The Cripple’s Bride_Family of Love Series_A Western Romance Story

by Elliee Atkinson

  “It’s been at least two or three months since the weather has permitted this,” Elizabeth agreed with her brother, nodding. “I miss it when it’s cold. I don’t like cold weather.”

  “Someone in town said that we should be expecting another bad storm before the weather breaks for spring and summer,” Chris said as he dropped down on the blanket next to Riley.

  “Oh no,” Elizabeth frowned for a moment, but when Tom sat next to her and patted her leg, she smiled at him.

  “Don’t worry, Beth. We’ll take care of you. We’ll all take care of each other. Everything will be fine.”

  “Well, it might be for us, but there are a lot of people out there who are traveling and might get in trouble.”

  Tom chuckled. He put one arm around her shoulders and squeezed for a moment before letting go. “You worry about everyone, my dear. That’s simply adorable.”

  “Thank you, Tom. You say such sweet things.”

  He tipped his cowboy hat at her and smiled brightly. “That’s what I’m here for.”

  “How do they know what the weather is going to be like?” Allan asked. “I know the seasons, but how can they possibly know there will be another cold storm?”

  “I think I know how,” Riley said. They all turned to look at the pretty girl. Her hair fell down over her chest in two tightly wound braids. Her eyes flashed when she looked at each of them. “I heard Pa talking to Mama just yesterday. He said the same thing Chris said. She asked him where he heard it from. He said that there have been reports from across the country, sent by telegram, mind you, that a storm is passing over the whole country and they don’t know when it will break or if it will until it reaches the ocean on the West Coast.”

  “So he learned it from people sending letters from across the nation?”

  Riley nodded. “My pa and a friend of his, well, you all know Mark.” The group nodded. “Pa and Mark have been working on this weather system. I don’t know much about it, but they are trying to predict when there will be rain and when it will be dry so that they can prepare ahead of time. That includes snowstorms and any other dangerous situations.”

  “That sounds like a lot of work,” Tom said and then cringed when Elizabeth slapped him lightly on the arm.

  “That’s only because you are lazy,” she teased. She knew being lazy was the last thing Tom was. He was a hard working young man who worked with wood at the mill all day while he studied to become a doctor. Elizabeth asked him a few months after they began courting why he would still work at the lumber mill when his father, Dr. Campbell, had an established practice in Wickenburg and he could easily be an apprentice.

  His answer was that he wanted to work with his hands while he was young, creating and building things. When he was done with his studies and knew the time was right, he would stop physical labor and move into the position of physician’s assistant. His father had given him all the time he wanted, which encouraged him to work harder for his goals.

  “I would love to see their findings,” Allan said. He pushed his new glasses up on his nose, thinking it might be time to have them adjusted. They seemed to have loosened over the past six months.

  “I’ll bet you would,” Riley said with a smile. “And I’m sure they would both be very interested in showing you every single little detail. I swear, it’s all Mama Alice can do to get them to stop talking about it all the time.”

  She and her friends laughed.

  “Well, it really is a good invention, though,” Sue said. “I mean, if we were able to predict what the weather might be, we could prepare for things a lot easier. They do have that right. And we’d know what to wear and whether we need galoshes and things of that sort.”

  “I can already tell when I need to wear galoshes,” Chris said with a wide grin. “I look through the window and see if it’s raining out.”

  “Oh you,” Riley gave him a playful slap. “You are so dull.”

  Chris feigned injury, grabbing his arm where she’d slapped him. “Dull? Me?”

  “Why don’t you two stop flirting and eat some of this delicious ham Riley’s mother packed this morning. And guess what else is in here?” Sue grinned at them.

  “I’ll take a guess,” Chris spoke up. “I bet there’s pie in there, isn’t there?”

  Sue laughed. “Of course. And what kind?”

  “Apple and cherry!” All six of them said it at the same time.

  That’s what Mrs. Collins always packed. It was ironic, Elizabeth thought, because those were the two pies that her mother had baked and sent with her to meet Sue and Tom for the first time. Since then, there hadn’t been any other types of pies. Not even pumpkin. Elizabeth didn’t mind that. She was not a fan of pumpkin pie.

  “What kind of pie do you want, Chris?” Riley asked, glancing over her shoulder at him. He shrugged.

  “Whichever kind you give me is fine, Ry. I like them both.”

  Elizabeth watched her brother and his fiancée as they related to one another. She had noticed that of the three couples, they reacted to things in a much more mature fashion. Chris was the oldest of the group. They treated each other as if they had always been together. They finished each other’s sentences and talked with the parents and other adults as if they were a married couple already. She and Tom got along famously, but it felt different than what she saw in Chris and Riley.

  “Chris!”

  Six pairs of eyes looked back toward the house, which was fairly far away. Someone was riding toward them on horseback. When he got closer, they could see that it was Mr. Samuels, Allan, Chris, and Elizabeth’s father.

  Chris stood up, brushing off his hands on his trousers. Allan and Tom also stood, their faces worried.

  “Pa!” Chris lifted one hand to signify he saw and heard his father.

  Mr. Samuels did not dismount when he reached them. “I did not mean to alarm you,” he said. “I just wanted to share some exciting news with you and I want you and your brother and sister to help me surprise your mother with the news this evening.”

  Elizabeth and the other girls were on their feet in a flash, holding up their skirts as they approached the horse in the ankle high grass. “What is it, Pa?” Elizabeth asked excitedly. She loved to give her mother gifts and surprises. It made her feel warm inside just to think about it.

  “Her brother is coming to Wickenburg.”

  “Uncle Daryl?” Elizabeth and Allan said at the same time. They looked at each other and smiled.

  “Yes, Daryl. He is thinking of moving away from Louisville and wants to see what it’s like in a smaller town. Since we are here, he chose Wickenburg.”

  “Will he be staying with us until he finds his own lodgings?” Allan asked. “I will give him my bedroom if he needs it. I don’t mind.”

  Mr. Samuels looked at Allan proudly, but was shaking his head. “He won’t need your room, son. We have one more in the back, remember?”

  Allan nodded. “Yes, it’s filled with boxes and barrels and the like.”

  “We’ll clean it out.”

  “How long till he arrives, Pa?” Elizabeth asked.

  “He will be here in about a week.”

  “He is only thinking of moving to Wickenburg? How long do you think he will stay?”

  Mr. Samuels chuckled. “I don’t know the answer to those questions. I only know what the telegram says. I want you three to be with me at dinner tonight to present the telegram to your mother. You know how much she loves her brother. She will be absolutely delighted to find out he is coming to visit.”

  “And the prospect of him moving here?” Chris grinned wide. “She might faint. We better set pillows and cushions around her if she’s standing.”

  Elizabeth looked at him. “We’ll just have to make sure she’s sitting when we tell her.”

  “Yes, we will have her sit down. I am going to buy a nice thick piece of meat to roast for her tonight and a sack of potatoes. If you think of anything else she might want for a special dinner, let me kn
ow.”

  They said goodbye to their father and turned to talk excitedly to one another.

  CHAPTER TWO

  READY TO ESCAPE

  READY TO ESCAPE

  Daryl lifted the heavy sack and slung it into the back of his covered wagon. Heath was inside the wagon and leaned over to pull the sack into a more suitable position.

  “You sure you wanna take all these things with you when you won’t have anywhere to store them until you get your own place?” Heath asked, removing his hat and wiping his forehead with the back of his gloved hand.

  Daryl grunted, lifting another sack. “These are supplies I was keeping for bad weather. My brother has three kids and I know they can always use more flour and sugar and salt. It will pay for my room and board. She’s got plenty of room, even a spare room I can sleep in. But I’ll be gettin’ my own place quick. I don’t want to intrude on my brother’s life.”

  “I understand what you mean,” Heath agreed and nodded, gripping the bag Daryl had just hoisted into the wagon and moving it to sit near the other one.

  Daryl rested for a moment, his fists against his hips. He breathed heavily and looked up at his friend, who leaned out, his arms up on the canopy of the wagon. “I didn’t know moving was such a task. I feel like I’m at work.”

  “Nothing like some real hard work to get the old heart pumpin’,” Heath replied. “It’s good for ya, friend. You’re gettin’ old.”

  Daryl grunted. “I know that already. Ain’t no woman gonna want this old bachelor. Too many years under the belt.”

  Heath let out a sharp “Ha!” and shook his head, climbing down from the wagon. “Don’t say stuff like that, Daryl. People might start to think you’re losing it up here.” He tapped his temple. “And you don’t want that, do ya?”

  Daryl had to laugh. “I guess I don’t want that.”

  Heath shook his head. “No. You don’t want that. Come on, let’s take a break and get a drink. I’m famished for some good strong whiskey.”

  “We’d have to go into town for that, Heath. Got rid of all the alcohol in the house.”

  Heath raised his eyebrows. “What? Okay, well, I’m up for a ride if you are.”

  Daryl thought about it for a minute as they walked toward the house. He hadn’t had a drop of liquor in two days. The first night he’d found out what Laura had done, he drank himself into a stupor at the saloon and had to be escorted home. He still didn’t know who it was who had made sure he got home safe, but whoever it was, he was grateful. Nearly everyone in Louisville knew about Laura, even people Daryl didn’t know. Apparently, she’d had a completely separate life from the one he knew.

  He’d never felt like such a fool. However, even Laura’s friends were reaching out to tell him it wasn’t his fault that she was that kind of woman.

  Before they went in the house, they heard a woman’s voice call out to Daryl. For a moment, he thought it was a figment of his imagination because he was heartbroken. When Heath, who had instantly turned, jostled him with his elbow, he turned and looked behind him. It was Esther. He felt both relieved and bitter at the same time. Why should he have expected Laura to come running to him? No one had heard anything from her since she left with that no-good scoundrel…

  Daryl forced himself to pull his thoughts away from Laura. He turned toward her, looking at Heath. “Go on in. I’ll be right with you.”

  Heath nodded. “Tell Esther I said hello and I hope her and kin are doing well.”

  “I will.” Daryl walked down the steps and met Esther at the bottom. He looked down at her worried face, wondering why she had been cursed with looking so much older than she actually was. It didn’t take long for logic to kick in. She was living a life of hell with a monstrous husband. It was no wonder that her once beautiful brown hair was streaked with gray and she was only 32 years old. She was clutching her shawl around her thin shoulders as if it was freezing outdoors. He felt like a giant standing in front of her. He dropped his eyes to her fingers, curled around a piece of the shawl’s fabric to hold the two parts together. They were thin, no fat, no meat, only skin and bones. His heart ached.

  “Esther, what are you doing here? Is everything all right? Are you all right? The kids?”

  “Oh Daryl,” Esther reached out and grasped his arm, looking up at him with pleading eyes. “Is it true? Are you really leaving?”

  Daryl licked his lips. He knew the woman depended on him, but he had to leave Louisville. For his own sanity. “Yes, Esther, I’m sorry. I would take you and your children with me, but you know that’s not going to happen.”

  Esther’s tears ran silently over her bony cheeks. “Oh Daryl, what will we do without you here?”

  Daryl put his hands on her arms, looking down at her with gentle eyes. “Esther. You will be all right. Johnny knows how to fire a pistol and he’s almost at the age where he will be able to defend you and his siblings and keep you safe.”

  “He’s not at that age. He won’t do what’s necessary. He loves his pa.”

  Daryl nodded. “I know he does, Esther. I would never say he didn’t.”

  “And his pa loves him!” Esther spat out the words as if she was a trained dog and she hated the trick.

  Daryl hesitated. “I’m sure he does in his own way, my dear. Do you want to come inside and sit? I’ll make you a cup of coffee or tea and you can relax.”

  She eased herself out of his grasp, looking as though it was the last thing she really wanted to do. She dropped her eyes, unable to look up at him. “I… I can’t. If he knew I was over here… it took me these past two days to find time to come see you. I heard about what Laura did. The woman is an arrogant fool.” This time Esther literally spat on the ground. “She must be blind in the eyes, heart and mind. Any woman can see what a fine gentleman you are. You are worth too much to be with such a shallow creature anyway.”

  “I’m flattered, Esther. But I’m sure we all have our problems to deal with and sometimes other people just don’t want to forgive faults.”

  Esther sneered. Daryl noticed she was missing one of her molars. He didn’t allow the shudder that passed through him to be visible on the outside. He could only imagine how she had lost that tooth.

  “It doesn’t look like you’ve eaten for a bit. Please, let me give you some food.”

  Again, Esther refused, shaking her head. “I’ll be fine. As long as my children are fed, it doesn’t matter about me.”

  “But Esther,” Daryl turned, putting his arm around the small woman’s shoulders and directing her back toward the house. She was listening to him so closely, she didn’t notice he was directing her steps. “You know that’s not true. In your heart you know it isn’t. If you don’t nourish yourself, if you don’t take care of yourself, you will not live a long life. When you are gone, who will take care of your little ones? Johnny? Do you really want to do that to him? He would have to deal with his pa, wouldn’t he? You wouldn’t want that.”

  Esther shook her head. “No. I wouldn’t want that. I really wouldn’t want that. Johnny doesn’t deserve that.”

  “Please let me get you some ham, cheese and bread. And a cup of coffee to warm you up. You look like you might freeze to death. It’s such a bright sunny day. Do you want to sit out here in the sun on the porch?”

  Only one side of the porch was bathed in sunlight, but it was the side with the swing and several chairs. Daryl looked down at her. “Would you like my porch furniture, Esther? I’m not taking it with me.”

  “I don’t like to take charity. I ain’t a charity case.”

  Daryl shook his head, bending over as she subconsciously sat on one of the cushioned chairs, directly in the warm sunlight. She seemed to relax a little once she was seated and he took the seat next to her. “I’m not offering them to you out of charity, Esther. I’m offering them to you as a friend. You must listen to me, Esther, please. I beg of you. Stop this. What’s going on over at your house. Stop it.”

  “I don’t know how, Daryl.”
Her voice was shaky when she spoke.

  “I’ll tell you what, Esther. Once I get established in Wickenburg, I will find a house for you and your kids. I will come back and sweep you all up in my wagon and cart you off to Wickenburg. If you never mention it to anyone, not even your kids, then no one will ever know where you’ve gone. That’s including Mr. Fisher.”

  Esther stared out into space, blinking softly. Daryl felt sorry for her and reached out to put one hand on her thin shoulder. “I want to help you, Esther, because I am your friend. Not because I think of you as unable to care for yourself. I know how hard you work to protect your family. But it seems to me you are sacrificing yourself in the process. You’re making it so that you are stretched all the way to nothing. You have nothing to give yourself at the end of the day to comfort you. I’m so sorry about that, my dear.”

  “You are so wise, Daryl.” She turned her dark eyes to look at him. He could tell she hadn’t slept a lot lately.

  “You haven’t been sleeping, have you?” he asked.

  “Not a lot.”

  “Why not? Please, if you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine. I just want to see if I can help. Has something been happening?”

  Esther began to shake uncontrollably. He looked at her sympathetically. She wasn’t shaking because she was cold. She hadn’t worn the shawl because she was cold. She was thin, malnourished and sleep-deprived. She was ashamed of the way she looked and that’s why she wore the shawl.

  “Oh Daryl,” she whispered. “It has been getting so much worse since those hustlers took him for the rest of our cattle.”

  Daryl frowned. Gambling away his family’s property was Mr. Fisher’s way of showing dominance in the household. It left his family with no food, no security and no confidence. Daryl didn’t care for the man.

  “Is there anything I can do for you? Just tell me, Esther. I want to be here for you. You have been a good friend and neighbor for me. I love your kids. I don’t want anything to happen to you or them.”

  “It’s already happening, Daryl.” A few tears slid over her cheek and she reached up and swiped them away in frustration. “I am stuck with him and there’s nothing I can do about it.”