Daniel Williams’ house sits in a small valley just outside of town. Ellis steps up onto the porch and knocks. Daniel’s wife, Sarah, appears in a few seconds. She wipes her flour-covered hands onto her dress and her face lights up into a warm smile.
“Well hello, Mr. Combs!”
“Mrs. Williams,” Ellis gives her a nod and a tip of his hat. “Is your husband around?”
Sarah’s brows furrow and she frowns. “Actually, Daniel hasn’t come home yet.” By the look on her face, Ellis can tell that she’d expected her husband home hours ago. “He’s been out delivering some tools to a new customer.”
She seemingly ponders on his absence for a moment before a dark haired little girl comes bouncing into the doorway behind her. “Mama, my finger!”
“Gracie, baby, what happened?”
Ellis figures the girl is about five or so. She has pricked her finger with a sewing needle, and a light trickle of blood is oozing from the small puncture.
“The needle got me, Mama.”
“Let’s go put a bandage on it,” Sarah ruffles the girl’s hair before turning back to Ellis. “Need to make an order? I’ll grab you a leaf of paper. Just write it down and I’ll be sure he gets it.”
Ellis writes down: Large garden shears for Ellis Combs on the paper and hands it back to Sarah, who has just finished wrapping Gracie’s finger.
“Thank you.” He tips his hat again before getting onto Guilford and heading back to the cabin.
He had left Madison tending to the cattle. She’d insisted on helping him rotate the cattle to the adjacent pasture. He’d been too tired to argue so he just let her.
Despite his protests, she was finding ways to insert herself into his daily life, and she had already completely upended his solitary habits all on her own. Oddly enough, he didn’t mind it as much as he thought he would.
She had been with him and Gal for three days now and he knew that she was still trying to come up with a plan for leaving the western North Carolina mountains, but he never cared to ask how her plan was coming along. As much as it scares him that he is actually enjoying her company, it scares him even more that she might leave.
When he reaches his property, his eyes instinctively begin searching for her.
He finds her quickly - her presence is one that demands attention no matter where she stands. She’s ditched her dress for a pair of brown trousers and a plain long-sleeved shirt. Ellis watches her command the cattle expertly from inside the pasture. She and Gal have nearly finished corralling them inside the gate when he stops his horse next to the pasture.
Madison notices his arrival and her face lights up into a heartbreaking smile. Her cheeks are smudged with soil, and her leather boots are covered in gunk from around the farm, but she still takes Ellis’ breath away. He shakes his head to rid himself of the flustered feeling in his stomach.
She beams up at him and calls, “Almost done!”
He jumps off to tie up his horse. Madison locks the gate behind her and tries to clean her dirty hands on her pants before she reaches him.
“Good job with the cattle,” Ellis compliments, refusing to look her in the eye.
She smiles at him breathlessly. “Thanks for letting me help.”
He gives her one of his signature nods in response.
Madison struggles to understand these quiet mannerisms of his. Sometimes she feels as if he enjoys her company, but other times, like when he only communicates through nodding, she feels like she’s an uncomfortable invasion of his well-loved private life. Which is a shame, because she has grown to love spending time with him.
YOU ARE READING
In Wilderness Found
Historical FictionEven though that pistol is aimed on the space right between his eyes, his awe is outweighing his fright. His admiration for her strongly set jaw and her confident grip on the firearm is overpowering his common sense. Even with his life in her hands...
