His hands wrapped around her, drawing her close, clinging to her with the strength she’d been craving for days. New tears welled inside her. A rightness settled within, cloaking her flurry of emotions with peace that could only come from the Heavenly Father Himself.
Thank You, Lord. Maybe God had needed to take her and Naomi away from the ranch so He could work in Jericho’s heart. Or maybe He had another reason for bringing them here.
An image slipped in of Thomas the way she’d left him, just beginning to wake from the chloroform. Perhaps God brought her to help him. Likely, Thomas and Ishmael both wanted her to return posthaste.
She pulled back from Jericho and soaked in his handsome face. “Of course I forgive you. And I’m so thankful God brought me to you. And you to me.”
He kept his hands at her waist, and she hated to leave the warm security of their hold. He read her mind though, for he gave a little squeeze. “You have patients to care for, I know. We can talk more later. Show me what to do to help.”
The joy that surged through her as she took his hand and turned to her sister didn’t leave during the next hour. Not as she performed a full check on little Mary Ellen’s body. The child was so tiny, it seemed a wonder she could be fully formed. But her heart sounded strong, if a little fast. Her belly made enough sounds that it might be developed enough to process food.
The child seemed hungry as her coos turned to cries and she rooted in Dinah’s hand. “All right, sweet one. Let’s give you to your mama.” Mary Ellen’s mouth might be too small to nurse properly.
But when her cries grew louder, her mouth proved capable of expanding as much as needed, and finally sounds of relief murmured from the hungry babe.
Dinah sank back onto her heels and studied her sister and niece. Naomi met her gaze, exhaustion clear in every feature. Soon, they could move her to the wagon, and then they would all retreat to the shack where Thomas waited.
Lord willing, they could all rest. Recover. Then finally return to the ranch.
Her gaze lifted to Jericho where he stood with the animals, far enough away to give Naomi privacy. As though he could feel her attention, he turned to her, meeting her look across the distance.
His gaze felt like home. Like he understood all she’d been thinking. Like he would be there at her side. Helping. Protecting. Loving.
I love you too.
She would have the chance to tell him that soon. And hopefully every day after, for the rest of the lifetime God gave them together.
* * *
“You did everything you could.” Jericho willed Dinah to believe him as he cupped her face between his hands.
They’d just buried Thomas despite Dinah’s valiant fight to save him. The man seemed at peace near the end, but with the way she cared so deeply, she would feel the loss of this patient strongly.
She met Jericho’s gaze, sorrow turning her eyes glassy. “I know. Before we took off the leg, I told him the infection might have already reached his bloodstream. That the amputation might not save him. That a surgery that intense might be too much for his ill body.” But her eyes told him the fact that she’d warned him of the possible consequences didn’t matter. She would mourn this man’s death as deeply as if he’d been a longtime friend.
Jericho ran his hands down her arms and pulled her to him. He couldn’t make her care less about those she devoted herself to. And in truth, he didn’t want to. This was a part of what made Dinah so special. He could only walk this path with her. Be at her side for anything she needed—whether that be as a surgical assistant or as someone to hold her while she grieved.
Her shoulders didn’t shake with tears as she clung to him, but the way she held on, she needed this touch as much as he did.
She also needed sleep. In a comfortable bed, away from the side of a patient whose rasping breaths woke her every few minutes.
He rubbed one hand up her back and murmured into her hair. “Will you and Naomi and Mary Ellen come back to the ranch with us?”
She looked up at his face. “Yes.” But something in her voice hesitated. What did she need from him? He wasn’t good at reading a woman’s mind. Dinah often spoke plainly, so he didn’t have to guess with her. But this time, she seemed to be waiting for him to set her mind at ease.
Maybe she needed assurance of what he’d said before, after her sister’s babe had just been born. They’d been rushed, and she might not have understood everything he intended. “I meant what I said the other day. I was wrong about forcing others to stay away from the ranch. It’s going to be hard for me, and I’ll need you and my brothers to keep me in line, but I’m determined to seek God’s help with protecting us all. To not lock us down completely.”
A smile curved her mouth. “I’m glad. So thankful.” But still, her voice held a catch. A hesitation. What was he missing?
He squeezed her waist. “Your sister and the babe are welcome to stay as long as they want. Forever if that’s what the two of you decide. We can build a bunk house for my brothers, and she can have her own little cabin when she’s ready.”
Dinah’s brows rose, and something a little playful touched her eyes. “That’s nice of you. And where do you intend for me to sleep?”
Like a waterfall crashing over him, realization slammed in. He’d not made clear that his proposal from before still stood, a lantern in a snowstorm, begging her to come near and say yes.
Thishe could remedy.
He dropped to one knee, the way Mum always told the story of how Dat proposed. “Dinah Wallace. From the day I met you and tried to run you off the ranch, you’ve taken me by surprise. Swept in and saved me and my family. Not always in the way I wanted, but always how I needed. Your caring. Your passion. Your strength. They drew me in from the beginning. Though I’m a troublesome creature, will you marry me and make me the happiest of men?”
