Chapter 37
37
L eah snuggled deeper into Gideon’s side, relishing his warmth as the wagon wound up the mountain road. How different this trip was from the stony silence of their ride down to Butte. On this return trip, not only was Gideon speaking to her, but she was his wife . She was Leah Bryant. Mrs. Gideon Bryant. Her dream had come true.
“When did Ol’ Mose say he would bring Miriam home?” She raised her face to catch her husband’s expression.
“Tomorrow before noon.”
Since they weren’t planning a wedding trip, Ol’ Mose and Gideon’s sister had conspired to give them time alone at the cabin. But the thought of the night ahead set off the butterflies in her middle. It would be nice to have Gideon all to herself, if only for a day. Better not let her mind drift too far into that topic.
“Did I tell you what the sheriff said when you were gone to get the wagon?”
Gideon shifted his weight to look at her. “No, I didn’t know you saw him.”
“He came by to tell us about the wire he received from Richmond.”
“Another one?”
“Yes. They found Simon hanging in his cell at the prison…dead.” Leah swallowed. As much as she’d feared the man, it was hard to think about anyone ending their life in such a way.
Gideon’s hand tightened on her knee. “Oh.” The word came out in a rasp. Was he angry? Or sad?
“Such a tragedy. The whole situation. I just keep thinking it could have turned out so differently.” Leah watched Gideon’s face, willing him to understand her words. His Adam’s apple bobbed. She kept going. “If he hadn’t been so selfish, none of this would have happened.”
They rode in silence for a long moment, then Gideon finally spoke. “You’re right about it being sad the way he ended. I can’t say I like anything I’ve heard about the man, but no one should get to the point he takes his own life.
“But Leah.” He turned so he could look her square in the eyes. His gaze was soft but fervent. “If he hadn’t threatened your life, you never would have left Richmond. You wouldn’t have made it to our ranch.”
Leah smiled at his wisdom, but she couldn’t help teasing. “So you think God gave Simon such an evil heart in order to bring us together?”
His mouth curved in acknowledgment. “I think God used the situation to bring you into my life, but he didn’t make Simon evil. If that man hadn’t threatened you, God would have brought us together in a different way.”
How had Gideon become so wise? Leah sent up another prayer of thanks for this husband the Lord had given her. And then she remembered the final part of her conversation with the sheriff.
“I also asked him to send a telegram to my father’s steward, letting him know my location and news of our marriage.”
Gideon nodded. “That’s good.”
“I asked him to keep running the business for now, but we’ll need to decide what to do with everything.”
Gideon’s chin lifted as he eyed her. “What do you mean?”
“I’ll turn twenty-three in a couple months. Since you’re my husband, you’ll own Townsend Oil and the rest of my father’s holdings. They’ll need to know what you plan to do with them.”
The muscles in his jaw worked. The silence grew thick between them, but she couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
“I don’t want it.”
She blinked. To be honest, she didn’t want the business either, but did he realize how much money he was worth now? “But you have to. It was my inheritance. I heard our steward say one time the oil company makes over three hundred thousand a year.”
Gideon raised a brow at her, then turned his face back to the road. It was hard to read his emotions. Although not quite the impassive expression he used to wear as a mask, this was the closest she’d seen to his old fa?ade. She knew better than to rush him, though. Better to settle in and watch the scenery change as they made their way up the mountain.
After a few minutes that felt like an hour, he finally spoke again. “I don’t know the first thing about oil.”
She opened her mouth to say the directors would teach him all he needed to know. But he didn’t look like he was finished, so she held her tongue.
“And I really don’t want the money. I kinda had in mind I would support my wife, not the other way around.” He shot her a sideways glance, then focused on the trail again.
But then he released a sigh and turned to face her, threading his fingers through hers. The gentleness in his gaze soaked through her. “But it was your father’s legacy, what he spent his life building. You decide what you’d like to do with it. If you want us to go back to Richmond, for temporary or for permanent, well…we can talk about it.”
She eased out a long breath. She didn’t want to move back to Richmond any more than he did, but the fact he would even consider it—consider leaving the ranch and all he had poured his life into… He would leave it all if she asked him?
She brought Gideon’s hand up to her cheek and met his gaze with blurry vision. “No, love. I don’t want to go back to Richmond. I want to stay right here with you.”
He gave her a soft smile, then wrapped an arm around her and pulled her against his side. “We’ll figure it out then.”
A few moments later, he asked, “Does the company have good leadership?”
She scanned the recesses of her memory. “I think so. Papa always said good things about the Board of Directors. I guess I could send a wire to the steward to make sure.”
He nodded. “Let’s do that. Then we can wait for God to make our direction clear.”
Her heart squeezed, and she stretched up to kiss his cheek.
He quirked an eyebrow. “What was that for?”
She didn’t try to hold back her smile. “I’m just thankful God gave me such a wise husband.”
His eyes darkened. “It’s a good thing we’re home now.”
She tore her gaze from him long enough to see they were, indeed, pulling into the ranch yard. Her stomach did another flip at the thought of what lay ahead, but she squashed the emotions.
Gideon reined the team in front of the house, climbed down, then reached up for Leah. Instead of helping her down, though, he swept her into his arms and headed for the stairs. She squealed, then wrapped her hands around his neck, giggling.
“I don’t think you’ve carried me since you broke my leg.” She couldn’t resist a little teasing.
He raised an eyebrow. “You had to go and bring that up, did ya?” One corner of his mouth tipped in a grin. “I guess it was the only thing I could think of at the time to keep you here.”
“Oh!” Leah gave his chest a light smack as she caught the twinkle in his emerald eyes. “You rascal.”
He carried her over the cabin threshold and lowered her feet to the floor. She turned to face him, a small distance and a strong awareness filling the air between them.
Gideon’s mouth twitched. “Why don’t you set out a bit of dinner while I put the horses away.”
She turned away from him, grateful for the job. “All right.”
After he left the cabin, she scanned the jars and barrels of food in their little kitchen, but everything there would take hours to cook. Her eyes hovered over the salted ham. That’d be perfect with the biscuits she’d brought from Aunt Pearl’s café. Surely she could do something with these.
By the time Gideon was back from the barn, she had the table set and a fire taking hold inside the stone hearth. And her nerves were wound tighter than a concert violinist’s strings.
For the first time in a while, she longed for her mother. Or even Emily. Someone who would tell her what to expect and what to do.
Gideon settled his hat on the peg by the door and turned to survey the table. “Looks good.”
“It’s not much, but it’s ready.” She moved to the stove and picked up the coffee pot, then poured the steaming brew into Gideon’s mug first before filling her own.
Gideon helped her with her chair, then sat and spoke a blessing over their food. The gusto with which he consumed the ham, biscuits, plum preserves, and dried apples was more than the simple meal deserved.
She picked at her own food, mostly to keep her hands from twisting knots in her skirt. There was no way she could eat.
After finishing the last bite of his apples, Gideon set down his fork with a contented sigh. “I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed your cooking.” Smile lines formed around his eyes.
She allowed a small smile back. “It’s only been three days. And I didn’t really cook this.” She motioned toward the empty dishes in front of them. “The biscuits were from Aunt Pearl’s.”
The twinkle in Gideon’s eyes darkened. He placed his napkin on the table and rose to his feet, deliberation cloaking each movement. He locked his gaze with Leah’s, holding her attention so tight she couldn’t breathe.
He came around to her chair, took both her hands, and pulled her up and to his chest in a fluid motion, like a magnet to iron. He cradled her hands between his own, then raised them to his mouth, planting a kiss on her fingertips. Her whole body trembled.
“You’re cold.” Concern shadowed his face. He turned, leading her toward the large fireplace. When they reached the hearth, Gideon wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight against him.
The heat of the fire soaked into her, and the warmth of Gideon’s hold pushed her nervousness away. She absorbed the strong beat of his heart.
How many times had they been in front of this fire together? But never like this. Never with this glorious feeling of melding together.
Her mind drifted back to other times they’d been here, when she’d doctored his wounds from the bear attack. She’d been so frightened then. Not really knowing what to do. Afraid she’d miss an important step that would kill him.
And then the idea came, like a bullet striking its target. She leaned back to watch Gideon’s face while she spoke. “I know what we should do with the money.”
His expression registered confusion, but his hands kept their grip at her back. “The money?”
“From my inheritance.”
His confusion shifted into amusement. “What should we do with it?”
Excitement started to build in her mind. “We should bring a doctor to Butte City, so the people here can have real medical care. And maybe an assistant, too, so he can make house calls into the mountain country.” She paused to wait for his response.
His face softened, and he raised a hand to cup her cheek. The love in his gaze tightened her chest so she couldn’t have spoken if she wanted. “I think it’s a wonderful idea. That’s one of the things I love about you. How much you care about other people.”
She drew a breath. It was too easy to lose herself in his gaze. “Really?”
Those eyes twinkled. “Yes. But there are so many other things I love, too.” And then he drew closer, bringing his lips to hers. His kiss was soft and light and filled with love.
He pulled back to look in her eyes, the twinkles taking on a rakish gleam. “Can I tell you about them?”
I pray you loved Gideon and Leah’s story!
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About the book:
Miriam Bryant has always dreamed of leaving the never-ending work of her family's remote mountain ranch to travel abroad as a genteel lady. She's thrilled when the opportunity finally arises, but a gruesome hunting accident crushes her plans, leaving her stranded for weeks in a Montana Territory mining town. The single bright spot in her disappointment comes in the form of this mountain town's newest doctor.
Fresh out of medical school, Alex Donaghue is excited to join his brother's practice and prove himself in the mining town of Butte, in Montana Territory. But the tough conditions in the mines and the brutal winter are worse than he expected. Now a mysterious lung disease is killing patients he fought so hard to cure. The single bright spot in this dreary place comes in the form of their newest patient.
But when Miriam's life is threatened by the effects of a medical tragedy, will Alex have what it takes to save the woman he's come to love? Will Miriam ever find the place God created her for, or is it too late?
Turn the page for a sneak peek at The Lady and the Mountain Doctor …