The door opened, and Nash returned. He put the bucket down nearby. “Any change?”
“No.” The word sounded like a wail.
“What can I do to help?”
“I believe I’m doing all I can.” It wasn’t enough. If only she had the fever tea from the trunk.
Nash stood. “I remember one old cowboy telling me that a man should always carry some form of alcohol with him. A way to clean a wound.”
“Like Hawk did.” Why did he talk about that now?
“Also to treat fevers.”
“Mother would never let alcohol pass her lips.” She shuddered even to think of it.
“Not like that. Add it to the water you are washing her with. It evaporates quicker.” He squatted beside Addie. “Do you want to try it?”
Could it help? “I have nothing to lose.”
Nash retrieved the bottle from the cupboard and poured a goodly amount into the basin. The fumes wafted over them.
“Mother will not be pleased to know she smells like a drunk.” Addie snorted a laugh. “She would be appalled. But if it helps…” She dipped the cloth and resumed sponging. Over and over, she dipped the cloth into the water.
Nash added cold water and more alcohol to the basin.
The night hours passed. Mother seemed less restless. Had her fever lowered? Addie couldn’t say for certain.
Nash continued to sit at Addie’s side. She welcomed his company. His talk kept her thoughts from venturingdown an unwelcome path.
“I don’t know how Ma found the ranch we went to.” He put more wood in the stove and then returned. “Gib Jarvis is a good man. He gave Ma a job running his house, and he taught me about ranching, about cows, and especially, about working hard to get what you had.”
“You’ve mentioned that a few times.”
“What?”
“About hard work.” There’d been more than that in his words. “Honest work.”
“It’s something I firmly believe in. There are no shortcuts to success.”
“I can’t argue with that. The Bible has much to say about the evil of greed and envy. Sometimes, the innocent are hurt by someone else’s greed. But never mind that. Tell me more about this Mr. Jarvis. He sounds like a wonderful man.”Please keep talking. Keep distracting me.
“He is. At first, I helped around the yard. He showed me how to care for the animals. How to recognize illness and injury. He gave me a horse and taught me to rope.”
Caught up in Nash’s affection, Addie let her hands grow idle.
“The next spring, he took me with him on a roundup. And he paid me just as he paid the other men.” The words grew thick. “He didn’t have to, but he did. I saved every penny.”
“And bought yourself land.”
“Yup.”
She resumed tending to Mother.
“He even paid Ma, which he didn’t have to, seeing as he provided us with a home.”
“It appears we both can be grateful for the new places God gave us.” He couldn’t begin to understand how much the Stones had influenced her life. She might have grown into a bitter woman without their gentle guidance.
Mother drew in a deep sigh.
