Falling for the Rancher Father

by Linda Ford

  “You need to take it easy,” Seth said.

  “I’ll be fine.” Every breath Abel took rasped into his lungs.

  Mercy’s lungs felt impossibly tight before they released with a whoosh as his color returned. She’d never seen anything so beautiful in her life as the way his eyes focused, clear as a cloudless sky. He smiled at each of them in turn. Mercy thought he looked at her several seconds longer and it wasn’t imagination or gratitude that made her think his smile was wider as he regarded her.

  “Are you hungry?” Jayne asked.

  “A cup of coffee would be mighty nice.”

  She slipped away to make some. Seth followed his wife, leaving Mercy alone with Abel.

  Her smile felt too wide for her face, but she couldn’t help it. He was alive and well.

  Life felt wonderful and exciting and promising all at once.

  *

  Despite the pounding of a cattle stampede in his head, Abel couldn’t stop looking at Mercy, afraid she’d disappear if he blinked. How many times had he wakened shaking with the fear of being alone and each time he’d found her at his side? She’d rescued him just as he knew she would.

  “Thank God,” he murmured.

  “Amen,” she whispered back.

  He wondered at the way she blinked until he realized she’d been up all night. Most likely she had a hard time keeping her eyes open.

  He shifted, preparing to put his legs over the side of the bed, but the movement sent a stabbing pain into his head. He leaned against the wall and waited for it to end.

  “I have coffee ready.” Jayne held a cup toward him.

  “I’ll sit at the table.” He had to get back on his feet.

  Seth appeared at his side. “Don’t you think you should take it easy for a day or two?”

  “I can’t. The twins will be worried about me.” He knew from the way Mercy dipped her head and avoided his eyes that she agreed with him.

  Seth patted Abel’s shoulder. “I suppose they will. How about if I ride back and get them after we’ve eaten?”

  Abel tried to nod but it hurt too much. “I have to get up. I don’t want them to see me like this.”

  Mercy leaned forward. “Why not leave them at the ranch until you feel stronger? As long as they know you’re all right they’ll enjoy it.”

  He settled back. His arguments had all been dealt with. “So long as they aren’t worried. Especially Allie.”

  “We’ll look after them,” Seth promised. “You rest and get strong so you can take care of them.”

  His lungs spasmed. His ears ached from the noise inside his head. He grabbed at his chest.

  “Abel, what’s wrong?” Mercy asked, her voice strained.

  “The children.” The words grated from his throat. He grabbed Mercy’s hands, his eyes stinging. “Promise me you will take care of them if something happens to me.”

  Mercy drew her lips together. Either her eyes filled with tears or he only saw through his own tears.

  “Of course I will, but you’re fine. Nothing is going to happen to you.”

  He nodded and fell back, weakened by his surging emotions. “Thank you.”

  “Come on, Mercy.” Jayne drew her toward the table.

  Abel drank his coffee and lay back on the bed, shivering from that little bit of exertion.

  “I’ll ride to the ranch and tell the children.” Seth’s voice came to him as if through a long tunnel. “Jayne will stay here with you.”

  He heard Mercy’s familiar voice like a wordless lullaby answer her friend before sleep claimed him.

  When he wakened, he blinked to drive back the pain behind his eyeballs. He shifted to his side and that’s when he saw Mercy asleep in the trundle bed against the far wall. Her dark lashes fanned across her porcelain cheeks. Her mahogany curls spread across the pillow in wild disarray. His heart filled with a hundred different emotions, all of which made him smile. He remembered her strength as she had held him on the back of the horse, her steadying presence at his bedside, how he’d clung to her hand. His smile widened. He saw her dusted in flour as she’d helped the children, recalled their eagerness as they watched her return every morning. Eagerness that matched his own.

  Her eyelids fluttered open. Their gazes connected in a steady, unblinking look. He opened his heart to her and let her look deep. Felt her silent search. He wanted her to know how grateful he was for her, how much he admired her and trusted her.

  “Hi,” he murmured.

  She jerked to a sitting position and rubbed her eyes. “What time is it?”

  “Midafternoon.” Jayne sat at the table and answered the question.

  Abel sat up, as well. His head protested with a sharp stab, which he ignored as he looked about the cabin. He’d forgotten about Jayne and Seth. Seth wasn’t there. Then he recalled Seth had ridden back to the ranch to tell the children Abel was okay. How long ago was that? He couldn’t say. “Has Seth returned?”

  “Not yet. I expect him soon.” She rose and went to the stove. “Can I get you something to eat or drink?”

  “Water would be nice.”

  She brought him a cupful and stood at his side as he drank it. Over the rim of the cup he watched Mercy as she rose and smoothed her riding skirt. She ran her fingers over her curls trying to tame them, he supposed. She straightened the bedding and shoved the bed back under his, then faced him. “How are you? How are your head and legs?”

  “Better, I think.” He handed the cup to Jayne. “I’d like to try getting up.”

  Jayne shook her head. “Not until Seth is here to help.”

  Abel leaned back against the wall. He could wait a few more minutes.

  A little later a horse rode into the yard and Seth called out a greeting before he strode into the cabin. He didn’t wait for questions. “The children are just fine. Enjoying their time at the ranch. They wanted to come and see you for themselves—I said you were tired and needed to rest. I promised them I’d let them know when you were ready to have them come home.”

  Abel shifted his legs over the edge of the bed. “I’m going to get up.”

  Seth tossed his coat and hat on a hook and hurried to Abel’s side.

  Abel waved him away. “Let me do it on my own.” Dizziness filled his head, but he willed it away and took a step. His legs hurt, though the pain was nothing he couldn’t deal with. Finally the dizziness lessened. “The twins need to see for themselves that I’m fine. And I need to have them with me.” He made it to the table and sank into a chair. Mercy sat across from him, her gaze following his every move. He guessed at her concern and sent her a reassuring smile that he knew drew his lips narrow as he concentrated on his breathing.

  Jayne poured them all tea and set a plate of cookies in the middle of the table.

  He didn’t feel up to eating, but the tea felt good going down.

  “How was church?” Jayne asked.

  Abel had forgotten it was Sunday. By the way Mercy jerked back he guessed she’d forgotten, as well.

  “When Bertie heard about your accident he changed his mind about what he meant to say and reminded us all of how God watches over even sparrows who are sold two for a penny. ‘How much more are we worth?’ he said.” Seth turned to Jayne. “My wife told me the same thing. She made me see how much God values me.” The two of them smiled at each other in a way that filled Abel with a thousand regrets. This couple had what he wanted from a marriage. Not the regrets and accusations he’d experienced with Ruby. Nor the loneliness.

  Seth spoke again, bringing Abel’s thoughts from that regretful place. “Bertie prayed a very nice prayer for you though he was careful not to say anything to alarm the children. Everyone sends their prayers.”

  “It could have been so much worse.” Abel’s words were soft. “Thank God it wasn’t.”

  “Amen,” the three said.

  “Belle said to tell you that it was God who made sure everyone was in the right place at the right time.”

  “Belle? But s
he’s only a little girl.” She was a year younger than the twins.

  “A little girl who has experienced a whole lot of sorrow and trouble.” Jayne and Seth told him how Ward had rescued Belle and Grace from a man who held them captive. How afraid Belle was of everyone to begin with but how she soon learned not every man was bad. “She fell in love with Ward before Grace did. Or at least before she would admit it.” Jayne reached for Seth’s hand. “God has brought so many people together at the ranch. First Linette and Eddie, then Cassie and Roper, then Ward and Grace, us, and more recently, Sybil and Brand.” She chuckled.

  Jayne fixed Mercy with a wide smile. “And now you.”

  Mercy bolted to her feet. “I’m going to make soup for supper.” She hurried to the stove.

  Laughing, Jayne and Seth regarded each other and nodded as if they shared a secret.

  Abel shifted to watch Mercy. Did Jayne and Seth think he should marry her? Right now he could think of nothing he’d like better, but despite his thumping head he wasn’t about to let his emotions rule his actions.

  He remained sitting at the table as Jayne and Mercy made soup. He listened halfheartedly to Seth’s talk about a work bee for the church in Edendale.

  A little later, he accepted a bowl of soup and ate it. Not because he had any appetite but to prove to the three watching him so carefully that he was fine. He finished his bowl and pushed it aside. The others were done before him.

  “Are you going to bring the children home?” He addressed Seth.

  “If you’re sure you’re up to it.”

  Abel nodded.

  “Right then.” Seth grabbed his hat. “I’ll get them.”

  “I’ll stay with Mercy,” Jayne said.

  Seth kissed his wife and left.

  Mercy waited until the door closed behind Seth. “Abel, I know you want to prove to us that you’re fit as a fiddle, but I can tell your head hurts. Why don’t you rest until the children return?”

  He shook his head, the movement making his eyes hurt.

  “Come on.” She took his hand and urged him toward his bed. “Just until they get here.”

  He must have dozed off, because he roused when Mercy tapped his shoulder. “Abel, Seth is back.” She stayed at his side as he sat up.

  He barely made it to his feet before the door burst open and the twins ran to him.

  “Papa,” Allie shouted. “What happened?” They both clung to him as he hugged them.

  Ladd let go first. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. Very glad to see the pair of you.”

  “Tell us what happened.”

  He led them to the bed, glad to sit on the edge as he told them. “A log fell and pinned me to the ground. I couldn’t free myself, but Mercy found me and got Sam to pull the log off. Then she brought me home safe and sound.” He hugged them both again. Nothing mattered half as much as staying safe so he could take care of them.

  Allie sighed. “She’s glorious. Didn’t I tell you?”

  At the moment, Abel had no argument to the contrary.

  Glorious and brave.

  A warning flashed in his brain. Wasn’t it simply the flip side of wild and free? But tonight he didn’t care.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Mercy glanced over her shoulder half a dozen times as they left the yard. She didn’t want to leave Abel and the children, knowing she would worry about him all night. But he assured them he was fine. And he squeezed her hand secretly before she left. She wished for a few minutes alone with him.

  For what? she chided herself. Did she think he would thank her with a kiss?

  Well, if he didn’t, she’d kiss him just because she was so grateful he had survived his accident.

  She didn’t care what differences they had. Those no longer held any significance. The only thing that mattered was he was safe and sound. She’d never been so grateful for anything in her life.

  Her gratitude made her take more time than normal the next morning. She pulled on a dark blue woolen skirt and demure white blouse. She looked through her jewelry until she found a brooch her mother had given her one Christmas. At the time it had been much too heavy and grown-up for Mercy and she knew her mother had given little thought to the gift, but now the purple amethyst set in a gold setting and surrounded by natural pearls said Mercy was grown-up and serious.

  She drew her hair into a roll at the back of her head and pinned it in place, securing it firmly with a plain and ordinary tortoiseshell comb.

  She stepped back to study herself in the looking glass. Yes, indeed, she looked exactly right. Serious. Mature. Ready to be ordinary.

  A strand of hair escaped and she tucked it back in place. Only a bonnet would hold it secure on the ride and she chose a plain one.

  If Linette and Eddie thought anything unusual about her outfit, they refrained from saying so.

  Perhaps because they were excited about their own news.

  “We’ve decided to help Abel with his cabin before we work on the church,” Eddie said.

  “It’s a fine idea.” Linette glowed with approval. “He’s been trying so hard to do it on his own, but the accident will slow him down.” She turned to Mercy. “Don’t tell him. We want it to be a surprise.”

  “It’s a lovely idea.” Of course it was. He’d get his cabin ready before winter. He and the children would be safe and warm. So why did a protest sting her tongue so hard that she had to cool it with a gulp of cold water?

  How much time would she have to show him her change if his cabin was built? She gathered up a few things and went out to saddle Nugget. She might wear skirts and pin her hair up, but she refused to ride sidesaddle.

  She arrived at the clearing and waited. The cool air was so still she could hear tumbling water in the distant river. A twist of smoke came from the chimney. Sam stood at the corral fence. It looked like he hadn’t even been fed yet.

  No one opened the door to greet her.

  Her heart tumbled against her ribs. Was Abel…? She turned Nugget loose in the corral without bothering to unsaddle him and, lifting her skirts, ran for the door. Why had she decided to wear all these petticoats today? If Abel had gotten worse, he wouldn’t even notice.

  She flung back the door and stepped inside.

  Three pairs of eyes looked up from the table.

  Abel skidded his chair back. “Is there something wrong?”

  “No.” Her breath jerked in and out of her lungs. “But when no one came to greet me—” She slammed her mouth closed before she could give her fears a voice. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. All of you.”

  Their surprise overcome, the twins ran over and hugged her. “Papa was telling us how God answered his prayer and sent you.”

  She lifted her gaze to Abel. Did he really mean that? Of course he meant when she’d found him in the dark. Not, as her overactive imagination first thought, in a general, everyday way.

  “I prayed, too,” she said, her gaze still holding his. Both surprise and welcome filled his eyes. She shook her head, chastising her overactive imagination again. She took her long coat off and hung it on the nearby hook.

  “You’re wearing a dress.”

  Did he sound approving or only surprised? She couldn’t tell and untied her bonnet and hung it over the coat.

  He studied her hair and opened his mouth to speak, then closed it without uttering a word.

  What had he been about to say? That he liked her hair up? Or did he wonder what it meant? She hoped he’d soon figure it out on his own.

  From now on she meant to be ordinary.

  The dishes still sat on the table, thick porridge lining the edges of the white bowls. Glasses stood before the twins’ bowls and a blue porcelain mug before Abel. “Are you finished with your breakfast?”

  Three heads nodded.

  “I’ll clean up.” She gathered the dishes into a pile and checked the kettle. Finding it empty, she filled it and set it to boil. She glanced around. Today she meant to begin proving
how well she managed as a housewife. Wife. The word echoed through her head even though she mentally denied she had such hope.

  She made the two beds, pushed the trundle bed away and picked the children’s clothing off the floor. All stuff they normally did themselves, but there was no need for them to do it anymore. She would take care of them and their needs. She took the paper animals off the shelf and arranged them on the bed for the children to play with.

  “Mercy.”

  Abel’s soft words stopped her. She turned to face him. He sat alone at the table and she joined him.

  “How are you? Did you have a good night?” She kept her voice low so the children wouldn’t hear and worry.

  “Apart from a bruise or two, I’m fine. How are you? You seem different this morning.”

  So he’d noticed. But she couldn’t tell what he thought about the change. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask but she wouldn’t. Let him see that she could be the sort of woman he needed—ordinary.

  The kettle hissed and she bounded to her feet, poured the water in the dishpan and tackled the dishes.

  He rose and reached for his coat. “I still have that log to get home.”

  Her hands stilled, her lungs stopped and her heart blasted against her ribs and clung there. “You can’t.” The words crackled from her lips. She shook her head. She’d worry about him every minute. “You might… You aren’t…” Swallowing hard, she dried her hands and followed him to the door. “Couldn’t you rest one more day?” Just then she recalled that Eddie and the men would soon arrive to help him. Let one of them get the log and any more logs they needed. “Please.”

  He stood with his hand on the latch. “Winter will soon be upon us.”

  All sorts of arguments sprang to her mind. Winter would come whether or not he was ready. If he hurt himself he would never be ready. And if his injuries were serious—

  She couldn’t finish the thought.

  “Hello, the house.” The call made them both jump.

  “Who can that be?” he asked.

  She pretended innocence. “It sounds like Eddie. You better see what he wants.”

  He stepped outside and she followed. There stood Eddie, Seth, Brand, Roper, Slim and half a dozen cowboys from Eden Valley Ranch, along with Ward and, if she wasn’t mistaken, some hands from the OK Ranch.