Rocky Mountain Match (2 page)

When she reached for his tight-fisted hand, he drew back as though she’d seared him with a hot iron. His mouth was set firm and hard. He shifted his weight from one foot to another, his leg muscles bunching beneath camel-colored britches. And as he drew his shoulders back, his chest stretched wide, revealing a well-defined muscular build beneath a white cotton shirt.

Embarrassment flushed her cheeks and she quickly averted her gaze to the fresh coat of dark gray paint that gleamed like icing on the porch floor.

“You may not feel ready for it, Joseph, but Miss Ellickson is prepared for a full day’s work.” The doctor gave her a lame look of encouragement, then shifted a wary gaze to his brother. “I know you’re probably mad enough to spit nails, but give it two weeks. At least until you see the doctor in Denver.”

While he continued with a halfhearted pep talk, Mr. Drake remained grim. His commanding presence filled the small porch, sending a quiver of unease down her spine. And a brief, unwanted flash of fear through her mind.

Nervously she smoothed back wispy strands of blond
waves, wondering when the unbidden memories from the past year would stop haunting her. When would she be free of her attacker’s vile grasp? Even months later, she could still feel his hands pinning her down to a dire moment in time that would never end.

Her chest pulled tight, the same painful questions swirling through her mind…. Where was God then? Why hadn’t He helped her? Why hadn’t He protected her?

She wanted to trust God, wanted to rest knowing that He was watching out for her. But it seemed a mountain of anguish stood in her way of finding the childlike innocence she’d once had.

Squeezing her eyes tight, she refused to let her past get in the way of this new job assignment. When Uncle Sven had wired her about this opportunity, it was like a thousand Christmases all wrapped into one. This was a chance to start fresh, far away from the continuous reminders. A chance to distance herself from the constant threat she felt back home.

Squaring her shoulders, she studied the man before her.

Stubborn. She’d seen it more than once while working at the Braille and Sight-Saving School, but she’d never encountered someone so dead set on refusing help. His imposing stance spoke far louder than the words of protest she’d overheard as she’d waited on the boardwalk for the doctor to summon her.

“I won’t keep you two any longer.” Dr. Drake’s voice broke into her thoughts. “If you need anything, Miss Ellickson, please don’t hesitate to let me know.”

Nodding, she smoothed a hand down her full damask skirt, pasting on a tranquil smile in spite of feeling as if he was leaving her to one mean, hungry wolf. “We’ll be just fine.”

She watched the doctor’s long strides take him down the walk and almost wished she could follow. Scanning the tidy yard surrounded by a white picket fence, she experienced a measure of safety. But as she slid her gaze to the rugged Rocky Mountains, she felt a tangible unease at the untamed land.

While she turned to face her new student, she braced herself before she spoke. “I can understand your discomfort, Mr. Drake, if my presence here doesn’t sit well with you. If it eases your mind at all, I can assure you that you will get neither pity nor charity from me,” she stated simply, hoping to allay such fears.

“Quite honestly, you’ll get as much out of this as you’re willing to put in,” she added, unsuccessfully trying to gauge his response. “And if you readily embrace a challenge as your brother says you do, I think that you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the outcome.”

From the stoic stance he’d demonstrated so far, she’d obviously underestimated the doctor’s claims that he was stubborn. Had Uncle Sven not vouched for Mr. Drake’s stellar character and assured her safety with him, she might just turn and leave for good. Which was exactly what he wanted right now.

And precisely what he didn’t need.

Firming up her wilting strength, she made a desperate grasp for boldness as she stood directly in front of him. “Mr. Drake, you need me. And I’m prepared to give you my all to help you gain independence. So perhaps we should begin our first…”

The words died on her lips as a low, deep growling sound came from the porch’s dark shadows. Her breath caught in her throat. Hair prickled on the back of her
neck. She flicked her gaze to where a mound of black fur lumbered into the sunlight.

“Bear!” Stifling a scream, her books dropped to the porch floor. “Quick! Get inside! He’s coming!”

She lunged for Mr. Drake and wedged between his large frame and the clapboard house. Fear gripped like a vice, clamping down with brutal force as she wrapped her arms around his broad chest and tried to tug him toward the front door.

“Mr. Drake, please. We must—get to safety!” she grunted, struggling in vain to move him.

Peeking around him, she could see the hulking black bear closing in on her, its wide boxy head hung low, thick shoulders bearing its lumbering mass, and its long fluffy tail…

She froze. Grasped his chest tighter as waves of prickly heat spread through her.
Bears didn’t have tails. Did they?

Narrowing her gaze, she braved another glance around Mr. Drake’s chest, all firm and muscular beneath her tight hold, to see a huge dog with a head the size of a barrel staring at her with big brown, expressive eyes. The dog dropped to the edge of the porch with a weighted thud and bored sigh, looking up at her as if to say it had been mortally wounded by her accusation.

“Miss Ellickson, that is a dog, not a bear,” he said, prying her hands loose from his chest.

Katie let out an unladylike whoosh of air. Utter embarrassment at her impropriety overwhelmed her as it dawned on her how close she was to Mr. Drake. Her cheeks flamed hot and she wiped a quivering hand over her lips.

She slipped out from behind him. “I—I apologize.”

Tugging at her waistcoat, she smoothed back her hair,
grateful he couldn’t see her crimson cheeks. He could probably hear her heart pounding in her chest, though. “How foolish of me. It’s just that with the shadows I thought—”

“Perhaps it’s not me who has less-than-perfect sight,” he cut in without even the hint of a smile. “Colorado is no place for the faint of heart.”

Flames of anger nipped at her composure, but she quickly snuffed them out. “I’m sure it’s not—and I regret my outburst. I suppose I’m just leery of the wilds of Colorado,” she admitted on a shaky sigh. Even though she was a little more than leery of him right now, she was determined to remain professional. “Is this your dog?”

“Boone’s a Newfoundland, and he wouldn’t hurt you for anything,” he said as Katie stooped to pet the dog. “Unless he senses that I don’t like you.”

She pulled her hand back and passed a wary glance from the dog to him. “Well, then, I guess you’d better change your mind about me—or your dog will be having me for lunch.”

W
as she friend or foe?

That question reverberated through Joseph’s mind as he sank deeper into the chair across from where Miss Ellickson sat on the sofa. The faintest scent of lilies, pleasing and natural, drifted from her direction and he took a long, measured breath.

Since meeting her this morning, he’d been cross. He didn’t want her here, but felt trapped because his brother had set things up in such a clever way that Joseph wouldn’t have a choice but to slap his jaws shut and suffer through.

He’d entertained illusions of the woman taking off like a scared rabbit. Instead, she’d seemingly marked her territory and called him to climb this uphill battle—and he never backed down from a challenge.

He could hardly blame her if she’d chosen to leave because he wasn’t exactly Boulder’s idea of a welcoming committee. He was sour, indifferent and unfriendly, and he knew it.

Reaching down next to his chair, he found Boone’s head, soft and furry beneath his touch. He gently stroked the dog’s thick coat, acutely aware of Miss Ellickson’s presence.

Rivers of wounded pride coursed through his veins at his predicament. This woman may have come highly recommended and be competent, but she couldn’t give him what he wanted most… His vision.

Slumping deeper into the cushioned chair, he pressed the pads of his fingers over his bandaged eyes, something he often did hoping the pressure would somehow produce a change. He’d do most anything if it meant regaining his sight, but nothing seemed to make a difference. Strong will and hard work had always been his friends, but now it was as if they were bound on the sidelines while he stood alone in the midst of a raging battle.

Joseph held out hope that in two weeks, when he’d travel to see the doctor in Denver, he’d find more encouraging news. If so, he’d never take another day of blessed sight for granted.

Raking his fingers through his thick hair, he shifted uncomfortably in the chair, knowing that until then, this woman would witness each humiliating attempt to do things right.

Would she laugh? Turn away in embarrassment? Pity him?

He loathed not seeing! And was determined not to be a burden. But remembering how meager tasks such as dressing or walking through his own house took every bit of concentration he could amass, he wondered if things would ever come easy.

“Yoo-hoo…Joseph?” Julia Cranston’s high-pitched
voice jerked him from his thoughts as the front door creaked open. “Are you home?”

Joseph briefly recalled the day of his accident when Aaron had found another love note from Julia at the door. She’d sealed it with red wax.

“Kinda bold, don’t ya think?” Aaron had jibed.

Joseph had glanced warily at the heart-shaped seal. He’d gone on a few innocent outings with Julia, but had no plans to go running down the aisle yet.

“Whatcha’ waitin’ for?” Aaron had asked. “If you’re holdin’ off till all your ducks are lined up, you’d better get movin’ fast or they’re gonna go line up in somebody else’s pond.”

At the time he’d thought little of Aaron’s prodding, figuring he had plenty of time to set in place that part of his life. But just minutes later his whole life had changed. A single moment, a careless movement on a ladder, had altered his entire life. Now he could only hope that God would answer the barrage of petitions he’d made for healing.

Hearing the door rattle again, he realized that Julia hadn’t visited for a week. Now that he was up from bed rest, he felt acutely aware of his inadequacy because a woman like Julia, delicately beautiful and refined, was used to being pampered. She’d sat by his bedside a few days since his accident, spending most of her time relating the latest news of Boulder’s upper crust, rarely inquiring about his injury.

“Come on in.” He stood and struggled for balance.

“Oh, there you are! I’m so glad to see you up,” Julia crooned as she beelined toward him, her skirts swishing and heels clicking across the wood floor.

The overwhelming powdery perfume she wore pre
ceded her in a thick cloud, triggering the sudden need to sneeze. He raised a hand to his nose and warded it off as her light footsteps came to an abrupt stop in front of him.

“I—I thought you were going to be through with those silly old bandages,” she bleated, her excitement suddenly deflated.

He could almost feel her piercing hazel gaze bearing down on him. “Ben put new ones on to give my eyes more time.”

“More time? Whatever for? You said that you were going to be as good as new when those awful wraps came off.”

He swallowed hard. “My eyes need more time to heal.”

Julia gave an exaggerated whimper. “Well, that ruins positively everything! I had a very special surprise for you today, but now you won’t even be able to see it.”

“What was the surprise?” he asked, his jaw clenched tight.

“My dress, of course.” Stiff fabric rustled at her touch. “I just came from the dressmaker’s and I was going to surprise you. Daddy
insisted
I have a new dress made for the Glory Days celebration in a few weeks. It’s simply the most beautiful cobalt-blue taffeta you’ve ever seen,” she announced. After another long whimper she added, “Now you can’t even see it to tell me how stunning I look.”

Miss Ellickson cleared her throat from the sofa.

“Why, Joseph!” Julia perched a hand on his forearm. “I didn’t realize you had company.”

“Julia Cranston, this is Miss Ellickson.” He felt Julia stiffen, as though some invisible rod just shot up her back.

“Good morning, Miss Cranston,” his teacher said.

Julia threaded an arm through his. “Miss Ellickson, you say? I don’t recall the name from around here.”

He could only imagine the confused look on her face. Even though her family had arrived just months ago from Boston, she was already familiar with everyone within twenty square miles.

“You must be new to the area,” Julia finally conceded.

“I arrived just Saturday,” Miss Ellickson answered stiffly.

“Miss Ellickson is here from Iowa. Ben sent for her to—to carry out some training I may need.” The admission needled him.

“Whatever would you need training for, Joseph?” Julia sidled closer, her voice rising in pitch. “Uncle Edward says you’re the finest craftsman this side of the Rockies.”

He sighed. “Not training in carpentry. Training in case my sight doesn’t return—right away.”
Or at all,
he thought, the very prospect making his stomach churn.

“This certainly is a shock!” She hesitated, then patted his hand. “Well, you poor thing, Joseph, looking pitiful in those wraps the way you do. Maybe you should be back in bed?”

He winced at her choice of words. He didn’t want to be pitied. “I’m fine. Really. What brings you here, anyway?”

“I stopped by the shop thinking, of course, that you’d be there working your little heart out after being in bed for so long.” Her voice was loud enough to call in cattle. “You can imagine my surprise when Aaron said you were still at home.”

“My eyes are bandaged, not my ears.” He dug his fingers into the chair’s thick stuffing. “I can hear you just fine.”

“Of course. As I was saying,” she continued, the pitch of her voice showing no noticeable change. “I brought you a most wonderful meal. I’m quite certain you’ll be very pleased.”

A tantalizing aroma wafted to his senses, penetrating the cloud of perfume. He tried not to show his surprise at her sudden display of domestic prowess. “Did you make this yourself?”

“Well, I…not exactly. But I gave Cook
very
specific instructions. She absolutely puts me to shame, Joseph,” she simpered, then whisked out of the front room toward the kitchen. “I am simply dreadful in the kitchen.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. You probably do a fine job,” he called after her, but remembering the sawdust taste of the cookies she’d made last week, he was pretty sure that wasn’t true.

“You’re a dear to say so. But I dare say that I won’t be winning any first-place ribbons in the pie-baking contest at the town celebration.” Julia’s high-pitched laughter shot through his house like bolts of lightning. “Come and eat, Joseph.”

Vile fear wrapped around him when the almost twenty feet he had to go suddenly felt more like a mile. Perspiration beaded his forehead and a slow trembling coursed through his body like deadly venom. His pulse pounded in his head, throwing off his concentration. He gritted his teeth. Drew in a shuddering breath. Just as he started forward with his hands outstretched, he felt a light touch on his arm.

“Mr. Drake,” Miss Ellickson whispered beside him as she gently guided his hand to her elbow. “Would you be so kind as to escort me to the table?”

He jerked his head down to her, ready to refuse. But the overwhelming relief he felt as she led him with steady measured steps to the kitchen brought his protest up short.

“You must be positively famished,” Julia gushed.

When Miss Ellickson placed his hand on the back of a dining chair, he whispered, “Thanks.”

Bracing his hands on the chair, he willed the trembling to stop. “So, what do we have here?”

Over a deep sigh, he could hear Boone’s lumbering gait coming toward him. Joseph could just see the dog throwing his tail lazily from side to side as he swaggered across the room.

“Oh no, Joseph! Are you going to let that horrid animal sit here while you eat? God only knows where she’s been.” No doubt Julia’s pink lips were pursed tight, her small nose wrinkled in disgust. She never did like Boone and wasn’t shy about saying so. “I don’t see how you can stand having Bongo in your house like you do.”

“Boone,” he corrected, irritated that she could never seem to get his dog’s name right. “And ‘she’s’ a ‘he.’”

“Boone, Bongo, he, she…it matters not to me. The beast is just so uncouth. Mother would surely faint if she could see it in your house. Why, that creature is nearly a horse.”

“He’s a dog, and he’s fine.
He
minds his manners.”

Lowering himself to the long trestle table, he trailed his fingers along the sturdy walnut’s smooth finish, remembering when he’d crafted the piece. He’d built it, eager for the day when his wife and children would be seated here with him.

Julia clanged silverware against a plate, jerking him out of his reverie and invoking a fast-building sense of dread. That anxiety multiplied by ten as he realized that this would be the first time since his accident that he’d sat down for a meal.

“Everything is all set for you, Joseph. You can eat now.”

He swallowed hard. Clenching his fists in his lap, he wondered what
everything
was…pork and beans, soup, chicken? He had no idea what she’d laid out or where it was
located on the table. Beads of perspiration formed on his brow, his pulse pounded a deafening rhythm in his head.

“I wasn’t planning on joining you, but maybe—”

“No, that’s not necessary,” he quickly cut in.

“Honestly, I did have plans to have tea with Colleen Teller, the
senator’s
daughter,” she twittered. “Of course, I’d have to go home and change. It would simply be unacceptable if she were to see me wearing my new dress today and then again for the celebration. Don’t you think?”

He offered a hearty nod, thankful she had other plans.

“Well, then, by all means let me see you out, Miss Cranston. You won’t want to be late,” Miss Ellickson clipped off.

“That’s completely unnecessary. I can see myself out.” Julia clutched his hand and leaned closer, her perfume nearly choking him. “Maybe I should stay. What do you think, Joseph?” A whine of regret laced her whispered words. “I suppose I could reschedule with Colleen. Her agenda is busy, but I’m sure—”

“Please, go. Have your lunch with Colleen. I’d rather eat alone.” He braced his elbows on the table and steepled his fingers under his chin. “Miss Ellickson, you can take a dinner break, too. There’s a good diner just down the road—have them put your bill on my tab.”

“I’ll be joining you here. Thank you all the same,” she responded quietly.

Julia’s sharp intake of breath wasn’t lost on Joseph. She grasped his shoulder. “Miss…Miss Ellington—”

“Ellickson.” Joseph shook his head.

Her nails bit into his flesh. “Miss Ellickson, perhaps you didn’t hear Joseph. He said he’d rather dine alone. If you—”

“Julia, I can handle this,” he ground out, disgusted at her steely tone. Although he’d taken her on a few outings in the past two months, he didn’t fancy being treated like some possession of hers. “Miss Ellickson, you’re probably in need of a break. I’m sure I can handle it on my own.”

“I can understand your hesitance, Mr. Drake. Believe me, I do.” Her voice trembled.

Tension chorded his body as he wondered why everyone couldn’t just let him make his own decisions. If he wanted to eat alone, shouldn’t he be afforded that one small courtesy?

“I’m sorry.” Miss Ellickson’s voice was soft and even, coming from the chair to his left. “But I’m here to—to teach you. Not to coddle you.”

Julia withdrew her hand from his shoulder, mumbling as her booted heels clicked loudly across the floor. When she slammed a plate down on the table, he nearly jumped out of his skin.

He swallowed hard, trying to control his mounting frustration. “I didn’t ask you to coddle me, Miss Ellickson.”

With a harrumph, Julia plopped down in a chair across the table from him. “Oh for goodness’s—”

“You’ve made that quite clear,” Miss Ellickson continued as if oblivious to Julia’s presence. “But as with all my students, I’m here to instruct you in how to get along on your own, and that’s what I’m going to do—starting with dinner.”

“Joseph has been eating dinner for twenty-seven years, Miss Eberhard,” Julia informed on a nervous laugh. He could hear her dishing something onto her plate. “He can get along just fine. Can’t you, Joseph?”

“Just drop the subject.” He grasped at his fading calm.

“Fine, I see the way of things.” Julia gave her napkin
a swift snap and a puff of air fluffed over to him. “You have never had a problem doing things on your own,” she reminded him, the shrill sound of her voice contrasting sharply with the delicate chorus of birds outside. “I realize that when you were laid up flat on your back you needed assistance. But now—”