The Healing Touch of his Love, page 19
“Ginny, I …”
“Just listen to me, please. I know you think that you saw my father setting fire to the saloon, but I promise you, it wasn’t him! I’ve never told you this, but my father has a twin brother. He disappeared, along with all our family’s savings, years ago, and we thought we’d never see him again, but it must have been him you saw and not my father at all!”
As much as Kenton was intrigued by everything Ginny was telling him, he couldn’t forget that the very twin brother she was talking about was standing only inches away from them both with a loaded gun in his hand.
“I understand, but there’s something …” he tried to interject, but Ginny was on a roll, and clearly nothing was going to stop her from telling her whole story.
“Please, Kenton, just let me get it all out. I know it sounds ludicrous that my evil uncle has somehow appeared out of thin air. It practically sounds like a fairytale, but it’s exactly what’s happened. Here, I have a picture. Look! It’s my father with his brother,” she insisted, shoving an old frame into his hands.
“I believe you, Ginny, really, I do, but …”
“That’s not all, though. I know what you’re thinking. Why would my uncle come back into town just to set fire to a saloon that he has no attachment to anymore? You see, my father’s twin, Miles, he’s a drunk. He barely knows what he’s doing. Clearly, he’s lost his mind. It’s the only explanation for why he would try and exact such destruction upon his own family members.”
Ginny’s chest heaved for the breath she’d been doing without for so long, and Kenton felt the door move behind him. Before he knew what was happening, the man he knew now to be Miles Hill slipped out from behind the door and grabbed Ginny by the wrist. Dizzy with exhaustion, Kenton’s eyes went in and out of focus. He tried to push Miles away from Ginny, but the older man was moving quickly. Ginny yelped in surprise, and Miles pushed her up against the wall, closing the door beside him and putting a rough hand against her mouth.
“Let go of her!” Kenton cried out, finally springing into action. Surprisingly, Miles listened, and he took a step back, his hands in the air as if to show that he didn’t mean either of them any harm. The pistol that was hanging from his belt said otherwise.
“Uncle Miles?” Ginny asked once she caught her breath.
“Hello, Ginny. It’s been a long time. Now, there’s no reason to panic. If you both stay quiet, then no one is going to get hurt. I never meant anyone to get hurt in the first place. I just couldn’t let you go on like that, telling this good man terrible lies about me,” Miles insisted. As he spoke, bits of spittle escaped his mouth, striking Ginny on the cheek. Kenton winced, knowing there was nothing he could do.
“Miles, you know that what I’m saying is true. My father did not set fire to the saloon or our own house. How can you stand by and let him take the blame for your crimes?”
“Don’t talk about things you don’t understand, girl. Your father is no innocent man, believe you me. He’s the only reason I’ve been reduced to this blithering drunk you see before you. I begged Manny to build a mill-house and leave the whiskey to someone else. There was already a foundation for a mill that had already been built! But no, your father insisted that millwork would be too difficult.
He wanted to be a man of leisure, strolling about in his own saloon and hobnobbing with the elites of Park County. I tried to tell him that we could make a fortune, owning a mill in a town like this. He seemed to forget that the kind of people who frequent a saloon are criminals and lowlifes. People like myself. It’s his fault that I’m like this. He feeds good people the poison that is alcohol and then thinks he’s better than them.”
“How could it be my father’s fault that you stole all his fortune? Everything that he’d saved, gone in a flash!” Ginny exclaimed. Kenton had never seen her so animated. Many in her shoes would have been terrified, Kenton included, but there was a fearlessness to her tone that he admired greatly.
“Is that what he told you? That I stole all his hard-earned money?” Miles started laughing.
“Yes, that’s what he said. Since you left, he’s been working every day in the saloon since we couldn’t afford to hire a bartender anymore. Even I volunteered from time to time, clearing glasses and so on, all because you left us high and dry,” Ginny huffed.
“Lies. Nothing but lies. I took my half of what the saloon was worth. Yes, I didn’t want to start a saloon in the first place, but that isn’t to say that I didn’t invest just as much as your father did. The lower I sunk, thanks to the drink, the more resentful I became, until I couldn’t stand it anymore. I knew I needed to get out. So right there, in front of your father, I took what I was owed and made my escape. All I wanted to do was start a new life for myself somewhere new, where no one had any preconceptions about me. Is that so terrible? I don’t think so.” Tears were starting to form in Miles’ eyes, and Kenton couldn’t help feeling a bit badly for the man.
“Why come back, then? Why did you feel the need to haunt us and try to take away everything we’ve all worked so hard for?” Ginny protested, tears springing up in her own eyes. As Kenton witnessed the family drama play out before him, he realized he was still holding the old photograph of Manny and Miles together. Looking down, he saw their young faces, full of hope and promise. The tragedy of what had become of them both since the photograph had been taken did not escape Kenton’s notice.
“I’m a broken man now, Ginny, that’s why I’ve come back. Your father’s actions have ruined me for the world, and I deserve to see him suffer just the way I have. I haven’t been able to put down the bottle since I left Park County, as hard as I might try. Now your father is going to waste away in a jail cell for the rest of his life, like how I’m going to waste away at the bottom of a whiskey glass.”
“Listen to me, Miles,” Kenton interjected, timing his moment perfectly. “You can get better; I promise you can. You know I’m a doctor. Let me help you. We can make sure that you get sober under safe circumstances, and then you really can start a new life. There’s no need to make other people suffer just because you have, not when you can still succeed in this world.”
Miles started laughing maniacally, and Kenton realized that even at that moment, the man was probably too drunk to be truly in control of his thoughts or actions. He stumbled a bit from the exertion of his laughter, but his mood flipped on a dime. All of a sudden, the drunkard pulled out his pistol once more and pointed it right at Ginny’s head.
“Now, Uncle Miles, there’s no reason to do something you’ll truly regret,” Ginny said, her hands spread out on the wall behind her. “Think about it. You haven’t really hurt anyone yet, have you? No one got injured in any of the fires besides yourself. The judge will be lenient on you, I’m sure of it. If you shoot me now, though, you’ll hang for sure.”
The threat seemed to have the desired effect on Miles, and Kenton watched as he readjusted his fingers around the trigger. Seeing Ginny pressed up against the wall trying to bargain for her life was more than Kenton could handle. Without thinking, he took his window of opportunity and pushed himself up against Miles. Grabbing the man’s injured arm, Kenton shoved the gun's barrel so it was no longer pointing in Ginny’s direction. The gun went off, and Kenton honestly wasn’t sure if it had been his finger on the trigger or Miles’.
Ginny screamed, and Miles moved to cover his head as if he was afraid that he himself might be shot. Kenton pushed the man to the ground and made sure to hold his hands safely behind his back. As his veins pulsed with insistent energy, he looked back up toward where Ginny was standing, staring down at him in surprise.
“Go. Run and get the sheriff. I’ll make sure Miles stays right where he is until you get back. You can take my horse, that will be faster than running. Do you understand?” he asked urgently, speaking louder than he needed to.
Ginny nodded hurriedly and sprung into action. Just before she ran outside, she turned around and looked back toward the young doctor.
“Kenton?” she asked softly.
“Yes?” he responded, worried that there was some other important piece of the tale that he was still unaware of.
“I just ... thank you. That’s all.”
She ducked her head as she spoke and ran away toward the makeshift stable by Kenton’s cabin.
Chapter 20
“Are you sure you don’t want Sam or Rory to take the horse back to Dr. Cook? You’ve been through such an ordeal, you really should be resting,” Mrs. Hill said, stroking her daughter’s cheek, a look of deep concern on her face.
“No, I should take it back myself. I’m sure Kenton will be deep asleep by the time I get there, but I want to thank him myself in case he is awake. I feel like he saved not only my life, but Papa’s as well,” Ginny explained. Her mother’s eyes gleamed with a knowing look, and Ginny knew that the real reason she wanted to see Kenton was quite transparent to everyone.
“Don’t sell yourself short, my dear. Your father is here, resting at home, because of your bravery and no one else’s. It is sweet of Dr. Cook to offer to help Miles, however. If he is indeed able to escape the jaws of the drink, then I’m sure his sentence will be lessened. There’s still a chance that he could make something of himself. At the very least, I think this family finally has a chance to heal itself.”
“I dearly hope so, I really do. There’s a hint of the old Uncle Miles in there somewhere. I should go before the sun starts to set.”
With a kiss from her mother, Ginny mounted her horse, holding the reins of Kenton’s steed in her free hand. As she finally reached the road, Ginny felt an intense sense of relief wash over her. Her father was safe at home, Miles was locked away, unable to harm anyone else, and Kenton had risked his own life to save hers.
It would be a long time before she would forget the way he’d dived at her Uncle Miles, wrestled the pistol from his grasp, and subdued the arsonist. No one had ever done anything like that for her, and the gesture made her sure that the affection they shared for each other was not simply a figment of her imagination. Kenton cared for her enough to put his life on the line, and that meant everything to her.
As she approached the small house, she noticed that the curtains were drawn, which told her Kenton was likely trying to make up for all the sleep he’d done without over the last two days. Not wanting to disturb him, she pulled his horse quietly toward the stable and fed him some oats before heading back to her own mare.
When she walked back out of the stable, she saw that Kenton was sitting on the front porch, sleeves rolled up and suspenders loose around his shoulders. She’d never noticed how strong his forearms looked before, but at that moment, he looked more handsome to her than he ever had before in a full suit.
“I hope I didn’t wake you,” she called out as she approached him.
“No, no. I think I’ve been up for so long at this point that I’ve developed an immunity to sleep. I might never need it again!” he joked, standing to greet her.
“I think you sound delirious with exhaustion,” Ginny bantered back.
“You’re probably right. Thank you for returning my horse.”
“You don’t have to thank me for anything. It’s me that should be thanking you. I feel like I have my family back, finally. There’s still a heaviness in my heart, knowing that my own father is not blameless in this situation, but all will be well in the end. Miles will get the help he needs, and I think my father has learned his lesson about honesty. We might never have been in this mess in the first place if he’d just been more truthful about the circumstances of Miles’ disappearance.”
“Trust me, there’s no perfect family. You’re lucky that there’s a road to recovery for yours. I fear that mine is still in the grip of conflict, and the love we once had for each other will never see the light of day.”
“I’m sorry about that. Well, Maine’s loss is Wyoming’s gain; you can be sure of that. I ought to leave you to rest. I have had three more sewing commissions in the last week alone, so I have a lot of work to catch up on,” Ginny said. She didn’t want to overstay her welcome with Kenton and was sensitive to the fact that he would be in bed if not for the mess her family had made.
“Three commissions? My goodness, you’ll have enough money saved up to travel the world in no time at all. I’ll miss you. I mean, we’ll all miss you.”
Ginny looked up in time to see a hint of desire flash across Kenton’s face, leaving her speechless.
“Well, I have no solid plans to leave just yet. It was probably all just a fever dream anyway. Besides, Park County is becoming more and more like home every day. Maybe it’s just that there’s something, or someone, that makes me want to stay.” She raised her eyes to meet his, hoping that she was adequately communicating that it was him she was speaking of. Her heart beat so quickly in her chest that she was sure he could tell. She wanted nothing more than to reach out and hold him, feel his strong arms around her as if an embrace could better communicate her feelings for him than her words could.
Kenton’s mouth opened a little, as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t think what. Ginny waited patiently for him to take the next step and tell her how much he wanted her to stay, but he stayed silent, putting his hands in his pocket instead. Her stomach dropped with disappointment, sure that she’d overplayed her hand. His silence told her that her worst fears were correct: in his eyes, she was just another lady who blushed and giggled in his presence, and nothing more.
“I should get home,” she said quickly, feeling like she’d made a complete fool of herself.
“I’ll help you up,” Kenton replied, giving her his hand to take as she mounted her horse. She didn’t need it but took his hand out of politeness, not wanting to make the moment any more awkward than it already was.
Just as she was about to put her foot in the stirrup, Kenton pulled her back toward him, tightening his warm grip on her hand.
“Wait, Ginny, wait.”
“What is it?” she whispered, painfully aware that her hand was still in his, and she was standing so close to him that she could smell his musky sweat, evidence of all the hard work he’d done over the previous few days. It was intoxicating to her.
“Ginny, I ... I’m too tired to deny it any longer. I like you. I want you. I think about you day in and day out. My heart skips a beat whenever I see you in church. I visited your brother three times as often as I really needed to, just on the off chance that I might get to talk to you. When I saw your face after accusing your father of arson, I thought you would never talk to me again, and the thought made me want to disappear. The truth is, you’re half the reason that I like being here in Park County. I even went to see your father and ask him permission to start courting you.”
“Did you really?” Ginny asked breathlessly, with a nervous exhilaration. As much as Kenton said all the words she desperately wanted to hear, there was sadness to his face that told her there was disappointment on the horizon.
“Yes, I did. I washed dishes in the saloon for three hours while I worked up the courage,” he admitted, laughing at the memory.
“What did he say?”
“He said that I needed to ask you. Now here I am, with you standing in front of me, and I want nothing more than to tell you how much I care for and admire you, but I know that would be selfish.”
“Selfish? What do you mean?” She could feel a sense of panic rising in her.
“You want to travel. You want to see the world and go to college. If you stayed here just for my sake, I’d never forgive myself. You are such a bright star; you deserve to accomplish all your goals and not be held back just because a man asked you to. So for that reason alone, I don’t want to court you. You’ve worked too hard for too long for other people. Take your savings and see the world. Just promise that you won’t forget what you’re worth.” He squeezed her hand once more before letting go and escaping back to the safety of his pockets.
Ginny couldn’t help it. She started laughing, happiness replacing the panic that had invaded her heart only moments before.
