The babe.
She couldn’t let her child be hurt. She fought to stay conscious, terror gripping her heart. But she could do nothing to stop her world from going black.
CHAPTER 6
Enoch rode into the ranch yard as the sun dipped behind the mountains, casting long shadows across the valley. His muscles ached from a day spent tending cattle in the farthest pastures, and dust clung to his clothes and skin, gritty against the dried sweat.
The familiar scent of woodsmoke drifted from the cookstove chimney, curling into the evening air.
But something felt off.
His gelding nickered, and a horse in the barn answered. Did they have a visitor?
The thought stirred a quiet warning he couldn’t shake.
Before he could swing down from his saddle, the front door opened and James and Thomas emerged from the house. He couldn’t read their expressions, but something was up.
“You’re back.” James’s voice sounded tight. “You’ll never guess.”
“What’s wrong?” Enoch dismounted, his boots hitting the ground with a thud that echoed in his bones. He straightened, brushing a hand across his dust-streaked trousers.
Thomas glanced at James, hesitating, then met Enoch’s gaze. “William’s bride arrived today. Two Stones and his new wifebrought her. But the woman’s injured—took a fall on her way here.”
The words hit Enoch like a punch to the gut.William’s bride.Had she not received the telegram then?
Dread rose in his throat, bitter and thick, but he swallowed it down. “Is she all right?”
“She’s resting now.” James shifted his weight. “Mrs. Wang is with her. But she’s confused—doesn’t remember much about why she’s here.”
Enoch frowned. That didn’t bode well. Was she usually of a fragile mind? “Take me to her.”
He tied his horse at the porch, then followed his brothers up the stairs and in the door. The scent of something savory wrapped around him like a blanket, though it did nothing to ease the tension coiling in his gut. Beneath the welcome smells lingered something else, a heaviness that made his pulse quicken.
His brothers started down the hallway, and a new uneasiness crept through him. The only bed chambers that direction were his room and William’s. Had they placed her in…?
Sure enough, James and Thomas stopped in front of their eldest brother’s room, moving to one side of the doorway so he could enter.
He halted in the opening. Mrs. Wang sat in a chair beside the bed holding a damp cloth.
The figure in the bed…blankets covered all but her pale cheek and dark hair. Her face turned away from him, so he couldn’t make out many features. But just the bit he could see looked far too dainty to survive in the wilderness.
Mrs. Wang rose and came to meet him. “She’s been drifting in and out of sleep.” She kept her voice hushed. “The poor dear is exhausted and confused.”
Enoch’s jaw tightened. He didn’t want to think of this stranger as apoor dear.Not when her presence might upend his world.
He stepped closer to the bed where he could study the woman’s face. High cheekbones, a delicate nose, lips that looked soft, even in sleep. She was lovely, he had to admit. But beauty alone wouldn’t be enough out here.
He turned back to take in Mrs. Wang and his brothers, keeping his voice low. “Have you told her about William?”
James shook his head. “She didn’t seem to know what she was doing here. When we mentioned his name, she acted like she’d never heard it.”
Mrs. Wang touched his arm. “She needs rest now. There will be time to sort everything later.”
He nodded. He could view this as a reprieve. He had all night to stew on what to do with her.
He raised his brows at Mrs. Wang. “James said Two Stones brought her?” He’d met the man several times in town. Sold him a donkey once. The kind of fellow you could tell was trustworthy after just a short conversation.
Mrs. Wang slipped her hand around his waist, guiding him toward the door. “I showed him and his new bride to the extra chamber upstairs. They’ll be down to eat in a quarter hour, so you’d best be cleaned up and ready. Robert is tending the meat pies for me.”
