by Danni Roan
Teddy felt himself tumbling as Pepper fell, the tall pinto flipping over, a flailing hoof connecting with Teddy’s temple as the world crashed into blackness.
Amanda dragged in on the reins, clinging to the saddle as Pal slid to a stop, twisting and pivoting on hindquarters of steel. “Teddy!” she screamed over the sound of the approaching storm. Throwing herself from the saddle as Pepper staggered to his feet with a shake of his head, Amanda hurried to her husband’s side. “Teddy,” she called again, running her hands over his body where he lay in the dust of the trail.
Amanda lifted Teddy’s shoulders, trying to determine if he had any broken bones, but none were apparent. “Please wake up, Theo,” she pleaded. Staring into his face and seeing the small trickle of blood on his head, as the wind howled around her. Gently, easing Theo back to the ground, Amanda hurried to the horses where they stood nervously twitching at the blast of cold wind.
“Easy girl,” Amanda soothed, grasping Pal’s reins and pulling the animal close.
“You have to help Pal,” she said as the wind tugged at her skirts, blowing dust into her tear-filled eyes. Quickly she gathered Pepper’s reins and tied them then moved closer to Theo.
The wind swirled dust into a pillar of cloud as Amanda took Pal’s left rein in her right hand, then bent, lifting Pal’s near front leg and tugging on the bridle, making the horse touch nose to shoulder until she overbalanced and sagged to the ground. Slipping the rein into her mouth to hold it taut, Amanda grabbed Teddy under the arms and dragged his limp form over the saddle. Heaving and breathless, she slipped a leg over the horse’s haunches, grasped the front of the saddle and let the horse lurch to her feet.
“Home,” she called to Pal, aiming the pretty pony toward the ranch.
Pal’s ears twitched as Amanda’s hands clutched the saddle bows holding Theo in place and urged the horse forward as the leading edge of the storm began to splatter the ground with huge icy drops of rain.
“Please, God, let him be alright,” Amanda pleaded as tears mingled with the first spattering of icy raindrops and urging her horse for more speed.
Glancing behind her, Amanda sighed as Pepper galloped along in her wake, apparently uninjured by his fall.
“Help!” Amanda shouted as the ranch came into view. “Help!” She cried again as a flash of lightning crackled, raising the hair on her neck. Thunder boomed overhead and the heavens opened.
***
“Daniel, you hear that?”
“What’s that, Rosa?” Dan looked from the table where he had been going over a ledger.
“I hear something,” Rosa turned from the stove where she had settled the coffee pot, “someone shouting.”
Dan jumped to his feet as a crack of thunder shook the sturdy house and raced to the front door, even as Pal and Pepper stumbled into the yard.
“Amanda!” Dan shouted over the deluge, blinking to see what she was doing on her own. “What’s wrong?” Dan raised a hand, trying to ward off the driving rain.
“Help,” the word came out a strangled cry, swept away by the wind and rain.
“What’s going on?” Dozer staggered from the barn, pushing toward the two horses as the rain soaked him in an instant.
“Teddy,” Amanda sobbed, still holding her husband on the saddle before her. “Pepper fell.”
Strong hands reached up, pulling Teddy from the horse’s back as Dan reached for Amanda, who collapsed into his arms, fear and exhaustion turning her muscles to liquid.
Dozer carried Teddy into the house, placing him on the settee in the lounge as Dan placed a soaked Amanda in a chair,a looking to Rosa for help.
“What happened?” he asked, walking to Teddy when Rosa hurried to his side.
“We were trying to outrun the storm,” Amanda said, her voice shaking as she began to shiver. “Theo looked back, and Pepper stumbled, taking them both down. Please tell me he isn’t dead,” she added with a sniff.
“He is not dead,” Rosa declared, walking to Amanda and grasping her hand. “Daniel, get him out of those wet clothes. Amanda, come with me, you must change.”
“But, Theo.”
“He lives, we can do nothing but wait.”
Amanda stood, legs shaking and followed Rosa to another room where she quickly stripped out of her soaked dress and into one of Rosa’s simple but comfortable ones. “Do you think he will be all right?” she asked.
“We will pray,” Rosa said, her dark eyes filled with conviction. “Teddy will be fine.”
“He’s still out,” Dan said, looking up as the women returned. “Dozer took the horses,” he added, looking at Amanda. “You did good getting here.”
“I didn’t know what else to do,” Amanda admitted. “I don’t know where I found the strength.”
Rosa squeezed her hand. “From your heart,” she said softly, releasing Amanda’s hand and lifting a blanket from a chair to lay it over Teddy. “I make tea.”
Rosa was gone, turning on her heel and heading for the kitchen as Amanda sat on the chair, watching Teddy, a wave of nervous exhaustion making her sag.
“He’ll be all right,” Dan said, walking to Amanda and offering her another blanket. “Teddy’s been through far worse.”
Amanda looked up, her blue eyes sad. “When?”
“In the war,” Dan said, turning to study his friend. “He got pinned down in enemy territory, doing reconnaissance. Haven’t you ever wondered about the scar on his leg?”
Amanda blushed. She had never questioned Theo about his previous injuries, assuming they were from run-ins with cantankerous cows. “No.”
“Teddy was never afraid to do what needed doing. He was young and small and could slip in and out of camp unseen. This time, someone saw him, and he took a bullet to his calf. He made it back, but he’d lost a lot of blood. It was weeks before he could walk properly again.”
Amanda turned her eyes full of affection and pride for the man she had married. “He was brave.”
“Always. Even going against orders when it was the right thing to do.”
“He disobeyed you?”
“No, not me. I wouldn’t have put him in that position, but some officers weren’t near as good as they thought they were. One man captured a group of Rebs and chained them all, even the black serving men with them. Teddy talked until he was blue in the face about releasing them, but the officer wouldn’t listen. That night, Theodore Lewis walked out to the captives and released the slaves. He was whipped for it, but he never said a word in his defense.”
Amanda stood, walking to the settee and slipping to the floor next to Theo, taking his hand in hers. “He was worried that he wasn’t good enough for me,” she said, studying his face. “But, he’s exactly what I needed.”
Dan smiled, nodding once as he slipped out of the room, leaving Amanda and Teddy alone.
“Please be all right,” Amanda pleaded, tears filling her eyes once more. “Don’t you know I love you already?”
Teddy’s eyes fluttered open as a gray light stabbed his vision. “Amanda,” he called, his heart thudding with fear.
“I’m here,” Amanda said, squeezing his hand. “We’re home.”
“Home? How?”
“Your wife brought you in,” Dan said, walking in with a tray of tea in his hands, Rosa on his heels, carrying Christina on a hip.
“She is a hero,” Rosa said.
“Help me up,” Teddy said, his head spinning as he tried to pull himself upright.
Dan placed the tea things on the table by the settee and moved to help Teddy sit upright. “Take it easy,” he said. “You had a nasty bump on the head.”
Amanda took the hand Dan offered and rose, taking the seat next to Teddy, who clutched the blanket to his chest.
“What happened to my clothes?”
“You were wet,” Rosa shrugged.
“Dan took them,” Amanda grinned, taking a cup and adding cream and sugar, then lifting it to Theo. “Drink this, it will help.”
Teddy
tried to glare at her, but his pounding head prevented it, and he ended up taking a sip of the sweet, hot tea.
“Pepper, fell,” Amanda said softly as she urged Teddy to take another sip of the tea. “I got you on Pal and came to the ranch.”
“Pepper?”
“He’s alright,” Dan said. “He followed Amanda and Pal home. Dozer put both horses in the barn.”
A crash of thunder made Amanda jump, and she quickly placed the cup and saucer back on the tray.
“Bad storm?” Teddy asked, pulling an arm from under the blanket and wrapping it protectively around his wife. “I remember. We were trying to get home before we got caught in it. It whipped up out of nowhere.”
“You’re safe now,” Amanda smiled, feeling some of the tension ebbing from weary shoulders. “We made it home.”
“How?” Teddy reached up, touching the dried blood on his head.
“I pulled Pal, down so I could drag you onto the saddle,” Amanda admitted. “I think it was the fright that gave me the strength. It all happened so fast. All I knew was that I had to get us to the ranch.”
Dan walked back into the room, carrying a nightshirt. “This will have to do for now,” the ranch owner grinned. “Once the rain lets up, you two can head back to your place or Rosa can make up the spare room for you.”
Amanda turned, looking out the window at the pouring rain. “I hope it eases soon.” She looked at Theo, taking his hand in hers. “I think I’d like to be in our own home tonight.”
Teddy felt his heart swell. His sweet little Amanda, the young woman who didn’t seem to know how to do much of anything, had probably saved his life. He could see the affection shining in her eyes and his fingers tightened in hers.
“Thanks, Dan.” Teddy reached for the nightshirt, slipping his hand from Amanda’s and pulling it over his head. It was far too wide in the shoulders, but it would do for now.
“Any time,” Dan grinned, turning on his heel as he wrapped an arm around Rosa, leading her to the kitchen and leaving Teddy and Amanda alone once more.
“How’d you know to get Pal to lie down?” Teddy asked, sliding the nightshirt over his knees. “I don’t think I would have thought of that.”
“It just came to me,” Amanda admitted, looking at him closely. “I had to do something. I couldn’t lose you.” She sniffled, feeling all of the adrenaline ebbing away. “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you, Theodore.”
Teddy wrapped his arm around Amanda again, pulling her close. “I’m not going anywhere, love,” he said, pressing a kiss to her brow. “You’re stuck with me now.”
A nervous giggle escaped Amanda’s lips and she dabbed at her nose. “That suits me fine.”
The couple sat there snuggled close on the settee for a while longer, quietly waiting for the storm to pass. They had already been through a few trials, and it had brought them closer. Perhaps in time, they would truly be as one.
“I think the rain is passing.” Teddy’s voice was soft. “Do you want to try to go home?”
“Yes,” Amanda stirred, lifting her head from his shoulder and stifling a yawn. “I think I’m looking forward to a hot bath and my own bed.”
Teddy grinned. “You know you’ll have to heat the water yourself?”
“I know,” Amanda turned her blue eyes meeting his. “I’ll learn,” she assured. “Maybe it will take me a while, but I’ll get there in the end.”
Teddy kissed her forehead, sweetly. “You’re a much stronger woman than anyone might think.”
***
“Theo, I can do this myself,” Amanda growled, hefting a bucket from the fireplace. “I have decided that I want a cookstove, though, just something small. I can start by learning to make tea and coffee.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Teddy teased, his grin widening. His head still hurt slightly but watching his determined little wife heating water for their new tub lifted his spirits.
“You can bathe first,” Amanda continued, pouring the water into the tub and heading for the rain barrel by the door.
“Me? I just washed last night?”
“Yes, but you are injured, and we were both soaked to the skin. We don’t want to catch a chill.”
Teddy bit his lip, repressing a laugh. Amanda seemed to have found her confidence, and it filled him with pride. Despite her evident weariness after the hard ride and drama of earlier, she was stubbornly determined to have a hot bath before bed.
Taking a seat, Teddy stripped off his boots, pulling the nightshirt over his head and wrapping it around his middle.
“It’s ready,” Amanda smiled. She had poured another bucket of hot water into the tub, topping it up with some of the cold water from the rain barrel. “You go on.”
Teddy walked to the tub, testing the water with his toe. “It’s hot.”
“It’s supposed to be hot,” Amanda’s retort was short. “I’ll get soap.”
Teddy slipped into the tub, sighing as the hot water lapped over his hips. His little wife had been right. This was just what he needed.
Amanda blushed prettily as she walked back to the tub, a washrag and bar of soap in her hand. She had never honestly looked at her husband this way, and her eyes strayed to the puckered scar in his right calf as she handed him the items.
“This smells like flowers,” Teddy grumbled.
“It’s all I have,” Amanda sigh, brushing a lock of tangled hair from her eyes. “If you want something else, you’ll have to put it on the shopping list.”
Teddy lathered up the cloth and gingerly washed the blood from his brow, flinching as the hot water burned.
“Here, let me.” Amanda’s soft hands took the cloth, her eyes colliding with Theo’s as a wicked grin spread across his face. “Theo!” she screeched as Teddy pulled her into the tub with him.
Epilogue
“I need to be going,” Amanda said, rising and donning her gloves. “Theo finally stopped fussing about me riding to town alone, but he doesn’t like me getting home too late.”
“I’m glad you came,” Olive said.
“Me too,” Ellen grinned.
Over the past two months, the ladies had grown closer, and Amanda felt like she had true friends in Needful. She had even attended a sewing circle a few times, though her stitches were abysmal.
“It does get dark rather early now that the days are growing shorter again.” Amanda looked around her, checking that she hadn’t forgotten anything.
“And cooler, thank the Lord,” Ellen grinned.
Amanda’s smile was bright. “Yes, the Texas heat is something to contend with. I’ll see you all on Sunday.”
The sound of the stage arriving made all three women start as Amanda headed for the door.
“It’s late for the stage,” Olive said, a flicker of worry flashing in her eyes as she pushed to her feet and following Amanda to the door.
“Is that the stage?” Orville hustled out of the back of the house, scowling at the interruption.
“It seems to be,” Olive replied.
Amanda stepped out onto the front porch, her eyes taking in the same stage she had arrived in only two short months ago.
“Special delivery,” the driver called down with a grin, as an older gentleman began to climb down from the seat on the top of the coach.
“We’re here,” the man said, shuffling to the door of the stage. “You can finally come out.”
Amanda turned, giving Olive a questioning glance, but the older woman simply shrugged.
“Is either of you ladies Olive Hampton or Peri?” the man asked, his gnarled hand falling on the handle of the stage door.
“I’m Olive Hampton.”
“I’m Phineas Fortuna,” the man said, pulling the door open, “and these are my daughters, come to be mail-order brides.”
Olive’s mouth fell open as a tall, austere looking woman of nearly thirty stepped onto the boardwalk, her pinched mouth and hard eyes taking in the town with a critical glance.
“This is Adele,
my oldest.”
“Ma’am.” The young woman curtsied slightly, straightening a little unsteadily. Her dark eyes were keen, but the severe pull of her tight bun did nothing to soften the lines of her angular face.
“This one is Heidi,” Mr. Fortuna spoke, handing a mousy looking girl from the coach. Her dark eyes were large and startled, looking as she gazed around her absently, trying to tuck an untidy strand of brown hair into the loose bun at the back of her head.
