by Jodi Thomas
Clint covered her with a blanket and sat down and watched her for a while. He thought about her illness, wondering if everyone who contracted yellow fever was subjected to the erratic nature of the illness. Amelia would feel better for a short period of time before having another relapse. Did his mother and siblings suffer in the same way? As a man, it was his nature to want to fix things, and it was frustrating that he couldn’t do more for her. Staring at her beautiful face, Clint questioned whether his mother had asked him to find her because she knew he would be attracted to her. How could a man not be attracted to her? She was everything a man could ever want in a woman.
* * *
Clint cared for the animals before he cooked dinner, allowing Amelia time to rest. Once everything was ready, he kneeled down beside her and touched her forehead. He was pleased that she felt cool. Her eyes fluttered open, and Clint smiled down at her. “Do you think you can eat something now?’
“It smells wonderful.” She made an effort to move to a sitting position, and Clint put his arm behind her back to lend his assistance. Once she was sitting, Clint reached for a blanket and wrapped it around her shoulder.
“How’s that?”
“Perfect. Thank you.”
Amelia’s face was mere inches from his and their eyes locked. He didn’t hesitate or question his next move. His lips found hers and he kissed her, gently at first, then longingly. It had been too long since he’d given and received affection. He felt Amelia lift her arms around his neck, and in the next instant, her fingers were curling through his hair. At that moment, Clint realized he’d found what he had been searching for—Amelia. He wanted her, not for a night, or a few weeks, but forever. He wrapped her in his arms and pulled her close. When he finally pulled his lips from hers, he was still lost in a haze of desire. After a few moments passed, he remembered his promise to her before they’d left Honey Creek. He’d told her she could trust him. He didn’t want her to think he was taking advantage of her tenuous situation. I don’t even know if she loved her dead husband, or if she is still mourning him. She could be interested in Casey. All he knew at that moment was that she was totally dependent on him for her very survival. Though he struggled with his next move, he released her. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”
Amelia’s arms slowly slid down his chest when he pulled away. She looked up at him and blinked, stunned by her reaction to him. Even though he apologized for kissing her, she wasn’t sorry she’d kissed him back.
Clint walked to the fire, where he ladled some food on their plates. “I want you to eat as much as you can.”
Amelia had regained her composure, and even managed to give him a slight smile when he sat beside her. “I will.”
“You’re as weak as a newborn.”
“I’ll get back my strength.” She took a bite of a biscuit as she glanced his way. He was looking off in the distance and seemed to be lost in thought, making her wonder what was on his mind. Her mind was on that kiss. No man had ever kissed her that way. The only kiss she’d ever shared with Richard was a light peck on the cheek when the pastor married them. No matter what happened in the future, she didn’t think she’d ever again experience anything as exciting as that one kiss.
Clint was debating whether to ask her about her husband and her marriage. Since Mrs. Nelson told him about their “convenient” marriage, he’d been wondering if she’d been in love with her sister’s husband before her marriage. He didn’t think kissing her was the best decision he’d ever made, but unless he was imagining things, she’d kissed him back. Of course, she could be suffering from loneliness. Clint knew all about that particular emotion.
They ate in silence for several minutes before Clint turned to face her. “Amelia, Mrs. Nelson told me you hadn’t been married long when you lost your husband.”
She was surprised Mrs. Nelson told him about her marriage. “That’s true. Richard had serious injuries when he came home from the war.”
“Mrs. Nelson also said he was your sister’s husband and the girls are your nieces.”
“That’s true.”
Clint set aside his plate and picked up his coffee. He silently considered his next question. It really wasn’t any of his business, but he wanted to know—he had to know. “Did you love him?”
Amelia didn’t need to think over her answer. She gave him a truthful response. “I loved him like a brother. I was crazy about the girls, and I wanted them to stay with my family. My sister and I discussed the possibility of me marrying Richard before she died. We all wanted to keep the girls with the only family they had ever known.” She hesitated, unsure of what she should reveal, but looking into Clint’s eyes, she wanted him to know how she felt. She had never been in love, but she thought she was in love now. “Of course I was sad that he died, but I didn’t . . . well, I didn’t think I could ever love him as a wife should love a husband.”
Clint was relieved to hear that she wasn’t pining for a lost love. “Your marriage was one of convenience?”
Amelia nodded. “I don’t regret making that decision.”
She tried to recall bits and pieces of a conversation they’d had one night. “Did you tell me you had never been married?”
Clint smiled. He didn’t think she would remember their conversation. “No, I’ve never been married.”
Amelia took a drink of her coffee as she tried to gather the courage to ask her next question. “Have you ever been in love?”
Clint thought about her question. He’d never stayed in one place long enough to develop a meaningful relationship with a woman. Oh, he’d met some nice women, and even shared intimate relationships, but he’d never considered marriage. “No.” He wanted to add not until now, but he thought it was too soon to voice his feelings. He intended to court her properly before he declared his love. He was curious about the nature of her relationship with Richard. It seemed logical that as man and wife, they would have shared a physical relationship, but Mrs. Nelson had implied that was not the case. She’d admitted that she loved her husband like a brother, but that didn’t indicate they’d shared intimacies. Even if they had shared a loving relationship, Clint knew it wouldn’t prevent him from wanting her. But he didn’t want a brotherly love. He wanted much more.
Chapter 8
The afternoon Clint reined in at his ranch, Amelia’s fever spiked again. He carried her inside and put her in his bed. He hurriedly started a fire to get the room warm before he tried to get her to drink some water. He needed to ride to town to see if his mother was with the doctor. If the doctor was well, he’d bring him back to help Amelia, but he wanted to make sure she was resting peacefully before he left. He intended to stop by Amelia’s ranch to see if Casey was still there. If so, he would ask him to come sit with her until he returned. Clint was curious to find out what kind of man he was, particularly if Amelia was considering marrying him.
He looked around the house to see if everything was in the same place as the last time he was there. Everything looked exactly the same. After he made some coffee, he carried a cup to Amelia. She seemed to prefer his coffee more than water. He was just about to tell her he was riding to town to see the doctor when he heard what sounded like a buckboard pulling up outside.
Clint ran outside and saw a man helping a woman from the wagon. When the man moved aside, the woman looked at Clint. “Son!”
Jumping from the porch, Clint ran to his mother and scooped her up in his arms. His emotions were so close to the surface that he couldn’t speak for fear of crying like a baby. He couldn’t remember being so happy in his entire life.
“Son, I knew you had been home earlier when my Bible was missing!”
“Ma, I thought you had died! That’s why I left.” His voice quivered as he tightened his arms around her. “It’s so good to see you. I’m so sorry I wasn’t here when you needed me. I’m sorry I stayed away so long.”
Ingrid held Clint’s face between her hands and looked into his eyes. “Shush, now. T
here’s no need for you to be sorry about anything. All that is important is you came home. I knew you would come back.”
“Where were you when I was here before?” Clint asked.
“Caring for John,” Ingrid responded.
“John?”
Ingrid pulled back and pointed to the man standing beside them. “This is Dr. John Sims.”
Clint shook his hand. “Doc, I’m so glad to see you. Amelia has the fever. I brought her back with me.”
“Oh, no!” Ingrid ran up the stairs and into the house, with Clint and the doctor behind her.
“She’s in my room.”
The three of them entered Clint’s room, and Amelia opened her eyes. Seeing Ingrid, she started to cry. “I knew you were alive. I tried to tell Clint.”
Ingrid sat beside Amelia, and the doc walked to the other side of the bed. He placed his hand on her forehead and gave her a gentle smile. “Hi, Amelia.”
“I’m so happy you recovered, Dr. Sims,” Amelia said as she brushed her tears away.
The doctor turned to Clint and indicated for him to follow him from the room. He asked Clint to tell him about Amelia’s symptoms on the way home.
Clint told him about the spikes in her fever and how delirious she’d been on occasion.
“I’m going to get my bag.” The doc turned toward the door.
“I’ll take care of your horses,” Clint offered.
“Would you mind tending the dogs in the back of the buckboard?”
“Dogs?”
“Yes, a stray dog showed up at my office a few weeks ago, and she gave birth to two little pups. No one has claimed them, so I’ve been watching over them.”
Clint smiled wide, thinking he’d just had another prayer answered—his Christmas gift to Annie and Katie. “I’ll claim them.”
The doc returned his smile. “That’s a fine idea.”
* * *
While Clint and his mother waited for the doctor to examine Amelia, they fed the dog and made a bed for her and her puppies near the fireplace. Clint told Ingrid about his few days at Honey Creek, and how he’d found Amelia. “A lot of the folks from La Grange are panning at Honey Creek. Some of them want to return to La Grange as soon as they can.”
“They can come home now if they want to return. Many of the ranchers have already returned, and we haven’t had another case of yellow fever since John got sick. He’s received word from other towns that they haven’t had any new cases. It seems to have ended as quickly as it started.”
“Annie and Katie think Amelia is going to return to Honey Creek with me, but I think I should ride to Honey Creek and bring the girls back with me while she recuperates here.”
“Son, do you think you can make it back before Christmas?”
Clint reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’ll be back in time. I promise I will never miss another Christmas. I have plans for a magical Christmas.”
Ingrid smiled at him. “Are you ready to settle down on the ranch? If not, that’s okay. I can sell the place and move to town.”
Clint couldn’t imagine his mother living anywhere else. “I’m planning on staying right here.”
Ingrid leaned over and kissed his cheek. “That’s wonderful. Now, tell me about the families you met and how they are doing.”
Clint told her about meeting Whitt, Bo and Boone. “Those two boys are real characters. Whitt wants to come home.” He then told her about meeting Tom Nelson and his family. “All of the children are frightened that something will happen to their family. I fear they have lost the joy of childhood. They aren’t even looking forward to Christmas. It’s sad to see, especially because I remember how you and Pa always made our Christmas special when we were kids. These kids will be lucky to have a decent meal. That’s why I want to bring them home.”
“This time has been as difficult on the children as it has been the parents. John and I have been trying to help the families who have returned. Mr. Stanton, who owns the mercantile, is helping as much as he can. Sadly, many of the families have lost their land because they couldn’t pay the mortgage. I know Whitt’s land is in jeopardy. They may not have anything to come home to. We’ve been trying to talk the bank into delaying some of the foreclosures to see if the families return.”
“What about Amelia’s ranch? Is it in jeopardy?”
“I’m afraid so. Once her father died, there was only Casey left to work the ranch. Amelia was caring for everyone, and she couldn’t handle the ranch with just one person. I’m thankful your father was smart enough to pay off most of our mortgage years ago.”
“You’ll never have a reason to worry about the ranch.” Clint then told his mother about the gold he’d found at Honey Creek. “I’ll have enough money to pay the bank for whatever we owe, and for Amelia’s mortgage.”
“That’s wonderful, Son. I hope the other folks are as fortunate finding gold.” Ingrid reached over and placed her hand on Clint’s forearm. “Do you want to go back and pan for gold?”
“No, everything I want is right here. I found enough gold to be of some help to our neighbors and to give the children a memorable Christmas. That’s all I need.”
The doctor walked in, took a seat at the table and Ingrid poured him a cup of coffee.
“Will she be okay?” Clint asked.
“Amelia has influenza, not yellow fever.” The doc took a sip of his coffee. “Influenza can be dangerous, but she will recuperate. Her fever is up again, but this is to be expected before she fully recovers.”
Clint had seen several men die of influenza in the war, so he was aware of the dangers.
“I’m so happy you brought her home,” Ingrid said.
The doc studied Clint’s face. “You look exhausted. You’re not feeling ill, are you?”
“I’m just tired.”
The doctor slapped Clint’s shoulder. “I would tell you to stay away from Amelia until she’s over this, but I have a feeling my words would fall on deaf ears.”
“You might as well go talk to that horse out there,” Ingrid teased. “Son, go on in and talk to Amelia while I prepare dinner. I’ve asked John to stay, and now that Amelia is here, he might as well spend the night instead of coming and going from town.”
“I appreciate the offer to stay; it is a long ride to town.” The doctor glanced at Clint again. “Amelia told me she wants to go to her ranch. She’s worried she’s caused you too much trouble.”
Clint shook his head. “She’s not going anywhere.” He headed to the door. “I’ll check on the animals one last time before I visit with Amelia.”
Once Clint walked out the door, John looked at Ingrid. “I see why you are so proud of him, Ingrid. He’s a fine man.”
* * *
Clint quietly slipped inside his bedroom and sat in the chair beside the bed. Amelia was sleeping, and he watched her for several minutes before he fell asleep. Sometime later, Clint heard his mother in the room, speaking softly to Amelia. When he heard Amelia whisper a response, he eavesdropped on their conversation.
“I know you are so excited to have him home,” Amelia whispered.
Holding out another spoonful of soup to Amelia, she replied, “I knew my prayers would be answered.”
“He was wonderful taking care of me. I know he didn’t get any rest at all.” Amelia swallowed the soup Ingrid held out to her.
“I know you thought I was exaggerating about Clint,” Ingrid teased. “Though he’s my son, I think he is even more handsome than I remembered.”
Clint really wanted to hear Amelia’s reply, but when her response came he felt somewhat deflated.
Amelia lowered her eyes and smiled shyly. “The girls fell in love with him.”
“I’m not surprised. He was always good with children,” Ingrid responded.
“Thank you for the soup, but I can’t eat another bite.”
“You look much better,” Ingrid commented.
“I’m still worried that you could catch influenza from being ar
ound me. You certainly don’t need this after what you’ve been through.”
“Don’t worry about me. You didn’t even consider you could get yellow fever when you cared for me,” Ingrid reminded her.
“I had already been exposed caring for my parents, and I didn’t get it.”
“Well, I’m not going to get influenza.”
“You sound like your son,” Amelia murmured.
Ingrid laughed. Her eyes darted to her sleeping son, then whispered, “I’m not surprised. My husband always told me Clint inherited my hard head.”
“I’m going to ask Clint to take me to the ranch. I can take care of myself now. Casey can go for the doc if I need him.”
Clint wondered exactly how important Casey was to her. He moved in his chair to let them know he was awake. He stretched and opened his eyes.
“Hello, Son,” Ingrid said.
“Something smells good.” His eyes moved to Amelia. “How are you?”
“Much better. Your mother fed me soup.”
“I’m glad you’re eating.”
Ingrid stood to leave, then collected the tray. “I’m going to put our dinner on the table.” She looked at Clint and said, “Amelia is afraid we’ll get sick, so she wants to go home.”
“I told you she’s not going anywhere.” His eyes bounced to Amelia. “You’re staying put.”
Ingrid grinned at him as she left the room. He’d handled the situation just as she knew he would.
“But . . .” Amelia started to protest.
Clint held his hand in the air. “It’s settled.” He pulled his chair close to the bed and leaned over until he was mere inches from Amelia’s face and grinned at her. “So you think I’m wonderful, huh?”
Amelia’s eyes widened, realizing he’d been listening to their conversation. “Well . . .”
He arched his brow at her. “How about handsome?”
“I can’t believe you were listening to us. Wait until I tell your mother,” Amelia teasingly threatened.
Clint laughed. “Do you think she’ll be surprised?” He picked up her braid that was draped over her shoulder. “So, do you think I’m wonderful or not?”