Chapter 28: A Year Later

~Until the day God will deign to reveal the future to man, all human wisdom is contained in these two words, ‘Wait and Hope.’~—Alexandre Dumas

“Are ya sure you don’t want to go to town with us, Dannie?” Sophie asked as she climbed into the wagon. “We don’t go there too often, and I’ve been told there is a new stock of fabrics at the store.”

“No, thank you,” Dannie shook her head. “You forget, I live in the town, so it’s nothing special for me to be there. Also, much as I love my students, the holidays are for me to take a break from them. But the moment I show my face at Hopewing, all I hear is ‘Miss Preston, Miss Preston, Miss Preston.’

“And finally, it’s hot and dry, and the hard wheels of the wagon cause the dust to fly all over the place. I am in no mood for any of that. The very thought of driving in the heat and dust makes me feel sick.”

Although she had been living in Arizona Territory for a year already, Dannie still found it hard to adjust to the high temperatures, especially in the summertime.

“But what shall I tell Cal Jennson? He was so disappointed that you decided to spend the holidays on the Circle 4. Now we come to the town, and yer not with us?”

Sophie’s eyes twinkled with amusement. There was nothing she enjoyed more than teasing her cousin about young Cal’s attentions.

“Tell him the truth; the weather is too much for me,” Dannie replied with an honest shrug. “It’s not like it’s any of his business, anyway.”

“There is still Sheriff Grant. He’ll be sure to ask me…”

“Trust me, Sophie, you do not want me all faint and unhappy in that wagon with you. I can be very bothersome when in a bad mood.”

Sophie giggled. “Fine, fine, if you put it that way, I’ll put my pleadin’ to an end. I’ll be sure to look for some dresses for you. I think it’s about time you renewed your wardrobe.”

“Sophie, you will do no such thing! My dresses are in perfect condition, and I have no need or desire to renew them.”

“If only Sophie were as prudent as Dannie when it came to spendin’ money,” Caleb teased, climbing up into the wagon and taking hold of the reins.

“Watch that tongue, Caleb Martin, or I’ll remove it,” Sophie shot at him.

“Children!” their mother scolded. “Please remember, the two of you are riding together in this wagon. Let’s make it a pleasant journey. The last thing I want is to listen to you barking at each other.”

“And since when does young Martin have the reins?” Ed Rellware, the foreman of the Circle 4, asked. “Scoot aside, mister. I’ll be the one drivin’, if you don’t mind.”

Caleb grumbled but did as he was bid to the sound of Sophie’s loud giggling.

“You sure you don’t want to come with us?” Mrs. Martin asked Dannie one last time.

“Someone must keep Mr. Martin company while you are all gone,” Dannie replied. “Have a good time in town. When should we expect you back?”

“Tomorrow evenin’, if all goes well,” said Mrs. Martin.

“A lot depends on how much time Sophie spends shopping,” Caleb chipped in.

“All right, let’s git going, or we’ll never make it to the town,” Ed said, twitching the reins. The horses moved forward, and soon the wagon rolled out of sight.

Dannie waved to them as they rode off, then returned to the house in an attempt to get away from the sun.

***

A loud commotion made Dannie look up from her book. Rushing to the window, she saw several men dashing about here and there, quite a few of whom she didn’t recognize.

“Come on, Roy,” she called to the canine laying by the chair. “Let’s go see what is going on.”

Roy, who had grown from an adolescent puppy into a handsome dog, hopped up and followed his mistress as she sped out of the door and down the stairs. One year out West with Sophie as a relative had thrown out twenty-one years of walking sedately like a lady. These days, Dannie made a habit of taking the stairs two at a time.

Upon reaching the first floor of the house, Dannie found the entire place in an uproar.

“What happened?” she asked Mack as he came rushing past her.

“Rustler attack,” Mack called over his shoulder. Just at that moment, four men came through the front door, carrying a makeshift stretcher between them.

Dannie gave a gasp, her hand flying to her mouth, her heart beating at an alarming rate. The figure on the stretcher, covered in dust and blood, was Jake.

Having little tolerance for the thought of blood, much less the sight of it, Dannie was on the verge of collapsing in a faint. However, before she had a chance to, Mr. Martin came running up.

“Put him in the parlor,” he instructed in a loud voice. “I’ll be with him in a minute.”

“What are you going to do?” Dannie’s voice was small and frightened.

“We need to get the bullets out of him. From what the men said, they’re still stuck inside.”

“The boss is the best when it comes to handling accidents,” Mack explained in a whisper as he walked past her once more. “He’s the only person with decent medical experience around here.”

He then ran off to find his mother, Grace Rellware, and get hot water from her.

Dannie flew after Mr. Martin. “Mr. Martin, will you be needing any help?”

“Yes, Dannie. Go to Grace, and have her give you fresh linen and towels. Oh, and fetch my medical kit. Mack will tell you where to find it.”

Dannie nodded and sped off to do as she was bid. The image of Jake, all covered with blood and dirt, was still fresh in her mind. It made her want to empty the contents of her stomach right out on the floor, but she forced herself to remain steady.

She did all Mr. Martin asked of her as fast as she could, and returned to the parlor before five minutes were up.

“Excellent. Dip the knife in hot water, then bring it to me,” Mr. Martin commanded as soon as she came. Dannie was tempted to beg him to let her leave. What if she were to swoon at all the blood that was sure to pour once they started operating? But she couldn’t leave Jake like this.

Gathering her wits, Dannie dipped the knife in hot water and brought it to Mr. Martin.

“Stand by me, Dannie, and do exactly as I say,” Mr. Martin ordered as he took the knife.

“How many bullets did he take?”

“Three—two in his chest and one in his leg. I’m not worried about the one in his leg, but if the bullet in his chest pierced his lung, I’m afraid he’s in serious trouble. The second one just missed his heart. Whoever was aiming was obviously trying to kill him. Judging by the scars on his chest, these are not the first bullets he has taken in his life.”

It was true, Jake’s chest and arms bore several marks that indicated former wounds caused by swords and firearms.

“He fought in the War between the States,” Dannie whispered. No more words were said during the operation. Dannie worked hard, fulfilling every task Mr. Martin asked of her. She fought to keep the nauseous feeling at bay. She couldn’t afford to lose control of her senses, not when Jake’s life was at stake.

At last, all the bullets were removed, and Mr. Martin proclaimed that no internal organs had been damaged. Two knife wounds had also been discovered in the process, one near his ribs and one in his shoulder. The wounds were all stitched shut and covered with bandages.

“That’s about all I can do,” Mr. Martin stated once the operation had been completed.

“Will he live?” Dannie asked, looking at her bloodstained hands with dismay. It wasn’t very pleasant to know she had a man’s blood covering her skin. She must hurry and wash it off, but only after Mr. Martin gave Jake a verdict.

“I don’t know. I’d say it’s about forty to sixty percent.”

“Sixty percent not in his favor?” Dannie’s voice dropped a little.

“I’m afraid so. He’s sort of hanging between life and death right now, and he could go one way or the other. We’ll just have to wait and see. He will need constant vigilance, though.”

Dannie didn’t hesitate for a moment. “I’ll look after him,” she said.