Their Border Lands Refuge [Men of the Border Lands 9] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (15 page)

The other man nodded. “They’re bringing Owen up next. I wanted him to stay where he was a little longer before we jostled him getting him up the stairs. If I didn’t know that he’d fight to see Skyler, I’d make him stay down there.

“Thanks for all of your help. You don’t even know us.”

“You’re part of the community. We all help each other as much as we can. With this”—he spread his hands out—“it looks like we may have to start living in groups to be safe.”

“I’m not sure what the answer is, but I’m afraid you’re probably right.”

He shook Simon’s hand then hurried back down to where the others were. He felt a little guilty in not checking on the other women, but his first priority was to Skyler and Owen. They needed him now. Micah was handling the others. A noise behind him had him hurrying back to the bed.

“Skyler? Can you hear me?”

Her eyelids fluttered open for a split second, but she didn’t keep them open. She sighed and was still once more. He took it to be a good sign that she’d moved and opened her eyes. He gently stroked her cheek before bending down and kissing her lightly on the lips. He sat down once again to wait for her to awaken.

A noise jerked him awake at some point and he stood up after checking to be sure that Skyler was okay. Several men walked in carrying Owen between them.

“I have the sheets turned back.” He hurried over to help settle him in bed after the others moved out of the way.

“He’s stable. There’s been no more bleeding from the wound in his shoulder that I’ve been worried about. The one in his thigh is still seeping some, but not enough to worry about.” Brice checked the bandages again then backed away from the bed so that Owen could finish covering him with the sheets and blankets.

“What do I need to do for them?”

“Keep their bandages dry. Don’t change them until tomorrow unless they become soaked with blood. Make sure they stay warm and try to get water into them every chance you get. All we can do right now is pray that they don’t get an infection. I expect there to be a low-grade fever as they start to heal but nothing very high. Keep an eye on Luke as well. The others will take turns to come and see about him since you have your hands full.”

“Thank you for all of your help.” Simon shook the man’s hand.

“I’ll check back with you tomorrow afternoon to see if you need anything. Get some rest yourself. If you get sick, they’re dead.”

Simon nodded and followed the man downstairs. He needed to lock up and gather the guns to keep by the bed. He met Jeremy on the stairs.

“We have the door repaired so you can lock it behind us.”

“Thanks. I appreciate everything you and Micah have done.”

He followed the other man back downstairs and noted that everything appeared to have been cleaned up. Rachael walked out of the kitchen with Micah at her side. She smiled at him.

“How is she doing?”

“She’s asleep, but she opened her eyes for a few minutes. She’s going to be fine.”

“Brice said he’ll be back to check on you tomorrow. One of us will check on your herd for you for a while. You’re going to need to spend all of your time taking care of them.”

“Thank you. You don’t know how much I appreciate all of your help.”

Micah just shook his head and led Rachael toward the door. He locked up behind them before checking that all of the doors and windows were secure. Then he gathered up the weapons and carried them upstairs and left them by the bed before hurrying back downstairs to fix some coffee and a sandwich. He would need his strength to watch over them.

He carried a pitcher of water and a glass along with his coffee back upstairs. Then he settled down in the chair to begin his vigil. He hoped the coffee would help him remain alert. He needed to watch over them for these first few hours. He was sure they were the most crucial. Then he would rest some before Brice returned the next day.

Several times Owen moaned and moved around on the bed. He carefully held him still so he wouldn’t stir up the bleeding again. He didn’t feel particularly hot, so he didn’t think he had a fever yet. More than likely he was dreaming about the attack. He and Luke had all but given their lives to keep the women safe. He needed to check on the other man.

Simon stood up and stretched, and then he walked into the other room and checked all of Luke’s bandages. There didn’t seem to be any bleeding, and his skin was warm but not hot. He dampened a cloth and wiped the man’s face and readjusted the covers over him. He was pale, but his breathing seemed normal. He shook his head. None of this should have happened. The world they were living in really was fucked up.

He turned away and returned to his bedroom to find Owen’s eyes open and gazing at Skyler. When he walked in, Owen looked up and gave him a weak smile.

“Is she okay?”

“She’s going to be fine. She opened her eyes earlier, but didn’t say anything. She needs rest. How are you feeling?”

“Like someone ran me through a blender.”

“Here, try to drink some water. You need to keep hydrated.” Simon helped him lift his head enough to take a few sips of the water.

“Thanks. What about Luke?” Concern furrowed his brow.

“He’s next door in the other bedroom. It was too dangerous to move him tonight. So far he’s holding his own.”

“What about the other women?”

“They are all okay. Some cuts and scratches, but nothing major.”

Owen sighed and closed his eyes again. He was quiet for so long that Simon thought he’d fallen back asleep. Then he opened his eyes once again.

“Did you get them all?”

“There were six of them and we got them all. They won’t be bothering anyone again.”

“But there will be more.”

Simon sighed. “Yeah, there’ll be more.”

“What are we going to do, Simon? I thought between the two of us we could keep her safe.”

“Don’t worry about it now. We’ll do whatever we have to. You need to heal. I need you, buddy. There’s going to be some changes.”

Owen just nodded his head and closed his eyes once again. This time his breathing evened out so Simon knew he had gone to sleep again.

He watched the two most important people in his life breathe in and out. He longed to curl around Skyler and hold her, but was afraid he would hurt her in his sleep. He had no choice but to wait in the chair for now. He needed to stay awake anyway so he could take care of them and Luke. He’d grab a nap later.

Thoughts of what they would do to keep Skyler safe drifted around in his mind. Owen had made a great sacrifice in sharing her with him to ensure her safety. He would do no less. If that meant living with another family in their home, then that is what they would do. Four men should be able to keep two women safe. Somehow they had to make it work. He knew the others were all thinking the same thing. Now all they had to do was work it out between them.

Later the next day, Simon stood up and stretched. His muscles were tight from having sat in the chair for so long. Owen had been awake off and on during the night and all morning. Skyler had moved around restlessly but hadn’t opened her eyes again. Luke was still holding his own, but he hadn’t woken up either.

He checked on Luke before heading downstairs to fix something to eat. He warmed up some coffee and sipped on it while he ate the sandwich. A knock at the door had him reaching for the rifle he kept with him at all times.

A quick check at the window let him know it was Brice. He unlocked the door and let the other man in.

“How are they all doing?”

“Luke hasn’t changed. Owen seems better. He wakes up off and on. Skyler has woken up yet, though. I’m worried about her. None of them appear to be running a fever yet.”

“That’s good. Why don’t you rest down here while I check on them? I’ll sit with them for an hour or so and you can relax.”

“Thanks, I think I’ll take a quick shower and then cook something. They’ll need something to eat when they wake up good.”

Simon followed Brice up the stairs and grabbed clean clothes before heading for the bathroom. He closed the door to the bathroom to keep in the heat and turned on the water. Once it had reached an acceptable temperature, he stepped in and quickly lathered up. He didn’t want to waste time when he needed to be cooking something that would be good for the others when they were able to eat.

So intent on rushing through his shower, Simon didn’t even notice the tears that had started to fall until he was drying off. Despite wiping his face, it kept getting wet again. He ran his fingers over his eyes and realized he was crying silent tears. He refused to let them win. He roughly scrubbed his face and then quickly shaved by the light of the lantern before dressing and returning to the bedroom to check on them.

Brice smiled at him and nodded that everything was okay. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to leave the room. The other man would take care of them while he cooked. It had to be done. Broth from a roast would be good for when they first woke up and then the roast itself would provide the protein they would need to heal when they were able to actually eat solid food again.

Nearly an hour past while he worked in the kitchen. As soon as he had things going, he built the fire back up in the fireplace and brought in more wood. Then he went back upstairs to relieve Brice.

“How are they doing?”

“Everyone is doing remarkably well. Even Luke. Owen was awake for a few minutes a while ago. I gave him more water. You can probably feed him some broth or soup when he wakes up again if it’s ready by then.”

“Good. I’ll do that. What about Skyler? Why isn’t she waking up?”

“I think she has a slight concussion from the bullet that grazed her temple. Plus, I’m thinking she is rebelling at the thought that those men won. Talk to her as much as you can and let her know that everything is fine. She’ll come around.”

He followed Brice back down stairs and saw him out so he could lock the door. When he’d been down in the kitchen earlier, he’d found eggs and milk on the back porch where one of the others had tended to his chores for him. It still overwhelmed him at how they had all banded together to help like they had. He knew there was no way any of them would have survived had it not been for all of their help.

When he returned to the bedroom, it was to find that Owen was awake again. He fussed about having to stay in bed.

“I feel well enough to sit up.”

“Brice said you need to remain flat on your back for another twenty-four hours. You don’t want those wounds to open back up, do you?”

“Fuck. This sucks.” He drew in a deep breath and slowly let it out. It was obvious that he was still weak, but he wouldn’t let on.

“I’ll get you something to eat in just a few more minutes. It needs to cook a bit longer. Try and rest until it’s ready.”

Simon had barely gotten the words out of his mouth before Owen was once again dozing. He smiled. The man was stubborn. That was for sure. He glanced down and smiled. Owen’s hand was wrapped around Skyler’s on top of the cover. He gently pulled the covers from beneath then and covered them up again. It wouldn’t do for them to catch cold.

After sitting there watching them for another thirty minutes, he got up and checked on Luke. The other man had moved around some in the bed. He checked the bandages and found them to all still be dry. Maybe he was getting better then.

When he returned to the others, it was to find Owen awake once again. His color looked a little better this time, too.

“Ready for something to eat?”

“Yeah. I could eat.”

“I’ll go get a bowl of broth. If you do okay with that, I’ll let you have some roast with it next time.” Simon hurried downstairs and dipped a small bowl of broth from the warming roast.

He turned off the stove and left it to deal with later. He would eat something when he brought Owen’s bowl back down.

“That smells good.” Owen drew in a deep breath as Simon walked around the bed with the bowl.

“Let’s get you up a little bit. Hold on.” Simon helped him recline back against the headboard with a pillow behind him.

Owen managed to eat all of the broth, though he did spill some on his chest. Simon cleaned him up and followed up with some water. His friend managed to drink half the glass this time. Once he had him lying back in bed again, he took the bowl back downstairs and took care of the food. He ate a quick bite, eager to return to Skyler’s bedside again.

When he walked back into the room, Owen smiled at him.

“She moaned and moved around some. I think that’s a good sign.”

“Did she open her eyes?”

He quickly checked her bandages to be sure she hadn’t started bleeding again.

“No. But she will soon. You watch.”

Simon nodded and sat back down. He wanted to see her pretty eyes blinking back at him once again. He missed her.

* * * *

Skyler felt as if her side was on fire. Her head pounded and her ears were ringing. She tried to open her eyes, but they wouldn’t budge. What was wrong with her? Did she have appendicitis?

She moaned and tried to move, but she didn’t seem to have much energy. She lifted her hand and brought it to her face. There was a bandage on her head. Why was it there? She tried to think back, but the throbbing in her head only got worse when she tried to remember.

“Skyler? Can you hear me? Wake up, baby. We’re worried about you.” The voice sounded familiar, but she couldn’t place it.

Something was wrong. She sensed it. She slowly drifted off. When she woke up again, she could open her eyes. The room was dark and she couldn’t make out where she was. Nothing seemed right. She turned her head and recognized Owen sleeping next to her. She inhaled his scent and felt a little better.

When she turned her head to the other side, it was to see the outline of someone sitting in a chair next to the bed. Who was it? She couldn’t think. Something had happened. It was just out of reach. The banging in her head grew worse. She tried to relax to get it to lessen. Finally, she felt a bit better. She tried to sit up and found that her side was too painful. She pushed back the covers and looked down at her abdomen. On the side was a large bandage.