by Angela Lain
The service was a success, Melody looked a picture, Jasper looked proud, and April was relieved that Cody, in her care, behaved well. Harley was best man, and Melody had wished her to be bridesmaid, but they had agreed it would be better if she looked after Cody.
She did have the satisfaction of Harley murmuring to her that she looked beautiful in her new dress. She wasn’t beautiful, she knew that, but it was nice of him to say so. The dress certainly helped.
They returned to Ada’s house for a small gathering; a couple of Ada’s friends, a couple of Jasper and Harley’s friends and their wives and the two lads who worked on the ranch. Notable absentees were Mrs. Stimpson and Mrs. Frost!
The happy couple, and Cody and Harley, returned to the ranch as darkness fell. April remained with Ada, she couldn’t help but wonder how long this state of affairs would, and could, continue.
***
Sunday morning dawned. April walked to church alone, Ada had felt too weary to attend two days in a row. Preacher Harrison greeted her pleasantly, after which several people passed the time of day, including two of the ladies she had met yesterday, but no-one made any great effort to be friendly. She should not have been surprised. She returned to spend a quiet day with Ada, sewing new clothes for young Cody.
On Monday morning April tackled the washing. She needed to keep busy. She also needed to prove to Harley that she was looking after Ada, and she wasn’t taking the generosity with which she had been treated, for granted.
She hung the sheets out in the cold wind, she wasn’t expecting them to dry, but the worst of the drips would be removed. Smoke was rising from the forge. She couldn’t resist, he drew her even though he tried her patience. She went visiting,
The forge was warm, and Harley was hammering away at what she recognized as a new shovel head. This was the sort of thing he hadn’t been able to do while out helping Jasper on the ranch.
“Do you want coffee?” He was quite capable of doing it himself, but to do it for him seemed a peace offering.
“Yes, please. Pour some for yourself.”
April prepared the coffee and he moved to sit beside her, near to the fire.
“April? You will come back to the ranch tomorrow? After we have been to the Christmas Eve service? Ada will be coming to stay, so you would be left alone. Mel and Jasper want you to be there on Christmas Day, and I think Mel would like you to help cook the meal.”
April regarded him in trepidation.
“You truly want me to come? They are newly married. Do they need us there, possibly fighting again?”
“I promise, no fighting. I know perfectly well that most of what you say is right, but…”
“You hate to be told.”
Harley gave a rueful shrug. “Why do you think I left my family at barely fifteen? I was always the one who had to make things happen, so I got a job and I got away. I keep my own council. I am not used to being… railroaded.”
“I do not…” April paused to think about that. She didn’t think she had pushed, had she been that didactic? Of course, she’d had to be the one in charge at home, particularly when Pa had been drunk. “I do not mean to be that way, but you have to understand that I was the only one making decisions in my home for years. My father was too drunk, and my brothers too young. In the end there was only me, Papa was as good as dead from the whiskey.”
Harley regarded her solemnly. “You never told me that.”
“I am not looking for sympathy, I’m just explaining why I am… independent.”
“Independence is better than… being too soft. I do appreciate that, I have never liked a woman who weeps and wails to get her way. All women want their own way, I have discovered.”
“All women need to be heard,” April returned. “I know it is the way of the world, but why should a woman be no more than the milk cow, or the buggy horse?”
“I would never…”
“I didn’t say you would. Truthfully, I don’t believe you would, but, a girl has to make herself heard.”
He nodded in acceptance. April realized he was listening to her, and starting to appreciate her point of view.
CHAPTER TWELVE
They entered the church together for the service on Christmas Eve, as usual eyes turned in their direction. There was gossip, no doubt if they continued to be seen together the gossips would really start to twist the knife.
They sat in one of the rear pews, and Harley leaned forward and bowed his head. It wasn’t an unusual gesture in a church, but it was one she hadn’t expected from Harley. She wouldn’t have called him un-godly, but when they had been here three days ago, when Melody and Jasper had married, Harley had stood quietly, and merely signed the register as a witness. When he had accompanied her and Ada, that Sunday morning, April had felt nothing of any spirituality. Was he a true believer? Had he just been there to support his brother and Ada?
Neither man had expressed any desire to thank the Lord before they ate meals. They thanked either her or Melody for the cooking, so they were not ungrateful, but the Lord did not seem to figure greatly in their lives. She was not being critical of them, she knew she was lax when it came to praising the Lord. She was grateful for everything she had, for every opportunity offered, but she was never loud about her faith. She had wondered if Harley in particular actually had faith. She knew people who had turned their back on the Lord, and she didn’t wish to follow that path.
But looking at him now, head bowed before the altar, she wondered if she was wrong.
The service began. There were readings from the bible, and the Christmas story was told once again.
Then they sang the first carol, and Harley’s voice rang out with the words of Oh Come All Ye Faithful. When they all knelt to pray she glanced surreptitiously at him, he was totally involved in the words, in the prayers, as she knew she should be too. She dropped her head and begged forgiveness, and tried to concentrate on the words of the service.
It was hard, she was so attuned to the man next to her, and he seemed not one bit affected by her presence. Finally they rose to sing the final hymn. Hark the Herald Angels Sing rang out through the small church. April sang from the heart, the beautiful man at her side sang like one of the angels, he had a wonderful voice.
As the last strains of the carol faded away, she realized she had tears running down her face. She brushed them away as the preacher intoned the blessing at the end of the service.
In a few seconds she would have to walk from the church, she would have to face the rest of the congregation. Now she didn’t fear censure, what she feared was tomorrow, and the day after, and the one after that. Time was approaching when she would have to leave here. Not tomorrow, not on Christmas Day, but maybe the day after.
She didn’t want to go.
She wanted to stay here, with Harley, because she had fallen in love with him.
Love, the one thing she had sworn to avoid at all costs.
He might be obtuse, and vain, and difficult at times, but despite the accusations she had leveled at him, he was also kind, and caring and brave and… everything she had ever wanted. And he didn’t care that she existed!
***
Harley shot a surreptitious glance at the girl standing next to him. He wasn’t wrong, he thought he had heard a slight sob, and he caught her furtively brushing tears from her face. What was wrong? She had been singing as if she was as happy as a songbird a few moments ago. Why had she now become sad? Or was she somehow overcome by the service?
He had never thought of her as a particularly emotional woman. She was strong and forthright, and admirable in every way. She wasn’t soppy and weepy. So what was the problem?
He glanced at the rest of the congregation. He was well aware that there were people here who had a very low opinion of what had happened over the last two weeks.
As he escorted her from the church there was plenty of chatter around them, and then he caught it.
“It’s not right you know. Parading hersel
f around here like that, someone should put a stop to it.”
It had all rolled off him for days, they were doing what they had to do, it didn’t matter, but suddenly it did. The red mist descended! What right did these busy body women have to malign April? She’d done nothing wrong. In fact she’d done everything that was right and proper and she had stood by her friend.
He turned with a growl, only to find April very firmly hanging onto his arm.
“Don’t, Harley. It doesn’t matter.”
“It does matter. They have made you cry!” he looked down at her. Her eyes were still wet with tears.
“If you cause a scene it won’t help. I may even cry more. And… that wasn’t really why I was crying. It’s just… everything.”
“Everything?”
She pulled on his arm, “Let us go outside and look at the beautiful tree.”
He escorted her to stand by the Christmas tree at the entrance to the church path.
“Everything?” he persisted.
“Yes. I like… this place, I like the ranch. What am I going to do now? Melody is settled, and I hope it will be a happy life. Now I have to find my own future, and I am a little lost. I am fine, really. It was just the church and the singing, it all made me a bit… weepy.”
“You are sure you are all right?”
“Yes, I am fine.”
“Then we go to the hall for some Christmas punch?”
“Of course we do. We need to be there for Jasper and Melody.”
But not for herself?
Not for him?
Not for them?
He walked silently at her side, just wondering. At what point had he started thinking of them as a couple? Because he had, and he had only just realized it.
They entered the hall, people flocked to speak with Jasper and his new bride. It was noticeable that few people made a deliberate effort to speak with him and the lady at his side. How had he not seen how much this was affecting April, how damaging it must be to her self-esteem? How could she even say she liked this place, the way people were treating her?
Two minutes later Kyle Sparrow approached.
“Excuse me, Harley. My mare pulled a shoe today, and I badly need her to pull the cart to feed my livestock. Can you put it back on tomorrow? Right early?”
“Of course, Mr. Sparrow. I will be there.” April looked up at him as the man walked away. “Ha, No rest for the wicked, hey?” he joked weakly.
“But it’s Christmas, you will be out of town, now you have to feed your own stock, go into town and do his bidding on Christmas morning, and he didn’t even say please or thank you!”
“That’s the way it is, April.”
At least, it was now! Time was when he would have been treated with more respect, but this episode had damaged his standing in the town.
That had to change. He glanced down at April again. She had just defended him, all be it not in front of others. He had believed she was only keeping up appearances and being civil to him. Certainly she had told him exactly what she thought the day before the wedding. Maybe he hadn’t burned his boats completely?
They drank the punch, ate some of the Christmas fare, and a few people spoke with them. Many looked, and glanced around to see who was watching and then backed away again. Harley could feel the anger growing, this was so unfair, why should people treat her like this? He didn’t care for himself, he was strong enough, and important enough to this community, for it not to matter. But she was alone. Wasn’t anyone prepared to be her friend just because she seemed to have behaved in a less than decorous manner?
“Would you like to go?”
She glanced up at him, and he saw it in her eyes, the sadness, the desire to be accepted. “How can we? Mel and Jasper and Cody are having fun.”
“We can go and sit by the fire in the forge. I have no reason to stay with these people.”
He offered her his arm, and they headed quietly out of the door, no sooner had they stepped onto the roadway, that Jasper caught up with them.
“You are leaving?”
“We are going to sit by the fire in the forge, it’s a bit warmer there.”
Jasper glanced at April and nodded. “We will be along later to collect you both.”
Harley walked away from the gathering, well aware that Jasper knew exactly why they had left.
***
Christmas Day dawned and the snow was falling once more. Melody and April shared the cooking, while Ada sat and directed operations and entertained Cody.
Jasper saw to the animals, while Harley had ridden back to town through the falling snow to attend to Mr. Sparrow’s horse. They expected him to return before lunch.
The chores took a while in the snow, but Jasper returned to sit by the fire and Cody snuggled up with his father.
The preparations for the Christmas lunch were well under way. The venison was cooking, and the smells throughout the house were delicious.
“I’m surprised Harley is not back yet. Mr. Sparrow must have been late with his horse,” Jasper observed.
April moved to look out of the window, the snow was drifting slowly to the ground. “I think I see him now.” She stood and watched as he approached along the trial. A frisson of disquiet ran through her, something didn’t look quite right.
She moved to the door and stepped out to meet Harley as he rode up, or rather, as his horse carried him to the house. Harley was pale, slumped rather sideways on the saddle.
“Harley,” April dashed to his side. “What happened? Are you all right?” The second the words were out of her mouth she realized how stupid that sounded. Of course he wasn’t! “What can I do?” she demanded.
“Get Jasper,” he gasped.
April shouted urgently. “Jasper, come quickly.”
Her shout upset the horse, who jinked away from her, almost unseating Harley. She heard his hiss of pain, and stepped quickly to sooth the horse and grab the rein before she shouted again.
This time the horse stood still, and Jasper responded.
“What’s going on? Harley, what happened?”
“So cold. Sparrow’s horse fell on me.”
“Fell on you? How on earth…?”
“Help me down,” Harley gritted.
Jasper eased him from the saddle as best he could while April held his horse still. She could see blood on his hand, and on his sleeve.
“Where do you hurt?”
“My back,” Harley hissed, “I was bending holding the foot, nailing on, when the snow slid off the roof. The horse spooked and sort of fell over me. Twisted my back.”
Jasper supported him as he moved painfully towards the step.
April wanted to help him, but she had to be practical, Jasper could support him, she could not.
“I will put your horse in the barn.”
She led the horse quickly into a stall, stripped off the heavy saddle and threw some hay into the manger, before hurrying back to the house. Christmas lunch was going to be a little late, she predicted.
Harley was perched on a chair, resting his arm on the table, he was a white as the snow. Jasper’s questions seemed to be falling on deaf ears. April moved to crouch before him. He was shivering.
“Harley, look at me. Where does it hurt? What can we do? Do we need the doctor?” She reasoned that if he could walk, he could not have broken anything. Maybe he had best lie down flat.
“Do you want to lie down?” she asked, laying a hand on his knee. She could feel how cold his body was even through his clothing. “Jasper, we need to get him warm.”
“Sorry,” Harley muttered, “Felt a bit faint for a minute. I think… Yes, I will lie down.”
April moved to take his arm. Jasper stopped her.
“Wait.” He vanished into the bedroom and returned with the heavy comforter and Harley’s bedroll, which he threw onto the floor before the fire. “Lie here, Harley.” He made to pull Harley to his feet.
“No,” Harley resisted. “Don’t fuss Jasper. Apri
l can help me.” He rose carefully to his feet and moved slowly towards the fire.
Jasper took his arm and they helped him lie down.
“Lie flat,” April insisted. “If your back hurts, that will be best. Melody, get another blanket.” She could feel the shivers running through his body. How long had he been out in the snow, unable to ride any faster, and slowly getting colder and colder?
“Ada, get him a warm drink. Maybe milk would be best.”
“What’s wrong with coffee?” Harley argued.
“Milk!” April insisted. “Better for your body.”
Of course, everyone wanted to join in since Harley was on the floor. Cody toddled over and fell onto him, while the dog curled up at his side.
“Nice to know I have friends,” Harley joked weakly.
“Drink this,” April offered the cup of warm milk, he gratefully accepted her assistance to drink it.
“Ahh, warms my insides a bit.”
“Now, what can we do?” Melody took his hand and looked at the wounds. “How did this happen?”
“Nails, I was nailing on the shoe, I hadn’t cut off the ends and clenched them down. I was holding his foot when he knocked me down.”
“Did he tread on you?” April questioned.
“Probably.” Harley closed his eyes. “My head hurts too, I feel better lying down.”
April regarded him closely, he also had a bruise on his temple, she guessed he had hit either the floor or some other object when he fell.
She rounded up her thoughts. Practical, that’s what mattered. There was a whole family here awaiting lunch, maybe they should eat and she would tend to Harley.
“Melody, get the lunch on the table for everyone else, and put Cody in his high chair.”
“But…”
“No buts. I will tend to Harley and have my food in a while. We will see what Harley feels like eating shortly. I need to dress these wounds while he rests. There is no reason to let the dinner spoil. We are not far away, after all. Too many nurses are not necessary.”
