A Ransomed Heart (11 page)

Annabelle
wasn’t sure how to respond. She didn’t want to push. The sweet woman fiddled with the hem of her apron and gave a sad nod.

Mama stood and untied
Daisy from the ring, she motioned for Annabelle to follow. Annabelle tugged the rope loose and followed after Mama.

“We came here several years ago.  Marvin had such grand plans, he wanted a large ranch and this was the place to find the land, it was much
cheaper here than in the Montana territory so we loaded up our belongings and headed west.  Kit is our only child and he was more than happy to take on this adventure.”

They led the animals out into the sunshine and let them loose in the pasture. Daisy had a calf
which came directly to her, but she was old enough not to nurse anymore. The women stood in the sun for a moment and warmed themselves from the chill of the barn. The birds were out and they sang to each other from the sparse Juniper trees and sagebrush which clung to the dry earth. It was going to be a beautiful day. Mama started to make her way back to the house and Annabelle followed, wondering if the story was over.

“Anyway, things here
were tough, and we struggled, a lot. Luckily for Kit he found Logan, and it seemed to ease the worry for Father, but the dying crops did little for his morale. Finally it became apparent we were not going to make it.  Logan did his best, Lord knows he did, but in the end, Papa died and we lost the farm.”

The story sounded
a little too familiar and Annabelle shivered.

“If it
hadn’t had been for Logan, Kit and I would never have made it.”

They had reached the house and entered the little kitchen.  Mama poured them some coffee and both women sat down at the table.  Annabelle
was thinking about everything Mama had said. What was she trying to tell her, or was she trying to tell her anything?  Maybe the woman was just glad to have someone to talk to. What confused her the most was why Logan had anything to do with it? Other than being a good friend to Kit, wasn’t he just another mouth for her to feed, another person for her to mend for, cook for, and clean for?  It seemed as if the woman was thankful for him, but it surprised Annabelle.

“So how did you find Logan?” It wasn’t what she wanted to ask,
but it seemed less invasive than her other questions.

“Ha, well honey, he found us.”

Again Annabelle didn’t understand, and her face must have said so because Mama winked at her.

“Logan is our saving grace
Angel; we have all of this,” her eyes went around the room, “because of Logan.”

Annabelle
wondered if this was all a joke. Logan seemed far from the caring type, honest and trustworthy maybe, but not really a giver in her opinion.

Mama could see the
disbelief on Annabelle’s face and she knew it was time to set the girl straight on a couple of things. She had given Logan the what for and now Annabelle needed a little insight.

“I know what you are thinking, he is a little rough around the edges, but he can’t help it.  It isn’t as if he has had much
guidance in his life.  I guess it would be wrong to say he was the savior in this situation, I like to think Kit and I played some part in his change, but he’s doing his best with what he knows.”

Annabelle’s
brow furrowed and she held on tighter to her mug. What was Mama talking about?

“
Ya see, Logan has a past, it’s something he’ll need to tell you about in his own time, but you must know he’s not what he seems.  There is a little boy in that man, and he’ll show it to you if you’ll let him.”

Annabelle nodded her head as if she understood, but she didn’t really. Drinking
some of the coffee her brow furrowed again. “What do you mean he gave you this?” She motioned around the room.

Mama’s smile grew wide and her eyes shone with the pride she felt. “This place, Annabelle, this town of Hope,
it’s Logan’s, it is the combination of his hopes and dreams.”

Her expression was blank and Annabelle
wondered if she had heard right. Mama seemed giddy as a school girl, as if she had just told the biggest of all secrets.

“Tha
t’s right honey, all this land, this house and these animals, they all belong to Logan. He was the one who built Hope and he was the one brought every one of us here. See girl, he’s our Robin Hood.” 

She
, of course, was referring to the legend of an Englishman who had taken from the rich to give to the poor, but Annabelle was having a hard time seeing it.  If all of this was true, then she had truly viewed him in the wrong light, and in the very worst of ways. For a very brief moment she wondered if he had rescued her, too, but then she remembered what he had said.  He was using her to get something from the rich man she would marry.  Unsure of what hurt more, she looked down into her nearly empty glass.  In her dreams a handsome man would take her away from her hard life, but reality was much harsher, she realized.  There was no one there to save her; in fact she was the one who needed to save others.  It was hard when a dream dies, but harder to know that she would live in reality forever.

Weakly she smiled up at
Mama; she didn’t want the woman to feel as if she had made her unhappy, and so she tried to come up with something to say. Finally the words tumbled out with as much emotion as she could muster, “I had no idea; he must be a very good man, indeed.”

Mama didn’t miss much, but like a fortune teller she always knew what was coming next. Gently she reached across the table and lifted
Annabelle’s eyes up to meet her own. “Don’t you worry, honey; he isn’t done savin' people yet.” The she winked her characteristic wink and took Annabelle’s cup. “Now we have a lot of work to do.”

The morning flew by and Annabelle had little time to think of anything other than her chores.  Mama never once questioned her abilities to
perform any domestic task, and oftentimes let Annabelle take the lead.  They made bread and a mincemeat pie for dinner.  Annabelle helped gather eggs and mend some clothes, and by lunch time both woman sat down to leftover stew.  Mama chatted with her like they were old friends. She told Annabelle about the other women in town and talked respectfully about their situations.  Most of them were widows, only young men to help with the work.  A few of them were young couples who had found their way here and settled in the town.  She talked about the need for a store and how nice it would be when they were able to raise enough money for a church and school.  It seemed a daunting task to Annabelle, but Mama didn’t let on she felt the same way. 

It seemed as if they had accomplished more in the morning
then one person could do all day long, so they sat for while on the porch and watched people as they passed by.  Soon a young woman headed in their direction.  Annabelle recognized her instantly as the Indian girl at the teepee.  As she approached Mama got up and stood at the end of the porch beckoning the girl to join them.  Her tiny frame was heavy with child and she did her best to mount the two steps without waddling. Despite her very prominent stomach she was incredibly beautiful. Annabelle tried not to stare at her brown features and raven black hair but she was almost too stunning to look away from.  She smiled sweetly at both women as she took Mama’s chair. Quickly Annabelle stood and offered her chair to Mama; she hesitated only a moment before sitting.  Annabelle quickly took a seat on the wooden porch, her back resting against the rail post.

“Annabelle, I would like you to meet Singing Bird, she is Little Bears wife.”

Unsure what to say she nodded her head at the woman.

“Singing Bird, this is Annabelle
Casey; she is staying with us for a while.”

Annabelle looked at Mama briefly and then turned back and smiled.

Singing Bird spoke next. Her English was impeccable and her voice sounded just like a bird, Annabelle was amazed.

“So nice to meet you
, Annabelle.”

“You
, too.” Annabelle was surprised.

“How are you feeling
, baby?” Mama looked concerned at the young woman.

“Well, I think my time is soon.”

Mama smiled, she liked that the girl would soon be back to normal, and it was so hard on a body to carry a baby. The two women chatted for a moment about pregnancy, something Annabelle knew nothing about, and she listened, content to hear their happy voices.  Someday it would be her, carrying a child, she wondered how long after her wedding she would be expecting.  The idea made her blush a bit, but she looked forward to the day also. Soon the conversation moved to other things and the women enjoyed each other’s company for a while. It wasn’t until a small commotion stirred them from the exchange that they realized the men had returned to camp. 

Annabelle watched as Logan, Kit, and Little Bear came towards the home.
All three women stood up and waited until they brought their horses to a halt.  Little Bear’s face was at first creased with concern, but now it looked radiant with happiness. Kit had a big smile on his face and seemed happy as ever.  Logan looked at Annabelle in a way which made her slightly uncomfortable. 

She quickly looked away from him and
watched as Little Bear dismounted.  Singing Bird brushed past her and hurried as quickly as she could to her husband’s side.  Just like the time before, he tenderly touched her nose with his and then one brown hand rubbed the side of her swollen stomach. Annabelle’s heart clutched within her breast and she again felt privileged to see such an exchange.  Ever so gently Little Bear lifted her up onto his pony making sure she was secure.  They signaled their goodbye and everyone watched as they headed back towards their home.

Logan dismounted
. When he faced Annabelle again her eyes looked him over, as if she was seeing him in a different light. Behind him, Kit, too, got down from his mount and then pulled the antelope off the back of his horse.  They had been hunting, which had given Logan plenty of time to think over his feelings for Annabelle Casey.  What he figured out was he needed to either avoid her or get to know her.  The latter seemed the more logical of the two but he would need to be careful, he was feeling things for her he had never felt for another person, let alone a woman.  He had a little over twelve hours then she would be gone from his life; the idea bothered him more than he would like, but that was the way it was going to be. He did wonder what had happened during the day for her to look at him that way.

It lasted only a few moments and then she turned her back on him and walked into the house.  Her dress was different, a more refined style and it fit her perfectly, unlike the big dress she had on before.  Her hair was tied in a simple bun on her head and she looked very much at home in the setting.  If Mama was correct in her assumption
, Annabelle may be very different than he had originally pegged her. He would need to find a time to talk with her; he wanted his story straight for tomorrow.  Everything needed to go off without a hitch.

Kit
and Logan spent the rest of the evening prepping the game. It had been a few days since fresh meat was distributed in town and it took time to deliver it to everyone in need.  He did not see Annabelle again until supper. As usual, the men changed their shirts, working around Annabelle’s things. Kit joked with Logan about how she had picked Logan’s bed instead of his own; he chalked it up to the neatness of Logan’s character. Logan brushed it off but felt a certain sense of satisfaction. There was, of course, a huge possibility she had no idea and had randomly chosen a bed, but he liked to think differently. For some reason, he felt smug as they headed to dinner.

Again the meal was
delicious, but this time Annabelle felt the pride of it being somewhat from her own hand. Mama mentioned casually it was Annabelle who had made and baked the bread. Logan’s eyebrow lifted a bit and Kit gave her all the praise she deserved.  It was so easy to converse with him and he seemed happy to oblige her at all times. 

Over apple pie she studied the young man.  He was very
handsome, with dark features unlike his mother’s.  His hair was brown and his eyes matched, but there was something very young about the way he looked. He was quick to smile and his conversation was bright and open.  He was in every way the opposite of his friend.  Annabelle felt Logan’s eyes on her as she conversed with Kit, and something in the way he looked at them made her smile. She got the very small impression he was jealous.  What was more interesting was, he never tried to join the conversation; he only watched them, his blue eyes ever observant.

Finally
, when every crumb was consumed, Annabelle helped Mama clear off the table, but this time the men jumped to the wash basins.  Mama mentioned to Annabelle that every other evening they changed chores, tonight was her night to milk the cows and the men’s night to get their hands washed. Annabelle could see the tiredness in the woman’s eyes and she offered to do all the milking. Mama wanted to argue but she didn’t, instead she handed Annabelle her wrap then sat at the table to do some mending. Annabelle caught Logan’s amused eye as she headed out the door. She was pleased she continued to surprise him.

She had finished with Sassy, who seemed glad to have Annabelle back and ate hungrily at the extra oats she had
offered. Just after Annabelle had settled down with Daisy, she heard someone come into the barn.  At first she thought it was Kit, but from around the corner came Logan.  He didn’t see the full bucket she had tucked behind a burlap bag, keeping the bugs out of it, and his smug look told her he figured she had been struggling with the milking.  It was true that Daisy was being a bit difficult with her milk let down, but Annabelle was just trying to find her rhythm. He leaned against the stall railing and watched her.