“Well, in fact, I do have some business. I came to speak to Miss Brooks.”
Owen turned his dark eyes to her. Ellie wished she knew what he was thinking, as a myriad of emotions appeared on his face.
“Ellie?”
“Yes, Miss Brooks has graciously allowed me to take her on a buggy ride tomorrow. Of course, we will be properly chaperoned.”
“You will not…”
“Well, I believe that it is Miss Brooks' choice to decide if she would like to go for a ride.”
“She leaves on Saturday. What’s your intention, Hartman?”
“Well’um, I’ve decided that I am gonna court Miss Brooks and see if she wants to stay here.” Chat gave Owen a wide grin. “She looks mighty pretty in her yellow dress. I can’t let someone like that get away.”
Owen shook his head. “Stay here?”
“Yes. As my wife.”
It happened so quickly that Ellie missed who made the first move, as the two men crashed together and started fighting on the ground.
Chapter Thirteen
Ellie’s screams brought Marmee, Alice, and Penny running to the porch.
“Oh my land,” Marmee said, racing down to the bottom step and trying to pull Owen off Chat. “Stop it!” she yelled. The two men rolled to the right, nearly catching Marmee’s skirt as they tumbled on the ground. She took a quick step to the side and reached underneath her jacket.
She pointed a small revolver into the air and fired a single shot. Ellie jumped at the sound. The men broke apart and rolled onto their backs. They looked at the diminutive woman standing over them. “Are you quite done?” The men nodded. “Why, if you were younger I’d make you go get a switch from the bushes by the river.” Both men looked contrite. “Still might. Now get up,” she demanded.
Ellie looked out at the cowboys running from the barn towards the house.
Weston came running up and grabbed his wife. “Are you alright?” he pulled her close.
“I’m fine. I was just getting these two childrens’ attention.”
Randall finally arrived. He was huffing as if he had run all the way from Flat River, and not just across the barnyard.
“What’s going on?” he demanded.
“Nothing, Pa,” Chat said, scrambling to his feet. “Just burning off energy like we used to.” He reached his hand down to Owen who reluctantly took it, allowing Chat to help him stand. “You better make your move, Chapman. A beautiful woman like her won’t make it out of the county before some man marries her,” he said before releasing Owen’s hand with a jerk.
Ellie ran the length of the porch and down the steps to rush over to Owen. His hat was on the ground and it had been crushed in the scuffle.
“Are you alright?” she asked. Owen continued to look at Chat. She lifted her fingers to his chin and turned his head to look at her. His eyes, which were hard with anger, began to soften. “Are you alright?” she asked again.
Owen grabbed her by her arms and pulled her closer. She could see that his knuckles were scraped and he had dirt and rocks embedded in his skin.
“I’m fine,” he said. Ellie turned to look at Chat, but Alice was picking out the rocks from his knuckles. “He’s fine, too.”
Ellie snapped her attention back to Owen. “What is going on with you?”
Owen quickly released her and rubbed his neck, wincing as his torn skin rubbed. He looked around at the men in the yard. “Don’t you have work to do?” he growled, waving his injured hand to them before proceeding towards the house.
“Wait!” Ellie cried. She scampered up the steps as he pulled the door open. “Let me clean up your hands.”
“Penny can do it. Her husband is a fighter. She’s had plenty of practice.”
Ellie felt the pressure of tears beneath her eyes. She closed her lids for a moment, willing them to not fall. When she opened her eyes, Owen was standing there with a peculiar look on his face.
He lifted two fingers and gently traced her cheek. “You have no idea about what it takes to live out here, Ellie.” Ellie wanted him to cup her face with his hand. She wanted to be able to turn her head into his palm. Owen dropped his hand and opened the door wider. His eyes were haunted and she wondered what caused the pain, wishing she could kiss it away. “You do look really pretty in that dress, Ellie,” he whispered before walking inside.
Elle turned to see the crowd breaking up and returning to their respective workplaces. She saw Everett pull a coin from his pocket and place it in Caleb’s open hand before heading back to the barn.
Randall and Chat were climbing on their horses.
Ellie spied Marmee and Weston walking towards her vegetable garden. He held Marmee’s hand in his, and his arm was draped around her waist. Ellie sighed. That was the type of love she wanted.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Ellie,” Chat called as he started to trot down the drive.
Ellie watched as the pair disappeared into the setting sun. Ellie turned to Alice, who was looking at her with suspicion.
“What?” Ellie asked.
“What does he mean he’ll see you tomorrow?”
Ellie linked arms with Alice. “He means we are going for a ride.”
“We?”
“Yes. Put on your prettiest dress, Alice. Tomorrow you have a date with destiny.”
After supper, Ellie found Owen in the flower garden. She had taken the letters from her satchel, and placed them out where she wouldn’t forget to grab them, when Chat came to pick her and Alice up for a ride. She grabbed one of the booklets she read on the train and headed towards the garden.
There was still enough sunlight and the bugs were few, so she could walk around the contained flower garden and then sit on the bench and read until darkness fell.
Marmee had a beautiful garden. Wooden flower boxes connected together to form the outside of the garden. Inside there were several more box planters in the pattern of a cross. Ellie was impressed that such a fine garden existed in the remote location of Flat River.
It reminded her of one of the small flower gardens in the local Atlanta park. Marmee’s garden was on a much smaller scale, but just as lovely. The only thing missing were the vendors selling treats along the path.
She knew there was a bench on the far side, so that is where she walked. As she rounded the corner, she started when she found Owen already sitting there. He was holding a leather book in his hand and his head was bowed.
Ellie stepped backward, hoping to disappear without disturbing him, but the stones in the path had other plans. Her heel sunk into the soft dirt and refused to budge as she tried to turn. Ellie gave a little shriek as she went down onto the soft soil.
Owen was next to her in an instant. “Are you alright?” he asked, helping her to her feet.
Ellie brushed the dirt from her yellow skirt, smearing the damp soil across the fabric. “I’m alright.”
“Nothing bruised?”
“Only my pride,” she said. Owen looked at her for a moment and laughed. “It’s not that funny,” she admonished. “What were you doing out here?”
Owen walked back to the bench and picked up the book he must have dropped when she fell. “I come outside right before dark and say my prayers.”
“You don’t say them inside?” Ellie always said hers once she hopped into bed. She never thought about going outside to say them.
“Only in the winter.”
“May I join you?”
Owen scooted over to allow her room to sit down. “What are you doing out here?” he asked.
“I was just coming out to read. I figured it wasn’t too dark.”
“What are you reading?” Ellie held up the small beige-colored tome. Owen took it from her. “Seth Jones, also known as the Captives of the Frontier.” He snorted and handed it back to her. “Those are probably written by someone who has never been out West.”
“Would you like to read it?” She offered the book back to him.
“I don’t have much time for th
ings like reading.”
“What do you do then?”
“I work.”
“All the time?”
“All the time.”
“That’s not good, Owen. You need some time to refresh yourself.”
“I am trying to build a horse ranch. It takes all my time.”
“Can’t you let your brothers help out more. Most of the time I see them standing on the gate.”
“They help out plenty.”
“Don’t you want to get married? Start a family. Those things could help with your ranch as well.” When Owen didn’t respond, Ellie thought a more direct approach might work. “Why did you and Chat fight today?”
“He had no business being here.”
“Why?”
“You ask a lot of questions, Ellie.”
“It is the only way to get answers.”
Owen rubbed his hands together as he formed a response. “Caleb told me yesterday of Chat’s intention to talk to you about marrying one of the Hartman brothers. I admit I didn’t know how to feel about it.” Hope sprang to life in her chest. “I thought that I would never have another opportunity to marry again, but it was like God Himself brought you to Flat River so we could meet.”
“Again?”
“It was many years ago. Ten, to be precise. We were engaged, but she didn’t show up at the wedding.”
“I’m sorry.”
“She sent a letter. Turns out she was running away with a man named Duke Richards. Told me not to look for her.”
“Did you?”
“We did when Sarah’s new husband killed my brother several years later. Turns out Duke was a cattle thief and Sarah was pregnant with his child. She left everything behind to go with him. I guess riding across the prairie was more exciting than being a rancher’s wife.”
“I’m so sorry, Owen. I can’t imagine the pain that caused you, to lose someone you love.”
Owen gave a short bark. “Ha. We didn’t love each other. You learn to love someone out here. I was hoping we might fall in love at some point, but it wasn’t meant to be. Instead, her foolishness destroyed two families.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Her name was Sarah Hartman.”
“Hartman?” Ellie lifted her fingers to her lips. “As in Chat Hartman’s sister?”
“Yes. I was engaged to Randall and Verna’s daughter.”
“Oh my.” The words he just spoke washed over her. There must have been something about that which caused the rift between the two families. Ellie didn’t want to pry any further.
She turned on the bench and took Owen’s hand in her own. “There is still plenty of time for you to marry. Have someone work alongside you as you build your dream.”
“I don’t think there is.” The sadness in his voice broke Ellie’s heart.
“Why not?” she asked.
“There aren’t many women around here. Those that are, are either related to me, work at the saloon or they are outlaws. Not much in between.”
“You could write a letter.”
Owen barked a laugh. “Like Frank did?”
Ellie felt her back bristle. “It was a perfectly reasonable way of finding a wife. There were quite a few advertisements in the newspaper.”
“So you just write letters back and forth to each other?”
Ellie nodded. “You can get to know someone intimately through writing. You might even fall in love.”
“Did you love Frank?”
Ellie couldn’t bear the haunted look in his eyes. She placed her hand on his arm and felt the muscles bunch under her fingers. “I found myself very fond of him. Perhaps even giving into the dreams he had of making a life out here under the Nebraska sky. He had the same dreams you do, Owen. Perhaps one day, I’ll find someone new and I might be able to come back out here.”
“Maybe I should try it,” he said. “Write a letter.”
“Maybe you should.”
“Should I let you know what paper I put the advertisement in?”
Elle’s eyes snapped up to his. “Excuse me?”
“If I put an advertisement in the paper and you see it, would you write to me?”
“I don’t understand.”
Ellie looked down at his hand. His knuckles were going to bruise over the next few days. She traced them with her finger.
“Listen to me,” he demanded, drawing her eyes back to him. “If I put an advertisement in the paper, would you respond to it?”
“How would I know…”
Owen moved his thumb across the back of Ellie’s hand. She relished the tingles his caresses sent up her arm.
“You’d know.” He lifted her hand and peeled open her fingers to press a kiss against her skin. When he was done, he lifted her chin and covered her mouth in a kiss.
Ellie felt heady as he took his time, nibbling along the bottom of her lip. She put her hands on his shoulders, unsure if she should push back or pull him closer. She decided on the latter.
When he finally broke the kiss, Ellie put her hand to her chest and took several deep breaths. When she could finally catch her breath, she smiled. “I’d write to you.”
“I can’t promise tender words, but I can promise that I will love you, protect you from raging bulls, and marry you when you are ready. When we are both ready. I’d like a chance to properly court you, Elenore Brooks.”
“I would really like that, Owen.”
“My Ellie.” He leaned down and kissed her once more. When he finally broke the kiss he gently pulled her to him and placed his lips softly against her hair. He held her for just a minute. Ellie had never felt safer. “Let’s go inside,” he finally said softly. Ellie stood and Owen grabbed his Bible, joining her on the path. “We are going to be good together, Ellie. I feel it in my bones.”
Ellie felt it too as they stole another kiss before returning to the house.
Epilogue
Ellie woke up the next morning and stretched in the bed, before rolling over and hugging the pillow. Her dreams were filled with sweet words and even sweeter kisses from Owen. She couldn’t wait to see him.
A knock on the door made her sit up.
“Yes,” she called.
“It’s me, Alice.”
Ellie climbed out of bed and grabbed her wrap. It was early as the sun was just rising. She opened the door and Alice came in and went over to the vanity to sit down.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“What?”
“This.” Alice picked up a piece of brown paper that had been folded into an envelope and tied with a string.
“I’ve never seen that.”
Alice shrugged. “It has your name on it.”
Ellie took the package and flipped it over. Her name was spelled out in broad strokes. Her heart skipped a beat. She would read it when Alice left.
“What did you need?” Ellie asked, impatient to get to the contents of her letter.
“Oh. I wanted to get a dress from the wardrobe, and I was wondering if you could help me with my hair.”
“Of course.”
Alice moved over to the wardrobe. “I was thinking about this one,” she said, pulling out a green checkered dress with a tatted collar.
“It’s beautiful. I don’t think he will be able to take his eyes off you.”
“I am going to marry that man,” she said. She stopped fussing with the dress. “But not now. I don’t want to marry anyone now.”
“A young woman your age should be thinking of things such as weddings and babies.”
“Do you think, if we got married he’d be alright with letting me keep the lamp on?”
Ellie pursed her lips. What an odd question. “I’m sure he would. Anyone who loves you would do something so simple to make you happy.”
Alice rushed over and gave Ellie a quick hug. “Thank you.” She took the dress and headed out the door.
Ellie quickly shut the door behind Alice and went back to sit on the bed. With shaky fing
ers, she untied the string holding the package shut. A piece of stationary and two small beige books fell on her lap.
She picked them up and smiled. They were two stories she hadn’t read. The books were buttery soft and worn as if someone had read them over and over. She opened the inside. O. Chapman – 1864 was written in the upper right corner of the first page.
She smiled, thinking of Owen giving her something so precious. She folded the paper open and laughed when she saw the crude hand-drawn newspaper layout on the page. It had the date and Flat River Gazette on the top of the page.
Her eyes scrolled the words and her heart knew she found where she belonged.
Wanted: A wife and companion for an overworked, sometimes grouchy rancher. Building a future in horses along the Nebraska Prairie. Someone whose worth is more than rubies.
Must love exaggerated novels written by people who never traveled west. Examples of these novels are included.
Willing to be in the great outdoors and be a true partner. I have a bull, so she will need to be careful.
The Ranch is large, along the banks of the Flat River with beautiful landscapes, wild horses, and a family where she will be enfolded and loved.
I am 33 years old, age doesn’t matter. Would prefer someone around 25 with hair the color of the mustangs that roam the range, with highlights that speak of the summer grass. Lips the color of berries that grow wild on the shore. And a complexion the color of the moon as it peeks out from the night sky.
Please respond, in writing, to Owen Chapman, and leave your sealed reply on the bench at the far side of Marmee’s garden just before sunset.
You are my future. My future wife.
Ellie wasn’t sure how the afternoon was going to go. When she told Chat her plan, he drove the buggy to the Hartman residence instead of an area that flowed by the creek.
Mr. Hartman was scarce, as well as Chat’s brothers. Ellie breathed a sigh of relief that she wasn’t going to have to spend time with the whole Hartman family.
Although she wasn’t happy to see them, Ma Hartman had the decency to be a gracious hostess. She even made a fresh pot of coffee.
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