Kate's hands trembled as she followed Vance's instructions.

"There."

"Good. Now, take the scissors and cut the cord."

For an instant, Kate looked into Vance's face, seeking assurance.

Vance's eyes were calm and encouraging. Steadier now, Kate removed a clean towel from around the scissors they had boiled earlier and snipped the cord.

"Go ahead and give her to Emily to nurse. The afterbirth will be coming soon." As Vance spoke, she massaged Emily's lower abdomen, feeling the uterus continue to contract weakly as it worked to expel the placenta. A trickle of blood flowed from the birth canal as the placenta separated from the wall of the uterus. The amount of blood flow was normal and the dark maroon color indicated that the uterus was already beginning to shrink. The tightening muscles were closing off the connections between Emily's body and the mass of arteries and veins that had nourished the fetus for nine months.

"Come here, Kate, and put your hand where mine is." Vance guided Kate's hand over the dome of the uterus which was still large enough to extend out of the pelvis. "Sometimes after a prolonged labor the muscles fatigue, and you have to help the contractions along by massaging the womb. Emily is doing fine without our help."

"It's the most amazing thing I've ever experienced." Kate had never felt so connected to the essence of life before. Moments earlier she had seen, and now she could feel, the breathtaking elegance of birth.

"Yes," Vance said softly. "It's a wonder."

"Thank you so much for letting me be here."

Vance smiled. "There'll be nights when you'll be so tired you won't thank me, but I promise you'll never grow weary of the moment when you hand the baby to the mother."

Kate laughed softly. "I know you're right."

An hour later when Vance steered the buggy into the yard in front of Kate's house, it was close to midnight. It was cool enough that they had pulled the blanket over their legs. The sky was cloud filled and totally black. Even the moon and stars were obscured. A lamp glowed in the front room, lighting their way. Vance set the traces onto the floor, jumped down, and hurried around to Kate's side. She held up her hand as Kate stepped onto the running board. "I'll see you in the morning when you come for Jed."

"All right," Kate said, taking Vance's hand. She squeezed it gently.

"Thank you again for tonight."

Nodding, Vance took a step back. "It was my pleasure. It's been some time since I've had the opportunity to teach. If you'd like to continue--"

"Oh, yes. Please." Kate shivered and pulled her cloak more tightly around her shoulders. "Any time. Please."

"It's almost always in the middle of the night," Vance warned, laughing softly.

"That's all right. Do you want to come in for something hot to drink before you drive back to town? Or you could spend the night here."

"No, thank you. I'll just wait until you're inside." Vance climbed back up into the buggy. It would take an hour or more to return to town, and unless there was another call waiting for her at the office, she would still be able to see Mae.

"Be careful, then."

"Yes." Vance nodded absently. "Good night, Kate."

"Good night." Kate had not yet reached the front door when it opened and Jessie stepped out. Kate took her hand. "Have you been waiting up, darling?"

"Couldn't sleep," Jessie said as she watched Vance's buggy turn from the yard. "She could have stayed here."

"I asked," Kate said, slipping her arm around Jessie's waist. "Let me get warm. Then I have so much to tell you."

"I've a fire going in the library. I can make some tea."

Kate removed her bonnet and cloak as they walked down the hallway that formed the center of the house, ending at the kitchen in the rear. She shook out her hair with a sigh as she removed the pins that held it up. "No, I don't think I'll get to sleep as it is. I'm far too excited."

Jessie said nothing as she followed Kate into the library, but walked to a heavy wooden sideboard against the far wall and poured a short shot of whiskey. "Spirits?"

"Oh, I don't know. That might not make me sleepy, but it will certainly make me silly. And I mustn't forget anything about tonight."

Kate stretched both hands out toward the fire and rubbed her palms together. "Oh, you can't imagine what it was like."

Jessie came to join her by the fire and sipped the whiskey as she took in Kate's pleasure. She listened intently as Kate explained all she had experienced, enjoying her excitement. "It seems like you learned an awful lot from seeing one baby being born."

"Vance is the most wonderful teacher." Kate gripped Jessie's arm. "It's amazing everything she's accomplished. Schooling, the war, traveling across the country. I can hardly imagine."

"Women out here don't get the chance for a life like hers."

Kate looked at Jessie curiously, hearing a note of melancholy in her voice that was totally unlike her. "What do you mean?"

"Being a doctor." Jessie hunched her shoulders and moodily watched the fire. "Having the respect of other people because of how much you know and what you can do."

"Jessie," Kate said gently, encircling Jessie's waist and resting her cheek against Jessie's shoulder. "That's exactly the way people regard you."

"What?" Jessie laughed. "Why, Kate, there's nothing special about me. I'm just a rancher like half the other folks around here."

"How many women own their own ranch, breed their own horses, are in charge of so many men?" Kate squeezed Jessie in playful annoyance. "Why, the first time I saw you I realized I'd never seen a woman like you before. Not just how beautiful you were." Kate turned Jessie's head toward her and kissed her lingeringly. "But how certain and sure you were."

"There's plenty of women out here making their way alone. I'm lucky, I guess, because I had the ranch left to me. I could just as well have had nothing after my father died."

"That may be, but you've kept it going and made it something even more over the years. That's what people respect." Kate tightened her hold and kissed Jessie's throat. "You're doing everything I had always hoped to do. Living the life you've chosen. I've always loved that about you."

Jessie stroked Kate's back and nuzzled her hair. "You could be a doctor like Vance. You're every bit as smart."

Kate leaned away and studied Jessie's face. "Is that what you think I want?"

"I can see how happy it makes you doing for others. Working with Vance." Jessie kissed Kate's forehead. "You should be able to do anything you want to do."

"And if I said I wanted to go back East to go to school?" Kate spoke quietly, her gaze locked with Jessie's.

Jessie took a deep breath and fought not to tremble. "If that's what you want."

"I've a mind to torture you, because sometimes you irritate me so," Kate said in exasperation. She curled her fingers around Jessie's belt and pressed hard against her body. "Jessie Forbes, I love you. I have no intention of doing anything that would take me away from you for more than a few hours at a time. I am certainly not going back East for any reason under the sun. What's gotten into you?"

Jessie held Kate tightly. "I just see how excited you are to be working with Vance, and how much you think of her."

"I love you." Kate kissed Jessie soundly, then started opening her belt buckle. "It's time that I remind you of that."

"Maybe," Jessie laughed shakily as Kate tugged her shirt free from her pants, "I should work on irritating you more often."

"I don't expect you're going to stop anytime soon," Kate said as she slipped her hands inside Jessie's shirt. "And I'm glad."


CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

By the time Vance had stopped at the office to ensure that Caleb did not need her to see to any new emergencies, returned her buggy at the livery, and stopped at her room to change her soiled clothing, it was well after one. After stripping off the offending garments, she washed up with the lukewarm water in the pitcher on her dresser. She rummaged through her valise for her cleanest shirt, fresh drawers, and her least rumpled trousers. Once she'd donned her holster, she headed across the street to the saloon.

The room was nearly empty. A cowboy slept with his head down and his hand around a bottle of whiskey at one end of the bar, a boy of twelve or so who looked half asleep swept dust around on the plank floor, and the piano player tapped out single notes with one finger as he stared into his beer. Frank had removed his apron and was wiping down the surface of the bar with methodical strokes. He looked up as Vance approached, his usual friendly smile absent.

"Evening, Frank," Vance said, sliding a coin across the bar.

"Whiskey, please."

As he poured the drink, Vance looked over the room again and then up to the balcony where one or two of the girls could usually be seen watching the activities or, occasionally, servicing a customer.

There was no one there now. Vance downed the drink quickly and signaled for another. This one she sipped slowly as she watched Frank, wondering at his silence.

"Busy night?" Vance finally asked.

"'Bout like always." Frank carefully folded his damp towel into a neat square and draped it over the edge of the bar. He regarded Vance impassively. "Mae said I was to tell you she was busy tonight. If I was to see you."

Vance flushed, partly from the embarrassment of having Frank know why she had come and partly from sharp disappointment. She wasn't ashamed of her relationship with Mae, but she didn't want Frank to think that she was just another customer. That she would use Mae that way. Mostly, she was hurt to think that Mae was unavailable to her because someone else had a claim on her time, and her tenderness, and her body. It was hard to know which she resented more, because they all were precious to her. She quickly finished her drink.

"Thanks. No need to tell her I was by." Vance waved her hand when Frank went to give her change. "Give it to one of the girls."

Vance was halfway to the door when Frank spoke.

"She ain't busy."

Turning, Vance studied his face. What she had initially taken for indifference she now recognized as a concerted effort to control hot temper. His eyes burned with anger. A sick dread roiled in the pit of her stomach as she hastened toward the stairs. "Where is she?"

"In her room, I imagine. Here!" Frank called.

Vance turned and caught the bottle of whiskey he tossed to her solidly in her right hand. She tucked it under her left arm to keep her hand free in case she needed her gun. "Thanks."

v Once upstairs, Vance checked the length of the hall before going to Mae's room. All the other doors were closed and the rooms quiet except for one, from which the sounds of labored coupling filtered through to her. Assured that no particular threat lurked to take her unawares, she tapped on Mae's door. When she got no response, she tried the knob and found it locked. She knocked louder.

"Mae. It's Vance."

She waited a full minute and contemplated kicking in the door.

The only reason she hesitated was because she knew it would frighten Mae. Louder now, she called, "Mae!"

The door opened an inch. "Hush. You'll raise everyone."

Vance couldn't see Mae's face, but she felt a flood of relief just to hear her voice. "May I come in?"

"Not tonight, sweetheart. I'll send a note for you when it's a good time to come by."

As the door started to close, Vance braced her arm against it. "No. Not until I see you."

"Vance, please."

"I'll stand right here. I won't step into your room. Just let me see you."

"There's nothing to trouble yourself over. It's just...not tonight."

"I'm not leaving."

Mae heard the iron in Vance's voice and knew that she would not win this battle. With a sigh, she stepped back and pulled the door open. The room was in shadow. A single candle burned on the dresser.

Backing up as Vance walked toward her, Mae pulled her robe tightly across her breasts. "I'm sorry about tonight. You've got a right to be angry, but I--"

"Quiet, now. It's all right," Vance said softly as she veered away from Mae, who obviously did not want her too close. She put the whiskey bottle on the dresser and fished in her vest pocket for a stick match. Finding one, she lifted the globe on the oil lamp and lit it. She turned back and went very still as she saw Mae clearly for the first time.