Rocky Mountain Redemption (3 page)

No matter how destitute she and Max had been over the years, she'd never taken charity.

Callie gripped the bedsheets when another deep, brutal cough commanded her strength. Maybe she was flirting with death to even think about getting out of this bed. The way her head and body ached, she couldn't imagine walking twenty feet.

“I have nothing to pay you with.” She set her jaw. “But I don't—won't—take charity. You can just subtract what I owe you from my wages.”

“Your wages?” he echoed on a bemused chuckle.

“Yes, my wages.”

When she absently set a hand to the locket, she caught herself, suddenly wishing that she'd never been given the gift.

She lifted her head from the pillow and fumbled for the clasp. If it belonged to Ben Drake, then she'd promptly return it because the lovely piece of jewelry had obviously never belonged to her. Or Max.

His brow furrowed. “What are you doing?”

“I'm giving this back.” She steadied her fingers enough to undo the clasp. “Like you said, it belongs to you.”

His hands lightly grasped hers, stilling them, his face a mask of confusion. “No. Please, don't take it off, Callie.”

She couldn't move, couldn't look at him. Inside she was in an all-out war for control. She was deeply hurt, betrayed by Max, though he was six months gone. And Ben wore self-assured confidence like some fine evening coat fitted to a T. Yet he showed concern and compassion.

“It's not mine,” she declared, weeding out any sign of self-pity from her voice. “It never was and I—”

Her words died on another violent fit of coughing that paled all others. It wrenched her chest, her shoulders, her head. Every muscle convulsed.

She was barely aware as Ben slipped an arm behind her shoulders. She felt his strong arms cradle her as he whispered soothing words while she fought to gain her breath. When he pulled her closer to himself and wedged another pillow behind her head, his warmth seeped into her. And much needed relief slowly settled over her as he lowered her to the pillow.

“That really didn't sound good.” Ben hunkered down to eye level with her. “At all. I'm very concerned.”

“I'll be fine,” she rasped, with painful effort.

She wasn't sure if her throat felt like it was closing up because of her cough and sore throat or the emotion his tender care evoked. For the first time in a long time, she might be experiencing what it was like to have someone care about what happened to her. To care for her.

But how could that be? Max had done nothing but speak ill of his brothers—especially Ben.

She pushed away from Ben, thinking about how Max must've been wronged and how things could've been so different if only…

The bitter sense of betrayal and pain and unfulfilled dreams stripped her bare. There was no way to change the past, but she could be unwavering in her quest to carve out a future of her own making.

After she'd paid off the debt.

Her eyelids drooped heavily, blatant fatigue demanding every bit of her attention. She could barely hold a coherent thought, but as she drifted closer to the blessed brink of sleep, Ben's face flashed in her mind.

He deserved the truth about his brother. Especially
if she was going to be working for him. It was only right.

Forcing her eyes open, she yawned. Coughed. “I need to tell you something if I'm going to be working for you,” she managed, her words sounding far away, though Ben's presence felt almost as near as her next, ragged breath.

He leaned in just a bit closer.

“That woman Max ran off with…that was me. I'm your brother's wife.” She gripped the sheet as she worked down another painful swallow. “I was married to Max.”

Ben's strikingly handsome features creased in a disturbing wash of pain and anger. “Was? What do you mean,
was?
”

She quickly stuffed down the raw emotion. “Max was shot in an alley for double-dealing. He died six months ago.”

T
he news of Max's death echoed in Ben's head like a gunshot in a deep mountain canyon. He'd not heard one thing. Not one thing.

When Callie had uttered the words a few hours ago, his emotions had warred between deep anger and grief. The death was an utter waste of a life so young.

And a mark of shame for Ben.

If he'd been able to turn his brother around, Max might still be here.

Ben let out a stuttering, remorse-filled sigh. He hadn't realized he'd been holding his breath, and tried to relax his tight muscles, calm his beating heart, but it seemed useless. His entire being had been drawn into a knot of unrest and regret in hearing the news.

He would've questioned her further had she not drifted off to sleep. He wanted some proof of marriage or of Max's death, but the longer he sat here staring at her—his brother's widow, a young woman whose brow even now furrowed in pain—the more he questioned his need for evidence.

He didn't know one thing about Callie. Had no reason
to trust her. Still, she didn't strike him as someone who'd lie about something so severe.

Ben had a volume full of unanswered questions regarding his wayward sibling. Twice as many misgivings. If he could learn even a little about what had transpired in the past seven years, then maybe, just maybe, Ben could put to rest the painful remorse.

He doubted he'd ever find peace about certain things, though. With Max dead, there were some bitter words Ben had said that could never be taken back: that Max was good-for-nothing, a stain to the Drake family name and the worst of scoundrels. Sitting on this solitary side of things, he had no idea what kind of damage the last words he'd said to Max could've done.

The shameful memory pierced Ben like buckshot, shredding his already shaky confidence. In the past six months his assurance in his work as a doctor, and his trust in God, had been dealt some rough blows.

First, he'd been unable to help his brother Joseph after an accident that left him blind. Ben had doctored him to the point that Joseph demanded to be left alone. The sleepless nights Ben had spent worrying, praying, and reading anything that might be a key to Joseph regaining his sight had been to no end.

He swallowed a thick knot of guilt. The inability to produce a winning outcome did something to a man who was supposed to be an instrument of healing in God's hands.

Then his brother Aaron had been dealt a double blow when his newborn baby and his wife died within a day of each other. Complications of childbirth. Ben had done everything he knew to change the course, but it hadn't been enough.

And now this.

Surely, had he done things differently with Max, spoken some sense into him, things would've turned out differently.

He blinked hard as he stared at Callie, asleep and burrowed in a thick cloud of blankets and pillows. The frown that had creased her brow had smoothed out to reveal a feminine softness. And the stern, unrelenting purse of her lips had relaxed to render a full pout that made his mouth tip in an unprovoked, tired grin.

For a petite little thing, no more than five feet, two inches tall, she'd put up quite a fight. The bold determination he'd seen in her eyes and stubborn set to her jaw belied her small stature.

She'd felt alarmingly thin in his arms when he'd cradled her limp body and settled her in bed last night. He'd removed her cold, damp dress, its tattered hem caked with snow, to make her more comfortable. But her lightweight undergarments did nothing to conceal the fact that this woman probably hadn't seen a decent meal in a very long time. And they did nothing to hide her undeniable, womanly curves.

Forcing his thoughts elsewhere, he snapped open his pocket watch, flicking a glance at the hour. It was already nine o'clock in the morning, and though he'd dozed a time or two in the chair beside her bed, Callie's ragged breathing and rattled cough had kept him on the alert.

While he switched out the warm oil of camphor–soaked compress at her chest, he realized that as much as he didn't trust her, he felt drawn to this young woman. Wanted to make sure she received the best care he could provide.

Bracing his forearms on his legs, he monitored her breathing, watching her chest rise and fall in small
breaths. All the while wondering what he was going to do with her once she was well. If he didn't give her the job would she hightail it out of Boulder?

It was painfully apparent that she needed help.

And it was no secret that he desperately needed an assistant. But was he willing to hire a young woman he had a deep interwoven history with, yet, until a few hours ago, had never even met?

Ben quietly crossed to the bedroom's lace-draped window and peered outside through the cloudy panes. The snow had finally tapered off to a light dusting of flurries that glistened like tiny diamond chips in the morning sun. He squinted against the stark brightness, his eyelids drooping over his eyes, weighted by fatigue and by the bright glare spilling into the room.

Kneading his forehead, his thoughts strayed to the past seven years. They'd tracked Max down several times, finding him in saloons, slouched at gaming tables like some permanent fixture. Though Ben had never met Callie—didn't even know her name—Max had lamented about how he'd needed to play the tables to keep his demanding little woman clothed in finery and frills.

Turning to glimpse the bleak condition of her ragged dress and threadbare cloak, he couldn't imagine that anything of the sort had been true.

Remorse regarding Max hovered over him like a coffin lid suspended, just inches from closing. He'd done his best to set Max's feet on the straight and narrow, but Max had given the term
maverick
a whole new meaning, dodging responsibility at every turn, thumbing his nose at right living and common sense, and bucking hard against anyone who tried to bridle him. He was nothing
like the rest of the Drake boys, and for that Ben felt a guilt-laden weight of responsibility.

Ben had promised his folks before they passed on that he'd see to his brothers. Make sure they turned out to be the fine, upstanding men his parents had intended.

Moving over to the bed, he refreshed the compress at Callie's chest, praying that it would ease her deep cough.

When she stirred then dragged in a ragged breath in her sleep, he was grateful to see that it didn't catch on another cough. With attentive medical care, she might just be all right. The idea of any other outcome made his throat go instantly tight. There was something vulnerable hidden behind the inflexible front she'd worn that begged for release, and he couldn't ignore the strange desire he felt to be her liberator.

 

“You're going to do what?” Aaron protested, his voice likely cutting through the closed door to where he'd just peeked in at Callie.

“Keep your voice down.” Ben shot his brother a glower of warning then tugged him farther into the waiting area. “I said, I'm thinking about giving her a job as a cook and housekeeper.”

He glanced at the second-oldest brother, Joseph, whose brow creased in an unmistakable, disagreeing frown over his sightless eyes.

His brothers' forthright responses contrasted dramatically with the quiet, solemn grief they'd shown an hour ago when'd he'd broken the news of Max's death. There were plenty of regrets to be had regarding Max. The tension-filled years preceding his disappearance. The betrayal prompting his leaving. And the futile times when Ben and Joseph had tried to coax Max home.

All the years growing up hadn't been that way, however. There'd been good times, when all five of them had roamed the backyard on stick horses, as though the ground yawned like some wide-open range. When they'd worked together with their father to build houses for the steady stream of settlers moving West. When they'd hunkered down in eager anticipation of Christmas morning.

Those fond memories made it almost impossible to imagine Max dead. With nothing of his brother's life left to redeem, Ben was left feeling helpless.

“A cook and housekeeper?” Aaron's eyes widened.

“You want me to throw her out?” Ben queried, irritated.

Aaron splayed his hands in an it's-not-my-problem kind of gesture. “It's your call, but the whole thing sounds fishy to me. I mean, her showing up here in the middle of the worst October snowstorm I can remember, and then asking for a job? There's gotta be a good reason for that kind of behavior. If that's not fishy, I don't know what is.”

“What other information did you get out of her, anyway?” Joseph inquired.

“Not much. She isn't very talkative.” Ben's admission rankled a little, especially as he remembered how stubborn and evasive she'd been. “She's pretty sick. In fact, we need to make this brief so I can get back in there to see to her.”

“If it were me, I wouldn't trust her as far as I could throw her.” Aaron's sure look altered to an instant frown. “Well, maybe not, seeing as how she's such a tiny thing.” He nudged Joseph's arm and whispered conspiratorially. “As small as she is, Joe-boy, a fella could fit her into his coat pocket.”

Relishing descriptions, however lame, Joseph grinned at Aaron's remark.

“You're all talk, Aaron,” Ben dismissed. “You couldn't turn your back on her either, and you know it.”

“So, what if you're wrong about her?” Aaron folded his arms at his chest. “If I were you, I'd get that locket from her before she takes off with it.”

“She already tried to give it back to me.”

“Well, then…” Aaron held out his hand. “Why don't you have it?”

Ben met his disbelieving gaze. “I didn't have the heart.”

“Oh, for the love of—”

“Go easy, Aaron,” Joseph cautioned. “You never know how hard something is until you walk it yourself.”

“I'm not arguing that. It's just that Max pulled the wool over Ben's eyes more than once,” Aaron responded then turned to Ben. “And I think we all know that he left because of this woman.”

With a tentative shake of his head, Ben raked a hand through his hair. “That might be what he said, but how do we know it's true? How can you judge her, if you haven't met her?”

“Facts are facts, Ben. And it was as clear as a mountain stream that Max got in with the wrong crowd,” Aaron bit off, his jaw tensing. “He always was wild on the vine. I just never thought he'd go so far as to steal from his own kin then walk away without ever looking back. If you ask me, I'd say that little lady in there had to have played a part.”

Ben peered down at the box Callie had brought. He hadn't wanted to take it from her room, and sure wasn't about to look inside at the contents, but he had to know
if it was the box Joseph had made for Max years ago. That would be just another point of proof in her favor. “I know it doesn't make sense. And I can't say as I trust her, but—”

“I'd be disappointed if you did.” Aaron snorted. “I wouldn't put it past some young, sickly thing sent by Max, to try and con you out of money.”

Joseph shifted his long cane from one hand to the other. “Knowing how hard it was for you to come to grips with the way Max took advantage of you, I'm not sure why you'd want to take that risk again.”

“I'll admit, I've been wrong a time or two.” Aaron took the box from Ben. “But the lady came here with this one box and the locket. Lord knows she could be lying through her teeth about being married to Max—even about him dying.”

“Why would she lie about something like that?” Ben asked.

“I don't know. Why would Max steal from his own brothers? And, when he was sloppy drunk and barely able to stand, kiss my girl?” Aaron's jaw ticked. “People with no conscience do the unthinkable.”

“Just take some time to think this over.” Joseph grasped Ben's shoulder. “Don't make any rash decisions.”

“Why you'd want her workin' for you, I'll never know.” Aaron scuffed over to a rounded-back chair and plopped down.

“Believe me, I wondered the same thing, too—when I saw the locket, anyway.” Ben sank into a chair next to Aaron. “I don't have a single, solid reason why I'd say this, but I think she's telling the truth.”

“And
I
think you're gettin' all thick in the head.”
Aaron placed the box in Joseph's hand after Joseph sat down.

“You're a bleeding heart, Ben. Always have been.” Securing his cane on the floor next to the chair, Joseph traced his fingertips over the walnut box. “It's been ten years since I made this for Max, and it's just as I remember.”

“It's beautiful,” Ben commented, impressed by his brother's talent. Even now, with his sight gone, he did flawless work. “You were good back then, and you're even better now.”

“Taught him everything he knows.” Aaron gave a self-satisfied wink.

Half grinning, Joseph shook his head and sighed. “That joke is getting old, Aaron. We've heard it…I don't know…what would you say, Ben,
hundreds
of times?”

“At least,” he answered with a chuckle.

“Maybe try it out on someone new next time.” Joseph's eyes grew wide with exasperation.

“You know I only say it to convince myself.”

“That's better. Best to remember your place.” With a wink, Joseph took in the detailed carving with his fingertips.

“It looks to be in good condition.” Ben angled his head to examine the box again.

Aaron rose and scuffed over to the doorway leading from the front waiting area. He peered down the hallway to where Callie slept. “You better make sure you keep a close eye on her. You never know what she might steal.”

The words stuck like a prickly burr, and had Ben narrowing his gaze at his brother, yet again. No matter that the callous comment could be true, it didn't diminish the sudden, unexplained need to come to Callie's defense.