by Stella Clark
Swallowing, she frowned and tried the next block after a moment of indecision. After studying the street for a minute, Virginia realized something was at the far end. It was just near the outskirts of town where she recognized the stagecoach stables. That meant she must have made a long and complicated circle. But if she walked past the stables, she could reach the church, which meant she could reach the store and go home that way. Virginia sighed in relief, shaking her head at her silliness. Perhaps baking in the kitchen would help her focus.
“Hello,” she nodded to two women who passed her on the street. They waved politely in return. The two of them looked familiar, but she couldn’t recall their names. Perhaps she’d noticed them in church or the shop. Virginia started towards the stagecoaches.
There was one already in the center, horses getting hitched for the road. Seeing an anxious horse rearing its head, Virginia decided to walk on the other side of the road. She clutched her basket tighter when the creature bucked, attempting to get free. But the man holding the reins stood firm, not giving in.
The creature just wanted to be free, so she didn’t blame it. With one eye on the lane, Virginia watched the horse settle down and agree to the harness. They were just getting ready to tighten one of the buckles, however, when it sprang forward, catching everyone off guard. She stopped in surprise, her eyes wide as the carriage tipped.
Luggage fell and there were shouts, but there appeared to be no one inside the coach. Her heart skipped a beat, finding the horse still tethered and standing. Two more hands came forward, trying to hold him down. But after a minute, the wild creature decided it wasn’t interested in them and tried to head down the lane, dragging along the heavy stagecoach.
Virginia heard the two women gasp, throwing their hands up. The motion caught her eye as she found them pointing to a moving figure in the horse’s path. The creature was headed out of the street and nothing stood in its way.
Except for a little child. Her heart lunged and the rest of her body followed.
The basket clattered to the ground as she picked up her skirts, begging the Lord for a spare moment. Then the rest of her thoughts were swept away as she tried to race the animal towards the child. She ran straight ahead whereas the horse went back and forth, terrified of the stagecoach it was dragging behind it. Already, two wheels had come off, and it knocked against the road noisily.
But the child. Virginia panted, trying not to think of the horse. Just the child. A little girl not four years old. She looked familiar, but she didn’t know her name.
Virginia was almost there. Almost. Panting, she tried to run faster. Though she thought she heard someone yelling, nothing made sense. Just the clatter of hoofbeats. As she grew closer, she saw the girl bend down for a pebble. When the child looked up with wide eyes, she held out the stone for Virginia.
Chapter Fourteen
Jake eventually came back down from the attic to ring Roger up. The boy glanced at him curiously but said nothing, accepting the ink and offering his payment before hurrying out the door. With no other customers around, he found himself alone again.
The front door slammed only minutes later, and Jake jumped in surprise. Looking up, he found Roger again. But this time the boy was wide-eyed and breathing hard.
“Roger? Are you all right?”
But the boy shook his head and hastened over, tugging at him to follow. “You have to—I said … I said I’d get you, sir.” He gulped in air. “You gotta come. It’s … Mrs. Benson.”
Jake thought of Libby and was confused. But then Virginia came to mind. His heart dropped. “What—” his voice cracked. Still unable to talk in full sentences, Roger gave up and tugged them into the street.
The knots in Jake’s stomach only tightened as they arrived at Dr. Finnegan’s house.
“There you are.” Finnegan nodded when Roger opened the door. “Come in, come in. I’ve just set it.”
Nausea filled Jake’s stomach. “What? What happened? Where’s my wife?” As he looked around the room, he tried to find her. Something had happened, but no one could tell him what. “Where is she?”
Dr. Finnegan came over when he didn’t budge. “Thank you, Roger. Now Benson, calm yourself. I don’t need you disturbing my patient.”
The word made Jake flinch. This wasn’t his first wife to have as a patient. And everyone knew about Libby. The memory tore at his heart. Was he about to lose another woman in his life? “Deep breath, man. She should be fine. If she can make it to Sunday, she’ll be fine. But she needs her rest, and I won’t have you disturbing it.”
Jake hesitated as the doctor opened a familiar door. The last time he’d been here was to say goodbye to Libby. He stood stiffly as the door revealed the still figure of his wife. Forcing the nausea down, Jake stepped inside the room. This wife was smaller with dark hair and more bandages. He saw the rise and fall of her chest, and swallowed hard. That was surely a good sign.
The doctor tugged him into a chair close to the cot. “You have a brave wife here,” the man murmured as he reached out to check Virginia’s pulse. “They tried to put an untrained horse on the line for the stagecoach. It escaped by dragging the coach around. She ran right in front of it to save a child from being trampled.”
Jake buried his face in his hands. To think of his last words to her, of the way he had treated her. She was only ever being kind. To him, to everyone. Of course she would have done something like that. He wanted to laugh and cry. What had she been thinking?
The doctor continued. “Her leg was badly broken. I set it immediately, but she’s lost a bit of blood. I believe she’s bruised a rib or two, but I won’t know for sure until she’s awake. A few cuts, a few stitches. My main concern is the head wound. Looked like the horse got a kick in, and I don’t know if there will be lasting damage. If she makes it through Sunday, then the prognosis is promising.”
Sunday. Two days. How was he going to manage without her?
Finnegan left him with Virginia. The quiet gave Jake time to think. Too much time. Falling to his knees, he began to pray. He didn’t know what else to do. Virginia had helped him return to church and he found himself needing someone who would listen. “Please, God,” he murmured, “I know we haven’t talked much since Libby. But I need Virginia here. I’m not ready to let her go.
“And it’s not just because of the store,” he added. Jake paused. If it wasn’t just about the store, then what was it about? Searching his feelings, the man slowly began to let the truth sink in. That he cared for her. He liked starting the day with her in their home and enjoyed the moments they had alone on their walk or in the store. He loved hearing her stories during supper and always looked forward to their evening scripture study. Dropping his head, Jake shook his head. “I’ve been a fool,” he muttered. “Such a fool.”
The store could burn down for all he cared. They would figure something out. He had clung to it for too long. If he lost the shop, then so be it. As long as he had Virginia. Warmth flooded his chest as he took her hand. He rubbed her fingers gently, trying to bring warmth back. Swallowing, he focused on her face. On the pert nose and the pretty freckles. The plump lips that had been bold enough to kiss him. Thinking of how he had reacted, Jake sighed. If only he had listened to his heart before this. There were a lot of changes he had to make. But the first one was being here for her.
***
Jake stayed for the next couple of days, attentive to Virginia during her restless sleep. When she finally regained consciousness, it was just for a minute. But it was enough to see those beautiful brown eyes. After a talk with Dr. Finnegan, they carefully loaded her into a carriage and took her home to rest in her own bed.
They had just settled in, Virginia tucked neatly beneath the covers, when there was a knock at the door. Jake hesitated only a moment before remembering they were supposed to have gone to the mayor’s for supper that evening. Realizing they had most likely come to see what was the matter, he hastened to the door.
But to h
is surprise, it was Tate Werner.
“Benson,” the banker nodded grimly.
Jake took a step back as his back stiffened. He hadn’t had time to worry about yesterday’s payment. Before he could say anything, the man invited himself inside. That wasn’t too surprising since Tate had shown little to no sympathy when Libby had passed. But Jake was confused when the man began to pace.
Closing the door, Jake frowned. While he knew he hadn’t shaved or washed in a few days, the other man looked nearly as terrible. He swallowed. “I don’t have the payment.”
“Yes, yes, I know.” Tate shook his head, and then yanked his hat off. “Is Mrs. Benson well?”
He wasn’t sure what the man was getting at. Jake hesitated. “She is recovering in a timely fashion.”
The banker stopped moving back and forth to shuffle in his coat pockets. He pulled out a familiar looking folded-up document. That was the deed to the mercantile. Jake froze. “Take it.” Mr. Benson cleared his throat before stepping over and putting it in Jake’s vest pocket. “It’s yours. I’m canceling the loan.” And he went to leave.
Flabbergasted, Jake stared. “Wait, what? Why?”
Werner hesitated, unable to look him in the eye. “Your wife,” the banker said gruffly. “Saved a child the other day. My child. Evangeline. I … don’t know what I would do if I had lost her. Thank your wife for me. Good day.”
Chapter Fifteen
A lot of things hurt. But it wasn’t as bad as before, she thought vaguely. Her body groaned as she forced her eyes open. There was light flooding in, so much that Virginia could no longer ignore it. She squinted and brought a hand to shade her eyes. She found a thick bandage on her forehead. Right, the injury. That’s where the pounding stemmed from.
Finding herself back in her bedroom, she took a deep breath and tried to get comfortable. Even blinking required effort, however, so Virginia soon gave up. She was certain she’d been somewhere else, but her mind felt fuzzy. What had happened? There had been lights and voices. A child. But whose child?
The memories were sparse, however, so she mostly only remembered Jake.
Before she could wonder why she was alone, the door opened to reveal her husband. There was the strangest look on his face. Her heart leaped anxiously, remembering their last conversation. How long had she been unconscious? What about the shop? All of their hopes and plans for the shop would be ruined with her still in bed. There was no time to rest. The blood drained from her face as she tried to sit up. “Jakob.”
He hurried over, wrapping his arms around her. “Virginia, you’re awake.” His warmth enveloped her as she paused, trying to comprehend what was happening. Yes, her body ached terribly. She couldn’t figure out how to move her leg. The pounding in her head wouldn’t go away. But Jake was there. “I was so worried,” he murmured with his lips pressed against her head.
“It’s all right.” She closed her eyes, inhaling his scent. Sawdust and ink and honey. “How long? The store, Jake, I’m sorry I …”
Pulling back, he shook his head and knelt as she lay back down. At eye level now, she tried to read his expression. Jake took her hands in his and gave her a serious look. She blinked, wondering why his touch felt so familiar. But he spoke, distracting her. “No, Virginia. I’m sorry. You’ve been nothing but helpful and kind and generous. I’m the one who needs forgiveness, not an apology. I’m sorry I treated you the way that I have.
“You’re beautiful and brilliant, everything I need and more. I didn’t even realize that until I nearly lost you. Please forgive me. I want to be your husband, truly. You mean everything to me. I love you.”
Her heart hammered. Virginia searched his gaze earnestly, praying that she wasn’t still dreaming. This was too lovely to be true. Even in her dreams he hadn’t said anything like that before. And there hadn’t been this pain. She bit her lip. “What about the store?”
That wasn’t what she had meant to start with, but fortunately Jake laughed, throwing his head back. “It’s the craziest thing. You’re a miracle worker, Virginia, an angel. The loan is over and done with. I closed the shop for a few days to help you get better. Everything is good and well.”
“Truly?” She tried to understand everything that was happening.
Jake touched her cheek. It was warm and tender. “Truly. We—I—let’s concentrate now on getting you better. It’s all about you. Whatever you need, I’m here for you. What can I do for you? Anything? What do you need?”
She squeezed his hand. It didn’t feel real, any of it. Virginia tried to think. “I don’t … you, Jake. I just need you. I love you.” A soft laugh escaped her lips as she tugged him closer for a kiss. This time he didn’t pull away. It was better than she had hoped, and so was the next one.
The healing was slow and gradual, but they were patient. Jake left to open the store for the mornings, returning to her side often before she’d ever left the bed. There were nervous touches and shy glances, but for the first time in a long time, Virginia felt happy. She was in a warm, safe home, with someone who cared. He listened to her and he held her. Sleep came easily and the worries faded away. Slowly the weeks passed as they adjusted to something new.
***
Jake could hardly believe how everything had evolved. It was incredible how time had changed things for him. He finished cutting the pie. With the front door open, he could hear Virginia. Her laughter was music to his ears. Hurrying over so he could hear more, Jake grabbed both plates and returned to the porch to join his wife. Virginia was resting on the front steps, the crutch nearby, with a book in her hands.
“What’s so funny?” he asked as he took his seat again beside her.
She pulled out a letter from within the book. There were several letters from well-wishers that she had placed in there. “Would you look at this? Evangeline is quite the artist.”
Squinting, Jake leaned forward to look at the child’s picture. “Is it a rabbit or a horse?”
The woman giggled again. “I don’t know.”
Jake joined her in laughter, shaking his head in disbelief. Every day there was something new to laugh at or smile at with Virginia.
Two months had come and gone since her recovery, and she was doing very well. The bruises were gone, and she had told him it was the last day she would use the crutch. Even the scar on her head was healed and was rather charming.
Finding a tear on her cheek that she had missed, Jake wiped it away. He tried to find something to say, wishing he could explain the tightness in his chest to her. Even as Libby came to mind, Jake paused for a moment, just wishing that the two women could have met each other.
Virginia would have loved Libby. Just like he loved Virginia. It felt right now, like he was finally letting go of his first wife to appreciate and love his second wife. All the pain and guilt had faded away into something incredible.
“You’re wonderful,” he told her. Jake couldn’t remember if he had said that yet, and he couldn’t tell her enough. “Absolutely wonderful, Virginia.” Any words were lost on her as she smiled up at him; the book was set down as they kissed. The stars and the pie could wait.
The End