His father pulled the buggy upright. Thankfully the horse had stopped running once the buggy tipped over.
After his father had the horse under control he knelt beside Stefan again. “Let’s put her on the buggy then you can lead it back to the house.”
They laid Molly on the buggy seat. After tying Warrior behind them, Stefan pulled himself up to sit beside her and took up the reins despite the pain gripping his arms and shoulder. His father mounted and rode beside them. Isaac, a stable hand, met them halfway back, riding an old nag. “I figured you might need help.”
“Yes, Miss Dyer is injured. Ride to the Dyer home and bring her father here.”
“Yes, sir, Mr. Elliot.” He nodded to Stefan as he passed and galloped down the road to the Dyer home.
Once back at the house, Stefan and his father carried Molly to the large front parlor and laid her on the sofa. Mother grabbed Clarissa’s arm. “Run, tell Delfina we need water and some cloth to clean the wound on Molly’s head.”
Clarissa spun around to run her errand, and Mother knelt beside Stefan while his father went to the porch to watch for Dr. Whiteman.
Stefan grasped Molly’s hand. “I didn’t get to her in time to stop that horse. If I hadn’t been so cruel to her, she wouldn’t have been so upset. None of this would have happened.”
His mother wrapped her arm around his shoulders. “Stefan, please don’t blame yourself. It was an accident, and by being there, you prevented a greater tragedy.”
Maybe so, but his own selfish pride had sent her away in tears and if she was badly injured, he’d never forgive himself.
Delfina returned with the water and a cloth. His mother dipped the cloth in water then wrung it out. With gentle strokes, she wiped the blood from Molly’s forehead. “The cut is deep, but I think I’ve stopped the blood. She may need stitches, but I don’t know. We’ll wait for her father to get here.”
Molly’s ashen face sent tentacles of fear around his heart. Her dress skirt was torn and a sleeve had ripped. He placed his mouth next to her ear. “Molly, I do love you, and I am so sorry for driving you away.”
Molly’s lashes fluttered against her cheeks, and her eyes opened. Their green depths swallowed him, and he wanted to drown in their beauty. Her eyes focused on him and she smiled.
“Stefan, I love you more than you could ever imagine.” Then she frowned and lifted her fingers to his burned cheek. “Oh, Stefan, how terrible for you. What pain you must have felt.”
Stefan flinched and sat back on his heels. Not able to stand the pity and the pain in her eyes as she looked at him, he jumped up and fled to the safety of the library. Now that she’d seen his ugliness, she’d understand why there was no future for them.
He slammed the door shut and dropped to his knees. “Why, God? Why?” God may have a purpose for all that happened, but why did His purpose have to include this?
CHAPTER 33
WHERE IS STEFAN? Please, I must see him.” Molly tried to sit up, but Papa’s hand restrained her. He knelt beside her and examined the cut on her head.
“He’s not here right now. Lie still so I can see about your injuries.”
“But he saved my life. He chased down the horse and he was there when I overturned. I have to see him.” The memory of his burned face surfaced and squeezed her heart. Tears welled, but she blinked them back.
Papa stood and rolled down his sleeves. “As far as I can tell, your shoulder is sprained and will be sore for a few days. The cut on your head is to the bone, but with such a thin layer of skin there, I think it will be all right without stitches. The bandage and tape I applied should keep the edges together and allow them to heal.”
He turned to Colonel Elliot. “Now tell me about Stefan’s injuries.”
Molly concentrated on the information Stefan’s father shared. “The burns on Stefan’s right hand were deep but didn’t do serious damage to the underlying tissue. However, his hand will be scarred with some restriction in movement. The burns on his face will leave scars as well.”
That was why he hadn’t wanted to see her earlier, but he said he loved her. None of it made sense. If he loved her, then what difference did it make if his face was scarred? He was alive and that’s all that mattered.
“Colonel Elliot, where is Stefan? He was here right before Papa came.” As soon as she had touched his face, he’d jumped up and run from her.
“He’s in the library and says he doesn’t want to see anyone.”
Mrs. Elliot grasped Molly’s hand, tears sliding from the corners of her eyes. “My dear child, Stefan is hurting. Not just from the wounds, but from the pain of leaving the military. He feels that he is no longer of use to anyone for anything. I heard him say he loves you, and I know he does, but I’m afraid he doesn’t think he’s worthy of your love now.”
Love for Stefan flooded her soul and formed a lump in her throat she couldn’t swallow. Her shoulder and head ached, but the ache in her heart from Stefan’s rejection hurt far more than any injury to her body.
“Mrs. Elliot, I love him with all my heart. I don’t care what he can or can’t do or how he looks now. He’s alive and he’s here. That’s all I care about, and I need to tell him that.”
No answer came from either Mrs. Elliot or the colonel. Clarissa stood to the side wringing her hands and crying. Movement behind her father caught her attention. Her uncle Micah turned and strode from the room. Molly frowned. “Why is Uncle Micah here?”
“We didn’t know what to expect so he came with me to repair the buggy if it needed it. One of the wheels was loose and Isaac is having it taken care of now. We’ll be ready to take you home when it’s done.”
“But I don’t want to leave without seeing Stefan again. I have to talk to him, and he has to listen.” She couldn’t bear the idea of going back without trying to make Stefan believe she loved him.
“I understand, but your mother and sisters are very worried about you. Your mother wanted to come with me, but since we came on horseback, she decided to stay and wait.”
Molly worried her bottom lip. She didn’t want to upset Mama, but seeing Stefan had become urgent. She grabbed Papa’s arm and her nails dug into the flesh through his sleeve. “I won’t leave without seeing Stefan or at least talking to him, whether it’s face-to-face or with a door between us.”
Papa glanced down at her hand on his arm, and with his gentle touch pried her hand loose. “If you’re this determined, we’ll see what we can do.” He glanced up at Mrs. Elliot.
“I don’t know. I think Micah went in to see him. I’ll check.” Her skirts swished as she spun around and left the room.
Stefan jumped up when Micah strode into the room without being invited or even knocking. “I don’t want to see you or anyone else.” He retreated to the wingback chair near the fireplace, now as cold and barren as his life.
“I don’t care whether you want to see me or not. You don’t have to look at me and I don’t have to see you for you to listen to what I have to say.”
He pulled a chair up close to Stefan. “First, I want to thank you for saving Molly. She could have been more seriously hurt if you hadn’t been there to tend to her immediately.”
“No thanks are needed. I’m the reason she ran out of the house so distraught in the first place. That caused her to startle the horse.” No matter how he tried to justify the reasons for sending her away, he was the cause for her injuries. He was no good for her, and the sooner they took her home, the better for her.
Micah cleared his throat and braced his elbows on his knees. “Anybody with half a brain can see how much you love that girl in there, and she loves you just as much. If you let what has happened to you prevent you from embracing that love, you’re a bigger idiot than I thought you were.”
That was a laugh. They may think him a fool for not accepting her love, but he’d be a bigger one if he did and then couldn’t take care of her. “And how do you think she’ll feel about me when I can’t provide for her or take care of her? I don’t want or need her pity. It’s best if she leaves and forgets ever having met me.”
“Son, if you ask me, you are making trouble for yourself. Whether she wants to stay with you or leave because of your injuries is her choice, not yours, and you must give her the opportunity to make it.”
“I don’t want her to have to make the choice. This way is better. There’s nothing I can do for her the way I am now.” Why couldn’t people leave him alone?
“There’s plenty you can do if you want to do it. Molly told me that your dream after the military was to own a ranch and raise horses.”
“Some dream that was.” Without savings from his time in the military he had no hopes of owning a ranch or doing much of anything else. He could work here raising sugarcane, but it was the last thing he’d wanted to do with his life.
“It can still come to pass. I saw how good you are with horses when you were out at our ranch. You chose one of my finest for yourself in Warrior, and he took to you right away because he recognized you’re a horseman.”
“What good does that do now? I still have a crippled hand. And look at my face. Who’d want to hire me or work with me with these scars?”
Micah rubbed his chin and shook his head. “They don’t look all that bad to me. Let me tell you one thing. If you think no one will care about you or work with you, you underestimate the people around you.”
He leaned forward. “Look at me, Stefan.”
Stefan steeled his jaw and clenched his teeth but he turned to the man beside him. The look in his eyes was not one of pity, but of true concern. Maybe it didn’t bother Micah, and he’d been through some hard times himself so perhaps it would be wise to listen to him.
“When I first met Hannah, her crippled leg created a great deal of pity, but as I grew to know her all her other qualities overshadowed that. But I didn’t want to be saddled with a cripple so I ignored those qualities. Then all those things with my pa’s death, the mortgage on the ranch, the fight with Levi, and then the mine discovery changed my perspective on life and what is important. Hannah’s love and faith in me never wavered. That’s when I decided God was pretty good after all, and I wanted Hannah for my bride because I loved her too much to let her handicap stand in the way. Molly is just like her aunt and her mother. They care about people and what’s inside, not what looks pretty on the outside.”
“So you’re saying I should let Molly see me like this.” Stefan shook his head. “I don’t think so. I don’t need her pity.”
“It won’t be pity you see, but her love and God’s love for you shining through. God’s love will never fail you, son, and the sooner you realize that and accept Molly’s love, the sooner you can get on with life.”
Dare he hope Micah’s words were true? “But even if she still wants me, what can I do to take care of her and provide for her? I can’t use these hands for much.” He held out his hands, healing from their burns.
Micah tilted his head to one side. “When you were riding after the runaway and then stopping the horse, did you use your hands? Did they hurt? Did they keep you from helping Molly?”
Stefan gazed at his hands. He didn’t remember if they hurt or not while he was chasing after Molly. His eyes opened wide and he raised his head to smile at Micah. “I used them like I always have when I was riding.”
A wide grin spread across Micah’s face. “I thought so. You can do anything you set your mind to doing. And here’s what I propose. When you’ve completely healed and are ready to work, come to Texas. Levi and I could use a good man with horses like you. There’s a piece of land that can be yours one day if you want it. If the three of us pool our knowledge and work together, we can have one of the best spreads in all of Texas.”
Stefan sat with his heart thudding in his chest. “I don’t know what to say. I never expected something like this. You’re not taking pity on me because my mother and your wife’s family are close friends, are you?”
“Not hardly. I’m doing it for you and Molly to have a chance at the happiness you two deserve.”
“I’ll have to discuss it with Father in light of what will happen to the land here. He told me of plans to sell to Thomas Dyer. If that goes through, then I’ll think about Texas.”
“I understand, and my offer is there whenever you do decide.”
Before Stefan could absorb all that Micah proposed, his mother’s voice called from the hallway. “Stefan, please come and speak with Molly. She refuses to go home until you do.”
Stefan turned to Micah. “I’ll talk to her. If she rejects me, then I must reject your offer. If this is God’s answer for me, I’ll know when I look into her eyes.”
“Good enough.” Micah slapped him on the back then stood. “Let’s go talk to the young lady.”
CHAPTER 34
STEFAN’S HANDS TREMBLED when he entered the parlor, the fear of rejection coursing through his veins. Molly sat on the sofa where he had laid her. A bandage covered the wound on her head and a triangle of fabric supported her left arm. Even with the torn dress and smudges on her chin she was the prettiest sight in the room. Her gaze locked with his as he approached her with a prayer in his heart.
Stefan sat then grasped her hand in his least injured one. “You asked to see me and here I am, but before you speak let me have my say.”
She gazed back at him without a flinch or flicker of her eyes. At her nod, he continued. “Now that you’ve seen the damage done by my injuries you understand why I didn’t want to see you. My life has changed completely since the last time we met, and I can no longer offer you the life I had hoped for us. I understand if you’d rather not pursue a relationship now, but know I do love you with all my heart.”
Her hands were like ice, and a shiver shook her shoulders. Everyone had left the room to give them privacy, and Stefan swallowed hard, waiting for her response.
She threw her arm around his neck. “Oh, Stefan, those are the most wonderful words I’ve ever heard. I love you so much I’m afraid my heart will burst. Where we live or what you do won’t matter because we’ll be together. I’m so sorry that your injuries cost you your army career, but you have so much more to offer this world.”
He held her shoulders and pushed her back to gaze into her eyes, unable to believe the words she’d spoken. “You really mean that, don’t you? Despite what you see, you still love me.”
“Of course I do. What I see is the same man who came to Stoney Cr
eek back in June and won my heart with his caring ways.” She pointed a finger to his chest. “It’s what’s in here that counts, not what’s on the outside.”
Never had words been so sweet to his ear. This was God’s answer, and he accepted it with joy and thanksgiving. He raised his hands to cup her face in his palms. “Molly Whiteman, you are the most wonderful woman I’ve ever met.”
When his lips touched hers, every nerve in his body jumped to attention. This was the woman he loved, and she loved him despite everything. The pressure from her lips deepened, and she wrapped her arms around him and leaned into the kiss.
He wanted the kiss to never end, but after a moment he pulled back and breathed deeply.
Molly sighed. “What is it, Stefan?”
“I’m medically discharged from the army, but it hasn’t changed my ideas about guns and the military.”
She placed her fingers on his lips. “Ssh. That doesn’t matter. I was held hostage by some horse thieves at the livery on July Fourth and it changed my attitude because, at that particular moment, I wanted a gun more than anything to defend myself.”
His heart lurched first with shock then with concern and then relief. “You were held hostage? Were you hurt?” If he’d been there, whoever had her would have been dead before he knew what hit him.
“Not physically. My uncles and the sheriff came to rescue me. I was a little shaken up, but it sure cleared my head and my heart. I wrote to you and told you all about it, but you must have already left the fort by then.”
He wrapped his arms around her again. He could have lost her, but God had spared her and shown her the reality of life and brought her here. Stefan almost choked with the realization of what he’d nearly turned away. “If anything had happened to you . . . I can’t even bear to think about it. God took care of us both in those few days.”
Love Never Fails Page 25
