Page 549 of Conveniently Wed
“Yeah, I might need some help.”
Franklin was able to finish his biscuit before they reached where the wagon had stopped beside the woman on the horse.
Charlie was trying to coax Miriam into letting him help her down, but she wasn’t cooperating. Actually, she seemed to be in a daze.
Franklin dismounted and dropped Major’s reins to the ground. It looked as if Miriam wasn’t aware anyone else was around. That surprised him, because his horse and Rusty’s made plenty of noise as they approached. Something serious had to be wrong with her.
As he neared the horse she was riding, he noticed she was heavy with child. Why was she here on the Rocking V, and where was Marvin Pratt? The dirty, low-down, sneaky cuss brought the taste of bile rising in his throat. He never wanted to even think about that skunk ever again. Was his former best friend the father of her baby? If so, why was she coming here alone?
This woman hanging onto the pommel of the saddle as if her life depended on it was the most pathetic looking female he’d ever seen. As if a gentle breeze might blow her off onto the ground. Her hair hung in a stringy mess, and most of her body looked emaciated, her clothes hanging off her as if she were dressing up in someone else’s. And the palomino she rode didn’t look in much better shape than she was.
He stopped beside her, but she never looked his direction. “Miriam?”
She slowly turned her head, and her eyes widened. “Franklin...I need...help.” At the last word, her body tipped, and she lost her hold on the reins.
He moved quickly to keep her from hitting the ground. Clasping her in his arms, he was surprised at how light she was. Her bones stuck out with hardly any flesh between them and her skin that looked as thin as onion skin. He didn’t want to hold her too tight, fearful he’d hurt her somehow.
Carefully, he made his way to the back of the wagon, glad to see a bed of soft blankets spread across the floor. He gently lowered her onto the pile and covered her with another of the covers.
Her eyes slid closed, and her body went slack. Had she fainted, or was she dead?
The thought startled him. He’d never wanted to see her again, but he didn’t wish for her to die.
Leaning over the side of the wagon, Franklin held his fingers under her nostrils, trying to detect any air. She took a shallow breath, then a deeper one and let it out slowly, but she didn’t open her eyes. Franklin grabbed the reins of the sick horse and tied them to the back of the wagon.
“Charlie, you ride Major into town and see if you can bring Doc Winston. I’ll drive the wagon.” He climbed up on the seat and picked up the reins. “I’ll have to drive slowly, so I don’tjostle her too much.” He gave Rusty a pointed look. “Go back to the house and alert the women that I’m bringing in a patient. Miriam will need lots of help from them and from the doctor.”
He had been making some progress on courting his wife, and he didn’t want anything to come between them now.
Lord, please, don’t let this interfere with my relationship with my wife.
Lorinda had just finished nursing Michael when another knock sounded on the front door. She held out her son to Mrs. Oleson. “I’ll answer the door this time.”
Once again, Rusty stood on the front porch.
She opened the wooden door but stayed inside the screened one. “Where’s Franklin?” Her heart beat double-time. Had something happened to her husband? If not, why was Rusty back and her husband wasn’t?
“He sent me here with a message, Mrs. Vine.”
Lorinda had never seen Rusty look so nervous. Something must have happened. “What message?”
“He’s bringing a...” He cleared his throat. “...woman up to the house. She needs help, and he said for you...and Mrs. Oleson to get a room ready for her.” He turned to go.
Lorinda opened the screen door and stopped on the porch beside him. “Why is he bringing her here?”
“She was about to fall off her horse. She looks really bad.”
She shot her gaze toward the wagon slowly approaching the house. “Okay. I’ll have a place for her when he gets here.”
“Thank you, ma’am.” Rusty settled his hat back on his head as he hurried down the steps.
If the woman was in a bad way, she might have trouble climbing the stairs. The only thing Lorinda could do was fix her a place to stay on the first floor. Without hesitating, she moved the baby’s cradle and his other things into the bedroom where she slept. That would work for the time being. They could settle the patient in the room where Lorinda first lived when she came to the ranch. She closed and locked the door that connected it to the dressing room where her husband slept.
By the time she’d changed the sheets on the bed and fluffed the pillows, Franklin came through the front door carrying the woman. Lorinda had never seen her before, but the poor thing was almost skin and bones, except for the fact that she was breeding. Lorinda wondered how a body so frail could carry a baby this far along. She was glad she had a bed waiting so close to the front door. Where was the woman’s husband? Was she a widow like Lorinda was when she came here?
Franklin pushed past her as he made his way into the room and deposited the woman on the bed. Lorinda pulled up the covers and tucked them under their visitor’s chin. After her fingers touched some exposed skin, she went back to the linen closet to get a couple more quilts. Their guest felt almost as cold as a slab of marble. The poor woman needed care if she was going to be able to give birth. And according to the size of her belly, that event might not be far off.
Her husband ushered Lorinda out into the hallway. “I don’t know what’s happened, but this is...Miriam.”
