Fitzpatrick: Cowboy Reluctant: Christian Historical Western (The Kavanagh Brothers Book 7) by Kathleen Ball

Author:Kathleen Ball [Ball, Kathleen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-07-06T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

She groaned as she opened her eyes. Her body was in awful pain. She stilled. The pain was unbearable and much worse the more she moved. Fitzpatrick slouched in a chair next to her bed, sleeping. He looked younger and at peace. This would probably be the last time she’d be this close to him. His eyelashes were thicker than hers and his hair stuck up in places. Her lips tugged upward, and she winced. Oh, it hurt to smile.

She was glad to be in her room. She’d almost died in that water. Her lungs hurt almost more than her bruised body. Obviously, she’d been saved. What type of stream was so deep?

He inhaled deeply and turned slightly, and his hand fell to lie against her blanket. It would be wonderful if she had the right to reach out and hold that hand. But he had made sure she knew where they stood. Was he irate that he’d had to rescue her? Who was she fooling? He was probably livid just at having to take a turn sitting with her.

She’d sure made a mess of taking care of herself while on a simple walk. That settled it. She would talk to Dolly and see if maybe there was someone from church she could marry. Her heart ached thinking about the scene at the noon meal. Who treated others like that? She shifted against the sheet and winced again. How long was it going to take for her to heal? She needed to get away from Fitzpatrick before she made more of a fool of herself. Had she been this unhappy living in New Orleans? Probably.

She sighed and watched as Fitzpatrick stirred and opened his eyes. Here would come the glares. She turned her head away. She wasn’t sure if she could handle his frown. Seeking a husband in church would take too long. She’d find her own way with God’s help. Right now, she felt very fragile.

“You’re finally awake,” he said softly. He sounded tender, but she probably wasn’t in her right mind. Maybe she was even dreaming. But was it so wrong to want him to hold her hand? She had to stop this! It would only bring more pain.

“I woke not long ago. I was in the river, wasn’t I?” Taking a chance, she turned and gazed at him.

“Yes, you were wedged up against some big rocks. I was frantic when I found your shoes. I thought for sure… I prayed otherwise of course. I was the one who found you, but my brothers helped get you out of the stream and back home. Sheila has been tending to you.” He jumped up. “I’ll get you some of that tea that will take your pain away.” He took a step away, but then he stopped and turned back. A smile crossed his face as he reached out and cupped her cheek. “I’m glad you’re home.” He pulled away and walked out of the room.

That was it. She was dreaming.

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.