Maybe she could find a good time to talk to Carol about it. They’d had the opportunity to talk about many things—from the weather to their ideas about families—but never about how Carol had lost the use of her legs. Had she been born that way? An accident? Maybe she would just talk to Carol about it later.
Saffron frowned, thinking of how she could broach this subject with Carol as she crossed over to the buggy that she used on her days she went to visit. She hoisted her bag of baking supplies up onto the floorboard and lifted her skirts to step up but stopped and turned when Adam laughed behind her.
“What’s so funny?” she asked.
“Not going to get too far in that buggy, I don’t think.” She followed his gaze to the front of the buggy and laughed. Either Ben or Hank had been hitching it up for her for weeks now and she’d just assumed they’d done so today and shook her head at the buggy hitch set on the wooden posts.
She turned to look at the stalls, ready to lead one of the horses out so she could be on her way. Time was wasting, and she’d need to hurry to be back before dark.
“Tell you what. I’m heading home now. I’d be happy to take you, and bring you back. If you’re making bread today, I’d sure hate to see you have to leave anyway before it’s done. We haven’t had home baked bread since Mama died, and I know everybody’s been looking forward to it. Mighty nice of you to show Carol.”
“That’s kind of you, Adam. I’ll accept your offer. However, I sure hope you do like my bread. The way I make it is a little bit different.”
“Saffron, if you sawed up wood and gave it to Luke and Andy, they’d probably put butter on it and eat it. We haven’t eaten too well for a long time.” He pulled at his neckerchief and his ears were tinged with pink. “I’m not the best cook in the world, and I’m not afraid to admit it.”
Saffron laughed. “So I’ve heard.”
Adam’s eyebrows rose and he looked down, kicking the dirt. “Well, I do the best I can.”
Saffron placed her hand on his arm. “I was just teasing, Adam. I’m happy to help Carol, and please the boys at the same time. I even brought butter,” she said as she reached for her bag and pulled it out of the buggy.
Chapter 16
Adam turned to Saffron as they passed through town. He’d talked more than he usually did, and hadn’t even minded Saffron’s questions. She was very easy to talk to and he could see why Carol looked forward to her visits.
“Do you mind if I make a stop on the way? It won’t take me long.”
She smiled widely and his eyes caught hers. “Of course not. Since you kindly offered to take me home later, I have all the time in the world.”
He nodded, guiding the horses toward the blacksmith’s shop. With any luck, the horseshoes he’d asked for would be ready and they could be on their way shortly.
“Howdy, Joe,” he said as he waved at the blacksmith and entered the shop.
Joe looked up from his project and set down his hammer, wiping his sooted hand on his apron before extending it to Adam.
“And to you, Adam.” As he reached for the shoes, he peered out the window. “Is that Saffron Archer you got there with you? Mighty pretty, that one.”
Adam turned and glanced out the window, seeing Saffron as if for the first time. He stole a glance from the corner of his eye, and instantly thought of his brothers’ teasing when she’d first arrived at the house. They were right—she was very pretty. Her soft, brown eyes seemed to see and feel everything around her, and locks of her light brown hair blew lightly in the breeze.
“I suppose she is.” He cleared his throat and turned back toward Joe. “She’s been spending time with my sister. Brings her books and keeps her company. The school teacher thought it might be a good idea.”
Joe tilted his head and raised his eyebrows. “Well, that does sound like a good idea. Can’t stay home all the time. And Carol’s a nice, nice girl. Pretty, too.”
“Very pretty,” Adam heard from the back of the shop and he peered around Joe to his younger brother and partner, Will.
Adam tilted his head and raised his eyebrows. “You know Carol?” Although he, Joe and Will had become friendly since they’d come to town, he didn’t remember ever mentioning her name.
“I talk to her from time to time when she comes in with the boys on Sundays. Seems pretty happy, what with...you know, with...” Will flushed and looked down at his hammer.
Adam sighed. “Yes, I know. Thanks for the shoes, Joe. I’ll be in to pay my tab this weekend,” Adam said over his shoulder as he left the shop.
“Give my regards to Miss Archer,” Joe replied as he picked up his hammer and got back to work.
“Joe gives his regards,” Adam said as he pulled himself up into the buggy.
“Oh, that’s nice. He’s been a friend of the family for—well, as long as I can remember. He and Will are friends with Hank.”
“I think I’d heard that. Said he’d met Carol in town, too.”
“I’m not surprised,” Saffron said as they headed down the long dirt road to the Benson house.
“No? I certainly am.”
Saffron turned toward Adam. “Then you’d be amazed at exactly how many people Carol talks to. I saw her at the mercantile a while back and she had people stopping to talk to her the entire time. People quite like her.”
Adam rarely came into town with the boys and Carol on Sundays. He’d tried not allowing them to go at all. Luke and Andy were usually pretty willing to do as he asked, but with this, they insisted. It was the one time Adam was willing to let them all venture out without him, and it seemed as if it wasn’t such a bad idea. Once a week probably couldn’t do much harm. She would still be safe and out of harm’s way.
As they pulled up to the house, the hair on the back of Adam’s neck stood up, and he had an eerie sense that something wasn’t right. His heart rushed to his throat as he opened the front door, Saffron entering behind him, at a sound he hadn’t heard for a long time. The once-familiar hint of weeping, though, pulled him right back to the time not long ago when he heard it every day.
“Carol? Carol, what’s the matter?” he said as he rushed into the parlor. Most of the decisions he made these days were just so that he wouldn’t have to hear this sound, the sound of Carol’s heart breaking, and all the worry rushed back, as if it had never left.
Chapter 17
Saffron froze momentarily in the doorway, overcome by the sound inside. She’d been around her fair share of grief, and there was no mistaking it in Carol’s wail. She’d spent hours consoling her family when their mother died, and the sound was etched in her memory forever. She’d once thought it was the result of physical pain, but she would always know now the sound of a broken heart.
She also knew that broken hearts could heal. She took a deep breath and steeled herself before rushing inside after Adam. Rounding the corner, she gasped as she saw Carol on the ground, one arm curled under her head as she cried and the other reached out toward the red brick of the fireplace.
“Good grief, Carol. What happened?” Adam cried as he rushed to her side, swooping in to pick her up. He cradled her in his arms tightly and her head fell on his shoulder as she let out another wail.
Adam crossed to the settee and gently laid Carol on it, her feet up and her head cushioned by soft, silk pillows. He reached for his handkerchief and gently wiped Carol’s closed eyes as she continued to cry.
“Are you hurt? What is it? Is it your legs?” Adam asked rapid fire as he ran his hand over the back of his neck. “Please, tell me what’s happened.”
Carol choked on a sob, her eyes clenched shut. Adam turned to Saffron, his eyes pleading. He held his hands out to his sides and began to pace in front of the fireplace, his breathing fast and shallow. He reached in his pocket for another handkerchief and wiped beads of sweat from his forehead.
Saffron sat down beside her and gently reached for her hand, circling her thumb in Carol’s palm. She sat quietly as she scanned Carol’s body,
looking for any signs of injury. She saw none, and knew that there was nothing to do but wait for a moment or two, and she nodded at Adam as Carol’s sobs grew more quiet.
“Maybe a glass of water might help, Adam,” she said as she brushed a lock of Carol’s hair from her wet forehead.
“Oh, right.” He spun on his heel and strode into the kitchen.
Saffron placed her hand on Carol’s cheek, wiping away some of the tears and relieved as Carol’s breathing calmed.
“I have water,” Adam said and he placed the glass on the lace doily resting atop the oak table to the side of the settee.
“Do you want to tell me what’s the matter, dear heart?” Saffron said softly as Carol’s eyes fluttered.
Adam started to pace again, running his hands through his hair. He stopped short when Saffron caught his eyes, and she tilted her head toward the chair beside the settee. He nodded and sat, folding his arms over his chest.
“Oh, Saffron. It was the most horrifying thing I’ve ever experienced,” Carol said finally, shaking her head. She pulled herself up to sit and wiped her nose with Adam’s handkerchief. She looked toward the fireplace and threw her arms around Saffron, her head falling on Saffron’s shoulder.
Saffron stroked Carol’s hair and looked over at Adam. He raised his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders before leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees.
Saffron smiled at the sound of a baby bird chirping as she stroked Carol’s hair, waiting for her to speak. She sat back as Carol sat bolt upright, her eyes wide.
“It’s not dead!” she said as she turned and looked toward the fireplace. “Oh, thank God, it’s not dead.”
Adam and Saffron exchanged glances before they turned to the fireplace, the bird’s chirping growing louder.
Adam stood and crossed the room. He set aside the fire screen and knelt, peering up into the chimney. He reached up and pulled back the flu, releasing a plume of soot and...a baby bird that chirped even louder now.
“Oh, I knew it was there. I knew it was stuck,” Carol cried, her eyes shining.
“Is that why you were lying on the ground?” Saffron asked.
Carol quickly looked at Adam and back to Saffron. “I—I know I’m not supposed to try to move around on my own, but the bird began chirping a long time ago. I just knew it was stuck and that it would die in there. Nobody was expected home for quite a while, so I thought maybe I could—”
“Carol! You know you’re not supposed to do that. It’s dangerous.” Adam’s eyes blazed as he clutched the baby bird tightly to his chest, his white shirt now covered in soot.
“I’m sorry, Adam, I just couldn’t sit here while the bird died. I just couldn’t.” Carol threw her arms around Saffron again and buried her head on her shoulder.
Saffron patted her on the back slowly. Her chest tightened at the thought of the poor girl unable to accomplish something she desperately wanted. “It’s all right, Carol. I imagine that was torture, listening to the bird chirp and not being able to help.”
“Oh, Saffron, it was. It was horrible. I tried to pull myself close enough but couldn’t. I’m not very strong, I suppose. But as I tried, the bird stopped chirping and I thought it was dead and I just couldn’t get there in time,” Carol said in a rush, choking back another sob.
“It’s not all right. Not all right at all,” Adam said, his voice hoarse. He shook his head and frowned, pulling his hands tightly around the bird and holding it away from him. “I’ve asked you not to do that, Carol. We weren’t gone for long, and we could have helped you.”
“I know, Adam. I’m very sorry. I just couldn’t sit by and not help.” She turned her blues eyes up to Saffron, tears welling in them. “You understand, don’t you, Saffron?”
Saffron smiled down at Carol, her heart tugging at the sadness in her eyes. “I do. I truly do.”
Adam let out an exasperated breath and headed out the front door.
“That was a very noble thing you did, Carol. You saved the bird’s life,” Saffron said as she wiped away a tear that had escaped from Carol’s eye.
“Well, this bird may be out of the fireplace but not quite out of the woods,” Adam said as he walked back into the house, the bird still clutched in his hands. “I believe its wing is broken.”
“Oh, my.” Carol raised her hand to her mouth, her eyes wide.
“Do you have a spare bucket, Adam?” Saffron stood and crossed the room, holding her hands out.
Adam frowned but placed the bird gently in Saffron’s hands before fetching a bucket from the kitchen. He held it up for her and she gently placed the bird in the bottom.
“This happens quite frequently at the ranch—well, not the fireplace part—but injured birds. It’s possible that he can heal if you’d like to look after him. He’ll need some water, and some worms, of course, but it might just be a temporary injury.”
Carol clapped and giggled. “Oh, that’s wonderful. I would love to help. It would be an honor.”
Saffron smiled and placed the bucket beside Carol.
“I’ll teach you about how you can help. I imagine Luke and Andy would be happy to help, too.”
Carol smiled and looked down into the bucket. “Oh, I’m sure they’ll want to help Charlie.”
“Charlie?” Adam said.
“Yes, Charlie. That’s his name, and I’m going to nurse him to health. Thank you, both of you, for helping me.”
Saffron sighed, warmth flooding through her at the sight of Carol so happy. She drew in a sharp breath when she looked up at Adam, though, who glared at her, his hands on his hips.
Chapter 18
Saffron pulled up her sleeves and plunged her hands back into the moist blob of bread dough on the table in front of her. It was the last of the batch she’d set up after Adam had carried Carol into the kitchen—with Charlie in the bucket beside her—and the other loaves of bread had already been set near the window to rise.
Carol had plunged in as well, and Saffron smiled at the smudges of white across her forehead.
She and Carol had chatted for a bit while Carol settled down, but they’d then fallen silent and with the steady rhythm of kneading, Saffron’s thoughts turned again to Adam.
He’d left shortly after they’d started in the kitchen and Saffron still wondered what had made him angry. She knew he cared deeply for Carol and the boys, but she sensed something just under his strong exterior. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but wondered if it had anything to do with her. He seemed a bit apprehensive when she came to visit Carol and she couldn’t quite understand why.
“How are you holding up?” Kneading bread wasn’t for the faint of heart and even Saffron’s muscles ached and she was used to it. She shook her head slowly at Carol’s tenacity and willingness to stick to something challenging, whether it be kneading bread or trying to reach a bird.
Carol looked up from the dough she’d just formed into the shape of a loaf and wiped the back of her hand across her forehead, adding to the flour already deposited there.
“Hey, is that homemade bread?” Luke strode into the room and plopped his school book down on the table. Andy entered right behind him, his eyes wide at the sight of the loaves lined up by the window, the sunlight helping them rise more quickly.
“Yes, it sure is. Carol and I have been busy today.”
“That isn’t even the half of it,” Carol said as she pointed to the bucket on the floor. Both boys’ eyes grew wide as she launched into the story of Charlie and how he’d come to be adopted. The boys peppered her with questions and they all laughed as Charlie seemed to chirp at just the right times to appear in agreement with Carol.
As they chattered, Saffron gazed around, satisfied with her handiwork. She wiped her hands with her apron and sighed. With some luck, they’d be having warm bread for supper.
Supper. Adam had mentioned that he’d put some beans on the stove to soak and she lifted the lid and peered inside, wrinkling her nose at the sight of...beans and
water.
“Oh, I’d better stoke the fire or the beans won’t be done for supper.” Andy hopped up and reached for some wood, placing it inside the stove.
“These beans aren’t ready to be cooked yet,” Saffron said. “It’s just beans and water.”
Andy glanced quickly at Luke and Carol. “Adam is in charge of supper, and that’s the way he makes them. It’s my job to stoke the fire in the stove after school so that they’re ready at suppertime.”
Saffron could almost hear Maria gasp, and she almost did herself at the thought of serving—or eating—plain boiled beans. She frowned at the thought of what that must taste like. Or not taste like.
She turned from the stove as Carol yawned. “Saffron, I know we’re supposed to spend more time together this afternoon, but I’m awfully tired. Would you mind if I laid down for a little bit? Just a little?” Carol asked, her eyes drooping.
Saffron smiled as she helped wipe the flour from Carol’s face. “Of course not. Not at all. I can just go home early. I’ll explain to Luke how to bake the bread and—oh!” Saffron stood and looked out the window, remembering she’d ridden over with Adam and would have to wait for him to return. “Adam brought me over today.”
“I can take you home, Miss Saffron,” Luke said, his chest puffed.
“We have chores to do.” Andy shook his head at his older brother.
“Thank you, Luke, but I’m sure I can make myself busy. Adam won’t be too long. Carol can rest and you two can get on with your chores. I’m not expected back at the ranch until later.”
Luke nodded and lifted Carol into his arms. Saffron watched as the three disappeared down the hall, Luke carrying Carol and Andy carrying the bucket and Charlie.
Saffron: A Sweet Western Historical Romance (Brides of Archer Ranch Book 1) Page 7