“But you said ...” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “You said you’d kill him.”
“I was angry,” he said with a shrug. “I’ve tried so hard with that young man, and nothing seems to work. I wanted to put the fear of God into him. It was all I could figure to threaten with. He doesn’t care if he loses his job. He doesn’t care if his mother suffers. I figured maybe his life would matter to him.”
Laura felt her fears ease. “I’ve never seen you like that before.”
“Of course not,” her father said, smiling in a reassuring way. “You’ve never given me any cause to act in such a manner, and you never will. I’m sorry you had to witness that. Sorry, too, that I lost my temper. Sometimes...” He shook his head, and his expression changed to one of sadness. “I just see such potential in that boy. He’s had a hard life, but he must put aside his childish ways and be a man now. His mother needs him.”
Her father’s compassion overwhelmed her, and Laura couldn’t help but go to his side. She leaned down and hugged him, no longer afraid of the angry stranger she’d seen earlier.
“You are an amazing man, Father.” Just then, she remembered the reason she’d come in the first place. She straightened. “I need you. Something has happened.”
“What is it?” He looked at her with grave concern.
“A friend from church, Will Porter, is hurt and at the hospital. He walked right out in front of me, and the horse knocked him down and stomped on him. I tried to warn him and reined back on the lines, but it was too late.”
Her father got to his feet. “You say he’s in the hospital?”
She nodded. “People saw the accident and said it wasn’t my fault, but I still want to help him however we can. He just learned that his mother and sister were killed on the stage from Denver.”
He took hold of her shoulders. “They were killed?”
Laura nodded again. “Edward Vogel—he’s a deputy who also attends church with me—he said the stage was attacked by Indians. Everyone was killed, including Will’s mother and sister. He was in shock. He was so very close to his family, and now they’re gone.”
“They were killed!” His raised voice caused her to fall back a couple of steps.
“Yes, everyone on the stage. Will had just heard, and so he wasn’t clearheaded as he walked out onto the street.”
The scowl on her father’s face did nothing to offer her comfort. But Laura knew that he was probably as upset as the rest of the town to know that Indians had attacked so close to Cheyenne.
“I want to do whatever we can to help him, Father. Will is a good man. A preacher. He has been waiting for the government to assign him work on one of the reservations. He wants to minister to the Shoshone.”
“I would imagine that will change now.” Her father’s voice was calmer.
Laura hadn’t really thought about it. “I don’t know, but I know he’s badly hurt. The doctor was going to operate. I was hoping you’d come with me to wait for word.”
Her father went to where his coat was hanging. “Of course I’ll come. We’ll do whatever it takes to help this young man. He probably doesn’t have much money. I’ll see to it that he has the best doctors and care money can buy.”
Laura hugged her father as he pulled on his wool coat. “Thank you, Father. I was hoping you might say as much. I feel terrible for my part in this, even if it wasn’t truly my fault.”
Her father patted her back. “There, there. You wouldn’t harm a fly. I’m sorry this happened to you, but we’ll make it right.”
They returned to the hospital after Father explained to one of the clerks what was happening. No one had any news on Will’s condition, except to say he was still in surgery. Laura wasn’t surprised to find Melody and Marybeth sitting in the waiting area. They rose and embraced her the moment Laura stepped into the room.
“Are you all right?” Melody asked Laura.
“I’m fine. Nothing happened to me at all. Except perhaps the shock of it all. Poor Will. He’s had to endure so much today.”
Melody frowned. “Marybeth told me about the death of his sister and mother. It must have been awful for him.”
“He wasn’t even able to see where he was going. It was as if he was in a fog of sorts,” Laura replied. “I went and got Father, knowing he’d figure out what was to be done. He said we’ll see to it that Will has the best of care. Father is such a good man.”
“He is,” Melody agreed. “He’s helped a great many people in Cheyenne.”
Just then, the doctor came to speak with them. He looked quite worried, and Laura felt her stomach tighten. Was Will going to die? Had he died already?
“He had internal bleeding, but we managed to stop it. His left foot and lower leg are broken, as well as some of his ribs. Oh, and he has a cracked skull and concussion.”
“Oh, poor Will.” Laura couldn’t imagine how long the recovery period would be.
