A Daughter's Quest (12 page)

He approached Blaze, talking in a soothing tone. The horse shuffled over, favoring one front leg. Probably that was the reason they went down. She hoped he wasn’t hurt too bad.

She glanced back and noticed a particularly deep rut cut crossways in the road. She should have watched where they were going instead of urging the horse to go faster. They could have avoided the hole. Why hadn’t she paid more attention to what she was doing?

Hans had gotten his hand on the bridle. He reached into one pocket, pulled out something, and held it under the horse’s mouth. Blaze nipped the item and chewed contentedly, allowing Hans to check out his front leg.

“Is he going to be all right?” Constance pulled her bonnet back onto her head, hoping it would hold the hair in place long enough to get back home.

Home
. The boardinghouse…and Browning City was beginning to feel like home to her. She was glad she had written to Bertram and Molly, telling them she would sell them the farm and having them send her all the personal items still left in the cabin. She didn’t know if she would stay in Iowa, but she wanted the comfort of having a place where she felt safe and accepted, maybe even loved, by wonderful people.

Hans led Blaze over to the large black stallion he had been riding. He attached the reins to the back of his saddle and gave both horses a few loving pats before he turned back toward her. Anticipation poured through her as his long stride brought him closer.

Hans strode over to where Constance sat on the ground. She hadn’t stood up, but she had tamed her hair. Too bad. He liked to see it tumble over her shoulders. The Bible was right when it called a woman’s hair her glory, and Constance’s had looked glorious spread across his lap awhile ago. He took his thoughts captive by the time he reached her.

“Let me help you up.”

When he reached down, he placed his hands on either side of her waist and lifted her into a standing position. She trembled, and he pulled her into his arms…just to support her while she got her bearings, right?

“Do you hurt anywhere?”

“All over, I think.” Her words spoken against his shirt brought warmth to his chest, inside and out.

He swept her up into his arms and walked toward Blackie, thankful that the horse was so powerful. Carrying two people shouldn’t tax him too much.

“We’ll have to ride together. I don’t want to injure Blaze’s leg any more than it already is.”

Constance clung to his neck with both arms. “Will he be all right?”

“Yes.” He stared straight ahead, not wanting to look down into her eyes, which were too close for comfort. “He just doesn’t need to carry any extra weight back to town.”

Hans swung Constance up onto Blackie’s back, then mounted behind her. The ride to town would be exquisite torture, but he didn’t mind. They would have to go slow because of Blaze’s injury. Hans wanted to savor the feel of Constance in his arms for as long as it lasted. It might be the last time they would be that close.

Finding it hard to control his emotions, Hans studied the landscape around them. He should have gone riding sooner. Spring was his favorite time of year. Everything looked bright and fresh. It reminded him of the hope of renewal that the Lord gave every day. A profusion of colors spread around them, but he couldn’t concentrate on any of them.

When he was near Constance, the fragrance of some flower floated around her. This close, it filled his senses. He had to get his mind onto something else.

“What in the world were you thinking, coming out here alone?” He knew he sounded harsh, but she needed to understand the risk she took.

She stiffened in his arms.

Why did men always think they were right? Constance gritted her teeth before she lashed out at him. After all, he had rescued her…again.

“I didn’t think about it being dangerous.”

“I’m sure you didn’t.” The steel in his tone cut like a knife. “Were you headed toward the Mitchell place?”

How did he know that? Could he read her mind? “Yes. I wanted to see if anyone had come home.”

They rode in silence for a few minutes before he said anything else. She could feel the tension coiled like a tightly wound clock in the man behind her.

When he finally spoke, his tone wasn’t as strident. “I would have come with you to keep you safe.”

Of course, he would have. If he had come, she would have had to tell him more of her reasons for searching the house, and she didn’t want to do that. At least not yet.

More of the muscles in her body began to announce their presence, aching and sore. Maybe she was hurt more than she thought. Riding on a horse for a long time didn’t help.

“What is so important that you felt you had to go out there alone?”

The question hung unanswered between them. She wasn’t going to tell him another thing.

As they continued to amble along, the rhythm of the ride lulled her, and soon she slumped against him. Even though his muscles were taut, they gave a welcome warmth and cushioned her exhaustion.

Hans knew the moment Constance fell asleep. He hoped she hadn’t hit her head too hard. He knew that it wasn’t good for a person to go to sleep so soon after a head injury. Hopefully, she was just tired.

He held the reins with one hand and pulled her closer with the other arm. Holding her cradled in his embrace felt somehow right. When he got home, he was going to have a long talk with the Lord about what to do about this woman.

When Hans stopped the horses outside the doctor’s office, Constance stirred in his arms. He took one last moment to enjoy her essence before she was fully awake.

She stretched as she sat up away from him. “Where are we?”

“Dr. Harding’s house.” Hans slipped off the horse, then reached back for her.

“I don’t need a doctor.”

Hans helped her down, and when her feet reached the ground, her knees buckled. He held her up, then pulled her against him. “We’ve been on the horse a long time.”

He was glad the doctor lived on the edge of town, and there weren’t any people in sight. They might misconstrue why he was riding and holding her in his arms. He didn’t want anything to sully her reputation.

Constance pulled back. “I can stand up.”

“Are you sure? Let me help you inside.”

This time, she didn’t argue. They walked slowly, and she limped a little.

When Hans knocked on the door, the doctor answered. The older man took one look at Constance and stepped back, giving them plenty of room to enter. “So what happened?”

“She was thrown from a horse.” Hans looked down at her and read the pain in her eyes. “I don’t think she’s hurt too bad, but we had a long ride back to town.”

“Bring her into my exam room.” Doc Harding led the way. “Did it knock her unconscious, young man?”

“Yes. She was just coming to when I reached her.” Hans picked her up, and this time she didn’t object.

While he was laying her on the bed in the examining room, Mrs. Harding bustled through the door.

“I’ll take over now, young man, and my wife will assist me.” The doctor was all business. “You can come back and check on her later.”

Hans glanced at Constance, and she nodded. “I need to get the horses to the livery stable anyway. I will be back, though.”

When Hans walked out of the room, Constance relaxed. Having him near kept her in a constant state of unrest. She didn’t want to think about why.

“Let’s have a look at you.” The doctor, an older man with a shock of white hair and unruly brows over kind eyes, reminded her of one of her neighbors back home. “Where do you hurt?”

“All over, I think.” She tried to laugh, but even that caused pain.

The doctor’s wife took Constance’s hand. “I’m Wilma Harding, and this old sawbones is my husband. He just wants to help you, but he’ll have to examine you. Would it be all right if I help you out of these clothes and into a gown?”

Constance cut her eyes toward the tall man.

“I’ll be waiting right outside until you ladies are finished.”

When the door closed behind him, Constance let go of the breath she had been holding. Wilma Harding got a voluminous white gown from a chest beside the door. She helped Constance slip it over her head before she started removing her clothing under the covering. Constance was glad that she didn’t have to undress completely in front of the woman.

Soon the doctor returned and started prodding various places on her body. “You already have some bruising. Did you land on your back?”

She nodded.

“Then you need to turn over.”

After Constance settled on her stomach, Mrs. Harding put a soft pillow under her head. Then she took Constance’s hand once again.

“I’m trying not to hurt you,” the doctor explained, “but there must have been some rocks under you. A few of these bruises look like they go pretty deep. You’re going to be sore for a while.”

He straightened up, and Mrs. Harding helped Constance rearrange the gown.

“I don’t think you have any broken bones.” Dr. Harding stroked the white goatee on his chin. “Since you were unconscious for a bit, I want to keep you under observation for a while.”

Constance tried to sit up. “But I have a job.” Mrs. Harding gently pushed her back down on the bed. “I bake for Mrs. Barker.”

The doctor stared at her for a minute. “Someone will let her know where you are.”