Two Texas Hearts

TWENTY-EIGHT

KORA CLIMBED THE STAIRS WITH BARELY ENOUGH ENERGY to lift her rain-soaked skirt. Jamie had offered to help her, but she wanted to face Win alone. She needed to be with him for a while, even if he were already asleep. She had several things she had to tell him, but with the rain growing worse, Kora knew she had little time.

The attic room was bathed in moonlight. Kora crossed slowly to the bed with its twisted quilts. Her wrapper lay over the chair where she’d left it, as though nothing had changed since dawn. She looked around the room, fighting down the tears. Win was gone. All day she’d struggled to get back to him. It was a relief that he must feel well enough to be out of bed, but little comfort. She needed his arms around her.

Pulling off her wet dress, Kora tossed it over the wooden panel. Without bothering to remove her damp underclothes, she slipped into her wrapper and struck a single light at Win’s washstand. Lifting his comb, she pulled it through her damp hair, letting the stress of the day pass away with the tangles. Somehow, she’d done the impossible. She’d made it back.

Silently Kora tiptoed down the stairs to the kitchen, trying not to let her disappointment show. Jamie and Cheyenne sat across from each other drinking coffee. For once they weren’t yelling, but talking as they sliced cheese and bread from a large platter. While Kora waited for her tea, she sipped a glass of milk, and listened.

‘‘We’ll hitch a wagon and go after Dan tomorrow,’’ Cheyenne said as he pushed Jamie’s hand off his arm. ‘‘The rain looks like it’s getting worse tonight. He’ll be more comfortable with the old woman than caught in the storm.’’

‘‘But what about the plans I overheard?’’ Kora asked as she leaned against the counter so she could easily see both doors in case Win returned.

‘‘Nothing is moving tonight,’’ Cheyenne reasoned. ‘‘It would be suicide to move cattle in this storm. We’ll be lucky if the storm’s over by morning.’’

Jamie put her forearm on his shoulder and leaned against him. ‘‘I’ll go with you tomorrow. I know how to handle Dan.’’

‘‘You didn’t even notice he was missing.’’ Cheyenne shrugged her arm away. He’d done the action so often it was starting to look like a twitch he’d developed. ‘‘And the settlement’s no place for a lady.’’

‘‘Good,’’ Jamie chimed. ‘‘Then I’ll fit right in.’’

Cheyenne did his best to growl at her. ‘‘Some of my people believe folks take their personalities from animals. If so, yours would be a leech.’’

Jamie stood and walked her fingers across his shoulders as she moved behind him. ‘‘Yours would be a bear.’’

She jumped away as he swung behind him as if swatting a fly.

‘‘Stop pestering him, Jamie!’’ Kora scolded, then glanced at the door. ‘‘When do you think Win will be back?’’ she asked. ‘‘I thought he’d still be in bed.’’

Cheyenne looked at her closely, like he was trying to read something she hadn’t said. ‘‘He’s in the study.’’ His words came slowly. ‘‘I talked to him when we came in. I told him what happened to you and assured him you were fine. I figured he’d have found you by now, but maybe Gage talked him into having his dressing changed first.’’

‘‘The study door was closed when I came down the stairs.’’ Kora lifted her cup and stood, trying not to let her worry show. ‘‘I must have missed him.’’

She set her cup on the counter and hurried out of the room, trying to imagine why Winter wouldn’t have found her if he knew she was home. Maybe he was too weak? Maybe he didn’t want her to see the wounds?

Steven Gage was in the foyer putting on his coat when she rounded the hallway.

‘‘He must be hell to live with,’’ Gage mumbled when he saw Kora. ‘‘All I want to do is change the bandage. He said I’d best get my doctoring done when he’s out cold, because if he’s conscious, he’s well enough to take care of himself.’’

‘‘What needs doing?’’ Kora asked.

‘‘I left the bandages and ointment in the study. Each of the bites needs washing and wrapping with clean cloth.’’ Gage fitted his hat. ‘‘I’ve got to get going. There’s a baby about to be born that may not wait until this storm clears.’’

Kora tapped on the study door.

‘‘Go away!’’ Win shouted.

Gage shook his head. ‘‘He’s feeling pretty bad. If he doesn’t die, send for me when he lets you in.’’

Without another word, the doc stepped into the rain.

Kora knocked again.

‘‘Go away!’’

Cheyenne appeared in the opening from the kitchen. He didn’t seemed surprised by Win’s behavior. ‘‘He doesn’t want you to see him hurting,’’ Cheyenne whispered. ‘‘We’ll have to wait until he unlocks the door. Ten men couldn’t knock it down, and there’s only one key. The one on the other side of the door. That’s the way the captain liked it, and I figure Win plans on continuing the custom.’’

Kora whirled and ran up the stairs. In a few minutes she was back down. She lifted a gold key. ‘‘Will you stop me?’’ she asked, knowing Cheyenne guarded Win as if he were the king’s royal guard.

‘‘No, ma’am,’’ he answered. ‘‘It’s your house. Boss said you could do anything you wanted to in this house, and no one was to ever stop you. Mind my asking how you made that key appear?’’

‘‘I found it,’’ Kora answered. ‘‘And it’s mine.’’

Cheyenne smiled. ‘‘Anything you say.’’

Silently she unlocked the study door and slipped inside. The windows were open to the storm and a fire roared in the fireplace. The room was in shadows except for occasional blinks of lightning.

Kora tiptoed farther inside, feeling Win’s nearness more than seeing him. From the first, this room had been his, she reminded herself. Only, she had a key.

Halfway across the floor, she saw him sitting in the tall wingback chair by the fireplace, his legs stretched out long in front of him.

‘‘Win?’’ she whispered as she ventured closer.

He didn’t move. His head was back, his eyes closed.

Without a word, she crossed to the desk where the doctor had everything ready. She soaked a rag in warm water and picked up the scissors. Slowly she knelt by Win’s side and began cutting away the bandage on his arm, allowing the rag to soak into the places where blood had dried, holding the stained cloth to Win’s flesh.

He looked at her with angry eyes. ‘‘What do you think you’re doing?’’

‘‘I’m going to rebandage the bites and put salve on them.’’ She didn’t stop working. ‘‘You can help by removing your clothes, or I can cut them off.’’

Win remained stone. She wasn’t sure how he’d react, but she’d faced kidnapping, assaults, and riding a half wild horse today. She wasn’t in any mood to be crossed.

Without a word she unbuttoned his shirt and set to work on the second wound.

When she’d finished, she motioned for him to undress as she resoaked the rag.

Standing slowly, he removed his shirt. ‘‘I locked the door for a reason.’’ His voice seemed to rumble around the room like a mirror of the storm outside.

‘‘And I unlocked it for a reason.’’ Kora waited for him to sit back down. ‘‘Why did you shut me out?’’

Win plopped back in the chair and allowed her to resume. ‘‘I didn’t want you to see me like this.’’

‘‘Like what? Tired? Hurt? Stupid?’’

Win smiled. ‘‘That does feel better,’’ he admitted as she rubbed salve across the third wound.

‘‘Then sit back and let me work,’’ she ordered. ‘‘And while I work, I’ll tell you what I’ve learned.’’

Win leaned his head back and relaxed. He listened as she told him the discussion she’d heard at the settlement. As before, he found himself asking her questions as she reasoned through all she’d learned.

‘‘You could have been killed if Wyatt hadn’t been the one to find you.’’ Win frowned. ‘‘I’m not sure why he was there. But he helped you and that stacks the deck in his favor.’’

Winter rubbed his forehead. ‘‘I’ll think about it in the morning. Right now all that matters is you’re safe.’’

‘‘And you’re alive,’’ Kora countered.

Win winked at her. ‘‘How’d you get in here anyway? Jamie pick the lock?’’

‘‘No, I have my own key.’’

‘‘There’s always been only one key. The captain used to lock the place up sometimes so he could drink. Even Miss Allie couldn’t get in.’’

‘‘So he may have thought.’’ Kora moved the rag over his swollen skin. ‘‘But there was a key hanging on the inside of one of the wardrobes. I’d never noticed any of the doors locked, so I didn’t know what it fit until tonight.’’

‘‘So the captain wasn’t safe from Miss Allie any more than I am from you.’’

‘‘Do you want to be?’’ Kora looked up suddenly. The thought had never occurred to her that he might really not want her around.

‘‘No,’’ Win answered. ‘‘But I’m hard enough to live with on a good day. On a bad day like this, I’m not much for company. Once I knew you were safe, I figured it would be better for me to stay away until the pain eased.’’

Kora wrapped the third bite mark. ‘‘Is it easing now?’’

‘‘Much better,’’ he whispered. ‘‘God, how I missed you, woman.’’

Kora leaned over him and lightly touched her lips to his. The warmth of his mouth spread through her. From the very first she’d thought about what he’d be like to kiss and he hadn’t disappointed her. All day her only sanity had been the thought of getting back to his arms.

He didn’t kiss her back, but only accepted her offering, which excited her. When she ended the kiss and moved away, she felt in control. No matter how much she longed to kiss him again, she had work to do first.

She pulled him once more to his feet and helped him with his trousers. Then she doctored the other bites as he relaxed. Gage had cut off Win’s drawers, making him seem as if he had on a pair of short pants. When she finished, he stood and carefully redressed.

‘‘You should be in bed,’’ she whispered as she watched the muscles of his arms move. ‘‘It’s late.’’

Win poured himself a taste of brandy and leaned back in the huge wingback chair. ‘‘I wasn’t sure I could make it up the stairs before, but the pain is much better now.’’

‘‘What else can I do to help?’’ She moved her fingers into his hair. Even weak from the bites, he still had a power about him. The need to touch him was like a craving. She leaned forward and let the front of her wrapper brush against his arm as she lightly kissed his cheek.

‘‘What you’re doing is nice.’’ He didn’t move.

Kora kissed him again. Slowly moving along his face until she brushed his lips.

This time he responded.

When she straightened and broke the kiss, he whispered, ‘‘It’s good to have you home.’’ His hand moved gently along her side. ‘‘Were you hurt?’’

‘‘No,’’ Kora answered. ‘‘I was worried about you.’’

‘‘I’m fine, now you’re here.’’ Win tugged at her belt and pulled her closer. ‘‘I never thought I needed a wife, or that I’d miss a woman, but I missed you. I didn’t like waking up and not having you near.’’

He tugged again and she sat on the arm of the chair. ‘‘Pull the drapes and lock the door. I want to use the last of my energy looking at you, not climbing the stairs.’’

‘‘But don’t you want to go to sleep?’’

‘‘I want the rest of the world to go away,’’ he grumbled. ‘‘For a few hours in our marriage, I want to see and think of nothing but you.’’