Chapter 5

As it got later Victoria did get tired and when Elizabeth and Billy went out to the porch swing, Hank went back to the bunkhouse, so Victoria asked Jamie to take her upstairs. He was more than glad to lift her into his arms tonight. He had wanted to put his arms around her all evening. When they got to her room, he set her on her bed but didn’t want to leave. She didn’t really want him to leave but she just didn’t know what to say, so he said it.

“You really looked pretty tonight. Not that you don’t always look pretty but it is good to see you healing and that dress is mighty pretty too.” Ok so now he was rambling, say goodnight and get the hell out. But he couldn’t.

“Do you need anything, or can I get you anything before bed?” He asked stepping closer to her.

“Well yes I could use some help.”

“Just name it.”

“Can you help me get my night gown on? Elizabeth could be a while and I am really sleepy. I don’t want her to cut her evening short just to help me; she has been so excited about this dinner.”

Jamie cleared his throat and became extremely nervous. How could he do this? Just carrying her upstairs set his hormones off like bombs, how could he help her get undressed and not react. This was silly of course he could do this he was not some kind of animal, he was a man with self-control after all she was not suggesting he sleep with her, she just needed his help.

“Sure, I can help you, how should we do this?”

“Can you help me stand back up?”

Once she was on her feet, she pointed to the gown lying at the foot of her bed and he picked it up. It was not as sexy as the one his mom had given her, but it was pretty.

“Ok, now if you will just slip it over my head and help me get my cast through the arm hole.”

“Over your dress?”

“Yes.”

So, he did as she asked, and the gown fell down over the dress.

“Now if you will just untie the straps of my dress at the shoulders it should just drop to the floor.” And it did.

“Hey that was pretty slick.” Jamie said pleased and amazed with the process.

After pulling her covers back a little more, Jamie helped her slip in to bed and then he covered her.

“Thank you, Jamie, I don’t say that often enough, do I? I don’t know how I could have gotten through all this without you and Elizabeth. You are wonderful.”

He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Good night Victoria.” This would be another sleepless night for Jamie. Much later, sleep did finally come to him but only after he forced his thoughts from Victoria and to the new land he wanted to buy.

When his alarm went off it felt way to early. On a normal morning, he would have gotten dressed and shaved and then went to the kitchen for coffee but this morning he was willing to forego his routine to check on Victoria. Her room was still dark, so he quietly stood outside her doorway and watched her sleep.

“Good morning Peeping Tom.” She said in almost a whisper.

“Good morning. I was just checking on you.” He responded.

“I know, and I was just kidding.”

“Oh good. I wouldn’t want you to think that I was weird or anything.” That statement in itself was just weird. He was sure that she thought he was just strange. But he was wrong. Victoria had known from the very first minute in that rescue unit that Jamie was a very special man and she hated to admit it but that did scare her a little. He was someone she could fall hard for and right now a man in her life was only more trouble. But maybe this man was worth it.

“Should I call mom for you?” He asked

“No, not right now, let her sleep a while, I’m sure she got to bed late.”

That bothered Jamie. Dr Riley was ok, and he was grateful to him for all he was doing for Victoria, but this was the first man to show interest in his mom that she didn’t shut down. Jamie had always wanted Elizabeth to have her own life and be happy but now he was finding it hard to let her.

“Jamie, would you mind running downstairs and asking Paula to bring me a cup of coffee? I think the smell is really what woke me, and I sure would love a cup.”

“No problem at all.” He said slipping out her doorway.

In just minutes he was back with a tray. It had fresh baked cinnamon rolls, a pot of hot coffee and two mugs.

“I hope you don’t mind but I thought I might join you. We really haven’t had much time to talk and I’d like to get to know you.”

She smiled so he moved to the other side of her bed and placed the tray between them. Being careful not to bounce the mattress much he slipped up on the foot and poured the coffee.

“Thank you.” She said when he handed her a plate with a broken-up roll on it so she could eat pieces with her left hand. The conversation started out slowly and was basically small talk, like strangers share but before long they were talking like old friends. It was almost scary how easy he was to talk to. Only once did she tense up and consider his questions as being nosey, when he asked why she wanted to move to Valentine. She looked so deeply in to his eyes that he could feel it. But then with a soft sigh she began her story.

“In the past two years, I have had a lot of loss and pain in my life. I have always been a strong person but a few weeks ago things just hit bottom. I decided then that I needed to move on, put all the bad behind me and try to start a new happy life somewhere else. So, I contacted a job search company and ask them to find me a new job. They called and said they had several for me to pick from and it was really difficult to choose until I read about how this town came to be. I am naturally a romantic, but the railroad part of the story really did it for me, I have railroad in my blood.”

Jamie didn’t really understand but he smiled any way. There was obviously more to it that she wasn’t ready to reveal.

“I can’t explain it, but I even felt happy just driving in to Valentine, I mean of course, before the bull.”

“Oh yes, Romeo. I can’t say I’m sorry enough for that. You know the whole accident was my fault.”

“How in the world can you say that?” She asked.

“Well I was fixing the section of fence where Romeo had slipped out. He has done it several times over the years but if he gets out and we don’t catch it someone will call and say that he’s over courting their heard. He is so old that he really isn’t a danger even to the cows, but I never thought about cars before. You must believe me when I say how sorry I am. You have every right to never forgive me, but I just wanted you to know that if I could have suffered your injuries instead, I would have.”

The look on his face was so sad and sincere. She touched his cheek with her fingertips. She wanted it to be with her lips, but she couldn’t reach him, it was ok though, he knew.

“Good morning.” Elizabeth said coming around the corner to a sudden stop.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything?” She asked.

“No of course not.” Victoria responded.

But the look on Jamie’s face told a different story. Every day for the next week or so he and Victoria had coffee in her room before he started his day. They were starting to share things and become close. He had always felt the physical attraction to her, but this was different. He was discovering that they had things in common. That he wanted good things to come her way. That he wouldn’t mind being part of them. Somewhere in the second week a series of storms swept across Texas. Victoria found herself worrying about Jamie out on the range in the storms. He would come in for dinner at night all wet and muddy, but she could relax then because he was home. She could also see that he looked more tired every day. He would work the ranch all day, stay up late at night in his office and get up extra early to have coffee with her. He was tired, and it was starting to show.

Friday morning came in with thunder and lightning. Jamie noticed that Victoria flinched every time the thunder hit. She didn’t seem afraid of the storms but definitely didn’t like them. He tried to distract her, and she knew it, but it was still hard not to react. Jamie was telling her that he would be gone all day and would be in sometime after dinner. Although she smiled it was going to mean a long lonely day. She had started looking forward to dinner in the evening when Jamie would talk about his day, she loved it when he would suddenly show up in the middle of the day and she loved that he got up extra early every morning to have coffee with her. But what she really enjoyed was how wonderful she felt when Jamie carried her up and down the stairs every day. The doctor had told her two weeks ago that she should start moving around some on her own and she had but she was not allowed to attempt the stairs and if she had it her way that could go on forever. When Jamie picked her up in his strong arms and held her close to his chest, she could feel his heart, she could smell his skin and she could feel his breath. There was so much there, she knew that she had fallen in love with him a long time ago, but she would never admit it to another soul. This morning when Jamie had placed her at the edge of the sofa, they were alone so along with her usual ‘thank you’ she lightly kissed his cheek, but he turned, and she caught the corner of his mouth. The heat that raced through both of them was almost too much to fight. Just as Jamie was about to pull Victoria in to his arms and kiss her, a bolt of lightning hit nearby with a loud crack and they both jumped apart.

“Jamie,” Paula said coming in from the kitchen, “That was close, and I think it hit something out back.”

“Ok Paula I’ll be right there.” He never broke eye contact with Victoria. She knew he didn’t want to go. A sudden clash of thunder made her jump and he smiled.

“I’d better go.”

She nodded and watched him go through the kitchen. When Elizabeth came down stairs she was pleased to find Victoria smiling.

Jamie was surprised when he got out back to find that lightening had struck the storage building behind the stables. Rolly was trying to calm the horses and two of the other ranch hands were putting out a small fire. The storage building had been hit on the north side and had created a small fire. They just about had it out when Jamie got there but the building would need some major repair. Hank and a couple of hands were bringing in tarps and they would fasten them over the new opening to keep things inside dry. Once that was taken care of everyone went on with their usual chores. Feedings and repairs were always a major part of the day.

Victoria stood near the front window watching as a jeep drove down the lane toward the road. Ranch life was busy, something new every day. She thought that was something she could get used to because she had always been a great multi-tasker, but the one thing she was having second thoughts about was living in Texas. Nowhere that she had ever been before had storms like Texas. Storms that roared across the state like an army. Victoria had never really liked storms like her mother had but in the past year dislike had turned to terror. Thoughts of her mother brought tears to her eyes, which quickly turned to sobs. When Elizabeth touched her shoulder, Victoria jumped.

“Honey are you ok?”

“Yes.” But before she could wipe the tears away, she wrapped herself around Elizabeth. The tears flowed, and Elizabeth just held her tightly. This was the first time Elizabeth had seen Victoria cry and she knew it was past due. But Victoria was not crying for herself, she was crying for her parents. When the tears finally stopped Victoria was embarrassed about crying in front of Elizabeth.

“Here honey let’s get you over here to this chair and I’ll get you some juice. Will you be ok for a few minutes?”

Victoria nodded; she was just regaining her composure when Jamie appeared with her juice.

“Victoria are you ok? Mom said you were upset about something.” He said handing her the juice. Her bruises and cuts had healed enough over the past week, that it was now apparent to everybody that she was as beautiful outside as she was inside, but the tear stains on her face were still very obvious, and Jamie couldn’t stand the thought of her crying. Without hesitation, he pulled her into his arms. The storm outside was again raging but this time she wasn’t afraid. Jamie made her feel safe no matter what. She could feel that his shirt and his hair were wet from the rain and he smelled piney and fresh. His hold was strong, and his body felt warm. Moving her arm around his waist was all he needed. It was his permission to kiss her, so he did. She melted into him casts and all. This was no ‘hope you’re feeling better’ kiss, this was an I can make you feel better kiss. She gave as much as she got. The tension between them had been growing for days. Little smiles, gentle touches and heated caresses were all a part of this. Every morning when he carried her down stairs, every day smiling over the lunch table and especially when he carried her to bed at night, it was all built up in them. Rain pounding on the windows, thunder crashing all around and Elizabeth and Paula standing only feet away was not enough to break the spell. Jamie’s mind had just accepted the thought to scoop Victoria up in his arms and carry her up to his bed when he realized someone else was in the room. As he broke the kiss Victoria was almost shattered but when she realized that they were not alone that feeling changed. Had she been able to run and hide she would already be gone but Jamie had not yet released his hold on her. Elizabeth was a woman of class and Victoria had known that right away but was really happy about it at this moment. Without raising an eyebrow or making a comment about the situation she had just walked in on; she spoke as if they had been sitting on the sofa watching TV.

“Jamie, Hank just called in, there is a problem. He needs you and a couple hands to get right over to the west pasture. One of the shelters was taken down by the storm and they have a steer trapped inside. Normally it wouldn’t be an emergency, but Hank says this guy is not happy about being trapped and is trying to get out on his own. Call me when you get him out if I need to send for the vet.”

Jamie had not yet broken eye contact with Victoria but knew he had to. Slowly he started to release his hold on her, so she could regain her balance. Once that was done, he turned to leave. Picking up his walkie-talkie he called two men’s names and instructed them to pull around a jeep. Paula and Elizabeth followed him into the kitchen.

“Jamie this storm is really getting bad and I don’t want you guys risking your lives. Get that steer free and get back here.”

“It won’t take long and if the steer hasn’t hurt himself trying to get out, well then we’ll all be back soon.” He put his hand on the doorknob and was turning it when he stopped and turned back to Elizabeth.