Addie had a feeling Jack’s wound was more serious than he was letting on. She didn’t want the girls to see a gunshot wound and become more upset. “Girls, would you go back downstairs and tell Rose we need some water and bandages.”
Claire held on to Jack, ignoring Jane’s attempt to move her from the bed.
Jack winked at her. “Go ahead and do as Miss Addie says. I’ll be right here waiting to see you later.”
Claire crawled higher so she could kiss his cheek.
“Thank you, honey. That makes me feel a whole lot better.”
“We have to leave,” Jane said.
“Just for a little while. You can visit with me later.” Jack wanted to assure them that he was going to be okay.
“I mean in two days we have to go with Mr. Adler,” Jane clarified.
Jack’s eyes snapped to Addie. “What does that mean?”
Addie shooed the children from the room. “I’ll explain after we’ve taken care of you.” Since his shirt was already unbuttoned, Addie gently pushed it aside and removed the bandana. It was the first time she’d seen a gunshot wound, and she thought she might pass out seeing the ugly bloody hole in his shoulder.
Jack was watching her face, and she visibly paled when she looked at his shoulder. “Miss Addie, remind me not to let you play a game of poker if my life depends on it.”
She gave him a quizzical look. “What?”
“By the look on your face, I’d say I’m about to die, or you’ve never seen a gunshot wound before. Believe me, it’s not as bad as the last time.”
Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Addie made a mental note of everything she needed to do. “Let’s get you out of your clothes.”
Jack grinned. “Yes, ma’am.”
Addie turned a nice shade of pink. “I mean your shirt.” She leaned over to help him with his shirt, but Jack swung his legs over the side of the bed.
“Take off your pretty quilt. When Granny gets in here and starts digging on me, she’ll have me bleeding out.”
“I was only teasing about the quilt.” Addie felt guilty that he was worrying about such minor things when he was obviously in a lot of pain.
“I’m not. Granny likes to make me suffer.”
Taking a handful of the quilt, Addie jerked it from the bed and tossed it on a chair. “Now sit back down.” She gently removed his shirt, fluffed two pillows, and stuffed them behind him before he leaned back.
Jack fumbled with his holster and Addie pushed his hands aside. “Let me do it.” She’d never removed a holster before, and she thought it seemed almost too intimate a task for her to be doing. When she finished unfastening the holster, she glanced up at him and saw he was watching her every move. Their eyes held, and her fingers stilled.
“I’ll lift my hips if you can pull it out.”
Addie nodded.
Once she placed his holster aside, she held the bandana back over the wound. His darkly tanned face looked pale to her and she thought he might have a fever. She brushed a lock of blond hair from his forehead and felt his skin. She was so close she could see the darker silver streaks in his eyes. “You feel warm.”
“Your hand feels cool.” Jack fixed his eyes on hers. If he hadn’t been in so much pain, he might have attempted to give her a kiss. “What was Jane talking about? Are you going back to Boston?”
“We’ll talk about it later. Right now, I need to clean your wound.”
She started to walk away, but Jack reached for her hand and held her in place. “Tell me now.”
“Prescott told us today that he will not allow anyone to adopt them here. He’s taking them with him to Boston.”
“Granny said no one would go with him. Are you going with him?”
Addie looked away. “No, but he found someone.”
“Who?” He couldn’t imagine why anyone would be willing to travel with Prescott.
Rose walked into the room with a bowl of water and some bandages. “Granny said to tell you she would be here in a few minutes.” She glanced at Jack and saw he was holding Addie’s hand. “Is something wrong?”
“No.” Jack released her hand and Addie took the bowl of water from Rose and placed it on the bedside table.
“How’s the marshal?” Jack asked.
“Granny got the slug out, but he’s not regained consciousness.” Rose gave Addie the bar of soap. “She said for us to get you ready.”
“Where are the girls?” Addie asked.
“They are sitting in the hallway. I asked Jane to read to Claire to keep them from worrying.”
Addie dipped the cloth in the water and started washing Jack’s shoulder. “Is the water too warm?”
“No, it feels good.” Jack was exhausted, but he didn’t want to shut his eyes. He wanted to know what was going on, and he liked watching Addie take care of him.
Addie finished cleaning the wound before she started washing the blood from his chest hair. She’d never before washed a man’s body and she found herself getting flustered under Jack’s penetrating stare. “Am I hurting you?”
“No, ma’am.” He found that her tender ministrations aroused sensations that made no sense under his present circumstances.
Rose left the room under the pretense of seeing if Granny needed her help, but she wanted to give them time alone. Watching them together, Rose thought there were some deep feelings between the two. She was equally sure neither one would admit as much.
“It feels good.” At his statement, Addie looked at him, and saw him watching her hand on his chest.
It thrilled her to be caring for him instead of Clarissa. He might want Clarissa, but Clarissa wasn’t here. She felt a pang of guilt thinking about her personal desires and not his. He might want Clarissa to know he’d been shot. Of course that would mean Clarissa would come to her home to see him, and that didn’t sit well with Addie. It would have been difficult enough seeing Clarissa with Jack in her own home, but after hearing she’d agreed to take the girls to Boston, she didn’t think she could tolerate having her there.
“Don’t stop,” Jack said when Addie’s hand stopped moving. His mind was no longer on his pain, and he wanted more than anything to kiss her. He was just about ready to pull her to him, when she said, “Do you want me to send someone for Clarissa?”
Jack frowned at her question. “Clarissa? Why would I want you to do that?”
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Jack Roper, can’t you find something better to do than get shot?” Granny hurried across the room and placed her medical bag on the bed.
“It’s the only way I can get you to feed me.” Jack’s eyes were still on Addie when Granny pulled out her instruments and started digging in his shoulder.
“Well, I’m glad no one has tried to pull this one out before I got my hands on you. It’s not going to be as bad as the last time.” Granny turned to Addie and said, “Honey, pull out that whiskey bottle from my bag and give Jack a glassful.”
Addie quickly followed Granny’s instructions and filled a glass to the brim for Jack.
“Drink it down and be quick about it. We need to get this out before it grows to you. I don’t know why I bother digging these out, you’ll just get shot again next week. I think you need to find yourself a new profession.” Remembering the last time she operated on Jack, Granny had been worried to death about him the whole time she was tending him.
“Aww, Granny, you know you like taking care of me.” Jack finished the whiskey under Granny’s watchful eye. “Is the marshal going to make it?”
“By the grace of God, he might.”
Addie placed the bandages next to Jack’s side, and Jack reached for her hand. “Will you hold my hand while Granny uses her instruments of torture on me?”
Granny looked at him and laughed. “You’re a sorry case, Jack Roper. Who held your hand the last time?”
“You spent so long digging in my shoulder that I passed out. Don’t you remember that? I thought doctoring was supposed to be a caring profession.
”
Addie sat beside Jack and intertwined her fingers with his. “Are you in a lot of pain now?”
Jack nodded.
Granny shook her head at him. She didn’t doubt he was in some pain, but he was playing it to the hilt for Addie’s sympathy. “Are you ready?”
Jack squeezed Addie’s fingers. “Yep, I am now.”
“Addie, there is going to be some more bleeding. You aren’t squeamish, are you?” Granny didn’t want to worry about Addie passing out while she was in the middle of her surgery.
Addie had always tried to stay calm in difficult situations, but her feelings for Jack were making it difficult to maintain her composure. She was the same way with the children. It broke her heart to see them in pain. She looked at the instrument in Granny’s hand and shivered. “I’ll be fine, Granny.”
Granny cast her a glance and noticed she was paler than Jack. “If you feel faint, let me know.”
Dabbing his wound one more time with a cloth, Granny got to work. To Addie’s amazement, Jack didn’t move a muscle as Granny dug into his shoulder. She was the one squeezing Jack’s hand each time Granny pushed her device deeper into his flesh.
Jack couldn’t take his eyes off of Addie’s face. She was grimacing as though she was the one on the receiving end of Granny’s surgical procedure. “You okay, Miss Addie?”
Addie looked at him and tears formed in her eyes. “Doesn’t that hurt?”
Jack gave her a grin. “My fingers you’re squeezing hurt worse than that hole in my shoulder.”
Addie loosened her death grip on his hand. “I’m sorry.”
“Miss Addie, I think you are my angel, sent to watch over me. Are you sure you’re not going back to Boston?” Jack reached up with the intention of pulling Addie to him, but Granny slapped her hand on his chest.
“If you don’t hold still, Jack Roper, I’ll leave this slug in you. You’re so full of nonsense, it’d serve you right.”
“I think he’s feeling the effects of the whiskey, Granny,” Addie said in Jack’s defense.
“Well, pour him another large glassful. Maybe it will knock him out. With him moving about, I can’t get ahold of this thing.”
Addie grabbed the bottle and poured another full glass and handed it to Jack.
“Maybe you need a shot, Granny, to steady your nerves,” Jack said, noticeably slurring his words.
Granny glared at him. “There’s nothing wrong with my nerves. I just need you to settle down.”
“Stop giving me your evil eye, or I’ll need more whiskey to settle down. I always thought you only carried the devil’s tools in that little bag. I didn’t know you had good whiskey in there.”
Granny chuckled at his nonsense. “You’re a sorry case, Jack Roper.”
He placed the empty glass beside him on the bed and reached for Addie’s hand. “Miss Addie, you’re my pretty angel.” Seconds later, he passed out.
“Thank the good Lord.” Granny expelled a loud breath and went to work. She had the bullet out quickly, then stitched him up.
“Will he be okay, Granny?” Addie had been afraid to ask while Jack was awake. She knew he’d never tell her how badly he was hurting.
“He’ll be fine, honey. Jack’s a strong man, and I wish I could say this is the last time this will happen to him. I know you care for him, so you’ll have to accept what he does.”
Addie didn’t deny her feelings. “He’s a special man.”
“Yes, he is. Now let’s get him bandaged, then I’ll have Morgan come in and take his pants off so he can get comfortable. He’s going to be here for a few days, recuperating.”
Morgan removed Jack’s clothing and sat with him while Addie and Rose cooked dinner. Once the children were fed and bathed, Addie allowed them to see Jack, but she wouldn’t allow them to wake him. She watched as they softly climbed on the bed and tenderly kissed his cheek.
Addie didn’t scold Claire for calling him papa when she told him good night, but gave her a gentle reminder. “Sheriff Roper is going to be fine. He’ll need a few days to recuperate, but he will be back to normal in no time.”
Claire didn’t respond. She climbed from the bed and walked to the door with her head hanging down.
“I’ll read you a story before you go to sleep.” By the time Addie returned to her bedroom to check on Jack, he was still sleeping. Granny was sitting in the chair, and Addie asked her again if she was certain he would recover.
“Now don’t you worry about him, he’s going to be fine. We all best be praying for the marshal tonight.” She kissed Addie’s cheek and said good night.
Jack awoke in the middle of the night to see Addie, wrapped in a blanket, sitting in a chair beside his bed. She was asleep, and while he wanted a drink of water, he didn’t want to disturb her. She had dark circles under her eyes, and he knew she’d had an exhausting day. He saw a pitcher of water and a glass on the bedside table, so he leaned over, hoping he could reach the pitcher. He nearly fell out of the bed when two heads popped up beside the table. Jane and Claire.
“What are you two doing down there on the floor?” Jack whispered.
“Miss Addie was sleeping in here, and we wanted to make sure you were going to be okay,” Jane answered.
Their concern touched Jack’s heart, and it was a few moments before he could say anything for fear of becoming emotional. He noticed they were both wrapped in blankets, and he wondered if they were cold. “Jane, would you pour me a glass of water?”
Quietly, Jane untangled herself from her blanket and poured him a glass of water.
“Are you still hurt?” Claire whispered.
“I’m much better now. Why don’t you girls jump in on the other side so you can stay warm?” He’d noticed someone had started a fire in the fireplace, but it was about to go out.
The girls quickly jumped in the bed beside him, and he motioned for Jane to pull one of the quilts over them. “You girls get some sleep. I’m just fine.” He didn’t have long to wait before the girls were sleeping soundly beside him. All of my girls are sleeping. He’d started thinking of Addie and the girls as his girls the first night he’d stayed all night with them. He’d often wondered how it would feel to be a father, and as he looked at their sweet, innocent faces, he couldn’t imagine a more rewarding feeling. He had to find a way to keep Prescott from taking them back to Boston. But how in the devil was he going to do that?
Jack was still thinking about the situation with the children over an hour later when Addie opened her eyes. “Hello,” he said softly.
Addie’s eyes swept over the children lying beside him and she smiled. “Hello.” She straightened in the chair and leaned closer to the bed. “How long have they been in here?”
“I don’t know for sure. They were on the floor when I woke up, so I told them to climb in. I didn’t want them getting cold.”
“Can I get you anything?” Addie asked.
“Jane gave me a glass of water. That’ll hold me over until breakfast.”
“How do you feel?”
“Fine. You look tired.”
“It’s been a long day.” Addie hadn’t been able to sleep much the night before, and it had been an emotional day.
Jack glanced at the girls, then back at Addie. “You want to join us?”
Addie thought the girls looked very comfortable next to him, and she had to admit it was tempting. She imagined sleeping next to a man like Jack would be comforting. He had a way of making them feel safe and secure. She wondered what his fiancée would think about that. “I’d better not.”
“I think it’s time you told me who is going to Boston with Prescott.”
She hated to say something that would upset him, but he had a right to know. “Your fiancée is going with him.”
“Who?”
“Your fiancée, Clarissa.”
Jack expelled a loud breath, and when Claire moved, he kept his eyes on her until she settled down again. He didn’t know what was more infuriating: the fac
t that Addie wouldn’t accept that Clarissa wasn’t his fiancée, or that Clarissa would agree to take the girls back to Boston. What reason would she have for doing such a thing? He’d deal with both issues. “What do I have to say to make you believe me? Clarissa is not my fiancée.”
Addie was puzzled. Clarissa had just told her that a wedding was imminent. “I don’t understand. We saw Clarissa in front of the mercantile and she said you were getting married.”
“She told you we were getting married?” Jack forgot to whisper the question and both girls moved.
Addie tried to remember Clarissa’s exact words. She clearly recalled Clarissa intentionally wanted them to think she was marrying Jack. “I’m not sure of her exact words, but she definitely said you two discussed marriage and one would be forthcoming.”
Jack reminded himself to keep his voice low. “We did discuss marriage, but I told her I wasn’t interested.”
“You aren’t marrying Clarissa?”
“No.”
“Are you sure she understood? I think she believes otherwise.”
“She understood, all right.” Jack had no question in his mind that Clarissa knew where he stood on that subject.
“Do you think she agreed to take the girls to Boston because she’s angry with you?” Addie could think of no other reason Clarissa would do such a thing.
Jack had no doubt Clarissa made this decision to hurt him as much as Addie. He’d defended Addie on more than one occasion, and Clarissa didn’t like it. “She was pretty upset with me.”
In a way, Addie felt some sympathy for Clarissa. She had to be disappointed by Jack’s refusal. Yet, she couldn’t understand anyone who would try to hurt others over their own personal disappointments.
Jack certainly hadn’t mentioned to Clarissa that Prescott was looking for someone to accompany him to Boston. “How did she even know Prescott was looking for someone to go to Boston?”
“I don’t know. I’m going to try to talk to him again, and Morgan says he will try again. I just can’t let him take the girls back. They are heartbroken over this. Prescott also talked to Mr. Coburn, so Davey has to know about the girls by now.”
“Poor Davey. I know he feels everyone has deserted him right now.” Jack knew Davey was having a hard enough time dealing with his new family, and this news would only make matters worse.
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