“Me too?” AJ stepped closer to Iris.
“The three of you can sit with him for a few minutes.” Doc waved them toward the examination room. “Then you should go home. If there’s any change during the night, I’ll send someone to fetch you.”
Iris gasped when she saw Daniel, lying so still, his face deathly pale. She sat on the chair nearest his bedside and watched him sleeping, clasping his hand in hers. “I’m here, Daniel. Please get better. I need you. I love you,” she whispered.
Jim sat in the chair on the other side of the examination room bed and AJ stood at Iris’s side. She didn’t care who heard her unabashedly profess her love to Daniel. AJ’s hand rested on her shoulder, and then he offered a gentle squeeze and a pat before stuffing his hands in his pockets. “You’re in love with him,” AJ stated in a whisper.
Iris nodded. “Did you know he proposed a while back? I asked for time to think about it, but I’ve decided to accept.”
“That’s good.”
“Have you been told about my past?” Iris glanced up at AJ.
He smiled. “Has anyone told you about mine?”
Her mouth fell open, left speechless. What could AJ possibly have done that would be of concern to her?
“Doesn’t matter now. Ask Daniel to explain sometime. You obviously love my son, so I’d be delighted to have you as a daughter-in-law.”
Iris’s eyes filled. “Thank you, sir.”
“None of this ‘sir’ business. Just AJ.”
Iris smiled. “I’ll love your son for the rest of my days. I just pray he’ll be all right.”
“Don’t worry. Doc knows what he’s doing.” AJ turned toward Jim. “Enough of this family stuff. How did the horse recovery go? When can the Double M expect its mares returned?”
“Could be on Double M land already. After we rounded them up, we performed a head count and all the stolen horses were accounted for. We sorted them by brands.” Jim scoffed. “The fool amateurs hadn’t even altered the brands. Just hoping to make a few dollars, I suppose.”
AJ stood hands on hips. “There’s always someone looking to buy a good horse at a bargain price. Whether the animal was stolen or not don’t mean beans to them.”
“The two ranchers who accompanied us agreed to return the horses to their rightful owners. A couple of our deputies went along to assist.” Jim rounded the bed and shook AJ’s hand. “I’m happy we located those animals. Looked like some excellent horseflesh.”
“Some of the best we’ve ever bought and bred,” AJ explained. “Lot of money tied up in those animals.”
“Well, they should be back in McLennon possession by now. At least, they appeared none the worse for it. The thieves kept them in a valley rich with grass and close to the river. They were cared for.” Jim returned to his chair.
“The horses would bring a better price that way. I’d bet it wasn’t the animals’ welfare they were interested in. Just lining their pockets would be their only concern.” AJ scratched his face. “Dang beard itches. Couldn’t shave while I rode along with Sawyer. At least we got Fred and Shorty to the prison without incident.”
“That’s good,” Iris commented.
AJ patted her shoulder again. “Shorty seemed a half-decent sort. Nothing like his uncle. I hope Shorty straightens himself out after serving his sentence.”
Jim leaned back in his seat. “Shorty provided the clue to finding those mares. I’m considering putting in a good word for him. His uncle seemed the family’s bad seed, not him.”
AJ yawned. “I’ve been away from the ranch long enough. Daniel is in good hands here. I’m going to head to the hotel for the night and then ride out to the Double M first thing in the morning.”
“I might as well go also.” Jim stood and smiled at Iris. “Let us know if anything changes.”
“I will,” she promised. “I’m staying the night with him.”
“Thank you, young lady. My son is a lucky man.” AJ headed out the door with Jim following on his heels.
Left alone in the room with Daniel, Iris lost the fight with the tears she’d bravely been holding back. The floodgates opened and she sobbed uncontrollably, burying her face in the white sheet covering Daniel. She’d no idea how long she’d cried when someone placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Had a good cry, did you?” a familiar female voice asked.
Iris raised her head and opened her eyes. She brushed the tears away and nodded at Sue Bennett, Doc’s wife.
“Best remedy for worry.” Sue handed Iris a cup of hot tea. “Here you go. This will help also.”
“Thank you.” Iris sipped the tea and glanced at her benefactor. Sue had taught her students in her absence while she’d been in Butte. The woman appeared not much older than herself. And yet, Doc Bennett’s graying sideburns suggested he’d seen several more birthdays than his wife.
“I can see on your face that you’re wondering. Twenty-five years.” Sue laughed, dragging a chair over and seating herself next to Iris. “I arrived at Milestone as a schoolteacher, like yourself. Came down with a horrible head cold and Doc heard about it. He dropped by the schoolhouse one afternoon after the children departed to check on me.”
“And you fell in love with the town’s doctor?”
“The moment I looked into those kind brown eyes.” Her hand rested on her chest. “My goodness, he took my breath away that day, more so than the head cold had. I’m not certain I’ve recovered still.”
Iris knew exactly how she felt. She couldn’t breathe properly every time Daniel looked at her a certain way. If Sue loved Doc half as much as she loved Daniel, they’d all grow old and gray together.
Sue patted her hand. “You should go home and get some sleep. He’s doctored with laudanum, so he’ll rest. The fever will break by morning, hopefully.”
“I can’t leave him,” Iris whispered. “Everyone else left and there’s only me.”
“All right then.” Sue slapped her legs with her hands and then stood. “I’ll roll a cot in here and you can lie down, at least. But don’t be afraid to doze off. Either Doc or I will be watching him all night, bathing him and trying our best to end the fever.”
“Thank you. You’re both wonderful to do this for Daniel.”
“Good heavens. Not to worry. That’s what we do.” Sue patted Iris’s shoulder and left the room to fetch the cot.
Iris considered it a generous gesture, but she had no intention of sleeping. What if something happened to Daniel while she slept? What if he needed her? What if she wasn’t there for him?
Chapter 32
Daniel awoke, his mind groggy and his thoughts slightly confused. As he did every morning, he opened his eyes and slowly stretched his body. Oh, he shouldn’t have done that. An excruciating pain radiated through his middle, taking his breath away. What the heck had happened to him? Had a dozen longhorns trampled him? His hand instinctively covered the painful spot, connecting with a large bandage.
And then he remembered the shooting.
Somehow, he sensed he wasn’t alone. He peeked to the side and noticed someone lying on a cot alongside the bed.
Iris?
He’d recognize that silky blonde hair anywhere. Had she spent the night at his bedside? He couldn’t recall her being here earlier. She must have kept vigil all night though, sleeping as soundly as she was now. He could watch her sleep forever. So beautiful.
Memories of everything returned in a rush; his mind now clear. After the shooting first occurred, Jim Snow had taken him to a nearby ranch. While the rancher’s wife doctored him on her kitchen table, Daniel prayed for death, her medical technique sadly lacking in gentleness. Then Jim transported him in the wagon to Butte where another doctor had stitched him up. He grimaced, recalling the wagon ride back to Milestone. He’d eventually passed out from the pain and hadn’t come to until Doc Bennett shook him awake in his examination room hours later.
Doc poked and prodded him again to within an inch of his life, insisting the wound ne
eded cleaning and he’d probably require a bit more surgery. He remembered Doc telling him he’d been extremely lucky since the bullet passed straight through him without hitting any organs or doing much damage. Doc handled patients with a gentle hand, but Daniel couldn’t remember much of the doctoring he’d received. He did recall seeing Jim Snow and he’d swear he’d heard his father’s voice. He might have imagined that last part. Doc mentioned something about a fever and gave him some bitter-tasting stuff, probably laudanum, and the rest was a blur. He must have passed out again.
This morning, Daniel felt normal enough except for the pain shooting through his middle with every move he attempted.
“You’re awake!”
He jolted and grimaced. Dang it, that hurt!
“Sorry, I hadn’t intended to startle you.” Iris smiled at him.
Daniel’s first thought was what pain? While out searching for the horses, he hadn’t seen her in days. He’d imagined her face every night until sleep overtook him, but nothing compared to the real thing.
“Hello,” he whispered, his mouth dry as dust.
Iris’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m so happy you’re all right.”
“Me, too. Considering the alternative,” he teased. A couple of times, he’d even figured himself a goner, but he’d come through it.
“How do you feel?”
“Like I’ve been run over by a barnful of bulls,” he replied.
Iris shook her head. “If you can joke, then you must be on the mend. Doc and Sue took turns bathing you throughout the night and your fever broke around dawn.”
Daniel felt his eyes widen and he peeked under the sheet. At least, they hadn’t stripped him completely naked.
Iris laughed. “Don’t worry. They asked me to leave the room during these ministrations. Unless they’d continued them when I fell asleep.”
“Whatever they did, it worked. I’m not feeling too bad as long as I don’t move.”
“That’s great news. If you hadn’t made it…” Iris’s vision blurred.
Daniel reached for her hand, grimacing. “I’ll never leave you, if I have any say in it.”
“I know.” She nodded. “And I have an answer for you.”
Answer? Daniel wracked his brain for a moment before he remembered his proposal. He smiled at her. “Then perhaps I should ask the question again?”
“Please do,” she whispered.
“I’d hoped this would be repeated in a more romantic location, but here goes. Iris Lake, you’re the lovely young lady I’ve waited for my entire life. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” Daniel kissed her hand. “And thank you for not insisting I get down on bended knee. That would have killed me for sure.”
Iris laughed. “No bended knee required. And the answer is yes!”
Their lips joined in a sweet kiss, and Daniel lost himself in the perfect joy of being with the woman he loved.
“Hot damn. Does this mean another wedding in the family?”
Iris and Daniel glanced toward the doorway. “Pa, your timing is terrible,” Daniel muttered, grimacing as he lowered his head onto the pillow again.
“I reckoned it was near to perfect.” AJ walked into the room, circumventing the cot and stopping beside his son’s bed. “I clearly heard Iris say yes. No changing her mind now.”
“Absolutely not!” Iris clasped Daniel’s hand. “He’s stuck with me for the next fifty years or so.”
“Make it sixty and we have a deal.” Daniel smiled despite the pain. He wouldn’t laugh; that would kill him for certain. And he didn’t dare to even consider the repercussions should he inadvertently sneeze.
“What’s going on in here?” Doc stood in the doorway, hands on hips. “My patient requires his rest.”
Sawyer popped his head around the corner. “He’s going to need it.”
Daniel lay in the bed, feeling about as useless as teeth in a chicken. He could barely breathe without it hurting. “Need rest for what? Can’t imagine Carl found another job for me already.”
“Look at this,” Sawyer said, handing Daniel a piece of paper.
Daniel perused the telegraph and gasped. “I’ve been hired by the Pinkerton Detective Agency. I’m going to be a Pinkerton agent.”
Iris squealed while AJ performed a little jig in the confined area.
“There’s only one problem,” Daniel muttered.
AJ halted his celebratory dance. “What?”
Iris frowned. “What problem?”
“Timing.” Daniel glanced at AJ and then met Iris’s eyes. “I need to leave for Chicago in two weeks.”
AJ paced the room. “It can’t be done, Daniel. Never mind you’re newly engaged, you won’t be fit to ride a horse in only two weeks.”
“I agree.” Iris wagged a finger at her fiancé. “There’s no way you can accept. Unless they allow you more time to heal.”
“I’m not turning them down.” Daniel grimaced as he struggled to sit up. “If I have to crawl to Chicago, I’m going.”
Doc shook his head. “I’d say you’re being optimistic. Healing from a gunshot wound takes time.”
“Time I don’t have.” Daniel held his side flaming from the exertion of sitting up, but he wasn’t about to admit that to anyone. He’d waited too long to realize his dream and now that he hovered on the brink of its fulfilment, he wasn’t allowing a bandaged middle to stop him. The disappointment of having to relinquish his dream would be tenfold more painful than this wound could ever be. “Iris, sweetheart, how long do you figure it would take to plan a wedding?”
Iris turned to her future father-in-law. “Go fetch the reverend, Mr. McLennon. I’ll marry this man today.”
“Little lady, not so fast. We’ve got two weeks, and you’re not marrying my son in his birthday suit while he’s still in bed.”
“I’m wearing… never mind.” Daniel grinned. “But I agree. We’re having a proper church wedding. Just a small one that we can put together in a few days’ time.”
“I’ll go fetch your sister. If anyone can put together a wedding in two weeks, she’s the one.” AJ headed for the door. “You send those Pinkerton fellows a telegraph and tell them you accept.”
Sawyer smiled. “It would be my pleasure. Consider it done, Daniel.” He followed AJ out the door.
Doc Bennett stood beside Daniel’s bed, shaking his head. “You’re daft. You’ll never be well enough to travel to Chicago two weeks from now.”
“Oh yes I will,” Daniel argued. “Or I’ll die trying.”
Chapter 33
Iris strode down the sidewalk on Main Street heading for Amanda’s Clothing Emporium. With everything seemingly happening at once, she hardly knew which end was up.
Eleven days had passed since she said yes to Daniel’s proposal and they learned he’d been accepted as a Pinkerton. She suspected Sawyer Manning’s letter of recommendation could be credited in part for the latter, as well as Daniel’s hard work and determination.
However, arranging a wedding in less than two weeks had proven a challenge. So much to do and so little time to accomplish it caused her head to spin. Doc Bennett’s wife promised to teach classes if a new schoolteacher hadn’t arrived before Iris’s departure. But Ray Cochrane had successfully hired another schoolteacher—Iris’s friend, Barbara Nelson from Butte, accepted the job—and she’d be arriving tomorrow. Just in time to serve as Iris’s bridesmaid.
Iris entered Amanda’s Clothing Emporium and tugged off her mittens. “Good morning, ladies,” she called.
“Finally, you’re here!” Amanda exclaimed from the back of the store.
“Am I late?”
Amanda’s Aunt Ruby met Iris halfway through the store. “Not at all. She’s been on pins and needles waiting to see you in your wedding dress.”
Iris had chosen a beautiful two-toned blue velvet and satin gown that Amanda had created and hung on the rack as a stock item, hoping it might be purchased by one of her patrons as a special dress for the Christmas season
. The moment Iris spotted the exquisite gown she’d known that was her wedding dress. With Iris being so tall, Amanda needed to slightly lower the hem. Ever the perfectionist, Amanda insisted on a nip here and a tuck there as well. Today Iris would try on the finished gown, and with only two days to her wedding, not a minute too soon.
“How are the wedding plans coming along?” Ruby inquired, standing beside her niece’s sewing machine.
“All right, I think. I worry that we’re forgetting something, but Mrs. Sheridan assures me everything has been taken care of.” Iris smiled, recalling the many hours spent fussing over so many details; the Double M housekeeper had been a godsend. Daniel and Iris insisted on a small dinner at the hotel after they exchanged their vows at the Milestone Community Church. At this point, Iris figured if they’d forgotten something, they would simply do without.
Iris stepped behind the mahogany screen painted with exotic birds and tropical greenery. She undressed and then slipped her arms through the sleeves. She slowly eased herself into the dress and fastened the bodice in place. She took a deep breath and ran her fingers down the sides of the skirt, smiling at the luxurious feel of the velvet. She peeked around the end of the screen. “Is everyone ready?” she teased.
“Yes. Get out here!” Amanda exclaimed.
Iris stepped over to the cheval mirror for a peek at herself. Ruby gasped and Amanda’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. Iris took one look and her vision blurred with tears. She looked like royalty. Or how she imagined royalty would be dressed.
“Oh, my goodness,” she whispered. “Is that truly me?”
Ruby grasped Amanda’s arm. “My dear niece, you have outdone yourself.”
Iris laughed. Considering how many dresses she’d bought from Amanda’s store, that was saying something. “I agree. This couldn’t be more perfect.”
Amanda waved her hand. “Stop it, both of you, or you’ll have me crying.”
“I’ve created a bouquet for your ceremony.” Ruby waved her hand when Iris prepared to argue. “Just some dried blooms from last summer’s garden at the ranch, and a few evergreen sprigs. Didn’t take me but a few minutes’ time and it looks so nice. The sprigs will be simple enough to replace with fresh ones on your special day.”
A Reinvented Lady (Sons Of A Gun Book 2) Page 19