A Headstrong Christmas Bride for the Lonely Father (2 page)

“That’s Duke, my cattle dog. He’s a big help around the ranch, and good protection, too.”

Ella had never had a dog, and the ones she had been around were just for the family’s company. She had never seen a dog so well trained. He ran about, keeping the cattle away from the edges of the field, where there could be coyotes lurking in the forest.

“Isn’t it a bit dangerous to have him around the baby?” she asked.

“Oh, no. Not at all. He’s very gentle with her, and took to protecting her right away. I think you’ll find him to be great company,” Ben replied.

They rolled up to the house, where Ben stopped the wagon and helped Ella out with the baby. He took them inside, built a fire to warm the house, and showed Ella around. It was a comfortable little house, cozy, but certainly lacking a woman’s touch. Ella figured she could soon take care of that though.

Ben showed Ella where things were for cooking supper, and then excused himself to go put the horses away and tend to the cattle. Ben called to Duke, and the dog obediently began circling around the cattle and moving them towards the pen near the barn. After the cattle had been brought in, Duke happily met Ben in the barn.

Ben sat down with his furry companion for a minute and sighed with relief. He, too, had been anxious over the meeting of the morning. He was relieved to know that Hannah would now be properly taken care of, and he could get back to handling the duties of the ranch the way he needed to. But he was also a bit terrified. He had avoided marrying, not because he wanted to be alone, but because he knew life out here could be hard, very hard. This was his dream, and he had chosen it for himself. But somehow, forcing his dream, and the hardships that come with it, on a wife just felt wrong to him. He felt it was the man’s responsibility to provide and protect and handle things without bothering their wife with it. He wanted to give a woman the luxuries and lifestyle that women enjoyed back on the east coast. Here, that was nearly impossible.

It’s going to be alright,
he assured himself,
she can take care of Hannah, and the house. Those are things that a wife would do anywhere. I can handle the rest. She needn’t know many of the hardships of ranch life, I can take those things on myself. I always have before.

By the time he got back in the house, Ella had supper nearly prepared, with the table already set. Duke sniffed at Ella, and then dutifully took his place near the door. The house smelled wonderful! Once Ella had dished out their food, they sat down to eat.

“This is delicious,” he complimented.

“Thank you, I’m glad you like it.”

“I know Hannah will be needing a lot of your time, so you needn’t worry yourself about much else. Just take care of the house. Most of the work on the ranch is with the livestock anyway, which I’ll handle.”

“Alright, I can do that,” she said with a smile. “Do you think it would be good for me to learn what you do? That way I will know how to help, eventually.”

“No, there’s no need,” he said sternly. “The livestock can be a handful. I wouldn’t want you to get hurt. Hannah should be your main concern.” His answer was harsher than he had intended it to be, but he didn’t want her to have to concern herself with that kind of work. That was the very thing he was trying to avoid.

“Oh, alright,” she said quietly, “I just thought I could help.” Ben’s abruptness had caught her off guard. He had been so easy-going all day, she felt as though she was getting to know him. But this conversation brought her back to the reality that, though she was dining with her husband, she had only met him less than twelve hours ago. She really knew nothing about him or about what he believed marriage to be. She had grown up with parents who had helped each other with everything. They always acted as a team, and had taught her that that is how a marriage is supposed to work. Suddenly, her excitement for this new chapter in her life turned to homesickness. She decided to drop the subject.

After supper, Ella went to get Hannah ready for bed, and Ben went out to bring in firewood for the night. Outside, Ben’s insecurities came flooding back to him.
What if I’m not cut out for this?
His thoughts whirled, as he chopped a few pieces of wood down to size for the fireplace.
Our first evening together, and I’ve already snapped at her. I just want this to be home for her. She has already given up so much just to come out here.
He hung the axe back in the barn, and glanced down at his hands. They were deeply creased, and bore the scars that tended to come with life on a ranch.
I don’t want her doing the work of a man. That is unheard of out east. Oh well, it’s only day one, and we’re both tired. Things will get better.

Things did get better. Over the next few weeks, Ben and Ella began to get to know each other, and Ella adjusted to the role of motherhood wonderfully. It still didn’t feel much like they were married, but they became friends. Ben admired Ella’s caring spirit. She was a good mother. And, though she still dealt with bouts of homesickness, Ella enjoyed her new home. She grew to feel secure in Ben’s care as well.

One morning, booming thunder shook the little house, waking everyone. Ella went and got Hannah, and sat rocking her, trying to soothe her. Duke laid down next to her chair. The concerned look on Ben’s face worried her though. He stood watching out the window as the sky grew black.

“What is it, Ben?” she asked.

“We’re in for a rough one. These mountain storms are fierce.”

Outside, the sky grew still darker, occasionally  streaking purple with lightning. Ben built a fire to keep out the cold from the wind that howled against the walls. They tried to go about their morning as usual, but the ominous weather was distracting. Ella made coffee and tried to get Hannah to eat something. Ben, however was too distracted to eat. He had experienced these storms many times before, but this time he was responsible for Ella and Hannah too. He knew how quickly they might need to take cover.

Suddenly, the sizzle of electricity sent chills through Ella’s body as the deafening sound of a lightning strike filled the room. Hannah burst into tears at the startling noise, and Ella held her even closer. Looking out the window, panic spread across Ben’s face, a look Ella had never seen from him before.

“You and Hannah stay in the house, and stay away from the walls!” he shouted.

“What’s wrong?” Ella cried.

“The barn, it’s on fire! I have to get the horses out!”

He grabbed his coat to protect his skin and ran out the door. Ella stood near the table, clutching Hannah, absolutely terrified. Storms were common in Massachusetts, but there they just went over. At this altitude, they were actually up inside the storm. If it weren’t for the light gleaming from the blaze, the smoke and low clouds would have hidden the barn from view altogether.

Ben threw the barn doors open and rushed in to open the horse stalls. Dried hay in the horse stalls burned quickly, engulfing the barn in flames instantly. The heat was scorching, and the smoke was thick. Even in this barn that Ben had built himself, the smoke was disorienting. Just as he got the last horse free, the inevitable happened. The roof collapsed. One of the support beams landed directly on his left leg. Shooting pain filled his body. He couldn’t budge it. He was trapped. Choking on the smoke, he frantically looked around for anything to move the beam with. He knew he didn’t have long. The flames spread even closer to him, and the heat was unbearable.

From in the house, Ella saw the blaze flood the sky as the collapsing roof threw ashes up into the clouds.

“Ben!” she screamed.

She quickly pulled Hannah’s cradle away from the walls and doused it with water, soaking the wood. She dunked blankets in the barrel of bathwater. She laid the soaked blankets around the base of the cradle, and then laid Hannah down. Leaving Duke to watch over her, she rushed out to the barn. The smoke burned her eyes, making it nearly impossible to see, but she could hear Ben choking on the smoke. It didn’t take her long to discover what kept Ben in the disintegrating barn. She looked about frantically for something to free him, but everything was burning. Outside, she found a freshly cut log, that Ben had split and left to dry. Its moisture had kept it from catching fire. She quickly found a leverage point and pried the beam off of Ben’s injured leg. He grasped on to her, and they made their way out of the flames. On their way into the house, lightning continued to streak across the sky. But soon, the clouds let loose with a torrential downpour, and the remainders of the barn hissed as the cool water put out the blaze.

Inside, Ella helped Ben to a chair and then scooped up Hannah to soothe her crying. Duke paced about, concerned about his master.

“I thought I told you to stay in the house,” Ben said breathlessly.

“I saw the barn collapse,” she said as tears began rolling down her heat-parched cheeks.

“You could have been killed,” he scolded.

“So, instead, I was supposed to sit here and watch you die?” she cried.

“Yes, if it keeps you safe. Hannah needs you!”

“And I need you!” she shouted, bursting into tears.

Ben was taken aback by her tears. He had never seen her cry.

“I’m sorry, Ella. I didn’t mean to shout. Thank you for helping me,” he said, taking her hand. “It just scared me.”

“It scared me too,” she whispered.

He wrapped her in his arms, and she sniffled on his shoulder, soaking in the comfort of his embrace. The embrace that, moments before, she feared she may never feel.

By mid-morning, the storm had passed. The rain had put out the fire, leaving a black pile of smoldering wood where the barn had stood. There was little left that could be salvaged, and what did survive the fire was still much too hot to be pulled out of the heap. The cleanup would have to wait until later. Inside the little house, things had settled down and Ella had fixed breakfast and fresh coffee. They were exhausted, though, and Ben was in pain.

“Let me ride into town and get the doctor,” Ella insisted.

“You shouldn’t be travelling alone,” he retorted.

“Ben, you’re in no shape to ride in a bumpy wagon, and you need a doctor to mend your leg. I’ll only be alone one way.”

“I don’t like the idea, Ella. You could have been killed this morning as it is. These woods can be dangerous.”

“We don’t have much of a choice. Eventually, you’re going to have to realize that you can’t handle everything on your own,” she snapped. “I can ride a horse and, if need be, I can shoot a gun. I’m going for help.”

She grabbed her coat and the shotgun Ben kept above the door, and went out to catch the horse. Ben had never had a woman speak to him like that before. If he hadn’t been in so much pain, he would have stopped her from leaving, but as soon as he rose to his feet, the shooting pain took his breath away. He sat back down as he heard the horse gallop away. He looked around the room. His breakfast and coffee were on the table for him. Hannah was sleeping peacefully, nearby, while Duke faithfully watched over her. Ella had taken care of everything.
She’s really something,
he thought,
not like any woman I’ve ever met.

Ella rode feverishly through the woods. She didn’t like being out here alone, but she wasn’t about to let Ben know that. Still, she wanted to reach town as quickly as possible. The storm had made a mess of the little path that led through the woods. It was muddy and slick, with branches littering the pathway. She held tightly to the horse’s mane as it jumped over branches and ruts created by the flooding downpour. She was inexperienced with riding bareback, but the saddles had been in the barn during the fire. A coyote howled in the distance, sending chills through her. She knew how to shoot, but had never needed to. In her concern for Ben, she had left in such haste that she had forgotten to bring any extra powder. If she had to protect herself, she would only have one shot. With winter approaching, coyotes had little food, and often hunted in packs to enable them to take down larger prey. She knew one shot may not do her any good. Relief flooded through her pounding chest when the little town finally came into view. Unsure of where to go, she went to the church.