Love's Rescue (17 page)

His gaze fell on her hair. It looked as soft as sable. Threads of it shone like copper in the firelight. In the past several weeks, her skin had turned lightly golden from the sun. Though he meant to turn back to the simmering pot, he remained, recalling the day she’d taken Luina and set out for Carson City. On the way home, he had realized that she needed to be outdoors, needed to chase the wind.

She needed the freedom to ride off her loss—and to feel close to the Almighty.

Tomorrow, he decided. Tomorrow, he would take her with him when he and the cattlemen went to round up the nearby cattle. She had finished helping Red Deer with the laundry, and Ho Chen was here to cook. Jess would have no reason to stay behind. He would take her along tomorrow, and any day after, when he could.

Jake returned to the hearth to check the medicinal brew. The water had begun to resemble tea. A few minutes later, the sage remedy had darkened to a greenish brown, and he lowered two strips of white cotton cloth into the pot—a healing method of the Paiutes. He fetched another bowl of water from the kitchen, along with a pair of soft towels, which he set on the table near the lamp. He pulled the steaming pot from the flames and set it on the hearth to cool. Finally, he lowered his body to the edge of the sofa where Jess lay. Her breathing was even and deep.

“You go ahead and rest,” he murmured. “I’m going to have a look at those hands.”

He lifted one from where it lay among her skirts and studied the wrist, turning it over. There were a few cuts, and she would certainly develop bruises. Jess stirred, pulling her arm back, and Jake let her. After she had slept a few minutes longer, he lifted her hand again. Reaching to the side, he dampened a towel in the bowl of clean water, squeezed it gently, and touched it lightly to her wounds. Diaz was a good man with a rope, probably the best he’d ever seen, and Jake knew that he hadn’t done this. Jess had done it, trying to get away. He didn’t want to hurt her, but he would not allow her to throw herself into greater danger. So, short of allowing his men to be jousted from their saddles or otherwise find themselves at her mercy, there was no choice but to let them snare her like a rabbit when they caught her in flight. She might be less inclined to leave, however, once she was given the freedom to ride with the men.

Jake’s eyes shifted between her wrist and her face as he painstakingly tended her cuts. He swabbed away every speck of dried blood on both hands. That done, he got up to search for the softest cotton fabric he could find. He decided on a calico tablecloth with a rose blossom print. If Olivia were here, she’d willingly part with it to help someone else. To muffle the sound, he carried the cloth into the kitchen to tear off two makeshift bandages.

He scooped up the pot of sage brew and sat beside Jess once again. The tea was warm but no longer hot. He wrung all but a moderate dampness from the white cotton cloth, now lightly stained with tea. Then, careful to remove the sage leaves, he wrapped a healing strip around each of her wrists. Afterward, he wound the strips of rose calico around each of the two damp cloths and knotted them to keep them in place.

When he had finished, he put away the bowls, then returned to stare thoughtfully down at her again. He debated taking her to her room, but in the end, he spread a heavy quilt over her and left her to sleep where she was.

Jake turned down the lamp and went up to his room for the night.

He awoke before dawn and left without making a sound. When the sun lifted its face over the edge of the earth, he was on Cielos, headed west, two tiny yellow roses clutched in his hand.

***

Jess awoke to a great brightness in the room. Given how refreshed she felt, she guessed she had slept half the morning away. Wanting it to last just a little longer, she rested with her eyes closed and let the details of her surroundings come to her as they would.

She was on Jake’s sofa with a heavy blanket draped over her. She stretched and relished the warmth of the coverlet as cool air brushed her face. There was a deep, wonderful quiet and stillness, with none of the rattling and shouting that rose from the streets of Carson City. She sat up, certain that, with a renewed heart such as she had, she would undoubtedly find much to enjoy that day.

Jake’s wide front window sparkled with sunshine, and through it, she could see the men going about their usual tasks near the corrals and barn. The fireplace crackled and flickered, and from the kitchen came sounds of someone moving about. By the lightness of the steps, she assumed it was Red Deer. Jess blinked away the last traces of sleep.

An unlit lamp sat on the low table beside her, and near the far end of the table dangled two small feet wearing child-sized moccasins. Jess smiled and turned her eyes to Jake’s chair to see a little Indian boy with a sweet grin slap a hand over his mouth and giggle. He wasn’t at all distrustful like Red Deer and some of the other Paiutes had been at first. Laughing to herself, Jess pushed the large quilt aside and swung her feet to the floor.

“Good morning, young sir,” she greeted the boy softly.

He dropped his hand and tilted his head to the side. He was perhaps five or so, with a round face, slightly flared nose, and black eyes like Red Deer’s—by the bobbed hair, she knew this must be the son of Red Deer’s dead sister.

He scooted to the front edge of the chair, slowly raised his hands, and spread his fingers. When Jess smiled in confusion, he pointed to her hands. She lifted them, noticing the bandages of floral calico wrapped around her wrists. Bennett. Bennett must have wrapped her cuts. The boy grinned and nodded. Jess grinned back, thinking that he admired her fancy bandages.

“He tells you his name, Jessica,” said Red Deer, poking in her head from the kitchen. She spoke in Paiute to the boy, and he held up his hands again to show Jess. “We call him Two Hands. He likes to count things on his hands.” The boy spoke to Red Deer, and she answered him kindly. The only word Jess could understand was her name.

“Jessica,” said Two Hands, and he left his chair to stand before her. He raised his small hands to her cheeks.

“He hasn’t seen many white people, Jessica,” Red Deer explained. “He sees the ranchmen, but they are brown from working in the sun.”

Two Hands looked closely at Jess’s forehead and slowly rubbed his thumbs against her much lighter skin. The boy frowned in bewilderment at his dark thumbs. The white didn’t come off. Red Deer smiled and returned to the kitchen, and Two Hands leaned close to inspect the white woman’s unusual green eyes.

Just then, Jake strode in through the door. He glanced at Jess and Two Hands, then lifted a coffeepot and filled one of the mugs on the hearth, motioning an inquiry to Jess. In reply, she made a disgusted face. Beside her, Two Hands made the same face, and he and Jess shared a laugh.

To her surprise, Jake spoke to Two Hands in the Paiute language. Two Hands commented to Jake, then Jake translated for Jess. “He says the Great Father painted your eyes like the cat’s eyes.” Jake’s voice held unexpected warmth, and Jess lowered her gaze, turning her attention to her new little friend. Two Hands touched the floral bandages with curiosity. Jake set his mug on the mantel and took a seat by Jess.

At his nearness, her heart leapt pleasantly. She was alarmed at her reaction to him, and she wished she could move further away, but she didn’t want to push the boy aside to do so.

Pulling her arm across his knee, Jake whipped a bowie knife from a sheath on his belt. He eased the blade smoothly through the top strip of calico, then replaced it in its sheath. Two Hands leaned close as Jake carefully unwound the bandage.

Jess watched Jake work out of the corner of her eye, trying not to notice how gently he cradled her arm, and how patiently he answered Two Hands’s questions, allowing the child to help unwrap the bandage. Against her will, she felt grateful that he had wrapped her hands when she had been too exhausted to tend to the injuries herself. None of it went with the opinion of him that she had cultivated, for she kept seeing him exhibit qualities she respected—qualities that conflicted with the perceptions she’d had of him since the fire.

Confused, she stared out the window to avoid looking at him, but she felt his eyes on her all the same. He unwound the bandage on her other wrist. “They’re not bad, Jess,” came his voice, deep and mildly teasing. “It might be best, though, if you don’t get yourself tied to a horse again until they heal.”

She jerked her hand away. Gently but insistently, he took it again, then rewrapped each wrist with the calico.

For the sake of Red Deer’s nephew, she kept her voice low. “If you hadn’t given that order to your men, the future well-being of my hands would not concern you!”

Jake passed up the bait. Instead, he glanced thoughtfully—almost reflectively—at her face, as if her features had suddenly become of particular interest to him. “I’ll give you a hat to wear. The days are longer now, and the sun can be harsh.” After a brief moment, he added, “I’ll take that as an agreement.”

Jess adjusted the bandages. “Why should you?”

“Because you didn’t argue. When you disagree, you’re rather straightforward about it.” His brown eyes twinkled. “Why don’t you have someone saddle a horse for you? Or, since you seem to prefer taking matters into your own hands, see to the task yourself, if you wish.”

Saddle a horse? “What? Why?”

“I thought you might like to ride with me and the men today.”

“Out on the range?” She couldn’t recall when last she had run a horse for the pure thrill of it. Until now, she’d run them to escape the ranch, looking anxiously over her shoulder all the while.

“It’s nearly April. There’ll be a lot you can do right here in the weeks ahead, but whenever you have a free day, you can lend a hand with the men. I can see you need to be out there, Jess. Horses and riding are in your blood.”

She concealed her thrill at the suggestion. “You know nothing about my blood, Jake Bennett.”

He gazed at her. “I know you very well. You need to live in open places, to feel the wind in your hair. You are like the Indians who don’t wish to stay in one place, who won’t be told where to live. The earth and sky and horses—those things are real, they make sense to you. It’s who you are.”

Jess stared at him in amazement. No one had ever understood that about her. Not even her mother. “How do you know that?”

“I saw you in Carson City. You were different there, sort of like a wild creature on display in a cage, but you’re not like that here. Even though a part of you doesn’t want to stay, the other part of you sees its possibilities.”

Jess digested the truth of that, and of all he had seen in her. “What about Red Deer? She can’t be allowed to do the heavy chores alone.”

“You can stay here on days she needs help, or when work needs to be done. Otherwise, you can ride with me.” Jake indicated her hands. “Get yourself some gloves out of the supply shed. I’ll meet you in the stable.” The corner of his mouth quirked. “I’m sure you know where the stable is.”

“If you lag, I’ll meet you in Carson City,” Jess said, “and I’m fairly certain you know where that is.”

With a hearty chuckle, Jake headed for the stairs. Jess followed Two Hands outdoors. She paused at the water pump for a drink and to wash her face, then she and her young companion crossed the yard. The cattlemen they passed raised a hand or tipped a hat in greeting. Jess greeted them in return, feeling as invigorated as when she had awakened. She would indeed have much to enjoy this day.

At the entrance to the stable, several men were saddling horses. Apparently, they would ride out with her and Jake. Jess retrieved a pair of gloves from the shed, then led Luina out of her stall. Two Hands expertly held the palomino horse, murmuring gently to her in his youthful, clarion voice while Jess laid a blanket over her back and settled the saddle in place. The men spoke to her as if they had expected her, and Jess felt almost giddy at the thought of flying across the range on horseback. This time, she had been invited, and she wouldn’t have to cast panicked looks behind her to check for any pursuers.

To her own astonishment, she realized that she had no intention of betraying the men’s trust. She was free to ride, and she planned to enjoy every moment of it. Just for today, she wouldn’t give herself any reason to look back. Two Hands said something and held up four fingers. Jess turned to him and raised her eyebrows inquisitively. He pointed to all four of Luina’s feet.

Jess grinned. When she was his age, numbers had come to her just as easily. She bent toward him conspiratorially. “Perhaps when I return to run my father’s store, I’ll take you with me to help me keep the books.”

He giggled, uncertain of what she had said, but feeling complicit in some great secret, just the same.

“I’m surprised you’re choosing Luina again,” a deep voice said. “I’d have thought you and Cielos would be miles away by now with half the ranch after you.”

The men looked up at Jake’s humor, as if they had never heard such from the man.

In response, Jess drawled, “Drag Cielos away from Luina? Impossible.” She passed a lightly accusing eye over him and the amused cattlemen. “Isn’t that the way with males? When it comes to the gentler creatures, some of the brutes just can’t be reasoned with.”

Several pairs of eyes pivoted to Jake.

“Males? I recall a flighty mare leading an exhausting chase.”

The eyes swung to Jess.

“Any mare will flee if enough burrs are thrust under the saddle,” she rejoined.

Some good-natured laughter followed. Jake bowed slightly, acknowledging the wisdom of what she’d said, then handed her a light brown hat similar to his darker one.

Jess pulled it on. Glimpsing warm approval in Jake’s eyes, she returned her attention to saddling Luina. She tightened the cinch strap, in spite of Luina’s efforts to puff out her stomach. Jess was familiar with the ploy—the horse would release the air with the rider astride so that the strap would loosen. Despite Luina’s attempts to get away with it, Jess snugged and knotted the cinch successfully. Her attention to the task gave her a moment to pull her traitorously opening heart away from Jake and to restore a cooler, more agreeable distance between them. Finally, Jess flipped the stirrup into place and patted Luina’s belly. “Nice try, girl.”