She laid her head on his shoulder. “Alright. I’ll let you, if you don’t think I’m too heavy.”
He groaned dramatically. “I think I’ll manage.”
Sarah laughed. “What has you in such a good mood this morning?”
“You. You’re better and are going to be right as rain with a little rest now. We’ve got two beautiful daughters and are going to have another one or a son in a few months. What could I not be happy about?”
He carried her into the kitchen and the cowhands burst into applause when they saw her and the girls ran over and hugged her legs as that was all they could reach.
John sat at the head of the table with her in his lap. She hugged each of the girls and assured them she was all right. She could have insisted that he put her in her own chair but she kind of liked it just where she was. The girls sat on either side of her. Bertha was so happy to have her back she piled a plate high with all kinds of food.
“Bertha, thank you, but I really only want some toasted bread and coffee. I don’t think my stomach can handle much else.”
“Of course not,” said Bertha. “I don’t know what I was thinking. Boss, that can be your plate. I’ll fix the missus what she wants.” She bustled away to get the coffee.
Sarah drank about half the coffee and ate one piece of bread. She turned to John and said quietly, “I think I’m ready to go back upstairs.”
He stood and announced, “I’m taking her upstairs now so she can rest. If she’s still feeling better you’ll see her again at supper.” Everyone said goodbye and John carried her back to their room.
“John, I need a bath.”
He wrinkled his nose. “I believe you’re right.”
She punched him in the shoulder.
He put her down on the bed so she could sit up. “I’ll have Bertha start some water boiling. You wait here while I go get the tub. Don’t do anything until I get back.”
She nodded and said, “Go. The sooner you’re gone the sooner I get my bath.”
He walked out of the room and she immediately stood up only to fall back to the bed. It was going to be really hard to use the chamber pot this way. It was behind the screen and the screen was clear on the other side of the room. She eased her way down the length of the bed to the foot post. Using that as a brace she stood and though wobbly, her legs held her. She leaned into the post and waited a bit letting her legs get used to her weight again. That was how he found her.
“What the hell are you doing?”
The long metal tub clattered to the floor.
“I’m going to use the chamber pot.”
“I’ll help you.”
“This is so embarrassing.”
“Who do you think helped you while you were sick? I can help you now.”
Having no choice she let him support her.
He helped her back to the bed and sat her down on it.
“Now, are you going to stay put this time? Or do I have to hog tie you?”
“You can get the water for my bath. I’ll be good.”
He looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “You promise?”
“Yes, I promise.” She crossed her heart. “I’m not going to say ‘and hope to die’ because I came too close to that.”
He just nodded but she saw something like anguish cross his face and then it was gone. “But you didn’t and you’re here. To stay.”
When he came back with the water, one bucket of each hot and cold, she was still sitting where he’d left her.
“Ah, good girl, to wait for her husband to help her.”
“I didn’t want to get scolded again. Are you going to help me out of these clothes now? That water looks inviting.”
He poured the buckets of water into the tub and then closed the door before coming to her.
“Okay, let’s get you out of those clothes.”
She undid her robe and shrugged out of it. He undid about all the buttons on her gown and then had her stand, using him for support, while he pulled it down her arms and over her hips. Then he picked her up and set her in the tub.
The water was wonderful, hot and relaxing. “We’re going to need more water if I’m going to wash my hair.”
“You sit in there and soak and I’ll get some more water.”
She raised her knees and scooted down until she could lie back in the bottom of the tub. Sarah just lay there, letting the hot water soak into her sore muscles. Who would have thought that being sick would leave her so tired. She tried to reach up with both of her arms and that’s when her bullet wound decided to make her remember it was there. Putting her arm back down, she used the right arm to cover her hair with water.
When John returned with the water, he nearly dropped the buckets because he couldn’t see anything but her knees sticking up from the tub. He set the buckets down and came to the side of the tub and stared down at her.
“What are you doing?”
“Wetting my hair. I was going to wash it but I can’t lift my left arm high enough.”
“Here let’s get you sitting up and I’ll wash your hair.” He put his hands under her arms and lifted her like she weighed no more than one of the girls. He took the soap and ran it over her head working up a lather which he worked down her back to the ends. Then he helped her lie back in the water and rinse her hair.
He helped her back up and washed her body for her, taking extra time around her breasts and between her legs. She leaned back against his chest and enjoyed the ministrations.
“I can’t make love to you. You’re much too weak and sore, but I want to,” he said as he removed his hands and got a bucket of now warm water.
“You’re right. I think an orgasm now would kill me.”
He chuckled. “Sit up and let me rinse your hair.”
She did and he poured warm water over her.
“That feels so good. Now comes the hard part. You have to detangle and comb my hair.”
“Nothing to it. You’ve seen Katy’s hair after her bath and I did hers for a lot of years. I think I can do yours.”
“Good because I can’t with my arm.”
He had her sit up on the bed and put her nightgown on. Then he sat next to her and combed her hair working from the bottom up. Once he had all the tangles out of it he gave it one last comb through and then braided it in a single plait down her back, just like she’d worn it when he taught her to ride.
“There. Do you feel better?”
“Much.”
He covered her with the blankets and then stretched out next to her and took her in his arms.
“I’m glad your back.”
“So am I. We have to talk about what happened.”
“What happened is William tried to take you and then, when he couldn’t, he tried to kill me and force you to go with him.”
“I guess that about sums it up. Except what do we do now? I don’t think he’s going to give up. Not now. He’s still going to try to kill you and may try to hurt MaryAnn. If he finds out I survived, he’ll be back for me, too.”
“We’ll just have to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“You almost make me think you care.”
“Of course, I care. I almost lost you. I’ve never been so scared in my life.” He squeezed her closer and her shoulder felt the pain.
“Owww. Not so tight.”
He immediate relaxed his hold. “Sorry, I forgot your shoulder.
“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said what I did. I know you took care of me while I was sick. You didn’t have to. You could have had Bertha do it. Our relationship has been rocky and I’m feeling vulnerable, that’s all.”
He lifted her chin with his knuckle until she looked at him. “I’m not going to lose you. Not to William and not to my own stupidity. We are a family, you, me, the girls and this baby. Nothing and no one is going to change that. Are we clear?”
However harsh he sounded, she heard the love behind the words. He loved her. She knew it. She wondered if he
did. She cuddled a little closer. “Yes. We’re clear.”
“Good.” He shifted so his lips claimed hers in the sweetest kiss since their wedding day.
“Mmm. If I wasn’t incapacitated I’d show you what that kiss does to me. However, we have other things to discuss. Did you tell the sheriff?”
“I had one of the men ride to town and tell him. Everyone is going to be looking for William.”
“Then he’ll lie low. But he’s either in Golden City or Denver. He’ll stay close and he won’t be without his comforts. He’ll be somewhere with running water and a private bath.”
“Most of the hotels have running water but not all have private baths,” said John. “I’ll tell the sheriff what you said. Checking the ones in Golden City won’t be a problem but in Denver, well that’s going to be harder. There are a lot of places to stay and not enough people to check them all.”
“Then we need to prepare ourselves. John, I need to learn to shoot.”
“No. I’ll have one of the men here with you and the girls all the time.”
“It’s not the same. I have to be alone sometimes. I have things to do and can’t expect the man to be with me all the time. The girls need to be able to play. I don’t want to take that away from them. You know this is the right thing. Just say I’m going to do it so I can kill snakes. Which will be true, no matter how you look at it. Whether a rattler or William, it’s still a snake.”
He took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh. “Alright. I know when I’m out maneuvered. When your shoulder heals, I’ll start teaching you. But not a day before the doc says you’re good.”
“Deal.” She yawned though she tried not to. “I think I want to sleep now.”
“That’s good. The doc said you need to rest as much as possible.”
“Hmm hmm.” She moved so her head was pillowed on his chest rather than his arm. “Goodnight.”
She was fast asleep before he could return the phrase. He stayed there for a while, listening to her sleep. The soft, little snores that she would deny she made to her dying day.
He moved, replacing his chest with her pillow and got up. Now that she was better he had work to do and a man to kill.
CHAPTER 9
It had been a couple of weeks since she’d been shot. And a week since she’d stop wearing the sling. She worked stretching her shoulder and getting it loose. She didn’t want to lose the use of it so she moved it as much as possible. When no one was looking. Everyone seemed perfectly happy to keep her ‘safe’ and she was damn well tired of it.
She went into the kitchen after breakfast just as everyone was leaving. “Everyone out. Now. That includes you John and you Bertha.”
Bertha left. John stayed.
“Glad you’re up and around,” said John.
“I am too and I’m going to bake today. No. Don’t even open your mouth to try and stop me.”
He grinned at her. “Finally got bored did you?”
“I’ve been bored for two weeks. I just couldn’t stand it any longer. I’m sorry if I hurt people’s feelings but I’ve got to get busy.”
He hooked his fingers in his belt loops and rocked back on his heels. “I figured you’d come around soon. It didn’t hurt any that you kept the shoulder stationery while it healed but now you’ve got to move it to keep it working proper.”
“Well it’s working proper enough. Now leave if you want any pie at dinner or supper.”
He came over and gave her a kiss on the cheek before he walked out the door. “Yes ma’am.”
She wiped down the wooden counter. Then she got out the flour, salt and lard and went about making pie crusts for four pies. John had an apple tree in the yard and it was starting to produce more apples than they could use. Tomorrow, she thought, I’ll get the kids and Bertha to help me gather apples and can them. For now she took an empty bushel basket and went out and picked a basket full of the sweet fruit.
Two hours later she had four apple pies cooling on the counter and it was time to start dinner. After that she’d make four more pies for supper. It was hard work and her arm ached from rolling out the dough but it was a good kind of ache. The ache you got from being useful.
Later that night when they laid in bed in the aftermath of their lovemaking, Sarah said, “You can’t put me off any more. It’s time to teach me how to shoot a gun.”
“I know. As soon as I saw you working again in the kitchen, I knew I would have to do it. I still think it’s unnecessary but I understand your need to be able to protect yourself. Admittedly I won’t always be there.”
“Yes.” She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you. When can we start?”
“Tomorrow after breakfast. Now don’t I get more than a peck on the cheek?”
“You already got your lovin’ for tonight. Now lay back and go to sleep.” She turned away from him, a smile on her face.”
“Oh, no you don’t. Just because we’re not going to make love doesn’t mean that you get to sleep yet. Come here.” He pulled her into his embrace.
She giggled and cuddled into his side. If this wasn’t love, she didn’t know what love was. This comfort with each other, being able to talk together, make love to each other, not just have sex. This was love. It had to be. Now if she could just convince him of it.
The following day John took her out behind the barn. He’d set up some cans at varying distances to shoot at.
“I have a present for you.” He pulled the extra gun he carried from his belt. “I had the gun smith in Denver make this special for you. It’s a modified Colt revolver. It’s lighter and smaller than the Colt I carry. It shoots .22 ammunition rather than the .45 that mine does, but that’s plenty enough power to kill a man.”
She took the gun from his hand. It still seemed heavy to her. “Let me see your gun.” The difference was amazing. She had to use two a hands to hold his gun up. Hers she could do with one hand. She handed his gun back to him.
“Okay, I want you to hold the gun up and look down the barrel until you have the sight in line with the can on the far left. When you’ve got that where you want it, I want you to pull back the hammer and cock the gun, then I want you to just squeeze the trigger. Pull it gently and steadily, so the gun remains aimed where you want it to be. Too quick on the trigger and the gun will move and you’ll miss your target.”
She did as he asked and followed his instructions to the letter.
“Honey, that’s real good, but you’ve got to keep your eyes open, too.”
“I didn’t realize I closed them.”
He chuckled. “Just as soon as you started squeezing the trigger, you closed your eyes.”
“Well that explains why I missed the can.”
“That definitely could have something to do with it.”
She practiced for most of the morning and eventually got to where she could hit the target two out of five times. More practice was needed but at least now she didn’t feel totally defenseless. She put the gun in her apron pocket.
“Maybe we should get you a gun belt.”
“It would look strange over my dress. The apron works fine and then I don’t have little girls asking me what I’m doing with a gun.”
“Good point.”
“Thank you for teaching me. I feel a little safer.”
“Just remember a gun is a last resort and it won’t save you if the bad guy gets a hold of it. If you’re going to use it, shoot to kill or don’t carry it at all.”
“I’ll remember.” And she would. There was no way William would get near her or her family again.
* * *
William Grayson laid low in a Denver hotel. It wasn’t the best but good enough to have the private bath he required. And better yet, they could be bribed to keep their mouths shut if the law came looking.
He hired more men to keep the ranch under watch. He knew Sarah hadn’t died from the wound he inflicted on her. But it wasn’t his fault. It was that husband of hers. If he’
d just die, everything would be as it should be. Sarah would be his wife and they could put her brat in a boarding school somewhere out of the way.
He’d take it slow with Sarah once he had her. She was going to need some convincing that he was the best husband for her. He had to have her. Now that his mother was finally gone, he could. Mother always protected her from him. He tried convincing Sarah before she left but when she flat turned him down, he knew he’d have to let her go in order to keep track of her. He was afraid she’d run and he wouldn’t know where to find her. She, unsuspecting as usual, gave him her new address. Told him to write. Ha! Write. And say what? I miss you and I’m going to have you one way or another?
They’d have to move to a new city. Couldn’t take the chance of running into ‘old’ friends, though if truth be told, he didn’t have friends. He had acquaintances and the only friend Sarah had was old lady Adams next door. It didn’t matter now. He’d sold everything. They could live anywhere. Maybe they’d travel. Yes, they could go to Paris. It would be hard for Sarah to leave him in a city where she didn’t speak the language and didn’t have any money.
Wherever they went, he’d be glad to leave this place with its squeaky iron bed and worn carpets. There was barely room for his clothes in the old wardrobe and the commode was laughable. So small, the pitcher and basin almost didn’t fit on top. A chamber pot would never have fit in the cupboard of the commode like it was supposed to. Good thing there was a toilet in the bathroom. As yes, the necessities to him were luxuries to these backward people.
Yes, he’d be very glad to get Sarah and leave the wretched West behind.
* * *
Sarah began a new routine. Every morning after breakfast she went out behind the barn to the target range John set up for her and practiced. Shooting again and again until she could hit the cans every four out of five times, consistently.
Sundays were different. After breakfast they headed to Golden City to church and when they got home she had to prepare dinner. No time for practice.
One Sunday, John invited their neighbor Nathan Ravenclaw for dinner. Nathan had lots of questions for Sarah. He wanted to know everything about Matchmaker & Company. She answered every one of them honestly. She told him Mrs. Selby checked out all her clients, both the bachelors and the brides. She had a knack for placing the right couples together.
Capital Bride Page 10