Genevieve: Bride of Nevada (American Mail-Order Bride 36) (10 page)

“Oh, Stuart,” she put her hand on his arm. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. You saved my son. I don’t know how to thank you for that. As to the pig, it’ll just be slaughtered earlier than planned. I’ll have some of the boys get down there and drag her out as quick as possible, before the other pigs start to eat her.”

She shuddered. “Pigs really are disgusting animals.”

Stuart reached over and wiped her cheeks with his thumb.

“Dirt?”

“Tears. You’re crying.”

She hadn’t realized and sniffled. “I have a right. This has been a very trying morning.”

Billy stopped crying and put his thumb in his mouth. Considering what they’d just been through neither Stuart nor Genny tried to correct him.

Stuart carried Billy as they walked back up to the house.

As they arrived Nettie ran out the door carrying a shotgun.

“I heard the shots. What’s happening?”

“Just a little accident,” said Stuart.

“Genny! You’re absolutely filthy. You look like you were wallowing with the pigs.”

“I was.”

“What?” Nettie looked at her, wide-eyed. “You’re bleeding. Come with me, and let’s get you cleaned up. Stuart, get the bath tub and bring it into the kitchen, then tell the boys to stay away. Genny needs a bath and so does Billy.” Nettie looked over Stuart. “So do you by the looks of things but Genny’s the worst. She’s got mud all up and down the whole right side of her body.”

They all walked into the kitchen. Stuart set Billy down on the floor and the boy immediately started to cry.

“You hush now,” said Stuart. “You’re fine. You’ll have a bath in a bit.” His voice was stern and tears rolled down Billy’s face.

Stuart knelt in front of his son.

“You’ve had quite an adventure today and you need to rest now. Let’s take off your shoes and pants since that’s where the mud is, then you can go up for a nap. After your nap, you’ll have a bath and then you and I will have a long talk about what you can and can’t do and how you need to mind Genny. When she tells you to do something, you do it. Understand?”

Billy nodded his head and sniffled. Big fat tears ran from his eyes but he wasn’t crying hard or whining anymore.

“Now wait here with Genny and Nettie. No questions asked.”

“Yes, Daddy.”

The child hung his head.

Stuart turned to Genny, his arms straight at his sides and his hands clenched. “You could have been killed. You are never to put yourself in such danger again.”

Genny’s eyes widened, and she angled her head. “Stuart, I didn’t do it on purpose. Billy and I were going to visit the kittens after I fed the pigs. He was so fast.” She collapsed in a chair with a sigh. “I’ve never been so scared in my life and if you think I would not put myself in danger and let him be killed you’re out of your mind.”

“Yes, I nearly went out of my mind when I saw you fall.” He sat in the chair next to her and put his hand on her leg. “I don’t want to ever feel like that again.”

She put her hand on top of his. “Now you know how I felt when I saw Billy in there.”

He stood and squared his shoulders. “I’ll get the tub. Take off your clothes so we can get those bites cleaned up good.”

“I’ll help her Stuart, you don’t need to,” said Nettie from the sink where she pumped water into a metal bucket.

“No, I want to make sure she’s taken care of properly, no offense meant, Nettie.”

She cocked an eyebrow and grinned wide. “None taken.”

Stuart walked outside to collect the long tub for bathing.

With slow moves, Genny undressed Billy and then, with Nettie’s help, herself. The bites on her arms hurt badly now and so did her shoulder. Her legs would be bruised where the animals attacked her.

“You have two bites on your left arm and one on the back of your shoulder,” said Nettie with a tsking sound. “They look deep and flesh is missing.”

The kitchen door opened and Genny dove for her dress to cover herself.

“It’s just me.” Stuart clamored through the door carrying the tub. “I ran into Joe and he’s telling the rest of the men not to come to the house for at least an hour.”

He set the tub in the middle of the kitchen.

“Billy, you go on upstairs now and I’ll come get you after a bit.”

The child nodded and left the room.

Nettie pumped water into the second metal bucket and put them both on the stove to heat. Two buckets were already on the stove filled with hot water. Nettie kept them there for washing the dishes and for the men to wash before meals. She also made tea from them, and anything else she needed hot water for. Then she went into the pantry and came back out with bandages and a bottle of whiskey.

Genny pointed at the whiskey. “What do you think you’re doing with that?”

“First, you’ll drink some and then I’ll pour some into your wounds. But before that we have to give you a bath,” said Stuart as he handed her the bottle.

Genny looked at him but acquiesced and took several large drinks of the fiery liquor. She choked and sputtered with each drink but the nasty stuff stayed down. She was surprised at Stuart’s insistence that he take care of this task when Nettie could have handled it just as well.

“I’ll be with the children. I don’t want Billy to come wandering down. Lucy is taking a nap,” Nettie said on her way out of the kitchen.

Stuart checked the water in the first two buckets. “Good, it’s hot.” He poured both into the long tub refilled one from the pump at the sink and added it, too. Then he refilled both buckets and put them back on the stove.

“Well, what are you waiting for? I want to see the damage.”

Genny dropped the dress she was holding and took off her chemise, bloomers and long johns. She stood naked, shivering in the cool air, while Stuart checked her all over.

“I only see full bites on your left arm and shoulder. But I can see definite marks where they got you on your thigh.” He touched her leg. “Here and here.”

“Are you making me stand here all day? I’d really like to get into that tub.”

He checked the temperature.

“It’s good and hot.

Genny stepped into the tub and sighed as her legs were enveloped with the steamy water. The moist heat felt so good on her tired limbs. Now that the emergency was over all her muscles screamed in pain. She didn’t usually have to scramble over a fence to save a child.

She leaned back. Stuart had put a towel over the edge of the tub so the metal wouldn’t be cold on her skin.

“You have to sit up while I wash your back and arms.” Stuart took a washcloth and lathered it with her rose soap.

She sat forward and he gently cleaned her left arm and shoulder, the soapy water stung her wounds, but she managed not to squirm, too much. Then he moved to her right side and glided the soapy cloth over her skin.

Genny laid back and let him minister to her. She was so very tired and having someone who takes care of her felt wonderful.

“Let’s wash your hair. You’ve got mud from the sty in it. If you get on your knees and bend your head forward we can wash it without getting muddy water in your wounds. She nodded and got on her knees.

Stuart took one bucket of hot water and poured half of it into the tub, then filled bucket with cold water. Then he poured the clean water over her head as she bent forward.

Stuart took the rose soap and washed the dirt and muck out of her hair.

He checked the buckets of water on the stove. Stuart thought they were warm enough now and brought one to the tub. She bent her head again and he rinsed the dirt and soap from her hair.

Then he took the other buckets from the stove and brought it to the tub.

“Please stand and I’ll rinse you and your hair.”

She rose and as he slowly poured the water over her, Genny ran her hands through her hair to get all the suds out.

When the last of the water was poured, Stuart put the bucket next to the tub and wrapped her hair in a towel from the table. He got another cloth and started to dry her body.

Genny reached for the towel.

But Stuart snatched it away.

“Let me. Please.”

He rubbed her body with the towel, except where her injuries were and then he patted them dry. He took the towel from her head and put it on the floor. Then he held his hand out for her to take, helped her out of the tub and finished drying her body.

Genny was sure now that she must have no effect on Stuart. He was seeing her naked and touching her all over and treating her like she was one of the children or cowboys. All business. No hint of desire evident in his ministrations. He was rejecting her again.

Nettie came in with clean clothes for Genny and put them on the table. “I thought you might need these,” she said. Then she turned and left to go back to the children.

Genny realized the dress was one she hadn’t seen before. A beautiful royal blue wool dress that buttoned up the front it had to be one of Martha’s.

“Before you dress I want to take care of these wounds. This first part will hurt but it’s necessary.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I want you to take another swig of this whiskey.”

She did and she coughed and made faces but she kept the burning liquid down. “Now what?”

“Sit at the table, please.”

She took a deep breath and sat.

Stuart took the whiskey and poured it generously over the wounds on her arms.

She hissed and stiffened, bracing against the sting. Just when Genny thought the worst was over, she felt the liquid poured on her back. She screamed. “Oh my God, Stuart. That hurts!”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart.” He put down the whiskey and wrapped her arms and her shoulder to cover the worst of the bites. Because the ones on her legs hadn’t broken the skin he left those alone.

When he was done he helped her stand and dress.

For some reason she couldn’t seem to manage it on her own.

“Stuart, the floor is movin’. I think I’m gonna be sick.”

He hurried her to the sink, where she threw up most of the liquor she’d consumed.

Then he wet a washcloth and let her cool her face and clean her mouth.

“Better?”

She nodded. “Yes. I don’t like whiskey. Keep that stuff away from me.”

“We only keep it around for medicinal purposes. Now, I want you to go up to bed for the rest of the day. We’ll see how you’re feeling tomorrow.”

“Thank you for taking care of me.”

“You’re my wife…”

“Please. Don’t. Just don’t say something you don’t mean.”

He took her arm and aided her walking to the bedroom.

She lay down on the bed and closed her eyes.

*****

Stuart stood there and relived the horror of the day. He’d never been as scared in his life as he was to see Genny go down in the pig pen. Billy, bawling his head off and Genny being attacked by the sows. He fired his gun air and one sow broke off the attack but the other one kept on. He ran past Billy, shot the thing dead, climbed the fence, picked Genny up and lifted her back over the fence to her feet. Everything happened so fast, his heart still pumped fiercely in his chest.

Stuart sighed. He needed to have a talk with Billy. With one last look at his wife, sleeping soundly, he turned and left the room.

Stuart walked down the hall with a heavy heart. He hated to discipline his son, but this time punishment was definitely in order.

He walked into the children’s room.

Billy was playing quietly in the corner.

Nettie must have cleaned him because he was in clean clothes. Stuart walked over to him and knelt beside him.

Billy looked up from his soldiers. “Is Genny gonna be okay?”

“Yes, she is and that’s no thanks to you. Do you realize you could have been killed? And Genny could have been killed, too?”

Billy’s eyes watered and before Stuart knew it his son was crying again.

He took the child into his arms and, so as not to wake Lucy, he carried him out into the hall.

“What did I tell you about the pigs?”

“To stay far back, that they’re mean and could hurt me.”

“That’s right, just like they hurt Genny today. I want you to go back into your room and stay there until you’re called for supper and you won’t get any dessert tonight. You are not allowed inside a pen or a stall without an adult with you. Do you understand?”

Billy nodded.

“All right. You can go play. Don’t wake up Lucy.”

Billy nodded, sniffling as he went.

Stuart didn’t know what he would do. He was falling in love with Genny and that simply could not happen. He refused. But, she’d risked her own life to save Billy, just like any mother would. How could he not love her?

And sleeping together without touching her was getting harder and harder. But he couldn’t face that kind of pain again. Never again.

CHAPTER 8