Lone Star Lover by Debbi Rawlins Read Free Book Online

buzzard food for sure.” He took the cup of water from Rebecca and handed it to Jake. “The more fluids you get down your gullet the better.”
    Jake nodded and drank greedily.
    The man turned to Rebecca. “When was the last time you gave him some morphine?”
    “It’s been a while,” she said, ruefully. “I’ll get some more.”
    “Hold on. Only if he needs it. I don’t expect another supply to arrive for a month.”
    Jake nearly choked on the water. “What did you say you gave me?”
    “It don’t help to get excited.” The doctor took the cup from him, pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time. “Morphine is for the pain.”
    “I know what it is.” These people were crazy giving him something that strong. No wonder he’d been groggy and disoriented.
    “Is that so?” Doc Davis studied him with new interest. “You must be from back East. Most doctors this far southwest still use laudanum.”
    “I’m from Houston.” And if they came near him with morphine again Rebecca wouldn’t think him so well-mannered.
    “Houston?” The man’s bushy white eyebrows went up. “You don’t say.”
    “How far away are we from the city?”
    “The city?” Davis smiled and then thoughtfully pursed his lips. “A couple days’ ride on a fresh horse. Now, if you’re going by buggy—”
    “Wait.” Jake held up a hand. “Do you people not use cars at all?”
    “I hired a sleeping car when I rode the train to see my sister, if that’s your meaning.”
    “No, I’m talking about a regular car, or a truck.” Jake sighed at the perplexed looks on their faces. “Like a four-door sedan.”
    “Can’t say that I heard of any such thing.” The doctor frowned, then looked at Rebecca, who shrugged. “Must be something new they started back East.”
    Frustrated, Jake rubbed his stubbly jaw. Nobody lived that far away from civilization, not in this country. Were they putting him on? They looked serious enough, though, even their confusion seemed genuine. “Cars aren’t new,” he muttered. “They’ve been around since the early nineteen hundreds. Maybe even before that. History wasn’t exactly my favorite subject in school.”
    Rebecca looked helplessly at the doctor, who exhaled loudly and scratched his head, appearing far more worried than he should.
    An eerie feeling crawled down Jake’s spine. “What’s going on?”
    “Wish I knew how hard you hit your head, son,” the doctor said, sympathetically, ”but I expect you’ll come back to rights before too long. You remembering your name and that you come from Houston is a real good sign.”
    “I’ll take care of you,” Rebecca said softly, looking as if she’d given up on him.
    “I’m not crazy.” Jake’s stomach knotted. How could he be sure he wasn’t hallucinating? The way these people talked and dressed. There was too much detail for this to be a dream.
    “We’re not saying you are. Just confused.” The doctor made a motion with his head, a private message meant for Rebecca, who gave a small nod and quickly crossed the room with the empty cup. “Tell me what year you think this is, son,” the older man said gently.
    “I know exactly what year this is…it’s—” He cut himself short, not sure why, except if he gave the wrong answer they might think he was crazy and who knew what they’d do with him.
    “Maybe I need to lie down again.”
    “I think it wise.” Doc Davis helped him to his feet and then onto the cot. “We’ll get some food in you later. But for now, it’s important you keep drinking water.”
    Rebecca handed the doctor the tin cup, which he brought to Jake’s lips. He knew the man was right. Judging by the desert that used to be his mouth, he was still dehydrated, which could easily cause mental confusion. He took a sip, but the water tasted nasty. Was that his imagination also? The cup was again tilted to his lips, and he swallowed.
    “That should help you rest,” the doctor said, as he guided Jake to a