Rocky Mountain Oasis (40 page)

“Sky,” Rachel broke in, giving him a pointed look.

He glanced back at Brooke, still uncomprehending, and then sudden understanding lit his face. “Oh! Well, come on, I’ll take you.”

Brooke, mortified to feel him lift her up into his arms, tried to get down, pushing against his shoulder.

“Brooke, hold still,” he commanded with a painful grimace.

“Sky, do you think you should be—” Rachel started in an anxious tone.

“I’m fine, Ma,” he said, cutting her off.

Brooke glanced back and forth between them and finally gave up her struggle. Every move she made only caused Sky to hold her tighter and sent shooting pains along her temple. And even in her pain-filled state, she enjoyed the feel of his arms about her. She laid her head on his shoulder and allowed him to carry her to the outhouse. He deposited her right at the door and stood waiting for her just outside. He insisted on carrying her back to the house.

When he again set her on her feet by the bed, unmindful of the fact that Rachel sat knitting just across the room, she laid one hand gently on his stubbly unshaven cheek, letting her thumb trail over his face. “Thank you.” A tender light leapt into his dark eyes at her words. “We have a lot to talk about.”

He nodded, raising one finger to gently tap her nose. “Later.”

“Sky, I—”

He laid a finger over her lips. “Later. Now, I want you to rest.” Brooke sighed and glanced over at Rachel. “Is he always this pushy?”

Rachel chuckled, relief washing over her. Brooke would be all right. She had worried, not knowing how deep the infection from the wound on her forehead had gone. But seeing her able to joke eased her mind. With a little care and time, Brooke would get better.

Brooke fell asleep almost the instant her head hit the pillow and Rachel gestured for Sky to sit down. She helped him remove his shirt, and saw, just as she had expected, that his bandage was soaked with bright fresh blood.

She gave him a disparaging frown. “You can’t be carrying her everywhere, or this will never heal.”

He grinned unrepentantly. “It was worth it.” His eyes traveled involuntarily to where his wife slept, the smile still in place, and Rachel couldn’t bring herself to chastise him further.

Three days later, Brooke was sitting up in bed, sipping a cup of coffee, when Sky entered the house.

The swelling had gone down in her face, and the bandage she wore no longer extended all the way around her head but just covered the cut. She felt much better and planned to be out of bed by tomorrow and back to her normal routine.

She had finally managed to get Sky to tell her what had happened up on the hill after she had passed out. He had told her Hunter had taken a shot at him, he had fired back, and Percival, in jerking away from his shot, had stepped into the line of fire from Trace’s gun.

As Sky entered, she glanced up, wondering if he had learned anything more about the hanging of the five Chinamen. “Any news?”

He shook his head. “Nothing new. The guards still insist that they were surrounded by a group of masked, armed men, but the evidence doesn’t point to that. We’ve scouted around but can’t find any clues as to what happened.”

“Did you tell them I saw Percival Hunter right by the bodies?”

He shrugged. “Yeah, but there’s no evidence he was the one who did it. He could have just been in the area. We’ll keep looking for a while, but the longer it takes to find out what exactly happened, the less likely it is that we will.” He changed the subject then. “I have a visitor outside. Are you up to seeing someone?”

“Oh yes. Give me a minute to get properly dressed and then you can show them in.”

“No.”

She blinked at him in surprise. “What?”

“I want you to stay in bed. You’re finally on the mend, and I don’t want anything to happen that might change that.”

“Sky!” She sighed in exasperation. In the last three days he had not let her out of bed, except to use the necessary. He insisted on walking with her every time she needed to go outside and even made her take her meals in the bed while the rest of the family ate around the table. He fussed over her like a mother hen, making sure she was warm enough, had enough of this and not too much of that, until he was driving her crazy.

“Come here.” She patted the edge of the bed, and he came and sat down.

Placing his hands on either side of her and leaning in, he eyed her questioningly. “I am feeling much better, Sky. By tomorrow I plan on being out of bed and doing the things I normally do. And,” she held up a hand to stop his protests, “you are driving me crazy.” She punctuated this last statement with a sharp jab to his shoulder and did a double take when he jerked and sucked in a breath of pain. “Skyler Jordan! You’re hurt, aren’t you?”

Gingerly, he rubbed the spot she’d just jabbed. “Uh, yeah.”

“How? What happened?”

“I was shot after I found you at the cave.”

For the briefest of seconds, she couldn’t think of anything to say. Her mouth dropped open in shock.

He rose quickly and headed for the door. “I’ll give you a minute to get dressed and then bring Jenny in.”

“Sky!” she cried. She meant for him to stop.

He merely winked at her and kept going.

Seeing that he wasn’t going to discuss it with her right now, she conceded and let the matter drop. This confrontation would have to wait. Still, she couldn’t resist teasing him a little. “My, but you suddenly changed your mind about letting me up, didn’t you?”

He gave her an impish smile as he stepped outside.

“That man!” she muttered under her breath as she tossed back the covers and rose to dress.

A few minutes later Sky showed Jenny into the house, and Brooke’s heart went out to her friend. Jenny’s face appeared worn and haggard, and her usual smile was not in place.

“Jenny.” Brooke held out her arms for an embrace. “I’m so sorry about Lee.”

Jenny nodded against her hair, her plump arms pulling Brooke into a gentle embrace. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” Brooke said with a pointed look at Sky, who hovered just behind her as though he thought she might fall over at any moment. “Can I get you some coffee?”

Jenny nodded. But as Brooke turned toward the stove, she found Sky already refilling her own cup and pouring a fresh cup for Jenny. She smiled to herself, having to admit that she really enjoyed his attention, even if it was making her crazy.

Turning back to the table she sat down across from Jenny. Sky eyed her critically when he set the cups on the table, as though assuring himself that she would really be all right. She set her mouth and raised her brows at him, cocking her head toward the door. He rubbed one hand across his jaw, looking her over one more time before he made his way out the door.

Jenny smiled sadly at her, taking in her features. “You look better. I see you first day. You not look so good then. I give Rachel herbs to put on cut. They help it heal.”

“Thank you, Jenny. I feel much better.” There was a short pause as Brooke reached across the table to take one of Jenny’s hands in her own, then asked, “What are you going to do now?”

Jenny rubbed her finger around the rim of her cup. “I go back to China. See my family.”

Brooke’s eyes misted. “I will miss you so much. We must be sure to write each other.”

“I like that.” Jenny smiled.

They talked for a long time about Jenny’s upcoming voyage, about all the events that had transpired in the last couple of weeks, about their friendship. They reminisced about how they had met that day at the berry patch. Brooke had begun to feel fatigued when Jenny finally rose, saying she must be going.

“Thank you so much for coming, Jenny. When do you leave for China?”

“I already packed. Jed Swanson, he buy store from me. I go tomorrow. Take stage to coast and sail from there.”

At the news her friend would be leaving so soon, Brooke’s heart sank. She couldn’t stop the tears as she hugged her friend for one last time. “I will pray for you often.”

“And I pray for you, too.”

25

Standing on the porch, Brooke waved to Jenny until she turned the corner and disappeared. She sighed. After Rachel left, she would have only male company again.

She was about to go in search of Sky when she saw a stranger approaching. Then she recognized him and blinked in surprise.

Jason rode into the yard. Only he didn’t look the same. He had unmistakably taken a bath. His clothes were clean. The red, stained shirt had been replaced with a fresh blue one, and his hair had been cut. With surprise, Brooke noted how handsome he was; she had never noticed before.

He grinned sheepishly at her astonished face. “Is Sky around?” Brooke snapped her gaping mouth shut. “Yes. I’ll go find him.”

Jason stepped his horse forward and held out one hand. “Don’t bother yourself. How are you feeling these days?”

She paused, surprised by the genuine caring she heard in his voice. “I’m just fine.”

Jason raised one eyebrow as though to question the truth of that statement but merely turned his horse toward the barn. “Glad you’re feeling better,” he called over his shoulder.

Brooke smiled softly, amazed by the change in the man.

Sky was in Geyser’s stall giving him a good currying. “Sky?” Jason called as he entered the barn.

“Yeah, Jason, I’m in here. How are things going in town?” He bent and lifted the horse’s back hoof to pare and clean it.

Jason’s saddle groaned as he dismounted and his spurs jangled with each step that brought him closer. “Not good, I’m afraid. It looks like they’re going to drop the investigation. There doesn’t seem to be any evidence to show exactly what happened. Some are saying, though, that maybe the Nez Perce are responsible; that they hung Chang to take revenge for the times he cheated their women.”

Sky snorted. “Didn’t the guards say the man who spoke to them talked in clear plain English? The Nez Perce can speak English, but I never met one who didn’t have an unquestionable accent when he talked. I’m not even convinced there was a
group
of vigilantes. The only tracks anywhere near those bodies were those of Percival Hunter.”

“Yeah I know. I scouted around. They’ve sent for the federal agent in charge of Chinese affairs in this area to come look into the situation, but he won’t be able to get here for a couple of months. By then you and I both know there won’t be any evidence left to find. Nobody wants to believe it was Percival. Everyone who ever met the fellow seems to have genuinely liked him.”

“Not me.”

Geyser shifted and allowed his weight to rest on Sky’s shoulder. Sky grunted and gave the horse an elbow.

Jason chuckled. “You didn’t like him because the first time you met him he made you jealous.”

Sky gave a quiet laugh. “Look who knows so much!” Done with the hoof, he dropped it and turned in Jason’s direction. He froze and blinked in shock at the transformation. “Jason?” He raised hope-filled eyes to his cousin’s face.

Jason shrugged and smiled. “I gave my life back to the Lord, Sky. I want to thank you for not giving up on me all these years.”

Sky stepped out of the stall and had his cousin wrapped in a bear hug before he had even finished speaking. He tried to think of something to say, but his throat closed tight with emotion so he contented himself with thanking his Heavenly Father for this new miracle.

Jason pulled back. “I’m going home, Sky.”

Sky nodded. Suddenly the thought of home grew very appealing. “Home sounds good. There won’t be anything keeping Brooke and me here with you gone.” Sky got a faraway look in his eye. “Who would have thought that I would meet and marry the most wonderful woman in the world? And all because of you?”

Jason looked askance. “Yeah...well...that reminds me of something else I wanted to talk to you about.” He pulled a small pouch from his pocket and handed it to Sky.

When Sky opened it, he looked up at Jason. “I can’t take this.”

“Sure you can. It’s the money you paid me for Brooke. I can’t keep it.”

“She was worth every penny.”

“Sure, don’t you think I know it? Go ahead and rub it in.” He tried to sound angry but at Sky’s quick look, he grinned. “I want you to have the money back. You have a family to look after now; you’re going to need it.”