To Know Her by Name Read Online Free PDF Page B

Pup touched his head once more, and again the action seemed to calm him. He moved slightly under her touch, but the anxiety was gone. Pup didn’t hear from him the rest of the day.

4
    Pup was gone from the cabin long before daybreak the next morning. Govern had been right about the money. Pup had cash on hand—she always did—but Govern would never have found it in the various places between the logs of her bedroom walls. She had put large saddle bags on Ginny and was now headed in for supplies. If she moved right along, she’d be back up the mountain by mid-afternoon.
    McKay had been awake when she checked on him, and had even accepted some broth from a spoon. She’d left him resting quietly. Pup wasn’t exactly thrilled to leave him on his own, but they had to have food. It had been her plan to tell him where she was headed, but he’d fallen back to sleep. Supplies could not wait another day.
    The ride into town was uneventful, and so was the shopping trip. Pup eyed the produce and canned goods dispassionately but still chose a good variety. Her patient was on her mind for most of the trip, so as soon as she finished filling her saddle bags she made a stop at the bank and headed back up the hill.

    McKay woke slowly, feeling like he’d been dragged behind a horse. His shoulder was still on fire, and the rest of his body was sore to the bone. His head hurt, so he tried not to move much. The back of his head deep in the pillow, he let his eyes roam his surroundings. From his vantage point there was nothing pretentious about the room. It was square with a low ceiling, and only the bed, nightstand, and one chair served as furniture. No pictures hung on the walls, and there were no curtains at the window. Indeed, one window was boarded up, casting a shadow across the bed. His mind still fuzzy, McKay wondered what had happened.
    He shifted his head to the left side. Now he was able to look out the open door to the room beyond. He thought he could see the edge of a table and some chairs, and with his head in this direction he also caught sight of a cup of water that had been left for him. Only about 18 inches away on the nightstand, it was like reaching for the moon. McKay was gasping with pain by the time he managed to maneuver the cup to his lips, and he splashed himself before getting anything into his mouth. He finally let his head fall back, feeling as if he’d run a race. The cup was empty in his hand.
    â€œAnyone out there?” he croaked, but was only met with silence. “Hey,” he tried again, his voice little more than a whisper. “Is someone there?”
    His hostess, or whoever she was, was obviously out. McKay had a dozen questions, and he was determined to stay awake to ask them, but he couldn’t make it happen. He fell back to sleep, not even stirring when the cup rolled from his hand and landed with a small thump on the rug beside his bed.

    When McKay woke again he was assailed by the smell of meat cooking. His stomach clenched in hunger, and he rocked his head to squint out the door. He could tell by the shadows that the day was long spent, but there was still plenty of light in the sky. He hadn’t cried out this time, but his movement brought the woman with the head of dark curls. She stopped in the doorway but came forward when she saw he was awake.
    â€œHow are you feeling?”
    â€œI’ve been better.”
    â€œWater?” Pup filled the glass she’d retrieved earlier and held it up.
    McKay nodded and she helped him drink. Their eyes met when he lay back.
    â€œWhere am I?” he asked.
    â€œYou mean in the hills above Boulder, or the cabin?”
    He didn’t answer. “You live here?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œWhat’s your name?”
    â€œCallie Jennings.”
    McKay was not at all surprised that Govern Hackett would have a woman living with him in the hills, but she was different than he would have