Chapter Two #2
He’d told Louisa he suspected a woman at the campsite due to her pins, but he’d not told her the full story of it with everything going on. The muted sounds of Callie speaking drifted through the door, but he didn’t hear any response from Ellie.
“Calm down, Micah,” Isaac admonished. “Callie will work as quickly as she can, but she’s got to check her over.
” Jacob hadn’t spoken, and Micah couldn’t blame him.
The woman Jacob thought he would marry stood one wall over, the first time she’d been back in town since she left a brokenhearted Jacob in her dust. “She’ll be all right. ”
Micah did his best to do as he was told, distracting himself with studying the differences in the cottage since Louisa had moved in.
She’d added lacy curtains in the living area and a couple of throw pillows to the small sofa.
The woodstove warmed the place, though Micah knew Isaac brought wood in for her every morning and evening.
What looked like a spare rag rug had been started and laid over the arm of the sofa, and a basket of knitting projects sat below.
The clock on the wall said they only stood without update for a half hour, but Micah could’ve sworn it was far longer.
They’d gotten her water to clean the cuts.
Pastor Jim said Callie had carbolic acid in her bag to clean what she needed to, but Micah longed to do more.
Louisa had even gone in to let Callie know she was welcome to dress Ellie in one of her dresses in the wardrobe, but there was nothing he could do but wait - wait when the whole thing felt like something he could’ve stopped.
It felt like days as he imagined Ellie drifting in and out of consciousness, the fear and pain she must feel.
Finally, Callie cracked the door open, and all three cowboys’ attention jerked in her direction.
“Jacob, Micah, would the two of you come inside so we can get Ellie’s shoulder back in place? ”
Micah fought the urge to push his brother out of the way as Jacob moved far too slowly for his liking.
“Is she awake?” Would it be a good thing if she was, or would it be a kindness if she’d fainted from the pain?
Putting a shoulder back in place hurt more than any other injury he’d ever received, and Jacob’s quick work putting it back in place before the pain really set in was the only thing which saved him from agony.
Ellie’s shoulder had been out for who knew how long, as well as other injuries she’d likely accrued during her time with Brent.
Fighting the boiling anger threatening to consume him at the idea of any man harming a woman, especially this one, Micah took deep breaths as he followed his brother and Callie into the bedroom.
“Yes, and I’ve assured her you two are safe men, but don’t touch her unless we’re actively working on her arm.” Callie’s brow rose, but her expression remained otherwise professional and stoic. “Can you do that?”
Nodding quickly, Micah rounded Jacob and pushed through the door.
Of course, she wouldn’t trust men. She’d been captured by Brent and apparently had a nightmare for a father.
If he had to guess, they weren’t the only men who’d failed to protect her in her life.
Despite having only met her, an altogether unfamiliar feeling of desperation to prove he was different bubbled in him the same way his rage had a moment before.
Kneeling by Ellie’s bedside, he took in her pale, gaunt face.
It was clean now, and he could see the shadows of the beauty she held there.
Her eyes looked exhausted, her pupils large due to her head wound and likely the pain.
Callie handed Ellie a leather strap and pointed to her good hand with a nod.
“Micah, hold her free hand so it doesn’t start flailing.
Jacob, you’re on this side to pull while I direct the injured arm back into its socket. ”
“You can do this, Ellie,” Micah said with as much calm and comfort as he could muster. “We’re right here.” He would be there for her until she left town or banished him. He wouldn’t fail this woman again, not when he’d known good and well how much trouble she was in when he saw her in the woods.
Ellie was so brave, and Micah wanted to put his fist through a wall by the time they had the joint back in place.
Tears left tracks down her cheeks, but she’d not made a single sound as they’d worked the arm back into the right spot.
He’d been seventeen when his shoulder had been pulled out of socket by a horse he was trying to gentle, and he’d screamed and hollered when Jacob worked it back in.
Somehow, Ellie had swallowed her pain, but all it did was make Micah want to take it all away.
Callie gave a few instructions while Ellie took deep breaths, her hand still firmly in Micah’s.
“That’s it, just breathe,” Callie said softly.
“We’ll keep it still for a few days, but the pain should be much better now. ”
“Thank you. Thank all of you.” Her voice was shaky, twisting the knife in Micah’s gut even further.
“It’s our pleasure,” Callie said. She sat down on the edge of the bed, her professional stoicism still in place.
“Ellie, if you’re willing, I’d like you to come stay at the clinic in town with me.
I’m a little concerned about your head wound and a potential concussion, and I’ve a bed for times when overnight patients need extra support. ”
The thought sent panic rising in Micah once more.
How could he take care of her and keep her safe if she was in town?
“Why can’t she stay here?” What if Brent hadn’t worked alone?
What if someone who worked for her father was looking for her?
Letting her out of his sight after he’d already failed her felt unnecessarily risky.
Jacob still stared at the floor, refusing to look at the doctor who once broke his heart, nor the patient as he answered.
“Because Ellie needs a physician to keep an eye on her until we know exactly how her wounds are going to behave, as well as watch to make sure her concussion is healing. This will keep Dr. Thorn from having to go back and forth so often. Plus, Louisa’s busy with the children, and we’re all busy with the ranch.
We don’t exactly have constant care around here. ”
Micah sighed, trying to take in the logic of his brother’s statement. It wasn’t ideal, but they were right. There wasn’t round-the-clock care at the ranch, and they had no way to treat her in an emergency. “All right, but I’d like to go with you and help you get settled at the clinic.”
Ellie’s eyes widened, still glassy from her ordeal. “Oh, you don’t have to-”
“If you don’t want me there, I’ll stay here, but I’d like to come to make sure you get settled all right if you’ll allow me.
” As though his free hand had a mind of its own, Micah reached up and smoothed a lock of Ellie’s blonde hair behind her ear.
He saw Callie studying him out of the corner of his eye, but he couldn’t tear his eyes from the woman before him.
Was there any world in which this woman might one day grow to trust him?
Ellie swallowed, but at least she didn’t seem terrified of him. “All right. Umm, the man who captured me. What happened to him?”
“He’s dead,” Micah growled, unable to help himself. There was a part of him, the part knowing exactly how lost he’d be without the Lord, who’d like to bring the man back to life only to kill him again. “He’ll never hurt you again.”