He knew she was considering the idea. When he saw her gaze over at the men, he half expected her to suggest the pastor again. He pointed to some boulders and said, “We can go right behind those rocks and no one could see.”
She wasn’t sure she could make it to the rocks. When he’d removed her dress the first time, it was dusk and it was difficult to see. Now the sun was shining brightly and he would be able to see every freckle on her skin. But her need to breathe freely was outweighing her modesty.
“Why don’t we do this before the meat is cooked. You might be able to eat something if you are more comfortable,” Morgan suggested.
“Do you really think I might be able to breathe easier?”
“All we can do is try.”
“I think I can get my dress off myself.”
“Okay.” He helped her to the rocks and stood with his back against the rock. “Tell me if you need help.”
Once she made sure she was totally out of sight, she started unbuttoning her dress. It took forever, but she finally made her way to the last button. Problem was, she couldn’t get the dress over her shoulders. She had no choice but to ask for Morgan’s help. “Mr. LeMasters, I’m afraid I can’t take my dress off my shoulders.”
Morgan walked around the rock to see her holding her dress together with one hand. “Here, let me lend a hand.” He gently pushed her dress from her shoulders, but once he gripped her chemise to raise it under her breasts, she covered his hand with hers. He immediately released the cloth to her. He untied the bandage and quickly removed the cloth. Her entire ribcage was swollen, and her skin was green in large blotches. He looked at her back and was surprised at the amount of bruising everywhere.
“I’m going to feel your ribs.” He glanced up at her to see if she was going to object. When she didn’t, he gently felt her ribs, front and back. He wasn’t sure, but he thought she might have fractured all of her ribs. Knowing it could take weeks for them to heal, he was concerned that if she didn’t breathe properly she might develop serious complications. To make matters worse, to get to the way station she would be riding in a buckboard, bouncing around all over the place, then in a stagecoach to get back to Whispering Pines.
She looked down at the top of his head as he was bent over examining her, his large fingers gently pressing on her body. Just like before, she shivered under his touch. “Do you think I can leave it off?”
“Do you breathe easier?” He straightened and watched to see if she was taking deep breaths.
“It feels better to have everything off,” she admitted.
Morgan grinned at her comment. “I don’t think that would be the thing to do.”
She realized what she’d said, and blushed.
Morgan thought her breathing was still shallow. She needed complete rest and something for the pain, but both of those things were not possible given the circumstances. He questioned if he’d done the right thing by insisting she be bandaged in the first place. When he’d collected her clothing he’d seen a white nightgown that was every bit as modest as her dress but wouldn’t be as confining. “Wait just a minute.”
Rose felt very vulnerable standing there when he walked away, with nothing covering her top half but her chemise. Thankfully, he returned quickly and held the nightgown out to her.
“I think this will be more comfortable to wear.”
Rose looked at him as though he’d lost his mind. “I can’t wear my nightgown in the daylight.”
Morgan frowned at her. “Why not? You can button it up to your chin.”
“For one thing, it’s thinner than my dress, and it wouldn’t be proper to wear in front of gentlemen.”
Morgan had to admit if she wore nothing beneath the nightgown it would present a problem. “Keep your underclothes on and it will be fine.”
Rose had to agree it would be more comfortable not to have anything binding her. “Are you sure it will be appropriate?”
“It’s more important that you breathe right now than concern yourself with what’s proper.” Morgan grabbed the nightgown and tossed it over her head. “Raise your arms as high as you can and let’s get them shoved through the sleeves.” Once that task was accomplished, and the gown was covering her, he tugged on the bottom of her dress and it dropped over her slim hips to the ground. “Just step out of this.”
Being dressed by him made Rose uncomfortable, but she had no alternative. “Thank you for your help. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
Morgan watched as she tried to close the buttons on her gown. He moved her hands out of the way and buttoned her up to the chin. “You can repay me by taking it easy, and trying to breathe as deeply as you can. And eating a little bit.”
She gave him a tentative smile. “I’ll try.”
Chapter Five
Before Frank and his men broke camp the next morning, Frank informed them of his change of plans. “Finish your coffee and let’s saddle up. We’re going to Purgatory Canyon and then back to Whispering Pines.”
“Why are we going to do a fool thing like that?” Deke asked.
Frank glared at him. Deke was already on his short list for releasing two of the horses the day before. Deke swore it was an accident, but Frank wasn’t buying his explanation. “Why are you questioning my decision?”
Deke looked away from Frank’s piercing eyes. “I just thought we were headed to Mexico.”
Dutch stood and tossed the remainder of his coffee in the dying fire. “Deke is right. Why would we want to go back to Whispering Pines?”
Frank wasn’t going to be able to intimidate Dutch with a silencing glare that worked on Deke. “We’ll never find those cattle now and we need money.” He jabbed a finger in Deke’s direction. “Now that stupid here let those horses go, we need something to sell. In case you boys have forgotten, we don’t have money.”
“I told you it was an accident. We still have three horses we can sell,” Deke said.
Frank narrowed his eyes at Deke. “I wonder why you released LeMasters’s horse. Are you afraid of him?”
Deke didn’t comment. Frank was right, he had intentionally released the horses. He didn’t feel right about leaving LeMasters with no way to get help for Frank’s sister. He didn’t have a beef with LeMasters, and he didn’t think Frank should have left his sister like he did.
“It’s done, so let’s forget about it,” Dutch said, tiring of the conversation. “Can’t we find some cattle to rustle on our way to Mexico? LeMasters doesn’t own all the cattle in the West.”
“I figure the rest of the boys will make their way back to Purgatory Canyon if they got away from the law. I don’t want to leave them hanging, not knowing what happened to us. We’ll meet up with them and go to Whispering Pines to get Stevie.” Frank didn’t really care about the rest of the gang. He wanted to go back to Whispering Pines to take as many cows as possible from Morgan’s ranch once again. He needed the rest of the boys to accomplish his goal.
“We’ll rustle some more cattle and be gone before LeMasters gets back, if they get back at all. He had four of his men riding with him. I reckon that means he’s shorthanded on his ranch, and his cattle will be ripe for the picking. We know all the shortcuts to get out of there in a hurry.”
“We could meet you in Mexico,” Corbin suggested.
“Is that right?” Frank felt like shooting Corbin on the spot. He was tired of the men second-guessing him. “You could, I guess. But what if the men didn’t get away from Sheriff Roper? Stevie and I can’t rustle those cattle alone. And if I’m the one taking all the risks, I can guarantee you won’t be sharing in the profits. You can go ahead and ride on out of here if you want.” He looked at Deke and Dutch. “You boys want to ride out with Corbin?”
“I didn’t say I was ridin’ out, Frank,” Corbin said. Part of him wanted to ride away, but he had a feeling that Frank would shoot him in the back if he tried.
Dutch figured Frank was right about LeMasters’s ranch being the perfect plac
e to strike. If the rest of the gang had evaded Sheriff Roper, they might be able to pull it off without a hitch. It would be a quick getaway since they knew the territory. They needed money in Mexico, and it was better to rustle where you knew the territory. “I’m in.”
Deke remained silent as he kicked dirt into the fire. He didn’t want to go back to Whispering Pines. The thought of returning made him nervous, and it wasn’t something he could explain to the men. Trying to ignore the feeling of doom, he told himself if Dutch was willing to go, he might as well ride with them.
Before they saddled their horses, Frank had another surprise for them. “While we are at Whispering Pines, I figure we have one more piece of business to take care of.”
“What’s that?” Dutch asked.
“LeMasters said that old man Joseph Longbow identified us that night. That means he’s the only witness that can testify against us. I say while we’re there we kill him this time. Problem solved.”
Corbin shook his head. “I don’t know about that. My pa told me that Joseph Longbow has special powers.”
Frankie laughed. “What are you afraid of, Corbin? You think Joseph will cast a spell on you?”
“I’ve heard stories about him,” Deke said. “You know he was a medicine man with his tribe before he came to work for LeMasters. Folks say he refused to live on a reservation, and left his tribe. Soldiers came to Whispering Pines to take him, but LeMasters wouldn’t let them. They searched his ranch, saying they had every right by law to take him to a reservation. Joseph hid in the pines, and the way I heard it, some soldiers went missing when they went in there to get him. They never found them, and the other soldiers left without Joseph. Either the soldiers were afraid, or they didn’t want to tangle with LeMasters. They never came back to the ranch again.”
“I heard a soldier was shot in there,” Corbin added.
“Joseph Longbow is nothing but an old man. I can’t believe you’d be afraid of him. You’re acting like a bunch of old women.” Frank had been around Joseph on several occasions over the years, and he had to concede the old man had a way about him that was spooky. He always felt Joseph knew what he was thinking. He’d also heard the stories about Joseph’s powers, but he wasn’t going to let tales stop him from doing what needed to be done to keep a noose from his neck.
Corbin didn’t care if Frank called him an old woman, he was still reticent to kill Joseph. “Frank, you’ve heard the stories about him. Besides, it’s not just Joseph Longbow. You remember what happened in those pines last time we were there. Maybe instead of going through the pines, we could come in another way.”
Frank snorted. He wasn’t about to admit he’d been as scared as the men the last time they were rustling on Whispering Pines ranch. “Those pines run the entire border between our farm and LeMasters’s ranch, and thousands of acres beyond. I don’t intend to ride weeks out of the way to get some of his cattle. Besides, we won’t know for sure where they’re grazing until we get Stevie. I’ve lived there for years and nothing has happened to me yet in those trees.”
“Maybe nothing happened to you, but what about Smiley Benton?” Corbin asked.
They all looked at each other. Finally Frank said, “Smiley was never right in the head. He got lost in those trees. That’s all there was to it.”
Corbin gave a nervous laugh. “You heard the screams when we were in there. Whatever it was that happened to Smiley, he’s never been seen since. He just disappeared. His pa has looked everywhere for him. All I’m saying is we need to go in another way. We shouldn’t push our luck taking the shortcut through those pines.”
“Those are just stories about the pines, probably made up to keep people off LeMasters’s ranch. Nothing is going to happen to us except we’ll make money off the cattle we rustle so we can have a good time in Mexico.” Frank shot a glance at Dutch to see if he had the same sentiment about going through the pines. “What do you think, Dutch? You afraid?” Frank threw the last question out as a challenge.
Dutch gnawed on the match he held between his teeth before he spoke. “I’ve heard the stories like everyone else. Maybe they’re all true, maybe not. I heard the noises that night, but I figure it was just the wind, or some animal. None of us know for sure what happened to Smiley. He could have just taken off, or maybe a bear got to him. I’m not going to let stories scare me. Like Frank said, Whispering Pines is the easiest target to get cattle right now, with them being shorthanded. If we need to go through those pines, then I say we go through them, get our business done, and get out.”
“It wasn’t the wind that day,” Corbin said. “I heard voices and screams.”
“I did too,” Deke said.
“All I’m asking is that we steer clear of the pines and Joseph Longbow,” Corbin said.
Frank’s eyes bounced from Deke to Corbin. “Not only are you scared of a bunch of old trees, you’re afraid of an old man.”
They didn’t respond, so Frank said, “If it will make you two girls feel better, I’ll be the one to pull the trigger on Joseph Longbow.”
No one said another word. They saddled their horses and changed course.
* * *
“Webb, I think you need to go find Joseph Longbow,” Granny said. She’d sat with the sheriff for hours, and his condition was worsening. She couldn’t get his fever down.
“Yes, ma’am.” Webb didn’t argue. If Granny said she needed Joseph, then he’d find him.
She walked to the door with Webb. “Please hurry.”
Webb glanced back at the sheriff lying motionless on the table. He felt a lump form in his throat. He’d never met a man he liked more than the sheriff, and he’d never seen him ill one day in the four years he’d worked for him. “I’ll ride as fast as I can.”
Less than two hours later, Webb walked in the doctor’s office with Joseph Longbow in tow.
Granny jumped up and placed her Bible on the chair. For the last hour she’d been reading some of her favorite passages to Jack. She didn’t know if he could hear her, but it made her feel better. “I didn’t expect you back this soon.”
Webb raised his eyebrow at her and inclined his head toward Joseph. “He was waiting for me.”
Granny couldn’t help but smile at Webb’s stunned expression. “Joseph, I’m glad you came.”
Joseph approached the table, leaned over and looked at the sheriff. He pulled off the small leather pouch that was hanging around his neck and placed it on the sheriff’s chest. He raised his weathered hand and held it a few inches above the sheriff ’s head, and muttered a few words Granny and Webb didn’t understand. When he finished, he turned to Granny and said, “He will live.”
Joseph was about to walk out the door but was halted by Webb when he moved in front of him. “Now wait a minute. Is that all you’re going to do?”
Joseph tilted his head back to stare at the tall deputy and narrowed his dark eyes. “What would you have me do?”
Tired and frustrated, Webb ran a hand through his blond hair, ripping out a few strands. “I don’t know. Maybe something more than putting a pouch on him and saying some gibberish.”
Joseph turned his eyes on Granny. “What is this gibberish?”
“Nothing to worry about,” Granny said. “Webb is just concerned.”
Joseph shrugged. “There is nothing more for me to do. He will live.”
“How do you know?” Webb asked.
“Granny’s good doctoring skill, and her prayers to her God. I’ve invited the presence of the Great Spirit for healing.”
“But . . .” Webb looked at Granny, silently pleading for her to intervene.
Granny walked to Webb and placed her hand on his shoulder. “It will be okay.” She smiled at Joseph. “Thank you. If you come by the house tomorrow, I will have a cake for you.”
“What kind?”
“Your favorite.”
Joseph nodded and walked out the door.
Webb stared at the closed door, clearly baffled by what just took
place. “Should I take him back to the ranch?”
“He’s probably waiting in the buckboard,” Granny said.
Webb shoved his hat on his head. “When I got to LeMasters’s ranch, he was just sitting on the porch. Before I told him why I’d come, he said, I’ve been waiting for you. I asked him if he needed to bring some medicine with him, he just said, I have what I need right here. He pointed to that little pouch around his neck. He didn’t say one word all the way to town.”
“Joseph knew what was needed. Now go on and take him back to the ranch. I’ll sit with the sheriff.” She hadn’t been surprised by Joseph’s methods since they’d tended other sick people together before.
“I don’t know why he didn’t just give me the dang pouch and be done with it. I could have put the dang thing on the sheriff and mumbled some strange words. All I’m doing is riding back and forth. He better hope the sheriff lives, or he’ll have me to deal with.” Webb wouldn’t hurt the older man, but he’d sure give him a good tongue-lashing if the sheriff died.
* * *
“How are you feeling?” Granny asked the sheriff when he opened his eyes less than an hour later. She appreciated Joseph’s optimistic prognosis, but it did little to lessen her worry.
“Can’t complain, unless I’m dreaming.”
“You mean you don’t want my face to be the first one you see in heaven?”
Jack grinned at her. “I’d want to see your beautiful face anywhere. But what makes you so sure I’ll be in heaven?” He tried to pull himself into a sitting position, but dropped back to the table when Granny shook her head at him.
She gave him a stern look. “Don’t flash that handsome grin at me, Jack Roper, it won’t work. I’m too old for your shenanigans. You just stay put for a while. It took quite a bit of prodding in that shoulder to find that sliver, and I don’t want you to start bleeding all over the place again. I put a couple of stitches in there and I want them to hold. You’ve been out for a while and had quite a fever.”
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