“Whoa there, don’t want you falling out on the dirt. Townsfolk will think I am mistreating ya.” Brian put his arm around her as he pulled her closer. She snuggled against him, trying not to wonder at this change in him.
She stared up at him and when he looked down, she saw his eyes move to her mouth. Subconsciously, she licked her lips, watching in wonder as his eyes widened. She thought he might kiss her. Closing her eyes, she waited. And waited.
“Whoa there.” He pulled the brake on the wagon and jumped down. She felt bereaved at the loss of heat from her side. Why couldn’t the journey have taken longer?
He carried the sleeping girls into the house as Sorcha trailed behind him. He was pleased his wife was more amenable than when they had first set out for the Sullivan ranch. He watched as she threw some kindling on the fire. It was tempting to take a seat and talk with her. He loved the lilt of her voice as she told the girls stories of her Granny. He enjoyed the Irish legends as much as his children, although Sorcha had no idea he was listening. What harm could it do to spend an evening sitting by the fire with his wife? Wasn’t that what most married couples did?
You are not most couples. If you let her in, God will punish her too. Enough people have suffered.
“Goodnight, Sorcha.” Brian strode off but not before he noticed the look of hurt on her face. He balled his fists but kept walking. It was better she was hurt and alive, wasn’t it?
Sorcha stood still for a while after he had gone. She hadn’t imagined him cuddling her on the return journey. She thought he wanted to kiss her but maybe he was shy.
Checking the girls were fine, she wrapped her shawl around her shoulders and took a cup of hot coffee out to the barn. I am just showing appreciation for his kindness. He didn’t have to take us visiting with him.
Pushing the barn door open, she waited for his acknowledgement but he didn’t seem to hear her. She watched as he groomed the horse, taking his time to brush out her coat. He examined each of her hooves, picking out debris with a metal hoof pick.
“I never saw anyone take so much time over one horse.” She said softly not wanting to disturb him or the horse.
“Horses work hard and deserve to be treated with respect. “ He glanced at her before turning his attention back to the horse. “As soon as anyone puts a child on a horse, that child should be trained how to look after the animal.”
Sorcha moved closer to one of the horses, allowing it to smell her before she reached out to touch it. “You love these animals, don’t you?”
He nodded. “Would you like to brush her down?”
“I don’t know how. I mean… you make it look easy but…”
He moved over to where she stood, her heart beating so fast she felt dizzy. Taking her hand in his, he showed her how to groom the horse. “You stimulate the hide like this to remove the dead hair and skin. That way old Daisy here won’t go hurting herself on a fence trying to scratch an itch.”
Mesmerized Sorcha watched his large hand engulf hers as the brush moved up and down the horse’s coat. She swallowed at his hand stilled. He didn’t move and she became afraid to breath. He dipped his head and a few tendrils of her hair caught on his whiskers. Had he just kissed her head? She wasn’t at all sure, as it happened so fast. She willed her breathing to still in the hope he might caress her again but the moment was lost. He moved his hand away. “You learn quick. You can finish her while I check on Charlie’s horses.”
Sorcha was close to stamping her foot with frustration. Any time she thought she as getting closer to her husband, something distracted him. Did he find her ugly? She didn’t look like his first wife. Not that the picture she had found had done the woman justice. Jenny was more than willing to praise the beauty her Ma had been. Sorcha clenched her eyes shut. She didn’t like the direction of her thoughts. No good would come of being jealous. Particularly of a woman who had lost her life so tragically and so young. She finished brushing the horse as quickly as she could. “Brian, is there anything else you would like me to do before I turn in?”
He stood staring at her, a bridle in his hands. She willed him to say he would follow her in but he didn’t say a word. Smothering a sob, she tore her eyes from his and walked out of the barn as fast as her dignity would allow.
Chapter 33
Charlie Stanton rode in, hollering for Brian.
"Brian, you best get out here quick.”
Hearing tension in Frank’s voice, Brian came out of the barn noticing Frank’s balled fists at his side. His friend didn’t get rankled easy. He looked at him closely before turning his attention to their guest. The cause of Frank's anger was immediately apparent.
"Get off that animal now, you low down..." Brian's tirade was cut short by Sorcha coming out of the house. He shut his mouth so hard his teeth rattled. Charlie paled, stayed silent but dismounted.
"When'd it start?"
"What?" Charlie said.
"When did your horse start riding funny?"
"Couple days back. I figured she would recover by herself but she seems to be worse. Stupid nag. Should be shot. That's why I came to you. I need a new ride."
"You aren't getting any of my horses."
Charlie went to say something but Brian ignored his attempt to speak.
"You arrogant fool! Did you think she'd get better carrying your fat behind around? If I kicked you in the leg, would walking make it better?"
"No, of course not, but it’s different. She's just a dumb animal."
"She ain’t the one who's dumb." Frank growled.
Charlie sent Frank a disdainful look. He moved toward the other man but Brian put himself between the two of them.
"A man like you should be banned from owning horses or any other animals. I wouldn't trust you with a rat."
Charlie bristled. "You can't talk to me like that. I came here to provide you with some business. I don’t know why I bothered." Charlie moved toward the horse.
"You get back on that animal and I'm going pull you off myself." Brian moved slowly toward the horse, ignoring Charlie's outraged face. "Gently girl. I'm not going to hurt you." He held out his hand so the horse could smell him. "Frank, can you take this...gentleman back to town."
"Wait, what about my horse?"
"What horse, Charlie? You said you were going to shoot it. Leave. Now!"
Charlie backed away, his wide eyes staring at Brian. Frank went off, whistling in the direction of the wagon. Brian gave Charlie a look. The man almost ran after Frank. Brian turned his attention back to the horse. He stroked her nose gently. "You’re going to be fine girl, just you see."
Sorcha moved closer to Brian. She didn’t want to spook the horse but she was curious to see how her husband worked. She watched as he walked around the horse not touching her.
"What are you looking for?"
"I need to be sure it's only her front leg that's the problem. I want her to get comfortable with me too, before I touch where she hurts. Next I'm going to examine each leg."
Sorcha longed to stay and watch but she didn’t want to get in his way. She turned to leave.
"You can watch if you like. Just move back. I don’t want to risk her kicking you if I accidentally hurt her."
Sorcha moved back and stood watching her husband at work. He lifted each leg gently the whole time murmuring soothing noises to the horse. She watched as he gently pressed each hoof. "They look okay but I need to check each part carefully."
He walked the mare carefully around the grass circle outside the barn, his face a mask of concentration.
Sorcha saw the horse seemed reluctant to put his right front leg on the ground. Her head kept rearing up every time she took a step.
"See the way she's moving her head. She's a clever lady. She knows that by lifting her head high, she will reduce the amount of weight she is putting on her sore leg. She isn't lame, well, not fully anyway. She needs rest and a proper diet. That idiot Stanton mustn't feed her right. Look, you can almost see her ribs through he
r coat.
Sorcha didn’t move but stood staring at the animal, absorbing what Brian had said.
"It's okay to come forward, she won't hurt you. Let her smell your scent first before you touch her." Sorcha moved slowly to the horse’s nose. "That's it. Slowly now. Now girl, this is my wife Sorcha."
Sorcha giggled at the introduction. Who knew her husband would actually speak to animals like they understood him. She rubbed the horse’s nose as the animal pushed into her arm.
"I think she smells the apples you been baking with?"
"How did you know I was baking?"
"You smell good."
Sorcha blushed at the look in Brian's eyes. She turned her attention back to the horse. "Can I get her an apple?"
"Why not? It might take her mind off her leg. For a little bit."
Sorcha went to get the apple and returned to find Brian staring at a mark on the horse’s leg. "See this. She's got a puncture wound here. We will need to wash it and dress it. It isn't infected, so I don’t think it’s serious, but I'm not taking any chances. We want her well."
"What will you do with her?"
"Will I give her back to Stanton, you mean?"
Sorcha nodded, stroking the horse’s nose.
"I have to. She's his."
"Could you buy her from him? She looks like a nice horse."
Brian laughed but stopped as she glared at him. "I wasn’t aware I was so funny."
"Sorry, Sorcha, but you don’t know anything about horses. You can't just buy one because they look nice. She isn't a dress."
"I know that. I'm not stupid."
"No, you're not and I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I'm sorry."
Sorcha glanced at Brian. He'd apologized and he hadn’t meant to laugh at her.
"I have to give her back to Stanton, Sorcha. This is my job. I make sick animals better. I can't take in every mistreated animal I see."
"Why not? We got plenty of space, don’t we? The girls would love to have her here."
"Only the girls?" He chuckled as she blushed again. Why do I keep going red?
"Let's see if I can make her better first, shall we?"
"Oh, you will. I may not know a lot about animals but I know you do. She'll be fine in no time at all, won't you, Lady?"
"Lady?"
"Yeah, she looks like a Lady, doesn't she?"
Sorcha gave the horse a quick kiss before heading back into the house.
Brian chuckled as his wife walked, make that marched into the house. She was a real city girl, not an ounce of country knowledge in her. She had a kind heart though. She didn't like the idea of the horse being mistreated either. She'd need to toughen up. Living out here in the wilds was no place for the faint hearted. Animals got sick and died every day. Not just animals. He sighed. There was no point thinking about the family he had lost to this land. He had work to do.
He had applied a poultice to the puncture wound just in case there was anything embedded in the wound. Then he had brushed the horse down carefully, all the time trying to keep his temper under control. He didn’t want to make the horse nervous. It was a good thing Frank had left Charlie back in town. If the man was standing in front of him, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from hitting him. Had he never learned to use a brush and a hoof pick?
"How's she doing?" Frank asked as he came into the barn.
"She'll be alright so long as gets enough rest and that leg heals properly. What'd you do with Stanton?"
"I didn’t push him off the wagon, if that’s what you mean, although I sure was tempted. He's angry though. He was blustering the whole way back about going for the sheriff. He reckons you stole his horse."
The two men laughed loudly just as the barn door opened. Sorcha came in carrying a tray of cookies and hot coffee.
"I thought you hard working men might like a snack."
"Thank you kindly, Ma'am." Frank snuck a cookie from the tray. 'You make the best oatmeal cookies I ever tasted."
"Stop saying stuff like that. You make me look bad." Brian joked but his eyes sought Sorcha's to see what her reaction was. He couldn't help it. He wanted to make her smile. She did it readily enough for other people but with him she was shy. As if she was afraid of him. She wasn’t, was she? He hadn’t done anything to make her fear him. You haven't done anything to make her trust you either. Sleeping out in the barn when you got a perfect good bed indoors. That's for her own protection. Is it?
Sorcha saw the emotions racing behind her husband's casual glance. He'd been laughing and joking with Frank but stopped as soon as she came into the barn. Was he that uncomfortable around her? No, he couldn't be. It had to be something else.
He seemed to be trying his best to be nice yet as soon as she returned his smile, his face closed over. He was so hard to understand. So complicated. She'd been scared when she heard him shouting at the man from town. True Charlie Stanton had mistreated his animals, but did that mean it was right to shout at him and treat him like a fool? She wasn’t sure Father Molloy would approve. Brian may not like the man but his business depended on his reputation. If he treated every potential customer the way he'd treated Mr. Stanton, he wouldn't be in business for long.
That's none of my concern. My job is to raise his girls and keep the house clean. He's made it obvious he sees you as a housekeeper. If only that was enough. “Frank, are you staying for dinner? I made apple pie.” Her husband’s business partner looked at her.
“No thank you, Ma’am. I got to get back to my place.”
She thought she saw pity in his dark brown eyes. She didn’t want anyone’s pity. Leaving the tray behind her, she walked slowly back to the house.
Chapter 34
Sorcha twisted and turned all night. She was going crazy in the house. She loved spending time with the girls but she needed some adult company. She could go into Clover Springs. Brian had shown her how to hitch up the wagon. She needed some stuff from the store. They were low on flour and other foodstuffs. She spent her day cooking and cleaning as usual. When Jenny came in from collecting the eggs, she looked happier. Sorcha decided now might be a good time to bring up the subject of buying new clothes. The dress she was wearing wasn’t decent. It nearly came up over her knees.
“How about we go into town tomorrow and see if we can find you some new clothes?” Jenny opened her mouth but before she could speak, Sorcha quickly continued. “You can keep the dress your Ma made for special occasions. You don’t want to ruin it wearing it every day. Is that a deal?”
Sorcha nearly fell over as the child gave her a quick hug before running toward the barn. Meggie squealed and held out her arms for a hug. “Maybe there is hope for me and your sister yet, Meggie, what do you think?” The toddler grinned and pulled at Sorcha’s hair. “Are you going to help me fix dinner for your Pa?”
Brian came in earlier than expected. “Something smells good.” Sorcha smiled but didn’t respond. Who was he kidding? She could serve him boiled rattlesnake and he would still think it smelled good. She said something to Meggie and they both giggled. His heart beat faster. His girls were happy, even Jenny was warming to Sorcha. She was so kind and always smiling, who would be miserable in her company. Even now she was humming as she dished up the dinner. She was good to look at too. Stop thinking like that and eat your dinner.
When dinner was finished, she took his plate and returned with apple pie and cream. The coffee was just as he liked it. The girls chattered about their day. “Sorcha said she would bring us shopping tomorrow, Pa.”
Sorcha went quite still, her eyes anxiously darting around the table. She didn’t look at him. Was she afraid?
“That’s an excellent idea. Sorcha, I have credit at the store so charge up whatever you need.”
“I, um, well I thought I might get Jenny a couple of dresses. She seems to have taken a stretch and the ones she has are a bit short.”
Brian smiled, hoping she would return the favor. He had the urge to please her. He liked
to make her laugh. They stared at each other, he fighting the urge to pull her closer. Then Jenny interrupted.
“Sorcha likes singing, Pa. She said it made the day pass quicker. Do you think you could play for us tonight?”
His good mood vanished. Pushing back from the table, he said goodnight.
“But Pa, I thought you might stay and read us a story.”
“Sorry, Jenny, but I have to work to do. Thank you again, Sorcha. See you all in the morning. Be good, girls.”
He couldn’t look at their faces, the disappointment and hurt burned his soul. Jenny should have known better than to ask him to play. He had no intention of ever playing again.
Chapter 35
Sorcha couldn’t understand her husband. One minute he was really pleasant to be around. The next, he was grumpier than an old mule. It was almost as if he was afraid to be happy. He didn’t know how lucky he was. He had a roof over his head, plenty to eat and two lovely little girls who adored him.
She cleared the table, taking her frustration out on the dishes. The girls didn’t understand it either. Earlier they were laughing and joking, now they both looked miserable. Sorcha slammed the cup into the water, spraying it everywhere. He needed to grow up. Sure, he had been through a hard time losing his wife and son but those beautiful girls needed him. They weren’t the only ones.
She told the girls an extra long story about Maeve, Queen of Ireland, and then stayed with them until they were both asleep. Watching them, the thickness in her throat made it hard to breathe. They were so sweet both of them. Sure, Jenny was challenging, but the glimpses of the lovely girl behind the grief were enough to realize she was a good girl. The poor thing was just struggling to cope with the loss of her mother and brother.
She understood loneliness. The pain in her side got worse as she returned to her bedroom. Alone. She had prayed for someone to take her away from the orphanage. Now she wondered if she would have been happier staying there.
Sorcha: Clover Springs Mail Order Brides Page 8