She turned to Jude, who'd been watching her work. "I'll need warm water to change the dressing and clean the wound."
Jude headed out, and Dinah took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. The sight of blood never bothered her, but so much had happened this day. This past hour, actually.
Standing against the wall, Gilead met her look with a grin. "You should see how Jericho put the young-uns to work for that prank they pulled."
Her middle tightened. It was far more than a prank. She and her sister had set their dreams on what they thought was clear direction from the Lord. She did want the children to see the error of their ways, but not to be treated cruelly. "I hope they're not being overworked."
Gilead waved away her concern. "A little sweat's good for the soul. That's what Dat used to say. Said it points a body to the straight 'n narrow."
At least some of these people were God-fearing. Whether they truly knew and trusted the Father was another question, but at least they spoke of Him in a somewhat-respectful way.
Voices sounded from the other room, and a moment later Jude returned with a basin of warm water, his older brother trailing behind him.
Jericho met her gaze as he entered, and it was probably the forcefulness of it that made her breath catch. He shifted his focus to his brother on the bed, releasing her from the hold of those eyes.
"Jonah, you awake?" His voice came out strong and commanding, a leader telling one of his men to rally.
"Mmm-hmm." Jonah managed a murmur, but the laudanum had already taken hold.
She offered, "I've given him something for the pain."
Jude placed the pan of water on the floor next to the bed, and she turned her focus to the leg. Removing the soiled bandages, she worked not to grimace at the mass of crimson and flesh. She cleaned the area around the wound, gently wiping away the crusted blood and debris. Heat radiated from the incision area, but that was to be expected with as much trauma as this limb had endured. His body had to work hard to heal itself.
Though she didn't look up, the intensity of Jericho's gaze never wavered from her, his focus making her itch. She wouldn't let him see her nerves though.
At last, she secured the clean bandage around the leg and pulled the blanket back over. "There now. We'll do that once more tonight, then see how things look in the morning."
Jonah didn't answer, and any color that might have returned to his face before had now fled once more.
She touched his arm. "I'll see what we can do about a liver broth and some warm mashed vegetables to restore your blood. Sleep until I have it ready."
After scooping up the soiled cloths and the pot of water, she headed toward the door. The men scooted over to allow her to pass, then filed behind her into the main room. She marched the pot to the front door, then tossed the dirty liquid out to the side of the stoop. There were no flowers to water, but maybe she could teach Lillian how to do that next spring. Dinah wouldn't still live here, of course, but hopefully she and Naomi could find a place close enough to visit the girl occasionally. Living among all these men, she needed female influences in her life.
Back in the cabin, she turned toward the corner of this wide open room where the cookstove sat. All three men still stood by the door to Jonah's room, watching her. She ignored their scrutiny and moved toward her new workspace.
"I need to prepare foods for Jonah's healing. I don't mind making enough for everyone if you have no plans for the evening meal." Jericho and Lillian had been cutting something at the work counter, but the girl was still working. Surely they wouldn’t mind Dinah cooking a large enough portion to feed the entire group.
"By all means," Gilead answered. "Cook as much as you want."
Dinah turned to the stacks of crates and burlap sacks piled in the corner, trying to locate the ingredients she needed. One of the bags held potatoes, and there was a whole crate full of smoked meat, but not a single vegetable.
She turned back to the men who stood rooted to the floor, watching her. "Is there a root cellar or garden where I can find greens?"
Jericho shook his head. "We've not planted a garden in years." He didn't look the least ashamed of that fact.
She glanced toward the front door. "What do you eat then? Surely you don't buy everything." Even if there was a town at the base of the mountain to make it convenient, such an arrangement would be expensive.
He shrugged. "I suppose we don't eat as many greens as we should, but we buy staples from Missoula Mills and hunt for meat. There's plenty of deer, elk, and bear stored in the barn if you don't find a cut you like there."
These men lived a shade above barbaric.
She sighed and turned back to the food stuffs. "I suppose I'll make a meat and potato stew. Is it too much to hope you have butter and cornmeal?"
"Cornmeal's in that barrel on the end. The larger tin on that shelf is full of bear fat. It cooks better than butter or pig lard."
She pulled the container he'd specified down and began measuring out ingredients for cornbread to go with the stew. She would have a lot to get used to in this wild land. Bear fat would likely be the least of her challenges.
CHAPTER5
