Amelia, An Autumn Bride (Brides for All Seasons Book 7)
Page 14
Perhaps, she could find a way to convince Patrick to let her stay there and not tell anyone. After all, he’d kept her being there a secret from her father. Emma shivered and crossed her arms. If only she’d been wearing shoes.
The door creaked open and Patrick returned with a cup and a plate. “There’s some stew and coffee.”
She’d seen him before in town and from the edge of the fields surrounding the land where her father worked. Skinny as a rail, with a mop of unruly, red curls, he had been quite homely when they were younger. However, over the years, he’d filled out. His hair had darkened to auburn. And now, Patrick was a tall, muscular handsome man.
His green gaze met hers for a moment and then he placed the items on the small table. From over his shoulder, he took some clothes and tossed them on the cot.
“Hope these fit,” he grumbled and put a pair of scuffed up shoes on the ground. “See that you’re gone by morning.”
Without waiting for her to say anything, he turned and left. Emma looked around the barn. Soon, it would be night and there wasn’t a lantern for her to use to see. There was, however, a pile of wood, which she’d use to get warm and get a bit of light from the fire.
She undressed quickly and pulled on the loose-fitting flannel sleeping gown he’d brought. It was thick and warm and she couldn’t stop running her hands over the fabric. After hanging her clothes near the stove to dry, she sat on the cot. Having taken strips of fabric from a cloth hanging on a hook, she bandaged her feet.
Come morning, she’d be gone. Hopefully, by end of the week, she’d be far away.
Patrick stood on the porch and shook the rain from his coat before entering the house. He looked to the barn and wondered what the Davis girl had done. Soaking wet and needing help did not improve her disposition any. But he needn’t worry about it. From what he’d heard, the entire family was crazy. The father was a mean drunk who’d been run out of town several times and the mother was rarely seen.
His mother and father were at the table. Both of them looked up as he entered.
“Did she even say thank you?” Maureen Langley, his mother, asked.
Patrick shook his head. “Nope.”
“Told you to leave her be. She would’ve made her way back home.”
“He did the right thing. You can’t leave a woman out in a storm,” his father, Finn, said, not seeming to catch his wife’s look of bewilderment.
Before they continued, Patrick spoke up. “I told her to be gone by morning. I’ll check on her later to make sure she doesn’t start the barn on fire or something.”
“Oh goodness, I didn’t think about that. Perhaps we should tell her to come sleep inside the house.” His mother rushed to the window to peer out.
His father gave him a “now you’ve done it” look. “Relax, dear. The girl won’t burn down the barn. Let’s just have dinner. I’ll make sure we keep an eye out.”
“And you can stop a fire by keeping an eye out then?”
His mother’s quip made Patrick laugh. “Don’t worry, Ma. I’ll go talk to her. You can come with me.”
“No. I’ll go see about her. You two stay here.”
“Maureen Langley, you are not going out in this weather. Let the boy go.”
At twenty-five, he’d grown tired of being called a boy. But he didn’t grumble much. As long as he lived with his parents, they would see him as their young son. Thankfully, the new, larger house was completed. He would be helping his parents finish moving in the next couple days and he’d stay in the current cabin. He’d finally be on his own.
After supper, Patrick took a lantern and put his still damp coat on. The full moon was high in the sky as the heavy rain persisted. At least there wasn’t thunder and lightning now. The livestock, especially the horses, would calm down.
He hesitated at the door, wondering if he should knock. Feeling silly, he pulled the door open and walked inside.
“Miss?”
There wasn’t a sound. Had the girl up and left? Patrick walked to the corner where the small stove and cot were. She sat on the cot with her arms wrapped around her legs, her head lulled to the side atop of her arms. From her shallow breathing, she’d fallen asleep.
“Of all the things,” Patrick muttered and went to the stove to shove another log into it.
He then turned to find her watching him in silence. “You should lie down. The blankets will keep you warm.”
“What do you want?”
“Ma asked me to come and check on you. She’s afraid you’ll set the barn on fire.”
Her eyes rounded, but she soon regained her bored expression. “Why the heck would I do that?”
“Don’t know.” He studied her in the glow of his lantern. She wasn’t beautiful. He’d describe her more as pretty. She possessed wide-set eyes and an average nose. Her lips, however, took his attention. They were plump and pink. Her brown hair, a disheveled mess, was dark and wavy. She watched him with the wary expression of someone expecting to be attacked.
“Tell your ma I won’t set the barn on fire. I like animals more than people and I wouldn’t want them in danger. I’ll be gone in the morning.”
He wanted to ask where she’d head, but decided against it. “I’ll bid you goodnight then.” Something about her made him want to reassure that she’d be safe. But it would be a lie. He had no idea what would happen to the woman. Her father would most likely catch up with her. Other than a beating, he didn’t figure much else was sure in her future.
“The logs I just put in should last a few hours.”
She glanced to the stove, but didn’t reply.
“Let us know if you needed anything.”
After she nodded, he walked back out. Although he didn’t know her and there was no way to know if she lied about setting a fire, he believed her.
Hopefully, it was enough to settle his mother’s mind.
In the morning, she’d be gone and he would probably not see her for a long while.
The full moon shined through Patrick’s window and across his bed. He considered getting up and closing the curtains, but something about how the light shined was too nice not to enjoy.
Not prone to being a dreamer, it struck Patrick as strange that, as of late, he’d been spending a lot of time thinking about what to do in the next few years.
He and his parents had plenty of land and their herd of cattle had multiplied that spring. However, there was more that could be done. They could farm or bring in another type of livestock.
Then there was the problem of finding a wife and settling down. He’d gone to town every Sunday and other than the wives of men in town, women of marrying age were quite scarce in the area.
A couple of new families had arrived to New Dawn Springs and his mother had roped him in to help host a dinner at the church hall, which didn’t appeal to Patrick. All the single men would be there as it was rumored each family had daughters of marrying age.
If it was true, Patrick doubted the women would find any of the single men in town, including him, desirable in the least.
At least he’d get good food and dessert out of it. Whenever there was an event, the women always seemed to compete to see who cooked the best of everything, which meant a bonanza of good eating.
He stood and looked toward the barn. The Davis’ wouldn’t be in attendance. They never participated in any social events. It was certainly a strange family the woman in the barn belonged to.
She would be gone in the morning.
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About the Author
Whether a rancher, a highlander or a hunky cowboy, you will fall in love with Hildie McQueen's heroes!
Hello, Dear Reader. Writing is my dream come true. There is nothing I love more than bringing my characters and stories to life and sharing them with you.
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