Rubbing her cheeks free of tears, the young lady looked up.
Dirty blonde hair peeked out of her bonnet in soft curls around her face. She had soft round cheeks beneath her big brown eyes and just above ruby red lips. The woman was younger than he had supposed, and much prettier. Even with her wobbly chin, there was something about her that made him forget what he had been saying.
She gulped before offering a hesitant smile. “Do you really think so?”
“I do.” He nodded so fast that it made his thoughts spin. “I mean it. Yeah. And you’ll be fine, too. Maybe he was just tired or- or didn’t eat. It happens sometimes, and it’s nothing serious. He’s strong, isn’t he?”
The young woman nodded hopefully. “Yes, I think so.”
Seeing another tear make its way down her cheek, Chester wished he could make it go away. Then he remembered his handkerchief. Pulling it out, he glanced up at her.
“Here.” He swallowed, trying to smile.
Her lips parted in surprise before she offered a small smile of her own. She sniffled and accepted it. “That’s kind of you. Thank you, sir.”
“Of course.” Chester realized he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off the young woman. “And I mean it. Your father will get better. He has you.”
“That’s true,” she sniffled before using the handkerchief to dab politely at her face. “You’re too kind, I’m afraid. Thank you for your help and your kind words. And I don’t even know you, do I?”
It took him a minute to find his voice. He could feel his throat dry right up as he tried to think. Chester glanced her over as he searched for his tongue.
His heart skipped a beat. “That’s all right. I just want to help. I’m Chester, by the way. Chester Lornsen.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Chester Lornsen.” She managed to give him a smile. He noticed she had a dimple on her left cheek. It made her even prettier. He knew he shouldn’t think about that, so he scolded himself. “I’m Blossom Everett.”
She looked somewhat familiar as though they might have seen each other before. Perhaps simply around town. He wasn’t certain. But she had a lovely smile and she hadn’t yet given him one of those cold looks he was used to receiving in town.
It’s refreshing to find someone who doesn’t automatically hate me. Especially someone so beautiful.
Chapter Four
Blossom’s Father
Blossom inhaled sharply as she dried the last of her tears.
The faded handkerchief now looked damp and pathetic. It was hard not to wince at the object for it looked much worse than when she first received it.
She swallowed hard as she fiddled with it, wishing it would miraculously dry, before looking up at the gentleman who had been so generous.
“It’s all damp,” she confessed. “May I take this home with me? I’d like to wash it and starch it for you.”
When she explained her desire, the man’s eyes widened in surprise. Then he chuckled with a shake of his head. “Oh. No, you don’t have to do that.”
“It’s all right. I’d like to. I want to,” she added, finding strength in her voice. Blossom inhaled deeply as she finally gave him a good look.
She had been so caught up in her own problems that she hadn’t paid any mind to the gentleman who had been helping her all along.
While he looked vaguely familiar, she couldn’t quite place the young man beside her.
His face was free of blemishes and wrinkles, though rather tan. He had to be older than her by a couple of years. The young man had dark hair and eyes that were a similar shade. Some shade of soft brown that she couldn’t quite place. But when he looked at her, his eyes sparkled.
She blinked and glanced away as she felt dizzy. The world spun. As she reached out to hold onto something, his hand found hers. It was rough, like a horse’s tongue.
“Whoa,” he asked her softly, “What is it? Maybe you should sit. There- he has a bench right over here.”
“I… Oh.” Blossom gripped his hand as she allowed him to lead her around the porch onto a bench. She clutched the handkerchief with her free hand. Her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath. Every time she thought she had it, the air seemed to slip away.
As she took a seat, she realized why he had made the suggestion. She was able to take a deep breath and found her heartbeat again. She didn’t know what had just happened. But perhaps she wouldn’t look at his eyes again.
Another deep breath in and out. Blossom squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and then reopened them.
The world still went on. She forced herself to swallow her fear. It would do her no good. That was something she had learned when she lost her mother. Fear is not a friend. I need to pull myself together. If the world continues, then so can I.
But the concern would not fade away.
It was something that she lived with now. Having faced her mortality since that attack, Blossom had wondered a lot about how she might die and what might happen if and when her father passed away.
She still wasn’t ready to answer those questions. She was still too young, and so was he.
Above her, the sun shined brightly. There were no clouds to be found. The sky was bluer than anything she had ever seen before. It would be a lovely day if she wasn’t so worried.
Blossom couldn’t imagine losing her father. They had their happy little life together. She had never desired for anything more.
Her next breath was slow and shaky. Calm down already, Blossom. You can do this. But the thought of losing another parent made her want to fall apart again.
“Ma’am?”
She turned to see him leaning his elbows on his knees to look at her. The kindness in his eyes took her a minute to recall his name. Chester, he had said, Chester Lornsen.
Blinking, this time she managed not to grow dizzy looking him in the eye. Blossom was relieved but also found herself somewhat disappointed. It made for a nice distraction. He made for a nice distraction.
“Please.” She forced a smile on her face. “You may call me Blossom. There’s no need for formalities. Not after what you did for me. And I really do appreciate your service to me and my father.”
The man ducked his head. “No thanks needed. I just did what any other man would do.”
As he talked, her eyes wandered as she noticed movement in the road. They were just outside the town square. There were a few folks coming and going. She looked up to find Junior Hopkins crossing with a noisy box. It sounded like chickens.
Junior was friendly, if not a little quirky like his father. She blinked and attempted to gather enough energy to wave so she could be polite.
He gave her a nod before glancing next to her at Chester Lornsen. Junior’s brow furrowed and he frowned before quickening his step. He was gone. It all happened in a second.
But it seemed like a rather odd second, even for a Hopkins.
Her eyes wandered for a second. She shook her head, feeling as though she had missed something.
But it passed. Blossom cleared her throat as she turned back to the gentleman beside her. There were so many feelings weighing on her chest that she needed to get off.
“I don’t know what I would have done if you weren’t there to help. We were only coming into town today because he wanted to buy me something for my birthday. He just… It sounds terribly foolish, doesn’t it? I’m too old for such a thing. It’s so childish.”
“No. No, not at all,” Chester cleared his throat. “I don’t think so. I think that’s sweet.”
Her hands were still shaking. Even with his kindness, Blossom still felt like such a fool. Her stomach was bound in a tight knot. She gripped her hands in an attempt to make them stop shaking.
She just wanted to know if her father would be well again.
Looking up, she caught sight of a few more people passing along the street ahead. There were enough of them that moved past them and enough of those who glanced over at her. At her and Chester.
It wa
s rather odd.
Every one of them wore the strangest expressions when they looked over at the two of them. Blossom chose to pay it no mind. She was just so worried.
After a few deep breaths, Blossom sighed. Her heart didn’t ache so much now. She straightened up to find that as she sat with her back against the rails, her feet didn’t touch the ground. Her legs swung softly with the folds of her skirt swishing. The familiar sound was soothing.
One deep breath in and then another one out. She got better at it as the minutes ticked by.
She tried to relax. This could be nice with the sun shining down, swinging here on a bench, and sitting next to someone so kind.
This was all dashed to bits as she heard the door creak open.
Blossom jumped up and whirled around. Putting a hand to her heart, she found the doctor standing there in the doorway.
She felt her heart jump into her throat. Her eyes flitted over to Chester who also stood, his broad shoulders straightening as though ready to face the challenge. She willed herself to do the same.
“Come,” the doctor beckoned.
Not another word was needed. Blossom kept a hand over her heart and the other clutched at her skirts as she rushed toward the doctor. She prayed quickly in her mind that the Lord was there for her father and that all would be well.
“How is he?” she demanded in the doorway.
There were footsteps behind her as Chester followed them. “Should I go?”
She licked her lips and meant to say that he could, for he had no obligations to her, nor her family. But Blossom found herself reaching out a hand to him. She couldn’t picture herself losing her father so soon.
“Please stay. If you have a moment to spare?” She could use the support.
His eyes met hers as he nodded. For a moment she couldn’t move. Not until he glanced away and turned to the doctor. “How is Miss Everett’s father?”
Blossom felt guilty for not being able to remember the doctor’s name at a time like this. Her heart was hammering so quickly again that it was hard to think straight.
Surely Father will be well. But if he wasn’t, then she had to be prepared. Then what would I do? If he were injured, then perhaps he would need help getting home. She would need to borrow a cart. But she didn’t know who had a cart to spare. There might not be any carts available to use and then she didn’t know what she would do. They would be stuck.
“Miss?”
She jerked her head up. “Yes? Yes? How is he? What’s happened?”
The doctor was an older man who had only a few wisps of hair left on his head. His owlish eyes were large for his small mouth. And he had a serious frown that worried her.
A lump formed in her throat as he beckoned her down the hall again. The man revealed her father just where she had left him in what felt like ages ago.
He was still there. His hair was disheveled and his clothes were dirty. Blossom stood frozen until she could see with certainty that his chest was moving up and down. She let out the breath she hadn’t realized that she was holding.
He doesn’t look too well, but he is alive.
Only then did she realize that the doctor was speaking to her.
Her heart jumped as she hurriedly turned her attention back to him, hoping she hadn’t missed anything important. Blossom prayed to the Lord for His strength.
“He just needs rest,” the man informed them gently. He clasped his hands behind him. “The man appears to have been under some strain, which he needs to avoid. For at least a month, I would suppose, if not longer. Keep him on bedrest as much as possible. Old age catches up to all of us, whether we like it or not.”
Blossom swallowed as she glanced between the men. “But-- he’ll be all right? He’s going to be okay?”
The doctor nodded. “As long as he gets his rest. Feed him well and let him rest. But I would say that his active days are at an end.”
She almost laughed in giddiness because she was so relieved. Clasping her hands together, she nodded quickly. “Of course, of course. I’ll take good care of him, I promise. I told him we should have ridden, but I never thought this.” Blossom inhaled deeply to pull herself together. Another breath and she forced a smile. “Thank you, Doctor. And thank you, Chester,” she added to the gentleman beside her. “I don’t know what my father and I would have done without such kindness.”
“Of course,” Chester mumbled as he looked down at his feet.
The doctor just gave her a polite nod.
“Can we go home, then?” Blossom inquired. “When will he wake up? He will wake up soon, won’t he?”
After glancing back at her father, the doctor nodded. “Yes, but I would rather you didn’t wake him. As I said, he needs his rest. He should sleep until he wakes. That could be in a minute or perhaps later this evening. When he does, I’m sure he will be dazed. He took a hard fall and his head will ache. He may have a fuzzy memory, but that should fade.”
That worried her, but she tried to tell herself that the overall diagnosis was positive. “I see. Thank you. Might I have permission to take him home? Or I suppose you might want him to stay longer here?”
“Spending more time with a doctor is never a good sign, my dear. No, home is where the heart heals. If you have transportation to take him home in, then his own bed is best. But I wouldn’t suggest that he attempt another walk.”
Blossom hesitated. “I see. Well. I don’t know quite what there is, but I shall go ask at the livery stables.”
“Or- I could,” Chester spoke up as she quieted. “That is, I have a horse. If we can keep him upright, I can take the two of you to your home. If that could be of service to you,” he added haltingly.
She shook her head, unable to help herself. The good doctor had taken care of her father and now this gentleman was again offering his aid.
Blossom didn’t know how she had managed to grow so fortunate, but she thanked the Lord that she was not alone.
Chapter Five
Chester’s Home
He didn’t know why he was offering to help her out even more.
It wasn’t like they knew each other or were close. But he couldn’t stand to see someone in need of help. Especially someone like her.
“I couldn’t quite possibly impose on you more than I already have,” Blossom shook her head at his offer.
He was a stranger. She had no reason to trust him. He understood that. But there was something about the young woman before him that made him want to stay by her side for as long as she would allow him.
The worry in her brow was apparent. Chester could see the indecision within her. The young lady fumbled with her hands as she struggled to make up her mind. She didn’t know what to do, only knowing that she didn’t want to be a bother.
So he shook his head. There was no need for her to worry so much over something so simple.
While he was certain that the townsfolk would treat her much better than they would ever treat him, Chester knew how difficult it could be to ask for help. He still didn’t know how to do that.
It was the West, a place where people had to fight to live another day. People rarely had enough, let alone enough to share. He didn’t like to impose on others. Besides, no one liked him. After five years, the whispers still hadn’t faded away. It was only his neighbors who really gave him any time or respect.
But he didn’t mind, so long as people kept away.
He just wanted to live his own life. Knowing the opportunity didn’t come often to help those around him, Chester couldn’t deny the chance. He owed the town everything. Even if they didn’t like him, they let him live there and still purchase and sell his goods when he needed to. Everyone deserved kindness. That’s what the Bible said.
Because of this, he didn’t want to make her ask for help. Instead, he would offer it to her.
“I insist,” Chester offered a hesitant smile along with his help. “Please. My horse is steady, and I’m sure that your father could use the support. Then
once you are safely home, I’ll turn around and go. But your father should be home soon in his own bed, and I’d like to help if you’ll let me.”
The doctor shrugged when Blossom looked at him, and then she glanced back over to Chester. Her eyelashes fluttered softly before she gave him a shy nod.
“If you don’t mind, then we would be very grateful to you.” Then she offered him a sweet smile that made his stomach clench. “Thank you, Chester.”
He swallowed hard before nodding to her. “My pleasure, ma’am. I’ll bring my horse around and be right there.”
A Deal with the Cowboy’s Tangled Heart: A Historical Western Romance Book Page 4