A Christmas Miracle for the Rancher: A Historical Western Romance Novel

by Etta Foster

  An hour late, she supposed.

  Though she wanted to go next door to raise Richard, she needed to look decent before stepping out into the hall and before talking to him. She was focused as she finished dressing for the day ahead of them.

  It was going to be nerve-racking, she supposed, the appointment they had set up with his doctor.

  Louise braided her hair and tied it off at the end with a ribbon bow. She wanted to look decent for Richard and for the town.

  One last deep breath and then she felt she was ready.

  She just hoped Richard felt the same way.

  Though they had already met with the clinic to set up the appointment and discuss his situation, this was the day they would decide on what might happen next, the regimen for his health, and seeing about getting him to walk again.

  It would be a long day.

  But a good one, she prayed.

  Louise slipped on her shoes before stepping into the hall.

  She could hear voices down below and the sweet smell of Cajun spices floated all around.

  It brought back pleasant memories of her childhood and she couldn’t help but smile. Though she knew Louisiana wasn’t where she was meant to be all her life, there were still pleasant things about the people and the cities there.

  She shook her head to clear her mind and focus on the task at hand. If she had slept in, then Richard might have as well. They were supposed to go together, and she worried that she had made them late.

  Rapping on his door, she listened for movement. She knocked five times and then paused.

  There wasn’t a sound.

  “Richard?” she called softly, not wanting to disturb anyone else in the building. “Richard? It’s morning and we’re going to be late. Are you awake?”

  When she didn’t hear any response, Louise frowned and knocked again. But there was nothing on the other side.

  It took her a minute to gather her courage. And then she wrapped her hand around the doorknob and opened the door.

  The room looked similar to her own. A bed, a small table with a basin of water, a chair, and a fireplace. But there was no one in the room.

  Richard was gone.

  Her heart skipped a beat. Inhaling sharply, Louise swallowed. Where could he be?

  Frowning, she shook her head and tried to think. Just because he wasn’t in his room didn’t mean anything bad had happened. That he was hurt or in danger.

  Perhaps he was just around the corner.

  Richard could even be waiting downstairs for her.

  She swallowed the nerves inside before closing the door. She glanced further down the hall before turning to the stairs.

  Her hand took the railing to use it for support on her way down. The heat in the building worked better up the stairs.

  As she went down, she could feel the cold creeping into her bones.

  It didn’t snow much there. But somehow the icy chill crept in the further she went.

  A shiver ran down her spine as she reached the final step. Louise looked around expectantly, her fingers leaving the railing on the wall.

  If Richard wasn’t in his room, then he might have wanted to come down without having her watch him crawl down the stairs.

  That’s how it had gone the night before.

  But as she searched the quiet hall and the large sitting room with coffee tables nearby, Louise couldn’t find Richard’s familiar head of blond hair.

  Even the chair they’d left down in the corner was gone. Her mouth dropped open, no longer able to deny the obvious.

  He wasn’t in the building.

  “Your gentleman already left for the clinic.”

  Louise jumped, putting a hand over her heart. She whirled around to find Ray sitting in the back corner holding a cup of tea. The dark drink left purple stains on the woman’s lips as she offered her beaming smile.

  It appeared to be the only kind she had.

  “I beg your pardon?” Louise asked, wondering if she had heard right.

  Ray nodded and gestured to the door. “You know where he is, sweet thing. Go on, then.”

  Not needing to be told again, Louise turned to the door and hurried out.

  The cold wind whipped at her face as she hastened down the street. Her thoughts scrambled to keep up with her.

  Had he really left her that morning on purpose? What if he had tried to wake her but she wouldn’t wake up?

  Louise didn’t think she was a deep sleeper, but people could change.

  She wondered what had happened, unable to stop worrying for him until she saw him again.

  Upon her arrival, she was directed down the hall to the third room on the left.

  Louise hastily fiddled with her hair as she headed in that direction. But before she ever reached the door, it opened and she saw those familiar boots.

  They rested on the footstool as Richard wheeled himself out of the room.

  She pulled up short in surprise. Louise swallowed, clutching her skirt as her eyes darted across Richard to make sure he was well.

  His shirt was hardly wrinkled, and he didn’t appear upset.

  If anything, his lightly parted lips showed a ghost of a smile. He glanced back at Dr. Gregory Carmichael who stood in the doorway.

  “Louise.” Richard nodded to her as he pulled up. “What are you doing here?”

  A strand of hair fell into her face. Louise clumsily pushed it back as she turned her gaze back down to him.

  “I, well, I could ask the same thing. Don’t you have your first appointment today?”

  Richard glanced at the doctor behind him and waved.

  Dr. Carmichael waved back and disappeared behind his door. She bit her tongue as she turned back to Richard.

  “I did,” he answered her. “You didn’t need to come.”

  She stepped aside as he started to wheel himself down the hall. For a moment, she reached out to help him, but he kept moving.

  A moment later and he was too far away.

  Louise hesitated before hurrying after him. Confused, she tried to think of the day before. Hadn’t they said they would do this together? That’s why she was there with him.

  “But Richard,” Louise said as she hurried after him, “I was going to support you. I’m afraid I slept in, but - but you’re more than welcome to wake me early.

  “I like mornings. And I wanted to be here for you. I wanted to be here for your appointment.”

  He sighed as they reached the front door. “But I don’t. You don’t have to stay here by my side.

  “I was thinking about it, Louise. If you want to, you can go on home. You’re near your parents’ home, aren’t you? Awful close.”

  It looked like he was going to say more, but she cut him off. She shook her head. “No,” she told him determinedly. “I came here to be with you, Richard. That’s what I wanted. Not them, you.”

  She opened the door for them and returned into the sunlight.

  Louise glanced around, squinting in the brightness, before turning to Richard as he cleared his throat.

  She noticed absently he hadn’t shaved, but there was color in his cheeks.

  “Are you certain?” he asked her.

  Though she didn’t mean to be rude, Louise cut Richard off from the path to make sure he looked at her

  Then she nodded adamantly. “I came to support you. I want to be by your side every step of the way. If - if you’ll let me.”

  Her strength started to fade as she wondered if she would agree to leave if he demanded it. What if he truly didn’t want her there?

  She knew everything between them wasn’t perfect. She knew how much he was struggling and how this might hurt his pride.

  But she knew there was a good man within Richard and that he was close.

  Besides, he needed support.

  And she didn’t want to go home. It seemed like a lifetime ago with people she loved but who no longer needed her in their lives. Louise was ready for something new.

  All s
he needed was Richard to realize this, to wake up and consider what they could have if they tried together.

  Her eyes flitted back up to him as he glanced around, no longer looking her in the eye.

  He ruffled his hair and then began to nod. “All right.”

  “All right?” she repeated faintly.

  He licked his lips and danced his fingers on top of the armrests. “All right. I talked to Carmichael and he said there’s promise. It might take about a year, but he thinks there’s hope.”

  “A year?” she asked as her eyes widened. Richard froze as she grinned. “That’s hardly any time at all! It’s not a lifetime. Why, I think that’s wonderful.”

  She would do anything to support the good man who wrote those letters to her.

  Already Louise was thinking about the life in Louisiana she could show him. While it was definitely no Oklahoma, at least they would have time to relax. And by the time he was healed and walking, they would be more than ready to return to the wild open space on his ranch.

  Her heart soared as everything felt just right.

  “Really?” His eyebrow raised high.

  There would be letters to write to explain the news. Letters to her family and letters to Jacob and Mrs. Pennyworth.

  Louise wondered what Luanne would want to do.

  Perhaps they could visit in a few months if Richard felt up for the adventure.

  It didn’t matter if he was or was not, so long as he still wanted her by his side. She hadn’t liked that morning, feeling lost and forgotten.

  She prayed quickly for it to never happen again.

  Louise nodded as she pushed her hair back over her shoulders. “Of course. We should do something to celebrate. I believe there’s a river nearby with the prettiest ducks. Shall we go find them? It’s cold out here, but it’s a lovely day.”

  His eyes probed hers for a moment before he slowly decided to acquiesce. “I suppose. I can tell you on the way what Dr. Carmichael said.”

  She grinned. “Yes, I would like that.”

  After Louise inhaled deeply, she looked around and gestured down the next lane. That’s where they would go next. After that, she wasn’t certain.

  But so long as she was beside Richard, all would be well.

  Chapter 34

  For the last ten or so years of his life, Richard had worked within a satisfying rhythm.

  There was a pattern to the way he lived and worked.

  He would rise early to dress and milk the cows. The chickens would be fed and then he’d check on the cattle in the valley before returning to the house to eat.

  After that, he would work some more.

  Move the cattle, clear the land, there was always something to do out there in the valley that would fill his day. Even with help from the occasional ranch hand, there was plenty of work to be done.

  The afternoon would come together until the sun had passed them overhead. Soon it would be time for supper. He’d round up his tasks and head on in for the evening.

  Sometimes he’d do some light reading or talk with Mrs. Pennyworth and Jacob.

  Now, that was a world away.

  Richard woke up every morning still expecting the dry air of Oklahoma in his lungs. But the humidity of Louisiana would wrap him in a damp hug to tell him otherwise.

  He would dress and then pull himself down the stairs in the lodge to eat a light meal with Louise.

  Often Ray would join, regaling them with wild stories that might be true, and about the gossip around town that Louise knew quite a lot about.

  Afterward, they would head on down to the clinic for his exercises.

  It included a lot of silly work like rubbing his legs for an hour. Then stretching his entire body over and over again.

  Some of them required help from a nurse or even from Louise.

  In a few other exercises, like the stretches, she often joined in and claimed to compete with who could stretch the most.

  The stretching took all morning. They’d break for a short meal and return to the exercises.

  Doctor Carmichael only prescribed a couple of hours, but Richard and Louise had decided to add to his regimen to fill more time as long as he felt up to the activity.

  And when they decided they were done, they would leave.

  This gave them time to take walks around town, explore the northern markets, and spend quiet evenings at the lodge. They listened to musicians who passed through, waved to children, and talked to strangers about their stories.

  It was a new rhythm. But Richard didn’t mind. Though the days at the clinic were long and frustrating, there was something refreshing about the recent change of pace.

  And Louise had continued to shine in a way that he couldn’t ignore her.

  Her enthusiasm had annoyed him at first. But there was something refreshing about it that he couldn’t set aside.

  Especially since Dr. Carmichael shared her hope about his possible improvements.

  There were no promises, only hope.

  Louise with her bright eyes and cheerful smile was enough to make him work hard every day.

  “I don’t know about this.” Richard stared at the bars ahead of him as he shook his head.

  Dr. Carmichael touched the parallel bars that were set up rather tall. Most likely to his arm pits that he could use to rest on.

  The doctor explained that he could start practicing moving his legs in the walking motion again.

  “You’ll eventually go down to the smaller set,” he gestured across the room, “but these should help hold you up.

  “Your body needs to retain muscle memory of how to walk, and this will be the best way to manage that.”

  Louise inspected the bars carefully, walking around them.

  She was very studious in learning everything she could and making sure everything worked out right with the best of the tools and care. Her eyes studied the structure before testing her own grip on one of the bars.

  On the other side, Richard glanced up at them. He would have to reach from his chair to heft himself up. Already his body ached after some difficult stretches that morning.

  It was hard work, tiring work. February was nearly over, and he was beginning to doubt his abilities.

  What if he never walked again?

  “It’ll be hard on his shoulders,” Louise noted.

  The doctor nodded. “At first, yes. But eventually his legs will learn to take his weight again.

  “This is to ensure that when he can walk, his legs are ready to carry the rest of his body. The legs are no use if they cannot manage the weight.”

  “I suppose,” she accepted his answer before lifting her gaze to Richard from across the bars. It couldn’t be more than ten feet. “Are you ready, Richard?”

  Now they looked twenty feet apart. He glanced back at his doctor who gave him a grin before stepping back to check in with a nurse who had stepped up to catch his attention for a moment.

  Richard turned back to Louise. Her eyes were bright with hope.

  Possibly too much hope.

  He blinked and focused on the bars. They could hardly be more than an inch thick.

  What if they didn’t hold him? What if they broke? He didn’t like the idea of falling any more than he had to.

  There were bruises all over his body to prove that happened too often.

  But Louise was there.

  A tightness enveloped his chest. He couldn’t disappoint her. Over their time together, he’d begun to realize his mistake with how he had treated her.

  Louise was a special woman who he didn’t deserve. She was too clever and too kind.

  Though he had offered to send her off several times, she refused.

  It had bothered him at first. He was ashamed of his weakness. But over and over, she proved that she didn’t mind.

  Not only that, but she cared for him. Every day she offered him a smile and the possibility of a bright day.

  There was a lot he had to do to make up for his unkindnes
s toward her.

  That gave him the courage he needed to roll his chair forward to the parallel bars. Richard moved his legs off the footrest of his chair. And after taking a deep breath, he reached up for the bars.