An Angel in the Mail

by Callie Hutton

  “No. I mean, yes. I do. Now get out of the way.”

  “Think of your father.” He tried to keep her talking. “He’ll be home from his honeymoon in a few days. Maybe the two of you can talk things out.”

  “Yes, he’ll be home. Bringing that bitch with him.” She looked behind Nate at Angel. “I’ll bet that’s a word your prissy little wife never uses. Does she? Does she?” she screamed.

  The front door flew open, and Sheriff Travis rushed into the room. When Lucy spun around at the sheriff’s entrance, Nate lunged at her to get the gun, but she twisted back and stumbled as they hit the floor. The gun went off before he wrestled it away from her.

  Gasping for breath, Nate stood, and turned to find Angel lying on the floor, blood pouring from her chest.

  “Matt!” Nate yelled from the kitchen. Mark and Matt raced into the room, still holding the wailing baby.

  “Get me some towels,” he shouted at the boy.

  Matt handed Julia-Rose off to Mark and raced for the washroom.

  Sheriff Travis joined Nate on the floor. “I think we better get her to the doctor.”

  Matt returned with an armful of towels. Nate folded one and pressed it to the wound. It seemed to be her shoulder, but the blood kept coming.

  Nate picked her up. “Sheriff, can I use your horse? It’s faster than the buggy.”

  “Sure. I’ll take Lucy in your buggy.”

  Both men looked around the room and realized Lucy had disappeared. Nate hurried outside, and once he mounted, the sheriff handed Angel to him. He laid her across his lap, and grabbing the reins with one hand, he pressed the blood-soaked towel to his wife’s injury with the other hand.

  Dust billowed up as Nate turned the horse toward the doctor’s house. About three hundred yards ahead of him, Lucy’s carriage careened down the road, going in the opposite direction from town.

  “Please don’t die, honey.” Nate said over and over as he headed through town. “We can’t live without you. I can’t live without you.” Every time he looked at the amount of blood absorbed on the towels, his gut twisted.

  Nate pulled up in front of the doctor’s house and yelled for him as he slid off the horse. Mrs. Penrose came out of the house holding a stirring spoon.

  “Oh, dear, what happened here?”

  “Angel’s been shot. Is the doc home?”

  “Yes, come right in, and I’ll get him.”

  Carrying Angel, Nate went up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He entered the house and went directly to the back room where the doctor had his office. He laid Angel on the table as Dr. Penrose came into the office.

  “What happened, son?” He shoved his sleeves up, scooped out a handful of soap and washed his hands.

  “She’s been shot, and bleeding a lot.” His voice quivered, as he clutched Angel’s cold fingers.

  “Okay, take it easy. Let me take a look.”

  Mrs. Penrose came into the room with clean towels. She and the doctor worked for a few minutes, and then the doctor looked up. “Why don’t you wait outside, and I’ll come get you as soon as we’re done here.”

  “No, I don’t want to leave her.”

  “It’s all right. I think she’ll be fine. I would feel better if you weren’t here watching the whole thing.”

  “I’m not leaving.” He continued to grasp her hand, and ran his thumb over her wedding ring. Mrs. Penrose brought over a chair for him that he ignored.

  The doctor’s wife cut away Angel’s dress. When Nate saw the bloody hole in her upper chest, he went livid with rage. No more would he baby Lucy, concerned about her feelings. She would pay for this, and for what she admitted she had done to Amy.

  Dr. Penrose cleaned the wound as his wife assembled what he needed to stitch the gaping hole. He gently lifted Angel, and examined the back of her shoulder. He glanced at Nate. “The bullet went clear through, which is good.” Angel moaned, her eyes blinking rapidly. Sweat beaded her forehead.

  “What happened?” She turned to Nate.

  The doctor nodded to his wife, who poured a clear liquid on a cloth and placed it over Angel’s nose.

  Nate shot a glance at the doctor.

  “It’s better for her to remain unconscious, son. It will wear off in a little bit.”

  Grimly, Nate watched the procedure, all the time praying this woman who had become the center of his life would be all right.

  The minutes ticked by. Angel’s skin felt pale and cool to his touch. She lay so still, as if in death. Sweat trickled down his face, and he swiped it with his sleeve. Dr. Penrose and his wife worked quickly and efficiently. She anticipated what the doctor needed, and had it ready. All of this became so much background movement to Nate, who concentrated on every breath his wife took.

  After a while, Dr. Penrose turned from the table and washed up again. Mrs. Penrose tied a bandage over the pad of cloth covering the sewn up bullet hole.

  “She’s doing well, Nate.” The doctor shook his wet hands, and then dried them on the towel his wife held out. “She’ll have a scar there, but otherwise heal fine. I’d like to keep her overnight in case infection sets in.”

  Nate slumped. “Thanks, doc, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.” He rubbed his eyes with his fists. They felt gritty, as if dirt had invaded them.

  “It’s okay, go on home and take care of that family of yours.”

  “I’ll get Mrs. Darby to handle the children, and I’ll return to sit with my wife. I want to be here when she wakes up.”

  As Nate entered the front room of the house, Sheriff Travis walked in.

  “Where are the children?” Nate looked behind him.

  “I dropped them off at Mrs. Darby’s house. She said she would bring them to your house and stay overnight with them.”

  “Thanks, Sheriff, I appreciate it.”

  “How’s your wife?” The sheriff wanted to know.

  “Doc’s finished working on her. He said he thought she would be fine. He’s keeping her overnight to watch for infection.”

  “Well, if you have everything under control here, I’m on my way to find Lucy.” Nodding, he tugged his hat back on and left.

  Nate shoved his hands into his pockets and walked to the window, staring out at the bustling town. Long shadows formed where the scant sun slid behind the horizon. He thought about Lucy, and the impact of what she said finally hit him. She had been responsible for Amy’s death, and had planned to make him a widower again.

  Shaking his head, he realized she would be headed to jail. Any sympathy he would have had for her vanished when he watched his wife having a bullet wound sewn up. He felt sorry for Eli, but was glad Sylvia would be there to help him through this. But mostly, he hoped the sheriff would find Lucy and she would finally leave him and his family in peace.

  After about ten minutes of musing, he turned when Dr. Penrose came out, rolling his sleeves down. “Mrs. Penrose and I put Angel in a clean nightgown, and moved her to a bed in the room down the hall. You can sit with her there.”

  Nate followed him to an open doorway where Angel lay. Her breathing appeared steady, but she remained very pale.

  “Another thing.” The doctor continued. “The baby seems to be fine. I don’t think there will be any problems.”

  Nate frowned. “The baby? What are you talking about? I mean, what baby?”

  The older man laughed, slapping him on the back. “The new little one your wife is carrying. I guess she hadn’t gotten around to telling you.” Chuckling and shaking his head, he said, “You can go in and sit with her now. She should be waking up soon.”

  Angel’s shoulder burned. She’d never felt such pain before. The dryness in her mouth resembled a wad of old cotton, and she couldn’t orient herself. Pale sun streamed through the window on her r
ight. Her fuzzy gaze wandered the room, over the pink flowered wallpaper, and the maple furniture, not a room she recognized. And why in heaven’s name was she lying in bed in the middle of the day? She turned her head to the side at the sound of low voices. Nate spoke with Dr. Penrose.

  “Nate?” Angel rasped.

  He turned from the doctor and went down on one knee next to her. He smoothed back the hair from her forehead, and gently placed a kiss on her lips.

  “What happened?”

  “Lucy’s gun went off and the bullet hit you in the shoulder. It went clean through, though, so Dr. Penrose cleaned it up and stitched it. Your lovely body may be marred with a small scar, but otherwise you’re fine.”

  She closed her eyes, and then opened them abruptly, her hands on her stomach.

  “Yes, darlin’, the baby is fine.”

  Angel blushed and smiled, holding her hand out to clasp his.

  “And when were you planning on telling me?” Nate said with a grin.

  “Soon. I didn’t know how you would feel about six children.”

  “The more the merrier.” He kissed her again. “The doc wants to keep you overnight, so I’m staying here with you.”

  “No, Nate,” she pleaded. “Please, go on home to the children. They’ll be scared. You need to reassure them everything is all right.” She laid her finger against his lips when he began to protest.

  “Please, I’m worried about our family.”

  Nate kissed her forehead and squeezed her hand. “All right, honey, I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Nate?” Angel reached up with her good arm to caress his face. “Did you ever suspect Amy’s death wasn’t from natural causes?”

  “No, I never did. I still have a hard time digesting that. I never suspected such a threat from Lucy.”

  “Where is she now?” Angel yawned.

  “She ran off after she shot you. The sheriff is out looking for her.” Pulling up the blanket Mrs. Penrose had placed on her bed, Nate kissed Angel once more. “Go to sleep now, sweetheart. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” Angel’s voice drifted off.

  Nate had finally bedded all the children. It hadn’t been easy. Julia-Rose continued to cry for her mama, and the boys were concerned about Angel being shot. After many reassurances they would all see her tomorrow, they finally relented and went to sleep. Julia-Rose fell asleep in his lap with her fingers in her mouth, clutching her rag doll. Her eyelashes were clumped together from her tears, her baby cheeks flushed.

  As he laid her in bed, he considered another baby. But this baby would be half Angel. His Angel who came through the mail. He smiled at the thought.

  He poured himself a small drink of brandy and had just sat down when a knock sounded. He opened the door to find the sheriff standing there, holding his hat.

  “Come on in, Sheriff.” Nate stepped back so he could enter.

  “Thanks, Nate. I’m afraid I have bad news.”

  “Angel?” Nate said, the blood draining from his face.

  “No, it’s about Lucy.” The sheriff took the brandy Nate had poured for him, and sat down with a sigh.

  “After she left here, she took off toward Willamette County. Apparently, either because she was drunk or distraught—probably both—she took a curve too fast and crashed her buggy. She flew out of the carriage and broke her neck.”

  “Oh, my God.” Nate closed his eyes.

  “Do you know how to get in touch with Eli?” The sheriff sipped his drink.

  “Yes, I think Sylvia told Angel where they were staying in San Francisco. I can look for the information so you can get word to them.”

  Shaking his head, the sheriff said, “It’s a heck of a way to end a honeymoon.”

  Angel had never been so fussed over in her life. This morning, Nate had carried her into the bedroom, even though she insisted she could walk. Since then, she had a string of children in and out, bringing her books, food, tea, blankets and her sewing. She wiped her sweat-beaded forehead.

  The boys had to retell their story over and over about how brave they had been, and how scared at the same time. They examined Angel’s injury and patted her for comfort. Julia-Rose sat alongside her in the bed, holding tightly to her rag doll, her fingers in her mouth. Every once in a while, she would reach out and rub Angel’s arm and say, “Mama boo-boo now.”

  “Okay, everybody out.” Nate entered the room, rolling his sleeves down. “Mama needs to rest, and I want some time alone with her.”

  The boys all crawled off the bed where they’d been keeping Angel company. Nate picked Julia-Rose up. “I’ll be right back. Time for her nap.”

  About ten minutes later, Nate returned. Angel’s eyes were closed, her dark lashes resting on her pale cheeks. Perhaps she’d fallen asleep. He studied her, and chuckled at the memory of when she departed the stagecoach, just about a year ago. She’d sure looked a mess.

  He sat alongside her, and the bed dipped slightly. Her first attempts at taking care of the family ran through his mind. She had certainly come a long way, this angel of his.

  Angel’s eyes slowly opened. She held her hand out, and Nate kicked his boots off and joined her on the bed.

  “How do you feel?” He ran his knuckles across her cheek.

  “I feel like I should be up taking care of my family.”

  “No, sweetheart, it’s our turn to take care of you. You have to stay in bed for a few days.”

  “Will you stay here with me?” Her eyes twinkled.

  “Honey, that would kill me. Staying next to you and not touching.”

  “Well, I don’t hurt everywhere, you know.”

  “How about here?” He kissed the soft skin on her neck.

  “Nope.” A slight catch in her voice.

  “Here?” Going a little lower.

  “Nope. Not there, either.” Breathless response.

  Going further. “Here?”

  “Um, no, don’t think so.” She pulled his mouth to hers.

  Matt pushed open the bedroom door. “Papa, Luke threw up.”