Once Upon a Mail Order Bride - Linda Broday Page 0,59
inside. Yours does too. Thank you for giving me a chance.”
“I’m happy to do it. Everyone needs someone to care about them.” Ridge’s reply was hoarse and rough. He cleared his throat. “Anyone would do the same.”
“You’re wrong. They didn’t. All my relatives treated me like I had cholera or the pox, and it would rub off on them. I heard one uncle say they would have to burn the bedding I slept on. They couldn’t wait to pass me off to the next one.”
Ridge turned to face him. “Don’t waste another thought on those people. As far as I’m concerned, they’re downright stupid. You have worth and never forget it. You have more to be proud of right now than your relatives will ever have in their whole pathetic lives. I’m glad you’re here with us, and I know Addie feels that way too. You’re family.”
The kid coughed and turned away for a moment. When he spoke, his voice was rough. “I like that. I sure do. Can you read more in that book tonight about Oliver?”
Ridge put Cob in his stall. “Yeah, I’ll read.”
Bodie finally hushed and let Ridge think for a spell. Loving Addie? Sure, he cared for her and would take a bullet meant for her, but that was what a good man did. Sure, she made his life better, and he’d do anything to make sure she stayed happy, but it didn’t mean he was in love. Nope. Love was something big and noisy, like Chinese fireworks. The kid had everything all wrong.
He finished up and fed the horses, then stood there a moment watching Miss Kitty and Squeakers play. Finally, he took a deep breath and went inside as the evening shadows fell. Delicious smells coming from the stove and Addie hunched over a notebook at the table, writing by the lantern light, were things he’d remember the rest of his life.
If he was right, he had just enough time for a talk before they ate.
She glanced up and offered a quivery smile, deep despair lining her face.
“What is it, love?” He moved a chair beside her and put an arm around her shoulders.
Addie turned the page of her notebook, writing: “Eleanor convinced me that I need to tell you some things. I know you have questions. But it’s hard.”
“Yes, it is.” He kissed her cheek. “I only want to know one thing, and the rest can wait. Do you have a child somewhere that you need to see to?”
She shook her head. “Not mine.”
“Is this kid in danger?”
“Safe for now.”
“Okay. I need you to listen to something I have to say, and it might make it easier for you to speak your piece in return. We’ve both kept our pasts bottled up for too long, and I don’t want any secrets standing between us. We can’t move forward until we do.” He removed his hat and laid it on the table. Curiosity sat in her pretty eyes. “First though, I’m sorry for letting those two hoodlums get so close to you. I should’ve taken care of them long before you stepped out of Eleanor’s, but I took time to go for reinforcements.”
She shook her head and scribbled: “You couldn’t stop them by yourself. Pickens is a cold-blooded killer. My father kept him and Tiny around as an added measure of control.”
“Still, I apologize that I put you in danger.” A long inhale filled his lungs with air. “You asked me how I became an outlaw and why there’s such a large bounty on my head. I hope you understand when I tell you the story.
“I once pastored a church in Silver Valley, and I was good at my job. One night I was riding home alone after visiting a parishioner’s gravely ill child.” He paused and stared at his open hand, his mind’s eye seeing a large red stain covering his palm. “I heard yelling and a woman screaming, from a ways off the road. I pushed through some trees and found myself surrounded by a group of men. They had a woman with them, a young one, doubt she was more than seventeen. Her dress was ripped nearly off and she was crying.”
Ridge got up and went to the window to look out, spreading his arms wide on the counter. “I asked the men what they were doing, although it was pretty clear. They snarled that it was none of my concern. Ride on, they ordered. I didn’t wear a gun back