Still, he’d felt inadequate since, not only had they been obligated to get married, but he was so much older than her. He knew, in his head, that was often the case on the prairie and in the West, but it hadn’t been their choice. Even when couples with an age difference chose to marry for convenience, they did choose. Gema and he hadn’t had the choice.
When she’d first said the words, Red hadn’t believed they were anything other than her fear for him speaking. Then she’d kissed him, and he knew. They’d kissed before. Many times since Gema’s session chopping wood. But that kiss was different. More. It told him of her love. Made him believe her words.
He only hoped she believed his.
When he’d realized his feelings that morning as he ran up the stairs to get her, he couldn’t take the time to think about them. He’d had to get her to town and ride out with the posse. Red had held her closer to him as they rode to town than he ever had before.
Red grinned as he crossed the street. He didn’t think he’d ever teach her to ride a horse. Having her sitting in front of him in the saddle was one of the joys of his life. The first time they’d ridden that way was to shelter her as much as he could from the storm. After they married and he found out she didn’t know how, there never seemed to be time to begin teaching her. Now, he didn’t want to. He liked being able to hold her close as they rode.
Red took the steps to the porch two at a time and knocked on the front door. Gema answered with a huge smile on her face. “Come. We say goodbye and thank you.”
As they walked to the hotel, Gema asked, “Can we come early to town for party? Mrs. Penny want to give me music. Maybe let me play her violin. Much better than Jeb’s, I think.”
Red squeezed her hand. “I’m sure you’re right. I’ll ask Hawk. I’m sure he’ll give me permission.”
When they were in their hotel room, Gema began unbuttoning her bodice. Red stopped her. “Wait. I have something for you. I ordered it quite a while back. It just came in.” He got the parcel from under the bed, where he’d hidden it.
Gema sat on the bed and unwrapped it with shaking hands. The shape gave her a clue as to what it was. When she opened the latches and lifted the lid, she gasped.
“Oh, Red. Oh, Red.” Tear-filled eyes looked up at him. “It’s beautiful.”
Red cupped her cheek with his hand. “Not as beautiful as you. I ordered this as soon as I came to town, after that first time you played Jeb’s violin. You played so beautifully even after so long not being able to practice. I knew you had to have one.”
Gema set the violin case on the bed and stood, reaching for him to hug. “If I not love you already, I sure to love you now. Thank you.”
Red captured her lips with his. When he finally broke the kiss, he said, “I wanted to give you back the music that is in your heart even before I knew I loved you. I’m so glad I did. So glad I’m the one who found you in the woods that day. I love you and am so glad you love me.”
Gema gave him a teasing grin. “I’m glad for all that, too. Love my old geezer very much.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Nugget Nate Ryder watched as his beloved Penny and Gema Dickerson played some classical duet on their violins. Penny had announced the name of it before they’d begun, but he couldn’t make hide nor tail of what the words meant. Didn’t matter. Penny was happy. That’s all that mattered to him.
The morning after the shootout, Gema and Red had shown up at the Pullman. Gema was beaming with delight, the new violin case in her hand. She and Penny had disappeared into the rail car and spent several hours sorting music and playing tunes.
The day after the shootout, Nate and Red had spent the time discussing the events of the day before, as well as more incidents the King Gang had perpetrated over the years. Then, Nate had eyed Red. “I reckon you’ll do, Red. Weren’t sure after what I heard ‘bout you an’ Laura Duffle.”
Red turned the color of his name. “I know I messed that up. I think God had a hand in it all. He had other plans for me and for Laura and Hank. Better plans. Hank’s been my best friend for years. Did you know that?”
“Cain’t say ‘at I did.”
“We’re still best friends.” Red explained that Hank was the first person he thought of when he wanted someone to protect Gema.
“Mighty good friends like that is hard ta come by. You’s blessed ta have one.”
“I know. Now, I need to get my wife and get back to Hawk’s Wing. We’ll see you Saturday.”
Red came to stand by Nate, bringing his thoughts back to the party. “They sound real nice playing together, don’t they. I know Gema was excited to play with Penny. She practiced everyday. I had to stop her from making her fingers bleed pressing the strings.”
“I’m sure you thought of other ways to occupy her.” Nate’s grin was wide. He watched Red blush, then stifled a laugh. He didn’t want to disturb the violinists.
After the women took their bows, they struck up a lively dance tune, and other men and women began playing instruments.
Nate watched the Ladies who’d come to Stones Creek from Sanctuary Place in Iowa. There were still three unmarried Ladies living in the House. There were the women from the King Gang as well as the children. He was considering what to do with them. The women weren’t ready to be considered. They needed time at the Place to heal from their traumatic pasts. They needed to know the love of God, as well as learn how to survive in society. The children needed the same. The boys might need a stronger hand than what was available at the Place. He’d think on that.
Nate glanced up at the ceiling of the warehouse his shindig was being held in. “I got’s me a feelin’ I ain’t supposed to be aheadin’ out o’ Stones Creek jest yet.”
He looked around the room. There was Blanche. He’d seen how Hawk looked at her.
Libby had the twins dancing as she held their hands. Nate glanced at the new lawyer in town, the one with the high faluntin’ name. He was sure glad the townsfolk had started calling him Four.
Nate wanted to talk with Massot, the carpenter. He followed the man’s gaze. The focus was on Ruth Naylor.
Something ran up Nate’s spine. Yep, tweren’t time fer he an’ Penny to leave town jest yet. He had a couple of inclinings about how things might turn out, but wouldn’t do anything to move them along until he’d gotten a better message from the Lord. Nate had run ahead of God a few times in the past, and he’d learned. He wasn’t going to do that now.
The tall mountain man strode across to the stage. “Come on, Penny, m’love. Come an’ takes a turn around the floor with me,” Nate called. Penny smiled, set her violin carefully on a table, and walked to the edge. Nate swung her down, kissing her soundly.
Red followed his lead, and soon, Gema was in his arms as they danced to the music in his own heart.
A NOTE FROM SOPHIE
I hope you enjoyed Music of Her Heart. Please take a moment to leave a review on Amazon. For independently publishing authors like myself, the reviews are extremely valuable in getting our work noticed. If you take just a few minutes you could help someone else find their next favorite book.
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Sophie
P.S. Keep going to find the first chapter of the next book in the Stones Creek Ladies of Sanctuary House Series. It’s Ruth and Massot’s story titled His Protective Wings.
BOOKS BY SOPHIE DAWSON
Cottonwood Series
Healing Love
Lord’s Love
Giving Love
Redeeming Love (With George McVey)
Stones Creek Series
Leah’s Peace
Chasing Norie
Chloe’s Choice (Short Story)
Chloe’s Sanctu
ary
Stones Creek Ladies Of Sanctuary House
Laundry Lady’s Love
Love’s Infestation
Mold and Marriage
Spots Before Marriage
Mice and Marriage
Java Cupid Multi-Author series
Java Priority
Java Protect
Single Books
Seeing The Life
Rescued By Love
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CHAPTER SIXTEEN
HIS PROTECTIVE WINGS
Chapter 1
Stones Creek, Colorado
November 1868
Ruth Naylor knew she was being watched. She could feel it. Had been aware of it for several weeks. The sensation sent chills up her spine. As much as she told herself it was nonsense to think some man was watching her, Ruth couldn’t shake the feeling. With several of the Ladies who lived at Sanctuary House marrying and moving out, taking their children with them, her child care duties were reduced. That meant she had to find a different source of income. That meant dealing with and going to meet with men.
Now, Ruth stood on the porch of Sanctuary House and looked across the street at the carpenter shop. Arty Massot, the growly man who built most of the buildings in Stones Creek, had approached her last Sunday after worship service and said he’d heard she was looking for cleaning jobs. It was true, she was. The thought of going into a man’s living quarters to clean tied her stomach in knots. It also seemed to have nailed her boots to the floor boards of the porch. But she needed the job.
Ruth pried her feet from the where they seemed to be fastened and descended the steps. With determination, she walked across the street, to the door of the carpentry shop. Should she knock, or go right in? It was a place of business after all. Lifting her hand, Ruth forced herself to turn the knob and open the door.
The smell of sawdust was thick in Ruth’s nostrils. Every surface including the floor had a covering of the stuff. There were partially completed projects around the room with plenty of space to work on each one. Massot was sanding the top of a table, his back toward her.
Ruth studied the piece he was working on. It was unusual. Rather than a rectangle, square or circle, the table’s edges were irregular. She realized the top was made from a cross section cut from the trunk of a huge tree. The concentric circles of the growth rings creating a beautiful design on its surface. To have dried the wood in such a way that it didn’t split from the edge to the center spoke of the skill and knowledge of the carpenter polishing the table with such care.
Several other pieces of furniture were unusual, also. There were two small end-tables made in a similar fashion as the large one with a cross section cut as the top. The legs were made of wood bent in ‘U’-shapes. Two partially assembled chairs were being built in the same manner; the frame made from trunks or branches of trees.
Massot turned around and jerked, startled to see Ruth standing just inside the door. “Oh, Miss Naylor, forgive me. I didn’t realize you had come in. I get lost in my work.” His low raspy voice sent shivers down Ruth’s spine, doing strange things to her middle.
“I’m sorry. Should I have knocked?” Ruth twisted her fingers together.
Massot stepped forward. “No, of course not. This is a place of business. Anyone can come right in during business hours.”
Ruth nodded. “I— um, you— um, mentioned you were looking for someone to clean your living quarters. She glanced around the messy workspace. It could use a good cleaning too, though she would never say so.
He must have noticed her perusal. “I know. This place is filthy also. I’ve been very busy building houses and furniture. There hasn’t been time to shovel it out.” He gave a slight kick to the thick layer of sawdust trampled on the floor.
Ruth didn’t know what to say, so she said nothing, waiting for him to speak.
“Come, I’ll show you what I’d like you to clean.” He moved to the staircase along the back wall. She was surprised, since there was an exterior one on the side of the building, also. Not many had both.
Following him up the steps, Ruth found both sets shared the same landing. Massot opened the door and entered his living area. He cleared his throat. “As you can see, I’m in desperate need of help.”
That was an understatement. The room they entered was a parlor of sorts. Or maybe it was more nearly correct to say the space they entered was the parlor. It appeared the entire upstairs of the building was one large open space with a sitting area or parlor near the stairs. To the far right were stacks of lumber seemingly sorted by type of wood and sizes of boards.
Behind the seating space was a large cookstove, cabinets, and a small table with two chairs. Further on, along the front of the building was a bed, dresser, and washstand. The only completely walled section was directly behind the stove. Stud walls divided the other areas. It was as if he’d stopped working on the apartment before doing the lath and plaster to complete the walls.
Plus the place was a mess. Sawdust was tracked everywhere. It also covered most surfaces. Brown paper, articles of clothing, books, newspapers, tools, rolls of paper she thought might be blueprints were scattered all over. The windows were covered with sawdust and grime, as were the exterior walls.
The room was surprisingly warm for such a large open space. Ruth wondered how that could be but didn’t ask. Massot had told her, the previous Sunday when he’d asked if she would be willing to clean his apartment, that it was a disaster and he didn’t know where to start. Ruth barely did herself.
“Mrs. Naylor, as you can see, I’m in desperate need of someone to make order out of this chaos and to keep it up. I’m sick of living in such a mess but don’t have the time, knowledge, or inclination to do the work it will take to do so. I’m willing to pay well for you to do the initial cleaning and then pay a fair wage for your continued services.” The amount he offered wiped away the doubts she had of working in the man’s home. Or at least she was willing to put them aside until he broke what little trust she had in any man.
“Yes, this place could stand for a strong wind to blow through to get most of the evidence of your job sent out the window. Since it’s the end of November, that’s not possible. I don’t think opening the windows is such a good idea in this cold weather.”
“Then, you’ll take the project on?” Massot’s hopeful tone almost brought a smile to Ruth’s lips.
“Where will you be while I clean?” she asked.
“Not up here. I’ll either be working downstairs or on a house here in town. With winter coming, I’ll be here more often than in the warmer weather. I won’t come up when you are here, so long as you let me know when you arrive. I’d appreciate you telling me when you finish, also.”
“Since you’ll pay me when I leave, I most certainly will tell you when I leave as well as when I come.”
Massot grinned at her. “Thank you. Do you want to start today?”
“I’ll need to go back to the house and change into my work clothes.”
“Thank you Miss Naylor. You are a Godsend. I was about ready to chuck everything out the window and start over.”
Ruth descended the exterior staircase, leaving Massot to go down the interior back to his shop. She’d heard that he was grumpy and growly from others living in and around Stones Creek, but she’d not seen that side of him. Anytime he spoke with her, Massot had been unfailingly polite. Now, she just needed to conquer her unease at being in the building while he was the only other person on the premises.
Ruth waked across to Sanctuary House willing her stomach to unclench. Men, especially the attentions of men, made Ruth extremely nervous. Twelve years ago, a prominent businessman had stalked Ruth for months. Being only seventeen and innocent, she hadn’t been aware of it. One day, saying h
e had gotten in a special order he thought she might like, the man trapped her in the back room of his store. What occurred there, Ruth didn’t want to think about. When she told her parents what had happened to her, they hadn’t believed her. The rape left Ruth with child. She’d been kicked out of her family as a slut and a lier.
Ruth had walked to the next town carrying what little she could pack in a carpet bag and the few dollars she’d earned from selling eggs. Hoping to find some kind of work, Ruth had found something better.
A tall mountain man, dressed in dirty buckskins and his well-dressed, dignified wife seemed to have been waiting for her. As Ruth walked up Main Street, the man strode up to her and said, “I’m a believin’ you’s the gal we’s a been waitin’ fer, my Penny ‘an me. I done had me a Callin’ ‘bout a young woman whose been dealt with mighty poorly. Since I don’t rightly knowst why any lady as young as yer be should be a wanderin’ inta town with only a carpet bag an’ a sorrowful face, you be the one, I’s sure. Penny, m’love. I done found her. Reckon we kin be a headin’ ta Sanctuary Place now.”
Ruth had just stared at him. How could he know she’d been unjustly accused and found guilty when she was the victim of a heinous act? She’d backed away, slowly. She’d heard about men who tried to lure women by promising them aid. Instead, they often ended up in brothels selling themselves, receiving only pennies while the brothel owner kept the majority of the fee charged.
It had taken Penny Ryder, beloved wife of the famous Nugget Nate Ryder, to convince Ruth the offer of help was genuine. After buying her a meal in the local café, the journey across Wisconsin had begun. They ended up in Iowa at the mission for women called Sanctuary Place that was sponsored by the couple. It was where Ruth’s daughter, Kathryn, was born eleven years ago.
In July, eight Ladies had arrived in Stones Creek, Colorado. They’d come to Nugget Nate’s new Sanctuary House to begin new lives and possibly find husbands in the women starved West. Ruth didn’t necessarily want a husband, but the opportunity for a new start for herself and her daughter lured her to join the Ladies moving to Colorado.
Music Of Her Heart Page 13
