The Deardons Complete Mini-Series

by Kelli Ann Morgan

  Lucas looked at his granddad, unsure he wanted to admit he’d been hurt doing the same thing that had gotten Henry killed. He looked down at his feet. “It dislocated when I was thrown from a wild mustang.”

  Liam laughed. Something Lucas had certainly not expected. “Like father, like son.”

  Lucas scrunched his brows together.

  “Eh, it’s a tale for another time.” Liam turned to the doc. “He gonna live?”

  “Let’s step into the house where I can get a good look at that shoulder, without turning you into a block of ice,” Doc said with a smile, then turned to Liam. “If he’s as stubborn as the rest of you Deardons, I have a feeling he’ll do what it takes.”

  Lucas and the doc walked the short distance to the front porch steps leading into the parlor, followed by Lucy, Seth, and his grandfather. He hated all the fuss, but complied with the doctor’s instructions. The warmth of the fire inside the house contrasted hugely with the cold weather.

  “Off with ‘em—the coat and shirt both.”

  Lucas didn’t move. He’d already bandaged the shoulder in preparation for today and didn’t feel like hearing how foolish it had been to compete with a known injury.

  “Come on,” the doc pressed.

  Lucas raised his hands to the large buttons on the front of his coat with some difficulty. The pain was different this time. It didn’t feel out of joint like it had before, but something was definitely wrong. He didn’t have the time or the patience for another injury. There were still three events to go, and all of them would require the use of his arm.

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake.” Lucy stepped forward and made quick work of the coat buttons, careful to avoid his gaze. She tossed the wool-lined jacket onto the couch and paused for only a moment before tackling the buttons of his shirt. Her fingers shook as she brushed his bare skin beneath the cloth.

  Lucas sucked in at her touch. How was he supposed to focus now?

  When the last button had been undone, Lucy finally glanced up and their eyes locked for one brief moment before she stepped away. He opened the shirt enough for Doc to see his bandages. Seeing the injured arm was apparently not enough for the doctor as he reached inside, pushing and prodding the shoulder and chest area, making his experienced assessment.

  Granddad took a step forward and opened his mouth to say something, but his footing faltered and he stumbled.

  “I think you need to sit for a bit, Liam,” Doc said. “Lucy, maybe you should take him up to his room to rest.”

  “I am not going to be confined to my blasted bedroom. I’ll just sit outside in the chair on the porch. I don’t want to miss a thing. Achoo!” He turned to look at Lucas, pulling an old handkerchief from his pocket. “You gonna be all right?”

  Lucas nodded.

  Lucy draped his grandfather’s arm over her shoulder and turned around.

  “Here,” Seth said as he stepped toward them, “let me help.” He took their granddad’s other arm and placed it over his shoulder.

  Lucy glanced back at Lucas. Only her eyes showed above the width of the arm she carried and they locked with his.

  I am going to marry that girl.

  They opened the door and Lucas watched them through the wall of windows as Lucy and Seth helped his grandfather back into his chair and tucked the blankets up around him. Seth laughed at something she said and a heavy pit formed in Lucas’s belly.

  “Ow.” Lucas rotated his arm, protesting against the manipulation of his muscles. “I’m fine, Doc. Really. Can you just rewrap it?”

  Blasted shoulder.

  “Certainly, you don’t think you can continue to compete?”

  “Don’t have a choice, Doc. There’s too much at stake.” He looked back out at the porch, but both Lucy and Seth were gone.

  “You really should let the shoulder rest. Your granddad’s got some clean linens in the closet just outside the study. I can make a sling that will help you to be more aware of the need to keep it still.”

  “I don’t need a sling, I need something that will help brace it against the pain.”

  “Let’s head on over and we’ll see what we can do.”

  Lucas didn’t take the time or make the effort to button his shirt. As they stepped into the entrance, Lucas caught another glimpse of his grandfather through the window.

  “I’ll meet you there,” he said as he held a hand up to the doctor. He opened the door and strode over where Liam sat comfortably in his chair with a blanket wrapped up around him watching the other competitors as they chatted amongst themselves. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to say, but acted on the feeling he needed to say something. When he’d first met the man, only a day or so ago he realized, his grandfather had seemed so much stronger. So full of life.

  “Granddad,” Lucas started. He hadn’t expected to feel so much after such a short time.

  Cough. Cough.

  “How’s that shoulder? Are you going to be able to participate in the archery event? It was always your daddy’s favorite.”

  Gabe had always insisted that his sons learn how to use a bow as well as a rifle. Said it might save their lives one day. Lucas sat down in the seat next to his grandfather and leaned down, his elbow on his knee.

  “I just wanted you to know how…how grateful I am that…”

  “It’s all right, son. I’m just so glad you’re home.” Liam patted his leg.

  Home.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “You’ve really made an impact on my granddad, Miss Lucy,” Seth told her as he reached up into the top cabinet of the study armoire to retrieve his grandmother’s salve. “I’ve never seen him take a liking to anyone as easily as he has to you. Except maybe Lucas.”

  Was that jealousy in his voice?

  Seth Deardon was very handsome—standing well over six feet tall, dark hair, and strong chiseled features—and he was smart. His fun-loving nature endeared him to her, but she didn’t feel the same draw to him as she did to Lucas. He was more like a brother than anything.

  “My cousin really likes you too, you know.”

  “Which one?” she asked, full well understanding of whom he spoke. She smiled. “I know about the tournament, Seth. About all of it.”

  At first he looked as if he might deny it, but he smiled at her. “You know Granddad didn’t mean any harm.”

  “I know.”

  “We all agreed to go along with it because he believes you and Lucas are perfect for each other.”

  “Then why did he want you all to agree that the winner would marry me?” She knew she should be nervous, but somehow she was completely at ease talking with him.

  “There’s nothing that’ll win over a Deardon like a little friendly competition.”

  “You have to know I wouldn’t marry a man just because he can ride a horse or shoot an arrow better than the others. I already had my attempt at marrying for the wrong reasons. Now, I’ll only marry for the right ones.”

  “I know.” Seth handed her the small tin canister. “And Granddad knows too.”

  She breathed a chuckle.

  “What is so special about that salve, anyway?” she asked with interest. “To hear Liam speak of it, you would think it had some magical healing power.”

  Seth laughed.

  “Most of us believe so.” He smiled. “It’s Grandma’s concoction of rosemary leaves and peppermint mixed with a few other things. She and Aunt Leah were the only ones to ever get it right. Granddad’s real stingy with it as this is the last of the poultice and Aunt Leah doesn’t make it up here very often to make more.”

  She opened the container, a deliciously minty scent released into the air.

  “And it’s supposed to help with aches and pains? Smells good enough to eat.”

  “I wouldn’t.” They both laughed.

  The study door opened. The doctor walked inside, followed by Lucas, his shirt hanging open. Lucy cleared her throat and instinctively took a step back, away from Seth.

  “Liam sa
id you had that charmed poultice of Sophia’s to put on Lucas’s shoulder,” the doctor said, looking at Lucy.

  She glanced down at the canister she held and quickly returned the lid before handing it over. “I hear it’s magical,” she whispered with a polite smile. “If you’ll excuse me, I think Mara and Alex might need help in the kitchen.” She turned to Seth. “Thank you for your help.”

  Lucas made no attempt to cover his exposed mid-section. Lucy had to force herself to look away. She’d seen plenty of shirtless men since coming to the ranch, but she hadn’t been attracted to them the way she was to him. Heat rushed into her cheeks as she slipped from the room and headed for the kitchen.

  Tillie was busy with Mara finalizing the preparations for the big Thanksgiving meal.

  “Mr. Deardon isn’t feeling very well today,” Mara said, “but if I know Liam, he will still insist on helping the boys deliver the food crates to Mrs. Hamilton and the children.”

  Lucy sat down at the table where several delicious looking pies cooled in the window sill. Liam had been planning the trip to the orphanage since she’d arrived, making sure that there would be plenty of food and sweets to go around. He didn’t do anything small. Everything was a grand gesture with him and she appreciated his efforts.

  She’d only been sixteen when her mother had been taken from her. The holidays had never been the same after that. Until now.

  DING! CLANG! DING! CLANG! DING!

  “Alex must be ready to start the tournament. She loves ringing that dinner bell. Have you heard from Lucas?” Mara asked Lucy. “Is he still going to be able to compete?”

  “He’s in the study with the doctor,” Lucy replied through a lump in her throat. The thought of his bared abdomen heated her cheeks. Again. She had to stop thinking about that man. At least for now.

  “Why Lucy Russell, are you blushing?” Mara asked, wiping her hands on her apron. Scarcely taking her eyes off Lucy, she removed the protective garment and hung it from one of the knobs on the pantry cabinets.

  “Why would I be blushing?”

  “Oh, I don’t know…only because every eligible man on this ranch is competing for your hand in marriage.”

  Lucy smiled.

  “You’d better go tell the newest Deardon at Whisper Ridge that he’ll lose his chance if he doesn’t get outside.” Mara exited the back door.

  Lucy shook her head and made her way to the study, making sure to knock before pushing open the door. To her surprise, the room was empty, so she headed outside and over to the part of the yard where the archery targets had been set up on individual wooden easels at various distances. She was glad to see that Jake had already moved the chairs to the other side of the porch, but they were also empty.

  It didn’t take long to find Liam, standing with an arrow strung in a bow and aimed at one of the targets. Lucy leaned down with her elbows on the edge of the porch railing, watching all of the men familiarize themselves with the bows they would use to shoot and listening to their dialogue.

  “Just breathe out when you release the arrow,” Liam told Lucas as he released the string. The arrow hit the target at the lower edge of the center circle. “Not too bad for an old man like me, eh?”

  Lucas beamed at him, the look of admiration transparent in his eyes.

  Lucy was glad they had the opportunity to get to know one another again. She wondered what it had been like for Lucas to have believed his whole life that his grandfather had wanted nothing to do with him only to discover that the thing he had wanted most was to have a relationship with his grandsons.

  She’d never had the opportunity to know her own grandparents, but liked to believe they would have been something like Liam Deardon.

  “Archers, take your marks!”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Lucas watched his grandfather with awe as he hit the target with ease. So many years had been wasted. He wished his brothers could be here and made a mental note to wire them. He probably should have done that already, but he had been completely taken off guard by the hospitality and warmth with which he had been welcomed, and then the storm had hit and he just hadn’t thought about it until now..

  “Archers, take your marks!” Aunt Alex stood on a podium that had been constructed against the house.

  Granddad handed him the bow and turned to leave, but stopped just two steps in and clapped Lucas on the back with a nod and a smile. “I’m glad you’re home,” he said. The two of them stood at nearly the same height and Lucas met his eyes.

  “Me too.” He didn’t dare say more.

  Liam Deardon was much more than he could have ever expected and his love and words of encouragement touched Lucas deeply. He glanced up to see Lucy leaning against one of the porch posts watching them. Her light hair curled in cascades down her shoulders and her eyes were alight with the excitement from the day. He entertained the thought of what it would be like to hold her. To kiss her perfect little mouth.

  Granddad smiled gruffly and followed Lucas’s gaze. “She’s a good woman, son. She’ll need a good man by her side.” He took a step toward the porch. “Now, show me what you can do,” he called back over his shoulder as he walked toward the front stairs where Lucy waited for him.

  She wove her arm through his, then glanced up, a closed smile softening her already beautiful face.

  A good man, he echoed.

  With a tip of his hat, he turned his attention back to the event at hand.

  Nine targets sat in a line three feet apart about fifty yards distance from his position. Each competitor stood in front of their intended target awaiting the go ahead. Lucas lifted his arms and rotated them backward, surprised at the relief the white poultice Doc had rubbed into his shoulder offered. He wanted to take full advantage of the time he had without pain and hoped the numbing effect would last through the next three events.

  He pulled an arrow from the quiver attached to the hay bale in front of him and placed it carefully into the bow.

  “Gentlemen,” Alex called, “shoot.”

  Thud. Thud. Thud.

  The sound of arrows hitting their marks made a melodic rhythm. Lucas breathed in and closed his eyes as he pulled the string backward. When he opened his eyes, his focus blurred everything around him, keeping a clear line between him and his target. He exhaled slowly and released the shaft.

  Thwak! The arrow struck its intended destination in the center circle of the target, though slightly below direct center and a bit to the left.

  YES!

  He tightened his grip on the handle of the bow and smiled to himself. His grandfather had seen that.

  A good man. Was he a good man? Was he good enough for a woman as kind and as lovely as Lucy?

  He glanced up at the porch where his grandfather sat leaning back in the chair, his eyes closed, a slight curve of his lips resting on his face. Lucas narrowed his eyes, frozen momentarily to his spot as he watched for even the slightest change in movement. Granddad sat perfectly still. Something was wrong. Lucy looked up from Liam and met his eyes, tears trailing her flushed cheeks. She folded her lips together and shook her head.

  The bow slipped from his fingers to the ground.

  No! No! No!

  His heart pumped fiercely, his ears blocking out all other sounds. He focused on the distance between him and his grandfather, everything else a blur around him as he rushed toward the porch, jumped up and over the railing, and then fell to his knees at his grandfather’s feet. He lifted the man’s hand, still warm to the touch, and glanced up at his face—his expression at peace.

  No! He hadn’t had nearly enough time with him. Lucas dropped his head into his grandfather’s lap.

  “No,” he whispered as the tears began to flow.

  Chapter Nineteen

  December 01, 1861

  “The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away.”

  Lucy barely heard the words the preacher spoke as she stared at the heaping mound of dirt that concealed the body of the once stranger who had
become family to her. She’d spent the better half of the morning collecting an armful of heather foliage and the cold resilient camellia blossoms from Sophia’s winter garden and thought it only fitting to have them for Liam, here under the big oak tree. She still wondered how they could bloom amidst the snow.

  The temperatures had dropped severely over the last few days. Those in attendance were wrapped in thick coats and woolen hats, but their faces were red from the cold and their breath near frozen as it touched the air.

  “He is now reunited with his sweetheart, Sophia, and his grandson, Henry,” the preacher continued.

  The warm touch of flesh brushed against her hand. Startled, she glanced up to see Lucas, stoic and strong, face forward, looking out into the expanse of the Deardon property overlooking the grave. She slipped her hand into his to offer a moment’s comfort, but he held it tight and didn’t let go.

  It felt so good, so right, that they were here together, grieving together for a man they both had barely known, but dearly loved. She leaned into him, gaining strength from his. It seemed so unfair that Lucas had just found his grandfather again only to have him ripped away so suddenly.

  “Now, we’d like to hear a few words from Liam’s family.” The preacher looked at Sam and Hank, who both joined him in front of everyone and shook the man’s hand.

  “Dad would have been surprised to see so many of you here,” Sam said with half a smile as he rubbed his hands together. “I wish our brother Gabe and our sister Leah could be here to see it.”

  Lucy glanced around. The whole settlement of Thistleberry had taken time away from their farms, ranches, and work in town to be here. There weren’t many children present, but Lucy hadn’t expected them to bring their youngsters out in this cold.

  “He was gruff and stubborn, but always fair,” Sam continued, “and I know that he enjoyed being a part of this community. It was his idea to provide a Thanksgiving feast each year to the Thistleberry orphanage,” he nodded at Mrs. Hamilton, the orphanage proprietress, “and taught us that good fortune brings with it the responsibility of caring for those in less abundant circumstances. He taught us how to find the joy life has to offer and hold onto it.”