Timeless Passion: 10 Historical Romances To Savor (140 page)

Mindy had been watching. Now she pushed Boone aside and straddled Lucas, pressing hard on his chest with both hands.

Lucas groaned.

“What do you think you’re doing? He’s hurting bad enough as it is!”

“Shut up! I’m trying to stop the bleeding. Go get my bag. Now!”

Boone, shocked by her demeanor, rose to do what she asked. He placed the bag near where her small frame was centered on top of Lucas’s chest. Her orders were brisk. “Go start a fire and boil me some horsehair.” Boone looked at her in surprise. Her eyes flickered with anger. “Would you just do it?”

Boone set about grabbing branches and twigs and making the fire. As he waited for it to burn brighter, he ran to the horses and was back in a flash. The fire was burning strong. “What am I supposed to boil the water in?”

“There’s a cup in my bag. Now, take off your hat and bring me some water to wash my hands.” Boone did as he was told. “Here, I’m going to let up this pressure, but you take over.” Mindy eased her hands off Lucas’s wound and Boone shoved hard. Lucas grunted again.

“Sorry, brother. I’m just following doctor’s orders. Hang in there. I think she knows what she’s doing.”

“No, I don’t,” Mindy said, looking into Boone’s eyes. “I’ve never dealt with a gunshot wound before. My brothers have pulled plenty of awful stunts in their lives, but nothing this bad.”

“I got faith in you,” he replied. And he did.

After rinsing her hands, Melinda dug in her bag and pulled out a tin cup and a sewing kit. She looked up at Boone. “I need your knife.”

Boone dug one bloody hand deep in his pocket and pulled out a folded blade. He handed it over. Mindy took the knife and rinsed it off in the water still left in the hat. Then she took a deep breath and ordered Boone away from Lucas.

She eased his shirt away from the wound. “Thank goodness,” she said. “The shirt is still intact.” She looked up at Boone with a relieved sigh. “It didn’t pull off in him.” She laughed a little and shook her head. “Lucas, you are one lucky man.”

“That’s why … I wear silk … now.” Lucas laughed lightly. In between words, he ground his teeth. “Saw too … many die in the war from … infection.”

“Well, turns out you’re a smart man. A real smart man. You’re doing good. We’ve got the bleeding stopped now.”

“My angel … of mercy.”

“Shut that up. I’m no angel, that’s for sure. And as far as mercy is concerned, I’d say a prayer for some of that, if I was you.”

“Never been … a praying man,” Lucas grunted. His body began to shake.

Melinda dashed tears from her eyes with the back of one hand. “This would be a good time to start. Before I do what I’m gonna have to do.”

Lucas turned his head so he could see Melinda more clearly. “It’s okay. I trust you.”

Mindy sat back on her heels. She took another deep breath in and out. “My momma always said if a person could last thirty seconds with a bad wound, he was more likely to last thirty minutes. If he lasted thirty minutes, he was liable to last three hours. Three hours equals three days. And so on. You’re almost to thirty minutes, I’d guess. If I don’t kill you, you got a little time left to learn how to pray.”

Lucas chuckled and relaxed his head. Boone sat near the small woman, watching her efficient movements. She turned to him. “You’re gonna have to lie over him. This won’t be easy.”

Boone stretched out across Lucas’s legs and hips, positioned so that he could see her work. He was amazed. He’d never seen a woman hold up so well in the face of disaster, much less be willing to dig in and do something about it. Well, except his mother.

Mindy waited until Lucas was secure. “You’re going to have to stop that shivering, Lucas! I can’t do a thing while you’re moving around like that!” Lucas’s face grew red with the effort, but his body stopped moving. Blood started to rise up in the wound. Regardless, Mindy leaned over Lucas with the knife and started probing delicately. Boone looked away.

“Darn it! I can’t see through these tears,” she said. Mindy raised her head to the sky.

Boone reached over and wiped her eyes. “Go ahead. You can do it. You’re doing good.” He turned his attention to Lucas. “Okay, brother, hang on.” Boone felt stupid and worthless. All he could do was encourage Lucas and Mindy and act like a human anchor. He cursed.

Mindy dug for four or five agonizing minutes, first tenderly, then with more effort. Finally, she pulled out a round metal pellet. She handed it to Boone, and then sat back.

“Do you want me to take over now?” Boone prayed the small woman would say no — she’d already proven that she was braver than he was.

“No. Just give me a minute.” When she was ready, she dug out a needle, threaded it with the boiled horsehair and began to stitch the wound. Afterwards, she poured the rest of the water from Boone’s hat over the site.

“Done … already?” Lucas asked. His eyes were cloudy and glazed with pain.

Mindy shrugged herself to her feet and stumbled a few feet away. She began to retch. Then she crumpled at the water’s edge, splashing water on her face and crying. As Boone watched, she folded her hands and raised her voice. “Lord, I believe this is a good man. In spite of what I’ve done, I’d ask you to look over him. Please don’t let him die.”

Boone eased off Lucas and looked up into the sky. He wasn’t a praying man either, but he added a sincere “Amen” to her prayer. He was surprised to find his eyes were wet, and he blinked the moisture away, shaking his head.

• • •

“You did good,” he told Mindy a little later as they sat before the fire watching the flames lick the pieces of wood.

“At least he’s passed out now. He can get some rest.”

“I mean it,” Boone said. He looked her over. Mindy’s hair still hung in ratty waves around her shoulders, and though she looked like she had aged ten years, she looked like heaven to him. “You did good.”

“Oh, Boone. I’ve never dealt with anything like that! What if he dies?” Mindy’s eyes grew wide and started to well. Boone instinctively scooted closer. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and was caught off guard when she flung herself into his arms. He rocked backwards from the blow, but held her, feeling her sweet softness, and cursing himself for thinking of it at a time like this. “Shhhh. You did good. You did good.”

Boone rocked her back and forth while she cried. In a little while, her breathing became even. He glanced down to see that she slept. He’d never had a woman cry herself to sleep in his arms before and it was a strange feeling, but then he was feeling all sorts of strange things. He knew one thing, he had to get away from this girl — as soon as possible.

Chapter Thirteen

They waited two days before attempting to move Lucas. Mindy washed his wound everyday with water from the stream and it seemed he had passed any risk of infection.

“It’s going on three days now,” Mindy chirped as she worked over Lucas. “I think God decided to take a hand in the matter.” She smiled at Boone, who grimaced.

Mindy guarded Lucas like a mother hen, clucking over his every desire and need. As far as Boone was concerned, she had seen things no proper female ought to have seen by now. His eyes narrowed at the thought. She waved away his notions of propriety, saying she had nursed her brothers through sickness many times, and the male form was not a novelty to her.

For himself, Lucas doted on the attention, and who wouldn’t? He often called to have Mindy fetch him water or to sit by his side and sing.

There Boone grimaced again. Her singing wasn’t as lovely as his mother’s, that was certain, but it seemed to give Lucas comfort. The sound echoed through the trees and across the water. It made him angry for some reason that he couldn’t fathom.

One of the ditties she sang over and over was the song they had listened to at length from the stagecoach driver, Gibb, along their journey. Boone shook his head to think of it. The broken wheel had occurred five days ago, though it seemed like a month.

From his position on the other side of the campfire, Boone watched as Melinda gathered her filthy skirts around her like a lady, and sat down near Lucas. She had ripped off a bit more of her dress to use as a cold compress for his head. She kept it moistened and near in case he called for it. Boone tensed as Mindy laughed. It was obvious that she was giddy with her success and how well Lucas was progressing.

“Luke! I’ve sang that song a dozen times. Surely you’d rather hear something else.”

Lucas shook his head and held out a hand, which she readily took. “I love to hear you sing. It’s so charming hearing Gibb’s words coming from your sweet lips.”

Mindy blushed. “You’re a snake charmer, Luke Wilhite. But you can forget it if you think I’m going to fall for any of that.” Still, she was soon singing:

I sing to everybody, in the country and the town,

A song upon a subject that’s worthy of renown;

I haven’t got a story of fairy-land to broach,

But plead for the cause of sticking to the box seat of a coach.

After singing out the song’s final note, Mindy’s ringing voice came to a stop. She smiled at Lucas and said, “How was that?”

“Like angels.”

Boone snorted and Melinda cast him a wicked frown. “I think I’ll go try to trap something for dinner,” he said.

Melinda got up and followed him to the tree line. “What’s stuck in your craw?” she hissed. “You’ve been angry as a goat for two days!”

“I don’t like to see couples spooning in public!”

“Spooning! I’m trying to give the man a little comfort, is all. He’s been shot! He can’t move around and he deserves
some
pleasure.”

“Well, then, you should stop singing to him!” Boone said.

“Oooh, you make me furious, Boone … Boone, what? I don’t even know your last name!”

“It’s Gary, Gary Boone.
Don’t
use it. Boone’s fine. As a matter of fact, it’s better if you don’t call me at all!”

“Oh! You are exactly the type of man my momma warned me about on this trip! You’re arrogant and … arrogant … and I don’t know what all, but it’s not attractive!”

“Who is there to be attractive for? You?” Boone frowned. “Go look at yourself. You’re not a prize! Did your momma ever tell you that?”

Mindy clenched her hands into fists at her sides. “Yes! Yes, as a matter of fact, she did! You’ll be happy to know she told me that quite regularly! I realize exactly what I am,
Gary
Boone, and I know what I’m not — which is more than I can say for some people!”

She whirled off, but not before Boone caught a sparkle of moisture in her eyes. He turned and stomped into the forest, slamming his fist against a tree for the second time in a week.

• • •

Mindy walked down near the water’s edge and sat on a rock. She was exhausted, physically and mentally. She caught a glimpse of herself in the murky water and her eyes widened in horror. How could she have thought Lucas had been gently flirting with her? She withdrew into a shell of embarrassment. She looked like something her old cat, Rennie, used to bring up and lay on the back steps. Trembling, she lay her head onto her folded arms and wept.

• • •

When Boone walked back to the campsite later, he carried two rabbits and a heavy heart. He knew he needed to apologize to Mindy for his behavior earlier, but the words “I’m sorry” didn’t come easily. He’d made his mind up, though, and perused the clearing for any sight of her.

Hearing her faint singing, he started off in that direction. As he walked along the water line, he examined his feelings. This girl had him thinking things and acting in ways he’d never thought possible. She’d proven herself over and over on this dusty trail. He could think of settling down with a woman like that. Then he took off his cowboy hat and smacked his leg. What on earth was he thinking along those lines for? She’d made it more than clear she had no feelings for him.

As the singing grew louder, the sound of splashing water began to accompany it. Boone stopped in his tracks. He had an idea of what that meant, especially after he’d chastised her about her appearance.

Boone slowly began to move again, his feet acting independently of his brain. Her freshly washed garments were laid out on a boulder to dry in the sun. He swallowed hard.

His head told him what was just around that boulder. His heart urged him on, telling him to claim ignorance when he came upon her. Standing frozen, his heart spoke again, telling him to simply ease up and take a peek. He didn’t have to reveal his presence at all. He could make sure she was okay and then return to the campsite.

But her singing told him she was fine. He took a deep breath and prayed for strength. Boone laughed. This little woman was turning him into a praying man, after all.

Turning around and walking back to the clearing where the fire waited was one of the hardest things he’d ever done. But he managed it. He found the rabbits that he’d dropped beside the stones circling the fire and drew out his knife. He took them to the water’s edge and began to carve the skin and rip it from the pink meat. He focused his attention on his work and refused to think about what prizes lay just up the creek from him.

Chapter Fourteen

Boone and Mindy eased Lucas into his saddle. Mindy hovered nearby to be sure he wouldn’t fall as soon as he was upright. He’d only first sat up the night before, and though he’d done well, and hadn’t suffered from any dizziness beyond the first few minutes, she wasn’t taking any chances.

“How does that feel?” Boone asked.

“Like a feather bed,” Lucas replied. “Let’s go. I’m ready to see civilization again.” He was hunched over the pommel and white as a newly bleached sheet.

Mindy tut-tutted under her breath and went to climb up on her own horse. It took three hops before she made it into the stirrup and then onto the back of the big animal.

Boone watched from a distance. He had no inclination to help her. Touching her was the farthest thing from his mind — or at least, he tried to put it from his mind. He walked his horse over to her. “You okay?”

She raised her pert nose into the air. “Like you care. What if I said no, Boone? Would you jump to help?”