The Demure Bride(18)

"I know I am the last person that Amanda would wish to hear from, but how is she, Mr. Thorne?"

"Mandy is worried about you," he said truthfully, and watched her eyes fill with tears.

"She is the one who was hurt!"

"She knows how you felt about Ted Fox, and the news of his death has to be difficult for you."

"He did not return my affection, Mr. Thorne, and he made that clear  after I sent that letter to him. He was enraged and told me if I messed  things up for him owning Mandy's ranch, he would kill me. He threatened  to kill my Uncle if I breathed a word of this. I was so scared, and it  is my fault that Amanda was hurt! If I'd told you or her Pa..." Helene  burst into tears and Rob offered her his handkerchief.

"It isn't your fault; it isn't Matt's fault; it isn't my fault, either.  The fault was Ted Fox's. What we need to do is move past this, Miss  Patterson."

"I can't see how Amanda will ever want to be friends with me again!"

"She sent me here to bring you out to the ranch to stay for a few days... if you wish to come, of course, and can get away?"

"Seriously?"

"I think it would be good for Amanda to have some female company right now." He thought Helene needed Mandy, too.

"I will ask my Uncle if I may go," she quickly agreed.

Rob accompanied her to her uncle's place of business and spoke to the  man while Helene packed a bag. He quickly surmised that Helene's uncle  was quite oblivious to the fact that Helene had fancied herself in love  with Matt's foreman, and Rob could see no reason to enlighten the other  man. Instead, he politely asked if he needed to have Helene back in town  at any certain time, and the man waved his hand and said candidly, "I  don't care how long the girl stays at the Chambers Ranch. It will give  me some time to see my gal. We were planning to be married until my  brother died and I had to take in Helene. I don't figure Helene would  get along too well with Roxy."

Roxy was one of the girls at the Star Bright Saloon. Rob nodded in  understanding, and felt sorry for little Helene. It was obvious her  uncle was simply doing his duty. When she came downstairs from the  living quarters above, she had her bag in hand. "When should I return,  Uncle?" she asked quietly.

"Well, don't make a pest of yourself, girl, but you can stay as long as  you like," the man said, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "Just behave  yourself; you ain't too old for a good walloping, you know."

It was his standard threat, so Helene didn't take his words to heart.  He'd only punished her one time in two years, and that was because he  caught her handling one of the guns he kept for sale. It was loaded, and  she'd blown a hole in the ceiling, the bullet narrowly missing him as  it lodged in a dresser upstairs in his bedroom. As far as she was  concerned, the paddling and strapping she'd received were more than  fair.

Robert Thorne helped Helene into the buggy he'd borrowed from Matt  Chambers just in case Helene returned with him, put her bag into the  compartment in back, and then he climbed on the seat beside her and they  were off for the ranch. Rob chatted amiably with Helene, and once she  got over her nervousness at being with him, she proved herself  intelligent and quite funny.

Whitey came out of the barn when he heard the buggy, and walked over to  give Helene a hand down. She smiled at him, and he felt his heart beat a  bit faster. "Ma'am," he tipped his hat.

"Thanks, Whitey," Rob said, handing him the reins.

"You're welcome, Mr. Thorne." He watched them walk to the house and then  told himself he needed to get back to work and stop the daydreaming. He  didn't have any right to be looking at a girl like Miss Helene  Patterson, even though she was right pretty.

Amanda was happy to see Helene, and the two women hugged for a long  time. Amanda insisted on showing Helene to her guestroom and Matt stood  to the side and beamed as if the whole thing were his idea.

Rob pulled him aside and told him that Helene blamed herself for what  happened, and let him know about the threats Ted Fox issued to the young  woman. Matt was furious, and he marched himself to the bedroom down the  hall and knocked briefly before walking in. The two girls looked at him  in shocked surprise and Helene's dark eyes filled with fear and dread  at the anger on Matt's face.         

     



 

"Now see here, young lady, you are not responsible for what happened to  Mandy. If anyone is to blame, it is me for hiring him in the first  damned place. Now you get over that nonsense right now. The man was out  of his mind, and he can't hurt no one ever again. Not Mandy, not your  uncle, and not you. None of this was your fault, Helene." Matt saw tears  fill her eyes as she nodded. "Now, there's no need to waste more tears  on that jackass. You're safe here, and my girl is happy to have you with  us. You get all settled in, and I'll go and see if Goldie can rustle up  some lemonade and cookies... or something to eat. I'm hungry and it's  still a while before we sit down to supper." He stomped out of the room,  positive he'd taken care of everything.

"What was Papa talking about, Helene?" Amanda asked quietly.

Helene looked her in the eye and admitted what she considered the  horrible truth, wondering if Amanda would ask her to leave when she  finished.

Amanda's green eyes filled with anger when she heard of Ted's threats,  but when Helene started blaming herself for the beating he gave her,  Mandy shook her head 'no' and hastened to go to her friend and hug her  tightly. "It is not your fault, just like Papa said. It isn't Papa's  fault, either. No one was responsible but Ted Fox, and he is dead now."  She hesitated for a few seconds and then asked, "Are you alright,  Helene? I know you loved him...?"

"I thought I did until I saw what he was really like. Any feelings I had  for him were for that pretend side of him... the side he allowed me to  see, not the man he really was. You are right, Mandy. He was very sick  in his head." She looked at the redhead and then said with a big smile,  "I am so happy we are still friends!"

"So am I," Amanda replied with a giggle, and then helped Helene finish  unpacking, thankful the Doctor told Matt that she could move around  unless it caused her pain.

The days passed quickly, and Rob came over every day to see how Amanda  was faring, and the first day she was able to actually sit on a pillow  to eat dinner, he felt like jumping for joy. She insisted she was a lot  better and promised to be riding before much longer.

Helene spent most of her time with Mandy, and she was amazed at how busy  the redhead was. She was impressed that Amanda did not go around  complaining and feeling sorry for herself. But, the best part of all was  when Mandy would insist on going down to the stable to care for  Glimmer. It meant that Helene got to spend a few minutes with Whitey.

Whitey looked forward to those few minutes each day, too. He made sure  his shirt was clean, he shaved, and he combed his hair before setting  his hat on his head. The rest of the world disappeared for Miss Amanda  when she was with Glimmer, and it gave him and Helene time to get to  know each other. He knew he could never have a woman like Helene, but he  could dream about it, and when she was beside him, hanging on his every  word, he felt as if he could conquer the entire world.

"You've never told me where you come from, Whitey!" she said with a little laugh.

"I don't rightly know, Miss Helene," he admitted truthfully. "Mr.  Chambers found me one day. I was hurt real bad, and couldn't even recall  my name. He called me Whitey 'cause of my hair, and give me a job  tendin' the horses. No one come lookin' for me, so I figure I was on my  own in the world."

"How awful! You should have sent out some wires of inquiry!"

"Mr. Chambers offered to do that, but I was scared to find out the  truth. What if I killed somebody or robbed a bank and was on the run?"  he quietly admitted.

"What if you have a Mama and Papa who wonder where you are? Brothers or sisters who miss you?" she countered.

"No one come lookin'," he repeated. "Let's talk about somethin' else, Miss Helene. Do you ride?" he asked.

"You mean ride a horse?" She sounded shocked. "No!"

"You don't know how to ride?" Amanda heard her comment and turned around to ask incredulously.

"No, I don't know how to ride. Horses are so big!"

"They're gentle," Whitey told her. "I'll teach you how."

"Nooooo!"

"Yes," Amanda insisted. "All this time I've been planning for the day I  could sit my saddle and we'd go riding together, Helene! It never once  occurred to me that you couldn't ride! Whitey, I'll get this girl some  riding clothes to wear, and you teach her for me, please...?" She wasn't  giving him an order or bossing him, but asking in a way she knew he  couldn't and wouldn't refuse her request.

"I'd be happy to, Miss Amanda. You come on out here after we eat dinner  today, and I'll put you on a gentle mare and you'll be enjoying yourself  in no time at all, Miss Helene." He was excited at the prospect of more  time with the pretty brunette, and he wanted to whirl Miss Mandy around  and around for the opportunity.