CHAPTER
FORTY
“You look like a drowned kitten,” Truda told Piper when she found her at the hospital.
“And you look like a cat with a broken paw.”
Truda sighed. “A small fracture. Nothing too serious, but Jackson says I’ll need a cast for weeks.” She held up her injured arm.
“I’m glad he could fix it here and didn’t have to send you to Louisville or somewhere.”
“Oh no, Jackson is a very capable doctor.”
Piper raised her eyebrows. “With a wonderful bedside manner too?”
“Indeed.” Truda wasn’t bothered by Piper’s teasing. “An excellent bedside manner.”
“So what are you going to do? Go home? Riding to Wendover might be difficult with that cast.”
“True.” Truda folded her sheet over into pleats with her good hand. “I suppose I could go home.” She smoothed out the folds and looked up at Piper. “But I’m not. I’m staying here. In Hyden. Jackson’s sister has a room she lets. I may stay all summer. Maybe longer. According to how things go.”
“But what about your job at the bank?”
“I’m not the only person who can add up a column of figures.” She stared at Piper, as though daring her to dispute that.
“I suppose not.”
Truda touched Piper’s arm. “I’ve always intuitively recognized risks and taken steps to avoid them. But not this time. This time I’m flinging caution to the winds.”
“Father will be upset.” Her poor father. He would be even more upset with Piper not accepting Braxton Crandall’s proposal. If that talk of needing a wife and thinking she might fit the bill could count as an actual proposal.
“I’m sure he will, but he should have realized long ago that I make my own decisions.” Truda narrowed her eyes on Piper. “As can you.”
“I can’t marry Braxton Crandall.”
“Of course not. You’re in love with that Russell boy. It’s never a good fit when you love one man and marry another. That’s why I’m a spinster.”
“Did you love Dr. Jack even back then?”
“I don’t think I can say that, but I did compare every potential suitor to this man I dreamed of meeting again. And now we have met again and we plan to give ourselves that chance we missed out on years ago.” She tightened her fingers on Piper’s arm. “Don’t you miss out. No matter what your father says.”
“Well, I don’t guess he can say anything until the end of the summer.” Piper smiled.
“That might not be true.”
“Father’s here?” Piper was astounded.
“No.” Truda hesitated before she said, “But Braxton Crandall is.”
Braxton Crandall here in the mountains. Piper still couldn’t quite believe that as she headed to Wendover. First Jamie had shown up and now Braxton. Piper’s plan to put aside all thoughts of men for a summer here in the mountains was shot. She almost hoped Mrs. Breckinridge would order them both to leave. The couriers were to put aside their personal life while they were volunteering their time here.
Piper had intended to do just that. Not think about her future until the end of summer, but she couldn’t stop thinking about Jamie. She didn’t want him gone. Not until she had time to echo his words I love you.
She did love him and not Braxton, but then Braxton hadn’t expected her to love him. Only marry him and then wait for love to grow. But wasn’t it better for love to already be sprouted in the garden of your life before vows were spoken? It definitely wouldn’t be good to need to root out love for a different person from her marital garden.
Like Truda, she had her heart set on one man. She could no longer consider Braxton’s marriage arrangement. She wouldn’t call it a proposal.
As she slowly led Lady up the hill to Pig Alley through the drizzling rain, she hoped she wouldn’t see Braxton until she had time to find dry clothes, although if he saw her looking like a drowned kitten, as Truda said, he might ride away in search of a more appealing bride. Problem solved. She didn’t worry about Jamie seeing her wet and wilted. They’d been caught out in the rain together in the past. Besides, he’d seen her plucking a chicken.
Ginger’s pups started yipping when she went in the barn. Locked in a stall, they jumped up on the bottom half-door when she peeked in at them.
“What’s going on, guys?” She looked around. “Kermit?”
No answer. She’d have to wait to see why the pups were fastened up. She unsaddled Bella and rubbed down both horses. Poor Lady was hardly putting her sore leg down.
Piper stroked the mare’s neck. “We’ll get you fixed up. I promise.”
That made her think of Puddin. The poor horse had been hanging his head when she checked on him before leaving the day before. She glanced over at his stall. Empty.
She ran out of the barn. Still nobody around. The rain must have everyone inside. Plus, it was dinnertime. They’d be sitting around the table at the Big House. Her heart gave a little lurch as she imagined Jamie sitting across the table from Braxton Crandall. Maybe comparing himself to Braxton. Maybe thinking he came up short.
She’d let him know that wasn’t true, but first she had to find out where Puddin was and why the pups were locked away. Ginger wasn’t anywhere in sight, and Rusty hadn’t come to meet her the way he usually did. The rain could account for that. Dogs had the sense to get out of the rain. Unlike her.
No dogs, but Kermit was headed up Pig Alley toward her, carrying his rifle. With his hat pulled low, he didn’t act as though he saw her. She grabbed his arm.
“Kermit, where’s Puddin?”
“Gone.” He pulled away from her to walk on toward the barn, with no notice of the rain coming down harder and getting his gun wet.
Rifle. The empty stall. Gone.
Down in the field, three men were shoveling a big mound of dirt into a large hole. Puddin gone. Their nursing hadn’t saved the horse. Tears mixed with raindrops on her face. There was nothing she could do. She should turn around and go clean up. But instead she kept walking toward where they were surely burying Puddin. Ginger appeared beside her to nudge her hand with her nose. That dog always seemed to know when somebody needed her.
“Oh, Ginger.” Piper knelt down and buried her face in the dog’s wet fur. “I hope you told Puddin goodbye for me.”
“I don’t know if she did, but I did.” When Jamie had seen Piper coming, he stuck his shovel in the ground and told Butch and Zeke he’d be right back to finish helping them cover the horse.
Piper looked up from the dog. “Jamie.”
He knew her face was wet from more than raindrops. When she stood up, he wanted to pull her to him in a hug, but he was covered with mud. “I’m sorry, Piper.”
“Kermit shot him?”
“Said it was the last thing he could do for the horse, but he was grim. A hard thing.” Jamie flinched at the memory of the man’s face as he pulled the trigger. “I’d hug you, but I’m filthy.”
“I don’t care.” She stepped into his embrace then, and they stood like that in the rain, sharing the sorrow over a good horse. “Puddin was slow, but he was such an agreeable horse.”
He kissed her wet forehead. “You should go in out of the rain. I’ve got to help the guys down there finish up.”
“Right.” She sniffed and backed away from him. “Thank you, Jamie.”
“For what?”
“For being here. For helping.” She motioned toward the horse’s grave.
“I’ve got blisters to show for it.” He hesitated and then went on. “Braxton Crandall is here.”
“I know.”
“You’ve seen him already?”
“No. I stopped at the hospital. Truda told me he was here.”
Jamie couldn’t read her face. Was she glad? He ran his fingers down her cheek, leaving a streak of mud. “I love you. No matter what happens, I will always love you.”
She looked ready to say something when Butch yelled, “Hey, Russ. This hole ain’t gonna fill itself.”
Were there more tears on her face or just the rain? He pointed her toward the Garden House. “Go before you get soaked.”
“I’m already soaked.”
“Then before you dissolve.” He used to tell her that when they were kids. That she was sugar and he was salt and both of them might melt away in the rain.
“Don’t be silly,” she said, but she had a little smile. She started to turn away, then looked back. “I brought you a chicken leg.”
“From your chicken?” When she nodded, he asked, “Is it good?”
She shrugged. “We ate it and I’m not throwing up. So I guess so.”
“As Nurse Freeman said, you’re a wonder, Piper Danson.”
She actually laughed then, before running toward the Garden House and perhaps out of his life forever. He’d had time to think while digging and then witnessing the poor horse being put down. Her father was right. Braxton Crandall was right. The best way to show how much he loved her was to go back to Danville, pack up, and head west. Search out new stories to write.
He could find odd jobs. Maybe sell something he wrote now and again. Take a leap of faith into his future and not ruin Piper’s future. She’d have a good life with Braxton Crandall.
Once upon a time there was a beautiful girl who married a prince and lived happily ever after. They used to play filling in the details of the story. Piper would always argue the girl would be happier marrying the stable boy. Jamie would counter that the poor girl would have to live in a stable, and Piper would say, as long as there were horses. But now Jamie couldn’t promise her so much as one horse. But Braxton Crandall could give her a stable full and a fine house besides.
He watched Piper until she went into the Garden House. Then he turned back to help Butch and Zeke finish filling in Puddin’s grave. He was glad it was raining to hide the tears rolling down his cheeks.