Chapter Three

      Even after her conversation with Tex about staying as long as he needed, Ravena still harbored a secret hope that she would find him remarkably recovered when she looked in on him the next morning. But that hope was obliterated when she found him sweltering with fever again, his sleeping form shifting restlessly beneath his blankets. He didn’t respond to her placing her hand on his forehead or calling his name.

      “How come he still looks like he’s half-dead?” Mark asked. He and Luke watched from the open doorway.

      Ravena frowned as she checked Tex’s wound. “Because he’s very sick.” It was time for a new poultice. “Hurry and eat, boys, so you can make it to church on time. I need to stay here and help care for Mr. Beckett, so Jacob will be in charge. Please mind him.”

      “Ah, Miss Ravena,” Mark whined, “do we have to go?”

      Fighting a small smile, she guided the boys down the hallway. She could understand why having a stranger on the farm, especially one who’d been shot, held more fascination for the two than singing hymns and hearing Bible stories. And if Tex was still here tomorrow, the boys weren’t going to be thrilled about leaving him to attend school either.

      Their help might come in handy if she kept them home. It would be difficult to tend to Tex, see to her regular tasks around the farm and try to finish the plowing too. At the thought of all of her responsibilities, Ravena felt a familiar weight settle onto her shoulders.

      Then she recalled something her grandfather had often said. “Love, stability and education are the keys to success for any child.” And she was doing all in her power to provide those, even by herself these past three months. She couldn’t let this obstacle derail her.

      She straightened her drooping back and willed away her worries. The children would go to church today and school tomorrow. Somehow a way would work out to care for everything and everyone. It had to, because she would not give up on fulfilling her grandfather’s wishes for these orphans or for the other four he’d hoped to bring home as well.

      After sending off all five of the children to church, she made a new herbal poultice for Tex’s wound and some more tea. She found him still sleeping fitfully, so she chose to forego waking him. He could drink the tea later. She half expected him to wake as she redressed his side, but unlike the night before, he didn’t open his eyes or make conversation with her.

      Ravena also wet a cloth for his forehead. His agitation eased as she placed the cool fabric against his sweaty brow. “It’s Quincy,” he mumbled, when she stepped back. “He’s still out there...”

      The man certainly had an affinity for his horse. Too bad he hadn’t displayed as much affection for those people he’d left behind.

      She felt immediate guilt at the thought. In many ways, life had been more difficult for Tex and Tate than for her, what with their father always gambling, then up and leaving the family when the boys were only nine. They’d struggled for years to make it through, only to lose their mother in death when they were young adults. And then, there’d been the fight that had lost them to each other. Had they reconciled in the years since she’d seen them last? She hoped so...but she also doubted it. She knew firsthand just how stubborn those Beckett brothers could be.

      “Your horse is just fine,” she soothed, placing a tentative hand on the sleeve of his nightshirt. Jacob had fed the animal along with their two horses and the cow that morning. “You can see for yourself once you’re well.”

      Leaving the tea behind should he wake, she started for the door when she noticed the pile of things in the corner, including Tex’s bloodied shirt from the day before. It was a pity his new clothes might be permanently ruined. Perhaps if she washed them now they could still be salvaged.

      She loaded the crook of her arm with his shirt, jacket and trousers. Underneath the clothes sat two saddlebags. Perhaps they held more clothing in need of washing. She threw back the flap of one of the bags. It contained a holster and gun and a few pieces of jerky. No clothes though. She opened the other bag and a startled cry spilled from her lips to find it half filled with neat bundles of cash. Surely there had to be several hundred dollars inside.

      Closing up the bag, she stood and crept from the room, her mind churning as she set about boiling water for the washing. Why would Tex be carrying that much money inside his saddlebag? What line of work did he do to earn so much? Certainly not farming or ranching.

      She still hadn’t puzzled out any answers by the time the water was ready. Pushing the new questions to the back of her mind, along with the old ones regarding Tex, Ravena threw herself into the washing. Her hands were soon pink and wrinkled from the warm water.

      Sunshine poured down on her bare head as she hung Tex’s clothes on the line to dry. Her task complete, her thoughts went back to the money sitting upstairs. There was so much she could do if such a sum belonged to her. She could hire several farm hands and someone to finish the new house. There would be enough to feed, clothe and care for more orphans, including the four brothers in Boise.

      Yet that money wasn’t hers. It was Tex’s and she wouldn’t be beholden to him by asking for financial help or a personal loan. He’d turned his back on her, unlike Tate who she suspected of being the benefactor behind the mysterious envelopes that had come to the farm over the years. Each was addressed to her and contained a helpful sum of money.

      The children returned from church a short time later, all talking at once about the experience. Except for Ginny. She silently jumped in to help Ravena finish preparing lunch, as usual. The simple act calmed Ravena’s troubled heart and thoughts, at least for the moment.

      Once everyone had eaten, she sent the children outside to play. It was probably time to check on Tex again and see if he was awake and hungry. She prepared a fresh pot of tea and a bowl of broth, then carried the full tray upstairs. She secretly hoped to find Tex still sleeping, so she wouldn’t have to make conversation. The less they had to speak the better.

      Unfortunately his gaze followed her movement into the room. “Morning,” he said, his voice rough.

      Ravena added the untouched teacup from earlier to the tray and placed it on the bureau. “I think you mean good afternoon.”

      He eyed the window, where the curtains were still drawn. “What time is it?”

      “After lunch. Are you hungry?” He’d declined eating anything the night before.

      “A little.” The lopsided grin he gave her, even with how ill and pale he looked, still made her pulse sputter as it had in the old days.

      Steeling herself against the reaction, she helped him sit up and placed the tray across his lap. “Can you manage or do you need some help?”

      He eyed the spoon and bowl. “I think I can handle it.” She watched to make sure he got the spoon to his mouth, though her gaze lingered on his face, even after he’d swallowed and dipped into the bowl a second time. If he hadn’t run off eight years ago, if he’d come back for her as he’d promised, he would be her husband and the sight of him and his tussled hair just after he woke every day would be wonderfully familiar.

      Needing air, Ravena crossed to the window. She drew back the curtains and wrenched the sill upward. A nice breeze washed over her flushed cheeks. She could hear Mark, Luke and Fanny laughing below. “You don’t need to worry about your horse,” she said as a way to end the awkward silence.

      “I’m not.” Tex chuckled. “I imagine he’s in good hands.”

      She crossed her arms and leaned her forehead