Mail Order Bride - Westward Destiny: Historical Cowboy Romance (Montana Mail Order Brides Book 4)

by Linda Bridey

  Close to camp, Marcus let out a hoot owl call to let the sentry know it was him. As soon as he reached the camp, he jumped off Arrow and ran to his tipi. He stepped inside and his worst fear was confirmed.

  “Damn it! What the hell happened, Luke?” Marcus asked as he began assessing what Black Fox had started.

  Luke said, “We were up at Joe’s family cabin on Granger Ridge and three guys broke in. I might have killed one of them, I don’t know. We ran but one of them shot Jamie.” He grabbed Marcus’ shoulder and said, “Please save her.”

  “You know I’ll do my best Luke, but I never make any guarantees,” Marcus replied. “Now the best thing you can do for her is go outside so we have room to work.”

  Luke didn’t want to leave Jamie. She was so pale and he was terrified that he was going to lose her. He raised her hand and kissed it. “You fight, Jamie. Don’t leave me. I love you,” he said. He kissed her hand once more and left the tipi.

  Marcus went to work. Black Fox had the wounds cleaned sufficiently. He was thankful that it was a through and through wound so he didn’t have to dig out a bullet and cause Jamie even more pain. Black Fox had done a good job of staunching the blood flow. Marcus could always count on his brother to help out in times like this. They cut off Jamie’s dress so they had complete access to her injuries.

  After mixing a poultice of bran and chokecherry, Marcus packed both wounds with it. They then wrapped strips of buffalo hide tightly around the wounds to keep the poultices in place and to help prevent dirt getting in the wounds. Marcus snagged a bag from a pole. He knew what was in each of the bags and exactly where they were. This bag contained dried elder flowers that would be used to make a tea to get rid of any toxins. The hard part was getting Jamie to swallow it.

  When the tea was ready, Marcus cooled it sufficiently and Black Fox carefully sat Jamie up enough so that Marcus could give it to her.

  “Jamie,” he said loudly. “You have to drink this. I know you’re in extreme pain, but you have to try, ok?”

  Jamie had been fading in and out of consciousness. It hurt to breathe or move and she was so tired. Marcus’ voice seemed far away, and muffled as if he were talking through cotton.

  “Jamie! You have to drink this,” Marcus said louder.

  Jamie roused a little and Marcus got her to slowly swallow some of the tea. When Marcus saw that she was fading again, they laid her down again. They checked her wounds and were relieved that the bleeding had completely stopped.

  Luke sat outside Marcus’ teepee. His elbows were propped on his knees with his head in his hands. He did the only thing he knew to do; he prayed. Luke couldn’t believe that fate would be so cruel as to send him the love of his life only to have her taken from him. All of his dreams for the future included her, and he knew that he couldn’t bear it if she were to die.

  As he sat with his head bowed, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Marcus. His cousin’s face, which was normally smiling and happy, was settled into a grave expression.

  “We’ve done all we can at the moment. The poultice has stopped the bleeding and we were able to get her to drink a special tea that will help fight infection, but the rest is really up to her,” Marcus said. “I’m going to have Doc Turner look at Jamie and give me some laudanum for her, but as far as treating the wound, what I’ve put on her is as good as any salve he might have. But it won’t hurt to have him check her out. No stone left unturned and all that.”

  “Thank you, Marcus. Can I go sit with her?” Luke asked.

  Marcus gave Luke a small smile. “Of course. She’s in and out of consciousness, but she’ll know you’re there.”

  Luke entered the tipi and had to walk bent over because he was almost too tall for it. He sat down by Jamie and took her hand. She looked so small and fragile. Luke kissed her hand and just talked to her. He told her how much he loved her and what a great life they were going to have together.

  “I can’t wait to marry you and get our house built. And when you’re better and back to work, we’ll both save for the house and whatever else we need. I hope we have a little girl who looks just like you. Our house is going to be beautiful. I’ll show you the plans and if you want anything changed, you just name it,” Luke said.

  He sat there all through the rest of the day. Marcus had brought Doc Turner, who gave Jamie a thorough exam and proclaimed Marcus and Black Fox’s treatments excellent. He gave them laudanum for Jamie’s pain. He advised Marcus to watch for fevers and Marcus said he was already prepared for that.

  “You know, you really need to go to medical school,” Dr. Turner said.

  “Well, Doc, the closest one is too far away,” Marcus said. “There’s no way I’m leaving my family.”

  Dr. Turner sighed. “It’s a shame. You’re already a fine doctor. You just don’t have the degree behind you.” Mentally, Doc was mulling over how Marcus could achieve the needed training. “I’ll be back tomorrow to check on her, but I know she’s in good hands.”

  Luke said, “Thanks, Doc.”

  “You’re welcome, Luke,” Doc said as he exited the tipi.

  Owl had been dispatched to the Samuels ranch to give them the word about Jamie. He knocked on Dean’s door and when Dean opened it, he thought it was Marcus at first. Then he saw Owl’s dark eyes and slightly rounder face and realized who it was. Dean was still not completely comfortable around Marcus’ other brothers, but he was making an effort to get along with them.

  Dean knew if Owl was there, that something was very wrong. Unlike Black Fox or He Who Runs, Owl rarely came to the ranch.

  “Hi, Owl. What’s wrong?” Dean asked.

  “Red haired woman hurt. Silver Ghost said to come,” Owl said.

  “Is her name Jamie?” Dean asked.

  “Yes. Jamie. You come now,” Owl said.

  The prospect of going to the Lakota camp didn’t sit very well with Dean, but he had become very fond of Jamie and he knew that Luke could use some moral support.

  “Ok. Come in,” Dean said, waving Owl forward.

  Owl cautiously came through the doorway. He wasn’t comfortable in houses because he was afraid the ceiling would cave in. Mikey came running out of the parlor and went straight for Owl.

  “Leksila hinhan!” he used the Lakota words for Uncle Owl.

  Owl knelt and said something to Mikey in Lakota. Marcus had begun teaching Mikey Lakota right along with Aiyana, and Dean’s son had taken to it quickly. Marcus took his nephew to the camp quite often. Dean left Mikey with Owl and went to find Tessa. She was upstairs just coming out of Jack’s room.

  “Honey, I have to go to the Indian camp,” Dean said. “Jamie’s been hurt and she’s there. I don’t know the whole story yet. Owl is here. He came to get me. I’ll be back as soon as I can, ok?”

  Tessa’s eyes started to tear up. “Yes of course, go. Please give her and Luke my love.”

  “I will,” Dean said. He kissed his wife and went back downstairs. “Ok Owl, let’s go.”

  “Pa, can I go, too?” Mikey asked.

  Dean smiled at the boy, who looked just like Tessa. “No, buddy. Not this time. You can go soon, though. I need you to take care of your Mama while I’m away, ok? Will you do that for me?”

  Mikey wasn’t happy about it, but he nodded. Dean kissed the top of his head and went with Owl.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Around midnight, Jamie came down with a fever. She began shaking and her teeth chattered. Marcus and Black Fox changed her dressings and packed her wounds with an Echinacea poultice. Marcus also chewed up some of the root and then put the pulpy mass between her teeth and the inside of her right cheek so that the juices would trickle down her throat and be absorbed through the soft tissues in her mouth. Both of these treatments would help reduce the fever and help her body fight infection.

  They had cold water brought up from the river in order to keep cold compresses on her and bathe her with it to keep her temperature down. Marcus used the thermometer that hi
s father-in-law Geoff had given him for his birthday to monitor Jamie’s fever. It was a relatively new invention and Marcus was grateful to have one.

  All the while this was going on, Luke refused to leave the tipi. He stayed out of the way, but he couldn’t stand to let Jamie out of his sight. Luke was terrified that if he left, Jamie would die. Despite his best efforts, Luke nodded off at some point. He awoke with a jolt when he felt someone sit next to him.

  “Hey, Luke,” Dean said.

  “Hi,” Luke said but his eyes were on his fiancée.

  Dean held a cup of water out to Luke. When Luke would have refused, Dean gave him one of his stares that meant that you’d better do as he told you. Luke took the cup and drank the water down, then handed the cup back to Dean.

  “What am I going to do if she doesn’t make it?” Luke said, and his voice cracked.

  Dean looked at Jamie and wasn’t sure what to say at first. “Well, let’s not put the cart before the horse, Luke. But, God forbid that should come to pass, what do you think she would want you to do?”

  Luke laughed a little. “She’d want me to go out singing with Joe and play poker and get really drunk.”

  Dean smiled. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

  “But I mean after that? If she dies, I’ll never build that house. I’ll sell the land and live somewhere else. It was meant for us,” Luke said. “Damn those bastards!”

  “It’s ok, Luke. They’re experiencing some Lakota justice before Sheriff Allen comes to pick them up. They’ll pay for what they did,” Dean said.

  “Who the hell are they?” Luke said.

  Dean wasn’t sure whether to tell Luke the truth or not. He mulled it over for a few moments and then figured that it was best that Luke hear it from him instead of someone else.

  “They were some guys that Jamie and Joe played against last night at the Water Hole. It seems as if Jamie and Joe took them for a lot of money and they weren’t happy about it. They tracked you two up to that cabin because they wanted their money back,” Dean said.

  He watched Luke’s large hands close into tight fists. “It’s all my fault.”

  “Your fault? How do you figure?” Dean asked.

  Luke desperately wanted to hit something but there was nothing to hit. “I had Joe take her out last night so I could put my plan in motion to ask her forgiveness and propose to her.”

  Dean asked, “What plan was that?”

  “I kidnapped her and took her to Joe’s family cabin,” Luke said.

  Dean laughed. “Well, you sure got her to stay in one place and not have any distractions. How’d it go?”

  Luke smiled, even as his eyes filled with tears and said, “She said yes, Dean. She said yes. I can’t lose her.” His head fell down on his forearms and he wept.

  Dean put a hand on his shoulder and kept it there.

  Jamie had all kinds of dreams. One moment she was a little girl living in Texas with her Mama and Daddy and playing outside. Then she was sitting by her Daddy as he played poker with some of his buddies and taught her how to play. Then she had nightmares of horrible people who kept calling her a tramp over and over. Just trash and she would always be trash.

  Luke held her hand as she thrashed and fought with people who weren’t there. He kept bathing her with the cool water and soothing Jamie by singing to her. Sometimes Jamie would cry and he wiped away her tears. Marcus kept close watch on her and kept reapplying the poultices and chewing up new wads of Echinacea and putting them in her cheeks.

  Dean had watched this treatment with distaste. “What if she doesn’t want your spit in her mouth?”

  Marcus had calmly said, “Shut up, Dean. She has no idea and if it helps heal her, I don’t think she’s gonna care.”

  “Yeah, I guess. If I ever need that done, don’t do it. Give me something else,” Dean said.

  Marcus said something to him in Lakota and when Dean asked him what he’d said, Marcus told him, “I don’t think you really want to know what I said.”

  “It’s not fair that you get to swear at me in Lakota,” Dean said.

  “Well, if you’d learn Lakota you’d know what I said,” Marcus said.

  Luke shouted, “Shut the hell up!”

  Dean and Marcus jumped and Dean moved away from Luke a little. He eyed the younger man because he’d never heard Luke yell like that and wasn’t sure what to expect.

  Luke turned angry dark eyes on the both of them and said, “Just shut your damn traps or go do your bickering somewhere else.”

  Black Fox poked his head into the tipi and asked, “Is everything ok?”

  Marcus said, “Yeah, we’re fine. I think Luke is just feeling a little tired.”

  Luke said, “Don’t tell him what I feel. Do you know what I feel?”

  Dean saw a vein throb in Luke’s forehead and began getting up. He didn’t want to be in close quarters with Luke at the moment.

  Marcus said, “I’m sorry, Luke. I shouldn’t have said that. Can I get you anything?”

  “What you can get is the hell out of here,” Luke said.

  “That’s the thing, Luke, I really can’t leave. I’m treating your fiancée,” Marcus said.

  Luke began to get up and Dean stepped outside the tipi. Marcus backed towards the teepee entrance.

  “Are you treating her right this minute?” Luke asked in a threatening tone.

  Marcus recognized that Luke was looking for a way to vent his frustrations and picking a fight seemed to be what he wanted. He decided to give Luke what he wanted. Marcus put a hand out of the tipi and gave Black Fox the hand signal for “look out”.

  Black Fox beckoned Dean and said, “We should stay clear I think.”

  Dean nodded. “Yeah, I think you’re right, but what’s Marcus going to do?”

  “What he’s good at– annoying people,” Black Fox said.

  Dean laughed.

  They heard Marcus say, “You want me to leave? Make me.”

  Marcus was suddenly flung out of the tipi, followed closely by Luke. He tucked and rolled and came back up on his feet. “Ha! Do you think I’m scared of you, big man?” he taunted Luke.

  Luke’s eyes blazed as he followed Marcus out of the tipi. His chest rose and fell as he advanced on Marcus. “I told you to shut your mouth!”

  “Like I said, ‘make me’. See I don’t think you’ve got the stones to do it. You’re all talk and no action, Luke. You always have been. Just a big man who’s afraid of everything,” Marcus said with a sneer.

  Dean almost stepped in, but Black Fox put a hand on his chest. “Leave them be.”

  Dean scowled but did as Black Fox said.

  Luke didn’t rush Marcus as expected. He kept circling Marcus, looking for an opening. This went on for several minutes. Finally, Marcus stood up and said, “Well this is ridiculous.”

  Luke took advantage and came at Marcus and cold-cocked him. Dean thought Marcus was going to go down, but Marcus kept his balance and jumped away a little. He laughed even as blood came from his mouth.

  Luke was incensed by Marcus’ laughter and went at him again. Marcus dropped and kicked Luke’s leg out from under him. He didn’t grapple with Luke. Instead he bounced back up on his feet and said, “You’re strong, Luke, but you’re slow. Just like Dean is slow but that’s just because he’s getting old.”

  Dean said, “Why are you picking on me?”

  “Because I can. And then look at Black Fox; he’s not slow, he just stinks. I think he needs to take more baths,” Marcus said.

  Luke looked over at Black Fox and Marcus lunged in and tickled Luke.

  “Knock that off!” Luke shouted.

  “Luke, you don’t really want to do this,” Marcus said. “I know you’re pissed off and scared. It’s hard watching someone you love suffer and not be able to do much about it.”

  “What would you know about it?” Luke said. “You have a beautiful wife and daughter. You have a baby on the way and all kinds of family.”

  Marcus
danced as Luke circled him. “True, but I watched both of our parents die, or had you forgotten, Luke? Both parents. Do you know why I really want to be a doctor? Because I couldn’t save them. There was nothing I could do except watch them waste away a little more every day. I want to help save people. You’re lucky, Luke. She’s still here. Jamie is fighting to live. Instead of you being out here fighting me, you should be in there helping her fight.”

  Luke stopped moving and some of the fury left his eyes.

  Dean looked at Marcus. This was new information to him about his brother, but it made sense.

  Marcus walked right up to Luke and put his hands on Luke’s shoulders and said, “Luke, go back to Jamie. She needs you. We’ll leave you alone for a little while, but I’m gonna be in to check on her soon, ok?”

  Luke’s shoulders sagged and he nodded. “I’m sorry, Marcus. You’re right. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s ok. Go on,” Marcus said.

  Luke nodded and went back into the teepee. Marcus sank down on the ground and grabbed his jaw. Dean went to him. “Are you ok?”

  “I think he cracked a tooth,” Marcus said.

  Luke didn’t leave Jamie’s side after his skirmish with Marcus. He bathed her and sang and talked until he was hoarse. By the time dawn came, he could barely speak. Every time Marcus came in to take care of her, Luke apologized for hitting him. Marcus smiled even though his jaw was swollen and hurt like hell.

  Luke had nodded off again when he felt someone squeeze his hand. He opened his eyes and saw that Jamie was awake. “Hey, beautiful,” he said and leaned over her. “You’re awake.”

  Jamie felt like she was on fire, but she was able to concentrate on Luke. “Hi, Hercules,” she whispered.

  Luke laughed softly as a tear rolled down his face. “How do you feel?” he was so happy to hear her voice even if it was so faint.

  She gave him a weak smile and said, “I don’t think I’ll be singing any time soon.”