A Tender Moment Under the Stars: An Inspirational Historical Romance Book

by Grace Clemens

  “I didn’t tell her you were here if that’s what you’re asking,” Freddie replied to his question. “She overheard you talking about the wagon. She took off despite me trying to get her to stop. I couldn’t do anything but follow her. She took a shortcut, darn the girl. I thought I knew them all but she was here before me. I lost her in the woods when she went off the trail.”

  Solomon could picture in his mind where it was that Betty had probably left the trail. He’d shown her several ways to get to the cabin that were considered shortcuts, even if they only took off thirty seconds to a minute from the original arrival time.

  “Yeah, there are a few ways to get here you don’t know about,” Solomon said, wincing from the pelting the rain was giving him. The two men raced to where both Freddie and Betty had left their horses. Freddie attended to his own and Solomon got Betty’s. They took the horses into the stalls and helped the animals get more comfortable, drying them with soft towels after taking the saddles off.

  “I’m gonna try to get Betty to leave you alone, Sol,” Freddie said as he brushed the horse and patted him dry. “I really wish she would realize how I feel about her.”

  “So you haven’t just come out and told her yet?” Solomon asked. He was a little surprised by that. Freddie was an outgoing guy, good-looking with plenty to offer a lady. He’d wondered for some time why Freddie didn’t have a woman on his arm. Was it because he’d always been pining for Betty?

  The thought made him feel bad for Freddie.

  “No, I haven’t told her,” Freddie replied, his voice a bit resentful. “She’s only been back in town a short while. I didn’t know how you would react to her coming back, even if you already had Isabel here. I was hoping you would pick Izzy, of course. Now that I know her, I’m even happier that you’ve picked her. I don’t know if Betty can ever return my feelings for her. But I’d sure like to give it a try, if she’ll let me.”

  They were both done with the horses. Solomon looked over them before the two men headed for the door again. It was open and Solomon stopped when he got there, looking out at the rain. It was coming down in sheets. The sky was so dark, it was almost like midnight, though it was only about five in the afternoon.

  “I wish I’d thought this would happen before I brought her here.”

  Freddie chuckled. “Even if you had, you wouldn’t have minded being stuck here with her during a storm, I’m sure.”

  Solomon smiled at his friend. “I think you’re right about that.”

  “It’s me and Betty being here that makes you feel that way. And I am sorry. I really am.”

  “I know. But you can’t control Betty and I realize that. I understand that. Don’t you worry about it.”

  Solomon removed his hat and patted it against his hand, small drops of water flicking off and landing in the hay below.

  “I appreciate that, Sol. You know your best interests are always on my mind.”

  Solomon gave him an amused look, setting his wet hat back on his head. It was so uncomfortable that he almost took it back off. But he would need it when they crossed to the cabin. “My best interests are always on your mind? You’re thinking about me that much?”

  Freddie let out a genuine laugh. “I may have misspoken. When it comes to women, yes, I keep your interests in mind if the woman in question has something to do with you.”

  “Betty’s the only one who qualifies there,” Solomon teased. He wondered how long he could keep turning Freddie’s words around on him.

  “I know, Sol,” Freddie replied, his eyes narrow. “I know.”

  “Well, I’m glad you told me how you feel,” Solomon said. “I think we can help each other out. You can help me by keeping Betty away from us and I’ll help you by pushing her in your direction.”

  “I’d appreciate that, Sol.”

  Solomon nodded and shrugged. “I don’t see how that isn’t a win for both of us no matter what. And mind you, it isn’t because I really have anything against Betty. I don’t want her thinking that so maybe you can help me out by telling her that as often as you need to. We aren’t compatible anymore. I’ve found a woman I think will make a wonderful wife for me. I don’t want to pass up this chance with Isabel by going back in time with Betty.”

  Solomon shook his head, a sudden tension making his muscles hurt.

  “You know, when we were on the porch, talking, we started arguing.” He shook his head again, this time with a look of melancholy on his face. “I swear it was like going back in time. I remembered all the times we argued about various things, stupid things. It was stupid then and it’s stupid now. I don’t want to spend my life arguing with someone who sees things so much differently than I do. I thought we got along really well until she left for four years and came back expecting me to fall all over her like I used to.”

  Freddie chuckled. “You fell all over her? That’s not what I remember. You stood up to her all the time.”

  Solomon nodded. “And ended up in arguments because of it. Nah. I’m not doing that again. I’m sure she will be different with you than she was with me.”

  Freddie’s smile remained solid. “I like the way you think, Sol. Real positive. I hope she’s different than she was, too.”

  “Well, you’re not me so…” He let his voice drop off, raising his shoulders.

  “No, I’m not. And I’ll just bet that will make all the difference.”

  Solomon nodded. “I’m sure you’re right. But let me tell you one thing. Don’t let her push you around or make you do something you don’t want to do. That might have gotten me in trouble because we were young and she always seemed more comfortable with a crowd than with just me.”

  “She’s a social lady, that’s true. A real butterfly.”

  “I prefer a woman on my arm that makes it known she is in love.”

  “And that’s Isabel?”

  Solomon smiled at his friend. “That’s Isabel.”

  “Good. Let’s get back there and make sure those ladies haven’t torn each other up yet.”

  Chapter 28

  The two women stayed where they were when the men went running out. Isabel moved around the kitchen, her mind on the fact that there was very little food, especially for four people. She didn’t know how long they’d be holed up in the cabin but the food they had was definitely not going to last long. She was about to ask how long that amount of food would last when she realized she would have to ask Betty.

  She looked at Betty, who was still in front of the window, watching the men work. Isabel tried not to feel too much resentment. Maybe Sol had gotten through to her. She pulled in a deep breath as silently as she could and went around the long counter to approach the woman.

  She came up behind her, noticing Betty’s gaze seemed to be following Freddie, instead of Solomon. She couldn’t be sure but it seemed that way to her. The men were getting completely soaked. Isabel felt sorry for them. She went back to the kitchen and began to make a hot pot of coffee. She found the coffee and tea containers and set about making two pots, one of each, in case Solomon wanted tea instead.

  After a few more moments, Betty turned and moved to stand in front of the fire. She bent at the waist, picking up the poker and pushing it through the flames. Isabel watched her grab two more logs and toss them into the fire.

  Despite the extra warmth, Isabel felt a cold chill come over her. She lit the stove and watched the liquid in both pots.

  “A watched pot never boils,” she heard from behind her. She turned to see Betty had come into the kitchen.

  “No, I suppose I would have to be here a while, wouldn’t I?”

  She moved away from the stove and took a seat at the tall stool next to the counter in the middle of the room that separated the kitchen from the living room. Betty sat opposite her, facing at an angle away from her, her eyes on the windows that opened up to the front of the house where the men were.

  They were quiet for a moment. Isabel really didn’t have much to say to the woman. Sh
e didn’t want to ask any questions. If Betty was one of those ex-sweethearts who came back with a whole new attitude and life, she would have made friends with her, she would have inquired about Solomon’s little quirks and tendencies. But she didn’t want to talk to Betty about Solomon. More than anything else, she wanted Betty to leave her and Solomon alone.

  Betty sighed heavily. “I know you don’t like me. I’m sorry about that. I understand why.”

  Isabel felt the urge to reassure Betty. But what could she say? Betty hadn’t given her a reason to reassure her. Isabel didn’t trust her. How could she say anything otherwise?

  “It’s not that I don’t like you,” she decided to say, “it’s that I don’t know you. The only thing I know about you is that you want Solomon to go back to you. I’m sure you wish me gone. I’m sure you don’t like me either.”

  Betty glanced quickly at her.

  Isabel raised her eyebrows. “I haven’t said anything that isn’t true.”

  “No, it isn’t that. I don’t expect you to understand what I was going through and that’s my fault. I didn’t get to know you. I didn’t find out anything about you and didn’t tell you anything about me.”

  Isabel didn’t want to know about Betty’s life. She didn’t care to hear anecdotes about Betty’s time at college. She hated the jealousy and resentment that slid through her when she saw the woman with Solomon. She didn’t think it was fair that she was being made to feel that way.

  “I really didn’t know how I felt about Solomon when I decided to return home,” Betty said, much to Isabel’s surprise. What would she do now that the woman seemed to want to open up to her? She didn’t want to know how Betty was feeling.

  “You seemed pretty sure when you saw him,” Isabel said.

  Betty grunted. “Only because I thought my parents told him I was coming back and he decided to meet me. I didn’t expect he had waited for me.”

  “He didn’t.”

  “That’s what he said, too. He said he waited and hoped for two years but…well, I guess I didn’t write often enough and he felt like I didn’t want to be with him anymore. I can understand that, I guess. I should have been more vigilant. It’s just that…for that one brief moment, when I got off the train and saw him…I was so thrilled. So overjoyed that he’d really waited and loved me enough to come to the train station after so long.”

  Isabel didn’t know what to say. It was a misunderstanding, to be sure. Betty’s actions since then should have reflected that she realized what had happened. But she’d still tried to get Solomon to make Isabel leave. That was the impression Isabel was getting. And she didn’t like it at all.

  “He came to the train station to meet me,” Isabel said, trying to make her voice not as resentful as she felt. “You should have figured that out and stopped trying to spend time with him.”

  Betty flushed to the roots of her dark hair.

  “I know you think I’m not compatible with Sol,” Isabel continued in a firm voice, “but that isn’t really your call. I came here after losing my mother because I wanted to have an adventure and have a good life. I’d taken care of her for five years in the last days of her illness. I wanted to find happiness, not step into the quagmire.”

  Betty’s face got even darker. Isabel stopped talking, fearing her anger at the woman for making her feel bad would make her say something she regretted.

  “There are other men in this world, Betty,” Isabel said, Freddie coming to her mind. “Why don’t you pursue a man who isn’t taken?”

  Betty didn’t say anything. Her eyes flicked to the front of the cabin where the men were. Isabel would have paid good money that the woman wasn’t thinking about Solomon when she did that. It lifted her spirits enough to extinguish the burning anger in her. Her hope restored, she prayed for the right words to say in this situation. But before she could say a word, Betty spoke.

  “I do know that. I have been feeling so bad about my behavior but…I couldn’t seem to stop. Every time I saw Sol, I thought about our past together, I remembered how it felt to see him at the train station, thinking he’d come for me.” She finally looked directly at Isabel. “I really didn’t know you were there for him. And it’s not that I think you aren’t compatible.” She snorted softly. “Anyone can be compatible with Solomon. He’s more of a gentleman than any man I met at college, I can tell you that for sure.”

  “Really.” Isabel said the word as a statement instead of a question.

  “Yes, I’m telling the truth.” Betty’s focus turned back to the windows, where they could see the men as they walked Betty and Freddie’s horses to the shelter. “I didn’t see anyone socially while I was there. I didn’t find even a single man that struck me as better than Sol. He’s…he’s…” Her voice had turned soft. She flicked her eyes to Isabel. “I mean, you know. He’s a wonderful man. He’ll be a wonderful husband. I…I guess I really missed out on that one. Maybe I shouldn’t have left.”

  “You left to better yourself.” Isabel couldn’t help herself. “It may have been what God wanted for you.”

  Betty raised her eyebrows. “You think so? God didn’t want me with Solomon?”

  Isabel felt her cheeks turn hot. “That’s not exactly what I meant. But I guess in a way. I mean, maybe he has something better in store for you. Someone.” She gave the woman a direct look.

  Betty seemed confused at first and then her eyes moved to the window. “I…I don’t know. I don’t suppose I really have a choice at this point. It does seem my future is not with Sol.”

  “Not as a wife,” Isabel said quickly. “God’s got a plan for us all, Betty. Sometimes you may not understand it but He knows what He’s doing. We just have to accept the cards we’ve been dealt and make the most of our lives.”

  “I don’t want to take Solomon from you, Isabel,” Betty said, tears in her voice. Isabel looked into the woman’s eyes, noting they were misty. “I’m sorry for the way I’ve been treating you. It really was so wrong for me to be that way. I’m ashamed.”

  Isabel saw the men coming from the shelter. She stood up and went around the counter. She stopped for a moment next to Betty and then suddenly leaned in to give her a hug. When she pulled away after Betty returned the hug weakly, she saw a look of astonishment on Betty’s face.

  “We can be friends, can’t we, Betty?” Isabel asked. She doubted she would have felt the same if Freddie wasn’t in the picture. It seemed to Isabel that Betty was just noticing there was another man already in her life who treated her with great affection.

  “If…if you want to be,” she stammered.

  “I do,” Isabel said, warmly. “I think if we try, we can be. But you have to promise not to pursue my future husband. Please tell me you will stop.”

  Betty seemed to deflate a little in front of her. She looked down but Isabel touched under her chin and lifted her gaze back up.

  “I’ll stop,” Betty said, quietly.

  “Just remember. He’s not the only man worth pursuing here in Steven’s Gulch. Trust me. There’s someone else who wouldn’t mind a little attention from you.” She smiled. “Let’s go get them some towels. They’re about to come in. They’re gonna be soaked.”

  For the first time since she’d arrived, Betty gave Isabel a friendly smile. She got to her feet.

  “All right. Let’s get towels. I know where they are, too. But don’t worry, he didn’t bring me here much. Not enough for you to worry about, anyway.”

  Isabel found the storage closet with Betty, thinking it would be a lot nicer in Steven’s Gulch now that they were all friends.