To Tame a Renegade Read Free Page B

doing Mrs. Kilmer’s laundry. I’m not very hungry, anyway.”
    “How about if we finish off this bread,” Chad asked as he brought the bread to the table and hunted for a knife. He found one in a drawer and neatly cut the bread into thick slices. “What about butter? Do you have any?”
    Abner shook his head. “Lard with a little sugar sprinkled on top is good.” Suddenly he brightened. “There’s a jar of jam on the shelf.”
    “Then jam it is,” Chad said.
    They had just polished off their bread and jam when Doctor Clayter entered the kitchen. “Sarah is sleeping. I gave her a sedative. She’s in quite a bit of pain.”
    “Can I see her?” Abner asked, sliding off his chair.
    “If you’re very quiet,” the doctor said. “You can sit beside her, she’ll know you’re there.”
    Abner scampered off and Doctor Clayter regarded Chad with speculation. “You must be new in town. What brings you to Carbon, Mr. Delaney?”
    “I’m a bounty hunter. Maybe you can help me. Ever hear of a man named Freddie Jackson?”
    “Sure. Who hasn’t? Use to live in these parts. That’s before I settled here.”
    “I heard he has family in Carbon.”
    “He had family in Carbon. Unfortunately his pa died over three years ago and his ma followed six months later. His two sisters moved east with their husbands shortly after Freddie left town. Don’t know the particulars about why or how he became an outlaw, though.”
    “Have you seen Jackson around town lately?”
    “Wouldn’t know him if I saw him. Forget Jackson. Let’s talk about Sarah. What do you intend to do about her?”
    “What in the hell are you talking about? Sarah Temple isn’t my responsibility.”
    Clayter glared at Chad from beneath bushy brows. Chad squirmed uncomfortably beneath his piercing regard, wondering if the doctor had the ability to see into his soul. If so, Chad wondered if he saw the emptiness there, or recognized the black hole where his soul once dwelled.
    “Someone’s got to take responsibility,” Clayter finally said. “Sarah’s in bad shape. Both her arms and hands were badly scalded in the accident and she’s swathed in bandages up to her shoulders. Shell be a long time healing. She and Abner will starve to death if someone doesn’t assume responsibility. It will be many weeks before Sarah can work again.”
    Chad felt a rush of anger. He wasn’t going to get roped into something that was none of his concern. He had an outlaw to catch. “Does Sarah have no one in town to help her? What about relatives? Is none of her family living?”
    Clayter gave a snort of disgust. “She has parents and siblings, but you’ll get no help from that quarter. They have no use for her. Well, I’ve got to get back to my patients. I’ll be back tomorrow to check on Sarah. She may develop a fever. If that happens, give her a spoonful of the medicine I left on the nightstand. I also left laudanum for pain.”
    “How much do I owe you, Doctor?”
    “Can you pay? I know Sarah can’t”
    Chad’s mouth thinned. “I can pay.”
    “Very well. Two dollars should cover my services.”
    Chad dug in his vest pocket, found two silver dollars, and handed them to the doctor.
    “Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow, Mr. Delaney.”
    “Not if I can help it,” Chad muttered. “How long will Sarah sleep?”
    “Until morning, I should think. If she awakens during the night, give her another dose of laudanum.”
    Chad gave a slow shake of his head. “It won’t be me feeding your patient laudanum. I’ll be long gone by men. Give me the name of her parents.”
    “Reverend and Mrs. Temple, for all the good it will do you.”

Chapter 2
     
    C had stood at the foot of the bed, watching Sarah sleep. She looked uncomfortable lying there fully dressed and he wondered if he should do something about it. Fearing his clumsy fumbling would do more harm than good, he decided not to attempt to remove her dress and underthings. Her relatives could do that when