Page 148 of Conveniently Wed
Gideon leaned back in his chair, appearing to mull over this. “No need. We can take you down to Helena. Miriam’s been itchin’ to go to the mercantile, and I have some leather for the harness shop. We’ll leave tomorrow after the morning meal.”
Leah breathed a silent prayer of thanks. For the first time in a while, things seemed to be looking up. God really was guiding her steps.
As Leah swept the kitchen floor after breakfast the next morning, she tried to make some sense out of her emotions. Why this feeling of melancholy that had shadowed her all morning? She felt as if she were leaving her home and family again.
True, Miriam was like a long lost sister, but they had only met two days ago. And she would miss this peaceful cabin secluded in the mountains. Something about the clear air as it filled her lungs, and the ambiance, so quiet except for the twitter of birds. She could easily see why someone would never want to leave this haven.
But that was not to be her lot this day. She needed to move on and find God’s place for her.
Having gathered all the dust and crumbs in a pile, she swept them toward the front door the way she’d seen Miriam do the first night. Out the door and off the side of the porch they went. At first, she’d thought it curious the porch had no rail, but now she saw at least one benefit—dirt could be easily swept to the side and not down the stairs where people would tromp it right back into the house.
She stopped to admire the view before returning to the house. Miriam was changing into her town clothes, and Gideon had gone to hitch the wagon and team. Both of Leah’s trunkswere packed and by her bedroom door, so she had time to enjoy her peaceful surroundings one last time.
By standing on the far left corner of the porch, she could see a mountain range far away, peaks still covered in snow. What would it be like to live in a place that still had snow in June? Having grown up in the southeast, such a phenomenon seemed foreign. Perhaps she could travel to those mountains now, too.
A motion to her left caught Leah’s eye and she leaned over the edge to get a better look, holding the corner post for support.
A deer? Yes! A chestnut brown deer stood alert just inside the yard, watching Leah with bright, wary eyes. She barely dared to breathe, afraid the animal would dart into the trees and disappear forever. Inch by inch, she reached out a hand toward the deer. If only she could get a little closer.
Bang!
A horrendous boom sounded, and the deer dropped at the same time she herself was falling. Her grip on the post slipped, and she reached for something—anything—but her hands found no purchase. A scream sounded in the distance, just as the ground collected her with a bone-jarring thud.
12
Leah couldn’t breathe. She tried and gasped, but couldn’t force air into her lungs. Her chest might explode any minute. She clawed at the ground, trying to push herself onto her knees, anything to get breath. With that movement, pain shot through her right leg and a flash of light burned her eyes.
“Ahh!” It was all she could say. Her leg hurt so badly, she couldn’t think or speak. At least her breath was coming a little easier now.
“Wait. Don’t move just yet.” A voice crooned above her while big hands gently rolled Leah onto her back. Was that God? The voice didn’t boom like she’d always imagined the Lord’s would, but was a mixture of strength and honey, both manly and gentle. She allowed the hands to work as the agony shot bullets up her spine. Maybe if she were perfectly still, she would lose consciousness and leave this searing ache behind.
“Can you tell me where it hurts?”
She squinted up, trying to find the source of the voice.
Gideon. His green eyes were pools of concern.
The question he’d asked finally registered, and she took a quick inventory of her body. It was hard to tell with the pain shooting up her leg and overflowing through her other limbs.
“Just…my leg and…my chest…I think.”
“Leah.” Miriam’s worried face came into view beside her brother’s.
Gideon didn’t acknowledge his sister, but studied Leah’s skirts with a wrinkle between his brows. “I’m going to need to move your skirts a bit.” His gaze went to Leah’s face. “Is that all right?”
“Yes.” If he could make the torture stop, he needed to get on with it.
He eased the bottom of the skirt up on her right side until he sucked in a breath. A flicker of ache showed in his eyes. “I’m going to carry you into the house now. It’s going to hurt, but we have to get you inside so we can splint your leg. You can scream or squeeze the life out of my arm, whatever you need to. All right?”
He looked at Leah like he was waiting for her consent. What else was she going to do? She could hardly breathe with the pain, and she could only pray he would do everything he could to make the movement bearable.
Miriam’s gentle hands propped up her shoulders as Gideon slipped his arm behind her. His other arm went under the bend of her knees, and the touch seared like fire in her bone. She sucked in her breath and grabbed his shoulder, trying to claw away from the agony.
“Easy there. I’ve got you. Easy now.” His steady cadence and the smoothness of his movements helped calm her a bit. His chest was strong, like a shelter from the raging torment. She buried herself in it. Was this what it felt like to hide under the shadow of the Almighty’s wings?
Too soon, she was being lowered into a bed. Again, the touch of her foot on the mattress sent a jolt of fire through her leg.
“Miriam, I’m goin’ to get supplies from outside. Need you to gather a long bandage to wrap the splint and some clean cloths.”
