Page 18 of At Love’s Command

“Thanks, ma’am,” Preach said, breaking the spell as he reached for the triangle of white muslin she held.

Josephine blinked a couple times, then tore her gaze away to focus on her patient. She shook her head slightly. “I’ll just . . .”

“I got it.” Preach took the fabric from her. “I got experience fittin’ slings.”

A spark entered her eyes. “That may be, Mr. Davenport, but I’m the doctor here.” She cleared her throat, snatched the sling back from him, and waved him aside.

Matt grinned. That was the Josephine he knew.

With the doc’s attention aimed at Wallace, Matt got his shirt on and tucked into his trousers. A tricky task when a fellow had to dodge knowing grins shooting at him from every other man in the room.

“Keep your arm angled upward across your chest,” Josephine instructed as she curved the fabric around Wallace’s elbow and behind his back.

The sling-fitting procedure brought her curves far too close to the grinning trumpeter’s face. Matt frowned. Which, of course, only made Wallace grin wider. Once she had the ends tied off, she stepped back, and the jealousy twisting Matt’s gut dissipated.

“All right, then,” she said, carefully keeping her gaze averted from Matt’s position. “I’ll leave you to your visit.”

Preach nodded to her. “Thanks, Doc.”

No one said another word until the sound of her footsteps faded down the hall.

“Only Wallace would get shot in a town with a female doctor on duty.” Preach grabbed the kid’s shirt and held out the left sleeve for him to slip his good arm into. “You just can’t help yourself, can you? Always got to make an impression on the ladies.”

Wallace winced as Luke brought the shirt around his back and gently pulled it closed around his bandaged shoulder. “You’d think bleeding like a stuck pig would do the trick, wouldn’t you? Unfortunately, despite my best efforts and this particular lady’s affinity for wounds and bandages, I seem to have come in second in the favorable impression contest. And that was even before the captain decided to hedge his bets by allowing her to accidentally catch him with his shirt off.” He shot a wink at Matt. “Good timing on that one, Captain. I’ll have to remember that strategy.”

Heat flared along Matt’s neck as Preach and Brooks made pitiful efforts to muffle their snickers. “Maybe we should tie another sling around your mouth,” Matt groused. “Stop all that nonsense rattling around inside your noggin from leaking out.”

Wallace laughed.

“Good luck with that,” Preach said after fastening the second-to-top button of Mark’s shirt and taking a step back from the bed. “Wallace, here, has twice as much nonsense inside him as the average fella. I don’t think a sling would contain it.”

“Thanks a lot, Preach.” Wallace shoved him with his good arm. Luke made a show of staggering backward even though Wallace was still too weak to put much oomph behind the gesture.

Luke clapped a hand to his chest and schooled his features into a semblance of piety. “‘Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.’ Proverbs 17:28. In case you want to skip the extra sling option.”

Wallace rolled his eyes. “I’m pretty sure you’re breaking some kind of infirmary etiquette by picking on the patient.”

“Then I guess we better get you out of the infirmary.” Matt enjoyed the comradery shared by his men, but he knew their patterns all too well. The teasing was fixing to cycle back around, and he could do without talk of him and the lady doc bouncing off the walls and carrying down to the examination room. He could handle the ribbing, but he didn’t want Josephine embarrassed or made to feel uncomfortable.

He gripped Wallace’s left elbow and helped him to his feet. A bit of color drained from the kid’s face, but he managed to stand. His battle-hardened tenacity kicked in as he conquered the wobble in his legs and walked to the door. Matt released his elbow, letting him make his own way, but he and Preach flanked him on either side, ready to step in if needed, as Jonah cleared a path to the parlor.

The kid made it to the next room under his own power and even managed to lower himself onto the upholstered settee by bracing his weight on the sofa arm as he eased down. Matt wasn’t thrilled at the sweat beading Wallace’s brow, but the kid didn’t seem to be breathing too hard, so he let it go without comment and turned his attention to the other two Horsemen.

“How’d the delivery go in San Marcos?” he asked.

Preach’s gaze lingered on Wallace, concern evident in the lines of his face, but he followed Matt’s cue and took a seat in one of two matching armchairs across from the settee. Jonah slid into the other, leaving Matt to share the sofa with Wallace.

“There was much weeping and gnashing of teeth during the wound stitching.” The disgust on Luke’s face made it clear what he thought of the mettle of the injured rustler. “But we got ’em all delivered in one piece to the marshal. Ringleader had a price on his head, so we earned a nice little bonus to go along with our fee.”

Matt nodded. He’d had no doubts his men could handle the rustlers. But the news of the reward was a welcome surprise. The Horsemen donated all reward money to the army’s widow-and-orphan fund, earmarking their donations specifically for families of fellow cavalrymen.

“Dalton said we can stay at the ranch as long as we like,” Jonah added with a tip of his head toward Mark. “So you got plenty o’ time to heal up afore we move on, Wallace.”

“The doctor expects my arm to be out of commission for a couple weeks, but I should be good to sit a horse in a few days.”

Matt cut him off. “We’ll stay a week.”

The kid didn’t want to be seen as a hindrance. Matt understood that. The army taught a man to be ready to go when the bugle blew no matter what aches and pains he suffered. But a hole in the shoulder was more significant than a bruised rib or strained back. He needed more than healthy pride to make a full recovery.