A Heart Renewed (28 page)

A noise along the road drew her attention.  A wagon drove down the road, likely their guests arriving.  She did not want to act as hostess, so she went in the ranch house to check on Hannah.  Cracking the door open, she stopped short at Hannah’s crying.

“What is it?” she asked.

The fear in Hannah’s eyes was evident.  “I’m spotting.  I’m afraid I’m going to lose the baby.”

“Stay here,” Julia said. 

Running for the stables, she frantically tried to find Will.  As she rounded the corner, she walked straight into Adam as he walked out of Percy’s stall.  He put his arms around her to steady her.  When she tensed, he quickly dropped his hold.  It was too late to stop the flood of confusing emotions Julia felt rising to the surface.  She stared at him mutely for several seconds before remembering what she was doing in the stables in the first place.

“What is it?” Adam asked.

Trying to forget how close he was, she cleared her throat.  “Have you seen Will?”

“He’s putting one of the horses—”

“Julia.” Will said as he closed the stall next to them.

“Come quick.  Something is wrong with Hannah.”

His face went pale seconds before his feet moved into action.  She tried to keep up, but Will’s long legs moved too fast.  As they neared the ranch house, the wagon carrying their guests pulled to a stop.  But, Will was already inside, leaving Julia to decide what to do. 

Remembering one of their guests was the new doctor, Julia asked, “Dr. Armstrong, did you bring your medical bag with you?  Mrs. Colter needs to…um…see you.”

Jumping down from the wagon seat, Dr. Armstrong reached over the side and grabbed the bag, answer enough for her.  She did not wait for their other guests to disembark.  Instead she ushered the doctor to Hannah’s room.

“Dr. Armstrong is here,” she said as she opened the door.

Will had an inconsolable Hannah in his arms.

“Mrs. Colter, what seems to be the concern?” the doctor asked calmly.

Between hiccups, Hannah managed to explain that she had some spotting in the morning and had been tired all day.  When she woke from her nap and was still spotting, she grew concerned that she might lose the child.

“Miss… er… I am sorry,” Dr. Armstrong directed his attention to Julia, “I did not catch your name.”

“Miss Julia Colter.”

“Miss Colter, would you be able to assist Mrs. Colter, while I conduct an examination?”

Her mouth went dry, so she nodded instead.

Will spoke up.  “I can help with whatever is needed.”  His pale face and the fear in his eyes said differently.

The doctor must have thought better of Will’s suggestion for he said, “Mr. Colter, I understand your concern.  The examination won’t be but a few minutes.  However, I think it best that you wait outside.”

Julia saw the look that passed between Will and Hannah before he turned and closed the door behind him.

Dr. Armstrong explained what he was going to do and stepped out of the room for a minute to allow Hannah to get ready for the examination.  Julia helped her, and tried to comfort her, despite being rather anxious herself.  When Dr. Armstrong returned, he completed the examination quickly.

“Everything looks normal.  I know this might not sound comforting, but some women tend to spot especially in the earlier months.  This doesn’t mean you will lose the child.  Many who experience similar symptoms have delivered very healthy babies.”

Hannah nodded numbly and Julia wondered if she truly believed what the doctor was saying.

Dr. Armstrong continued, “Please rest for the remainder of the day and perhaps for another day or two.  When you feel your energy returning, then you are cleared to move around more.  If you have more severe symptoms, such as pain or increased bleeding, come see me, or send someone for me right away.  Otherwise, let’s see if this does not pass in a few days with some rest.”

Julia watched as Hannah dabbed at her tears.  Hoarsely, she responded, “Thank you, doctor.”

Dr. Armstrong left the room to talk to Will.

“I’m sure everything will be fine.”  Julia tried to sound encouraging.  When she opened the door to leave, Will was there waiting.  She stepped aside to allow him to enter then shut the door behind her.  When she looked up, she met the questioning gazes of their dinner guests.

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Julia reminded herself that these were good friends of Hannah and Will.  Pasting a smile on her face, Julia welcomed Betty and Paul to the ranch.

“Hannah is feeling a bit under the weather.”

Betty’s eyes filled with concern, so Julia rushed to add, “But, the doctor believes she will be back to normal with a day or two of rest.  I’m so sorry she won’t be joining us for the holiday meal.”

She wasn’t sure what to do next.  The cowboys would be coming up to the house soon for the meal.  Will was still in the room with Hannah.  She had three guests who were looking to her for direction.  Inwardly she fought against the desire to flee.

Drawing from the social graces she learned when her father was still alive, Julia offered the three guests a seat at the table.  Adam entered followed by Ben, Jed, and Hawk.  She greeted each by name and assigned them a seat at the table, ignoring their questioning looks.  Rosa gathered the dishes from the ranch house and set the table before getting the remaining dishes from the bunkhouse.  When she returned, Diego was carrying the large stack for her, trailed by Pedro, Raul, and Miguel.  Covington and Whitten bounded in just seconds later, followed by Owens, Foster, Webb, and Cahill.  Bates volunteered to stand watch with Snake while the others enjoyed the holiday meal. 

Once everyone was introduced and seated, Julia retreated to the kitchen to help Rosa with the finishing touches.  Not realizing she was followed, she jumped when Adam spoke.

“Can I help?”

Julia could not imagine Adam helping with the meal.  For someone who didn’t care much for cooking herself, she became somewhat defensive when he asked.  “We’re fine.  Please go, sit.  Get to know our guests.”

The cloud veiling her eyes sent him scurrying back to the table.  She followed behind with bowls loaded with mashed potatoes, gravy, elk steaks, and more.  It took both her and Rosa several trips to set all of the food on the table.  By the time the last item was delivered, Will entered from his room and took his seat at the head of the table.

Will apologized to his guests for joining them late and thanked Julia for taking charge.  As soon as grace was finished, the conversation started.

Dr. Armstrong said, “This is a lovely meal.”

Julia looked down.  Not wanting attention drawn to herself, she hurriedly redirected the conversation.  “Dr. Armstrong, where do you hail from?”

“Most recently San Francisco.  While it was a vibrant and growing city, I found it much too crowded for my taste.”

“Betty, how is the boardinghouse?”

“Oh, dear, it’s such a treat to be away from the work today,” Betty said.  She recounted stories of the latest politics, big mine discoveries, and other events from town.  More than once, Ben asked her questions, engaging.  If Julia didn’t know better, she might think Ben Shepherd was sweet on Betty.

By the time Betty finished talking, everyone seemed to be full, pushing their plates away.

When Will started to stand, Betty stopped him.  “I’ll fix a plate and take it in to Hannah.”

“I’m sure she’ll appreciate it.”

Julia quickly stood to collect the plates, frightened of being left in charge of entertaining their guests.  Covington suggested the men go play a round of horseshoes.  The men agreed and made their way to the area by the bunkhouse to set up for the game.

She breathed a huge sigh of relief.  She and Rosa gathered the rest of the dishes.  When she went to grab the bucket to bring in more water she found it missing.  She was certain she left it next to the wash basin earlier that morning.  When she opened the front door to see if she absentmindedly left it outside, Adam walked up to the house with the missing bucket, now full.

“Where do you want this?” he asked.

“In the large pot on the stove,” she answered, touched that he would think to help by fetching water.

After he filled the pot, he returned the bucket to its assigned place.  He stood there for a few minutes, just watching her and Rosa.

“Julia,” he started but was interrupted by Betty bustling into the kitchen.

“How is Hannah?” Julia asked, hoping Adam would take his leave.

“Oh, she’s fine.  Just tired.  Nothing to worry about, as I told her,” Betty responded.

Adam was still standing by the wash basin, shifting from foot to foot.  Betty looked over to him, but directed her words to Julia, “Dear, why don’t you take a walk by the lake and enjoy some fresh air.  I’ll help Rosa with this then check on Hannah a little later.”

One thing Julia learned about Betty—she seemed to have a knack for taking over a kitchen.  Wanting to get away for a few minutes by herself, she agreed and hoped Will would not be upset that their guest was washing the dishes.  Adam was still lingering in the kitchen, so she pretended to ignore him and walked toward the front door.  He followed.

Chapter 21

“Mind if I join you?” Adam asked.

Julia wanted to be alone with her thoughts.  She wasn’t in the mood for his company.  But, she didn’t want to be rude either.  Reluctantly, she nodded for him to join her.  He held the front door open for her and assisted her with her shawl.  Turning the corner by the house, she set a brisk pace to the lake, still hoping he might decide to leave her alone.

Walking along the shore of the lake, she thought about leaving the ranch.  She was so tense here.  She couldn’t seem to forget what happened—what Reuben did to her—as long as she stayed.  Will and Hannah acted strange around her.  They didn’t seem to know what to do or what to say around her anymore.  She didn’t know how to act around them either.

It was time for a change of scenery.

“I want to leave the ranch,” she said bluntly.

Adam took two steps in front of Julia and stopped.  Turning to look her in the eye, he asked, “Why do you want to leave?  Where do you want to go?”  He sounded frustrated, almost discouraged.

“Ever since I told Hannah and Will about what happened back in Texas, things have been awkward.  I can’t stay.”

She grew quiet.  Just how much could she tell Adam?  Throwing some measure of caution aside, she continued, “Every time I look at Will, I see Reuben and remember the awful things he did to me.  Those feelings of terror overwhelm me every time I sit down to a meal, or sit in the same room with him.  I can’t keep reliving this every day.”

“But, what about Hannah?  Doesn’t she need your help?”

“I’ll wait a few days, but if it looks like she’s on the mend, then I’ll need your help.”

When he nodded, she went on.  “Will you take me into Prescott in a few days?  I want to find out if the mercantile or hotel is hiring.”

Adam seemed to consider her words before replying.  When he spoke, he looked across the lake, not making eye contact.  “I will take you, but only if Will agrees.”

“You can’t tell him.  I don’t want him to know I am thinking of leaving, especially if I can’t find a way to make this work.”

“What you’re asking is—”

“I will tell him you are taking me to town to do some shopping.  Will might be upset, but I’ll convince him he needs to stay for Hannah’s sake and that I’ll be safe with you.”

He was silent.

“Please do this for me.”

When he started walking again, she wondered if he might say no.  Keeping pace with him this time, she hoped he would agree.  He stuffed his hands in his pockets and slowed his pace.  From months of traveling with him, she read his action as a sign that he carefully considered his options.  By the time they were halfway around the lake, he had yet to respond.  Her hope fell, believing he would refuse to help her.

Then he spoke.  “What you are asking is difficult because I work for your brother.  While you may be eager to leave the ranch, I am not.  It’s important for the horse training business that Will and I trust each other.  By taking you to town now, but hiding the motivation, I risk damaging that trust.  Once lost, it’s difficult to rebuild.”

“But…”  When she opened her mouth to defend her request, he stopped and turned to look at her again.  Her rebuttal died and she waited for him to continue.

Sighing, Adam said, “Don’t ask me to lie to Will.  I will take you, but I will not lie about it.  I’m also concerned for your relationship with your brother.  You may want to get as far away from him as possible now, but there will come a time when you may want to or need to return to the ranch.  Just tell him the truth now.  There’s no need to hide it from him.”

Julia thought about the wisdom of what he said.  She didn’t have to tell Will she was leaving because she could not look at him.  But, she could tell him she wanted to get a job in town.  “I’ll talk to him and Hannah about moving.”

“Then, when you’re ready, I’ll take you.”

Several days after Thanksgiving, Julia was relieved that Hannah felt better.  She decided she would discuss her plans with them in the evening and have Adam take her to town the next day.  As she set the table she rehearsed in her mind what she would say to them in a few short minutes.