Page 48 of Once Upon a Reckless Rogue

“I’m an idiot.”

“No. You saved my life.”

“Not yet. I have to get you to somewhere safe.”

“First we need to bind the wound to keep the stitches in place.”

“Whatever you say, Doctor Diaz.”

That made her smile, and she reached up and cupped his cheek. He turned his head and kissed her palm. “I knew you would come after me.”

He closed his eyes because he had not intended to come after her—the opposite, in fact. “Let me find the bandages.” He took off his hat and put it on her to shade her face.

“If there are not enough, we will have to rip up one of my clean shifts.”

Thomas wiped his eyes and went to find her bundle of clothes. He had to go around the body of Dushard, the man’s eyes still staring up at the sky. He grabbed the bundle of clothes and returned to Elena, sitting her up slightly to have a drink from his canteen. He ripped up one of her shifts into strips and used it to pad the wound and bind it.

“I have to get you to the next village. You need to rest.”

He set about cutting down some saplings and then tied them together into a makeshift stretcher. He’d seen it done before, and then he could drag her behind the donkey, and hopefully it would not cause her too much discomfort.

She watched him silently as he created the stretcher. He shortened the donkey’s lead, so he had enough rope to ensure the stretcher was safe. Once he was satisfied he had their bundles and her doctor’s bag attached, he came back by her side. “Is there anything I can get you?”

“Yes. I need you to kiss me.”

“As you wish.” He knelt and kissed her softly on the lips. “Let me look after you now.” He gently picked her up and placed her on the stretcher and placed her large hat on her head. “If it is too hard on you, just let me know and we will stop.”

She nodded, and he took the donkey by the bridle and began to walk. It was slow progress, but when they got there, they asked for the alcalde and any type of law enforcement that might be available to handle the body on the road. They made a statement about how Dushard ambushed them on the road and attacked them. When the mayor found out he was a French soldier, he sent a few men to bury him and said there was nothing more they needed to do. Dushard would be furious that he mattered less than an animal.

Chapter Thirteen

A doctor finally came and tutted over her wound but, despite his amusement at Thomas’s attempt at sewing, he said that if she rested for at least a week before traveling on, she should be fine, and no heavy lifting for a month. Once the doctor was gone and Thomas had forced her to eat a meal of stuffed peppers and sangria, he made her special tea to her specifications.

They really hadn’t talked about what had happened until she was tucked up in bed with her tea.

Thomas closed the shutters of the window and sat on the chair. “How are you feeling now the doctor was able to give you some pain relief?”

She made a face. “He reminded me of my father and how curt he was sometimes with his patients. I am sorry if I was the same with you. I am just glad he is gone.”

Shaking his head, he said, “You didn’t know me. I was a stranger. I understood your initial sternness. I most likely would have done everything you were telling me not to do.”

After a moment of silence, she asked, “Did you mean what you said on the road?”

He smiled. “I did. I do. I should have told you earlier. I’m sorry.”

“I left you instead of just asking you. I was wrong to do it. I am sorry too.”

“You know you never told me either, to be fair.”

“I was waiting for you,” she said, a blush upon her cheeks. “I didn’t want to tell you how much I loved you if you did not love me.”

“We are a pair. All I know is I do not want to be parted from you again. But you must know I have to return to England. I have business I must sort there. I cannot ignore it. I know you want me to stay here…but I can’t.”

“I know. It saddens my heart. Perhaps you will visit me from time to time.”

“So, you still won’t marry me?” he asked, his voice tinged with sadness.

“Tomas, I am Catholic, you are of the England Church. How will God be happy if we marry?”