A Journey for Leah: The Reluctant Wagon Train Bride - Book 13 by Sarah Lamb

Author:Sarah Lamb [Lamb, Sarah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2024-02-06T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

Leah couldn’t stop the scream that tore through her lips as the wagon shifted and started to go downriver. There were shouts as the men all pulled on the remaining ropes, and several others jumped into the water to try and grab the wagon from the rear.

She glanced for Stanley, but couldn’t see him. A terrible fear filled her, and she called out for him. “Stanley!” There was no answer, but blessedly, the first oxen’s feet hit the bank of the river right then, and the others, eager to get out of the water, followed him.

“Stanley!” Leah screamed again, dropped the reins, and half slid and half fell out of the wagon.

The men who’d jumped into the river were hauling something—no, someone—out, and set them on the bank.

It was Stanley. He was pale and had a gash in his forehead. One of the men opened his shirt and Leah spied a mass of bruises forming. He must have been hurt, possibly knocked unconscious by the wagon when it started spinning.

“He’s breathing,” Carl Jenkins said.

Leah looked at him in relief. She hadn’t even noticed he was there. However, she spotted Claudia, who had been the wagon behind hers and had crossed on the second raft, making her way over to her. Leah accepted the other woman’s embrace, and gasped into her shoulder, “What will I do?”

Claudia squeezed her tightly and gently pulled away. “What you must, my dear. Whatever that may be.”

Leah nodded resolutely. “You are right,” she said, and tried to hold back her tears. Whatever happened now to Stanley was in God’s hands, but she wouldn’t stop caring for him until the moment he either woke and recovered or…

No. She wouldn’t think about that.

“Should we get him in the wagon?” Leah asked.

“Yes.” Claudia turned her to her husband. “Get him out of those clothes. I’ll start a fire. We’ll get him warm, tend to the wounds, and go from there.”

He nodded, and Leah did as well. Right. A plan. That’s what she needed.

The wagon master called for a stop the rest of the day. Too many wagons had struggled getting across, and many had their supplies damaged. It would take a little time to sort through it all. Leah was grateful their supplies were dry and safe, and would have offered a hand to the others who needed it, but right now, Stanley was her concern.

In the dim light of the wagon’s interior, Leah and Claudia frowned. “Could be worse,” Claudia finally said. “Nothing feels broken.”

“How do you know?” Leah asked. She’d watched the other woman feel all around Stanley’s chest, arms, and ribs with a confidence she didn’t understand.

Claudia laughed. “My husband spends a lot of time in saloons, remember? He’s not one for backing down from a bar fight. If I had to call for a doctor each time, we’d have never had the funds to go West.”

Leah blushed, but laughed with her friend. Times like this, one did have to laugh, didn’t they? Or else cry.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.