Read Online Sooner or Later by Debbie Macomber - Free Book Online

forced to rely on Ramirez more than once to translate for him. She could have done just as well.
    Irritated and frustrated, Letty paced the shaded area and waited for the men to resolve the money issue. As far as she was concerned, it didn’t matter what it cost. They had to get into Zarcero without being discovered.
    A weak, pitiful cry cut into her thoughts. Letty turned to find the clean-scrubbed young mother attempting to comfort the infant in her arms by feeding her a bottle. A second frail sob racked the sick baby, and the woman’s eyes filled with tears that she struggled to hold back.
    Letty had been so caught up in her own troubles that she hadn’t given the mother and child more than an indifferent glance.
    “Is the baby ill?” Letty asked gently in Spanish.
    The woman glanced up, her eyes riddled with worry and tears, but she didn’t respond.
    Letty pressed the back of her hand against the infant’s forehead. The baby burned with fever.
    The woman closed her arms more securely around her child and nodded.
    Letty asked a number of questions and learned the other woman’s name was Anna and the baby’s Margherita.
    Letty slipped the backpack off her shoulder and knelt on the dirt floor. Not knowing in what condition they’d find Luke, she’d brought along a variety of herb creams, tinctures, and ointments. Surely she could find something that would help reduce the baby’s fever.
    “I’m not a doctor,” Letty explained as she drew out a small plastic bottle. She explained that the liquid had been made from Chinese honeysuckle, often called jin yin. “I know about herbs, and two small drops of this added to juice or sweetened water will help the baby’s fever.”
    Anna’s eyes widened as if she weren’t sure she should trust Letty.
    “You must reduce her fever,” Letty implored, realizing she could offer Anna no reassurances. This woman knew nothing of her.
    Weighing the decision carefully, Anna handed Letty her baby’s bottle. Using an eye dropper, Letty added two tiny drops of the tincture to the water.
    With a damp cloth, she moistened the infant’s face and chest. Sitting side by side, the two women cooled the baby. Temporarily comfortable, the infant sucked her bottle dry.
    “Ramón is Margherita’s father,” she said, glaring at the wiry fellow standing next to Murphy.
    “Your husband?”
    Quickly Anna lowered her eyes. “No.” Her shoulders stiffened as she raised her head, her look strong and proud. “I came because I hoped Ramón would help me find a doctor for Margherita. When I told him I was pregnant, he said a baby was my responsibility, not his. I loved him. I gave my heart to a man with no soul.” Leaning slightly closer, Anna gently pressed her hand over Letty’s arm. “He is a man who makes many promises and delivers few. Learn from my mistake. Do not trust him.”
    Across the road, Murphy looked all the more disgruntled. Ramirez’s face was red from arguing, and he shook his head repeatedly.
    “I must get into Zarcero,” Letty whispered, confiding in Anna.
    Her face and eyes revealed her dismay. “No, señorita, Zarcero is a dangerous place for you and your man.”
    “My brother is there.”
    Anna’s expressive face revealed her apprehension. “It isn’t possible. The soldiers won’t let you cross the border,” she insisted.
    “I know. Ramón was supposed to help us.”
    “Ramón?” Her dark eyes widened all the more, contrasting with the white peasant blouse and flowing skirt. “No,” she said with conviction, and shook her head. “Do not put your faith in him, señorita.”
    “My brother is a good man,” Letty returned. “He needs my help.”
    “A good person like you?” she asked, her hand gripping the tincture bottle.
    Letty smiled. She wasn’t as good as Luke, not nearly as generous or forgiving. He’d always been there for her, and she refused to abandon him now.
    “Like my brother,” she agreed meekly.
    “I will help you,” Anna