“I’ll only sleep for a few hours and then come back. As you well know, I am not that good at cattle work, so I would probably be a better help watching over Ina.”
“You seemed to do a pretty good job with the cattle to me,” Adoette praised. “Ina said she was proud of the job you were doing.”
“She did?”
Hudson felt a moment of joy rush through him. She had noticed him, he thought, and had been appraising his work. His thoughts went back to the compliments she had given him. She must have really meant it he beamed.
“I told her I would work my hardest to support this ranch,” he mumbled.
“I can see that. I’ll keep an eye on Miakoda until you are rested. Chogan is going to ride over and tell Connor about his sister taking ill.”
“She told me about her Indian name meaning the power of the moon. It must be an honor to her to be given such a name.”
Adoette shrugged.
“Go rest,” is all he said.
Hudson walked down the hall, dreading having to go to the bunkhouse. He would rather stay in his old room in the house so he would be nearer to Ina if she needed him. For some reason, he felt responsible for her and wanted to be the one to help her through her fever.
Chogan passed him in the hall, carrying a bowl of broth, and smiled. Hudson turned and opened the door for him, then continued on his way. Something made him pause at the head of the stairs, resting his hand on the rail, staring at Ina’s door.
Ina heard voices. Someone was speaking in another language. The language seemed vaguely familiar but she couldn’t understand the words. It frightened her, and she forced her eyes open to see who was standing over her bed. As her blurry eyes focused, she saw two men with long, dark hair conversing with each other. In shock, she realized it was two Indians in her room. Her eyes widened and she started to scream.
Hudson heard Ina screaming. What were they doing to her, his mind shrieked but didn’t take time to ponder on the thought. He merely raced back to her room and threw open the door.
Ina was sitting up, with the blankets pulled up to her chin, screaming at Adoette and Chogan.
“Don’t touch me! Go away! Go away!”
“What did you do to her?” Hudson demanded as he lurched forward and pushed them aside, causing Chogan to spill the broth.
He rushed to Ina’s bed, kneeling down and taking her into his arms.
“Hush, you are safe. No one is going to harm you,” he whispered, and it seemed to calm her.
Hudson turned his head and faced the two.
“What happened?” he demanded.
Adoette shrugged.
“Nothing, we were just standing here talking in our own language when she opened her eyes and started screaming. We hadn’t even come near the bed!”
“Why are you frightened?” Hudson asked, turning to Ina once more.
Ina tried to stop quivering. She could feel those strong, protecting arms of the man who had attended to her earlier, surrounding her. She didn’t know him, but she felt she could trust him. He had tried to comfort her and make her feel more comfortable. Why had he left her side, she wondered?
“There are Indians in this room!” she hissed. “Make them leave!”
“They are your friends,” Hudson tried to explain.
“Make them go! Make them go!” she insisted.
“Very well, just lie down. You are getting worked up over nothing.”
Hudson settled Ina back down on the bed and turned to face the two.
“There is something very strange going on,” he mumbled. “When Ina first woke, she didn’t know who I was, and said she wasn’t in her own room. I think she is having a lapse of memory. The fever must be affecting her brain.”
“We don’t want to upset her, so we will leave,” Chogan said. “I’ll send Cracker up to clean up the broth and bring you some more. Then I will ride over and bring Connor here. He will have to decide if we need the doctor or not. I know you are tired, but she seems to trust you. You had better remain with her until she feels more secure.”
“I agree,” Hudson said, glancing over at Ina, who had closed her eyes again. “I’ll remain with her as long as she wishes.
The two Comanche men left the room, glancing over their shoulders at Ina, who had given them as much of a start as they had given her. Chogan had seen this before with wounded braves who seemed to forget everything. He believed it was an evil spirit that crawled into Ina during the rainstorm. The gods overseeing the storm must have been angry to allow this to happen to her, he thought. He would have to pray to the gods to release Ina from the evil, he decided.
Hudson turned to Ina again. She had been clutching his hand the whole time. Now that the door closed behind Adoette and Chogan, she opened her eyes once more.
“Don’t leave me,” she whispered. “Please, never leave me.”
“I will keep you safe, Ina. Only those Indians were not going to hurt you. Don’t you remember who they are?”
“Who is Ina?” she whispered. “Why did you call me Ina?”
“Because that is your name, you are Ina Callahan. Your mother owns the Double C Ranch, and you are here running the Circle P Ranch, until your mother returns from Philadelphia.”
“I don’t know who Ina is,” she whispered.
“Then what is your name?” he asked in surprise.
Ina stared at him, trying to think. The name was right on the tip of her tongue.
“I…I…think it is…something like Mia… something.”
“Miakoda?” he asked.
“I’m not sure. Just call me Mia until I remember.”
“All right, Mia. But you are very sick. In a few moments, a Chinaman is going to come and bring you some broth. Don’t be frightened when he comes in. He needs to clean up the other broth that got spilled. Do you feel up to eating something?”
She nodded. She felt safe now. No more Indians. No more strangers…then she looked at the stranger sitting, holding her hand. Why wasn’t she afraid of him? She knew she didn’t know him, but he made her feel safe.
Hudson and Ina continued to stare at each other. Both felt confused and unsure of themselves. Hudson wanted to protect Ina and help her recover, but she didn’t even know who she was.
Ina didn’t know who to trust. She had woken up in strange surroundings and confronted with people she didn’t know. Only this man seemed to care about her. He had been at her bedside when she first woke up. That must mean he was concerned for her. He had soothed her with the cool cloth. He wanted her comfort. He had said his name was Hudson. She tried to remember if she knew a Hudson, but everything seemed to be in a fog.
“My head hurts so much,” Ina mumbled.
Hudson took the cloth and laid it over her forehead.
“Just rest until Cracker comes up with the broth,” he encouraged.
She still clung to his hand, as though she feared he would leave her if she let go.
“Don’t worry,” he murmured. “I’m not going anywhere. I will remain right by your side until you get better and your memory comes back.”
“You are kind,” she said quietly as she let her eyes close.
A few minutes later, Cracker came in with the broth and placed the bowl on the nightstand. Then he busied himself cleaning up the spilled broth. Once he finished, he left the room.
Eventually, Ina opened her eyes again, and Hudson offered her a spoonful of broth. She drank it slowly, and he offered her another. After a few more spoons of broth, she waved his hand away.
“It makes me feel hotter,” she told him, so he started to cool her down again.
This time, Ina put her hand under the cover and placed it on top of Hudson’s hand as he guided the cloth over her body.
“You have strong hands,” she half-whispered. “They feel like kind hands.”
“I usually care for sick horses. I have never attended a sick person before,” he admitted.
“The horses must love you. You do such a good jo
b.”
As she spoke, the door opened, and Connor stepped in.
“What are you doing to my sister?” he bellowed. “Take your hands off of her!” he demanded.
“I was just…”
“I don’t care what you were just doing. She needs a doctor who knows what he is doing!”
“Did you bring one?” Hudson asked.
“I sent Chogan for one. It will be a while before he gets here, though.”
“I was only trying to help your sister by cooling her down,” Hudson stated, showing him the washcloth in his hand.
“…A pretense for an excuse to touch her!” Connor grumbled. “She should have a woman attending to her, not a ranch worker.”
“There are no women here,” Hudson pointed out.
“I should probably bring your sister back,” Connor said.
He didn’t like the idea, though, because he was discovering he liked having Carrabelle around. He just wouldn’t admit it to anyone.
“If that would work better… Did Chogan tell you about Ina being confused? She didn’t recognize me.”
“She barely knows you. Of course, she didn’t recognize you!”
“She didn’t know Chogan or Adoette either, and started screaming at them, as though they frightened her.”
“She hasn’t seen Chogan in a long time and has just met Adoette. She is probably delirious with the fever. Once it passes, she will start recognizing us.”
“I am sure you are correct,” Hudson conceded.
Ina was merely looking from one to the other as they talked. Finally, she licked her tongue across her dry lips and spoke.
“Who is this man?” she asked Hudson. “Why is he calling me his sister?”
“Because he is your brother,” Hudson told her.
“Ina, for God’s sake, don’t you know me?” Connor breathed as he stepped closer to the bed.
“My name isn’t Ina. I told Hudson it is…Mia… something. I can’t recall.”
She placed her hand against her forehead looking distressed.
“It hurts too much to try and remember!” she groaned.
“Chogan had called her Miakoda, and I think that is the name she is remembering, even though she doesn’t remember Chogan or that he gave her that name,” Hudson explained.
“Power of the Moon,” Connor mumbled.
“You understand the language?”
“You forget, my stepfather is a Comanche. We all know a little of the language.”
“Like I said, she was afraid of Chogan and Adoette. She kept telling me to get the ‘Indians’ out of her room.”
“It must be a brain fever. The Doctor will know what to do.”
“There is nothing wrong with me,” Ina disputed. “I only have this terrible headache. Hudson is helping me. I don’t want him to leave. I don’t know his sister. I don’t even know him, but I know he is kind. I don’t believe you are my brother! You were yelling at Hudson for helping me!”
“You aren’t in your right mind, Ina. You don’t know what you want.”
“Don’t call me that! Make him leave, Hudson!”
“I’m not leaving! I’m staying right here until the doctor arrives,” Connor grumbled, as he looked from Hudson to Ina.
He was sure that somehow Hudson was bamboozling his sister in some way to turn her against him and everyone else, in her weakened state of mind.
“Maybe you should stand where she can’t see you,” Hudson suggested. “I think you are upsetting her, and it might do damage.”
Connor shrugged and moved into a corner of the room where Ina could not turn her head enough to see him.
Ina was grasping onto Hudson’s hand with both of hers, and he knew she was frightened. He wondered how he would feel if he suddenly woke up and couldn’t even remember his own name?
“I’m still here,” he whispered. “The doctor should be arriving soon, so just relax until he gets here. Then he will tell us what we need to do to help you get better.”
“Don’t let them make you leave,” she whispered. “You are the only one here I can trust!”
It warmed Hudson’s heart to think she felt he was the only person she could trust, but he knew it was her fever causing her to say those words. He wondered what would happen when her memory came back to her and she discovered he had been tending to her in a rather intimate way. She would probably kick him off the ranch. The thought pained him.
There was a tap on the door, and Chogan came in with Doctor Trent. However, Chogan left as soon as he could so he didn’t upset Ina with his presences.
Hudson started to move away from the bed, but Ina kept a grasp on his hand.
“You will be all right,” Hudson encouraged as he pried her hand from his. “I won’t go anywhere.”
She gave a little whimper and glanced up at Doctor Trent with a worried look on her face.
“Come, come,” he smiled. “I just need to look into your eyes, and listen to your heart and lungs.”
He went about examining her, and after a few moments, he turned to Connor.
“She still feels hot, but I think the fever is lifting. Her lungs sound a little congested, so I recommend she drink a lot of lemon water with honey in it. I will give you a balm to rub on her chest and some powder to relieve her headache. Other than that, you will have to keep an eye on her and hope she doesn’t worsen. If she starts to get more congested, you should send for me.”
“What about her memory?” Connor asked. She doesn’t remember me or anyone she knows.”
“It is probably because her fever was so high. Remember your stepmother had a fever many years ago which prevented her from having any more children. It is hard to tell what has caused the fever and each fever can affect each person a different way. I am sure, once the fever breaks, she will start thinking straight again.”
He paused and stroked his chin.
“However, I have heard of cases where people never get their memory back again. The best way to jog that memory would be to put her in familiar situations with people she knows and places she’s been if her memory loss persists.”
Connor nodded, glancing at Hudson, as the doctor left the room.
“I’m going to put my trust in you, Hudson. Ina seems attached to you for some reason, and I don’t want to make her worse than she already is, so I will allow you to remain here and care for her. Send someone as soon as her fever breaks. In the meantime, I will put Chogan in charge of the ranch, and tell him to keep a close eye on you, while he is about it.”
Hudson nodded. He let out a breath of relief. Now he could remain by Ina’s side until she actually remembered who he was. He didn’t know whether to look forward to it or dread it, once she remembered him? He just knew he didn’t want to leave her side, any more than she wanted him to leave her side. At least they were both in agreement on that point, he thought with a smile as Connor left the room.
Chogan caught Connor’s arm when he stepped out into the hall.
“I need to tell you something,” he said with urgency. “Last night, Adoette discovered that Cooper was stealing strays and selling them. What with Ina getting sick, we didn’t confront Cooper about it. Ina was going to report him to the sheriff once the storm lets up, but we know she is not in a position to do that now. I don’t know if anyone will take a Comanche’s word of accusing a white man of anything. Without Ina as a witness, I am not sure what should be done.”
Connor drew his brow together.
“What a hell of a mess! However, I got a wire that my family will be returning soon. Shanny took ill and wanted to return home. Once they get here, we will let my parents decide what to do about Cooper, and Ina, if she hasn’t recovered by the time they get here. I can’t believe she didn’t even recognize me!”
“She screamed at me,” Chogan chuckled. “I am praying to the gods to rid her of the evil that has taken her memory, though.”
“I suppose she needs all the prayers she can get,” Conner said. “Just hold everyt
hing down while Ina is recovering. I am leaving Hudson to care for her since he seems to be the only one she trusts, and I don’t want to upset her. I can’t believe it. She didn’t seem to like Hudson and thought he wouldn’t be much help around here. She begged me to take him on at the Double C.”
“He did a good job on the roundup in the middle of the storm.”
“I’m glad to hear that! By the way, I didn’t have a chance to mention to you, Tommy and Beth are both in love with your Comanche friends. They plan to marry them… Tommy, with Konton and Beth, with Taima.”
“That was sudden,” Chogan smiled.
“Konton became Tommy’s hero when he helped save some calves. Beth spent the storm in a sheepherder’s hut with Taima, and I suppose one thing led to another.”
“As long as they are happy, and truly love each other,” Chogan said.
“It’s about time they each found themselves a man. I’m wondering if Ina is working up to something like that, considering she keeps clinging to Hudson like she thinks she is going to drown if he is out of her sight.”
“She must feel very confused.”
“I just hope Hudson doesn’t get any ideas and takes advantage of Ina’s weakened state of mind. When Ina snaps out of it, it may be a big shock to him, if she suddenly rejects his attention. That’s why I want you to make sure he doesn’t do anything improper while he is caring for her.”
“I will keep an eye on him. He seems like a thoughtful person and is concerned for Ina’s welfare. Only time will tell, what may happen,” Chogan muttered. “Life is a strange journey that leads us to places we sometimes are not counting on.”
“Amen to that!” Connor said and then headed down the stairs and out to his horse.
Too many things were happening in such a short period of time. Connor had his own confusing thoughts to deal with where Carrabelle was concerned, and now he had all this to worry about as well!
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Connor was relieved when he watched the train arriving at the station. Now that Callie and Chayton were back, things could get back to normal again, he hoped. He felt like a failure, considering so many things seemed to be in a mess. The branding got done, but Ina was still walking around in a daze not remembering who she was, even though her fever finally broke.
Within the Heart Page 18