What if the clerk had given him the room number? He’d have barged into the room and probably gotten himself shot. Thankfully, he’d gotten the sheriff first. He wouldn’t have had the sense to move to the side of the door after knocking. No, he would have been charged with emotion and just crashed through the door to face T.J. and his six-shooter.
Then, he thought, what if he hadn’t gone to town looking for Elise, and T.J. had violated her and probably have left her for dead? Chills ran through his body. As usual, God had protected them all. Elise had become such an indispensable part of the family, he couldn’t imagine her not being there. Was that a subconscious hint to him of some kind? There was only one way to keep her there forever and that would be to marry her. He cared deeply for her—that night had proven as much to him. The big question was: how did she feel about him?
He remembered how Elise’s body had trembled with fear when he’d held her, and it had taken her a while to calm. She’d felt good in his arms, and he was glad she felt safe there.
All of his money had been returned, and then some. He’d square things with Jay when he came for the auction.
The auction!
Harlan sat up in bed. He had just a few weeks to prepare for it. Would he be able to do it?
Chapter Seventeen
Elise awoke, but she kept her eyes closed. The window shade hadn’t been pulled down the night before, and she knew before opening her eyes that the room would be flooded with sunlight, and her head still hurt. She massaged her temples lightly in an effort to lessen the pain, grimacing when the pain worsened at her touch. She let her hands fall back to her sides on the bed, and she prayed that her pain would lessen. The doctor had left some laudanum, but she didn’t want to take it unless she had to.
She sighed.
A strong, callused hand took hold of hers. It startled her somewhat, but she knew to whom it belonged. Her heart told her, since its beating had increased. “Harlan?” she whispered.
He rubbed her hand. “I’m here. I thought you were asleep until you moved your arms.”
“If you pull down the shade, I’ll open my eyes.”
Harlan let go of her hand, and she missed it being there. It had been comforting. She could see the room was darker, even through her closed eyelids. Elise opened them and blinked several times.
“How do you feel this morning?” he asked.
“My head feels like it was run over by a stampede of cattle.”
“I see the doctor left you some laudanum. Let me give you a little.”
Elise wanted to shake her head, but she knew it would be too painful. She was now desperately in need of something, so she said, “Just a little. I don’t want to sleep the day away.”
While he prepared the medicine, she wondered how much of a mess she must look. Her hair must be a sight, she knew her face would be pale, and she probably had dark circles under her eyes. Since there wasn’t much she could do about it, she hoped he’d remember how she'd looked on Sunday in her best dress and hairdo.
Harlan said, “Let me prop your head up a little.” He put his arm gently under her neck and shoulders, lifted her with one hand, and held the spoon to her mouth with the other. “I’ve given you half of what the doctor ordered.” He eased her slowly back onto the pillow.
“Can I follow that with a chaser?” she said with a grimace.
“What? Oh, water, yes.” He poured her some water from a pitcher on the dresser into a cup, and lifted her, once again, so she could drink.
“Laudanum isn’t the best tasting,” she said.
“I’ve never had it, but I heard it was nasty,” he said, seating himself on the chair beside her bed.
“Where is everyone else?” she asked.
“Since it’s just six in the morning, no one else is up yet, although I think I heard Martha rattling a pan or two downstairs.”
“I think it wouldn’t hurt to sleep a few more hours, then,” she said, closing her eyes.
He put his hand over hers again. “I did want to say something, though.”
“All right.”
“I’m sincerely sorry for being angry with you about bringing T.J. to the ranch. I got angry because I love Millie so much, and I thought I’d lost her. Even though I’m a God-fearing man, if I’d have caught the man who hurt Millie, I think, I’d have killed him.”
“It was my fault entirely. I told him I had a job at a large horse-breeding ranch. I didn’t realize this was the only one in Russell. My mother warned me about talking to strangers, but it was such a long trip, and—”
“Shush, now. You’re getting all worked up over something that no longer matters. I was equally concerned when you went missing.” He squeezed her hand. “You’ve become dear to us all.”
Just after he'd said that, she must have fallen asleep. She didn’t remember anything after that because her body relaxed when the medicine started doing its job.
What finally woke her was the smell of food. Her stomach growled slightly at the aroma. She was extremely hungry, and her head felt much better. She opened her eyes to see a concerned Millie standing at the foot of the bed, and Martha setting a tray on the bedside table.
“Finally, she’s awake, Martha!” Millie exclaimed.
“Just in time for some chicken and dumplings. Your favorite,” Martha said as she propped up another pillow behind
