by Tia Dani
* * *
Libby shifted on the wagon's hard seat and immediately regretted it. Water seeped beneath the collar of her slicker. She groaned and hunched her shoulders, hoping she could stop the water from running down her back.
"You hafta sit still. I told you. If'n you don't you're gonna get—"
"Yes, James," she said, cutting him off. "I heard you. Just forgot." Libby lifted her head slowly so she could peer briefly under the wide-brimmed hat Jacob Basgal loaned her. The one she had borrowed from Tim yesterday had drowned at the bottom of Basgal's pond, thanks to James antics with a fishing pole.
"We're almost there, Libby."
Joseph's reassuring words made her smile. "I know, I recognize the slope. Katherine's house is three miles away, in..." She lifted a hand and pointed. "In that direction."
He chuckled. "For an Easterner, who hasn't been on the prairie very long, you sure do have good bearings."
"I never get lost." She didn't dare add she knew this land. Turning her head slowly so the water wouldn't run off her hat and onto James wedged between them on the narrow seat, she looked at Joseph. "You feeling any better?"
"Some." He frowned. "Pain seems to be gone now."
"Look," she said. "I don't want you to think I'm being nosey, but have you had any pain...say about here?" Libby reached around James and touched Joseph's lower right side.
"Hey," James yelped. "You're dripping on me."
"Sorry, Kiddo." Libby leaned back. Joseph's pain might be more than just gas. "Have you, Joe?"
"Yes, now since you mention it."
She closed her eyes and sighed. "I was afraid of that."
"Why?"
"It sounds like you could be in the early stages of appendicitis."
"Is that bad?"
"It's not good. As soon as we get back, I want to check your abdomen."
The tips of Joseph's ears turned pink beneath his hat. "Not on your life. If you think I'm droppin' my pants in front of you."
Libby waved a dismissing hand. "Relax, Joseph, I'll drape a sheet across your lap. I won't see anything more than I have to."
This time Joseph's entire face reddened. "No."
"Joseph," she snapped. "Cut it out." She hated it when men had such a hang-up over undressing in front of a woman doctor. "Let's not argue about this. You will cooperate with me and do it, or I'll...I'll..." She hesitated, trying to think of something to make him do as she ordered.
"Tell him you'll get Miz Wilson to come over," piped up James. "Tell him you'll have her check him. He'll co...coop... Oh shoot, whatever the word is, he'll do it. He's sweet on her. Like she is on him."
Libby snorted, trying hard to keep from laughing. "Harriet?"
"Listen, James," growled Joseph. "You don't know what you're talkin' about."
"Yes, I do. Homer says his ma hasn't stopped talking about you since the party. He says she goes around the house singing all day."
"Oh ho." Libby clapped her hands with amusement. "Out of the mouth of babes."
"Humph!" Joseph glared at both of them. "You don't know what you're talking about, either."
"Yes I do." Libby grinned at James, then at Joseph. "Who's it going to be? Harriet Wilson or me? Believe it, Joseph, I'll send Tim after her, see if I won't."
"Ah, hell. You can look at me." Joseph gave her a sideways glare. "I wonder if you'd be this way, if'n it were Matthew needing to be looked at?"
Libby's smile disappeared. "I'd rather not talk about him."
Joseph gave her a wide-eyed, innocent look. "Why not? You're sweet on him."
"The he—" She glanced at James, noticing he listened to their every word. "The heck I am. Nobody could be sweet on Matthew. He's—"
"There's the house," Joseph changed the subject. "Won't it be nice to get inside out of this rain?"
Smoke spiraled from the chimney, giving a sense of welcome home. Libby swallowed the rest her speech. First, they'd get warm and dry, then she'd set Joseph straight. And, while she was at it, she'd set her father and Katherine straight, too. They all thought Matthew cared for her, but she knew better.
And she had proof. When she'd wakened from a dead faint and had Matthew been there for her? No. He'd given Katherine some half-baked excuse about seeing some army person. What a load of bull. He simply wanted nothing to do with her.
* * *
"I'm her husband, dammit! You can't keep me from taking my wife!"
Libby stopped inside the kitchen door. Claude Getz paced across the middle of the kitchen, water dripping from his slicker. His face was a deep purple, the same color as the bruise on his jaw. Puddles of water muddied the floor with each step of his filthy boots. Obviously, he had just arrived. In front of the fireplace, Katherine and Theo shielded Sarah, holding her two babies.
Libby removed her hat and slicker and stepped around Getz. She tossed them into the wet sink. "Is there a problem here?"
The Creep snarled. "They're sayin' you won't let her leave. Who do ya think yer are? What right do ya have, telling me what I can and can't do with my own wife?"
"I'm a doctor, Claude." She folded her arms across her chest. "I have every right to see to the well-fare of one of my patients."
"The hell you do." He stalked over and shook a grimy fist in her face. "You ain't got no right a'tall. Yer a damned woman who sticks her stinkin' nose in other people's business. Why, I outta teach ya proper r'spect."
"Now hold on, Getz," Theo said angrily. "You touch my daughter and you'll have to answer to me."
Libby held up a hand, stopping her father from crossing the room. "I can handle this." She took in the raging man in front of her and said softly, "Are you thinking of hitting a woman?"
"You're damned right, I—" He stopped and blinked. Color drained from his face and he swallowed heavily. "Aaagh...."
Libby calmly walked to the door and opened it. "It might be better for us, and you, if you went to the backhouse."
He moaned and bent over, holding his stomach. Walking with his knees and toes turned inward, Getz headed for the door. "Maybe yer right," he said. "Musta' ate somethin' bad this mornin'."
Libby waited only until the door closed behind him before slapping her hands. "By golly, it actually worked! There was a chance it wouldn't."
She hurried across the room and hugged Sarah, babies and all. "Isn't it wonderful? You'll never have to be afraid of him again."
Sarah's pale face went even whiter. She looked at Katherine then at Theo. "I won't?"
Theo lifted his hands and shrugged. "I don't know. Why won't she, Libby?"
"Because, I fixed it so he won't want to hit a woman ever again."
Her father eyed her suspiciously. "Fixed it? How?"
"I hypnotized him."
"Libby...."
"I had to. Don't you see? Sarah and the babies needed a chance."
Katherine caught Sarah as she swayed and led her to the rocker. "What are you talking about?"
"It's a form of mind control. Some people call it mesmerism." Libby knelt on the floor beside Sarah. "You see, every time your husband tries to hit you, he'll become ill, violently ill." She looked at the door. "I hope he's so miserable right now he's wishing he was dead."
"Libby!"
Katherine's shocked voice made her stop. "I'm sorry, Katherine. I realize it doesn't sound very nice, but for years, Claude's gotten away with beating Sarah. I think it's only fair he starts feeling some of the pain."
Sarah touched Libby's arm. "Will he really leave me alone?"
"I believe so. At least, until you become stronger and can defend yourself."
"Then the babies and I should return with him. We've overstayed our welcome."
"Absolutely not!"
Katherine and Libby spoke in unison.
Libby opened her mouth to say more, but Katherine beat her to it. "It's too wet and damp outside to take young babies anywhere."
"Believe me, Sarah, if you were in a hospital, they wouldn't even consider discharging you until
you fully replaced the blood you lost. Which was quite a lot."
"But, my chickens? They're the only way I have to make extra money. I sell the eggs to a man who comes to buy Claude's beer. If I don't return soon, my chickens will die. I know it. He won't feed them or see they're safe from varmints."
"You don't have to worry about your chickens, dear." Katherine smiled at Theo, then at Sarah. "Tim and Luke crated up all your chickens and took them to Luke's place. Luke said to tell you that they are doing fine. In fact, he's got eggs running out his ears."
Tears glistened in Sarah's eyes. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"
"Because, frankly, it slipped my mind." Katherine said. "I was more concerned about getting you better and seeing to these boys." She looked down at Sarah's sons and cooed, "You are so sweet, yes, you are."
"When did Luke come by?"
There was something in Sarah's tone that wasn't there before. Libby studied her.
Katherine didn't seem to notice. "Yesterday, while you were resting."
"He...he couldn't stay?"
"No, he needed to get back to his place."
"Katherine," Libby asked. "Why don't we invite Luke over for supper tomorrow night?" She caught Sarah's hopeful look. "I'm sure he gets tired of eating his own cooking."
"I suppose we could. It's not like he lives far away."
Libby nodded. "I'll have Tim ride over and invite him now." She smiled at Sarah. "And, I think I'll have Tim bring back some of those eggs Luke has running out his ears. If you feel strong enough, I'd like some of those fantastic deviled eggs you made at the party."
"Deviled eggs?" Sarah repeated slowly.
"Yes. Don't know what you call them, but I call them deviled eggs."
"But," Katherine asked, "why do you call them deviled?"
"I don't call them deviled." Libby smiled at her father. "A lot of people I know call them that."
"But why?"
Libby shrugged. "Beats the heck out of me." Suddenly, she smiled. "Maybe they got the name because you beat the devil out of the yolks to get them smooth enough to go back into the whites?" She looked at the two women's shocked faces and smiled wider. "Neat, huh?"
"I...I suppose so." Sarah shook her head. "I am going to have to think about this some more."
"Me, too." muttered Katherine. "Trust Libby to come up with something we've never heard of."
"Ah..." Libby grinned at her father, knowing she'd introduced something unknown in 1866, at least not in this part of the country. "Let's say I like to keep life interesting around here."
"More than interesting, Libby," said Katherine. “You’re a gift from heaven. Your medical knowledge is what we need."
Libby's grin faded. "That reminds me. Where's Joseph? He should have been in here by now. If he's hiding from me, I'm going to wring his neck."
She opened the kitchen door and hollered as loud as she could, "Joseph, am I going to have to send for Harriet Wilson?"
Chapter Twenty-five
"I'm telling you, Matt, it was the strangest thing I ever seen. The minute after he lifted his hand to his wife, he started moaning and grabbing his middle. I reckon he was either pukin' his insides out on the ground or tearing off to the privy like he thought he weren't gonna make it."
Matthew wiped down his exhausted horse, half-listening to Tim ramble. In order to be in time for supper, he'd ridden his horse hard, stopping only to clean off the mud from the animal's hooves. "Anyone else sick?"
"Nope, just Getz."
Matthew threw the wet rag in the bucket and reached for a dry one. After staying a week at Fort Wallace with Major Anderson, he was glad to be home, even if it meant facing Libby.
"I'm telling ya, Matt. It was somethin' else."
Matthew bent quickly and wiped his horse's right foreleg. "What about Libby," he asked. "What did she say about Getz being so sick?"
Tim laughed. "Nothin'...other than, 'someone get the man a bucket before he messes up the floor'."
Surprised at Libby's indifference, Matthew straightened. Didn't sound like her at all. Granted, he knew she disliked Getz, but she was a doctor. "Is Getz still here?"
"Nope, went back to his place yesterday. Said, he couldn't take much more of this puking and shi—"
Matthew held up a hand. "I get the picture. What about Sarah and the babies? Did they go with him?"
"I thought I mentioned that all ready."
If he had, Matthew missed it. "I'm afraid not."
"They're still here. Oh yeah, the babies ain't called little ones any more, they're called Lucas and Langdon. Have been since Tuesday. There was a big naming party." He eyed Matthew reproachfully. "Ya shoulda been here for it."
Matthew frowned, not liking the censorship in Tim's tone. "So? I wasn't." He thought of how Luke acted after the babies were born. "I can imagine Luke was thrilled."
"You bet he was. He shook everybody's hand and handed out these here cigars."
"Cigars?" Matthew glanced at the cheroot Tim pulled from his shirt pocket. "Luke doesn't smoke. Where did he get them?"
"Beats me, but he had 'em with him when he showed up for dinner last night. In fact, he's been coming over for dinner a lot these days."
Matthew frowned. Was Luke coming over so frequently because of Libby? He quickly veered toward more comfortable thoughts.
"What did Joseph do when he saw the cigars?" After the smoking fiasco when they were children, Matthew would have given anything to see Joseph's face when Luke offered him one.
"He never saw 'em. Libby was busy cuttin' him open when Luke was passin' 'em around."
"Cutting him...?" Matthew stiffened. "What happened?"
Tim scratched his chin. "Don't rightly know. Called appendi-something. Libby took one look at Joseph's stomach and declared it had to come out pronto. Or he was gonna die."
"Here." Matthew threw the cloth at Tim and sprinted for the barn's opening. "Finish wiping down my horse. I'm going to the house."
The minute Matthew burst through the kitchen door, he stopped. Theo and Katherine sat side by side at the table. In front of them spread a large book and some photographs. Katherine looked like she had been crying. When she saw him enter, she burst into tears.
Theo placed a hand over hers. "Not now, Katherine, the boy would never understand."
"Understand what?" When neither of them answered, he suddenly felt drained. "It's Joseph, isn't it? He's dying."
"Joseph?" Katherine seemed confused by his statement. She shook her head. "Joseph's fine. He's in James' room."
"But, Tim said he—"
"He had an appendicitis attack. Libby caught it in time, praise God."
Whatever caught it meant, Matthew wasn't sure, but was grateful for what Libby had done. He looked at the closed bedroom door. "Can I see him?"
"Yes, he's a little grouchy, but awake."
Matthew headed for the smaller bedroom. The thought of Joseph dying unsettled him. He believed they would be together forever, all three of them. If he lost either one of them, he didn't know how he would be able take it. Too many losses in his life already.
Opening the door, Matthew stuck his head in. Joseph lay flat on his back, dressed in a long white nightshirt. One of Katherine's bright-colored quilts covered his feet and legs. Beside the bed was a bottle, a glass and a pitcher of water. "Feel like having some company?"
"Matt." Joseph lifted his head, wincing as he did so. "When did you get back?"
"A while ago. Found out what happened. You feeling all right?"
"Hell, no. I hurt like the devil. She's got me sewed up and wrapped like some damned sow-belly pig. Shut the door. I'm goin' outta my mind with nothin' to do. Pull up a chair so I can see you. It hurts to lift my head."
Once he did, Joseph sighed, "God, how I hate bein' sick. People fussing over you somethin' terrible. Ma and Pa came by this mornin'. Stayed most of the day. I thought Ma would never stop cryin'. About every five minutes, she'd come in and kiss my cheek."
Matthew t
hought of Katherine and how puffy her eyes had looked when he first entered the kitchen. "It seems there's a lot of crying going on."
He looked at Matthew in surprise. "Who else is crying?"
"Katherine."
"Katherine?" Joseph's brows shot upward in surprise. "I saw her not too long ago. She seemed fine. What's wrong with her?"
"Don't know. Theo's with her. They were looking at some pictures and the Bible."
"That'll make her feel better." Joseph assured him.
"Theo's all right, you know. He's helped me with everythin' I need." Joseph glared at his bandaged middle. "This damn bandage is wrapped so I cain't even go to the bathroom by myself. I'm supposed to lay flat on my back all the time."
Matthew nodded sympathetically. "I can imagine how uncomfortable it is."
"You damned right it is." Joseph's expression changed and his exasperation disappeared. "Matt," he said quietly. "I owe Libby my life."
"Tim told me you would have died if she hadn't operated on you."
"She's one special woman."
Joseph didn't need to tell him anything more about Libby. He knew it all.
"Marry her, Matt."
It should have surprised him Joseph came right out and said it, but it didn't. In some respects, Matthew had been thinking the same thing. "I wish I could, Joe, but I can't."
"Why not? And...don't tell me it's because of Elizabeth."
"All right then, I won't."
"Blast it, Matt. You're in love with Libby."
Matthew froze. He didn't love Libby. He desired her. She raced his blood, making his passions run wild. That was all.
"Libby loves you."
Flushing, Matthew looked down at his hands. Thinking Libby might love him made him sick at heart. "She can't love me."
"Sure she can. Luke knows it, I know it. Hell," Joseph said disgustedly, "probably everybody knows it."
"Luke can have her. He—"
"Doesn't want her."
An exhausted voice finished his sentence for him. Matthew twisted in his chair. Luke, covered completely in mud, leaned weakly against the bedroom's closed door. Somehow he had entered without them hearing him.
"Hell's fire, Luke," Joseph declared. "What happened to you?"
