Lassoing A Montana Heart

by Flightner, Ramona

  * * *

  News and Noteworthy

  Imagine my surprise, Dear Reader, to be subjected to a biased, ignorant, petulant tirade by a man who should have merited the town’s respect. Instead Pastor Cruikshanks earned my pity and my fervent thanksgiving that such a man would no longer reside among us. For who among us should ever cast aspersions as Pastor Cruikshanks did last week? Who among us is without fault or sin?

  I, for one, know I am grateful and delighted that such a fine woman as Davina MacQueen, now Mrs. Davina Slims, is a member of my family. She forsook her comfort, while also risking her life, to ensure a good man did not freeze to death in last week’s horrible blizzard. To be so pilloried by a man of the cloth for an act of Christian charity is beyond comprehension.

  My hope, Dear Reader, is twofold. First, that you are filled with a more charitable spirit than our recently departed pastor and are able, and eager, to welcome such a fine woman into our community. Second, I pray the new preacher is a more understanding and forgiving man. For I’ve come to realize we do not need more judgment raining down on us from the pulpit. We are in desperate need for more compassion.

  * * *

  Davina wandered into the larger of the two mercantiles, the Merc, glancing at the fine cloths on display. She imagined buying a bolt of it and sewing new dresses for her and Sorcha, but she refrained from doing any more than lightly fingering the cloth. She reminded herself that, although such luxuries had been commonplace for her in her life in Scotland, they had never brought her lasting joy.

  “Might I help you, Mrs. Slims?” Tobias Sutton asked.

  She pivoted to face the proprietor, flushing at being caught ogling his fine merchandise. “Oh no,” she breathed. “I’m fine. Passin’ time.” She turned to leave, but Tobias gently gripped her arm.

  “If you have time, missus, why don’t you have a cup of tea with me? It seems to me you could use a place for quiet contemplation, away from family.” He moved to the front of his store, flipped the sign to Closed, and motioned for her to follow him to the back room.

  After she had settled on a chair, he made them a pot of tea and sat across from her at a table. “I dinna understand why ye are bein’ kind to me,” she protested.

  Her words seemed to cause him to reflect a moment. “I knew a woman once, who looked and acted like you. Brave, but lost inside. She needed someone to listen and to give her wise advice. I fear she didn’t find that.”

  “What happened to her?” Davina whispered.

  “She betrayed all she loved and lost everything,” Tobias murmured.

  With quivering hands, Davina lifted her cup with both hands, as though knowing she’d dump the contents if she used just one hand. “I don’t know what to do.” She stared at him, her expression filled with desperation and terror. “I fear I’ve made the gravest of mistakes.”

  Tobias half smiled. “If you mean that you erred by marrying Slims, then rest assured that you haven’t. He’s one of the finest men I’ve ever met. Only finer are my nephews.” He waited for her to say something more, and, when she remained quiet, he asked, “What would ever cause you to doubt?”

  Her shoulders stooped, and she stared into the tea mug, as though too ashamed to meet his gaze. “A woman arrived at the ranch while we were in town. Makin’ claims she’s carryin’ my husband’s bairn.” When he snorted his doubt, she glanced at him. “Why are ye certain she lies an’ he doesna?”

  Tobias crossed his arms over his chest, studying her. “It doesn’t matter what I say. What Frederick or Sorcha say. What my aunt and uncle say.” He quieted for a moment. “What matters is what you know to be true, deep inside you. What does your heart tell you, Davina?”

  She shook her head, tears coursing out. “I canna trust it.”

  “If there’s one thing you can trust, it’s that. For that is your truth, trying to speak to you.” He gripped her hand. “What does it say?”

  “That the woman is a liar. That she’s tryin’ to ruin my life, just as I have a chance at happiness again.” She firmed her lips. “An’ it makes me so angry!” By this time, she had set the mug down, and she swiped at her cheeks. “Because I’m lettin’ her.” Her voice held a sense of astonished understanding. “I’m lettin’ her ruin what I have.”

  Tobias nodded. “You are.” He slurped a sip of his tea. “I imagine Frederick is here to fetch Helen to prove the woman is a liar.” He saw the truth in Davina’s gaze. “Don’t wait for Helen to confirm what you already know, Mrs. Slims. For, if you do, then Slims will always doubt your faith in him.” He ducked his head, as though deep in thought, before murmuring, “Don’t waste your second chance, Davina, for most of us aren’t so fortunate as to ever be offered such a gift.”

  She paled at his words before nodding. “Aye. Thank ye, Mr. Sutton.”

  At a pounding on the back door, he rose. “Hello, Frederick,” he said, as he stepped aside for Frederick to enter. “Davina and I were enjoying a cup of tea.”

  “You made her cry!” Frederick accused, glaring at Tobias. “Why must you always stir up trouble?”

  “Frederick, nae,” Davina murmured. “Mr. Sutton helped me confront my truth. He’s a good man.” She saw confusion and an aching regret in Frederick’s gaze that she didn’t understand. “Have ye found Helen?”

  He nodded. “Yes, she and Warren will head out soon. If we leave now, we have time to return tonight.” He looked at Tobias. “Uncle,” he said shortly, before marching out the back door.

  “Uncle?” Davina breathed.

  Tobias scratched at his head. “Yes. I’m his uncle. A man he still wishes he didn’t have to claim as family.”

  Davina stood on her toes and kissed Tobias’s cheek. “I thank ye for yer advice.” She rushed past him to catch up to Frederick, leaving a dazed Tobias behind.

  Chapter 8

  Slims sat in his foreman’s cabin, a home he’d only ever spent one night in, and waited for his wife to return. A place he’d only ever considered home since he had carried her over the threshold the day before. He closed his eyes as images of the previous night flashed through his mind. Of her lustrous hair, spread over the pillows, as she laughed up at him. At her flushed cheeks and the joy in her gaze. Of her curled beside him, sleeping peacefully in his arms. He rubbed at his chest, a deep ache settling within, at the thought she’d never look at him in the same way again.

  He opened his eyes and stared at the stove and the crackling wood inside. He was intent on keeping it well fed so the cabin would be warm for her on her return. For he refused to believe she would not return to him. He did not know how he would survive if she didn’t.

  Clenching and unclenching his fists, he battled anger and a sense of impotence at not being able to allay her fears. Theirs was such a new relationship and her trust in him so fragile. He feared she would find it easier to believe the worst in him rather than having faith in him.

  Leaning forward, he rested on his elbows, as he contemplated Frederick returning with Helen and Warren, for he knew Warren would insist on traveling with his wife. “What would that be like?” he murmured to himself. To have a relationship where the trust and the love ran so deep that there was no doubt. He had never thought to feel a soul-sickening envy, but he did. For he wanted that. And he feared he would never have the chance to earn it.

  He forced himself to remain seated as the sound of sleighs arriving sounded in the yard. He knew Davina would go with Frederick and wait with Sorcha to hear what Helen said. Her trust in him would only be rebuilt with the proof of his innocence.

  At the sound of the door scraping open, he sat tall and glared at whoever dared to enter his sanctuary. At the sight of his wife, he leaped to his feet, his hands clenching and unclenching again as he battled the urge to tug her into his arms. To run his hands over her and to ensure she was well. “Davina,” he whispered. “I thought you’d go to the big house.”

  She shook her head, and he thought he discerned an embarrassed blush on her cheeks. “Nae,”
she said in so low a voice it was almost a whisper. “I wanted to see my husband.” She bit her lip as she looked at him. “I needed to see him.” She took a step toward him and then stood stock-still as he remained frozen in place. “Unless ye dinna want me here?”

  He took the two steps separating them and pulled her into his arms. “Don’t be foolish,” he growled, as he held her close and lifted her off her feet a moment, earning a shriek. “God, I’ve missed you. And it’s only been a few hours since I held you in my arms.”

  When he felt her freeze at his words, he settled her on the ground and released her. “Davina?”

  She took a deep breath and stared deeply into his eyes. “I have to ask ye, Simon. Is there any truth to what she said? To what she claims?”

  He cupped her cheeks and shook his head. “No, Davina, no. I never touched her. I’ll scream it to the moon and back, but I swear to you I didn’t. I pro—”

  She covered his mouth with her small hands and shook her head, a luminous smile bursting forth. “Nae, my Simon. Ye dinna have to protest and proclaim. If ye say ye were no’ with her, I believe ye.” She continued to look deeply into his eyes. “I trust ye.”

  He groaned and hauled her against his chest. “Oh, my darling, thank you,” he rasped. He held her close for a few moments before whispering in her ear, “Why did you go to town?”

  “I … I was so afraid,” she breathed. She bravely met his gaze when he eased her back so he could look deeply into her eyes. “I feared she would give ye what I never could.”

  Slims stared at her in stunned silence a moment. “A child?”

  “Aye. An’ I felt horribly inadequate.” She shrugged and dropped her gaze to the floor.

  “No, my darlin’, no,” Slims said in a passionate voice. He paused, waiting for her to meet his gaze again. “There is no one for me but you.” He pulled her close again, his hands roving over her coat-covered body, and he growled with impatience to find her so covered in garments. He stilled his movements at the loud knocking on the door. “Yes?” he called out.

  Shorty’s voice said, “You’re needed in the big house. You an’ your missus.”

  Slims sighed, resting his forehead against hers. “I’m sorry, Dav. I wanted a little more time for the two of us. For me to show you that I mean what I say.”

  She smiled, standing on her tiptoes to give him a fleeting kiss. “’Tis all right, Simon. I ken we’ll have time tonight.” Her flirtatious smile eased some of his worry, as he reached for his coat and hat, following her from the cabin to the main house.

  * * *

  Davina entered the big house, her hand in Slims’s. Although she knew they still needed to discuss so much, a deep sense of peace pervaded her. She squeezed his hand as she saw an unknown woman sitting in a chair, alone and to one side of the two whispering groups gathered in the same room. She knew the woman had to be the mysterious Charlotte, who had made claims against her husband. Any sense of calm evaporated as a rage filled Davina at what this woman had attempted to do to her and Slims. At what she, Davina, had almost allowed Charlotte to do.

  Taking a deep breath, she followed Slims to join Frederick and Sorcha, who each held one of the twins, while they talked quietly with Warren. “Helen?” Slims asked. The other small group consisted of Shorty, Dalton, and Dixon, and they kept a wide berth from Charlotte too.

  “She’s washing up, and then she will join us,” Warren said. They stood near the doorway to Frederick’s office and close to the crackling fire. Various lamps lit the room as night fell.

  Davina watched as Slims glowered at the woman sitting in stunned silence across the room. Gripping his arm, she gave it a gentle tug to prevent him from storming over to her. “Nae, Slims,” she murmured. “Now that I see her, somethin’ more is goin’ on. I dinna ken what, but she has the lost look of a woman near the verge of a collapse.”

  Slims paused and focused on her. “She’s a hellion, Davina.”

  Frederick chuckled. “I used to think the same of Sorcha,” he murmured, as he ran a hand down his wife’s back. “I finally learned it was all just a shield to protect herself.” He cast a glance across the room. “I wonder if Charlotte isn’t like my wife.”

  Taking a deep breath, Slims shook his head. “No, she does not get to be exonerated for what she attempted to do. For the harm she tried to inflict on my marriage.” He looked at his friends. “She does not deserve your understanding.”

  Sorcha gripped his arm, shaking her head, as she smiled softly at him. “Everyone deserves understandin’, Slims. Although I fear there are times when our compassion is no’ as great as it should be.”

  Davina rose on her toes and kissed his cheek. “Have faith, husband. I trust you. All will be well.” She held his gaze, waiting until he nodded and relaxed under her unwavering stare and from her avowal. Her attention shifted to the woman who had just entered the room from the back hallway. “Helen.”

  Helen smiled to all of them, although her gaze was guarded. She glanced at Charlotte sitting in a near stupor and pursed her lips. “I know you have questions, but I’m uncertain I can answer them. I can’t break the confidence of a patient.” She met Slims’s and Frederick’s irate glowers. “I know you brought me here to answer questions, but she’s my patient, not you.”

  Davina had stiffened at Helen’s words. After a long moment, her grip on her husband’s arm eased, and she smiled. “I admire ye, Helen. Ye are the definition of honorable. Few would have the temerity to stand up to a group of strangers, never mind their friends.”

  Helen shook her head. “No, they are my family. But I can’t break my pledge.”

  With a nod, Davina focused on the woman sitting alone. After squeezing her husband’s arm once more, she separated herself from their small group and approached the woman. “Ye’re Charlotte, aye?” she asked, as she pulled a chair over to sit beside her. When the woman raised terror-filled eyes, Davina sucked in her breath. “Who hurt ye, lass?”

  Charlotte shook her head, her gaze returning to study the floorboards.

  “Why would ye make such a claim against my husband?” she whispered.

  “I didn’t know he was married,” she whispered. “And then I heard it was a marriage of necessity. I thought he could annul it and marry me.”

  Davina sent a quick glance in her husband’s direction, filled with heat, admiration, and desire. “Aye, ’twas of necessity, but we would have eventually married.” She paused, waiting to see if Charlotte would say anything more. “May Helen speak with us?”

  Charlotte shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. The truth will come out eventually.” Tears leaked out, and she sat with stooped shoulders.

  Looking at Helen, Davina saw that Helen had heard Charlotte’s quiet words. Rather than join her husband, family, and friends, Davina remained seated by Charlotte. Slims moved to stand beside her, his large palm resting on her shoulder, while Warren and Helen sat on one settee and Frederick and Sorcha the other. Dalton, Shorty, and Dixon remained standing.

  Helen took a deep breath. “I believe I was called to the ranch to determine if Charlotte was expecting a child and, if possible, to discern how soon she was to have this child.” She cleared her throat. “I’m afraid I can’t answer that question.”

  At the huff of incredulity from Frederick and the swears from the ranch hands, Warren rose from his seat and glared them into silence. Helen flushed and gripped her husband’s hand. “Charlotte was expecting a child, but she no longer is.” Her blush intensified as she studied the pattern of her checkered wool skirt. “Forgive me. I’m not used to discussing such matters with men.”

  Frederick waved away her concern. “Are you telling me that Charlotte was pregnant but lost the child, and was still trying to convince Slims it was his and that he had to marry her to prevent scandal?”

  Helen paused as she thought through what he said. “I can’t answer to motive. All I can say is that she was expecting and no longer is. I can’t answer to how far along she was before s
he lost the baby. I have very little to offer.”

  Slims cleared his throat before the cacophony of complaints could restart. “I disagree,” he said in his low, commanding voice. “You have given us—me—quite a lot. Your word is never to be discredited, as you are honorable. Thus, we know this woman is not pregnant. There is no urgency for her to wed.” He paused. “I swear on all I hold most precious in my life, my wife and the memory of my family, that I never touched Charlotte.” Davina’s sharp inhalation brought a rueful smile to his lips. “You all must decide if you believe a woman who has shown herself to be a liar or if you believe me.”

  Frederick nodded. “You, of course, Slims.” His gaze flitted to Charlotte, who swayed ever-so-slightly from side to side and seemed unaware of what was occurring around her. “However, something happened, and we need to discover what did.”

  The ranch hands nodded. “Boss is right. Someone harmed her, and it ain’t right. Miss Charlotte was always full of piss and vinegar, and now she’s as meek as Sunset,” Dixon said, referring to the docile milk cow. He scratched at his head as he stared at her.

  Dalton studied her and shook his head. “Ain’t right.”

  Helen spoke up. “I fear she has lost a fair amount of blood. I know she has done harm with her claims, but she would benefit from remaining here on the ranch for a few more days, as she recovers. If it is acceptable, Warren and I will remain to ensure she recovers as well as possible.”

  Frederick smiled wryly. “If you want a vacation each winter on the ranch around the time of your anniversary, you only have to ask. The caretaker’s cottage is still free.”

  Warren chuckled and nodded. “Thanks, Fred.”

  Helen rose to approach Charlotte and, with Davina’s help, eased her patient to her feet. “Come, Charlotte. You must rest.”