Damaged Hearts

by Angel Wolfe

  “Don’t talk that way.” He ground out. “Help me strip the bed down before you go get some rest; I have a bath to give.”

  They carefully folded the covers and put them to the side for later. Consuela came into the room with a basin full of cold water with ice floating in it and several more rags. “If you need me, I will be in the kitchen with Cook. Rick, I’ll bring you something to eat and some broth for Miss Kat should she wake up long enough for it. Don’t worry. We will all get through this. Angel, once you wake up from your nap, come get a bite to eat before relieving Rick. Don’t worry, if there are any problems or if he needs any help while you are resting, I can handle it.”

  The door clicked shut softly as Consuela and Angel left leaving Rick to start the cooling process for Kat. “Your name sure doesn’t suit you now does it baby?” He whispered quietly. “You’re more like a new born kitten right now.”

  Carefully avoiding the dressing on her leg, he sponged every inch of Kat’s body continually until the water was warm and the ice had melted. Rick made use of Marie and sent her for more water having her dump what he had left. Finally, after sending Marie two more times, he noticed that Kat’s temperature was dropping and her body and face were no longer red from heat. Deciding he better get her covered before the chills set in, he slipped her into yet another of his shirts before gently removing the wet bedding beneath her and covering her.

  Knowing that he now had a few minutes to rest, he pulled his chair back up to his place by the head of bed. After taking a couple bites of the food Consuela had left for him, he decided it tasted like sawdust. Instead, he took one of her small hands in his and leaned his head back against the wall to wait for the next onslaught.

  ~XX~

  “I don’t know what more to do Matt. I am worried sick but I think she is at least resting comfortably now. She’s been through a horrible ordeal and now has a houseful of people that she doesn’t know. I feel terrible that I’m not a better hostess but Kat is my first priority. I’m so tired and so terribly sick to my stomach; I don’t know how much more I can take.” She sighed snuggling against him as he wrapped an arm around her.

  “It will be ok Angel. You have been excellent between organizing, helping the doctor, and caring for your sister. I’m worried about you though. I think your stomach is reminding you that you are pregnant and need to rest and eat.” Matt told her gently.

  “How can I rest and eat when my sister hasn’t been able to say more than five words to me in two days. I’m sorry Matt, this isn’t your fault and I don’t know why I’m getting testy with you. I guess you’re right, maybe I do need some rest.” She conceded.

  Matt grabbed her a plate of food and maneuvered her though the doorway and out to the bench on the porch. Sitting down, he pulled her onto his lap and fed her bits off of her plate before encouraging her to lean back against him and rest if just for a little bit. As he suspected, within minutes she was sound asleep.

  He held her, stroking her hair and back, marveling at how lucky he had been finding her. He thought back to how jealous he had been the first time he saw her talking to Adam; he hadn’t even known her then but the minute he saw her he knew he was hooked. Now, in a matter of months he would be both a husband and a father. It was shocking when he thought about it like that. He hoped they had a beautiful little blond haired girl.

  “What is going on Son?” His father asked coming through the doorway and out onto the porch. “Since we have arrived, we have been bounced all over between this house and the makeshift guesthouse. Level with me, if we’re not wanted here we’ll go home; we don’t want to be in anyone’s way.”

  “It’s not that dad; quite the opposite actually. I am glad you and mother and Anna are here, really I am. It’s just that Kat is very sick and doesn’t need a lot of commotion right now.” Matt explained. “I didn’t want to tell you this way and please don’t tell anyone else yet but Angel is pregnant. I’m going to be a father, Dad. And Rick is engaged to Kat, his girls are going to have a mother. It has all happened rather quickly and so much else has happened too. I don’t even know where to begin. I know Mother would like to be involved in planning the wedding and everything but Dad, Angel and I are going to wait until Kat is better. We are going to get married together Dad; Rick and I are each other’s best friends and it’s the same with Kat and Angel.”

  “Wow Son. It does sound like a lot has happened since the last time we saw each other. Your mother will just have to understand that you are both men and you make your own decisions. It also sounds like congratulations are in order on two counts. It will be nice to have another child and grandchild. Congratulations Son.” His father patted his shoulder. “It sounds to me like both of you picked out some fine women. I wish all of you the best of luck. Now, I will go have a few words with your mother, and we may or may not be leaving in the morning.”

  Matt smiled as his father walked away. Short as it was, that was one of the best talks they had had in a long time. Well, come to think of it, it was one of the only talks they had had in a long time. Sitting there thinking, he realized just how short life was. He would definitely have to make an effort to see his family more often. Maybe they could do like many families and have Sunday afternoon dinners during the summer. Finally, he let his mind rest and stared out at the sunset marveling once again at the fact that he was going to be a husband and a father.

  As the sun went down, so did the temperatures. Finally, Consuela came to shut the door and noticed Matt and Angel there on the porch. “What are you two doing out here in the cold, and why did you skip dinner?” She asked. Her eyes took in all the details of the picture in front of her. “Madre de Dios, she is going to have a Niño!” She exclaimed. “Get that girl inside out of the cold. We don’t need both of them down sick Matt.”

  “Not you too, Consuela!” Matt said irritated. “Like my father has finally figured out; we are grown men, we can make some of the decisions in our life for ourselves.”

  “While that may be true Senor Matt, you still act like a little boy.” Consuela said with contempt. “Si, the girl needs her sleep to make a big strong bambino but if she catches cold, her sleep will not be used for the baby but for fighting sickness. Think first and choose your fights wisely Niño. Si, you are a full grown man, but that entitles you to act like one.” She closed the door and walked away leaving him sitting on the porch with a pregnant fiancé on his lap.

  “Wow, she sure told you.” Angel giggled. “Almost sounded like some of the scolding that Kat used to give me when I was younger. You do have a point though; you and Rick should be able to make your own choices and decisions. I mean, regardless of what you or I decide, we both have to live with those choices.”

  “You sound like a mother already Sweetheart.” He informed her. “Let’s get you inside before Consuela decides to banish me from all desserts for a week.” He laughed lightheartedly.

  They walked back into the house holding hands. Anna was in the kitchen getting a drink of water and looked up. “Hello again; I am sorry I didn’t get to talk to you much earlier but it seemed like you were in the middle of something pretty urgent.”

  “Thank you for noticing.” Angel told her. “My sister has had a run of back luck recently and unfortunately we had to cut and cauterize her leg. She had a severe infection and the doctor was worried about it. She is doing a little better now though.”

  “That’s wonderful that you were able to help her.” Anna said sincerely. “I am looking forward to meeting her. I’m glad I got to meet you also but I must confess that I’d love to have more time to get to know both of you.”

  “Well, looks like you’re in luck because I’m pretty sure both of us will be in the family for quite a while. As you heard earlier, Matt and I are getting married. Not many know yet but Rick and Kat are going to be getting married at the same time. We decided on a joint wedding.” She replied. “Well Anna, if you would like to come with me; I need to check on Kat and see if she’s awake.” Angel
headed towards her sister’s bedroom.

  They went in and silently closed the door behind them. Rick seemed to be asleep in the chair holding on to Kat’s hand for dear life. Kat opened her eyes as Angel checked her forehead. “There are a lot of people here huh?” She asked her sister quietly.

  “It seems like the population of the ranch is multiplying like rabbits Kat.” Angel replied. “I am pretty sure that we now have more people in this house than we’ve had visit us since we built it.”

  “What in the world is everyone doing coming here?” Kat asked confused.

  “Well Kat, the best I can figure from all of this is; you hired Frank and James. Rick and Matt are here for us. Marie came here because she didn’t know where else to go. Consuela and Rick’s two girls came here because Rick and Matt were here. Samuel and Grace left Marie’s fathers house and didn’t know where else to go. Now, Matt and Rick’s parents are here; and this is their sister Anna.” Angel said stepping over and gently pushing Anna forward.

  “Hello Anna; it’s nice to meet you. I’d get up and shake your hand, but I don’t think that’s going to happen right now.” Kat smiled.

  Rick awoke and looked at Anna. “I thought you were teaching school.”

  “Well Rick, we have this little thing called a spring break that gives us time off for planting.” Anna laughed. “Besides even if we didn’t, meeting new family is always important.”

  “I take it you met Kaitlyn and Angel then.” Rick said. “From what I hear, the family is multiplying like rabbits.” He winked at Angel, stealing her words and causing her to laugh.

  “You seem to listen in on a lot of conversations.” She said still laughing. “Almost makes me wonder what else you’ve heard.”

  “You probably don’t want to know.” Matt answered for him as he dropped to the edge of the bed, having followed Angel and Anna into the room. “Rick has always had this little habit of making you think he was asleep so you would let down your guard, then he would surprise you by hearing all kinds of details he wasn’t supposed to know or by tackling you as you went by him or any number of other things.”

  Anna laughed as she joined in. “Yes, Rick told our parents about my first kiss when I was eight. I had a friend sleep over and we stayed up late into the night talking. Rick’s room was across the hall and he apparently overheard our entire conversation. The next morning, my mother informed me that I was definitely not allowed to kiss Adam anymore.”

  “You kissed Adam?” Matt looked at her and over to Rick. “Like Adam that works out at the ranch? Why didn’t I know about that? I wouldn’t have hired him if I knew he had been kissing my baby sister.”

  “That’s why you were never told. Good God Matt, she was eight and Adam was ten.” Rick laughed. “I never saw any reason to condemn someone for something they did as a kid. It’s not like Anna spends a lot of time at the ranch, and we both know that Adam does not spend much time at all at Mother’s.”

  “Ok guys, ease up.” Kat said looking worriedly at the two brothers. “Let’s not fight over something that happened when you were children. We’ve got more to worry about now trying to figure out this wedding and everyone’s living arrangements.”

  “Well, I thought I’d give you a stock report while I was in here.” Matt informed her, changing the subject to ease her mind. “Frank and Adam moved Coal over here today and I had them put him in the pasture with the cows and heifers that you had separated. I was going to talk to you and see what you thought about moving the other twenty head in with them. It will keep Coal busy for a while, plus, I think most of them are getting pretty close to ready. The horses are fine and Frank has been cleaning out the barn daily. I think Dusty is getting pretty agitated though; he threatened to bite me earlier when I changed his water. We moved Sunbeam into the barn, she’s showing signs that she could foal any day now.”

  “Wow, thank you Matt. Sounds like I’ve got a good crew doing my job for me.” She told him, looking somewhat dejected. Turning and looking at Rick, “Maybe you can take me outside to see Dusty and the puppies tomorrow. I’m sure if you helped me, I could make it out that far. Besides, the sunlight and fresh air will do me some good.” She added before he could argue.

  “Kat,” Angel started. “I am not sure that the doctor would approve, but…,”She said as Kat tried to argue. Giving her sister a look before continuing, “But I bet between Rick, Matt and I, we could probably find you a comfortable chair close enough to the barn that you can talk to Dusty. And Belle wouldn’t mind having the puppies outside for a bit.” She finished.

  “Angel!” Rick and Matt growled in unison. “The doctor specifically said…”

  “I don’t care what he said.” Angel interrupted. “He also said to give her laudanum; which Rick, I noticed you already hid. I think you would all agree that between Kat and the three of us, we can probably make our own decisions.” She added throwing an altered version of Matt’s own words back at him.

  “I happen to agree with my sister.” Kat informed them. “Rick, thank you for getting rid of the laudanum though; I’m glad you know me well enough to know I wouldn’t willingly take that vile stuff.”

  Anna stood there for a little while longer listening to the playful banter between her siblings and her soon-to-be in-laws. Finally noticing the exhausted look on Kat’s face, she made her escape. “I’m getting pretty tired; it was nice to meet you Kat but I am going to have to see you in the morning.” With that, she quietly shut the door on her way out and went back to the room that she was sharing with Marie. Thankfully, the other girl was absent so Anna quickly washed her face, dressed for bed and climbed in; desperately hoping that she would be asleep by the time her roommate returned.

  ~XXI~

  Marie had no intention of going back to her room; at least not for quite some time. She had been out in the barn when Frank was cleaning the stalls and managed to find a few minutes to talk to him. He was still very quiet and seemed almost shy but she didn’t mind, as long as he liked to listen, she could converse about anything, and normally did.

  Off and on throughout the day, he took time to show her many things that she had never learned before. He showed her the correct way to saddle a horse, explained about cooling them down, not letting them drink too much water too soon when they were hot, and many other interesting things she had never known.

  The more she got him to talk the more she realized that sometimes it was beneficial to listen to what other people had to say. By applying heavy encouragement, Marie even got him to talk about what he wanted to do with his life. The whole aspect of making butter and cheese was quite interesting to her. Having baby cows, oh calves she amended her thinking; she learned that baby cows were called calves. Having calves around to play with and pet sounded like great fun.

  “Miss Marie, it’s getting kinda chilly out here.” Frank was telling her. “Maybe I should walk you up to the house before it gets too late.” He offered.

  “Oh no, don’t be silly Frank. I am, after all, a grown woman that can look after herself.” She told him. “In fact, most all the women my age that I know are already married with children.” She hinted, conveniently not mentioning Frances.

  “I didn’t mean for you to think I was telling you what to do Miss, I just know how you are about keeping your reputation pure and all.” He told her, not wanting her to be mad at him.

  “Do you want to know something Frank?” Marie asked him, wondering to herself just how this was going to turn out. “Sometimes I’m not so sure that a pure reputation is worth all the agony we go through to keep it that way. I mean, life should be lived. What good is your reputation if you don’t get to experience any of the fun life has to offer?”

  “Well Miss Marie, you could always marry me. I don’t care none about a reputation. I just want a woman of my own to love and children to raise. It ain’t going to be easy but I swear I’d love you all the days of my life.” He told her earnestly.

  “Oh my, Frank.” She looked at him
from beneath her lashes. “I rather like the idea of being a wife and having children. Do you really think we could do it?”

  “I ain’t none too smart Ma’am but I’m willin to give it a go if you are.” He answered.

  “Oh Frank, would it be too forward of me to ask you to kiss me?” She asked him.

  “I don’t know about that Miss Marie but I’d sure like to if you want to.” He told her. To his way of thinking, this just might be the best thing that ever happened to him. A pretty girl like Marie didn’t just come around every day.

  Not really knowing how to go about making this first kiss happen, Frank put his arms around her waist and tugged her closer to him. He liked the way she brought her hands up around his neck too. Before he knew what was happening, her hands pulled his head down close to hers and she kissed him; right on the lips. Hungrily, his body reacted and he instinctively kissed her back more deeply, more thoroughly. Deepening the kiss even further, he brought his hands to her face cupping it. Still not getting enough to satisfy him, he tilted his head sideways and slid his tongue into her mouth tasting her greedily.