Wagonload Of Trouble

by McDonough, Vickie;

  He clenched the railing, afraid that at any moment she’d fall to the ground and he’d have to call Erin to explain how Taylor had broken her arm. He climbed up on the bottom rail and was ready to yell at her to stop when the horse broke into a smooth lope that settled Taylor into the saddle.

  Someone slapped him on the shoulder, and he jumped. “Easy, city boy; she’s doing fine.”

  He lowered himself to the ground and glanced at Bethany before turning back to watch Taylor. “Tell that to my heart.”

  She chuckled.

  Near the barn door, Cheryl bounced up and down. “Yee-haw! Ride ’em, cowgirl.”

  Taylor’s megawatt grin could have lit up the whole city of Laramie.

  Bethany climbed onto the fence and placed a hand on her brow to shield her eyes from the sun as Taylor rode around the corral. “She’s gotten quite good at riding in a short time. You might want to think about finding a place for her to ride when you go home.”

  He tightened his grip on the wooden rail. He didn’t want to think of leaving in two days. Of never seeing Bethany again—but she’d made her position clear. She would be his friend, but she wasn’t willing to risk her heart on a computer geek from the city. His pride took a nosedive, but it wasn’t the first time.

  “Has Taylor talked to you about tonight?”

  His niece made several circles around the corral then rode the horse back toward the barn. Cheryl walked out and took the reins while Taylor slid off. Evan turned to face Bethany. The sky was darkening, but he could still see her well in the twilight. “What about tonight?”

  She pursed her lips then looked up. “I guess it’s no secret that Taylor and Cheryl have become good friends. Polly asked me earlier if you might consider letting Taylor spend the night with Cheryl.”

  Evan’s gut tightened. Should he let his niece stay with people they barely knew? Sure, they seemed like decent folk, but what would Erin do?

  Bethany must have sensed his concern, because she laid her hand on his arm, warming it through his sleeve. “I’ve known Shep and Polly Wilkes most of my life, and I can vouch for them. They’re good folk. Taylor will be fine with them.”

  Cheryl handed the horse off to her dad, and the two girls raced toward him, their eyes lit up as they climbed over the corral fence.

  “Did you ask him?” Cheryl directed her question to Bethany.

  She nodded.

  “You’ll have to ask your mother.” He didn’t mind passing the buck to stay out of trouble.

  Taylor grinned. “I already did, and she said I could if you thought it was okay.”

  He was cornered. He’d met Shep Wilkes once and liked the man, but the bottom line was that he trusted Bethany’s judgment. Evan nodded, and the girls squealed and high-fived each other.

  “Let’s go pack your stuff,” Cheryl said, bouncing up and down.

  Both girls took off running, but Taylor slid to a halt and jogged back. She wrapped her arms around Evan’s waist. “Thanks!”

  Before he could return her hug, she was gone.

  “You did the right thing. They’ll have a blast.” Bethany smiled. “Cheryl gets lonely living here. Trust me, I know.”

  Something about the melancholy in her voice touched a spot deep within him, and he longed for her to know God more closely—to know Him as the Friend who was always there. Who would never desert her. Maybe she could never be his, but if he could introduce her to his Savior, he wouldn’t worry about her so much once he was gone. He stared out at the darkening sky. “Would a country gal be interested in taking a walk with a city boy?”

  She cocked her head. A smile danced on her lips. “Why not? Dad’s gone back to the campsite, so there’s nobody waiting for me.”

  He stuck out his arm, and she looped hers through it. “Which way?”

  She tugged him toward the barn. “There’s a hill we can climb and see the sunset better.”

  They walked in silence, and when the climbing became more difficult, she let go of his arm but he captured her hand. Friends could hold hands, right?

  Her skin was soft and warm, and she didn’t pull away. As they topped the steep hill, the sky brightened a bit. The sun had already disappeared behind the mountains, but the distant horizon glowed like a pinkish-orange neon rope light. “It’s beautiful.”

  “Yeah. I haven’t been out here in a long while.” She stood quietly for a few minutes then cleared her throat. “I, uh, have something to ask you.”

  “Yeah?” He turned to face her.

  “Dad and I were wondering if you might be willing to stay on a few more days to help make sure the computer is up and running. We can’t pay you anything, but you could keep the suite and we’d feed you. He also wanted me to tell you that we’d like you to come back with your sister and her kids and take another wagon tour. You’ve been such a big help that we wanted to do something for you.” The words seemed to rush out of her, as if she were afraid to voice them.

  Evan shook his head and grinned. “No thanks on the tour, at least for me.”

  He considered her offer to stay longer. He was making excellent progress on his project now that he was feeling better, and with Internet service, he’d been able to do several video conferences with his team. As far as he knew, Taylor didn’t have anything that she had to do once they returned home, but he should probably call Erin to make sure.

  “It’s okay if you can’t. Dad wanted me to ask you.”

  His excitement at spending more time with Bethany spiraled down like a marble on a twisting slide. “Your dad—or you?”

  “Both of us.” She shrugged in the waning light. To her right, the lodge and buildings glowed as lights popped on. “Okay, it was my idea, but Dad is in full agreement.”

  Evan smiled then. “I’d like that, but I do need to check with Erin.”

  She nodded and turned back toward the mountains. Feeling brave, Evan wrapped his arm loosely around Bethany’s shoulders. She glanced up at him then focused back on the sunset.

  “God sure made some beautiful sights,” he said. “I can’t believe I’ve lived my whole life in Wyoming and never been here before.”

  “It’s like any other place. When you live here and have seen it so often, you take it for granted. I know I do at times.”

  “Yeah, just like people take God for granted.”

  She stiffened but after a moment relaxed. “I was close to Him as a child, but after Mom died and Dad wouldn’t take me to church, I drifted away.”

  “It’s never too late to make things right with God.” He tightened his grip on her shoulders.

  She sighed loudly. “I don’t know how to.”

  “All you have to do is pray. Acknowledge your need for God and believe that Jesus died for your sins. God is always waiting for you to come to Him.”

  She shrugged. “You make it sound so easy.”

  Evan turned to face her again and rested his wrists on her shoulders. “It is easy. All you have to do is express your need for God and ask Him to come into your heart.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yep.” With the sky nearly black, Evan could barely see Bethany’s face. “All you have to do is ask.”

  She sniffled. “I’ve been angry with God for so long. I still don’t understand why He had to take my mother away when I needed her so much.”

  Evan stroked her hair, wanting to comfort her. “People get sick. They have accidents. But God can give us the strength we need to make it through those rough times.”

  “I want to make things right with God.” She ducked her head and leaned it against his chest. “Will you help me, Evan?”

  His heart took off like a racehorse from a starting gate. “I’d love to.”

  He said the words, and she repeated them after him, asking God to forgive her sins and to come into her heart anew.

  Bethany looped her arms around his waist, and Evan couldn’t resist hugging her back. “Now you never have to be alone. God will be your Friend.”

  �
�Yeah. That’s pretty cool.”

  He could feel her tears dampening his shirt. She may not be his, but she would always be the Lord’s.

  After a few minutes, Bethany loosened her grip and stepped back. Reluctantly, he let her go. She lifted up on her tiptoes and placed a brief kiss on his lips. Evan felt his eyes widen in the dark and longed to keep her from leaving, to hold her tight and let her know the depth of his feelings. But now wasn’t the time.

  “Thank you. I will always appreciate how you brought me back to the Lord.”

  They walked down the hill. Evan knew he should be thrilled that she’d reconciled with God—and he was. But he wanted more. He wanted her in his life.

  Maybe staying longer wasn’t such a good idea, after all.

  Fourteen

  “You’re sooo lucky. I wish I was staying longer.” Misty Chamberlain hugged Taylor before climbing into the school van.

  Evan watched his niece saying good-bye to all her friends, glad that he had decided to stay on a few more days. He opened his laptop, ready to do some work on the lodge porch while enjoying the warm sunshine.

  Sarah James walked out of the lodge with another girl, carrying a Coke and a sack of chips. “I can’t wait to get home and eat junk food again and watch TV.”

  A boy carrying a duffel bag jogged down the steps past her. “You would, you couch potato.”

  Sarah scowled and stuck out her tongue at him, then walked down the stairs. Chuckles sounded all around as two boys tossed gear into the van.

  It was no wonder Taylor struggled with attitude problems when she was around these kids all the time at school. Evan wished he could afford to send his niece and nephew to a Christian school. He typed in his password.

  Taylor waved good-bye to her friends and teacher, then walked toward the corral where Cheryl sat on the top railing waiting for her. His niece had been ecstatic when Evan asked if she wanted to stay a few more days. He wasn’t quite so thrilled, but after praying, he felt it was what God wanted him to do. Maybe things could still work out between him and Bethany—or maybe the Lord wanted him around to help strengthen her new walk with God before he left.

  He sighed and tapped on his keyboard. The van driver honked as the tires crackled on the gravel and pulled away, leaving behind a trail of dust. Fortunately, the dirt cloud floated away from him instead of toward him.

  Staring out at the mountains glistening in the morning sun, he heaved a sigh. He just wasn’t in the mood to work today. Maybe he could go riding with Taylor and Cheryl, not that the teens would want a greenhorn uncle tagging along. If he had a swimsuit, he could enjoy the pool. With the school group gone and a new group of guests already on the second day of a new wagon tour, there were few people about the ranch.

  He stood and stretched. What he needed was a jog. He’d been idle too long after being sick, and his muscles were tight and stiff. A cloud of dust still lingered over the valley the van had just driven through. If he jogged down the road, would the cows bother him?

  Shaking his head, he closed his laptop. Bethany would certainly tease him if she thought he was apprehensive of cows. Not cows exactly, but more the unknown. His mood soured, and he realized this was just another way they were incompatible.

  He picked up his laptop and headed toward the front door.

  Bethany nearly knocked him down on her way out. Her eyes were wild with worry, and she stared past the barn, not even noticing he was there.

  “What’s wrong?” He grabbed her arm until she looked at him.

  Her gaze took a moment to register his presence. “Dad’s been hurt.”

  “How?”

  She turned away, keeping her vigil again. “Steve’s bringing him in. He just called and said Dad was unconscious.”

  Evan’s heart lurched.

  “Jim hitched up the teams this morning, but afterward, someone cut the traces and several other parts of the harness on Dad’s wagon. When Dad ordered his team to go, the horses walked forward, but the wagon didn’t move. Dad was jerked off the wagon seat. . . .”

  She clutched his arm, tears in her eyes. “Oh, Evan. I can’t lose him. He’s all I’ve got.”

  Evan set his computer back on the table and held her shoulders. “He’s not all you have. You’ve got God now—and you’ve got me.”

  Leaning against his chest, she sobbed. Evan was stunned to see this woman who was normally so in control of her feelings falling apart. He held her until she pulled away and looked again toward the wagon trail.

  “Listen, sweetheart. I’m going to run my laptop up to my room. Why don’t you get your keys and purse? That way we can take your dad to the hospital as soon as he arrives.” Evan picked up his computer. “There is a hospital in town, right?”

  Bethany nodded then spun around. “No, but there’s a clinic.”

  “All right. I’ll run upstairs. Could you call Shep and see if he’d keep an eye on the girls? I don’t know his number.”

  “Yeah.” She raced past him and through the front door, seeming happy to have something to do.

  Evan glanced toward the trail. No sign of the Jeep yet. He ran up the stairs, taking two at a time. “Please, Father. Let Rob be okay. Bethany needs him. Don’t take him from her.”

  ❧

  “I’m not going to no doctor.” Bethany’s dad slid forward from the back of the Jeep where he’d been lying down and sat on the tailgate. He listed to the left, and she reached out to steady him. He swatted her hand away, and with one of Jenny’s towels from the cookhouse, he swiped at the blood dripping down his temple. He stood, wobbled, and sat back down. Steve stood beside the Jeep scowling.

  Her heart ached. Her father’s jaw was swollen, and blood seeped from a goose egg on his forehead. He held his left arm close to his chest and weaved sideways as he tried to stand again.

  “I’m not taking no for an answer. Get in my Jeep, Dad.”

  She gently reached under his right arm and helped him to straighten as he mumbled something about her being bossy. Steve stayed close to Rob’s side and stood ready to assist if needed, but with her dad’s confounded pride, she should count her blessings that he was allowing her to help him at all.

  Evan ran out the front doors with something in his hands, and Bethany’s nerves settled a measure just having him near.

  “Polly cornered me and sent an ice bag. How is he?”

  “He’s fine,” her father growled.

  The fact that he let her put him in her Jeep instead of going into the lodge proved that he wasn’t as well as he claimed. Her heart stumbled at that thought. He leaned his head back, and she buckled his seat belt and closed the door. Evan handed her the ice pack, and she passed it to her dad through the window. “Keep this on your forehead.”

  He mumbled something else but did as he was told.

  She motioned Steve to the front of the vehicle. “How long was he unconscious?”

  The ranch hand shook his head. “Hard to say, because I was driving and his wagon was in the back. He was out from the time he fell until after we got him in the Jeep and I was well on my way back. Twenty minutes maybe.”

  Bethany winced. “That’s a long time.”

  Evan took her hand and squeezed it. “We’d better get going before your dad changes his mind.”

  She nodded. “Anything else I need to know?”

  Steve shrugged. “The wagon was hitched up properly. I know because I did it myself.” He lifted off his hat and scratched the back of his head. “I just don’t see how anyone could have gotten in and cut the harnesses without any of us noticing.”

  Bethany sighed. “You guys be careful. It’s obvious that someone is sabotaging our trips and stealing our customers. I just wish we could find out who it is before a guest gets hurt and we find ourselves facing a lawsuit.”

  Evan took her shoulders and propelled her toward the driver’s seat. “Don’t worry about that right now. Just get in and drive.”

  Steve lifted his brows, and she knew he wondered why this
guest she’d poked fun at was ordering her around. She obeyed and climbed into the Jeep, more to avoid Steve and his questions than anything else. Evan crawled in the backseat and closed the door.

  She started the engine, backed out, then stepped on the gas. The Jeep shot forward, and her dad moaned. Feeling guilty for causing him pain, she slowed down. Please, God, he has to be okay. I’ll even come back and stay at the ranch if that’s what it takes. Just let Dad be all right. I need him, God.

  An hour and a half later, Bethany paced the waiting room of the small clinic. She gulped down the last of her coffee, crumpled the paper cup, and tossed it at the trash can. She missed. “What’s taking so long?”

  Evan stood and stretched, then put the cup in the trash. “They’re probably just being thorough.”

  She heard a shuffling noise and watched the doorway. Dr. Franklin ambled in, drying his hands on some paper towels. He caught her eye and smiled. “He’s going to be fine.”

  She strode across the room toward him. “How bad is it?”

  The doctor nodded at Evan as he joined her, his shoulder touching hers. “He has those cuts on his head and a concussion. He also broke his wrist in the fall.”

  “Oh,” she gasped, and Evan wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She leaned her weight into his side. “Dad is so independent. How will he ever tend to himself with a broken wrist?”

  “Well, you’ve answered your own question, young lady. Rob comes from tough stock. He’s independent and will manage, although I suspect he may need your help with some things for a while.”

  “I know. I’m just overly worried.”

  “I gave him something for the pain, and it will make him sleep for a while. Why don’t you two go grab something to eat, and maybe you could show this young man some of our town.”

  “There’s not that much to see.”

  The doctor lifted his brows. “People sure pay a load of money to come here.”

  She ducked her head and studied the cracked tile at her feet. “Yeah, I know.”

  Evan squeezed her shoulders. “I could use some lunch. I think we’ll take your advice, Doc, since Rob will be sleeping.”