Free Cindy Holby by Angel’s End Page B

he could not do. Not under any circumstances.
    Did he draw the line at impersonating a minister? That depended upon whether or not it would save his life. And how long it would take him to get out of this place, wherever he was.
    Cade decided he was too tired to think about it now. He closed his eyes and fell back asleep.
    The scent of roses awakened him. Cade blinked his eyes against the light until a face came into focus.
    “Welcome back,” a woman said. “I’m Leah Findley.”
    She was the angel in his dreams. The lamplight glowed around her head, highlighting her light brown hair with copper and gold. She wore it pulled back, but a few curls had pulled loose and danced around her shoulders. Her face was lovely, with a pert nose, a wide mouth with perfect teeth, and large green eyes surrounded by dark lush lashes. She smiled and turned to pick up a cup from the table. When she handed it to him he noticed there were gold flecks within the green of her eyes.
    “It’s water,” she said. “You must be parched after your fever.”
    He was. Cade drank thirstily, draining every drop. He wiped his hand across his mouth to spread the moisture over his chapped lips. “Where am I?”
    “Right where you’re supposed to be. In Angel’s End.”
    I was called to minister to the people of Angel’s End…
Timothy’s words.
Feed my sheep.
His last words to Cade before he died. And here he was in the one place he shouldn’t be. He needed time. Time to figure this out. Memory loss might be a convenient side effect of his wound and fever. When in doubt, play dumb. It had served him well in the past.
    “What happened?” he asked.
    “You don’t know?” She returned the cup to the table and sat down in the chair.
    Cade rubbed his jaw. He needed a shave, and a bath would be downright wonderful. He quickly looked at Leah’s profile while she turned away. He wouldn’t mind if Leah gave him a bath. Not at all.
You’re supposed to be a minister. They don’t go around asking women to give them baths.
Cade tried to recall what Timothy had told him.
    The stage wouldn’t take me any farther, because of the weather. So I bought a horse and struck out on my own
. He looked at Leah with what he hoped was confusion.
    “You don’t remember getting shot?”
    Cade looked down at the bandage and shook his head. “I don’t.” He was in it now. He just needed to play it out until he got his strength back. Until he could leave town.
    “I found you a couple of nights ago. Your horse brought you to town during the blizzard. You must have fallen off. You were in the snow, in the middle of Main Street, by the statue.”
    A statue of an angel? Was that what he saw that night in the snow? Or was that all a part of the nightmares he’d experienced during his fever? Cade kept his face blank. Things really were fuzzy, the line between what actually happened to him and what Timothy told him blurred.
    She smiled at his hesitation. “Actually, Dodger found you.”
    “Dodger?”
    “My dog.” The dog appeared in the doorway as if he’d heard his name. He gave a slight wag of his tail. “Since you’re supposed to live with me we brought you here. Angel’s End doesn’t have a doctor.”
    “I don’t remember any of it.”
    “Well, you were very sick.” She stood and fussed with the blankets, straightening them and tucking them in at the foot of the bed. “You didn’t have any money on you. I’m guessing that you were robbed.”
    That meant she hadn’t found the money he kept in his boot. Or maybe she had and was using his memory loss as a reason to keep it?
    “Maybe it will all come back to you.” She pulled her shawl up and crossed her arms. “Hungry?”
    “I am,” he said.
    “I’ll be right back.” She touched the top of the dog’s head as she walked by.
    When did you get so jaded?
How could he think someone who more than likely saved his life could steal from him? Not everyone in the world was bad. It was just that the