A Ransomed Heart (13 page)

His eyes lit up like a kid getting his first silver dollar. “See ya…Annie.” Then he turned and loped out the door.

As she put Sassy back in her stall
, she couldn’t help but feel a little more lighthearted because of her conversation with Kit. He really was fun to be around. They were very nearly the same age and she couldn’t remember the last time she got along so well with someone. Not even at school back home. The boys teased her endlessly about her unruly red hair. Her mother had tried to tell her it was because the boys really liked her, but didn’t know how to really show it. The girls in the class looked down on her and her modest clothes. She was nearly the only girl who attended school who lived on a farm. The other girls lived in town, daughters of the banker, hotel manager, and blacksmith, all had wealthy fathers. Most girls her age that lived on farms had long since stopped coming to school some were even married and having babies of their own.  Leaving school had not been a hard choice when she decided to leave Destitution for Mr. Sevier.

Thinking of her family made her heart ache. There was no way of knowing if Mr.
Sevier had contacted them about her abduction. Maybe he would change his mind and force her family to leave their farm.  The very idea made panic rise up in her and she contemplated jumping on the nearest horse and escaping while no one was watching. Surely Logan would appear from nowhere just because the idea of running away had merely crossed her mind, and no doubt with his handcuffs in tow. He might lock her to the stall side and leave her there. Or maybe he would back her up against the wall and give her the what for. Or maybe he might back her up against the wall and… Grabbing the milk pail up off the floor, she stomped off toward the house, trying not to think of the other way he might capture her attention, and quite possibly her heart.

She tried not to think about Logan for the rest of the day.
Once Kit had consumed enough food to feed a small family, he took off to find Logan, leaving Mama and Annabelle to their own devices. After a lunch of leftovers, Mama settled in the small sitting room to do some mending. Annabelle reluctantly retrieved her green dress and assessed its needs. They sat quietly for quite some time, until Annabelle just had to ask the question which was pressing against her mind.

“Kit mentioned something interesting about Logan. I was wondering if you could clear it up for me.”

One of Mama’s eyebrows raised but she waited to hear the question.

“He said
he and Logan were good friends, and he was thankful Logan pulled through. I guess I don’t understand what he meant.”

Mama nodded and bit off her
thread after tying a tight knot. “Logan was nearly dead when he stumbled upon him.”

Annabelle couldn’t help the sharp intake of breath. Her hand sat motionless in her lap.

“He had a terrible gunshot wound to his shoulder. It was raining and we nearly stumbled over him as he lay in the mud and muck. Kit managed to get him up on the back of our buggy horse and what seemed like an eternity later we got him home.”

“Here?” Annabelle gasped.

“No dear, the home we left a few years ago, but that’s beside the point. It was pretty touch and go for about two weeks. We nearly lost him a couple of times, but it was pretty clear he was fighting for his life. I have never seen a man try so hard to stay alive; of course I had never met anyone with such a healthy sense of vengeance.”

Annabelle’s
ears pricked at the word. She remembered Mama’s words of caution to Logan the first day she had arrived. He truly had something against her Mr. Sevier, but she just didn’t know what. Maybe Mama could shed some light on that matter also. 

“He must really dislike Mr.
Sevier.” She feigned indifference as she went back to her stitching.

Mama looked at her with her brilliant blue eyes. “That is a story I will let Logan tell you when he is ready, it’s not my place.”

Annabelle knew she wasn’t going to get anymore information from Mama, so she simply nodded her head and threw all her attention back to the dress.

Two days went by without so much as a word between Annabelle and Logan. He was gone most of the days, and Annabelle kept herself exhaustingly busy. She had mended her green dress to near perfection and then went to work on the endless mending Mama had. It quickly became apparent everyone in town helped everyone else.  Annabelle found herself making meals for young mothers, and tending the children of some who were forced to leave them to hunt or work. Mama had an endless stream of people seeking medical attention and everyday advice. It helped the days pass quickly and Annabelle felt less anxious about being taken from her duty as a purchased bride. As long as she kept her distance from Logan she could keep her beating heart in
its place, which was until she climbed into his bed at night.

Logan was running out of things to do away from home. Every morning he rode out of the yard
, he saw the rundown condition of his own fences and barnyard. Finally he determined he would need to stick around and get some things done. His plan had backfired. He hoped being away from Annabelle would help stifle the feelings he was developing for her. Instead it made him anxious every morning and evening when he might catch a glimpse of her, or spend a few minutes at a meal in her presence. Maybe a day full of the feisty redhead would make him more excited for the day she would be out of his life for good.

Four days after their first day back in Hope
, Logan pulled himself out of bed long before the sun rose.  Kit was still snoring in the hay along with his full cup of coffee beans. Logan almost wished he would have gone with his friend the night before. Kit never won when Logan played and Logan wondered how nice it would be to have a hot cup of coffee waiting for him now. He pushed the idea out of his head not wanting to venture into the house and chance meeting a sweet Bella, all soft and warm from a good night’s sleep in his bed. No, instead he stripped his shirt off and tossed it onto the hay, counting on the chilly summer morning to wake him up.

The trip down the
ladder from the hay loft was a cool one but he quickly warmed as he started mucking out the stalls. He was nearly finished when the object of his desire wandered into the barn, barefoot with her hair hanging long down her back. She stopped in the open doorway when she saw him, her hair shining like a fire around her, making her look like a honey-kissed angel floating into his life. He didn’t say anything to her, not even offering a brief hello; instead he bent his back and continued on with his work.

Annabelle had hoped for a
quiet morning with the cows. Mama had been more than happy Annabelle had taken over this particular morning chore. Annabelle didn’t mind at all, it had always been her favorite way to start the day. This morning she woke before the sun and laid in bed thinking about the last few days she would have in the little town of Hope. She was surprised to find herself disappointed her time was slipping away. Even the thoughts of her family’s predicament didn’t pinch as sharply as it had before; something she reminded herself was simply not acceptable. She had made a promise she fully intended to keep. Finally, she couldn’t handle being idle any longer and she had hurried to the barn to finish her task before Logan and Kit made their way to the house for breakfast. Instead the person she wanted to avoid was disturbingly close mucking out a stall.

She had
last milked Sassy the night before so she pulled Misty to the milking stall and tied off her lead rope. Her heart was pumping so loudly in her chest she was sure Logan and every animal in the barn could hear it. Settling down on the milking stool she gently rubbed the cow’s soft, warm flank. She chewed her cud and snorted, propping her heavy body against the stall wall she let Annabelle start her milking. Trying to ignore Logan she rested her head on the sweet animal and closed her eyes. The milk made a tinkling noise at it squirted into the bucket. The rhythmic sound matched the patter of her heart; unknowingly the patter increased until Misty moved uncomfortably under the rapid milking.

Annabelle
eased up, muttering an apology to the cow. She leaned back and looked around the animal and saw Logan working in a stall near her. The morning sun was streaming in though the barn door and slivers of light made their way between the barn wall slats. She could see his bare torso glistening in the sunlight and she swallowed a lump that was forming in her throat. His muscles rippled under the tanned flesh and she watched him heft a bale of hay into the stall, spreading it out with his pitchfork. She had continued milking the teats long after they were dry and Misty was fed up with her lack of attention. Stomping one hoof on the dirt floor she swished her tail, smacking Annabelle directly in the face.

Annabelle found herself apologizing to the bovine a second time and she quickly moved the milk pail out of the way then pulled Misty’s lead rope from the hook and
walked her back to her stall. Sassy lived up to her name that morning. The moment Annabelle opened the stall door the cow bolted to the back of the stall and stood with her head to the wall. Annabelle tried to squeeze past the huge body and grab her halter but the cow swung her head away and turned her rump, pinning Annabelle to the stall wall. She tried to avoid the cow’s big feet and she could hardly breathe when the stubborn creature leaned into her. She was stuck.

Logan chuckled; she looked over her shoulder and directly into his blue eyes. He was standing on the other side of the wall with an amused smile on his face. She wasn’t sure if she was happy or upset about his being there. In a humiliating effort she tried to push the animal away
, but the cow wouldn’t budge. Logan meandered around the corner and entered the stall. Sassy gave him one quick look and fairly trotted over to him, pressing her snout into the palm of his open hand.

Annabelle had a flash of frustration. Even the animals loved him. With one capable hand on
the halter he held up his other hand for her to see. Nestled in his palm was a block of sugar. Annabelle couldn’t help but smile.

“So you bribe her
,” she said, peeling herself off the rough wooden slats.

“Sometimes the sassy ones need a little encouragement.” His eyes locked with hers, both of them understanding his hidden meaning.

Annabelle blushed down to her bare toes and tried to look anywhere but at his prying eyes. That is when she saw the scar.
She recalled that Mama had said Logan had been shot. She winced as she studied it. The scar radiated from a single mark just off of his left shoulder. The wound had once been gruesome, but now it was just white against the tan flesh of his chest. Even the scattering of blond chest hair couldn’t cover the extent of the scar. Strangely it didn’t mar his image at all, instead it spoke of a deep hurt, and Annabelle had a sneaky suspicion it had something to do with Mr. Sevier. He must have noticed her studying it because he turned and led the cow to the milking station. Annabelle licked her lips and followed, wanting to ask about it, but not wanting to make him feel like she was prying.

Logan deftly tied Sassy off an
d then picked up his pitchfork, returning to his work without another word. She had seen the scar, naturally she would ask about it. He wondered if he could wiggle some information from her by sharing some of his own. It didn’t bother him like it used to, but the scar had become part of him, not just an ugly wound which was red and swollen. He cleared his throat and wondered if his plan would work.

“It’s a gunshot wound
,” he said, tossing a fork full of hay into the stall.

Her face pinched in sympathy and she
nodded. “Mama told me. Did it hurt?” she asked, her voice full sadness.

His eyes narrowed for a moment but
then he seemed to dismiss the idea which shuffled though his mind. “Like the devil.” He gave her a brilliant smile but her brow only puckered.

“Help almost came too late for
me; I’ve been told I’m lucky to be alive.”

She didn’t answer and he wondered if she had chosen to ignore his implication. Sassy wasn’t quite done with her
mischievous ways and she chose just then to kick over the milk bucket. Annabelle’s face flushed red and Logan couldn’t help but think about the first time he saw her. She had been so fired up, and now as the milky white liquid soaked into the barn floor he could see the anger flash in her eyes. Annabelle righted the pail and tried again, but seconds later the bucket was back on its side. Logan smiled as the feisty redhead moved the bucket and untied the lead rope. She decided to give up on the heifer before she wrung its neck; Logan respected her decision. More than once he had put the blasted cow back in her stall without a thorough milking. He had finished his mucking and watched as Annabelle returned the cow, closing the door soundly behind her. Sassy went back to her oats acting like the queen of the barn.

Annabelle wanted to give the cow a swift kick in the backside, but she
restrained herself. Logan’s comment about help had pricked at her and she couldn’t tell who she was more upset with, Logan or Sassy. He was standing directly in the path to the pail of warm milk she had gotten from Misty, and she had no other choice but to go past him. She could feel the heat coming off of his body as she neared and when he reached out and took the top of her arm she broke out in goose flesh. His hand was calloused against her soft skin but she didn’t pull away. Slowly her eyes rose to his.