The Widow of Rose Hill (The Women of Rose Hill Book 2), стр. 78

Where were Lopez and his men, and why hadn’t they finished him off?

Taking a deep breath to clear the fog in his mind, he concentrated on remembering. How long had he lain there? He’d fallen from his horse, but nothing seemed clear after that. He’d been certain Lopez and his cowboys were on his tail when he entered the woods. Had they followed his horse without realizing Levi was no longer in the saddle?

Carefully, he inched his head to his right, wincing when a tender spot on the back of his scalp raked across the ground. He must’ve hit his head when he fell. A dark object loomed in front of him. He spread his fingers and touched something solid and rough. A fallen tree. He guessed he’d landed on the far side of it when his horse shied. Looking overhead again, he searched for the North Star, needing something to give him bearing. But with so many branches obstructing the night sky, it was impossible to locate. He knew he’d turned his horse off the road that led to Langford Manor, but how far they’d gone before he became unseated was a blurry memory.

A sound in the distance brought him alert. Horses’ hooves beating the ground. Not close, but near enough to tell Levi he had to get out of there. When he tried to sit up, a wave of dizziness and pain nearly knocked him unconscious again. Breathing heavily, he felt the back of his left shoulder. Warm and sticky. If the wound wasn’t attended to soon, he could bleed to death.

Concentrating on remaining calm, he put the skills he’d acquired during the war to work. His best guess was he’d only gone a couple miles when Lopez shot him. Then he’d gone another half mile into the woods before the horse threw him. Langford Manor was still several miles away. Definitely too far to walk in the dark with a bullet in his shoulder.

But he couldn’t stay where he was. Lopez and his men would be back soon enough. He lay flat on his back, his life’s blood slowly seeping from his body. This was not the way he wanted to die.

Though he’d been in some tricky situations during the war— some he shouldn’t have survived—he’d never felt as helpless as he did now.

“God,” he whispered. “You’ve seen me through some tough times. I hope you have more days left for me, but right now, I’m not so sure. Help me, Lord. And keep Natalie safe.”

He kept the prayer open-ended. Knowing God was right there, only a breath away, brought on a sense of calm. The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer. Ma had reminded Levi and his brothers of that verse before they’d headed off to war, quoting a favorite Psalm. Surely those words rang true in this situation too.

With woods and brush on his left, he turned to his right again and eyed the log. If he could wedge himself up against it and use some of the foliage around him as cover, Lopez and his men might not see him, even after the sun rose. Surely Corporal Banks would send out a search party when he realized Levi had not returned from Rose Hill. It would be up to God which group of men found Levi first.

Bracing himself for the pain he knew would come, he used his good elbow to scoot his body toward the log. He resisted the urge to cry out when fiery fingers shot through his shoulder and down his body. The few inches that separated him from the log seemed like a mile as he dragged himself to it. Once he was up against the rough bark, he closed his eyes for several minutes to let his breathing return to normal, all the while pushing his wounded shoulder into the ground, which he hoped would staunch the bleeding. When the pain gradually subsided to a dull ache, he yanked on the branches of a low shrub and pulled them toward him, again and again, until he had enough greenery to cover himself. The last thing he did was take his gun from its holster and lay it on his chest. He wouldn’t give up without a fight.

Having done all he could until daylight arrived, Levi relaxed. He stared up at the starlit sky, his eyes getting heavy. As he drifted off to sleep, his last thought was of Natalie. He hoped he would live to see her beautiful blue eyes and that stubborn set to her jaw again. He might even let her stew in her remorse a few days.

Then, he would take her in his arms and kiss her sweet lips until she agreed to marry him.

“Miz Natalie? Miz Natalie! Wake up.”

Natalie startled awake. Carolina’s face loomed above her, the glow of candlelight illuminating her wide eyes. “What’s wrong? Is it Samuel?”

Carolina lit the lamp beside the bed as Natalie sat up, groggy.

“Samuel be sleepin’. It be the colonel.”

“Colonel Maish?” She glanced out the window where the lace curtains parted. The sky was still dark. What time was it?

“William, er, Corporal Banks is here. Says the colonel didn’t never come back to the army camp. Thought he might’ve come here, but I told him no. He be worried.”

Natalie stood, still confused about the conversation. “Where is he? Corporal Banks, I mean.”

“He in the kitchen with Moses an’ Harriet.”

“All right. I’ll be down shortly.”

After the servant left, Natalie dressed while she wondered where Levi could be. If the corporal was worried, then Levi not returning to camp was unusual.

When she entered the kitchen, four pairs of concerned eyes met her. Corporal Banks stood and gave a polite nod.

“Mrs. Ellis. I’m sorry to disturb you folks so early, but I had hoped the colonel spent the night here at Rose Hill.”

Warmth filled her face, although she didn’t believe he’d meant to insinuate anything improper. “Of course not,