Consider the Lilies (Wyldhaven Book 4) Page 3

  Wash grimaced as he remembered stepping into the classroom to find Zoe strapped to a toppled chair, her arm broken and her face pale with the pain of it. He’d never been so scared before or since. Maybe that was the day he’d fallen—

  He frowned. Pushed thoughts of his feelings for Zoe aside. Forced his focus back to the situation at hand.

  For his part in the whole affair, Lenny had been arrested and sentenced to life in prison. So what was he doing here?

  “You want to imply that I don’t know what I’m doing again, Jim?” Lenny’s voice grated like the bedrock beneath his boots.

  “You don’t want to be thought of as incompetent? Then don’t be! I told you before we came here tonight that this was a bad location. But you didn’t listen. Now either shoot me, or get your gun out of my face.”

  A long silence stretched.

  Feet scuffled and one of the men loosed a string of nervous laughter.

  But he must have decided against shooting the man named Jim, because a moment later, Lenny snapped, “Shut up, Jango! Get him up. Don’t worry, Roddy, we’ll get you taken care of.”

  “I-I-I’m hun-hungry.” The simpleton was sounding more distressed by the minute. Wash felt his sympathies rise. How had someone like that ended up with a gang of outlaws?

  Wash tossed a glance at Zoe. She had her arms folded and her jaw thrust out to one side, but she seemed to be keeping herself in check.

  Lenny’s voice sounded weary when he spoke this time. “I know, Tommy. I know. Come on. We’ll go back to our cave and see if any of our snares caught us a rabbit, huh? How will that be?”

  “See if our snares caught us a rabbit. I-I-I like ra-rabbit.”

  “I know you do. Come on now. Don’t dawdle.”

  The footsteps faded into the brush on the opposite side of the road.

  Wash tipped his head against the embankment. He was torn. He should follow them. Figure out where their lair was so he could let Deputy Joe and the marshal know, but he had Zoe to think of. He needed to get her home. And what about Doc? He needed to let him know he could be in danger. But Zoe had said he was out at the camps, so he should be safe for now. He clenched his jaw. Maybe he could come back here in the morning and follow the men’s trail. If he could figure out where their hideout was and let Joe and Zane know, maybe they could have the whole lot of them rounded up by tomorrow night.

  Zoe rolled away from him and scrambled to her feet. “We should follow them.”

  Wash shook his head as he stood. “What about your pa’s medicine?”

  She hesitated only a moment. “Fine. Right. You should follow them. I can make it home from here on my own. Just be careful.” She took a step toward the road.

  Wash shot out a hand and gripped her arm. He looked down at her. A shaft of moonlight spilled through the branches of the maple to dance in the flames of her tresses that had come loose and tumbled about her shoulders. He swallowed, wishing his fingers had the freedom to do the same. He sealed his lips before he blurted something he might later regret. Zoe was nothing if not practical.

  She would tell him to take his foolish sentiments and stuff them.

  Realizing she was still looking at him, he shook his head and released her. “No. I’m taking you home. Deputy Joe, Marshal Zane, and I can try to follow their trail in the morning.”

  Zoe stabbed a finger in the direction of the outlaws. “Did you hear the name Lenny? You know who he is! He must have escaped from jail! We can’t let them get away!”

  “Zoe, this is too big for you and me. We have to let the law handle it. Besides, I’m not going to leave you. Your ma asked me to make sure you got home safe, and that’s what I intend to do.”

  “But Wash—”

  “Zoe, no. I mean it, it’s too dangerous. Let’s get you home.” He reached out to help her through the brush and back onto the game trail they’d been following. It paralleled the road for at least another mile. After that, it would likely be safe enough to use the road again.

  Still, she hesitated. But she pulled a vial from her skirt pocket. She studied it, turning it over a few times. “You’re right...” She thrust it back into her pocket, took his hand and clambered over a half-buried log and onto the trail, then stepped away to brush some bits of grass from her skirts. “My pa really does need to get this medicine. I have to go home, but if Lenny Smith gets away, I may never forgive myself.”

  “Their trail will still be there come morning. Let’s go.”

  Zane kept his left arm pinned to his side as tightly as he could while reining the wagon to a stop behind Jacinda’s house. So far, he’d been able to keep Jacinda from realizing he’d been shot. Which was good. She worried about everything too much. Maybe he could drop her off and then get Doc to sew him up with her none-the-wiser. It was dark enough that he might be able to get away with it even though he could feel blood soaking his shirt all the way down to his waist. He wished he could put his long duster back on, but he didn’t think he’d be able to move his arm through the sleeve. Judging from the center of the pain, the bullet had taken him through the fleshy part on top of his shoulder. Might have busted his collarbone, he couldn’t quite tell. What he could tell was that likely the bullet was still in there.

  He wrapped the reins around the brake handle and lowered himself gingerly from the seat, reaching up his good hand to help her.

  She took it and jumped down.

  He gritted his teeth against the pain. Willed away the lightheadedness.

  Jacinda started up her back steps. “I’m sure you’ll need to go tell Joe—”

  She froze and then spun back to face him. With her up two steps she was looking down on him now. “Did you just gasp? What happened?” Her focus dipped and her eyes widened. “Zane Holloway! What is that?!”

  Zane felt defeat wash over him. Had he made a sound? He hadn’t thought he had. But the truth was he might need her to go fetch Doc. “I think I was shot.”

  She took hold of the stair rail. “You think!” She assessed him again. “You’ve got blood everywhere!”

  He shook his head. “I know.” He gave a lame gesture toward his shoulder.

  Jac stamped one foot and turned for the door. “Zane Holloway, are you addlepated? We’ve been out of danger for a good twenty minutes. And you kept quiet this whole time? Get in here!”

  She was right. He needed to move. But right now, he was doing good just to keep to his feet.

  She glanced back, saw he wasn’t moving, and returned to his side. “Come on.” Her tone softened. “Can you make it up the stairs? I’ve got a chair just inside the door.”

  To keep her from worrying, he would make it. He offered her the best smile he could muster. “I’m not dying. Just hurt a little.”

  Her lips pinched together tightly and she slipped beneath his good arm. “Lean on me and I’ll help you.”

  He felt her trembling as they made their way up the stairs, and he couldn’t deny that he was thankful to collapse into the chair by her kitchen door. He wanted to ease her worry. He grinned up at her when she bent over him. “If I’d have known it would allow me to put my arm around you, I’d have gotten shot a long time ago.”

  “Hush up, Zane. You’re talking nonsense.” Her hands fluttered over him. “Just stay with me. I need to get some light.” She was back in only a moment with the lantern. “Now, where were you shot? Hmmm?”

  He’d gone and worried her even more than she already would have with the attack. And he was sorry about that. He tipped his head back against the wall and caught her hand as she bent to examine his shoulder. “Jac, I’m going to be fine.”

  “Not if you keep bleeding, you’re not.” She tugged her hand from his and when she set the lantern on the table, her face was so pale he wondered if she might faint.

  But she was already rolling up her sleeves. “Off with your shirt and let me take a look.”

  He couldn’t seem to find the energy to move. “Don’t you think you should just get Doc?”


  “Shirt.” She snapped her fingers at him. “I’m not walking away from you while you are still bleeding.” She kicked the door with her toe to send it shut while she yanked a handful of cotton scraps from a drawer and spun to face him.

  Zane still hadn’t moved. So like a man to wait so long before he asked for help. Her gaze drifted down, and she felt shock drop her jaw as, with the aid of the lantern light, the full amount of blood he’d lost—was losing—finally registered. Her stomach took a dive and her heart pounded so hard she could feel the knock of it inside her chest.

  His head was still tipped against the wall, and his eyes were a bit glassy. “You are mighty beautiful, you know that, Jac? Mighty beautiful. I’m sorry to have worried you.”

  Jacinda took herself in hand and didn’t allow herself to relish his compliments. Situations like this were the very reason she’d never allowed herself to love another man. Except, well, maybe she hadn’t done such a good job of guarding her heart when it came to this one.

  She strode purposefully toward him. One thing was certain. There was no time to wait for Doc. She had to get this bleeding stopped. And now.

  She swiftly undid several of the buttons and pushed the shirt off his shoulder. Part of the material stuck. She dampened the material until she could loosen it from the wound.

  “Ow, that hurts.”

  He was woozy from blood loss then, because the Zane she knew would never admit to pain of any sort.

  The wound was in his shoulder, and still oozing. She used one of the cloths to clean the area as much as she could so she could see the wound better. Thankfully, during Wade’s time in the law, she’d dealt with a fair share of bullet wounds. This bullet seemed to have entered his shoulder from the front. “Lean forward.”

  He complied.

  No exit wound. Her hands turned clammy. “Okay, the bullet is still inside. Doc’s going to have to get it out, but we have to try to stop as much of your blood loss as possible. This is going to hurt. I’m sorry.” She pressed a wad of the cotton scraps against the wound.

  Zane hissed through gritted teeth.

  She moved his good hand up to hold the wadding. “Hold that. Good and tight.” She took another strip of cloth and tied it at an angle across his body to hold the compress in place. “All right. Up. I need to get you onto a bed, then I’m going for Doc.” His gray pallor made her stomach pitch. “Stay with me, Zane. Don’t you pass out on me, or Doc will have to do your surgery right here on my kitchen floor.”

  “I’m not going to pass out,” he grumbled.

  Jacinda led him to the downstairs bedroom closest to the kitchen. She mostly used it for her sewing projects, but had never taken the bed out of the room. And now she was ever so thankful for that fact because she didn’t think Zane would have made it up the stairs to the second floor.

  Once she had him situated on the bed, she hoisted her skirts and ran down the alley to where Doc lived with his wife Dixie above their boardinghouse. She pounded on the back door. “Dixie? Doc?!” She banged again, her worry making her impatient.

  Only a moment later, Dixie opened the door, alarm showing on her face. “Jacinda, whatever is the matter?”

  “Zane’s been shot. I need Doc. Is he here?”

  Dixie shook her head. “He had a birthing out to Camp Sixty-Five. He’s not home yet.”

  Jacinda’s hopes crashed into a heap at her feet. “Zane’s bleeding bad.” She scrambled to think what to do, one hand pressed to her forehead. “We are going to have to do this ourselves. I need your help. Carbolic acid and some sutures. Does Doc have extras of those here?”

  “Yes. Yes. Go. I’ll grab what we need and meet you back at your place. Flynn leaves a surgical knife here too. But he always says it should be boiled. Put some water on.”

  Jacinda waved her acknowledgement and ran back to her house. She built up the fire as high as she could and put the kettle on the hottest part of the stove, then dashed to the bedroom with a glass of water. With so much blood loss, Zane needed to drink plenty of liquids.

  But when she got to the room, Zane was sound asleep.

  She thunked the glass onto the end table and gritted out quietly, “Zane Holloway, if you don’t survive this, I’m going to kill you myself.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Zoe had never before felt more thankful to see the golden glow of the cabin windows. Jinx set to barking the minute they stepped into the clearing.

  “Hush up, Jinx.”

  At the sound of her voice, he gave a welcoming bay and loped toward them.

  She bent and gave his ears a friendly scratch, but she couldn’t give him much time. Ma was already tugging open the door, her hands wringing in worry.

  Zoe took the steps in one bound and threw her arms around Ma’s shoulders. “I’m here, Ma. Sorry it took me so long.”

  She heard Wash’s more sedate footsteps on the porch behind her.

  Ma set Zoe from her and skimmed her from head to toe. “Goodness, what happened to you? You look like you’ve been rolling in grass… Oh my! Dear Lord.” Her gaze landed with blatant accusation on Wash.

  Sudden understanding hit Zoe. Heat flashed through her face. “Ma! No! Goodness, no!” She hurriedly gathered her hair and twisted it into a bun, using the few pins left to hold it in place.

  Wash looked down, scuffing the toe of one boot against the porch while one hand scrubbed at the back of his neck. With the brim of his hat casting a shadow over his face, Zoe couldn’t quite catch his expression, but she could imagine it was plenty aghast.

  A perfect match to her own feelings. Zoe flapped a hand to cool her face. Surely her cheeks were as rosy as an evening sunset and her freckles likely standing out like splatters of brown paint! She spun back to face Ma. “Doc had a birthing out at the camps. I had to go out there to get Pa’s medicine. Wash found me only a bit ago, but then there was a ruckus with”—she thought better than to name Lenny and give Ma yet one more thing to fret over—“some outlaws and we had to hide and…”

  She let her words trail away because she could see Ma taking in her blush. Ma not buying her reason for being so disheveled. Ma pressing her lips together in disbelief.

  Zoe folded her arms, irritated that Ma distrusted her after all her years of toeing the line with exact precision. She wasn’t Belle, but it seemed her sister’s penchant for rebellion had tainted all Ma’s children in her eyes. “Wash has been a perfect gentleman, Ma.”

  Behind her, Wash’s feet scraped against the boards and she heard him clear his throat.

  What must he be thinking? He’d never even given any indication that he thought of Zoe in any way other than as a childhood friend. He was much more like a brother than anything, not that Zoe hadn’t sometimes dreamed of there being more. Okay, maybe more than sometimes.

  Heavens! Now look where her thoughts had taken her. If only she didn’t blush so easily.

  Ma continued to scrutinize her, one eyebrow winging upward suspiciously.

  Zoe scrambled to produce the medicine from her skirt pocket. “Here. Pa’s powders. How is he?”

  That seemed to break through Ma’s suspicions. She gave herself a little shake and took the vial from Zoe. “Thank you, Zoe. I’m sorry.” Ma turned to Wash and repeated, “I’m sorry. Neither of you deserves my suspicion. Thank you for fetching Zoe home. Come in. I have dinner waiting for you both.”

  Wash dipped his chin a little and swept his hat off as he stepped through the door. “Thank you, Mrs. Kastain.” He gave Zoe the briefest of glances and then turned to hang his hat on the peg by the door.

  Zoe wished she could read that inscrutable look. Was he embarrassed? Horrified? Feeling sorry for her?

  Ma started across the room. “Zoe, soup’s on the back of the stove. Belle is”—she waved a hand—“gone again. Please get Wash some soup and then bring some of the broth to your pa’s room. I’ll mix his medicine with it and try to get him to eat something.”

  Zoe’s heart sank. She’d really hoped that Pa would be
up on his feet by the time she got home today. Ever since he’d been shot several years ago, he’d had bouts of illness with severe stomach pains. But sometimes he bounced back from them quicker than others. It looked like this bout was going to be one of the longer ones. Sometimes he was down for a week or more.

  With Ma working at Dixie’s Boardinghouse—which they were all thankful for—that left Zoe to do most of Pa’s care at home, which meant she would miss school this week. And Mr. Haversham didn’t like it when she missed classes. Zoe sighed as she led Wash to the table. She missed having Miss Brindle—now Mrs. Callahan—as her teacher and that was certain. Mrs. Callahan had often brought lessons to the house so that Zoe could keep up.

  But Mr. Haversham only chastised her and deducted points for every assignment she turned in late. And then made her do penance by doing his teaching when she was in attendance.

  Zoe realized Wash stood by the table with his hands propped on his hips, scrutinizing her with those soft gray-green eyes of his.

  She held a hand toward one of the chairs. “I’m real sorry about Ma. We don’t talk about it much, but Belle has been...disappearing for hours at a time and we don’t know where she’s been going.”

  Wash pulled out a chair and sank into it. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  Zoe shrugged. “She’s always come back, but Ma worries about her something fierce. And I think she’s worried that I might start becoming the hellion Belle has been. And Pa’s been getting worse. Doc doesn’t know how to help him except to keep giving him the powders for his pain.”

  She dished up a bowl of soup and set it in front of him as she talked. Then fetched the basket of bread rolls and the crock of butter too.

  “Anyhow, I know you don’t even feel anything—” Zoe felt the heat of her face turning crimson again. Blame this night! “What I’m trying to say is, Ma would normally never… Well, you get the idea.” She scrambled back to the stove. “I’d better get this broth to Pa’s room.”