Noah (12 page)

His boot.

From the awkward position he’d placed his leg,
she figured that had to be where he kept his knife. Kate strained against the
ropes in an attempt to reach his foot.

“Noah Deardon, don’t you dare die on me!” she
yelled, yanking on his hands, trying to wake him. He didn’t stir and panic
creeped in, squeezing her chest, her breaths labored and coming more rapidly.

This is not happening. I will not lose him. Not
now.

Kate had never been sure she would ever be able
to love again. Everyone she loved died and she did not want to face that
heartache again. She bowed her head.

“Please, God,” she pleaded, “don’t take him
from me.”

She sat there a moment in the stillness, not
sure what she was waiting for, but somehow took comfort in the silence. Within
a few minutes, the disquiet in her heart slowed and a calming peace washed over
her. With a new resolve, she jerked her hands against the ladder rung and the
whole ladder slid—just an inch, but it moved.

“Just a little farther, Kate!” she told
herself. “Come on.” She stretched again, her fingers lightly brushing the denim
material of Noah’s trousers.

He slumped over awkwardly, his leg still
twisted behind him at an odd angle. She took a deep breath, bracing herself for
the pain she knew would ensue, and wrenched their hands against their wooden
jailor. It gave just enough that she reached the hem of Noah’s trousers and
slid her hands up his boot until she found the knife. Her fingers closed around
the hilt and she pulled it free.

Without wasting any time, she worked at the
section of rope that bound them to the ladder. Surprised by how quickly the
blade sliced through the ropes, she breathed in and then out, slowing down
enough that she wouldn’t end up cutting off their hands. She arranged the knife
so that the metal edge leaned up against the rope between her own hands and
gently moved it up and down until the bindings fell away from her wrists.

Relieved, she quickly turned around, and cut
the cords restraining Noah, then readjusted his legs to lie out straight in
front of him. She dropped down to him, placing her ear on his chest, watching
his mouth for any indication he was still alive. His breathing was slow and
staggered.

She closed her eyes in gratitude. “Thank you.”

She sprung upward, lifted her skirt, and cut
several strips of material from her petticoat to bind the wound on his arm.

With the storm still raging outside, the room
grew darker by the minute, making it nearly impossible to see him properly.
Kate had to think fast. She couldn’t tell if he was still bleeding or even
where the shot had penetrated exactly, so she felt for the hole in his shirt
and tied one of the strips around his arm just above that location. It would
have to do until she had a little more light in the room.

She’d noticed a stack of firewood in the corner
of the room when they’d first entered the cabin, so she stood up, making her
way there, and collected a few pieces, carrying them over to the fireplace
where steam still rose from the center.

Even though Dell had doused the flames, some of
the embers still glowed with heat, so she carefully arranged the logs the way
her father had taught her when they’d first moved out to Laramie. She glanced
around for anything she could use as kindling to reignite the fire. A small
stack of disheveled papers caught her eye and she reached over and grabbed one
from the top, but just as she started squeezing it together to be twisted into
kindling, she thought better of it. There was a good chance that those papers
contained some answers.

There was no time to inspect the documents
further, but she couldn’t burn any of them without knowing their contents. She
set the paper back on the top of the stack so she could take a look at it
later, after she’d seen to Noah and a fire. Before thinking any more about it,
she ripped the petticoat from beneath her skirt and made quick work of tearing
it into several pieces that could be used to incite new flames.

The material caught fire even faster than she’d
expected and she once again expressed her gratitude. With the additional light
from the hearth, Kate cut away the damaged material of Noah’s sleeve and saw
that the bleeding had already started to clot. She thought back to a few years
ago when her brother had stepped on a sharp metal rod that had gone straight
through his foot. Her mother had scrubbed it with soap and water, then doused
it in vinegar to help prevent infection.

Kate scoured the little cabin, finding several
jars of foodstuffs, but no vinegar. When she opened the cabinet beneath the
makeshift bed, she discovered several bottles of various liquors and figured
they had to be as strong as vinegar, if not more so. She grabbed a piece of her
torn petticoat and opened one of the bottles, soaking the rag thoroughly.

The room warmed faster than she had expected
and she wiped the perspiration from her brow as she scrubbed off what seemed
like layers of both fresh and dried blood from Noah’s unexpectedly sculpted
arm. Her mouth went dry as she touched his hot skin, the heat in her cheeks not
coming from the fire.

He moaned quietly, but didn’t stir.

She shook her head and returned to her task.

Once she’d cleaned the sticky fluid from around
the wound and could see the ridges of the hole properly, it started to bleed
again, but only minimally. She placed a bowl under his arm and poured the
remaining contents of the brandy bottle over the wound, then bound it with
several clean cloths.

Luckily, it appeared that someone had been
living in this small cabin, unbeknownst to her, for some time and it was well
stocked. There were various food supplies as well as an unusually large stack
of blankets, a single chair, small table, and plenty of wood for the fire. If
they were going to be stuck here for any length of time, at least they wouldn’t
be starving or freezing.

Dell had been staying at the bunkhouse with the
others, so Kate wondered who else may have been staying here and if he would be
returning. She shook her head, refusing to let fear stop her from doing what
needed to be done and right now, she needed water for Noah. So, she picked up
the bucket and limped to the door. When she opened it, snow still fell, but the
roaring wind had died down to a breeze and the sun—though it was setting—could
be seen through the storm clouds.

Thank heaven for small mercies. And big ones
.

She bent down and scooped snow into her bucket
from the three foot high drift that had been blown up against the door, then
secured the latch behind her and hung the container on the hook in the
fireplace.

Cold air slipped through the cracks in the
door, so Kate kicked the old, dusty braided rug up against the opening at the
bottom of the door and stuffed the space between the hinges with a sheet that
had been tossed over the corner of the bed.

She looked down at her patient lying on the
floor. There was no way she would be able to lift a man Noah’s size up onto the
straw-filled mattress that topped the bed scrunched into the corner of the
room, so Kate grabbed an armful of blankets from the shelf above a closet with
its doors hanging off its hinges, and prepared a makeshift bed on the ground.

Once the chilly floor was adequately covered,
Kate knelt down to the side of Noah and attempted to roll him over onto the
blankets. It wasn’t quite as simple as she’d thought it would be, and she spent
the next several minutes trying to get him situated when he finally stirred
enough that he rolled himself over and onto the warmth of the blankets.

Whew.

Kate rolled up a quilt to place beneath his
knees, a smaller one for his head, then she tucked a coverlet up around his
shoulders and neck, so he would stay warm. She’d done all she could think of to
help him. Now, she’d just have to wait. And waiting had never been one of her
strong suits.

Before long, she had a nice broth simmering
over the fire and Noah appeared to be resting peacefully. If he didn’t wake
soon, though…

Stop it, Katie Callahan. He’s going to be fine.
He has to be.

Noah awoke to little paws kneading his chest. A
loud purr pulled him from his cumbersome dreams, and he opened one eye to
inspect the small, white and fawn-colored fluffy ball of fur nuzzling into his
warmth. His hand rested in a curved position against his ear and face where the
kitty had taken to suckling his fingertips.

“Where did you come from, little one?” he spoke
to the wide-eyed kitten that had seen fit to snuggle up against him. He
randomly thought of how much his nephews, Max and Gil, and even little Owen,
would have loved having a little kitten to feed and play with back home, but
doubted Emma would appreciate it much.

Noah blinked a few times, the reality of what
had happened last night striking him with a force that nearly knocked him from
the bed and he tried to sit up. Bad idea. The whole cabin seemed to swirl
around inside his weighted head and darkness threatened the perimeter of his
vision. He lay back down, forcing himself to focus on a single log in the
rafters, and within a matter of moments, the crisp clarity of morning returned.

The kitten burrowed his head beneath Noah’s
hands, which now rested on his chest. There was no way such a young one could
have survived the storm and he wondered where the animal had been hiding that
would have muffled his surprisingly vocal ramblings.

“Where’s your mama?” he asked in a voice higher
pitched than usual.

“Meow,” the kitten spoke loudly as if in
response, confirming Noah’s suspicion that he was hungry.

He waited a few more minutes until the
grogginess had passed and propped himself up on his elbows, his arm stiff and
achy. He scratched the kitten’s head and laughed as the baby cat nudged his
face with its nose.

“I’m trying,” Noah laughed softly, basking in
the light that came through the small window.

The storm had lifted, that much was apparent. A
light chill blanketed the cabin and he glanced at the hearth still aglow with
little red and orange cinders. They were safe. For the moment.

Kate.

The thought of his soon-to-be bride, pushed him
up. He gritted his teeth as he held the kitty close to his chest, careful not
to crush the fragile little thing. Kate must have been up most of the night,
keeping the fire warm, and watching over him.

He found her sitting up against the wall, her
legs straight out in front of her on the bed in the corner, with a blanket
wrapped up around her shoulders, her eyes closed. She’d been brave. And she’d
even shown kindness to a man undeserving of her compassion.

“I’m a very lucky man,” he whispered into the
air.

The sunlight played with the golden highlights
in the otherwise dark waves of Kate’s hair, creating an ethereal glow about
her. She was simply breathtaking—easily the most beautiful sight he had ever
lain eyes on.

Lord, thank you for getting us through the
night
.

Noah didn’t know what the day would hold for
them, but he knew they would face it together.

As he rolled off the makeshift mattress, he was
amazed at Kate’s resourcefulness. Not only had she managed to bandage his arm,
but somehow, she’d gotten the blankets beneath him. She’d saved his life—there
was no doubt. Now, it was his turn to take care of her. He set the kitten down
on the ground and the little thing darted from one section of the enclosed room
to the other, exploring.

Noah laughed as he walked over to the bed,
placed his hand behind her head, and gently guided her down to the mattress.
She opened her eyes, one at a time, and smiled.

“You are a sight for sore eyes,” she said,
tiredly.

He leaned down and placed a light kiss on her
lips. He couldn’t help himself.

“Thank you,” he said in a whisper, and forced
himself away from her. “Get some rest. I don’t know how long we’ll have to stay
out here. We’ll never be able to tread back in the snow with you still limping
on that foot.”

Unsure of what he would find outside, he
grabbed one of the blankets and draped it around his shoulders before opening
the door. Why he’d neglected to put on his coat before the drive up here was
beyond him. It was probably frozen solid in the back of the buckboard.

“Hopefully, Levi and Eamon will know where to
look for us.” Noah told her, smiling when he glanced at her and found that she
had fallen back asleep.

Good.

He had to believe that his cousin and friend
had made it back to the homestead safely and without incident. Rustlers rarely
worked alone and if there were more of them out there, no one would be safe
until they were caught.

His thoughts turned to the livestock. If the
cattle were going to have any chance at surviving, he would need to get back
down to the winter pastures with Virg and the other hands to shovel out as much
snow as possible and spread out fresh hay for the Herefords to eat. At least
they’d gotten several wind fences and snow barriers raised before the storm and
he prayed that they’d been able to withstand the heavy snow that had fallen
through the night.

Noah pulled open the door and pushed through
the drift that had accumulated there. While the snowfall was nearly two feet
deep, he was comforted that the storm had only lasted the better part of a few
hours.

He made his way to the side of the cabin where
he’d left the wagon and was relieved to see that Dell had at least unhitched
the horses, leaving only the buckboard behind and giving them a fighting
chance. Another carriage of sorts peeked out from behind the cabin, but he was
in no condition to explore right now. Not in the deep snow.

The corral was empty and only scooped hills and
vales in the snow gave any indication as to what direction they had gone.
Westward. Toward town.

Noah guessed that another hour had passed by
the time Kate opened her eyes. He’d found a roll of jerky strips wrapped in
cheesecloth in a box on the hearth and a sack with several apples and a tin of
tobacco under the table. Not that they’d have any use for the snuff.

He dragged the chair over to the edge of the
bed and held out an apple and some of the jerky for her.

“I’m afraid it’s nothing like what Fannie can
cook up for you.”

She snatched the fruit from his hand and bit
into its crisp flesh.

It wasn’t until then that he noticed her newly
scabbed wrists, the skin red and angry. He reached out and took her hands in
his in order to inspect them more closely, then he glanced up at her,
scrunching his brows together in concern.

“We got free,” she said with a simple shrug,
still chewing her bite of apple.

“That we did.” He didn’t let go of her hands,
but held them up in front of his face. “Thank you,” he said as he placed a kiss
on one wrist. “You are an amazing woman, Kate Callahan.” He kissed the other
wrist.

She smiled softly and swallowed.

“Thank you,” she replied, “for trusting me. For
listening to me. For taking care of me and my blasted foot.”

They both laughed.

“And, for…waiting.” Her honey eyes met his, and
she bit her lip.

Noah leaned forward, wanting desperately to
taste again of her apple-laced lips. She closed her eyes expectantly.

The kitty jumped up onto the bed and into
Kate’s lap, startling her. She jumped backward, her eyes shooting open with
surprise. When she saw the visitor, she placed a hand over her heart before
reaching down and picking him up so that his face was parallel with hers.

“Who is this little thing?” she asked, her
crinkled brow evidence she hadn’t know the kitten had been there either.

“He must have found a way in when it started
getting cold. I think he’s warm enough though as he’s been darting around the
room all morning.”

“Flash,” Kate said with a nod. “He’s like a
little flash of lightning, striking when you least expect it.”

They laughed again as Flash sniffed at the
jerky in Noah’s hand. He stood and coaxed the kitty away from Kate, setting him
on the floor where he’d placed a small cup of water from the bucket.

“Noooaaaahhhh!”

“Kaaaaaaate!”

“Did you hear that?” Kate asked, inching to the
edge of the bed and gingerly standing up.

Noah strode to the door, peeking out the small
window before swinging it wide.

“It’s Levi,” he announced, turning back to look
at her.

She limped across the room and joined him at
the door.

He placed his arm at her waist, holding her
close to him, and they both raised their hands high into the air and waved.

“We’re in here!” he shouted, his hand cupping
his mouth. Though, as he looked down at Kate’s smiling face, he almost wished
they hadn’t been found so quickly.

Almost.