Love on the Plains

by Knight, Ciara

  “Don’t shoot him, we need ’em,” a man’s voice said, from behind.

  If Colt didn’t know better, he’d swear he knew that voice.

  “Get his gun,” the other man said.

  A kick to the gut, another hit to his head.

  Colt went down face-first on the ground, but even with the blows, kept hold of his pistol. Sharp pain shot through him, but when Dinah cried out again, his pain disappeared…replaced by anger and the need to protect. He rolled, took aim, and shot the man who’d taken him down. The man staggered, and fell to his knees.

  Before another breath entered Colt’s lungs, he got to his feet and charged the man who had Dinah.

  A shot fired and hit his shoulder. The sting of a bullet pierced his skin, but it didn’t stop him. The burning was nothing compared to the pain of watching another person die. A woman he meant to protect. Adrenaline pumped through him, and he managed to stay up on his feet.

  “Release her, or I swear I’ll skin you alive,” he ground out.

  The man shoved Dinah at him and mounted his horse. “Let’s go.”

  The other man must have come to his feet, because he rammed into Colt’s back, sending Dinah and Colt to the ground. The gun flew from Colt’s hands. Before he could even open his eyes and see through the pain, the one who’d hit him from behind, awkwardly mounted his horse. The two men rode off.

  “Are you okay?” Dinah said, breathlessly. “Oh, dear Lord in Heaven, you’re bleeding.”

  The night sky blurred with white lines instead of dots of stars. Colt’s head felt heavy and he let it roll to one side.

  “No, you don’t. You do not faint on me now,” Dinah ordered. “You need to get on your feet and get back to the house. I can’t carry you.”

  He shook his head. “Go. Leave me.”

  “If I do, you’ll bleed to death.”

  Colt laid back and looked up at the full moon. “Good. I’ve lived too long with the guilt. I’m ready to die.”

  With hands still bound, Dinah shook him. “You get up, Colt Hardin. Those children need you. Enough of feeling sorry for yourself. We need to get you back so I can look at that wound. Now get up and walk.”

  He wanted to fade away into the night, to be left in peace.

  “Are you going to leave me unprotected? Those men could be heading back here to finish what they started. Untie my wrists so that I may help you.” She held her bound hands in front of him.

  She had a point. He couldn’t leave her and the children unprotected like this, not with those men still out there. He managed to loosen the knots enough for her to wriggle her wrists free.

  “Now, get up.” She picked up the gun with one hand and slid her free arm under him. “You have to help; you’re too heavy for me. Please.” Dinah pleaded as if she cared enough to save his life.

  Fiery pain erupted in his shoulder, and his side throbbed as if he’d been kicked in the gut by a horse. His head felt like his skull had been split open. Despite all that, the terror in Dinah’s voice was enough to make him push up from the ground and stand. Thank goodness his legs seemed fine, but the rest of him hurt like hell.

  Dizziness took hold, and Dinah held him steady. With her help, he wobbled and tripped up the steep slope. His lungs were so tight, he thought he’d suffocate before he reached the top of the hill. Despite all the pain and all the suffering, he was still thankful. Thankful that Dinah wasn’t hurt.

  “It’s not much farther,” Dinah encouraged him, keeping her arm around him. She was stronger than he thought; able to take on some of his weight when he lost his footing and almost went down again.

  At the top of the hill, he saw light inside the house and three faces pressed to the window. “Don’t want to scare the kids.”

  “Now you’re worried about that?”

  “Take me to the barn.”

  “No. It’s too dirty, and I can’t clean you up out there.” She nudged him toward the house, where James threw open the door, ran out, and offered his shoulder to lean on. Both woman and boy worked together and somehow managed to get Colt inside, where he collapsed on the kitchen table.

  “Get me all the lamps. I need to see his wounds. Anna, tear a sheet into strips. Emma, get the bucket of water over there. James, bolt the door and keep watch through the window,” Dinah ordered as she unbuttoned Colt’s shirt and ripped open his undershirt. She trained her gaze on the wound instead of shying away or swooning. With her set jaw and intense determination, Colt realized she was more than just a frivolous Southern girl. “You’re beautiful, you know.”

  She shot him a strange look. “Wonderful. Now you’re delirious.”

  Lamps were set around, casting a glow on Dinah’s face. “No, I mean it. There is more to you than just being pretty. So much more.”

  She dipped her hands in the bucket of water. “This is going to hurt. If you want to pass out, now’s the time, but don’t move.”

  When Dinah dug into his flesh, Colt thought his entire chest was engorged in flames. His fingernails dug into the wood, and he clamped his teeth together in an attempt to hold back a scream, but he lost the fight and let out a roar from the pain.

  “I’ve almost got it,” Dinah said, her words reaching him, but fading as if he were galloping away instead of lying on a table in front of her.

  “Colt?”

  Darkness threatened, but he fought to stay with her.

  “Got it.”

  A clank sounded, and he knew she’d dropped the bullet she’d dug from his flesh into a dish.

  “Anna, heat the stove. We need to seal the wound.”

  He knew what that meant, and he wasn’t looking forward to it.

  “You’ll live, but you’ll have one more scar to match the rest of them,” Dinah teased, but with a heavy tone.

  Colt groaned. With every word making him ache, he said, “Promise me that you’ll stay with the children until I can manage again. I know farming isn’t what you thought you’d come to Sioux City to do, and you deserve better than this, but give me enough time to heal. Then I will make this right.”

  A moment passed, and then the words he was so desperate to hear fell from Dinah’s lips. “I promise,” she whispered.

  The last thing he saw was the red-hot tip of the fire poker coming close. Then the room faded, and it wasn’t until sometime in the night that he woke and spotted Dinah in a chair next to the bed in what had been Margret and Daniel’s bedroom. How he’d gotten there from the table, he didn’t have a clue. All he did know is that Miss Dinah McKinnie had remained beside him all night…and she’d never looked more beautiful than she did now.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The next morning, James returned with Dr. Smith. All night she’d sat by an unconscious Colt, hoping she’d done enough to save him, but worried about the questions he’d have when he woke up. When Dr. Smith finished with Colt and joined Dinah and the children in the kitchen, he offered a comforting smile. He patted James on the head. “He might not speak, but he’s one capable boy.”

  Dinah’s heart warmed at the truth of Dr. Smith’s words. James was more than a boy who couldn’t speak. He was brave despite his fears.

  “You did magnificent work. I might need your help, someday,” Dr. Smith said.

  Dinah thought she’d forgotten, or perhaps had wished she’d forgotten the skills she’d learned while tending to the soldiers during the war. The smell of blood and the sound of their screams had come flooding back last night. Those were memories she desperately wanted gone from her mind. That’s why she sat cutting up the dress and turning the material to rags. The once beautiful blue gown had been ripped and torn and blood stained beyond repair. “Thank you, but I no longer want to be around the suffering.”

  “I understand.” Dr. Smith set his black leather bag on the kitchen table. “I thought I should examine you, too.” He eyed the bruises on her arms, hands, and neck.

  “No need, I’m fine,” she said. She tugged her sleeves down over the bruises on her wrists,
caused by the ropes. The sting had faded some, and the broken skin was already healing.

  “Good, because that man is going to require some care.” The doctor shook his head. “Weeks of care, at best.”

  “But I removed the bullet and cauterized the wound.”

  “It’s not that. He’s got three broken ribs. I’ve bound him tight, but if he moves, one could puncture a lung. He’s not to get out of that bed until I come back in a week. Even then, it will be weeks before he should do anything that requires any physical strength. If you need something before then, send one of the children to fetch me.”

  “Thank you. I will.” She pointed to the pot on the stove where she was beginning a stew. “You’re welcome to stay for supper.”

  “No, but thank you. I have more patients to see. I’ll stop in a week to check on all of you.”

  Dinah opened the door, but she needed to know something. “Have you seen Mr. Sanbourn in the last few days?”

  “Can’t say as I have. Why, may I ask?”

  Dinah fought to control her anxiety and show no emotion. “He’s Mr. Hardin’s business partner. I thought he should know that Mr. Hardin wouldn’t be able to get to the office for a while.”

  “I would be happy to pass on your message.”

  She didn’t want to believe Andrew had anything to do with those men last night, but who else would have known she was supposed to be at the creek at that hour of night? “Thank you.”

  “One last question.” Dr. Smith said. “What happened last night?”

  Dinah picked up a carrot and chopped it. “Two men grabbed me, and Colt fought them to save my life.”

  “Any idea who the men were?”

  She only shook her head. The exhaustion and the ordeal began to draw out emotions she didn’t have time for, at that moment. “No, none. I figured they were from town, or maybe passing through. I’m not sure.”

  Dr. Smith held his black bag to his side. “I understand. I’ll let the townspeople know about the incident. I’m sure they will send out a posse to find the culprits.”

  “Thank you,” Dinah said, before dropping the knife and carrot and wiping her hands on her apron. She followed the doctor to the door.

  There, Dr. Smith paused and scanned the humble home. “I hope you two can start to heal. And who knows, maybe you’ll find happiness here.” He then tipped his hat and walked away, leaving her to deal with the children and Colt and the doctor’s words.

  She picked up a cup of water from the counter and took it into Colt, to find him lying on his back, looking up at the ceiling. “How are you feeling?”

  “Like I was trampled by a herd of buffalo.” Colt chuckled, then grabbed his side and winced.

  Dinah lifted his head and held the cup to his mouth for him to take a few sips.

  He grimaced. “That’s bitter.”

  “It’ll help with the pain. The doctor gave it to me to help you relax. He was worried you’d do something foolish like get out of bed.”

  “I don’t need any…um...stuff.” He tried to sit up, but she pressed her palms to his chest.

  “No, sir. You’re not going anywhere.”

  He settled back into bed with a groan.

  She wrung out a rag from the bowl on the dresser and wiped the dirt from his cheek. The smell of blood needed to be washed away, like the memories of those horrible men from last night.

  Colt cleared his throat. “Thank you.” His eyelids fluttered, and he yawned. “Are you sure you’re alright?” he mumbled.

  “I’m fine. Now sleep.”

  His eyelids closed, his mouth fell open, and his muscles in his tight shoulders relaxed.

  She set the cup on the table and watched him sleep. His beard wagged with each exhale. That’s when she decided she would do the one thing she wanted since she’d arrived. She retrieved the scissors and the straight razor and set to shaving Colt. If she had to look at that face every time she cleaned him up and cared for him, she had a right to shave that monstrosity off.

  She’d expected it to take awhile, with all his bushy facial hair, but there was one thing she hadn’t anticipated. She sucked in a breath. The face of the most handsome man she’d ever seen, with a square jaw, defined cheekbones, and strong chin, had been buried underneath that buffalo hide of hair. She caressed his smooth skin, and her body warmed at the contact. This was a response she hadn’t felt from Andrew’s advances.

  At that moment, she knew Colt Hardin was more dangerous than she’d ever imagined. Not because she feared his outbursts or physical strength, but because he was strong, and his body was solid, and his eyes were alluring and mysterious. And because clean-shaven, Colt Hardin was handsome enough to make a girl forget her carefully constructed plans.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Colt woke with a deep ache that wasn’t localized to his shoulder and side, but instead invaded other areas of his body. He turned his head to find Dinah asleep at his side. Questions flooded his mind. Who were those men that tried to kidnap Dinah? Was it the Boltin brothers? Had he brought this danger to her? He wanted to wake her up and interrogate her immediately, but one look at her slumped shoulders and disheveled hair and he knew she’d cared for him all night.

  She had to be uncomfortable sitting in the chair, with her head resting on the bed at his side. Her hair was free, and he couldn’t help but reach out to touch the dark autumn silk.

  Soft. Softer than anything he’d ever touched in his life.

  He wouldn’t let his past haunt Dinah the way it had haunted him. He’d protect her no matter what.

  “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” Anna whispered from the doorway, holding a plate of food and a cup.

  Colt moved his hand to his chest, releasing Dinah’s hair. “Yes. And she knows she is.”

  Anna set the plate and cup on the dresser and looked down at him, her eyebrow rose. “I didn’t realize you were so handsome. Mom once told me the girls would fight over you in school, but I never saw why. But with that hair gone, I can now.”

  He touched his face and realized he was clean-shaven. Startled, confused he scanned the room. “Who did this?”

  “Miss Dinah.”

  At the sound of her name, Dinah lifted her head and blinked.

  Even half asleep, the woman’s eyes still shone with that special light. Now wasn’t the time to reprimand her, not after caring for him all night. He’d talk to her about shaving him later. Although, if he had to admit it, he did feel more like himself with the beard gone.

  Catching Colt’s gaze in hers, her eyes widened. “You’re awake?”

  “Yes, but you need to get some sleep.” He watched her stretch and rub her eyes. Now that was a sight he could get used to any morning. If only he could be the man she wanted and deserved.

  “I’m fine,” she argued with a yawn. “Besides, the kids need to get to school, and you need looking after.”

  “I’m not going to school,” Anna said flatly.

  Dinah came to stand by Anna and put her hands on her hips. With a frown, she said to Anna, “Yes, you are. It is not open for discussion. You need a proper education.”

  “It’s Saturday. There’s no school.”

  Colt jolted. “Saturday. Have I been asleep for two days?”

  Dinah nodded to him, but kept her attention on Anna. “You’re correct, child. In that case, go ahead and play. You deserve a break.” She tipped her chin at the plate Anna had set on the dresser. “It looks like you’ve already made breakfast.”

  Anna nodded. “I set your plate on the table. I thought I could feed Uncle Colt while you took a break from his care.”

  The meal smelled good, but he wasn’t ready to eat. Coffee would be nice, though.

  The sound of squeals and giggles came from the main room. Colt smiled. Emma had the sweetest laugh.

  “Would you take Emma outside so that your uncle can get some more rest?” Dinah directed to Anna.

  “No, let them stay inside.” Colt tried to sit up, but the pain cranked
up to beyond what he could tolerate, and he fell back with a groan. After several seconds, he managed to find his breath again. The mere feat of breathing wasn’t easy, with his side feeling like it was collapsing in on his innards. When he managed to open his eyes, he found Dinah over him, eyes wide and brows arched with a question.

  “I can give you more medicine for the pain,” she said, her voice carrying her concern.

  “Don’t want drugs. Children’s laughter helps, though,” he grunted out between labored breaths.

  Dinah pressed the back of her hand to his forehead. That gentle touch was suddenly the most comforting thing he’d ever experienced. He hadn’t had any physical contact in over a year, and he’d almost forgot what a woman’s warm and soft touch could do to a man.

  “Try to keep Emma occupied inside,” Dinah directed Anna, “and make sure the door stays bolted. Open the windows, but ask James to keep a look out. It’ll be hot in here, but we’ll manage.” She pressed an ear to Colt’s chest.

  The closeness surprised him, his heart reacted to her scent. Her hair cascaded down his side and around him. She was a beautiful creature, probably the most beautiful he’d ever seen. The image of her lying next to him with her head resting on his chest only made him imagine things that could never be.

  “You need more pain medicine. Your heart is beating like a wild stallion,” Dinah said.

  When she rose, he snagged her hand, careful not to startle her this time. “It’s not the pain. I’m fine.”

  “If it’s not the pain, then what is it?”

  He rubbed his thumb across her hand and closed his eyes. “It’s…it’s only that…” He wanted to tell her that he liked her attention, her touch, but he couldn’t. It was wrong.

  “What?”

  “I’m simply tired.”

  Dinah shook her head. “Well, you can’t go back to sleep. Not until you eat, that is.” She retrieved the plate and sat down at his side. “Here, take a bite.”

  He wasn’t hungry, but based on her determined posture, arguing would be of no use. Instead, he opened his mouth and bit off a piece of meat she proffered. Salty and delicious. Anna was a great cook, even at such a young age. He’d been lucky to have her around.