Chapter Eight
“Okay,” Louisa said as she rolled out the dough for the cinnamon rolls she and Ellie were making while Callie dried the freshly washed dishes after lunch.
It was Callie’s engagement party, but Callie insisted she never did well with idle hands.
They sent the cowboys and the children outside, but Ellie knew good and well they did so simply to talk to her.
“Tell us what’s going on, El. Did you two really get married today?
” Louisa studied Ellie, her eyes appraising in the light from the kitchen window.
Louisa didn’t sound judgemental about it, though Ellie wouldn’t have blamed her if she did.
She was simply curious, probably confused, and a little concerned for Ellie’s well being.
Honestly, it was nice. She hadn’t ever had a sister, and the only woman who’d looked out for her after her mother died was Miss Lutken.
Friends, ones who noticed and cared about her, had been her prayer for longer than she could remember.
“We did. It wasn’t planned exactly, but it was necessary.” How much could she tell them? Where should she start? Well, the beginning felt like as good a place as any, and they’d need all the support they could get to move forward with their plans.
“It all started with my trust…” Ellie went into the whole story of her taking the terms of her trust to Mr. Goddard, his meeting with Judge Coin, and where they’d have to go from there.
“We’ll have to plan a trip to California this spring, though Micah is hoping early March so there’s less chance of winter weather issues on the way back.
Of course, we could get there and the judge would hold up Grandfather’s stipulations, especially if he allows his business partner to pay him off, but it’s the only chance we have.
” In Cartwright, California, their chances weren’t great, but they were better than if they stood by and did nothing.
Callie dried a spoon, placing it in the pile next to the rest of the silverware. “What will you do then? Is this marriage temporary, with the intention of being annulled?”
The thought didn’t sit right with Ellie.
She’d not grown up with any example of happy marriages to look up to, but the idea of leaving Micah behind anywhere had her stomach turning uncomfortably.
“I guess it’s up to him. I won’t trap him into a lifelong marriage in name only, but I don’t have any plans to leave. ”
Callie studied her thoughtfully for a moment.
“Do you think there’s a chance the marriage will be more than in name only one day?
The two of you have an undeniable connection, and I don’t believe it’s because he’s the one who found you in the woods that day.
” Callie noticed everything, and she’d spent more time with the two of them than most when he was visiting her at the clinic, but was she off the mark?
It was a good question, one Ellie had barely allowed herself to ponder.
The idea she could allow herself to trust a man, even Micah, felt like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.
Still, every interaction with him left her wanting more, and every touch left her wishing for another kiss.
The peck he’d barely brushed against her lips in the courthouse had lasted less than a second, but she knew she’d carry it with her all her days.
“I…I honestly don’t know.” It felt shameful to admit. “I know you two probably think that quite sinful, blasphemy against the covenant of marriage, but-”
“We think no such thing,” Louisa scolded. “Many couples get married for convenience, and the details of their marriages are none of our business. What matters is you’re our friend Ellie.”
“He’s our brother-in-law,” Callie added.
“Which makes you our sister-in-law,” she shrugged.
“Soon enough, anyway.” From Ellie’s understanding, Louisa and Isaac planned to marry in the spring to give her family time to arrange passage to come back to Texas from Massachusetts, while Callie and Jacob had no reason to wait.
It wouldn’t surprise Ellie a bit if they married within the month.
They’d waited long enough. “We care about you both.”
“You did what you could with the hand you were dealt,” Louisa said softly as she wiped her hands and pulled Ellie into a hug she hadn’t realized she needed.
Maybe it was Louisa being the oldest of so many younger siblings, or maybe it was her role at the ranch, but she seemed so much older than her twenty years.
Ellie was a couple of years younger than her friend, but in some ways she felt both younger and older.
“No matter what happens, we are here for you. You’re not alone here, and you never will be. ”
Callie moved slowly toward them, wrapping her arms around both of them.
As Ellie felt a tear track down her cheek, the doctor spoke.
“The Lord has all this well in hand, Ellie. I know you’re still learning about the things of God, but I can promise you He will be with you wherever you go.
” She held the same confidence and conviction in her voice Ellie heard when dealing with patients, the one which made a person trust her.
“Just like Gideon,” Louisa said as she pulled back.
“Gideon had the odds stacked against him when he went to battle, but you and the children will all find out on Sunday how powerful God is.” She grinned, a twinkle in her eye.
“Which is good, because I have absolutely no idea how we’re going to get all those children to stand still long enough to perform at the Founder’s Day Festival, and I’ll never hear the end of it from Lorna Parsons if it’s a flop. ”
Micah stood in the pasture a few hours later, trying to give Ellie as much time with the women as she needed before talking with her again.
She’d had quite the day, and he knew how badly she’d craved the fellowship of other women who cared about her.
She’d need their support, as he’d need it from his brothers.
As though his thoughts had summoned them, the sound of three pairs of boots in the grass drifted his way on the wind.
It was chilly, with it still being winter, but not as chilly as he might’ve thought.
The boots, combined with the wind flowing through the grass, were the only sounds until Isaac spoke. “I owe you an apology.”
Micah turned, facing his brothers rather than the spot on the ranch he’d loved all his life.
There were a few shade trees, and it was close enough to the stream to easily go for water.
“You don’t owe me anything. It was a surprise, and you were concerned about Ellie. She needs people looking out for her.”
Isaac closed the distance between them. Jacob and Abe followed behind. “That’s exactly why I do owe you one. You’ve looked out for her from the beginning. I shouldn’t have ever implied you’d do anything but put her best interests first, especially without having all the information.”
“Isaac’s right,” Abe agreed. “We all owe you the respect of hearing you out, and I think Ellie’s busy telling Callie and Louisa now. Jim’s watching the kids, so if you’re agreeable, I think we’d all like to hear how this came about.”
A few hours later, after Micah and his brothers had discussed everything leading up to his and Ellie’s marriage and they’d finished their evening chores, Micah moved back to the front porch of the ranch house with a stiff neck and a tired body.
Still, no matter how exhausted he was from the day itself, it was as though his mind wouldn’t turn off.
As he climbed the steps Ellie had tripped on earlier, questions bombarded him.
What would become of their marriage? Could it ever grow into one of love?
Would Ellie leave as soon as she got her money, or would she want to stay?
He didn’t care about her money. Did she understand that?
“Penny for your thoughts?” The voice surprised him from the porch swing, as he hadn’t seen Ellie there when he first walked up in the low light.
Micah crossed the porch and sat next to her, taking her hand in his since the motion hadn’t seemed to bother her before. “I’m thinking about how much everything changed today, how it’s all different now.”
“Is it a good different or a bad different?”
Turning to face her despite not being able to see her as clearly as he’d like, Micah brought his free hand up to run his fingers gently down her cheek.
By the way she bit her lip and the way her hands tightened in his, he could tell she was still worried about where he fell in all this.
“It’s a good different, Ellie. I’m in on this.
I’m all in. I know we went about this backwards because we needed to, but I don’t regret it at all.
It’s our story, and I’ll thank God for it for all my days. ”
His brothers had come to understand their reasoning, even agreed he’d made the right decision. Isaac was still a little hesitant to validate it as much as Micah would’ve liked, but he’d apologized for jumping to a conclusion not in line whatsoever with Micah’s character.
Ellie’s eyes met his, and while he couldn’t see well enough to see the honeycomb color, he pictured them in his mind’s eye nonetheless.
“Where do we go from here?” Her voice sounded thick, and he knew she held back tears as bravely as she could.
Reaching up once more, Micah ran his thumb over her cheek and felt the tell tale wetness of tears he wished she’d never had to cry.
He knew what she was asking. Where would she stay tonight?
What would he expect of her? They’d discussed it a little on the way to the ranch after getting married, but they’d not had time to get into specifics.
“First, I’ll walk you to the door of yours and Louisa’s cottage.
It’s been a long day, and you need your rest. Then, I’ll go stay in my room inside.
Starting tomorrow, I’m going to talk to Isaac about building us a house over in the meadow,” he said as he pointed to the spot he’d been standing in earlier.
The thought of sitting next to Ellie on their own front porch as the sun set behind the tree line felt like the most peaceful thing he could ever imagine.
“If you wait to build until my trust gets released,” she paused. “If my trust gets released, I can pay for it.” Her voice held hesitance, as though she wasn’t sure what she wanted him to say.
Micah shook his head, as sure as he’d been about anything in his life.
“No, ma’am. I told you the money is yours to do with as you choose.
I’ll build us a cabin, and as long as you’re not looking for anything fancy, I think I can keep us pretty comfortable.
” He made a good living, as Isaac paid more than fairly on the ranch.
Plus, as one of the Sutton brothers, they all held part ownership and could draw on the funds whenever they needed.
Even Zeke, who hadn’t lived in Cloverdale since he turned eighteen three years before, had a stake.
“I meant what I said, Ellie. This isn’t about the money for me. ”
Ellie nodded slowly, taking a shuddering breath as she did so. “I can’t believe you’re real.” The words were low, whispered as though she hadn’t meant to say them out loud.
“We’re real, darlin’, and I plan to prove to you there are men in this world worth trusting.
” With that, he leaned forward and placed a light kiss on her head, relishing the feel of her skin on his lips.
He stood to his feet, offering her his arm.
“May I walk you to your door, Mrs. Sutton?” It was unconventional, but nothing about their courtship had been conventional so far.
“Yes, please.”