Beloved Texas Bride

by Ginny Sterling

  Occasionally she would hear a cow in the distance or birds, but the rhythmic beat from him was soothing. Her initial worry about her misfortune was soon replaced with a feeling of rightness. She had enjoyed riding with Cole much more than she ever wanted to admit, even if her bottom was sore from the horseback ride. He had told her it would be all right and she had believed him willingly… until now.

  Now, she had a few doubts as she looked over the uninhabited small house ahead of them. Compared to her home in Indianapolis, it was rough to say the very least. She knew she had left a comfortable life and was open to change, but this might be pushing a line she had not expected to cross. Elizabeth felt like an ungrateful, spoiled brat even thinking that the house ahead of her was dilapidated. Cole had generously offered her shelter and here she was judging it. She would not say a word otherwise and would be more than willing to help him right the situation since he had been so willing to help her correct her own situation.

  Elizabeth plastered a cheerful smile across her face and took a deep breath as the horse came to a stop in front of the darkening house. “Is this your home?” she inquired cheerfully.

  “I bet it’s so nice to be home once again, isn’t it?” she questioned. She watched as he slid off the horse with ease and told her to stay put. Elizabeth wanted to get down, but when she saw him pull his gun, she froze. Elizabeth stared as she watched him open the front door with the gun drawn and disappear inside, silently.

  “What is going on?” she whispered to herself, surprised by his actions.

  Cole had honestly expected someone to be at the house or in the barn not far from here. Seeing the lack of habitation, he could only assume that the property had been completely abandoned for more than the month he expected. There was no smoke on the breeze indicating food cooking or wood being burned for the cool nights. There were also no sounds issuing from the barn nearby, which meant that his father’s horses were gone. No chickens, no dogs, nothing in the area. Cole did not want to find any surprises inside of the house and wanted Elizabeth safe outside if there was something awaiting them.

  Cole had drawn his gun and entered the dark house expecting problems. You never knew if there would be a squatter that had taken possession or if the home was now inhabited by wildlife. It was not unusual for snakes, varmints or any other creatures to have made an empty shell of a house their new home. He quietly moved through the dark house, his heart pounding until he realized it was completely uninhabited and clear of animals.

  He threw a few logs into the fireplace and prayed the chimney was clear of debris as he lit it. He struck the flint and watched a small glow fill the room as he moved to get Elizabeth and put the horse in the barn. Cole walked through the door and spotted Elizabeth’s anxious face in the setting sunlight on the horse. It would be pitch-black shortly outside and he would prefer to be safely inside.

  “Are you okay? I smell smoke,” Elizabeth nervously said as she saw Cole exit the small house. He had been gone for some time and she had stayed perched on the horse in front of the house, listening for any sounds of a scuffle. She fidgeted, hearing a few sounds of wildlife in the distance and had tucked her feet up just a bit higher in her skirt as if that would help her if some wild animal attacked. She felt so out of place as she waited on the horse for him.

  Cole grinned at her. “You smell smoke because I started a fire,” he said wryly. “I am hungry, aren’t you?” he asked as he moved to help her off the back of his horse. He noticed how firm her waist was in the corset and marveled at how his hands fit around her easily. She seemed so delicate and tiny.

  “Are you okay after all that traveling?” he questioned, knowing she had to be sore. He doubted that she had spent a lot of time in the saddle like he had and it was rough on the body.

  Elizabeth caught herself from collapsing. Her knees almost gave out as he helped her from the horse. Her bum was aching and her legs screamed in protest when she tried to stand up. She hurt from head to toe, but would never admit it. She just smiled up at him and stood still for a moment, trying not to flinch as her body stretched.

  “Just a bit stiff, but I am okay. Thank you,” she replied trying to keep herself from groaning aloud as she moved to walk behind him into the house.

  Cole watched her and admired her tenacity. She would need it out here if she was starting anew. Life could be hard on a ranch and it was not for everyone. He did not say a word as he led her indoors. Cole was glad to see that the smoke was exiting the chimney and not filling the house. That was a good sign that maybe things would not be as bad as he feared. If the chimney was blocked by soot or a bird’s nest, that would be a tough problem to fix in the dark.

  Cole found a few oil lamps on the mantel and lit them, moving the glass into place and adjusting the wicks to set more light into the room. He glanced around and was glad to see the furniture was still present and in good condition, just dusty. He took a lamp and checked his father’s room, noting that the bed was still made. Nothing had been touched in months apparently or so it seemed. His father had been gone one month, had he stopped sleeping here prior to that? He wondered if the larder had anything worth keeping inside or if everything had gone rancid.

  He gathered up the dust-covered bedding off his father’s bed and moved to the cedar chest to change out the linens. Cole would give Elizabeth this room. It was the nicest and most comfortable. It would be closer to what she had been used to, he assumed, from her home back in Indianapolis. Cole turned and saw Elizabeth watching him carefully. He straightened and muttered, “You’re safe here, okay? I am just fixing up the room for you.” He gathered up the stale blankets and carried them out, walking brusquely past her.

  Elizabeth had been watching him since they had entered the house. She watched, fascinated at the expression on his face and relief in his eyes. She caught herself admiring the way he looked in the dim light and how he filled the room up with his presence. When she saw him yanking the linens off of a bed, she felt a pang of desire in her abdomen that alarmed her. She shooed it down, attributing it to a hunger pain, instead. She watched him spread the linens over the bed and he smoothed them into place with his tanned hands, thinking how capable he seemed to be and how incapable she suddenly was. She had never really made a bed in her life, her maid had always done so.

  Elizabeth felt embarrassed when she saw him looking at her and even more so when he told her she was safe from him. Elizabeth didn’t know which bothered her more, the fact that she was mortified at how she was unprepared for her new life and how she had so much to learn…or the fact that she felt insulted that he would even think she was not desirable and he would not touch her.

  Cole walked past her standing in the doorway watching him. He could not believe that she would look so unsure of his intentions when he had been nothing but polite to her. She had heard much worse from others along the trip. He offered her a home and protection. He had helped her in the past and given advice only to be looked upon like he would attack her.

  He was more than frustrated by her wariness as he snatched up the linens and stormed down the short hallway toward the other room. He found it was in the same condition as the other. This had been his room and it had not changed much. His small bed still sat in the corner like before with a chest of drawers nearby.

  He took a deep breath as his mind reeled at the small mementos around the room. His father had kept his letters and they were tied together on the nightstand. He had also kept his bow he had practiced with as a young man. The bow lay propped in the corner, untouched. Cole wondered what else his father had kept and had never realized how sentimental he had been. Cole sighed again, feeling guilty that he had left and had not been here for him.

  He stripped the linens once again and remade the bed so that he could get some rest tonight after they had finally eaten something. His stomach took that moment to give a loud rumble and Cole looked around, noting that the wash basket his mother kept in each room was missing. Strange, he thought. He dropp
ed the linens in the corner and would see that they were cleaned tomorrow in case they were needed again.

  Cole strode down the small hallway towards the front door. The front door had opened into a large living space that had a massive fireplace with a hearth. His mother had insisted upon a fireplace as well as a cooktop stove. He had grown accustomed to cooking on a fire pit and did not think to attempt to light the stove when he lit the fireplace. He noticed that Elizabeth still watched him from the doorway and had made no move to enter her own room as of yet.

  Elizabeth felt out of place. She did not know the house or the layout. In addition, after his cold rebuttal earlier, she felt a bit unwelcomed. Like he had made a mistake offering her shelter. She was truly relieved she had a place to stay and, by the looks of it, he was trying to make the best of the situation or so she assumed.

  The place needed a good cleaning. Everything was covered in a layer of dust. She was not sure what she could do to help. She didn’t know where things were and, if she was honest with herself, she was not sure how much she could actually help with! She did not know how to cook. To be truthful, she didn’t even know what was needed to get a meal started. She could set the table but for what?

  She jumped when she heard Cole tell her to come on over towards him and watched as he opened a large doorway off to the side. She noted that it looked like another entryway to a room or maybe he was showing her the restroom in the house.

  Elizabeth watched as he held up the oil lamp and set it on a shelf. “Oh! Is this the pantry?” she asked and placed her hands over her stomach as her body gave a loud growl.

  “Sorry, please excuse me,” she smiled, embarrassed. She was relieved to see him grin in response. She let out her breath as he explained he was pretty hungry, too.

  They glanced over the shelves, noting the lack of items and then Elizabeth watched as he yanked up the small braided rug on the floor to reveal a trap door in the floor. Cool air flew into the room with a rush from quick movement as he opened the small doorway into the floor. Elizabeth eyed Cole as he stepped down onto a ladder rung that was attached to the entrance. She moved to grab the oil lamp to help light the way and was pleased to see him glance up and nod in approval.

  Cole held his breath as he moved down the ladder into the darkness. His parents had always kept smoked meats and other goods hidden down there. Mother always had cheeses, canned jellies and other items stocked away when she had been alive. As a boy, he used to be scared to go down into the dark cellar but as a man, he sincerely hoped the cellar had remained full of goods that stayed fresh in the cool darkness that had once frightened him.

  His breath whooshed out in relief seeing some items hidden away and sealed. The canned jars still had strong seals on them and there was one round of cheese dipped in wax on the shelf. He spotted a large bin his mother used to store beans inside of and saw there were still some present. One lone netting hung from a beam in the ceiling that practically glowed in the lamplight. It might be a smoked ham or a shank of bacon. Cole hoped and prayed it was bacon – and that it was still edible. Bacon would give them grease along with flavoring if they had to eat beans for some time.

  “Jackpot!” he exclaimed happily.

  “Can you take these things as I hand them up?” he called up towards Elizabeth as he hung the lamp on a hook from the ceiling. He was relieved they would have a few things to try to scrounge together something to eat.

  Elizabeth let out her breath in relief hearing him call up to her. She knelt down towards the opening as he handed up several jars to her. She placed them beside her as he rapidly handed several up. Elizabeth then carefully took the large cheese from him and a heavy net bag.

  “Is there anything else?” she called down into the cellar. She watched as he moved up the ladder with a bin tucked under his arm. She smiled as she saw his grin.

  “You look pretty happy,” she remarked.

  “We’ll be eating something, at least, tonight. Not sure what all we have here but out of all of this, we should get something,” Cole announced happily.

  “I was kinda worried when I saw the shelves empty. My mother always had the cellar stocked full of things and I guess my father never filled it as much as she did or used a lot of it after she died. Mother was always proud that we never had to worry if things went badly. I’m glad to see her planning and hidden doorway kept us some food down there,” he said as he put the bin down and headed back into the cellar, retrieving the oil lamp. He climbed up, put the doorway back down and placed the rug atop of it once again, hiding its location.

  Elizabeth gathered up a few of the precious jars of food and followed him from the pantry into the living area that held a table and a few chairs. She put the jars down on the table, as she noticed he set down the bin. She watched as he excitedly opened the net bag and whooped in delight.

  Cole stared for a moment at the meat inside, thankful it was smoked and salted heavily. “Bacon! Thank God,” he said relieved. “We’ll have beans tomorrow and they will taste so good, but tonight? We’ll fry up some bacon and open one of the jars. Pick one you want,” he offered to her, not really caring what she selected. He was just hungry and the thought of some bacon fried up made his mouth water in anticipation.

  Grabbing a few jars, she watched him cut several slices off the large side of meat and put it in a skillet. Elizabeth studied the glass jars to see what they contained in the lamplight. One looked like beets, one looked like tomatoes and one she could not identify. It was strange looking but vaguely resembled asparagus or some other green vegetable. The idea of beets just did not sound good, nor did the tomatoes. Elizabeth decided to live life on the wild side and opened jar number three with a hiss and a pop as the seal gave way.

  “I hope this one is all right with you,” she said as she pried back the lid.

  Elizabeth eyed it warily and gave the contents a sniff as Cole fried the bacon in the skillet on the fire.

  “Cole? This one may have gone bad. It smells sour,” she said dejected. She wasn’t sure what to expect when she opened it but vinegar was not the scent she imagined.

  Elizabeth heard laughing and looked up to see Cole pulling the skillet off the fire pit and placing it on a small braided mat onto the table. He told her to grab two plates from the shelf and they wiped them off with a small towel she found hanging on the end of the table.

  Cole put a few slices on her plate and a few on his. He then picked up the jar and pried several green tubes out of the vinegar.

  “What are those? Do you think they are still good? They smell sour.” She scrunched up her nose as he set them on her plate with a smile. Surprised at her selection, he guessed that she liked okra pickles. At all of her statements, if he was a betting man, he would say that this was going to get really funny, really fast. Either you liked okra pickles or you didn’t. He had grown up on them, the spicier the better. But for others? Okra pickles were shunned. It had a taste and texture that was different and took some getting used to.

  “Elizabeth, they are fine. The sour smell is vinegar. You opened some okra pickles. It’s a regional thing. Try one,” he invited and took a bite. “They are fine and crisp,” he said, satisfied as he sat down and began to eat.

  Eying her plate, she stared at the proclaimed pickles that lay in front of her. She decided to try the bacon first. The salted meat certainly smelled appetizing and she picked one up a slice of the sizzling delicacy, taking a bite and savoring the salty, smoky flavor.

  “Oh my gosh, that is good,” she said with a small moan, closing her eyes. Elizabeth took a few more bites, enjoying each more than the last before finally daring to try the pickles. She picked up one and dropped it back onto her plate, hearing him smother a laugh.

  “They are prickly!” she squeaked in disbelief.

  Cole laughed heartily now at her description. “Elizabeth, they are fine. Try one, you might like it,” he said holding a pod and pointing it at her. He watched as she picked up the okra once again, eying
it strangely and took a bite. Her eyes shot open wide as she jerked back.

  “Oh, they are spicy! And they are filled with little seeds. That is the weirdest pickle I have ever eaten!” she exclaimed, but then took another bite.

  “It’s definitely different,” she said, seeing him grin and salute her with the pickle he still held. She fanned herself as her mouth got hotter and hotter from the spices.

  “It’s good but they are terribly hot, aren’t they?” she gasped indelicately.

  Grinning from ear to ear, Cole moved his chair back and walked over to the counter. His mother had insisted on a pump inside of the house as well as outside near the barn and his father had spared no expense in putting it in for her. He was glad of it now as he pumped the handle. Even if the house sat empty, there was water as long as the well was full. He gave a few pumps and water began to flow. He rinsed and filled two glasses. He handed one to Elizabeth and took the other for himself. He watched as she drank heavily of the water and he then filled her glass again. The pickles must have been much spicier than what she was ever used to.

  They finished their meal, making a bit of small talk and cleared the table. Cole put a large pot of water above the fire for Elizabeth and left the house to check on his horse before settling in, leaving Elizabeth to take a moment to clean up the plates. She did the best she could and looked around a bit.

  Elizabeth noticed that there were two chairs in the corner near the fireplace and a sideboard that held some dishes and other items. There was a delicate tatted lace runner along the top that looked out of place in the small farmhouse. She wanted to dig around and look at everything but felt that would be in poor taste. This was his home. He had been so good to her in offering her shelter, she wanted to be a help not a hindrance.

  She would attempt to clean up the house for him and maybe help around the farm until she could get things settled and maybe find a position. She could still be a nanny… just not that kind of nanny. She would look for a position as a governess or a chaperone. She would not refer to a nanny the same way again.