The Salvation 0f A Runaway Bride (Historical Western Romance) Page 4

  * * *

  To Laura, it seemed every day now Abe showed up at the house for some reason or another: fresh canned vegetables from Mrs. Edison’s garden, an order for more marmalade sent by Mr. Mason at the store, some flowers from the local women’s association to wish Aunt Ethel well. Inevitably, every time he came by, he’d find a way to help out around the house. She didn’t mind at all. His sweet demeanor stood in sharp relief to his rough cowboy appearance.

  He also hung around longer and longer each day, and surprisingly, Laura never ran out of things to talk about with him.

  “You know, if you tilled up a patch of earth back here, you could have a right little garden come next summer,” he noted one day, as he was repainting the backside of the house.

  “Really? You don’t think it’s a bit too dry?” Laura asked quizzically.

  “Not at all, you’re just seeing the surface layer. The ground ‘round here’ll take plants surprisingly well. You just gotta crack through that hard outer surface,” he replied.

  “Sounds a bit like some people,” Laura said thoughtfully.

  Abe stopped for a moment. “You know, I’ve never quite thought of it like that.”

  “I’ve found many people are a bit tougher on the outside than they are underneath. You just have to find a way past that outer layer to truly understand them,” Laura stated, as she surveyed the earth.

  “There’s some that ain’t got that softer layer though. I’ve found many times it’s no use digging, ‘cause what you see on the outside is what you find on the inside,” Abe answered, as he painted.

  “Oh, I don’t believe that. I think there’s a soft spot in nearly everyone, just some folks have it buried down deeper than others. Doesn’t mean you stop digging after the first few tries,” Laura said, as she pushed a small trowel into the earth.

  “Well, you’ve got more patience than me then. Had too many disappointments with folks to want to try that hard anymore,” Abe said.

  Laura carefully dug into the dusty ground. Her first few scoops yielded nothing but dusty, reddish earth. Then, after a few more, a richer, darker earth appeared. Laura smiled.

  “The results have spoken differently for me on many an occasion,” she said, as she let the rich earth run through her fingers. Abe continued to paint away, and she watched him carefully.

  What’s underneath your layers, Mr. Mavor?

  * * *

  When Laura would go into town now, all the shopkeepers knew her. One day she went by the general store and Mr. Mason greeted her with cheer, as soon as she walked in.

  “Miss Laura! So good to see you. You won’t believe what I just got in from New York!” he said, with a twinkle in his eye.

  “Oh, won’t I? What is it?” she asked.

  Mr. Mason reached down behind the counter and pulled out three beautiful, fluted oil lamps. Each one was delicately engraved with a soft floral pattern.

  “Oh Mr. Mason, they’re absolutely lovely,” Laura declared, as she admired them.

  “They’re yours if you’d like ‘em, Miss,” he said with a sly smile.

  “Oh, Mr. Mason, I’d love them, but I just don’t have the money,” she said with a sigh.

  “I’ll make a trade. You bring me some of that fine bread that Mr. Mavor was raving about and they’re yours.”

  “Well, I don’t know what to say, other than thank you!” she said, delighted.

  “I’ll be waiting on that bread now, Miss,” he said, as he wrapped them up.

  She tried to collect more bits and pieces wherever she could, like scraps of fabric from Aunt Ethel’s many sewing projects and a bit of irregular lace, which she had turned into a beautiful centerpiece. She was always on the lookout for something to work toward the cabin’s transformation.

  Abe helped out with procurements too. He brought an old, worn dressing mirror over one day.

  “Used to belong to my mother. There ain’t been a lady around my place in a while, so I figured you ladies could make good use of it,” he said, when he dropped it off.

  “You’re too generous, Abe,” Laura declared. “Aunt Ethel, would you like this in your room?” she asked, turning to her aunt.

  “That’s wasted on me dear. I see an old woman that I don’t recognize in the mirror these days.” Aunt Ethel laughed. “Put it in your room dear. You’ll get far more use out of it than I.”

  Laura looked over at Abe. “Would you mind carrying it in for me?”

  “Of course not.” Abe carried the mirror over into Laura’s room and set it in an empty corner.

  Laura stepped back and admired it.

  “It’s perfect, Abe. Are you sure you’re willing to part with it?”

  “Like I said, no ladies around my ranch to use it, so it’s better off here,” he replied matter-of-factly.

  “No wife, not even a sweetheart?” Laura asked, surprised.

  “No, haven’t met a lady that I fancied as such. Besides, I’ve always preferred to keep a bit more to myself,” Abe replied.

  Laura was shocked.

  How could a handsome rancher like him be all on his own? Surely the ladies of town have thought about him a time or two.

  Laura stepped in and ran her hand along the wooden frame. Suddenly, it was as if something stung her finger.

  “Ouch!” Laura exclaimed.

  “What’s wrong?” Abe asked, worried.

  Laura pulled her hand back and noticed a small sliver of wood had pierced through her skin and now nestled in the tip of her finger. The finger throbbed angrily.

  “It’s nothing, just a splinter,” she replied.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry, I should have fixed it up better for you before I brought it over. Here, let me see that hand,” he told her.

  Laura gingerly offered her finger to him. He took her hand in his, and despite the rough calluses on his skin, he was amazingly gentle.

  He carefully inspected it.

  “Just a little one, but if you leave it in, it’ll fester. I’ll have to cut it out.” Abe said, as he reached into his belt for his knife.

  Laura felt fear upon seeing the blade. Her hand began to shake.

  “Are you sure? I’m sure it will just work its way out on its own,” she said nervously.

  He looked at her with reassuring eyes.

  “This won’t hurt a bit, I promise. But it needs to come out,” he said calmly.

  With extreme care, he gently took the tip of his knife and sliced the tiny layer of skin just above the splinter open. He was right, it didn’t hurt. He then sheathed his knife and carefully pried the splinter out of her skin. With the bit of wood out, a small dot of blood appeared on Laura’s hand. He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and pressed it against her finger.

  “There, just hold that tight to your finger for a few minutes and you’ll be good as new,” he said, as he released her hand from his.

  “You are quite useful to have around, in more ways than one, Abe,” Laura admired his handiness.

  “Well, I appreciate you saying that. Speaking of which, is there anything that needs seeing to today?”

  “Indeed, there is, if you’ve got the time,” Laura said.

  “Put me to work then, Laura,” he said with a smile.

  Laura’s finger throbbed rhythmically with her heartbeat. She showed Abe out to the back, where a pile of firewood needed to be split.

  He quickly got to work, swinging the heavy axe with ease. Laura went back inside the house to get back to her embroidery. From her chair, she could see Abe’s strong arms and back bring the axe down on log after log. There was something almost comforting about the rhythmic thwack, thwack, thwack.

  He’s so handsome, and strong.

  He stopped, after a time, and wiped his sweaty brow, his chestnut hair stuck in sweaty clumps to his forehead. He turned toward the house and Laura quickly tried to appear engrossed in her embroidering.

  After the entire pile lay in neatly split logs, he came back inside. He looked right at Laura, his
face glistening with sweat.

  “I’ll be needing that handkerchief back, Miss,” he said, with a tired smile.

  Laura unwrapped it from her hand and handed it over. He folded it and dabbed the sweat off his face, smearing the reddish dust in streaks across his skin.

  Laura felt a giggle escape her. Abe looked at her strangely.

  “Everything alright?” he asked.

  “Yes, yes, it’s nothing,” she answered, embarrassed.

  Abe just shook his head as he tucked the handkerchief back into his pocket.

  “Well, I best be going then. Have a good afternoon and take care of that finger of yours,” he said with a smile.

  “I will, thank you.”

  Laura watched as he strode out the door. She put her embroidery down and went into her room. Again, she admired the lovely dressing mirror. Then she went to her bureau and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen.

  She went back out to the table in the main room, sat down, and began to write.

  “Dear Mama and Father,

  Things are going quite well here. Aunt Ethel is beginning to regain some of her strength, and I’ve settled in nicely.

  The people around town are very kind and eager to help out with the many things that need doing. Father would get along well with the keeper of the general store, who has blessed me with many gifts.

  I miss you both terribly, and Duchess too. I enjoy the work here and hope to get to know Aunt Ethel and those around town more.

  Say hello to the knitting club ladies for me please and take care of yourselves. I’m sure the time will fly until I am back in Tucson with you again.

  Much love,

  Laura”

  She gently folded the letter up and placed it in an envelope. She heard Aunt Ethel stirring in her room and went in to check on her.

  “Is Abe still here?” Aunt Ethel asked.

  “No, just left in fact,” Laura said. “How are you doing? Do you need anything?”

  “A cup of tea would be lovely dear, thank you,” Aunt Ethel replied. “And Laura?” She called out as Laura was about to disappear through the doorway.

  Laura stopped in her tracks. “Yes?”

  “Quite the man, isn’t he?” she said, with a grin.

  Laura blushed. “You’re terrible, Aunt Ethel,” she said, as she sashayed out of the room.

  Yes, yes he is.

  Chapter Six

  Laura was feeling more at home here now than she had when she first arrived. She missed Duchess terribly though, so when Abe showed up, she would come outside with some bits of carrot or apple to feed to Bruce.

  By the sixth or seventh time, as soon as Abe would arrive on the porch, Bruce would let out an excited whinny to announce his arrival to Laura, who would promptly appear with the day’s delicacy. Abe would pat his neck with a chuckle.

  “He’s a greedy boy, he is. Quite the attention seeker.”

  “My Duchess is too. I think it’s sweet,” Laura said, as Bruce happily chomped away at the apple pieces in her outstretched palm.

  Abe eased himself out of the saddle and his boots hit the ground with a thud. He was tall, built broad and sturdy from growing up on the land. But he always had a bit of a soft twinkle in his eye when he addressed Laura.

  “Can’t stay too long today, so don’t let Aunt Ethel talk me into supper again,” he exclaimed, as he did every time before that. And every time, without fail, he would be plunked, reluctantly, down at the dinner table by little more than a wave of Aunt Ethel’s hand.

  “If you keep feeding me like this, I’ll break Bruce’s back!” Abe protested, between bites of bread and fresh butter.

  “Oh, you can afford a proper meal every once in a while, Abe. You’re strong but you’re too skinny!” Aunt Ethel teased.

  “Is that right Miss Laura? Am I too skinny?” he asked.

  Laura felt the blush creep to her cheeks as she took too large a bite of food to avoid answering.

  Of course not. You’re strong, and…well…

  “My mother used to say the same thing to me,” Abe said, to break the awkward silence. “I was a string bean of a kid. Had to learn to ride and rope and shoot, just to get the other boys to leave me be.”

  “Well, you’ve grown into a fine young man, dear,” Aunt Ethel said sweetly.

  “Thank you. Ain’t been any ladies around trying to fatten me up in quite some time,” he said with a wink.

  Aunt Ethel was slowly getting stronger, moving around bit by bit, though still quite immobilized overall by her leg. Laura worked hard to make sure she was eating and getting outside for plenty of sunshine. Sunshine was nature’s medicine, as her mother used to say.

  They would sometimes all sit on the porch together, drinking iced tea, while Abe would fuss with the crooked step or Laura would be at work planting a bed of flowers around the porch.

  One such day, Laura was elbow-deep in the flowerbed, while Abe was at work fixing the swayed porch. Aunt Ethel sat in a chair just outside the front door, knitting away.

  “I can’t believe the state of this place. I guess with all the work of running the house on my own, I never noticed how much things were falling to disrepair. Now, I can’t stop noticing.” Aunt Ethel shook her head.

  “You’ve managed as well as you can on your own Aunt Ethel, I can’t imagine running a household all on my own,” Laura said.

  “I can’t imagine you’ll ever have to worry about that,” Abe interjected.

  Laura stopped for a moment and looked at him. “What makes you say that?”

  “A girl like you’ll be married off in no time,” he said, as he pulled up one of the planks.

  “Oh, if anyone will have me,” Laura said, as she planted a small marigold plant.

  Aunt Ethel chuckled. “Oh, so modest, girl. I was far more confident when I was your age.”

  “Were you quite the firecracker Aunt Ethel?” Abe asked.

  “Oh yes, I was a pretty young thing, and I knew it too,” she said to Abe, with a wink. Abe chuckled as he began to hammer down a new plank into the porch.

  I wish I had Aunt Ethel’s confidence. She seems like she’s always been so sure of herself.

  “Of course, I wasn’t always so self-assured. I was quite shy as a young girl,” Aunt Ethel remarked, as if reading her thoughts.

  “What changed?” Laura asked.

  “Just realized life was too short to fear what was in front of me. I just got tired of being so scared and decided to take matters into my own hands. And when I did, things got better for me, so I kept at it,” Aunt Ethel replied.

  “A strong woman like that is likely to scare a lesser man off,” Abe remarked.

  “Oh, yes, I chased off quite a few until I met Ernest. And I’m not sure he wasn’t scared of me himself, just not so scared that he took off runnin’.” Aunt Ethel chuckled.

  “Good man. A lady with a bit of spirit is better to make your life with, in my view of things. It means she’ll stick with you when hands need to get dirty,” Abe said. He tossed a glance at Laura, who flushed.

  “I very much agree Abe,” Aunt Ethel said, smiling at him. Abe hammered the last nail into the plank and stepped back to admire his handiwork.

  “Not half bad if I do say so myself,” he remarked. He turned to Laura. “Anything else I can help with today?”

  “Yes, would you mind helping me put these plants in? I’ve still quite a few to do,” Laura said.

  “Not at all.” He strode over to her and knelt down next to her. “And look at that, I was quite right about this land,” he said, as he winked at her.

  “Indeed, you were, just took a bit of digging to get there,” Laura replied with a grin.

  Abe looked at her with a soft, knowing smile. They continued working away until the sun went down. As they finished, Laura stood back and admired the work so far.

  Quite the difference little changes can make.

  * * *

  With each improvement Laura made, she felt a part of her gro
wing up a bit, in a way she never had back in Tucson. Back there, life was a monotony of knitting club, helping Mother around the house as she spouted well-meaning but prolific gossip about the other ladies in town, reading her books and, every once in a while, slipping outside for a hard ride with Duchess.

  But here, there was always something new to do, something to fix or tinker with. And of course, there was Abe’s constant presence, and Laura felt herself growing closer and closer to him with each passing day.