Free Wild At Heart by Vickie Mcdonough

to work sooner.”
    Not waiting for a response, Quinn hurried out of the room. Adam laid his head back against the chair, taking a moment to catch his breath. He’d never take good health for granted again.
    His gaze landed on the small desk along the opposite wall. His siblings didn’t know it, but under the roll top rested his drawing supplies. After not drawing for years, the urge to sketch became more than he could resist. Adam flexed the fingers of his right hand, wincing at the burning sting it caused in his upper arm. Could he still draw, even with a gunshot wound?
    His looming deadline dangled before him like a hangman’s noose. He’d finally been given the chance he’d dreamed about for so long, and he wasn’t about to give up now. If he rested his arm a few days, maybe he could draw again.
    And then there was the missing money. He needed to tell Quinn about that but couldn’t bring himself to do so. Not yet. The matching Percheron pair he’d sold in Bismarck had brought good money. He’d purchased supplies and still had a wad of cash left over. So where was it now?
    Anna walked into his room without knocking. Adam shook his head. His sister was sweet, but in spite of his mother’s efforts to make her a lady, Anna often surprised him with her brazenness.
    “Leyna is busy with breakfast, so I’m going to play doctor.” Her smile warmed him. Anna had done her fair share of tending wounds, so he allowed her to remove his bandage, grimacing as it pulled loose. She gasped. “Oh, Adam. That looks dreadful. Does is hurt much?”
    “What do you think?”
    “I’m sure it does. The bullet went clear through. I’ll be careful and try not to hurt you more.”
    Grateful that she ignored his crabbiness, he kept quiet and concentrated on the hillside view out the window while she cleaned and rebandaged his wound. She helped him into a fresh shirt and put his arm back in the sling. Adam brushed her hand away as she reached for the buttons. “I’m not a baby. I can still button my own shirt.”
    “Perhaps you’re not a baby, but you sure are a grumbly ol’ bear.” She stuck her tongue out at him, making him grin.
    He formed a claw with his fingers and swiped at her. “Grr.” She giggled as she fled the room.
    At noon, Adam sat at the dinner table with Anna and Mariah. He’d eaten breakfast earlier then made it back to his room and had fallen asleep again. He was determined to eat well and regain his strength as quickly as possible, even though eating with his left hand was a challenge he hadn’t anticipated. Quinn hadn’t said anything about him shirking his duties, but he knew the other men would have more work with him laid up.
    Leyna set a steaming pot of
knoephle
on the table. His mouth watered at the thought of the chicken-flavored soup with potatoes, carrots, and little dumplings. From the breadbasket, he snagged a slice of
Bauernbrot
, Leyna’s delicious sourdough bread.
    “This looks great, Leyna. I missed your cooking while I was in Bismarck.”
    She beamed at him and patted his shoulder. “Leyna’s knoephle will make you feel better.”
    “It smells delicious.” Miss Lansing smiled at Leyna then glanced at him.
    Adam stared back until she looked away. A week—at least. Anna had gone and invited her to stay a whole week. Why did she have to go and do that? Didn’t Fancy Feathers have people somewhere wondering what had become of her? There was nothing extraordinary about her light brown hair, but her eyes as dark as coffee intrigued him. And the things she did with that appealing mouth…
    He shook those thoughts from his head and waited for someone to dish up his soup. Testing his arm, he clenched his fist, wincing as pain radiated through his upper muscles. He pitied all the men he’d ever known that only had one arm or hand. Even the simplest tasks were difficult.
    Anna finally set his bowl in front of him, the scrumptious odors making his mouth water. He fiddled with the spoon with