by Marla Monroe
“I’ll go sit on the couch. I’m probably making you hot.”
“You know you always do that, baby.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
She giggled and climbed off his lap to get on the couch. She glanced over at Micah and found that he was sound asleep. She grinned. He was snoring and had his mouth open. It was endearing, really.
A few minutes later, Jeremy began coughing. A chill ran down Rachael’s spine. Was he getting sick? Surely not. They had all worn extra clothes and only stayed outside as long as they had to. She turned and looked at him. He was lying back in the chair with his eyes closed.
“Jeremy?”
“Hmm?”
“Are you okay? You’re coughing and you’re hot. Do you think you’re running a temperature?”
“I don’t think so. It’s just a little cold. We’re all going to end up with them with the weather like it is.”
Rachael fretted that he would come down with pneumonia. Getting a cold out here with no medication wasn’t a good thing. She sat there through another coughing fit before getting up and checking his forehead to check and see if he was hot or not. He felt dry and hot to her. She hurried to the kitchen and fixed some water. Carrying it to him, she decided on making soup and sandwiches for lunch. They needed something warm inside of them to work out in the cold. She really didn’t want Jeremy back out in it, but he would insist, she was sure.
“Here you go.” She handed him the glass and urged him to drink it all.
“I’m going to float if I drink all of this.”
“No you won’t. It will keep you from getting dehydrated from the fever.”
“I don’t have a fever.”
“Yes you do. I can get a thermometer and show you.”
“What are you two fussing about over there?” Micah had woken up.
“Jeremy is running a fever and coughing.”
“Aw, hell. That’s not good.”
“I’m fine, Micah. I don’t have a fever, and we all cough occasionally.”
“I was going to go get a thermometer to prove it to him.”
“Good. Let’s see how high it is before we decide what he can and can’t do, though.”
“You’re both spoilsports.” Jeremy crossed his arms and pouted.
Ten minutes later, the thermometer had his temperature at 101.4 degrees. Jeremy fussed about it, claiming the thermometer was too old and inaccurate. Then he called her all sorts of traitor and crossed his arms when she tried to give him more water.
“Stop acting like a child, Jeremy. You’re sick. We need to keep you from getting sicker and get you back on your feet. Who’s going to watch me when I’m out gathering eggs and getting the milk?”
“Fine. I’ll drink the damn water.”
“He gets fussy when he’s sick. This is nothing. Wait and see how grouchy he gets later on.” Micah winked at her.
Rachael could have jumped in glee. Not only was he acting nicer toward her, he occasionally surprised her with a wink or a chuckle. She kept each and every one as a treasure close to her heart.
“Jeremy, why don’t you go back to bed, and I’ll bring your lunch up to you?”
“I’ll stay where I am. I don’t want to stay in a cold room by myself.”
She sighed and shook her head. He was so stubborn. What was she going to do with him?
Several minutes later, she went back to the kitchen to work on their lunch. Worry for Jeremy swirled around in her head. She knew how dangerous it was to get hurt or sick out in the Border Lands. There was no medication, and there were no doctors or hospitals. You had to make do with what you had on hand.
She called the men to eat and wasn’t surprised when Jeremy dragged in last. His face was slightly red tinted, proving he had a fever. He snapped at her when she asked how he felt. Micah started to say something to him, but she shook her head. He didn’t feel well.
As soon as they finished eating, she convinced Jeremy to move to the couch to lie down, so he would be closer to the fire. He complained about it being too hot, but she knew when his fever broke he’d be cold again.
Micah didn’t say anything but slipped out the kitchen door to check on the cattle. He took the rifle, but Rachael worried about him being out there all alone. She knew there was nothing she could do to help. She wasn’t strong enough to help with the cattle and didn’t know how to shoot a gun. With Jeremy sick, Micah would be hard-pressed to get everything done.
She put on coffee so that when he got back, he’d have something warm to drink. After nearly two hours, she was walking the floor. Jeremy was asleep on the couch. His cough had gotten worse. Finally Micah walked in the back door, cursing the cold. He pulled off all his outerwear and accepted the cup of coffee she handed him.
“How’s Jeremy?”
“Worse. He’s coughing more. It sounds deep. I’m afraid he’s got bronchitis, maybe even pneumonia.”
“Aw, hell. Can you take care of him if I take care of everything else?”
“I can do my chores and take care of him. There isn’t much I can do other than keep him warm, dry, and hydrated. We’re going to need to sleep down here in front of the fire until he’s better. He needs the added warmth, and we can’t leave him down here alone at night. Plus, it will be warmer for us as well.”
“Damn, this is a bad time for him to be sick. It’s going to snow tomorrow for sure. The clouds are heavy with it.”
“We’ll make it fine, Micah. I’m here to help. You’re not alone anymore.” She ran a hand up and down his arm then turned away before he could say anything.
When Micah returned from checking the cattle before dinner that night, he announced that it was already snowing some.
“At least there’s no wind so far. That’s a blessing.”
“Dinner is ready. Have a seat. I’m going to feed Jeremy his in the living room after we finish. He’s worse, Micah. I’m worried.”
“He’ll be fine. Just keep him warm and dry like you said.”
They quickly finished eating, and Rachael carried a plate into the living room to feed Jeremy. He fussed and coughed more than he ate. She did manage to get a full glass of water down him though. He seemed to be thirsty, which was good since he needed to drink plenty of fluids.
After fighting with him to get him to eat some, she carried the plate back to the kitchen and raked it out in the garbage. They normally buried their garbage so wild animals wouldn’t come up to the house to get into it, but the ground would be frozen now. She wasn’t sure what Micah would do with it now.
She cleaned the dishes and the kitchen before returning to the other room. Micah had stretched out in his recliner. She straightened the covers on Jeremy and felt his forehead. He was still burning up. She climbed up on the other recliner and tried to get comfortable. It wasn’t made for someone built like her. After a little while, she grew cold as well. The heat from the fire only barely reached the chair.
“Rachael, come over here and climb up with me. You’re going to get sick like Jeremy.”
“I don’t want to keep you awake. You’ve got so much on you right now, Micah.”
“Listening to you shiver is going to keep me awake. Come on.”
She climbed out of the chair and walked over to Micah’s chair. He sat it up and helped her climb up onto his lap. Immediately his warmth began to seep into her skin. Nothing had felt that good all day long. She squirmed a little to get settled and then laid her head against Micah’s chest. His heartbeat soothed her. Its steady thump, thump helped to calm her spirit. With Jeremy sick and more snow coming, Rachael was almost a nervous wreck.
“Everything will be fine, baby. Go to sleep. I’ll take care of everything.”
She smiled and fell into a dreamless sleep.
* * * *
Micah woke to the sounds of a struggle. He jumped out of the chair to find that Rachael was fighting with Jeremy on the couch.
“What in the hell is going on?” he yelled.
“He’s delusional. He’s
trying to take off his clothes. I can’t handle him, Micah.” She was close to crying.
Micah pushed Jeremy back down and pulled the covers up over him. He held him there with one hand as he dislodged the other man’s hand from around Rachael’s wrist. There would be a bruise there. He cursed.
“Damn it, Jeremy. Settle down. You can’t get up. You’re sick.”
“I’m hot, asshole. Let me up.”
“You’re not getting up. I’ll tie you down if I have to. Be still.”
“I’m going to go get him some water to drink. I’ll be right back.” She raced toward the kitchen.
“Micah, I’m burning up, man. You’ve got to let me get these things off of me.”
“You’re not hot. You’re cold. You are running a fever, Jeremy.”
Rachael walked back into the room carrying a glass of water. She started to hand it to Jeremy, but he stopped her and took the glass. He didn’t want to chance that Jeremy would grab her again.
“Here’s some water. Drink it. You’ll feel better.”
Jeremy actually drank the water as if he were dying of thirst.
“I think he could use some more.” He handed the glass back to her.
When she returned with more, he helped Jeremy drink it again. This time he stopped about halfway through it. Micah set it on the end table and helped him relax back against the couch. Now that he had the water in him, he seemed to calm down some.
“Keep a close eye on him but don’t let him hurt you again, Rachael. You’re going to have bruises as it is.”
She nodded and sat at the foot of the couch. He hated to leave her there alone with Jeremy so sick, but he had to check on the cattle and keep the paths clear. First would be the chickens and the cow. He hated milking the damn thing. His hands were too large, and she didn’t like him any more than he liked her.
“I’ll be back inside in a little while. I’m going to do the chores first.”
“Be careful, Micah.” She squeezed his arm before turning back to see about Jeremy.
He put on his outerwear and grabbed the milk pail and egg basket before grabbing the rifle. It was awkward carrying it all, but with the sling on the rifle, he could carry it over his shoulder. When he opened the door, snow fell in from where it had built up during the night.
“Fuck! I’m going to have to shovel the damn path first.”
He dropped the pail and basket in the snow next to the door and grabbed the shovel to pull the snow back out of the house. Then he began shoveling the path. Thirty minutes later, he had made it to the chicken coop. He went ahead and got the eggs then took them back into the house.
“You’re back!” Rachael was at the stove cooking something.
“Only got as far as the chicken coop. Here are the eggs. I’ll bring the milk back in a little while.”
“Why don’t you go warm up by the fire for a few minutes.”
“I’ll do that after I get the milk. I need to get the cow milked before it gets much later.”
He walked back outside, closing the door behind him. Looking out over the new snow that had fallen, Micah grabbed the shovel and continued down the path to where he’d left off. Shoveling was backbreaking work, but it left the mind free to think. Right now, all he could think about was Rachael. Somewhere along the way, he’d begun to care about her more than before. He found that he couldn’t rebuff her like he had in the beginning. The idea of hurting her feelings bothered him.
Somehow she’d gotten under his skin when he hadn’t been paying attention. Now that she was there, he didn’t know what to do about it. Watching her fall asleep in his arms the night before had been special. She snuggled into him and made the cutest snoring noises. She was ticklish in her sleep and had the prettiest innocent smile.
You’re falling for her, Micah. What the hell are you going to do?
He reached the barn and struggled to open the door against the snow-frozen ground. Even digging the snow away from the door didn’t make it that much easier to open. He closed it behind him and stared at the cow.
“Well, Maggie Mae, it’s you and me for the next few days. I’ll feed you and milk you as long as you behave. No biting.”
The cow just continued to chew her cud. He forked some hay into her bucket and added snow to her other one to thaw. Then he sat on the stool and got to work milking her. She mooed and moved around, trying to keep him away from her udders. Why could he make Rachael feel good playing with her tits but couldn’t milk the damn cow without it getting upset? He didn’t have a clue. Women of all types were a mystery to him.
Chapter Ten
When Micah returned with the milk, she took it from him and made him remove his coat and gloves to sit by the fire and warm up. She fixed him a cup of coffee and gave him a steak sandwich for breakfast. He needed something to give him some energy and help keep him warm. The meat would do all of that. Plus, she had a berry pastry left over from the day before. She gave that to him when he started to get back up.
“Eat that, too. Then you can go back out. It will give you some energy to shovel the snow.”
“How has Jeremy been doing?”
“About the same. I’m going to try bathing him with lukewarm water to see if I can get his fever down that way. His cough is still not productive, so he’s not getting anything up out of his lungs.”
“Keep pushing the fluids and be careful around him. If you can’t handle him, I’ll do it when I get back.”
“We’ll be fine. You just be careful and stay warm. I can’t handle two of you like that.”
“I’ll be fine, Rachael. I’ll see you in a few hours. Probably be around noon or so.”
She wiped up the floor after he left then returned to the stove to stir the chili. She decreased the temperature and left it to simmer while she checked on Jeremy. He was sleeping quietly for a change. He’d been so restless earlier. She checked his forehead again and found it hot and dry. She decided to wait another hour before trying to bath him. It would be a chore, and no doubt he would swear she was killing him.
An hour later, she wiped his face with the cool, wet cloth then ran it down his neck to his chest. He woke up but didn’t seem to recognize her. She worked for thirty minutes trying to lower his temperature. Finally, she gave up with the water and scooped up a dishpan of snow. She put it in plastic bags she had saved from their supplies and laid one against his neck. His eyes flew open, and he began to thrash.
“Stop it, Jeremy. We’ve got to get your temperature down. Stop fighting me!”
She covered him in ice bags and threw the blanket over him. Then she got on top of him and rode him like a bucking bronco. Finally he settled down and began shivering. She jumped down and pulled off the covers. The bags of ice were now water balloons threatening to burst. She gathered them up and dropped them in the kitchen sink to deal with later. Then she returned to Jeremy and kept him wiped down as he sweated out his fever.
The back door opened and closed, sending chills down her spine as the cold air circulated into the living room.
“Rachael!”
“I’m in the living room, Micah.”
He walked in and watched her as she dried the other man off.
“How is he doing?”
“Better. His fever broke about thirty minutes ago. I’m just trying to keep him dry now.” She turned and looked up at him. “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine. I’m going to warm up by the fire for a while. I’ll have to go back out in a little while. It’s started snowing again.”
“Damn. That means more shoveling for you. You need a nap. As soon as you eat, take a little nap. I promise I’ll wake you up in time to go back out.” She watched his face as he thought about it.
“I could use a little downtime. Do you promise to wake me up in an hour?”
“I will. I know it’s important, Micah.”
“Okay.” He turned to face the fire with his hands outstretched toward the warmth of the dancing flames.
She
hurried back to the kitchen and dipped up a bowl of chili and added a cake of crackling bread.
“Chili is on the table, Micah.”
He walked into the room and sat at the table. He looked up when she didn’t sit down.
“What about yours?”
“I ate some when I first made it. I’m not hungry right now.” She proceeded to empty the plastic bags and lay them out to dry.
“Don’t go without, Rachael. You’ll make yourself sick.”
“I’m not. I ate earlier. It’s already one, Micah.”
He sighed and nodded then wolfed down the bowl of chili. She gave him a little more, and he finished that. He stood up and took his dishes to the sink.
“Thanks, that was good.”
“Go get in your recliner and take a nap. I’ll wake you up in an hour.”
“Why don’t you nap with me, baby?”
“I might not wake up in time for you, and I have too much I need to do before it begins to get dark again. With the clouds, we don’t get much light during the day. I’ve got to use it when I can get it.”
“Okay. Once it gets dark, you rest. I need you able to take care of Jeremy and the house. I can’t do it all.”
“Don’t worry, Micah. I’m made of sturdy stuff.” She grinned at him and surprised them both when she reached up and kissed him before returning to the sink to wash up.
She kept a close watch on the time and, just a hair past an hour, went to wake Micah up from his nap. He was drowsy and a bit confused at first when she woke him. He soon cleared up and sat up in the chair.
“What time is it?” He wiped his hand over his face.
“It’s about two thirty.”
“How is Jeremy doing?”
“He’s resting quietly right now. I got him to drink a glass of water earlier. He seemed a little more coherent, too.”
“How is the cough? Is it getting better?”
“I think so. He’s coughing more, and it sounds better. I’m going to try some broth later to see if I can get that in him. He needs something besides water.”
Micah nodded and stood up. He stretched before walking toward the kitchen.
