Page 40 of The Gold Rush Bride

Sadie pulled back. “That hurts, but not bad. I just don’t like it.”

“That’s fine. I just wanted to see if your cheek bone was broken, but it appears to be fine. May I touch the left one?”

“Okay, I guess.”

He pressed her cheek.

Sadie sucked in a breath and jerked from his touch.

He clasped his hands in front of him. “Your left cheek might be fractured, but not badly. It’ll just take more time for that side to heal. I want you to drink willow bark tea before bed every night for the next two weeks. That will help with the pain. You might want to do it in the mornings as well.”

“Okay, Doctor, I will.” Sadie leaned into Barnaby’s side.

He put an arm around her shoulders.

Next, they went down to the Mountie station. They checked on Lucky and then went inside and reported Homer Grimes for attempted rape and assault.

The Mountie at the desk took her statement. He was young, good-looking and this was probably his first assignment post. “Do you intend to press charges against this Homer Grimes?”

“Yes.” Sadie had a hard time not shouting her answer at the dense man. “Why else would I report it to you?”

“I understand your frustration, Mrs. Drake, but I have to ask the question.”

Barnaby huffed out a breath. “I wish when his gun went off, it had hit more than his foot.”

“I’ll file this and post it on the board so everyone is aware. We don’t like men who beat women, regardless of what other villainy they had in mind.”

“I don’t either.” Barnaby pulled Sadie to his side. “I will protect my wife to whatever extent is necessary.”

“We understand that, Mr. Drake, but please don’t take the law into your own hands.”

“I won’t if I don’t have to. That’s all I can say.”

“And that’s all we ask.”

They left the Mountie station and headed back to the hotel for the night, where they made love until they were both ragged and then fell into an exhausted sleep.

* * *

The next morning,they then made all their purchases and even managed to get crystallized eggs for themselves and Seth. Then they headed back.

They’d just turned the bend when Sadie saw someone lying on the ground of their claim, next to the river. “Seth!” She started running.

Barnaby took off next to her, keeping Lucky’s lead rope in his hand.

Lucky trotted behind them.

Barnaby reached the man first and turned him over. “It’s not Seth, but this man is dead.”

“Dead!” She looked around her in a complete circle but didn’t see Seth. She hurried to their tent and looked inside, but it was empty. Then she ran down to Seth’s tent.

“Sadie! Wait!” Barnaby ran behind her, his longer legs eating up the distance between them. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to a stop. “Wait. We don’t know what happened here. Seth could be in there alone or he could be there with the man who killed the one we found. Just wait.”

She nodded and then swiped her cheeks, fear filling her.What if Seth is dead? What if he’d been protecting their claim when it happened? What other reason could there be for that man lying dead by the river?

She watched Barnaby pull his revolver, carefully open the tent, and look inside.

“Sadie, come quick.”