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

by Grace Clemens

  Chapter 29

  The two women waited by the door for the men to come in, holding out towels to them. Isabel gave two to Solomon because he was so large. Betty gave one to Freddie. Isabel noticed Betty’s expression when she gave him the towel. It seemed Freddie saw it, too, as he did a double-take and then gave Betty a confused smile.

  “Thanks, Betty,” he said.

  “You’re welcome.” The tone of her voice revealed even more than her expression. Isabel was thrilled Betty had gotten the point of her suggestion that there were other fine men in Steven’s Gulch besides Solomon.

  Solomon took the towels from Isabel, giving her a grateful smile.

  “I appreciate this,” he said, holding one towel flat in one hand and the other in his other hand. He proceeded to aggressively rub both sides of his head at the same time. Then he moved one towel to the top of his head and the other randomly around his body.

  “You two come and stand in front of the fire and dry off,” Isabel said.

  “No time for that yet,” Solomon said. “I reckon we gotta go back out and close all the shutters.”

  “Do we have to?” Freddie asked, in a voice that revealed he knew they did, in fact, have to.

  “You know we do,” Solomon replied without malice. He gestured to his friend and the two of them returned the towels to the ladies. “Maybe we won’t get as wet this time. The deck is in front and there’s only three other windows besides the two in front. There’s two on the sides and the one in the back.” He looked at Freddie. “You take the ones on the right side and I’ll take the left. We can meet up in the back and come in that door back there.”

  “We’ll meet you there with dry towels anyway,” Isabel said quickly.

  He smiled at her gratefully. “Thanks, sweetheart. Come on, buddy.”

  The two men left the house again and the ladies watched as they closed the sturdy shutters in the front of the house. They disappeared and Isabel heard the heavy wood slamming shut in the back bedrooms and then finally at the back of the house, where there was a mudroom for wet, nasty boots after a morning of hunting.

  Isabel waved to Betty and the women grabbed new towels to take to the back. While they waited for the men, which seemed like forever but was only a few minutes, Isabel thought about her time in Steven’s Gulch so far. It really was a lovely little town, filled with friendly people.

  She’d even had the chance to have a chat with Betty’s parents after her first church service the day before. They were a very nice couple. Isabel was a bit taken aback, though, by the way they spoke of Betty. It was as if the woman was still very young, a teenager to be disciplined and molded.

  She didn’t blame Betty for wanting to get away, though if her mother had treated her the way the McQuinns treated their daughter, Isabel might have decided not to return to her hometown. Or anywhere near her parents.

  Once the men were back in the house, Isabel insisted they go to the fireplace and drink the coffee she’s made. As she thought, Solomon asked if she’d possibly made any tea.

  “I certainly did,” she replied with a smile. “Let me get a cup for you. Sit down, now. That’s it. You just stay right there and get dry. After I bring your cup of tea, I’ll get you some dry clothes. Surely you keep extra clothes here.”

  Solomon grinned. “As a matter of fact, I do. In the back bedroom. The big one. I’ve already taken out my Pa’s clothes.” He looked at Freddie. “Don’t think my clothes will fit you, though. But I’ve got a real big robe you can put on to cover up while your clothes dry. How’s that sound?”

  “That sounds like a real good idea, Sol. Thanks.”

  Isabel found Solomon’s extra clothes and pulled a large robe from a hook on one of the doors. She returned to the living room a few minutes later to see Betty in discussion with Solomon. Freddie gave her a direct look as he took the robe from her and left the room to peel off his wet clothes and bring them back to the spread out in front of the fire.

  Isabel went to Solomon with the dry clothes. “Here you go,” she said, her eyes moving between them as a chill of nervousness touched her chest.

  “Thank you, my dear,” Solomon said, taking the clothes from her. “Betty is going to start a fire in the small bedroom where she will sleep tonight. You’ll get the bigger room and Freddie and I will sleep out here. Once I’m in my dry clothes, since I’ll already be in the big room, I’ll start a fire in there. I don’t really expect the temperature to drop too much but there is a draft through this place and when it’s rainy and the sun can’t get through, the cabin does tend to turn chilly.”

  Isabel nodded. “All right, that sounds good to me. How do you feel about it, Betty?”

  “I’m just glad to be given one of the beds,” Betty replied, her eyes on Solomon, “considering how I’ve interrupted your time together.”

  “Don’t fret about that,” Solomon said in a hurry. Isabel tried not to think about how quick he was to reassure Betty. She would have to get over her insecurity about Betty. It wouldn’t do anyone any good if she didn’t. “Women always get comfort. You know that.”

  “I’m certainly not going to complain about it,” Betty said, giving him a soft smile. Isabel was ashamed that she didn’t like Betty smiling at Solomon, that she didn’t want the woman in the cabin, that she was being very intolerant of Solomon’s friend. She couldn’t help it, though. The vision of Betty kissing Solomon and then falling into his arms when thunder scared her kept running through Isabel’s mind.

  Isabel watched as Solomon stood up. As he passed her, he lifted his hand and brushed it over her arm. Tingles ran through her and she smiled at him. He smiled back.

  Isabel turned her attention to Betty, who was also watching Solomon leave, a melancholy, wistful look on her face.

  “Do you want to see what we can make to eat? Dinnertime is just around the corner.”

  Betty moved her eyes to meet Isabel’s and nodded. “That sounds like a good idea. I know Solomon must be as hungry as an ox.” She flushed and continued with, “and Freddie, too, of course.”

  Isabel decided she would have to put up with things like that since it was a fact that Betty and Solomon had been a couple at one time. And for quite a while, too. She nodded.

  “Yes, as large as he is, he could probably eat an ox.”

  A look of surprise crossed Betty’s face and she laughed. “Well, I never. Don’t let him hear you say that!”

  “I’m sure he would know it’s not an insult.”

  “No, because it’s probably true.”

  Both women laughed as they went to the kitchen. Solomon and Freddie came out at the exact same time and met in front of the counter that separated the living room from the kitchen.

  “Your robe is swallowing me up, my friend,” Freddie said with a laugh.

  Isabel turned from the stove and looked at him. It was true. The robe was almost dragging on the ground and it made Freddie look like a little boy.

  They all laughed and expressed their agreement with his assessment. Freddie took it in stride and turned to spread his clothes out on an ottoman which he dragged in front of the fire.

  “Hope these dry soon,” Isabel heard him grumble. The robe looked soft but it was much too big for the average-sized man. It probably felt like he was in a snowsuit.

  “Come on over here and have another cup of coffee,” she invited him.

  Freddie shook his head. “No thanks. I’ll be climbing the walls. And since it looks like we’re gonna be stuck here, I’d rather not be restless.”

  Isabel nodded. “I understand. How about some tea? That’s not quite as unsettling, is it?”

  “I reckon I’d rather have something stronger.” He turned his gaze to Solomon, raising his eyebrows. “That a possibility?”

  Solomon grinned. “Yeah. But no getting drunk tonight. We might need to keep our senses about us. However, to stay warm, I think some whiskey is in order.”

  Isabel shuddered. “No whiskey for me, thanks. I don’t sup
pose you keep brandy here, do you?”

  “I do have brandy as a matter of fact,” Solomon replied. “We don’t need dinner quite yet, ladies. Come and enjoy a drink in front of the fire.”

  Even though Solomon was addressing them both, he kept his eyes on Isabel and she could feel her heart melting for him.

  Chapter 30

  That night, Freddie was already asleep on one of the couches and Betty had gone to the smaller room. They’d had a successful night despite the rough start. Betty and Isabel made dinner, though it was a bit tense in the kitchen a few times when Betty made comments that made Isabel look like she felt bad. Typically, it was Freddie that eased the tension, with his quick wit and humor.

  After dinner, Solomon got out a deck of cards and the four played several rounds of Spades before Betty said she was exhausted and wanted to go to bed. She was a bit worried about her parents, who had no idea where she was. When she mentioned that, Solomon felt a momentary pang of regret. He knew the McQuinns very well. They would be worried, no doubt. Likely more than other parents of children in their mid-twenties.

  Solomon and Isabel were lying on a shaggy rug in front of the fireplace. Solomon had put the rug there after Betty went to bed so that he and Isabel could relax before bed. He was anxious to spend time with her alone. He wanted her to be happy and ever since Betty had shown up at his door, he knew his sweetheart had to be uncomfortable. It dismayed him.

  He was surprised and pleased that when he and Freddie came back in from outside, the two women seemed to be getting along quite nicely. He didn’t know what happened but he was glad it had. They were only a little tense together.

  “How are you feeling, Izzy?” he asked, sitting next to her on the rug where she was stretched out on her side. She took the glass he handed her and smiled softly.

  “I’m enjoying myself, Sol. Despite what happened earlier today and that terrible storm out there. It does sound so bad. I just know there will be trees down all over the place. We had storms like this is in Virginia, you know. It wasn’t always raining.”

  He laughed with her.

  “I guess it must rain a lot in Virginia?” he asked.

  “Yes. It rains more than I’d like to admit. But this isn’t the same kind of rain. That rain is more gentle and sometimes it’s just a warm summer rainfall. This is a gale, a real storm.”

  Solomon got comfortable, shifting his weight. “Yeah, there will be a lot of destruction out there as a result of this. Lightning strikes that might start a fire. Buildings might be destroyed. The longer the storm rages, the more damage will be done.”

  “I wish there was something to do to protect people against stuff like this.”

  Solomon took a sip of his whiskey, propping his knees up and resting his elbows on them. As a result, his long arms were stretched out in front of him, the glass cupped between his hands.

  “It’s really an instinct kind of thing. I knew the storm was coming but didn’t know when, didn’t know how bad it would be. People like Freddie there,” he glanced over his shoulder to the sleeping man on the couch behind him, “they go around warning people to take cover. It’s not really necessary though. We all know what to do in case of a storm. Steven’s Gulch has been through gales like this before.”

  “Well, I’m willing to help with repairs if some are needed. I hope your house is okay.”

  Solomon shrugged. “I do, too, but if it isn’t, I’ll be okay. I have the money to repair it. My biggest worry is the lumber mill. There is a lot of equipment there that cost me a pretty penny. I’m worried something will be wrecked and I’ll have to replace it. That will put a big damper on my finances.”

  Isabel raised her eyebrows. “You think so? Wouldn’t you be all right with the supply store?”

  Solomon thought about it a moment and realized that he didn’t really have anything to worry about. It wasn’t for the reason she would think if he told her he wasn’t as worried as he thought. His equipment at the lumber yard was under lock and key in a shelter. The supply store would provide the money he’d be missing if anything happened at the lumber yard.

  “Yeah, I reckon you’re right,” he said out loud. “I don’t need to be worried about anything. More should be worried about other people. My friends and neighbors who aren’t as well off as I am.”

  “I bet you’re just the type to go around helping people. And not with money. With labor.”

  Solomon nodded, happy that she’d picked up on that aspect of his personality. “Both really. Since I have both to offer.”

  She chuckled with him. They were quiet for a moment. Solomon listened to the sounds around him, the flames reaching up and licking the stone chimney, the crackling of the logs as they burned, the thunder outside as lightning crashed through the sky.

  Solomon jumped lightly when an explosion outside made the couple look at each other.

  “Sounds like lightning hit something down here on earth,” he said.

  She nodded. “I think so, too. And it sounded close. You don’t think we’ll be in danger from a fire caused by a lightning strike, do you?”

  “I sure hope not. Unfortunately, like you were saying earlier, there’s no way to predict what might happen.”

  Isabel looked into his eyes, turning over on her back and placing her fingers laced together on her stomach. She stared up at the ceiling. Solomon watched her, thinking how beautiful she was. Scanning her from head to toe, he noticed just how small she really was. She wasn’t just short—much shorter than him—she was slender. He was a big man, no fat on his body but he was tall and large. He knew they must have been a sight in town.

  That was one thing he would always remember about his time with Betty. She was closer to his height than Isabel. They didn’t look quite so odd with Betty’s five-foot-nine and a half next to his six-foot-four. She was also much curvier than Isabel, which could be a good thing but Solomon didn’t put a lot of stock in outward appearances like that. He knew people were talking about them and wished they wouldn’t but there was no way to stop it. He doubted they meant any harm anyway.

  “I suppose we’ll be riding this out till the morning light,” Isabel asked, turning her head to him but not turning her body.

  “Yes, that would be best. And even then, if the storm hasn’t passed, we’ll be here till it does. I don’t think we have much choice. This is where we are sheltered. It’s best to stay inside during something like this. And a woman as small as you…you have to be careful. You might blow away in that harsh wind.”

  Isabel laughed delightedly. “I certainly hope that doesn’t happen.”

  “I’m glad you came here, Izzy. I’m sorry for tonight and for not realizing before that I needed to put my foot down with Betty. I don’t want to hurt her, never have. But I never expected her to come back to the Gulch.”

  The look on Isabel’s face changed. Solomon didn’t know whether it was a good expression or a bad one. He waited for her to speak and when she did, he had his answer.

  “If you had known she was coming back, would you have sent for me?”

  Solomon should have expected that question. She was going to ask it sooner or later, wasn’t she?

  Solomon tried not to think about it too long. It only took a few moments for him to know he would still have sent for Isabel. His feelings for Betty had taken quite a downturn and had stayed at that low level for several years before she came back to town.

  A worried look came to Isabel’s face and Solomon knew he’d thought about it too long. Trying to salvage the previous good feelings, he said quickly, “No. I had to take some time to think about it, Izzy, I hope you understand. I don’t want to say something untrue or something I don’t mean. I have to make sure I’m doing the right thing.”