Page 150 of Conveniently Wed
She was too exhausted to do more than swallow as Miriam poured the warm liquid down her throat. When it was finished, she sank against the pillows, letting her eyes drift closed.
Gideon stood in the bedroom watching Leah sleep. She looked so small and fragile, surrounded by pillows with her leg cinched between two planks. Shewassmall and fragile. What was she doing out here, anyway? This country was wild and tough—not for the delicate.
He couldn’t shake the feeling of her snuggled in his arms as he’d carried her. It had been so long since he’d held a woman that close. It made him want to protect her, to shield her from all pain and danger. It had been harder to splint her shin bone than any other he’d had to fix. Knowing the agony he was inflicting had almost sent him storming out the door and far away from the cabin.
How had he let this happen in the first place? It was that blasted porch. If he’d put a rail around it like he’d thought about doing so many times, this never would have happened. Well that was something he could fix now.
But then a niggling of responsibility kicked in. He’d fix the porch right after he gutted the deer. No sense in wasting good meat.
The pounding wouldn’t stop.
Bang, bang, bang, bang.
“Oohh… Come in.” Her words came out more of a moan than a call. She needed to make the pounding stop.
Bang, bang, bang, bang.
“Leah?” Miriam poked her head in the door. “I thought I heard you awake. How do you feel today?”
She wanted to clutch her hands over her ears. Between the fire in her right leg and that awful racket, she could just scream.
Miriam’s head disappeared from the doorway, then reappeared again with the rest of her body, hands carrying a wooden tray.
“You’re probably hungry and ready for some more tea, huh?” She set the tray on a bedside table and reached for the mug. “Let’s start with the tea, though.”
“What is that banging?”
The corners of Miriam’s mouth lifted. “Gideon.”
Leah couldn’t hold back an annoyed look. She didn’t have the tolerance for word games right now. “You mean Gideon’s tearing the house down?”
Miriam giggled as she held the cup to Leah’s lips. “No, silly. He’s building it. Adding a rail around the porch, that is.”
Leah took the cup from Miriam’s hands. “He is?”
Miriam looked so proud of herself. “Yep.” She sank onto the bed and leaned forward like she had a great secret to tell. “He feltterribleabout you falling. He’s been out cuttin’ wood half the night and should be done with the porch in just a bit.”
She took another swig of the bitter drink and sank back against the pillows. “But it wasn’t his fault. I lost my balance, that’s all. It was my own mistake for leaning over so far.”
Miriam’s green eyes lost their vibrancy for a moment. “Oh, Gideon always takes other people’s problems on himself. Blames himself for everything bad that happens around here.”
Leah reached for Miriam’s hand. “Please tell him my accident was not his fault. He needn’t feel bad about it.”
The twinkle reappeared in Miriam’s eyes as she reached for Leah’s empty cup and replaced it with a bowl of mush. “You tell him that yourself. Now, eat a little bit, before the tea puts you back to sleep.”
Leah wrinkled her nose. “I can’t sleep all day. I need to be helping you with your work. Is there something you can bring me to do in bed? Sewing maybe?”
“Hush now.” Miriam rose from the bed as if to escape the talk of Leah working. “You need rest to help your leg heal. But maybe I’ll bring in potatoes this afternoon and you can help me peel them for dinner.” She held up a finger. “If you rest all morning and are feeling better by then.”
Miriam leaned forward to plant an affectionate kiss on Leah’s forehead. “Just put your bowl on the tray and I’ll be back for it in a while. Sweet dreams.”
It wasn’t until after Miriam left the room that Leah realized the hammering on the porch had stopped. She smiled. Maybe Miriam was right. Gideon—the mountain man—couldbe kind and considerate.
13
Leah stretched and shielded a yawn, careful not to move her lower body. Miriam’s light tap sounded on the bedroom door, so she called, “Come in.”
The sweet, perky face appeared in the doorway, framed by blond wisps that had escaped the knot on her head. “Are you up for some company?”
