Gift of Grace by Shanna Hatfield

Author:Shanna Hatfield [Hatfield, Shanna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-12-11T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

“Mrs. Nash!” Henry called as the kitchen door opened and banged against the wall with a loud thud.

Nora scurried out of the bedroom where she’d been putting away clothes she’d just finished ironing. Her breath caught in her throat as Henry and Jim carried J.B. between them. Blood streamed from a gash on his head and his feet dragged behind him as the two men supported him.

“What happened?” Nora asked, scurrying ahead of them to the bedroom. She threw off the coverlet and turned back the blankets.

“He’ll make a mess on your clean sheets, Mrs. Nash. Do you have an oilcloth?” Jim asked.

“I have one, but I don’t care if he makes a mess.” Nora’s throat felt tight as she struggled to keep from panicking.

“Why don’t you get it anyway? Once we get him cleaned up, we’ll help get him settled into bed.” Jim offered her an encouraging look as he and Henry bore J.B.’s weight between them.

Nora dashed into the kitchen, retrieved a clean oilcloth and hastily spread it over the bed. Jim lowered J.B. onto it and gently let him fall back.

Nora rushed to fill a basin with warm water and grab a stack of rags. She returned to the bedroom to find Jim and Henry had removed J.B.’s boots, coat, and shirt. A bruise the size and shape of a hoof print marred his left side. Other than the gash on his head and a small cut on his chin, he appeared otherwise unharmed.

“What happened?” Nora asked again, shoving the basin at Henry to hold. Working quickly, she dipped a rag into the water and wrung out the excess moisture before dabbing at the blood running down J.B.’s face.

“He decided to ride that horse he brought home the other day,” Jim said, pulling J.B. further up on the bed when he started to slide off the side.

Nora frowned. “That wild, crazy beast that I told him to take back wherever he found it? That horse?”

“That’s the one, ma’am,” Henry said. “He wanted to see how much work it would take to break it.”

Nora rolled her eyes in disgust. “Judging from what happened, I’d say quite a bit of work.”

“Yes, ma’am, that’s what we thought.” Henry grinned, but looked chagrined when Nora scowled at him.

She glanced around, noticing the absence of their third hired hand. “Where’s Lyle. Don’t tell me he’s out there with that devilish animal.”

“No, ma’am. I sent him to fetch Doc Reed.” Jim motioned to the hoof print on J.B.’s side. “Wasn’t sure how much damage the horse might have done when it tossed him into the fence. He smacked his head pretty good. When he passed out, the horse stomped right over the top of him.”

“If you didn’t know better, you might even think Plutarch has a strong dislike for him,” Henry added.

Nora narrowed her gaze as she glared at the two hired men. “I will shoot that horse myself if anything happens to J.B.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Jim said while Henry nodded in agreement.

Jim sent Henry out to start the evening chores while he helped Nora clean up J.

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