Love’s Battle Won

by Elliee Atkinson

  She could feel his eyes follow her as she walked away. He noticed she walked with her back erect, as ladies of her station carried themselves.

  “Mama! Swing!” Nathan lisped adorably, pointing to a tree on which a swing seat hung awkwardly.

  They both ran up to it delightedly, only to find that it was broken.

  “Mama! Swing!” Nathan lisped again.

  “Just a minute, my darling,” Serena replied. “Mama is going to try and fix this for you.” With that, she swung herself up onto the branch from which the swing seat dangled, and began to adjust the rope.

  “Nathan!” a familiar voice said, as Serena heard a horse whinny and froze.

  “Mama!” Nathan replied, pointing up into the branches.

  “Serena?” Jasper said, turning his glance upwards, his eyes softening as he looked up into her bashful eyes.

  “Jasper,” Serena said haltingly, breathlessly.

  “What are you doing up in the tree?” he asked, looking astonished.

  Serena adjusted her skirts, standing on the thick branch. “Trying to fix the swing seat for Nathan. He was so excited when he saw it.”

  Jasper smiled, and Serena felt her anxiety over meeting him alleviated, at least for the moment. He waved at her, dismounting. “Come down, Serena. Let me do it for you.”

  He held his arms up toward her, and her heart seemed to stop. Before she could second guess his offer, however, she lowered herself from the bough and fell effortlessly into Jasper’s arms. She couldn’t ignore the stab of desire that knifed through her body as her breasts brushed against him, and it seemed that Jasper didn’t want to let her go, since he continued to hold her against the hardness of his chest. She tried to wriggle out of his arms, but that only made him clutch her tighter, as if he was afraid she might fall. She dropped unsteadily onto her feet with Jasper’s arms still around her waist, one hand lingering on the small of her back, sending shivers up her spine.

  “Swing!” Nathan lisped, bringing them both back to reality, and Jasper swung himself up into the tree and began to adjust the ropes.

  Serena watched him work, admiring his large, strong hands, hands that she was imagining on her body. She turned a vivid shade of pink and lowered her gaze, but then went back to admiring the man on the branch – tall, dark haired, his muscles flexing as he drew the rope up and knotted it.

  “There you go!” Jasper said, swinging himself off the branch and picking up Nathan. He seated him on the plank of wood that hung between the ropes and pushed it gently as Nathan exclaimed in glee.

  Serena sat down on a rock, watching them. She felt an ache growing within her, fanning out from her heart and permeating every part of her body. She shook her head and tried to think of Daniel.

  “I see that Nathan has your golden curls,” Jasper murmured. “But his eyes, his nose…they aren’t yours. They must be his father’s.”

  “Yes. Those are definitely Daniel’s…his father.” She hoped that mentioning Daniel’s name wouldn’t invite Jasper to probe deeper into her background, but it did.

  “Where is he? Tell me about him.”

  Serena watched Nathan – so happy, so peaceful – swinging back and forth; the swing guided by Jasper’s strong hands, and she felt the tears well up in her eyes. She blinked them back rapidly. “Daniel…my husband…went away soon after Nathan was born. It’s been almost three years now. He and his friends – they went to North Carolina…hoping to find gold.”

  Jasper’s exclamation of surprise and sympathy didn’t stop the flow of Serena’s thoughts and she continued. “I told him we had enough – my parents would leave Sweet Haven Ranch to us…”

  “Sweet Haven!” Jasper exclaimed. “Your parents own Sweet Haven?”

  “Owned…” Serena replied softly.

  “Yes, I know they passed away. You’re Abe and Esther Andrews’ daughter?”

  Serena looked at him, wide-eyed. “You knew my parents?”

  “Father did. We bought some horses from Abe, and he rented one of our stallions one time – for one of his mares.”

  Jasper’s eyes searched Serena’s face, and she felt exposed.

  “So you’re not a cook. You own a ranch,” he said wonderingly.

  “No…I owned it,” Serena replied miserably.

  “I don’t understand. Abe was never in debt, so I imagine he would have left you a healthy business.”

  “My parents died soon after Daniel left for North Carolina. I tried running the ranch on my own…with my father’s good friend, Trent Dalton. But he… he…” Serena’s words were swallowed by an involuntary sob. She stifled it, looking anxiously at Nathan; afraid he would be alarmed if she began to cry.

  “I have heard of Trent Dalton,” Jasper said, his voice hard now. “I heard he ran Abe and Esther’s daughter off the ranch. I didn’t know that daughter was you.”

  “How could you know,” Serena whispered. “I bear Daniel’s name – Snowdon.”

  “I also heard…” Jasper began, and Serena held her hand up, willing him to stop.

  “Please don’t continue, Jasper. It’s something so traumatic that I want to forget it.” She quaked inwardly, remembering her father’s trusted friend, his breath laced with whisky, pinning her down on the floor.

  “I’m sorry! I truly am!” Jasper said, leaving Nathan on the swing and going over to her.

  As he took her hand, Serena choked on a sob and turned away. “Please leave me, Jasper. I shouldn’t have told you.”

  “Jasper!” they heard Jeremiah call. “Jasper!”

  Serena released her hand from Jasper’s fingers and brushed her tears off her cheeks just as Jeremiah came into view.

  “Why there you are!” he said, looking from his brother to Serena and back again.

  “What is it?” Jasper asked, annoyed.

  “You have visitors. Mother asked me to come and find you.”

  “Visitors? Who are they?”

  Jeremiah looked uncertainly from Jasper to Serena. “The Wheelers,” he said.

  “Tell Mother you couldn’t find me,” Jasper growled.

  Serena picked up Nathan. “Please carry on, Jasper,” she said. “Thank you so much for fixing the swing. Nathan had such a great time on it, didn’t you, Nathan?” She turned to Jeremiah. “I’ll be off now. I’m sure Mrs. Riley will need me to fix something for the guests.”

  She hurried away, not waiting for a reply from either of the men. She felt the tears pricking her eyes again. The Wheelers were visiting Steephill Ranch – obviously so that Molly could get to know Jasper better. Serena gave herself a mental slap. She was married, she reminded herself, and couldn’t possibly entertain any feelings for another man.

  Jasper was only half listening to Molly as she prattled on endlessly.

  “So Jasper, will you? Please, will you?”

  “Jasper!” Rebecca’s voice tugged her son back to reality.

  “Yes, Mother?”

  “Do answer Molly.”

  Jasper shook his head. “Sorry, my mind was elsewhere. I do apologize for my rude behavior. I missed what you said. What were you saying, Molly?”

  “I was saying that our dog, Daisy, has had pups… and I wanted to give you one. Would you come and visit us and choose the one you want?”

  Jasper stared at Molly as if he couldn’t comprehend what she was saying. She wanted to give him a dog? He couldn’t fathom why she would think he wanted a dog. He wasn’t six years old.

  “Please, Jasper?” Molly asked sweetly.

  “Of course he will,” Rebecca replied. “Won’t you, Jasper?”

  Jasper nodded and rose to his feet. “Mother, Molly, Mrs. Wheeler…I don’t mean to continue being rude, but I am having some trouble with my horse Falcon and need to go and check on him.”

  “He seemed fine when I saw him last,” Thomas remarked in surprise.

  “Well, I must go and reassure myself,” Jasper said and made a hasty exit. He needed to think.

  Outside, the atmosphere was br
acing and there was just a hint of rain in the air. Jasper headed to the familiar privacy of the stables and went to Falcon’s stall. The stallion whinnied when Jasper entered and began to stroke his mane.

  “I’m the one having some trouble, Falcon,” Jasper murmured. “I can’t understand what I’m feeling or why I’m feeling it. What is this hold this woman has on me?”

  Falcon gave him a sympathetic grunt and nuzzled his palm, looking for the sugar lumps that Jasper always had for him.

  “Why don’t you and I go for a ride and think?” Jasper said, stroking Falcon’s forehead.

  As he led Falcon out of his stall, Jasper could hear the sound of the Wheeler’s carriage driving away, and he heaved a sigh of relief. He mounted Falcon and rode away in the opposite direction, heading for the log cabin that he had built on the periphery of the ranch. It was the ideal place to be alone to think – something he was sorely in need of at that moment.

  He was halfway to the cabin when he saw a solitary figure walking toward him, and Jasper slowed Falcon down to a trot. “Who’s there?” he called out, his heart beginning to race when he saw that it was Serena.

  “Jasper!” Serena exclaimed. “What are you doing here? Don’t you have guests?”

  “I could ask the same question,” Jasper laughed. “I thought you said you had to prepare something for the people who called at the house.”

  “Your mother was kind enough to leave that to someone else, so I left Nathan asleep with Patsy to watch him and came out for a walk.”

  “You seem to like long walks,” Jasper observed.

  “Actually, I like long rides,” Serena replied, “but since I lost my ranch and horses, I haven’t had that luxury.”

  Jeremiah jumped off Falcon and handed the reins to Serena. “Here,” he said. “Why don’t you take Falcon for a ride and I will walk the rest of the way to my destination.”

  Serena looked longingly at the reins.

  “Go on,” Jasper urged, seeing the expression in her eyes.

  “I’d love to,” Serena said, “but how will you get back to the house? And what will people say when they see me riding Falcon back?”

  “Hmmm…” Jasper murmured, silently urging his brain to come up with a good plan so that Serena would get her ride without being seen by his family. The next few sentences came out in a rush. “After your ride, why don’t you bring Falcon to the log cabin on the periphery? That’s where I’m headed. I use it as an escape when I need to think. And right now, I need to think. I’m escaping to for a couple of hours We can ride back together part of the way, and then I will have to let you walk back so that nobody is any the wiser, if that is what you wish.”

  Serena’s blue eyes were filled with a strange light as she looked up at Jasper. She knew she was playing with fire, but she took the reins from his hands and nodded. “That sounds like a good plan, Jasper,” she said. “But how will I find this log cabin you speak of? I am not familiar with the layout of your ranch.”

  Jasper smiled tenderly at her as he gave her a hand up into the saddle. “Just head south until you get to the creek, turn right and keep going until you see the cabin. You won’t be able to miss it.”

  “Will that be a long walk for you though?”

  Jasper shook his head. “Not at all, I’ve walked it many times. Go ahead. I will see you in a while.”

  “Thank you, Jasper.” He watched her ride away. She seemed so comfortable on the horse and her posture was so regal. It seemed unfair that someone as accomplished and yet humble as Serena had to relinquish her inheritance to a man who had obviously used unfair means to take it from her.

  Jasper went into the cabin as expectantly as he always did. This was his private space and he enjoyed coming there whenever he rode the fences. He had his secrets concealed there – things nobody knew of – and most of all, he had a sweeping view of the mountains from the window he had insisted on installing. He examined the cupboards in the small kitchen for refreshments, and began to lay out some preserved meat and bread on a plate in preparation for Serena’s return from her ride.

  It seemed like she was there sooner than he anticipated, and Jasper went cold at the sound of her screams, accompanied by the rapid thuds of Falcon’s speeding hooves. He burst out of the door onto the porch, and froze for a few split seconds when he perceived the cause of Serena’s fear. She was being pursued by a large bear. Jasper ducked into the cabin and out in a trice, lifting his flintlock rifle and taking aim. It seemed like the world stood still as Serena galloped toward the cabin, with the bear closer to Falcon at every stride.

  When Jasper pulled the trigger, he was sick with fear. He knew he was an excellent shot, but he had just one chance to save Serena. His vision was blurred with sweat pouring off his brow, and he dashed the back of his palm across his eyes and then released the first shot. The bear keeled over with a mighty crash but was still moving. Jasper reloaded the rifle as quickly as he could, keeping his eyes on the bear as it pushed itself up to all fours. Serena rode around the cabin as Jasper took the next shot, praying it would fell the beast for good.

  He ran forward toward the animal, holding the gun powder sack in his mouth as he attempted to reload the rifle once again. He watched its body convulse with the last few breaths of life, and only then did he race behind the cabin to look for Serena. She was still mounted on Falcon – her skin chalky with terror. The horse had stopped and was restlessly moving his feet.

  Jasper raced toward Falcon and reached up for Serena, who fell into his arms, her body shaking. He gently lowered her to sit on the ground. He led Falcon to a post and tethered him, and then lifted Serena up and carried her into the cabin.

  “Drink this,” he said, handing her a steaming mug of hot coffee a few minutes later. Serena’s hands were trembling so hard that she couldn’t hold the mug, so Jasper held it to her lips, and sip by sip, she took in the comforting liquid. Then he wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and held her close, stroking her hair back from her flushed face.

  “I’m sorry, Jasper,” Serena said.

  “Don’t keep apologizing for everything, Serena. You were chased by a bear. It’s a terrifying experience.”

  “Thank you for saving me,” Serena whispered, looking up into his eyes.

  When she said that, something snapped inside Jasper and he pulled her closer into his arms; his lips forcing hers apart as his tongue swept possessively into her trembling mouth. He could feel her body go limp in his arms and her tongue responded to his – stirring up a raging heat that turned his blood to molten fire.

  Jasper felt her body yield as he pulled her dress down over her shoulders, whispering endearments against her ear. She was sobbing and moaning, all at once, when they were jerked back to reality by the sounds of approaching horses.

  Jasper sprang away from Serena. “Quick!” he said. “Someone must have heard the gunshots and come looking for me. Take Falcon and get back to the house. I’ll tell them he bolted. You can say you found him wandering and brought him back.”

  Serena pulled up her dress quickly and fled, still trembling, from the rear door of the cabin, and had galloped away by the time Jeremiah and Thomas banged on the door.

  Jasper wished he had a cold bath to calm his roiling blood, but all he had was a kettle of cold water, which he splashed against his face and neck before he opened the door to his father and brother.

  “We saw the bear,” Thomas said first thing. “That animal is huge!”

  “What happened?” Jeremiah asked, looking over Jasper anxiously.

  Jasper said nothing, but sank back into the sofa, still warm from Serena’s body, and pulled the blanket over himself.

  “Are you alright, son?” Thomas asked, alarmed.

  “I’m shaken,” Jasper replied, and he meant it. The whole evening had shaken him. The time with Nathan, the visit by Molly Wheeler, the ride when he met Serena, the sudden appearance of the bear…and those few moments before Serena’s precipitous departure from the cabin. Wh
at would have been the outcome, had they not been interrupted by Thomas and Jeremiah? Jasper had to ask himself. In addition, what was he going to do about the wrong impression Molly seemed to have about his intentions?

  CHAPTER FOUR

  THE ATTACK

  THE ATTACK

  “You look flushed!” Patsy observed as Serena slipped into the cottage.

  “Probably the exertion of the brisk walk,” Serena replied. “Thank you so much for watching Nathan.”

  Patsy looked at her curiously, and Serena acutely felt her scrutiny. “I can’t shake the feeling that we have met before,” Patsy said, and Serena blanched.

  “Perhaps,” Serena replied. “Misty Creek is a small place, after all.”

  Later, she sank down on the bed beside Nathan and stroked the little boy’s cheek. Her heart still raced. She had ridden Falcon to a point from where the ranch house was visible, and then dismounted and walked the horse back to the stables. Though nobody had seen her, she was still apprehensive about the questions they would ask. As she walked Falcon back, she adjusted her dress, remembering the moments before she had had to flee the cabin. In the lamplight back in the cottage, she examined her skin, seeing the marks of Jasper’s passion on her skin. She had felt his raw desire, and wondered if she would have let him go where only Daniel had gone before. She wrung her hands together, guilt and shame bowing her down, and began to pray silently for forgiveness. She had to avoid him at all costs. In fact, she had to get away from Steephill Ranch.

  Serena wished she didn’t have to pass the stables on the way into the ranch house kitchen, because she was always acutely aware that Jasper could walk out any minute with Falcon.

  “Serena!” Jasper called, coming out of the stables, just as Serena feared he might.

  “Jasper,” Serena murmured, looking uncertainly at him.

  “About…” Jasper began, and Serena raised her hand to silence him.

  “I’m sorry. It won’t ever happen again. I will take steps to find alternative employment.”