention to Erin. Then he forced himself to say aloud what he hadn’t wanted to talk about. He was such a private person. He hadn’t wanted to admit just how important this was to him. “I’ve been concerned about the use of so many antibiotics and steroids in
the food chain. I was hoping I could isolate one small herd, and raise them without any artificial additives. No enhanced food. Only range grass. No injections. Just their own immune system to keep them healthy. Then I intended to compare birth weight, body weight when they reached maturity, and a number of other factors, with those of the other herds, to see if there were any benefits.” He shrugged, wishing it didn’t mean so much to him. But it did. It hurt like hell. He’d put so much time and effort into this. Not to mention the added expense of fences and manpower, to isolate the experimental herd from the others. “It looks like my noble experiment is dead before it gets off the ground.”
Erin was suddenly animated. “But this is so wonderful. Scientists have been arguing for years that the antibiotics and hormones given to animals are being passed down through the food chain to the humans who consume them. This would be a chance to follow a herd through the long process, as well as follow-up tests on their offspring.”
Hazard nodded. “It was my intention to keep one herd completely pure and isolated through several generations, so that we could determine conclusively whether or not the additives are harmful or helpful. But if the calves can’t even survive the trauma of the first days of life, I think it’s a clear message that I’m going in the wrong direction.” He shrugged. “With all these deaths among healthy calves, I’m beginning to believe that, without the use of the antibiotics and steroids they’ve come to depend on, they simply can’t make it in this world.”
“Oh, no. Hazard, don’t you see?” Erin was so wrapped up in what he’d just told her, she completely forgot about the others around the table. “This just makes the mystery of their deaths all the more compelling. You can’t just abandon an experiment as noble as this, without knowing why it failed.”
“But you and I have spent hours—”
She put a hand on his. “A few hours. One afternoon. That’s all we’ve spent on this. If I’ve learned one thing about research, it’s that it can take weeks, months, even years, before we come up with any definitive answers to life’s mysteries.”
“I’m just not trained for that kind of research.”
“I am.” She said it simply. But her eyes were suddenly shining with excitement.
“You certainly are. But you said yourself. You don’t have weeks or months. Certainly not years, to devote to this problem.”
“Not years, maybe. But I do have what remains of this year.”
His eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t you see? I accepted a fellowship at the university. But I’ve been devoting all my time to following up the research of others. This could become my special project. Professor Wingate has been waiting for me to declare a field of study. Well, now I have it. Why can’t I focus on just this herd and these mysterious deaths and write a paper on the results? It would certainly justify the salary I’m being paid by the university. And I’m sure the board of regents would be delighted to have my research focus on a local problem.”
“Could you do the work here?”
“I don’t see why not. You have a completely sophisticated laboratory. If I should find that I need more, for DNA testing, I’ll return to the university and use their facilities.” She looked around. Placed a hand over her mouth as she realized how bold her suggestion must sound. “I’m sorry. I’ve overstepped my bounds. I realize it would be an imposition to have someone staying here for an indefinite time.”
“Not at all.” Hazard glanced around at his brothers and then at Maggie, relieved that they were all smiling and nodding their approval. “As you said, we have the lab. And you’ve seen for yourself that we have plenty of room. But I think, since the bulk of the work caring for a guest will fall to Maggie and Agnes, that we need to hear from them.”
Maggie was quick to say, “I certainly don’t mind the cooking.” She turned to Agnes. “It will mean one more room to clean.”
“Huh.” The old woman sniffed and barely glanced at Erin before saying, “A couple extra towels and sheets is all. I guess I don’t mind, long as she’s here to solve a problem for one of my boys.”
Maggie tried not to laugh. Agnes had clearly thrown down a challenge. Erin was to remember her place. The Wilde men were Agnes’s responsibility. Her boys. And Erin was to remember that she was merely a guest. Maggie had been given the same challenge when she’d first arrived at the Double W. And it had seemed like an impossible task to break through Agnes’s wall of ice. But that wall had eventually thawed enough to accept Maggie as one of them.
“Well then.” Hazard looked nearly dumbstruck at his good fortune. “It looks like the only thing you have to do now is contact the university and see if they’ll approve.”
“I’ll e-mail them right after dinner. But it’s a mere formality. I’m sure Professor Wingate will be delighted.” Erin’s eyes were dancing with unconcealed excitement.
Ace and Chance exchanged knowing looks. They’d seen the desolation in their brother’s eyes when Hazard had thought he was losing this battle. Now they could see the growing excitement as he realized he’d won a little time.
“One more thing,” Maggie said.
They all turned toward her.
“You’re going to have to learn to eat like the rest of us, Erin. When I knock myself out on a fancy gourmet recipe, I expect everyone to do their share of the eating.”
Erin joined in the laughter. And as the others resumed eating, she hugged the little thrill of excitement to her heart. She’d been given a reprieve. She didn’t have to leave in the morning, after all. She’d bought some time. A few more days to stay at this wonderful ranch, and be a part of these fun, fascinating people.
She might tell herself she was most excited about the hope of solving the mystery. And that was true, up to a point. But, in fact, it was the thought of more time with Hazard Wilde that had her heart working overtime. And her pulse throbbing in her temples.
Chance, Hazard and Ace had closeted themselves in their father’s old study, where they were going over the books. It was a monthly ritual, and one that sometimes produced cheers of victory, and at other times, quiet admissions of defeat.
Despite the fact that they had an accounting firm and a legal department, they were the first ones to see the profit-and-loss charts.
They looked up at the knock on the door.
Ace opened it, then stood back when he caught sight of Erin standing in the hallway. “Come on in.”
“I didn’t want to disturb you. Maggie told me where to find you.” She glanced beyond Ace to where Hazard stood. “I just got a response from Professor Wingate.”
“What did he say?”
Her eyes were glowing. “As I’d hoped, he was delighted. And he sent his best wishes to you that we are able to quickly discover the cause and stop the deaths.”
He smiled. “Good old Professor Wingate.”
“Well.” She looked around to include Ace and Chance. “If you don’t mind, I’ll leave you alone now and get back to my experiments.”
She hurried down the hall, relieved when she reached the solitude of the lab. It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy being in the company of Hazard and his brothers. But their ease with each other only served to point out how much she lacked in her own life. It wasn’t just that she had no siblings in whom she could confide. But when she had left high school behind to accept the challenges of the university, she had left behind any hope of close friendship as well. The students with whom she associated at Harvard had treated her with cool acceptance in the classroom, but had never included her in their social activities. As a result, she’d never had a best friend.
A smile touched the corner of her lips as she thought about Maggie’s kindness to her, and the Wilde brothers’ easy acceptance of a stranger in their midst. Maybe the friendship that had always eluded her could be found right here.
Hours later, Hazard found Erin in the lab, already hard at work.
She looked up from the blood specimen she’d been
examining.
He paused, wishing he had an easier time with words. “I want you to know how much this means to me.”
“It means so much to me, too. If your brother hadn’t told me about the fact that this herd was such a wonderful experiment, none of this would have happened. But this is exactly what my work has needed. Something worthy.”
“Erin.” Hazard was shaking his head. “I don’t want you to think I’m some fine, noble hero. I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time. But it takes a great deal of extra manpower, and a whole lot of money, to see it through the long haul. My brothers and I have just spent the last couple of hours together, going over the cost of this experimental herd. It’s taking a big bite out of our profits. And even if you’re able to solve the mystery of the deaths, we may have to abandon this before too long.”
“But at least you’ll know you tried.”
He nodded. “Yeah. But I want you to understand that all your hard work might be in vain. If I have to abandon this project, your research could prove meaningless.”
“No research is ever without merit. Even if the project is abandoned, someone else will try it. Or something like it. And they’ll look at what we did here, and take what we learned here, and make it work for them.”
Smiling, he shook his head. “Tell me something, Erin. Are you always this optimistic?”
“I am when I believe. And I believe in this, Hazard.” She looked down, afraid that he’d see the intensity that drove her. “I believe in you.”
He rolled up his sleeves. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get to work, Doctor.”
She laughed, then returned to her microscope and blood sample.
“Do you know what time it is?” Hazard looked up from the microscope and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck.
“No.” Erin was peering through her scope, moving slide after slide of blood, looking for the slightest change in the pattern of cell structure.