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Chapter Three
Rhine entered his shadowy bedroom and gently placed Eddy in the center of his large four-poster bed. Another man might fret over her and her dirty clothing being laid on the clean sheets, but he was more concerned with her well-being. Her breathing was so shallow and her skin still so hot he worried that she might not pull through. Taking a hasty look back at her over his shoulder, he quickly grabbed a basin and hurried down the hall to the washroom to fill it with water so he could continue wiping her down.
Luckily, it was a Sunday and the saloon was closed. Otherwise she might’ve been disturbed by the noise and revelry of drunk miners and card players from the floor below. He stuck the large sponge into the water-filled basin and slowly and gently slid it over her face, throat, and the tops of her breasts above the shabby shift. That she wasn’t wearing a corset was a plus. More than likely she would’ve died in the heat had she been. To his thinking, she’d be better off nude and immersed in a tub of cool water, but he needed to wait for Jim to return with Sylvie—as she was affectionately called—or Doc. The questions surrounding Eddy’s plight continued to plague Rhine, but they had to be set aside until she was strong enough to answer.
A short while later, Jim entered with Sylvie and both came to the bedside. Concern filled Sylvie’s face. “Sorry I wasn’t home. I was out at the orphanage. Jim said you found her in the desert?” The middle-aged boardinghouse owner was a trusted friend.
Rhine stopped his ministrations for a moment. “Yes. And her skin’s iron hot.”
Sylvie placed her palm on her forehead. “She is very warm. Poor thing. I’d suggest a tub, but until she’s fully awake I’m scared she’ll slip beneath the water.”
“I can hold her up if you think that will help.”
She studied Rhine as if thinking that over. “It might. Do you know who she is?”
“No.”
“Okay. Do you have a shirt or something for her to wear?”
“Yes” He walked to his wardrobe and took down a shirt. “Jim, were you able to find Doc?”
“He’s in Reno. He’ll be back in a day or two.”
Rhine saw the exasperation on Sylvie’s face. She had been a nurse for the Colored troops during the war and served in that capacity now for the city’s Colored community. According to the rumors, she and Doc Randolph had been at odds for decades, but Rhine had no idea why.
Sylvie took the shirt from his hand. “Let me get her undressed and I’ll call you in to carry her to the tub. In the meantime start filling it with water.”
Eddy thought she was dreaming about being carried down a dark tunnel. She knew a man was carrying her but she had yet to see his face. He eased her into a pool of water and she leaned back against his strong shoulder. The water lapped over her like a balm, magically erasing all her hurts and soothing her everywhere: throat, arms, breasts. It felt so glorious, she sighed with pleasure. Languidly opening her eyes, she stared into the deep green gaze of a White man. For some reason, she wasn’t alarmed. His jet black hair and handsome, ivory-skinned features seemed familiar somehow. She gently cupped his unshaven cheek—something she’d never done to any man before—and he smiled softly. She smiled in return, and that was the last thing she remembered.
“I trust you’ll be gentlemen if I leave her in your care for the night?”
Jim nodded.
“Of course,” Rhine added, eyeing the woman sleeping peacefully in yet another one of his clean shirts beneath a light blanket.
“My cook, Felix,” Sylvie said, “left to go back East yesterday, so I’ll have to listen to my boarders complaining about my serving them burnt breakfast before I can come back here to check on her in the morning.”
Rhine smiled. Everyone in town knew Sylvie had no cooking skills at all. He pitied her boarders. “Do you have a replacement for Felix in mind?”
“Not yet. Nor do I have a place for this young woman to stay, at the moment. One of the men will be leaving in a few days and she can finish her recovery with me. Will you mind looking after her until then?”
Rhine glanced over at Jim, who shrugged, so Rhine replied, “No.” His fiancée Natalie probably wouldn’t approve if she knew, but he’d cross that bridge if and when the time came.
“Okay good. I’ll bring some aloe for her sunburn tomorrow. When she wakes up, encourage her to drink, but not a lot all at once. Jim, cook her light food. Eggs, maybe some toast, and we’ll see how things go. Let’s hope she’ll be in better shape after she rests up.”
Rhine agreed.
Jim asked, “Do you want me to drive you back?”
Sylvie nodded. After glancing down at the young woman a final time, she said, “Keep an eye on her.”
After their departure, Rhine surveyed his sleeping guest. He ran his eyes over the clear-as-glass ebony skin, the long sweep of her lashes, and her perfect mouth. While in the tub, she’d taken him by surprise when she opened her eyes, looked deeply into his own, and cupped his cheek as if they’d been lovers. The urge to turn her hand and place his lips against her damp palm had also taken him by surprise. He had a fiancée and was due to be married before year’s end. He had no business thinking about kissing another woman. Deciding what he’d felt was nothing more than concern, he set the incident aside and took a seat to watch over her as promised and await Jim’s return.
Eddy awakened in a four-poster in a large room barely lit by a turned down lamp. Having no idea where she was or how she came to be there, she shook the cobwebs dulling her thinking and noticed she was wearing a man’s shirt! Perplexed, her eyes moved around the room to a well-appointed sitting area and then to the face of a White man watching her from one of the chairs. Panic flared. She snatched the blanket to her neck and she drew back fearfully.
“Don’t be afraid. You’re safe. I’m Rhine Fontaine. My friend Jim and I found you in the desert.”
Confused, she tried to force herself to calm down so she could make some sense of this, but she couldn’t. Watching him warily, she asked, “Where am I?” Her throat was dry as sand. She wanted water badly, but needed to solve the mystery of this first.
