He mentally shook himself. What were they to do? Especially when she was a child? Short of remove Mary from her father’s so-called care, there was little anyone could do. Had they done so, she would have ended up in one of those appalling orphanages. Then he would never have met her.
“Is everything alright,” she asked in her quiet voice.
Noah pulled himself out of his thoughts. “Yes, of course,” he said knowing it was a lie, then leaned in and kissed her gently on the cheek. He suddenly pulled her to him. He hadn’t planned to do so, but he liked how it felt. Last night had made him feel all sorts of things he’d never felt before.
He stared into Mary’s face. How he longed to kiss her lips. If holding her could elicit such delightful feelings, what would kissing her do? He dared not wonder.
Instead, he kissed her cheek again, then wrapped his arms tightly around her. “I’m really glad you came here, Mary,” he whispered in her ear, then pushed her away. I really must leave now.” His horse waited out front, already saddled and ready to go.
It would be a long day, by all accounts, unless the missing livestock miraculously turned up safe and sound with little intervention. From many years of experience, Noah knew that would never happen. He reluctantly let her go, and strode to the door. With his hand on the handle, her turned back to face his wife, but she was already busy clearing away the breakfast dishes.
Carrying his saddlebags, he strolled out to Cinnamon, the Chestnut horse he’d had for more years than he cared to remember. Noah’s horses came before himself, and even if he had no money for food, his horses never went hungry. He tried to shake away the distant memories, and mounted his horse.
He clicked his tongue and they were soon on their way.
The closer they got to the dam, the louder the sound. They had one very unhappy mama in distress somewhere nearby. “She’s stuck in the mud at the edge of the dam,” Joe told Noah. The old cowboy had been on Broken Arrow Ranch for more years than he cared to remember. At least that’s what he always told Noah. He’d worked for Barnabas, Noah’s father, back when the ranch had first been established, along with Clancy and Billy. Although to listen to Joe, Billy was a newcomer – he’d only been here for about twenty years.
The distraught lowing continued and it broke Noah’s heart. He could see the calf’s head pushing out, but with mama stuck, they could lose them both as they lay in several inches of water and mud. “We have to get her out,” Noah said. “We’re going to lose that calf, not to mention the cow.” He snatched a roll of rope from his saddle and fashioned it into a lasso. “Okay fellas, get into position. We’re going to save this calf.”
Before another word could be said, Noah had lassoed the cow’s front legs. Billy had her around the neck, Clancy had her back legs and Joe was on standby in case he was needed. It took all their effort, and quite a bit of time, but with everyone doing their bit, they soon had the stubborn cow unstuck.
It wasn’t long before the precious calf was born. “Well if that weren’t an effort and a half,” Clancy said. They waited around to make sure the calf was fine, and moved them further away from the dam. Noah felt like he’d already done a day’s work. They’d only been out and about for a couple of hours.
~*~
By the time he arrived home in the semi darkness, Noah was covered in mud. He stripped off in the washroom as he always did, and made his way to the bathroom.
He strode through the kitchen.
It was quiet and Mary wasn’t about. Nothing was on the stove cooking. That was very unlike Mary. Then again, he’d been spoiled by her cooking efforts, and they were likely having bacon and eggs or some such easy meal tonight. Not that they’d done that since she first arrived.
Strange.
He then realized the chickens were running around outside and not contained in their pen. Mary always had them locked up by now.
Noah continued to the bathroom, but something wasn’t right. There was always food cooking when he arrived home, the stove was hot, and the ranch house was warm and welcoming.
Tonight there was none of that.
Where was Mary?
He quickly washed himself down and dressed in clean clothes. Somewhere in the back of his mind was the memory Mary had told Noah she was doing something special today. He was so obsessed with the calving, he couldn’t recall what it was.
He checked the spare room in case she was lying down having a rest. Before he even checked, he knew she wouldn’t be there. Mary never shirked her responsibilities. Where was she?
Now he was getting concerned. Had she left him? He stood in the middle of the room in disbelief. Mary wouldn’t do that to him, not without talking to him first. Besides, where would she go? By her own admission, she was destitute. She had no money, and didn’t know the area. Not really.
He was beginning to panic and had to force himself to slow his breathing. He knew in the back of his mind there was something he was forgetting. Something Mary had told him. He sat on the side of the bed and forced himself to think. What had she said last night? What was the conversation they’d had? Something about supplies?
His breath caught in his throat – she was taking the buggy to town. Alone.
Noah scrambled to his feet, then ran out to the barn. The buggy was gone. What had happened to his beautiful wife? He dared not begin to imagine.
“I’m sorry, Cinnamon,” he told the horse as he saddled her so soon after his recent ride. “We have to find Mary.”
He collected Seth along the way as well as his other brother Jacob, and they took the main road into town. It was the only route Mary knew to travel.
“We’ll find her,” Seth said, sounding not very convincing, then leaned across from his horse and patted Noah’s back. “I know how much she means to you.”
Seth was right, Mary meant more than life itself, but Noah had never told her so. Was it too late to tell her?
She could be dead, and he’d never get his chance. He choked back his emotions.
“Over there,” Jacob shouted, and pointed to a ditch. The buggy was tipped on its side, the agitated horse still attached, but there was no sign of Mary. She hadn’t even made it into town – there were no supplies in sight.
Noah gasped. That meant she’d been out here alone most of the day. While he searched about, his brothers righted the buggy and checked over the horse. It was spooked but mostly uninjured.
Jacob held onto the reins to stop her running away.
“Mary!” Even with the flame brightly lit, the light from the lantern was still quite dull out here in the bushes. “Mary!” Noah called again.
“Mary,” Seth shouted, then shushed his brother. “Mary?”
“Noah?” Her small voice broke through the silence.
The two men ran toward the sound and stared down to where she lay. “Mary,” Noah said, his voice cracking. “I, I thought you were dead,” he said.
“I might have broken my ankle,” she said quietly. “But I’m alive.” Noah handed his lantern to Seth then scooped up his wife and gently carried her out of the bushes, his heart thudding. He could easily have lost her today. His biggest regret was never having told Mary he loved her.
~*~
“I’m fine,” Mary told him firmly. “Take yourself off to work where you’re needed.”
Noah stiffened. “I’m not needed here?” He shook his head. “The doc said you need to rest that ankle. It might not be broken, but it’s badly sprained.” He gently threw a blanket over her, then left the sitting room.
Mary sighed. He was treating her like an invalid.
She glanced up to see him holding out a mug of tea. “Here you are. Now tell me you could have gotten that for yourself.” She wanted to slap the smug grin off his face, but knew she never would. Noah was trying to help, as frustrating as she found her situation.
“If you make a list, Seth has offered to go to the mercantile for you.” He studied her, no doubt waiting for Mary to argue. But how could she? They h
ad little in the way of supplies and needed them. Otherwise she would never had ventured out on her own.
“If I must,” she said, uncertainty in her voice. “Seth must have better things to do, surely?”
He raised his eyebrows. “It’s what families do. You must know…” He suddenly stopped talking. No, she didn’t know that. She’d never had a family that looked out for each other, and apparently Noah realized that. “Sorry.”
He sunk down into the chair next to hers. “Seth offered, and I wasn’t going to say no. He’ll be here shortly to collect your list.”
It was nice of him to offer, but she really wanted to go herself. As if reminding Mary of her predicament, her ankle began to throb and she winced.
“What can I do?” Noah asked, leaning toward her.
It was her turn to raise her eyebrows. “Get me a pencil and paper.” She bit her lower lip. What would Noah say when he discovered her secret?
“For the pain, I meant.” He retrieved the required items and handed them over.
“Are you sure Nelly’s alright? You’re not just saying that to make me feel better?” Noah had reassured her several times already, but Mary wasn’t certain she believed him. It would be just like him to say that to make her feel better. “It’s all my fault. I should have waited until you could go with me.”
Noah reached across and held her hand. “For the tenth time – it was not your fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. Deer run across roads. They spook horses.” His thumb stroking her palm was very reassuring and comforting. “It was nobody’s fault. Nelly is fine except for a few little cuts, the buggy is already fixed, and you,” He scratched his ear. “You will be fine in a couple of weeks as well.”
She groaned. “I can’t wait a couple of weeks.” She tried to get up, but Noah held her back.
The more she tried, the closer he got, until they were almost face to face. He stared into her eyes. “You have to rest,” he said quietly, and she nodded.
Mary’s heart fluttered. He’d only ever been this close to her once before, and that was when he quickly kissed her for Seth’s benefit. She stared into his eyes – they seemed to speak to her.
She lifted her hand and covered his cheek. Her hand shook and she swallowed back the emotion that surfaced. Noah had saved her life. If it wasn’t for him, she wouldn’t be here right now. Perhaps he did feel something for her. What that was, she had no idea.
He reached up and his hand covered hers, then he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. A shudder went through her. Noah moved closer until their lips almost touched, and the breath caught in her throat.
She breathed in his fragrance, and reveled in his touch. He let go of her hand, and his arms slipped around her. Finally, Noah kissed her.
“Hello!”
“Damn it,” Noah said under his breath. “Great timing,” he said out loud to his brother.
Seth grinned. “Did I interrupt?” He winked at Mary. She felt the heat creep up her face at the embarrassment of it all.
“Mary hasn’t had a chance to do the list yet.”
Seth grinned again. “I can see that.” He slapped Noah on the back. It was like there was some secret bond between them that Mary didn’t understand.
“Can you do it, Noah,” she asked hesitantly, and he studied her. He wrote down her requirements and he handed the list to his brother. “I was going to get some vegetable plants, but they can wait. It’s not like I can do much now anyway.” She stared down into her lap. All her plans had gone awry, and there wasn’t a thing she could do about it.
“Tell me what you want and I’ll see what I can find.”
Mary explained what she wanted and Seth wrote it all down. “It would be nice to have fresh vegetables again,” he said half joking.
Noah walked him out to the door, and if she didn’t know better, Mary would have sworn he whispered something to his brother.
“Thanks Seth,” he called as the buggy pulled away.
Noah snatched up his coffee and sat next to Mary again. He handed her the paper and pencil once more. “If you write down your recipe,” he said, studying her. “I can make supper when Seth gets back.”
Mary’s heart thudded. He’d guessed. The last thing she wanted was for her husband to think she was even more of a fool than he already did.
“You know I can’t,” she said, staring down into her lap.
“Why didn’t you tell me? It’s not a crime. I could have helped you.” He reached out and took her hand, bringing it close to his chest. She could feel his heart beating, and it soothed her.
She lifted her head to stare at him, and tears rolled down her cheeks. He wiped them away.
“Pa wouldn’t let me attend school after Ma died,” she said quietly. “I’d attend so few times before that…” Her voice broke and Mary couldn’t continue. She turned her head, the shame of it eating at her.
“Mary,” he said, his voice full of compassion.
She turned back to face him. “You guessed right,” she said defiantly. “I can’t read or write.”
He gazed into her face for the longest of moments, then leaned in and kissed her gently. “I don’t care about that,” he said, cupping her face. “All I care about is that you are here with me. I can teach you, if that’s what you want.” He pulled her against him, and Mary reveled in their closeness, and in the bond they were finally beginning to share.
Chapter Seven
After handing her the bouquet of flowers he’d asked Seth to get for him, Noah made supper. It was only a small gesture, he’d told her, but to Mary it was huge. No one had ever bought flowers for her before. Never done anything nice for her. He really had no idea what it meant to her.
The gesture warmed her heart.
Supper wasn’t quite the disaster she’d expected but it wasn’t perfect either.
Mary insisted on peeling and dicing potatoes to go with the bacon, sausages, and eggs Noah was cooking. Just as well too as the eggs were rock hard, and the bacon burned to a crisp. Only the sausages survived. There was left over apple pie, which was a good thing as otherwise he would go hungry.
That wasn’t really true. Since Seth had arrived home with all her requirements, there was plenty in the house to eat. As a thank you, she’d invited him and Jacob over for a meal one night, but not until her ankle was healed.
“I like your cooking far better,” Noah told her.
She flashed him a shy smile. “I do too.” He grinned at her and Mary let out the breath she’d been holding. She should know by now he didn’t anger easily. In fact he seemed to like the easy banter they often shared. “My ankle isn’t as bad as everyone is making out, so tomorrow you can go back to work.”
He glared at her. “Ain’t gonna happen,” he said, then reached across the table for her hand. “Now the calving is done, I can take a few days off.” She raised her eyebrows at him. “The cowpokes can look after the property. They’ve done it before.”
She wasn’t going to change his mind, that much was clear. Mary shrugged her shoulders – there were far more important things to argue over. This wasn’t one of them.
~*~
Having to slow down because of an injured ankle was not amongst Mary’s most favorite things to do. Noah was finally back at work, and she was almost pain free, even when she put pressure on her ankle and walked about.
Cinnamon stood outside the front porch waiting for Noah. She probably felt neglected after the number of days he’d stayed home to help. Mary stepped toward her, and the horse took a few steps back. “Take it slowly,” Noah whispered. “She’s still not used to you.”
That was true. She’d had little interaction with Noah’s horse, and he was the only person ever to ride her. “I’m going to miss you today,” Mary said truthfully. She’d become accustomed to having her husband around, even if he was annoying by not letting her do things for herself.
His head shot up as he attached the saddlebags. “I’ll miss you too,” he said, then winked at he
r.
Was he only saying that? Mary found Noah hard to read at times. He seemed to keep his heart close to his chest, and didn’t give away much.
He shoved his hat down hard on his head. “I really must go. It’s been nice being home with you, but I can’t stay home forever.” He stared at her. “We’ll continue our reading and writing lessons tonight.”
She nodded. Mary had worked hard with Noah over the past days, and he said she was doing well. It didn’t feel that way, but he was confident she would learn. Anger boiled up inside her at Pa for not letting her go to school.
Noah leaned forward and cupped her face, kissing her gently. Mary calmed down. It was as though he knew what she was thinking. “Don’t be mad, Sweetheart,” he said quietly, then caressed her cheek.
“How did you…?”
He winked at her. “I can read your moods now. What are you mad about anyhow?”
“Not what, who. I’m mad at Pa for not letting me go to school.”
“You’re going to learn better than going to school.” He winked again then swung up onto his mount. Noah lifted the reins and clicked for Cinnamon to go. “I’ll try not to be late.” He turned and rode away.
Mary stared after him. They seemed to be getting closer, but would she and Noah ever have a real marriage? Right now, it didn’t feel like it would ever happen.
She hobbled inside and cleaned the kitchen, then began to make the beds. What would it be like to sleep with Noah? That first night didn’t count because she was asleep before he carried her to bed. No, she meant sleep with him in the real sense. As his actual wife, not them pretending to be a couple.
She lifted his pillow and breathed in the essence of Noah. How she longed to be his wife in every way.
Mary suddenly threw the pillow across the room with such force it thudded against the wall. That would never happen. She was only here to fulfil the obligations to his father’s will. He gets the land, and she gets a safe place to live for a year. And then there was the money.
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