A loud knocking on the door caused the baby’s crying to intensify.
“Ruth, it’s me. Let me in.”
Making sure the baby was in the middle of the bed, she hurried over to the door.
“Let me in. What’s going on?”
She fumbled with the bolt.
“Open the door or I’ll break it down.”
“I’m trying. I’m trying.” With the baby’s screams filling the cabin, her nervousness increased.
“Calm down. Take deep breaths. You can do it.”
Finally, the bolt slid back, allowing her to open the door. Tyler stepped inside.
“What’s wrong with the baby?”
“I don’t know.” Tears cascaded down her cheeks. “I can’t get her to stop crying.”
He dumped his saddlebags on the floor and shrugged out of his slicker as the baby’s screams filled the cabin.
“I’m a bad mother. I can’t even get my baby to stop crying. Maybe my milk is gone. She could be starving.”
He washed his hands in the bowl of water sitting on the end of the table. “It’s all right. There’s nothing wrong with her lungs.”
Ruth clung to his arm as he walked over to the bed.
“I’ve tried everything, but she won’t stop.” Ruth hated herself for blubbering yet was unable to stop.
“It’s all right, I’m here now. I shouldn’t have left you so soon after the birth, but I had to go. Those old people were relying on me.”
He picked the baby up. “Now, little darlin, what’s wrong with you?” He unwrapped the blanket and lay the baby on the bed. The little arms and legs were flailing. He moved his hand over her stomach. “She’s got a bit of colic, I think.”
He laid the baby on her stomach and patted her back. “Hop back into bed, Ruth, you’re shivering. Have you eaten?”
“Yes, the beans. I was going to cook you something for supper. I went down to the root cellar. It was cold then I felt so weak. Becky started crying,” Ruth blubbered as tears cascaded down her cheeks.
“It’s all right, darling. You’re too hard on yourself.” He pushed the loosened strand of hair away from her face and gently kissed her on the lips. “You slip down under the blankets and I’ll get this little girl fixed up then organize supper.”
“Thank you, Tyler. I feel much better now you’re back.”
“That’s good. Don’t you worry your pretty little head about anything now.”
He had kissed her on the lips, called her darling, and said she was pretty. It must mean he was starting to have some feeling for her. Didn’t it? She closed her eyes and the silence soothed her. Tyler was back and everything would be fine now.
Ruth woke up to the smell of eggs and ham cooking. The lamp on the kitchen table burned brightly, casting shadows along the walls. It softened the place. Best of all, Tyler was back and the baby was no longer crying.
She climbed out of bed and this time, she put on the socks.
“Oh, you’re awake.”
“Yes, something smells good.”
“Ham, eggs, and fried potatoes.” He swung around and she gasped in shock. His beard was gone and what a difference it made to him.
“You’ve had a shave.” She stated the obvious.
“Yes, I thought it was about time. If I want to kiss my wife properly, I don’t want to scratch her face, do I?”
“You’re very handsome.”
He laughed. “Glad you approve. Tomorrow, you can cut my hair if you feel up to it. I didn’t want to hack it off myself. Open my saddlebags. I bought a couple of things for you.”
She went over to the saddlebags and opened them. From one of them, she pulled out a multi-colored woolen shawl and a pair of beaded leather moccasins. “For me?”
“Well, they’re no good to me. Wouldn’t fit.”
“They’re lovely, thank you.” She draped the shawl around her shoulders. “Where did you get them?”
“I bought them from my Indian friends. A couple of the old women make them. The preacher’s wife taught them how to spin yarn and knit it. It fills in time for them I guess, also brings in a little money.”
She fingered the shawl. “The colorful patterns are beautiful. Thank you.”
“You can give me back my socks now you’ve got moccasins. Sit at the table while I dish up. If you’re lucky, the baby won’t interrupt us.”
“I can’t believe how different you look without your beard.”
He stroked his chin. “It does feel different.”
“I do like you without it. Did you really say you wanted to kiss your wife properly?” Her heart lifted with hope. “Does that mean you have feelings for me?”
“Yes. I love you, Ruth. I tried to fight it because I’m not much of a catch.”
“I think you are.”
“The war broke me. I doubt whether I’ll ever fully recover from it.”
“I love you, Tyler. With my help, you will overcome these demons you’ve been carrying around with you for so long.”
“I feel a special connection with Becky. She might not be my daughter by blood, but in every other way she is.”
Ham, eggs, and fried potatoes might be a plain dish but to Ruth, it was a feast because she was sharing it with her husband. A man she had quickly grown to love.
Chapter Twelve
“Our proxy marriage is legal Ruth, but if you want another ceremony, I’ll arrange it.”
“No. If we’re legally man and wife, I don’t want another ceremony.” She reached out and patted his cheeks, liking the smoothness of his skin. “Will you do something for me, Tyler?”
“If I can.”
“I grew up in an orphanage. I don’t know where I came from or whether I have relatives or not.”
“That doesn’t matter to me.”
“What I’m asking is, try and make peace with your brothers.”
He shook his head. “They might not want to after all this time. We were close when we were young.”
“You’ll never know if you don’t try.”
“I guess so.”
They had just finished eating when a wail came from Becky.
“I think our daughter is feeling the need for sustenance,” he said. “You go and sit in the armchair and I’ll bring her over. I’m going to make her a proper crib.”
“Could you do that?”
“I built this place and most of the furniture in it, so I’m sure I’ll be able to manage.” He handed the baby over and the hungry little mouth searched for the breast. Once she was feeding, Tyler brought Ruth a cup of water.
“Drink this. You need to keep up your liquid intake to produce plenty of milk. In a couple of weeks, when you feel stronger and we get a day that isn’t blowing a gale and pelting with rain, we’ll go into Harper’s Mount and get you and Becky some clothes.”
“If I could get material, I can make them myself. I’m not bad at sewing.”
“I want you to have store bought dresses. And we’ll get some bed linen, too.”
“I don’t want you spending your money on me.”
“I know you don’t like the bed the way it is. I guess few women would. It suited me when I was on my own. I didn’t even think about it.”
“Well, you’re not sleeping in that bedroll any longer, Tyler Dean.”
He grinned. “It’s too soon after the birth for me to make love to you, but kisses and cuddles are permitted.”
“Are they?” she teased, feeling happier than she had ever felt before.
“Of course. Doctor’s orders.”
EPILOGUE
Two years later and what a change had occurred in their lives.
Becky had a three-month-old brother, David, and they had moved down from the mountain. Still on Tyler’s ranch but the area was much flatter, more hospitable. His brothers Isaac and Joel had helped him build a new, larger cabin.
Isaac’s wife Ann, who was pregnant with their first child, had made the curtains for the house and Joel’s wife Emily, wh
o was a talented glass maker, had made lamps for them, and even crafted a pretty stained glass window depicting an angel guarding two children who were playing on the edge of a cliff.
The two brothers and their families were coming tomorrow to stay for the night; the men sleeping up at the soddy so they could hunt and fish, while the ladies and children would stay at the house.
Becky and Tyler were out feeding the chickens and collecting the eggs. The little girl could not be trusted with the eggs, but she loved throwing the grain around. Ruth’s love overflowed as she looked through Emily’s beautiful window to see Tyler carrying Becky in one arm and a basket of eggs in the other.
He would never be a surgeon again as his hands were not steady enough, although he still saw his patients at the reservation, and one day a week helped the elderly doctor in Harper’s Mount to lighten his load. It was enough for him to feel that his medical training was not completely wasted.
His hair still touched his shoulders, but the beard was gone, never to return.
Ruth stepped out on to the porch to greet them, causing Becky to shriek. “Chick, chick.” Obviously, the chickens they had been expecting had finally hatched.
“We’re back,” Tyler said.
“Are you? I never would have guessed. Don’t make too much noise, the baby is asleep.” She took the basket of eggs out of his hand and placed it on the bench, which was positioned so they could sit outside on the warm summer evenings and watch the sun set over the mountains.
Tyler wrapped his free arm around her.
“I’ve got my two favorite girls in my arms. What more could a man want?”
Ruth’s heart filled with happiness. She now had a loving husband and two beautiful children, not to mention Tyler’s family and a comfortable new home.
She fervently thanked God for his bounty.
The End
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Author Links
Margaret’s Website:
http://margarettanner.com/books.html
Amazon Author Page:
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003T5216E
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About the Author:
Margaret Tanner is an award winning, bestselling Australian author, who mainly writes Historical Romance and Historical Western Romance. She loves delving into the pages of history as she carries out research for her novels. No internet site is too boring, no book is too old or tattered for her to trawl through, no museum too dusty.
Her love of Westerns came about because of the movies and TV shows of her childhood. Some of her favorites were Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Wagon Train, and Little House on The Prairie.
Many of her novels have been inspired by true events, with one being written around the hardships and triumphs of her pioneering ancestors. She once spent a couple of hours in an old prison cell so she could feel the chilling cold and fear.
Apart from her family and friends, writing is her passion.
Margaret is married with three grown sons and two gorgeous little granddaughters.
Other Books by me can be found on my Amazon page:
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003T5216E
Reluctant Proxy Bride Page 7