Joining Hearts- Chapter 3

I am looking for any helpful suggestions to make my book better. I do have some changes in the works on this chapter (such as slowing things down) so I welcome any comments in the meantime. Thanks.

Chapter 3

         The rain that had started falling softly earlier was now coming down in buckets and did not look as if it were going to stop any time soon. Having lit a fire to stave off the imminent cold weather that would occur once the sun went down, Katie then turned to look out the window of the small four-room cabin that she had called home for the last several months. As she did so, she nervously clutched her blanket just a little bit tighter. Ever since her big brother John had brought them out West, she had a tendency to become afraid in the evenings when it got dark. Within the first month, she had been in town and heard vivid stories about savages in the area that terrified her to her core. Stories of scalping's, horse stealing and Indians forcing themselves on white women. She was not as afraid in the daytime because she at least had a fighting chance of being able to see them but when the sun went down, the darkness was not her friend.

          A shiver ran up her spine as the nightly fear began to set in. In addition to the rain pouring down and the darkness approaching, John was late coming home and Katie was becoming especially concerned. Today was the first time he was not home before sunset and this realization suddenly made her very worried. “Was he okay? Did he get lost because of the rain? What if he’s been attacked by Indians or a wild animal?” With her fear increasing by the second, she wondered how long should she wait before she took the long ride out to the Kincaid's and ask for help. She decided to give him one more hour to come home and after anxiously pacing the floor of the cabin the entire time, she again looked out the window. Upon seeing nothing but blackness, she decided to bundle up and make the trip. As she headed towards her room to get dressed in proper clothing, she heard the front door open with a force that made her stomach knot up in fear. She quickly ran into her bedroom to hide under her bed. “Please don’t let it be Savages,” she fearfully pleaded silently. A few moments later when she heard John call her name, she realized that she had been holding her breath. Allowing herself to exhale, she let out a heavy sigh and emerged from her hiding place to greet him. The moment she entered the living room, her fear instantly gave way to irritation as she noticed that he had tracked in mud and his clothes were dripping onto the floor. “John Logan! Look at what you have done to my floor and where have you been? I have been worried to-”

          “Quick Katie, grab your medical supplies.” He interrupted her. “A man has been shot and he needs your help.”

          Before she had time to blink, he was back out the door and the fear that had disappeared earlier was back. Running outside and into the rain, she began to object. “John, if this man has been shot, he needs a real doctor. I’m not trained for this level of medicine.”

          Ignoring her protests, he continued as if she hadn‘t said a word. “We are his only hope Katie and we have to help him. I found him sitting under a tree bordering our land making it our responsibility if he dies. Get out Father’s almanac if need be but we must do something quick.”

          Raising the lantern she had grabbed off the table, and using her hands to shield her eyes from the falling rain she saw a man slumped over on a beautiful black stallion. She could not see what this stranger looked like but in the dim light and in spite of the falling rain, as John strained to pick him up, she could see what appeared to be a dark red stain on the man’s pants. It seemed to be getting larger right before her eyes and she agreed that this man was in trouble. “Hurry, John. Bring him inside and put him on the rug in front of the fireplace.”

          John struggled under the man’s weight but managed to get him into the cabin.

          “Are you sure you don’t want me to put him on the couch? He might be more comfortable there.” he asked, now visibly wavering from his efforts.

          Her brother was not a weak man but looking past his sandy blonde hair and big brown eyes; she could see a muscle quivering in his jaw and knew that this man must truly be heavy.

          “I need him on the floor John.” she said quickly so that he could lighten his burden. “There is more room for me to work and he needs the heat of the fire to help warm him up. Put him down there and I will be right back.”

          She left the room, returning a few minutes later carrying her medicine bag. It didn’t have many supplies in it and she was praying that she would be sufficiently equipped to handle this precarious situation.

          “Okay.” John said, hunched over and trying to reclaim his breath. “Do you need me to get anything for you?”

          She felt the man’s forehead and noticed that he had a terrible fever. “I need a minute to examine his wound but could you run to the creek and get a pail of water. He is going to need a compress for his fever.” As John lit a lantern and left to run his errand, Katie looked at this man trying to figure out where to start.

          As she prepared to examine his wound, she couldn’t mistake the fact that this dark mysterious figure was devastatingly handsome. “I don’t have time for this right now.” She shook her head, silently reprimanded herself and focused her attention back to her patient. She suddenly spotted that he had two pistols on his belt as she pulled back the overcoat he was wearing. As handsome as this man was, the fact that he could be dangerous alternately thrilled and frightened her. As John come back into the room and put the pail of water beside her, she expressed her concern. “Look John. This man is carrying guns. Do you think he could be an outlaw?”

          “I don’t know Katie but it is possible since we don‘t know anything about him yet. I am going to take them and put them away for safekeeping just in case.” John replied as he confiscated the weapons. She watched him walk to the kitchen, put them up high on a shelf and turn to look at her very sternly. “If he wakes up, do not tell him where I put his guns. We need to play it safe until we figure out who he is.”

          “Okay John. I don’t think he will be wondering about them anytime soon but I won’t tell him a thing. I do need you see if you can dig up some extra blankets to warm him and get the whiskey I keep stashed away for emergencies. There are some blankets in my trunk at the end of my bed and the whiskey is on the top shelf in my closet. If this bullet is embedded, I’m going to need him to stay unconscious in order to remove it.”

          Katie did not like having whiskey or any other kinds of spirits in the house. Ever since John had told her the cause of her father’s death, she hated all alcoholic drinks and the establishments that sold them. At this moment however, she knew that neither she nor this stranger would make it through this ordeal if he weren’t appropriately knocked out.

          With John off looking for the items she requested, she applied the compress and then realized that she needed to remove the man’s pants. She quickly grabbed her sewing scissors from her nearby basket and as she cut them off, she found herself staring at his legs. Not only were they huge, they were long, brown and very muscular. “Stop it Katie. Get back to business.” She scolded herself. Looking at the injury up close now, she noticed that his bullet wound was on his upper thigh and very close to "there". A rush of pink stained her cheeks, as the area she would be working near became apparent. She had never seen a man so close up before. Most of the patients Dr. Franklin would let her examine back home were children and animals and always under his supervision. In addition, she had always imagined her first experience with that part of a man’s body would be on her wedding night.

          Walking into the room carrying the items his sister needed, John glanced at the man he brought into their home and where she was focusing her attention. “Katie Logan!” Cover that man up this instant! You were right; you shouldn’t be the one doing this. I’m going to take him into town and we can let a real doctor take care of him.”

          “No John, you were right. He doesn’t have much time. He might be a stranger and may even be dangerous but he is burning up with fever and has already lost a lot of blood. I have to do what I can and if necessary, we can fetch the doctor later. Now in the midst of the excitement, I forgot to get out Father’s almanac. I need you to go fetch it because this is not going to be easy and I am going to need whatever help it can offer.”

         Her father’s medical almanac had been one of those items she had chosen to keep when all of their belongings had been sold. In addition to the sentimental value of it having belonged to her father, her medical experience was limited, and she desperately hoped that the book would provide the answers for what she needed to do.

********

          A couple of hours later, Katie sat on the floor observing her patient, watching him sleep. Her patient wasn’t out of the woods yet but his fever was down somewhat, the bullet was out and his leg patched up. She was glad John had been there to help. Even though the bullet had not been very deep, the procedure had been difficult to do and had not been pretty. There were moments when she had to force herself through to the finish but John had stayed with her to boost her spirits. Now that things seemed stable, she was taking a breather before starting their very late supper.

          Confident with the fact that the man would be asleep for a while and she would be safe for the time being, John had gone outside to stable the horses and bring in the man’s personal effects. They didn’t want to pry but maybe they could get some clues as to who this stranger was before he woke up.

          In the meantime, Katie sat on the couch wearily looking at her patient. This man oozed masculinity and she was drawn to him in ways she never thought possible. His beautiful, thick black hair made her want to run her fingers through it so much that she had to restrain herself. His face was bronzed, most likely from the wind and sun and his mouth ... oh, his mouth. Those firm, sensual lips were perfect for kissing. “What on earth is happening to me?” She questioned, trying to figure out why she was reacting so strongly to him. Glancing at the clock to look at the time, she realized she needed to check his wound. Removing the heavy blankets she had put on top of him earlier when he had started shaking, she noticed he had very little bleeding.

          Smiling and pleased that she appeared to have done a good job and that everything seemed to be progressing nicely, she stood up and walked a few steps toward the fireplace to stoke the weakening fire. Standing there, she tried to figure out why this stranger that had her heart beating out of control and her insides all mixed up. She had been around other men before, but none of them had ever affected her in this manner and the intensity of her attraction concerned her. She knew that he was probably a drifter, never staying in one place very long, mostly likely very dangerous, and worst of all, he would probably find her unattractive.

          “I have mousy brown hair, my eyes are too big and my breasts ... well, he probably wouldn’t even notice those anyway.” She said as she gave a choked, desperate laugh trying to control unwanted tears. Her spirits sank even lower as she looked down at the ruggedly handsome man occupying the bulk of her living room floor. “Give it up Katie, that man is too attractive to ever be interested in you. He is probably the sort to go for women with blond silken hair that goes for miles and breasts that could fill several hands.”

          Noticing that a lock of unruly hair had fallen forward on his head, she walked over to where he was lying, and knelt down beside him to tuck it behind his ear. Watching the shadows of the fire dance across the body of the beautiful man lying in front of her, she was tempted to lean down and kiss him. “He would never know.” She told herself. “He is still asleep and probably will be for several more hours.” The thought of kissing him, just once, sent her pulse racing. “Just a peck, what would it hurt? I may never have a man willingly kiss me anyway so this may be my only chance.”

          Convincing herself that she wanted to do this, she willed herself to draw a deep breath and forbade herself to tremble. Then, before she could change her mind, she leaned down very slowly and very carefully and as she closed her eyes...the front door opened and John walked in.

          Disappointed, but quickly composing herself, she looked up to see him carrying a small pouch and trying to load his shotgun. Upset at seeing the gun, but grateful that she wasn’t caught, she started to chastise her brother.

          “Is that gun necessary? He is still unconscious and you have taken all his weapons away from him.

          “Katie- honey. You really need to get used to the fact that we are not in Boston anymore and not all people are as trustworthy as you would like them to be. We know he was carrying weapons so this shotgun might just end up protecting us tonight. In addition I didn’t find anything in his bag that could tell us who he is.” Tossing the pouch onto the floor beside her, he continued. “All I found was a wanted poster of some guys by the names of "Luke and Willie Jessup", and a small bag of letters addressed to someone named "Lucy". Until I find out who this man is, I am going to keep us safe.” John said assuredly.

          “Well, I expect you to put it away if it turns out he is not a threat and just a wounded man in need of our help.

          “No promises, Katie.” He replied as he propped the gun up in the nearest corner and went off to put on some dry clothes.

          Not wanting to let the subject drop, she brought it up again during supper. “John, you are always so overprotective.” She said, admonishing him. “I am nineteen now and can handle myself. Even if he we find out is dangerous, I’m not worried because I know you will keep me safe.”

          “I just don’t know what I would do if anything ever happened to you Katie.” He said looking across the table at her tenderly. “You know how much I love you and it is my job to watch over and protect you now.”

          The rest of the meal was finished in silence as Katie pondered her brother’s words. He was the only family she had and she did know how much he loved her but every once in a while she wished he would stop looking at her as his baby sister and treat her as more of an equal.

          John stood up interrupting her thoughts. “I am going to go check on the animals before I retire for the night. Remember, if he moves just one bit-”

          “I know, I will scream.” Katie said reiterating a promise she made to him during the meal as she closed the door behind him. Content to be rid of her brother, she turned around and saw the stranger trying to sit up. Immediately tossing aside all fears and warnings, she quickly ran to him to try to get him to lie back down.

          “Listen Mister, you need to relax.” She said as calmly as she could. If he was dangerous, she certainly did not want to rile him. “You have been seriously injured and you need to try and rest.”

          “I’m perfectly fine.” He said sharply, waving his arms wildly to keep her out of reach. “Where the hell am I and who the... Ahem, pardon my language Ma’am.” The stranger said, softening his tone as he looked up at Katie. His blurry vision distorted her features but he could see that she was beautiful. Not the kind of beautiful that you could find in the saloons but the kind that he would have been proud to take home to meet his mama. Grief and despair tore at his heart over the memory of his mama but it dissipated the moment he turned his gaze back to this young woman in front of him.

          “That would be Miss, Sir.” She went on. “My name is Katie Logan and you are in my home. Before you get any ideas, however, my big brother John lives here with me and he does have his gun on him.”

          “I understand.” He suddenly grimaced in pain and his jet-black eyes widened with concern. “Am I gonna die?”

          “No Sir, but you have been seriously injured.. You had a high fever and a bullet lodged in your upper thigh that had to be removed. It was difficult but I managed to get your fever down and remove the bullet.” Her cheeks burned in remembrance of being so near his maleness and she was glad of the darkness in the room that hid her unwelcome blush. “You should be just fine once you rest for a few days.”

          “A few days! I don’t have a few days, Damn it. He will get away, let me up.”

          Katie looked toward the door in fear wondering if this was the moment she should call for John. The man was now trying to stand up and at the exact moment she opened her mouth to scream, his pain got the better of him and he collapsed to the floor.

          Scrambling away from him, she realized that maybe John was right about this man after all and she felt bad for dismissing his advice so quickly.

          The stranger looked over at her and seeing her trembling slightly, spoke up very apologetic. “I’m sorry if I scared you. It’s just that I don’t have time to be set back by an injury and I guess I got a little upset.”

          Listening to what appeared to be a sincere tone; she was now second guessing her brother and trying to figure out where to place her trust. Since they had possession of this man’s guns, she figured, “Why not give him a chance and listen to what he has to say?”

          Moving closer to him, she decided to try to get some information. “Why are you so bent on leaving and who is getting away?” She boldly asked.

          He brows furrowed suddenly making her wonder if she had been a little too forward but after a few tense moments of silence he answered her question. “I was chasing the men responsible for killing my mother. I managed to get one of them but after shooting me, the other one fled and disappeared into the trees.”

          “I am so sorry about your mother. I too know the pain of losing a loved one. My mother died when I was a baby and I lost my father recently.” Katie said as a lone tear silently rolled down her cheek.

          “I’m sorry for your loss.” He said, reaching out laying his hand on top of hers.

          Hastily she drew her hand away feeling the electricity of his touch and her heart fluttered wildly in her breast. “Thank you.” She stammered trying to hide the effect he was having on her and hoping he wouldn’t notice. She then tried to change the subject. “We haven’t been fully introduced. You know my name but you haven’t told me yours.”

          “I’m sorry, the name’s Hank, Ma'am. Hank McCord and before I forget, I suppose I should thank you for fixin’ me up.” He said in a low voice with a smile that sent her pulse racing.

          “That is not necessary.” She replied, nearly tongue-tied now. “I was just doing what anyone would do in the situation.

          “But you saved my life. I shall have to come up with a way of thanking you when the time is right.” He said in a low husky voice, his eyes analyzing her reaction.

          Not sure how to appropriately respond to his bold statement, she hastily stood up. “If you will excuse me ... you should be resting. I will check back on you in a little while.”

          Not quite sure what was happening to him, Hank’s eyes followed her as she left the room and walked into the kitchen. Over the years, he found himself spending time with women to satisfy his needs as a man and all he ever cared about was who he was going to be with and how much it was going to cost him. He didn’t have time to be a one woman man because he was never in one place long enough. In addition, his past had proven to him that he had to keep his heritage a secret. He was caught between two worlds, neither one wanting to accept him for who he was. Katie seemed to be different somehow. No woman had ever instantly affected him like she did and he intended to find out why. Secretly watching her move about in the kitchen continued to provoke his curiosity. “Apparently my curiosity is not the only thing aroused.” He thought as he covered himself back up with his blanket to hide his inconvenient reaction to her.

          Though achy and exhausted from his ordeal, he continued to watch her as he wanted to memorize her features before he fell back off to sleep.

          Her hair was the color of a chestnut mare he once had as a child. It was piled on top of her head at the moment but a few tendrils had broken free during their conversation and softened her face. He had been tempted to pull it loose and watch it tumble carelessly down her back but had restrained himself. She had beautiful ivory skin but her soft hands told him she was used to a better life than what she was currently living which made him wonder how she ended up living here. She had a warm smile that he had managed to see when she had feebly tried to hide her blush earlier. That same smile had sent an unexpected shock through his system and it was at that moment that he knew he wanted her. He had been testing her earlier when he had touched her. He had wanted to see how she reacted and was pleased with her responses. Though she reacted favorably, he had yet to know how involved he wanted to get.

         “You are supposed to be getting some rest Mr. McCord.” She scolded him, interrupting his thoughts as she returned to the room. “Would you be more comfortable on the couch?”

          “I’m not uncomfortable.” He lied, forcing his grimace into a yawn. “And it’s just Hank.

          “Okay... Hank. Come on, I will help you move. Put your arm around me.” She said lowering herself down to be able to help him relocate.

          Fighting the shooting pains that were running throughout his body, he managed to make it onto the couch. If he hadn’t been in so much pain, he might have enjoyed the experience of being so close to her but instead, it made him extremely tired. As much as he wanted to prolong the evening, he did everything he could just to keep his eyes open and as Katie was covering him up with a blanket, he fell off to sleep.