A Niece for Christmas Read online

  Agnes took her cue. “Well, you can’t expect any help from me. I don’t like sewing and I’m too busy with my other chores.”

  “Where’s Ethan,” Clemmie asked.

  “He’s off with Jake, there’s been some rustling and he wants to check on a few things. You know men, they couldn’t wait to scuttle off outside.”

  She was liking this woman more and more. Agnes was obviously a hard worker and more importantly, devoted to Jessie.

  “Cream in your coffee?”

  “Yes, please.”

  “Jessie always has a coffee with me.” Agnes tapped the side of her nose with her forefinger. “It’s our little secret.”

  “My lips are sealed,” Clemmie said. “We ladies do need to have a few secrets.”

  She sensed Agnes’s approval and was glad. This was a friendly house. She could be happy here, and if only…. Surely, she wasn’t starting to have feelings toward Ethan. It was ridiculous, they hardly knew each other.

  Jessie’s coffee was weak and milky. Strong coffee wouldn’t be good for a little girl, even she knew that, and her knowledge of children was virtually non-existent.

  “I like you, Clemmie,” she said. “You and Agnes are my favorite ladies.”

  “I like you, too, and Agnes, in fact everyone here has been so kind, something I didn’t expect under the circumstances.”

  “You’ll be good for Ethan. I’ve known him since he was a babe.”

  “Oh?”

  “Jessica’s father Bradley, too. I helped their mother bring them up. Most of the hands have been with the family for years. A couple of the young cowboys are new. You watch that Lonnie, there’s something about him I don’t like. He’s a good wrangler so Jack says.”

  “I didn’t like the look of him, either.”

  “I always put on a Sunday lunch for the men here, other than that, they eat at the bunkhouse. Old Ernie cooks for them.” Agnes barely paused for breath.

  Clemmie savored every mouthful of the coffee. By the aromatic aroma and the smooth taste, it was a good brand, not like the cheap stuff Madam DeLuc served at the lodging house.

  “I’m glad you’re here,” Agnes suddenly said. “You’ll be good for Ethan even if he doesn’t know it yet. What Mary-Lou did to him almost destroyed him. He was devastated at the time, but now realizes he had a lucky escape. She’s been trying to get her claws into him ever since coming home. Now you’re here, there will be no way she can trick him into marrying her, and she’s conniving enough to do it. I’m glad Jessie….”

  “Jessie wrote to the Marriage Bureau” All the strange features of the letter were falling into place, not to mention Ethan’s reluctance at the stage depot.

  “I wanted to save Uncle Ethan from Mary-Lou. She hates me.”

  “I’m glad you did it. I wouldn’t be here otherwise, wouldn’t have met you. Wouldn’t have received my early Christmas present.”

  “Early Christmas present?” Agnes’s eyebrows shot up almost into her hairline.

  “I’ve always wanted a niece and now I’ve got one.”

  “I always wanted an aunty.”

  “Well, you both got your wishes and I’m glad Clemmie came here, too.”

  She was happy to have the housekeeper’s approval. “Please don’t think I want to interfere with the way you run the household, but I’m prepared to help in any way I can. Just give me something to do and I’ll do it.”

  “I’m satisfied with that, and I could certainly do with help sometimes, I’m not getting any younger.”

  “If you tell me Jessie’s needs I’ll willingly take over her care.”

  “That would be good. She needs a young person. Actually, I knew about the letter. I posted it for her.”

  “You did?”

  “Yes, the boss doesn’t know.”

  “What doesn’t the boss know?” Ethan stepped into the kitchen from outside with Jack a step or two behind him.

  Clemmie forced a laugh. “We women have to have a few secrets between us.”

  “You can’t argue with a woman’s logic,” Jack said. I learned that years ago.” He grinned at his wife. What a lovely couple they were. She envied their obvious affection for each other. Something she would never have – a husband who loved her.

  After meeting the people at this ranch, she was beginning to realize it wasn’t true love she had felt for Harold. What he had done to her was like a gaping wound that would not heal, and if she let it, the poison would seep into her bloodstream and ruin her life.

  Strange how she could see things so clearly now. Her heart wasn’t broken, it was her pride and self-esteem that were torn and tattered. The need for self-preservation had kicked in and she had fortunately escaped Harold’s clutches.

  Supper that night was roast beef and vegetables, slathered in gravy, followed by peach cobbler.

  “This is a wonderful meal, thank you,” Clemmie said.

  “Glad you enjoyed it.”

  “My Agnes is a good cook, it’s one of the reasons I married her.” Jack bestowed a benign smile on his wife as he helped himself to another serve of peach cobbler.

  “I couldn’t eat another thing.” Ethan leaned back in his chair and patted his stomach. “Excellent food as always, Agnes.”

  “It did turn out rather well, that was a nice piece of beef.”

  He grinned. “It ought to be. “All beef from the Crossed T is the best around these parts.”

  Clemmie liked the friendly comraderies around the table. “Agnes and I discussed Jessica’s care, and I’d like to take that on if it’s all right with you, Ethan.”

  “I love you, Agnes,” the little girl piped up. “But I want Clemmie to look after me.”

  “Well, the boss has spoken.” Ethan smiled. “So, Clemmie is all yours, darlin’. You don’t mind?” He turned to the older woman.

  “No, she needs someone younger than me.”

  “This means I don’t have to share my wife with you every second night, young lady.” Jack ruffled the child’s hair.

  “It’s all settled then.” Clemmie glanced around the table. “I want to thank everyone for being so friendly. I mean, it’s an awkward situation and you made it easier for me.”

  ****

  That night as she lay in bed with the connecting door open so she could hear any cries of distress, Clemmie went over the happenings of the last few days. Who would have thought she would be living in Texas, married to a rancher. It would be a good life here as long as she didn’t expect anything except friendship and respect from Ethan.

  He was bitter about what Mary-Lou had done to him, deep down, did he still harbor feelings for this woman who had been his first and only love? Besotted was the word Agnes had used, and she would know him better than anyone else.

  A sudden cry cut into her musing. Jessica. She dived out of bed and darted into the room and collided with Ethan.

  “What in tarnation?” He grabbed both arms and held her for a moment then released her. While she rushed to the bed he turned up the lamp which was always kept turned down low during the night. He was wearing only his drawers, his chest bare, hair ruffled.

  “Are you all right, sweetheart?” Clemmie asked.

  “The bad man was going to get me.”

  “It was a dream, darlin’, nothing will hurt you. I won’t let it.”

  “You’re safe.” Clemmie held the little girl’s hand. “Uncle Ethan wouldn’t let anyone hurt you.”

  “He had a gun.”

  “So have I,” Ethan said. “And you know I can use it.”

  “I’m a good shot, too,” Clemmie said, trying to keep her eyes away from Ethan in his half naked state. What a fine specimen of manhood. He was staring at her. She must look awful. Her long hair tumbling free over her shoulders and down her back, was probably a tangled mess.

  “I think she’s gone back to sleep,” he whispered after a short time.

  “You go back to bed, Ethan and close your door. Don’t get up again, you have to put in a fu
ll day of work tomorrow. If I lose some sleep, Agnes can always watch her while I take a nap.”

  His rumpled hair definitely had a slight curl in it. The urge to run her fingers through it almost overwhelmed her.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’ve discussed Jessie with Agnes and she explained what her needs are.”

  “I have to admit things have been hard since the accident.”

  “I’m sorry about your brother and sister-in-law.”

  He ran his fingers through his hair. “Thanks, I still miss them.”

  “Go back to bed.” She shooed him off, not wanting to share the room with this semi-naked, handsome man. Butterflies cavorted in her stomach as he took a step closer. Her mouth dried up. What was wrong with her?

  He leaned over and kissed his niece’s forehead. “Goodnight, Clemmie.” Her name seemed to come out on a sigh, causing her legs to suddenly grow weak. He swung away and in a couple of strides disappeared into his room, quietly closing the connecting door behind him.

  A shiver passed through her and she suddenly realized she was trembling. With cold? Of course it was. Taking one glance at the child who was now sleeping peacefully, she returned to her room and climbed into bed.

  Hysterical paralysis is what the housekeeper had said the doctors called Jessica’s condition. The shock of seeing her parents die, must have caused the condition as she had suffered no physical injury. She could regain use of her legs at any time, or maybe never. All they could do was massage her legs and try to keep the muscles from wasting.

  You will walk again Jessica. It will be my job to make sure you do.

  Chapter Six

  Clemmie had been at the ranch for three weeks. Winter was closing in, the nights growing cold. Sometimes amongst the grey days there was an odd one where the sky was blue, almost cloudless, and this was when she would rug herself and Jessica up and push the wheelchair around in the garden.

  This one particular day, she decided to have a picnic by the creek.

  “A picnic.” The little girl clapped her hands. “Ma and Pa used to take me on them lots of times.”

  “We can’t go far. I’ll put a rug out on the ground if I can find somewhere dry and if not, we can think of something else. The housekeeper gave them buttered biscuits and a bottle of cold tea before waving them off.

  “When it’s warmer we can have lots of picnics,” Clemmie promised. “It will do you good to be out in the fresh air. A gentle breeze blowing in your face is good for a lady’s complexion and constitution.”

  Since arriving here, she had discarded her corset as it was far too restrictive for lifting and maneuvering the little girl. Fortunately, she was naturally slim with a small waist, not that there was anyone to notice. Ethan certainly didn’t. He barely glanced at her at all, although she had caught him staring when he thought himself unobserved, otherwise he treated her in a similar manner as he did his niece.

  She was developing feelings for the man, heaven alone knew why.

  “Oops,” she said as she pushed the chair over a corrugated section of ground. “Hang on tight.”

  Jessie giggled and she was pleased. The child laughed a lot these days. She was such a sweet-natured little soul.

  They found a dry spot close to the bend in the creek, hidden behind the trees, about a hundred yards or so from the house. “This is the perfect place for us.”

  She spread a piece of canvas out on the ground and placed the blanket over it before lifting Jessie out. “I’ll put you near the edge so you can run your fingers over the grass and feel how soft and fresh it is to touch.

  Jessie wrapped her arms around Clemmie’s neck. “I love you.” The child’s simple declaration brought tears to her eyes.

  “I love you, too, sweetheart.” How empty life had been before she came to the ranch. If only Ethan would…. Are you crazy or what? Thinking like this. You’re only here for Jessica’s sake, friendship and respect was all she could expect from him. I want more.

  A few birds fluttered around and the soft lowing of distant cattle broke the silence. Jessie used to wear dresses, but Clemmie found it easier for her to wear pretty blouses and a skirt. The little girl could slip on a blouse and button it up herself which gave her some independence, and the skirt was easy to get her into as well.

  “I was thinking,” Clemmie said. “Do you want to try and see if you can stand up?” She had noticed leg movement as the child slept.

  “I can’t, I’m crippled.” The plaintive words tugged at her heart. Mary-Lou’s cruel taunts had obviously taken hold. If I could get hold of that vicious woman, I’d scratch her eyes out.

  “You are not crippled, sweetheart. You’re legs just aren’t working properly that’s all. Put your arms around my neck and I’ll take most of your weight when I pull you up, so you can stand for a few seconds. What a wonderful Christmas gift it would be for Uncle Ethan if you could stand up on your own.”

  “I’d like that.”

  “This will be our little secret, then you can surprise him.”

  “Yes, I want to.” She clapped her hands.

  “Now, your legs will feel weak, so you have to put most of your weight on me. I’ve noticed when you’re asleep your legs move sometimes. You even kick the bedclothes off.”

  “Do I?”

  “Yes, I’ve been watching it for the last few days.”

  “Why can’t I walk then?”

  “I don’t know, but, sweetheart, you have movement in your legs now, which means you’re healing. You just have to believe you can do it.”

  Clemmie maneuvered the chair on to the blanket. “You can do this, Jessie, I know you can.” She brushed aside the fear of this being bad for the child. If she did fall it would only be on the soft ground. Inwardly she was trembling yet dared not show it. She loved this little girl like she was her own child, and would never do anything to harm her.

  “On the count of three. All right?” Concentrate, sweetheart, this will be hard. I know you can do it.” She bent down. “Put your arms around my neck and we can see how it goes.”

  The little arms clamped around her neck. “One, two, three.” Slowly, she pulled the child up, taking most of the weight. Jessie grunted with the strain. For a few seconds she stood, before flopping back into her chair.

  Tears filled her eyes. “I couldn’t do it,” she wailed.

  “You did, only for a second, but you did it. Have a rest and we’ll try again. Okay?”

  Three more times they tried it and at the third attempt, Clemmie was convinced that momentarily the legs did take her weight. She helped Jessica on to the blanket and let her stretch out her legs.

  “Bravo, you did it. Now we know you can do it, we’ll practice every day.”

  “Yes, I did it. I really did it.”

  “I think we need to celebrate with a drink.” She unscrewed the lid and poured the tea into two tin mugs. “A toast to Jessica standing up.” They touched mugs before drinking.

  She unwrapped the biscuits and they had one each. After about ten minutes, she decided it was time to head back to the ranch house. “Now, not a word about this. It’s our secret.” She hooked her little finger around Jessie’s.

  “Why did we do that?”

  “Because it’s a sign, which means we won’t tell the secret, no matter what.”

  The wind picked up as they made their way back. Well rugged up and with a blanket wrapped around Jessie’s knees, neither of them were cold, but she wasn’t taking any risks on the child catching a chill.

  She had started helping her with school work now to save Ethan from doing it after supper, or any spare time he had. He was busy at the moment organizing the cattle for winter and worked long hours. He looked so weary sometimes she inwardly wept for him.

  ****

  A week before Christmas, Ethan took Clemmie and Jessica into Guilford Crossing for supplies. He left the wagon at the back of the mercantile so it could easily be loaded up. After helping Clemmie down, he lifted Jes
sie into her wheelchair.

  “I’m real proud of my two gals,” he said.

  They were both similarly attired in blue dresses with matching ¾ length coats Clemmie had made. She was teaching the little girl how to sew and was surprised at how quickly the child had caught on, seemingly having a natural aptitude for it.

  Agnes had bought the material for them on one of her trips into town, several bolts of material and yards of lace trim and ribbons. Clemmie intended to buy wool so she could teach Jessica how to knit. Ethan had already put in an order for his niece to knit him a scarf.

  After Jessie was organized, Clemmie linked arms with Ethan as he pushed the wheelchair into the mercantile. He had told her he wanted their marriage to look real and she had agreed. Deep down she didn’t want a pretend marriage, although he didn’t seem to show any inclination to offer her more than friendship and gratitude for spending so much time with his niece.

  “Howdy, Ethan, the storekeeper’ greeting was cheerful. “Mrs. Douglas and Miss Jessica.”

  Clemmie smiled at the man and waved to his wife who was down the other end of the store chatting with a customer.

  “If there’s anything you need, just put it on my account. I’ll let you browse around here for a while, Jessie enjoys it,” Ethan said. “I’ve got a few things to do, so I’ll give Syd my order, and he’ll have it loaded in time for us to leave. How about I meet you at the diner, we might as well have lunch while we’re here.”

  He strode off. She much preferred shopping on her own. She wanted to buy him a Christmas present and didn’t want him to know.

  “Where do you want to go first?”

  “The material part, I want something pretty for my dolls. If I’m getting new clothes they should too.”

  “I agree. I was thinking, we could do them matching dresses like ours if you like.”

  “Ooh, yes. Oh, Clemmie, I do love you.”

  “And I love you, sweetheart. I’ve always dreamed of having a niece and I couldn’t have chosen a nicer one than you.” She smiled.

  Jessica giggled. “I’m your early – niece for Christmas present.”

  “Exactly. I think we need a couple of more large rolls of lace. A trim can always pretty up a dress. Some of those little pearl buttons would be handy.”