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

by Grace Clemens

  “I’ll carry her over there,” Freddie said, gazing down at Betty.

  Solomon was thrilled to see the look on his face, so obvious to everyone. He found it even more thrilling when Betty opened her eyes, saw Freddie, and an affectionate smile came to her face. She lifted one hand and put it on his cheek.

  “Thank you for helping me, Freddie,” she said in a hushed voice that could be heard now that the storm had passed.

  “I’d do anything for you, Betty,” Freddie replied, not hiding his feelings with his tone. He sounded desperately in love. And that was just fine with Solomon. He still remembered how Betty had been when they first became a couple. The feelings had faded with time and when Betty left the Gulch, she put a kibosh on any future plans they might have had. He had nothing against her. He was just glad it was working out so well for everyone.

  Solomon wanted to get back to Isabel with the same desperation he heard in Freddie’s voice. He would ride Betty’s horse back to the clinic. The animal was standing nearby, panting, probably unaware of the damage he’d done to his rider.

  “I’m gonna take Betty’s horse and head back,” he said. “I don’t want Izzy worrying about me any longer than she has to.”

  “Good thinking, Sol,” the doctor said. “You head back and Freddie will be right behind you after he helps me with Betty. I’m not going to ride the horses hard. We’re taking the long way.”

  Freddie put one arm under Betty’s shoulders and the other under her knees. Solomon and the doctor took down the tent so he could stand up with her in his arms. Before Freddie and Betty passed Solomon, she reached out and grabbed his arm.

  “Solomon,” she whispered with labored breath. “I’m sorry I treated her that way. I won’t anymore, I promise. I know what you were saying now. I know you love her and she loves you. And that’s okay.” She turned her eyes to Freddie. “I finally understand. And it’s okay.”

  Solomon’s heart warmed over and he patted the hand she’d grabbed him with. “I’m glad, Betty. I know you can be happy. If you let yourself.”

  She looked back at him. She was pleased. He could see it written all over her face.

  Freddie headed toward the buggy while Solomon went to take the reins to Betty’s horse.

  He pulled himself up in the saddle and set the horse into motion. It wasn’t scared anymore and rode with great precision and speed. He was somewhat impressed by the smoothness of it.

  He was nearly dry when he got to town and could see the doctor’s house in the distance. Isabel was standing outside, still dressed in the large robe. She was staring out at the devastation she could see now that the sun was coming up. The look on her face told him how upset she was by what she saw.

  He wasn’t that happy about it himself. From the first building to the doctor’s house, the storm had made its mark. He was sure there would be a great deal of repairs to be done. The festival would have to be shut down so everyone could do what they needed to do. When the repairs had been made to everyone’s satisfaction, the festival would be put back on. They’d postponed it before. It was annual but didn’t have to be at the same time every year.

  He hurried his horse to get to the doctor’s house as soon as he could. He wanted to get to his woman.

  Isabel’s face lit up when she saw him in the distance. A huge smile spread across her lips and she lifted one hand to wave to him. He waved back. When he got to her, he slid out of the saddle and took the steps up two at a time. She was at the edge of the porch on the top step, waiting for him.

  “I’m so glad you’re safe!” she cried out. He wrapped his arms around her and picked her up in a tight hug.

  “Me, too,” he said with a laugh. “Better yet, I knew you were safe. That’s all I care about.”

  “Oh, Sol!” She hugged him tight again. “Let’s go inside. I’ll make you some hot tea or something.”

  “I’d really, really like that. I wish I had a change of clothes though.”

  Isabel laughed. “Well, maybe, just maybe the doctor has a robe your size too. You never know.”

  Solomon laughed. Somehow he doubted it. The image of him using one too small came to his mind and his laughter continued.

  “What are you laughing about? You never know.”

  “I just doubt it, that’s all. But right now, I’d wrap a sheet or a blanket around myself to get out of these wet clothes.”

  “Come on.” Isabel turned and held the door open for him. He gave her a surprised look.

  “Isn’t that my job?”

  Isabel shrugged. “Nah. Why does that matter? I like doing things for you.”

  “Well, thank you.”

  “I’m going to the back closet to see if he has a robe your size,” Isabel said. “In the meantime, I don’t see why you can’t get out of those clothes and use a blanket, like you said. Spread your clothes out in front of the fire like mine. Mine are almost completely dry. I’ve been turning them over and over to make sure both sides are drying off.”

  Solomon nodded. “That sounds like a plan to me. Thanks for the suggestion.”

  “Of course. Actually, come back to the closet and I’ll get you a blanket. You can start taking them off while I search for a robe for you.”

  “Thanks again, my dear.”

  A few minutes later, they were standing in front of the closet door. Isabel opened it, reached in, and grabbed a large blanket folded up on the bottom shelf. She handed it to him and he took it.

  “Be right back,” he said.

  He hurried to the room he’d seen Isabel go in to change and did the same thing. He wrapped the large blanket around him to conceal himself and took the handful of heavy wet clothes to the living room. Isabel met him there a few minutes later holding a tremendously huge white robe just like the one she was wearing.

  Solomon eyed it with one eyebrow raised. “You’re kidding me.”

  “I can’t imagine this fits anyone but you in this entire town,” Isabel said, delight in her voice. “Look!” She held it up at the shoulders. It was so much bigger than her, it was pooled up on the floor in front of her. And that was when she had her arms raised so he could see it.

  “I don’t believe it,” Solomon laughed, feeling very special. “Gimme that.”

  Chapter 35

  The two were joined by Freddie a few minutes later and the three of them watched for the doctor. When he arrived, Solomon and Freddie went out to help him bring Betty in. Solomon didn’t really do much. He let Freddie do all the work, saying he was only there to supervise. This made Betty laugh but when she did, she put a hand to her forehead and winced in pain.

  Isabel stayed on the porch and watched them. She was worried about Betty. The last time she’d seen the woman, she was lying on the ground bleeding from her head. Now, the doctor had circled a bandage around her head, making the area of the wound obvious with a red bloodstain.

  Freddie carried Betty into the house, passing Isabel by. The two women smiled at each other and Isabel took Betty’s hand just briefly when the other woman held hers up in the air.

  “You’re going to be fine,” Isabel said reassuringly. Betty nodded.

  Freddie continued inside with her, Solomon holding the door open for them, Isabel, and then the doctor who was bringing up the rear.

  Isabel followed Freddie to the room where she and Solomon had changed into robes. It was the closest one so it made sense.

  “I see you found the robe I ordered for you,” Doctor Jenkins said, smiling at Solomon, looking him up and down. “I didn’t think you’d ever get to use it.”

  “This is amazing, Doc,” Solomon said, sincerely. “I can’t believe you ordered one just for me. Of course, you realize now I have to borrow it for a few years.”

  The doctor laughed. “I’ll be honest with you, Sol, I don’t know if you’ll ever use it again if you leave it here. Tell you what. How about you two just keep those robes as a wedding present. How long till you tie the knot, anyway?”

  Isabel looked a
t Solomon who returned her gaze with a questioning look.

  “We were going to have the ceremony in the middle of town square during part of the festival. Maybe the last day.” Solomon shrugged. “I guess we’ll have to postpone it more if we still want to do it at the festival.”

  Isabel had set her mind on doing it that way. It was a lot less preparation and she wasn’t insistent on a big church wedding. She didn’t mind getting married out in the open, under God’s eyes directly, so to speak.

  “I’m hoping the festival won’t be postponed,” she said. “I don’t want to wait too much longer.”

  “Ah, you’ve fallen in love,” the doctor said the words somewhat whimsically. “I did that once. She passed on a few years back and I’ll never marry again.”

  Solomon nodded. “I remember Dorothy well, Doc,” he said. “She was always a delight, giving us kids treats whenever she made them. Even chocolate ones! That had to be pretty expensive for you.”

  The doctor laughed delightedly. “She loved children. That was what she lived for. She raised our five till they were grown and gone and then she started collecting the grandchildren whether they were blood-related or not. Always babysitting, taking care of unruly babies during church service.”

  Solomon nodded again. “I remember that, too.”

  Isabel found herself wishing she could have met the woman these two men spoke so fondly of. She must have been a fantastic and much-loved person.

  “It really is too bad you didn’t get to meet her,” the doctor said as if he’d read Isabel’s mind. His eyes were soft when he spoke of his wife. “Dorothy was a truly loving woman, more than any other I’ve known. She would have been a good friend to you.”

  “I’m sure she would have,” Isabel replied, the image of her ailing mother swimming through her mind. She didn’t ask what had taken the doctor’s wife and wouldn’t ask. It was rude. But she couldn’t help wondering if it might have been the same thing that took her mother.

  The doctor excused himself and went into the guest room, where Freddie had laid Betty on the bed. “Go on out, young man, while I examine her. I’m sure she doesn’t want to be an exhibition.”

  Betty laughed along with Freddie, who backed out of the room.

  “I’ll be right out here, Betts,” Freddie said, a sure tone in his voice. He jerked one thumb over his shoulder at the door. “Right out here.”

  “I know you will, Freddie,” Betty said.

  Isabel heard the tone the other woman used and the affection in her voice when she said his name. Her heart soared. Her smile widened and she turned it to Solomon. He must have caught on to it, too, because the look on his face was obvious. He was as happy about the turn of events as she was. It was only a matter of time, Isabel thought, and their two friends would be together, too.

  Freddie came out and closed the door behind him, smiling at his friends. “I think she knows I’m alive now. You can’t imagine how good that feels.” He kept his voice low and quiet. He jerked his head toward the living room door. “Let’s go sit down and have a brandy. I’m soaked and want to sit in front of the fire. That ride didn’t really dry me off much and it sure didn’t warm me up, even if the sun is up now.”

  “You must be exhausted, too. Let me get you some coffee.”

  Freddie grinned at her. “I am exhausted, yep,” he said. “But I don’t think I want any coffee. Some of that tea you make your future husband would be real nice.”

  Isabel was delighted to hear his request. “You want my tea instead?”

  “Yeah, you make it better than anyone I know. Even my mom’s friends.”

  All three laughed at that.

  “Don’t tell them that,” Freddie said, creating a ripple of mirth between the three of them again.

  “I won’t say a word in sewing class or book club. I promise.”

  Freddie nodded. “Good. Swearing you to secrecy on that one, Miss Crane.”

  Isabel went into the kitchen and prepared the hot tea for both the men. She had to wait for it to heat up a bit and spent the time thinking about her plans with her husband and what she wanted. She really didn’t care to be married in a pompous atmosphere. She didn’t need a big wedding. All she wanted at that point was to be able to say she was married to him, that she was his wife.

  She couldn’t think of anything that would make her prouder than to say she was Mrs. Solomon Bedford.

  Isabel brought the cups of tea back to the men and they all sat around the fireplace.

  “This feels so nice. Thank you for making it, Izzy.”

  She nodded. “It was my pleasure. Just let me know if you need anything else.”

  Ten minutes later, the door of the guest room opened and Doctor Jenkins emerged.

  “Isabel?”

  Isabel was caught off guard when he said her name. What had Betty said? Had she told him Isabel had somehow caused the accident?

  “Yes,” she responded, looking directly at him.

  “She wants to speak with you. I will have her on some sleeping powders soon because she is in terrible pain. You must be gentle with her. Can you do that?”

  “Yes, I’m sure I can.”

  Isabel gave both the men with her a curious look. “I’ll let you know later,” she said to Solomon, who nodded, his surprise as apparent as the nose on his face.

  Isabel went into the room and approached the bed, looking at the woman propped up on big fluffy pillows. Betty smiled and when she spoke, she said words that were completely unexpected.

  “Can you believe this house? You know Dr. Jenkins has to have family money. No doctor I know could ever afford this kind of luxury.”

  Isabel found herself laughing as she pulled a chair up to the bed.

  “How are you feeling, Betty?” she asked. It wasn’t the question she really wanted to ask, though. She was very curious why Betty would ask to see her before she saw Freddie or Solomon.

  “I feel all right, I guess. My head is killing me and Doc said he would give me some headache powders along with the sleeping ones so I can get some sleep and not be in pain.”

  “That sounds good. Did he say what happened?”

  “When I got chucked from the horse, I hit my head on a rock or a stump or something. That’s what knocked me unconscious. And I bruised some ribs. I don’t want him to wrap me, though. I never thought that kind of treatment did any good.”

  “That’s awful. I’m sorry.”

  Betty shook her head. “No, I’m the one who needs to apologize. I didn’t realize before how much of a nuisance I’ve been to you. Like an insect you can’t get rid of.”

  Isabel gasped. “Don’t compare yourself to an insect. You are not.”

  “Well, I’m glad we have that established,” Betty said, her grin back. “Still, I feel the need to apologize and if you would please accept it, it would mean so very much to me.”

  “I accept any and all apologies you have, Betty.” Isabel leaned closer to Betty, looking her in the eye. She used a joking menacing tone when she replied, “As long as you keep your mittens off my future husband.”

  Betty laughed. “I will do that, I promise. I think…I think I’ve found another man and it sure seems he likes me, too.”

  Isabel nodded. “Freddie.”