Sarah Anne's Faithful Friends (Unshakable Faith Book 4)

by Cathy Lynn Bryant

  Daniel then went to the parlor to wait for Sarah. Within a few minutes, looking quite flushed, she entered the room.

  “Sarah, please be seated,” he said, directing her to a chair to the right of him. Once she was settled, he began. “It seems we both are feeling ill at ease at being alone with each other.”

  She lowered her eyes as she listened.

  “We need to come to some sort of an understanding. As for me, I don’t expect that anything should change because it is only the two of us now. We ought to still eat together as well as keep to our usual schedules for everything else.”

  Feeling a little relieved by what Daniel had said about things remaining the same, Sarah responded, “Very well, Daniel. You are right.” To be certain she had heard him correctly, with a little grin she questioned, “You felt uncomfortable, too, then?”

  Amused by her reaction to what he had said, he replied, “What is wrong with us? We are acting like perfect strangers. I realize it is not going to be easy, but we must behave in a relaxed manner with each other, or it shall be a rather miserable few months. Before marrying, we were at ease in each other’s company. Were we not?”

  Still smiling, Sarah responded in the affirmative. For the remainder of the evening, Sarah and Daniel talked companionably, just as they had before their marriage.

  The next morning Daniel waited for Sarah in the kitchen. Not long after he had taken a seat, she came in, still fiddling with her hair. “I trust you slept well,” he said as he observed her frustration over her matted hair. Hearing a soft reply indicating that she had, he asked, “May I be of assistance? I am well practiced at untangling hair. Joanna’s looked much the same as yours on many a morning.”

  Though she wanted to say yes, she shook her head no. “I can manage it on my own, but I thank you all the same.”

  By now, Daniel knew Sarah would never give her consent for things of such a personal nature; for that reason, carrying his chair, he made his way over to her. After placing the chair behind the small woman, he took the comb from her hand, sat himself down, and began gently working the tangles out. Seeing her flushed face, he decided to distract her with conversation. “Would you like to accompany me today? I believe I mentioned a young man who fell from a tree. The injuries he incurred required a few stitches.”

  Pleasingly diverted from the hair combing, Sarah responded, “Yes, I do recollect you mentioning something about it. And if you think my coming along may be of any benefit, I would be happy to go with you.”

  Not quite finished with combing out the tangles and seeing the delighted look upon Sarah’s face about accompanying him, he continued. “The young man was a little hesitant to allow me near him on my recent visit. The whole process took longer than necessary. Given your way with children, I believe you may be able to coax him into letting me have a look at his wound to see that it is healing properly.”

  With the hair now hanging perfectly straight, Daniel ran his hand down the locks. “I believe you are now liberated from every tangle.”

  Feeling Daniel’s hand stroking her hair, she quickly pulled away and thanked him for his trouble. She then asked, “When do you plan to leave?”

  “Whenever you wish,” he answered as he stood and then carried the chair back to the table. “I have already eaten, but you take your time. When you are ready, come to my study.”

  A short time later, Sarah and Daniel were on their way. Though there had been a few awkward moments while Daniel combed her hair, things between them still seemed greatly improved. As they rode along on the wagon, they discussed many things—including the fact that they both, at times, continued to experience intense grief over the loss of Joanna, the baby, and for Sarah, Alexander had also never been far from her thoughts.

  By the time they arrived at the boy’s home, they had decided to be more open with each other in the future with regard to their grief, reasoning that there shouldn’t be any problem with two friends talking about such things.

  Chapter 10

  Over the next few weeks, Sarah accompanied Daniel on many of his visits. Each time, Daniel had admired the kind and proficient manner in which his new wife had conducted herself on the calls. In the instances where the person he was looking after was ill at ease, she had quickly calmed them. Additionally, when an extra set of hands was needed, she had risen to the occasion no matter how unpleasant the task. With her love and care of others, she reminded him more and more of his beloved Joanna.

  The day came for one of the physician’s expectant mothers to deliver. As soon as it was made known the woman was with child, the midwife caring for her had asked for the physician’s help. The mother had experienced complications with the births of her first three children. Daniel was always prepared to help out in these instances, and even though the midwife would be present, he still brought Sarah along. If nothing else, he knew she would at least look after the other three children, for in his experience, fathers were often too distracted to do the job properly.

  The birth had taken an inordinate amount of time. When the Thompsons later set off for home, they were both utterly exhausted.

  As they rode along, Daniel noticed Sarah’s head bob a few times. Not wanting her to fall from the wagon, he pulled her over close to him so that she could rest against him. As tired as she was, she did not protest. By the time they arrived at home, Sarah was sound asleep.

  Bringing the wagon to a halt at the front door, Daniel then lifted Sarah and made for the house. He observed that, in moving her, she had not even stirred. Finding success at opening the door without dropping his precious load, he then carried her to her bedchamber. Once he had laid her down, he grabbed the candle next to her bed and went in the direction of the parlor. There were still a few embers in the fireplace with which to light the candle. As soon as he had returned to Sarah’s room, moving toward the table, he placed the candle in its usual spot.

  Glancing down, though Sarah stirred a little, Daniel noticed her eyes were still closed in sleep. Reaching to the foot of the bed, he pulled off her shoes and then covered her with a quilt. As he stooped to move her hair away from her face, he again noted how youthful she looked. “It’s not a wonder that you are completely done in with all that you accomplished today—what with taking care of the children, preparing food and such. On days like today, I am truly glad we married.” Leaning in, he placed a kiss upon her brow and then turned to leave, extinguishing the candle on his way out.

  As he went out to stable the horses, he thought about what a help Sarah had been with the children that day. Not for the first time did he consider what a wonderful mother Sarah would have made had she been able to have a child of her own—one that had lived, that is. His mind lingered for a moment on her baby boy; the one he delivered. The child had lived but a few minutes. Daniel had so many memories tied to that time with Sarah and her first husband, Alexander. The memories brought Joanna to mind. He had always thought that Sarah seemed so different from Joanna, but the more time he spent with her, the more he realized they were similar in many ways.

  When Daniel had finished in the barn, he went back to the house. After washing up, he changed his clothes and climbed into bed. Before falling asleep, he thanked the Lord that all had gone well that day.

  ◊◊◊

  Early the next morning, with autumn well under way, Daniel decided to start the preparations for securing his home for winter. Amongst other things, to help keep out the cold he had a habit of piling hay around the base of the house. As he worked in the yard, he observed bear tracks. Though it was not all that unusual, he wanted to be sure to inform Sarah not to be out of doors until he was certain the animal had moved on.

  Later that afternoon, while the couple was sitting at the table having tea, Daniel told Sarah there had been a bear near the place. He then warned that, until he was certain the animal was long gone, she should remain in the house unless he was with her. Not all that concerned, she went back to drinking her tea.

  Sarah was
grateful that Daniel was never one to press his will on her; as a result, she reasoned that if she needed to be out of doors, she would be sure to keep an eye out for the bear, but would go out just the same. She then thought about how Alexander, though she had dearly loved him, had been a little severe at times; however, she had to admit that he had been right on more than one occasion, and she would have done well to have listened. Her mind then went to the terrible night she was attacked after ignoring her husband’s wishes. She shivered at the images that came to mind.

  While Sarah was absorbed in thought, Daniel quietly observed her, noticing that she went from calm to an almost panic stricken look upon her face. Believing she was frightened at the idea of a bear lingering near their home, he stated, “Sarah, as long as you remain indoors, you shall be safe. The bear cannot get to you in here.”

  Sarah jolted at the sound of Daniel’s voice. Coming to herself, she realized her face must have shown fear at the remembrance of the attack. “Oh, of course, Daniel. I am certain you are right.” She left it at that. Though she was not overly afraid of the bear, she had no desire to explain what she had been thinking about.

  As they ate, they discussed the rapidly approaching winter. Sarah remembered from when she had previously stayed with the Thompsons—long before Joanna’s death—that it had been challenging, on occasion, for Daniel to get out and call on the sick. Joanna had shared with her that she had often worried about him when he was away, particularly during a storm.

  Breaking in on her thoughts, Daniel decided to apprise her of his plans for the following day. “Sarah, as I don’t have any calls to make tomorrow, I will be going to town. Would you like to come along with me?”

  “No, Daniel. I have plenty to do here. We have been gone so often of late, there are a few things that require my attention. I thank you for asking, though.”

  As Sarah had expected, Daniel left early the next morning. He would be gone a few hours. When she had finished tidying up in doors, she made her way out to the backyard to clear out the remnants of the garden.

  As she worked, she piled everything alongside the garden to haul away when she had finished. After a couple of hours, she decided to begin dragging away arm loads from the pile. On her third trip into the woods to dispose of the garden remnants, as exhausted as she felt, she was glad she was nearly done.

  The moment she was about to drop her load, she heard a loud cracking sound like that of a large branch breaking. While quickly glancing over her shoulder, she remembered Daniel’s words from the day before. When she spotted the source of the noise moving in her direction, she wished she had heeded her husband’s warning and remained in the house.

  With hair standing up on the back of her neck at the sight of an enormous bear moving toward her, dropping her load, she turned and began to run. In her haste, however, she tripped over the pile, landing hard on her wrist and shoulder. Thinking she was about to be the creature’s lunch, she cried, “Why don’t I ever listen?” As she attempted to rise to continue her getaway, she heard a loud blast. With her heart racing, she peeked behind her and spotted the bear sprawled out on the ground and a large man hastening toward her.

  As alarmed as she had been of the bear, she was almost as frightened of the stranger who was rapidly approaching. Before she could rise, she felt the man’s hands scooping her up off the ground.

  With an intense gaze, the man inquired, “Are you injured, ma’am?”

  Her heart still pounding, she shook her head no, but she wasn’t exactly certain what she had said was true. Presently, her wrist and shoulder throbbed. There was also a stabbing pain in her left ankle.

  “That bear almost had you for supper. What were you doing out here all alone?”

  As she stared at him, she remembered scolding herself only moments before for paying no heed to her husband’s warning about the bear.

  All at once, memories of Matthew Raymond and that terrible night came to mind. She began violently shaking in the arms of the stranger. To her knowledge, she had never before set eyes on the man. She wondered what he intended to do with her. No one even knew where she was.

  Seeing the fear in the young woman’s eyes, and realizing it wasn’t only the bear that frightened her, the man introduced himself. “I am Simon Findley, an acquaintance of your husband’s; that is, if your husband is Daniel Thompson.”

  Simon observed a slight tilt of the head. Though she did not give her name, he was pretty certain he had heard it was Sarah.

  “Let’s get you home. Daniel must be worried about you. More to the point, what was he thinking, letting you come out here alone?”

  At the thought that the man was a friend of Daniel’s, and that he meant to take her home, relief started to pervade her entire being. She had escaped the bear with the help of this stranger, and she was now quite certain he intended her no harm.

  “Well, actually…Daniel has no idea of my whereabouts.” She remained uncertain about whether to disclose that Daniel had gone to town, but as she looked into the man’s eyes, once again she understood he meant her no harm. “Truthfully, he warned me there was a bear and that I should not come out of doors, at least until he was sure it had moved on.”

  Simon was glad she no longer appeared frightened of him. As he listened to Sarah he admired her pluck. She obviously was not concerned about the bear until she came face to face with it. And she clearly does as she pleases. I wonder what Daniel thinks of this independent, albeit tiny woman.

  As he walked with Sarah in his arms, he inquired as to how she managed to be out of doors without her husband having noticed. He presumed her response would be that Daniel was not at home.

  Sarah was about to answer when they moved out from the trees to her backyard. Spotting Daniel, his countenance one of alarm, hastily moving in their direction, she felt a flutter in her chest.

  As Daniel approached, he shouted, “Simon! Sarah! What has happened? I heard the gun blast as I was arriving.”

  Sarah felt terrible that she hadn’t listened to Daniel and had caused such a fuss. Unable to form any words of her own for fear of the wrathful look upon her husband’s face, Sarah then heard Simon clear his throat. Though she was glad he was about to respond for her, she wished he would put her down. She was sure she could stand on her own two feet, and being held like an injured child was only making things worse. She wanted Daniel to see for himself that she was all right.

  “Well, my friend, this little wife of yours found herself in a great deal of trouble. I am glad I happened to be out hunting today, or she may have been a meal for a rather large bear.”

  Daniel’s eyes flashed in his wife’s direction. “Sarah Anne, what were you doing out here? Are you injured?” As he looked her over, he reached out for Simon to place her in his arms.

  “I do apologize, Daniel. I was merely clearing away the dried remnants from the garden. I believe I can walk on my own. You may put me down.”

  Still holding her, he responded angrily, “I warned you there was a bear in the vicinity! What were you thinking, being out here like that?”

  Simon was beginning to feel uncomfortable at being present for a quarrel between Daniel and his new wife, so he lightheartedly said, “It was good to meet you, Sarah. I believe I shall be off now. I have a bear to skin.”

  Daniel stopped questioning Sarah long enough to thank Simon for saving his wife’s life; after which the man tilted his chin in Sarah’s direction and then turned to go.

  Before he had taken two steps, Sarah blurted out, “I am much obliged to you, sir.”

  Turning back, he replied, “Do not give it another thought.”

  Before she could say more, the man turned again and was soon gone from sight. Alone with Daniel now, she peeked up at him. “Pray forgive me, Daniel. I was not thinking. I should not have come out of doors.”

  Daniel’s anger lessened a little as he listened to Sarah’s apology. He remained quiet while moving toward the house.

  “Did you get what you
needed in town? Perhaps I should have gone with you after all. I believe I can walk now. There is no need for you to carry me.” She babbled on nervously, for she was not used to Daniel speaking to her in such an angry manner. Even though, at times, she believed he thought of her much as a child, he had never treated her with anything less than the respect owed an adult. Conversely, she had always known that Alexander had thought of her as a grown woman; nevertheless, he had often spoken to her as if she were a child.

  When Daniel attempted to place his wife on her feet as she had requested, she buckled. “What is it? Your ankle?” After hurriedly taking hold of her wrist to steady her, he heard her cry out in pain. Lifting her again, he stated he would carry her the rest of the way, for it was clear she had injured herself.

  Unable to walk on her own, his wife made no argument. As they moved toward the house, they fell silent. Once they had entered the kitchen, Daniel placed Sarah on a chair at the table. While observing her, he could see dirt smeared on her face, hands, and clothes. Still silent, he went over to the basin of water, which sat upon the cupboard. Grabbing a cloth, he carried the basin over to the table and proceeded to wash Sarah’s face and hands.

  “You are in need of a fresh frock. The one you are wearing is completely soiled.”

  While observing Daniel, Sarah sensed that his anger, at this point, had completely dwindled. Still feeling awful for not having listened, she apologized once more, to which her husband replied that the matter was closed.

  Once Daniel had cleaned her up, all but her clothes, he conveyed her to the room in which he performed his examinations. After having a look at her wrist, he was certain she had cracked a bone, so he not only wrapped it, but splinted it as well. He then took a look at her ankle before showing her one of the crutches he had fashioned for just such an occasion. He had in fact made several different sizes to suit from the very small to the largest of persons.