Whirlwind Groom. Debra Cowan

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      Esther walked back into the room carrying a glass of water and an earthen pitcher.

      Catherine opened the bottle of carbolic acid and dribbled some of the liquid onto the cloth then gently cleaned the puncture wound and surrounding cuts.

      “What do you think, Catherine? Tell me what’s going on,” he demanded. “Is she gonna—”

      “Not if I can help it.” She cleansed the wound again.

      “Should I have brought her to you instead of here?” The thought that his decision might cost Josie her life had his chest pounding so hard it hurt.

      “No. The hotel was closer.”

      That had been his first instinct, but since Betsy, Davis Lee hadn’t trusted his instincts about much.

      Josie’s eyes fluttered open again and her pain-clouded gaze locked with his. “Where am I?” she croaked.

      “Your room at the hotel.” Relief deepened his voice. “Catherine’s here. She’s going to help you.”

      Josie licked her lips and Catherine held her head so she could drink from the glass of water Esther had brought. When she finished, Catherine eased her head back down and handed the glass to Davis Lee. “Esther, help me get her under the sheet. I want to wrap the blanket on top of it. That should keep her warm enough.”

      Catherine competently rolled Josie toward the wall and Esther struggled to pull the sheet from beneath her split skirt. Davis Lee made an impatient sound and scooped Josie up in his arms. When the sheet was turned down, he laid her back on the mattress.

      Esther unwrapped the blanket from around Josie then spread it on top of the sheet. Catherine tucked the covers close to Josie’s body, making a cocoon.

      Her fevered gaze locked on his. He didn’t see blame or fear there. He saw trust. Something hot and sharp grabbed him deep inside.

      He cleared his throat. “She’s gonna be okay, isn’t she?”

      “Without knowing how much venom is in her system, we have to wait and see,” Catherine said softly.

      She gave her patient another sip of water. “I’m going to make a poultice, Josie. And a tea.”

      Catherine was so composed. Even Josie seemed calm while his insides tangled like rusted barbed wire. He made a frustrated noise and splayed his hands on his hips. Her eyes were closed again. He wanted to do something, wanted her to be all right.

      Catherine glanced at him. “The incision you made is small. It’s good you didn’t use your big knife on her.”

      “She wouldn’t let me. She wanted me to use her scalpel.”

      “Her scalpel?”

      “She carries one with her for protection.”

      “All the time?” Catherine looked bemused.

      “Yeah.”

      “How strange,” she murmured.

      “Yeah.”

      “I think we’ve done all we can right now. Unfortunately, we’ll just have to wait for her symptoms to peak.”

      “How long will that take?”

      “Probably three or four days. Hard to know how much poison is in there, but from what you’ve told me about her being unconscious, I think she was bitten pretty good.”

      Discomfort flashed across Josie’s features and Davis Lee lowered his voice. “Will it be painful? Worse than now?”

      “For a bit,” Catherine murmured. “She’s clammy right now, but a fever will probably set in soon. Then the sweats. She’ll be weak and perhaps disoriented.”

      Needing to do something with his hands, Davis Lee jerked off his hat and crushed it, staring at her. “We were out shooting,” he said hoarsely.

      “Oh?” Catherine looked up at him, curiosity plain in her eyes. “Are you and she—?”

      “She wants to learn how to handle a gun. I said I’d teach her.” He shook his head. “I never thought something like this would happen. I go out there all the time. So does Cora. I’ve seen snakes there before, but they skedaddle at the first sign of humans.”

      “It’s not your fault, Davis Lee. You’re not thinking it is, are you?”

      He shrugged. “No, just wishing it hadn’t happened.”

      She lightly squeezed his arm. “You did fine. You kept her calm, got the venom out and got her back here.”

      “She was calmer than I was.”

      “You were smart to loosen her bodice.”

      “She did that. She did everything.”

      “You sucked out the venom,” Catherine said.

      Josie nodded weakly, her lashes lifting, her green gaze etched with pain.

      But had he done enough? Had he done it in time? His hands closed even more tightly on the brim of his hat. “What can I do? What do you need? Tell me and I’ll get it.”

      “I need some snakeroot.”

      He frowned. “Snake-what?”

      “Snakeroot. It’s the same as birthwort. I also need some downy plantain. They’re herbs. Dr. Butler will have them at Fort Greer. I need enough for four days. Tell him it’s for a poultice and a tea.”

      Davis Lee nodded, the air suddenly stifling. The walls pressed in on him. “Anything else?”

      “That’s all for now. I’ll stay with her tonight.”

      Davis Lee bit back his own offer to do the same. It wouldn’t do for him to be alone in here with her, but he hesitated to leave.

      “I need to keep an eye on her symptoms,” Catherine said quietly. “Her leg will swell further and I’m very concerned that she may have trouble breathing. I’ve made her as comfortable as possible.”

      “I’ll fetch what you need.”

      “Could you also stop by the house and tell my brother Andrew I’ll be here overnight? He can stay with one of his friends, either Creed or Miguel.”

      “Done.”

      Davis Lee gave Josie one last look before walking out. As reluctant as he was to leave, he was glad to be doing something besides staring at her waxen face. She was in good hands with Catherine, so why didn’t the pressure in his chest ease?

      Four hours later, Davis Lee had delivered the herbs to Catherine and seen Andrew settled with Miguel Santos, the nephew of the telegraph operator. He had also completed his nightly walk through town. It was a few minutes past eleven and all was quiet.

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