Joshua's Montana Bride (Sweet, Clean Western Historical Romance)(Montana Ranchers and Brides Series) (4 page)

Joshua held up a hand. "Now hang on there, Eli. Your sister's been through a lot. You need to give her a chance to explain," he said.

Eli hesitated and stopped. "What's there to explain? She ran off. Don't know why. All I know is she darn near put mama in the ground," Eli said pointing back at the house.

She gasped and covered her mouth with a hand. "Mama!" she cried out, looking up at the window where she guessed her mother lay, possibly clinging to life.

Joshua laid a hand on her shoulder. Eli looked at the gesture and his eyes narrowed. "Why didn't you call me before you went running off to get Laura back?" Eli asked Joshua.

He locked eyes on Eli. "You were too busy with the herd. There wasn't time to find you," he answered.

"I have to see her," Laura exclaimed breaking into a sprint, and racing past Eli, who made a vain attempt to halt her. She had to get inside, see her mother, explain everything, apologize to her. Anything that would take away the pain.

From behind her she heard Joshua speak up again. "Eli, I need to speak to you about something real important. Let Laura be. She needs to see her mama."

The voices of the two men faded away. It didn't matter what the two men were going to talk about. Racing toward the door, all Laura could think about was what she would find when she finally made it up the stairs, along the hall and into her mother's bedroom.

****

The darkened room was lit by one candle. The curtains were drawn tight. In the soft light Laura saw her mother lying on her bed, a small figure, covered in bedsheets, pillows propped up around her head. By her side was seated their housekeeper, Mrs. Cole. The housekeeper turned, her eyes widening, her mouth opening. Laura had never seen such an expression of worry on the kindly woman's face before. From that she could only guess the perilous condition her mother was in.

Mrs. Cole stood as Laura entered the room. Laura's shoes sounded hard and noisy on the wooden floor. Laura froze on the spot. Mrs. Cole lifted a finger to her lips.

Laura looked down at her mother and stifled the sob that threatened to burst out from her. A wave of emotion flooded through her at the sight of her mother's pale face and drawn cheeks.

"How is she?" Laura whispered.

Mrs. Cole looked down at Belinda Thorne and nodded slightly. "She'll be better now that you're here," she murmured.

Laura took the seat next to the bed. Mrs. Cole left the room.

Belinda Thorne's breathing was soft and regular. Her eyes were closed and Laura thought that her mother looked strangely peaceful, considering what she had been through in the last few hours.

Laura's own breath seemed unnaturally loud, and she tried to still it. A moment later she was startled by the voice of her mother.

"Is that you Laura?" Belinda Thorne asked.

Laura leaned closer to Belinda and tried to hold back the cry of relief she felt rising up inside herself. Laura took her mother's hand in her own, grasping the cool fingers gently. "It's me mama. I'm home," Laura said quietly.

Belinda Thorne's eyes opened slowly. Laura's heart thudded as she saw her mother gaze at her. "Laura. It is you," her mother said in a soft voice.

Laura leaned even closer. "Mama. I'm sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

Belinda's eyes narrowed slowly. "It's alright Laura. You're home. That's all that matters," she said.

Laura saw Belinda try to raise her head up from the pillows. "Don't move mama. You need to rest."

"I just want to see you, child," Belinda said.

Laura moved her face so that the candlelight shone on her. A smile lit up the face of Belinda. "That's my girl," she said.

Laura felt her eyes moisten.

"Don't cry, Laura. There's nothing to cry about. I'm going to be fine. I just need to rest a bit. But I'll be fine. Now that you're home."

Laura took a deep breath, drawing back the tears. She reached out a hand and shifted a loose hair away from her mother's forehead. "You are so beautiful, mama. You always have been."

Belinda smiled gently. "Where did you get to, Laura?"

She was taken aback by the suddenness of the question. "I made a mistake, mama. I thought I knew what I wanted, but it turned out I didn't."

The corners of Belinda's eyes creased. "You always were headstrong. Even when you were young you always acted before thinking," she said.

Laura smiled. "I know. And you spent all your time putting me back together again every time I fell down," she said remembering times in the past when her mother had appeared as if from nowhere, preventing one crisis after another.

"Maybe I have to do that again," she suggested.

"This is the last time, mama. I'm not going to be so stupid again. I promise you," Laura said.

Belinda closed her eyes and took a deep breath, settling her head back on the pillow.

Laura felt a rush of anxiety. "Do you need anything? A drink of water?" Laura asked.

Belinda sighed and shook her head slowly. "I need something far more important than that," Belinda said slowly.

Laura's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Belinda's eyes fixed on her daughter's face. "I need to feel that you're safe. That you're happy and that your future is secure," Belinda said.

"But I'm home. This is where I belong. I know I ran away. I was foolish and I know that. You do forgive me, don't you?"

Belinda paused and Laura wondered what her mother was going to say. Belinda's eyes brightened momentarily. "There's nothing to forgive. You're my daughter. I could never think anything bad of you," her mother told her.

Laura felt the emotion surge within her once again, a veritable tidal wave. She stiffened and tightened a fist, willing herself to maintain self control. This was more than she deserved. Laura wanted her mother to punish her, tell her that she was worthless, that she was an ungrateful wretch. It was the least that Laura thought she deserved.

But Laura knew her mother would never say any such thing to her. Belinda had always been firm but fair; strong but gentle. A wise woman and a loving mother.

"But there is one thing I want for you. Especially after what you did today."

Laura stomach suddenly fluttered with nerves. What was her mother going to say?

Belinda reached out a hand. The movement of her arm was slow and slightly labored. Laura took her mother's hand and noticed it was warmer than a moment before.

"You got one thing right in what you did, Laura."

"What was that?"

"Understanding the importance of marriage," Belinda said. The words sounded odd, strangely final in the confines of the quiet, dark room.

Laura frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I think it's time you settled down."

Laura felt the blood drain from her face. "Settled down?"

Belinda smiled at Laura's reaction. "That's right. I don't know the details of the man you were thinking to marry. But all I do know is that, whoever he was, he wasn't the right man for you," Belinda said, her voice starting to become firmer, more assured. Laura wondered where her mother was suddenly drawing all of this strength from.

Laura lowered her head, averting her eyes from her mother. "He was horrible. I thought I knew him from our correspondence. But he was a vile man."

"Letters are no way to get to know a man. Your father and I were sweet on each other for years before we got married."

"You mean you both were friends before you became man and wife?"

Belinda nodded. "That's right. We even went to the same school together when we were children. It just seemed right that, when the time came, when we were older, to promise to spend the rest of our life together," Belinda said. "It was fate," she concluded with a gentle smile.

"But who would I marry, mama? There's no-one I can think of. No-one I've been sweet on," Laura said.

Belinda's eyes narrowed and she fixed her daughter with a disbelieving look. "Really? No-one?"

"Truly. There's just no-one." Laura shook her head.

"Oh, I think there is," her mother said. "And you know who I'm talking about," she continued. "Don't you?"

Laura frowned. "I don't," she stated. A uneasy feeling was rising in her middle. She had a sudden urge to call Mrs. Cole to come and help. Anything that would spare her from hearing what her mother had to say next.

Belinda Thorne raised her head and looked at her daughter. "I'm talking about Joshua McKenzie," she said.

Laura's mouth dropped open. "Joshua? What about him?" she managed to say eventually.

Belinda sighed. "I'm saying I want you to marry Joshua McKenzie."

"How could she be so foolish? Running off like that," exclaimed Eli.

Joshua leaned against the wooden railing of the corral next to Eli, making sure he kept some distance between him and Laura's irate brother. Joshua looked up at the candlelight glow from the upstairs window in the house, and wondered what was going on up there. "Laura must have had her reasons," he said slowly to Eli.

Eli smacked his hand hard against the wood. "Laura always did lack common sense," he declared.

There had been no screaming, no yelling of recriminations from inside the house. He didn't know how poorly Belinda Thorne was by now. When he'd left her to go and collect Laura, Belinda had been distraught. But not sick. He feared she'd taken a turn for the worse while he'd been away.

Joshua glanced at Eli. "I'd say Laura's always had a mind of her own. There's nothing wrong with that," he said.

Eli gave Joshua a puzzled look. "Tell me what happened. My mama won't tell me a thing. Neither will Mrs. Cole. No-one's giving me the details. Spill it," he said harshly to Joshua.

Eli peered into Joshua's eyes, waiting for a reply. Joshua sighed and looked out across the valley. How much should he tell Eli? If Eli's own mother didn't want him to know that Laura had run off to get married then, sure as heck, Joshua wasn't going to give him anything more than the bare minimum of facts.

"Laura's been upset lately. Seems she's had a lot on her mind. She just wanted to get away for a while. Get a chance to think. Figure things out," Joshua explained, hoping that it was enough to satisfy Eli. By the look on the man's face it wasn't going to suffice.

"What's wrong with her? She's got everything she needs here. What's there to figure out?"

"She may be your sister, but she's also a young woman. She's got her worries," Joshua said.

"She causes so much trouble around this ranch. You have no idea," Eli said.

"It can't be easy for a young woman living on a ranch."

"Others do it. Why can't she. A day doesn't pass when she doesn't moan and complain about how miserable she is," Eli said.

Joshua frowned. The younger Laura Thorne that he had known had always been free spirited, full of life, looking forward to the future with hope and optimism. In one sense Eli was right. The woman Joshua had rescued earlier that day was a very different person to the one Joshua had known for so many years.

"Maybe she needs a husband," Eli declared bluntly. Joshua stiffened in surprise and averted his eyes, not wishing to show his reaction to that suggestion. Eli had no idea how close he was to the truth.

Eli twisted around and cocked his head. "You and Laura have always been friends," he said, his eyes narrowing. "I guess you might know a bit more about her than me. I'm only her brother, after all," he said, sarcasm filling his voice. "What did you come over here for this morning anyway?" Eli demanded.

Joshua drew in a deep breath. The man lacked any tact or sensitivity. Joshua had never liked Eli. They'd been friendly rivals for years. The young rancher had inherited the spread after the death of Laura's father, a man who Joshua had genuinely loved. Jeb Thorne been a gentle and generous man. His son, Eli, was nothing like him. Joshua had often wondered where the anger and dissatisfaction that seemed to constantly rage inside Eli had come from.

"I came over this morning to see your mother about something."

"What about?" demanded Eli.

Joshua hesitated, wondering how much of his own affairs he should share with this man. Eli didn't deserve the whole truth. Not after the way he'd just spoken about Laura. "I need some capital. Extra cash to tide me over to the transporting time. I'm taking the herd to market soon. But I need some funds to keep me going. Your mother offered to help out."

Eli's eyes narrowed. "I heard things were getting tight for you. One of my men was talking about it the other day."

Joshua frowned. Nothing could be kept secret for very long in these parts. "You know how it is with the banks these days. Payments on the ranch have to be made. Your mother has always been good to me. Your father helped me keep the ranch going," Joshua said glancing at Eli, who seemed to be lost in thought.

After a pause Eli spoke. "I know my father thought highly of you. But then again. I'm only his son." Eli's voice was thick with bitterness. Joshua leaned away from him, sensing the pent up resentment inside Eli.

"Look, Eli. Your father was a good man," Joshua said. "Every time he spoke about you, he only ever told me how proud he was of you."

Eli drew in a breath. "Well at least he told someone. He never told me. Not to my face, anyway," he said.

Joshua felt sympathy for Eli. The two men were almost the same age, but their family backgrounds could hardly have been more different. Eli had grown up on the ranch, surrounded by the love of two parents and a sister. Joshua's parents had died when he was young leaving him and his two older brothers to work the ranch. Eventually things had worked out and Joshua had taken over the ranch, while his two brothers had struck out on their own, setting up spreads in other parts of Montana territory.

Eli was quiet for a while, lost in thought. Once again Joshua wondered what was happening to Laura. He hoped she and her mother were doing okay. Seeing Laura distressed the way she'd been had touched his heart. He'd always known her as someone capable, strong, even feisty. But today he'd seen a new side to her. One that gave him deep cause for concern.

"How much do you need?"