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Chapter 3

The ride home began in silence as Julie was annoyed at having been forced to travel with Adam to his home, but soon became achy and eventually asked Adam if he could stop for a rest.

"Please, Adam, can you stop for a few minutes. I'm aching all over and in need of a break."

"Of course, but not too long. I want to get you home so you can have a proper rest. Probably another hour should do it."

Adam dismounted and helped Julie down. "Don't wander too far. We need to get going soon. From looking at the sky I fear more rain on the horizon and we don't want to be caught in a rain storm a second time."

"I understand. Sorry to be a nuisance."

"Perhaps a quick massage might help," Adam suggested.

"Oh no, I don't think so," she nervously answered. I'll be alright." If only there was a way to get away from this man, she thought, more for his sake than mine. And before she could consider riding again she bent over and brought up what little breakfast she had had.

Adam was quickly at her side. "Julie, you really are not well." He left her for a second to retrieve his canteen. "Here, drink, rinse and spit it out."

She did as he suggested. It cleaned her mouth, but she still felt nauseous.

After five more minutes, giving Julie time to compose herself, Adam picked her up and carried her to Sport and placed her on the saddle on which he had now placed a folded blanket, trying to give her a little more comfort.

"You think of everything," she said.

"I sense it's a struggle for you to sit a horse."

"How observant," she said sarcastically.

"Not done much riding then?"

"No. Not allowed." That took Adam by surprise.

"Not allowed? I would have thought anyone living out west would know how to ride," Adam stated, hoping Julie would offer some information. But, alas no.

"I never wanted to learn. Horses frighten me."

Adam knew that was a lie as Julie had shown no fear while being on Sport, which certainly showed when she obviously couldn't keep her eyes open and fell back against Adam's chest, asleep. Just as well, he thought, she won't be feeling her aches and pains this way. …..

Adam could see the house in the distance just as a rain started again. He reached behind him and pulled out his slicker and put it around him and ripped the neck line wider, which then had room for two heads. He draped the slicker over Julie so that they were both now underneath it.

"This is cozy, is it not? Adam jokingly said. No quip from Julie this time. Adam smiled. "Still grumpy I see. Well, we're almost home and soon to be settled out of the rain and some proper filling food."

They rode into the yard when a hand came running out of the barn. "I'll take care of the horses, Adam. You go on inside and get warm. Nasty weather just now."

"Thanks, Mack. Much appreciated." Then first, Adam took off the slicker, then dismounted to help Julie down, who instantly collapsed backward and was about to fall off Sport, because without Adam behind her she had no support. Adam just managed to catch her before she could fall to the ground and realized she had not been asleep, but was unconscious, again. He started towards the front door, with Julie in his arms, when Ben came out of the house and was waiting near the front door, sheltering from the rain.

"What's going on Adam, and who is this woman?"

"Her name is Julie and she's unconscious. I'll get her into the downstairs bedroom and get her sorted. Can you get Doc Martin sent for and then I'll tell you all."

"Right." Ben rushed over to the bunkhouse to find someone to go for the doctor. He then followed after Adam into the house.

Adam had removed her shoes, stockings and dress when Ben walked into the room.

"What are you doing, Adam? This is a young woman, not a child, to be disrobing her."

"Pa, she is wet through, and for the second time. This is not the first time I've had to remove her clothes."

Shocked by Adam's statement, he said, "I'll leave you to it then, but I'll expect a good explanation from you once she is settled."

"Will do, Pa."

Ben made his way to his red chair and prepared one of his pipes, his mind in a whirl thinking of a possible scenario for Adam's story, as it was usually Hoss who brought home something or someone injured. It was with these thoughts running through his mind when Adam joined him.

"Did you find someone to go for the doctor?

"Yes. Josh. It's his day off and was going into town anyway to see his girl tonight anyway."

"Good, Julie is more sick than she's told me."

"So are you going to tell me what happened?"

"Of course, Pa. Can I just get a cup of coffee first, it's been a long day."

"Sure. Then sit and relax and tell me what happened."

Once Adam had returned from the kitchen with his coffee, he sank in his beloved blue chair and began his story.

"Last evening I was nearing the end of my two weeks, sorting out the line cabins. I was only a little way from the last cabin when the heavens opened up. So naturally I was soaked by the time I was nearing the cabin, not having got my slicker on in time. Then I thought I saw something during a lightening episode, thought it was a dead animal, but as I got closer I could see it was a human being crumpled under a tree. So I rode up and discovered Julie, unconscious, and very cold to the touch, but I felt a slight pulse.

"What was she doing there?" Ben interrupted.

"I don't know, Pa. She hasn't told me anything about herself, except for her name, and first name only at that."

"So she regained consciousness?"

"Eventually yeah. I had to divest her of all her clothes, dry her with a blanket at the cabin and wrapped her in another and laid her on one of the cots right in front of the fire I started, hoping to get her warmed up. Thankfully she was unconscious at the time and would have fought me over what I'd done to her. Then I stripped out of my clothes. Luckily I had a second pair of trousers and a shirt with me, and put our clothes to dry."

"You had a busy night."

"I sure did. Never had an unconscious naked lady sleeping in the same room before. I had thought of lying with her on her cot, to give her extra warmth, but it would have been a very tight squeeze." He told Ben, with a hint of a smile.

Ben raised an eyebrow at that last comment. Adam was not a saint, he knew that.

"She started coming round and mumbling, so I got up and started making some food. She didn't eat much."

"What happened after that?" Ben asked.

"Julie made to sit up when the blanket slipped and she suddenly realized she was naked under the blanket. "She started accusing me of raping her, which of course nothing of that sort took place. But I couldn't blame her considering how she was dressed, or I should say, not dressed. And her language was very explicit. I won't repeat what she said, but you can imagine."

"Right," Ben sure could imagine."

"First, I managed to get to her eat something. She managed a little. Then she calmed herself by falling asleep, totally worn out and we slept the rest of the night, she in her cot and I in mine.

She came to a couple of hours after I got up and checked all around the cabin. She wanted me out of the cabin while she dressed, which obligingly, I did. When I knew she was dressed I found she'd started cooking breakfast. I told her I would do that but she argued about that, so I left her to it and inspected the outside of the cabin for problems. Only a little repair to the roof was needed which I restored. I then replenished the food stock.

"Good. How were the other line shacks?" Ben asked.

"Not too bad, considering. Nothing drastic, only some minor repairs and actually two didn't need anything done at all, except, of course, food stores."

"That's good to hear." Ben said. "Glad we made them sturdy in the beginning."

"Oh, by the way. I think we should have a small store of towels in each shack. They would have come in handy."

"I can arrange that. Fine."

"I found Julie to be a little stubborn and sassy. She didn't want to be beholden to me, us, and wanted to be on her way."

"What, by herself?! Ben was surprised to hear that.

"I needed to persuade her, me bringing her to the Ponderosa was the best solution, for now. That she needed to see a doctor and have complete rest before she thought about travelling on. She was really in a bad state when I found her and she has coughed on and off once compos mentis.

"Grateful then," Ben sarcastically said.

"Yeah. But deep down I feel she was grateful, only she didn't want to make her problems, my problems. Although she has said nothing, something is very wrong, I just know it. I need to gain her trust in order for her to tell me what her problem is and then, maybe, I could help her."

"Why would you want to help this woman, you don't even know her?" Ben asked.

"What? You're telling me you wouldn't have tried to help a woman in distress?" He countered.

"No, I guess not. Sorry son. You know she can stay for as long as she likes, but it seems to me she'll want to be gone as soon as she's able."

"Thanks, Pa. Let's wait and see," Adam stated.

Ben smiled across at Adam and kept his inner thoughts to himself.