Page 6 of Inventions of the Heart

“Annie, Todd’s awake.” Michelle used her whiplash voice. She’d had plenty of practice bossing people around.

Annie’s shouting stopped. Caroline cried on. Zane didn’t let his sister go, so Annie leaned forward to grasp Todd’s hand.

“Todd, you’re going to be all right. Both of us are.”

Michelle didn’t disabuse her. She was busy with bandaging, so she didn’t see if Zane had a grim expression or not.

Shad set the last stitch and started with a rolled bandage. Michelle finished with Todd’s wounds. Caroline quit crying.

The Hogan sisters and Jilly came into the kitchen at a run.

“Harriet, Nora, we need to get Todd to a bed down here. I don’t want to carry him up the stairs,” Michelle said.

“We’ll go get it ready for him.” Harriet did most of the talking for the two of them.

Nora took a sharp look at the bandages and blood all around. “You get things ready, Harriet. I’ll help in here.”

Nora came around to slide a supportive arm across Michelle’s waist. Quietly, she said, “Sit down before you fall down.”

With strong arms and the take-charge nature of a lifelong schoolteacher, she guided Michelle to a chair. Only when Michelle sat and her knees gave out on the way down did she realize how light-headed she was. Dropping the last few inches, she drew in a long breath.

Jilly rushed over with a glass of water and thrust it into Michelle’s hands. Then she went around and plucked Caroline out of Zane’s arms so deftly he barely realized his niece was being taken away.

Jilly got water for Annie and helped Nora clean the kitchen as best she could one handed. If not for the large man on the kitchen table, the room would be considered restored to order.

Todd and Annie were in their own world, speaking, holding hands. Praying. The world went on without them.

Two cowhands had come back with the Hogans and Jilly. Shad had stopped them at the door. He looked at Zane. “I’ll be right outside if you need help, so will a few men. Call us when you need to move him.”

Shad’s eyes shifted to Todd. Michelle saw the grim truth.

They wouldn’t be moving him to the bed. They’d be moving him to a grave.

Michelle’s head went dizzy. She caught hold of the edge of the chair, afraid she might topple out. Her hearing went weird. As if a hive of bees were buzzing in her head. Her vision narrowed. At last it eased, and she knew she wasn’t going to faint.

She noticed Zane speaking quietly to Shad but was too fuzzy to bother eavesdropping.

When she was sure she wouldn’t pass out, she gulped down her water.

Todd and Annie continued to talk softly to each other. Zane joined in once in a while with a solid hand on Todd’s shoulder. Then Zane asked Jilly for the little girl and brought her to Annie. Todd looked at the child, who was calm now.

“Hi, baby girl.”

“Hi, Papa.” She grinned and waved her arms, then tried to climb on the table.

Zane moved to grab her.

“No, let her come, but watch where she lands. Don’t let her kick me.” Todd smiled weakly. “Let me hold her for just a minute.”

That’s when Michelle realized Todd knew what his injuries meant. He wanted to say goodbye.

Annie’s eyes filled with tears. She carefully held the little girl so she could be tucked in her papa’s arms. Annie bore her weight and made sure Caroline didn’t bump the bandaged wounds.

Todd pulled the toddler close and spoke gently to her. Spoke of love. Hugged her tight. Then he looked at Annie. Michelle looked away from the raw pain, the loss, the longing that passed between the two of them. It was an intimate moment, and they should have been allowed it without witnesses. But there wasn’t time.

He gave a shudder violent enough that Annie lifted Caroline away from him. “She doesn’t need to see this, Zane.”

Zane took the child. “Jilly, can you take Caroline to the other room?”

Jilly bounced the little girl as she walked out.

Todd’s shuddering stopped. He went still. Every bit of tension in his body left him. Michelle couldn’t look away,and she saw the moment his hand went limp, slipped through Annie’s grip, and dropped to the table.

Annie began to sob. She hugged her husband, and her weeping rose. Zane let it go on a long time. Finally, when the worst of the storm passed, Zane pulled her into his arms and held her tight.

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