Page 88 of In Honor’s Defense

He caught her right as her knees buckled.

“Matt!” he roared as he swept her into his arms and carried her to the wagon bed.

He laid her across the tailgate, smoothed her hair out of her face, and quickly took stock of her injuries. The slash across her forearm was shallow and no cause for immediate concern. But there’d been another bloodstain on her skirt. He flipped through the fabric until he found it. A dark brown stain glaring up at him from the folds beneath her left hip.

“Here.” A knife appeared in Luke’s field of vision. Matt’s knife. “Cut a slit so we can see what we’re dealing with.”

Luke grabbed the blade and carefully fit the tip through the hole in the middle of the stained fabric. In one long slice, he cut a slit from hip to ankle. Then he repeated the action with her petticoat and spread the fabric wide. Bright red blood seeped through her cotton drawers on her left thigh.

A moan tore from Luke’s throat.

“Steady, Corporal. Let’s get a field dressing on that wound and get her back to town. It’s not too deep. We should be able to get the bleeding stopped.”

Not too deep? It looked like a mini Palo Duro Canyon carved into her tender flesh.

Aching for the pain she’d endured, Luke bent close and rested his face against hers. “I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner, love. But I’ll take care of you now. I swear it.”

He placed a kiss on her forehead, then set his jaw and got to work.

CHAPTER

FORTY

Damaris slowly became aware of her surroundings, tugged into consciousness by a familiar, beloved growl.

“I ain’t leavin’.”

Luke. A smile stretched across her heart.

“But you’ve done all you can for her, Mr. Davenport,” a woman’s voice interjected. “The doctor said she’ll be fine. She just needs to rest.”

“I told you, I ain’t leavin’.” The growl grew louder. More adamant.

“I’d be glad to sit with her for the few minutes it takes you to clean up and grab a bite to eat. The others—”

“The others have their own womenfolk to worry about. This one’s mine. And I ain’t leavin’ until she wakes up and tells me herself that she’s all right.”

This one’s mine.

Never had she thought to hear such words from a rugged mountain of a man who made all the heroes from her novels seem pale and anemic in comparison. A man who could take down a rustler with a single punch yet hold her with a tenderness that weakened her knees.

A man who was going to badger some kind woman to pieces if Damaris didn’t pry her eyelashes apart.

“Luke?”

The growling stopped mid-sentence, and a heartbeat later her Horseman’s hand engulfed hers and his unshaven, trail-dusty, incredibly handsome face bent close.

“I’m here, Damaris.” His other hand traced her hairline from her forehead, around her ear, and down the braid on her shoulder that someone had brushed out and replaited. “You’re safe. Mullins and Colburn are in custody. They can’t hurt you anymore.”

She turned her face into his touch, needing the comfort he offered, the security. “Nathaniel?”

Luke’s eyes softened, and a small smile curved his lips. “He made it to San Antone this morning. He’s with Dr. Jo and her father at Gringolet.”

Thank you, God. Damaris’s eyes slid closed for a moment as relief swelled through her soul. He’s safe, Douglas. Your son is safe.

When she opened them, a round-faced woman with a cheerful grin came into view from the other side of the bed. “I’m Mrs. Kendall, dear. Can I bring you anything? Water?” She hesitated, then barreled ahead, answering her own question. “I know. I’ll fix you a hearty beef broth. The doctor said you’ll need red meat, eggs, and greens to build the iron back up in your blood after losing so much. I’ll start with a broth, and we can work you up to more substantial foods later. How does that sound?”

Damaris smiled. “Lovely.” Especially since the chore would take the hospitable woman out of the room and provide a few private minutes with Luke. “Thank you for your kindness.”