She could only nod.
Oliver gently reached up and began to pull her stocking down her leg. He pulled it from her toes and dropped it on the floor. Amelia thought her heart might explode.
“This might hurt,” he said as he took one of the strips from the floor and began to wrap it around her foot, starting at the toes he had just exposed. He was very careful as he wrapped her foot. It hardly hurt at all, but that might have been because she was distracted by the sensations that were rushing through her. His eyes met hers as he finished. “How was that?”
“Perfect.” It took Amelia a moment to realize what she said. “Um…I mean it was fine.”
“I’m sorry about the gophers,” Oliver stated, as he kept his eyes on hers. “I have been meaning to deal with them for a while, I just haven’t gotten around to it. I’m sorry you got hurt.”
“It’s all right,” Amelia replied. “It wasn’t your fault.”
Glenore wasn’t flat land. It was a series of undulating fields that rose to hills and further, mountains. It was easy, with the grass high, to lose sight of things such as gopher holes or small stones. Accidents were bound to happen. No one was to blame in her mind.
Oliver got to his feet and brought another chair over. He set it in front of her. He kneeled again and picked up her injured leg and set it on the soft cushion of the other chair. “That should be good there. You’re gonna have to stay off of it for a few days,” he informed her.
“What about my work?” she asked. It was her job. They needed the help. She also needed the income. She still had hope of one day finding a place for herself, even if she continued to work on the ranch.
“Amelia, would you stop?” Oliver answered. He was still kneeling as he looked at her. “I know you’re used to doing things for yourself, but that was then, when there weren’t people around to help you. This is now. Melvin and I are here for you. We want to help, but you have to let us and you have to stop thinking that you have to do it all yourself. You don’t. You can rely on us.”
She didn’t mean to cry. It took her completely by surprise as her eyes began to fill with tears. Oliver had no idea what his words meant to her. He had no idea how long she hoped that she could find people she could truly rely on. People who could be like family to her.
Oliver looked at her confused. “Did I say something wrong?”
“No,” Amelia whispered. “You said everything right.”
Chapter Eleven
Oliver worked extra hard the entire week in preparation. He wanted all the work he had scheduled for the week completed before this day arrived. It was a very special day, one every man in Rattleridge looked forward to—rodeo day!
He woke at the usual time. There might not have been work, but he still needed to leave early to get to the rodeo on time. It was one of the best days of the year for anyone who lived in that area. Broncos were brought from all around and the best-of-the-best of all the riders in the country came to compete. Each year, Oliver and Melvin were sure to attend.
He rolled out of bed and remembered to make it. Since Amelia arrived, he tried his best to make things easier for her. Now, he cared what she thought and he didn’t want her to think he was a slob.
The water was cold as Oliver washed himself. He looked out of the window as he worked the sponge over his shoulders, splashing water over the sides of the large wooden bathtub. He didn’t like to look at the scar that marred his skin, not even when he was washing it. Today, however, was different. He kept thinking of the day that Amelia saw his arm and asked how it had happened. Every day for the past three years, he had avoided looking at himself, seeing who he truly was now. Oliver took a deep breath and looked at himself.
Red, veiny-looking tendrils snaked their way over his shoulder and down his arm. It covered half of his back, but Oliver was thankful he couldn’t see that. The skin was shiny and lumpy to look at, and hard and raised beneath his fingers. The scar on his hand was just the same, though there were pale patches that dotted the back of his fingers. The original burns were not as large as the scars they left. It was a long, painful healing process for him. He had been changed by it, but he made it.
Oliver used to think of himself as a handsome man. He was a little cocky and maybe a little more conceited than he should have been, but he was young and maybe a little foolish. Now, he was more mature and he didn’t fool himself that he was something he wasn’t.
Why would Amelia want me?
The thought was one he had often since he realized the truth. He cared about Amelia Donnel. She was an amazing, persevering, strong woman who didn’t ask for a lot, but to whom he wanted to give a lot. She was a beautiful woman who would want an attractive man by her side. He wasn’t that. Yes, his face was fine, but the rest of him wasn’t. Oliver wasn’t blind to the looks he got when people saw his disfigured limbs. His burns made some women move away and hold their mouths at the sight of it. He couldn’t force someone to live with such a sight on an intimate basis. She had seen only a little of what the fire had done to him. Oliver was always sure to keep his scars hidden as best he could.
What are you thinking? You have no right to think about any woman. You have something to do. Do it.
Oliver forced himself out of the tub and got dressed.
Amelia was setting the table as he walked in. She stopped immediately and looked up at him. The look in her eyes made his stomach knot.
Don’t think of it. She’s too fine a woman for you.
“Do you need some help?” Oliver asked as he stepped further into the room.
“No,” Amelia said with a smile. “Sit down.”
A month had passed since her fall and her ankle was now fully healed. That wasn’t the reason for him asking. He genuinely wanted to help her. He enjoyed it.
Oliver did as she asked, a smile on his face all the while as he watched her. It was another marvelous spread and he was eager to dive in.
“Good mornin’!” Melvin sang as he marched into the room. “How’re you all doin’ today?” he continued, as he plopped down in the chair beside Oliver and immediately began to pile his plate with food.
“I’m good,” Oliver replied. He was speaking to Melvin but his eyes were on Amelia.
She smiled. “I’m good, too. How about you? You seem happier than usual. Something special today?”
“You can say that again,” Melvin continued. The joy in his voice was like that of a child on Christmas morning. He turned into such a boy whenever rodeo time came around.
Amelia looked at him with curious amusement as she took her seat.
“It’s a special day for us,” Oliver explained before she could ask.
“It’s rodeo day!” Melvin exclaimed as he sliced through the yolk of his fried egg and it began to run all over his plate.
“Rodeo day?” Amelia questioned.
“Yes,” Oliver explained. He had yet to put anything on his plate. “It’s the day the rodeo comes to Oakstead. Everyone from miles around goes over to spend the day and watch the bronco riders compete for the next stage of the national ranking. They call it the Oakstead Stampede,” he informed her. “It’s one of the few days of the year when Melvin and I take a day off.”
“And it’s today?” Amelia asked.
“Yes. That’s where we’ll be headed as soon as we finish here,” Melvin informed her. He stuffed a forkful of potatoes into his mouth.
“Sounds nice. I’ve never been to a rodeo,” Amelia said quietly as she spooned some baked beans onto her plate. She followed it with an egg and some toast.
Oliver felt Melvin nudge him. He looked at his friend. Melvin mouthed to him. Invite her.
His heart began to beat harder. Ask her?
You do it. He mouthed back.
No, you. Melvin insisted. He kicked the table trying to get to Oliver’s foot and immediately Amelia took notice.
Amelia smiled. “What was that?” she asked at the sound, as Melvin’s foot struck the table leg instead of his.
The smile on Amelia’s face grew instantly. “Really?”
Her smile made him smile. “Yes,” Oliver assured her. “I’d really like it if you came…we would really like it.”
“I don’t know,” Amelia continued. “I still have some chores to get done.”
“Forget them,” Oliver encouraged. “Today, you’re taking a day off.”
It looked like half of Rattleridge was in Oakstead for the Stampede. Oliver saw many of their neighbors walking toward the corral as he pulled the wagon up to the rodeo. Amelia sat beside him, her eyes wide with everything that she was seeing. He smiled to himself. Oliver could remember the first time he went to the rodeo. It was with his father, and he was just a boy at the time. He imagined he looked a lot like she did at that moment.
“Here we are!” he declared with a grin as he stopped the horse. Melvin leaped out of the seat of the wagon immediately. Oliver followed him. He walked around to help Amelia down.
The Oakstead Stampede was nothing like what they had in Rattleridge. The area comprised of a large area for wagons, and a concourse where food was on sale for those who failed to bring their own meals. It was serviced by the wives of the owners of the land the rodeo was held on. There were two buildings on the grounds; one for the riders to prepare and the other for workers of the stampede. Three full rodeo arenas were nearby, with a grandstand seating area to allow onlookers an easy view of everything. It was much grander than what they had at home.
Oliver stepped towards her. Amelia was waiting for him. She reached out her arms to him, like a child to a parent, and braced her arms against his as he took hold of her waist. He lifted gently and her grip tightened lightly on his arms as he lowered her to the earth in front of him. Their eyes lingered on one another.
“I think the next round is about to start,” Melvin commented. Oliver turned and found a grin on his friend’s face. “I’ll meet you two over by the staging area.”
“We should probably go with him,” Amelia said gently. Oliver turned back to her and found her cheeks red. She was avoiding his eyes and focusing on his chest. He was still holding her waist and her hands were still holding onto his arms. Oliver let go reluctantly.
“You’re right,” he replied. “We shouldn’t leave him on his own. He might get himself in trouble,” he teased.
Amelia smiled and nodded.
Oliver began to walk toward the staging area. The noise of the rodeo was reverberating through his body. It filled him with more excitement every step he took. He looked to the staging area and saw several men on their horses, their lassos hung off their saddles. They were competitors in the wrangling. Oliver smiled. He recognized some of their faces. They were some of the men who had competed last year, and they were very good.
“This year’s gonna be a good one,” he commented.
Amelia turned to see what he was looking at. “What makes you say that?”
“You see those three over there?” Oliver said as he pointed out the three cowboys.
“Yes.”
“They’re some of the best sheep wranglers I’ve seen. The big guy on the white horse is named Lewis. He’s from Wyoming. He won the competition five years running, until last year, when he broke his leg after he was bucked off a bronco at the Wyoming Stampede four months before this competition. That’s how Johnson won last year. He’s from Colorado and their champion three years running. The last one is Carpenter and he’s an up and coming rider from back home in Rattleridge. That boy may be young, but he has the skills of a man twice his age,” Oliver informed her.
Amelia listened carefully to everything he said. Her eyes stayed on the men he was speaking about. His eyes stayed on her. He looked toward the stands when he heard one of the judges announce the next round.
Oliver took Amelia by the hand. “We better hurry if we don’t want to miss the completion.”
The pair walked briskly. The steps to the stands were blocked with people trying to rush to their seats. Oliver held Amelia’s hand tighter as he pressed forward. He wasn’t about to lose her.
They finally made it up into the stands and found Melvin already in a seat, waiting eagerly for the first round of wrangling to start. Oliver sat beside his friend and kept Amelia beside him.
“Who’s up first?” he asked over the din of voices, all competing with each other, as he settled himself beside his friend. There was a hint of smoke and the smell of grilled meat in the air.
“Johnson,” Melvin answered as he peered into the arena. Oliver turned to Amelia.
“What did he say?” she asked.
“The Cooper boy from Montcrest is the first one up,” he informed her.
She nodded silently. “So what’s supposed to happen today?”
“The completion is always the same,” Oliver informed her. “First we have the wrangling. Sheep first, for the young ones, then steers for the adults. Thomas Cooper, the first boy up, is the son of one of Montcrest’s best-known wranglers. His father was a fine cowboy. He passed a few years back.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Amelia replied.
“He was a good man. He taught young Montcrest well, and since then he’s been proving to everyone that he is his father’s son.”
Amelia smiled. “That seems to be a tradition around here.”
“What’d you mean?”
“I mean following your father’s footsteps and trying to be the best man you can be,” she stated. “Young Montcrest and you,” she continued with slight hesitation.
Oliver looked at her and smiled. “You think so?”
Amelia nodded. “I do. I also think that the young men around here do a really good job at that.”
“We’re ready to start. All quiet!” the announcer’s voice bellowed above them all. Silence fell across the arena and Oliver didn’t get to finish telling her the line-up. The competitions were about to begin.
Several hours later, the sun was gone and the crowds were making their way to their wagons and buggies to start the journey home. Melvin, Oliver and Amelia were among them.
“I’ll bring the wagon around,” Melvin announced. He bounded from the stands and was out of sight soon after.
Amelia laughed. “He certainly moves fast,” she commented.
“That he does,” Oliver chuckled. He turned to look at her. “I guess we can wait here.”
“All right,” Amelia answered. She lowered herself to her seat and folded her hands gently in her lap. She took a deep breath as she looked up at him. “Thank you for bringing me,” she stated. “I had a really good time.”
Oliver sat beside her. “It was my pleasure. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.”
“I did,” Amelia continued, her smile even bigger than before. “It was so exciting. There were times when I forgot to breathe,” she mused.
He gazed at her. “Me too,” he said softly.
Her hair blew gently in the breeze and Oliver simply watched it. It was in her usual bun she wore every day. “Do you ever wear your hair different?”
Amelia looked at him curiously. “Not when I’m working,” she answered. “Why?”
Oliver chortled. “Nothing. It’s just that I’ve never seen it anything but all pinned up,” he commented. “I was wondering what it would look like otherwise.”
“You don’t like it,” Amelia commented, her smile gone as she fidgeted with her bun and then dropped her hand to her lap.
“No! Not at all! It’s not that,” he replied quickly. “It’s just, I was wondering how you’d look if your hair was done differently,” he said with a small shrug as he tried to dismiss his statement.
Amelia’s hand reached up to the tuft of curls behind her ear. She curled it around her finger as she tried to suppress a smile. “I see.”
“Is your hair curly or straight?” he asked absently. He tried to hide his smile but it was impossible. “I’ve been wondering about that for a long time.”
Amelia licked her lips before she answered him. His eyes watched the action as if it was the most amazing thing he had ever seen. “It’s kind of something in between,” she answered.
For the Love of a Wounded Cowboy: A Historical Western Romance Book Page 10