Once she realized he was gone, she’d known deep inside what he was doing.
His sapphires.
Why had he thought that was a good idea? Jedidiah surely hadn’t missed his exit.
Maybe he’d sent one of his men to follow Gil, for the evil man had stayed at the graveside. Just in case Gilhadescaped unnoticed, she’d stretched out the service as long as possible, asking for others who wanted to share. Finally, her father gave her a pointed look that said she’d best end things.
Now, peeking behind the bed curtains to confirm the empty beds she’d already checked once, a growing sense of dread twisted her insides.
She hiked her skirts and ran to the door, grabbing a lantern and matches on her way. The sound of heavy footsteps froze her just inside the threshold.
Father never walked with such a loud tread. Lord, let it be Gil.
The curtain jerked aside, and Jedidiah marched in, not waiting for an invitation.
Fear surged through her, laced with a fair amount of fury. How dare he enter her home without even knocking? Without asking permission?
But then another man followed—one of his guards—with a limp figure slung over his shoulder.
Her pulse stopped as everything inside her clutched tight. Gil.
No!
A strangled cry escaped her lips. Was he dead? He hung lifeless, draped over the thug’s shoulder.
The guard stopped beside Jedidiah in the middle of the room.
The small man’s cold eyes met hers, unflinching. "Where do you want him?"
Did that mean he was still alive?God, let him be alive.
"On the bed." She hurried to her sleeping area and pulled back the curtains. "Lay him here."
As the guard lowered Gil's limp form onto the mattress, she got a clear look at his face. Bruises and blood mottled his swollen features, and crimson matted his hair.
A sob catching in her throat, she dropped to her knees beside him.Gil.
She reached to brush the hair from his eyes but stopped herself. It looked like any touch would cause more pain.
Anger surged through her, shaking her insides as she put the pieces together. She whirled to face Jedidiah, hot tears stinging her eyes. "How could you do this?" Her voice came low but broke with emotion she couldn’t contain.
Jedidiah's brows rose. "Caught him stealing from your father. This is what happens to a man who can't be trusted."
Without another word, he turned on his heel and strode out, the guard following not meeting her eyes, though she’d known the man for years. He used to be kind, before. But Jedidiah ruined him like everything else.
Her entire body trembled, but she couldn’t let herself fall apart. She had to tend to Gil. If there was anything that could be done, she would do it.
She fell to her knees beside him, watching his chest rise and fall. The movement was faint but unmistakable.
At least one of them was breathing.
She forced air in through her nose, knowing she needed to keep her strength and her focus. Blowing it out, she rested two fingers at Gil’s neck where the large artery ran, avoiding a trail of blood that had run from a cut in front of his ear, already drying.His pulse felt as light as his breathing, but the beat ran fast. Was that good? If only she had more medical training.
She knew the little she’d learned from one medical book and the few times she’d been to visit a doctor.
What did Gil need first? The cuts tended to? She had no ice or snow for the bruising. Were there broken bones? She was out of laudanum, but she had willow bark powder she could brew in a tea. He’d need to wake up in order to drink it.
As soon as Father came in, she would send someone to town for medicine. Until then, best she know exactly what they were dealing with. A quick check of his clothing showed no overlarge blood stains. She pushed up and strode into the main room to gather a bucket of clean water and cloths.
