Chapter Three

Dr. Martin came down the stairs with a smile on his face. "I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, but that young lady has made a remarkable recovery. Keep her confined to the house for a few more days. I don't want her doing too much. And give her some solid food; maybe some of Hop Sing's chicken soup first. If she handles that, start adding more. Adam, I have to tell you, that young woman's attitude is probably why she survived this."

Adam smiled and nodded.

Ben walked the doctor to the door, then turned back to Adam. "What did he mean by that?"

"Pa, almost from the moment she woke up, she's had a smile on her face. You'd think she would have been upset, or at least nervous that she was in a strange bed in a strange house surrounded by strange people. She was calm from the beginning."

Ben raised his eyebrows and took a deep breath. "Has she told you what happened?"

"No, but I haven't really asked. I didn't want to upset her until she was stronger." He made his way to the stairs and started to climb. "It sounds like she's strong enough to talk about it." Adam knocked at the door.

"Come in."

He stuck his head inside the door first, found her looking at him, and stepped in, sitting on the chair next to the bed. "Doc says you're doing great. How do you feel about some chicken soup?"

"That would be nice," she said, smiling, "But please, don't go to any trouble on my account. You've already done enough for me."

"It's no trouble at all. Do you feel like talking?"

"Sure. What would you like to talk about?"

Adam breathed deeply, looking into her eyes. She blushed and looked away. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to stare. It's just that I've never seen eyes like yours. They're quite beautiful."

"Well, they're different. But beautiful…." She grimaced and shook her head.

Adam narrowed his eyes, slightly smiling. "They are." He paused, letting that sink in. He got the feeling that she hadn't been paid too many compliments. "Can you tell me what happened to you?"

She looked down at her hands in her lap. "There's nothing to fix, if that's what you're looking for. What's done is done, and there's no changing it. I'd really like to put it behind me."

"Rebecca, do you realize you could've died if we hadn't found you when we did? Something happened to you to make you travel as far as you must have. Please, tell me."

"I'll tell you if you promise we can just move on."

"I won't make that promise. Not until I hear what happened."

"No one…abused me, if that's what you're asking."

"Well, that does make me feel a little better, at least."

"Why do you want to know this, Adam? It really isn't going to make any difference."

He looked into her eyes again, trying to make that connection they had shared when she first opened them. "I can't explain it. I just need to know."

She broke their gaze and took a breath. "Well, it's short. There's not that much to tell. My father and brother and I were living at my father's claim up in the mountains. He had been looking for gold or silver for almost a year and hadn't found any. He and my brother argued, and lately, the arguments had gotten worse. This time, my brother left. He took our wagon and our horse. Most of our supplies were on the wagon. He didn't come back."

"Where's your father?"

She raised her chin with a determined look. "He died." Adam noticed the muscles in her jaw flex and knew she was trying not to cry. "We ran out of supplies, and when our water ran out, neither of us was strong enough to go for water and get back…the spring was over a mile away. When Pa died, I dug a shallow grave…I didn't really have much of a shovel…the good one was on the back of the wagon and the ground was rocks and clay. Anyway, I dug as much of a hole as I could. I buried him, and then covered him with rocks. Then I took the canteen and went to the spring. I walked south…I lost track of time, so I don't know how long I walked. The canteen started to leak, so I drank whenever I found water. There wasn't much along the way. Then I saw the green field and thought there had to be water there somewhere. That's when I saw you at the other end of the field. Then I saw you again sitting right there, watching me."

Adam's smile quickly changed to a frown. "So, your brother left you and your father to die up there."

"I don't know that. Robbie was angry when he left. He and Pa argued all the time about working a worthless claim. I have no idea why he didn't come back. Maybe he couldn't. At this point, it doesn't really matter. Nothing can change what's already happened, and there's no point dwelling on it."

"Rebecca, your brother caused your father's death and pretty nearly caused yours. He should be held accountable for that."

"Adam, I believe things happen for a reason. We're all put on this earth with a purpose; one that we may never know. Pa fulfilled his purpose and went to his reward. Evidently, I haven't fulfilled mine, 'cause here I am…still."

Adam chewed on the inside of his mouth. Her words reminded him of that feeling he had the day he found her; the voice telling him to keep going when he knew there was no point. It seemed there was a point…a purpose. "Well, I don't want to tire you out before you've had a chance to eat some real food. I'll be back in a little while with some soup." He stood next to the bed and looked down at her, smiling warmly. "Get some rest."