“Not that I can think of.”
“Okay. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
He was thankful for her. Her visit turned out to be a godsend. With her shouldering some of the load, he could focus all his energies on Regan.
Back in his bedroom, he looked down at his sleeping wife. He’d given her a steeped mixture of plants and bark he’d learned to make from Ed’s grandmother early in his career. It aided sleep and more importantly dulled pain. Back East doctors often ridiculed Native remedies, but Colt knew better. Healers like Ed’s grandmother had been keeping their people alive for centuries. He placed a light hand on Regan’s brow. Her temperature was slightly elevated, which was to be expected after what she’d endured, but not high enough to cause him concern. His earlier rush of anxiety and worry had faded, leaving behind the sense of how tired he was, but now was not the time to sleep. Instead, he brought a chair over to her bedside and sat to watch and wait.
Spring had been correct about Anna. When his sister brought her home from school, Colt sat down with her and quietly explained what happened. Taking her hand, he led her into the room where Regan lay sleeping. Anna viewed her silently and the tears that ran down her cheeks broke his heart. “Is she going to die?”
“I don’t think so, but I want you to spend the next few days with Aunt Spring so I can take care of her.”
“No. I want to stay.” She glanced up. “Please.”
Not wanting to disturb Regan he said, “Come. Let’s talk about this outside.”
Giving her mama a backwards glance of concern, she let herself be led out.
They sat in the parlor and he again explained his position, and she again refused. “I want to stay. I can help.”
“Sweet, I can’t take care of you and your mama at the same time.”
“I’ll take care of myself, I promise. I want to stay. Please, Papa.”
“No, Anna.”
“Please! If I leave, she’ll die.” He pulled her onto his lap and she wept. “Please, Papa. Don’t make me go.”
There were tears in his eyes now, too. “This is hard, Anna. Help me by doing as I ask, please.”
“But I don’t want to leave Mama.”
He held her close. “I know, honey. But you can help her best by staying with Aunt Spring.” He glanced up to see his sister standing in the doorway.
Spring said, “Anna, I promise to bring you to see your mama every day. Let your Papa help her get better.”
“She’s going to die,” she cried.
“No, she won’t,” Colt said reassuringly. “She loves you too much to leave you.”
“Please,” she pleaded softly. “Please, let me stay here.”
Spring walked over and picked her up from Colt’s lap. “Come on, baby. Let’s get your things.”
Anna put her arms around Spring’s neck and sobbed as if her heart was breaking and Colt closed his eyes against the pain her distress set off inside.
Spring and Anna drove away a short time later. Anna didn’t come to him to say good-bye.
That evening, Whit and Odell stopped by.
“How is she?” Whit asked.
“Holding her own for now.”
“Good. I went by Dun’s place, but he’s not there. Didn’t see the dogs either. Put out a poster on him saying he’s wanted for questioning. We’ll see if he turns up.”
“He’s the one who did this,” Colt insisted. “I know it’s him.”
“I understand but the court’s going to need evidence, and right now, we don’t have anything but gut feelings.”
“What happened with the court case for Jeb’s friends after we left?”
“Judge Jinks sent them to trial. It’s scheduled to be held over in Cheyenne in a few weeks.”
Odell asked, “How’s Anna?”
“I sent her home with Spring, but she didn’t want to go. She’s scared Regan will die if she’s not here.”
Odell shook his head in sympathy. “She loves her mother a lot.”
“I know.” He could still hear her sobs.
“Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
“I will.”
Colt walked them to the porch. “Let me know if Dun turns up.”
Whit nodded. “By the way, Minnie’s place looks deserted. I knocked but she didn’t come to the door.”
“She was here a few evenings ago and said she was moving back East.”
“Oh,” Whit said, appearing confused. “She never said anything to me about moving. I’ll keep an eye on her place until we hear something definitive.”
Colt thanked him. He and Odell left and Colt went back inside to Regan.
For the next few days, the draft kept her asleep. Colt kept an eye on her around the clock and was pleased that she seemed to be sleeping less fitfully. The bleeding had stopped and he didn’t see any signs that she was still bleeding internally. A steady stream of visitors stopped by to ask about her progress. Glenda, Lacy, Lucretia, and Dovie brought food and did laundry, for which he was extremely grateful because lying on clean bedding lessened the chance of her wounds becoming infected. True to her word, Spring drove Anna over every day and while Anna sat silently by her mama’s bedside, Spring took her mare, Star, out for a run.
Regan opened her eyes. Her vision was hazy, her mouth felt as if she’d eaten cotton. Closing her eyes again, hoping it would help her focus and clear the cobwebs in her mind, she laid still a moment. Breathing hurt, so she took in small breaths. The fog lifted just enough to let her know she was lying in a bed, but not where.
“Welcome back, Mrs. Lee.”
She turned her head and croaked, “Colton?” His features were difficult to make out, so she tried to sit up but pain sharp as shards of glass ripped through her back and she cried out.
“Lie still,” he said. His hands touched her gently.
A moan rose from her.
“Just lie still.”
She drew in little puffs of air until the hurt faded. When it finally did, she asked, “Where am I?”
“In my bed. Here, take a few sips of water.”
Scared of setting off the pain again, she raised her head just enough to feel the cup against her lips, then took a few sips. Lowering herself again, she drew in a few breaths. She was exhausted. “What happened to me?”
“You were shot.”
She had trouble remembering at first, but soon pieces of the event rose in her mind. “I was going to visit Spring and . . . Two bullets,” she whispered.
“I took them out.”
“Anna?”
“With Spring, but she’s been here to see you every day.”
“How long have I been like this?”
“This is the afternoon of the fifth day.”
“Aunt Eddy got shot once, too.” But before she could explain, she drifted back into sleep.
The next time she opened her eyes, Anna was sitting in a chair beside her. Regan smiled, or at least she thought she was smiling. “Hi, honey,” she said softly. “How are you?”
“I’m fine, Mama. How are you?”
“I’ve been better but I’ll be up and around soon.”
“You’re not going to die?”
“No. It’ll take more than a couple of lousy bullets to do that. Besides I have your love to help me get better and your papa is the best doctor in the Territory.”
Anna smiled.
By the eighth day, Regan could sit up without much pain, if she didn’t do it for long periods of time, and by day ten, she was sick of lying in bed.
“I want to get up, Colton.”
“You need to heal up a bit more.”
“I’m tired of lying around and doing nothing.”
“And here I thought you enjoyed my scintillating company.”
“In small doses, yes. Not all day, all the time.”
“You wound me.”
She rolled her eyes.
“How about I carry you outside?”
“How about I walk on m
y two good legs.”
“You’re not as strong as you think you are, Mrs. Lee.”
And because Regan never met a challenge she could ignore, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. They immediately turned to water, and had he not quickly caught her and lifted her up into his arms, she would’ve ended up in a heap on the floor.
Amused, he looked down into her scowling face and asked, “Will you listen to your doctor now?”
The scowl deepened and he sat down on the bed with her in his lap. “You’ll be able to go back to being the Queen of Lee House soon. For now, I need you to go slow just a little longer.”
She leaned against him. “I detest this.”
“I noticed.”
“I’m sorry for being such a poor patient.”
“Once you’re all healed up you can show me how good a patient you can really be.”
She raised up and thought back on their memorable lovemaking on the porch, in his study, in the stand of trees on the day they visited Ed Prescott’s horse ranch, and the night on her knees when she was very quiet.
“Making love to you will be better if you’re fully healed, so do us both a favor, okay?”
“Yes, Doctor.”
“Now, give me a kiss and I’ll get your lunch.”
She complied and as he left the room, she imagined all the ways she planned to be a good patient once she was better.
In the weeks that followed, Whit’s search for her shooter turned up nothing, and no one had seen Dun Bailey. Meanwhile Regan had healed enough to ride Star again and she was in heaven. She also resumed attending the Paradise Ladies Society meetings, enjoying Anna’s company, and cooking on the new stove. She also got to jump up and down on the bed with her husband as Anna so hilariously described lovemaking and that pleased Regan the most.
She, Anna, Spring, Dovie, and Glenda Cale took the train to Cheyenne and went shopping. Regan purchased lots of clothes for Anna to go with the things Dovie made for her. She also ordered new furniture, bought a few things for herself, and new shirts for Colt. They’d had a wonderful time. Upon their return, she consulted with Adele about ridding the house of the stuffy old furniture to make room for the new.
A month after the shooting, carpenter Porter James returned to Paradise, and he and his men finished the repairs on Regan’s bedroom. From daybreak to dark the air rang with the sounds of their work. The scent of fresh paint filled the air. Since the carpenters were already there, Colt and Regan had them begin the work on Anna’s room, too. The plan was to remove the back wall to make the room larger, and add a door that led to a small porch because Regan believed every little girl should be able to sit outside, look up at the stars, and dream.
Colt and Regan wanted her new room to be a surprise, so while the work was being done, they sent her to spend a week with Aunt Spring. She was due home later that day.
“Do you think she’ll like it?” Colt asked Regan as they stood in the now finished room.
“I think she will.”
The walls were robin egg blue. The blue-and-white patterned curtains sewn up by Dovie added the perfect touch. Her new bed and bedding ordered from a store in Cheyenne was in place, too.
Colt put his arm around her waist and gave her a squeeze. “Thank you for this.”
“You’re welcome. She’s a sweet girl. She deserves nice things.”
“Have you spent yourself into the poorhouse yet?”
She chuckled. “No. I am getting low though, so I wired Uncle Rhine yesterday about replenishing the well. He wired back that he’d take care of it.” She looked up at Colt. “In addition to the new furniture I ordered, we need new lamps, and carpets, and next year—a larger kitchen so Portia and I can stop running into each other.”
“Lord,” he voiced, amused.
“You give your life’s blood to the people around here, Colton. Sometimes you’re away two and three days at a time, and you were in Rock Springs what, ten days? The least I can do is make sure you have a comfortable place to come home to. Like Anna, you deserve it.” Her doctor man worked himself to the bone and all without complaint for people who often couldn’t pay. He didn’t grouse, call it unfair, or deny anyone his services. If he was needed, no matter day or night, he saddled up and rode out. She admired that, but the woman who loved him wished they had more time together. It seemed as if every time she turned around, someone had fallen off a roof, been injured in a rock slide, or a rancher’s animal was in distress.
“Did Spring say what time she planned to bring Anna home?” he asked.
“In time for supper.”
“It’s only noon. Do you want me to help you move into your new room now that it’s done?”
“That would be wonderful. Mr. James brought my bed yesterday while you were gone.” He’d been overseeing the birth of one of Lucretia’s cows and had gotten in so late, he’d gone straight to bed.
“Lead the way.”
When they brought in the first load he looked around. “I’m impressed.”
“Do you like it?”
“I do. It looks nothing like it did before.”
She liked it as well; from the soft yellow paint on the walls to the ivory drapes made by Dovie to the lovely ivory-and-gold bedding she’d ordered, it was as nice as her bedroom back in Arizona. She’d had a door and a porch added to the space as well.
“Couldn’t find a bigger bed?” he asked, scanning the new oversized four-poster with its ivory brocade canopy.
She smiled. “I wanted it to be large enough to accommodate my doctor when he makes his house calls.”
He walked over and tested the give on the mattress. “I may have to make a series of calls to judge it correctly. Will tonight be soon enough for you, Mrs. Lee?”
The look he gave her made her senses flare. “I believe so.”
He walked over to where she stood. “Are you sure?”
Her body was already calling to him. “Yes.”
He slid a finger down her cheek, then brushed it gently over her bottom lip, before moving it slowly over her already budded breasts, and her eyes slid shut. “Afterwards,” he said, kissing her. “I should probably evaluate your new tub, too. We’ll use that fancy soap I missed out on the last time I was invited.”
She was ready to be undressed and evaluated there and then. “I look forward to it.”
It took a while but her large amount of hat boxes, shoes, gowns, and the rest were all moved in. Now she just had to put everything away. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Figure it’ll take you a while to put all this stuff away, so I’m going to my study. See you in a year or so.”
“Out!” She laughed.
He left, and as she looked around, she thought it might take more than two years.
Later, Regan was in the kitchen preparing for dinner when Spring entered via the back door.
“Hello,” Spring said, “why does your kitchen always smell so much better than mine?”
Regan knew she was teasing because Spring was an excellent cook. “Where’s my daughter?”
“Outside. And she has a surprise. Will you get Colt and meet us out front?”
Wondering what this was about, she said, “Sure. Let me get him.”
She and Colt stepped out onto the porch and seeing Anna perched happily on the back of a smoke gray pony made their jaws drop. They stared at the smiling Spring.
Anna said, “Watch.” She and the pony rode a short distance before she turned him around and trotted back.
Regan and Colt left the porch to get closer. He said, “I’m so proud of you, Anna.”
“And I haven’t fallen off and broke my neck, not even once.”
“Look at you,” Regan said, laughing. “Is the pony yours?”
She nodded. “His name is Shadow. Aunt Spring got him for me, and she taught me how not to be scared. Now me and Livy can ride together.”
Regan gave Aunt Spring a big hug. Colt did, too.
Spring said
, “We’ve had fun. And she knows how to care for Shadow, too. Right, Anna?”
“Yes.” And she rattled off a litany of things she had to do to keep Shadow safe, well, and clean.
Regan’s eyes were misty. Anna had come so far.
Colt looked moved, too. “That is one big surprise, Anna, but guess what?”
“What?”
“If you want to come into the house for a minute your mama and I have a surprise for you, too.”
Anna slid off Shadow’s back, tied him to the post, gave his neck a squeeze that Regan found so endearing, and followed them inside. The door to her bedroom was closed. Colt said, “Close your eyes.”
She did and they took her hands and led her in. “Now, open them,” Regan said.
Anna glanced around. Her eyes widened and she began to cry.
Concern filled Colt’s face and he bent down. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s so pretty,” she whispered through her tears. With her hands steepled over her mouth, she took it in again: the bed, drapes, the new wardrobe holding all her new clothes. There was even an easel and a stool so she could draw to her heart’s content. She ran to her father and gave him a big hug, then did the same thing to Regan, who said, “There’s one last thing we want you to see.”
Colt opened the door and they all stepped out onto the little porch.
“Is this mine, too?” Anna asked excitedly.
“All yours.”
She took a seat on the bench. “I like this.”
Spring replied, “I do, too. I think I may sell my place and move in with you, Anna. What do you think?”
“Can I have it to myself for a little while first?”
Spring laughed. “If you must.”
That evening, after Anna went to bed, Regan’s doctor made a house call. She was stripped, teased, left breathless, and filled so much she forgot her name. When he asked her to lean up against her headboard, she said, “Yes, Doctor.” When he took a seat on her new vanity bench and invited her to ride, she said, “Yes, Doctor.” And later in the tub, when they washed each other slowly with a fresh bar of her lavender-scented soap, there were no questions or answers—just his growls and her soft soaring cries.