Mail Order Bride: Westward Dance Read Online Free PDF

the amount of swelling and bruising,
I can tell that they’re not clean breaks.”
    Seth swallowed hard. “You’re not gonna
amputate,” he stated.
    “No. No amputation. Not unless gangrene
would set in. Then that might be the only choice,” Dr. Turner said.
His brown eyes were somber as he spoke. He knew that Seth’s future
as a cattle driver was on the line and there was no way he could
offer any assurances. It was best to be honest with him.
    Seth closed his eyes as many emotions
flowed through him. He took several deep breaths and felt a little
dizzy. The laudanum was strong and made him sleepy. Before he
passed out again, he raised his head and opened his
eyes.
    “Fix it the best you can, Doc. We’ll
cross that bridge if we come to it,” he said.
    “You bet,” Doc said and gave a curt
nod.
     
    Seth awoke slowly. Once he was fully
conscious, he realized that he was in a world of hurt. Quickly he
tried to sit up and realized his mistake too late. More pain seared
through his shoulder and chest as his broken collarbone objected to
the movements. He felt a calming presence next to him and looked up
to see Tessa standing there.
    “Shhh. It’s all right, Seth. Dr. Turner
didn’t amputate anything. He did shift some things around quite a
bit, however. I have more laudanum to give you,” she said and gave
him a dose.
    Relief flowed through Seth that he was
home safely with his family and that even as messed up as it was,
he still had his leg. Tears rolled slowly from the corners of his
eyes. He saw that Tessa was crying with him and it made him break
down even more. She sat down then and held his hand until he fell
to sleep.

Chapter Four
     
     
    As Geoffrey read his daughter Tessa’s
letter, concern grew inside him. She told him about her
brother-in-law Seth’s horrible accident six weeks prior and it made
him very sad. Having spent some time with Seth when he had tracked
Tessa down three years prior, Geoffrey had grown fond of him. Much
like himself when he was younger, Seth was a ladies’ man and they
had exchanged stories about their wild youths.
    Like his brother Dean, Seth was a hard
worker, but he didn’t relish staying home at the ranch the way Dean
did. The wide open places were where he preferred to be and it
seemed that being confined to bed most of the time wasn’t agreeing
with him.
    “You can tell it’s very distressing to
her,” Maureen said as they sat in their front parlor that early
August night.
    He sighed as he laid the letter down.
“Yes. She cares for Seth very much. It’s a very dangerous business
driving cattle,” he said. “I can understand why he’s so melancholy.
There’s a good possibility that he won’t be able to do that kind of
work again, which will be a big blow to him.”
    “I can imagine. I would be devastated
if I couldn’t do the work I love,” Maureen said. “Having that
combination of purpose and enjoyment denied one is detrimental to
the soul.”
    “You’re right, my smart wife. I feel so
helpless being so far from them. I wish there was some way to help
him. It’s just a good thing they were able to get that herd home
safely. They invested a great deal of money in it,” Geoff
said.
    Maureen nodded. “I feel helpless all
the way around. It seems we're powerless to help our loved ones in
Montana and our poor wounded girl upstairs.”
    “I know.”
    They knew firsthand how even after the
physical injuries healed, the emotional ones lingered. Geoffrey
reached for Maureen’s hand and they sat that way for a long time,
drawing comfort from each other even as they worried about the fate
of their daughter.
     
    “You want me to do what?” Seth asked.
“Have you been taking that laudanum?”
    Tessa frowned at Seth. “No, I have not
and I don’t think writing some letters would be
difficult.”
    “Why would I want to write letters to
your sister?” Seth said as he shifted on the sofa in the
parlor.
    Tessa turned to the doorway to the
kitchen to make