ROMANCE: Badass Boss (Billionaire Alpha Bad Boy Romance) (Western Mail Order Bride Calendar Contemporary) (42 page)

Chapter 3

Any Beast of the Field

“We shall eat well tonight!” Abigail said happily as they trudged across the field of dead grass. “I shall make a ARGH!” Abigail stopped suddenly and looked down to her feet. The scream brought Nathaniel to her side in a second.

“What is it?” He peered down to see a thick rattlesnake with its fangs firmly embedded in the side of Abigail’s boot. There was no doubt that she had been bitten from the sound of her scream. Nathaniel looked around hurriedly and seeing a stick he picked it up and began to strike the snake. As he did, the snake readjusted its fangs, sinking them in to Abigail’s calf once more.

“ARGH! Nathaniel help me!” Her voice was panicked as she stared at the serpent’s brown splotched body. Nathaniel drew back the stick and this time he struck the snake just underneath its head, causing it to release its grip. It lingered for a moment before slithering away in to the camouflage of the dead grass.

“We have to hurry.” Nathaniel wrapped his arm around the small of Abigail’s back and just as he did so, she fell backwards and lost consciousness.

Laying her down gently in the grass, Nathaniel unbuckled his belt and wrapped it tightly around Abigail’s thigh. There was no way to get her back to Bodie before the venom rushed through every vein in her body, his only hope was to slow its progress.

When he was sure that the tourniquet was tied tightly and would not slip, he slid one arm under her knees and the other under her back. He would have to carry her as far as he could.

Nathaniel kicked at the door of the cabin until it finally flew open and slammed against the wall. Abigail hadn’t regained consciousness yet and the color was draining from her sun-kissed skin. He lay her gently on the small bed that stood against the far wall of the cabin.

“Abigail?” He shook her. “Abigail?”

“Mmmm…” She moaned and turned her head to the side. Beads of sweat were running down the side of her face.

“Abigail, I have to leave you to fetch the doctor.”

“Mmmm…” She moaned again, her eyes still not open.

“Abigail, listen to me. I have to leave you here to go and bring the doctor. I need you to be strong and stay here until I get back.” Abigail said nothing, her eyelids fluttered. “Abigail!” There was nothing more he could do without fetching Doc. Jacobson. Giving her one last glance, he rushed out of the front door, slamming it behind him.

Abigail’s cabin stood twenty minutes’ walk from Bodie, but in his rush to get back to town, Nathaniel ran there in ten. He could barely breathe by the time he hit Main Street and he cursed his dusty lungs for holding him back. Sputtering and coughing he flew down Main Street and through the door of Doc. Jacobson’s surgery.

“Doc! Doc!” Doctor Jacobson appeared from a door down the hallway. “Doc. You have to come with me, it’s Abigail, she’s been bitten by a rattler!” Doc. Jacobson shook his head.

“Son, there is no chance that she will survive.” Nathaniel glared at him.

“For God’s sake, at least try!” He bellowed. Doc. Jacobson shook his head again.

“She is too far from the village. By the time I get to her the venom will already be draining the life from her.” Nathaniel grabbed him violently by the collar of his dress shirt.

“You are going to come with me whether you like it or not.” The Doc. Looked at him wide eyed and nodded hurriedly.

“Y…yes…whatever you want, Nathaniel.” Nathaniel released the small doctor who scurried into the room from whence he had come and returned with a large black bag. Nathaniel led the Doc. Outside and seeing a horse tied across the street he ran to it.

“Get on!” He yelled at the Doc. Without hesitation the Doc. did as he was instructed. Nathaniel untied the horse and climbed up in front of the Doc. With the thick medical bag wedged between them, Nathaniel spurred the horse onward in the direction of Abigail’s cabin. He only hoped that they wouldn’t be too late to save her.

Chapter 4

They Will Rest From Their Labor

Nathaniel leapt down from the horse and headed for the cabin door, leaving the Doc. to help himself down. Opening the door, Nathaniel ran to Abigail’s side, clutching her hand in his.

“Abigail?” Her skin was now whiter than white and so damp with sweat that she had drenched the bed sheets.

“Abigail? Can you hear me?” Nathaniel shook her gently as he squeezed her hand in his. She didn’t respond, her shallow breathing becoming more labored by the second.

“Abigail, the Doc. is here, he’s going to fix you right up, don’t you worry. Just hang on. Hang on for me!” Nathaniel moved to the side, still clutching Abigail’s hand as the Doc. moved in with his bag in hand.

“Nathaniel, the poison has already begun to take effect.” Doc. Jacobson looked at Nathaniel doubtfully. Nathaniel clenched his jaw and his nostrils flared. Doc. Jacobson knew that he had no choice but to do something for Abigail, even if it didn’t work, he had to let Nathaniel know that he had tried.

Doc. Jacobson unclipped his bag and reached inside. A few moments later he pulled out a large blade.”

“Show me where she was bitten.” He said. Nathaniel lifted Abigail’s dress to her knees giving the Doc. a glance at the tourniquet.

“It was on her left calf, here. I didn’t take off her boots.” The Doc. nodded, perhaps the girl had a chance after all. He carefully began to unlace her left boot. Underneath the boot, the Doc. found no sock, just a swelling calf with a large purple blemish which appeared to be growing before his eyes.

“Turn away.” Doc. Jacobson instructed Nathaniel. Nathaniel shook his head. The Doc. sighed in frustration as he took the knife and cut a large ‘X’ into Abigail’s leg. The wound bubbled with a mixture of blood and clear fluid and wiping it once on the bedsheet, the Doc. bent down and put his mouth on the wound. Nathaniel felt his stomach turn as he watched the Doc. Suck at the wound before turning and spitting the fluid on to the cabin floor. He repeated the process four times, each time the fluid that he spat on to the floor became redder. When he had sucked the wound for the fourth time, the Doc. reached into his pocket, pulled out his handkerchief and wiped his mouth.

“Will she be okay, Doc.?” Nathaniel asked hopefully. The Doc. shook his head.

“There is no telling just yet. She is a strong woman but I have never seen anyone survive a bite with treatment this long after a bite.” The Doc. looked down at the belt still wrapped tightly around Abigail’s leg. “But you may just have made the difference.” He reached over and slowly loosened the belt before sliding it off her leg completely.

“What do we do now?” Nathaniel asked.

“I must clean the wound and the rest is in the Lord’s hands.” Setting the belt on the end of the bed, the Doc. rummaged through his bag again. This time he pulled out a small amber bottle and a piece of white cloth. He found himself thanking God that Abigail was unconscious as he dabbed the top of the opened bottle with the cloth and then held it to her wounded leg. Abigail flinched.

“Mmmm…” She threw her arm across her forehead as she moaned. Nathaniel squeezed her other hand in his.

“It’s okay, Abigail. I’m right here with you.”

“Mmmm…” She moaned and then fell limp. Doc. Jacobson put his fingers to her throat and then nodded. Nathaniel heaved a sigh of relief.

“She’ll need to rest. Plenty of water and broth. I’ll leave you a salve to put on the wound twice daily. If you have any horehound, make her a tea and feed it to her as often as you can.” Nathaniel nodded.

“Thank you Doc. Would you please inform my mother and father that I will be staying with Miss. Abbott for a while until she is recovered?” The Doc. nodded.

“Your father will be shorthanded, you know.” Nathaniel shook his head.

“I will come to town each day while she sleeps. My father cannot manage the land alone and my family cannot be without the money the land brings.” Doc. Jacobson nodded. Putting the amber bottle back into his bag along with the knife he had used to cut Abigail’s leg, the Doc. fumbled around again. Eventually he pulled out a small pot and handed it to Nathaniel.

“Put this salve on her wound twice a day, it will draw out any remaining venom from her blood.” Nathaniel nodded and unscrewing the lid he smelled the salve. It was the most diabolical thing that he had ever smelled before and he quickly put the lid back on it. “If you need more just call in on me in the surgery and I will mix it up for you.” Nathaniel nodded again. “Now, I take it that you would like me to return Mr. Hardy’s horse?”

“Please. If he is upset that we took her please tell him that I will pay him what I can for her service.” The Doc. nodded and lifting his hat off his head, he bid Nathaniel adieu.

After Doc. Jacobson had left, Nathaniel added another small piece of wood to the stove fire. The small pile beside it would never last the night if he wasn’t careful to manage it well. He didn’t much care to head out to the back of the house as the sun was falling however, there had been too many coyotes milling around as of late. Normally such a thing wouldn’t have deterred him, but now with Abigail to care for he couldn’t take the risk of an attack.

On the front porch beside the door, Nathaniel had dropped the burlap sack off his belt loop before he had rushed in to town. Rather than let the raccoon serve as bait for something larger, he went out to the porch and fetched it in.

Although skilled with land and with trapping, Nathaniel had never skinned nor gutted an animal in his life. As ‘woman’s work’ it had always been his mother who had prepared their catches for the meal. Still, he pulled his hunting knife from his boot and with two large bowls in front of him, he began to prepare the raccoon. 

Chapter 5

When They Drink Deadly Poison

Abigail Abbott slept through the night fitfully. Nathaniel had propped himself up against the front wall of the cabin so that he could be close at hand should she need anything. By the time morning came, he was both sore and tired but determined that he would make this new schedule work for the sake of Abigail.

“Abigail?” Nathaniel whispered. She didn’t stir. He decided to let her rest while he searched through the various pots in the kitchen for some horehound. After finding what he was looking for he sprinkled some into a cup and put some water on the boil. He knew that he would have to get back into town soon, but first he had to make sure that Abigail had been taken care of.

When the tea had steeped he brought it, along with another cup of just water, to Abigail’s bedside.

“Abigail?” Setting the cups on a small table behind the head of the bed, he shook her gently. “Abigail, you must wake up.”

“Mmmm…” She groaned and her forehead wrinkled.

“I know it’s painful. I need you to wake up and take your tea. The Doc. said it would help.”

“Mmmm mmmm.” She shook her head. Nathaniel could see that this wasn’t going to be as easy as he had expected. Perching on the edge of the bed he placed his hands under her armpits and with one big heave he lifted her to a sitting position.

“You must. There is no choice.” The wrinkles in her forehead got deeper as she frowned harder and then she cracked her eyes open.

“Mmmm” she groaned again. Nathaniel chuckled at her as she pressed her lips together in refusal.

“We can do this the hard way Miss. Abigail, or we can do it the easy way.” He reached over and picked up the cup of horehound tea. “Your choice…” He offered her the cup and with a look of pure hatred for him, she took it. “Good. Now I need to dress your wound while you sip on that.” Abigail frowned and then looked down at her leg. Her eyes widened with surprise as she saw the large ‘X’ cut into her leg. “The Doc. had to get the poison out.” Nathaniel said as he took the salve off the small table behind the bed. “This will draw out any remaining venom, it’s to be applied twice daily so I will do it once now and once when I return from father’s farm.”

“You don’t have to take care of me. I’m not a child.” Abigail said stubbornly. Nathaniel unscrewed the cap of the salve and stuck his finger into the jar.

“You might not be a child, but you need someone to take care of you. So what I need you to do is to stop being so hardheaded and to let me do that.” Abigail flinched as Nathaniel reached down and rubbed the salve on to the open wound on her leg.

“Ouch!” Nathaniel looked up apologetically before putting more salve on her wound. “For the love of everything holy Nathaniel Hendricks!” She jerked her leg and Nathaniel pulled back.

“There, you’re done.” Abigail glared at him, the wound on her leg throbbing. “Now, I must go into town to help my father, but I will be back in a few hours to check on you. Until then you should drink your tea and I have left you a cup of water on the table as well. You are not to get out of bed, do you understand me?” Abigail clenched her jaw, she hated nothing worse than being told not to do something. “Miss. Abigail?” She nodded reluctantly. “Is there anything else that I can get for you before I leave?” Nathaniel stood up from the bed. Abigail looked at him and opened her mouth before closing it again. “What is it?”

“I need…” Her voice grew quiet and her cheeks blushed. “Umm…I…umm…” Nathaniel had never seen Abigail speechless before and he found the novelty entertaining.

“Yes?” He asked expectantly.

“I have to use the facilities.” She finally blurted out in a hushed voice. Nathaniel nodded.

“There is a pan under the bed.” Abigail wrinkled her nose. She had cleaned plenty of bed pans when her father was ill but the thought of using one herself made her feel queasy.

“You are not to get out of bed under any circumstances.” Abigail sighed. “I will empty the pan when I return to check on you. Until then you should have everything that you need.” Nathaniel waited for her to nod in affirmation and then with one last warning glance at Abigail, he left for Bodie.