This Treacherous Journey by Misty M. Beller

Author:Misty M. Beller
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Christian historical fiction, Christian Western, Christian historical romance, pioneer and frontier, rocky mountains western and frontier, western and frontier, clean and inspirational western romance
Publisher: Misty M. Beller Books, Inc.
Published: 2018-02-06T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

How painful it is to be helpless. To have nothing to offer. ~ Simeon

Time passed in a blur as Emma alternated between caring for Joseph’s physical needs and attempting to stir him mentally. She talked to him, chattering on about anything—and sometimes nothing. She read from Scripture, picking up where she’d last studied in the book of Psalms. Some of David’s cries hit a little too close to home, but she kept on, even as tears leaked down her face.

It was at one of those moments that Simeon eased onto the ground beside her. He’d been tinkering around the camp all day—grinding more garlic, refilling her water supply, appearing any moment she had a need.

But this was the first time he’d positioned himself next to her, settling in as if he planned to stay a while.

She sniffed, but the effort did little to stop the moisture seeping from her eyes and nose. She dabbed at them with her sleeve, then cleared her throat and sniffed again. No matter if she looked a mess. The more important concern lay before them.

“Does he seem any better?” The rumble of Simeon’s steady voice settled in her chest, undergirding her feeble emotional state.

“No change that I can tell.” She gazed at the Bible in her lap. “I thought maybe I could boost his spirits.” Or at the very least, find an essence of peace in God’s promises.

It had been impossible to focus on the words with all the what if’s clamoring through her mind. What if the fever rose higher? What if it affected his eyesight, blinding him? What if the garlic wasn’t enough to fight the infection? Would they have to amputate the leg to save the rest of him? Could Simeon do such a thing? Would it be best if he rode back to find the Indian squaw? Was there anything she could do at this point?

But amidst all the questions, there was one she refused to consider. There was no need to even think it. God wouldn’t take her brother from her. Not Joseph. Her loving, faithful Father would grant this mercy. Please, Lord. She couldn’t let her mind imagine otherwise.

“Do you ever wonder if God can see us out here? So far from civilization.” Simeon’s words took a moment to push through her thoughts.

She looked at him to make sure she’d heard right. His brow knit, and his eyes narrowed as he stared at Joseph. Almost as if he weren’t aware he’d spoken aloud. She played his words through her mind again. Do you ever wonder if God can see you out here? He’d not said Do you wonder if there is a God or if God cares.

Give me the right words, Lord. She paused to gather her thoughts. “There are times I think I should wonder. Especially moments like these.” She motioned toward Joseph’s chest, rising in shallow, rasping breaths. The sight lodged a familiar lump in her throat. “There are times I want to blame God for everything that goes wrong.

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