The Baby and the Burned Bride

by Indiana Wake

  Scott snorted. “They don’t need a mother when they have me.”

  “You’re not a woman, though,” Louise pointed out.

  “What’s that got to do with it?” Scott ran his hands through his hair. He was surprised there was any hair left on his head at all from the badgering he had dealt with over the years. “Listen, Mother, I know you’re looking out for me, and I appreciate it. But I dislike Helen. I have done since we were children. I tolerate her out of respect for her family, but that’s it. I will not marry a woman I despise.”

  Scott couldn’t think of anything worse. It would have been a nightmare to be married to an insufferable woman like Helen Parrish. He wouldn’t do that to Martin and Michael.

  Louise stared at him like he had gone mad.

  “You can’t mean that!” She gasped. “You have to marry!”

  “No, I don’t. And just because you want Helen as a daughter-in-law doesn’t mean I’m going to marry her to appease you,” Scott shot back. “If you wanted her in the family, you should’ve had another son.”

  Louise flushed. Her jaw tightened.

  “That was unkind of you,” she hissed. “You know Amelia’s twin died and I cannot have any more children.”

  Scott knew he should apologize, but he was too annoyed to do that. If Louise had wanted him to be kinder in that moment, she shouldn’t have tried to negotiate with him on his choice for a wife. Helen would never be that person.

  “You do need to marry again, Scott.” Louise said quietly. She had calmed somewhat, but her cheeks were still a bit rosy.

  Scott growled. The conversation had turned his exhaustion into a surly mood and his evening was ruined.

  “Do you want to talk about something else?” he snapped. “Because if it’s going to be about marriage still, you can leave now.”

  Louise gasped. “But I’m your mother!”

  “And this is my house.” Scott took her arm and lifted her to her feet, “Don’t try me, Mother. I’m not in the mood.”

  Chapter Five

  Karla had had a fitful night’s sleep; her mind kept turning over about what James had said. Was it worth finding a husband to get her and Stuart stable? Or should she focus on raising her son as a widowed mother? Karla didn’t know what to do. The thought of getting married again was both enticing and frightening. Her marriage to Kit had scared her at the start – what if he woke up one day and realized he had married the wrong person? – but the more comfortable into a married life she got, she found Kit managed to calm her fears. He had proven he was the medicine she needed when things got too much.

  Karla could use some of that reassurance right now. It would help her settle into her new surroundings. Moving to another part of the country was one thing, but to do it without Kit…

  Then again, Karla wasn’t completely alone. She had her friends, the other women who had come over with her. They looked after her and made Karla feel less like she was going mad. Then there was the brother figure she had in James, the rock that kept Karla on her feet after all that had happened.

  And then there was Scott Hollingsworth. Karla hadn’t had any other interactions with the blacksmith since that day, but she couldn’t get her mind off him. He was the type of man she usually avoided, but there was something about Scott that she couldn’t stop thinking about. For a man as burly as him, Scott was surprisingly gentle. Watching him coo at her son had been such a sweet sight.

  Life and his work had made him a chiseled giant, but the way he looked at Karla without flinching at her scars…Karla couldn’t help but feel her pulse quickening. Men nearly always had a reaction to her appearance, mostly a bad one. Scott looked her in the eye, smiled at her, and showed no signs that he was repulsed. The last man who had done that was Kit.

  Unsure of what her emotions were doing, Karla had stayed away from that part of Sioux Falls. She couldn’t bring herself to go near him. Not with such a strong, sudden reaction to him. She was a widow, for crying out loud. Kit had only been dead a year. Surely, finding another man remotely attractive was not a good thing when she was supposed to be mourning?

  Karla didn’t know what to think anymore. But the more she avoided going near the forge, the more she kept thinking about Scott. What was he up to? How was his business going? How was he? How were his children?

  She needed to get a grip. James may have brought her here to look for a husband, but Karla didn’t want to go down that route if she could help it. Everything was a lot easier when it was just her and Stuart.

  Wasn’t it?

  Stuart woke her early, crying for milk as was his schedule. Karla fed him, bathed him and changed him. He calmed pretty quickly and was soon gurgling and smiling. It was a pleasure to see him smiling more than screaming. And that smile of his…it was enough to melt Karla. He was such an adorable child.

  Kit would have been proud of him. Karla pushed that thought away. If she started thinking about Kit now, she would end up crying again.

  After having breakfast, Karla borrowed a small pram from Beth. She wanted to go for a walk, and it was a lovely day. Maybe a walk around Sioux Falls with Stuart would do her good; James had always recommended fresh air.

  As if her mind knew what she wanted, Karla found herself gravitating towards the street where the forge was. She could see Scott’s house and the forge beside it from the end of the street. The doors to the forge were open, and two children with a pretty raven-haired woman were playing in the street. They were laughing. Karla found herself smiling as she watched. There was no doubt these boys were Scott’s children, with their dark hair and impish grins. Big for their age, thin with long limbs, their skin tanned by the sun.

  Identical to their father.

  Karla knew she should make a decision. Turn around and walk away, or approach Scott and attempt a conversation. But what should she say? Karla had no idea.

  Approaching someone was harder than Karla expected. She was used to others doing it to her. Then again, Scott had managed to before. If he could do it, then Karla certainly could.

  Her hands felt clammy against the pram handle as Karla walked down the street. A few people gave her friendly smiles, nodding as they passed by. Karla managed to nod back, surprised at herself that she didn’t trip over her skirts and land flat on her face.

  Just as she reached the forge, Scott came out into the sunshine. He was wiping his hands on a soiled rag and still wearing his apron. His face was matted with grime and sweat, his hair in clear need of a wash. But there was a twinkle in his eyes as he watched the children playing in the street. He was smiling, and that smile lit up his whole face.

  Whoa. She had considered him handsome before. Now, Karla didn’t know what to describe him as.

  His eyes landed on her as he turned. Karla nearly stumbled when she saw his eyes twinkling even more, his smile widening. He could have women lining up if he so wished.

  Her mouth suddenly felt dry. Karla swallowed and managed a smile.

  “Mr. Hollingsworth,” she squeaked. Then her face went red and she bit back a growl. Why did she have to sound like a fool?

  “Mrs. Barker. Good day.” Scott tilted his head to the side, “Is something wrong?”

  “No, nothing’s wrong.” Except the fact her heart felt like it was beating out of her chest and she started to feel dizzy. “I…I just wanted to come by and say thank you. Stuart is a lot calmer now, and I’m feeling better about being able to take care of him. I don’t know what you did, but it’s worked wonders.”

  “I’m glad about that.” Scott approached the pram, leaning over to look inside. His smile widened even more, and his voice warmed, “Hello, little man. You look happy today.”

  Stuart let out a loud squeal and chewed on a little cloth rabbit that had seen better days. Karla jumped when she heard another loud squeal behind her. Scott looked up at the boys.

  “Martin, there’s no need to screech like that.”

  “Sorry, Papa!”

  The boy was then tickled by h
is brother before he was able to break free, laughing all the while. The woman standing nearby laughed at the spectacle as well. She shared similar traits to the children and her complexion was very much identical to Scott. His sister, maybe? She had to be.

  “I’m sorry about that,” Scott’s voice brought Karla back, “my children tend to get overexcited. They are good children, though… mostly.”

  Karla smiled, “I don’t mind. But I bet they’re double trouble at times?”

  “You could say that,” Scott chuckled. “My sister looks after them when she can. I don’t know how she manages it.”

  “Sounds like a blessing in disguise.”

  “Very apt description of her.” Then Scott looked down, his smile fading, “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine. Why?”

  “You’re bleeding.”

  Chapter Six

  Karla looked down and saw that the sleeve on her right arm was torn, blood seeping into the cloth. “Oh. I didn’t realize. I must have snagged it on something a while ago.”

  “How did you not notice a wound like that?”

  Karla sighed and indicated the burns on her face. “What you see here is on most of my body. It’s taken away a lot of pain sensations.”

  Scott stared at her. Then he hurried inside, returning a few moments later with what looked like relatively clean bandages.

  “Roll up your sleeve,” he ordered.

  “It’s fine. Really.”

  But Scott glared at her.

  “You’re bleeding, and you need it treated. This will do until you see the doctor. Don’t argue with me on this.”

  Karla wanted to argue – she didn’t want Scott to see more of her scars – but he wouldn’t be deterred. Squaring her shoulders, Karla took a deep breath and began to roll up the sleeve of her dress. She waited for the gasp of horror, the look of disgust in his eyes as he caught sight of the scar tissue twisting around her arm. But when Karla glanced up at Scott, he didn’t even react. Except for a little flash of sympathy before he began to wrap the bandage around her arm.

  “You really didn’t feel this?”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  Scott paused, glancing up at her with a frown.

  “I know this might be me overstepping my boundaries, but…what happened to you? I’ve never seen anything like this. You look like you’ve spent the night in one of my kilns.”

  “It’s…” Karla bit her lip. “It’s not something I’m comfortable talking about.”

  “If you don’t want to…”

  “No, it’s fine. People are going to be asking a lot.” Karla took a deep breath. “I was caught in a house fire when I was ten. My father and sister managed to get out, but my mother died trying to rescue me. They got me out eventually but by then…” She shrugged. “I ended up being burned.”

  And from what the doctors had said, Karla was extremely lucky not to have been burned to a crisp. As it was, her scars were horrific. Her father had kept her inside for most of her childhood, not wanting anyone to make fun of her. Karla could only recall sadness now, if prompted for tales of her youth.

  “I…” Scott’s face went red, “I’m sorry. I had no idea.”

  “Don’t be. It was a long time ago. And I was lucky enough to find a man who would look past all these and see me.” Karla sighed, “I just wasn’t lucky enough to keep hold of him.”

  Scott looked up at her. Karla saw the expression in his eyes soften.

  “That wasn’t your fault, Karla,” he said gently. “You didn’t get him killed. If we blamed ourselves for things out of our control, I would still be blaming myself for my wife bleeding out while giving birth to Martin and Michael.”

  Karla stared at him. He sounded so resigned, so calm. And yet he was talking about the death of the woman he had once loved. Would this be her in a few years? Resigned?

  “Do you blame yourself for her death?” She had to know.

  Scott shook his head. “Not anymore. I made peace with it a long time ago.” Even as he spoke, he sounded a little pained. “I couldn’t do anything to help, but I made myself believe that I could. It’s not easy, but you have to.”

  Karla had a sudden urge to reach out and hug him. She just wanted to comfort him. But she pushed those thoughts away.

  “I wish I had had your philosophy at the time of Kit’s death,” she murmured. “My in-laws blamed me for his attack. Said that he wouldn’t have been walking home at that time of night if it wasn’t for me. But I didn’t make him do anything. He loved his job and worked what he could for our future family.”

  Even now, the memories of her in-laws accusing her of being responsible for Kit’s death stung. Karla knew she was not at fault, but that didn’t stop her conscience. Warm fingers touched her cool arm.

  “Hey,” Karla looked up and saw Scott staring at her with a gentle smile. “Ignore them. They’re not important to you right now. Your son is.”

  He was right. Karla was not going to help Stuart when she couldn’t stop thinking about the past.

  She sighed. “Where were you when I needed someone to talk sense into me?”

  Scott’s eyes widened. Only then Karla realized what she had said and looked away, her face getting warm. Why had she said that out loud?

  “Papa!”

  Karla jumped as one of the boys appeared between them, hanging off Scott’s broad arm. Scott laughed as he lifted the boy clean off his feet before lowering him back to the ground.

  “Steady, Michael! You’re going to do yourself harm.”

  “Can we go for a walk?” Michael asked, shaking his father’s arm. “Please, can we? Aunt Amelia said we could if we asked you.”

  “Oh, did she?” Scott looked over at Amelia, who merely shrugged. He laughed and ruffled his son’s hair. “Why not? I’m due a break right now. I’ll come along with you.”

  “Yes!”

  Michael danced away, slapping his brother on the shoulder before darting out of reach as Martin swung at him. Karla couldn’t help but laugh at the two boys; they were so happy, carefree. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt like that.

  “Would you like to come with us?”

  Karla stared. Scott was watching her with that smile that had Karla’s heart stumbling before it managed to pick up its normal speed again.

  “Sorry?”

  “Would you like to come along with us? Get to know Sioux Falls a little bit more?”

  Karla glanced at Martin, Michael and their aunt. Would they want her tagging along? She wanted to, but did everyone else?

  She made up her mind. It had taken this long to come over here to start talking to him. Perhaps this would be a good time to cultivate a friendship of sorts.

  She fixed a smile on her face, “All right. I could do with a walk.”

  Chapter Seven

  That had been the best decision Karla could have made. Scott and his family were lovely people and they made Karla feel welcome as she walked alongside them. The twins ran on ahead as Amelia fell into step beside Karla. She was a bright woman with a sunny disposition. Karla liked her.

  And, like her brother, Amelia adored Stuart. Stuart took to her very quickly and was quite happy to be carried around to see his surroundings. Martin and Michael were very gentle with him as well. Karla couldn’t believe how sweet it was to see the two bigger boys looking after the baby.

  Nothing would have kept Karla away after she went on a walk with them. Now she had her confidence up, Karla found it easier to go back to the forge to talk to Scott. Sometimes, they went for walks with the children; other times Stuart would be taken by Amelia and the twins while Karla sat in the forge and talked to Scott as he worked. Scott even surprised her a few days later by taking her out to dinner, something Karla hadn’t been expecting. It was as if they had fallen into a routine.

  It was very comfortable, almost intimate. But Scott was a gentleman. He would touch her hand or arm, brush her hair off her face and kiss her hand. But that was it. Karla
wasn’t sure whether to be grateful or hurt by it. Was he affected by the scars more than he admitted? Karla didn’t know.

  However, she liked their familiarity, their relationship. She didn’t know what else to call it aside from that. There was something between them that Karla was enjoying. It made her feel confident, better about herself. Happier.

  Karla felt lighter when she woke up every morning. Stuart had clicked onto the routine pretty quickly and he squawked in happiness whenever they neared the forge.

  Coming to Sioux Falls with James had certainly worked out for her. Karla couldn’t fault him for much anymore.

  “What have you done with the real Karla?”

  Karla looked up. She had been in her room folding her laundry, Stuart fast asleep in his crib. Beth was standing in the doorway with a confused look on her face. Karla lowered her hands.

  “Why do you say that?”

  “That’s the first time I’ve heard you singing.”

  Karla hadn’t realized she had been singing. Surprisingly, her cat-like screeching hadn’t woken up Stuart.

  She grinned and continued to fold her clothes. “I didn’t mean to disturb anyone.”

  “You weren’t disturbing me. I was just surprised.”

  “I just feel so happy, Beth. It’s been a while since I felt like this.”

  Beth beamed. “I’m glad. It’s nice to see you smiling so much. Even Stuart’s screaming doesn’t dampen your spirits.”

  “I suppose I’m getting used to becoming a parent now. I’ve got more patience with him.” Karla looked over at Stuart, who was snoring lightly in his crib. “Things have gotten better with looking after him.”

  “I noticed,” Beth’s eyes glinted, “but that’s not the only reason, is it?”

  Karla giggled. “If it isn’t, I’m not saying anything. I don’t want to risk ruining it.”

  She knew what Beth was talking about, however Karla wasn’t about to discuss it. She didn’t want to admit her feelings had taken a turn toward a man she might never have met had she stayed in Ohio. Not openly. If the feelings weren’t returned, Karla was going to be heartbroken.