Texas Trio Ch. 20-23

It would have been better if she hadn't, Jem mused to himself, trying not to tear up as he contemplated her battered face.

With difficulty, he continued, "Colt left very early, perhaps five or ten minutes before–" His throat closed around words he couldn't form, and his head fell forward. Resting his forehead on the pillow next to Catherine, Jem couldn't stop himself from choking out, "My love, I'm sorry... so, so sorry... .I would never–" He couldn't continue.

Through the slits her eyes had become, Catherine saw the tiny trembles rippling across his shoulders as Jem tried to contain his emotions. She lifted her hand free from the covers to touch his head, smoothing the cowlick that stood up whenever he didn't slick his hair down. "Hush."

Searing pain accompanied each tiny motion of her mouth, but she couldn't let him go on like this. "He would have come to this eventually, Jem. If you weren't in my life, he might have killed me. It's God's grace and my good fortune that you were here for me today."

Jem lifted his head. "Catherine, I love you so."

He leaned his face against her palm for a moment before drawing her fingers to his lips.

"I will never let anyone hurt you again. Never."

Oblivious to Nanny's presence a yard away, neither of them knew that the exact instant Nanny accepted Jem had just passed, when he didn't bother to hide the tears falling from his face onto Cat's small hand.

Exhausted, Catherine drifted off to sleep a minute later, while Jem hummed and petted her hair, and Nanny kept her eyes on the sewing in her lap.

When Cat woke moaning piteously thirty minutes later, Caleb was just arriving with the package from White's. Nanny hurriedly unwrapped it. Jem scanned the label and gave Cat a teaspoon and a half, lifting a glass of water to her lips to wash it down. He held cool cloths to her face while the medicine took effect and left her in Nanny's care when he was sure she'd stay asleep. He went to check on Becky, where the bottle of laudanum had preceded him.

The housekeeper, taking Nanny's warning as seriously as it was given, was on her feet with the fire poker aloft when Jem slipped quietly into the room. Mrs. Dooley lowered the poker, worried until Jem gave her a hard nod and an approving smile. She smiled at Jem as he stood opposite her, studying Becky's face.

Sleeping peacefully now, she had a giant black eye, a grossly swollen nose, and a cut on her temple from her uncle's ring.

A muscle in Jem's jaw twitched furiously as he surveyed the girl he now regarded as his own little sister. At last he motioned to Mrs. Dooley, who accompanied him to the door.

"I can't thank you enough for sitting with her, Mrs. Dooley, and watching over her. I'll make sure Cook sends lunch up for you, if you'll please not leave her side?"

"No, sir, I won't budge. Mary-Ann and little Jenny are stopping in ev'ry so often to see if we need anythin', too, an' if that poker don't work, I won't hesitate to scream my head off for help."

Impulsively, Jem hugged the rotund, motherly lady. Blushing as red as her hair used to be, she hugged him back.

Jem retreated to his suite, settling himself next to the open window with a glass of water. He wanted a whiskey bad enough that he judged it better not to have one. He needed a clear head to sort things out.

He needed more than a clear head, he thought: he needed a whole string of miracles.

The most pressing problem, now that the girls were safe, was Colt. Colt was about two steps past hot-headed on his best day, and any day Catherine got hurt would be far from Colt's best day. While academically Jem didn't give a hoot if Harrison was torn apart by a snarling pack of wolves, he'd rather Colt were not involved. Not only would it risk a hanging, but it was sure to affect his– their relationship with Catherine, as well.

Jem didn't see how he could prevent it, short of putting Colt in shackles himself. As soon as he got back and saw Catherine, all hell was going to break loose. When Colt got back, Harrison Matthews was surely going to end up dead, probably Hawkins, too, knowing Colt. When Colt--

Jem set his half-empty glass on the table.

When Colt got back....

Moving over to the desk, Jeremiah wrote for half an hour, stopping often to think, and headed out to consult with Caleb.

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NOTE: I'm hoping to be back in two weeks, but– besides being a busy time of year– there's one longish chapter I need to completely rewrite, plus TT2 still needs polishing. So, Section 7– the end of Texas Trio– will probably be more like a Christmas present for you all. It's a pretty good one, though, if I do say so myself! Thank you again for the hearts, stars, and comments– they keep me posting! Love- Stefanie