A Heart Renewed (5 page)

Reuben clenched his fist at his side, utterly mortified by Julia’s ill-fated outburst.  Heat rose to his face in proportion to the volume of her voice.  Stupefied, he watched numbly, helpless to steer this runaway scene from destruction.

Hiram’s face was pale.  It was obvious, as he watched Julia bolt from the building, that he never expected such a scene.  Neither had Reuben.

Rallying from his horror, he grabbed Mary’s elbow.  “Come on,” he grunted tersely, eager to be out the doors of the church.  A slight whimper escaped his wife’s lips as she grabbed a hand from each child, dragging them along at the fast pace he set.  Hopefully, he could get out of the churchyard before Hiram came to his senses.

“Get in,” he commanded his shocked family, not bothering to assist them.  Climbing up to the seat, he waited just long enough for Mary to pull herself up before slapping the horses into motion headed for home.

Julia had gone too far, he thought, his jaw tightening as he ground his teeth.  She had cost him everything.  There was no possibility of her marrying Hiram now.  Worse yet, Hiram had already paid for her hand, adding to his overwhelming debts.  Hiram was not a man he wanted to be indebted to.

As fear fueled his anger, he considered his options.  He was a smart man.  Savvy.  Capable of overcoming insurmountable obstacles.  Perhaps Jamison would be amiable to paying for the pleasure of marrying Julia.  Or Alcart.

Mentally scrolling through the list of his associates, another thought occurred to him.  He could not leave Julia’s behavior unanswered.  She was far too obstinate for any of the men he had in mind.  No matter who he chose, they would want a submissive, complaisant wife regardless of her beauty.  He had to get her under control.  Teach her a lesson.  And fast.

No doubt Hiram would show up on his doorstep soon looking for the money he already paid.  Unfortunately, he already used some of it to stall his creditors.  They were greatly displeased by the amount of time it was taking him to pay back his debts.  He could ask for no more time than the few weeks he had left.  He needed money now or he would lose everything.

Letting his anger burn, he pulled the wagon to an abrupt stop in front of the house.  Leaping down, he strode into the house—steps full of fury—straight for her room.  It was time for her first lesson to begin.

Thud
.  Julia woke a short time later to the sound of Reuben crashing through her door.  As she turned over, her brother picked her up and threw her against the wall, knocking the air from her lungs.  As she struggled to take a breath, Reuben squeezed his hold on her arms.

“Do you have any idea what your outburst just cost me?”  His voice boomed with unrestrained rage.

“Reuben, I—”

The force of the blow to her face startled her so much that it took a minute to register that he hit her.  How could he?  He was supposed to protect her, not harm her.  She tried to move her hand to touch her cheek but he held her pinned against the wall.  She felt her face grow warm as a welt formed around her eye.

“Hiram has pulled out of our arrangement.  Months of work for nothing!  And the money…” He growled.  She could feel his hot breath on her face.  “You could not be content to simply marry a wealthy man for the betterment of your family.”

“I did not agree to—”

Reuben grabbed her by the throat and clamped his strong hands tight limiting the amount of air she could intake.  Clawing at his hands she tried to loosen his hold to no avail.  She could not breathe.  Looking into his dark brown eyes she silently begged for mercy.  There was none.  His fierce eyes held only a look of pure evil.  He was going to kill her.

“Reuben!” Mary screamed from the hallway.  He loosened his grip just enough for some air to make it down her throat, expanding her lungs.

The sound of front door slamming echoed down the hall.  Julia struggled to take another breath.  Even through the blur in her vision, she recognized Adam Larson standing in the hallway.  When he cleared his throat to announce his presence, Reuben slowly loosened his fingers from her neck.  Leaning close to her ear, he whispered so only she could hear, “There are ways to cause you pain that are not visible to others.  Make no mistake, you will pay for this.”

Turning on his heel, he pushed Adam aside as he stormed from her bedroom.  Mary followed him, not even offering to help.  Perhaps she was afraid of suffering the same fate.

As soon as she was free, Julia crumpled to the floor, her shaky legs no longer able to hold her weight.  Ragged gulps of air failed to soothe the burning in her throat.  Rolling over to all fours, she fought to catch her breath as her eyes refused to focus clearly on anything before her.

“Are you alright, Miss Colter?” a soft male voice sounded from somewhere above her.

Her head hurt.  As a gentle hand lay on her shoulder, she remembered Adam was there.

“Let me help you sit up,” he said, tenderly lifting her to her feet.

She felt dizzy and her vision blurred as she tried to stand on her own, her breath still short and insufficient.

“Sit on the bed.”  He continued to speak in soft tones, much as she had seen him do with his horses.

Just how much had he witnessed?  What would he tell Caroline? 

As her breathing started to return to normal, her vision cleared in one eye.  The other felt swollen and raw.

Adam kneeled on the floor in front of her holding her hands.  Concern wrinkled his face.  “Are you hurt?  Do you need to see the doctor?”

She tried to speak, but her throat burned too much.  She shook her head.  The motion caused her dizziness to return.

“Can you walk a little, perhaps outside for a bit of fresh air?”

When she nodded, he put his arm around her shoulders and helped her stand.  After a few steps, she moved away from him, able to continue on her own.  As they walked toward the front door, she heard Mary in the kitchen.

Mary popped her head out.  “Just so you know, he’s gone to the saloon.”  The words dripped with blame.

Ignoring her, Julia continued to the front porch and took a seat in her favorite rocking chair, hugging her arms close around her body.  Adam stood across from her, leaning against the rail with his arms crossed over his chest.  When he made eye contact, she averted her gaze.  Several moments passed before either spoke.  Then they spoke at the same time.

“He’s never…”

“I think you should…”

Adam nodded for her to continue.

“He’s never done that before,” Julia croaked.  It hurt to talk.  She bowed her head.  Staring at her clasped hands, the tears flooded down her swollen cheek.  She was scared.  She never thought Reuben was capable of harming his own sister and she just provoked him to a new level.  If she believed his threat, and she did, he would seek vengeance.  She couldn’t imagine in what way.

“Julia… Miss Colter.  I think…  I know it is not my place to…  I think you should come stay with our family for a few days.  I don’t think it is safe to leave you here.”

She still could not look Adam in the eye.

“What he did was wrong.  No man should ever treat a woman that way, no matter how angry he was.  And most certainly not your brother, your guardian.  Please, come with me.  Ma won’t mind.”

In truth, Julia wanted nothing more than to get away from Reuben’s control.  Any sense of safety and trust she once had in him fled the moment he choked her.  But she was also terrified of what he would do to the Larson’s if he found her there.  Or what he would do to her.

She shook her head.  “I can’t go.  Thank you for your help, but I’m sure your folks are worried about what is keeping you so long.”

She stood and moved toward the door.

Gently touching her arm, Adam said, “If you change your mind anytime, day or night, you hop on a horse and get on over to our place—anytime, Julia.”  His voice was firm and sincere.

Then he turned and untied both the horse she borrowed and the one he rode over.  Taking both sets of reins he mounted the first horse and led the other one home.

Julia went inside and grabbed a cup of water, avoiding Mary’s gaze.  When she finished choking down the liquid, she sought the solace of her room.  Kneeling before her bed she rested the side of her face without the swollen lump on the quilt her mother made for her. 
Papa, why did you leave me to Reuben’s care?  He wants nothing for my good and only wants to use me.
  Touching her fingers to the mark on her face, she winced at how much it hurt.  What good had this morning’s drama done if it ended like this?  Was it better to suffer Reuben’s wrath than a lifetime of marriage to that despicable Hiram Norton?

“I’m going over to the Colter’s after dinner,” Caroline stated as she passed the potatoes to Missy.

Adam stiffened at the determined set of his sister’s chin.  She would go—he had no doubt—even if it might put herself in danger.

“She wasn’t at church today,” Caroline added as a frown darkened her green eyes.  “That is not like her.  Something is wrong.”

Guilt gnawed at Adam’s gut.  He knew exactly what was wrong.  She probably still had a horrible bruise on her face from last week’s encounter with Reuben’s fury.  He told no one what he witnessed—not even Pa or Ma.  Not Caroline.  Several times during the week, as he prepared for his trip west, he considered riding to the Star C and bringing her back.  Ma would take care of her and Pa would not let Reuben near the place after seeing her battered face.

“That’d be fine,” Pa conceded, not knowing his daughter could get mixed up in Reuben’s awful behavior.

Adam couldn’t let her go by herself.  But, he didn’t feel he could tell her or his parents why.  “I’ll go with you,” he offered, hoping no explanation would be needed.

Caroline frowned at him.  He glanced away to keep her from reading him like she always did.

“Good,” she said when he refused to look back at her.  “I wouldn’t mind the company.  Now hurry up and eat,” she said.

Once he finished, he went out to the stables and saddled two horses.

They rode in silence to the Star C, contrary to Caroline’s earlier comment.   Adam wondered what kind of reception they might receive.  Would Reuben throw him out on sight because of what he witnessed last week?  Should he insist on seeing Julia anyway?

As they stopped in front of the house, Reuben came outside.  “What do you want?” he asked glaring at Adam.

“I came to see my friend,” Caroline said.  “When she missed church this morning, I was worried she was still overcome with grief from her broken engagement.  I thought she could use a good cry.”

At first, Adam thought Reuben was going to send them both packing.  But, as Reuben stepped aside, he let out a silent sigh of relief. 

As soon as Caroline saw Julia, her eyes went wide and a gasp fell from her lips.  Adam followed his sister’s gaze.  The deep purple bruise on Julia’s face would not have been easily hidden.  Was that the same one from last week?

Before Adam could stop his sister, she cried out, “What happened to your face?”

Reuben answered quickly, “She fell off her horse last week in her haste to leave the church, isn’t that right, Julia?”  Even though he directed the question to Julia, he stared Adam down, challenging him to say differently.

“Yes, it was really quite silly.”  She agreed, avoiding eye contact with both of them.

“Come, let’s sit out here and visit for a while,” Caroline suggested.

As Caroline took a seat in the nearby rocking chair, Reuben turned and went inside, slamming the door behind him.

Julia flinched before sitting in the same rocking chair she sat in last week when Adam begged her to leave.  Seeing the aftermath made him feel worse for not trying harder.  While he remained within earshot, he sat at the opposite end of the porch to give the girls the appearance of privacy.  He pulled out a small piece of wood and his knife from his pocket.  Whittling away, he listened intently.

“What
really
happened, Julia?”

“It is as Reuben said.”

“No it’s not.  I can see it in your eyes.”

“Please, let it be, Caroline.  I don’t want to risk making him angry again.”

“Who?  Mr. Norton?”