Her Silent Burden (Seeing Ranch series) (A Western Historical Romance Book)

by Florence Linnington

  Wakefield holstered both his and Mr. Vang’s guns. “We got no sheriff in town. We’ll take him to Daniel’s, seeing as he’s the unofficial head of this town. Thea, go fetch Noah.”

  With a nod, she turned and hurried to Noah’s rooms over the saloon. After a hurried explanation of the situation, Noah grabbed a rope and the two of them walked back to the clearing. Full dark had fallen, and now Wakefield and Mr. Vang were nothing more than two dark shapes in the blackness. “I can’t walk all the way to Zimmerman’s,” Mr. Vang groaned.

  “Get him a horse, Noah,” Wakefield said. “But trust me, Vang, try anything funny and you’re a dead man.”

  Noah fetched the horse and, silently, the small procession made its way to Mr. Zimmerman’s. They didn’t speak the entire way, other than Mr. Vang letting out a complaint about his leg every once in a while.

  At the large, white house, Wakefield knocked on the door and took the rifle from Thea. “I can’t believe you did that.”

  “What? Saved your life?”

  The door opened before he could answer. Esme held a lantern up high and took in the sight. Her jaw dropped.

  “Oh my,” she said. “This looks serious.”

  “Sorry to intrude,” Wakefield said, “but we’ll need to speak with Daniel right away.”

  Together, Wakefield and Noah maneuvered a tied-up Mr. Vang into the kitchen.

  “Too bad for you there’s no doctor here,” Noah told Mr. Vang.

  Without any warning, Esme ripped Mr. Vang’s pant leg. She pursed her lips. “No bullet here. It went right through. All this needs is a bandage.” Noah chuckled. “Well, how about that?”

  “Don’t jest,” Mr. Vang snapped. “You weren’t there.”

  “Right.” Noah crossed his arms and grinned. “But I do know you were shot by a woman, the bullet went right through, and now you’re crying like a baby.”

  “What’s this?” Mr. Zimmerman’s voice asked.

  They all turned to find him standing in the doorway, taking in the scene.

  “I asked Vang what his real business is in Whiteridge,” Wakefield answered, crossing his arms over his chest and furrowing his brow. “Instead of answering, he went to draw his gun. Luckily, my wife shot him in the leg first.”

  Mr. Zimmerman’s eyebrows jumped up in surprise and he looked at Thea. “Well done, Mrs. Briggs.”

  “Well?” Noah prodded Mr. Vang. “What are you doing in Whiteridge?”

  “I told you all before,” Mr. Vang grunted. “Nothing.”

  “Oh, I don’t think it’s nothing,” Noah said. “I’ve been looking into you, Vang, and I think I have you all figured out. You know Wakefield doesn’t drink, and you were looking to take advantage of that. I heard through the grapevine that you were planning on getting Wakefield drunk as Davy’s sow and have him sign a paper to sell you the saloon for cheaper than dirt.”

  The room went deadly silent, and everyone’s attention turned to Mr. Vang.

  “Is that true?” Wakefield demanded.

  “Kyle Jetson heard it today from Lyman himself,” Noah confirmed. “I was fixing on coming to your house tonight to tell you, Wakefield.” He looked back at Mr. Vang. “Sorry to tell you your little sidekick has loose lips.”

  Mr. Vang hung his head and didn’t answer.

  “I suppose your silence is all the confession we need,” Mr. Zimmerman said with a sigh. “Well, I’m not a sheriff, and it sounds like you didn’t do much wrong other than hatch a plan to take advantage of Wakefield.”

  “We can’t just let him go,” Noah cried.

  “And we’re not,” Mr. Zimmerman nodded. “Vang, you and Lyman will be escorted down this mountain. Tonight. If either one of you ever sets foot in Whiteridge again, we hold our right to shoot you on the spot. Is that understood?”

  “I reckon so,” Mr. Vang muttered.

  “Right then.” Mr. Zimmerman nodded in satisfaction.

  “Let’s do this,” Wakefield said.

  Mr. Zimmerman held a hand out. “Stop and get the boys at the Young house on the way. You’ll need a few more men to back you up in case these two try and retaliate.”

  “With this leg?” Mr. Vang asked. “I ain’t trying nothing.”

  Esme finished wrapping a bandage around his bullet wound and stood. “I would think not.”

  “Let’s go.” Noah grabbed Vang’s arm and guided him back outside, Mr. Zimmerman following. Wakefield hesitated a moment, casting a look Thea’s way.

  “Wait for me here,” he said. “Stay with Esme. I’ll be back soon as I can.” Thea nodded. “I will.”

  Their gazes locked, and Thea’s heart fluttered. What would have happened if she hadn’t come down to the clearing looking for Wakefield, heard him speaking with Mr. Vang, then ran back up the hill for the rifle?

  Ironically, she’d come down to try and close the fresh schism that had been created by their disagreement about Mr. Vang. She’d meant to explain herself further, to tell Wakefield that she was only concerned about him. When she heard their tone of voices, every bell in her head rang. Fetching the rifle had merely been a split second, precautionary act, but as it turned out, it might have been one that saved Wakefield’s life.

  Wakefield closed the space between them with a few sure steps. “Thank you,” he whispered.

  Thea’s skin tingled. “Come back soon.”

  He squeezed her hand. “I will.”

  Chapter 36

  empty and powerless

  36. Wakefield

  Chapter thirty-six

  “Don’t worry,” Noah said. “You can say it. I won’t rub it in your face too much.”

  Wakefield scoffed at Noah as they crossed Daniel’s front porch. With the Young boys, they’d escorted Vang and Lyman down the mountain road, stopping half a mile on the other side of town and watched the pair walk away from there.

  “You weren’t suspicious of him every step of the way,” Wakefield said. “I was the first day he came to town.”

  “And then you weren’t.” Wakefield stopped by the front door and turned to Noah. Light from through the kitchen window outlined his face. “And then you were. What changed?”

  “I figured he had something to do with your current, ah... behavior.”

  Wakefield’s face warmed. “Right. You mean the drinking.”

  “That’s not like you, Wakefield. And Vang knew it. He was planning on pulling the rug out from under your feet. He would have succeeded, too, if he had gotten you to sign the paper.”

  Wakefield nodded, feeling ashamed. Selling the saloon for a paltry amount was something he might have done in the wrong state. He’d been an idiot to drink in the first place, but doubly daft to do it in Vang’s company.

  “Thank you,” Wakefield said. “You saved my hide. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  “What about Thea? She put a bullet in a man tonight for you. Talk about saving hide.”

  A ball of emotion spun in Wakefield’s chest. Thea. She was too good for him. Even after all the pain he’d put her through, she’d not only stayed, but she’d put herself in a dangerous situation for him. If she’d missed that shot, Vang could have turned right around and sent a bullet her way.

  And the baby...

  Wakefield had to blink back tears.

  “She’s too good,” he said.

  “She is.” Noah patted Wakefield’s shoulder. “But, so are you. You simply forget it sometimes.”

  Noah left Wakefield there, standing on the porch and stewing in his thoughts. After all these years, after everything Wakefield had been through, after all the mistakes he had made, Noah still believed in him.

  And, what’s more, Thea was also by his side.

  That had to account for something.

  Letting himself into the house, he found Thea where he’d left her, sitting in the kitchen. Esme sat next to her, and a pot of tea rested between the two of them.

  “They are gone?” Esme asked.

  Wakefield took off his hat. �
�Yes, Ma’am. Hopefully, for good.”

  Thea’s face was pale. “They better be gone for good.”

  Wakefield chuckled. “With a shot as good as yours, I figure they’ll be thinking twice before showing their faces here again.”

  Thea smiled and ducked her face.

  “Let’s go home,” Wakefield told her.

  The night was a quiet one, and they walked for their cabin side by side. Once at the front door, Wakefield had Thea wait outside as he did a sweep through the cabin. He needed to make absolutely sure Vang and Lyman had left the mountain and weren’t actually hiding in the cabin, waiting to seek retribution.

  Deeming the home safe, Wakefield lit the lantern and called Thea in.

  “Have a seat,” he said, hanging the rifle on its hooks.

  Thea passed the table and settled on the piano bench instead. Even in the dimly light room, she was still noticeably pale. Wakefield fetched a chair and pulled it up to the piano bench.

  “You all right?” he asked, sitting down.

  “Yes. That shook me, is all. Are you...”

  “I’m fine.” Wakefield swallowed and took her hand. “Thea...”

  He ran his thumb over her wedding ring, feeling the weight of what the small piece of jewelry meant. He was her husband. Her protector. Her provider. And yet she was the one pulling most of the load.

  If anything, it needed to at least be fifty-fifty.

  “You saved me tonight,” he said.

  Thea sighed. “I was merely attempting to distract him. You would have managed fine yourself if I had not shown up.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  Thea’s lips twitched.

  “The truth is,” he said, “I’m not sure I can manage at all without you. Not anymore.”

  Her lashes fluttered, and she looked down at where he still held her hand.

  “I know I don’t act like it...” Wakefield’s voice cracked, but he continued on. “But the truth is that I would fall apart if you left. I’m messed up, Thea. I know that. I have so much anger and hurt in me that I can’t even look it straight in the face.”

  Thea lifted her gaze to his, her eyes shimmering.

  “And that’s my own weight to carry,” he said.

  Thea shook his head. “Wrong. It’s our weight to carry. I am your wife, Wakefield, and that means that your burden is mine. Yet, you say that you cannot stand the thought of having a child. What am I to do about that?”

  Wakefield tightened his hold on her hand. “I’m working on that, Thea. I really am.”

  Nothing changed in her face. “I hear you.”

  Wakefield felt like he was clawing at the earth to keep himself from falling into a dark pit. He’d faced danger and death before, but never when there was this much to lose. Thea had saved his life, and in doing that, showed how much she loved him.

  He wanted badly to return the favor.

  “We made a promise to each other,” Thea said. “Vows in front of God. I do not take that lightly.”

  “Neither do I.”

  “But I am not beyond breaking those vows if doing so is the best thing for my child.”

  The “my child” part stung, but Wakefield knew he deserved that. He hadn’t done anything yet to prove he cared for the baby or had what it took to love the baby.

  Wakefield sighed and dropped his head into his free hand. “If you could have me do anything to show you how much I want to change, how much I want to let go of my fear, what would that be? Tell me, and I’ll do it.”

  Thea’s lips tightened, and her hand remained lifeless under his. “It’s not something that you must do, Wakefield. It is a way you must be. And as much as I wish I could help you, I don’t know if I can. What am I to do? I have opened myself up to you. I have had as much patience as I can.”

  “Then what are we going to do?” he asked. “Stay together and be unhappy?”

  “I certainly hope not.”

  “Same here.” Wakefield drew his hand away. He wanted to keep it under Thea’s, but receiving no response from her was making him feel ill.

  “What were you doing down at the clearing?” Thea asked.

  “I went to pray. To ask God for strength... Tonight, though, I saw that my strength is you.”

  Thea’s face softened, and her shoulders dropped. “Oh, Wakefield.”

  He couldn’t tell if she was pleased or hurt by his words.

  “It’s the truth, Thea. You have a thicker skin than me. You have more courage than me. More faith.”

  She smiled sadly. “Do not sell yourself short. In case you haven’tnoticed, I have stayed by your side through all of this. Clearly, I still think highly of you.”

  “You do?”

  Thea bit into her lower lip. “Yes.”

  “I didn’t know that,” Wakefield said breathlessly.

  She nodded. “It is true.”

  “So then this is about more than a marriage contract?” He smiled, and she laughed a bit.

  “Not all hope is lost,” he said, “if we can still make each other laugh every once in a while.”

  “No,” she mused, “I suppose not. But time will tell, Wakefield. The most difficult days will either bring out the worst or the best in us.”

  “Like today.”

  “Yes.” Her eyelashes fluttered. “Like today.”

  Without warning, she reached out and took his hand. “I am to blame here as well, Wakefield. I must be honest. Some hours I feel fully forgiving, and other hours I feel so steeped in pain, in... betrayal.” She shook her head, not looking at him. “I want to forgive you, but I am not sure I have yet.”

  “It makes sense that you wouldn’t.”

  “It’s my duty to.”

  “And it’s my duty to take care of you... and our child.”

  Thea tilted her head and smiled, but it did not reach her eyes. “Several times already, I have felt like none of this matters, that I could easily let this all go, perhaps even change you through loving you. Heal you. And other times, I feel empty and powerless.”

  “I understand.”

  She withdrew her hand. “We both do, but what about are our actions? That is what matters.”

  It felt like the weight of the world pressed down on Wakefield’s shoulders. He searched for something to say. Anything.

  “You are growing round.”

  Thea looked at her waist. “Yes.”

  “It looks good on you.”

  And it did. Even amidst the fear seeing her pregnant caused, he recognized how lovely Thea was.

  “I am tired,” she announced, standing. “I must get to bed.”

  Wakefield’s heart stilled. “I can’t sleep at the saloon tonight,” he said. “I can’t leave you here alone, in case Vang comes back.”

  “I know.” She paused at the doorway to their bedroom. “Please be quiet when you come in.”

  Chapter 37

  the greatest the world had to offer

  37. Thea

  Chapter thirty-seven

  “Oh! There it is,” Thea said excitedly.

  “Where?” Jenny asked, standing up from where she’d been weeding around her beets.

  “Um, here?” Thea took Jenny’s hand and placed it on her belly. “I don’t feel anything,” Jenny said.

  Thea frowned. “I know it was the baby moving. It felt so strange.”

  “He or she is still so small. There’s all that space to move around in there. You’ll feel them again soon.”

  As if on cue, the baby kicked again, this time right against Jenny’s palm.

  “There we are!” Jenny announced, and they both laughed.

  “What? What is it?” Peter cried, running over from where he’d been collecting wood chips for the cook stove.

  “My baby just moved,” Thea told him.

  Peter gasped in surprise and dropped his armful of wood chips.

  “The baby?” Farrow shyly asked, coming to the back doorway and looking at them. They were perhaps the first words Thea ha
d ever heard the girl speak to her.

  “Yes,” Thea smiled. “Would you like to see if you can feel him or her?”