Love Inspired Historical November 2015

by Linda Ford

  After an eternity, the doc arrived, his cheeks chapped from the cold, his bag clutched in his hand. “I heard you had some excitement.”

  Doc Johnsen was a young Norwegian with straw-colored hair and bright blue eyes. He had an unflappable comportment and astonishing endurance. After the twins were born, he’d stayed the weekend, then visited each day, sometimes twice a day, until they’d thrived. The doc delivered both good and bad news with forthright directness, and Shane appreciated his honesty.

  Easing away from her, Shane feathered his touch along her jaw. “She took a bad fall. Bumped her head. She’s sprained her wrist and her ankle. Nothing feels broken.”

  Tessa reached for him and he circled around to the opposite side of the bed. The doc took his place, dipping the mattress as he adjusted his stethoscope over his ears. As the doc examined her, her eyes fluttered open. She mumbled Shane’s name and he stroked the back of her hand.

  The doc straightened with a frown. “That’s a nasty bump you’ve got, Mrs. McCoy.” He lifted each lid and checked her eyes once more, then turned toward Shane. “Has she been lucid since the accident? Speaking?”

  “Some. She’s talked a little. She didn’t always make sense. She thought there were spiders in her hair.”

  The doc’s expression turned grim. “Judging by her eyes, she’s got some swelling on the brain. That combined with the cold may bring about some hallucinations.”

  Shane wasn’t a demonstrative man, less so when other folks were around. Heedless of the doctor’s presence, he slid his arm beneath Tessa’s shoulder and pressed his cheek against hers. She didn’t recoil from him, and he relaxed some. Her skin was cool and soft, her body weak. She’d been through a rough time today, and he wanted to infuse her strength with some of his own.

  Memories of Abby’s illness came rushing back. She’d been laid up so often after the twins’ birth, none of them had given much heed when the fever first struck. In a blink everything had changed. The doc’s face had taken on that same grim expression. In the final hours, Abby had gone still. Her breathing had turned shallow and uneven and eventually she’d slipped away. The interval between life and death had been sudden and irrevocable. He’d just stood there in mute shock and grief until someone had urged him away.

  He didn’t think he could survive that kind of pain again.

  The doc checked her for other injuries. When he touched her side, she flinched.

  “Mrs. McCoy,” the doc said. “Does it hurt to breathe?”

  She shook her head weakly from side to side, her hair brushing against Shane’s jaw.

  “Probably just a bruised rib.” The doc frowned over her leg where purpling marks circled her ankle. “It’s not broken, but it’s a bad sprain. She’ll be laid up for at least a week or two.”

  Shane hated the pain she must be enduring. What a punishment she’d taken. He loathed thinking about her lying there, waiting for someone to find her, while he’d been wasting time in the pasture.

  The doc wrapped her leg tightly and she struggled away.

  Shane held her hand and she squeezed his fingers. “Doc Johnsen is the best. You let him do his work.”

  Her eyes opened a slit and she flashed him a mutinous glare. “I hurt all over.”

  “I know you do.”

  She flashed a weak look of triumph at his admission. “At least we agree about something.”

  “We’re going to be fine, you and me.”

  For years his only aim had been making the ranch a success. He’d fought against nature and himself, pushing himself and his men until they dropped. Every obstacle in his path had been crushed or removed. If he couldn’t fix something, he discarded it in favor of something else. There was no use wasting time on something that didn’t fit his plans. He was set in his ways. Because once he’d found something that worked, there was no use changing things.

  People were not as easily tamed.

  Abby had mostly ignored him. He’d tried creating the life he’d imagined in his youth, and when that hadn’t worked, he’d abandoned the effort. With Tessa, he hadn’t even tried. He hadn’t tried because he assumed the outcome would be the same. Except remaining indifferent to Tessa had proved impossible.

  He’d made up his mind about how things were going to be, and Tessa hadn’t gone along with his plans. She’d unsettled his rigid control since the moment he’d seen her in Wichita, and all he’d thought about since then was wrestling back that control.

  The doc uncapped a bottle of laudanum and measured a dose. “This will help her sleep during the worst of the pain.”

  “Don’t talk about me like I’m not here.” Straining halfheartedly away from him, she grimaced. “That smells foul.”

  Shane tipped the glass to her lips. “Drink. Please.”

  She flung out her hand and thumped his chest. “Just this once. Because you said ‘please.’”

  Once she’d taken the dose, he rested her against the pillows, then pulled the covers over her shoulders.

  “Close your eyes.” He laid his mouth against hers in a gentle pressure, wanting only to offer reassurance. “You need rest.”

  She breathed a sigh and her fingers unfurled against his chest as she relaxed into sleep. Aware that he needed to reassure the children and check on the men, he reluctantly eased away from her side. Careful not to disturb her, he arranged the counterpane around her shoulders once more and dropped a kiss on her forehead.

  The doc stood and motioned for Shane. “We should speak outside.”

  Milt was pacing the floorboards and his head shot up. “How’s she doing? She all right?”

  “She’s resting now,” Shane said grimly. “Will you sit with her while the doc and I talk?”

  “Sure thing, boss.” Milt hoisted a chair and carried it over the threshold.

  Shane lingered as Milt took up vigil, his lips moving in a silent prayer.

  The doc laid a heavy hand on Shane’s shoulder. “You need some air.”

  The moment they stepped outside, Shane staggered a few steps away and became violently ill. The doc waited until the worst had passed, then handed over his handkerchief, easing him back and forcing him to sit on one of the risers.

  Shane hung his head in his hands. “It’s bad, isn’t it?”

  “Yes,” Doc Johnsen replied bluntly. “The bumps and bruises will heal. It’s her head I’m worried about. If there’s too much swelling or bleeding on the brain, there’s not much I can do.”

  “How will we know? When will we know?”

  He couldn’t go through this again. But he’d have to. The children needed him to be strong. Tessa needed his strength as well.

  The doc removed his stethoscope and coiled the loops in his hand. “Her pupils are uneven, and that’s an indication of swelling. I’ll stay through the night.”

  “Why is this happening?”

  The two men weren’t friends. They barely knew one another. And yet they were inexorably bound by tragedy. Their shared experiences had been both joyful and heartrending.

  The doc gripped Shane’s shoulder. “This isn’t your fault any more than what happened with Abby.”

  “Everything feels the same.”

  “No. There’s a difference. Tessa is different. I’m a doctor. I know a fighter when I see one.”

  She’d fight for Owen and Alyce. He pictured the three of them darting around the ranch, the twins trailing after her with rapt attention. She appeared just as fascinated with them, examining each rock and twig they plucked from the ground. She listened to their gibberish and told them silly stories. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him. She deserved some happiness in return.

  The doc cleared his throat. “Is there family we should contact? She’ll be laid up for a while.”

  “No. No brothers and sisters. Her parents are gone.” He’d taken his own family for granted. Tessa was unbearably alone. She selflessly cared for all of them, with no one to care for her. “She only has us.”

  “Ha
ving the McCoys around is something. She’s got more family than she’ll ever need by marrying you.”

  Shane rested his elbows on his bent knees and clutched his head. He’d protected himself and driven her away in the process. Why had he spoken to her that way earlier? He’d been thoughtless and jealous. Ignorant, too.

  The doc crouched beside him. “Stop beating yourself up. I’ve never seen a man quite as bent on being hard on himself. That little lady in there clearly adores you. I have eyes. You deserve someone like that in your life.”

  “No one deserves anything.” Tessa didn’t adore him. She was scared and alone and searching for comfort. He might have been anyone. “What happens now?”

  “We wait.” The doc pressed a hand into the small of his back and stretched, then blew out a breath. “I think you should send for your family. The next few days aren’t going to be easy. You’ll need help.”

  Tessa might be different, but everything about this accident was too familiar. The doc was here and Shane was sending for his family because his wife was ill. Everything was playing out the same as before.

  “I’ll have one of the boys fetch my aunt Edith,” Shane declared.

  “She’s a good choice.”

  “She hasn’t even met Tessa yet.”

  The weather had been good enough for a visit. Out of respect for the newlyweds, his aunt and uncle wouldn’t come calling until he’d visited first. He’d thought about making the trip, but something had always held him back. Some minor repair or a horse that needed tending. Excuses. All of them. Aunt Edith was too perceptive. He’d feared she’d see his growing affection and call him on his feelings. Feelings he wasn’t ready to acknowledge. Instead of facing his fears, he’d avoided the meeting. She’d know soon enough how he felt about Tessa.

  The door opened behind him and Milt leaned out. “Mrs. McCoy is asking for you, boss. She’s not looking so good.”

  Shane’s stomach folded in two and he followed the doc back into the house. Tessa thrashed about, a sheen of sweat coating her forehead. He perched on the bed and held her hand, murmuring soothing nonsense words. When she finally fell into an exhausted slumber, he stood, wiped his damp palms against his pant legs and backed away. Doc Johnsen had kept vigil as well.

  Shane fisted his hand against his mouth and cleared his throat. “I should tend the children. Make sure they’re okay.”

  “I’ll check on them.” The doc leaned against the door frame, barring his path. “You should stay, Shane. Clearly you’re the best medicine for your wife right now.”

  His wife. At least he finally had something to tell Milt. He knew what made him happy. Seeing Tessa happy made him happy.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The next few days passed in a murky haze for Tessa. Voices abounded and her head ached. First she was on fire and then she was chilled to the bone. Blankets were fetched, and then ice was packed around her body. She heard the children’s voices, but they were beyond her reach. Once she thought Emmett was there. He’d come to take her away. At first she’d wanted to go with him. Then she realized he was taking her to the Hensons and she fought against him.

  “Don’t leave me here. I hate it here.”

  A cool hand brushed against her forehead. “I won’t leave you.”

  She grasped Emmett’s hand, clinging to him. “I’ll be good. I promise. You won’t even know I’m there. I promise not to bother you or make a racket. I’ll play quiet as a mouse.”

  “You can make noise,” he said. “Little girls should always make lots of noise.”

  She dozed fitfully, and the next time she woke, Emmett was annoyed. He paced and scowled. “You nearly got us caught.”

  “It’s only a game to you. I don’t want to play the game anymore.”

  “This is how I earn my living, Tessa. Can’t you see that?”

  At long last a peaceful slumber overtook her, and she was floating on a gentle sea.

  A long time later she woke to the scent of frying bacon. People shuffled around the room and she heard a voice speak.

  “I appreciate you coming out, Anna,” the woman said.

  A sense of familiarity teased her senses. The voice belonged to JoBeth, Shane’s cousin. Tessa struggled against the lethargy tugging her down. Her throat was dry and her body felt bruised as though she’d been beaten. A curious weakness had invaded her limbs, keeping her paralyzed.

  “You should have called me sooner,” the second woman said.

  What had Jo just called her? Anna. That was her name.

  “The whole point of the women’s salon is avoiding situations like this,” Anna continued.

  “They’re grown adults,” Jo replied. “They’d already made the decision when they came to me.”

  “You might have at least offered her a different choice.”

  “You’re right,” Jo said, resignation in her voice. “I’ll admit that you’re right. But you weren’t here. You didn’t see Shane. He was like a man returned from the dead. How could that be bad?”

  “But what about this poor woman,” Anna grumbled. “Either way, I’m here now. Between the two of us, perhaps we can unravel this tangle.”

  Tessa made a noise and the speaking ceased. Why were they talking about her as though she wasn’t there? A niggling anger brought life back into her limbs. She wasn’t “the poor woman.” And what tangle needed unraveling?

  Forcing open her eyes, Tessa searched the room and found Jo. The second woman approached the bed. Anna was a stunning brunette with brilliant blue eyes dressed in a splendid blue crepe suit. Something about Anna tugged at her memory. Where had she heard that name before?

  JoBeth approached the bed, then squeezed her hand before resting her knuckles against Tessa’s cheek. “She’s awake.”

  Anna’s forehead wrinkled with worry. “How are you feeling?”

  “Awful. Thirsty. What happened?”

  Jo grasped a pitcher of water from the side table and filled a glass before approaching the bed. “You fell down some stairs and landed a nasty crack on your head.”

  As Tessa gulped down the water, memories came rushing back. The dank scent of moldy earth, the skitter of tiny rodent feet, the sticky touch of spiderwebs. A shudder racked her body. “I remember now. Shane found me.”

  The mattress dipped as Anna perched at her side. “We haven’t met yet. My name is Anna McCoy. I’m married to your husband’s cousin Caleb.”

  Tessa finally recalled the name. “You’re the mayor.”

  “Yes, I’m the mayor.” Anna touched Jo’s sleeve. “She’s definitely come around this time. You’d best fetch Shane.”

  Following Jo’s hasty exit from the room, Anna’s expression grew somber. “I wasn’t here when you arrived in town because of the work I do around the country. I have a charity that helps women who’ve found themselves in difficult situations. I wonder if you might be in a difficult situation. I gather your marriage was rather hasty. If you’re unhappy, if things aren’t working out as you supposed, I can help. You don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to.”

  “Shane.” Tessa pushed upright and winced, cradling her sore wrist in her opposite hand. “Did Shane say something? Does he want me to go?”

  “I haven’t spoken with Shane.” Anna straightened. “I’m speaking with you. I want you to know that marriage isn’t the only option.”

  “But it’s too late.”

  “We can have the marriage annulled.”

  Tessa glanced away.

  “I thought so,” Anna replied sagely. “I don’t know Shane as well as some of the other McCoys, but the rest of the family speaks highly of him. Whatever the case may be, I want you to know that you have options.”

  A shiver of panic chased over Tessa’s skin. “What if I want to stay here?”

  “Is that what you truly want?” Anna’s wide blue eyes shimmered with compassion. “Please know that you may confide in me. There’s nothing I haven’t heard.”

  This was all too much. Tessa’s
head throbbed and her body ached. She wasn’t ready for a discussion of her marriage with a stranger. “Thank you for your offer, but I’m quite all right. I don’t need to confide anything to anyone.”

  Her expression unreadable, Anna stood. “I’ll go now. Shane will want some time alone with you. It was all we could do to pry him away from your side. He barely slept and ate even less. If you’re up for a talk later, I’d enjoy telling you about the women’s salon we’ve opened in town. It’s a wonderful way to meet other ladies in the area.”

  Tessa’s hackles lowered. Anna had only been trying to help. “I’d like that.”

  Shane appeared in the doorway and Tessa’s heartbeat tripped ahead. He appeared haggard and almost gaunt. Dark circles showed beneath his eyes, and his hair was badly mussed and shaggy. A dark growth of beard shadowed his chin. Her eyes widened. She’d never seen him disheveled. He was normally meticulous about his grooming.

  He exchanged a greeting with Anna as she exited the room.

  Catching Tessa’s gaze on his hair, he jerked one hand up and smoothed it back into place. “How are you feeling?”

  “As awful as you look.”

  He scrubbed his fingers down the growth of beard on his face. “That bad.”

  She offered a weak nod. “Gracious, what happened to you?”

  “It’s been busy around here. You’ve been ill for three days.”

  “Three days?” Everything was a flurry of confusion. It seemed as though only hours had passed, not days. Her eyes widened in horror. “Oh no. Alyce and Owen. I left them alone. They were napping.”

  “They’re fine. They didn’t even notice you were gone. Parker came by with some fresh eggs just as they were waking and realized you were missing. He sent up the search warning.”

  Tessa pressed her fingers against her lips. “Something awful might have happened.”

  “But it didn’t.”

  She sat up and brought her feet around, her legs tangled in the blankets, her hair hanging limply down her back.

  Shane was at her side in an instant. “Don’t move too quickly.”

  “It feels good being upright again.” She patted a spot beside her. “Will you sit? I think I have a crook in my neck from being in bed too long.”