An Uncivilized Romance

by Elliee Atkinson

  She lifted her head and smiled at him. “It sounds wonderful, thank you,” her voice barely came out, her throat was so dry. “I’m Sarah.”

  Mike nodded. “Mike. Nice to meet you, Sarah.”

  “Nice to meet you, Mike.”

  “Once we get back to the cabin, you will be all right. I promise. Don’t matter how long you been out here, long as the coyotes didn’t get ya and no bugs been crawling on ya bitin’. You get any bug bites?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Don’t try to talk,” Mike shook his head and she was once again amused. “Shame on me for askin’ all kinds of questions. I’m trying to take care of you and I’m askin’ you these questions. Don’t seem right, does it? Well, you just relax. Big Mike has got ya now.”

  They went the rest of the way in silence. It was a longer walk than Sarah would have expected, though it was probably less time than she thought. The pain was flowing through her like a tidal wave. Every step brought more pain, ever bounce of her leg made her want to scream in agony.

  “Glad you are conscious. That’s a good thing,” Mike nodded. “Means ya didn’t do too much damage to your head. You’ve got a nasty cut up there but I’m thinking you’ve lost a lot a blood and you’ll need to have all these cuts bandaged. Now you just relax. Here we are.”

  She pulled her head up and looked over her shoulder at the cabin as it approached. The land was completely cleared out in front. Various pieces of equipment lay around the land. A shed to one side held a windmill on top. It was a secure looking place and Sarah was impressed. She wanted to say so, but the relief that flooded through her made her fatigue come back full force and she slipped into unconsciousness.

  When Mike realized she passed out, he began to hurry faster to get her inside the cabin and lying down on the large couch. He pushed open the door and passed through the entrance as fast as he could. He laid her down on the couch, went directly to his kitchen area, and grabbed a cloth. He dipped it in the clean water in the basin and brought it back to her.

  He wiped her face softly, cleaning it, and staring at her as he did so. When the blood, sweat, and grime came off her face, he could see her beautifully smooth pale skin, the dark eyelashes that surrounded her green eyes, and the red lips that, when not busted open, were probably some of the prettiest lips he’d seen since Rachel’s.

  “Sweet woman,” he said. “I’ll take care of you.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  MIKE TAKES CARE OF SARAH

  MIKE TAKES CARE OF SARAH

  Sarah woke up disoriented but quickly realized where she was when pain swept through her body. She was lying on a large couch with big soft cushions. It looked like something someone might make with their bare hands and when she spotted Mike standing at the counter, hovering over a pot of cooking food, she didn’t doubt he himself had made it.

  The smell of the soup he was cooking reached her nose and she breathed in hungrily. She didn’t realize how much she needed to eat until she smelled the soup. It could have been liver, which she personally detested, and she would have eaten a ton of it. Her empty stomach growled for it.

  She tried to shift her position but it sent too much pain through her body, so she remained how she was. The big cushions of the couch poofed up around her, making her feel like she was lying on a cloud. She instinctively yawned, though she was far from tired.

  She closed her eyes and waited for Mike to determine that the food was ready to eat.

  What seemed like only seconds later, he was by her side, touching her cheek gently.

  “Are you awake, Sarah? I’ve got soup, bread, and hot tea or coffee if you want some.”

  “I would very much like to eat, Mike.”

  “I thought you would. I will help you. Either we can sit you up or I can… I can feed you. It’s up to you.”

  Mike had a strange look on his face. He didn’t know whether she wanted him to feed her or not. It would be somewhat awkward if he did, since they had only met that very morning. However, he would do what he had to help her.

  She smiled at him. “I will try to sit up,” she said, softly.

  He gently helped her move, providing the strength she needed so she didn’t have to use her right arm to sit up. He pushed a large pillow behind her back to prop her up. He didn’t say anything. She was amazed how such a large, gruff looking man could be as gentle as he was.

  He looked into her eyes. “Are you comfortable?”

  “As much as I can be, I suppose,” she replied.

  He nodded. Once it looked like she was settled in, he turned and picked up the bowl of soup from behind him. He placed a towel on her lap before setting the bowl on top.

  “This is a celery and potato soup I like,” he said. “I hope you like it, too.”

  “It could be dirt soup and I would eat it right now,” she giggled. His smile was instant. She liked it.

  “I guarantee it’s not dirt soup. I wash my dishes well after using them and before I use them again. Dust can settle around this place. I don’t like to have a dirty home.”

  She looked around, lifting the spoon up to her mouth. “I can see that.” She said the words before putting the spoon in her mouth and relishing the taste sensations. The heat made her arms light up in chills. She left the soup in her mouth for a moment before swallowing. Her throat was tight but the soup went down easily. “This is delicious.”

  “Thank you, my dear. When you feel like talking, maybe you’d like to tell me what you were doing at the bottom of that ravine.”

  Sarah nodded but said nothing. She dropped her eyes to the bowl and stirred it around absentmindedly.

  “You don’t have to talk right now. You just eat. Get some food in that stomach and when you feel better, I’m listening.”

  He stood up and went back into the kitchen to retrieve a cup of tea for her. He turned when he reached the counter and looked back at her. “Did you want coffee or tea?”

  “I’ll have tea. It settles better on my stomach and right now, I don’t want anything to make me feel worse.”

  “I understand that,” he nodded. He made her a cup of tea and brought it to her, scooting the table closer so he could set it down within her reach. He moved around the table and sat in a chair facing her. While she ate, she noticed he was trying not to stare at her, moving his eyes around his cabin as if he hadn’t seen it before. It was amusing and she ate in silence, hiding a small smile. She looked over her body as she ate, noticing he had cleaned her off quite a lot. There was a pile of bloody, dirty rags in a small basket at the end of the couch. He had covered her up to her legs with a blanket that was surprisingly soft and looked very clean. She would have bet money it hadn’t been used in some time.

  She finished the soup and set the bowl down on the table he’d pulled closer to her. As soon as she did, he was out of the chair and retrieving it.

  “Would you like some more?”

  “Not yet. I want to give that a little time to settle in my stomach before I try eating more. But I would like a piece of bread, if that’s okay?”

  He chuckled. “I forgot to give you the bread. I’m sorry about that.”

  She shook her head. “You never need to say you’re sorry to me, Mike. You are an angel sent from heaven.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “There’s something I never thought I’d be called. An angel you say…” he walked to the kitchen, chortling under his breath. She smiled, pleased that she had made him laugh. He chopped a chunk of bread from the freshly baked loaf he’d made that morning and brought it to her. “I’ve got some fresh churned butter, too, if you want some on it.”

  “That would be wonderful!” Sarah nodded. “I haven’t had any for a long time. My mama used to churn the butter at home but when she passed away, I just never made any more.”

  “How can you live without fresh churned butter for your bread?” Mike teased, returning once more to the kitchen to spread some butter on the bread. She giggled.

  “I do miss it.
Thank you so much.” She picked up her cup of tea and drank from it. She sighed, contentedly.

  “That’s what I like to hear.” Mike returned with the buttered bread on a small plate and handed it to her. “Here you go.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” He sat back down across from her and watched her eat the bread.

  She knew he was being patient but that his curiosity had to be eating at him. She was also curious about this man living so far into the woods, all alone with what looked like everything he could possibly need right at his disposal. She knew he would have to go to town sometime for certain things, but he seemed to be functioning so well all by himself. She surmised it was a lonely existence.

  “Have you lived here by yourself for a very long time?” she asked.

  He shrugged. “I had a wife once. Rachel.” He said her name with so much passion, Sarah knew he missed her very much. “She was a lovely woman. She died. Snake bite. I didn’t get to her in time.”

  “I’m so sorry to hear that.” Sarah said sadly.

  He nodded. “It was a real tragedy, young lady.”

  “I’m sure you loved her very much.”

  “I did. I got some of her clothes still here… well, all of them really. You’re about her size. When you’re feelin’ like going back to town, you can use them. You’ll need to wear something other than your bloomers and half a dress.”

  They both laughed.

  “I may want to change into something else a little sooner than that,” Sarah teased. “I don’t know how long it will be before I get to go to town, if I do, and I don’t want to walk around here in bloomers and half a dress either. Imagine! So indecent of me!”

  He chuckled. “I’ll get the trunk and let you go through it.”

  “If you don’t mind. I don’t want you to be… upset seeing me in her things.”

  He shook his head. “It’s been nearly five years since she’s been gone. I’d rather they be used than just sit there until they turn to rotting dust. She had some pretty things. I think you’ll like them.”

  “I’m sure I will.”

  He made to stand up but she put out her hand. “Please don’t go yet. Sit with me for a bit and talk to me.”

  He sat back down and looked directly at her. “Do you want to tell me what you were doing at the bottom of that ravine? I can’t imagine what happened to you to make that come about.”

  “I… I have a husband in Wickenburg,” Sarah hated even calling him her husband. She had never felt so foolish in her life as she did at that moment, thinking about what Jason had done to her.

  Mike raised his thick eyebrows. “A husband?”

  “Yes. He… he’s not a very nice man. I thought he was. But he fooled me. He was working for me and my mother, we have a house in Wickenburg, you see, it was my mother’s house. And he was working the field for us for some time before my mother passed. He was quite charming, though my mother always said there was something odd about him. When she passed away, he charmed his way into marrying me. I didn’t realize until after we were married that he only did it so he could get the house and the land. He didn’t really want me. And he certainly didn’t love me.”

  Mike shook his head. “I am sorry for you. And you ran from him? Fell down the ravine?”

  “No. Actually, yes, I ran from him,” Sarah explained, trying to think of the best way to put it. She might as well tell Mike the honest truth. She could think of no reason to lie to him. “But I ran to a friend’s house. He came to my friend’s house and took me away by force. He tied me up and put me in the back of the wagon and drove me up the mountain. When I woke up, I started to… to beg him to let me go. I almost fell out of the wagon and he decided that was the best place to throw me off the side of the mountain. At the top of that ravine there.”

  “You fell all the way down the ravine from the top? You didn’t land in the water?”

  “I did fall all the way down. That’s how I got the arm and knee injuries. It… it was very painful.”

  “And he just left you there to die.” It wasn’t a question. Mike’s face had become dark and angry as Sarah spoke. He thought about his lovely Rachel and how he had treasured every moment with her. How could a husband… how could any man treat a woman that way, especially one who was obviously delicate and fragile, like Sarah?

  “My dear, I am glad I came upon you. I promise you will never get that kind of treatment from me. I don’t have to be your husband to see what a beautiful, kindhearted woman you are.”

  “I suppose it is too soon for us to know that about each other, Mike,” she said in a soft voice. “But I am a good person, I try to be. I never want to hurt anyone. I never would. I wanted to leave Jason every day but that is my mother’s home and it’s filled with her possessions and her memories. I don’t want to leave that behind.”

  “You should get rid of this ne’er-do-well husband,” Mike’s voice was deep and steeped with anger.

  “If only I knew how,” Sarah said, quietly, taking a large bite of bread and butter. She closed her eyes to the delicious taste that filled her mouth. She moaned softly and smiled. “This is absolutely wonderful, Mike. Thank you so much. I really do think you are an angel. You came out of nowhere and saved my life.”

  She never thought she would see the day that she would make a big mountain man blush. She had to giggle. It was obvious he didn’t know what to say.

  “I still say get rid of him. You can do it, you know. You don’t need him to live. You can find someone else to plow your field for you. Why, I’d be willing to bet you could do all your house repairs and everything yourself. You might even be able to plow a field!”

  She laughed, throwing her head back, ignoring the pain that slid through her neck when she did so. When she looked back at him, she felt a little dizzy but didn’t let on. “I do not think I am strong or big enough to do that.”

  “You would get strong. You don’t have to hurry up with it. You can pace yourself and just do it as you feel like doing it. It might take you longer, but I’d bet with a strong heart like yours, you could do it. Look what you did in the past few days! You survived three days out there by yourself, no food, bleeding from all those cuts and your knee! Why, you are an amazing woman.”

  His words made Sarah feel warm inside. She decided she very much liked this big, tough-looking mountain man. She knew she wasn’t going to want to go back to Wickenburg already. She may not be in love with this man, but she could tell it wouldn’t be hard to fall in love with him. She felt like she’d known him for many years. There was something familiar about his countenance, about the way he spoke. Also, there was something in his eyes that reminded her of something… or someone. She hadn’t put her finger on it yet, but she wanted to have time to figure it out.

  “I am sorry if it takes me a while to recover, Mike. I hope you don’t mind my being here. I know you are used to being alone.”

  Mike waved his hand as if to dismiss the very thought. “I have been alone for a long time. Nearly five years now. I can stand some company for a time. I don’t mind you being here and I don’t want you to feel out of place. Whatever you need, you ask for. Or just take. When you’re hungry, eat. When you feel like you need to clean up, just let me know and I’ll heat up some water for a bath. You want privacy, I’ll go hunting.” He laughed. “I’m going hunting anyway. I’m not in the house much during the day. So you’ll have the place to yourself. When you feel ready, I’ll take you back to Wickenburg.” He lost his smile and looked serious again. “And we will take care of that husband of yours. No woman deserves to be treated the way he treats you. He shouldn’t have done you that way. He needs to be taught a lesson in how to be a man.” Sarah watched Mike’s hands grip the arm rests of the chair he was sitting in. “And I know just the man to teach him that lesson.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  WINTER IS APPROACHING

  WINTER IS APPROACHING

  When Mike went outside, saying he ha
d daily chores to do or he would get off his schedule too much, Sarah lay on the couch inspecting her wounds. Her elbow was still swollen and bruised. It had turned black up and down her arm. She resisted pressing on the bruises, wondering why she would want to in the first place. They hurt without her touching them. Her hands were scratched. She wondered if her face was cut and if she would be left scarred for life. She longed for a mirror.

  She folded the blanket over her legs down so that she could look at her knee. Mike had removed the bloody bandage she had put around it and cleaned up the dried blood that had once caked her skin above and below the torn knee. He’d replaced it with a clean cloth doused in something that smelled funny but had somehow taken away the pain. There were lines of green and dark red colors tracing up and down her leg, creeping out from under the bandage. The lines worried her. She didn’t want to have her leg cut off.

  Her heartbeat sped up as she thought about what it would be like to lose her leg. Just the thought made her heart heavy. She wouldn’t be able to dance with her baby. She wouldn’t be able to get around on her own. She closed her eyes and prayed for swift healing.

  A chill went through the air when Mike opened the door and came back in. She turned her head to look at him. He was carrying a large trunk. It was so big, his arms were spread wide, holding the handles on either end. He had to come through the door sideways. She raised her eyebrows curiously.

  “This is the trunk I stored all of Rachel’s things in.” Mike said, bringing the trunk into the main room and setting it near her. He moved the table down so that he could sit on it and open the trunk right next to her. He fiddled with the lock for a moment, but she’d noticed it wasn’t set; it was just hanging from the latch.