A Ransomed Heart (17 page)

She shrugged her
shoulders unsure if she was or not, maybe her outer body was cold, but inside she felt like she was on fire.

“What do you need
? Tell me.”

He moved closer to her and she could smell his rich musky
skin, and peppermint breath.

“
Just stay here with me for a while.” She closed her eyes, suddenly tired. “Promise you won’t go?” Her eyes refused to open again and she could feel her mind flitting off into some happy dream.

“I won’t
, baby, I won’t,” he whispered into her hair as he carefully wrapped himself around her, tucking her little hands beneath his arm. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”

Logan was helping Annabelle with a bowl of broth when Little Bear came with his pouch of herbs. She was still tired, but her
appetite was up and she felt far better than she had before. It was embarrassing for her to have so many people in the room when the bed sheets were lifted; she was unaccustomed to having so much of her leg in full view. Little Bear seemed unfazed by it, but Logan excused himself, for either his own comfort or hers. For a moment after he left she felt fear seep into her breast, but he assured her he would be just be outside the door if she needed anything. It was a small comfort and she appreciated it.

The dark hands of Little Bear worked quickly and
efficiently and she felt almost no pain at all. As she watched him work she wondered about him. How had he come to be here, and where did he come from? His face was perfectly formed and he had a strong jaw line and a prominent nose. He was very handsome indeed, and she could see why his little wife adored him so much. She wanted to ask about the young woman, but for some reason she was afraid to talk to this proud man. When she thought about it, she didn’t think she had ever heard the man speak. That made her all the more nervous about speaking to him. Instead, she smiled at him as he wrapped the bandage back around her leg and nodded his head in approval. Then he gathered his bag and left.

Annabelle could hear quiet voices in the kitchen and then the door open and shut. She was surprised when Mama
entered the room instead of Logan. Trying not to let the disappointment show on her face she wiggled around in the bed and straightened the sheets. When she looked at the woman however, it was apparent Mama hadn’t missed a beat. A blush crossed Annabelle’s face and she lowered her gaze to the leg which now lay hidden under a colorful quilt. Mama took a seat next to the bed and continued on a knitting project she had been working on. Annabelle watched her hands fly through the stitches and she contemplated asking about Logan. Instead she decided on the subject of her wound.

“What does Little Bear think of the injury?”

“It will heal nicely. The herbs he is putting there will help with skin growth; you should be good in about a week to get out of bed.”

Annabelle’s
heart pounded an extra beat in her breast. She didn’t have a week, she needed to get home or to Mr. Sevier’s ranch within the next few days. Her goal was still very clear in her mind, she had made a promise to her family and she would keep it.

Mama saw the concern on the girl
’s face and shook her head. “You are not well enough, Annabelle.”

How much did she know? It didn’t
matter; surely Logan had told her everything. Was no one on her side?

“You don’t understand
; I gave my word.”

“Understanding is what I do best
, sweetie, but you can’t go right now; you are in no condition to travel.”

“But Mama…”

The woman put her knitting down and looked at the girl hard. “Do you want to go, Annabelle?”

She was taken
aback by the question and wasn’t quite sure how to answer.

“Do you want to leave here and go to
him? Do you want to leave Logan?”

It was as if she had been
punched in the stomach. Of course she didn’t want to leave Logan or Kit or Mama or anyone, but she didn’t have a choice. Tears welled up in her eyes; the idea of leaving Logan hurt deep in her heart. A wave of anger washed over her, it wasn’t fair she had to make this decision. Tears dropped softly onto the quilt and she watched as they sunk into the fabric leaving little wet spots. Why should anyone have to choose between their heart and their duty?

Mama seemed to read her mind. “Oh baby, there is always a way
; I am sure a smart girl like you will figure it out.” The she picked up her knitting and continued on with her project.

Annabelle wiped
her eyes and then scooted down into the bed pulling the covers up over her arms. She didn’t see how anything could make this better. When she left home a week ago she was sure she was making the hardest decision of her lifetime. Now she really knew how hard a decision could be to make. Her choice to marry Mr. Sevier and save her family from financial destitution was made with her head; today she was making a decision with her heart and she found that far harder to make. Weariness settled down on her again and she closed her eyes, still torn with what she was facing. How would she ever be able to leave her family to the mercy of Mr. Sevier and their unpaid debt? The question had an easy answer, she couldn’t. But the question which haunted her the most was how she could marry Mr. Sevier when she was in love with another man?

Logan was ecstatic. It was the break they had been waiting for. Their scout had followed Mr. Mousse and two cowboys to the
sandstone cave a half day’s hard ride from here. They did their best to lose him, but he stuck to it and relayed the message; it was all they needed. Logan had always suspected Mr. Sevier had his money stashed away somewhere. He wasn’t the kind to trust a bank or anyone else to control his finances, he was a hands-on kind of man and so it made perfect sense for it to be hidden away somewhere. These caves were the answer; it just frustrated him that he hadn’t thought of it before. True, the caves were out of the way, but it should have been obvious. None of it mattered now though, they had the place and now all they needed was the money.

Things were turning out well.  Annabelle would recover, and he was almost
certain she felt the same way about him as he did about her. Mr. Sevier had just given up his hiding spot and pretty soon he would have accomplished his goal, taking back the money Sevier had taken from him and everyone else. Light hearted, he packed his saddlebags and readied his horse. Kit, too, seemed glad things were coming to an end. He was ready for life back at the farm and Logan could tell. His friend was never much into confrontation, and his gentle nature made him vulnerable to stress. It would be a relief for all involved when this was over. He would have the money he needed to take care of Annabelle, and with that and his love, there was no way she could reject him. In his anxiousness he told the men they would leave within the hour, if they rode all night they would get there by dawn and home again by tomorrow evening.

Whist
ling brought her from her sleep. Lying with her eyes closed Annabelle listened to the men above her, their heavy footsteps echoing off the floor. She recognized Logan’s whistle and heard the light-hearted tone reverberating around the house. It reminded her of when she was riding with him and that very same sound had irritated her to no end. Now she was glad to hear it, which meant he was in a good mood. He had looked so concerned, she was glad he had cheered up a bit. But it made her decision even harder. No matter how she worked it, someone was going to get hurt and it wasn’t fair.

The men came down the ladder and Kit poked his head in the door and looked at her, she waved her hand at him and smiled. He nodded back
and headed for the kitchen. He made her smile; he was perhaps one of the nicest kids she had ever met. Hopefully they would remain friends; a girl could never have enough brothers. Pushing her elbows hard into the bed she scooted her bottom up so she was mostly in a sitting position. Pain ached in her leg, but it was manageable. Then she turned to move her pillow just as Logan entered the room.

His whistling stopped the moment he saw her and a look of concern crossed his face and he hurried to her side.

“Bella, let me help you.”

She looked at him ruefully. It wasn’t that big of a deal, he didn’t need to baby her, but she let him adjust the pillow and helped her with the quilts. Finally when he was sure she was settled he stepped back and looked at her.

“Man, you’re beautiful.”

She blushed but he didn’t look sorry he had said it. Looking him over she noticed the blue bandana
which hung around his neck. It was familiar to her because it was what he always wore when he met with Sevier’s men. Worry crossed her face and his own clouded a bit.

“What is wrong?”

“You’re leaving, aren’t you?”

He nodded then kneeled by her bedside.

“Annabelle, we got a lead; we think we know where the money is. And if we are right then this can all be over, you can stay here with us…with me, and everything will be fine.”

She wanted to cry. Everything would be fine for him and Hope, but not for her or her family. After all of this he still didn’t understand. Slowly she shook her head and his face fell a bit.

“You do want to stay…don’t you?” For the first time he questioned himself. Maybe, just maybe, she had no intention of staying, ever.

She could see the change in his face and she wanted to reassure him it was for nothing, but her words
caught in her throat. Desperately she tried to find her voice. “Of course I do.” It came out haltingly and she could tell Logan didn’t quite believe her. He leaned back on his heels away from her and she reached out with one hand to pull him back, he refused.

“Logan
, it’s complicated. It isn’t about what I want, or what you want, it is about what I need to do.”

“You want to go to him, don’t
you?” This time he stood up.

“Logan
, I gave my word to my family; they are counting on me and I have to go.”

He shook his head at her and paced the floor. “Why
? Why do you have to do anything for them? They sent you off to marry a monster just to save their skin. I don’t understand how that can be more important than the way you feel about me, or the way I feel about you.”

She didn’t like him talking about her family the way he was, and
the decision to marry Mr. Sevier had been completely hers. Folding her arms against her chest she glared at him. “My family has done more for me than I could ever repay, and helping them with my marriage is only a small price to pay for their love and kindness.”

Logan looked at her
incredulously. He had no idea what she was talking about. Family loyalty was nothing he knew about or even cared about. It was ridiculous that she would throw away her own happiness for them. His anger grew with every passing moment. “Annabelle, they gave you away, your father knew what kind of man Mr. Sevier was and he sent you off to marry him anyway. Can you really believe they cared about you?”

His anger was matched by her own. “You have no idea what my family is like or what they did or did not do. I made the
decision of my own freewill and chose to marry that man. I did it because I want to. So leave my family out of this.”

He turned his back on her, not wanting to see her
reaction to his next question. “So what about us?”

“I don’t know.” Her voice sounded tired and drained.

“And you still want to leave?”

It was silent for a moment. “I don’t see any other way.”

She watched his shoulders slump and without turning around he replied, “I’ll be back tomorrow night. The next day I’ll have someone take you to his house.” With that he left the room and she heard his footsteps as they sounded through the kitchen, seconds later the door opened and then slammed closed. He was gone. Burying her face in her hands she cried.

The sound of hoof beats faded into the distance and soon the little town was quiet. Annabelle listened with tears streaming down her face; her goodbye had not gone the way she had wanted. Everything had grown so complicated. Frustrated, she pounded the bed next to her with her fists, ignoring the pain which prickled her leg. This was stupid; she was stuck here unable to do anything to fix her situation. Annabelle was not used to being helpless, even leaving her family had been a choice, something she had done on her own; now she was stuck. There was nothing for her to do, she angrily crossed her arms and seethed.

It didn’t take Mama to
o long to enter the room with dinner and her knitting. She ignored the look Annabelle threw her, instead she kept her smile in place. The girl took the bowl of stew from her and shoved a bite in her mouth. The time had come to set a few things straight. Logan wouldn’t like it, but he was gone now and Annabelle was under her care. She could only hope when Annabelle knew the truth, or most of the truth about things, that it would aid her in the decision she needed to make. Settling herself in the chair she looped the wool over her needle and started back on the project. She could feel Annabelle looking at her, it was time.

“Logan seemed pretty upset when he left here, wanna tell me why?”