Trapper's Moon by Gini Rifkin

Author:Gini Rifkin [Rifkin, Gini]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical; frontier; western; romance; Native American heroine; strong female; action & adventure;
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2019-11-18T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Kade opened his eyes to morning light—which morning he had no idea. Had it been last night or last week when he’d laid half-conscious listening to Blind Deer’s life story—or at least the parts she was willing to reveal to him.

Turning his head, he searched the cabin for a glimpse of her. His effort was rewarded with a lightning bolt of pain shooting through his skull. An involuntary moan escaped him, and his stomach lurched. Sleeping had done him no good—he felt worse not better. The dizziness increased, and he closed his eyes. Except for the day Tucket saved his life, he couldn’t remember ever feeling so sick and weak.

The bed jiggled. Then a cold wet nose pressed against his bare shoulder. Cautiously, he smiled, but he didn’t open his eyes or move to pet the dog, both efforts sounding too costly.

“Maggie,” he croaked through parched lips. “Hello girl. Go find Blind Deer.”

“I am here, McCauley.” Blind Deer crossed the room, the jingling of beads and shells growing more distinct. She touched his brow.

“Your fever is down.” She sounded much relieved by this fact.

“I hope you are planning to stay with us for a while this time? You have been very poor company, coming and going with no advanced notice. I have had to keep up both sides of the conversation. Not an easy task.”

“How long have I been out this time?”

“Another two days.”

“Holy heck, I’d better get up.” He made to rise, struck down once more when the room tilted and spun at a crazy angle.

“You are feeling dizzy?”

“Like a ’possum in a barrel rolling downhill.”

“You need food.” He fell back upon the pillows. “Tucket shot a young elk before he left. He took some, and the rest is in the meat house. I will bring in the best pieces and prepare something more than soup to strengthen your blood.”

Kade heard Blind Deer’s movements grow faint and disappear. When he was sure she was gone, he tried once more to get up. Slumped over and blurry-eyed, he sucked in a deep breath and made it to the edge of the bed. His shoulder and rib cage painfully rebelled, and he exhaled slowly and with trepidation. Wasn’t there any part of his body still working like it was supposed to?

So far, each little movement was a misery and his head was beginning to throb worse than ever. He sure was a pitiful excuse for a man today, and he wasn’t good at being helpless. In fact, he was downright prideful when it came to admitting frailty of any kind. He gave himself no quarter, and to have his own body beyond his control seemed the ultimate betrayal.

He had to get up and get himself and Blind Deer to rendezvous.

Standing, he felt quite pleased with himself. Walking was another matter altogether. The unwieldy splint and the weakness in his one leg were a lethal combination. He spun around and barely made it back before falling face down on the bed.

****

Kade’s return to consciousness was encouraging.

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.