Liam stared at her for a moment or two and then nodded. “Fine, but keep out of the way. David,” he said without looking up from Jake’s wound. “Get one of your mother’s blouses out of her trunk for Becky.”
“Yes, sir.” He turned around and grabbed Hannah’s hand as he left. “Come on, Daddy needs for us to play in the tent now.”
Hannah popped her thumb in her mouth and walked with her brother to their tent.
David returned shortly, with a pretty green blouse, that he gave to Becky.
“Put that on,” said Liam. “You need dry clothes. What we don’t need is for you to catch a fever and not be able to take care of Jake.”
Becky accepted the pretty blouse and went to the cook tent to change. It was the nicest shirt she’d ever owned. She put on the dry clothes Zach had handed her and then the new blouse. It was a little small across the bust, but fit right everywhere else. She tucked it into her pants, pulled up her suspenders and rolled up the sleeves as she walked back to Jake and his brothers.
Jake whistled. “You look great. I should have bled on your clothes sooner.”
She wanted to hit him, but refrained because she knew it was just the pain talking. She wasn’t the least bit pretty. Billy had told her time and again that no man would ever want her. Until Jake, she’d always believed him. He said her hair was to red and it was unlucky. She had too many freckles but her skin was too white. Her eyes were green and that was wrong, too, somehow, though she wasn’t sure how. According to Billy everything about her was wrong. Undesireable.
Jake seemed to want her well enough. As soon as they were done for the day, he couldn’t wait to get her out of her clothes and make love to her. Sometimes several times before they finally went to sleep and always again in the morning upon waking.
She shook her head. She didn’t understand Jake. He seemed to genuinely care for her. He treated her with respect and as an equal even though she was just a woman.
“Becky. Becky. Stop your daydreaming girl and pay attention,” barked Liam.
Becky took a deep breath. “I’m here. What do you want me to do?”
“Take that knife you keep strapped to your leg and put it in the fire. Get it good and hot. I want to be able to sear the wound if needed. It’ll depend on how much he bleeds.”
She put her leather glove on, took the knife and stuck it into the hot coals.
“Zach. Get me that bottle of whiskey you keep stashed away. We need to clean the wound, then get me my kit from the cook tent.”
Zach nodded and went to his tent and the cook tent, coming back with the items Liam requested.
“Okay, little brother, I won’t lie to you, this is going to hurt like crazy. I want you to take three or four big swallows of this whiskey—” He handed the bottle to Jake who put it to his lips and gulped, coughing when he was done. “—good.”
Liam grabbed one of the gold pans and poured the alcohol into it, then placed his knife, a pair of forceps and a large needle into the liquid.
“Okay, you ready?” he asked Jake.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Becky get that blanket you were wearing.”
She ran to get it and brought it back.
“Lie down on this flat on your stomach. Zach, hold down his shoulders. Becky you get on the other side of him and Jake, I want you to look only at Becky or close your eyes. You understand?”
“Gotcha.” His words were a little slurred. The whiskey was taking effect.
Liam poured some bourbon into the wound.
Jake came up off the blanket and looked like he could kill Liam. “Jesus Christ! What are you doing to me?”
“I’m cleaning the wound. It’s less likely to fester this way. Stop being a baby. Zach, I told you to hold him down.”
“Sorry,” said Zach, waiting for Jake to settle back down.
Jake frowned at Liam, closed his mouth tight, looked at Becky and settled back onto his stomach. He squeezed her hand and she smiled encouragingly at him. He squeezed her hand tight, almost to the point of pain, but she wouldn’t let him know that. He could squeeze it until the circulation stopped for all she cared, as long as the bullet came out and he was all right.
Liam began probing the wound with his finger. Bright red blood, its metallic smell hitting her nose, covered his fingers and ran down Jake’s back. She did her best not to notice. Losing her breakfast all over Jake wouldn’t be appreciated by any of them right now.
Liam finally pulled his finger out of the wound and said, “The bullet’s not deep and that’s a good thing. There should be no lasting damage. Now just give me another minute and then I’ll stop torturing you. You should be back to panning gold in a week or two,” said Liam. “But you’re not going to be able to mine the cliff. You won’t have the strength to work the rope or haul the buckets.
He sounded convincing though Becky knew better. She’d treated a wound like this on Billy once and he was more useless than usual for two weeks, unable to use the arm to lift much of anything, including a bottle of whiskey.
Jake just nodded and continued to watch Becky. His pupils were big and he didn’t appear to be in much pain. She knew the whiskey was doing its job of numbing his senses. She’d seen Billy with his mind dulled often enough, she recognized the signs.
She let her mind wander away from the pain she saw on Jake’s face. The pain he did his best to shield from her. She wondered what he saw when he looked at her. Did he see the plain woman Billy told her she was or did he see someone else. Someone, perhaps, desirable.
Jake tightened his hold on her hand when Liam pressed the hot knife to the wound to sear it. It wasn’t going to be a pretty scar. Becky didn’t care. Jake was the most handsome man she’d ever known or ever would know. The stitches were big and just enough to close the wound.
“Sit up,” commanded Liam.
With Becky’s help, Jake sat up and Liam wrapped a cloth bandage around his chest and shoulder.
“Change this every day. It’ll seep a little bit. If there’s a lot of blood, come back and we’ll put in a few more stitches.
“I can do that, we don’t need to come here just for that,” said Becky.
“Fine. As long as he gets the stitches, if he needs them, I don’t care who puts them in.”
She nodded. “Agreed.”
“Now, you two are going to have to be on your guard. I think you should sleep here tonight.”
Becky didn’t want to be away from her home, tent though it may be and she wanted to care for Jake. “No. We’ll be fine. I’ll stay up with him anyway. He’s not going to be comfortable and as soon as the whiskey wears off he’ll be awake. I have my gun and I’m not afraid to use it.”
Liam looked her over and lifted an eyebrow. “You’re quite the woman.”
Eyes narrowed, she glanced at Zach. “Is that a compliment?”
Zach grinned at her. “The best.”
Smiling, she turned to Liam. “Thank you.”
“You won’t be thanking me when he wakes up. You could make him some willow bark tea.”
“Willow bark tea,” she said the same time as Liam.
They laughed.
“Hey, what’re you laughing at?” slurred Jake. “I’m in pain here and you’re laughing.
Zach, Liam and Becky looked at each other and laughed more. Jake was going to be fine.
CHAPTER 11
Jake wasn’t fine. He started running a fever that night. Becky rubbed him down with the frigid water from the creek trying to bring his temperature down. The icy cloths seemed to help a little. He was more comfortable but the fever wasn’t breaking.
She made him the willow bark tea that she’d brought with her. Billy wouldn’t have known what to do with it anyway and would’ve thrown it away. Now she was very glad she’d brought it.
Becky wished she was a better cook. She could make him some beef broth to help him keep his strength up. As it was, she took the soup from the beans, added some water to thin it ou
t and spoon-fed Jake as much as he would take.
Becky worried about the two men Jake had seen with Billy. She stayed up that first night with her gun drawn, just in case they came back. She wasn’t going to take a chance that they might hurt Jake again. She knew they wouldn’t hurt her. She wasn’t any use to Billy if she was hurt or dead. Jake was a different matter. Billy would just as soon see Jake dead, then he could go ahead with his plans to sell her to Edgar Winters.
At daybreak she rose from her stool just inside the tent opening, where she could keep an eye on Jake and one on Billy’s camp. She stretched her tired, achy body and tried to get the muscles moving again. Jake hadn’t stirred all night and she was a little worried about him, but rest was the best medicine. Doc Cochran always said so.
She turned toward Billy’s camp and saw no one stirring. Glancing back downstream toward the Anderson place, she saw a lone man riding up the river toward her. He would have had to pass the Anderson camp as she and Jake were right between Billy’s camp and the Anderson one.
“What do you want?” She stood legs akimbo and her gun in her hand, next to the fire. When the gray haired, old man started to dismount, she stopped him. “Just stay right up there on the back of that big chestnut. Don’t get down, you won’t be stayin’ long.”
“I wanted to see why my blushing bride didn’t come to me, like her pa said she would.”
“Edgar Winters.” she kept her Colt aimed at the man.
He nodded and held the reins in his left hand while his right sat over his pistol, ready to draw. “Billy had no right to sell me. I’m married to someone else. Not that it makes a difference; you can’t buy and sell people.”
“I hear the south in your voice, girl.” He crossed his arms and leaned on the saddle horn. “What you think they did to black folks down there? Buy and sell them, like they were a piece of cotton. What do you think the War Between the States was about? Besides, who said he sold you? What makes you think I’d spend good money for you, girl?”
“The War of Northern Aggression,” said Becky in a huff, her West Virginia accent becoming more pronounced with each word, “put an end to that practice. Besides, Billy himself told me he sold me to you. But there’s nothing he can do to me anymore. You can ask Al Swearengen if I’m married or not. He was there and witnessed it.”
Edgar’s shaggy eyebrows lifted with the news. “Al was there? Guess I better believe you. That’s means your pa owes me and I’m going to take it out of his hide.”
“I believe that’s what Al was hoping you’d do. He seemed to think my getting married and putting one over on Billy was funny. I think he’s looking forward to seeing you wipe the floor with him. Might as well turn around and get back to Deadwood. There’s nothing for you here.”
Edgar cocked his head, stared at her a moment, then nodded, turned his horse and left the way he’d come.
She put her gun away and went into the tent, her heart pounding so hard she thought it might jump right out of her chest. That was too close.
Not long after Edgar left, Jake began thrashing in his sleep. Becky lay down next to him, put her arm across his chest and tried to soothe him. At her touch, he calmed, wrapped his good arm around her shoulders and drew her closer.
Jake stayed in a feverish state for two days and three nights. By the morning of the third day, his skin was cool to the touch.
“Hi,” he said when she opened her eyes. “You look like I feel. Have you gotten any sleep?”
“I got a little last night.” She sat up and felt his forehead with the inside of her wrist. “Your skin is cooler. How do you feel?”
“Like I’ve been rode hard and put away wet. My shoulder hurts like the dickens, and I’m hungry. Other than that I’m just fine.”
“Ah, a little crabby, I see.” She rose up on her elbow and started making little circles on his chest. “Well, I’ll take you as ornery as you want to be as long as you don’t die on me.”
She noticed his body’s response to her touch and couldn’t help being gratified by it. She nodded at his growing erection. “Too bad you’re too weak or we could take care of that.” She moved to rise, but he pulled her back down to him with his good arm.
“Not so fast, Missus.”
She smiled. “I like it when you call me that. It makes me feel like I belong.”
His eyes darkened and he pressed her head down toward his. “You do belong. To me,” he growled, then raised his head and claimed her lips in a kiss that scorched her soul.
~*~
Becky fixed a sling for Jake, so he’d let his shoulder rest and heal. She’d managed to keep him occupied and mostly in bed for three days but he wasn’t about to stay in bed for the whole time, and she refused to let him try to work the way he wanted to.
“Do you want to be laid up for months?” she shouted at him when he picked up the gold pan for the third time.
“No, of course, not.” He yelled back at her.
“Then do as I say and stop trying to hurt yourself.” She grabbed the pan out of his hand.
“I’ve got to do something. I can’t just sit around here lollygagging.”
“Why don’t you get dinner going? That shouldn’t have you exerting yourself, too much.”
He grumbled but nodded his assent.
Becky had an idea to keep him busy. “I’ll be right back, I’ve got to talk to Liam.”
“What do you need Liam for?”
“Never you mind. You just keep at what you’re doing.”
She walked the 200 yards around the bend in the river to the Anderson brothers’ camp. Liam was pulling on his waders. They couldn’t work the cliff with Jake laid up.
“Liam,” called Becky as she approached.
“Is something wrong with Jake?”
“No. Yes. He’s bored and threatening to go back to work. I want to borrow your children for the next few days. I’ll bring them back every night, but I want them to be with Jake during the day. If he has to watch out for Hannah, he won’t be getting bored.”
Liam laughed. “You are one devious woman.”
She cocked her head to one side. “Only when I need to be.”
Still smiling, Liam called out, “David. Hannah. Come here, please.”
The children ran to their father.
“Whatcha’ want Daddy?” said Hannah.
“Yes, sir,” said David.
“You two, pack up something to do while you keep your Uncle Jake busy. Hannah, you take your new dolly and David, take some books and your fishing pole. Maybe you can get us some trout for supper.”
“Are we supposed to be there all day?” asked David.
“Yes, until Uncle Jake can get back to normal, you kids will keep him busy. I have a feeling Hannah can do it on her own, but you need to be there to help Jake if he needs it.”
David stood straight and tall. So responsible for only ten years old. “Yes, sir. I’ll be glad to help him if he needs me to.”
“You can also fish for him and he can cook for us,” said Becky. “I’ve already told him to do the cooking, which should keep him a little busy, but any help you can give me, David, I am grateful for.”
David beamed. “Thanks.”
Becky took the kids back to camp with her. She was a little worried about Billy’s cohorts coming back, but things had been quiet for a few days, so she hoped they were done with her. If she’d read Edgar Winter right, he was going to take care of Billy, whether he killed him or not, she didn’t care anymore. Her only concern now was for Jake. He was her husband and her loyalty was to him.
It was a hard lesson she’d learned. Billy was all she’d known and she’d have probably stayed with him forever out of guilt or some childish need of wanting his love. He would never love her. She knew that now. Had known it the minute he told her he’d sold her. That was the last straw. She’d put up with everything he’d dished out and every blow he gave her, all in the hope that someday he’d tell her he loved her. Now she knew it would never ha
ppen.
But what about Jake? Would he be like Billy and never love her? Could she stand living like that for the rest of her life? She shook her head, she couldn’t think about that now. All that mattered was getting Jake well. He needed another week at least before he could even think about working the river and it would be several weeks before he’d be back on the cliffs.
The children followed her back to her camp. When they approached and saw Jake sitting outside the tent, Hannah ran to him.
“Uncle Jake. Uncle Jake.”
He turned toward her at her first call.
“Hannah? David?”
The kids reached him and Hannah threw herself at him.
“No, sweetie, Uncle Jake can’t catch you,” said Becky, grabbing her before she reached Jake. “He’s hurt, see?” She pointed at his sling.
“Oh,” said Hannah. “I sorry you hurt.”
“So am I, pumpkin, so am I,” said Jake, hugging her with his good arm.
“Why don’t you help her learn her letters?” suggested Becky. “David’s going to do some fishing; hopefully we’ll have trout to go with the beans for dinner. What do you think?”
“All right, I’ll do that. Hannah, we’re going to play in the dirt here by me. Find a stick that we can write in the dirt with.”
She shoved her new doll at him. “Will you watch my baby for me? Pease?”
He took the doll with his good hand. “Uh, I guess so.”
Becky watched and had to cover her mouth with her hand so Jake wouldn’t see her smile. She could tell, the little girl had him, heck had all three of the men, wrapped around her little finger.
Hannah came back in a few minutes with a long, thin stick.
“That’s a good one,” praised Jake. “Now come and let’s work on you letters. You’ll be reading in no time.”
Becky finished putting on her waders, content that Jake and Hannah would be busy for some time. She wouldn’t be surprised if Hannah was reading by the end of the week. No one had had much time to spend with her since they’d been in Deadwood, all of the men working the gold claim as much as they could, both the river and now that they’d found gold on the cliff, working that as well.
Jake Page 11
