A Promise of Thunder

believe me.”
    “Frankly, I don’t know who to believe. Personally, I like your husband. That’s why I haven’t pursued the rumors. But I don’t relish having drifters come looking for trouble in Guthrie. This town doesn’t need men who live by the gun.
    “Guthrie is still a raw, new town. The law is just being established here, and I don’t want Guthrie to be known as a lawless place. Captain Starke is a powerful man in the territory,and if he says your husband is a law-abiding citizen, then I’ll take his word for it, until he’s proven otherwise.”
    Just then two men arrived with a litter, and the doctor directed them as they lifted Grady onto the stretched canvas.
    “I’m sorry, Sheriff,” Storm said distractedly, “but I must go now. They’re taking Grady away.” Without waiting for a reply, she hurried after Grady and the men carrying him away.
    Grady’s face was white as a sheet, and he was so still, Storm could barely detect the slow rise and fall of his chest. The stench of her own fear filled her nostrils. She couldn’t lose Grady, not now, not after she had learned to love him in a way she had never loved even Buddy.
    The operation went well. When Dr. Finney came out of his surgery two hours after the operation began, he was grinning from ear to ear. “I told you your husband was a strong man, Mrs. Stryker. He’s going to be just fine. It was a little tricky removing the bullet, but he came through it with amazing fortitude.”
    Storm had spent the two hours it took to remove the bullet pacing the waiting room, her mind in turmoil. Hearing the doctor’s words now brought such a rush of gratitude, it was all she could do to keep from falling on the doctor’s neck. “Can I see him now?”
    “You can peek in on him, but he won’t know you’re there. He’s heavily sedated. I suggest you go home and rest. By tomorrow he’ll be able to speak to you, though hewon’t be up to carrying on a long conversation.”
    “Go home?” Storm asked, dismay coloring her words. “I want to stay with Grady.”
    “I don’t think—”
    “Please, Doctor, I must. What if he wakes up in the night and wants something?”
    The doctor sighed wearily. “Very well, young lady. You certainly are persistent. I’ll see that a comfortable chair is available so you can rest.”
    “When can I take Grady home?”
    “Not for several days. It’s best he remain here in case infection develops.”
    Grady awoke several times during the night, asking for water. He didn’t appear to know her or recognize his surroundings or recall the circumstances that brought him to such a pass. Toward dawn Storm managed to snatch a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. She didn’t awaken until the doctor came in to see his patient the next morning, before he opened his office.
    “How long before Grady regains consciousness?” Storm asked as the doctor inspected Grady’s wound and changed his bandage.
    “He should awaken soon,” the doctor predicted. “See that he stays calm and does nothing to dislodge the bandage or reopen the wound. I’ll be in my office seeing patients. Call me if you need me.” He started out the door, then turned back to Storm. “I’ll have my wife carry you up some breakfast.”
    It was nearly noon when Grady began showing signs of coming out of his stupor. When he began thrashing around in the bed Storm had to literally hold him down. He opened his eyes, looked at her without comprehension, then drifted off again. He was still in a state of semi-awareness when the door to the room burst open and Laughing Brook stepped inside.
    Storm whirled, shocked by the wild look in the Indian girl’s black eyes. “Is he dead?” Laughing Brook asked. She was in a state of near panic. “It is your fault! If Thunder wasn’t thinking about you and your decision to leave him, this wouldn’t have happened to him. He’s faster with a gun and more cunning than any man alive.”
    “Laughing Brook! What are you doing here? How did you know?”
    “When Thunder didn’t return home last night I knew something terrible had happened. I went to the sheriff’s office and he told me what happened and where to find Thunder. Is he dead?”
    “No, don’t even think it. The doctor operated and he’s going to be just fine. He should be coming around any moment now. Where is Tim? You didn’t leave him alone, did you?”
    “No, Little Buffalo is outside.” She walked to the bed, her eyes filled with tears as she