“Those are the ones.”
Charlotte wanted to get back to Ezra before he tried to slip out the back door and injure himself further, but her livelihood depended on making a sale. There were only a few scheduled riders throughout the summer, and she counted on the little money they made to get them through the slow months.
The family finished their drinks, tried a bit of the candy, and then looked around the small store. After picking out a stuffed animal for each of the kids, a scorpion paperweight for the father and a package of more cactus candy, she rang them up. Happy with the sale, she placed the money in the old-fashioned register, walked them out, and locked up the store behind her.
The girls automatically ran in the direction of the chicken coops. Charlotte smiled.
“Guess we got some chickens to feed.” They'd already been fed, but a couple of little girl handfuls wouldn't hurt.
“Ever eaten green eggs and ham?” she asked, chasing after the girls.
“Green eggs? Like Sam I Am?”
“Yep. Depending on the breed, chickens lay all different colored eggs.”
“I've only had white ones,” Cassy admitted. “Scrambled.”
Charlotte let them each pull a handful of grain from the bag and spread it on the ground for the chickens to peck. She allowed them to grab a warm green egg and bring them back to their parents.
“Can we keep them?” they begged.
Charlotte glanced through the porch picture window to see Ezra still lying on the couch sound asleep.
Good at least he hasn't tried to run off.
“Oh, I don’t think so. Why don't you bring it back to the nice lady?”
The girls frowned, their shoulders shrinking in disappointment.
“I don't mind. If it's okay with you.”
The husband stepped up, folded an extra bill into her hand and thanked her. “We had a great time. Thanks for everything.”
The woman stood next to her husband. “We'll be back next year. I can promise you that.”
“Thank you. Your girls are adorable. I'd love to have you back.”
The husband chuckled. “It'll be another year before I'm able to mount a horse again.”
“Come on, old man. We have a long drive home.”
Charlotte watched them climb into their vehicle and drive away. She waved goodbye and headed back to the stable to help Cole finish getting the horses washed and watered.
“How’d we do?” he asked as soon as she entered.
“After the trail ride and souvenirs, two hundred dollars. Not much but it will get us through a couple of weeks.” She remembered the bill the guy had shoved into her hand and pulled it from her pocket. She hadn't wanted to check how much it was in front of them. “Two twenty.”
“A tip. Nice. Yeah, with the money I got for Sapphire, we should be okay for the summer.”
She hated that she had to give up the mare. But it only made sense. They were barely squeezing by with the price to care for ten and with Clementine being pregnant, it was the right thing to do.
“Did you put the money in the register?” she asked as she brushed the last horse down and led him to the water trough.
“Yes. But Charlie, we need to talk.” Cole was the only one in the world who was allowed to use the nickname her father had given her.
“About what?” She knew what, but she’d let him get it out.
“That guy in the house. Ezra. What if he’s a dangerous criminal? And why do I feel like you know him from somewhere?”
“And how do you expect I know him? Since mom passed away, I haven’t had time to go anywhere or do anything.”
It was painful that their nearest neighbor was a criminal. All of her life, she’d never had one friend. But it was how her parents had wanted it.
The world is a harsh place, her mother had told her. We bought this land to protect you from the bad things that happen out there.
Even after they'd sold much of the land, it had been mostly turned into acres and acres of cotton fields planted by industrial growers with big machines.
“You get that look whenever you’re around him.”
“What look? The same one you give Samantha every time she comes to ride?”
Cole’s face reddened. “Yeah, that one.”
“Do you guys still email each other? Haven't seen her for a couple weeks.” It was the perfect time to change the topic back to him.
“Yeah. And we talk on the phone when we can. What would you say to her coming down to visit?”
“She comes all the time. Of course, I wouldn’t have a problem with that.”
“I mean, more than just the day. You know, come and stay for a week or so.”
“Oh no, you don’t. Dad would flip over in his grave if he found out I let you and a girl spend the week together unsupervised.”
“How are we ever going to spend time together? It’s not like she can stay somewhere in town. We’d spend all our time traveling. Besides, she could stay behind the store. Dad built those rooms for guests. We should start using them.”
She’d thought about that often, but the rooms were unfinished. Electricity and plumbing had been wired to the five rooms, but they were was no furnishings. There was only the one community bathroom half-finished in the middle with the toilets still not hooked up, and floor tiles that had yet to be laid stacked up along the wall. Her father had been in the middle of finishing it when he'd gotten sick. Her mother would have loved the place to be used for what it was intended, but the funding was just not there.
“We don’t have the money to furnish the rooms. And where do you expect guests to shower and use the restroom?”
“I'll finish the bathroom myself. Dad bought all the stuff. It won't cost an extra cent.”
It was a great idea, but there were still so many obstacles. “And the rooms?”
Cole rubbed the back of his neck. “I don't know.”
The idea began to settle with her. The extra income would mean survival and not having to sell off any more horses or land. “If we can find some furnishings for the rooms, maybe we could make it work.”
“What if we get married?” Cole asked still stuck on having Samantha come and stay.
Ignoring his question, her head spun with ideas. “What if we took the money we got for the horse and bought furnishings for the rooms? Do you think people would come?”
“And if they don’t, we’ll be eating coyote and jackrabbit for dinner. No thanks.”
It never ceased to amaze her how quickly her brother could go from thinking an idea was great to entirely dismissing it.
“And Quail. Cole, this was your idea, and I think we can do this. We can furnish a couple rooms at a time. How much can it cost to get a bed and a dresser in there?”
Charlotte could see the wheels spinning in his head once again. “I could cut down a couple of trees to frame some mattresses. I’m getting good at that. And what about the old bunkhouse? Maybe we could use the dressers from in there.”
Charlotte thought about the open-style building that once held many ranch hands. It hadn’t been used since her father passed and they’d had to get rid of the hired help. “The mattresses will be of no use, and the frames are probably too small to do anything with. But the dressers can be sanded down and stained.”
“You think they’re too small?”
“No. I don’t think so. How much dresser space does a person need for a night or two?”
“Okay, then. And what about the beds?”
“Authentic bed-frames made from Palo Verde trees. Cole, you think you could do it?”
“I’m going to look it up online. I’m sure I could make one or two.”
“I could sew some western-style bedspreads. Just two rooms for now.” For the first time, she felt things could possibly be looking up. The mattresses would be the most expensive, but maybe it could work. “What about that old wagon out behind the stable? I bet we could use the wheels to make a frame, too. Maybe we could reall
y do this.”
“Okay. Cool. Now, back to Samantha?”
“Cole, you’re a genius!” Charlotte said. “If we can get a couple of roomers in here, it would solve all of our problems.”
She envisioned a pit in the back where they could light a fire in the winter. They could advertise the place in Tombstone, on the internet, and a couple of other area towns. It just might work.
“And Samantha?” he prodded.
“We’ll see, but Cole, no marriage yet. Don’t rush things.”
Cole’s fist pumped up through the air. “Yes!”
He understood emphatically that when Charlotte said ― we’ll see, it meant if it were at all possible, it would get done. Laughing at his enthusiasm, she finished watering the horses and headed back to the house. For the first time since her parents had passed, Charlotte felt as though they might just have a plan to keep them going through the summer months.
As they headed up the steps of the porch, a loud groan emerged from inside the house.
“Sounds like something dying in there,” Cole said.
“It sure does.” And there was only one person in the house. “Better go see what’s going on.”
“You handle it. I’m going to check out that old wagon to see if there’s anything usable from it.”
By the time she made it up the stairs, the groaning had increased in volume and caliber. Was Ezra dying in there? She picked up her pace and opened the door. When Charlotte made it inside, he was laying back on the couch, moaning and groaning like a dying mule. Immediately, she forgot she was angry with him and rushed to his side.
“What’s wrong?” Checking the clock on the mantle, she realized it was time for his pain meds.
Ezra lifted his head and opened his eyes as if he hadn’t even heard her come in. “I have to pee!”
“Are you serious? You can’t make it to the bathroom by yourself?”
“No!” He grabbed his abdomen. “I tried several times, but I can’t get off this darn couch.”
Unable to form words through her laughter, Charlotte held out a hand to help him up.
“You think this is funny?” He gave her a weighty stare and then smiled. Taking her hand in his, he pulled himself up.
“I like you better after you’ve had your medication,” she quipped. “You know where the bathroom is.”
Ezra shuffled to the back of the house at a snail's pace, his knees popping as he went. Grabbing onto the wall for support, he pushed inside the bathroom and closed the door.
A knock came at the front door. Wondering who it could be. Charlotte peeked out the window. Doc Evan's old dusty station wagon was parked in the driveway.
“Hey, Doc,” she said, opening the door. “Come on in.”
“How’s our patient doing?”
“He’s in the bathroom. He should be out soon.”
“Good. He’s up and around. Gotta keep that circulation flowing, but we don’t want him to overdo it.” He looked away for a second. “Hey, since I got you alone, I wanted to ask if you ended up taking him to the hospital. I know it’s a touchy subject and all, but you know, I could lose my license if they found out I treated him without reporting it.”
Charlotte shifted. “He says no police. I think he’s worried what might happen to him if he reports it.”
“Did he tell you what happened?”
“He won’t speak about it, but I have a feeling it was Mr. Monroe. We all know some shady business has been going on over there for years. It’s a shame no one has been able to catch him in anything.”
“We’ll keep it under wraps for now, but I have a feeling this isn’t going to end well.”
“Thanks, Doc. I wouldn’t want to get you into any trouble,” she said quietly. “I just don’t know what kind of suffering it will bring to him. Or us.”
“I have your best interest in mind. I can’t see him being much of a threat right now, but I worry about you out here alone with him.”
Charlotte didn’t see the concern, but it was the second time that day someone had mentioned it to her. She’d distracted Cole easily but had no doubt the topic would come up again.
“We’re going to move him out to one of the rooms behind the store as soon as he’s up and around on his own.”
“I’d feel much better about that.” His eyes creased downward as the bathroom door opened, and Ezra came out. “There he is now. How are you feeling?”
“Like I got shot through the shoulder. Why're my legs so wobbly?”
“Because you haven’t been exercising them. I suggest you get up and around as much as you can stand it. Nothing strenuous, though. No lifting or running marathons anytime soon.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Ezra answered. “As soon as I’m able, I’ll be moving on.”
Doc Evans nodded. “You’ll be healed up in no time. You’re one lucky guy to be alive right now. That shoulder injury could have been much worse if it had hit a tendon. And if Cole hadn’t come along when he did, you'd have been a tasty meal for the buzzards.”
Charlotte swallowed the knot that hung in her throat. The image of Ezra lying out there, bleeding to death was not one she wanted to see. Now, all he talked about was getting out of there as if she were the plague. She saw no way to convince him to stay.
Like it or not, Ezra was set on leaving, and there was nothing, short of ripping his stitches out and reopening the wound, that would stop him from going. Something told her that it wasn’t simple pride that made him want to leave. No, for some reason, he thought by leaving, he was protecting her. Maybe he was right. If only she knew the full story.
Doc Evans checked Ezra's wounds, cleaned them, and replaced the bandages. He said his goodbyes and Charlotte showed him to the door. She went back to where Ezra sat, trying to open the bottle of painkillers with one hand and watched for a while before speaking up.
“Want me to do that for you?”
He fiddled with it for a while longer but finally gave in and handed her the bottle.
“What happened to your parents?” he asked as she gave him a painkiller and the bottle of water from the table.
Charlotte sat across from him in the chair. “My father passed first.” It was painful to talk about, but if she opened up to him, maybe he would do the same. “He suffered a brain tumor. When the symptoms first started, it was just severe headaches. As time went on, the symptoms progressed to where he couldn’t even stand without falling, his vision became blurred, and he seemed to become confused by the simplest things. He kept telling my mother it was nothing, but she wanted him to be seen by a doctor. It was the first time I ever remember my mother pressing an issue. He refused to go. One day he was working and almost got trampled by the horses. My mother finally won that day, but by the time he was rushed to the hospital, the cancer had progressed too far for them to save him.”
Ezra gave her a sad smile. “That’s rough. How old was he?”
“He was only forty-eight. He should have had so much more time left with us.” She took a deep breath to stave off the tears that bit at her eyes. “If only he hadn’t been so stubborn.”
Ezra touched her leg, sending shivers through her body. “You don’t have to tell me any more. I’m sorry, I upset you.”
For reasons she didn't quite understand, she wanted to continue. She'd held it all in for so long that it was freeing to let it out. It was something Cole avoided talking about like the plague. If she brought it up, he would shut down.
“My mom, she passed away only a couple of years back. She tried so hard to keep the ranch going. She did everything she could. We worked night and day, Cole didn’t even get to finish high school. One day, I came in from feeding the horses, and she was lying on the kitchen floor. The doctor said she'd had a heart attack.” She let the tears flow freely. “I didn’t even get to say goodbye. The next thing I know, Cole and I are selling off horses and land just to make ends meet. My father had taken out a loan for the new building, and pretty much everything we got was
put in to pay it off. Life quickly became a struggle to survive.”
“You’ve had a rough past couple of years.” He held her eyes for a long time.
Charlotte nodded to his shoulder. “It looks like you’ve had no great past either.”
She wanted to know the questions that had run through her mind ever since the day they met, but she wouldn’t pry. It would only push him away. The brutal scars on his back came to mind, and she rubbed at the goosebumps on her arms
“You look tired. You should get some rest.”
Chapter 5—Ezra
Another week and Ezra was up and around. He'd contemplated leaving so many times, but after spending so much time with Charlotte and watching them struggle, he couldn't bring himself to leave her. His feelings for her were growing more deeper than ever.
During their time together, they’d shared moments that he wouldn’t give away for the world. There’d been so many times of closeness where they talked for hours, held hands, and shared their dreams with each other. He’d never felt so full in his life. No words of love were spoken, but they didn’t need to be. He could feel deep within his heart that Charlotte Spencer was the only woman he’d ever wanted. She’d given him the will to live, and not only that, but to live rightly. Only one thing stood between them. That was his fear that each day he connected with her and loved her, was putting her life in more danger.
“Ready for our walk?” Charlotte held out her hand. “Doc's orders.”
Walking with her at sunset had become the highlight of his day. Never before had he admired the glorious hues of the evening sky. And holding her hand as they strolled the banks of the San Pedro River made him feel he could actually become an honest man. He could put away the past and start life anew. He'd never wanted a life of crime to begin with. The thought of becoming an honest cowboy and helping her on the ranch was all he ever wished for. But that wish could be dangerous.
Ezra took her offered hand and together they went outside. Even after all the time they’d spent together, her touch still did things to his heart that his brain refused to comprehend.
“I'm glad you decided to stay longer,” she said, squeezing his hand.
The Cowboy's Forbidden Bride (The Blushing Brides Book 4) Page 4
