The Healer's Touch by Lori Copeland Page A

the bounty.”
    Lark glanced toward the corner post. “He’s not damaged or anything. He’s only been out here a little while and I’m getting tired of dragging him around. Can’t we leave him on the porch tonight? You don’t look much like you want to tackle getting him back into the house.”
    The young idealist was correct on that assumption. Tracing Boots’s gaze, Lyric studied the sky. “There’s no sign of rain. I suppose it won’t hurt anything to leave him where he is, but we’ll need to shelter him from animals. Get more blankets and make sure all blood is wiped cleaned. We don’t want to attract wild critters. I need to feed Mother supper now. Did you check on her often today?”
    â€œThree times. She was sleeping. She’s getting real tired now, Lyric.”
    Nodding, Lyric brushed past her sister and stepped into the house. She’d wasted a full night and day on the blanket-wrapped stranger sitting on her porch.
    She didn’t intend to waste another moment.

    Tree frogs sang as Lyric sank down on the back porch step a few hours later. A full moon lay on the horizon; the faint but distinct scent of earth trying to push its way to new life reassured her that life went on.
    Mother had eaten nothing tonight. The liquid had poured from the corners of her mouth instead of being swallowed. Edwina’s shallow breathing was barely a wisp of rise and fall. Lyric had taken the broth and fed it to the barn cats.
    Resting her head on a corner post, she closed her eyes and tried to ignore the fact that a dead man was resting just around the other side of the house. She shook her head as she thought of all that poor man had endured. Dragging him from the barn to the parlor to the porch…but surely he’d only gotten what he deserved. Those Youngers were nothing but trouble, and if another one was gone, well, good riddance.
    She sniffed, thinking she could already smell the decomposing body. The whole situation was starting to alarm her. She wanted it over and done with.
    Something stepped from the shadows and she straightened, straining to make out the object. It was much larger than a fox but leaner and taller than Rosie. The shotgun sat inside the doorway; she should have thought to bring it with her.
    Bumping up the step on her backside, she made ready to leap when the object appeared in the clearing.
    It was a horse.
    A saddled animal dragging reins. The enormous buckskin nosed the dirt, snagging pieces of tender green shoots starting to poke through the ground. When he spotted her, he made a blowing sound.
    Easing slowly to her feet, she stepped down, her eyes fixed on the riderless animal. He lifted his head high and whinnied softly as she approached. “Easy there, big fellow. What are you doing out here this time of night?” She latched onto the bridle, her gaze skimming the heavy thicket that lay behind the cleared path. The animal caught the scent of water and quickly moved to the rain barrel. He drank thirstily.
    Lyric took advantage of the distraction to search for saddle bags or anything that might identify the horse’s owner. There were no bags, just a rolled-up bedroll. A saddle and bedroll and a Liberty Missouri Bank bag. It contained a few deposit slips with recent dates and seven dollars and twenty-three cents in change and currency.Puzzled, she stepped back and removed the bit from the horse’s mouth. Apparently he’d been roaming for a spell; small bloody cuts lined the inside of his mouth. “There, now. That should feel better.”
    Her eyes returned to the underbrush, her brow furrowed. The animal could belong to Levi and Katherine Jennings, though Levi didn’t seem like the careless sort. No one would leave a bridle and bit on a horse overnight. Suddenly her breath caught. Younger’s horse? The bank bag pointed to a recent robbery.
    Possible , a silent voice agreed. Something large had busted