A Life Restored (11 page)

Thomas breathed a huge sigh of relief when Caroline stormed off.
 
He could hardly stand to be alone with her without his blood pumping fiercely in his chest.
 
She did look lovely in that gray dress, even if it swam on her.
 
The gray caused the green in her eyes to stand out.
 
And it drove him insane.

Grabbing the pail of water he used to clean up, he headed outside of the barn to dump it.
 
Perry had ridden back out to his cattle after securing Thomas’s promise that they wouldn’t try to press on this afternoon.
 
He wanted to and Perry talked him out of it, using the same arguments he just parroted back to Caroline.

The only reason he considered trying to make it up that mountain was because he wanted a day to rest before heading back out again.
 
He was tired.
 
Weary.
 
He’d thought that the slower pace would be less stressful for him, but watching out for Caroline seemed the opposite.
 
On the positive side, he hadn’t had time to think about his life and the way he really messed it up.

Instead, every waking thought shifted to Caroline.
 
Who was she?
 
How was he going to get her to her new home safely?

He wondered if one of those men on the stage was her escort.
 
Strange to let a woman travel alone with a man.
 
He could attest to how difficult that was.

Running his hands through his hair, Thomas moved to a spot in the sun, hoping his hair would dry faster.
 
He had such thick hair.
 
It was getting too long, brushing against his shirt collar which irritated him.
 
He was going to get it cut in Prescott, but now he’d have to wait until he made it back to La Paz.

When the supper bell rang, he looked up.
 
Caroline stood on the porch ringing the thing.
 
She looked like she belonged there.
 
Then she waved at him before darting back inside.
 
His heart did a little flip.

Perry’s men rode in with the cattle, rounding them into the corral.
 
His herd was much smaller than Will Colter’s.
 
Looked like only a few hundred head and about three men besides Perry.
 
As they cared for their horses, Thomas ambled up to the cabin.

“Smells good,” he said as he opened the door.
 
“Guess you do know how to cook.”

Caroline spun around, hand on her hip.
 
“Of course I do.
 
Grew up on a ranch feeding a bunch of hungry mouths.
 
I’m the oldest girl so Mama enlisted my help pretty early on.”

He held up his hands in defense.
 
“I was just teasing.”

The words seemed to disarm her.
 
“Oh.
 
Have a seat.”

He stood, not wanting to sit before she did.
 
Wasn’t that proper etiquette?
 
Hanging back by the door he watched her place the large portions of food on the table.

Perry and his men entered.
 
“Miss Larson, this is Hank, Jack, and George.
 
Boys, this is Miss Larson.”

Caroline’s eyes grew wistful as the last man was introduced.
 
Her voice came out soft as she said, “George is my papa’s name.”

“Pleased to meet you,” she added in a more normal tone.

“Ma’am,” they said in unison, each reaching for their hats.

Perry stood and held out a chair for Caroline.
 
Thomas mentally kicked himself for not thinking of it as everyone else took their seats.

Stomach growling, Thomas reached for the dish of potatoes in front of him.
 
When Perry suggested they pray, he swiftly brought his hand back to his lap.
 
Heat rose to his cheeks.

Perry’s prayer was short, yet something about it suggested he was very comfortable talking to God.
 
Reminded him of Paul.

The sound of dishes being passed roused Thomas from his thoughts.
 
He reached for the fried potatoes, this time dropping a spoonful of them onto his plate.

“Thank you for cooking for us, Caroline,” Perry said, squeezing her hand.
 
Thomas tensed at the gesture.
 
“It’s been a long time since we’ve had a meal like this.”

Caroline glanced at Thomas before responding, “It’s the least I could do to thank you for your generosity.”

“What brings you to the Arizona Territory?” Perry asked.

“My best friend, Julia Colter, is here.
 
And my brother Adam works at Colter Ranch.
 
I miss them both.
 
The three of us are pretty close.”

Thomas almost snorted.
 
He figured she had no idea how close Adam and Julia were these days.
 
There was talk of a wedding soon.
 
Caroline probably didn’t even know.

“Colter.
 
Would that be Will Colter?”

At her nod, Perry continued, “Met him and Adam once a couple months back in Prescott.
 
I was picking up a few more horses from them for the stage line.
 
He’s got a pretty big ranch up there from what I hear.
 
More than a dozen men working for him.”

“Makes our outfit look pretty small,” Jack commented.

“Got to start somewhere,” George countered.

The conversation continued on.
 
Thomas focused on his food while he listened.
 
When Perry asked about her journey so far, he started paying attention.

“I traveled to Wickenburg with my friend, Millie, and her father.”

Thomas couldn’t help himself.
 
“And why didn’t they escort you the rest of the way to Prescott?”

Her cheeks flamed and her gaze dropped to her food.
 
She fidgeted with her fork for a second before answering.
 
“Reverend Pritchett was pretty busy preaching to the miners.
 
I…” Her voice softened.
 
“I was eager to see my brother.
 
I figured I’d be safe on the stage.
 
There were plenty of other passengers.”

Silence settled over the room.

Tears pooled in the corners of her eyes and Thomas wished he could take his provocative question back.
 
Her voice cracked when she said, “I didn’t think… Those poor men.”

She jumped up from the table and ran outside.

Perry scowled at him for a second.
 
Then he stood and followed her.

“Nice going, Anderson,” Hank spat out.

Thomas pushed his plate away, the food turning to rocks in his stomach.
 
He excused himself from the table.
 
As he stepped out onto the porch, he caught Perry’s scowl over the top of Caroline’s head.
 
He held her tightly to his chest, rubbing his hand on her back in comforting circles.
 
He whispered calming words to her as her body shook with sobs.

Thomas’s anger burned.

He hurried off the porch.
 
“I’ll sleep in the barn,” he shot over his shoulder.

Once in the barn, he paced back and forth, not sure why he suddenly felt jealous of Perry.
 
Seeing her in his arms did something to him.
 
He wanted to comfort her, like he had last night.
 
Only it was his words that drove her into Perry’s arms.

Looked like his record was intact.
 
Score another mistake for Thomas.
 
Maybe he just didn’t have it within him to be the kind of man Drew was.

Chapter 13

“I’m sorry,” Caroline said, pulling back from Perry’s comforting arms.
 
She walked toward the porch rail turning her back on him.
 
She dabbed her eyes with the sleeve of her dress.

“Millie was right.
 
So is Thomas.
 
I should have waited until the Pritchetts could bring me the rest of the way.
 
Maybe those men wouldn’t have died.”

“That wasn’t your fault.”
 
Perry’s voice was soft as he moved to stand next to her.

“One of the men—I didn’t know any of their names—he came to my defense when the robbers tried to tie me up.
 
The leader shot him for it.”
 
The flood gates opened again, sending long rivers of tears down her face.
 
She hugged her arms around her torso.
 
Her voice sounded hoarse to her own ears.
 
“He was helping
me
.
 
If he hadn’t—”

“He still would have ended up dead, but with less honor.
 
You said they killed all of the men anyway.
 
That was clearly their intention from the beginning.”

Caroline pursed her lips.
 
Perhaps he was right.

“I know it’s hard, but you need to stop blaming yourself.
 
Thank the Lord that he spared your life.”

He did, didn’t He?
 
God spared her life.
 
Why?
 
Why
her
and not those men?

Swallowing back the flood of questions, she silently stared out towards the barn.
 
The sun already climbed down behind the mountain, leaving the bluish-purple shades of twilight behind.
 
The scratch of wood chairs against the floor from inside the cabin signaled Perry’s men were finished with their meal.
 
Moments later, the three cowboys exited the cabin with hushed well wishes to her.

Rousing from her burdened thoughts, Caroline turned toward the cabin.
 
“I suppose I should clean up in there.”

Perry followed behind.
 
“I can take care of it.
 
Why don’t you sit and relax?”

The last thing she wanted to do was sit idle.
 
Her jumbled heart would take over and drive her insane with reviewing the last few days’ events.

“Please, you’ve done so much.
 
Let me help,” she said as she started stacking the dishes in the wash basin.

“Very well then.
 
You wash and I’ll—”

Perry stopped abruptly when he turned to help clear the table.
 
His glistening eyes settled on the broach at Caroline’s neck.
 
She subconsciously raised her fingers to touch the piece of jewelry.

“It was Lydia’s mother’s.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.
 
I didn’t think.”
 
She started to unpin it, intending to return it to him.

“No, no.
 
You can wear it.
 
Borrow it for now.”

Caroline weighed his words carefully.
 
He obviously struggled with the offer.
 
“I’ll take good care of it and send it back with Thomas when he returns.”

A brief frown flitted across Perry’s eyes.
 
“I’ll be in Prescott in a month or so.
 
I’ll just pick it up from you then.
 
If you would be agreeable to a visit from a friend?”

Her lips stretched into a soft smile.
 
“I’d like that.”

Clearing his throat, Perry said, “I’ll go fetch some water for the dishes.”

He hurriedly made his exit.

Sighing, she retrieved the rest of the dishes from the table.
 
It would take a little while to heat some water when Perry returned.

Looking around the small room, she tried to imagine what Lydia Quinn must have been like.
 
It was a strange train of thought, but one that kept her mind from churning over her troubles.
 
She walked closer to the dresser near the bed.
 
No photographs.
 
She wondered if Lydia was tall or short.
 
Judging by the length of the dress Caroline wore, Lydia was even shorter than her.
 
The broach—a family heirloom, much like the one Caroline just lost on the stage—must have been important to her.
 
She saw that in the way Perry talked about it.

She should leave it here, where it belonged.
 
There had to be some other temporary way to fix the looseness of the dress without taking the treasured jewelry from its home.
 
Crossing her arms over her chest, she tapped a finger rapidly against her forehead.
 
Think, Caroline.

The door creaked open and Perry filled the reservoir on the stove to heat the water.

“I was thinking,” he said, “that I’ll sleep out in the bunkhouse.
 
I’ve an extra bunk there.
 
Then you would have the privacy of the cabin.”

Caroline turned to face him.
 
Did this man have no end to his compassion?

“Thank you.”

Once the water heated, they completed the dishes with light chit-chat about his ranch.
 
Then Perry excused himself.

Lifting the lid of the trunk, Caroline found a night dress—something she forgot to pull out earlier—and readied for bed.
 
After she turned the oil lamp down, she stared at the ceiling of the unfamiliar room.
 
Her mind taunted her.

Images of the men on the stagecoach danced before her eyes.
 
The friendly smiles of some when she first boarded.
 
The smirk on the scarred man’s face when she bumped into him because of the jostling of the stagecoach.
 
What color were his eyes?
 
The image of him being shot, his body slumping to the ground.
 
The sounds of more shots.
 
The pile of dead bodies they left behind.

The dark eyes of the man who ordered their deaths.

Lord, forgive us for not caring for those men.
 
Please let me forget.

Thomas woke with a start.
 
He took a deep breath to calm his pounding heart so he could listen for what woke him.
 
Hearing nothing, he moved from the hay he slept on in the stable, trying to make as little noise as possible.
 
He grabbed his pistol from his gun belt that he left slung over a rail in the stable.

He walked to the barn door and slowly nudged it open.
 
He scanned the area near the cabin but he saw nothing.
 
After looking towards the bunkhouse, he waited several more minutes.

As a dispatch rider in the war, his premonitions had saved his life many times.
 
Just because he could not see the trouble with his eyes, he believed there was someone out there.

Then, the glint of a gun reflecting the moonlight caught his eye.
 
A figure stood on the porch of the cabin, trying to get the door open.

Without thinking twice, Thomas fired his pistol into the air.
 
Within seconds the figure scurried off of the front porch and rounded the corner of the cabin away from him.
 
Thomas cautiously moved to where he last saw the man.

“Thomas?” Caroline’s frightened voice came from inside the cabin.

He didn’t answer, not wanting to give away his position.
 
He rounded the side of the cabin just in time to see the figure jump on his horse and gallop away.

The sound of a gun cocking behind him brought him up short.

“Turn around.”

“It’s me, Thomas.”

Perry let out a sigh of relief.
 
“What’s going on?”

“Saw someone trying to get in the house.
 
But, he rode off.”

“Boys,” Perry said, “take a look around the property.
 
See if you find anyone else.
 
Thomas, you go make sure Caroline is alright.”

Thomas knocked on the door.
 
No answer.

“Caroline, it’s me.
 
Thomas.”

The scraping of a chair against the wooden floor answered.
 
Then the door flew open.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” she answered, tentatively.

Her long golden locks traveled down her back to her waist.
 
She had a blanket wrapped tightly around her, all the way to her chin.
 
Again, Thomas felt the strong compulsion to kiss her.
 
He moved forward to pull her into his arms.

“Are you alright?”
 
Perry asked as he brushed past Thomas.

Caroline threw herself into Perry’s arms and rested her head against his chest for the second time today.
 
Thomas fisted his hand at his side, annoyed that Perry pushed him aside so quickly.
 
He wanted to be the one to comfort her.

“We heard someone sneaking around the house,” Perry said.
 
Thomas bit back a sharp retort.
 
“The boys said he’s gone now.
 
Do you want me to stay close?”

“Please.”

“Stay here.
 
I’ll go get a blanket and rest on the porch.
 
That way if he returns, he’ll have to go through me first.”

“Thank you, Perry.”

Thomas grunted before heading back to the barn.

Thank you, Perry.
 
Caroline’s sweet voice echoed over and over again in his ears as the image of her golden hair cascading down her back played with his mind.
 
He couldn’t believe Perry took credit for keeping her safe.
 
If Thomas had not shot off his gun, they probably would have woken to an empty cabin in the morning, wondering what happened to Caroline.

As he lay back down in the hay, he tried to get his jealousy under control.
 
He should be on that porch protecting her, not Perry.
 
He should have gotten the praise for keeping her safe.

The next morning, Thomas woke with the sound of the cock crowing.
 
Standing he brushed loose bits of hay from his pants.
 
He hadn’t slept well after the late night interruption.
 
And he hadn’t slept well for days.
 
It was wearing thin.
 
He was exhausted and more than ready to be back in Prescott.

Plopping his felt hat on top of his head, he walked towards the cabin.
 
The smell of bacon frying drew him forward at a quicker pace.
 
Laughter from inside the cabin had the opposite effect.

Slowly he opened the door.
 
Caroline laughed, wiping away tears from the corners of her eyes.
 
Perry stood nearby with a broad grin on his face.
 
Thomas bit back a sardonic comment.
 
He didn’t like what he saw.