Gwyneth

by Christine Sterling

  When they had all left, Aedan dropped the gun as Gwyneth ran into his arms. “I can’t believe you did that,” she said, as she cried into his shoulder.

  “I can’t believe it either; but for now, we are safe.”

  “What are we going to do?” she asked him, as she looked at him with teary eyes.

  “We are just going to do what we can,” he said, as he led her outside, so they could go back to the house. He wasn’t sure what their next step would be, but he knew that they would be able to take it together.

  Chapter Nine

  September

  Gwyneth exited the butcher shop with a smile on her face. It was a good month, and she was glad that she was able to make a good deal with Olive. It had been a few weeks since the incident with Mortimer. Once they shook off the initial scare as a family, she wondered what would happen to them. She had thought Mortimer would be back to terrorize them again, but it seemed that he had moved on.

  It also seemed that Dinky had moved along too. After he had moved the still, Gwyneth was afraid that he would start making the liquor again. But it turned out that Dinky was nowhere to be found. Aedan mentioned that it was probably because he was afraid they were going to find the still and destroy it, so he decided to take his business elsewhere in fear.

  Gwyneth did the only thing she could do; she continued with the hunting business. It had thrived even more in the last few months. Aedan had started to take a more active role in the business and now they were shooting twice as much as before. Gwyneth had also become a better marksman with the help of Aedan, and she rarely missed whatever found its way into her sights.

  Aedan remarked that he must have been a good hunter in his past life, because he could make a target at a great distance without any help. Bits and pieces of his memory were starting to come back, but he still couldn’t remember everything. Things like what he was doing travelling by her creek that warm summer day in June.

  They had grown closer too; so much so, that Harley had asked Gwyneth if Aedan and she were going to have a baby. Gwyneth blushed so hard that she almost choked on her coffee.

  She made an excuse to him, saying that it was too soon to tell, but she couldn’t shake the idea from her head. She had wondered what their life would be like together if he could remember his past. He kept his promise and was the perfect gentlemen, not even kissing her although she knew both of them wanted to.

  She wanted him to stay with her, even if he didn’t admit he loved her; she knew that she loved him deeply and desperately. And she knew it wasn’t just because he was good at helping her at the house; she knew that she could get by without him if she needed to. He was important to her, to the boys, and she wanted to know if he felt the same way.

  His past was always looming in the background. She had asked him if he wanted to know what his life was like before; if she was in his position, she knew that she would be curious. All he did was laugh. “Don’t borrow trouble, Gwyn,” he would say to her. “I have you, Joy, and the boys. I don’t need anything else,” he told her. When she heard his words, her heart felt like it was going to burst, and she wanted to kiss the living daylights out of him.

  But she held her ground, keeping to the promises they made when they exchanged vows.

  It did fill her with hope that even if he didn’t love her now, he would possibly learn to love her over time.

  When she went to the butcher shop, she had told the boys and Aedan to stay with Joy at the wagon. She walked back to see the boys playing with Joy and Aedan talking to Pastor Stone.

  “Oh Pastor, what are you doing here?” she asked, as she set the basket she was holding into the wagon.

  “I’m here to visit the doctor. We have a bit of a sickness going around Curly’s Crossing and I was hoping he could make it out to see some of the townspeople. I saw Aedan here and we were just catching up.” He nodded towards Joy. “She has grown so quickly.”

  “Thank you,” she said. “She’s growing too fast, I think.”

  “Yes,” agreed Aedan, with pride beaming in his eyes.

  Pastor Stone looked from Aedan to Gwyneth and smiled. “You two are lovely together. I can tell you really love each other. I’m glad it worked out.”

  Aedan turned back to the pastor. “I beg your pardon?”

  “When I first met you, I could see the spark between you. And now it seems to have only grown with time. It did work out, didn’t it?”

  Aedan gave him a blank stare as Gwyneth laughed awkwardly. “No, Preacher, we are still waiting for him to get his memory back,” she said, choking on her words.

  This only made Pastor Stone’s smile widen. “Good. Good. Just a matter of time. Oh, before I forget, the attorney will be in Curdy’s Crossing next week. Perhaps you can visit him when you deliver the next round of fish? I do love that smoked fish you make,” he said with a wink before bidding them goodbye.

  “What was that about?” Aedan said, as he turned towards the horse. “Why are you seeing an attorney?” Worry laced his voice.

  “Let’s talk about it when we get home.” Gwyneth said. Despite what the pastor thought, she still wasn’t sure how he felt, though his silence on the matter gave her much to think about. Maybe she was more invested in him than he with her, and it made her stomach drop a little.

  Aedan nodded and climbed into the wagon.

  Gwyneth went to get into the wagon, when she heard a woman to the side calling to her. “Gwyneth! Wait, don’t leave.”

  When she turned, she saw that it was the marshal. She remembered the last time they had seen each other and the rage that was on her face. It wasn’t present now. “Cordelia, I’m sorry, I honestly wasn’t aware of the still. And I’m not sure where it is now, since we think Dinky has taken it.”

  “I know,” Cordelia said. “I actually wanted to apologize to you. I thought you were the one behind everything, but I’ve found that I was wrong. Dinky knew about the still and decided to take it after Clint had died. You weren’t aware of its existence until much later.”

  Aedan came to stand next to Gwyneth, putting his hand around her arm. The touch felt nice, as she leaned into him. “I accept your apology. I just want you to know that I never intended for anyone to get hurt, much less the town. You all were so nice to me with my business after Clint had died. I don’t know what I would have done without that kindness.”

  Cordelia smiled. “You are such a hard worker, it would be unwise for us not to take you on. I wanted to make a formal request to buy the meat again. I’m sorry I let my feelings get in the way of our business relationship.”

  “But I’m not sure about where Dinky is,” Gwyneth replied. “He’s still out there making liquor and who knows when he will be back.”

  “And if he does, we will figure it out,” she said, as she turned to Aedan. “I’m sorry for all the things I said to you, Aedan.”

  Aedan scratched the back of his head. “Thank you,” he said.

  “I heard congratulations are in order. Pastor Stone mentioned he married you last month.”

  “Yeah,” Jess called from the back of the wagon. “That’s my Ma and Pa. And this is my little sister.”

  Cordelia walked over and took a peek at the baby resting on Arnold’s lap. “She has grown so much. How do you like being a big brother, Stinker?”

  “My name is Arnold,” he politely corrected her. Cordelia’s eyes widened, but she smiled.

  “Of course.”

  “I love having a sister. I’m going to teach her to catch toads when she is big enough.”

  Cordelia laughed. “I do believe you will.”

  She turned back to Gwyneth. “You have done a fine job taking those boys in.”

  “I can’t imagine being without them now.”

  Cordelia nodded and headed down the walkway. Aedan went to help Gwyneth into the wagon. He was walking around to get in on the other side when he heard Cordelia call his name again.

  “I nearly forgot to tell you. There are some ranchers th
at have been by the Crystal Cafe. I think that they might be looking for you. They are in there dining now, it you want to stop by,” she said as she turned back to Gwyneth. “I hope you can find time in the next few days to drop by and we can make a formal agreement to get back on track with meat supply, furs and protecting the town from the wild cats and bears. I have to be getting back; I do hope you come by,” she said with a wave, as she walked back towards the Marshal’s office.

  Aedan didn’t say anything for a long time. “Don’t you want to follow her?” she asked, as she turned to him.

  “I said before, my past doesn’t matter.”

  “But I think it does. Don’t you want to know what you are leaving behind? You can’t move forward until you release the past.”

  This seemed to spur him on. “You are right. We should go,” he said, as he grabbed her hand.

  Aedan was scared. He hadn’t felt this scared before; it was like he was walking to his own funeral, and he didn’t know why. Maybe it was fear of the unknown or fear that the life he had started to build was going to come crashing down around him. He told the boys to stay with Joy in the wagon as he and Gwyneth walked to the restaurant. He squeezed Gwyneth’s hand tighter as he opened the doors and walked into the cafe lobby.

  “Aedan? Is that you?” asked a man who was walking out of the dining area. He was a tall man with a graying beard. Another younger man with curly brown hair and light eyes walked behind him. “It is you!” he said, as he walked over and grasped Aedan.

  Aedan stood stock still as the man hugged him. When he pulled way, his smile faded a little. “Aedan, are you ok? You are acting as if we are strangers.”

  “I’m sorry to say, that we are,” he said, as he looked at him and the young man behind him.

  “You don’t remember us?” asked the younger gentleman.

  “Aedan fell in the forest by my house,” answered Gwyneth. “He seems to have slight amnesia.”

  “That’s why you didn’t make it to the auction,” said the older gentleman, as he scratched his beard. “I’m Grant Khors and this is Gabriel Smith, my trail boss,” he said, pointing to the man behind them. “Aedan was also a trail boss. I sent him ahead to prepare the horses for travel.

  “I’m Gwyneth,” she said with a smile. “Maybe you can help us construct Aedan’s past?”

  “Sure. Let’s grab a cup of coffee.” He opened the door, so they could go sit back in the café.

  When they were seated, the man named Gabriel looked at Aedan. “How much do you remember?”

  “I know I’m from Montana and I worked on a farm, but other than that I don’t remember too much.”

  Gabriel nodded. “You work on Mr. Khors’ horse ranch. You are the best wrangler we’ve ever seen. You can catch and tame wild horses like no one I know.”

  “I sent you ahead to scope out the horses. When Gabe and Whitey arrived a few days later you were nowhere to be found. We didn’t know if something happened to you on the way.”

  “Whitey asked around, but no one had seen you, or knew you were here.”

  “That’s because he was at my house recovering.”

  “We had to get the horses home, so we did that. It just so happened that Mr. Khors and I were in Curdy’s Crossing last week and we ran into a really nice fellow – some pastor at the church over there. He mentioned that someone matching your description was here. So here we are.”

  “The Marshal checked out our story before confirming that you were in town and said she’d relay the message. A might protective they are of the two of you.”

  “So, are you ready to head home?” Gabriel asked.

  Aedan was at a loss for words. When he thought of home, he conjured up images of Gwyneth and the children. He had never entertained the idea of ever going back to Montana. Wildcat Ridge was his real home. But now that he was presented with the possibility of going back to his old life, he didn’t know what to do.

  He sat there for a minute, looking in his coffee cup. Finally, he asked, “Do I have family back there?”

  Gabriel laughed. “Just Sally.”

  “Sally?” Gwyneth asked with a hitch in her throat.

  “Prettiest dog you’ve ever seen. Can round up horses, and loves the trail.”

  Gwyneth breathed a sigh of relief. “So he isn’t married?”

  “No ma’am. He is a confirmed bachelor. Said he’d never get hitched or have kids. Just Sally.”

  Gwyneth’s hands started shaking. She turned to Aedan and took his hand in hers.

  “You should go with them,” said Gwyneth to his side. He looked at her, as she smiled at him.

  “No, I can’t. I should stay here.”

  “Nonsense. You should go back to your home.”

  “But, what about you and the children?”

  “We’ll make due,” Gwyneth said, her smile straining into a thin line.

  “Ma’am, I want to thank you for what you did for Aedan,” said Grant with a tip of his hat. “It’s good that you found him when you did. I don’t know how we can repay you.”

  “Aedan was very kind to my family; repayment isn’t necessary.”

  When Gwyneth referred to her family as “my” it hit Aedan in the gut. He had grown to love them as his family, and for her to almost dismiss him like that was disheartening.

  “Aedan, we should be getting on the trail,” said Gabriel as Grant walked up and put his hand on Aedan’s shoulder.

  Aedan looked back at Gwyneth, who had stayed in her place, watching them. “I should say goodbye to the children,” he started to say.

  “It would probably be better if you didn’t,” she said, her smile turning sad. “They wouldn’t understand. It’s better if there was a clean break.”

  Aedan looked at Gwyneth and then back at the gentleman who were looking at him with questioning eyes. He didn’t want to leave her; he wanted to stay there with her desperately.

  But what could he do when she was pushing him towards the door?

  He turned to face his friends. “I’ll need a horse. Mine stays here with Gwyneth.”

  Grant nodded.

  It was done.

  Chapter Ten

  The trip was long and tiring. They had been on the train for nearly 3 days and they were going to be on it for at least 2 more. The train took breaks on a regular basis so that Grant, Gabriel and Aedan could exercise and water the horses.

  He forgot how much he enjoyed being surrounded by the great beasts.

  Being in the open and surrounded by horses again, gave Aedan a chance to think about his life. Grant and Gabriel tried to make small talk with him during the trip, but Aedan couldn’t bring himself to talk to them. He spent most of his time sleeping or staring out the window watching the scenery go by.

  He held out hope that being around the hands would bring back his memory, but his mind was blank every time he tried to think about his past on the ranch.

  All he could think about was Gwyneth, Joy, and the boys. He missed them, more than he thought he would.

  He remembered the way she left the café and headed towards where the wagon was. She looked so small and it took everything he had not to run after her. She didn’t even look back. He couldn’t imagine the disappointment the boys must be feeling. Perhaps if she asked him to stay.

  But she didn’t. She practically pushed him out the door.

  He would find himself turning to tell her something, only to realize she wasn’t there next to him. He missed her warm smile, missed her light touches, missed the scent of honeysuckle in her hair. He knew he should have fought harder with her to stay, should have been adamant that he wasn’t going to leave them. He worried about their health and safety. Mortimer was still a threat, even though he doubted that he would make a play to the family now. He had turned to other matters in the town.

  But his biggest fear was that she was right, that they would get along just fine without him.

  He shifted in his seat, antsy to get up and walk.

  “Yo
u look so sad,” said Grant, looking up from his paper. Aedan looked over at him and shrugged. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this.”

  “I just miss her,” he said, finally admitting his thoughts to them.

  “You’ve never been this smitten with a woman before,” said Gabriel.

  “Yeah, for a while, I thought maybe you weren’t interested in them,” Grant added with a laugh.

  “Why would you say that?” asked Aedan.

  “You mainly kept to yourself on the ranch,” answered Grant. “You’d work pretty hard and then go home. You wouldn’t go out with the boys for a night on the town. You were pretty adamant about staying in for some reason. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you as happy as when I saw you when we were coming out of the café.”

  “To be honest, I don’t think I want to remember my old life. It’s like my life started from the moment I saw her,” Aedan said. And it was true; she was the first person he saw when he opened his eyes. She was like a beacon in the darkest of nights.

  “Then maybe you should go back,” said Grant.

  “But what about the ranch?”

  “Aedan, you don’t remember the ranch. And I think we have everything covered, if that’s what you are worried about.”

  “We can just say that we never found you,” added Gabriel with a laugh.

  “What about my old life?”

  “What about it?” countered Grant. “From what you are saying, it seems that you don’t need your old life. You have a brand new one to live.”

  Aedan thought about what he said. “I’ll continue to work until we get back to the ranch. I’ll collect my last pay and buy a one-way ticket back to Wildcat Ridge, if that is alright with you.”

  “Sounds perfect to me. I’ll even get that train ticket for you.”

  “And you can bring Sally back. I bet those kids would love to have a dog.

  With renewed vigor, Aedan smiled at the two men. He just hoped he could get back there in time and tell her how much he loved her.

  The train pulled into Curdy’s Crossing. Aedan had some business he needed to take care of first, and he was hoping to catch a ride back to Wildcat Ridge with the pastor.