Page 24 of Return to Telegraph Creek

“I’ll tell you in a minute.First, I need you two to help Jimmy to sit up so I can wrap up this wound.”

Trick and Oscar did as Miss June asked them, and I managed to have a glimpse of my injury before she covered it up.The jagged edges had been neatly stitched together with proper medical sutures and, though it looked angry and red at the moment, I had no doubt I had the best chances at a full recovery under Miss June’s care.

She wrapped a clean cotton bandage around my middle and tied it off, then Trick and Oscar lowered me back down to the bed.For the first time in a while, I felt comfortable and able to relax.

Miss June glanced at Oscar.“Now, I’ve disinfected and stitched Jimmy’s wound and he’s going to be fine, but he’ll need to rest for a few days so the stitches hold and it starts to heal well.”

I bit my tongue when I wanted to protest that I’d be fine to ride out before that, since we’d already had that conversation.Oscar’s stern gaze flashed to mine, as if he expected me to give Miss June trouble about it, so I only frowned and kept quiet as Miss June continued.Oscar looked at her as Miss June shifted her gaze to Trick.

“But I was hoping that we could get started on looking for Cal.So, I was thinking that you and Oscar could go out and scout around the nearby spots where we might find her.”

Oscar returned his gaze to me.I shrugged, since it was blatantly obvious ’twas out of my hands.Then he looked at Trick.

“Can you ride?”he asked, in such a surprised voice I reckoned I understood when her hackles went up.

“Better’n you, probly.”She gave him such a scornful look I thought he’d get mad.“I can ride—and I can shoot.”She put her hands on her hips and looked Oscar up and down.“Can you?”

Oscar looked ticked off for a second, but then he collected himself.

“Better’n you, probly,” he said, with exactly the same tone Trick had used on him.

She grinned, then, and Oscar relaxed as well.“Hmm, I don’t know.I can shoot pretty well.”

“So can I,” Oscar said, crossing his arms o’er his chest.

“Well, then,” Miss June said, “that’s settled.”

Oscar glanced at me.“Should we put Trick on Dixie, or give her Onyx and I’ll ride Dixie?”

I glanced at Trick.“You know how to handle a horse that gets grumpy and stubborn from time to time?”

“Sure,” Trick said.“I can handle men like that, too.I got all kinds of skills.”

I grinned.I’d missed Trick and her cheeky ways.“I bet you do.”

She raised her eyebrows.“I offered to show you that once, Jimmy Downing, but you turned me down.”

That seemed to try the last of Oscar’s patience.

“Youwhat?You offered to bed my man?”The outrage and offense in Oscar’s voice made my heart warm in my chest.I liked it when he got possessive of me.

Trick raised her hand.“Now, that was before I knew how much in love the two of you were.I do beg your pardon.”She grinned.“You’ll be happy to know that Jimmy refused me right quick, e’en though you were upstairs unconscious and wouldn’t have known a thing about it.”

Oscar blinked.“Oh.”He turned to me.“That true?”

“I suppose ’tis.I can’t remember.I was outta my mind with worry about you back then.”

“Anyway, I grew up with horses,” Trick said, “and Gus taught me to shoot.I’m a good shot, ain’t I, miss?”

“Yes, you are.”

“Oscar’s a good shot, too,” I said, fixing him with a stern look.“But you need to be goddamn careful, all right?”I said.“You never know what you might run into.”

“We’ll stick together, Jimmy.Don’t worry,” Oscar said, and I could see the excitement in his face.He turned to Miss June.“But can I get a bath and a solid night’s sleep first?And some of that tincture for our mosquito bites?”

“Of course.The two of you can set out tomorrow.”

Chapter Eight