A Headstrong Christmas Bride for the Lonely Father (3 page)

“Reverend Hastings?” she called breathlessly, as she entered the building.

“Yes?” came a voice from one of the side rooms. Jack poked his head out of one of the doors. “Well, Mrs. Pearson! This is a surprise. How are you?”

“I’m alright, but Ben needs a doctor.”

“A doctor?” The smile faded from Jack’s face.

Ella proceeded to explain about the fire and Ben’s leg. Being the closest thing to a doctor in Mountain Ridge, Jack went home and picked up Becca, and the three of them rode out to the ranch in Jack’s wagon, with Ben’s horse tied behind. The messy trail slowed the wagon considerably, but at least it had begun to dry. When they came to the house, Ella could hear Hannah crying from outside. She promptly hopped out of the wagon as soon as Jack stopped the horses and ran into the house. Jack and Becca were right behind her. Inside, Ben was sitting in the rocking chair near the fire, holding Hannah and desperately trying to soothe her without having to stand up. Ella’s eyes met Ben’s, and she gently brushed his cheek, then took Hannah. Jack set about cutting off Ben’s pant leg from around his swollen leg, while Becca put some water to boil, in case Jack may need it.

“I’m afraid it’s broken, Ben. I can set it, but it’s still going to take some time to heal.”

“I don’t have time to wait around for it to heal, Jack,” Ben groaned. “Winter will be setting in in just a few more weeks, and now I’ve got to get a new barn built for the horses before it snows.”

“Don’t worry about the barn, Ben. I’ll get some men out here from town, and we’ll get it up before the snow starts. In the meantime, you’ve got to take it easy. A delay in work is much more easily handled than a poorly healed bone, or even infection. I know it’s not going to be easy on either of you, but you’re going to have to let Ella take over the basic duties, and I’ll come every couple of days to take care of what she can’t.”

Jack got busy setting Ben’s leg. Becca worked alongside him, fetching the things she knew he would need. They had obviously done this before. Ben yelled and clawed at the arms of the chair he sat in, trying to bear the pain and pressure Jack was forced to inflict. Ella stood nearby, feeling helpless to ease his pain.

After Jack finished up with Ben’s leg, and had treated a few minor burns, Ben thanked him and Becca, but inside his heart sank. His worst fears about bringing a wife out here were coming true. Ella tried to assure him that everything was going to be fine, and that she could handle things, but he didn’t want to hear that. He wanted so badly to give her the easy life he felt she deserved.

The next few days were long and tiring. The swelling in Ben’s leg had gone down, so long as he stayed off of it, but anytime he tried to help Ella, it would quickly return. So, Ella would get up long before dawn, fixing breakfast and making sure things were set up for Ben. Then she would leave him in the house with Hannah while she went out to the range with Duke to bring the cattle in, and care for the horses. She would milk the dairy cow, and collect eggs. Before she had a chance to even sit down, it would be time to cook lunch. Then she was off to chop wood to keep the house warm, as the nights had begun getting bitterly cold this high in the mountains. Then the cow would need to be milked again, and the livestock would need to be tended to. After which, she was back to the house to cook supper.

Ben did a good job taking care of Hannah, but it bothered him to see Ella working so hard while he sat around. He tried to do what he could around the house, but that seemed little in comparison to the dizzying pace Ella was keeping. If there was one thing she had proved to him, it was her determination. But this load was wearing on her.

Ella got easily frustrated with herself. She felt as though this was exactly the kind of situation that her parents had taught her about. That, when one spouse is weak, the other makes up for it, knowing that the reverse situation is bound to come at some point. But, her energy was wearing thin, and in her exhaustion, she found herself making thoughtless, and even dangerous mistakes.

One morning, while milking the cow, she was so tired that she didn’t even notice the coyote slinking through the yard. Being by itself, it didn’t bother with the horses, but instead went straight for the chicken coop. If it hadn’t been for Duke’s keen nose, they might have lost their chickens. But Duke was a good watchdog, and burst right into the chicken coop after the stealthy hunter. He drove it out and chased it out beyond the pasture and even into the woods, giving it a scare it wouldn’t soon forget. Ella quickly came to appreciate his help and protection.

Days and weeks came and went. People from town were busy enough preparing their own homes and ranches for winter, so despite Jack’s promise of a barn, the workers were few and the progress was slow. Jack came out and helped regularly, though. He helped Ella build a small, temporary shelter for the horses, to keep the wild animals away from them. It was far too small to be practical long term, but it would do for the time being. Occasionally, he would bring Becca along, too. This gave Ella some much needed female company, though she had little time to slow down and visit.

November had gone, and December had come. Thankfully the snow hadn’t begun yet. By now, Ben was able to walk again, but he still wasn’t in any shape to be lifting timber to build a barn. The barn had to be built though, and Ben was determined. Seeing him struggle caused Ella to work even harder, unaware that it was actually her working that was the root of his stress.

One day, Ben told Ella to leave the breakfast dishes to be done later, and instead, to go get herself and Hannah ready to go into town.

“I hate to take a day away from working on the barn, but we’ve got to stock up on supplies. I want to leave as soon as we can,” he told her.

“Alright, I’ll just be a minute,” she replied.

Ella went and quickly changed into a more presentable dress, and then dressed Hannah in something warm enough for a wagon ride. Once outside, Ben helped Ella up into the wagon and handed Hannah up to her. He wrapped a blanket around them and then off they went. The air was cold this morning, but the sky was clear and the sun shone brightly. Hannah enjoyed the wagon rides, so she sat contentedly on Ella’s lap, chattering and pointing up at the trees. It was a refreshing change of pace, as they hadn’t been away from the ranch since Ben’s injury.

Soon, the little town rolled into view. First, Ben stopped off to pick up food and supplies for the animals. Then, they headed over to the general store, to stock up on things for the house to last through the winter. Ben told Ella she could look around a bit, and pick up what she needed for the house, as he had some bartering to do with the clerk.

The store was small, but had a surprisingly complete inventory. Ella enjoyed looking around. She knew Hannah would soon be needing bigger clothes, so she chose some material for several new outfits. She knew how to sew well, and had sewn clothes for her siblings for years. She browsed through the dinnerware and bedding, waiting for Ben to return before picking up any food items.

Meanwhile, Ben sold off a few things in exchange for credit for the days purchase. While Ella was off browsing, he noticed a small, delicate necklace hanging on a display on the counter. When Charles, the store clerk, returned from the back of the store, he asked him about it.

“How much is the necklace, Charles?”

“A present for your young bride, I’m guessing?”

“Yes, she’s had a rough go of things lately, and I think it would make a nice Christmas gift.”

“Well, since Helen and I never had a chance to properly welcome her to town, consider it a gift.”

“I can’t do that, Charles, let me pay you for it. How much is it?”

“Alright, I’ll make you a deal. You can have the necklace in exchange for the milk and eggs you brought in, as long as you bring Ella and Hannah over to the house today to meet Helen. We’re having a little get together, and we’d love to have you there.”

“That doesn’t seem like much of a deal for you,” Ben laughed, “but I accept.”

Charles placed the necklace in a little box, and wrapped it in some pretty paper for Ben. Ben hid it in his pocket and then went to find Ella.

“Have you found everything you need?”

“Yes, I think so.”

“Good, let’s go pay. We have been invited to a party this afternoon, and I’d like for you to meet some of the folks around here.”

“I’d like that,” Ella said with a smile.

That afternoon, they rumbled through the dusty little town and then out into the woods a little ways, until they came upon a beautiful cabin. There were several wagons out front already, and when they stopped out front, Helen was out to meet them before they had even climbed down. Charles and Helen knew Ben well. They had also known his brother and sister-in-law, but Helen had gotten little chance to meet Hannah.

“Well, hello!” she greeted with a smile.

“Hello, Helen!” Ben greeted warmly, “I want you to meet Ella.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Ella said politely, offering her hand.

“Oh, it’s wonderful to meet you, dear,” Helen said, bypassing Ella’s hand and giving a big hug.

Ella liked Helen instantly. She was such a friendly, motherly type. Helen welcomed them inside. Their home was lovely, and beautifully decorated for Christmas. There was greenery wrapped with brightly colored ribbon hanging around the windows and above the fireplace. And there was a fresh, full Christmas tree in one corner. Ella was particularly fond of the glass ornaments hung on the tree, as they reflected the light from the fire, sending tiny sparkles of light dancing around the walls. There were tables full of foods and deserts, and the house was filled with the aroma of freshly baked pie.

Jack and Becca were there, and Ben quickly introduced Ella around to the rest of the guests. There were a few other couples, but mostly young men, as there weren’t many eligible women this far out west. Even Hannah soon found a friend, as one of the couples there had a little boy nearly the same age. Helen, being of age to have grandchildren of her own, went and found a couple of dolls and a ball for the children to play with. Soon, they were happily crawling around the room, squealing with delight over their new toys and playmates.

The folks from town were friendly, and genuinely concerned for the young couple. They knew Ben’s injury had made things difficult, so questions about the ranch, and their relationship, dominated the conversation for a good deal of the afternoon.

Without much feminine attention, the young men were particularly anxious to speak to Ella. Ben didn’t mind them speaking to her, so long as they kept their distance. He wondered what her life might have been like if she had married a man from town. Life was considerably easier with stores nearby and neighbors to depend upon. He wondered if they might have been able to give her an easier way of life than he had. He found himself doubting his abilities as a husband again, and even feeling a bit jealous of the attention she was giving them.

Until now, Ben and Ella had been friends. They had grown close to one another, but still didn’t really feel like they were married. They just hadn’t known each other long enough, and all of the extra work had given them little time to change that.

But tonight, having their friends refer to them as husband and wife began to bring that truth to light. Somehow, Ella began seeing Ben a little differently. He was no longer just a friend. Now he was that man across the room that she found herself drawn to. Despite all of the attention from the other men, Ben was the one she found herself glancing at, and she would feel her heart skip a beat when she caught him looking, too.

The same was true for Ben. Suddenly, Ella wasn’t just the woman who had agreed to be a mother for Hannah. Now she was that girl, chatting across the room, that he couldn’t keep his eyes off of. She had become the woman that he now wanted to be with, and to show off as being his. Much to Ella’s delight, Ben even found himself flirting a little. This was a side of each other that they had never seen. The work on the ranch had been exhausting, but tonight they felt refreshed and young again.

After they had eaten and enjoyed visiting for a long while, Ben and Ella said their goodnights. Though they would have loved to stay longer, they had much farther to go to get home than the other guests, and the woods could be dangerous at night. So they set off for home, with a much different feeling between them than they had experienced before. Despite the fact that they were married, somehow it felt as if they were enjoying the courting that their situation had denied them. Ben found himself sitting a little closer to Ella in the wagon. And she enjoyed feeling him so close. Ella found herself wondering when things had changed between them. They had enjoyed the day immensely.