Daylight Comes (14 page)

In spite of the wintry weather, the pounding hooves and rotating wagon wheels churned the ground at lightning speed and forced a flurry of snow to billow upward, surrounding them in a powdery whirlwind. Without thought, Macia tugged back hard on one of the reins when she handed them to Lucy. The horse turned abruptly to the right, pulling them off the roadway and onto the uneven, rutted prairie. Lucy struggled to gain control, using her best efforts to slow and reassure the animal.

For a brief moment, it appeared her tactics would work. Instead, the horse made one final surge and stepped into a hole. It attempted to right itself but then went down. The buggy jarred and twisted before it flipped onto its side. Macia hollered for Lucy to jump free, but the girl held tight to the reins until she hit the ground. She spilled out of the wagon and landed with a heavy thud.

Macia stared in horror as an axle broke and one of the wheels dropped with unyielding force upon the girl’s leg. Lucy’s shrill scream pierced the serene quietude of the isolated prairie. While the horse struggled to free itself from the twisted carriage, Macia raced to Lucy’s side. Mustering her strength, she lifted the wheel and muttered thanks that they’d chosen a buggy rather than one of the lumbering wagons with massive wheels she couldn’t possibly have lifted.

The girl grimaced as Macia rushed back to her side. “Let me check your leg.”

“You best unhitch the animal from the buggy and tie him to that far tree before he hurts himself.” Lucy gritted her teeth as she offered the instructions.

Macia did as the girl bid. After she’d managed to secure the animal, Macia returned with another blanket. She knelt at Lucy’s side. “I fear the horse injured himself when he stepped into that hole. He seemed to be limping a bit.”

Stooping down beside the girl, Macia grasped Lucy around the waist while Lucy encircled Macia’s neck with one arm. “Do you think you’re able to stand?”

Lucy nodded, but once she came to an upright position, she yelped in pain and immediately lifted her injured leg off the ground. Leaning her weight against Macia, Lucy shook her head. “I think it’s broken. How are we going to get back home? Even if the horse would let us ride, I can’t possibly mount him with this injured leg, and the buggy is of no use to us now.”

After quickly surveying their surroundings, Macia squared her shoulders and forced her features into what she hoped was a brave expression. For Lucy’s sake, she must remain calm. They were miles from home. If she had to make a guess, she’d gauge they were approximately halfway between the Schmidts’ farm and Hill City. To add to her fear, Macia didn’t know of any nearby farms where she could seek help. Should she leave the girl alone while she walked for help?What if a coyote attacked Lucy or the horse in her absence? They had no weapon she could leave with the girl.

Oh, why had she decided to come without Garrett? And why had Jeb granted permission for Lucy to accompany her? She wanted nothing more at this moment than for her and Lucy to be safe at home enjoying the warmth of a blazing fire.

CHAPTER
16

A
smattering of snowflakes dampened Macia’s face as she scoured the low-hanging clouds. The steely skies continued to grow more ominous with each passing moment and warned of more snow this night. She uttered yet another prayer that Jeb would be stirred to action. With the increasing threat of a massive snowstorm, surely Jeb had anticipated their return before now. She could only pray he wasn’t hard at work mucking stalls or grooming horses inside the barn. What if he hadn’t bothered to look outdoors all afternoon? Would he hear the wind howling and sense the gloomy snow-laden skies? Or would he merely attribute the darkening heavens to the shortened days of winter? She had no way of knowing, but she prayed God would direct him to this place.

She knew little daylight remained, and Macia did not want to spend the night inside the makeshift tent she’d constructed out of the overturned buggy and blankets. The protection it provided would be scant on this cold night. And who could know what damage would be done to Lucy’s leg if they didn’t get medical help before tomorrow?

Sunset was upon them when Macia heard a shrill whistle—at least she hoped it had been a whistle and not an animal of some kind. “Did you hear that?” She hissed the question at Lucy. “Listen!” Another whistle sounded in the distance.

Excitement radiated from Lucy’s blue eyes when she heard the sound. “That’s Jeb. It’s our signal. Go outside and whistle back at him.”

Macia stared wide-eyed at the girl. “I can’t whistle.”

Lucy appeared flummoxed. “You can’t whistle? Everyone can whistle.”

“Not me,” Macia said with a slight shrug.

“Then let’s hope he can hear me from inside this tent you’ve made.” Sticking her fingers into the recesses of her mouth, Lucy blew a long, squealing whistle.

Macia crawled from the makeshift shelter, rose on tiptoe, and studied the area as she strained to listen.
There!
Raised up in his saddle and scanning both sides of the road, she spotted Jeb riding toward them in the falling snow. She hollered and waved her handkerchief overhead. If her feet hadn’t been so cold, she would have danced as the horse approached. Damp tendrils of hair poked out from beneath her bonnet.

His gaze rested on the overturned buggy, and he appeared less than impressed with her attempt to create a shelter. Macia pretended not to notice. She was too happy to care about anything except securing medical attention for Lucy’s injured leg and getting out of this cold. “Jeb! We’ve been praying you would come after us.”

“Where’s Lucy? Is she all right?”

Macia pointed at the carriage. He swung down from the horse while surveying the situation. Taking long strides, he knelt down and poked his head under the blankets and immediately hollered from within the tent of blankets. “Care to tell me what happened, Macia?”

She removed the blankets covering Jeb’s back and attempted to explain their plight. “I considered walking for help, but with coyotes nearby, I didn’t want to leave Lucy alone.”

“I reckon that’s thoughtful, but I don’t see how you planned to lend her much protection against wild animals.” He jutted his chin forward. “Doesn’t look like you’ve got any weapons with you.”

“Well, no, but it’s more frightening if you’re alone.”

He raised his brows. “So your solution was to sit out here and freeze to death?What about the horse? Did you consider riding him?”

Lucy quickly came to Macia’s defense. “The horse stumbled in a hole. He may be lame.”

Jeb stood and brushed the snow from his knees as he approached the horse. After a quick examination, he declared, “That horse is fine.

He’s probably hurt himself more stepping on a sharp rock than falling in that hole.”

Macia swiped at the snowflakes accumulating on her eyelashes.

“But he was limping. I thought his leg might be broken.”

“No need to cry.”

“I’m
not
crying.” She dabbed her gloved hand across one cheek. “I was wiping snow from my face.”

He shrugged. “Whatever you say.” He moved toward the carriage and then stooped down to reexamine Lucy’s leg. She squealed in pain when he attempted to straighten the leg. “Do you think you’d be able to ride Blue if I remove the saddle and you sit sideways in front of me?”

Lucy lightly touched her injured leg as she haltingly bobbed her head. “I th-th-think I can do it.”

Jeb patted her shoulder. “That’s the spirit. You keep thinking about getting home to a warm fire and you’ll do fine.”

Unfortunately, Macia wasn’t certain what Jeb had told his sister was true. For if the leg was truly broken, and she believed it was, Lucy would be in considerable pain throughout the trip.

When Macia asked about fixing the buggy, Jeb laughed. “Ain’t no tools out here, Macia. Besides, riding for help means leaving you and Lucy out in the cold even longer. I can come back with Harvey tomorrow and we’ll bring it in. It’s best we ride out of here on the two horses.”

Macia held Lucy’s hand as Jeb pondered their predicament. “Maybe if we stabilize her leg with a splint to hold it steady.”

After Jeb located a couple of fairly straight branches, Macia ripped several strips of cloth from her petticoat, and while Jeb held the makeshift splints on either side of Lucy’s leg, she carefully tied them in place. Lucy bit her lip and grimaced as Jeb situated her atop Blue.

How Macia wished she could relieve the girl’s pain. And how she wished just this once Jeb had told his sister no.

Jeb was silent throughout the journey back to town. He acted as if it were all Macia’s fault. Maybe he was just angry with himself for allowing Lucy to come along, but he seemed awfully abrupt.

As they neared Hill City, Jeb motioned Macia forward. “You ride on ahead and fetch your father. Ask him to meet us at his office.”

She did as he asked, thankful the snowfall had diminished shortly after their departure. Had it continued, their progress would have been markedly impeded. Fortunately, Jeb had been correct about the horse. It had made the journey without any evidence of discomfort.

Perhaps that’s why Jeb was so sullen,
Macia mused as she entered town.

He thinks I should have examined the horse more carefully
. Still, she couldn’t have physically managed Lucy on her own. She dismounted the horse and hurried into the house. There would be enough time to argue with herself—or with Jeb—after Lucy had received medical attention.

“Father! Father! Come quickly.” Her shouts echoed in the empty foyer. She called out again as she hurried into the parlor and made her way to the warmth of the fireplace. Extending her cupped hands toward the fire, Macia immediately stepped back as the heat radiated upward to sting her freezing cheeks.

“Macia! I was beginning to worry. We expected you and Garrett to be back in time for supper.” Her father stopped short when he walked into the parlor. With his mouth agape and eyes wide, he stared at her. “What has happened?”

“Lucy’s injured. I think her leg may be broken. We need—”

His brows furrowed. “Lucy? I thought you were with Garrett.”

“There’s no time for explanations right now, Father. They’ll be arriving at your office any minute. Please hurry.”

Dr. Boyle grabbed his coat and hat from the hallway. As they made their way to the office, Macia hastily explained how Lucy had happened to accompany her to the Schmidts’ farm. However, her father appeared even more confused when he saw Jeb’s horse drawing near.

There would be little time to start a fire, but at least the office would be warmer than the bitter cold they’d endured while they had waited beneath the buggy and during their return home.

As Dr. Boyle placed his key in the lock, he glanced over his shoulder. “How did Jeb get involved in all of this?” The lock clicked; he turned the doorknob and pushed open the door. “And where is Garrett?”

While she watched out the window and her father prepared his instruments, she detailed the day’s events. She’d barely completed the story when Jeb’s horse came to a halt outside the office. “They’re here.”

Macia waited in the doorway while her father rushed outside to assist Jeb. With Lucy secure in his arms, he carried her inside. Jeb soon followed, brushing past Macia as though she were invisible and causing her to feel vulnerable and guilty.

Dr. Boyle soon shooed Jeb back to the waiting room, where Macia had to endure his sullen presence while her father examined Lucy’s leg. Jeb paced back and forth, directing a menacing glare at her each time he passed by. Eventually, she could no longer bear his unseemly behavior in silence, and she jumped up as he neared her chair.

Folding her arms across her chest, she glared into his steely eyes.

“Why are you acting as though this is my fault? You gave Lucy permission to accompany me. The overturned carriage was an accident that could have happened to anyone.”

He dodged around her and continued pacing. “But it didn’t happen to anyone—it happened to
you
.” Suddenly he stopped and faced her. “And Lucy
didn’t
have my consent to travel alone with you. She told me Garrett would be along. How is it that you failed to find it unimportant to notify me of that particular fact?”

“I didn’t—I mean, Lucy said . . .” She hesitated. What
had
Lucy said when she returned with the carriage? She distinctly recalled asking the girl if Jeb had given permission, yet she couldn’t remember Lucy’s response. Absent Jeb’s approval, Macia wouldn’t have consented to take Lucy along. He should know that! And she told him so in no uncertain terms.

While she defended herself, Jeb bristled, squaring his shoulders and gazing down at her in an aloof manner. She clenched her fists, digging her fingernails into her palm.Who did he think he was, treating her as though she’d committed a crime! She’d only begun to tell him what she thought of his attitude when her father emerged from the examining room.

“If the two of you can cease your quarreling long enough, you can come in and see Lucy.”

Without comment, Jeb stepped around Macia and entered the room. Macia followed closely behind. She grasped her father’s hand.

“Is she going to heal without any problem?”

Her father smoothed his hand over her hair. “Her leg is broken, but she’s young and it was a clean break. There shouldn’t be any problem, though she’ll be slowed down until the leg heals.” He put his hand on Jeb’s shoulder. “Might be good for Lucy to come and stay at our place for a while so there’s somebody to look after her while you’re working.”

Jeb glowered. “She needed someone looking after her today, but that didn’t happen.”

Lucy reached for her brother’s hand. “It’s my fault, Jeb. Macia thought you had given me permission. She told me to make sure you knew Garrett wasn’t coming along.” She blinked back the tears that had pooled in her eyes. “Please don’t blame Macia. I knew you would say no but I wanted to go. I’m sorry.”

Macia sighed, thankful the truth had finally come to light. Jeb would likely go easy on Lucy since she was already suffering from an injury. And though Jeb’s apology to Macia was less than effusive, he at least admitted he’d misjudged her. She wouldn’t press for anything more.

A tear rolled down Lucy’s cheek. “I’m sorry, Macia. I was untruthful to you and got us both in trouble.”

“Apology accepted, Lucy.” Macia wiped the girl’s tears with her handkerchief. “What do you think, Jeb? May we take Lucy home with us? You’d be welcome to stop by anytime to see her.”

Dr. Boyle slapped Jeb on the shoulder and grinned. “Why don’t you plan to join us for supper each evening? That way you’ll be more involved with Lucy. The two of you can share news of what’s happened throughout the day and play some checkers or a game of dominoes.”

Jeb fidgeted nervously before finally agreeing. “Sounds like that might be an acceptable arrangement.”

Macia gulped. She hadn’t intended for Jeb to spend every evening at their house. Most likely he’d plan on being present the entire day on Sundays, too. She would talk to Harvey. Perhaps he could discourage Jeb from visiting every evening. Harvey could more easily convey the discomfort it would cause for Macia and Garrett. Besides, Macia doubted whether Lucy would want her brother spending every evening at the house.

Lucy responded before Jeb could. “It’s a perfect solution. You will agree to come see me
every
evening, won’t you, Jeb? And we can be together on Sundays, too!” Though Lucy’s voice sounded groggy, she maintained a surprising command of the situation. “This is going to be grand.”

Grand wasn’t
quite
the word that Macia would have chosen.