He smoothed her hair from her face. “Is there anything I can do? Anything you need?”
“No, I’m fine.” She sat up in bed and swung her feet over the side. “I’ll get dressed. We’re missing breakfast. Yours will be cold.”
Reese stopped her. “You climb right back into bed. And stay there until you feel better. Get some sleep. You didn’t get much last night.” He smiled, remembering.
“Neither did you.”
“I don’t need much,” he said. “And I’ll have a chance to catch up for a few days.” He touched her lips with his own. “Get some rest.”
He tucked the covers under her chin.
“How is she?” Several voices spoke at once when Reese reentered the dining room.
“She’s fine,” he assured them.
“Well, what’s wrong with her?” Charlie wanted to know. “Should I send somebody for Dr. Kevin?”
Reese shook his head. “No, it’s…” He looked around at Sam, Joe, and the ranch hands. He cleared his throat. “I…um…overreacted. It’s her…woman’s…complaint.” He practically whispered the words.
The men seated at the table shifted uncomfortably in their chairs, their faces stained with embarrassment.
“Well,” Charlie said, “if that’s all it is, we can fix it.” He spoke to Sarah in Cherokee. She nodded in agreement and left the kitchen.
“What’s the remedy?” Reese couldn’t contain his curiosity.
“You’ll see.” Charlie smiled, “I’m an old hand at this. I have two women of my own.” He looked fondly at his daughter, Mary, and wife, Sarah, who returned to the kitchen carrying Reese’s decanter of French brandy.
She poured a half a pot of tea, added a generous helping of honey, then topped off the pot with brandy. Sarah placed it on a tray with a plate of fried bread and handed to Mary.
“She’ll sleep like a baby,” Charlie predicted, “and feel much better when she wakes up.”
The other men seated at the table took careful note of the remedy.
It was the last time Faith needed it. She didn’t miss another breakfast.
Chapter Twenty
The pace of the ranch was slow in winter, the weather, unpredictable. The days were short, and the nights long. But there was still work to be done. Reese spent long hours at his desk tending to the working of the ranch and his other business interests. There was much to be done before spring, when much of his time would be spent in rounding up the herd of Texas longhorns roaming the open range.
Faith spent her time tending to the hundred little distractions and details Reese was too busy to tackle. The rest of her time was devoted to Joy, and to her lessons. Her nights belonged to Reese.
It was an arrangement that worked well. Neither, Reese nor Faith questioned the duration. It was too easy to pretend their time together would never come to an end.
* * *
Trail T Ranch
Cheyenne, Wyoming Territory
March, 1870
Dear Aunt Tempy, Aunt Virt, Hannah and Agnes,
Joy and I are well. Wyoming is beautiful, though the weather is unpredictable. One moment the sun is shining and warm, and in the next, there is snowfall, of blizzard proportions. Cheyenne, the largest town nearby is small and new. A real Western boomtown. Not at all like Richmond.
Joy is the proud owner of a Shetland pony named Brutus. She is learning to ride and enjoys it very much, though I fear she’ll never have a proper seat. We ride together when weather permits, but only on the ranch grounds. The countryside is lovely, but there are all sorts of dangers. I’ve enrolled her in the school here on the ranch. Mr. Alexander’s sister, Mary Alexander, is the teacher. She excels in teaching languages. Joy and I are learning French and Spanish.
Everyone living here on the ranch is family, except Joy and myself. They are all very nice people. Sarah is quite a cook. Hannah would like her. And Mary and I sew together.