Page 38 of Roping the Alien Cowboy

Kate’s eyes widened. “No, never!” She took my hands in hers. “Being with you is all I want, Kian. I’ve just been...restless, I suppose. Trying to find my purpose here.”

I let out a breath, relieved it wasn’t about us, but still concerned. “You will find it in time. This is your home now.”

Kate nodded slowly. “I know. Everything is still so new. I just feel unsure of myself, which isn’t like me at all.” She attempted a teasing smile. “Maybe I’m not cut out for domestic bliss.”

I drew her close, kissing the top of her head. “You’re still adapting. But you have a family here who loves you.” I tipped her chin up to meet her eyes. “I know the kind of woman you are, Kate - strong, capable, and resilient. That inner fire of yours has not gone out.”

Kate snuggled against my chest. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

We sat together in comfortable silence as the moons rose overhead. I hoped I had eased her doubts, but I knew Kate’s independent spirit could never be fully tamed. Perhaps in time, she would find purpose here. For now, I would simply love her with all that I had.

Chapter 15

Kate

The night before the wedding, I was so excited I could hardly sleep. Tomorrow I would be marrying Kian, the man I loved, and joining the Surlon village as one of their own. But as I lay in bed, I felt a strange tingling in my limbs. At first I thought it was just wedding jitters, but then a wave of nausea and dizziness hit me. The room started spinning and I broke out in a cold sweat.

“Something’s wrong,” I muttered. My body started shaking violently. I tried to stand but immediately collapsed back onto the bed. A feverish heat flooded through me. I cried out in pain.

Moments later, Alya burst into my room, alerted by my scream. She gasped when she saw me writhing and clutching my stomach. “Kate! What is happening?” she cried.

“I don’t know,” I choked out through chattering teeth. “Please, get Marah!”

Alya raced from the hut while I shivered uncontrollably, my teeth clacking together loudly. It felt like my blood was on fire. I had never experienced such sudden, horrific sickness.

Soon Marah arrived with Alya on her heels. The old healer pressed a cool hand to my burning forehead and frowned. “This fever came on fast. We must bring it down quickly.”

She and Alya wrapped me in wet cloths and tried to get me to drink willow bark tea. But I could barely swallow, coughing and gagging on the bitter liquid. My vision swam as I faded in and out of delirium.

Marah’s voice sounded muffled and far away. “I do not understand this illness. It may be something from her world...”

Those were the last words I heard before everything went black.

When I regained hazy consciousness, I was still shaking with fever. Kian sat at my bedside, his strong hand clutching mine. His blue face was creased with worry and lack of sleep.

“Kate, can you hear me?” he asked urgently. “Squeeze my hand if you understand.”

I weakly squeezed his fingers to indicate yes. My throat was too raw and swollen to speak. Kian exhaled in relief that I was awake.

“You’ve been delirious for two days,” he told me. “Marah cannot determine the cause of your sickness, but she works tirelessly to heal you.”

Two days? I wanted to ask more but slipped back into restless oblivion. Over the next few days, my only moments of lucidity were when Kian sat with me, pressing a cup of bitter herbal drink to my cracked lips, or when Marah spooned broth into my mouth.

I heard them talking in hushed, worried tones when they thought I was unconscious. Marah doubted I would recover. Kian refused to leave my side even to eat or sleep.

Whenever I surfaced into semi-awareness, I felt Kian holding my hand as he murmured prayers to the Surlon gods. “Please, do not take her away from me,” he implored, his voice breaking. “I will give anything.”

My heart ached, wanting to comfort him, but the fever still gripped me mercilessly. I faded in and out of reality, sometimes imagining I was back on my crashed ship, or lost in the desert. Kian’s voice always drew me back.

One night, I awoke to find Kian slumped over asleep in his chair, still clinging to my hand. His haggard face showed the toll of this vigil. Silent tears streamed down my cheeks. I wanted to recover, for his sake if not for mine. I couldn’t bear causing him such pain. Not now, on the eve of our new life together.

“Fight this, Kate,” I told myself fiercely. If I could survive a spaceship crash onto an alien planet, I could beat this fever. I focused all my energy on willing my body to heal. Finally, I slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.

When I woke next, sunlight streamed through the windows. The fever had broken. My throat and body still ached all over, but my mind felt clear for the first time in days.

I tried to sit up in bed, my muscles protesting even that small movement. How long had I been lying here, ravaged by that sudden, mysterious illness?

Before I could ponder further, hushed voices from the other room caught my attention. I recognized Kian’s deep baritone, tinged with exhaustion and worry. The other voice belonged to Marah, the village healer. They must have thought I was still sleeping. I stayed very still, not wanting to interrupt their conversation.

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