Mountain Man's Bride

by Lauren Wood

  She sighed, wishing that Byron would come back soon. As her thoughts of him continued, she heard the telltale steps of Ailen coming. Heather picked up a book and tried to act like she was immersed in it.

  “Oh hey, I was wondering what you were doing.” Ailen said as he came around the corner.

  Heather looked up at him, acting like she hadn’t heard him. “I’m sorry I was just reading this story.” She said and held up the book.

  “I’m sorry; I’ll let you get back to reading.” Ailen seemed to pout as he sat down on the other seat in the room. He then got up and looked around the library a bit and found something on the shelf, he took it down and went back to his seat. He opened up the book and began reading.

  She looked at the book and figured she would have to read it now. Heather opened it up to the first page, and hoped he didn’t notice it. If he did he would surely know it was just a lie that she had been reading when he first came into the room.

  Thankfully, he seemed fully engaged into the book he had plucked off the shelf. She sighed a bit of relief about it, and hoped that Samuel would soon get hungry. Heather didn’t like the way she felt with Ailen around her.

  Heather was distracted while she read, or tried to focus on the words of the book on her lap. What she really wanted was for Byron to come home and for Ailen to leave, or at least stop trying to seduce her.

  “You seem quite distracted my Lady. Is there something wrong? Perhaps the overwhelming loneliness has gotten to you? You know I could easily take care of you while Byron is gone, he won’t need to know a thing about it.” Ailen said out of the clear blue.

  She looked up at him shocked. “I’m sorry if you think I would ever sleep with another man who isn’t my husband. I’m not interested in that at all. I would also appreciate it if you didn’t ask me again, or make comments that elude to it.” Heather said bluntly.

  It was his turn to be surprised at her words. “Hmm, seems like you might need a bit more convincing than his last wife did.” Ailen said.

  Heather looked at him surprised and asked. “What do you mean?” She asked.

  He laughed. “I could tell that Byron hadn’t shared all of our past memories with you from the beginning. If he had you would have thrown me out the door. It is true we are friends, but it has been a bit strained since I had an affair with Priscilla.”

  “How could you do that to your friend?” Heather asked, her face showing her disgust.

  “She threw herself at me; I tried to avoid it several times. I even tried to tell Byron it wasn’t me that began the affair. But he didn’t care, and I couldn’t stand to see the pain in his eyes anymore. Priscilla didn’t care; she would beg me to visit her continually sending men out to my place. She even rode out on a few occasions. I’m not happy to admit that I gave into her on a few trips. Finally, I had to leave so she would leave me alone. Once I came back and found out she was dead, I knew that I could peacefully approach Byron and explain to him. But when I came I saw you here, and he was gone. I don’t mind saying that you are even prettier than Priscilla was.” Ailen explained.

  “So you slept with her and you’ve come to talk to him and explain how you should still be trusted?” Heather asked.

  “I just want him to understand what happened. Also I wanted to let him know that I didn’t sleep with her on purpose.” Ailen stated.

  “But yet here you are again telling me that you would sleep with me?” Heather didn’t understand his way of thinking.

  “Okay so you got me, I did it on purpose. I wanted her and I want you. Just like her, I will have you as well.” Ailen said, his eyes sparking with a dangerous light.

  “I think you should take your men and leave now; you are no longer welcome in my home.” Heather stated. She tried to keep her voice calm and low though, because she didn’t want to upset Samuel.

  “You do know that even if I leave I can come back anytime I want and take this place by force. I can take you by force if I wanted to right now.” Ailen stood up and moved closer to her.

  “Don’t come any closer. Samuel is in her too, you can’t have him see something done so brutally to the woman he thinks is his mother.” Heather pleaded.

  Ailen looked at the boy and hesitated in his advance. It was enough time for Heather to put a little more room in between them.

  “He’ll get over it.” Ailen finally decided his choice and moved towards her again.

  She tried to get in a stance to protect herself, and remember everything that Byron had taught her. He easily grabbed her though and had her pinned against the wall in a second. Heather raised her knee up quickly and tried to get him in his privates. She didn’t get a full hit, but hit to the side. It was enough of a blow to get him to let go for a minute.

  Heather moved away and looked for some sort of weapon to use. They didn’t keep any in the study though, not since Samuel had begun to explore the room more by learning to walk.

  Ailen advanced on her again quickly and knocked her down. Now they were on the floor, he was holding her down and trying to move his mouth over hers. Heather moved her head to the sides and yelled out “Stop, don’t do it.”

  She struggled and he ripped her top. He grabbed her breasts forcefully, and then Heather saw a flash out of the corner of her eye. The next thing she knew she saw Byron on top of Ailen.

  “Who do you think you are? I heard her say no, and you just kept going, like a wild animal.” Byron shouted as he hit Ailen hard in the face.

  Heather got up and went to grab Samuel. “Daddy.” She heard Samuel yell.

  Byron got distracted and looked over at Samuel; Ailen got in a punch on the side of his head and threw him off balance. But Byron quickly got control of the situation and had Ailen back under him again.

  He drew a knife and put it to Ailen’s throat. “I should have done this a long time ago.” Byron pulled the knife across his throat.

  Heather turned Samuel away from the view. Byron walked up behind her and put his arms around her.

  “Are you okay?” He asked her.

  She turned around and kissed Byron. “I’ve missed you so much, I’m so glad you came back.”

  He kissed her back. “What was he doing here?” Byron asked her.

  “He came to see you said. I just found out today that he had slept with Priscilla. He tried to act like he was a good friend of yours. I remember the stories, but you never told me about him and Priscilla, why not?” Heather asked.

  “I didn’t tell you because the last I had heard of him was from Priscilla. She blamed me for him leaving the country. Saying that he left because he was my friend, and now she had no one to sleep with. If she wanted sex she would have to find another man. Like I wasn’t good enough for her, and I was her husband.” Byron explained.

  “So what he said about her seducing him is that true?” Heather asked.

  “It was a mutual seducing from both of them. He wasn’t innocent in this at all. But he was clearly trying to rape you now. I should have killed him when I first found out about him and Priscilla.” Byron said.

  “I’m so glad you are home. Are you home for good?” Heather asked.

  “Oh I’m not leaving again.” Byron hugged her closer. He leaned down and kissed Samuel on the top of the head.

  Samuel looked up at him and said, “Daddy!”

  Heather smiled and laughed. “I think he said mommy.”

  “No way that was clearly daddy.” Byron stated back and laughed.

  “How did you get back so much earlier than you thought?” She asked.

  “I’ve missed you both terribly, and the battle was under control.” Byron said.

  He kissed her deeply. “Is it about time for his nap?” He asked.

  “Well he might not be too long for that, but we can always have the maid watch him for a bit.” Heather said.

  Byron grabbed Samuel and took him to the maid to watch and then picked Heather up and carried her up the stairs. “I want to explore every inch of your body for h
ours.”

  She moaned at the thought of his touch. It had been far too long since he had been home. “I’m looking forward to that.”

  ****

  Heather sat at the table, her belly hitting the table. She rubbed it and said. “I sure hope the baby comes soon.”

  “Well you look like you’re going to pop any second now.” Byron laughed. “But you still look beautiful!” He added.

  “Oh, I think it’s time now.” She looked up at him as she felt wetness spread down her legs and looked at the floor. “Get the doctor my water just broke.”

  He ran out of the room and down to where they had put the doctor up as she had gotten closer to full-term. Byron hadn’t wanted to take any chances of Heather falling ill while pregnant. He had lost Priscilla that way, but not another wife.

  They came back in the room and the doctor helped Byron get her upstairs. Three hours later they were looking down at the face of their brand new baby girl.

  “What should we name her?” Heather asked Byron.

  “How about we go with the name you liked?” Byron said.

  “You sure you don’t mind?” She asked.

  “No I like the name.” He answered.

  “Welcome to the world Keita.” Heather cooed at the little girl.

  They picked the name which meant woods, since that was the first place they had met so long ago.

  THE END

  SEDUCING COWBOY

  Chapter 1

  “I will not have any daughter of mine acting like this. You have embarrassed me for the last time and if you’re not careful, I might even consider sending you to live with your uncle in the backwaters of Alabama. Don’t think for a second that I’m kidding. As long as you live underneath my roof there will be rules that have to be followed. You may not be mine by blood, but you were given to me despite my misgivings. Your mother entrusted me to look after you, but it’s starting to feel like a burden.” A year had gone by since Lynn’s mother died mysteriously during a boating accident. From that moment on, Lynn had the penchant for getting into trouble with just about anybody that was willing to play on the other side of the legal fence.

  “Just say what’s on your mind, Helen. You never wanted me in the first place and I do not see any reason why we have to continue playing this game. I’m 19 and I’m going to college in the fall. You may think that you have all the power, but all I need to do is get a job and then I can leave you in my rearview mirror. I hate you and you treat me like I’m a child who can’t live without you being under foot. I am my mother’s daughter and we both have the same temperament and stubborn streak.” I know that we’re going to say something that we’re going to regret. I’ve never wanted to be here. I can’t even dare to call her mother and I fight every instinct that I have to get close to her. One year and it has already felt like an eternity. I know that she’s trying, but the only thing that she’s doing is making it very clear that I can’t be here for very much longer.

  “I don’t know how you can talk to me like this after everything that I’ve done for you. I wake up in the middle of the night to find you missing more often than not. I have no idea if you’re dying in a ditch or shacking up with some of your so-called friends. You may not be innocent, but at least you have kept your purity intact.” They both looked at each other in shock. It became readily known that Helen had been snooping into her diary. This was the last straw and the silence that followed that declaration was not for the faint of heart. The tension in the air was thick and you could see that they both had reached their breaking point.

  “I can’t believe that you invaded my personal space by reading my private thoughts. I thought that I could at least trust you to stay out of my business. I don’t know how many times I’ve told you and made it abundantly clear that I don’t need you interfering. I can live my life with or without you.” They were in the car on the way to church and had just arrived when this big major blow out had occurred. Casting daggers at one another walking across the parking lot in their Sunday best did not go unnoticed by those that knew them very well.

  There were mumbles of dissent amongst the congregation. Nobody dared stand up and say something, but everybody had their own opinion that they were keeping to themselves.

  Deacon James took center stage and felt that there was something in the air. Everybody looked nervous and shifted in their seats like they didn’t want to be there. He looked around for the source and the animosity that was coming off of both Helen and Lynn wasn’t exactly hard to see. They were not hiding their emotions and being a man of the cloth, he decided that he would shine a light down upon them from where he stood at the front of the church.

  “I see that we have something to deal with before I begin my sermon. I told all of you that I would not condone bringing your private life in beyond those doors. If you do, then you can expect me to involve the entire congregation. Lynn and Helen have some issues to deal with and we are going to help them find their way back into the light. Show them some encouragement. I’m sure that it’s not insurmountable like the boulder that was pushed up the hill.” Deacon James was bald and the light from above was shining on his head like his own personal halo. Being a good Texan, he understood that there were always squabbles, but all could be forgiven.

  A couple of people started to clap and then the rest followed like the sheep that they were. Before long there was a chorus that had both Lynn and Helen looking around to find that they were now the center of attention.

  “I am not going up there with you and there’s nothing and no one that is going to make me. You do whatever the hell you want, Helen but don’t expect me to play along with this charade. We will never be a happy household and I feel that you have violated my trust. I don’t know if that can ever be fixed. This has gone too far. It might be time that we cut ties and walk away. I don’t want to hate you and I try to get along for the sake of my mother. I really don’t know what she was thinking when she thought that you and I could work. I would be better off going my own way.” “I see the way that everybody is looking at me, but not even their influence is going to force me to stand up and be noticed. I don’t want this attention. If they don’t want me to scream, then they better stop looking at me like that. I can see in Helen’s eyes that she’s thinking about airing our dirty laundry for all the neighbors to hear. I’m sure that most of it has been spoken in hushed tones. Nothing goes on around here that the others don’t find out about eventually. I think it has a lot to do with Deacon James’s need to make everybody happy.

  “They only want to help, Lynn. I don’t see any reason why we can’t let them in. In times of great trials we must always stand together. Life is about changes and nothing stays the same. I’ve done my best to guide you with a helping hand, but you have been resistant every step of the way. I can’t deal with this on my own anymore.” Helen had seen a premature graying of her hair in the last year and the stress of dealing with a woman that was still grieving after all this time was weighing heavily on her shoulders. “I need to do this for my own sanity and you can stay there and sit and listen, but you will not leave here for any reason whatsoever.” Helen could see that her arms were across defiantly and she was basically stewing in her own juices.

  Smoothing down her black skirt, she got up and faced the judgment of those that thought that they could be of any help. She felt scrutinized and for a girl that stayed to herself she had learned an inexplicable lesson that teenagers were hard to live with at the best of times. Helen’s cheeks were a rosy hue from the embarrassment of being called out like this. Taking a deep breath, she realized that the only way to get through this was with one breath.

  “I see that somebody is being stubborn. No matter, I’m sure that once Helen speaks that Lynn will feel compelled to make some kind statement. Let’s give Helen a warm welcome and hope that the words within the pages of the bible will help her to lay rest to whatever this issue might be.” Deacon James considered himself to be a confidant to many. He
had heard his fair share of sin and confessions. Some of them were not suitable for those of an impressionable age. “The only way to get through this is to give it a voice. Forgiveness is an amazing tool and one that is vastly underutilized in my opinion. Helen, tell us what has caused this rift between you and Lynn. We all know the back story. I’m sure that Lynn is still feeling the loss of her mother. That woman was considered a saint amongst all of us.” There was a silent bow from those sitting on the benches and from Deacon James himself.

  Lynn’s mother Kate had dedicated her time to those that needed her the most. She volunteered her services, even though she had a fulltime job running a small deli shop. That shop was destined to go to Lynn, but she found herself rebelling against it and in turn the shop was turned over to those with deep pockets. Kate was the exact opposite of her daughter. Kate was dark haired with a generous height of over 5’10 and 150 pounds. Lynn had taken the traits of her blonde blue eyed father Henry who died just after she was born. This was the type of loss that was crushing her very soul and keeping her from moving forward.

  Helen wasn’t sure that this was the right decision, but she didn’t see any way other than to let others speak for her. “I don’t know where to begin. I guess it all started when I was surprised to learn that Kate had found me a suitable role model. I really don’t know what she was thinking. I work long hours as a lawyer. I hardly have any time for myself let alone a teenage daughter that is dealing with too many issues to count. I want to be there for her for that stability in her life, but she won’t listen. She thinks that she knows everything. All of you at one time thought the same thing growing up. We all did, but if we could go back to our young self, I’m sure that we would tell them to act their age and don’t do something stupid. I only wonder what either one of us would say in response if we had a chance to go back and do it all over again.” Helen could not have children and she was destined to live with that knowledge. It had ruined a few relationships and sent the guy packing after he learned the terrible truth.