A Bargain Struck (Choc Lit)

by Liz Harris

  ‘I’m real happy for you,’ she said, and Ellen saw that her eyes were glistening.

  ‘We can’t take it in yet,’ Connor said. ‘Ellen told me her suspicions on the night of the wedding. What a moment that was! I can’t tell you how it made me feel. And now to know for sure …’ His voice caught.

  ‘It was a lovely wedding,’ Ellen said quickly. ‘Hannah looked beautiful. Her dress was clearly made by a skilled needlewoman. Was that you?’

  ‘No,’ Abigail said, shaking her head. ‘It was made by Hannah herself. She’s very good with the needle. Always has been. That’s what I’m in town for, among other things. Hannah’s gonna make the curtains for her ranch and she couldn’t decide on the material. She’s now made up her mind, and I told her I’d pick the material up when I collected the dishes left over from the wedding. So you thought it went well, did you?’

  ‘I sure did. And Connor, too. There can’t have been anyone who didn’t have a good time.’

  Connor glanced quickly at her, and squeezed her hand.

  ‘Well, I reckon I oughta get on now. Lots to do, and I won’t get it done if I stand here talking, pleasant though it is. And I’ll be seeing you soon, anyway, at that Thanksgiving Dinner you’ve planned.’

  ‘I’m looking forward to it,’ Ellen said.

  ‘Good day to you both,’ Abigail said. She started to move away, then paused. ‘Remember, we’re giving Bridget a lift for part of the way home tonight,’ she added, and she moved off briskly in the direction of the livery stable.

  Connor stared after her, then turned back to Ellen, his eyes suddenly anxious.

  ‘Maybe we shouldn’t have said anything yet. It’s not yet three months. Just in case …’ He stopped abruptly.

  ‘In case things go wrong, like with Alice. You can say the words, Conn. We both know it can happen.’

  ‘And so will Bridget. She watched her mother suffer several times. Sure she was very young, but she’ll remember it, and we don’t want her to fear for you sooner than necessary. It’ll be your early Thanksgiving Dinner in two weeks. I think we shouldn’t tell her till after that.’ He paused. ‘But maybe having the neighbours over will be too much for you now. You need to rest as much as possible.’

  ‘It won’t be too much,’ she said hastily. ‘I’ve already started preparing the food. They’ve all made me real welcome, and I want us to celebrate my first Thanksgiving here with them. They obviously can’t leave their homes in November, with the risk that snow or a sudden blizzard could keep them from getting back to their animals, so making Thanksgiving in October is a good idea, and they think so, too.’

  ‘Well, if you’re sure it won’t be too much.’ He sounded uncertain.

  ‘Bridget will help me,’ she added. ‘I promise I won’t overdo things, Conn.’ She put her hand on her stomach and gave him a reassuring smile.

  He looked down at her hand, then back at her face, and he, too, smiled.

  ‘You must let Bridget do the evening milking from now on,’ Connor said, coming into the barn and seeing Ellen on the low milking stool, her shoulders pressed against the cow at whose udders she was tugging. ‘The cows will soon get used to being done a little later than you’ve been doing them. I’ll tell Bridget tonight.’

  She finished milking the cow, pushed back her stool and looked around at Connor.

  ‘The milking was one of the chores you insisted that Bridget give up when she started school. I know she helps out at times, but if you make it a regular thing from now on, she’ll wonder why. She’s smart and she’ll soon work it out. Wait until after our Thanksgiving, Conn.’ She bent down for the pail of milk beneath the cow.

  He put his hand on her shoulder and stopped her. ‘I don’t want you doing too much,’ he said, reaching down for the pail and lifting it up.

  She stood up and put her hand gently on his arm. ‘I want this baby as much as you do. After the accident, I thought I’d never have a child of my own, that no one would look at me again, but they did, and this is the result.’ She ran her hand lightly across her stomach. ‘I know Alice lost several babies, and I know she worked very hard. But that may not be why she lost them. Sometimes women lose babies for no good reason. I promise I’ll stop if I feel I’m doing myself a harm, but I want to do my chores for as long as I can. Bridget shouldn’t be given too much to do at the end of her school day. She has lessons to learn.’

  He nodded. ‘I guess you’re right.’ He turned to leave with the milk. ‘I’ll take this to the kitchen, and then go across to the bunkhouse to see if Aaron’s finished banking dirt around the foundations. I’ll come back with him and do the animals’ feed this evening.’

  ‘And what I said about having a child of my own, Conn,’ she said quickly. He paused. ‘I’ve grown to love Bridget and nothing will change that. It’s not something I can say to her – and she wouldn’t believe me if I did – but I’ll make sure that she always knows inside her that I love her as if she was mine.’

  He gave her a broad smile. ‘I’m sure she will. Just as having a son won’t make her mean any less to me.’

  ‘Or a daughter. We don’t yet know which it’ll be.’ Her face clouded with sudden anxiety, and she took a step towards him. ‘I know you love Bridget. And I know you now want a son very much. But if you have another daughter, you will love her, too, won’t you? You won’t be too disappointed?’

  ‘I will be disappointed, just as I was when I first saw Bridget. But that feeling will pass as quickly as it did with Bridget, and I’ll love her just as much as I would have a son. And I’ll hope that she looks like you.’

  She threw back her head and laughed. ‘I’m not about to put her – if it is a her – in the way of a horse, so she will never look very like me.’

  He gave her a slow, lazy smile. ‘Yup,’ he said. ‘I chose well for the mother of my future children.’ And he turned and went out of West Barn.

  She stood still and stared after him. Then she raised her hands to her face and found that her cheeks were wet.

  ‘Ellen’s been feelin’ a bit tired these last few days. I’m gonna take some of her chores from her, if I can. Maybe get Bridget to do a little more,’ Connor said as he and Aaron walked past the corrals towards West Barn. ‘Here, if you give me one of those sacks, I’ll start on the stalls on the left. You do the right.’

  They went into the barn. Aaron handed one of the two sacks he’d been carrying to Connor, went to the far end of the barn and started tipping pieces of carrot and potato into the cows’ feed box. Then he suddenly stopped and looked up.

  ‘I think we’ve got a visitor, Conn,’ he shouted. He dropped the sack, ran to the back entrance to the barn, stood still and listened.

  ‘Someone’s comin’, boss,’ he shouted into the barn to Connor. ‘It’s a horse not a wagon, so it won’t be anyone bringin’ Bridget. They sure are movin’ fast.’ He ran out of the barn, across to the fence and stared up the track. ‘It’s only one horse,’ he called over his shoulder to Connor, who was running up behind him.

  Conn stopped in his tracks. ‘Only one that we can see. There could be more behind him. I’ll get my gun. It’s not the time of day for visitors.’

  He turned and started to run back through the barn.

  ‘I’ll wait in the barn to catch sight of the rider,’ Aaron called after him.

  Connor waved his hand in agreement and continued running. He ran past Ellen, who was approaching the kitchen with a pile of firewood in her arms, threw the kitchen door open, ran in and grabbed his gun.

  ‘It’s only Elijah Carey,’ he heard Aaron call. ‘I’ll open the gate.’

  Ellen followed Connor quickly into the kitchen and dropped the wood in the basket by the stove, anxiety on her face.

  ‘No need to worry. I expect you heard Aaron – it’s just Elijah,’ Connor told her, putting down the gun. ‘I’ll go and see what he wants.’

  He went through the house and out the front door just as Aaron was pulling the gate open. His head still
down, Elijah rode straight through. Aaron swung the gate shut and followed Elijah across the yard.

  Elijah pulled hard on his horse’s reins, brought it to a stop and climbed down from the saddle.

  Connor went forward to take the reins from him, his face anxious. ‘There’s nothing wrong is there, Elijah?’ he asked as he led the horse to a pail of water. He ran his hand along the horse’s back as it dipped its head to drink. ‘We don’t often see you ride like that. There’s sweat dripping from your horse’s belly. Why aren’t you with Abigail?’

  Ellen hurried out of the house. ‘Why, Elijah. What a surprise,’ she said with a welcoming smile.

  Panting heavily, he touched the brim of his hat to her.

  ‘I got bad news, Conn,’ he said, drawing his breath with difficulty. ‘Real bad news. Bridget’s been bitten by a rattler. She’s at the doc’s.’

  ‘A rattler!’ Aaron exclaimed. ‘Is she bad?’

  ‘How come?’ Conn asked. ‘No, don’t tell me now. Tell me later. Saddle up for me, Aaron.’

  ‘I’ll ride with you,’ Ellen said quickly. She started to undo her apron.

  ‘No, you must stay here.’

  ‘But I want to go with you.’

  ‘You’re not to ride.’

  ‘Then I’ll follow on the wagon. I’ll bring some of Bridget’s things in case she has to stay the night at the doctor’s. And if she doesn’t, we’ll need the wagon to bring her home.’

  He stared at her for a moment, then nodded. ‘OK, but I don’t like it. You must go carefully. I’ll hurry Aaron along.’

  He turned and started to walk quickly along the front of his house just as Aaron rounded the corner with his horse. He took the reins from him. ‘Ellen’s gonna take the wagon,’ he said. He checked the cinch, then he swung himself up into the saddle. ‘Harness the horses for her, will you? I must get off. And you’d better check that there’s nothing’s cooking.’

  ‘Sure thing, Conn.’

  He trotted his horse across to Ellen and looked down at her. ‘I wish I could send Aaron with you, but I can’t. He’s the only man here today and I need him to watch the place. There’s nothing you can do for Bridget – Doc will do what has to be done – so you be sure to drive slowly.’

  ‘I will.’

  ‘I’ll ride beside you, Conn,’ Elijah said. He pushed the pail away from his horse and climbed back into the saddle. ‘Abigail and Martha are at the doc’s with Bridget, and I’ve left the wagon there. I wanna see how the gal’s doing, anyway.’

  Ellen took a step forward and looked up at Elijah, concern written across her face. ‘Martha wasn’t bitten, too, was she?’

  ‘No, ma’am. Just Bridget.’

  ‘Let’s go then,’ Connor said.

  Spurring their horses into a canter, they rode through the open gate, turned on to the dusty track and broke into a gallop.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Ellen leaned forward on the wooden bench in the doctor’s front room, her eyes on the closed door opposite her, straining to listen to what was going on inside the office. She heard the sound of movement and conversation, and occasionally she heard Conn’s voice above that of the doctor, but it was indistinct and she couldn’t make out what anyone was saying.

  She turned her head slightly and glanced down at Martha, who was sitting between her parents. Martha’s cheeks were wet with tears and her eyes red and swollen.

  ‘How did it happen, Martha? Do you feel able to tell me?’ she asked gently.

  Martha looked up at her, her eyes full of fear and misery. She sniffed, and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. ‘It wasn’t my fault.’

  ‘No one’s blaming you, Martha,’ Abigail said gently. ‘Are they, Mrs Maguire?’

  ‘Of course they’re not.’ She smiled reassuringly at Martha.

  ‘Just tell Mrs Maguire what happened. She’ll want to know, like I would if you’d been hurt.’

  Martha wiped her cheeks with the cuff of her sleeve. ‘I was sitting on the wagon with Ma and Pa, waitin’ for Bridget to come out of school. Suddenly she ran out. Real angry she looked, and like she was crying. She knew Pa was going to collect us both, but she didn’t come over to us. We kept calling her. We did try.’

  ‘Don’t distress yourself, Martha,’ Ellen said hastily. ‘Whatever happened, I’m sure you’re not in any way to blame for this. So where did Bridget go, if not to you?’

  ‘Straight around the back of the school, and out into the long grass. She knows we’re not allowed to go there ’cos there might be snakes there. I called for her to come back, but she just ran into the grass without stoppin’. Pa and I got down as fast as we could and we ran after her, but she was going real fast. Miss Quinn ran after her, too, and she kept shouting for her to stop.’

  ‘Miss Quinn was there, too?’

  ‘She came out of the school just after Bridget,’ Abigail told Ellen. ‘But I don’t know why Bridget would stay after everyone else had gone. Do you know what held her up, honey?’

  Martha nodded. ‘Miss Quinn came over to us at afternoon recess and asked her to stay behind after school. Bridget thought she might’ve done something naughty, but she couldn’t think what. But I guess Miss Quinn must’ve been real angry with her about something to make her run off like that. I wish she hadn’t.’ Her eyes filled again with tears.

  Elijah put his arm around his daughter. ‘It’s like Martha said, Miss Quinn came running out of the schoolhouse right after Bridget. But Bridget just kept running. She’d picked up a stick from somewhere and she was hittin’ out from side to side, like she was real mad. I guess she frightened the rattler, maybe even stood on it. She suddenly stood still and screamed that she’d been bitten, then she turned and started to run towards us. They know not to run if they get bitten, but I guess she forgot. I yelled at Martha to get back, and to Bridget to stand still, and I ran up to her, picked her up and carried her back to the schoolroom.’

  ‘Where was she bitten?’

  ‘Her leg, thankfully. I could keep the place she was bitten lower than her heart.’

  ‘Are you sure it was a rattler?’

  ‘It must have been a prairie rattler. You don’t get faded rattlers in these parts – that one’s a real dangerous rattler.’

  ‘How dangerous is the prairie rattler?’

  ‘Nothin’ for an adult to worry too much about, but with a child, you never know. Depends on whether Bridget actually stepped on it, or hit it with her stick, or just frightened it. Unless you’re really pestering the snake, it’s only going to slap at you. I’m hoping it was more of a quick warning bite. Those only come with a small amount of venom. A snake would rather save its juice for something it can eat.’

  ‘There were snakes on the farm owned by Robert’s parents, but not many poisonous ones, and no one was bitten while I was there. In fact, I never saw more than a couple in the year I was there. Did you try to suck the poison out?’

  ‘We sure didn’t. It don’t do any good, and there’s a mighty strong risk of the poison getting into the person who does the suckin’. No, ma’am, the leg was swelling fast and changing colour so we just wound my bandanna around her leg above the bite, and got her to the doctor as quick as we could. In case you ever need to know, you must be real careful not to stop the blood from flowing. It would do more damage than the poison.’ He held up three fingers. ‘You gotta be able to fit two or three fingers under any bandage. Best thing is to get to the doctor, though.’

  ‘How lucky you were there. Miss Quinn would never have been able to get her to the doctor as quickly on her own.’

  ‘Yup, I guess it was.’

  The voices in the back room sounded loud behind the door. All four turned instantly towards the door. It opened, and Connor and the doctor came into the front room.

  She saw that Connor’s face was strained and drawn, and she stood up and took a couple of steps towards him.

  ‘How is she?’

  ‘She’ll be fine, Mrs Maguire,’ the doctor sai
d. ‘She’s a strong girl, and a lucky one. I don’t reckon there was much venom in the bite, and she should get over its effects quite quickly. I reckon I’ve cut enough away to get out all the poison. The skin around the bite had dried up and was already flaking off, which helped us get the right place. I’ve given her some Echinacea, and that’ll help with any venom left in her, but the wound will need to be kept real clean or she could still lose the leg. She’s in some pain, but that should soon pass.’

  ‘Can we take her home now?’ she asked.

  ‘I guess there’d be no harm in that. There’s nothin’ else I can do for her. It’s just a matter of letting time and Echinacea take their course.’

  ‘What made her so angry?’ Martha asked.

  Elijah put his hand on her shoulder. ‘That’s not for you to ask,’ he said. ‘No doubt Bridget will tell you when she wants to. And since it looks like she’s gonna be fine, I reckon we’ll get off home now. Abigail will come around in the morning and see how things are with Bridget, won’t you, Abigail?’

  ‘Of course I will.’

  Martha looked up at her father. ‘Can I go and see Bridget with Ma tomorrow?’

  ‘You’ve got school tomorrow,’ Abigail cut in.

  Elijah shook his head. ‘Like your ma said, it’s a school day, and you’ll go to school like you always do. And Bridget will need to rest a while. Maybe you can see her at the end of the week, if her pa thinks she’s well enough.’

  Connor smiled down at her. ‘She’ll be ready to see you by then, I’m sure.’

  ‘We’ll be off now, Conn,’ Elijah said. ‘She’s a strong gal, so don’t you worry.’

  ‘I’m mighty obliged to you for coming as fast as you did, Elijah, and for gettin’ Bridget to the doctor so quickly.’ He looked down at Martha. ‘And I’m real grateful to you for all you did, Martha. You were a good friend to Bridget, rushing out into the grass like that to try and stop her. I’ll be going into the school to see Miss Quinn tomorrow, and I’ll tell you then how Bridget’s getting on.’

  ‘Night then, Conn. Doc. Miss Ellen.’ He inclined his head to them, and he and Abigail took Martha by the hand, and they went out.