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Jesse tried to sit up and reached for the cup with his left hand before Nate could take it. The handle slipped against his fingers. Tea spilled onto the saucer and splashed the back of his hand.

He jerked away. Pain shot through his ribs, and his stomach lurched.

Nate caught the cup. Carolina had the basin ready before Jesse could protest.

When the sickness passed, he fell back against the pillow, shaking. Carolina wiped his mouth. He endured it until she reached for his hand.

“Leave it.”

“You’ve burned yourself.”

“I said leave it.”

Nate put the cup down with a sharp click. “You can refuse help without speaking to my wife like that.”

Jesse kept his eye on the wall. Carolina set a folded cloth within his reach and took the tray.

“I’ll be outside,” she said.

He waited for the door to close.

“Couldn’t even hold a cup,” he muttered.

Nate sat beside him. “You held it yesterday with help.”

“Don’t remind me.”

“Jess, I’m not going to pretend this is easy, but don’t take it out on Carolina.”

Jesse rubbed his thumb across his palm. “I know.”

Nate let the matter rest.

After a while, Jesse asked, “Did I remember anything else last night?”

“Nothing beyond what Miss Whitcomb wrote down. Whit has a copy of the clues. He and Marshal Davis are working on them.”

“And Bass?”

“He knows enough to stay cautious.”

“Bass doesn’t know how.”

“He listened when you warned him.”

That surprised Jesse. He’d been drifting in and out of sleep when Eden took down the words. He remembered asking her to be careful with them, and he remembered the certainty in her voice when she agreed.

He remembered her standing by the bed without asking him to be grateful.

A knock sounded at the door.

Eden appeared with a small book tucked under one arm. Her hair was freshly braided, and she wore a clean dress beneath a plain apron.

“Good morning,” she said. “Carolina tells me you’ve been giving everyone trouble.”

“Only the people who deserve it.”

“She also said you managed a little more movement in your foot.”