Nan turned her head around and stared at the spot where she’d been standing. She looked at Ben with wide eyes.
“What… what happened? Where is she?”
“She went over the edge,” Ben replied. “I don’t know what she was thinking. I guess she thought she might jump down on you and throw you over the edge.”
Nan shuddered, pushing herself against him. “Oh, Ben. I can’t believe it. I can’t believe this happened.”
“I know, honey. I’m… kind of in shock myself.”
She couldn’t keep her eyes from the place where Bee must have fallen over. She looked up at the branch she’d jumped from. It was stretched out perfectly above them, a prime spot for Bee to take advantage of.
She stepped back toward the scene, running her eyes along the ground. She’d seen something reflected there, something shiny and wet. When she spotted the squarish object near the edge of the cliff, she bent at the waist and approached it slowly.
“Nan! What are you doing? You can’t possibly want to see that!”
“I think you should look over to see if she’s really down there,” Nan replied, tossing her words over her shoulder without taking her eyes off the shiny object. She got closer and when she realized what it was, her body lit up with chills.
It was the picture of Johnny she kept on her night stand.
Bee had been in her cottage. If there was ever a reason to believe Ben’s theory that Bee had been in his bunkhouse going through his things, it was this. She picked up the picture and looked down at it mournfully. She felt Ben come up behind her. His wet hand rested on her good shoulder.
“Is that Johnny?” he asked.
She scanned the waterlogged handsome face of the man she’d once loved. She still loved Johnny in a way. However, Ben had taken her heart. It didn’t feel wrong to her. She knew both God and Johnny wanted her to live a happy life. God had provided it for her quickly. He'd given her the blessing of her little baby.
Her eyes widened again and darted to Ben’s face. “I need to get to the ranch!” she announced. “I need to make sure everything is all right with my baby!”
“You didn’t get shot in the belly, Nan,” Ben said in a reasonable voice. “I’m sure the baby is fine.”
“But I’m losing blood and that can’t be a good thing, can it?”
Ben’s smile comforted her. She tilted her head to the side. “What are you smiling about? Aren’t you worried? Come on!”
He chuckled, taking her by the hand and leading her down the path. “I don’t have to worry. I’m lookin’ at a momma bear. You’ll do all the worrying and taking care for both of us.”
“I’m not planning on that, Ben. You’ll do your fair share as pa. I know you will. I’m just teasing you.”
Nan pushed the thought of Bee essentially taking her own life to the back of her mind. Ben was consoling her, making her feel better considering the circumstances. She didn’t want to waste his efforts by dwelling on what just happened. It would be hard enough to tell people about it.
Ben had made light of the injury to her shoulder, saying she would have an adventure to tell her children. However, there was always a possibility she could get an infection or lose too much blood to keep the baby fed. There was also the chance that Bee had relatives that would come and claim she had been murdered, pointing the finger of scandal at Ben and her.
That was the last thing she wanted. She now knew she was going to be a Georgia woman in Low Valley. She would never return to Georgia, as lovely as the state was. She was home now, with the man she loved and a baby for them both. Ben had been given an accidental family right away.
She enjoyed the touch of his hand and the warmth of his skin as they went down the hillside. It wasn’t until the ranch was in sight that she began to feel the fatigue of the injury and her loss of blood. She slowed down to the point that Ben was giving her worried glances.
They weren’t quite to the barn when Ben stopped her, leaned down and swept her off her feet.
“I’m not making you walk any more, my love,” he murmured, gazing into her eyes with love in his own.
She sighed. “Thank you, Ben.” She rested her head on his shoulder and tried not to think about how much her injury hurt.
She was glad when they went in the front door and he took her to the guest room in the back. She’d seen the room once when they’d given her a tour of the ranch. She didn’t think anyone ever used it.
He disappeared as soon as he laid her on the bed and was back moments later with several towels in one hand and a pitcher of water in the other. He set them down on the table by the bed and turned quickly to the dresser behind him. He grabbed the large bowl from on top of it and set it beside the pitcher. He filled the bowl with water from the pitcher and dunked one of the towels in it.
She closed her eyes, wincing when he began cleaning her up. He apologized when he took her shirt off, leaving her underclothes in place.
“I can go get Carrie if you want her to do this for you. Or one of the other housekeepers.”
She reached out to him with her good arm when it looked like he was about to leave. His face was as red as a beet. She gave him a warm smile. “It’s sweet that you respect me like that, Ben, but if you’ll get this cleaned up and a bandage or towel wrapped around it before you leave, I think that would be better. Don’t worry about me. Don’t be embarrassed. I’m not. We will soon be married and this won’t matter anymore.”
Ben gave her a reluctant smile. “All right, as long as you don’t mind.”
“I don’t. I would rather not have an infection. If you were a doctor, no one would say a thing. And that you will be married to me soon is enough to satisfy me. I don’t care what anyone else thinks.”
“Well, I don’t want anyone to come barging in and seeing you like this either. So let’s get you under the covers.”
He helped her manipulate her body and the covers so she was neatly underneath it. He turned away so she could strip off the bloody shirt she had been wearing and strip off her skirt underneath the covers.
When she was finally comfortable, he turned back and continued to work on her shoulder.
She felt better when it was clean and wrapped up in a tight cloth.
“All right. Now I’m going to get Carrie and fetch the doctor. You’ll be fine here without me, won’t you?”
“Yes, I’m sure I’ll be fine. Even if someone comes in, I’m awake and they will probably know who I am.”
Ben nodded. “Everyone knows who you are now, Nan. You don’t have to worry about that anymore. Everyone here likes you. The only person who didn’t… well, she’s gone, isn’t she?”
Nan blinked at him. “Are you going to tell Carrie and Logan?”
Ben nodded. She felt relief flood through her. She didn’t want to tell people someone had died while trying to kill her. She could barely think it, much less tell someone else about it.
“Yeah, I’m going to tell them the whole story. You won’t have to say anything. I know they’ll believe me. But if you want to talk about it, I know Carrie will listen. She’s good about that.”
“I wish she’d known something like this was going to happen,” Nan murmured. “With her keen intuition.”
Ben nodded, tapping the edge of the door with the palm of his hand. “Yeah,” he said, solemnly. “Me, too.”
CHAPTER 40
Love Conquers All
Nan was half asleep when the door opened and someone came in. She peeked through her eyelids to see it was Carrie. The light in the room was dim, indicating it was later in the evening.
She wondered when she’d fallen asleep. The last thing she remembered was Ben leaving to tell the family what had happened. Her body must have been exhausted from the trauma it went through. She tried to turn over onto her back and the movement made her shoulder shriek in pain.
She winced and sucked in a sharp breath.
“Oh, I’m sorry if I woke you, Nan,” Carrie said in a soft voice. �
��I was just coming in to check on you and see if you need anything. We’re getting ready to have dinner and I know you must be starving. Do you want a tray brought in here?”
“That would be so nice, Carrie,” Nan said, feeling guilty for being a burden. “I’m sorry if I’m in your way.”
Carrie shook her head, her face sympathetic. “No, not at all. We are happy to help you. I’ll tell you what, I’ll send Ben in here with the tray. He can eat with you. Or I’ll have a girl bring trays in to you.”
“Where is Ben?” Nan asked, her voice weak. She tried to push herself up, but the pain split through her body and she moaned.
“Don’t try to sit up. He’s just in the other room. He’ll come in here and help you sit. You shouldn’t put any weight on that shoulder. It’s going to be a while before you will be able to. I don’t even know if you’ll be able to hold your baby.”
Nan’s eyes snapped to Carrie’s face. The woman smiled. “I hope it’s okay that Ben told us all about it. I think we can all talk freely about it now. We are all supporting you, Nan. We want you and your baby to be happy and healthy. We’re going to have your wedding right here on the back lawn, if you want. And you can be in charge of everything or you can give it off to someone else. We just want to make up for what you had to go through as soon as you came to our little town.”
Nan giggled. “You have nothing to make up for, Carrie! Nothing at all!”
“No, this is our precious little town and nothing ever happens here. Well, not a lot.” She laughed. “And here you are and you get shot after being here two weeks.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Nan, but we simply have to take care of you. We’ll make it up to you whether you want us to or not.”
Nan joined Carrie in her laughter. The woman stood up straight and went back to the door. “Okay, now that I know you still have your sense of humor and you’re probably starving to death, I’ll send Ben in and you can have a private dinner.”
“That’s wonderful, Carrie, thank you.”
Carrie nodded. “You’re welcome, my friend. Ben is right out here. I’ll just send him in.”
She left the door a bit cracked and Nan could hear her voice murmuring in the distance. She didn’t hear the exact words or what Ben said back to her but she recognized his voice and heard his boots coming down the hall toward the door.
She wondered how long she would be excited to hear his boot steps. She hoped that excitement would last a lifetime. She waited anxiously for him to open the door.
He came through, throwing the door open wide and presenting himself to her as if he was a king. “Nan!” he exclaimed. “You are awake! And Carrie says you still have your sense of humor!”
Nan’s grin spread across her face. “Yes. I guess I do.”
“Well, that’s wonderful to hear. When Cook heard you were injured, she set about making your favorite dinner. And now I hear we get to have it together right here in your room. Is that all right with you?”
“That’s perfectly fine with me,” Nan replied, once more instinctively trying to push herself up. The pain rocketed through her and she fell back on the pillow.
Ben lost his smile and was beside the bed in a few strides. He reached under her and skillfully manipulated her to a sitting position with minimal pain to her shoulder. She was amazed by it and wondered if he had experience with injured people.
“I’m glad you’re here, Ben,” she said in a soft, loving voice. “I don’t know where I’d be without you.”
Ben lifted his eyebrows, sitting on the edge of the bed, facing her. “Probably not lying in a bed with a bullet wound in your shoulder.”
Nan shrugged and immediately chided herself when the sharp pain from her injury split through her. She would have to become conscious of not doing those movements. She wondered what other restrictions she would have. “I don’t know where I would be. I was being kicked out of my home and had nowhere to go. I can’t imagine sleeping in someone’s guest room or begging to sleep there. I would have been on the streets of Atlanta. That’s a very frightening thought.”
“Something you never have to worry about,” Ben said in a consoling voice.
Nan watched as one of the maids pushed in a rolling tray with two platters on it. She lifted the lids off each. They were separate plates, the largest dinner plates Nan had ever seen. Ben picked up one and laid it on her lap, balancing it on her legs perfectly.
He took the fork and knife from the napkin and handed them to her.
The delicious smell of the roast and potatoes filled her nose, making her stomach growl. She hadn’t realized just how hungry she was until now.
She pushed the fork into one side of the roast and began to saw at the tender meat with the knife. The sharp pain that ran through her arm made her drop the knife and double over, leaning over the plate. She cried out softly and grabbed her shoulder with her hand.
“Uh oh.” Ben reached out and grabbed her plate, balancing it again. “Looks like someone is gonna have to be fed.”
“Oh no,” Nan replied, giving him a teasing look. “You’re not going to make me an invalid that easily, Mr. Connelly. You just cut up that meat for me and I’ll feed myself. I do have one good arm, you know.”
They both laughed. Ben cut the meat up for her quickly. It was so tender it didn’t need much cutting and the fork sufficed on many pieces. Nan was in heaven.
She put a large piece in her mouth and chewed it, looking at Ben as he stared at his plate. He was chewing, too. She thought how masculine he looked with each chew making his jaw bone stick out. His face was sculpted, masculine, handsome. She ran her eyes down over his body, admiring the broadness of his chest and shoulders.
She could feel his arms around her, even though they weren’t. The memory sent a sensation through her body that made her nerves tingle.
She closed her eyes, enjoying the delicious taste as she enjoyed the food her hosts prepared for her.
She opened her eyes, remembering that Ben had gone to fetch the doctor. “Oh, did the doctor ever come?”
“He was here while you were asleep,” Ben confirmed. “If you’re wondering, he said your baby is all right. No problems there.”
Nan smiled wide, pulling in a deep breath through her nose. She let it out slowly, giving him a loving look. “You are going to be a papa, Ben. Did you ever think you would hear those words?”
“I’m looking forward to hearing them many times, dear,” he replied, leaning forward to place a soft kiss on her lips. She smiled at him.
“Many times? How many children do you want? A dozen?”
“At least.”
Nan purposefully opened her eyes wide and stared at him, making him laugh out loud.
“We’ll have as many as God wants us to have, I’m thinking,” he said, still chuckling. “Is that okay with you?”
Nan laughed. “It has to be. I don’t tell God what to do.”
“We’re going to be happy together. I’m going to make sure you are the happiest woman in the world. And when you have your baby, I promise I’ll bring…”
“When I have our baby.” Nan interrupted him, lifting her fork and jabbing it in his direction.
“Yes,” he chuckled, nodding. “Our baby. I’ll bring you a nice dinner of roast and potatoes. Would you like that?”
“I would absolutely love that.”
Nan sighed contentedly.
EPILOGUE
The sun was just getting ready to set when Nan went out on the front porch of the cottage to look for her husband and son. The two had gone off on an “adventure trek”, something Ben started as soon as Nicholas was old enough to walk. They made it a tradition every other night, to take off into the woods and find all the different creatures of the wild they could find, picking out berries and flowers for Nan, having a wonderful time together.
Nan had never seen Ben happier than he was the day Nicholas was born, unless it was the day of their wedding. She hoped today would be even more exciting.
&nb
sp; She hadn’t told Ben, but she’d invited the entire Mason/Sharp clan to come over for dinner. She had an announcement. They were all waiting inside for the father and son to return from their walk.
She saw them coming in the distance and turned to stick her head inside the cottage. A long table had been set up in the living room and her friends were all sitting around it.
“They’re coming, they’re coming!” she hissed. They all turned smiles to her and the chatter stopped completely. The group was dead silent.
She giggled and turned away from them, closing the door and heading back out to stand at the edge of the porch. When Ben and Nicholas were closer, she lifted one hand and waved it in the air. Her movements were still restricted in that arm, even four years later. However, she still forgot she couldn’t do everyday movements, regardless of the time that had passed.
She lifted her skirt with one hand and jogged down the steps, smiling wide when Ben yelled a hello and lifted Nicholas onto his shoulders so he could walk faster. She met them where the gate to the pasture began to her right. She lifted up on her toes and gave Ben a peck on the lips.
“How are my two boys?” she asked, reaching up for Nicholas. He scooted to the side of his father’s shoulders and into his mother’s arms, careful not to put too much weight on the wrong side. She felt a surge of love flow through her, thinking that the four year old boy remembered her injury and made sure to accommodate for it. She couldn’t believe how much she loved him.
Ben threw one arm over her shoulders as she hugged Nicholas tight.
“Your two boys are exhausted and hungry!” he announced. “And we’re ready for whatever delicious meal you’ve been preparing all day. Don’t think we haven’t noticed, my dear.”
“I knew you would. It’s a special dinner. I know you will both love it!”
“We love everything you make, Momma,” Nicholas said, lifting his body slightly to give her a kiss on the cheek.
A Secretive Mail Order Widow For The Humorous Rancher (The Love of Low Valley Series) Page 18