The Visions of Ransom Lake (26 page)

“
What next?” Freddy Wimber asked curiously. “What next?”

Ransom Lake smiled at Vaden then, dropped her hand, turned to the coat rack, and retrieved her coat from it. He helped her to put it on and buttoned the collar button.

“
What next, ya ask, boy?” the man chuckled. “Well, next the prince bid everyone in the room a good day, swept Cinderella into his arms, and carried her off to his castle, where they lived happily ever after.”

Vaden smiled and giggled delightedly as Ransom Lake actually lifted her into his own powerful arms, effortlessly as if she were no more than a child.

“
And he kissed her too. Didn’t he kiss her, Mr. Lake?” Violet’s wide eyes sparkled with the anticipated answer to her question.

“
Now you let Mr. Lake take Miss Vaden on home, Violet. It’s bad weather we’re havin’ out there, and they need to be off,” Mrs. Wimber explained to her disappointed daughter. “Thank ya again, Vaden. I’m so sorry about this. You tell your Aunt Myra we’ll watch the weather better next time.”

“
I will, Mrs. Wimber, and it was my pleasure to stay with the children,” Vaden said, still blissful at being held in Ransom Lake’s powerful arms. Propriety dictated Vaden should try to free herself from his hold on her. Yet as she struggled, he only chuckled and secured her more firmly.

“
I’ll get the door, Mr. Lake,” Freddy offered, opening the door wide. Vaden could see the horse and cutter waiting outside. Ransom carried her down the steps, setting her gently on the cutter’s blanket-covered seat.

“’
Bye, Miss Vaden!” Violet called from the door. “Thank ya for bringin’ my mama home, Mr. Lake!”

The child waved happily to the man, who tipped his hat to her. It was only Violet who stood at the door now. Suddenly, Ransom Lake leaned forward, whispering something to Violet that caused her to giggle with delight and nod her head emphatically.

“
What did you say to her, Mr. Lake?” Vaden asked as he turned back to her and stood unmoving for a moment on her side of the cutter.

“
I just told her the prince did kiss Cinderella.” His hand was at her chin in an instant, his lips pressing to hers before she even realized he had moved. The kiss was sweet and quick, far from the kiss Vaden would have most chosen to receive from him, but obviously enough to satisfy the yearnings of Miss Violet Wimber to see the story ended properly. He tipped his hat once more to Violet before climbing over Vaden and seating himself next to her on the seat. Vaden waved to Violet and then to her mother, who appeared at the door, waving quickly before closing it to the violent elements of nature.

“
I had no idea you were so skilled with children,” Vaden commented, raising her voice a bit to be heard over the wind.

Ransom smiled and chuckled a moment. “Oh, I used to be able to weave quite a yarn myself, girl.”

“
Thank you for bringing Mrs. Wimber home so I wasn’t left there all night with the children. She still must feed the baby most of the time, and I was becoming worried.” She turned to him, concerned. “Is Uncle Dan all right?”

“
The cold has caused the achin’ in his leg and back to pain him. I was over tellin’ your aunt that I wasn’t sure I’d make it over tomorrow with all this comin’ in…and…I knew she didn’t want ya stuck out here all night.” He frowned, however, and added, “But I’m not sure we shouldn’t have stayed back there ourselves. It’s nasty out here.”

Vaden wrapped her scarf securely about her head, tucking it into her coat below her chin. “You’re quite a good actor as well, Mr. Lake. What other talents do you secret?”

“
None. Doesn’t take talent to tell a tale or kiss a girl.” Vaden raised her eyebrows, dubbing him vastly mistaken on both counts.

Ransom pulled up for a moment just as an enormous, frigid gust of wind cut through Vaden’s coat to her body. He shaded his eyes from the snow and, standing up in the cutter, looked back. “I truly think we should’ve stayed back there. This is becomin’ worrisome.”

“
But we can’t be more than three miles from home.” Then Vaden noticed she couldn’t see a thing through the snow. No trees, nor the road ahead. No visible landmarks.

“
Less. But this is bad. We could get lost out here and…” he began. Then, sitting back down, he slapped the lines and turned off the well-defined road they had been on.

“
What are you doing?” Vaden asked. “Why don’t you just turn around if you’re uncertain?”

“
Because…I think we’d get lost. Look at the road. In a matter of minutes we won’t be able to see it with the snow driftin’ so badly in the wind. And at this very minute…this place…I still know where we are.” Taking Vaden’s arm, he directed her to sit on the floor of the cutter at his feet. “Get down here. It’ll keep that wind off of ya, and you’ll be warmer.”

She did as instructed and sat on the floor of the cutter, huddling up against one of his legs for warmth. She was astounded at how fast the temperature was dropping, how the moonlight seemed to have disappeared completely from the sky. The powerful man struggled with guiding the horse, and she could feel the taut muscles in the thigh and calf of his leg as he drove. But she knew she would be safe. No one would perish while under Ransom Lake’s care. That she knew.

At last, Vaden heard his voice soothe the horse as he pulled her up before a large, dark structure, looming before them in the night.

“
Come on,” he said, taking her arm once more and pulling her to her feet. Vaden realized her feet were numb with cold. Quickly Ransom Lake walked with her to the lightless building, kicked open a door, and pushed her inside.

“
Wait here,” he commanded. Turning, he ventured back out into the storm.

“
Where would I go?” she muttered to herself as she tried to see through the darkness and further into the building.
He
returned almost immediately, much to Vaden’s relief, leading the mare into the building.

“
There you go, ol’ girl,” he said soothingly, patting the animal on the neck and leading her further back into the darkness. Again Vaden waited for him to return, completely uncertain as to what other action she might take. When he returned, he took her hand and led her deeper into the darkness of their shelter.

“
This old house is on my property,” he explained as he led her into a room and stopped before a large fireplace. Vaden was silent. The only noise escaping her body was the violent chattering of her teeth as she watched him go about building a fire, using a set of flints he pulled from a box on the mantel. In a few moments, smoke began to rise from a tiny bundle of sticks in the hearth. She watched as he carefully blew on the small bit of smoke. Soon an orange spark erupted among the kindling. He added some larger bits of wood as the room began to be illuminated by the light and warmth of the fire. He stood up and looked about the room. Picking up a dusty chair, he broke it into pieces and added it to the small fire. Vaden watched as it blazed brighter and warmer.

“
I’ve gotta go out back and root up some better wood.” He walked away toward the back of the house. Vaden stepped closer to the warmth of the fire, removing her mittens and rubbing her hands together vigorously to help send away the stinging numbness in her fingers.

“
This wood should burn nice. It’s dried out from sittin’ out there for so long,” he said as he returned, his arms laden with large pieces of wood. He dropped it carelessly to one side of the hearth and added some of the old, dry logs to the fire. They did indeed burn quickly and warm. Vaden removed her scarf and coat, tossing them onto another nearby chair.

“
Well, I guess you’re telling me we’ll be here for awhile,” Vaden said as Ransom Lake came to stand next to her, removing his own gloves, hat, and coat.

“
At least the night,” he answered, putting one fist to his mouth and blowing warm air through it, then the other.

“
All
night?” she inquired. Surely he could not possibly mean for her to spend the entire night alone with him!

The handsome man looked at her, a puzzled expression on his brow. “Yes,
all
night. Would ya rather get lost in that blizzard and freeze to death?” He looked back to the fire and then around the room. “It’s holdin’ up surprisingly well,” he mumbled.

“
The house?” Vaden asked to assure herself of his subject of comment.

“
Yeah. It hasn’t been lived in for so long, but it doesn’t look any worse for the wear, except for the dust and creatures that have moved in.” At his mention of living things perhaps lurking about, she unconsciously took a step sideways and closer to him. He chuckled. “Nothin’ dangerous has taken up residence in here, I’m sure.”

But Vaden’s legs began to prickle and itch all the same as she noticed various large cobwebs donning every corner of everything.

“
Ya warmin’ up all right, girl?” he asked in his delightfully mumbly manner.

“
Yes. Fine,” she assured him. She glanced to him then, and her eyes could not tear themselves from his fine good looks and tousled hair. He was truly magnificent, and she smiled slightly at the thought that struck her.

“
What?” he asked, noticing her smile.

“
Nothing,” she lied, looking away.

“
No, what? Tell me.”

“
I was just thinking what Yvonne would say about this situation,” she admitted to him.

Ransom Lake smiled. “Your sister is a strict one when it comes to etiquette and manners, isn’t she?”

“
Yes. It’s a good quality in her.” Vaden’s smile faded as another thought entered her mind, and as was often the case, she blurted out her mental secrets before she could stop. “You fancy her, don’t you, Mr. Lake? Yvonne, I mean.”

“
What do ya mean by fancy?” He still continued to gaze into the fire and periodically blow into his fists.

“
I mean…you favor Yvonne. It’s all right to admit it to me. You’re always telling me we’re friends, after all, and I’ve seen the way you look at her.”

“
We are friends,” he confirmed, looking to her, eyebrows raised in perplexion. “And, yes, your sister is a fine woman to look at.”

Vaden’s teeth immediately began to clench.

“
But…I don’t favor her over anyone else. I don’t intend to pursue her, if that’s what you’re gettin’ at, little Miss Vaden, the curious cat.” Since she still stared into the fire, unwilling to look at him, he put a hand to her shoulder, arresting her attention and causing her to finally look over at him. “Whatever would put such a thought into that connivin’ little mind of yours?”

“
My mind is not conniving. Just…observant is all,” she said.

“
No, tell me. Somethin’ had to spark such a thought. Tell me,” he prodded, turning to confront her face-to-face.

“
The night you were ill, you…you on two occasions did or said something to indicate that you…” she stammered.

“
For the love of Pete, girl! You’re holding somethin’ against me that I said when my head was hotter than that fire before ya? Chances are I didn’t know my foot from my hind end. And besides,” he continued, “would there be somethin’ wrong about me takin’ an interest in your sister?”

“
So you do favor her.”

“
No,” he chuckled, smiling and shaking his head. “No. I just want ya to tell me why ya even brought the thing up.”

Vaden scolded herself violently for slipping up and letting him have an insight into her worry over where he might choose to next place his affections. But, trying to stay calm and dispassionate in appearance, she said, “Oh, I was just wondering about it.”

“
Why? Are ya afraid I’ll end up with Belva Tibbits?” He chuckled and turned from her, looking back into the fire.

Vaden just shook her head and sighed, irritated with herself. “Are you…are you planning on ending up with someone?” Vaden wanted to leave the house, to run from him! All the feelings she had tried to secret away in herself over the past few weeks, every dream and hope she held where he was concerned, were burning brighter than ever in her heart.

Ransom Lake smiled and turned to her with an inquisitive glint in his stormy eyes. “Why? Are you interested in the job?”

Vaden gasped, looked at him, and shook her head vigorously. “Oh! No, no, no!” she assured him. “It’s just a natural question, considering the stir you’ve caused in town among the young women and all.”

“
What stir?” he asked.

“
Don’t play the dumb bunny with me, Mr. Lake. You know full well what I mean.” She shook her head, irritated he would take her for such a fool. “I’ll admit to you now it’s the reason I left the Halloween social early that night. I was sick to death of being badgered and taunted by the other girls because…” She broke off, thinking it might be far worse to confess that particular example.

“
What? Finish what ya were sayin’,” he demanded, his voice going low and even more mumbly.

“
Nothing. It was a bad example. I’ll think of another one. I—”

“
No. Tell me what ya were gonna say, Vaden.”

She looked at him, surprised at his use of her given name and the commanding tone in his voice.

“
I mean…it was silly of me to feel slighted anyway. So it was a bad example. It was no fault of yours. It was petty of me to react so—”Vaden’s mind was trying to sort out an escape from the conversation.