A Chance to Love Again

by Hutton, Callie

  She nodded her agreement and they directed their horses away from the town center and rode toward Elm Street where her boardinghouse was. When they reached Elm and Seventh, they both slid off their horses. Rachel hurried up the steps, Rusty right behind her. She burst into the door, glancing quickly around the parlor at the women sitting, reading newspapers, doing needlework, and gossiping. As one, they looked up in surprise.

  “Is Will here?” Short of breath, the words barely escaped.

  “No, dear. I thought he was with you.” Mrs. Beamer came down the hallway, wiping her hands on a towel and frowning.

  “Has Ellie returned from her meeting yet?”

  “Not yet. She usually comes in right before curfew. What’s wrong, dear?”

  “I thought if Ellie was here she might help us search.”

  “Is Will missing?”

  Rachel dragged her palm down her face. “Yes. He didn’t go to school and I thought he had gone to the ranch, but he hadn’t.”

  “Goodness. That’s terrible.” Mrs. Beamer seemed to notice Rusty for the first time. “Oh, hello. I’m sorry, are you a friend of Mrs. Stevens?”

  “Mrs. Beamer, this is Rusty McIntyre. He is the new owner of the Lazy Sunset Ranch.”

  She smiled at him, and then wagged her finger. “Oh, you’re the gentleman that Will is always talking about. He is sure crazy about you.”

  Rachel groaned and then burst into tears. She turned away, her hands covering her face. Rusty pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Beamer, Mrs. Stevens is quite upset right now. Since Will is not here, we will continue our search.”

  “Is there anything I can do?”

  “A few prayers wouldn’t hurt,” he tossed over his shoulder, noting the women in the parlor who’d stopped what they were doing to watch them. He led Rachel out of the house, her sobs turning to slight shudders as she leaned against his chest.

  “What are we going to do now?” She clung to him like a small lost child.

  “Well, we certainly aren’t giving up. We’re going to backtrack and return to the ranch. It’s quite possible he’s safe and sound with Amelia right now. But in any event, we will search all night if we have to, and in the morning we’ll contact the sheriff and have him help.”

  They mounted their horses and continued on. Going even slower this time, it took them more than three hours to make the trip back to the ranch without finding any sign of Will, stopping to call and listen. Rachel was pale as the moonlight and she shivered against him as they hurried together through the front door.

  Amelia met them at the entrance, her eyes swollen and red. “Did you find him?”

  Rachel slumped against Rusty, who shook his head at his daughter.

  “Where can he be?” Amelia wiped the corner of her eye with a handkerchief. The last thing he needed was two hysterical females on his hands.

  He tugged on Rachel’s hand and led her into the parlor. Sitting her down on the sofa, he said, “Right now you should try to get some sleep. You’re exhausted and if Will is somewhere between here and town, he’s most likely hiding or asleep. If you get a couple hours rest we’ll start again as soon as the sun comes up. It will be much easier to see what we possibly missed tonight.”

  She wrapped her arms around her middle, stubbornly shaking her head. “I can’t sleep knowing my son is out there. I have to keep trying to find him.”

  He sat next to her and took both of her hands in his. “It’s only about two hours until sunup. Lie down here on the sofa, and just close your eyes for a minute.” He turned to Amelia. “Get a pillow and blanket from my room.”

  “I won’t be able to sleep.”

  “That’s fine. Just lie down and close your eyes. Take a short break, anyway.”

  Amelia returned with the pillow and blanket. Rusty thanked her and told her to go to bed. “I’m confident we’ll find Will in the morning. You get some sleep now.”

  “Will you wake me up when you find him?”

  “Yes. Now off with you.”

  Rusty placed the pillow on the sofa and Rachel stretched out, then jerked as he joined her.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Shhh. Just close your eyes.” He pulled the blanket over the two of them, and tucked her head onto his shoulder.

  “I should be looking for Will.”

  Rusty placed his hand on her head and worked his fingers through her hair, massaging her scalp. Within minutes she was fast asleep—right before he joined her.

  ***

  Rachel opened her eyes with a jolt, and the panic hit her.

  Will is missing.

  The space next to her on the couch was warm, but Rusty wasn’t there. She sat up and held her head, the headache from the day before still with her. Swinging her legs over the edge of the sofa, she stood up and swayed.

  “I was just going to wake you.” Rusty entered the room, two cups of coffee in his hands.

  “What time is it?” She ran her tongue around the inside of her mouth. Her teeth felt fuzzy.

  “Barely after six. It’s just starting to get light outside. I thought we’d grab something to eat and head back out again.”

  “I don’t think I can eat. But I’ll take the coffee.” She reached out a shaky hand and took a sip. The warm liquid slid down her throat, offering some comfort.

  “Honey, you haven’t had much sleep. You should eat something or you won’t do Will any good when we find him.”

  When we find him.

  She closed her eyes and two tears leaked from under her lids, tracking down her cheeks. Rusty pulled her to his warm body and enveloped her in his arms. “We will find him this morning, sweetheart. I swear to you.”

  “God, I hope you’re right. I’ve never been so frightened in my life.”

  He led her to the kitchen where he sat her at the table. Two bowls of oatmeal and a stack of toast almost turned her stomach. “I really can’t eat.”

  “All right. Why don’t you splash some water on your face and we’ll set out.”

  “You eat. I need a few minutes to freshen up and re-braid my hair. Do you have a comb I can borrow?”

  “My bedroom is down the hall on the right side. Take what you need from there.”

  Rusty’s room was very masculine—most likely Big Bob had occupied this space. Dark wooden paneling covered the walls, and large chunky furniture took up most of the spacious room.

  She found a water pitcher and bowl on a table and washed her face. She used a comb sitting on the dresser to comb out the mess her hair had become and re-braided it. Looking into the mirror over the dresser she cringed at the deep circles under her puffy eyes. She rubbed her teeth with the hem of her dress, then swished water around her mouth and spit it out.

  Rusty was placing dishes in the sink when she returned to the kitchen. “I know you’re distracted right now, but once everything settles down, we have a very important conversation coming up.”

  She moved into his arms and leaned against his hard chest. The steady beat of his heart and the scent of dust, sweat, and Rusty brought a semblance of peace. She trusted that he would find Will. She had to rely on that trust or she would begin to scream and pull out her hair.

  He lifted her chin with his knuckle, brushed her lightly on her lips, then set her from him. “Let’s go find Will.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Rachel mounted her horse and headed back the way they’d searched the night before. She felt more confident that they would find Will. Perhaps it was Rusty’s words, bright daylight, or just her mother’s instinct.

  They were about an hour from the ranch when Rusty held up his hand as a signal for them to stop. He tilted his head and frowned. Rachel cocked her ear in the same direction and then took in a sharp breath. “I hear him!”

  She jumped from her horse so quickly she lost her balance and went down on her knees. Rusty helped her up and they both hurried through the trees, pushing aside leaves, calling out to Will.

&nb
sp; Her heart raced as they climbed over branches and ducked under limbs.

  “Ma.” His voice was strained, as if he was in pain. They followed the sound, and then burst into a clearing. Will sat against the base of a tree, his dirty face showing tracks of dried tears. He leaned to one side, his right leg bent underneath him.

  “Will, oh my God, Will. I was so scared. What were you thinking?” She slid onto her knees and grabbed him around his shoulders.

  “Ouch, Ma. Let go, that hurts.” He attempted to wiggle away.

  “What happened?” Rusty knelt beside Will, running his hand lightly over his leg.

  “I wasn’t sure if I was going in the right direction to the ranch, so I climbed up this tree to look, but the branch didn’t hold me, and I fell. I can’t walk, something happened to my leg.” He winced in pain, the skin under the dirt on his face turning a stark white.

  “Honey, we looked for you all night. We came by here three or four times, calling your name. Why didn’t you answer us?” Rachel asked.

  “I didn’t hear anyone calling me.”

  “He must have fallen asleep, and didn’t hear us,” Rusty said. “But now we have to get him to the doctor. I have a strong suspicion he broke his leg.”

  “Oh, my God.” Rachel covered her mouth with her hand.

  “It will be all right. I’ll carry him on my horse, and the doc can set it.” Rusty slid his arms under Will’s leg and shoulders. “Hold on, son, this might hurt a bit when I lift you, but I’ll try real hard to be careful.”

  “Okay.” The word barely made it out as he bit his lip and paled even further. Rachel hurried on ahead, moving branches and clearing a path for them to follow.

  “Rachel, hold Will while I mount, then gently hand him to me.”

  “He can ride with me.”

  “No, Ma. I want to ride with Mr. McIntyre.”

  She tried to hide her feelings, but Rusty picked up on it. “Honey, it’s a male thing. You can smother him with motherly love once his leg is set and he’s home.”

  Rachel sniffed her disapproval, but was so relieved they had found him, nothing would lessen her happiness. Once Rusty was settled on his horse, he reached down for Will and lifted him gently onto his lap. “You all right?”

  Will grimaced, but nodded. Rachel climbed on her horse and they headed to town.

  Mrs. Clemmons opened the door before they even were able to knock. “What happened here?” A rotund, cheerful woman, the doctor’s wife frowned with concern at Will snuggled in Rusty’s arms.

  “Will climbed a tree and fell. Mr. McIntyre thinks he broke his leg.”

  “Goodness, young man. What are you boys thinking of, doing those kinds of things that terrifies your mother?” She tsked her way down the hall, leading them to the small room at the back of the house where Dr. Clemmons treated his patients.

  “Wait right here, and I’ll have Dr. Clemmons see to you.” She shook her head as she left the room in search of the doctor.

  “Honey, help me get his pants off. I’m sure Dr. Clemmons will want to look at his leg.”

  Despite being as careful as possible, Will bit down on his lip as they maneuvered his pants off.

  “Mrs. Clemmons tells me you’ve been climbing trees, young man.” Dr. Clemmons entered the room, all bluster and vibrant energy. He eyed Will on the table and winked. “And I’ll bet it was a whole lot of fun until you fell.”

  Will smiled. “I was in the woods all night.” Now that he was safe with adults taking charge, it appeared his adventure had taken on a better light. Gone was the frightened little boy, and in his place was a young man bragging about his exploit.

  “Well, let’s see what we have here.”

  About an hour later, Will’s leg was set, splinted and plastered. “I’m afraid you’ll be unable to use that leg for a while there, young man. Might be a good time to catch up on schoolwork.”

  Will groaned, then cast a guilty look at Rachel.

  “He’s ready to go home anytime. I’ll give you some pain powder you can mix with water. Mrs. Clemmons is searching for a pair of crutches I have in the attic.”

  “Thank you.” Rachel turned to Rusty. “How will we get him home?”

  “I want to talk to you about that. Doc, we’ll be right with you.” Rusty grabbed Rachel’s hand and dragged her out of the room.

  “You can’t bring him back to the boardinghouse.”

  “Why not? That’s where we live.”

  Rusty rested his hands on his hips. “From what I’ve seen, the bedrooms are on the second floor. It will be hard enough on Will getting around on crutches, without having to climb stairs.”

  She stared at him for a minute, completely at a loss since she knew he was right.

  “I have two bedrooms on the first floor at the ranch.”

  “I’m not leaving Will in your care. You have too much to do each day to see to him.”

  “I was going to suggest that you both move into the ranch house. I can go back to the ranch to get the wagon. We can leave Will here until you can pack your things at the boardinghouse. I’ll be back to pick you both up.”

  “I can’t live at the ranch house! I have to go to work every day.”

  “Honey, Will needs you. You can’t go to work every day and leave him alone in the boardinghouse. Mrs. Beamer didn’t sign on for nursing duties. You have to leave the Café while Will is recovering.”

  Too tired to think about all he said, she lowered herself to the sofa. “I never thought about my job.” She looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears. “What am I going to do?”

  Rusty squatted and took her hands in his. “Let me take care of you and Will.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “What does that mean? I have a reputation, you know. I could move in with my aunt and uncle while he recovers and still make it to work every day.”

  “Is that what you want? To leave his care to someone else?”

  Her shoulders slumped. “I’m too tired to think about all this now.”

  He rubbed his fingers over her knuckles. “Then I suggest we follow my plan for now and we can discuss all the details when you’re feeling up to it.”

  “My Uncle Jesse will skin you alive if I move into your house. And if memory serves, my brother, Michael is already readying his shotgun for you.”

  “Then marry me.”

  She jerked back as if he slapped her. “Marry you? No. It would never work.” She pulled her hand away and stood. “I will gather up our things and move into my old house at the ranch. Will can recover there, and I can help out in some way to earn our keep.”

  ***

  It was probably the best he was going to get out of Rachel right now. And this was certainly not how he’d intended to propose marriage. It had to be at the right time, but he was getting desperate with her arguments. He would have little opportunity to repair the damage he’d done if she stayed at the boardinghouse.

  “I can agree with that. We’ll ask Mrs. Clemmons if we can leave Will here while you pack and I fetch the wagon.”

  Five hours later they pulled up in front of the little house that Rachel had occupied when she worked as the ranch cook. They both alighted, then Rusty carried Will into the house. Rachel appeared ready to drop, and he didn’t feel much better. Right now he wanted to get them settled and then take a bath, eat, and sleep—in that order.

  Rachel hurried ahead of him. “Put him in the room Amelia used.”

  Mrs. Clemmons had cleaned the boy up and fed him while they waited for Rusty and Rachel to return. After taking a dose of pain medicine, he’d slept for the entire trip home.

  Rachel pulled the cover up over Will and sat on the edge of his bed. She trailed her fingers over his face and he grimaced at the light touch. “I love him so much. I can’t believe I almost lost him.”

  Rusty placed his hand on her shoulder. “I’ll fill the bathtub for you. I think a long soak will help.”

  She nodded and yawned loudly. “Oh, sorry.”

  He d
ragged the copper tub from the back porch into the kitchen. Once the tub was filled, Rachel must have been too tired to either realize or care that Rusty was helping her out of her clothes and into the tub, for she never protested.

  Despite his overwhelming fatigue, his lower parts came alive at the sight of her body. Forcing himself to leave, he returned to the ranch house and made a couple of sandwiches for them. Loaded down with the sandwiches, a jar of lemonade and two apples, he barely got the door to the small house open.

  He placed the food on the table and smiled at the sight of Rachel sound asleep in the tub. She’d managed to get her hair and body washed before she’d dozed off. This was a sight he could get used to. Although he’d blurted the words out, he intended for Rachel to be his wife. Instead of forcing her down the aisle as her brother had suggested, he would talk to her, explain his shortcomings and hope she could see the love in his heart enough to forgive him.

  “Sweetheart? You need to wake up, the water is cold. You’re going to catch a chill.”

  Rachel opened her eyes and smiled softly at him. In that one instant he knew she would be his. Whatever it took, she would be his wife and lifelong partner.

  He held out the towel. “Come on, up you go.”

  Apparently now aware of her nakedness, she blushed crimson and snatched the towel from his hand, wrapping it around herself. “I’m fine, now. You can leave.”

  He motioned with his head toward the table. “I brought us some food. After we eat, I’ll go home and take a bath. You need to sleep.”

  She stepped out of the tub, the cloth securely around her body, emphasizing the curves he wanted to get his hands around. Her chin raised, she walked past him toward the bedroom where he’d placed her bag when they arrived.

  He found plates on a shelf and laid out the food. With dark circles under her eyes and lines of fatigue on her face, Rachel entered the room. She’d braided her wet hair, which hung down behind her, almost to her waist.

  “I think I’m too tired to eat.”

  “You have to eat, you’ve had nothing since yesterday. This will ensure a good sleep.”

  “I can’t sleep too long, I have to take care of Will.”