“No more than you used me to get here safely. We both needed something from the other. You needed a home, and I needed my brother to stop wandering,” Deke explained.
Amalie answered, “I suppose you’re right, but if Nate wants to leave, I heard you say I must leave with him. I understand why. It surprised me, is all. I’m sorry I reacted the way I did. We can work this out.”
“All right. Let’s start over. We are married, regardless of the reason, and I’ll keep up my end of the bargain and remain married as long as you want. I won’t promise anything beyond you living in this house and carrying my name. This is a convenience for both of us, and if Nate chooses to leave, you may remain here for as long as you wish.”
“Thank you. I can live with that. I never expected anything more. Honestly, I’m frightened to leave. Mister Caldwell is a conniving man, and I’ve heard that Rex Horrison is not one to break a deal with if you want to live. I worry that Mister Caldwell might try to find me or force another young woman to take my place,” Amalie admitted.
“Don’t worry about that. When we go into town to get supplies and to buy you some clothing, I intend to send a telegram to a friend of mine who’s a U.S. Marshal. He can check into the situation discretely to see if you’re still in danger or if Caldwell and Horrison are up to no good.”
“Thank you, I appreciate that. Would you like a piece of pie?”
Deke smiled. “Yes, I certainly would. Let me call out to Nate, so he doesn’t grumble that we ate all the pie.”
Amalie laughed. “I can always make another.”
Deke was nearly finished with his slice of pie when Nate wandered in and sat down at the table.
“Sorry. I was out getting reacquainted with Buck. He’s still a fine horse,” Nate said before digging into his pie.
“When are you going to ride him?” Deke asked.
“I’m not. You know that I’m never riding again. I swore that after my fall, I’d never climb onto another horse.”
“I know, but Pa and I both told you not to get on that horse, to begin with. He was untrained and wild. You never would’ve been thrown if you’d listened. Pa sold him so that you’d never have to be reminded, but you wouldn’t even get back on Buck. You used to ride Buck every day without a problem. Just get back on him and ride. You can ride with Amalie. She needs to start slowly, too,” Deke responded.
Nate pushed his half-empty plate across the table, stood as quickly as his leg would allow, and limped out of the room. A few minutes later, the sound of a door slamming echoed through the house.
Deke drummed his fingers on the table and looked at Amalie. “I need to apologize to you again. A family disagreement isn’t the way I wanted you to start life here on the ranch.”
“It’ll be all right. I’ve known Nate for nearly three years since I started working at the hotel. I don’t have to tell you that he’s a good man. I’ve seen him face down difficult customers and drunken cowhands who thought the maids and waitresses were there for services the hotel didn’t offer. He’s not a coward, Deke,” Amalie explained.
Deke nodded. “I never thought he was a coward. He took a terrible fall and busted his leg in two places. We thought he’d lose the leg for a while. He didn’t, but he has the limp, and we did our best to tell him it didn’t matter. When Ma and Pa died, he couldn’t help me as much as he wanted. Then, when he turned eighteen, he just up and left. I looked for him, but he’d disappeared. When I finally found him, he refused to return to the ranch.”
“Give him some time,” Amalie offered. “Neither one of us is going to jump on a horse tomorrow. Maybe, in time, we’ll both ride. I’m willing to give it a try.”
Nate took her hand and smiled. “Thank you. If you ride, then maybe Nate will want to try. I understand the fear of getting injured, but the longer you wait to try again, the harder it will be. I’ll give him the time he needs.”
“And I’ll pray for all of us,” Amalie said. “I know I’m going to need the Lord’s help to find my courage.”
~ * ~
The following morning dawned bright and cloudless. The sun was shining through the kitchen windows as Amalie prepared breakfast.
Deke ambled into the kitchen and said, “Good morning. Something smells good. I’m surprised that it didn’t wake Nate, too.”
“Good morning,” Amalie replied. “Nate is outside at the corral. He’s been out there for quite some time, walking back and forth. I think he’s talking to Buck.”
“Buck? Did he take Buck out of the barn and into the corral?”
“I’m not sure. They were out there when I came into the kitchen,” Amalie shared. “It looks as if he’s trying to decide whether to ride him or not.”
Deke muttered under his breath and looked out the window. “I’d better go out to make sure I didn’t push him into something he truly doesn’t want to do,” Deke said. He grabbed his hat off the hook next to the door and hurried out to speak to his brother.
Amalie watched Deke and Nate as they stood by the corral and talked. They seemed to be getting along, and she said a small prayer they’d find some common ground and not argue again.
A few minutes later, she heard the door open and saw both Sperling brothers enter the kitchen, laughing and talking.
