Mistaken Devotion

Chapter 3

Ryan slammed the front door shut and stood there stewing for a minute as he stared up at the hole in the ceiling where he had fallen through just before the young woman had knocked. He flexed his arm, making sure nothing was broken and kicked at the rotten wood and debris that had fallen all over the floor. He began to wonder what good it was, holding the deed to a crumbling, rotting house and a barn that probably should have been torn down years ago. He wondered if he would have been better off selling the place and going back to Kentucky.

Rubbing his forehead, he let out a long sigh. From the looks of things, it was going to be a lot more work than he'd bargained for, fixing the place up. He told himself he shouldn't complain. He'd never really owned anything other than his horse before so even if it wasn't perfect, at least it was his.

After he'd picked up the larger pieces off the floor, he went in search of a broom and found an old one tucked away in the back corner of the pantry.

After he'd cleaned up the mess and finally cooled down, he went back upstairs and tested the floor before walking on it. There were several spots that were soft and he crouched down at the top of the stairs to mentally measure it all out. He finally came to the conclusion that it would be easier to just rip out the entire floor and replace it, rather than patching bits and pieces.

He would ride into town the next morning to order the lumber and he hoped his funds held out. In the meantime, he moved his belongings to the loft in the barn, as it was slightly sturdier than the house at that particular moment.

The next morning, Ryan took a good look at the wagon that was parked inside the barn. It seemed to be in good repair, needing only a good oiling and he hitched his horse up and drove into town. It didn't take long to purchase the lumber, nails, and a few personal items and supplies.

He was loading the wood into the back of the wagon when something caught his eye across the street and he looked up to see the young woman he'd yelled at the day before, walking into the post office. He paused and watched her until she stepped inside before going back to work.

He was beginning to feel a bit guilty for the way he'd spoken to her. His late mother never would have approved and he knew that had she been there, she would have demanded he offer the young lady an apology.

The apology, however, would have to wait. He had work to do.

After his fourth trip into town in as many days, he was riding home, grumbling about how much time he'd spent, just riding back and forth when he saw her again. She was walking along the side of the road with one of the girls he'd chased off his property. He guessed she was the  woman's younger sister, which explained why she had been so protective of her.

They were walking slowly, talking quietly and it was easy enough to catch up to them. When he was a few yards behind them, he climbed down out of the saddle and caught up on foot. He pulled his hat off and cleared his throat.

Emily spun around the moment she heard the sound and gasped when she realized who it was. Jumping backwards away from him, she bumped into Alicia, who had turned more slowly and was slightly off balance. They both went tumbling backwards, Emily landing in a nice soft patch of grass and Alicia landing hard, in the only mud puddle within twenty yards.

Wincing as the gravel bit into the palms of her hands, Alicia gasped as she felt the cold water seeping through her skirts.

His mouth dropping open in shock, Ryan hesitated only a moment before jumping to help her to her feet, "I'm sorry, I didn't intend to startle you."

"I don't need your help, thank you very much!" she snapped, jerking her hand away from him.

She seemed to be struggling to get to her feet and he again moved to help her, this time grasping her by the hand and elbow. "I didn't mean to-,"