by Ari McKay
Luke swallowed hard, relieved the news hadn’t been worse. “Mary and me will take care of him. What do we need to do?”
“Keep him still, if he’ll stay still,” the doctor replied sourly. “That one’s got a powerful strong will. I’ll leave you some laudanum to dose him with if he’s hurting or if he gives you too much sass. If he doesn’t start vomiting blood, he’ll be all right in a couple of weeks. Ah, there you are, Aggie. You’ve got those extra bandages I sent you for?”
“Yes, Papa.” Agnes Wilson stepped into the room, smiling kindly at Luke before handing her father a stack of neatly rolled white linen. Luke welcomed her presence, because she seemed to radiate an air of quiet competence he found soothing. “I told Mama you wouldn’t be too late for supper.”
“Thanks, darlin’,” the doctor replied as he piled the bandages on the table next to Stone’s bed. He turned back to Luke. “You’ve seen cracked ribs before, I’m sure. You need to keep him wrapped up tight so he doesn’t break what’s only bruised right now.”
“I’ll make sure he don’t. He’ll be still, Doc. I’ll see to it, even if me’n the boys have to hitch him to the bedposts. How long before he can get up at all? I’m sure that’ll be the first question he’ll ask, but I ain’t about to let him up no sooner.”
“He can get up in the morning, if he’s feeling like it. No work, though.” Doc Wilson pulled a bottle out of his bag and handed it to Luke. “The dose is written on the label. Don’t let him drink any alcohol while he’s taking that.” He closed his bag and rested his hand on Luke’s shoulder. “He’ll be all right. I know you don’t want to think about the ranch getting another new owner now you’re getting this one broken in. Tell the boys not to worry. He’ll be back to ordering them around in no time.”
Privately, Luke thought it might not hurt to tell Stone he’d been confined to bed rest for at least a couple of days just to be on the safe side, but he nodded an acknowledgment of Doc Wilson’s instructions.
“You’re right.” Luke mustered a smile. “I just about got him trained right, and I ain’t ready to take on anyone new, so I’ll take good care of him. He’ll follow your instructions. I’ll see to it myself.”
“Good man. Well, I’d best be off. Aggie girl, let’s leave Luke to it.” With that, the doctor nodded to Luke and headed out the door.
Agnes paused on her way out and patted his arm. “He’ll be all right,” she said softly, her brown eyes full of sympathy. “Papa would have told you if it was worse. It might be best to have someone sit with him at night, though, in case he tries to get up.” She paused, hesitating for a moment before continuing. “He was asking for you before he fell asleep. Luke, be careful who sits with him, all right? Laudanum can cause people to say some interesting things.”
Luke peered at her searchingly, wondering what she might have already heard or guessed but afraid to ask. Instead, he kept his expression as neutral as possible and simply nodded. “I’ll surely keep that in mind, Miss Agnes. Thanks for lettin’ me know.”
“Of course, Luke.” She smiled at him warmly. “I’ll have a talk with Mary before we go. She should know just how crazy people can talk sometimes when they’re dosed. I want to make sure she knows it doesn’t mean anything at all.” With that she left the room, the faint scent of lemon verbena trailing behind her.
Luke silently groaned at the indirect confirmation that Stone had said something to make her suspect the truth. For a moment, he was tempted to run after her and ask what it was so he’d know what he was fighting against, but since she seemed willing either to ignore it or help explain it away, he decided he was better off not knowing. He was getting damned tired of having all the problems of a secret relationship without any of the benefits that would make having to hide more tolerable.
He moved to stand beside Stone’s bed. “Figures,” he said, shaking his head at Stone even though a scolding would do no good now. “Any other time, you won’t say ‘peas’ for a potful, but you get a drop of laudanum in you, and suddenly, you want to tell the whole world your secrets. Well, you can be damned sure I ain’t lettin’ anyone else stay with you while you’re takin’ it.”
There was a plain wooden chair by the window, and Luke dragged it over to the bed and sat down, folding his arms across his chest.
“And you can forget about gettin’ out of that bed tomorrow too,” he added with a stubborn frown.
He watched Stone’s silent form, carefully monitoring the rise and fall of Stone’s chest. It was easy enough to set down his rules, especially when Stone wasn’t awake to hear them, but he knew the battle would begin once Stone woke up. Luke had doctor’s orders on his side, and he intended to make sure Stone got plenty of rest and healed up proper, whether Stone liked it or not.
It wasn’t long before Mary came up to see if there was anything she could do, and Luke sent her to tell Shorty and the rest of the hands Stone would be confined to bed for a few days, but he would be fine. He also requested a few newspapers to keep him occupied while he kept vigil beside Stone’s bed, and he settled in as comfortably as the wood chair allowed to watch and wait.
By the time he finished up the last newspaper Mary had brought, afternoon was turning into evening, and when he heard footsteps on the stairs, he thought maybe Mary was bringing his supper.
Unfortunately, however, it was the last person he wanted to see. James swept into the room and stared at Stone’s unconscious form with a shock that somehow didn’t seem quite believable.
“Why, whatever happened? I go into town for a few hours, and suddenly everything goes wrong.”
Because losin’ cattle and an important piece of equipment takin’ damage don’t qualify as things “goin’ wrong,” Luke thought sourly, but he didn’t say that aloud as he struggled to remain polite. “Stone got thrown. Doc’s been out. He’ll be fine in a few days.”
“My poor cousin.” James shook his head and sighed. “It seems ranching is a terribly dangerous business, doesn’t it? He didn’t crack his skull open, did he?” James peered at the bandage around Stone’s head and shivered theatrically. “I hate the sight of blood.”
Luke offered a tight smile. “Your concern for your cousin is mighty touchin’. But don’t you worry none. He’s hard-headed in more ways’n one.”
James’s blue eyes narrowed as he frowned down at Luke. “I don’t appreciate being talked to in that tone of voice by the help,” he snapped, sounding annoyed and not at all conciliatory, as he always seemed to be in Stone’s presence. “My cousin’s plebeian origins obviously prompt him to treat his employees as though they were friends, but you need to remember who your betters are.”
Luke knew he ought to “stay in his place” for Stone’s sake, especially since they had no idea how long James intended to remain, and he had tried to behave, showing proper deference to Stone in James’ presence. Men like James Rivers didn’t intimidate him, and while he wanted to make Stone look good in James’s eyes, as well as avoid making people talk, a man had his limits, and Luke had just about reached his. Too much had happened in the past few days, and he’d come home to find the man he loved laid up with cracked ribs. He was in no mood to act deferential tonight.
Looking James in the eye, he replied, “I do remember.”
He had the satisfaction of seeing James turn scarlet, and for a moment, he thought James might lunge at him across the bed. But then James seemed to get himself under control, although he didn’t bother to mask his dislike as he peered at Luke down the length of his nose. “I won’t forget this,” he bit out. “You can rest assured of that.”
He didn’t wait for Luke to reply before storming out of the room and down the hall. Luke heard the door to the front room slam, and then everything was silent.
Aw, hell, Luke silently groaned. He should have kept his mouth shut and continued the pretense of respect, but he’d let his temper get the better of him. There was no telling what kind of trouble he’d stirred up for Stone, but maybe it wouldn’t be too b
ad. If they were really lucky, James might pack up his bags and head back to the big city that much sooner.
It was a long shot, he knew, but a man could dream.
17
WAKING up was a matter of leaving dark, disturbing dreams for a brighter but painful reality. Stone opened his eyes slowly and drew in a deep breath that caused him to gasp in pain. “Shit,” he ground out as he tried to sit up.
“Oh no, you don’t!” The response was immediate, startling him, and then Luke was looming over him, pressing his shoulders back down. “You’re to lie still.”
“Luke?” Stone stared up at the man he loved and smiled. Luke was there, and suddenly things seemed a lot better. “When did you get home?”
“A few hours ago.” Luke sat down again, regarding him sternly. “And a fine welcome home I got, too, findin’ out you couldn’t stay on a horse’s back worth a damn.”
Stone frowned, trying to remember what had happened despite the muddled feeling in his head, and slowly the pieces came back. He’d started to mount Raider, and the next thing he knew, he was looking up at Doc Wilson, who was asking him what day it was.
“Raider threw me,” he said, the thought disturbing him deeply. “He’s never done that before.”
“He had a burr under his blanket.” Luke smiled crookedly. “You must have been mighty distracted to miss that. You should be more careful.”
“I thought I checked.” Stone tried to focus his thoughts, which seemed to be scattered all over the place. “I guess I was thinkin’ about the windmill.”
“I reckon so. It can happen to anyone.” Luke gave him another stern look. “Just don’t let it happen again.”
“I’ll sure try.” Stone shook his head and quickly decided that was a bad idea. He lifted his hand to his temple, surprised to find he was all wrapped up. “How bad am I hurt?”
“Could be worse,” Luke replied gruffly, tugging up the light blanket covering Stone and smoothing it. “Cracked ribs and a bump on the head. You’ve got to be still so those cracked ribs don’t turn into busted ribs.”
Stone frowned at the mere thought of staying in bed much longer. “I can’t do that, and you know it.” His head was slowly clearing, and he remembered why Luke had gone away in the first place. “You get that part?”
“The hell you can’t stay in that bed!” Luke rounded on him with a scowl. “Yeah, I got the part, and it’s goin’ to get installed, and this ranch is goin’ to do just fine without you stompin’ around it for a few days.”
“But….” Stone stared at Luke, and the sight of Luke’s lips turned down made Stone forget what he’d been about to say. Luke was too handsome to wear a frown like that. “I like it better when you smile.”
Luke froze, his expression shifting from irate to shocked, and he gaped at Stone in silence before he recovered enough to speak. “Well, when I have reason to, I’ll smile,” he said. “Meanwhile, you’re goin’ to behave yourself and rest like Doc Wilson said to.”
Stone was torn. He didn’t want to stay in bed, but he didn’t want to make Luke unhappy either. He’d already caused Luke too much pain as it was; that was why Luke rarely smiled anymore, and he knew it. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to cause you so much trouble. Why ain’t anything ever easy?”
“I don’t know. It’s just how life is, I reckon,” Luke replied quietly, turning his gaze to the wood floor. “You find a way through the rough patches and keep goin’ as best you can.”
“Been tryin’. Just want a few less rough patches, is all.” Stone sighed. “’Least I can count on you.”
“Yeah, you can.” Luke fluffed Stone’s pillow a little. “And right now, you can count on me to make sure you get the rest you need until Doc Wilson says your ribs are okay.”
Stone peered at Luke, and then he reached out to capture Luke’s hand. “You can count on me too, y’know.”
“I know.” Luke let his hand remain in Stone’s for a moment longer before tugging it free.
“Good.” Stone smiled, relieved Luke understood. He was suddenly feeling tired again, and he closed his eyes and sighed. “Guess I need a little rest. Just don’t let me sleep too long, okay?”
“You sleep as long as you need to. The ranch’ll be fine, and I ain’t goin’ nowhere.”
“Good.” Luke’s words were reassuring, and Stone let himself relax. Somehow, everything would be just fine, so long as Luke was there. “This is where you belong,” he murmured, and then he felt himself slipping back into darkness once again.
18
THE little town of Serenity could look right festive when it wanted to, Luke thought as he walked along Main Street, which was illuminated by lanterns hung on shepherd’s hooks that were decorated with fresh greenery and flowers in honor of the Spring Festival. What had begun as a simple town picnic to celebrate the arrival of spring a couple of years before Luke’s arrival had evolved into a day-long festival with games, fireworks, and a dance on top of the traditional picnic lunch. After the recent run of bad luck on the ranch, Luke was glad for a reason to forget all the losses and expenses for a while, even if he didn’t feel much like celebrating, and it was nice to see folks laughing and having a good time.
Now that the sun had set and the fireworks were over, children were being taken home to bed, some of them already exhausted enough to fall asleep in their pa’s arms and some of them kicking up a fuss. But the day had been full of events aimed at entertaining the little ones, and now it was the adults’ turn to have some fun at the dance. Luke could already hear the band warming up as he approached the warehouse that had been cleaned up and cleared out for the occasion.
He saw Stone hovering near the entrance, and he mustered as much of a smile as he could. He’d managed to keep himself occupied with activities that put some distance between himself and Stone, needing to forget that situation for a little while too. Stone had recuperated from being thrown quickly, which was a blessing for Luke’s nerves; it had taken everything in him to keep from fussing and hovering like a mother hen while Stone rested and healed, but that wouldn’t have done either of them any good in the long run.
He had no doubt Stone was unsettled by the thought of attending the dance, which meant Stone needed him for reassurance, moral support, and help in escaping unwanted entanglements. Going to church every week was one thing; they could be in and out the door quickly enough to not get dragged into a lot of socializing, but here, the mixing and mingling couldn’t be avoided, and there would be hopeful young ladies fishing for invitations to dance from both of them. Luke didn’t mind that so much; he had always danced with the eligible misses and some of the matrons as well, giving the ladies enough attention to appear sociable, but not giving any of them concrete reason to hope they had caught his eye.
“I hope you ain’t thinkin’ about runnin’ off,” he said as he approached Stone. “You should stay a little while, at least.”
Stone shifted uncomfortably and shrugged. Luke could see that he was trying hard to look as though he wasn’t as nervous as Luke was sure he was feeling. He was in a new suit, too, a dark blue one with a white shirt that made his skin look very tanned.
“I reckon I’ll have to,” he muttered. “Since it’s proper Copper Lake Ranch be represented.” He gave Luke a slightly sour look, because the only reason Stone had agreed to come in the first place was that Luke had pointed out Priss would have expected it of him. For all that Stone had never known his aunt, he seemed determined to hold to things the same way she would have done them, and Luke had found that saying “Priss would’ve….” was a good way to get Stone to cave in on things when he was being particularly stubborn.
“Well, it is.” Luke didn’t feel a trace of guilt about using any weapon in his arsenal he had to. “Priss never missed the Spring Festival, and she always attended the dance, even though she couldn’t dance with the one she really wanted to dance with.”
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Luke regretted saying them because all he’d manag
ed to do was remind himself he was in the exact same situation Priss had been in all those years. It definitely didn’t put him in a festive mood.
Apparently it didn’t do much for Stone, either, since he sighed and looked away. “I ain’t dancin’. If I’ve got to say my ribs are worse than they are, I will. But I don’t want to take a chance of steppin’ on some dainty gal’s toes. Not to mention havin’ to talk.”
“Fine, you can stand around with the married men and jaw about cattle,” Luke replied soothingly. “I’ll do the dancin’.”
Stone’s eyes were back on him at once, dark and intense. “You will?” His jaw worked as though he wanted to say something else, but then he shrugged again. “I guess that makes sense.”
“I don’t mind it.” Luke mirrored his shrug. It wasn’t what he wanted to do, but it was the right thing to do, especially since it would maintain the illusion that he was no different from any other man in his preferences. “I do it every year.”
“Well, maybe you’ll catch a break this year.” Stone inclined his head toward the wall where James was currently holding court with half a dozen of the town girls hanging on his every word. “Looks like ol’ Dandy Jim might be the belle of this particular ball.”
“Figures.” Luke didn’t bother to hide his disgust. He wasn’t particularly upset that James would be relieving him of the burden of socializing with the unmarried young ladies of Serenity, but he had no doubt James would be as phony and smarmy with the ladies as he had been with everyone at Copper Lake, and that sat wrong with Luke. At least he didn’t lead the girls on, but he doubted James would draw the same line. “Well, as long as he behaves, I don’t much mind having my dancing duties lightened.”
“Him behavin’ is the big question, ain’t it?” Stone’s eyes narrowed as he looked at his cousin. “Maybe I was selfish, bein’ glad he was leavin’ me alone to recover. Seems like he might have been settlin’ himself in to stay for a long spell.”
