The Cowboy Who Saved Christmas - Jodi Thomas Page 0,98
of a shot.”
“I was aiming at a button on his shirt,” she replied weakly.
Clint couldn’t help but let out a hearty laugh. It felt good to laugh, and seeing Amelia smile up at him lifted his spirits.
“I told you my pa taught me how to shoot. I didn’t say I was a good shot.”
Clint shook his head, but he was still smiling. “I hope you never shoot at me,” he teased as he took the gun from her hands. He reached for a clean dress and said, “Let’s get you dressed.”
Amelia looked down and saw that she was dressed in only her camisole and bloomers. “Oh my! Where’s my dress?”
Clint held it in the air. “Right here. Now we just have to put you in it.”
She wondered how many times he’d undressed her. “What day is it?”
When Clint told her the day, she was surprised she could hardly remember what had happened since they’d left Honey Creek. “Thank you for taking care of me. I know I’ve slowed you down.”
“We’ve made pretty good time. It didn’t seem to bother you how fast I drove.” Clint helped her pull her dress over her head.
Amelia gazed at his large hands as he buttoned the bodice, thinking he had a gentle touch for such a large man. “I thought Mrs. Nelson was going to faint when you said . . .”
Clint knew what was on her mind. He waited for her to finish her thought, and when she didn’t, he said, “That I’d seen a woman’s body before.”
“Mmm-hmm. You’re very good at this, Mr. Mitchum. I didn’t know you were married.”
“I’m not, never have been.” Clint wondered if she would remember this conversation in the morning.
She didn’t respond for the longest time, and he realized she had fallen asleep again.
Chapter 7
Clint lay down beside Amelia, intending just to rest a moment. He was so exhausted that he didn’t think he had the strength to carry her to the fire. His side was hurting where the bullet had grazed him, and he knew he needed to see to it before it became infected. He looked at Amelia; she seemed to be resting peacefully, so he closed his eyes for a moment.
“You were shot!” Amelia exclaimed. She had awakened to see Clint lying beside her with blood on his shirt.
Clint’s eyes snapped open. He jumped up from Amelia’s cot, and pain shot through his side, causing him to look down at his blood-soaked shirt. “It’s just a graze.”
“That’s a lot of blood for a graze.” Amelia moved to a sitting position. “We need to see to it.”
“I’ll take care of it. Do you want to go out by the fire?”
“I don’t want you to carry me, I can make it,” Amelia told him.
Jumping out of the wagon first, Clint held up his hands to assist her. When she leaned over, he picked her up in his arms and carried her to the fire.
“You shouldn’t be carrying me.”
“It’s not that far to the fire and you don’t weigh much.”
“But you’re injured,” Amelia countered.
“It’s nothing but a scratch.”
When Clint lowered her on the pallet, she instructed him to remove his shirt.
Clint smiled at her authoritative tone. “Yes, ma’am.”
When Clint stripped off his shirt, Amelia found herself staring as his muscled chest.
When she continued to stare, Clint asked, “What’s wrong?”
Amelia shook her head. “Nothing. Would you boil some water?”
Clint poured fresh water in a pan and placed it over the fire. While he waited for the water to boil, he pulled his bandanna from his pocket and dabbed at his wound.
“Do you have some clean bandannas? If not, I can tear some cloth from one of my petticoats.” She glanced down at her dress and lifted the hem. “Oh, I’m not wearing one right now.”
Clint arched his brow at her and grinned. “They’re too much trouble to put on and take off.”
Amelia felt a blush rising over her cheeks. “You seem to have intimate knowledge of women’s clothing.”
Clint chuckled. He pulled out another clean bandanna from his saddlebag, dipped it in the boiling water and then started to clean his wound.
“Let me do that.” Amelia’s eyes met his as she held out her hand for the bandanna. “It’s the least I can do after all you’ve done for me.”
Clint relinquished the cloth to her, raised his arm and leaned to one side, allowing her to easily reach his wound. As soon as she braced her free hand on his chest and applied the cloth to his bleeding wound,