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“Michael? You okay?” Selina asked through a sleepy voice.
“I’m fine. I actually feel pretty good.”
She sat up in the chair.
“You were right. That stuff you gave me broke my fever. And now I need to get out of these wet nightclothes and sheets. They’re soaked.”
“I’ll get you some dry clothes.” She lit the lantern next to his bed and then rummaged through his bureau and then the trunk at the end of the bed. She came back with a clean nightshirt, sheets and blankets.
Michael tossed the blankets off. Selina whirled, turning her back to him.
He stood, and she put her arm behind her back, offering him the shirt. “Soon as you get that other one off and this one on, I’ll make up your bed.”
He smiled. Last night she had seen his bare chest and run her hands slowly over his arms. Now, she was bashful. He found it rather endearing.
Michael slid the damp nightshirt off and put the dry one on. “I’m finished. You can turn around now.”
She turned, reached for a pitcher and glass sitting on his night stand, filled it with water and handed it to him. “Why don’t you sit over yonder—” she pointed to the rocking chair she’d been sleeping in just minutes before “—while I make your bed up?”
He did as he was told and watched as she hurried to change his bedding. She really was a sweet little thing. He pulled his pocket watch out of his vest pocket and looked at it. Three in the morning. “Selina, why don’t you head on up to bed now? I’ll be fine.”
“You sure? I hate leavin’ you to yourself.”
“I’ll be fine. I feel a lot better. Go on and get some sleep.”
She nodded. “Iffen you need me, don’t you hesitate to call me, okay?”
“I won’t. Good night. Or should I say good morning?”
She smiled and headed out of his room.
Michael woke to the smell of bacon and coffee. Sunlight peeked through the windows. He checked his watch again. Eight-thirty. He groaned, unable to believe he’d overslept. Chores needed to be done. He dressed, then hurried out into the kitchen.
Selina stood at the stove wearing her trousers again. He refused to let his disappointment show. “Morning.”
She kept her back to him but turned her head. “Mornin’. Sit yourself down. I’m almost finished heatin’ things up. How you feelin’ this mornin’?”
“Good. Just a little tired from working the last few weeks from sunup to sundown.”
“I’m sure you are. I know I would be.” She poured him a steaming cup of coffee and handed him a plate filled with pancakes, bacon strips and scrambled eggs.
“Aren’t you having any?”
“Already ate.”
“How long you been up?”
“Long enough to do chores and fix you breakfast. I told Jess you probably wouldn’t work today ’cause you had a fever last night. He was mighty worried about you, but I told him you were doin’ all right. He said to tell you to stay home, that he would do chores today. I told him I took care of most of them and I would finish after I checked on you. He put up a mighty big fuss about that. But I didn’t let him stop me.”
“I can believe that,” he whispered.
“I heard that.”
Michael smiled. “Just what time did you get up?”
“Never went to bed after I left your room. I came in here and fixed me some vittles, then headed to the barn.”
Michael was speechless. She spent all night sleeping in a chair, making sure she was there if he woke up and needed anything, and then she did all of his chores so he could sleep. “You’re something else, you know that?”
Spoon in hand, she turned and looked at him, frowning. “What do you mean, ‘I’m somethin’ else’?”
“Just what I said.”
“Is being ‘somethin’ else’ a good thing or a bad thing?”
“Depends.”
“On what?”
“On what the circumstances are. In this case being something else is a good thing.”
“Oh, I see.” She nodded and smiled. “Then I’m glad I’m somethin’ else.”
Michael chuckled. One thing for sure, there was never a dull moment with Selina around.
He picked up his fork and started eating. “What are you doing anyway?”
“Making you chicken soup for lunch in case I ain’t home.”
He stopped his fork midway to his mouth. “Where you going?”
“To Rainee’s. Yesterday she wasn’t feelin’ so good. I think that baby’s fixin’ to enter the world anytime now. I want to see iffen she needs my help.”
