The Healing Touch of his Love, page 22
“Well Sarah, it’s very nice to meet you. You’ve been a brave girl tonight.” He kneeled down before her, getting down to her eye line. “It’s alright though, you can sleep now. Tomorrow, we’ll put you in a real bed, and if I have anything to do with it, you’ll never have to sleep on the ground again.”
Josiah thought he saw a thin smile stretch across her lips, but it disappeared so quickly, it might have been a figment of his imagination. Her eyes closed as sleep took over, the furrow in her brow deep, even in her slumber.
“Josiah Bright, you have a softness in your heart I wouldn’t have predicted. One teary eyed look from a little girl and you’re promising her the world. I hope you can fulfill those promises.”
The bounty hunter stood, realizing the effect that the young Sarah had on him. “We’ll find her a good home. Until then, we’ll stay at the hotel. Thank you for all your help, Sheriff. Much appreciated.”
Something in him was softening indeed, but perhaps it had only been a matter of time before such a thing happened. This sort of pain was exactly what had got him started catching criminals in the first place, and it was nice to have a reminder of why he did it at all.
Chapter 2
“Annie! You have your head in the clouds again. You’ve let the bread burn, and now we’ll have nothing but this gruel for supper!”
A sharp smack across the face from her mother brought Annie back to the present. It was the kind of rude awakening she was used to, and though it hurt, Annie hardly blamed her mother. They had nine mouths to feed, and ruining the bread meant another night of going to bed hungry for all of them.
“I’m so sorry! Look, maybe it will soften up with the soup? Even burnt bread is better than no bread at all, right?” She looked up anxiously towards her mother, desperate for some sign of approval. There was none that met her. Mrs. Cummings just shook her thin head and stirred the weak soup again.
One of the twins started screaming and Annie jumped up to go calm the child. Picking up the baby, Annie shushed him, his little face getting redder and redder as he cried about nothing in particular. Annie herself felt like crying over nothing, but she knew she’d get another smack across the mouth if she dared.
“What is he crying about? I can’t think with that screaming. Annie, make him stop, or get him out of here! I will die a happy woman as soon as all you children are safely living out in the world and no longer under my roof. I can’t tell you what a relief it was to see your sister married off. One less mouth to feed, and one less girl to worry about. I don’t know why you’re taking your time finding a husband yourself. Put down the poetry for once, put a ribbon on your bonnet, and I’m sure if you applied yourself, you’d find someone who would want to marry you. What’s the use of having a daughter like you around if you burn the bread and can’t calm the baby down? Just another mouth to feed.”
Annie turned away toward the window to hide the tears threatening to spill out between her tightly shut lids. She was accustomed to this kind of cruel treatment from her mother, but it didn’t mean it hurt any less. Her younger sister, Abby, had married her husband Samuel just the week before, leaving her without a single ally in the house. Her new husband was the local butcher, a well-respected man about town, but almost fifteen years her senior. Abby knew almost nothing about him, save that he was financially stable and interested in her.
Their father accepted the proposal on her behalf, and Annie doubted that Abby would have been able to get out of it if she’d wanted to. Annie’s sister hated displeasing their parents, so would never have dared to go against their wishes. The night before her wedding, Abby had sobbed silently into Annie’s shoulder out of fear.
It had only been a week since Abby’s wedding, but it had been the loneliest week of Annie’s whole life. All her other siblings were too young to commiserate with, and her ragged copies of poetry books only gave her so much consolation. Whenever her mother caught her reading, she’d nab the book right out of her hand and hide it until Annie had completed a certain number of chores.
Perhaps it was because of this that Annie felt she wasn’t ready to marry, coupled with the fear she’d seen in Abby’s eyes? The thought of running a household on her own, when she could barely bake bread, let alone manage an entire kitchen, garden, and raise children, filled her with fear. All she really wanted to do was spend her days by the sea reading poetry aloud, staring at the dancing waves and letting the inspiration wash over her. Maybe she’d even write her own poetry someday. This was not the hand life had dealt her, however, and instead she was surrounded by relentless earthly worries. Screaming babies, gnawing hunger, a scolding mother, and a distant father.
“Annie!”
“Yes?” she asked, turning away from the window. She’d successfully conquered her tears for the moment.
“Supper is on the table, your highness! Bring young Billy over here, and try to be grateful for what you have.”
Annie nodded curtly and walked quickly over to the cramped kitchen table. Her father sat at the other end, head in the newspaper, until her mother snatched it away. Looking down at the meager meal, Annie felt another pang of guilt that she’d burnt the bread, but kindly, no one in the family complained. Instead, they all quietly said grace, thanking the Lord for the food, and tucked in. Annie promised herself that she would do something special for her mother to make up for her mistakes.
“I had an interesting conversation with Mrs. Nichols today,” Annie’s father said from the other end of the table. Annie barely looked up from her bowl, assuming that he wasn’t talking to her.
“Annie, look at your father when he’s talking to you,” her mother snapped.
“I don’t think father means to tell me personally about his conversation with Mrs. Nichols,” Annie shot back, unable to keep the venom out of her voice.
“Well, in the end, it does concern you, Annie. I was talking to Mrs. Nichols and she was telling me that the oldest Smalls girl has found herself a husband, and a rich one at that. He’s a rancher in Montana, and she couldn’t be happier or more excited about...”
“A rancher? In Montana? How did they even meet in the first place?” Annie asked, interrupting her father. She wasn’t usually the type to speak over anyone, but the ridiculousness of what he was saying caught her off guard. Her mother didn’t scold her like usual, just rolled her eyes, as if Annie’s skepticism was unwarranted.
“Now, this is the interesting part. It would seem that they, in fact, haven’t met at all. Mrs. Nichols has a whole book filled with names, photographs, and detailed information about all kinds of gentlemen across the country looking for wives. They even sent all the money the Smalls girl needed to make the trip. Just think of the adventure! It’s not just anyone who gets to experience the vastness of this great land.”
Annie couldn’t keep the incredulousness off her face. All this sounded like a ludicrous and terrifying way to meet a match.
“That sounds intriguing indeed,” her mother said slyly, looking up at Annie. Neither of her parents had said it out loud yet, but Annie knew exactly what they were intending to communicate. They both meant to get rid of Annie in such a manner.
“Do you mean to tell me that Sally Smalls picked up and left her family without giving it a second thought? Then took the train fare and travelled all the way to Montana to marry a man she’s never met? What if she gets all the way there, only to discover that he’s a horrible man? Then she’ll be all alone with no family and no money. Not even a friend to turn to. That sounds like a nightmare indeed.”
Now visibly upset, Annie’s mother slammed her spoon down on the table. Not wanting to start an argument, Annie silently took her bowl back to the sink and left the room. The bowls of soup had been so small, it didn’t take long before everyone had finished their food, and soon enough, her nine-year-old sister took the twins and the rest of the children upstairs. It was only Annie and her father still sitting at the table then, the silence between them deafening.
Want to read the rest of the story? Check out the book on Amazon!
Also, please turn the page to find a special gift from me!
Sign up for my mailing list to be notified of hot new releases and get my latest Full-Length Novel “To Win Her Pure Heart” (available only to my subscribers) for FREE!
Click the link or enter it into your browser
http://graceclemens.com/pure-heart/
Clemens, Grace, The Healing Touch of his Love
