She rested her head against him. “Just don’t let me go.”
“I don’t intend to, my love, not ever.” He sounded positive and three times he’d used an endearment.
She hoped he meant what he said. For now, she was relieved to be cushioned in his strong arms and on her way to a hot bath and a soft bed.
***
Lydia slowly woke with the sensation of being rocked. The way her mother had cuddled her when she was a child. She sighed and snuggled closer to Mama, surprised her mother’s chest was hard. If her head didn’t hurt so much, maybe she could figure out where she was.
“Lydia Jane? Honey, are you awake?”
“Adam?” She forced open her eyes and saw she was seated on Adam’s thighs and they were on a horse. Memories of her recent horror flooded her mind.
She shuddered. “Oh, I remember that awful place. I knew you’d find us and prayed you’d come before we were murdered.”
“Do you remember the explosion?”
She fought waves of nausea and pain. “Sort of. We were all tied up but Prudence managed to free her hands. Those men planned to set off dynamite as soon as they had Prudence’s gold and had brought her back to the cave.”
“One of them accidentally set it off early. The other one is buried under rocks the blast created. You have a gash and bump on your head. Do you hurt anywhere else?”
“Everywhere else, but I’m alive. How are Prudence and Tillie? How is Moira?”
“I’m taking you home so you can see for yourself they’re all right. Well, that girl Tillie looks bad but I think it’s superficial. Sophie will bring Riley’s medical supplies and he’ll treat your forehead.”
“I was terribly scared. Those men were dumb but cunning. I have no doubt they meant us to die, especially the one called Otto. At least they didn’t make sport with us.” The thought of Otto’s hands on her skin made her shudder again.
“Shhh, my love. Relax against me and we’ll soon be home.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist. “Did you mean it, Adam? Just now when you called me your love?”
His lips softly kissed her hair. “With all my being. When I thought I’d lost you, I realized what you’d said was right. We belong together forever and my stupid pride has wasted precious days of our happiness.”
She’d face the pain and nausea and whatever else she sustained in the explosion if doing so won her Adam. Cushioned in the strong arms of the man who meant the world to her, she relaxed against him.
“I love you, Adam Penders.”
“I love you back, Lydia Jane Harrison.”
Chapter Twelve
Grateful as Prudence was for her rescue, her hands throbbed where she’d dug at rocks. In fact, every inch of her ached, even her eyelashes. If only she could rest in her bed or a tub of warm water containing bath salts.
Riley kissed her cheek. “We’re here. Let me slide off and then I’ll lift you to the ground.”
Vic Marshall strode toward them. “Let me help, Doc. I’ll carry her upstairs. Mrs. Gaston took all your medical supplies up there.”
Riley relinquished Prudence to Vic. “She’ll tell you which room is hers. I’ll find my mother and get the supplies I’ll need.”
Prudence was astonished that Vic carried her up the stairs without apparent strain. She directed him to her room. He set her down on the bed then scanned the room.
“Ain’t this pretty? Didamia would sure love a room like this. Reckon she could fix ours kinda this way?”
In spite of having a man present, Prudence eased her tattered slippers from her feet. “I believe your wife can do whatever she sets her mind to. She’s a wonder and everyone who knows her is impressed by her talents. Lydia would welcome her if she wants to come look at this one or the others for inspiration.”
“You think so?” Surprise tinged his voice.
“I’m sure of it.”
“Reckon I’ll go get you a bathtub and bring it up. Other folks are here to help.”
“Thank you.” When he left the room, she fell back onto the bed.
When Vic returned, Didamia was with him and she carried two pails of steaming water. Behind her, Mary Margaret McCartney carried two more. Vic set down the tub and escaped.
After the other two women had emptied their water into the tug, Didamia said, “Let me help you get into the tub.” She unfastened Prudence’s dress as if she were a small child.
Prudence didn’t mind. “There are bath salts on the washstand in the pink jar.”
Mary Margaret dumped a handful into the water. “You looked beautiful at the theater. Buck and I were in the audience downstairs and I spotted you.”
Prudence sank into the hot water that soothed her feet and her other aches. “This was the most beautiful dress I’ve ever seen and now it’s ruined. Lydia’s sister got it in Paris and gave it to her and Lydia gave it to me. She still wears mourning colors and this was too bold.”
Mary Margaret held up the skirt then gave it a good shake. “Had some abuse. May have to replace some of the ribbons but I believe a good cleaning and a few stitches here and there will have it good as new.”
“You think so? I know it’s foolish to make such a fuss about one dress, but I love it so much. I’ve never had anything that fine. In fact, I’ve never even seen anything this glorious.”
“This fabric can be sponged clean.” Mary Margaret looked at the label. “Worth of Paris. My, even I’ve heard of them. We’ll have to save this, Prudence. You leave it to me.”
“Mary Margaret is good at salvaging things.” Didamia pushed on the top of her head. “Scoot down and I’ll get your hair. There are pieces of gravel and dust there.”
Prudence dunked her head and resurfaced. “Having help is such a treat. Thank you both so much.”
After a rap on the door, Ophelia and Josephine came into the room.
Ophelia was winded and gasping. Her rail thin form had rounded slightly and increased her gentle beauty. “We ran as soon as we heard you’d been found. You must have been so frightened.”
“I was. They were men from my little village at home. They planned to kill us.”
Josephine went to the armoire and took out a clean dress. “Are you hurt anywhere? Should I get your nightgown and robe instead?”
“Don’t have a robe. My nightgown is in the bottom drawer of the washstand. I really would like to lie down when I’m clean.”
Prudence found bathing with four other people in the room uncomfortable. She appreciated they were only here because they cared about her. For the first time in her life, she had a group of good friends.
When she was dried and in her gown, she crawled between the covers. With a sigh, she leaned back against the pillows Josephine had fluffed and stacked against the headboard.
A rap preceeded Lorraine and Rachel entering.
Rachel rushed to her. “We came as soon as we heard you’d been found.”
Lorraine touched her arm. “Oh, your wrists and hands must be very painful. Are you hurt elsewhere?”
“The bottoms of my feet. The soles on the evening slippers Lydia loaned me were thin. We both were limping by the time we’d gone far.”
Didamia scooped out water in each pail. “I’ll send Vic up to get the tub. Don’t be embarrassed about being in your gown. He’ll be in and out before you know he’s been here.”
“I’ll know, Didamia, because he’s been so kind, as have you and Mary Margaret. I can’t thank you enough.”
A flush crept across Didamia’s face and she looked at the floor. “We’ll go see what we can do to help downstairs. You rest up, you hear?”
Ophelia leaned over and kissed Prudence on the forehead. “I’ll go tell Riley you’re ready. He was about finished treating that girl… um, Tillie, I think is her name.”
“Yes, Tillie Marks from Virginia.”
Josephine asked, “Do you need someone with you?”
“No. Thank you for coming, Josephine. Please let Ophelia know I’
m grateful to her also. I can’t tell you how much having good friends means.”
“I know. Ophelia was my only friend and you only had your granny. Being among nice people who want the best for us is more than I’d ever dreamed.”
Josephine patted Prudence’s arm. “Now, you rest and Riley will be here soon to treat your poor hands and feet.”
Lorraine smoothed the damp hair from Prudence’s forehead. “I’d better comb this for you before it dries all matted.”
“At least it’s cleaned of pebbles and dirt.”
When Lorraine had finished, Rachel patted Prudence’s arm. “Unless you need us here, we’d better leave so Riley can treat your poor hands and feet.”
As soon as the women left, Riley entered and closed the door behind him.
He set his bag down and scrubbed his hands at the water basin. “Let me treat your hands and wrists first.”
He held her left hand. “Oh, my sweet love, your poor fingers.” He kissed each finger on her hand. “Do you have something you’d prefer to use or shall I proceed.”
That he’d asked proved he really intended to accept her skills. “I’d like you to do what you think best. My feet are pretty sore, too. Tell me about Lydia and Tillie and Mrs. Murphy.”
“Mrs. Murphy will be up and about sometime tomorrow. Lydia needed stitches and has a concussion. She has to be in bed with someone watching her for at least twenty-four hours.”
He grinned and met her gaze. “Not surprisingly, Adam volunteered to sit with her.” He set about cleaning each gash.
“Ahhh, that stings.” She wanted to jerk her hand from his grasp but didn’t. “I know, you have to clean the scrapes.”
“Those on your right hand are deep. You must have moved a lot of rock and dirt.”
“I don’t know how much, but I worked as fast as I could. I saw a tiny opening with light shining through. I was determined to get out and get help.”
He took her left hand in his. “Tillie is sick as well as having injuries. Also, she hasn’t been getting enough food and water. The rope burns on her neck will likely leave a scar. If that Otto weren’t already dead, I’d be tempted to kill him.”
“Me, too. He tricked her into coming with him then wouldn’t let her leave. Offered her ‘a nice reward if she helped him recover what I stole from him’—the lying rat—and she fell for it.”
He opened his bag and extracted a jar. After removing the lid, he smoothed ointment on her fingers and wrists and wrapped them in bandages. “Poor young woman has certainly suffered but she’ll heal. Lydia has offered to let her stay here until she’s well.”
“That’s good. If not for her, I’d never have known about Lydia’s interviews and wouldn’t have come here.”
“Then I’m in her debt.” He met her gaze. “Tarnation is where you belong.”
She nodded but watched his handsome features. “I sense this is where I’m supposed to be. Since the minute I stepped off the stage, I’ve sensed I was home—a feeling I’ve never before experienced.”
He looked up from returning his ointment and extra bandages to his bag. “Um, do I fit somewhere in your new life?”
She ducked her head and peered at him through her lashes. “Isn’t that up to you, Riley?”
He knelt on one knee beside the bed and took one of her bandaged hands gently in his. “Prudence Lynch, will you consent to marry me and make me the happiest of men? I don’t have the ring with me, but when your fingers are healed, I’ll give you what was my grandmother’s ring.”
Before she could answer, she had to be sure of his intentions. “And my folk healing?”
He leaned over to kiss her. “My beloved, I don’t care if you sell snake oil from a caravan.”
He shook his head. “No, I know you’d never do anything dishonest. What I mean is that if you will consent to marry me, we can become partners in work as well as in life.”
Joy sent her sailing on clouds. In spite of her bandages, she rested her hands on his shoulders. “Oh, Riley, are you sure? You’ve been so against that situation.”
He grimaced. “I was a lout, I admit. Almost losing you knocked long-needed sense into my head. You have no idea how trivial our differences became when compared to the thought of never holding you or kissing you or making you my wife in every way.”
At his mention of making her his, the heat of a blush crept up her neck and over her face. “I had a lot of regrets, too, but Lydia and I knew you and Adam would find us. First we were worried you might be harmed trying to get to us. After the explosion, I was worried you might be too late.”
“Adam tracked you and we followed. Even Grady dismissed church to assist in capturing the kidnappers and rescuing you and Lydia. We didn’t know about Tillie then.”
“As horrific as our experience was, I’m glad some good things came from it. Most important is that you proposed to me. I’ll bet Adam did the same to Lydia. And Tillie is rescued and in the town where she’d hoped to come.”
He scooted beside her on the bed. “Adam won’t leave Lydia’s side. I don’t want to leave yours either and will only go when I have to check on the other patients.”
“What’s happened to Maynard?”
“He’s locked in jail, still crying because he killed his brother. Do you know what that’s about?”
“You’ve probably realized Maynard is not very bright but he idealized Otto. Although Otto wasn’t very sharp either, he was a little smarter than Maynard but a terrible bully.” She leaned her head on Riley’s shoulder and explained the explosion.
He put his arm around her, cradling her to him. “Well, I’ll be. Makes you wonder how those two stumbled through life, doesn’t it?”
Bliss settled on her like a cloak. “I can tell you. Otto is the oldest of fourteen children. At home, he and Maynard and two more like them made moonshine in a still they kept in the woods. If anyone tried to move in on their business, strange things happened to the competitors and their equipment.”
“Dirty business yet Maynard didn’t look prosperous.”
“Ours was such a poor area, Riley. People usually bartered for Granny’s and my services. I don’t know how much the still brought in, but they never looked as if they had any money. I think they drank too much of their brew rather than sell the stuff.”
“Guess this means the competitors can move in.”
She shook her head, wondering if the Winfields could hold on to the monopoly. “Rufe and Dexter Winfield were the Jensen’s partners and I imagine they’ll at least try to keep things going.”
She waved the bandaged hand he didn’t hold. “I don’t care what happens to them, Riley. I know I should because I lived there for twenty-two years, but I was never a part of that community. If it hadn’t been for Granny, I would have left several years ago.”
“I’m sorry you were unhappy, but I’m glad you waited and came here with Lydia so I could meet you.”
She smiled at him, her heart brimming over with happiness. “Me, too.”
“I understand you have a fortune—or what seemed like one to those two crooks. Now that you’re a woman of property, what do you intend to do with your legacy?”
She turned slightly to look into his eyes. “I haven’t quite decided. What would you do if you were me?”
His arm tightened around her shoulders. “Oh, no. That’s yours and yours alone. I’m just curious.”
“Let’s decide later. Now, I want to savor being close to you and having survived that awful cave.”
“The doctor orders you to snuggle up to me and go to sleep for a few hours.”
“Sounds like a wonderful course of treatment, Doctor Gaston.”
Chapter Thirteen
Two weeks later…
Prudence fastened her restored dress, thanks to Mary Margaret McCartney’s efforts. A few places had needed extra trim to cover stains, but it was almost as good as new. Certainly it made a wonderful wedding dress.
Now expecting a baby, Cassandra worked
on Prudence’s hair, having come to town early to do so. “Keep still so I don’t burn you with this curling iron.”
“Thank you for helping me, Cassandra. You have a gift with hair styles.”
Cassandra rolled her eyes. “Huh, something I acquired out of necessity. But you are a beautiful bride.”
“I’m the last of the Bride Brigade to marry. Makes me sound like a wallflower, doesn’t it?”
“Not even a little. Wallflowers do not look like you, my dear. Wait until you see Lydia. Whew, she looks like she stepped out of a fashion plate in Harper’s.”
“I’m glad she’s through with her mourning clothes. I know she loved her Will, but now she’s going into a new marriage with a good man who loves her.”
Lorraine peeked around the door. “Mr. Ramirez is waiting to drive us to church.”
“There now, you look perfect.” Cassandra patted one last curl and set the curling iron on the fireplace hearth to cool.
The three stepped into the hall and met Rachel and Lydia.
Prudence laid a hand on her neck. “My stars, Lydia. You look positively wonderful—and radiant.”
Lydia beamed. “After all these months of waiting, I’m finally marrying Adam. I’m so happy.”
Lydia wore a silk faille dress in a subdued shade of teal trimmed in a darker shade. The front was low and exposed her to advantage. Cap sleeves left her arms bare. A diamond and tourmaline necklace and earrings led the eye to her beautiful neck and shoulders
Prudence rushed to grab her friend’s hands. “You look gorgeous. I’m so pleased you discarded the mourning shades. Adam will be unable to speak when he sees you.”
“I’ve brought this necklace to give you. My sister purchased it to go with that gown. I should have given it to your for our trip to the theater but I was distracted by being upset with Adam.” She stepped behind Prudence to fasten the sapphire and diamond jewelry.
“I’m glad you didn’t or it would have been stolen. But it’s too great a gift, so I’ll just borrow it for today.”
“Nonsense. I insist. Without your help, I couldn’t have survived that cave. Without your help, I might not have Adam as my groom.”
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