Wynter's Bride

by Christine Sterling

  “I dunno,” he said, kicking the snow that was starting to pile up against the door. Could be two days, could be two weeks.”

  ☐☐☐

  “Two weeks?” She couldn’t be stuck up here for the next two weeks. She heard Seb mumble something under his breath. “What was that?”

  “Nothing. I need to get the milk and apples in before they freeze.”

  “Why haven’t they frozen so far?”

  Seb lifted his eyebrow at her. “You are very inquisitive.”

  Ivy blushed. Perhaps she had been chatty, but she was just so bored from being alone while he was unconscious. “Just making conversation.”

  “They haven’t frozen because the box is insulated. It keeps it cold but prevents freezing. In these extreme conditions, not even the box can prevent the contents from freezing. Pass me that basket, please.” He pointed to an empty basket next to the hutch.

  Ivy passed him the basket and he disappeared outside. It wasn’t more than a minute, she was sure, but it seemed like an eternity before he came back in. He handed her the bucket of milk and placed the basket of apples on the table.

  “You shouldn’t have gone out without your coat,” she gently scolded him.

  “I was only out for a minute.” He blew on his hands and picked the bucket of milk up again. “We can put the milk on the cellar steps. It will keep it cold enough down there. The apples can just stay on the table.”

  “You have a cellar?”

  “Yes. It is this way. Might as well give you the grand tour since you’ll be here at least a few more days.”

  He went over to the far wall and it was then Ivy noticed a doorway cut out. It had no frame and seemed to blend seamlessly into the wall. If it weren’t for the handle, she might not have seen it there. In fact, she hadn’t seen it at all the entire time she had been there.

  Seb pulled on the handle and the panel opened, revealing short steps to a dirt room below. Ivy’s eyes opened wide. There were shelves with baskets full of vegetables and potatoes, more apples, smoked meats hanging from the ceiling, and even some dried fish. A few barrels sat in a corner, but Ivy couldn’t tell what they contained.

  And just think, she had been living on eggs, apples and cheese for the past few days not realizing this bounty was beneath her feet.

  “That is wonderful,” Ivy said. “There are so many things down here.”

  “This is my hunting and gathering for the year. I’m still doing some hunting, but mostly trapping.”

  “Are there enough items to make a soup? It would help you get your strength back.”

  Seb put the milk on the steps leading down to the cellar. He walked over to one of the shelves. “What would you like? I have a venison roast and some vegetables.”

  Ivy nodded. She was so happy that she would have a real meal in her belly this evening. Seb came back up to the kitchen with a small roast, several potatoes and a few carrots. Ivy took the precious items from him.

  Within minutes, the roast and the vegetables were in a Dutch oven over the fire. Ivy scooped more coals on top of the pot to ensure the heat cooked the contents inside.

  “I’ve never cooked over a fire like this before,” she told him. He sat in one of the chairs near the fire.

  “You can’t tell. You appear to be a natural.”

  Ivy laughed. “Book learning.”

  It would be a few hours before the roast would be done, so she made an apple pie with a few of the apples on the table.

  Once she was done, she sat at the table reading the Montgomery Ward catalog that she found in a stack of books. She went through the pages silently making notes of what she would purchase if she was going to remain at the cabin. The first order of business would be a real wood stove. No more cooking over a fire and risking her dress burning.

  But it was just a foolish game as she wouldn’t be staying and Seb seemed quite intent on returning her to town as soon as he could.

  Before long the roast and vegetables were done and Seb put the pot on the table. He sliced the meat and placed a few pieces on the plates Ivy brought over.

  The meat was so tender, and the vegetables cooked to perfection. Ivy thought it was the best thing she had ever eaten.

  “I’ve never had venison before,” she told him, popping another succulent bite in her mouth. “It is really good.”

  “It is one of my favorite meats.”

  “So, Mr. Hunter, you hunt deer. I see you trap for furs.” She pointed to the ermine hanging on a peg. “You apparently grow carrots and potatoes. What else do you do out here?”

  Seb shrugged his shoulders. “I live a simple life. Trapping is a big part of it. I trade the furs for supplies in town. That way I don’t have to use my money at the bank. I hunt because I have to eat. I can’t live on Aunt Peggy's jam alone.”

  “And the vegetables?”

  “I have a small garden plot. I rotate growing vegetables. Plus, there are a lot of things that can be foraged out in the wild. Lettuces, onions, mushrooms.”

  “It must be very lonely,” she said, placing her fork down on the table.

  “I don’t like much company,” he said.

  She turned, eyeing him. “But you had a wife, so you must have loved someone enough to keep them around.”

  “You’re right,” he said.

  “May I ask what happened?”

  “It’s a long story.” He wasn’t sure he wanted to go down this path.

  “Well, we have plenty of time,” she insisted. “As you said earlier, this storm may take a while.”

  Chapter 9

  His story still rang in her ears six days later. His poor wife. Being murdered by that same scoundrel that kidnapped her. No wonder Seb wanted to be alone. It was apparent that he didn’t want to risk losing someone else.

  They fell into an easy routine while being snowed in. The blizzard howled for two days. Ivy cooked, and she finished mending all of Seb’s clothes. He made her a pair of mittens from a deer hide and lined them with the ermines hanging on the wall. She had never had a finer pair of mittens.

  As soon as there was a break Seb went out to check on the horse and chickens. The snow was much higher now. And he told her he couldn’t get to the trees because there was no way to get to the wood line.

  It took another two days before Seb could go look at the logs and see if he could move them from the path. He returned with the bad news that they were covered in snow and he would have to remove that first before trying to remove the logs.

  She hated to admit it, but she was dreading leaving the cabin. It was truly peaceful. She could see the higher mountains in the distance. There were deer that walked across the property. The sun was shining in the sky and melting the snow down. Ivy spent a bit of time each day outside, so she wouldn’t go stir crazy.

  She even found a copy of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and spent the evenings reading out loud by the fire while Seb sewed her mittens.

  The most difficult time was in the evenings as they would get ready to settle down for the night. Ivy didn’t want to say goodnight. She found herself really enjoying Seb’s company.

  Seb insisted that Ivy take the bed, as he was feeling much better. She should have enjoyed sleeping in a bed again. Especially after the uncomfortable accommodations on the train, the hard floor of the cave and her chair cradle. Instead she laid awake that night listening to Seb’s even breathing coming through the walls and wondering if he wanted to kiss her as much as she wanted to be kissed.

  ☐☐☐

  Her opportunity to find out came the next night after they finished up dinner. Ivy cooked and Seb washed the dishes. Ivy dried them and Seb put them away. It was a routine she was becoming accustomed to.

  Ivy refilled their coffee cups and they sat in front of the fire with their legs stretched out in front of the flames. Ivy felt toasty, relaxed and content.

  “I can’t believe I’ve been up here for over two weeks,” she said breaking the silence as they sipped their c
offee.

  “It is hard to believe,” Seb concurred. “You just fit right in.”

  “Hopefully the snow will melt soon, and you’ll have your cabin back to yourself.”

  Seb didn’t reply. He just continued to look at the flames. Ivy wished he would say something. Anything to tell her what was going on in his head.

  Ivy gave a slight cough to bring him out of his reverie. “I can’t believe it is going to be Christmas in a few days.”

  “Uh-huh,” Seb replied. “I guess you’ll be going home instead of New York.”

  “It would definitely be easier. School starts again in January, so I was leaving New York right after the wedding to head back home. My students need me, so I guess I’ll just go back to San Francisco. I won’t arrive in time for Christmas, but I will be there for the New Year.”

  “So, you’d just spend Christmas on a train?”

  “I guess I will. I don’t do much for Christmas anyway.”

  “What do you normally do?”

  “I usually go to dinner with all the teachers in San Francisco. It is held at the parsonage. What about you? Do you have any traditions?”

  “There is a big celebration in town on Christmas Eve. There is a big tree in the center of town that the children decorate. It has paper chains and popcorn strings and ribbons. Everybody comes out and there is a retelling of how the town was settled by my grandparents.”

  “Tell me the story, please.”

  “My grandmother was a preacher’s wife. Her name was Clara. She came all the way from the East in a covered wagon with her husband. They were headed to Oregon to start preaching out there. Unfortunately, her husband died on the trip. Do you know what happens when a woman’s husband dies on a wagon train?”

  Ivy shook her head.

  “All the other women decide if she will remarry one of the single men on the train or if she has to leave the safety of the group. They don’t want a single woman, no matter how God-fearing she is, around their husbands. So, they asked her to leave.”

  Ivy gasped. “How terrible.”

  “I can only imagine. Winter is starting, and Clara is out there all alone. The train just pulled out of Fort Bridger, leaving my grandmother there alone.”

  “What happened next?” Ivy leaned forward to listen intently.

  “Well Clara was a stubborn sort of woman and she hitched up her oxen and took off after that wagon train. You could hear her coming for miles around because she had this set of bells that were attached to the big ox.” Seb smiled at the memory. “But then the tire got caught in a rut.”

  “Oh no! What did she do?”

  “She was right by the river at the base of the mountains and wouldn’t you know it? A man by the name of John Shepherd was trapping that river. He heard the bells, then he heard my grandmother crying.”

  “Did he rescue her?”

  “He sure did. Took her back to his little cabin where they stayed all winter. Married her too. That cabin is still in Belle.”

  “Belle. Like the bells she put on the animals?”

  “Exactly. Never was there a couple more in love.”

  “So, they had children and here you are!”

  “Yes. They had my Uncle Matthew and my mother, Ella. I have two cousins that live in town. The rest of the residents just trickled in.”

  “So, they fell in love at first sight. How wonderful!”

  Seb laughed. “I don’t know if that happened. I think it was more of my grandfather didn’t want to see a lady in distress.”

  “Grandfather, like grandson,” Ivy replied. Seb quickly turned away. Ivy finished her coffee and put the cup on the hearth. “Are you going to the celebration this year?”

  Seb looked at the flames. It took a moment before he finally responded. “No. I haven’t been in nearly five years…”

  “Since your wife died?” Ivy prodded.

  “Yeah, since Lacey died. It was her favorite season. I just can’t bring myself to relive all those memories.”

  “But those memories of the celebration and decorating and everything else, those are good memories? Right?”

  “I guess so.”

  “Well then, wouldn’t she want you to remember all those good times and start to make some new ones?”

  “I would be betraying her. Besides, I don’t know if there will be a celebration this year. Right before I left to find you, Jason, my cousin and the mayor, let me know the bells were stolen.”

  “Why would you be betraying her? Because you go spend time with your family and friends. Your wife sounded like a wonderful, kind-hearted woman. You should honor her memory, not run from it.”

  Seb didn’t say anything. Ivy could see his jaw was held firm. She should have kept her opinions to herself. She reached down and picked up her cup. After washing it in the bucket of water she headed to bed. She had just passed Seb when he reached out and grabbed her hand.

  He held it for a moment, caressing it with his thumb. He looked up at her and Ivy felt her knees go weak. His dark eyes were molten pools and the gold ring seemed to glow like fire. He brought her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss on the back of her palm.

  “Thank you, Ivy,” he said, releasing her hand.

  Ivy nodded and went to bed more confused than ever.

  ☐☐☐

  It was before dawn when the noise reverberated through the small cabin. It woke Ivy out of a dream-filled sleep. A dream filled with dark-haired babies and decorated Christmas trees.

  She realized someone was banging on the door.

  “I know you are in there!” boomed a voice from the other side of the door.

  Ivy ran into the main room. Seb was taking down a rifle from above the fireplace. He lifted his finger to his lips signaling Ivy should remain quiet.

  “Wynter,” the voice boomed. “I know you are in there. Your horse is still in the barn and there aren’t any footprints headed down the mountain. I just want what you stole from me. That’s all. Give me the girl and we can all go our separate ways.”

  Ivy watched Seb’s eyes open wide. She recognized that voice. It was Clyde Thorpe, the man who had her stolen from the train.

  A shiver settled down her spine, as her stomach lurched. Seb motioned to the cellar door. He handed her a lamp and pushed her towards the hidden compartment.

  She pulled on the handle and stepped onto the first step, knocking over the bucket of milk. Giving a little cry she knew she needed to light the oil lamp before heading down below. Her hands shook as she tried to strike the matches that would ignite the wick. She went further down into the root cellar, but left the door opened a crack so she could still hear what was going on.”

  The voice boomed again. “Look, I don’t want to kill you. All I want is the girl. If you just hand her over, we can forget this whole thing ever happened. But, if you refuse, you leave me no choice,” he said, with a laugh that made Ivy’s blood run cold.

  Seb was checking that the gun was loaded. He then peeked out of the curtain covering the window. “She’s not here, Thorpe,” he lied.

  “Well I doubt you made it to town. I understand that one of my men shot you. I guess that took a bit of time to heal. You are still alive, so… Give. Me. The. Girl.”

  Ivy could hear the sound of the snow crunching as Clyde walked away from the door. Ivy took this moment to crawl towards Seb, so she was right next to him. Seb put his finger to his mouth again to silence her. The look in his eyes scared her.

  The voice boomed again, “So, what have you decided, Wynter? Are you going to come to your senses and release the girl, or do I have to take her from your cold dead hands?”

  Seb stood up from the floor, leaving Ivy to scramble after him as he opened the door. She hid behind his tall body, only peering around him when she saw that Clyde hadn’t opened fire on them immediately.

  She saw Clyde standing, with the man, Jackson, from the cave that was supposed to be watching her.

  “Where are the rest of your men?” Seb asked.<
br />
  “Let’s just say after I found out what happened, they didn’t make it out of the canyon. They are probably bear food by now.”

  Jackson laughed. “Bear food,” he chuckled.

  “Did I tell you to say anything?” Clyde raised his arm and swung it at the man, hitting him across the nose.

  Seb took that moment to fire the rifle, hitting Clyde square in the belly. A second shot quickly took care of his companion. Ivy watched as the gun fell away from Clyde’s fingers as he clutched his stomach, falling to the ground.