As one of the tribe’s healers, Wyanet had not shirked her duties to care for the sick and prepare the dead for burial. She’d come down with the illness herself a week after the first child became ill. She passed away, leaving behind his grieving father, who was completely incapable and unwilling to cope with raising a small boy alone.
Silas had left the Paiute tribe and headed into town, desperate to find work and a place for them both to live amongst the white men – a place that wasn’t a constant reminder of everything he’d just lost. The tribal chief’s wife, Nina, had offered to look after Darren until Silas returned, and Silas promised to return as quickly as possible. He had a plan; he just hoped it would work out.
With his wife dead and a young boy to take care of, Silas had gone to town, only to find that there was no work to be had or any place where it would be suitable to live with a young boy.
The only rooms for rent were above the brothel or the saloon, and neither of those places appealed to him. He’d spent the night sleeping beneath the stars, seeking an answer to his predicament, when a chance encounter years before came to his mind.
Silas had met Brian Wilson while traveling through a corner of his ranch with a Paiute hunting party. Brian had told Silas that if he ever needed anything, he should not hesitate to come to the ranch and seek him out. Silas had awakened with a new plan on his mind.
He’d headed out to the Wilson ranch and Brian had not only offered him work and a place to live, but a place where he could bring his toddler son.
While the other ranch hands lived in the bunkhouse, Brian had provided Silas with a small cabin to stay in, stating a young boy didn’t need to bear witness to the behavior and talk of a bunch of rowdy cowhands. Silas had been very appreciative at the time.
Darren remembered those early days at the ranch with much fondness. Brian’s wife, Ginny, had fallen in love with Darren, more so after it became apparent that she wasn’t able to have another baby herself after Mark.
Mark was three years older, and Darren had followed him around like a puppy those first few years. As Darren grew in stature, he and Mark became more equal in physical pursuits, and their friendship and camaraderie got them into lots of trouble over the years. What one couldn’t think up, the other could, but they always covered for one another.
That became even more true a few years after arriving at the ranch. Tragedy struck once again when Darren was just seven years old. Silas got ill with a fever and passed away several days later. Before dying, he made Brian promise to care for his son and make sure he knew about the Paiute people and their customs – after all, he shared lineage with them.
After burying his father, Darren had been moved into the big house and given a bedroom of his own, right next to Mark’s. A short time later, he began calling Brian and Ginny Ma and Pa.
They became a family, as much as if Darren had been born into it. Ginny had taken Darren under her wing, treating him like a second son. The townsfolk treated him as a Wilson, and by the time he was ready to leave the schoolroom, he was calling himself Darren Wilson – his original surname was something that belonged in the past.
Brian had always treated Darren as a true member of the Wilson family, and Darren and Mark had shared a bond usually only enjoyed by siblings. It was that same bond that caused Darren to feel Mark’s loss so deeply. He felt as if a part of his body had been taken away; certainly, a piece of his heart was now missing. And for what? He just couldn’t seem to find an answer.
He strode to the edge of the porch, gazing out at the rising sun, trying to decide what his actions should be. The door opened a few moments later, and then Brian was standing there with a cup of coffee extended to him.
“Thanks.” Darren took the cup and sipped cautiously at the hot brew. He glanced at the man he now called father, overcome with emotion, knowing that Mark was dead because of him. Mark had pushed Darren out of the way, taking the bullet that had been meant for him – protecting him as he’d always done.
“How are you feeling?” Darren asked.
“Tired. Angry. Sad,” Brian admitted. “Mark should have…”
Stayed put and let me die. I know. I feel guilty as can be for how things turned out. Darren didn’t say what he was thinking, though. Mark had been Brian’s only real flesh-and-blood son. Losing him had taken a great toll on Brian, and Darren was at a loss for what to do next.
He owed Brian so much, and now…well, now there was no way he could ever make things right. He could only strive to do his best and hope that in the end, things would somehow balance out.
How can I ever make things right? Brian’s probably regretting ever setting eyes on me. I’ve only brought him grief and suffering.
His self-condemnation disappeared when Brian cleared his throat, asking, “Everything all right?”
Darren met his adopted father’s eyes and let the depth of his emotions loose for a moment. “It should have been me, not Mark, who got shot. It was all my fault. I’m the one who insisted we go out that night. Mark wanted to wait until morning, but I pushed until he agreed to go—”
Brian grabbed hold of Darren’s shoulders, forcing him to stop talking and meet the older man’s eyes. “Darren, you have got to stop doing this to yourself. You are not to blame for what happened to Mark. It’s time to move on, son.”
Darren swallowed painfully and shook his head. “I can’t just let it go. The man who shot Mark needs to pay. Justice needs to be served. I won’t rest until that man hangs for killing Mark. And if the others get in my way, they can hang right along with him.”
Brian looked at him for a long time before he replied, “Son, revenge is like a poison. It eats away at your insides, clawing and becoming a living thing that eventually consumes you. I’ve already lost one son. I’m not ready to lose another.”
Darren looked at Brian sadly and told him, “But I’m not your real son.”
Brian shook his head angrily and then shook Darren’s shoulders. “You are my son, just as much as Mark ever was. Don’t ever doubt that.”
“But—”
“I don’t want to hear any more talk like that. You need to stop thinking like that. Stop torturing yourself over what you can’t change.”
“The man who shot Mark is out there.”
“And you need to stop this quest for revenge. I’ve already lost one son; I can’t lose another.”
They were interrupted by the sound of June’s light steps on the porch. “Dinner is ready.”
Brian and Darren both turned to look at her, and Darren sighed. “Thanks, Aunt June. We’ll be right there.”
As Darren turned to head into the house, Brian stopped him and pleaded with him one last time, “Please, Darren. Let it go.”
Darren gave a noncommittal nod and headed inside. Lorna and June were already seated and waiting on their arrival, and he slid into his chair, glancing at Lorna. He was surprised when he found her watching him right back.
It had been two days since she’d taken care of Timothy, and Darren had been keeping his distance, even going so far as to eat his meals with the men in the bunkhouse.
She continued to glance at him throughout the meal, and he could tell she was working up the courage to say something, though he couldn’t even begin to think of what that might be.
As they reached the end of their meal, Lorna glanced at him one last time and then cleared her throat. “Thank you for a lovely meal.”
“You are very welcome, child,” June told her with a soft smile. “Did you have a nice visit with Doc Ellsworth?”
Lorna nodded and then bit her bottom lip. Darren knew the doctor had come out to the ranch earlier, but he’d assumed he was here to see his father, not Lorna. Now he was curious, and he sat back in his seat, watching as she tried to come up with the courage to speak her piece.
She finally managed to do so. Darren was amazed when she smiled and announced, “He came by to ask me if I would be willing to assist him in his practice. He’s short-staffed
right now and can’t be everywhere at once.”
June clapped her hands and Brian smiled broadly. “I spoke with Seth while he was here, and he told me that you are the only reason the pastor’s son pulled through. If you hadn’t removed the bullet, Timothy would have died.”
Darren watched Lorna’s face as his father and June continued to applaud her efforts. He was intrigued when her eyes lit up at the simple praise being handed to her. When she smiled, her entire face glowed; where Darren hadn’t thought she could be any more beautiful, he discovered he was wrong.
When Lorna was happy and smiling, she exuded a beauty that went beyond her physical appearance. The more he got to know of and about her, the more he realized just how special she truly was. Now, if he could only figure out what to do with that realization.
Chapter 11
Lorna was slowly beginning to adjust to life at the ranch. The only blight on her happiness was the nightmares she continued to have. Nightmares of her time in Nova Scotia and of working as a nurse during the war.
She could hear the cannons and gunshots ringing out in the early-morning mist. She could hear the sounds of injured men as they fell from their horses or succumbed to their wounds in the hospital tents.
She had looked down at her hands and they were covered in blood. The blood of innocent men who had died too young, all alone on the battlefield, their loved ones and families somewhere else, not knowing what had just been taken from them.
Lorna had considered herself lucky to be right in the middle of the action until her father had become one of her patients. She could see him writhing as they brought him into the surgery tent, his face covered with a sheen of sweat, contorted in pain with each labored breath he took.
The arrow had pierced him in the abdomen, causing him to bleed internally such that his stomach was distended. The doctor had tried to help him, but too much damage had been done by the arrow…
This morning’s nightmare had been so vivid, it had forced her from her bed in search of a change of scenery to help dispel the awful feelings and sad memories. It was still very early, and the sun was only beginning to rise over the horizon.
A faint orange glow created a halo effect at the furthest reaches of the vast ranch, and she fixed her eyes on it as she tried to convince herself the past was just that – in the past. She breathed in deeply, letting the fresh, cool air fill her lungs and then exhaled, trying to force the bad feelings with it.
The sky continued to brighten, with whites and yellows now appearing above the orange glow. She watched, mesmerized, as the stars began to disappear as the day began. Her father would have enjoyed watching the sunrise with her. It had always been his favorite time of the day, and she thought back to those final moments before he passed away.
“Lorna, promise me you’ll make a life for yourself. Somewhere far away from here and the fighting. You deserve only happiness.” His words had been labored, whispered hoarsely as he struggled to breathe and remain conscious in those final moments. But his body couldn’t sustain his life and he died minutes after finishing his request.
It had been his dying wish, and while she had eventually done what he’d asked of her, she’d stayed around the war zone far too long after burying him. She’d immersed herself in the work caring for the soldiers, working longer hours than anyone else just so that she didn’t have to think about anything when she finally found her bed for the evening.
“Lorna, is everything all right?” June’s quiet voice sounded from behind her.
Lorna whirled around, surprised that she wasn’t alone and shocked that she hadn’t heard the other woman come toward her. She placed a hand over her heart, trying to still the rapid beating and gave June a small smile. “Just a nightmare. I thought some fresh air might help.”
June stepped up beside her and watched the sunrise with Lorna silently for a while before murmuring, “If you need someone to talk to, I’m a good and willing listener. Want to tell me what is troubling you?”
Lorna kept her eyes on the horizon, having never told anyone about what had happened to her, or why she’d fled Nova Scotia so suddenly. She looked over at June and saw only caring in the woman’s eyes. She hadn’t known June very long, but she’d come to realize that the woman was trustworthy. If anyone could be trusted to keep Lorna’s past a secret, it was June.
“I was in Nova Scotia before heading West. My father joined up with the Union Army when the fighting reached the border. It took me a while, but I eventually convinced one of the field hospitals to take me on as a nurse.”
“That sounds very dangerous,” June commented softly.
“It was, and yet, it was very rewarding knowing that I was making a difference and helping in a small way.” She paused and gathered her thoughts before she continued.
“I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was in a hospital very near where my father was fighting. The last thing I expected to see was him with an arrow sticking out of his abdomen.
“I did everything I could for him – so did the doctor at the hospital – but the arrow had done too much damage and he died. I guess that’s when the trouble started.”
June reached over and took her hand, offering her a small measure of comfort and support. “Go on.”
Lorna nodded and squeezed her hand, thankful to know that she had a friend in this moment. “Dr. Vincent Crockett was very attentive after my father passed away. I originally thought it was because he was trying to console me, and he knew how much I was grieving. For weeks it was purely professional. He never did or said anything untoward. Then one night it all changed.
“I was in the small area we used as a stock room, and he cornered me. He was very inappropriate, and said things and made suggestions that took me by surprise. They were so unlike the man I’d thought he was. He even went so far as to put his hands on me and tried to force me to do what he wanted.”
Lorna stopped, feeling close to tears now that she’d finally said the words out loud. “He scared me. The things he wanted me to do…he made me feel so dirty. I told him to leave me alone and tried to leave, but he blocked my path.
“When I threatened to tell someone, he threatened my position at the hospital. He told me that no one would believe me if it was between his word and mine, and that if I told anyone, he’d make sure everyone knew what a horrible person I was and ruin my reputation. He was very handsome, and all of the other girls talked about him like he was some sort of trophy to be won. I was never interested in him like that. I respected him as a doctor, but that was all.”
“Oh, Lorna. I’m so sorry you had to go through something like that.”
“He told me that I didn’t belong in the hospital working as a nurse, that I was too pretty and should be using my looks in other ways. I felt so violated and dirty. He left after that, to give me time to think about his offer.
“I told him he was wasting his time and that I was going to report him to our superior. The next morning, I received word that I’d been dismissed. He complained about my work ethic and proficiency and they took his word without even giving me a chance to defend myself.”
June drew Lorna in for a hug as tears streamed down her face. Lorna relaxed into the other woman’s embrace, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders that she had been carrying for far too long.
“Lorna, thank you for sharing that with me. I know how hard it must have been, and I’m so sorry for everything you’ve been through.”
“Thank you for listening. I’ve never told anyone about any of that.”
“Well, thank you for trusting me enough to share it with me.” June hugged her and then released her. “Now, I need to get breakfast started as the men will be up soon.”
June gave her a smile and then headed back indoors. Lorna stayed on the porch for a while longer, watching the sun as it finally made an appearance, rising like a bright orange beacon into the sky. No matter what happened the day before, the sun still rose the next morning, ready to take on a new day
.
Lorna felt such a sense of relief, and decided that maybe she needed to be more like the sun. Today was another chance to have a better day than the day before. She’d already taken a step forward on a path that she’d not yet traveled. Maybe she needed to just keep going down this road and see where it led.
She joined everyone inside for breakfast a while later. She enjoyed the meals the family shared around the long wooden table, listening to one another and sharing ideas. That didn’t mean they always agreed with one another, but it was fun seeing the interactions between everyone.
This morning, Ethan was excitedly telling everyone about the new mustang he’d found that he was planning to capture and break in. The wild horse was sure to lead him on a merry chase, but Ethan seemed very excited about the challenge.
A Bride to Heal His Broken Heart Page 7
