He chuckled, and Ellie joined in. He wouldn’t actually punch Percival, at least she hoped he wouldn’t, but she wouldn’t lie and say the idea didn’t sound appealing. Then, her stomach growled and reminded her she’d been too nervous to eat breakfast thatmorning. “Did the conductor say something about a concession car?”
Micah’s grin widened. “He sure did. Why don’t you get settled, and I’ll go see what I can scrounge up for us for lunch before we head out?”
She agreed and spent the next few minutes unpacking their bags and making things as comfortable as possible. No matter what, the Lord would go with them, and He’d given Micah to journey alongside her. As Louisa often said, the Lord was kind, and the strong cowboy who would look wholly out of place in her grandfather’s mansion in California was exactly who she needed for this trip and this life. The Lord knew better than she did, and she’d do well to remember it.
Later, as Micah had managed to track down some concessions, the two of them sat on the bench in their car and ate in relaxed silence. At least, until Micah broke it. “So, can you give me a better idea of what we might be facing in Cartwright? I’ve never been anywhere but Texas, and I can imagine a town named after him will give us some…complications.”
He didn’t look nervous, just curious, and Ellie sighed. “It might. My grandfather started the town years ago when he took over the mine his father had established. By that point, it was quite profitable, and he felt a thriving mine needed a strong town alongside it. For a while, he ran it like a mill town where folks lived there but didn’t really own anything and paid back into the company store, but later he realized he’d get more wealthy folks in to invest if he allowed people to buy their own property.”
Plenty still rented from him, but some who’d been there a while owned. “Grandfather has associates and cronies in all corners of operations in Cartwright. Even with him dead, I’m certain Percival James has continued on his…legacy, I suppose.”
Micah reached over and placed his hand on hers. “I’m going to do everything in my power to protect you, Ellie, and I’m not afraid of some suits with power.”
Turning to face him, Ellie wondered if it was a bit of a naive view. No, as his eyes blazed with righteous anger over all that had happened to her, it felt less like foolishness and more like Gideon facing down the army of thousands with only three hundred men. He was sure, because he knew who was on his side. “You may have to keep telling me that.”
Pressing a kiss to her forehead, Micah managed to calm her whole body with one touch. “Gladly.”
Micah woke two days later to a weight on his chest. Peeling his eyes open, the sun outside still a half hour from lighting the sky, he felt Ellie’s soft curls against his chin. While the previous two nights she’d more or less hugged the wall, this morning she’d managed to use his chest as a pillow, her hair splayed across him as she wrapped her left arm around his middle.
She wasn’t alone, as he’d wrapped her in an embrace of his own, his hands clasped atop her back. She sighed, breathing deeply in the tell tale sign of deep sleep, but her presence left him in a pickle. He’d offered, almost insisted, to sleep on the bench until she’d refused.
He slept in the spot closest to the door, leaving as much room between them as possible without actually falling off the bed into the floor. Would it be possible to get out of bed without her realizing how close they’d gotten during the night?
Before he had the chance to stew on it much further, Micah felt Ellie jolt awake beneath him. “Morning, sunshine.” At least, this way she wouldn’t lie there wondering if he’d woken as well. Heunclasped his hands, leaving her room to roll over while leaving one arm wrapped softly around her waist.
He’d not be breaking the contact now she was awake and aware. That much was certain. Her softness, the feel of her head on his chest, was a feeling unlike any he’d ever known. “Micah?” Her voice was sleepy, this trip the first time he’d been blessed to hear it so. “Wh…how did I get like this?”
He chuckled, but noted she still hadn’t moved. “My guess is your pillow stopped being quite as comfortable as your husband, but it’s just a guess.”
Ellie slowly backed away from his chest, her curls framing her face as they removed themselves from his upper body. Her cheeks pinked as she opened her mouth, but no words came out. “Hey,” Micah said as he propped himself on his elbow with one hand and ran his fingers over her cheeks with the other. “Don’t be embarrassed. I’d be thrilled to wake up with you in my arms every morning for the rest of my life.” Her sharp intake of breath had him taking a step back, but it was time she knew where he stood. “It’s you with the reins, darlin’.”
She stared at him for a moment, and he noticed the smallest rays of sunshine coming in from the window. “How did you sleep?”
Micah was used to all manner of sleeping conditions. He had a bed at the main ranch house, but he also spent plenty of nights in the line shack or in the bunkhouse depending on what work needed to be done in the morning. He could fall asleep most anywhere, but he never woke quite as rested as he felt at the moment. “I reckon it’s the best sleep I’ve had in a while.”
Ellie bit her bottom lip, a habit he knew meant she was nervous. If only he could take the nerves away, he would, but they were something she’d have to work through with the Almighty. Instead, he’d give her a moment to herself. “Why don’t I get cleaned up and see what I can scrounge up for breakfast?”
This train had a different set up to others he knew of, with the dining and concessions car sitting in the middle of the train and requiring folks to go to them rather than bringing carts to the passengers like he’d always heard about. It worked out, and he assumed they had more robust options for grub than if it all had to be carried around on little carts. The cinnamon donuts had become Ellie’s favorite, so he planned to buy a couple of extra for her to snack on throughout the day.
“That sounds good,” Ellie said softly as she shifted to her back and lay facing the ceiling. “Thank you.” He itched at leaving her alone, but Micah had known Ellie long enough now to know she valued time to herself when she needed to think or pray through something. Where a woman like Louisa might prefer to talk it out, Ellie seemed to prefer solitude to process the world around her. It didn’t bother Micah a lick, as he was much the same way.
Micah dressed quickly, pulling on his boots and opening their car door to the hallway. He wasn’t the only one out and about, but there weren’t as many moving around as there would be in an hour or so. From what the porter said the night before, they were making good time and should arrive in California early tomorrow morning. It took everything in him not to want to call off the whole thing and whisk Ellie back to the ranch where she was safe, but he meant what he’d said to her earlier.
She deserved the closure of life with her grandfather, and she deserved her inheritance. He may have only left it to her under the belief it would revert to his business partner, or it may have been some sort of attempt at a tax shelter. It really didn’t matter. What did matter was Ellie had a fighting chance to leave California with the money owed to her - the penance for the way she’d been treated for so many years.
Ellie hadn’t gone into detail about the abuse she’d suffered at the hands of her grandfather, but Micah knew enough about it to know she’d experienced far more than she ever should havebeen subjected to. She should’ve been cherished for the treasure she was, not shamed for the circumstances surrounding her conception.
Rage poured through his blood every time he thought about it, but his anger after Pa had died taught him rage directed at a dead man was nothing but a path to bitterness. Instead, he could focus on keeping her safe from any miners or businessmen who might approach her and encouraging her as she fought for her trust.
In the meantime, he’d continue to do everything he could to gain a trust worth far more than any dollar amount sitting in a bank somewhere - the trust she needed to move forward in their relationship. As Micah entered the dining car, he tried not to put too much thought into labeling his feelings. With hers still so tenuous, the thought likely wouldn’t take him anywhere but worry.
He knew one thing. Waking up with Ellie Sutton in his arms had felt like coming home. It felt as right as anything he’d ever done save for taking Pastor Jim’s advice and diving back into the Scriptures after years of neglecting the Lord’s Word. If she’d let him, he’d serve as her pillow every day for the rest of their lives, and he’d be a happy man for it. As it was, he’d not rush her, only pray the Lord would somehow give Ellie the trust Micah would work all his days to earn.
Chapter Fourteen
When they arrived in California the next morning, Ellie had barely been able to sleep the night before. Her brain moved too quickly, mulling over all the possibilities of what they’d find when they arrived. It wasn’t even about the money, but about seeing the miners who’d helped Brent capture her and worse, Percival James.
Percival James hadn’t been someone she came in contact with often, usually only when Grandfather had trotted her out for the occasional events only to shove her back in the closet. He’d always given her looks that made her feel like a piece of meat he wanted to consume, and his presence in any room made her skin crawl.
