Oliver retrieved his saddle. It was hung over the side of the stall. He would thank the sheriff for taking care of everything for him. He didn’t have to.
Oliver led the horse from the stall and out into the street. He swung his leg over the back and immediately kicked his heels. He wanted to leave the town behind, and thoughts of Rayner with it. The only place he wanted to be was home.
The plains never looked so good to him. Oliver’s eyes stared ahead of him, his heart beating hard in his chest as the miles between him and home lessened. A smile immediately broke his serious gaze as the property finally came into view.
Oliver kicked his heels harder, the urge to get home even greater now that it was in sight. The wind whipped his face and his eyes began to water as he raced for home. Then, there was no longer miles but inches between him and the front porch. He pulled the reins hard and the horse snorted to an abrupt stop.
He didn’t wait a moment. He jumped from the animal’s back as the front door opened. His heart leaped into his mouth as Amelia stepped out of the house before him with a basket in hand. She was obviously preparing for her daily visit to the jail.
“Oliver!” she cried aloud and promptly dropped the basket.
His smile grew as he closed the space between them and snatched Amelia up into his arms, holding her tight as he spun her around. The sound of her elated laughter filled his ears and his heart.
“Ollie!” Melvin’s voice soon joined them.
“Hey there, Old Man,” Oliver replied as he set Amelia down. He didn’t release her, instead, he continued to hold her in his arms as he spoke to his old friend. “I’m back.”
“What happened?” Melvin questioned. “How’d ya get out?”
“Yes, what happened Oliver?” Amelia chorused. “I thought Sheriff Manchester said there was no telling how long you might be in there.”
“Rayner dropped the charges,” Oliver answered with trepidation.
Everyone stilled. Melvin looked at him in disbelief. Amelia looked up at him in shock.
“What?” she asked softly.
Oliver looked down at her. “I know. I couldn’t believe it myself, but Sheriff Manchester told me that Rayner dropped the charges and left town.”
“Well, that’s a roll of hogwash,” Melvin declared. “No way would that man just leave town when he had you just where he wanted you. No way!”
“That’s my feeling as well,” Oliver replied.
“Then why would he do it?” Amelia asked. She pressed her hands against his chest. “What did he hope to gain?”
Oliver’s mind went to the note that Rayner left for him. He couldn’t say anything about that now, not with Amelia there. She’d had enough trouble because of him, he wasn’t about to cause her more fear or concern because of him. He would protect her.
Even from me if I have to.
Oliver hugged Amelia once more. “I don’t know, but I’m home now. That’s all that matters.”
“We were just getting ready to head to town to see you,” Melvin informed him.
“I thought as much when I saw Amelia with the basket,” Oliver replied.
“The basket!” Amelia exclaimed. She attempted to extricate herself from his arms to retrieve the forgotten item.
“Leave it,” Oliver replied. He sighed deeply, the sight of Amelia brought calm to his heart immediately. Whatever worries he had, he wanted to put them aside and remain there, lost in her brown eyes.
“I can’t just leave it there,” Amelia replied with a chuckle.
“Don’t you worry about it, Miss Amelia,” Melvin interrupted. “I’ll get it. You and Oliver get in the house. I expect he’s more than a little tired after being in that cell all these days.”
“That’s right,” Oliver said as he took a deep breath. “I don’t think I could have lasted much longer in there.”
Amelia patted his chest comfortingly. “You don’t have to worry about that anymore. You’re home now.” She smiled up at him. Oliver felt his heart warm.
He allowed Amelia to lead him into the house while Melvin lingered behind them. “Where are the others?” Oliver asked as he found a seat in his favorite chair by the fireplace.
“On the range,” Amelia informed him. “Melvin hasn’t allowed them to let up one bit since you were gone. He’s had them working even harder, I think. He really wanted you to be happy with what you found when you got home.”
Oliver leaned his head back as he kicked his boots off. “I did not doubt that he would take care of things,” he stated.
“Can I get you anything? Water? Some food? I can put something together real quick for you.”
“No,” Oliver said softly. He reached for Amelia’s hand and held it. He stroked the back of her knuckles with his thumb. “I just want to sit here for a while.”
Amelia kneeled beside him. “I’m really glad you’re home.”
“So am I,” Oliver whispered in reply.
“I was scared you wouldn’t come home,” Amelia continued. “I thought…”
Oliver nodded solemnly. “I know,” he replied. “I thought the same.”’ He took another deep breath. It felt as if he’d spent the entire time in jail holding them in, now, he couldn’t breathe enough. “I was sure Rayner was going to leave me there.”
A look of concern washed over Amelia’s face. “Then why did he let it go? What does he want, Oliver?”
“I don’t know,” he replied.
“Is that true?” Amelia asked. Her brow furrowed as she looked at him
Her question took him by surprise. “Why do you ask that?”
Oliver watched Amelia as she avoided his gaze. She pushed up from where she knelt beside him and took several steps away before she turned her back. She rubbed her hands together. Oliver sat forward.
“Amelia?” he called.
Melvin walked into the room a moment later. He stopped immediately. He looked at Oliver and then turned to Amelia. “I’ll just put this in the kitchen,” he said quickly, as he skirted past the tension in the room and disappeared. He must have left by the backdoor because he didn’t come back that way.
Oliver got to his feet. “Amelia?” he called again as he walked up behind her. Amelia didn’t turn around. Oliver stood behind her, his hands twitched with the desire to reach out and hold her again. He didn’t resist the temptation. He reached out and took gentle hold of her arms. “What is it?”
“I don’t know what to believe anymore, Oliver. You say one thing, but I can tell there’s more,” she replied. “I just want the truth from you. I’m in this, whether you like it or not,” she continued. “I wish you’d trust me.”
Oliver turned her around in his arms. “I do trust you.”
“Then why won’t you be honest with me? Why do you keep so many secrets? Why do you want to shut me out?” she insisted.
“I just want to protect you,” Oliver replied. “I don’t want to shut you out. Never that.” He pulled her to him gently. “I wanna keep you close,” he whispered.
Amelia’s breath hitched audibly. Oliver pulled her closer.
“Amelia,” he started. He licked his lips nervously. “I…I care about you,” he said gently. “A lot.”
“I care about you, Oliver,” she replied. “You know that.”
He shook his head gently. “No, Amelia. I don’t think you get it,” Oliver continued. “I don’t just care about you. I…I think, I mean I know…I love you.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Amelia woke with a smile. She was doing that a lot in the past days, and she knew why. Oliver was home, and more than that, he loved her. It was a thought that made Amelia’s heart soar whenever she considered it. Oliver Gyles loved her.
She gazed out the window, as the slowly rising sun brought light to the sky. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and then opened them again. Her smile brightened. It was real.
Sometimes Amelia couldn’t believe it. It didn’t seem possible that someone could love her. Yet, Oliver did
, and she didn’t doubt him for a moment. It was true. Deep down in her soul, she knew it was. It wasn’t something she was used to, that’s why she couldn’t mistake the feeling. Amelia had known hate and hurt and pain, but love was something entirely new and enchanting.
Everything she did seemed to have new meaning. The breakfast she made, the clothes she sewed, the eggs she collected, all seemed different somehow, though the acts themselves had not altered. It was as if there was something special, magical, about them now. It was as if love colored everything she did making it more lovely and wondrous than it had been before.
Amelia swung her legs from beneath the blanket. She stretched and then strode toward the door.
Time to start the day.
The day seemed to roll by at lightning speed. The sun was up before she could blink, and it felt like a moment after that the day was ending, and she had yet to complete her chores. Supper was eaten and the dishes packed away when she gathered her basket and headed for the door.
“Where are you headed at this time?” Melvin questioned her as she passed him in the living room.
Amelia smiled. “Just out to the vegetable patch. I didn’t get to that today.”
Melvin frowned. “You fixin’ to do that now?” he questioned. “It can wait ‘til tomorrow.”
“I’d rather do it now,” Amelia answered. “I’ll need some vegetables for tomorrow’s meals.”
Melvin stood. “I’ll come with you then.”
She raised her hand to stop him. “There’s no need,” Amelia replied. “I can go by myself. It isn’t far. Besides, you need to rest before you have to take up the watch.”
Oliver had taken the first watch of the evening. Since he returned home several days before, he’d decided to change things. Now, the men no longer patrolled the same areas but switched their posts daily. Oliver didn’t explain why, but Amelia had an inkling it had to do with Rayner. The man seemed to unnerve Oliver, and as yet, she had not learned why.
“Are you sure, Miss Amelia?” Melvin question with a yawn. “I can go with you. It would be no trouble.”
“Get some rest,” Amelia countered. “I’ll be just fine. There are men watching every inch of this place.”
Melvin yawned again. “That don’t matter. I can still go with you…”
“I am going alone, Melvin,” Amelia replied. She shook her head at his persistence, despite his obvious fatigue. He was as determined to protect her as Oliver was, but neither man seemed to realize that she didn’t need protecting all of the time. She turned from the house.
The wind was gentle and there was a chill in the air as Amelia stepped out. She pulled her coat tighter around her neck. She’d collected it from the rack by the door on her way out. The basket swung loosely in one hand and a lamp in the other.
She looked around the dark sky, stars dotted it like pinpricks and Amelia stood admiring the glittering display. “Lovely.”
She strode toward the vegetable patch. The lights from the house left outlines on the grass in the shape of the windowpanes. The night was still, save for the occasional woot of an owl and the rustling of the wind through the trees and shrubs. Amelia had no fear as she walked. This was her home. Her land. What was there to fear?
The vegetable patch wasn’t far from the house, but far enough that the light from it didn’t quite reach the spot where she now stood. Amelia used the convenience of an old tree stump to plant her lamp on. The hoe was propped against it where she’d left it that morning.
“Thank goodness,” she commented to herself as she took the tool in hand. “I would have hated to have to go all the way back to the barn for you,” she stated.
Amelia scanned the rows of vegetables. There were several that were ready for harvesting, and a few that still needed more time. It was the rotation that Oliver had started, allowing part of the land to lay fallow while the other part produced. It also meant that they had vegetables at times when others did not. It meant their table hardly ever had to go without.
Amelia raised the hoe above her head. She had her focus on a row of potatoes when a flicker of something to her right caught her eye. Her entire body froze. Slowly, she turned toward the light.
Her heart seized in her chest at the sight of glowing embers in a nearby line of trees. She wanted to call out but found the words lost somewhere in her throat. She dropped the hoe slowly and began to back away from the vegetable patch, her eyes still lingering on the light in the trees. Finally, when she was sure there was good enough distance between her and the light, Amelia turned on her heels and ran for the house.
“Melvin!” she yelled as she raced for the safety, “Melvin!”
The older man appeared on the porch moments later. His shotgun was in his hands and his expression fierce. “What is it?”
Amelia was panting by the time she reached his side. “Someone…in the trees,” she gasped between breaths.
“Get inside,” Melvin ordered as he pushed her behind him protectively. He didn’t look back at her. His eyes were trained on the bushes ahead.
She ran into the house immediately. Amelia turned to the door as she backed away from it. She screamed out as two strong hands took hold of her arms. She turned to find herself face-to-face with Oliver.
“What’s the matter?” he asked urgently. His eyes moved from her to the door and back again. “What is it?”
Amelia felt tears sting her eyes as she hugged him tightly and buried her face in his chest. “Oliver,” she cried. “There was someone outside, in the trees. Someone watching me.”
She felt Oliver’s hands hold her tighter. “Stay here,” he ordered. He looked down at her earnestly, and Amelia nodded. The next moment his rifle was in-hand and he was headed for the door. Amelia watched him go, her heart racing in her chest as the door closed behind him.
Amelia paced the room. She wrung her hands in front of her. Her ears pricked at every fragment of sound. It felt as if her heart was about to break free of her chest. She expected to hear gunfire at any moment, but there was none. Then the sound of boots on the porch caused everything to stop. Amelia stared at the door as it opened and Oliver walked in.
She rushed toward him. “Who was it?”
Oliver set his rifle aside. “I didn’t see anything. I left Melvin to check things out further. I wanted to be sure you were all right.” He pulled Amelia toward him and she stepped into his arms. She trembled but instantly felt safer to have him near.
“What was it that you saw exactly?” Oliver continued to question.
“I don’t know,” Amelia answered. “It looked like a spark, like the end of a cigarette or cigar,” she said. “I didn’t really see anything else. I just know it was high in the tree line, like the height of a man maybe. I don’t know. Maybe it was fireflies. I got so scared that I just got out of there, I really didn’t see if it was a person or not and it didn’t move. I just wanted to get away.”
“It’s all right. You’re safe,” Oliver assured her as he stroked her hair. “No one’s going to hurt you.” He released her slightly. “Come, sit over here,” he instructed as he guided her toward the hearth. He sat her in his chair and dragged another from across the room to sit by her.
Amelia shivered as she watched the flames flicker.
The light, it had to be a cigar. It couldn’t be anything else. It wasn’t my imagination, despite everything that was going on around here. I know someone was watching me. I don’t want to think who it could be.
She couldn’t doubt herself. She’d always had an active imagination, but that wasn’t the circumstances now, though it could easily be. It wasn’t too far a stretch to think that she’d made something out of nothing given the amount of strain she’d been under with the peculiar occurrences around the ranch. She hadn’t made a mistake, and made a big deal out of nothing.
That would be embarrassing. I’d look like such a fool.
She shook her head. She knew she hadn’t. Once, she may have doubted herself, but no more. Am
elia turned to Oliver. He was leaned forward and hunched over his knees looking at her. “Do you need anything?” he asked. “Some tea to calm your nerves?”
She shook her head. “No. I’m fine,” she replied.
Oliver smiled. “You’re always fine, even when you’re not,” he stated. “Sometimes I wonder if that’s the only response you know,” he teased.
Amelia grinned. “Sometimes I wonder the same thing. I’ve always had to hide my feelings, so I’ve gotten used to it. People rarely asked and if they did, most of the time they didn’t really care but did it out of politeness.”
“You know that isn’t the case with me,” Oliver replied.
For the Love of a Wounded Cowboy: A Historical Western Romance Book Page 21