by Etta Foster
Coralee simply shook her head, doing her best to ignore the blush that blazed across her cheeks. “We've not had a lot of time together, as you've noticed. Our conversations never seem to land on the topic of marriage, though I’m thinking that I would like to bring it up to him once he’s feeling better.”
“That's fair.” Viola didn't sound completely convinced, but thankfully she dropped it for now. “I'll go and prepare dinner. I'll bring you up your plate, so you don't have to leave his side. Let us know if anything happens.”
“I will,” Coralee said cheerfully, doing her best to muster up a smile. It wouldn't do to allow everyone to remain in such low spirits. “Try not to worry about him too much. The doctor says he isn't in any real danger, and that’s the best we could hope for.”
The sound of the front door slamming closed caught Coralee's attention. She gave Viola a questioning look, the sound of footsteps on the stairs causing her to glance toward the door just as Claudia and Jude stepped into the room. Claudia had a look of concern on her face, while Jude simply looked dismissive.
“What happened?” Claudia demanded angrily, looking over at Coralee accusingly.
“He fell from his horse, Claudia. The thunder spooked the animal and Gavin was thrown off. The doctor has already been by and examined him; he says it isn't anything life-threatening. However, he's going to be bedridden for the rest of the week. That means you’re going to need to see to his duties in his place, Jude.”
“Are you kidding me?” Jude whined, receiving a smack on the back of the head from Claudia shortly afterward.
“Grow a spine, Jude. Your brother almost died today,” Claudia snapped, kneeling beside Coralee and stroking Gavin’s cheek. “Poor Gavin.”
Coralee had to hold her tongue to prevent herself from making a snide comment. It seemed a little strange that Claudia was showing this much concern, but maybe that was just her own inexperience talking. People could have a relationship not work out and still care about one another, right?
“Claudia, I'm glad you came along. Please help me prepare dinner. Jude, I need you to go out to the stables and make sure that all the horses have food and water for the night. It’s usually one of the last stops Gavin makes when he’s getting ready to come in for the night, but he probably hasn't seen to it yet.” Viola raised her hand right as Jude was about to open his mouth to protest, shaking her head. “Please don't fight me on this, Jude. I'm not in the mood for debate. This is one of the things you should be doing anyway. That was the deal, remember?”
Jude scoffed and turned on his heel, the sound of him stomping down the stairs followed by the sound of the front door slamming closed. Isaac walked back into the room, shaking his head in disapproval. “How many times have I told that boy not to slam the door?”
“He always did have a short temper,” Claudia chimed in, following Viola out of the room. The sound of them going down the stairs was loud enough that Coralee could hear every step, turning back to Isaac now that they were alone.
“I can take it from here, sir. You should go rest, too,” she said, returning to her seat and wiping Gavin's forehead with a damp washcloth.
“Thank you, Jessica. You put my heart at ease,” Isaac said softly, gently squeezing her shoulder before exiting the room.
Chapter 17
Three days passed by in similar fashion. Coralee didn't leave Gavin's side except for occasionally going to relieve herself, not wanting to be away from him any longer than necessary.
She would talk to him while he slept, admitting secrets to him that she hoped he wouldn't remember when he finally awoke. Viola brought her some of the dime novels she owned, which helped Coralee pass the time.
“As Shirley gazed over the bouquet of roses that Sherman had brought her, she felt that familiar flutter in her chest. He was gazing at her with deep affection, their time together having brought them to this point. He picked her up and pressed his lips against hers with a fervent passion, the flowers falling to the ground as she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck. You have nothing more to worry about, Shirley. From now on, I'll take care of you. Forever and always,” Coralee read, sniffling gently as she closed the book. “That story always gets to me.”
“My mother was rather fond of that story, too,” Gavin mumbled softly, his eyes slowly opening. He blinked a couple of times before looking up at her blearily, groaning as he attempted to raise his arms above his head to stretch. “I feel like I've been laying here for days.”
“Well, you have been unconscious for almost four days now,” Coralee replied, her voice faltering briefly. “Everyone is going to be so relieved to see that you’re awake.”
“Can we maybe not let them know right away?” Gavin asked, reaching his hand out to gently take her hand in his. This surprised Coralee, but she didn't try to withdraw her hand from his. She felt his thumb run across the back of her hand, squeezing lightly. “You and I should talk.”
“You aren't thinking of calling off the wedding, are you?” Coralee asked softly, lowering her head.
“Far from it. I wanted to talk to you about the details of our marriage. You've been around for a month now and we've not really been able to have any conversations about the reason why you’re here to begin with. I had planned on talking to you when I got back on Monday, but you know how that turned out,” he concluded sheepishly, offering her a small smile.
“I sure do,” Coralee laughed, returning a shy smile. She noticed that he was still holding her hand, not that she was complaining. It was kind of refreshing for him to offer any kind of genuine affection other than the glances he occasionally gave her. “I was going to give you a hard time about the horseback riding, but I guess I can excuse you this time.”
“Thank you for the levity,” he laughed, wincing as his hand moved to rub against the side of his head gently. “I feel like someone smacked me in the side of the head with a hammer.”
“Harland thinks you hit your head on a rock when you fell off your horse. That might have something to do with it,” Coralee offered, grabbing the nearby washcloth and wiping away some of the sweat that glistened on Gavin's forehead. “I'm surprised you don't have more swelling on that side, to be honest.”
“I'm surprised my horse didn't trample me by accident,” Gavin replied, trying to sit up and exclaiming in pain.
“Just stay lying down,” Coralee commanded, placing her hand on his chest to firmly push him back down. “You’re not supposed to leave this bed unless absolutely necessary. The doctor says you were severely exhausted. A few more days and you might very well have worked yourself to death.”
“Was it really that bad?” Gavin questioned aloud, rubbing his face with his hands gently. “I didn't think I was doing that much more than usual.”
This silly man takes working hard just a little too far. Does he not realize how amazing he is? Even his parents tell me all the time about the sheer scope of what he does every day. It makes my head spin every time. He might have help with some of it, but he's been forcing himself to do practically everything alone. I can't tell if it’s pride, or something else.
“Did you do something new with your hair?” Gavin asked, his hand reaching out to gently comb through the strands with his fingers.
“I haven't combed it in a few days,” Coralee admitted with embarrassment, biting her bottom lip gently. “I haven't really left your bedside since Harland brought you in.”
The surprised but grateful look on Gavin's face made everything she had done in the last few days seem worth it. She leaned forward to once again run her cloth against his forehead, but he caught her wrist with his free hand. Their faces were almost touching now, with Gavin's eyes gazing deeply into hers.
I think he is going to kiss me. Her heart began to beat faster at the thought, her suddenly dry throat forcing her to swallow gently on reflex. Lord knows I want him to.
Right as their lips were about to meet, Claudia walked in. Coralee pulled back out of reflex, her head
whipping around in time to see Claudia leaning against the door frame, her arms crossed over her chest. “I was going to come and ask if he had woken up yet, but I guess this answers my question. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?” she asked, feigning innocence.
“Nothing at all,” Coralee said, clearing her throat gently when she realized how dry her voice had sounded. She reached for her glass of water and took a small sip, grateful as the cool liquid flowed down her throat. “We were just talking about our upcoming marriage, is all.”
There was something in the way Claudia’s gaze went back and forth between Gavin and Coralee that Coralee didn't like. From what she had gathered from the little bit Viola had told her, Claudia had been the one who decided to leave Gavin for Jude.
It had also been her idea for them to run away to another state rather than staying on the ranch, and yet their current interactions wouldn't leave one to believe they were deep enough in love for them to elope.
Claudia moved across the room, surprising Coralee by taking a seat in the chair next to her. She was looking at Gavin with what appeared to be genuine concern, but Coralee couldn't help but be suspicious.
Ever since they had first arrived, Claudia had gone out of her way to say as little to Coralee as possible. She had originally chalked it up to jealousy about her engagement to Gavin, but she was beginning to suspect that wasn't the only issue.
“You look like hell,” Claudia said to Coralee, turning to look right at her. Coralee thought for a moment that Claudia was trying to pick on her again, but the look on the other woman's face quickly put those fears to rest. “You don't look like you've had a good sleep in days.”
“I told Viola that I would sit with him until he woke up. I meant it,” Coralee replied, feeling Gavin's intent gaze on her and blushing gently. “I did doze off a couple of times, but I stayed with him this whole time.”
“No one is going to begrudge you for that, I'm sure,” Gavin offered. “Thank you again, Jessica.”
“Don't mention it,” she said dismissively. “It just felt like the right thing to do. Your betrothed should be there to support you in times like this, right?”
“You aren't his wife yet,” Claudia interjected, recoiling slightly from the looks she got from Gavin and Coralee. “I mean, you aren't. You guys haven't tied the knot just yet.”
“That is something we need to remedy as soon as possible,” Gavin said, surprising both women sitting there.
“You mean it?” Coralee asked, trying to keep her voice from rising with excitement.
“I do. I’ll talk to my Pop about figuring out when we can arrange the date. I would like to keep it a small ceremony with only family,” he said, gazing over at Claudia. “With some exceptions, I suppose.”
“Jessica, I can take over here if you want to go get yourself some rest,” Claudia said loudly, her face clearly showing that she was doing her best to ignore the insinuation in his previous statement.
As nice as sleep sounded, the look that Gavin gave her was reason enough to refuse. She had always been pretty good at reading a room, and she could tell that the last thing Gavin wanted right now was to be left alone with Claudia. “No thank you, Claudia. I can rest later tonight. There are some urgent things I need to discuss with Gavin.”
“You said you’re from Boston, right?” Claudia ignored Coralee's protests, willfully scooting closer to Gavin's bed. “You’re so lucky. I've wanted to go to Boston for years. Jude promised me that we would make our way out there someday, but this is the farthest we've traveled east in the last five years.”
Coralee grimaced at the mention of Boston. She'd been doing her best not to think about her former home, and for the last few days, she'd been succeeding. Her insecurities all slammed back into her like a ton of bricks and a touch of homesickness welled up inside of her. “I am indeed from Boston. It's a rather nice place, and you should visit if you ever get the chance,” she said shortly, not wanting to say more, for fear of letting something slip.
“I'm sorry, Claudia, but we were in the middle of a conversation. Would you excuse us while we finish? You can talk to Gavin when he’s feeling better.” Coralee did her best to sound pleasant, not wanting the other woman to pick up on how uncomfortable her presence made her feel.
“Oh right. Sorry,” Claudia sounded put out but didn't object, rising from her seat and casting one last glance at them before walking out of the room. “I guess I'll see you at dinner.”
They watched Claudia walk dejectedly out of the room, causing Coralee to feel just a little guilty. From what she could see, Claudia was stuck in a marriage that wasn't the greatest.
She'd only ever really heard the two of them speak shortly with one another, and there always seemed to be some hostility in their tones when they spoke with one another. I can't imagine being at that point with Gavin. Marriage is supposed to open communication between people, not discourage it. Not that Jude seems like the easiest person to get along with. Maybe I should try and befriend her.
“I know we said we were going to talk more, but I think I'm going to sleep some more,” Gavin said apologetically. “I suddenly feel really drowsy. You understand, don’t you, Jessica?”
“Of course, I do. You’re injured, and the doctor says you need to rest. I hope you sleep well. I'll talk to you some more when you wake up, okay?” Coralee picked up her book and stood, offering him one last smile.
“You know, you could just share my bed,” he said, gesturing toward the other half of the mattress. “We’re going to be married, after all.”
“Once we’re married, I'll be more than happy to share a bed with you. Until then, however, I refuse to do anything that might seem improper,” she replied, sticking her tongue out at him. “Besides, I like having room to stretch out. I wouldn't want to deprive you of that liberty.”
Chapter 18
I feel like a million bucks. Gavin stood out on the front porch, stretching lightly. Now that he felt good enough to be up and about again, he silently promised himself that he would never allow himself to end up in that kind of a predicament again if it could be helped. Next time he might not walk away with just a slight concussion.
He thought of Jessica, smiling at the memory of how protective she had been of him during his injury. She hadn't necessarily babied him, but she had certainly made his life a hell of a lot easier while he had been on the mend. Without her company, he probably would have died of boredom during his forced relaxation. Despite his complaints, his father was still not allowing him to return to his duties around the ranch.
“Jude and Harland have it under control,” Isaac had told him dismissively that morning over breakfast. “You’re supposed to be focusing on taking care of yourself. What's more, this is the first time in five years when your entire life doesn’t have to revolve around the goings-on of the ranch. Why don't you spend your time a little more constructively and get to know your wife-to-be?”
That probably isn't such a bad idea. Gavin stroked his chin as he watched a couple of birds flutter about near the bird feeder in the front yard. She deserves recognition for tending to me while I was on the mend. I don't want her to think that it wasn't important or that I'm not grateful. But what can I do that will be worthy of what she's done?
He sat there puzzling for a while, smacking his fist into his outstretched palm when a sudden flash of inspiration struck him. I'll take her out for a special night in town. We'll have a nice dinner, and maybe spend the night at the hotel. It will give us a chance to have a night away from the family, so it is just as much a gift to me as a gift to her.
He loved his family to death but being around Jude and Claudia was only serving to keep his old wounds open and painful. It was bad enough that Claudia was repeatedly trying to catch him when he was alone. It doesn't help that I'm still a little steamed with her for interrupting me and Jessica a few days ago. I almost managed to get a kiss from her.
He made his way up the stairs to his bedroom and retrieved hi
s wallet, stuffing it unceremoniously into his back pocket. Checking for Jessica in her room, he made his way down to the kitchen when he saw no sign of her upstairs. Sure enough, he found her in the kitchen chatting with his mother.
“Good morning, ladies,” Gavin said cheerfully, leaning down next to his mother and kissing her lightly on the cheek. He did the same to Jessica, secretly enjoying the flustered look she got when he did so. “I've been looking for you, Jessica.”
“What for?” she inquired blankly. “Did I do something wrong?”
“On the contrary,” Gavin replied, sitting down next to where Jessica sat and giving her hand a gentle squeeze. “I wanted to show my thanks to you for taking care of me.”
“Oh,” she replied simply.
“So, if you’re willing, I would like you to come into town with me,” Gavin said winningly, giving her another gentle kiss on the cheek. “It would please me greatly if you would agree to come.”
“I don't see why not,” Coralee replied cheerfully, glancing over at Viola, who was nodding in agreement.
