“Think of your father.” He tried to keep her talking. “He’ll be home from his honeymoon in a few days. Maybe the two of you can talk things out.”
“Yes, he’ll be home. Bringing that bitch with him.” She looked behind Nate at Angel. “I’ll bet that’s a word your prissy little wife never uses. Does she? Does she?” she screamed.
The front door flew open, and Sheriff Travis rushed into the room. When Lucy spun around at the sheriff’s entrance, Nate lunged at her to get the gun, but she twisted back and stumbled as they hit the floor. The gun went off before he wrestled it away from her.
Gasping for breath, Nate stood, and turned to find Angel lying on the floor, blood pouring from her chest.
“Matt!” Nate yelled from the kitchen. Mark and Matt raced into the room, still holding the wailing baby.
“Get me some towels,” he shouted at the boy.
Matt handed Julia-Rose off to Mark and raced for the washroom.
Sheriff Travis joined Nate on the floor. “I think we better get her to the doctor.”
Matt returned with an armful of towels. Nate folded one and pressed it to the wound. It seemed to be her shoulder, but the blood kept coming.
Nate picked her up. “Sheriff, can I use your horse? It’s faster than the buggy.”
“Sure. I’ll take Lucy in your buggy.”
Both men looked around the room and realized Lucy had disappeared. Nate hurried outside, and once he mounted, the sheriff handed Angel to him. He laid her across his lap, and grabbing the reins with one hand, he pressed the blood-soaked towel to his wife’s injury with the other hand.
Dust billowed up as Nate turned the horse toward the doctor’s house. About three hundred yards ahead of him, Lucy’s carriage careened down the road, going in the opposite direction from town.
“Please don’t die, honey.” Nate said over and over as he headed through town. “We can’t live without you. I can’t live without you.” Every time he looked at the amount of blood absorbed on the towels, his gut twisted.
Nate pulled up in front of the doctor’s house and yelled for him as he slid off the horse. Mrs. Penrose came out of the house holding a stirring spoon.
“Oh, dear, what happened here?”
“Angel’s been shot. Is the doc home?”
“Yes, come right in, and I’ll get him.”
Carrying Angel, Nate went up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He entered the house and went directly to the back room where the doctor had his office. He laid Angel on the table as Dr. Penrose came into the office.
“What happened, son?” He shoved his sleeves up, scooped out a handful of soap and washed his hands.
“She’s been shot, and bleeding a lot.” His voice quivered, as he clutched Angel’s cold fingers.
“Okay, take it easy. Let me take a look.”
Mrs. Penrose came into the room with clean towels. She and the doctor worked for a few minutes, and then the doctor looked up. “Why don’t you wait outside, and I’ll come get you as soon as we’re done here.”
“No, I don’t want to leave her.”
“It’s all right. I think she’ll be fine. I would feel better if you weren’t here watching the whole thing.”
“I’m not leaving.” He continued to grasp her hand, and ran his thumb over her wedding ring. Mrs. Penrose brought over a chair for him that he ignored.
The doctor’s wife cut away Angel’s dress. When Nate saw the bloody hole in her upper chest, he went livid with rage. No more would he baby Lucy, concerned about her feelings. She would pay for this, and for what she admitted she had done to Amy.
Dr. Penrose cleaned the wound as his wife assembled what he needed to stitch the gaping hole. He gently lifted Angel, and examined the back of her shoulder. He glanced at Nate. “The bullet went clear through, which is good.” Angel moaned, her eyes blinking rapidly. Sweat beaded her forehead.
“What happened?” She turned to Nate.
The doctor nodded to his wife, who poured a clear liquid on a cloth and placed it over Angel’s nose.