Whirlwind Groom

With her cheek cradled against his broad chest, she felt safe. And torn. If she survived this, it would be because of him. She didn’t want to owe him. It would only complicate matters once she killed his prisoner.

Chapter Four

H e talked to her all the way to Whirlwind about everything from shoeing horses to whittling. A couple of times he thought she lost consciousness, and by the time they reached town, she had.

Dusk settled around them as he guided his buckskin up the main street and toward the Whirlwind Hotel. Davis Lee barely paid any mind to the attention he attracted from the few people who were still about. He saw Matt and Russ Baldwin coming out of Pete Carter’s saloon and hollered for both of them. The dark-haired brothers, easily the biggest men in Taylor County, hurried out to meet him.

Matt, the youngest by a year, reached Davis Lee first. “What’s happened?”

“One of you go for Catherine and one of you come help me!”

Russ, the quieter of the two, turned back and unhitched his bay mare then vaulted into the saddle.

“Tell her I need her for a snakebite.” Davis Lee thought he would never reach the other end of town, but he finally reined up in front of the hotel.

Matt met him there, taking the reins of Josie’s horse and flipping them over the hitching post. His gaze skated over her and interest flared in his eyes. “Who is she?”

“Her name’s Josie Webster.” Davis Lee shrugged off his annoyance at Matt’s fascination. The Baldwin brothers were well-known ladies’ men. “Here.”

When Matt came forward, Davis Lee handed her down carefully then swiftly dismounted.

“Why haven’t I seen her before?” The other man stared at her. “She’s a beauty—”

Scooping Josie out of Baldwin’s arms before Matt could even turn toward the hotel, Davis Lee took the steps at the end of the landing.

Matt hurried behind him. “Why are you bringing her here?”

“Her room is closer than Catherine’s house.”

“She sure is a little thing. Is it bad?”

“I think so.”

The other man opened one side of the double glass-front door. “I’ll take care of the horses.”

“Thanks.” Davis Lee glanced down, concern growing that Josie wasn’t waking. Beyond the staircase, three guests sat in the dining room. He stopped at the registration desk and hollered at the man behind it who was slumped and snoring in his chair. “Penn!”

The old man came slowly awake, blinking.

“Get Esther to meet me upstairs!”

Confusion slowly cleared from the clerk’s lined features as his gaze went to the woman in Davis Lee’s arms. Penn’s eyes widened and he pushed himself out of his chair. “That’s Miss Josie!”

“Yes.” Davis Lee rounded the corner of the desk and started up the staircase.

“What happened?”

“Snakebite,” he said tightly.

Penn shuffled toward the dining room. “Esther! Come quick!”

Davis Lee reached the second-story landing, then Josie’s room. The door was locked. He stepped back to lean over the wooden stair railing. “Get me a key!”

“Coming, Sheriff.” It was Penn’s wife, Esther, who answered him.

He heard frantic muttering, then saw her iron-gray hair as she breathlessly mounted the stairs. As round and soft as Penn was narrow and hard, Esther had a sweet disposition and good hearing, for which Davis Lee was thankful.

He stood aside so the older woman could open Josie’s door. When she pushed it wide, he strode across the room to the bed in the corner. Josie was still limp in his arms. Her skin was waxy, pale as a cloud and Davis Lee’s chest squeezed.

He laid her on the mattress, sitting on the edge of the bed to tuck his trail blanket tightly around her. He wished she would open her eyes or moan or something.

“Should I send Penn for Miss Donnelly?”

“I sent Russ to fetch her.” A trained nurse who had come to Whirlwind only a few months ago, Catherine was the first woman Davis Lee had been in danger of falling for since Betsy, but she’d fallen hard for his cousin, Jericho. And he for her.

Esther moved up behind Davis Lee, peering at Josie over his shoulder. “Poor thing. What can I do?”

“Probably ought to get her boots off.” What had she said about things constricting her? Maybe he had wrapped her too tightly. He loosened the tight cocoon of blanket.

Esther moved to the foot of the bed and unbuttoned Josie’s black boots, slipping them off. Davis Lee lifted the blanket and tugged her skirts up enough to see the wound. Her golden-peach skin was stretched taut and thin. He thought her calf looked more swollen than before but he couldn’t be sure.

Aware that Esther stared disapprovingly at his hand on Josie’s leg, he pushed her skirts back down. “Josie?”

Her eyes remained closed. He took her hand. Finding it clammy, he tucked it between both of his and rubbed. She was in shock. Maybe he shouldn’t have loosened the blanket. Where the hell was Catherine? All he knew to do was keep trying to wake Josie. He kept her small soft hand in one of his and lifted the other to her face, patting her cheek.

“Josie? Wake up.”

He cursed under his breath. She was so slight, looked so defenseless lying there. Her lips were barely parted, her lashes dark crescents against her pale cheeks. The rise and fall of her chest was rapid, too rapid.

She opened her eyes.

“Josie?” He leaned over her.

“Sheriff?” she croaked, looking at him through slitted, pain-filled eyes.

“I sent for Catherine. You passed out.” He awkwardly patted her shoulder, his stomach dipping like he’d been thrown from a horse. “She’ll be here soon.” It needed to be now.

“I…can’t see you very well. I’m thirsty.”

Esther hurried out of the room. “I’ll get some water.”

Davis Lee squeezed Josie’s hand, using his other to tuck the blanket snugly around her once more.

“Hurts.” She sounded breathless; her eyes drifted shut.

“Josie, don’t go. Stay awake.” He tapped her chin gently with a knuckle. “Josie.”

Where was Esther? Hell, where was Catherine? What if he hadn’t sucked out enough venom? For all he knew, that stuff was leeching the life out of Josie. The sound of footsteps rushing up the stairs had him looking over his shoulder. Relief pushed through him as Catherine hurried inside, skirts swishing.