A Bride to Heal His Broken Heart

by Melynda Carlyle

  To that end, he’d invited Leroy and Claus to his home to discuss the railroad’s request for land, hoping that they would be bringing him good news. They’d been instructed to increase the outlaw behavior without killing anyone else.

  Orvis wanted to solidify his position in the town for years to come. To that end, he needed the townsfolk to continue placing their trust in him.

  That meant he needed to give every appearance of objecting to the outlaw activity. The morally conscious townsfolk wouldn’t view him too kindly if they knew he was actually funding the outlaws.

  With it being broad daylight, that would have been hard to hide if he was seen meeting with the Simpson brothers at the saloon. Hence, he found himself inviting Leroy into his private parlor to get the latest update.

  “So, tell me what Wilson said,” he demanded, taking another puff of his cigar.

  Leroy shook his head. “Darren declined. He didn’t even give me a chance to tell him how generous the new offer is.”

  “Darren?” Orvis scowled.

  “He met me in the yard and told me they weren’t interested in selling and that I wasn’t welcome on their land. I’m fairly certain he meant his words as a threat.”

  Hearing this riled Orvis up. He slammed his fist on the table, knocking the whiskey bottle over in the process. Leroy jumped and righted the bottle, looking nervous.

  “That is not what I want to hear.”

  “I’m sorry, boss. Darren wouldn’t even hear me out.”

  “You didn’t try hard enough,” Orvis told him.

  “I did,” Leroy argued.

  Orvis shook his head. “I don’t think so. Didn’t I tell you to talk to Brian and play upon his emotions? The man just lost a son. He’s in a vulnerable state and I expected you to take advantage of that fact.”

  “Mayor, Darren didn’t give me a chance to see anyone. He met me as soon as I arrived and sent me on my way. I tell you, I was afraid if I didn’t get out of there the man was going to shoot me.”

  Orvis stared at the wall for a moment and then smiled sardonically. “Well then, it seems that the Wilson ranch is next on the list. Where’s Claus?”

  “Waiting in the foyer like you asked me to have him do,” Leroy replied.

  “Well, go get him.”

  Leroy nodded and then hurried to the door. “Claus, get in here.”

  Once both men were seated before him, Orvis steepled his hands in front of him and told them his expectations for tonight’s little adventure. “I don’t care what you do, but I want Darren and the rest of the lot to get the message loud and clear. Any means of violence necessary to get the point driven home is fine with me.”

  “Boss, I thought you didn’t want us killing people,” Leroy asked for clarification.

  Orvis dropped his hands and narrowed his gaze. “That was then. We obviously need a new approach.”

  “We could scare them some,” Claus suggested.

  “I don’t want them scared, I want them terrified,” Orvis shouted, throwing his hands up in frustration. The man had already shot several people and now he wanted to soften up? He held onto his temper and turned to Leroy, telling him, “Get it done, or else. Now get out of here, the both of you. Go make whatever preparations you need to attack the ranch. Tonight.”

  Claus and Leroy headed for the door, but just before leaving, Leroy turned and asked, “What about the sheriff?”

  “You leave him to me. He won’t be interfering if he knows what’s good for him.”

  Orvis watched them leave, already planning how he was going to tell George the good news on the morrow. Darren and Brian Wilson would be begging him to purchase their ranch after tonight. Then he would become the undeniable ruler of the region.

  Chapter 31

  After his encounter with Leroy, Darren returned the rifle to the barn and then finished stowing his fencing supplies on the shelves and hooks. He was stomping a bit as he tried to get rid of the anger Leroy’s visit had created, but it was still there fifteen minutes later.

  He strode from the barn, heading for the house. He needed to talk to someone about things; he needed to talk to his pa.

  He stepped inside and listened for a moment, wondering where his pa might be at this time of day. This business with the railroad was getting out of control.

  The railroad’s offer was paltry, at best. It would not only require the ranchers to uproot their families, but their livestock and workers as well. Their very way of life would have to change.

  All because the railroad wanted to save a few dollars by building fewer miles of track. The ranchers hadn’t been impressed with their reasoning.

  Darren wasn’t even convinced that bringing the new railroad to Virginia City was a good thing. Sure, it would make getting goods easier and even open up other opportunities to move more cattle, but there were downsides as well. More people meant more problems.

  Darren also had to consider the effect more people settling on vacant land would have on the local Indian population. Right now, there was a peace between the Paiute people and the townsfolk. If the Indians felt their hunting lands were in jeopardy, that would definitely change.

  No, the railroad needed to rethink their plans and find land that wasn’t already occupied to build upon. The townsfolk needed to make sure that everyone involved knew the Wilsons were not selling their ranch – any part of their ranch.

  Over the last few weeks, many neighbors had visited the ranch. First, to convey their condolences. But then, to seek Brian’s input into the railroad situation.

  No one wanted to act unless Brian was ready to take the same action. There was safety when people stuck together. The neighbors and townsfolk were more concerned with the quality of their lives than the money the railroad was offering.

  He briefly wondered if Leroy had paid all of the surrounding ranches a visit as well.

  So far, the outlaws had been striking the smaller ranches, and Darren was suspicious that the attacks had something to do with the owners not being willing to sell. He couldn’t prove it – yet. He figured it had something to do with the mayor and the sheriff’s unwillingness to go after them.

  Maybe Pa will have some answers or suggestions.

  Darren checked the room his pa used for his study, but it was empty. He finally found him in the front sitting room, asleep in his rocking chair.

  He stood and watched him for a moment. There were deep lines of worry and fatigue etched on his pa’s forehead.

  If only things had turned out differently. Mark’s death has taken too great a toll on Pa.

  The need to avenge his brother’s death burned in his chest like a red-hot coal. Darren felt a renewed drive to find the man responsible and seek justice. Dead or alive, Darren didn’t really care. He just wanted the man – or men – responsible to pay for the grief they’d caused.

  The house was unusually quiet for this time of day. Lorna was in town, and June had gone to the neighboring ranch to visit her friends. He slowly wandered through the lower part of the house.

  He saw the freshly baked bread sitting on the kitchen countertop. A glance out the window showed the laundry had already been hung up to dry.

  June took very good care of all of them. Darren didn’t begrudge her a few hours away from her chores. She not only took care of the main ranch house, she cooked for everyone, too. That alone was a tough job.

  As he returned to the front room, he checked on his pa once more, finding him still sound asleep. He turned toward the stairs, feeling a pull that hadn’t been there previously. Darren climbed the stairs, coming to a stop at the second door on the left – Mark’s bedroom.

  Darren hadn’t been inside the room, not since that fateful night. At Brian’s request, June had closed the room up the very next day and it had remained that way since. Until today. A voice inside his head was urging him to step inside.

  Mustering up his courage, he placed his hand on the doorknob and slowly turned it. The door creaked slightly as it opened,
and he stood there on the other side of the threshold, peering inside the darkened room. The bed was made and the dresser sat like a sentry, guarding the clothing his brother had once worn.

  He stood there, almost able to hear his brother’s voice beckoning him to come inside. He missed Mark so much, and a stab of pain pierced his heart once again. There was a big empty place in his soul.

  Will it ever be filled? Will this pain ever diminish?

  He took several breaths and then stepped inside, walking directly to the bed and sitting down on the mattress.

  Reminders of Mark were everywhere as Darren let his eyes roam: a worn pair of boots, his Sunday church hat. As he finished his visual inspection of the room, Darren caught a glimpse of several envelopes sticking out from beneath Mark’s pillow.

  Darren reached for them, looking at the writing on the front and realizing these were letters from Lorna. His heart started to race. He carefully turned them over.

  He stared at them for a long moment, struggling with the rightness of reading them. The urge to do so was overwhelming, and as he extracted the first letter from the envelope, he inwardly justified his actions.

  Mark would have wanted you to know the truth. Something in these letters caused Mark to come to care for Lorna enough to offer marriage to her. Shouldn’t you know what that was? What did Mark see in her letters?

  He looked at the dates on the envelopes and selected the oldest one. It had been written weeks before Mark’s death. Knowing his brother had also held this same letter made Darren pause for a moment.

  He unfolded the letter and smoothed the parchment out with his hand. He glanced at the elegant writing and began to read. He could almost hear Lorna’s voice saying the words.

  She introduced herself, writing about her job as a nurse and going into great detail about the long working hours. She talked a bit about the war, and then asked Mark a few questions before ending her letter.

  He retrieved the second letter, growing angry as he read her account of the doctor who had been making advances toward her. When she explained that he’d then had her dismissed from her position, Darren clenched his fist. He wished there was some way he could see justice served on her behalf. The doctor needed to be taught some manners.

  She went on to talk about losing her father and how hard it had been:

  “I never knew what it truly felt like to be all alone until the day they buried my father in the ground. He’d been so brave fighting against the Indians. All of the men had been very courageous, but the Indians didn’t fight with guns and cannons. They were experts at slipping behind the enemy and surprising them. Their ability to move quietly through the terrain often gave them the upper hand. Their weapons were bows and arrows, knives, and hand-to-hand combat.

  “I know my father never thought he would die by one of their arrows, but that’s exactly what happened. I will always remember the day they brought him into the field hospital on a litter. The arrow was still protruding from his abdomen. His clothing was drenched in blood and he was gasping for each breath.

  “The doctor gave him something for the pain, but there was nothing he could do to save his life. He’d lost too much blood. I sat with him as he lay dying. He made me promise to seek a better life for myself. Someplace far away from the war and Nova Scotia.”

  As Darren continued to read, he couldn’t miss the fact that her words were laced with bitterness toward the Indians – all Indians.

  “I don’t understand why the army hasn’t gone in and removed all of the Indians from this land. They are nothing but savages. I’ve seen firsthand the brutality they are capable of. I’m convinced they are incapable of having human emotions.”

  Darren tossed the letter on the bed. He couldn’t read any more. Incapable of having human emotions? Surely, she didn’t really believe that? Could she?

  Darren scrubbed a hand over his face, staring down at the small stack of letters and shaking his head. What had drawn Mark to Lorna to begin with? He couldn’t imagine. They had nothing in common, especially once she’d made her hatred toward Indians clear.

  Mark knew Darren’s mother was Paiute. It was very confusing as to why he would have sought to marry a woman like Lorna. She had an aversion to all Indians. She assumed they were all beasts and killers.

  Mark knew very well how much interaction there was between the ranchers and the native Indians. The most prominent tribe was the Paiute, but occasionally other tribes wandered into the area. Some of them were friendly. Some of them wary of white men and prone to creating upheaval. Anyone living on the ranch would be called upon to deal with the Indians from time to time. What had Mark been thinking?

  Darren put the envelopes back beneath the pillow and then stood up, gazing around the room for several long moments. Everywhere he looked he saw another reminder of his brother. It still hurt.

  Mark, I miss you. Things here aren’t good. Pa misses you something terrible, as does Aunt June. And then there’s Lorna.

  Brother, I really don’t know what it is about Lorna that you found so appealing. You had to know that by coming here she would have to deal directly with the Indians. She can’t stand them. I wish I knew how you planned to handle that situation.

  It just didn’t make sense, but then Mark’s death didn’t make sense. Darren’s entire world had caved in the night his brother was shot.

  He stalked from the bedroom, pulling the door shut behind him. He felt angry and betrayed, by both Lorna and his brother. Surely Mark had a valid reason for bringing someone like Lorna here to their home. Darren just couldn’t figure out what that might be.

  He was even more confused now about his emotions where Lorna was concerned. Even knowing she had a grudge against Indians, he still felt something for her. He wished he could just turn his emotions off for a short while, just long enough to figure out how to proceed.

  But emotions didn’t work like that. He was stuck grieving a brother who had died much too young and for no good reason. He was also stuck with romantic feelings for a woman who would hate him once she learned of his heritage.

  He felt like a leaf in a fall breeze: blowing every which way at the wind’s discretion and with no firm foundation to hold on to.

  Chapter 32

  Lorna’s anger was a palpable thing. She clenched her fists against her skirt, forcing herself to remain quiet and not tell Ethan how wrong he was to judge her. It was obvious that Darren had talked to Ethan about her. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

  She was relieved when Ethan pulled the wagon to a stop in the yard. She glanced at him, trying to rid herself of her irritation with his nosy questions. She wasn’t successful.

  “Thank you for the ride back to the ranch.” Her voice was as stiff as her back. Ethan didn’t look at her and one of the other cowhands came forward and placed a box next to the wagon. Lorna was still feeling angry, so she hurried down from the wagon, not caring that she ended up exposing the lower half of her legs in doing so.

  She just needed to get away from Ethan before he insinuated that anything else was going on between her and Orvis. The very thought made her stomach turn, and she felt as if she might embarrass herself at any moment.

  She walked a few steps away from the wagon, taking several deep breaths to settle herself down. When she saw Ethan stalking toward the barn, she straightened up and headed up the walk to the house.

  She slowed her steps when she saw Darren sitting on the veranda, staring out at the pasture beyond. With Ethan’s accusations fresh in her mind, she marched straight over to him, intending to get some answers and clear the air.

  Darren turned his head upon hearing her footsteps, and Lorna froze at the cold look he gave her. She stopped a few feet away from him, confused by his behavior.

  “Darren?” she said quietly, feeling as if she’d missed something important.

  He stared at her and then demanded, “When were you going to tell us how you truly feel about the Indians?”

  Lorna looked
at him in confusion. She didn’t try to deny his words were true. She was troubled by how he knew. She’d said nothing to him. She’d shared her thoughts with Mark in her letters, but she’d done a good job of hiding her nervousness around the Paiute from Darren – or so she’d thought.

  “What are you talking about?” she asked, needing a moment to process everything.

  “Are you denying that you think all Indians are savages?” Darren challenged her.

  Lorna swallowed. Her mind raced as she tried to understand. She felt unsure of herself, out of control. Something was off here, and she chose not to answer right away.