The Heart of the Mountains by Pepper Basham

Author:Pepper Basham [Basham, Pepper]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781636093277
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2022-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Lord, help him!

Jeb shot a glance heavenward as he carried the unconscious woman up the steps of his house and into his bedroom, placing her carefully down onto the quilt his mama had given him as a house-warming gift.

There was a good chance that taking Willow Greer into his house would be the end of him. Or at least a confirmation of what part of the ridge thought about him already. What awful thing had Jeb done in his life to suffer such a fate!

After having very untrue rumors of him entertaining kept women in his house, he carried a kept woman right into his house without one notion of … entertaining her or taking advantage of her … profession. Sometimes, he really did wonder what in all creation God was working for good, because there wasn’t nothing good going to come from Imogene Carter catching sight of him carrying an actual kept woman into his house with Cora on his heels.

He groaned and left the room as Cora replaced him beside Willow.

No, he hadn’t recognized Willow at first. The bruising and cuts distorted her features, but then, as he placed her in the wagon, recognition dawned. Last he’d heard, she’d taken up as a “lady” for Rowen’s hotel, and he thought he’d seen her a few times while in town—not that they’d talked. She knew better than to proposition him and he knew better than to be seen in her company. Unless she’d been forced upon him by a stubborn Nurse Woman, of course.

Thistle slipped by his feet, her tail at alert.

He scooped the cat up and gave her a scrub beneath the chin in hopes of calming her, or even himself, down a little. She was as unused to visitors as he was. He placed Thistle down on the porch and took care of his horse, then brought all the quilts from the back of the wagon and hung them over the porch railings to dry. Cora’s purchases were safely housed in the wagon box, so at least they’d keep mostly dry until the two of them could get Willow down to Preacher’s.

And what if they couldn’t move her?

His stomach revolted at the idea, but he forced his emotions under control. War had taught him the need for extra caution with specific wounds, and moving Willow at the wrong time could lead to more damage, or worse. He released a long sigh and scanned the forest around the house, his gaze pausing on his workshop. He couldn’t see anyone peeping through the trees, but that didn’t mean no one was looking. Well, in the chance that a peepin’ Tom or Imogene happened to wait in the woods, he’d ensure he tried to protect Cora’s reputation as much as he could. His shoulders drooped and he looked down at Puck, whose head tilted to the left as if in question. “Be glad you’re a dog today, boy.”

With a sigh, he turned into the house and took the stairs two at a time.

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