An Unexpected Widow (The Colorado Brides Series) by Carré White

was taken from the room, I heard one of the men mumble, “That’s the least of his worries.”
    In the hallway, my feet wouldn’t take another step, as tears flooded my eyes. The magnitude of the situation had set in. I turned, pressing my forehead into the wall, but I was suddenly enfolded in manly arms. I wept deep, heaving sobs, while I clutched the fabric of Nathan’s shirt.
    “I’ve told these people to leave,” said Mrs. William. “There’s no need for them to stay. There are refreshments in the kitchen.”
    “Thank you,” said Nathan. “Let’s sit down, Hannah.”
    “No.”
    “You’ll feel better.”
    “Nothing will ever make me feel better. I want to see Frank.”
    “He’s being tended to,” said Mrs. William. “Boy, do I feel awful about this. That poor man. Just thinking that he might not ever walk again. I just don’t know how we’ll ever be able to forgive ourselves.”
    “It was an accident,” said Nathan. “It could’a happened to anybody.” I refused to budge, struggling, not wanting to move. “Stop that.” He shook me slightly, his expression concerned. “You need to be strong, Hannah. You just gotta keep it together for a bit longer. Let the doctor fix his legs, and then he’ll be awake.”
    “I have sandwiches. She should eat.”
    Tears flooded my eyes. “I don’t want anything.”
    But I didn’t seem to have much choice, as I found myself in the kitchen, seated between Nathan and Betsy William. Her children, who were young, were rambunctious, and she had to shoo them from the room repeatedly. I sipped the tea, staring at the stained tablecloth and thinking that my luck had just run out. Things had been going far too smoothly: the happy marriage, the pretty house, and the new life in Denver City. Little did I know that misfortune had been right around the corner.
    When the doctor had finished with Frank, he emerged, standing in the doorway. “I need to have a word with you, Mrs. Clark.”
    I jumped to my feet, the chair falling back, crashing to the floor. “I have so many questions.”
    Nathan reached for the chair. “I think I’ll listen in, if you don’t mind.”
    Mr. William had to remove the children from the parlor, as they had been playing with a wooden puzzle piece on the floor.
    When the room had been cleared, Dr. Caldwell turned to me. “He’s broken both legs, but I suspect there’s paralysis as well. He isn’t able to feel or move his toes. He feels nothing in his legs.”
    “Is this temporary?”
    “I’m not sure. He fell pretty badly, Hannah. He landed on his back, but first his legs hit a fence. That’s how they were damaged.”
    “Well, it’s not so horrible news. My husband’s alive. I guess that’s all that matters.”
    “Yes, that’s true. He can’t be moved right now. He’ll have to stay where he is.”
    “Is he still awake?”
    “Yes, but he doesn’t remember what happened. I’m hopeful his memory will return soon. He needs plenty of rest. I’ve left some laudanum for the pain, but…he might not need it, since he can’t feel anything from the waist down.”
    “I see. The best we can hope for are the broken legs. The worst—paralysis.”
    “Yes, I’m afraid that’s what we’re looking at. I’m sorry, Mrs. Clark.”
    “Can I see him now?”
    “Yes, of course.”
    “Thank you, Dr. Caldwell.”
    “I’ll be back in the morning to check on him. I don’t anticipate any trouble with infection, but you never know with these types of injuries.”
    “I…thank you.” Weariness seemed to settle in around my shoulders, the events of the afternoon weighing heavily on me. I hurried down the hallway. Frank’s face looked dreadful, dark smudges and puffiness were around his eyes. There was a huge bruise on his cheek. “Darling!”
    “Hannah.”
    “Oh, my goodness. What a mess you’ve made of yourself.”
    “I guess I really had no business being up on a roof.”
    I glanced at him, wondering at his cool demeanor, and then