Once they reached the bedroom and deposited him on the bed, they all let loose a sigh of relief.
The pastor signaled Davie. “You and I can get his outer clothes off of him while your mother fetches her medical supplies.”
Charlotte strode to the door. “They’re still in the wagon. Let me know when you’re ready for me.”
When she went through the kitchen, Susie and Jimmy were eating cake at the table.
Jimmy swallowed with a gulp. “Mrs. Pendleton offered. Susie ‘n me didn’t ask.”
The preacher’s wife winked at Charlotte. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“You’re very kind. The meal you sent home with us from the funeral was a great comfort to us.”
By the time she had retrieved the medicine box and she and Kathryn gathered towels and a bowl of warm water, Davie had come to summon her.
“Mr. Craig is in bed and ready for you to see about his wound. Guess I’d better put the wagon and horses in the barn.”
“Thank you, Davie. You’re a great help.”
Indeed, she wondered what she would do without his assistance. She tried not to depend on him too much because he deserved a childhood. She’d had no choice since her husband’s injury and death. Thank goodness Davie, Susie, and Jimmy were good children.
In the bedroom, the preacher stood on one side of the bed and she and his wife stood on the other.
Mrs. Pendleton gathered Mr. Craig’s clothes and folded them neatly at the foot of the bed. “His clothes appear new and of good quality.”
“I noticed that, too. Everything appears new.”
Mrs. Pendleton peered at the injured man. “Seems to me he has the soft look of a man who doesn’t work with his hands. I wonder how he earned his living.”
The preacher rolled Mr. Craig to his side to give Charlotte access to the gash on the back of his head.
Charlotte cleaned blood from the matted hair. “This probably needs stitches.”
Reverend Pendleton met her gaze. “Do the best you can with the ointment and bandages. On our way home, we’ll stop by Dr. Ross’ office and ask him to come for a visit as soon as he can.”
“Thank you.” She packed ointment into the gash then pressed a folded pad of fabric over the area. As she unrolled the bandaging, she wrapped it around his head to hold the pad in place. When it was secure, the preacher carefully released his hold on Mr. Craig.
Charlotte placed the ointment and what was left of the bandage roll into the wooden box she used for medical supplies. She set the box in a corner, expecting she’d need it when it was time to change the bandage.
“Mr. Craig moaned once when we were getting him into the wagon. It worries me that he didn’t wake up while we moved him or now when I was working with the wound.”
“I’ll take this to the kitchen.” Mrs. Pendleton carried the bowl containing the cloth Charlotte had used and the now discolored water. “Then we had better hurry back to town and stop by Dr. Ross’ office.”
The three of them walked toward the kitchen.
“I’m grateful you chose today to look in on us. I don’t know how we would have managed without your help.”
Mrs. Pendleton set the bowl in the sink. “Knowing you, I’m sure you would have figured out something.”
The preacher nodded his agreement. “We’ll see you again soon, Charlotte. Good luck with your visitor. Let us know if you need help.”
She smiled with gratitude. “If you can get the doctor here, we should be all right.”
When the couple had gone, Charlotte prepared lunch for her children.
Once again, Susie was full of questions. “Why are you keeping that man in your room? Is he gonna die like Papa did?”
“I certainly hope not. He’s there because he’s hurt and needs a place to stay. He fell and hit his head.”
“Is he gonna be our new Papa?”
The question caused her to nick her finger with the knife. “Susie, I don’t even know the man. When Dr. Ross arrives and examines the patient, he’ll be able to give us a diagnosis.”
Susie turned to look at Charlotte. “The cake was good but not as good as yours. I didn’t tell Mrs. Pendleton that. I told her it was delicious and thanked her.”
“You’re remembering to use good manners. I’m proud of you.” In fact, she was proud of all three children. They’d been through a terrible time when they lost their mother and again when they lost their father, but they were still good kids.
Jimmy tugged on her sleeve. “I said thank you, too, Mama. Mrs. Pendleton said I was a good boy.”
“I’m glad you remembered your manners, Jimmy. You are a good boy.”
Jimmy smiled up at her, revealing the gap where his two front teeth were beginning to fill in. “Will you make us a cake or cookies soon?”
“Yes, I will. We can make cookies when I can manage time. With Mr. Craig to care for, we’ll each have to pitch in to help. In the meantime, I’m glad you’ve had a treat, thanks to Mrs. Pendleton.”
After lunch, the children went out to play and Charlotte checked on the patient. She laid her hand on his forehead, grateful to find it a normal temperature. Seeing his hand on the cover, she examined the skin.
What she found was that his skin was softer than hers. There were no calluses and the nails were neatly trimmed and unbroken. Whatever he did, Bret Craig did not work with his hands.
Chapter Seven
Charlotte was relieved when Dr. Ross arrived. “Have you had dinner?”
“Yes, my wife insisted I eat before I left home.” He grinned. “You probably think she’s sweet, but she can be a tyrant when she puts her mind to it.”
Charlotte chuckled and offered a wide smile. “Lillian certainly is sweet and I don’t blame her for insisting you eat when you had a chance. Your patient is back where you treated Ike.”
He followed her. “I understand your sons found him.”
“In fact, they saw him fall from his horse. He hasn’t regained consciousness since then. He’s moaned a bit but that’s all.”
In the bedroom, Davie sat in a chair near the bed. “He muttered again but he hasn’t opened his eyes.”
Dr. Ross set his medical bag on the bed and opened it. “Let me take a look at him. Looks as if you’ve bandaged him well, Charlotte.” He cut the bandage and rolled the patient to his side.
“Because I hoped you’ve be here soon I didn’t try to sew up his wound.”
The doctor nodded at Charlotte. “Can you get on the other side and hold him in this position while I examine the gash?”
Charlotte hurried to comply. “Davie found his name in his saddlebags. He’s Bret Craig but we don’t know why he was in the area. He had a second horse packed with supplies.”
“Any idea where he’s from?”
“I haven’t checked to see if I can learn anything else. There hasn’t been time, but I will so I can notify his family where he is and what’s happened.”
“There’ll be time for that later. Let me sew this up and get him bandaged. Must have been some rock he hit.”
Davie went to the foot of the bed. “It had a sharp ridge on it. I put it in the wagon to show anyone who needs to see it.”
A sudden thought struck Charlotte. “Son, Mr. Craig must have had food that needs to go in the cool space or be protected from mice or other pests. You’d better go see what you can find.”
“All right, Mama. I didn’t keep looking once I found his name. I wasn’t being nosy, but I thought we should know who he is. He could have been a famous robber or something.”
“I doubt we’d know if he was a ‘famous robber’. We don’t keep up with such things.”
“Sheriff Haney used to let me look at the wanted posters when Papa and I went to town. I remember a lot of their names. I’ll go check Mr. Craig’s gear.” Davie rushed from the room.
Dr. Ross chuckled. “Boys and their enthusiasm can be hard on mothers.” He wound a fresh bandage around the patient’s head.
; “I had no idea Ike let him study wanted posters. I guess it can’t hurt but it isn’t something I would encourage.” She didn’t approve now but she wouldn’t speak ill of her late husband.
Dr. Ross tied the bandage that he’d applied around Mr. Craig’s head. “I’ll be by to check him tomorrow or the next day. You need to watch for fever. I don’t know when he’ll wake. From where his head hit that rock, he’s lucky the fall didn’t kill him.”
As they went toward the front door, Charlotte stopped at her daughter’s room. “Susie, please sit in the chair in my room while I help Davie check Mr. Craig’s belongings. You can take a book to read.”
When Dr. Ross had ridden away, Charlotte walked to the barn. Inside she found Davie sitting on the floor going through Mr. Craig’s belongings.
“Davie, I don’t think we should pry but merely look for perishable food.”
Davie gave her an odd expression. “Mama, look what I found.” He held out a handful of gold coins and paper money. “I haven’t counted but there’s a lot here, enough to pay off the bank.”
Charlotte gasped and her heart bumped against her ribs. No, she couldn’t take the man’s money. Perhaps when he woke—if he did—he would let her borrow from him. She shook her head at her silliness and crazy thoughts. Why would Mr. Craig help them?
Fighting her desperation to save the ranch, she reminded herself as much as Davie, “It’s not ours, son. Put it back where you found it. Did you locate the food that might spoil?”
“Please, can I count it at least?”
She shook her head. “Money is not a toy and that money is not ours,” she repeated as much to herself as to her son. Pretending to supervise her son, her imagination ran wild. No, they couldn’t steal from a helpless man. But why would he be carrying so much money with him? Was he a robber?
Davie gestured to a pile. “I laid the food there. His gear is damp. Some of it, anyway.”
She gathered the food to take into the house. “We’d better air it out. Can you and Jimmy manage that?”
“Yes, we can do it, can’t we, Jimmy?”
Jimmy hopped from one foot to the other. “Can we set up the tent?”
She scanned the items laid out on the barn floor. “I suppose you’d better if you can. The tent will ruin if its bundled up wet but you need to wait until tomorrow. It’ll be too dark soon.”
Strange that all his gear looks new. And expensive. What was Mr. Craig doing with all new equipment and new clothes?
Once she’d returned to the kitchen, she stored the various foods properly. She figured they’d better eat the ham and bacon soon. Willing their patient to wake, she strode to the bedroom.
Susie looked up from her book and shook her head. “He moaned some but he hasn’t opened his eyes yet.”
“Thank you for sitting with him. If you’d like to go help Davie and Jimmy, they’re going to dry Mr. Craig’s tent. In the morning they’ll try to set it up in the yard.”
“A real tent? I want to see.” Susie raced from the room.
Shaken by Davie’s discovery in the barn, Charlotte plopped onto the chair her daughter had vacated. Were they harboring a robber? How could he have come by so much money honestly?
She knew it wasn’t working with his hands. She supposed he could own a business. But if he did, why was he traveling with so much camping gear?
He could have won the money gambling, she supposed. His handsome face had an almost sweet countenance in repose, as if he was kind. That didn’t mean he was a good person, though. She had to protect her children in case he was a bad man.
***
The next morning the children were involved with setting up the tent. Davie assured her he’d found instructions and could manage with Susie and Jimmy’s help. She believed Mr. Craig would prefer the children handle the tent rather than that it mildewed.
Checking on the patient frequently, Charlotte kept busy with her chores. Her curiosity was whetted. She wished the man would regain consciousness. When she checked, his forehead felt slightly warm but not alarmingly so. She bathed his face with cool water several times.
He had the appearance of someone wealthy. His unmentionables shirt was silk and wool blend—an expensive garment. Certainly he’d never done any physical work with hands softer than hers. She supposed he could have been a bookkeeper or law clerk, but she didn’t think so. Such jobs didn’t pay the kind of money he was carrying.
Davie rushed into the house. “Come see the tent. It’s like a tiny house.”
Charlotte followed him outside. “I’d like to see it. Did you have any trouble with it?”
“Not much because there were written instructions. If Jimmy was taller it would have helped.”
Jimmy braced his short legs and glared at his brother. “Hey, I did a good job helping. I can’t be blamed for my size.”
Davie laughed. “You did a good job and so did Susie. Not your fault you’re still short. You’ll grow.”
The tent was what Charlotte considered large at eight feet by ten feet. It even had a canvas floor and was fitted for a stove if used in winter. Mr. Craig didn’t have the stove with him but he had plenty of other supplies.
She inhaled. “From the moldy smell, I think it’s a good thing you’re airing it now. I suspect it was new when Mr. Craig started his journey. Letting it ruin would be a shame.”
“It’s from Fort Worth. The store’s name is on the instructions.”
“When I have time, I’ll need to go through his things and look for an address for his family. I’m sure they’ll want to know what’s happened.”
Davie tied back the flap on the tent to keep the entrance open. “I didn’t find anything like that where I looked.”
“Children, remember this belongs to someone else and be very careful with it. I don’t think Mr. Craig will mind you playing in it since you’ve saved it from mildew.”
She watched them a while before returning to the house. Seeing them so happy filled her with joy. They’d been too solemn for far too long.
Chapter Eight
Charlotte was cooling the patient’s face with a damp cloth when his eyes fluttered. Startled, she cried, “Oh!”
Blue eyes stared into hers before his gaze darted around the room.
Recovering her wits, she smiled at the man. “I’m glad to see you’ve awakened. We’ve been worried about you.”
“Where am I? Who are you?”
She wasn’t surprised at the frantic expression in Mr. Craig’s eyes.
“I’m Charlotte Dunn and this is the Dunn Ranch. Your horse threw you and you hit your head on a stone. The doctor treated you and will be by tomorrow to check your progress.”
“What the devil am I doing here?”
“If you mean our house, my sons saw you fall. We brought you here in a wagon. You were on our ranch land so this was much closer than town. Getting you into the wagon was difficult. When we got to the house, the minister was visiting and helped my son and I get you into the house.”
“I don’t remember.” Panic crossed his face. “Lord help me! I can’t remember my name or why I was on your land.”
“Your name is Bret Craig. We weren’t prying but my son looked in your saddlebags to see if he could learn who you were. You may have temporary amnesia.”
“Bret Craig… Bret Craig… doesn’t even sound familiar.” His voice rose to a frenzy, “Why can’t I remember anything?”
“Don’t fret, Mr. Craig. As I said, you hit your head on a stone when you fell. I’m sure your loss of memory is temporary. As you heal you’ll remember.”
He rubbed his temples. “Your husband around?”
“I’m a widow. My husband recently died. My three children and I live here.”
He dropped his hands to meet her gaze. “Sorry for your loss. Must be hard for you.”
Hard was an understatement. “Let me give you a drink of water. The doctor left a powder for the pain when you woke.” She poured a glass from the pitcher on the washstand
and stirred in the powder.
“Thank you. My throat feels like sandpaper and my head hurts like a… like someone is pounding on it.” After he’d sipped most of the water in the glass, he let his head relax against the pillows.
“Drink all of it so you’ve had all the powder.” When he’d finished the water, she set the glass on the lamp table where he could reach it and set the pitcher beside the glass. “Would you like some soup? You must be hungry.”
“I’d like something.” He tried to rise and fell back.
She adjusted his cover. “Stay where you are and I’ll bring your soup and coffee. Do you take your coffee black?”
He appeared calmer. “With milk if you have it but black is okay.”
“Relax and I’ll be back soon.”
She stopped by the boys’ room. Davie was sitting up reading but Jimmy was sound asleep. She motioned Davie to come to the hall.
“I don’t have any britches on.”
She turned her back until Davie appeared at her elbow.
“Mr. Craig is awake. I’m going to prepare soup and coffee for him. Perhaps you could go ask if he needs a chamber pot. Probably my asking would embarrass him.” Certainly, it would embarrass her.
“I’ll fetch it for him like I did for Papa.”
She and Davie went separate ways. Hoping Mr. Craig would wake, she’d saved a bit of roast beef for the visitor’s soup. Now she set the meat, a potato, a carrot, a tomato, and seasoning simmering. While she waited for the soup to flavor and the vegetables to become tender, she pondered their guest. When the vegetables were tender, she prepared a tray with two slices of bread, and the utensils Mr. Craig would need.
When everything else was ready, she poured a cup of coffee and set it on the tray beside the large bowl of soup. She carried the tray to the bedroom.
Davie sat in the chair talking to Mr. Craig but stood when he saw her. “Do you need help, Mama?”
She set the serving of food on the foot of the mattress. “Thank you, Davie, but you can go back to your room now. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Charlotte's Challenge Page 4
