“Ahhh,” he cried out in a moment of pain.
Rafe snatched the little girl into his arms and helped her straddle the rope, using the plank as a seat. As if knowing exactly what Eli had intended, he slowly began to lower her through the only section of the tree barren enough of branches to give them a straight shot to the ground.
Hannah held her breath until the child was safely in Raine’s arms, then she and Archie both ran down the steps to greet her.
The moment she reached Raine, Mirabelle jumped into her arms.
“Did you see me?” she asked, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
Hannah wrapped her arms around the little girl and held onto her very tightly.
“I can’t breathe,” Mirabelle choked out, and she immediately loosened her grip.
“Sorry. I’m just so glad that you’re safe.” She leaned her forehead down until it met with the girl’s.
“I was scared.”
“Me too,” Archie said, reaching up and taking his little sister by the hand.
“Me too,” Hannah confirmed with one last squeeze before putting her down on the ground.
Archie placed his arm around her shoulder.
“You can’t go running off like that,” the boy chastised as if he were an adult looking after a child. “Folks was real worried about you.”
“Especially, your brother, Mirabelle.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” Archie said, then nodded emphatically with a huge grin on his face.
Several of the ranch hands passed by, reaching out and touching her shoulder or tipping their hats in her direction. She beamed back at them with a radiant smile. Then, she looked up at the tree to where Eli still waited.
“Why isn’t Mr. Whittaker coming down?” Mirabelle asked.
Hannah raised her head, and placed a hand over her brow to block the morning sun that sent streaks of light through the leaves in the tree. She knew he was hurt, but didn’t want to worry the children.
“Well, he’s a lumberjack, you know. They spend lots of time high in the trees. He’s been away from home for a while, so maybe he just misses being up there.”
Mirabelle ran toward the trunk.
“You can see everything up there,” she said. “Maybe we should go keep him company.”
“No!” Hannah, Raine, Cole, and Jonah yelled all at once.
Mirabelle giggled as Cole swept her up and over his head onto his back.
“I’ll bet you haven’t had any breakfast yet, have you?” he asked her.
“No, sir,” she responded.
“I bet my mama won’t even mind if you sit at the table in your nightdress. Should we go get you some food?”
“Okay.”
Hannah looked down at Archie.
“Are you hungry too?” she asked.
He started to shake his head, but when she looked at him with raised brows, he slowly nodded.
She laughed.
“Go on, then.” She motioned toward Cole and the boy’s little sister.
He didn’t move, but placed a hand in hers.
“It’s all right, Archie. I’ll be along shortly. I’m just going to wait for Mr. Whittaker and my brother who I haven’t seen in a long time, then we’ll all join you and the others.”
This seemed to satisfy him as he let go, took a few steps before looking back, then ran after Cole.
Hannah looked up into the tree, her hands wringing in front of her.
What if catching Mirabelle had broken his arm? How would he get down from the tree?
It wasn’t like her to get so worked up and worried. Her brothers had pulled stunts way worse than this and they’d been hurt loads of times, but she’d always known they would be all right, she’d felt it. This was different.
“Seamus is going to be okay,” Raine said as he wrapped his arm around her.
Hannah leaned into him, taking comfort in the fact that he was there. With all the fuss, she’d nearly forgotten about the poor dog’s predicament.
It was funny how Rafe always seemed to know just when and where he was needed and had a habit of showing up at the right time.
Thank you, Lord.
From their positioning on the ground, it was hard to see what was happening up the tree, but after a few minutes, Rafe started climbing back down the tree with Eli right behind him. Hannah’s heart lurched and she stood upright, waiting for them to reach the ground.
When Rafe jumped the last couple of feet from the bottom branch, Hannah ran to give him a big hug.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” she said, still squeezing him as tightly as she could.
He laughed. “I hope it’s not only for my doctorin’ skills,” he said with a squeeze of his own, lifting her slightly off the ground.
“Of course, not. You’re my big brother. I miss you.”
The moment Eli’s feet touched the ground, she ran past Rafe and barreled into the man, nearly knocking him off his feet as she threw her arms around him.
He winced, a low grunt coming deep from his throat.
Suddenly, everything she was thinking at that moment spilled from her lips in a rapid wave of questions and conversation.
“Oh, sorry,” she started, worried she may have hurt him even more. She glanced down at his arm, which no longer dangled awkwardly to his side. “Are you all right? I saw that you were hurt and I just couldn’t believe what you did. That tree is so tall and you climbed it without even thinking twice. You saved her. That little girl owes her life to you. And I...well...I...”
Oh, spit it out, Hannah.
“You what?” Eli encouraged.
Her emotions were a melting pot of gratitude, relief, indignation, awe, and...love.
She loved him.
How could that be?
As she pulled away, a little embarrassed by her awkward ramblings, she looked up into his face. She tried to keep her eyes away from his lips, but found her gaze flitting between his mouth and his eyes.
“I...am grateful.” She lowered her lashes, unable to continuing looking into his eyes without hoping he would kiss her.
“I should climb trees more often,” Eli said, wrapping his arm around her waist, holding her more securely against him.
“Hmhmmmh.” Raine cleared his throat.
“Ah, let ‘em be, big brother,” Rafe said loudly. “Well, what are you waiting for, Whittaker? Kiss her already!”
Hannah’s cheeks flooded with heat and she took a step back.
Not now. Not like this.
“I’m sorry,” she said, turning away from him and heading toward the house. She stopped, spun around and yelled. “I’m glad you didn’t die.” Then, with that, she ran up the back steps and into the house.
Once the door was closed, she leaned up against it and closed her eyes, trembling.
I love him.
Chapter 18
“You don’t truly expect me to wear this thing, do you?” Eli glanced down at the sling now ornamenting his arm.
“I don’t think you understand how serious of an injury this can be. Especially, for a lumberjack,” Rafe said as he sat on his bed, crossing his legs on top of the mattress, and leaned back against the headboard. “I wouldn’t recommend using that arm for a few weeks or more. At least not chopping, cutting, climbing, or sawing anything.” He placed his hat on top of his face.
“So, basically, stop working?”
“Or find another line of work,” Rafe said from beneath his hat.
“Have you been talking to Mr. Wendell?”
“The mill owner?”
Eli nodded.
Rafe sat up on the bed and draped his feet over the edge, one elbow resting on his knee and the other holding his hat.
“I’ve been in town a whole of four hours and in that time, I’ve operated on a dog, reduced your dislocated shoulder, and sat down to a plateful of Lottie’s quiche. When would I have had time to talk to anyone? Why? What would Mr. Wendell have to do with you working? You aren’t running lo
gs for him, are you? What about your dad’s company?”
“No, I’m not working for him.” Eli shook his head and chuckled. “Wendell wants me to buy his place.”
“Seems like more and more folks are picking up and moving out.”
“Or moving in.” Raine’s arms were folded and his legs crossed as he stood just inside of Rafe’s bedroom door. “Oh, you haven’t had the opportunity to meet Eustice Hollings. You’re in for a real treat. His family is from the shipping yards back East and he’s a little sweet on Hannah.”
“So, what’s this I hear about there being a shooting in town yesterday?” Rafe asked with interest.
“She was Archie and Mirabelle’s caretaker,” Raine said as he pulled a pocket watch out of his vest.
“And who exactly are Archie and Mirabelle?”
“The little boy and girl upsta—”
“No, I know who they are, but who are they? Where did they come from?” Rafe clarified his question as he hung his hat from the bedpost.
“They were a part of the Orphan Train that came through Kansas City a few days ago from New York.” Eli had listened to the boy talk for hours about the streets of the city.
“The little girl mentioned something about seeing a bad man through her window last night.”
“Ethan and I checked the perimeter of the house and had all of the hands do a walk through on all of the outbuildings. We didn’t find anything.”
“Though, the children mentioned a man last night before bed who tried to take them from the orphanage. Miss Hampton, the woman who was shot yesterday, apparently was worried for their safety and put them on the train with the other orphans,” Eli recounted.
“Do you think this bad man could have followed them here?” Rafe asked.
“It’s possible,” Raine said, pushing away from the wall. “Mrs. Day saw a couple of different strangers in town yesterday. One claimed he was headed to Leawood, which is where we were headed when all the ruckus broke out this morning.”
“Speaking of which,” Eli said, slipping down from the same table where Seamus had laid a few hours before, “is there always this much excitement at Redbourne Ranch?”
“Yes,” Rafe said.
“No,” Raine said at the same time.
Eli looked back and forth between the brothers.
“So, which is it?”
“Let’s just say I never get a moment’s rest when I come home.” Rafe said.
“I think trouble just follows you.”
Rafe grabbed one of the pillows from his bed and chucked it at his brother.
“The two of you sound like Jonah and Lucas. They always see things a little differently, but both accomplish great things. Must run in the family.” Eli had seen the Deardon brothers take opposite views on many things over the years and always wondered how they managed to stay so close.
Raine threw the pillow back at Rafe. “It’s good to have different perspectives.”
“So,” Rafe looked up at Eli, “are you going to do it?”
“What?”
“Buy the mill.”
The decision shouldn’t be this hard.
He still hadn’t made up his mind.
“Dad expects me to take over Whittaker Industries, but I have a feeling he’s going to work another twenty years. I don’t want to live my entire life under his thumb. I told Mr. Wendell I wasn’t interested, but I may have been a bit too hasty in that decision.”
“I think our baby sister might have something to do with that,” Raine chimed in.
“Are women always this confusing?” Eli asked, slumping down onto the foot of the bed.
“Yes,” the brothers said in unison.
“Great.”
A few moments passed in silence while they contemplated that thought.
“All right, well, I’ve got a job to do, and I’ve already had too many distractions today.” He leaned forward and tapped Eli on the leg. “Is he good to travel, Doc?” Raine asked, earning him a grimace from Rafe.
“Not likely. Not with his shoulder like that.” Rafe turned to him. “You’ll have a hard time pulling yourself up onto your horse. At least for the next few days.”
Eli nodded in understanding. His arm still throbbed and the idea of putting any amount of pressure on it, was not pleasing. Yet, the idea of finding the stranger intrigued him.
“You still wanting to ride into Leawood?” he asked.
“I think we need to find out if this Mr. Smith character had anything to do with Miss Hampton’s death.”
Rafe snorted. “His name is Smith?”
Raine rolled his eyes, but otherwise ignored his brother. “I don’t think he’s in Leawood, though, and if he is, he’s not our guy.”
“What makes you say that?” Rafe leaned forward, all playfulness erased from his face.
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Miss Hampton was the one who arranged for the children to come out west and then she’s the one who ended up dead.”
“You think the man who killed her is the same man who tried to kidnap the children?” Eli surmised.
“I think it is a possibility worth looking into.”
“Where do we start?”
Hannah needed air.
After their whirlwind of a morning, her mother had agreed to take the children over to Ethan and Grace’s to play with Luke for a few hours while they worked on a new quilt.
“Come on, boy,” she said, opening Whisper’s stall gate in the stable, “we’re going for a ride.”
Before long, the Belgian had her moving along at a good clip, the cool afternoon air brushing through Hannah’s hair as she rode toward the Stillwell place. She knew her friend wasn’t there, but she missed Maeve, especially now when there was so much to tell her.
Instead of riding over the bridge to get to their place, she decided to take the longer route as it passed by one of her favorite spots to think at the far edge of the ranch. As she rode through the orchard with its leaves all changing to brilliant shades of orange, red, and gold, she reflected on everything that had happened since Eli Whittaker had blown back into her life. He was charming and smart and strong. How could she not have remembered the feelings she’d had for her first love that she’d kept locked away in the closed recesses of her heart for so long?
Gordon had been there for her at a time when she’d needed a friend. A handsome boy who’d accepted her in every way and had always appreciated her for who she was and had become over the years. While she’d certainly never expected their innocent flirtation and longtime friendship to grow into something more, she’d believed she could be happy with him if he’d ever wanted to marry.
However, now, as she contemplated becoming Mrs. Gordon Blythe, and everything that would entail, including moving far away from her family and the creature comforts ranch life had to offer, she knew it wasn’t the life she wanted. He wasn’t the man she wanted.
“I thought I might find you out here.”
Hannah pulled Whisper around to the sound of Gordon’s voice.
“This has always been your place to come when you had a lot on your mind.” He dismounted and, with his horse’s reins in hand, walked toward her.
She took a deep breath before joining him on the ground.
“I stopped by the ranch and they said you’d gone for a ride.”
“I can’t marry you, Gordon,” she said, not wanting to delay the inevitable.
He kicked at some of the leaves, then scanned the orchard before looking back at her.
“It’s him, isn’t it?”
“Gordon…” she took a step toward him, reaching out to touch him, then thinking better of it. She dropped her gaze to the ground, then back up to meet his eyes.
“Whittaker’s the one you never got over? The one from Oregon who broke your heart?”
“Yes.”
“And you still love him?”
Hannah shook her head, still incredulous of that discovery.
“How is that e
ven possible?” she asked, tears formulating in her eyes. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt him. He’d been so good to her.
Be strong, Hannah, she chided.
“I knew the moment I saw the two of you dancing that there was something between you. I just didn’t put the pieces together until now.”
“Gordon, I had no idea that he was coming. I didn’t want…I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
“Deep down, Hannah, I think I’ve always known that I could never take his place.”
“I do love you, Gordon Blythe,” she said, taking a step toward him. “It’s just—”
“Not enough,” he finished for her.
“It shouldn’t be enough for you either,” she said. “You are the most deserving man I’ve ever met, and I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for me.” She took a step toward him and stood up on her toes to place a kiss on his cheek.
“I’m going to miss you, Hannah Redbourne. It’s been an adventure.”
“Me too. I truly am so happy for your new opportunity. I know you are going to have everything you ever wanted.”
“Except you.” He reached down to collect her hands in his. “Promise me one thing. Promise me that if things don’t work out with Eli, that you’ll come to New York.”
She squeezed his hands. “I can’t do that. You and I both know that after today, we can never go back. You will find someone who will adore you, whose whole heart will belong to you and you alone. That is my wish for you. Find her.”
He pulled her into a firm embrace. “You are a classy lady, Hannah,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “I wish you all the happiness in the world.” He grasped her shoulders in his hands and pushed her away from him just enough that she could look into his face.
Tears streamed down Hannah’s face as she realized this may be the last time she would ever see this man who’d been such a part of her life.
He reached up and wiped away a single tear with his thumb. “Goodbye, Hannah.” He turned away and climbed up onto his mount, then stared down at her for several moments.
With one last nod and half a smile, he pulled his horse around and rode out of the orchard and, in all likelihood, out of her life.
Hannah sat down on top of and amidst the colorful blanket of leaves that decorated the autumn earth. Clouds rolled over the sun, casting a shadow across the countryside. She wiped at the tip of her nose when something wet landed then and glanced heavenward to see a flurry of large, white flakes descending from the sky.
The Lumberjack Page 17