Chapter Thirty-Three
Heath turned. “Coming?”
“Just looking at the beauty of this land. I think God has sent us a sign.”
“I think so too.” He squeezed her hand.
“Sally didn’t come home last night. I’m worried, Heath.”
“I am too. But we can only deal with one problem at a time and Eden needs us right now. As soon as I can I’ll go look for her.”
“Not until I get some coffee and food into you and dry clothes on your back.”
A grin curved his lips. “Yes, ma’am. I love when you’re bossy.”
They soon discovered what the doctor wanted with the hot water. He set the pot on the table and threw some peppermint leaves into the water to create a vapor. He then made a tent over the pot with a blanket and stuck Eden’s head under it.
“This will help the baby breathe better and loosen the tightness in her chest,” Dr. Hunt explained. “We have to get the mucus out of her lungs. If not, she won’t make it. When the water gets cool, you’ll have to boil it again. This isn’t going to be something quick. You’ll have to do this for days. There’ll be many sleepless nights ahead I’m afraid. I’ll leave you plenty of peppermint leaves.”
“I was so afraid it was the fever,” Rachel said. “It wiped out my entire family.”
The lines in the doctor’s face deepened. “My sympathies, ma’am. You seem to have borne a great deal of pain. With any luck we’ll get this little one well soon. Hold off giving her any milk until the fever is gone.”
Heath took Eden from the doctor and followed his instructions while Rachel fixed them all some breakfast.
A short while later, Rachel watched as the doctor and Heath wolfed down big plates of food. It was the least she could do to repay them for their long trip. When Heath finished eating, he fed and watered the horses and brushed them down good.
Dr. Hunt promised to return in a day or two to check on their progress.
While Heath saw the doctor off, Rachel sat with Eden’s head under the tent. She prayed with all her heart that God would spare the babe.
Heath opened the door and stepped back inside. “Things are going to be all right. I feel it in my bones.”
“No, things will never be all right. Not for me.”
“Rachel, why are you crying? Is it the baby?” He crossed the floor to her side.
“Eden is no worse. It’s me.” She stared up at him through her tears. “I’ve decided something.”
“Mind telling me?”
“If Eden lives I’m going to give her to you and Sally.”
“Why? You love this baby. She’s your whole life.”
“It’s the best for her. Just accept my decision.”
“I don’t know what brought all this on, but you love her. You’re her mother, not Sally. Eden couldn’t be more your flesh and blood than if she’d been born to you. God chose you.”
Rachel shook her head furiously. “I’m the worst kind of mother. I’m not fit to raise a child. I don’t deserve her.”
He pulled out a chair and sat down next to her. “You’re the most loving, caring mother I’ve ever seen. There’s nothing you wouldn’t do for Eden. You’d move heaven and earth to make sure she grows up strong and healthy.”
“I knew in my heart Becca shouldn’t get close to Eden but I let her anyway.” She pushed his hand away that was caressing her hair.
Heath grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him. “Listen to me. You’ve taken care of Eden the best anyone could. And you didn’t want to hurt Becca by telling her no.”
“If only I’d made some excuse.”
“Hush now.” He placed a finger on her lips. “Let it go. You can’t accomplish anything by looking back. It’s time to move forward. The important thing now is that Eden needs you. She’s fighting for her life and depending on you.”
Rachel was so very weary. “The part that haunts me most about my Alice is not knowing if she cried out for me. If she reached for me. Or if she needed comforting. She was only four years old. She had to be frightened and I wasn’t there to offer solace, not even a sip of water to ease her parched throat. I failed.”
“You have to forgive yourself. God knows your heart and He loves you no matter what. He’s watching over Alice now. You are Eden’s mother and she belongs with you.”
She drew in a ragged breath. “Heath, if you still want me…”
“I want you.” His statement came out husky and bruised as if it was forced through a narrowing in his throat. “I love you, Rachel. I’ve loved you since I first saw you lying unconscious on the ground.”
Rachel tenderly caressed his strong jaw. “I love you, too, Heath. I have for a while. I just didn’t know how to find the words. I want to be your wife if you’re sure you’ll still have me. I want to have more children for Eden to play with.”
“I’ll have you. Don’t you worry your pretty head about that.”
Overcome with emotion, Heath took Rachel’s face tenderly between his hands. He kissed her eyes, her cheek, the curve of her jaw, before lowering to her mouth. He opened up his heart and poured all his love into that kiss.
Difficult times would come but she’d face them with Heath.
Heath rose. “Well, I need to scout around and see if I can find Sally.”
“You haven’t changed your clothes yet.”
“No use changing now. They’re already dry.”
“All right. Just please be careful. You don’t know what you’ll run across out there.”
“I won’t go too far just in case you need me.”
“Find her, Heath, and bring her back.”
He bent to kiss her and then grabbing his hat, he was out the door. Buttermilk deserved a good long rest after the long grueling night ride but that would have to wait.
Climbing into the saddle, he paused to look around. The rain had washed away any footprints. He really had nothing telling him which way Sally had gone. So he plunged ahead toward the campsite he’d found.
He soon reached a small clearing that had broken branches strewn about and the remains of a cold campfire. Dismounting, he reached for his rifle.
A flurry of activity in the brush alerted him. He cocked his rifle.
Sally’s voice came as a surprise. “Don’t shoot, Heath. It’s me and Zeb.” Then the brush parted and Sally, supported by Zeb, hobbled out.
“I’m glad to see you,” Heath said, lowering the rifle. “What happened to your ankle?”
“Stepped in a rabbit hole and sprained it. We spent a wretched night in the rain, hiding from the outlaws.” She glanced at Zeb. “I have lots to tell you.”
“It can wait,” Zeb spoke up. “Right now, we really need to get to safety before they find us.”
Heath raised an eyebrow. “Who are they?”
“Desperados,” Sally said.
Heath helped his sister onto the horse.
A short while later, Sally sat in a chair in Rachel’s kitchen with her swollen foot propped on a stool. Rachel thought they’d have to tie her down because she kept trying to get up every few minutes to check on the baby in Heath’s arms.
“Heath, you’re not doing that right,” Sally erupted after watching him with Eden. “Let me up from here and I’ll show how you’re supposed to hold that little thing under there.”
“You budge from that chair and I’ll tie you to it,” Heath growled. “I’m not just whistling Dixie either.”
Sally huffed and crossed her arms over her ample chest.
Rachel had cooked Sally and Uncle Zeb a big breakfast while Heath held the baby under the tent like Dr. Hunt had shown them.
The loud wheezing noises coming from Eden as she struggled to breathe created a pall over the group. Each one kept their attention riveted on the blanket hiding Eden’s face.
Taking a seat near Heath, Rachel gazed from one face to the other. “You don’t know how happy I am to have you safe.” She reached for Heath’s free hand and held it. “We have some big news. I’ve agreed to marry Heath and become his wife.”
“That’s the best news I’ve heard in a coon’s age,” Sally boomed. “When?”
“Eden will have to get well first then we have to find a preacher.” Rachel rose to refill Uncle Zeb’s coffee mug. “I don’t want to hear any excuses for your behavior. Thank you for helping Sally. For that, I can forgive you for lying.”
“I appreciate that, Rachel. I’m sorry for everything.”
“I think it’s high time you tell us where you and Sally were after you disappeared,” Heath said quietly.
Tension crackled in the air, like a giant storm brewing on the horizon from which there would be no escaping. She sensed a violent whirlwind that would forever change her life and she didn’t have the power to stop it.