Realization sank through her, pooling in a lump in her middle. No wonder Dragoon seemed frustrated. If they’d been following the wrong man, the real thief must be far, far away by now.
She swallowed down the knot in her throat. “Is it too late to circle back and find prints from whoever took Bessie?”
Riley glanced from Dragoon to Ol’ Henry as he shook his head. “If there was a trail left to follow, it would be nearly impossible to find now. We had enough trouble staying with this one.”
Weight pressed in her chest as she turned to Dragoon. “I’m so sorry.” Maybe not saying anything would be better, but it seemed she should acknowledge his loss.
He only nodded, his mouth a thin line and deep wrinkles fanning out from the corners of his eyes.
Quiet settled over them, with each person deep in their own thoughts.
But Faith never was one for silent contemplation. “So what now?”
Juniper straightened. “Now we take care of Riley’s arm.”
He sent her a glance, then released a long sigh. “I guess the horses could use a break.”
Juniper slid from her mare’s back as the others dismounted. She and Riley and Ol’ Henry needed to set out after White Horse soon, but she couldn’t let that mission endanger Riley’s health.
Riley worked to keep the pain from showing on his face as he began rolling up his sleeve for Juniper to clean the mark left by the bullet. It couldn’t be too bad, for he could still use the arm without trouble. The wound simply burned like he’d held the spot in a flame for a full minute.
She sat beside him, giving orders to her sisters while she waited. “Faith, could you refill our water bags from that creek down the slope? Lor, I know I’ll need a bandage and the salve. Might as well bring the whole pack.”
She hadn’t given Rosemary a task. He glanced over at the older sister, who was speaking with Ol’ Henry. She didn’t look his way at all. Their conversation seemed mostly small talk about the waterways in this area, not anything that should hold her fascination so well.
“Oh my.”
He’d finished rolling his sleeve up above the wound, and Juniper now leaned close, studying his arm. Concern turned her blue eyes almost gray. As nice as it was that she cared enough to worry over him, he wanted only to bring her smiles.
“It’s not bad. Just bled a little. Once we wipe that off, it might not even need a bandage.” Though they shoulddefinitely wrap it if they had clean cloth. Out here, a gash could fester quickly, enough to do a man in. With no doctors and very little medicine, more men had died from cuts than could be counted.
Juniper brushed her fingers across the clean part of his arm, sending warmth up the limb. Her touch burned even more than the wound, and he’d much rather focus on her face. But he needed to see what they were dealing with.
He lifted his arm to examine the mark the bullet had left behind. The blood smeared all over his skin could leave a man queasy, but once they cleaned that up, he knew only a gash would remain.
He would live, especially if Juniper Collins helped with the effort. He shifted his focus to her face. She was the prettiest thing he’d ever seen, even more so now than when he’d first met her. The corner of her lip was tucked between her teeth as she studied his arm with such tender concern.
His chest ached far more than the sting on his arm. He couldn’t lose her. What would she say if he asked her to stay? Would she think him worth the challenges of living in this country, so far from the comforts she’d always known? He’d said he would never trust his heart to someone who could break it when they left him, but he’d already advanced past that point with Juniper. When she eventually went East with her sisters, she would take his heart with her. So why not risk asking her? There was a chance—maybe only a tiny one, but still a possibility—that she might love him enough not to leave.
Miss Lorelei and Miss Faith returned, and the women fussed over his arm for a while—the three younger ones,anyway. Rosemary still lingered with Ol’ Henry and Dragoon. The one glance she’d sent his way had seemed to leach the color from her face. She must not handle the sight of blood well. Surprising, given that she faced every other obstacle head-on.
At last, Juniper finished, and he accepted the bit of smoked meat tucked in a cold biscuit Lorelei handed him.
“You need food to replenish the blood you’ve lost.” She seemed as capable a nurse as Juniper, maybe from tending the animals Juniper said she was always nursing back to health.
Ol’ Henry wandered over to him and nodded toward the bandage. “Think you’ll live?”
Riley gave him a solid nod. “Couldn’t ask for better nursing care.”
A sparkle lit the man’s eyes as his teeth flashed a grin. “I’ll say.” Then his smile eased. “We’re coming on dusk. Won’t get far tonight before it’s too dark to see their tracks. Think it’s best we make camp now, then set out first thing in the morning to catch up with White Horse.”
A new weight pressed on him as he eyed the sky. Their light would disappear within a half hour. How had it gotten so late? He’d been so caught up in thoughts of Juniper, he’d lost focus of this important thing she’d asked of him.
He turned to look at her and saw the worry on her face. All he could do now was try to ease her concerns. He closed his hand over hers. “We’ll leave at first light. They’re not trying to cover their tracks and they weren’t moving fast, so we should find them easily.”
She nodded, then seemed to gather herself. “I suppose we should make camp, then.”
As she stood and set to work, a new rush of warmth tightened his chest. This woman gave him something new to admire every hour. He would ask her to stay, and maybe, just maybe, she would say yes.
