by Barbara Goss
“I have something very difficult to tell you. You’ve been such a wonderful friend, Wade, I hope you’ll understand.”
“I think I know,” he said. “I could tell.”
“You could? How?” she asked.
“Why do you think I haven’t tried to kiss you or anything? There were no signals. A man usually needs some kind of signal before he makes a move. I’d hate to get slapped or anything,” he said and laughed a bit. “I knew that while you were with me, someone else was on your mind.”
“Can we still be friends?” she asked.
“Certainly. I hope the man on your mind was Ned. I respect him. I also had the feeling at the wake that the remark he made was somehow meaningful,” he said. “At first, I wanted to say something to him about it, but the wake wasn’t the time or place. Then I noticed you weren’t angry, but instead, hurt by his remark, which spoke volumes. I was rather expecting this news, and I’m sincerely happy for you both.”
Maria sighed with relief. “Thank you for being so understanding, Wade. You have no idea how much I’ve dreaded this conversation. You were there for me when I was heartbroken, and you made me feel better about myself when I thought I’d been forgotten by Ned.”
“Did he treat you badly?” he asked.
“I’ll explain,” she said. “I owe you that, at least.
“Ned was confused. He wanted to be with me, but he wasn’t sure if he still loved Evaline’s sister, Ellen, so I urged him to go to England to find out what his feelings were.
“I’d promised I’d wait here for him, but I hadn’t heard from him for a while, but then, one day, a letter came from him saying he was married to Ellen and that he was very happy. I was hurt, and I felt insecure about myself, as most people would when they’ve lost someone they care for to another. Then you came along and made me smile. You made me feel attractive and worth something.”
“Ned’s married?” Wade asked, surprised.
“No, I just found out today that Ellen had written the letter. She tried everything to get Ned back when she found out he was leaving her to come home. I’ve thought he was married ever since he’s returned. I thought it was Ellen when he walked into church with Edgar’s sister.
“I see,” Wade said. “And Ned came home, heard you were being courted by me, and thought you’d jilted him.”
“Exactly. So Ned must have told Travis and Evaline how he felt, and Evaline set up this meeting between us earlier today to clear the air.” She looked up at Wade. “I think I love him, Wade.”
“Then you should be together,” he said, standing. “I’ll still be a friend to you both. You’ve no reason to worry about that.”
Chapter Fourteen
When Ned told Hugh that his relationship with Maria was back on, he was overjoyed.
“Great! I’ve proposed to her mother!” Hugh said. “And she accepted! Can you believe that?”
“Congratulations!” Ned exclaimed, slapping him on the back. “But can I ask one favor?”
“What?” Hugh asked.
“Don’t marry Vera before I can marry Maria, if we get to that point, that is.”
“Why? Hugh scratched his head.
“Well, once you marry Vera, Maria will then become my first cousin and I we can’t marry.
Hugh threw back his head and laughed. “I don’t think our situation counts, Ned. But we haven’t set a date. We’re in no hurry.”
“Say, maybe we could make it a double wedding!” Ned said. Then, he got serious. “Uncle, truly, I’m not rushing into a proposal this time until I’m sure. I’ve learned a good lesson.”
“I’m glad, Ned. Sometimes it’s okay to make a mistake as long as something is learned from it.”
“And,” Ned added, “we’re lucky enough to get a second chance.”
“That too!” Hugh laughed.
Maria waved to Wade as he rode away and then she rushed into the house, unable to wait to give her mother the good news.
“Wade didn’t stay?” Vera asked as Maria came into the sitting room.
“No. I told him things weren’t working between us, and we decided we’d just remain friends,” she said.
“Oh?” Vera asked, looking up from her knitting. It was the first time she'd looked at her daughter since she'd entered the room. “Why, your face is glowing and your eyes are sparkling…what’s up? Breaking off with Wade certainly wouldn’t do that to you.”
“No, I saw Ned earlier today and we talked and discovered the culprit who wrote that letter, but he isn’t married and he isn’t in love with that person anymore, either. He wants me!” she said, twirling around the room.
“I’m so glad!” Vera exclaimed. “That’s wonderful news.” She put her knitting aside, stood, and took hold of Maria’s shoulders.
“Maria, I have to ask you something.”
“Anything, Mother—I’m walking on a cloud today.”
“Would I have your permission to remarry?” Vera asked.
“I’d love for you to remarry. Why do you think you need my permission?”
“We’ve been close these last few years, and Hugh would be your step-father. I just want to be sure it would be all right with you.”
Maria embraced her mother. “Did you know that, at first, Ned and I pretended to be closer than we were, just so you two would get to know each other better? Then it just sort of happened, but I couldn’t let it go further until I found out if Ellen was still the one who held his heart.”
Vera laughed and pulled her daughter down on the sofa. “Would you believe that Hugh and I were doing the exact same thing?”
“Why did you think I needed someone?” Maria asked.
“Because you hadn’t gone out of the house since we’d moved here. I wanted you to make friends and get to know people. It worked really well, don’t you think?”
“It sure did. Thank you,” Maria said.
“Why did you think I needed someone?” Vera asked.
“We both loved Father, but five years is long enough to mourn. I wanted to see you enjoying life with someone you loved again.”
“It’s strange,” Vera said. “I thought I’d never love another man like I loved your father, but it is possible because they’re so different, and you wind up loving each for different reasons. It’s almost like if you have two children and love them both, even though they’re different. I no longer feel I’m being disrespectful to your father. He’ll always own a corner of my heart, and Hugh has another part of it.”
“Mother, Ned and I have never used the word love yet, but I know I love him. He’s being extra cautious because he was so reckless the last time he was in a relationship. We agreed to take things slowly.” Maria sighed and hugged herself. “I just can’t wait to see him again.”
Ned was anxious to see Maria again and begin their courtship. He took extra pains with his appearance before heading out to her place. His heart seemed to move a few centimeters in his chest when he thought about kissing her again, but he’d be sure to keep things at a less-heated pace and save the fire for after they were married if it came to that, and he strongly felt it would.
Maybe if he hadn’t been daydreaming about her while he rode, he would have heard the horses coming up behind him. When he realized they were there, he brought his horse to the side of the road to let them pass, but instead of passing, they stopped. Peter Balcomb rode his horse in front of Ned's forcing him to stop.
“What’s going on, Balcomb?” Ned asked.
“I told you I’d get you for what you did,” he snarled.
“What? For stopping you from molesting a decent woman? I’d do it again, too.”
“What I do when I take a girl out is none of your business.”
“It is when she’s my girl,” Ned said.
“If she was your girl, then why did she agree to go for a buggy ride with me?”
Ned had no answer, at least not one that wouldn’t take an hour to explain.
“Out of my way!” Ned yelled.<
br />
“No. I want to teach you a little lesson about butting into other people’s business, and for making them look like fools in front of women.”
Ned laughed nervously. “You had to bring five men with you, Balcomb? You have to gang up on your adversary? I bet you’re too chicken to take me on all by yourself.” Ned sure hoped the challenge would work because he knew he couldn’t handle more than one man at a time.
“I plan to take you on myself—I’m not afraid,” Balcomb said. “I didn’t bring these men purposely to fight you. We were out riding, I happened to spot you and thought it time I taught you a lesson. I’ll tell the others to hold back.”
Ned wasn’t much of a fighter. He hadn’t gotten into a fistfight since grade school, but he had no choice. He couldn’t back down in front of all these men. He just wished he were angrier because he knew he’d have a better chance at beating Balcomb. Maybe he’d be able to rile Balcomb into saying something that would work him into a rage.
“I thought you were friends with Travis. I can’t believe Travis would be friends with someone like you, Balcomb,” Ned said as he dismounted and prepared to fight.
“That’s another thing I want to settle. You went running to Travis, didn’t you? Now he won’t give me the time of day. That makes you a snitch—a dirty, rotten snitch,” Balcomb spat.
Ned had begun to work up a lather. He rolled up his sleeves and watched Balcomb slide off his horse.
“And that lady friend of yours led me on, or I’d never had made a pass at her. She’s no better than a saloon woman,” Balcomb spat.
Balcomb had finally managed to push him off the edge. Now, Ned thought, I can take him.
Ned threw the first punch, hitting Balcomb square in the jaw. Balcomb recovered quickly and swung, but he missed. Ned skipped around Balcomb in circles, trying to confuse him, and he kept pretending he was about to punch him, but then, at the last minute, he would pull back and continue circling. Ned had once watched a circus act where a man had wrestled a bear using that same tactic. He hoped it would work for Balcomb as well.
Balcomb grew confused. He kept swiping at Ned, but he'd miss him each time, as Ned wouldn’t hold still. Finally, Ned swung and again, catching Balcomb unawares, and he went down. His nose bled profusely when he sat up.
Ned was still skipping around him when Balcomb looked at the five men watching, nodded, and pointed at Ned.
Before Ned knew what hit him he had five men beating on him. They knocked him to the ground and punched his ribcage, his stomach, his head, and even his arms. Ned tried to fight back, but it was useless. Finally, he felt himself growing numb to the pain and sailing into nothingness, which was more than welcome at that point.
Maria paced on the front porch. It was growing dark and Ned hadn’t appeared yet. Had he changed his mind? Not only was she upset; she was worried. If he’d felt the same as she had, then it was impossible he wouldn’t show up that night, and she knew he did feel the same.
Vera came out onto the porch. “He isn’t here yet?”
“No, he isn’t and frankly, I’m worried. I know he was looking forward to tonight as much as I.”
“I told Hugh I’d stay at home tonight to get some chores done, but since I’ve finished them, I’ll take a ride over on the pretense of surprising Hugh, and I’ll find out what’s going on.”
“Thank you, Mother!” she said. “Don't stay with Hugh long‒let me know as soon as you can. If the reason Ned's not here is because he's changed his mind, I need to know.”
“That might be impossible if I go on the pretense of spending time with him,” she said. “I know: I’ll stop by to bring him something…what can I bring him?” She paced the porch, thinking.
“Take over the pie you baked today,” Maria said.
“Oh, but I was planning to serve that tomorrow when I was going to invite them both over.”
Maria said, “I’ll make another one tomorrow. Take it and go.”
Hugh had just finished cleaning his gun when he heard a horse coming up the lane. He set his rifle down and walked to the door, wondering if Ned had come home early. He was surprised to see Vera—pleasantly surprised. He watched her slide down from her horse as he walked out onto the porch. She took a box from her saddlebag and walked up to him.
“I can’t stay, Hugh, but I wanted to bring this pie over for you and Ned. I got carried away today and baked two.” She smiled up at him. “And it gave me an excuse come over to kiss you goodnight.”
“I’ll take both!” he exclaimed with a laugh.
“Where’s Ned?” she asked, trying to act nonchalant.
“I thought he was over at your place,” Hugh said.
“He never showed up, and Maria is beside herself with worry,” Vera said.
“That’s mighty strange, because he got all slicked up, and I know he couldn’t wait to see Maria again to begin their courtship.”
“Then something is very wrong, Hugh.”
“Which way did you ride here? Along the creek, or did you take the back roads?” Hugh asked.
“I always take the creek route when it’s dark; the back road scares me at night.”
“Let’s you and I take my buggy on the back roads. I’ll drive and you can keep your eye out for him. Maybe his horse is lame and he’s walking…or he might have been thrown from his horse or something.”
Hugh and Vera rode along the back roads in the direction of her place. She lived about four miles from Hugh and Ned. Hugh had lanterns on both sides of the buggy so they could see. They rode slowly.
“See anything?” Hugh asked.
“Nothing,” Vera answered. “Wait, I see a horse!” She pointed to her right.
“I see it.” Hugh stopped the buggy and jumped down. “Stay here. I’ll stay in sight.”
Hugh walked over to where the horse was standing in a field, knee high in weeds. He took the horse’s reins but didn’t see Ned. He gazed over the area. He’d have to grab a lantern and search for him. If his horse had thrown him, he could have landed a few feet farther from where he was currently standing. Hugh turned to go back to the buggy for the lamp when he heard a moan. He dropped the reins, ran to the buggy, grabbed the lantern, and ran back to where the horse was standing.
Hugh scanned the area, holding the lamp high. He didn’t see a thing, but when he heard another groan, he followed the sound to find Ned about eight feet away, sprawled in the high weeds, bleeding from head to foot. Hugh set the lantern down and examined him.
“Ned,” he called, “are you all right?”
There was no answer.
“I’ll be back for you, son.” He left the lamp near Ned so he’d be able to find him again, hopped into the buggy, and drove it to the light. “He’s in bad shape, Vera,” he said. “Stay here.”
Chapter Fifteen
Maria was still pacing the front porch when she heard a horse gallop up the lane and onto the front lawn. At first, she thought it was Ned, but then, when he dismounted, she could see it was Travis. She bit her bottom lip and walked to meet him by the steps.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. Travis would never have ridden over to her house unless something was terribly wrong.
“It’s Ned,” he said. “He’s alive, but in bad shape.”
“Dear God!” She silently said a prayer that Ned would be all right. “What happened?” She felt herself sway with dizziness and grabbed ahold of the porch railing to steady herself.
“Someone beat him to a pulp and left him on the side of the road half dead, that’s what,” Travis said. “If I find out who it was, I’ll—”
“Balcomb! He said he’d get even with Ned.”
“You’re right. Ned told me that. I’ll take care of him,” Travis said, scratching his head. “But I don’t think Balcomb is strong enough to have done that much damage to him. In fact, if I had to lay a bet on the winner in a fight between them, my money’d be on Ned.”
“He had help?” Maria said.
“More than
likely,” Travis said. “Your mother’s going to stay at Hugh’s and help nurse Ned. She wanted me to tell you.”
“How did you find out about it?” she asked.
“Hugh got Ned to bed, left him with Vera, and ran to get me. He didn’t want your mother riding home alone in the dark, and he does need her. Hugh asked me to ride out and tell you what happened…at least as much as we know.”
“Will you take me to him?” Maria asked. “I need to be there with him. I can help nurse him. This is all my fault!”
“I only have this horse—” Travis started to say.
“Hitch him to our buggy in the barn. I’ll turn off the lamps and lock up the house.”
Maria gasped when she walked into Ned’s bedroom. There was hardly a place on his body that wasn’t swollen or bruised. Even if he were able to open his eyes he wouldn't be able to see, his eyes were so swollen. Ned’s arms were purple, as was his face. He was covered with a sheet from his waist down, but Hugh had told her he was bruised and bloody all over. Hugh had gone to get a doctor.
“What can we do for him, Mother?” Maria asked as she walked closer to the bed.
“There isn’t any more we can do except be here for him if he comes to. He may moan every now and then, but I don’t think he’s really conscious.” Vera embraced her daughter. “Sit with him and hold his hand. If he wakes, he’ll know he isn’t alone.”
“Yes. That’s a good idea.” Maria sat beside the bed and held Ned’s bloodstained hand. “We can pray, Mother.”
“I’ve been praying since we found him.”
“This is all my fault,” Maria said with tears streaming down her face.
“It’s not. You did nothing to encourage Balcomb, did you?” Vera asked.
“Heavens, no. But if I hadn’t agreed to ride with him, none of this would have happened.”
“You had no way of knowing what he was like.” Vera patted her shoulder. “Stop thinking like that and pray.”
