Free Wagonmaster by Nita Wick

faith will give them strength.”
    He nodded, his expression grim. “Sometimes faith is all we have.” She turned, but he stopped her with his next words. “But this time, God gave us you. Thank you for being here, Addie.”
    Addie smiled. “We both know I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you, Joshua. Thank you for bringing me.”
    * * * *
    Mrs. Wheeler and Addie spent a sleepless night treating Elias and his sister, Anna. Not yet as sick as Elias, she was able to sip the sugar-and-salt water and prevent the severe dehydration her brother suffered. Addie and the child’s mother took turns spooning drops of liquid into Elias’s mouth, sometimes stroking his throat encouraging him to swallow. Just as the early light of dawn touched the sky, his fever broke. The child would recover.
    Addie gave the Wheelers the good news and warned them to tell her immediately if anyone else in the family showed any symptoms. She explained that both Elias and Anna would be weak for a few days. They’d need more of the medicine and extra rest.
    She climbed from their wagon. Reynolds met her. “Mrs. Evans is sick.”
    Addie prepared another batch of medicine using the last of her sugar and instructed the Evans’ teenage daughter who would be her mother’s caregiver. In a rush, Addie readied her wagon to begin another grueling day on the trail. Too late to cook a meal, she grabbed the last of her leftover flapjacks and washed it down with water. To her relief, Addie’s water stores had not been contaminated by the creek water. She’d managed to fill her water barrel with rainwater. That didn’t mean she wasn’t susceptible to the cholera, though. She’d used water from the creek to wash and she’d no doubt had some to drink as well as used the water in cooking that night. Addie tried to remember how many days cholera might develop after a person was exposed to it. The medical books had been unclear with some doctors claiming the symptoms would appear within hours, other citing cases where a person developed the illness up to a week after exposure. There may be many cases to be treated in the coming days.
    By supper, three others had reported symptoms. Addie substituted honey for the sugar and prepared more medicine. She made rounds all evening and well into the night. By midnight two more cases were identified. She boiled more of the concoction that had been so effective thus far. It was fortunate that they’d managed to begin treatment so soon. Everyone on the wagon train knew that if she hadn’t diagnosed the cause so quickly, if she hadn’t known how to treat it, several of them would have died. Cholera could kill a person in less than a day.
    Addie fell into bed a few hours before dawn. She awoke to the feel of a rough palm caressing her cheek.
    â€œAddie. Darlin’, I know you’re tired, but the Adams boy is sick. We need your help.”
    Instantly awake, she resisted the urge to turn her face into his palm. “Will you start some water boiling while I dress?”
    â€œI already have.” He offered her a cup, steaming and aromatic. “I brought you some coffee. It’s not as good as yours.”
    Addie sat up and took the cup from his hands. “Thank you.” She drank deeply and grimaced at the bitter taste. “It’s perfect.”
    â€œLiar.”
    She smiled and took another drink. Her gaze met his. The tender, unguarded look his eyes held surprised her. He kept the eye contact a moment longer and spoke. His deep, gravelly voice warmed her skin and sent shivers down her spine. “You’re amazing, Addie. We’d be lost without you.”
    She wanted to respond with something witty and light, but she couldn’t find her voice. His unexpected admiration left her stunned. Her heart skipped a beat, and her breath caught. He reached up, brushed his thumb across her bottom lip, turned, and left. She