The Salvation 0f A Runaway Bride (Historical Western Romance) Page 5

  One afternoon, he was standing next to her as they applied a fresh coat of paint to the walls in Aunt Ethel’s bedroom. He looked over and she noticed, really noticed, his eyes, for the first time. Grey, like the sky just before it rained. His rough hands held the paintbrush delicately, and she wondered if that had a lot to do with his roping abilities. Strong, but gentle.

  “You missed a spot,” he pointed to a patch of bare wood at the corner of one of the planks. She turned to paint it and Abe caught her right in the nose with his paintbrush.

  She stared at him, stunned for a second. He seemed to freeze, as if he realized he had made a mistake. She let out a nervous laugh that surprised her. “Thanks, Abe,” she replied, turning her face away, so as to hide the flush, as a laugh began to roll out of her.

  Abe began to belly laugh as well.

  “Here,” he said, as he pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket. “Look at me.”

  She turned to face him and he gently wiped the paint off her nose with the handkerchief. She wondered if he could feel how hot her skin was, as he wiped the last bit of paint off it. He was even more delicate than when he held the brush.

  “There, it should be all gone now,” he said, as he surveyed her face. He paused a moment. “You have really nice eyes.”

  “Thank you, Abe…” She cleared her throat. “I’m the only one in my family with hazel eyes.”

  “They suit you,” Abe said. He smiled and turned back to the painting.

  She couldn’t wait to see him in competition. She had already heard several ladies about town gushing over how skilled he was. Practically unbeatable, they said. Even Aunt Ethel had mentioned seeing him in action once, how deft and skilled he was. Laura asked her about how he came to help out so much.

  “Well, dear, after your Uncle Ernest died, I sold him the little herd we had been keeping. Couldn’t manage it on my own. We got to talking and he’s out here all alone, not a wife or a family to care for. Well, I of course was on my own now too, so we just tried to help each other out, though he’s been a far better help to me than I to him, I believe, especially after the accident.”

  Laura kept working on the house, building it into a cheerful, welcoming home, bit by bit, paint stroke by paint stroke. She was remarkably talented at it, taking the resources she could procure, and that Abe brought by, and using them to completely transform the house, until it barely resembled the filthy shack she had arrived at just a few weeks prior. Abe continued to remark on her “magical transformation abilities” every time he set foot inside.

  As they painted the bedroom, Laura asked the same question of him that she did her aunt.

  “How did you come to want to help out my aunt so much? She appreciates, don’t misunderstand me, but surely you’ve got quite a few other things to attend to,” she inquired, as she applied clean, even strokes of paint.

  “She’s a lovely lady, and I ain’t got no family of my own out here, nor does she. I believe folks have to always look after each other. Just like you’re here doing.”

  Laura smiled at his response. He was sweet, with a simple way of looking at things that was incredibly charming. He was different from any man she had met back in Tucson, both rougher and gentler at the same time, merchants, ministers and many more. He would help Aunt Ethel to her chair with extreme delicacy and then head out back to split wood for their stove in swift, strong chops.

  They finished painting the bedroom and stepped back to admire their handiwork. “Not half bad, if I do say so myself,” Laura remarked.

  Abe nodded in agreement. “I’ve said it near a thousand times already, you are a miracle worker Miss Laura.” His voice had a soft ring to it and Laura felt a tingle inside her fingers and chest.

  Why does he say it like that? My name rolls off his tongue so sweetly.

  He started toward the door but paused for a moment as if he was about to say something. It was only a second though, and he seemed to shake it away, as he strode out the door and hopped into Bruce’s saddle. He tipped his hat to Laura as he turned and rode away.

  Her heart about pounded out of her chest.

  I feel like I’m going crazy; he’s just being helpful, that’s all.

  The next day, Abe returned and got straight to work sanding a bit of roughness out of the bedroom floor, as Laura put the finishing touches on things, like a master conductor directing a symphony of colors and fabrics.

  As they worked, they tossed little glances at each other that made Laura’s heart skip a beat every time.

  “I’ll be done sanding this floor before you’re even halfway finished arranging those vases, at that pace,” Abe said, looking up from his work, beads of sweat clinging to his forehead from the labor.

  “Oh? Do you really believe so?” Laura asked, with a raised eyebrow.

  “I do indeed. Care to wager on it?” he replied.

  “What do you propose?” Laura asked.

  “I finish first, you send me home with a fresh loaf of that bread of yours.”

  “And what do I get when I finish first?” she asked with a smile.

  “You have to pick something,” Abe said.

  Laura thought for a moment.

  “Alright, if I finish first, you take me on a ride. It has been ages since I’ve been on a horse that can get some speed,” she said.

  Abe put down the sandpaper and extended his hand. Laura hesitated.

  “Ain’t a wager until we shake on it,” Abe said persistently.

  Laura grabbed his hand and shook. As she did, a tremor ran through her entire body, as if a bolt of electricity ran from his hand and lit every nerve inside her.

  Oh my.

  “It’s a deal then,” Abe said, and he quickly went back to work sanding.

  Laura stood there in stunned silence for a moment.

  Now what was…that?

  She quickly got back to work. She arranged the flowers, put new linens on the bed, covered the nightstand in fresh lace, and hung several photographs of Aunt Ethel’s family.

  As she was doing this, she noticed that over time, the rhythmic sanding sounds of Abe working had…slowed.

  Is he trying to lose?

  As Laura worked slower and more meticulously, so did Abe. As she sped up, so did he, but only slightly.

  Finally, Laura had treated every inch of the room to her special touch.

  “Done!” she squealed victoriously.

  “Well, I’ll be damned. Should have known a good bet would get you working like a beaver,” Abe said, with a strong effort to sound disappointed. But Laura caught the faintest hint of a smile.

  As Abe finished sanding, Laura brought him another glass of her iced tea and they stepped out onto the porch together, away from the curious eyes of Aunt Ethel, who no doubt had caught one or two of their glances.

  Sitting on the porch swing that Abe had put in a few days prior, they both looked out toward town. Laura looked at those stormy grey eyes of Abe’s and wondered what life he had lived before she appeared. Why had a pretty young bride not swooped up this handsome, talented, sweet man yet. He must have realized her questions, because he instinctively began to answer them.

  “You’re not like most girls around here, Laura. Most of them would rather wag their tongues than get their hands a bit dirty.”

  “Father always preached that we came from nothing and we had to work for everything we got. I’ve never been accustomed to sitting around and hoping problems will come fix themselves,” she replied.

  He wiped a loose lock of that shaggy chestnut hair away from his forehead and took another sip of the iced tea. “I get the feeling I’d like your father.”

  “Well, perhaps you two will meet when they come visit me here,” Laura suggested.

  “Perhaps we will at that,” Abe mused, finishing off the last of his tea.

  I wonder what Father would think of him? Would he be able to see past the cowboy exterior?

  “Alright, time to pay up. The sun’ll be down soon,” Abe sa
id to Laura, as he stood up from his chair.

  Laura hopped up and Abe began to untie Bruce from the porch. He swung his strong legs up and into Bruce’s saddle and reached his hand down to Laura. She grabbed it and Abe pulled her up and behind him in one deft movement, as if she weighed nothing at all.

  He gave Bruce a slight click of the tongue and they took off toward the mountains.

  Laura clung tightly to Abe. His torso was solid and strong, and she could feel his heartbeat as she held on. Bruce was fast, but his gait was smooth.

  The wind tore past her cheeks and flung her hair around her face, but Abe’s warmth staved off the cold. The earth melted into a blur of orange and brown, as if the two of them were trapped in an oil painting together.

  And that’s when time seemed to stand still. She felt her heart fall into rhythm with his, and both were pounding. There was no sound except for their heartbeats and the thudding of Bruce’s hooves. They could have ridden for a year or an hour and Laura wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference.

  This is…incredible. Abe Mavor, who are you?

  “You doing alright back there?” Abe turned his head and half-shouted to her.

  “Great, just…great!” Laura replied.

  “Good, one more loop and I’ll take you back,” Abe said, as he patted Laura’s hand.

  I don’t want to go back. I want to stay here…forever.

  Finally, the homestead came back into view and the spell was broken. The landscape re-took its form as they trotted back up to the porch under the backdrop of the setting sun.

  Abe slid out of the saddle and reached up to help Laura down. She slid down, but as soon as she hit the ground, her knees buckled and she fell straight into Abe’s arms.

  “Easy there!” Abe laughed as he caught her. “Didn’t take you for a girl who would get weak-kneed after a ride.”

  “I just tripped, sorry,” Laura said, as she caught her breath. It wasn’t the ride that made her knees buckle. She straightened up and realized she was gripping onto Abe’s arm.

  She quickly released him and collected herself. “Forget weak-kneed, I’m sure I could out race you any day,” she said with a, hopefully, confident laugh.

  “Is that so? Huh, might have to challenge that,” Abe said with a wink. “C’mon now, I’ll walk you inside so I can say goodbye to Aunt Ethel.”

  Aunt Ethel was trying to clumsily maneuver herself into a chair when they returned inside. Abe immediately strode over to help her.

  “Thank you, Abe. Though I must say, I’m growing quite tired of requiring those strong arms of yours all the time.” She turned to Laura. “Oh, Laura my dear, I almost forgot! I received a telegram this morning from your parents. They miss you terribly and say they will have some good news to share soon. They’re planning on visiting just after Christmas time to bring you back to Arizona. By then I imagine I’ll be able to get by without so much help. Though, I’ll certainly miss those pies of yours!”

  The thought of returning to Arizona felt strangely upsetting to Laura. She knew all along that being here with Aunt Ethel was only temporary, but for some reason Ethel’s house now felt more like home than Tucson ever did. She had a sneaking suspicion that Abe may have had something to do with that. She couldn’t shake the cowboy out of her mind, once he stepped out of the door most nights.

  “Thank you, Aunt Ethel. I’ll be sure to write them later tonight.”

  “Well, I’m off now ladies. Thank you, as always, for your hospitalities,” Abe said with a flourish of his hat. Then those grey eyes turned intensely toward her. “Have a nice evening now, Laura,” he said, so gently that Laura felt her knees start to buckle again. She closed the door behind him and then went off to her room.

  She lit a lamp and pulled out paper and a pen. She began to write.

  “Dear Mama and Father,

  I’m delighted to hear news that you will be visiting. So much has changed in the time I’ve been here, and I cannot wait to share it with you. I look forward to what news you will be bringing as well, though I am nervous to think it is so important that you cannot send it in a letter.

  Aunt Ethel is doing well, as am I. I hope this letter finds you in good health and spirits.

  Your Loving Daughter,

  Laura”

  P.S. There is a lovely man I very much wish for you to meet.

  Chapter Seven

  After weeks of hard work, the house was getting closer and closer to completion. Aunt Ethel’s leg was healing nicely as well, and Abe surprised her with a most thoughtful gift: a beautiful wooden cane hand-carved with magnolias all up and down the length. She smiled gratefully at the present.

  “Oh Abe, it’s so lovely, thank you! Now I’ll be back to my old speed in no time!” she exclaimed.

  “You’re welcome, Aunt Ethel. It suits you quite fine.”

  As usual, Laura was quite touched at Abe’s thoughtfulness and care for her aunt. He turned to Laura. “Now for you miss, with Aunt Ethel on her feet again, I wonder if you wouldn’t like to take a ride with me, get out of the house for a spell. If that’s alright with your aunt, of course.”

  “Of course, it is dear, you two enjoy a bit of time out, you’ve certainly earned it.” Aunt Ethel gleefully waved them out, nearly falling over with her new cane. Aunt Ethel wasn’t that kind of person that was worrying about propriety, rules and chaperones. Abe was like a son to her and a fine man, so she was glad Laura could see it too.

  Laura stepped out into the sunshine with Abe and saw a second horse tied up next to Bruce, a beautiful roan mare. She walked over and patted its neck and the horse nickered gently. “This is Juliet, she’s small but don’t let her fool you, she’s fast as lightning with the right rider,” Abe said, as he untied Bruce’s reigns from the post. Laura looked at him inquisitively. “Care for a bit of a race?” he asked, as he swung up onto Bruce’s back.

  Laura looked stunned, but Abe looked at her, his gaze firm. “You said you could out-ride me, I’d like to see that,” Abe insisted.

  Laura untied the mare’s reigns and hoisted herself into the saddle. It felt like ages since she was on Duchess’ back, but as soon as she gathered the reigns in her hands, the mare perked her ears up and she could feel her shifting her weight, ready to stretch her legs.

  She found her position in the saddle and shot a look to Abe. Abe clicked his tongue and Bruce leapt forward gracefully. Laura did the same, and Juliet took off, practically gliding across the ground.

  This feeling, it’s like flying. I can’t imagine ever losing it.

  They raced across the fields outside of town, Laura always trailing Abe, but only by a hair. Juliet was fast, but the bond that Abe and Bruce shared allowed them to move in perfect synchronization. They barreled toward the canyons and came across a stream carving through the red rock. The stream wove through the canyon and opened up into a small pool at the base of a cascading waterfall.

  Abe pulled back on Bruce’s reigns, stopping him just short of the stream, as Laura and Juliette did the same. They slid out of their saddles and walked by the cool stream, with the horses trailing behind them. Summer had faded away to autumn finally, but today was unseasonably warm and the excitement of the ride had made sweat accumulate on their brows.

  “I have to say Laura, I’m disappointed, I believe you said you were going to best me,” Abe said cloyingly.

  “On Duchess I would have. Juliette and I are just getting to know each other, so don’t you get ahead of yourself Abe,” Laura snapped back playfully.

  Juliette snorted loudly, as if in protest.

  “Do you come to this place quite often?” Laura asked.

  “Time and again.” Abe replied, “It’s a good place to clear my head when there’s thinking needs to be done.”

  Laura gazed at the cool stream running across the rock and looked down at her dusty boots. Suddenly, she bent down and untied the laces, then pulled her boots off, then her socks. Barefoot, she waded into the cold stream, the water running ove
r her toes like it did the river rocks.

  She let out a slight squeal as the icy water hit her. Abe let out a laugh, then kicked off his own boots and waded in, seemingly unaffected by the cold. He then surprised her even further by pulling his wool shirt over his head, exposing his bare torso which rippled with his well-built ranchers’ muscles.

  He splashed water into his chestnut hair and wiped the rusty dust off his face. He smiled at Laura’s shocked expression. This impish version of Abe was brand new to her and was completely mesmerizing.