Authors: Autumn Vanderbilt
“We can’t stand out here all day. Would you like to go for a walk? I feel we’re attracting too much attention.” Henry was uncomfortable with the focus being on him. He had moved to River Valley for a quiet life and he didn’t want his past life catching up with him. No one knew about his past here and he wanted to keep it that way.
“Certainly. I see that people are watching us.” Emma saw the people in the lobby had moved to the window for a better look at the couple. She didn’t want attention any more than Henry did. He offered his arm to her and she slid her arm through. She looked up at him as they began to walk off. She was to his shoulder and Henry was more handsome than she first gave him credit for.
“Mr. Devine, I do apologize again for surprising you like this. Please believe me when I say it wasn’t my intention to force anything from you. The timing was just… well… Do you live near the town? Also, could you slow down a little.” Emma didn’t understand why Henry was walking so fast. She almost had to run to keep pace with him.
“I’m sorry, Miss Russell. I’m a fast walker. My ranch is about 30 minutes ride from here. Would you like to visit with me tomorrow? I can get the place tidy. It’s too late to bring you there now. People would only talk. I need to go by the Mercantile, let’s cross over.”
But Emma lost her grip on Henry’s arm as the slim heel of her boot got caught in some broken timber and she began to tumble forwards, Henry had glanced back and seeing a horse and carriage hurtling towards Emma, he ran and pushed her back onto the path, landing on top of her.
“Are you alright, Miss Russell? I didn’t mean to fall on you like that but some people don’t know how to control their horses going through the town.” Henry blushed as he stood up and brushed himself down. He put his hands out to pull Emma up. It was Emma’s turn to turn pale as his strength surprised her. He had pulled her up as though she were a feather. His hands were calloused from his labors but yet there was a sense of feeling safe in the way he cupped her hands. Emma couldn’t put her weight on her right foot.
“Mr. Devine, I can’t stand on it.” With Emma leaning against the wall, Henry gently removed her laced up boot. As though conscious of her pain, he pulled the boot off with the minimum of discomfort and felt Emma’s ankle.
“Let’s get you to the Doctor. It’s not broken but I think it’s strained and needs to be bandaged.” Before Emma could protest, Henry swept her up off her feet. Emma had never felt so secure in her life. He held her so close that she could feel his body heat. People were watching the new couple and Emma noticed how they were the center of attention again. A small gathering was following them to the doctor’s office.
“Doc, Miss Russell has hurt her foot. Can you look at it?” Henry was being masterful.
“Hello Miss Russell, I’m Doctor Adams. Henry bring her in here and you can wait outside for her.” As Henry removed himself to the waiting area, he tried not to notice others watching him. It wasn’t as if River Valley was a boring town but somehow seeing how surprised Henry was with Emma’s arrival, people wanted to know what was happening.
After a while the doctor opened the door and called Henry into the room.
“Henry, it’s just a sprain and it’s nicely bandaged now. Will you carry Miss Russell to her lodgings? She’s not to put any pressure on it for a few days. We’ll let Henry care for you now Miss Russell. Come back to me for another check.”
Henry carefully lifted Emma and headed out of the doctor’s surgery. People cheered as they watched Henry carry Emma. He didn’t say anything to her, he was too aware of their audience. Emma was feeling self-conscious now. On arrival at the hotel, Henry took Emma to her room and lay her on her bed.
“Thank you, Mr. Devine, for taking care of me today. I would still like to visit your home tomorrow if I can.” Emma felt drawn to Henry in a way she had never experienced before. He was quite reserved, the opposite to Lenny.
“Yes, we can manage as I can carry you around. I’ll let you rest now, Miss Russell. I’ll ask for Mrs. Giles, the hotel owner’s wife, to make you more comfortable.” As Henry turned to leave, Emma called out to him.
“Could you call me Leah? I don’t think we need to be so formal with each, Henry.” She smiled at him and Henry felt his heart flutter as she said his name. No one called him Mr. Devine so he was used to being called by his first name so why did it sound so marvelous coming from Leah, he wondered as he let himself out.
“Mr. Giles, Miss Russell is on doctor’s orders to stay off her feet. Could Mrs. Giles or one of the girls working here tend to her and I’ll pay for the extra trouble?”
“We can arrange for help for the young lady. I hear she is to be your bride.” Mr. Giles didn’t want to pretend he was curious about the young woman who had only arrived to stay in his hotel but Henry wasn’t interested in divulging his business to anyone.
“I’ll be back tomorrow for Miss Russell. Thank you for your help Mr. Giles, it is very much appreciated.” Henry was gone.
As he rode home, his mind went over the events of the day. He had no idea that he could possibly to be attending to his future wife. His last job as a bounty hunter had required his presence at the hanging of the outlaw. He had stayed away for one night to catch up with the friends he had left behind. His mind had been focused on his past life when this young woman arrived. He had noticed her on the train, although she seemed less interested in him. He had wondered what made her so jumpy when she heard sounds and when she had finally fallen asleep, he didn’t want to wake her but she was so frightened by her dream that he couldn’t let her suffer it.
Was he ready to get marry? She didn’t seem like anything was wrong with her. She was a pleasant young woman. Henry had expected their correspondence to go on over months but then would he know her any better, probably not. At least, she could see what she was getting into with him and he her. He’d have to tidy up his cabin for her arrival and he planned to pick up lunch tomorrow to save him the bother of cooking.
His cabin felt lonely as he entered it. Having had no fire from the day before, it was chillier than usual. It lacked heart but all he needed was someplace to eat and sleep and then he remembered, he wanted it for a family. Henry prayed for the Lord to guide him.
***
Now that Henry was gone, Emma felt very alone. There she lay on her bed and the full impact of the change in her circumstances finally caught up with her. Until now, her mind had been focusing on meeting Henry since her unearthly wake-up call by Leah. The tears flowed down her face. How was she ever going to cope on her own? She always had someone in her corner and now she was alone. She prayed that Henry would indeed accept her as his wife and she could start a new life but until that time came, she was very much alone.
Emma had a lost look about her that drew out the caring side of others. Even Lenny had treated her gently until that fateful night. She never had to fend for herself. Even after her parents’ deaths, there was enough money for her to be comfortable and she had met Leah on her first day in the boarding house. She had taken Emma under her wing.
There was a knock on her door which shocked her out of her pity party.
“Miss Russell, I’m Mrs. Giles, Mr. Devine asked me to help you with your needs. Oh, your poor girl! Why the tears? We’ll take good care of you.” Mrs. Giles sat on the bed and took her handkerchief to dab Emma’s tears away.
“I’m sure it’s a big shock to your system. You hadn’t planned on being injured on your first day here, after all! Where’s your bag? Do you have a nightgown?” Before Emma could open her mouth to respond, Mrs. Giles was already undressing her and putting Emma’s nightgown on her.
“There you’ll be more comfortable now. How about something to eat? I’m sure you’re hungry. I’ll be back shortly with a tray.”
Mrs. Giles was like a tornado. Emma hadn’t spoken once and yet the dear woman had managed to remind Emma of her mother, efficient and caring. Emma didn’t feel quite so alone now.
Mrs. Giles fussed over Emma and after bringing her breakfast helped her to dress for her day with Henry. Her sleep was disturbed from the pain of her ankle and her dreams. Emma had trouble feeling settled as her thoughts went to Leah. She was afraid to imagine Lenny’s reaction to finding her gone and hoped Leah wasn’t in any danger.
When Henry arrived, he carried her to his horse and wagon. Emma had noticed how he had looked different to yesterday. He smiled more readily at her which Emma took to as an indication that he was accepting of her being in River Valley.
Their journey was a quiet affair but not uncomfortable. Emma was enjoying the views and noticing how different the air smelled. Henry would turn his head from time to time to watch how she raised her face to the sun with her eyes closed. Her skin was pale and his eyes followed her features down along her elegant neck.
“My cabin’s over there.” Henry pointed over in the distance and Emma was impressed by what she saw. The horror story from her train ride about the mail order bride was fully extinguished now that she saw his property. The closer they got, the bigger it became. As Henry didn’t appear showy in his appearance, Emma knew that this was a man who wanted a family. He had the house ready now, it just needed to become a home.
Having stopped the horse and wagon, Henry alighted and came round to carry Emma to his home.
“Welcome to my home, Miss, er, Leah.” As Henry carried her through over threshold, Emma banged her head and then her sprained foot.
“I’m sorry. I should have angled myself better. Are you okay?” The concern that crossed his face made Emma smile. He was a gentle, kind man. She didn’t feel any concern at being alone with him.
“Henry, I’m fine. Set me down and let’s talk.” Henry did as he was bid.
“Mrs. Giles very kindly prepared a basket of food for us. Let me get that from the wagon. I’ll have to unhitch the horse too. I won’t be long. Do you need anything before I go out?” Henry looked at Emma, who was looking very much at home in the chair that he had carved.
“No, Henry. You do what you need to do. I’m perfectly fine here.”
When Henry returned with the basket, he laid out the table and after settling Emma at the table, he finally relaxed.
“Henry, are you from here?” Emma asked trying to make conversation.
“No, I’m not from these parts but I had some good fortune and decided to buy this farm. I’m new to farming so every day I’m learning something new but my neighbor, Joel, is very good and I’ve learned a lot from him.” Emma had noticed how Henry didn’t go into his past or his reason for coming to River Valley. Had he a secret like she did and didn’t want to talk about it?
Emma told him about her childhood and how she had ended up in New York. He was interested in her stories and seemed relieved when she didn’t pry into his background when his answer to what he did previously was “this and that”. They had an enjoyable time and when Emma accidentally knocked over her glass of water he had grabbed her hand and their eyes met. It was a like a spark passed between them. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. When Emma didn’t complain, he leaned forward again and kissed her on the lips.
Henry was surprised by his own actions and pulled back from Emma. She had been kissed before by Lenny but Henry’s kiss was so soft and gentle. She was disappointed when he pulled away from her.
“I apologize for my forwardness, Leah. It won’t happen again unless we marry.” Not wanting to appear forward, Emma just nodded. The atmosphere was uneasy between them now.
“Henry, perhaps you could return me to the hotel, my ankle is giving me some discomfort and I’m feeling rather tired. I think it’s all this good air.” Emma was trying to lighten the situation but Henry was too preoccupied with own actions to notice.
“Very well.” It didn’t take him long to re-hitch the horse and soon they were on their way. Emma didn’t want the day to end on a bad note so decided to talk about their kiss.
“Henry, I wasn’t shocked by your kiss. It was rather nice.” But Henry’s body language was tense and guarded.
“I shouldn’t have kissed you while we have a vague understanding between us. I haven’t promised to marry you; it wasn’t right to compromise you like that.” The conversation ended. For whatever reason which Emma couldn’t understand, Henry wanted to admonish himself for their kiss.
As they neared the town, their wagon was stopped by two masked men demanding money. Still riled up over the kiss, Henry was in no mood to be set upon by vagabonds and before Emma knew what was happening. Using his whip, Henry had knocked one of the men off his horse and before the other man could do anything, Henry had pistol whipped him with the man’s own gun. The two men lay unconscious on the ground. Emma began to scream. Was history repeating itself? The frozen fear she had experienced seeing Lenny fighting was replaced by a scream and crying out in terror at what she had seen Henry do.
“Leah, it’s okay. I’ve stopped. Please stop screaming at me. I’m not a bad man. I was trying to keep us safe.” Emma began to cry uncontrollably. Henry had to take her off the wagon and hold her in an attempt to stave off the adrenaline crash that was happening to her. She had never been able to fully let go of the fear from her mind and body and now was reliving both scenarios in her mind. Henry gently slapped her cheek to break the trance she was in.
Holding her cheek, she cried normally.
“Why did you slap me, Henry?”
He fell to his knees to beg her forgiveness.
“I’m so sorry, it’s all I seem to say to you, Leah. I was angry for crossing a line with you and when these two attacked us, I guess I just reverted to my old ways. I have a secret to tell you that no one knows. I used to be a bounty hunter but I tired of the life. I always had to be on high alert. Each fight was either him or me. I got so badly injured, I would have surely died if the Lord hadn’t sent a traveling preacher my way. He saved me and in return I vowed to change my ways. I’m new to the Lord’s way and there will be slips but I try to stay out of harm’s way.”
Emma put her hands on his head.
“I got such a fright, Henry. The reason I’m here is that I saw my fiancé beat a man to death and he was forcing me to marry him. That’s why I came here so soon I couldn’t risk being married to a man who frightened me.” She hugged him and he wrapped his arms around her.
“Oh Leah, you poor thing. No wonder you looked so frightened. I would never want to see that look in your eyes again.” Their breathing patterns matched each other as Emma thanked the Lord for bringing to this good man. Lenny’s reaction to her seeing his true self was to threaten her but here was Henry begging for forgiveness and promising never to upset her again.
“Henry, there’s one more thing I must tell you. It was for my safety as I thought the woman who ran the boarding house was a spy for Lenny. My name isn’t Leah Russell, it’s Emma Cooper. Leah was in the room beside me but I wrote the letter to you!” Emma quietly prayed that this news would not make her look devious in Henry’s eyes.
After a moment Henry said, “Emma, such a pretty name. You did what you had to do.” Henry bent down to kiss her on the lips. The Lord had brought them together. Two wounded souls who needed each other. As they kissed, they held each other tight until nightfall. When the men began to stir, Henry checked them over.
“You men should really read the Bible and turn your back on this way of life. I’m going to let you go, please don’t threaten anyone else, you don’t know what they are capable of. The love of this good woman has saved me and it can happen for you too. Now go home.”
The men looked at each as if to say “crazy fool” and they were gone in a flash. Henry turned his attention back to Emma.
“Emma Cooper, will you do me the honor of being my wife? I will promise to love and protect you.”
“Yes, Henry, I will.”
“Then we shall marry as soon as your ankle has healed!”
He whisked Emma up into his arms as she put her arms around his neck and nestled into his shoulder as he twirled them around. Neither of them had ever felt so happy and unburdened.