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Armstrong drew Kent aside, back to the paddock, just in view of the driveway and the fence that meandered its way down the hill to what his father called Paradise Valley, but what was really Johlman Valley. He swallowed hard, wondering what Alice would be doing just then.
“A man can’t live without a goal, Kent. It’s an aimless life. You should make a plan to stay here. Make a plan to get your sorry hide over to Alice and make her your wife. Start going back to church again, that would be a good plan.”
The curse tore from his throat before he could pull it back. His brother didn’t understand all that had been taken. Armstrong gripped his shoulder, pressing his thumb deep into the muscle.
“I’ve never heard anything come from your mouth like that. Pa’s the only one who talks like a heathen around here, and I won’t stand for that from anyone but him. Especially with Dosha walking around here. Understand.” It wasn’t a question. He’d choose Dosha over his brother.
Kent took a breath and shrugged his brother’s hold off of him. “You got what you planned for. The ranch was your dream. You got it. You wanted a bride, you got one. I wanted to be a doctor and was left working with animals. The very animals I wanted to leave in my past when I left.” He ripped the bandana off his neck and tossed it to the ground. “You act as if I can just erase all that’s happened like a teacher wiping a slate at the end of the day. I can’t. Every day I wake up wanting what I will never have.”
Obviously, God hadn’t wanted him to have any of those things, or he’d have them. There was some other plan for his life greater than his own aspirations, which meant Alice would be pulled away from him soon, too. From now on, he would try to avoid her. He’d almost kissed her there in her front yard when she’d been crying over that puppy. He’d wanted to make her forget the little dog for just a moment.
Now that he was in his right mind, far away from the influence of Alice’s beautiful eyes and dark hair, he was glad he hadn’t done anything so rash. She would be much harder to forget if he didn’t stop thinking about her.
“Rider coming.” Armstrong notched his chin high and squinted off in the distance. “Can’t tell who it is.”
Kent turned and his heart leapt as he recognized immediately both rider and horse. “That’s Alice . . .” But what could be so wrong that she’d race up the driveway? She’d told him of her promise to her father, and this was clearly breaking her word.
He jogged toward her. The moment she pulled up, he reached for the horse’s reins, tugged her off and sent the winded animal to cool down with Armstrong. “What’s wrong?”
When she braced herself against him, his heart sputtered at her touch. “One of the sheep died about two hours ago. Dr. Spight is too busy to come out and see what happened. Leo and Pa are afraid the other sick sheep will follow suit and we’ll lose the whole flock. Please come.” Her eyes watered and her legs shook under her, forcing him to cling to her so she didn’t fall. Not that the job was a chore.
She had to have ridden bareback for an hour to reach him. Without the security of a saddle, her muscles had to be sore, but she’d made it. “I can’t have you go inside to rest. Pa is in there with Ma right now and he’s been rough on both Ma and Dosha. I don’t trust him with you.”
He eased her over to the porch and led her up the stairs so she could sit on the swing there. The moment he got her seated, she tried to rise again. “I can’t just relax. I have to bring help.”
“You will. I’ll go. But I can’t just toss you back on a horse again or you’ll fall right off.”
She slowly lowered back into the seat. “I can’t stay here. I promised Pa I wouldn’t.” She lowered her head. “I never should’ve gone into that fence. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have had to make that promise.”
And if she hadn’t, he never would’ve sought her out. Without that moment in time, they’d both be sitting on their respective sides of the river, wondering if the other still cared. Now he knew. He could read every emotion in her eyes. She cared for him more than she was willing to say. Yet. He hoped she understood he cared too but could do nothing about it.
His face would never heal and God would never allow him to finish a plan he’d started. He should’ve known better from the beginning. How many times would he need to be reined in? If he hadn’t ever put himself in Alice’s view, she would’ve considered him a worthless miscreant, not worthy of consideration.
Now, it was best if she stoppered up that affection growing in her heart before she got herself hurt once again. “I’m sure your pa knows what’s best.” He fought the urge to reach for her hand and hold it, to impart some warmth to her.
Armstrong approached and leaned against the railing of the porch steps. “I had Marcus take the horse for a walk to cool down. He should be fine soon. Good thing you didn’t ride him any harder.”
Alice’s cheeks darkened slightly. “I couldn’t ride any faster, though I wanted to.”
“You did well,” Kent commended her before he could stop himself.
Armstrong glanced between the two of them, then focused on Alice. “What’s going on over there?”
Kent bristled at his brother’s focus on her. He’d already asked the pertinent questions, and it wasn’t as if Armstrong would be able to help her at all. He was merely wasting time. Alice quickly repeated what she knew.
“I didn’t see it. I was at Hannah’s, returning her puppy and helping her cook for the men in the jail. Gideon came to fetch the doctor. When he wouldn’t come, Gideon stopped to get me because my horse was fresh.”
Armstrong narrowed his eyes at her. “Cows and sheep are different. What makes you think they have the same thing ours do?”
Kent stood up and moved between his brother and Alice. “She believes it because I told her as much. I need to get over there and take a look at that sheep, and the others. Can you hitch a wagon for me so I can bring Alice home?” He couldn’t simply leave her there, not with his father acting up. If Pa came out of the house to smoke on the porch, he’d blow like dynamite.
Armstrong stood unmoving and unspeaking. Kent wanted to kick him. Why wasn’t he moving out of the way? Standing here wasn’t going to make any of this easier.
“So you have been talking to Alice?” He peered around Kent.
“I had to in order to gain access to her house to help the puppy.”
Kent flinched at the gasp behind him. He hadn’t meant for the words to sound like there was no other reason he would go over there, but he also needed her and his brother to understand there was no hope. His hope was dead and there would be no resurrection.
