Page 63 of The Enchanted Land

Jake turned his back on her. “We’ll see what the sheriff says,” he mumbled.

It was nearly daylight when Paul returned with the sheriff. Jake had finally dozed off in the big chair beside Seth, but he was quickly through the doorway, showing the sheriff the note.

“Hold on, Jake. I know how you feel, but I can’t just shoot the man. We went to the Montoya ranch first and Señor Montoya had witnesses who said he was there all night. This note mentions Joaquín, but we can’t even be sure when it was written.”

“I don’t care how many witnesses the little bastard has! He nearly killed my boy!”

“All right. We’ll go again. We’ll face him with the note. The doctor should be here any minute. He was out in Pecos, so it’ll take him a while. Paul, you ready?”

Helplessly, Jake watched them go. An hour later the doctor came.

He complimented Jake for the care he had given Seth on the rough trail, and after he had examined him, said there was nothing else to do but wait and see if the fever broke. He wrapped the broken ribs tightly, to keep him from breathing too deeply and putting one through his lungs.

Seth’s fever raged for days. Lupita and Jake took turns sponging his perspiring body and forcing broth down his throat. He talked a lot about Morgan, and how he loved her, how he wanted her. He kept calling for her, asking where she was, sensing even in his delirium that she wasn’t there. With every mention of her name, Jake’s hatred for Morgan grew.

After nearly a week, Paul and the sheriff returned to the Colter ranch. They had been searching for Joaquín and Lena Montoya all that time. They had returned to the Montoya ranch the morning after Jake had brought Seth back and found the servants closing down the house. Joaquín and Lena had left immediately after the sheriff’s first visit.

“They didn’t plan on Seth still being alive,” Jake yelled in frustration.

“Someone should try to find the Señora Colter.” The three men turned to stare at Lupita.

“But she’s the one who caused all this. She and Montoya had their escape planned. It probably wasn’t Montoya’s sister who left with him at all.”

“Jake’s right.” Paul’s voice was calm and tired. “I think we should leave this up to Seth. When he’s well, he’ll decide whether he believes his wife’s note or not.” Paul’s expression left in doubt none of his feelings toward Morgan.

With a sigh of resignation, Lupita went back to Seth.

It was two more weeks before the fever broke.

“Lupita?”

Lupita turned from gazing out of the window. She whirled toward him. “Señor Colter. You are well.” Her voice held both joy and relief.

Seth grinned weakly at her. “I don’t think I’m well of anything yet. Everything hurts. How long have I have been ill?”

“Three weeks now.”

“Three weeks! Where is everyone? Where’s Morgan and Jake and Paul and … food! I’ve never been so hungry in my life. Tell Morgan I want some of those little doughnuts of hers and one of those cheese and bacon things in the crust.” He grinned as Lupita hurried from the room. “Tell Morgan I want hernow!” he called toward the door.

He lifted himself up and grabbed a pillow to prop behind his head. He ran his hand over the welt on the side of his head and felt where the scar ran under his hair. His ribs and shoulder hurt, and his legs ached. “Three weeks!” he murmured. “I’ll bet Morgan had her hands full, but I’ll make up for lost time.”

He grinned at himself. Smells from the kitchen reached him and he wondered where the hell she was. What was taking her so long?

He put his hands out in front of him, stretching his muscles, easing some of the stiffness that three weeks in bed had caused. “Three weeks in bed,” he laughed. “I bet I spend the next three weeks in bed, too, but not for the same reason. And not alone! Where is she?”

It was then that he noticed the white spot on his little finger. Morgan’s ring! Where was it? And then, in a flash, he remembered everything, every ugly detail.

He put his hands over his eyes, rubbing the heels deep into the sockets, trying to block out the images… Joaquín and Morgan in the garden… Joaquín giving him the note… Joaquín aiming the pistol and firing. “No,” he whispered. “Please, God, no!”

“Here is food and lots of it. Jake and Paul will be here in a minute. They will be so happy to see you well. They have both worried themselves sick over you.” She bustled into the room with the tray of food, but the smile left her face when she saw Seth. She knew then that healing his body had been easy compared to what it was going to take to heal his spirit.

“It’s all true … what I remember. Isn’t it?”

Lupita would have sold her soul to be able to tell him that it all had been a dream, that his lovely wife was running to him, would be here in a moment. “I do not think it was true. The littleseñorawould not do such a thing. I think someone should go and find her.”

“Well, I don’t.” Seth and Lupita turned to see Jake in the doorway. “We found the note. I say let her go. If she wants to leave here, let her.”

The pain in Seth’s eyes was more than Lupita could bear. “She loves you. She loves you very much. She could not have acted like she did and not love you. The day Lena came for her, she did not want to go. She wanted to stay here in her home. She was so happy here.”

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