Kora smiled. ‘‘Thank you.’’
‘‘You still single, Doc?’’ Winter got the question out just before Kora jabbed him in the ribs.
‘‘Yes,’’ Steven answered. ‘‘Why?’’
Winter cleared his throat. ‘‘I just wondered if I needed to send a rider to let your wife know you were staying.’’
Kora took Winter by the arm. ‘‘I’ll start breakfast.’’
She pulled at his elbow until he followed her. As soon as the door was closed, she faced him, fighting anger. If Jamie had a chance with the doctor, Winter might ruin it by pushing.
Winter didn’t see the anger in her gaze as he rubbed his side. ‘‘I never realized you were so strong. A little harder and I’d have a busted rib.’’
‘‘Do you have to ask every man in the county if he’s married as soon as they mention my sister?’’ She put her fists on her hips. As always, she was willing to fight for Jamie.
‘‘Seemed like a logical thing to do. I wouldn’t want to waste any time.’’ Winter liked the way she fired up. Her blue eyes sparkled.
‘‘You make it seem like we have to sell her off fast before she molts.’’
‘‘I’ll try to refrain from asking for a few more minutes.’’ Winter held his hands up in surrender. ‘‘Just don’t hit me again.’’ He was choking down the laughter.
Kora turned to leave.
‘‘One other thing, wife.’’
Winter’s words stopped her and she turned, realizing how forward she’d been to hit him. He couldn’t know that she’d been standing up for Jamie forever. Even when Kora didn’t stand up for herself, she’d fight her sister’s battles.
Winter folded his arms over his chest and waited until she looked up at him. ‘‘I just want to say, you’re beautiful when you’re angry.’’
A fire spread up Kora’s throat and across her cheeks. Compliments were for others, not for her. She was always the mouse no one noticed.
‘‘I don’t know what to say,’’ she whispered, fighting the desire to run.
‘‘Just a thanks, now and then. That’s all.’’
Before she could react, he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, then disappeared, taking the stairs two at a time.
TEN
KORA COOKED BREAKFAST AND CARRIED IT UPSTAIRS to the doctor and Cheyenne. They worked together to get a few bites down the injured man, then Kora cleaned the room as the doc sat back and enjoyed his breakfast.
She caught Doc Gage’s questioning glance when Dan silently picked up his chair and moved out of the room.
‘‘The war,’’ she said as she collected discarded bandages.
Gage almost dropped his fork. ‘‘But that’s been twenty years! Has he been like that since then?’’
Kora nodded. ‘‘My mother took care of him while she was alive, then I started. He’s really no trouble as long as you lay everything out that he needs and don’t try to talk to him or make him eat with anyone.’’
‘‘Does he wander off?’’
‘‘No.’’ Kora dusted the dresser. ‘‘He takes walks but always returns where his things are, even if we move from one house to another. Sometimes he curls up in the back of a wagon to sleep. We’ve almost lost him a few times because of that habit. When we move all we do is put his chair in the wagon bed and he climbs right in.’’
‘‘Can he talk?’’
‘‘I don’t know.’’ Kora faced the doctor. ‘‘My mother tried everything to make him come out of his prison. When first my father died and then Dan came home like this, the light went out of her eyes.’’
‘‘But she still had you and your sister?’’ Gage reasoned.
‘‘Girls weren’t as important as a son. I tried everything to please her and Jamie rebelled, but in the end all she saw was Dan. The night she died, she cried for her son, saying over and over how much she loved him. She never said a word to the two daughters at her bedside.’’
‘‘There are homes for veterans like him.’’
‘‘He has a home with me!’’ Kora answered sharply.
Gage looked down at his food, embarrassed by his boldness. He shoved a biscuit in his mouth and mumbled after a minute, ‘‘If I could find a woman who could cook this good, I’d be a married man. Winter is a lucky fellow to have found you.’’
‘‘There is more to being a wife than cooking,’’ Kora said, hoping Jamie’s chances wouldn’t be zero when the doctor tasted her meals. Coffee was the limit to her skills in the kitchen.
‘‘I know what you mean.’’ The doc leaned back and downed the last of his breakfast. ‘‘I was married once, about ten years ago while I was still in school. She was an angel God called home far too soon to my liking. I’ve thought of tying the knot again a few times since, but somehow I’m still married to her. Even now, after all these years, when folks ask me if I’ve got a wife, I have to think a moment before remembering. Being married is a feeling that doesn’t wash away with the tears at the funeral.’’
He looked at her with kind eyes. ‘‘You were a widow, I understand. You must know what I mean.’’
Kora reddened and looked down. She felt like an impostor. How could she tell him she’d married a stranger on his deathbed just because she’d read his letter and thought he had a farm? Anyone who heard the story would hate her for being so selfish. She hadn’t even stayed for the funeral, but left when the sheriff told her Andrew was beyond hearing anyone but the angels.
Kora had tried to do the right thing. She’d paid the doctor and the undertaker from Andrew’s money. Even leaving enough for a headstone to be made. Then she packed Jamie and Dan and left on the first stage heading north. Andrew’s letters said he had no family, so she wasn’t taking from anyone, and she thought she was giving them all a chance.
‘‘I didn’t mean to cause you pain, Mrs. McQuillen.’’ The doctor stood. ‘‘I’m terribly sorry.’’
Before she was forced to answer, Jamie opened the door.
‘‘Kora,’’ Jamie whispered instead of shouting for once. ‘‘May I have a word with you?’’
Thankful for the distraction, Kora excused herself and hurried to her sister. ‘‘What is it?’’
‘‘That husband of yours has every man on the place marching double time. He’s even stationed Logan in the foyer with enough weapons to hold off a small army.’’ Jamie looked frustrated. ‘‘There’s not a soul to go riding with me. I even asked the gambler eating his way through a month’s worth of groceries, and he claims he hurt his shoulder and can’t ride.’’
‘‘You could sit with Cheyenne,’’ Kora suggested. The one thing Jamie never allowed herself to be was bored. If they didn’t think of something, she’d find trouble. She always did.
‘‘Oh, Kora, you know how I’d hate that.’’ Jamie glanced over at Cheyenne. ‘‘If he’s asleep, it will be so boring and if he’s awake I’ll probably kill him within an hour if I have to talk to him. Let Dan bring his chair back up and sit with him. He’ll offer as much conversation as the man needs.’’
Kora stepped out in the hallway and started down the stairs. ‘‘I don’t see how I can solve your problem. I know better than to suggest cooking or cleaning.’’
‘‘We’ve got an idea,’’ Jamie followed her down. ‘‘Wyatt and me.’’
‘‘Wyatt?’’ Kora glanced at her sister.
‘‘The gambler. He’s really a nice sort.’’ Jamie was suddenly bouncing with excitement. ‘‘We could take the doc’s buggy into town. Wyatt said he’d show me around, and we’d be back long before dark. I could handle the reins so he could baby his shoulder.’’
Kora looked at Logan, who’d been eavesdropping from the foyer. The old man shrugged.
