Linda Ford (21 page)

He looked around the group. They were family now. And they accepted him. To them he was Eddie Gardiner, not the adopted, illegitimate son. He sucked in air to smooth the roughness in his throat. “I hope you don’t see me as simply your boss, because we’re family. Some of us have relatives in distant parts of the world. Most of them have no idea what our lives are like now. But we understand the demands of this new world. We know the necessity of working together, helping each other through the difficult spots. To each of you, Merry Christmas.” He held his cup up in a toast and the others joined him. There was a clink of china against china and a chorus of “Merry Christmas.”

“Now, who gets the first present?”

Grady’s face almost disappeared in his big eyes.

“Grady?”

The boy nodded.

“Let’s see what we can find.” Eddie reached under the tree and pulled out the gift he’d made—a small wooden horse and a wagon for it to pull.

Grady tore the paper from the gift and yelled his approval.

Everyone laughed.

Eddie passed around gifts. Cassie and Linette had managed to make scarves for all the men. Cookie had made each a selection of candy. Grady got more carved animals from the men and a beautifully illustrated picture book made by Linette. The men had made each of the women a writing tray to hold their paper and correspondence.

Eddie pulled an unwrapped present from behind the tree and gave it to Linette.

“An easel,” she said on an exhaled breath.

He couldn’t tell if she was surprised or pleased. “I thought you might like to do some painting.”

Her gaze burrowed deep into his. Was she remembering the afternoon she’d sketched a picture for him? Was she wondering if he considered her talent a silly pastime unsuitable for a pioneer woman? “This country is so pretty. I’ve often wished I could take a picture, but a painting is even better.”

“Thank you.” Her eyes darkened before she handed him a package.

He folded back the brown paper to reveal two pictures of the house on the hill drawn at different times of the day.

“Ward made the frames,” she told him.

“Thank you. I’ll hang them in the new house.”

The air between them was heavy. With longing and dreams? No. He jerked away. She had only one purpose in mind—marry to avoid her father’s despicable plans for her. And he had his offer to Margaret to honor. All they shared was the moment.

Winter set in for real after Christmas. Snow came in blankets then disappeared in a warm Chinook. The temperature fluctuated. On warmer days Eddie continued work on the house, grateful for Linette’s company and help. There was something isolating about being alone in the house. On colder days he made sure the cows were taken care of, fed the horses then stayed indoors, often playing with Grady as the women sewed and cooked. The place was warm and cozy and despite the crowded conditions no one complained.

But he liked evenings best. Cassie normally retired to the bedroom with Grady leaving Linette and Eddie to themselves.

Sometimes Linette painted, but after a few minutes would step back. “The light is too poor.”

He didn’t say much. He enjoyed watching her but knew it would make her uncomfortable if he said so. She viewed her painting as useless and would seldom paint in the daytime, saying there was work to do.

But whatever they did, they talked. He learned more about her home life. How her parents insisted on forcing her into a mold of their shaping.

“I wanted to join a mission and help the homeless and ill.” Her half laugh, half snort held self-mockery. “You can imagine my parents’ reaction to that. They threatened to put me under lock and key.”

“It still surprises me they allowed you to come here.” He couldn’t imagine the place without her now. Her presence made winter enjoyable.

She lowered her gaze. The air seemed heavy and he wondered if another snow was about to descend, but the sky was clear. The heaviness came from her. “There’s only one way I can escape my father’s plans.”

She expected him to be her means of escape. For her sake, he wished he could be. But he couldn’t. Besides, what man wanted to be only a way to avoid an unpleasant fate? He changed the subject to ask about her brother. They both found talking about their siblings a pleasant topic.

They often discussed their faith and would spend time together searching out scriptures in his Bible. He came to look forward to those times, finding himself both challenged and encouraged by the depth of her faith in God’s love and the extent of her knowledge of God’s word. “My nurse taught me well. From her I learned to find answers to life’s problems in God’s word. No matter what, I know God’s love is sufficient.”

He realized he did not have the same rock-solid assurance she claimed. But over the winter months with Linette he found his faith growing like a spring garden warmed by the sun and watered by a gentle rain.

He told her much, too. About the things he’d faced as he’d started a ranch in the virgin land of northwest Canada. “I had to decide the best place for the buildings. I had to select the grazing land. Then there were Indians, wild animals and wolves to deal with. And no guidebook to show the way.”

“God guided you.”

“Seems He must have.”

She tipped her head and studied him.

He wanted to escape her probing gaze but wouldn’t allow himself to be a coward. Whatever she saw, whatever she measured, he was man enough to accept it.

“Your father would be proud. And rightly so. You have succeeded beyond what most have. Your ranch is solid. The animals are doing well. The men look up to you, trust you.”

Her approval was honest, open. It watered his soul. “I hope my father sees it the same way.”

One afternoon, he glanced up at the approach of a horse. One of the men from OK Ranch rode into the yard. “Got your mail.” He handed him a bundle.

Eddie thanked him. He’d been pretending the roads were too muddy for a trip to town, but now the inevitable had come. Spring was here. He could no longer delay sending Linette back. It had been the plan from the beginning.

He flipped through the letters. He didn’t see one from Margaret and sighed in relief. It only meant postponement.

He’d been playing a game of make-believe in order to see Linette in the cabin, to look forward to spending time with her, to picture her as the woman in the big house. But he wasn’t a child controlled by pretend. It was time to stop playing and return to serious business.

He strode toward the cabin to deliver the three letters for Linette, all from the same return address but in different handwriting. No doubt each member of her family had written with news.

“Mail,” he called as he stepped into the cabin.

She spun to face him, her mouth drooping as if reality had caught her by surprise as well.

If only they could stop time. Enjoy a few more days...weeks...months. But how long would be long enough? He was only avoiding fate.

He handed her the letters addressed to her and sat down to read the rest. There was a letter from an acquaintance wanting to come West and wondering if he might visit Eddie until he found a place of his own.

Jayne had written a letter full of wedding plans. She expected Eddie to return for the event though she still didn’t give a date. He folded the pages and returned them to the envelope. Then he could find no more excuse for avoiding the letter from his father.

He slit it open and read words that made him feel as if he’d failed again. Instructions on caring for the cows. As if Eddie hadn’t done so successfully for two years. Directions for every aspect of the house. Eddie had managed quite well without his father’s supervision, though his father would no doubt wonder how it was possible.
I understand you are living like so many of the Northwest we hear about, ignoring legal and moral obligations and being consumed by the flesh. Furthermore, I hear you are still living in a cabin fit for a trapper but not a Gardiner.
He effectively made it clear the Gardiners held up a standard Eddie never quite achieved.
Mr. Edwards has expressed his shock that his daughter should be treated in such a fashion. He is threatening to take legal action against the Gardiners. He says he expects certain benefits in compensation even if you marry his daughter. I warn you, nothing good will come of this. Get rid of that woman immediately. Wash your hands of her.

He turned the page over. Nothing had been said of Margaret. Did she intend to come? Was he expected to return to London to marry her?

He bolted to his feet. “I’ll be back later.” He strode up the hill so quickly his heart pounded by the time he reached the house.

* * *

Linette barely heard Eddie leave as she read her father’s letter. It was full of threats.
I expect documentation about your marriage by return mail or I shall take severe action toward the Gardiners. I have it in my power to destroy them utterly and completely.

Little did he know that Linette would be returning without proof of marriage. Returning to her father’s plans. She could only hope Lyle Williamson would find more suitable prey before she reached home.

She’d failed. Yes, she’d gained Eddie’s respect for her as a suitable ranch wife. But not his offer of marriage. Now it seemed the best thing she could do was return home and deflect her father’s intention of destroying Eddie’s good name.

She’d prayed all winter for things to change.

They hadn’t.

She must accept God had another plan for her. Perhaps like Esther of the Bible, she had something noble to achieve by accepting her father’s will.
Oh, Lord, I submit to Your will but please, please may it be something other than marrying a man I despise.

She glanced out the window as a horse rode by. It was Eddie headed toward the mountains. How long before he escorted her to town and saw her on the stagecoach back toward London?

The sun shone brightly and she headed outside. She ached to store up a well of memories of this place and this time. She wandered through the yards, paused to breathe in the sweet scent of the budding trees, then climbed the hill where she and Eddie had once tobogganed with Grady. She drank in the sight of the majestic mountains.

There was only one thing she would beg for and that was that Grady be allowed to stay with Cookie and Bertie. They would provide him with a loving home. She would take him with her except she knew her father would turn him out on the street as soon as she stepped into the house. Lyle Williamson would offer no more or she might view the marriage differently.

Cassie would likely be content to continue as Linette’s maid at least until they were back in the old country.

For some time she sat there praying and planning.Then she returned to the cabin and prepared a meal.

Cassie and Grady returned from the cookhouse. But Eddie did not come in. “We’ll go ahead and have supper without him,” she said after a considerable time. Had he decided not to join them? Or had he encountered difficulty in the hills? The men would surely know if they needed to go after him.

She tried to comfort herself with that knowledge, but as darkness fell and he still didn’t return she pressed to the window, praying for a glimpse of him. She couldn’t say how long she stayed there, only that her legs hurt from standing, her eyes ached from staring into the dark. Rain spattered the window and she shivered.
Lord, bring him home safely. Please.

A noise outside the door drew her from the window. Eddie burst in, tossed his dripping Stetson to the hook and shed his wet coat. A puddle circled his feet.

She grabbed a towel and rushed to help him. “You’re soaked.”

“I’m fine.” He took the towel and wiped his face.

“I’ll make tea. I saved supper for you.”

“I’m hungry.”

She warmed the food, boiled water for tea and served him.

He thanked her and ate and drank in silence. Finished, he pushed his plate away. “Thank you. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m tired.”

Her cheeks stung at the way he dismissed her. She’d hoped he’d say where he’d been, but at least he hadn’t told her to pack up for her return home. She gladly accepted the reprieve and ducked into the bedroom.

* * *

Eddie longed for her to stay. But he knew it was best if she left.

Unable to stop thinking about the letter from his father, he had left right after breakfast. He rode from the yard. The grass was greening in the lower pastures but the higher elevations would still be snow-covered. He didn’t need to check them to know it.

He had to think. Sort out this confusion twisting his brain into a knot.

His direction took him away from the ranch. He’d ridden a few miles then reined in and studied the landscape. Wild. Open. Great for cattle if a man learned to work with the land instead of against it. He’d learned quickly he couldn’t do things the same way they’d been done in the old country.

He turned his horse about and stared at the mountains.

Majestic. Bold. Unmovable. Unshaken by storms, by snow, by heat or cold.

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.

Easily that passage came to mind. He and Linette had discussed it during the winter.

“God led me,” she’d said, referring to her trip west. “I called to Him and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears.”

Did she still believe God had delivered her now that spring was here and he had the onerous task of informing her she would have to leave?

He’d dropped from the horse, took the reins and walked. Over and over he’d informed himself it was time to tell her.

It had started to rain. But he’d stayed out rather than have to return and confront her.

He didn’t want to tell her to leave. He didn’t want to send her away.

But he’d asked Margaret to marry him.

The fact that she hadn’t replied made him wonder how successful he’d been at convincing her. Perhaps he could write and retract his offer before she decided to come.

He stared at the mountains. Something about them made it impossible to avoid the truth.