Ella tugged at a strand of her auburn waves, then turned her face to the sun, eyes closed, in direct defiance of her mother’s vain demands. Maybe a few freckles would give her face character.
“You all right, lady?”
She opened her eyes with a start. A young man stared at her, brows raised. Ella cleared her throat. Her cheeks burned. “Yes, thank you.”
He shot her a dubious look but nodded and continued down the road. Ella stifled a sigh. People were going to think her addled in the mind if she wasn’t careful.
A happy squeal made her turn in time to see a young woman launch herself at another lady. Ella’s breath caught.They look like sisters.
All the emotions she’d suppressed over the last four days overwhelmed her. Tori’s face flashed through her mind. Her heart squeezed in her chest. Loneliness gripped her stomach. The one person she’d been able to count on for love and support was hundreds of miles away.
Tears spilled from Ella’s eyes. Unable to stop them, she hurried into a small alleyway between two buildings. She ducked deep into the shadows, away from curious eyes.
Once the tears began, they flowed in torrents. Her throat constricted painfully. Deep sobs wrenched from her belly. Her entire body hurt with the physical pain of loss. She sank to her knees, heedless of the snow that soaked into her dress. Doubts crept in, whispering that she’d made a big mistake.
What have I done?
CHAPTER 2
Cody urged his horse into a gallop as he left his ranch. Wind whipped against his face, chilling him to the bone. Preston responded to the pressure of his knees and flew over the prairie. Straw-like grass stretched as far as the eye could see. Within a couple months, the vast landscape would be green, dotted with bluebells, larkspur, and buttercups. For now, winter held everything in its cold grasp.
A tremor went through him as he took in the number of dead, rotting cattle laying frozen in the fields. Last month, the worst blizzard in recent memory swept the plains. Every rancher in Harmony Springs and beyond took significant losses in livestock—some up to three-fourths of their herd.
He’d been more fortunate than most.Cody thanked the Lord that he’d had the foresight to store up as much hay as possible over the last few years. It saved a good portion of his herd after the blizzard. Even so, the cattle he lost would make money tight this year.
It would have been hard with only himself and the ranch to support. Now he had three children to care for.
The children.He sighed. Yet another morning had passed that proved he had no business being a father. As he was preparing to head to town, all three kids had meltdowns. As usual, Isaiah started things. His stubborn nature made him defy Cody at most turns. The ensuing temper tantrums were enough to upset his younger siblings. This morning, the catalyst was Cody bundling Addie in a green blanket rather than a pink one. Cody couldn’t figure out why the color choice bothered the child. He’d screamed and thrown himself onto the floor in a flurry of arms and legs. Addie started wailing soon after, and Jonah stood nearby sniffling and holding back tears. Cody’s babysitter, Miss Hattie, showed up in the midst of it all. He could imagine what the older woman thought of his parenting skills.
Hattie took one look at the distraught children and shooed him out of the house. “I’ll take care of them, young man,” she’d said.
A pang had gone through him. He’d looked at the kids, his throat working.
Hattie’s eyes had softened. She’d patted his arm. “It’ll get easier, Cody. They just need time.”
Time. He uttered a bleak laugh, his breath puffing white in the freezing air. How could he possibly give them the time and attention they needed when he had to be out on the range? Most days, he worked from dawn to dusk. He’d have to work extra this year to plant a larger supply of alfalfa since his reserves had been depleted after the blizzard.
A sigh rose from deep inside his chest. Answers eluded him. He needed advice, and he knew where he could find it. Though he was headed into town to buy some supplies, it wouldn’t hurt to pay a visit to his sister and brother-in-law as well.
According to the position of the sun, it was nearly ten o’clock. Maybe he would find Cassie first. She owned the only café in town, and the breakfast rush would be over. They’d have a reasonable amount of privacy to talk.
It didn’t take long to reach Main Street. But when he neared the café, it became clear a train had recently pulled into town. People milled around the boardwalks, meeting family members or waiting for the train to depart to its next location. He reined in Preston outside the small building and considered his next move. A glance inside the café window confirmed his sister was bustling about, placing plates of steaming food in front of her customers. He should find Travis first. His brother-in-law was the local sheriff and shouldn’t be too busy at this hour.
Cody turned his horse toward the opposite side of the street. Travis’s office was close by. He’d nearly reached it when a strangled sob sounded nearby. Cody pulled Preston to a stop once more. The cry came again.
He spotted an alley between the millinery and the barbershop. Were the cries coming from there? Another broken sob sounded, raising his protective instincts. He dismounted and made his way to the alley. Looking around the millinery, he peered into the shadows. Nothing other than buildings and dingy snow. But as his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw a woman kneeling on the ground. Her hands covered her face, muffling her sobs.
He moved forward, determined to help. “Ma’am?”
Her head whipped up so fast, he worried she’d smack it against the wall. Losing her balance, she tumbled onto her side in the snow. Cody hurried toward her, but her red-rimmed eyes grew large. Panic plain on her face, she scrambled back until the wall stopped her progress. She cried out, raising her arms to shield her face…as if expecting a blow.
Cody halted. Her reaction screamed of more than fear of a stranger. He held out his hands and spoke in the soothing voice he usually reserved for calming spooked livestock. “It’s all right. I’m not going to hurt you.”
Her hands slowly lowered. Wary green eyes met his. Her face was red and mottled, as if she’d been crying for a while.
His heart twisted. He stepped forward again, then crouched to be on her level. “Can I help you?”
She shook her head. Her lips trembled, and she looked down. He took in the large wet patches on her dress. The entire lower half was soaked. How long had she been kneeling in the snow? She would catch her death out here if she remained in that state. He’d seen too many people succumb to frostbite in the winter months. This lady would not be another victim if he had anything to say about it.
