Texas Blue

chapter 8



BY MIDMORNING EM DECIDED THE TALL MAN FOLLOWING her every step must be the dumbest greenhorn alive. He barely knew which end of a horse to feed. He fell several times in the damp pasture because of his slippery shoes. He frightened his own mount once by yelling, and she had to go round up his horse.

If he hadn’t been so funny, she might have given up pushing him. The man was a walking train wreck, and the idea that he thought he might marry one of the McMurray women made her laugh. At this rate she’d be dead of old age before he learned enough to even talk ranching and make sense. But she had to give him credit. He never stopped trying.

By midafternoon she admitted that Lewt was strong and determined. He took in advice like a sponge takes on water. He didn’t seem to mind that his suit was torn by bushes in several places and his shoes were ruined. Once she showed him how to do something, he worked at it until he mastered any chore. He might not know horses, but he had a hunger to learn. She had a feeling that whatever he did for a living, he was good at it. She’d tried asking him twice, but he didn’t give her an answer. She figured he must be out of a job. That might explain his determination to find a rich wife.

As they rode back toward the house, she noticed that his leg was bleeding an inch above his knee. He hadn’t said a word about being hurt. She thought of several times he’d tumbled during the day. Once off his horse when he’d roped his first wild colt, once in the stream when he lost his footing, and once to his knees when he lifted a horse out of the mud. The city slicker who’d had coffee at dawn with her now looked worse than a drifter down on his luck.

“You’re bleeding, Lewt,” she snapped, angry that she hadn’t noticed.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “The stock comes first, remember.”

She fought down a smile. “Yes, of course, but you’re bleeding on the horse.”

He looked too tired to catch her joke. “I’ll wash it off when we get to the barn.”

“It might get infected,” she snapped, sounding angrier than she’d meant to.

“There’s nothing I can do about it until I get back, so I refuse to think about it. Another hour and we’ll be back. Even you will have to stop at sundown.”

She pointed to a stand of trees a few hundred yards up the hill. “There’s a little place up there. I’m guessing we’ll find something to at least wrap it there.”

As he had all day, he didn’t argue. He simply followed her to the cabin her uncle Drummond and aunt Sage stayed in when they were at the ranch and not in their house in town or on the road helping others. Sage had built a reputation as one of the finest doctors in the county She ran a clinic in Anderson Glen and Drum served as sheriff. Their place on the ranch was small but offered them the privacy they seemed to always crave. Strange, she thought of her aunt and uncle as newlyweds even though they’d been married for years.

When Lewt climbed off his horse, Em didn’t miss how he favored the leg. Either he was an idiot for not mentioning he was hurt, or he had more grit to him than she’d guessed.

The door was unlocked and the tiny two-room place was neat and organized, as Em guessed it would be. She had no trouble finding bandages and the smelly black ointment Sage always put on cuts.

“I’ m not a nurse, but this will keep the infection down. Take off your trousers,” she said as she lined up what she needed on the table.

“Not a chance.” He winked, making her laugh. “You’ve finally given an order I don’t plan on following.”

“Look, mister, if you don’t have four legs and eat grass, I’m not interested in you. Do we have that clear?”

He shrugged. “So this is no love nest you tricked me into, planning to get me in bed and take advantage of me?”

“Lewt, the only way you’ll be laid out in that bed is after I shoot you for wasting my time. Now strip off those trousers.” She tossed her hat on the table and let her thick blond braid fall down her back.

“The lady has sunshine hair,” he said softly. “I never would have guessed.”

She looked over her shoulder. “What’s so unusual about blond hair?”

“Nothing. I just figured your hair would be short like a man’s.”

“Don’t worry about my hair. We need to take care of that cut.” She fought the urge to tell him not to look at her. Men, with their stares, made her uncomfortable. She laughed. Men, period, made her uncomfortable.

He tugged off his shoes, then unbuckled his belt. “If you take advantage of me, I want my fifty dollars back.”

She smiled. No one had ever talked to her so boldly about such a thing. She liked the honesty between them.

He lowered his trousers. Blood dripped from the gash above his knee.

She was shocked he wore no long johns underneath his trousers. Any man in this country would have on his wools until spring. His shirttail covered his private parts, but his leg was bare.

“What are you staring at?” he asked. “Is it that bad?”

Em swallowed. “No. Your leg is just so hairy.”

“Well, I can’t help that. You’ve been doctoring hairy legs all day. Just pretend I’m a horse and get on with it.”

Em pulled a chair out and sat as she began wiping off blood. “When we get back to the house I think this will need a few stitches.”

“Will you do them?” he said in almost a whisper. “I don’t want anyone to know I’m hurt.”

“All right.” She didn’t want to ask him why. It was no concern of hers. If he did manage to get one of her sisters interested in him, then they’d probably never mention the day they’d spent together. For a moment, she let herself wonder which sister would even look twice at such a man, then decided neither of them would. He wasn’t the kind of man who’d fit on a ranch no matter how much he learned.

She pushed the gash closed and wrapped it as tight as she could. As she worked, he put his hand on her shoulder so that he stood steady. She endured the touch until she tied off the bandage, and then she said cold as ice, “I’m finished. Remove your hand, sir.”

He pulled away immediately. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I was only bracing. I meant you no harm.”

She looked up at him. “I’m aware of that. It’s the only reason you’re still alive. I don’t like to be touched.”

He pulled his trousers over the bandage. “I get the point. It won’t happen again.”

She stood and cleaned up the mess they’d made while he finished dressing. The silence seemed to stretch miles between them. He opened the door and waited for her to walk out, then slowly climbed on his horse and waited for her to do the same.

Em didn’t want to explain anything to this stranger. She didn’t want to talk about what had happened in the cabin. Her life was no concern of his, and his silence shouldn’t matter to her in the least. Maybe this cold way to end the day was for the best. The last thing she needed in this world was a greenhorn for a friend.

She mounted and began the journey home, this time letting the horses pick the way. Em told herself it was because the mounts were tired, but she knew they still had the heart to race home. She slowed because of the stranger by her side. She didn’t want to cause him any more pain than necessary.

Finally, she realized she might have caused pain with her words, but she couldn’t bring herself to take them back. As they reached the barn, she said, “Sumner will help me dress that cut. We’ve got a corner next to the tack room that’s clean. You don’t have to worry about the old guy saying a word about your injury; he barely talks to anyone, including me.”

Lewt’s words were no more than a whisper. “You said you would stitch it.”

She acted like she hadn’t heard.

He followed her in, handed the reins to the cowhand who’d already taken her horse, and followed her to the small area that looked like it might be used to store supplies for the bunkhouse and the cowhands. Far too much time would be lost if the hands had to ride into town every time they needed a blanket or shirt.

She talked with Sumner while he tugged off his ruined trousers, now soaked in blood. This time he sat on a bench, too tired to argue with her.

Em lit a lantern for better light, unwrapped the bandage, and cleaned the wound properly. By the time she finished, Sumner was by her side with an armload of supplies.

“Want me to do it, Miss Em?” he asked.

“No,” she answered as she met Lewt’s stare. “I’m the reason he got hurt. I’ll do it.”

When she pushed the needle through his skin, she expected Lewt to yell or swear. She’d patched up her share of cowhands and learned to turn a deaf ear to their language when they were hurting, but Lewt didn’t say a word. He jerked a bit, then seemed to set his jaw against the pain.

Em finished as fast as she could, pulling the flesh together and lathering it with ointment. As she wrapped the wound, she said the first words she’d said to him for over an hour. “It’ll heal fine.” Her fingers slid over the tight muscle of his leg as she wrapped the bandage.

He nodded as she tied the knot. “Thanks.”

She stood. “Sumner will help pull you a clean set of clothes from the store. There’s boots behind you on the shelf. Most are well used, but they’ll do better than those.” She glanced at his ruined half boots. “Pull a pair that fit. They’re good clothes for this part of the country and far more durable than that suit you had on. If you go out riding again, they’ll serve you far better.”

“I can pay . . .”

“It’s not necessary. Despite all the questions, you put in a good day’s work. I figure you earned them.” She turned her back and waited on the other side of the tack room while he dressed. She told herself she’d just touched a man where no proper lady ever would, but it had been necessary. He needed doctoring. He didn’t belong out here. Though not invited by her, he was a guest. She should have taken better care of him. Some of the things they’d done today could have waited, but she’d pushed.

When he stepped up beside her, she was shocked at the change in him. If she didn’t know better she’d think he usually wore western clothes and never a suit. The heavy wool trousers fit his long legs well, and the shirt made his shoulders look broader than the black suit jacket had.

“Thanks for all you taught me today,” he said. “I’ll see you at dawn tomorrow morning.”

“You want to go again?”

“Of course. Unless you’ve changed your mind about letting me tag along.”

“I haven’t,” she said, then added, “I can use the fifty dollars.”

He turned and placed the worn coat on the nail beside the door. Though his back was to her and his voice low, she had no trouble hearing his words.

“I really am sorry about touching your shoulder. I meant you no harm.”

“I know,” she whispered back. She wouldn’t . . . couldn’t talk about what had happened between them. It would mean explaining something that had happened many years ago, and she never planned to talk about that with anyone. Not ever. She forced her thoughts to the present. “If the cut bleeds, have Sumner look at it in the morning.”

Without a word, they walked toward the house. Em could see the lamps being lit.

“Despite everything, M,” he said softly, without looking at her, “I liked riding with you today. I think I felt more alive today then I have in years.”

“Fresh air,” she said.

“And honest company,” he added.

Em swallowed. How could he think she’d been honest? Didn’t he know she’d just taken him alone to show him up?

She waited on the porch as he stepped inside. She didn’t want to go in. It was almost time for supper, but she wouldn’t be joining her sisters tonight. She’d wash up, then go back to the barn until Rose put a light in the mudroom, and then she’d circle the house so that no one would see her entering the sewing room.

Em had a feeling when she finally closed her eyes tonight she’d have trouble sleeping. Her head seemed too full.