{Chapter 30}

“Yep. That’s them” Toni lowered the canvas back over the three dead bodies in the back of her wagon. “Those were the other two that Mark left behind. Can’t believe Downs was working with ‘em.”

Wade sighed. “Sure is sad how all this turned out. How’s Erik?”

Toni looked back at her shack. “He’s slept all night. The doc’s checkin’ on him now.”

“Not a peep outta him? Nothing?” Wade asked.

“Not a single thing. I know this because I didn’t sleep but a few minutes off and on last night,” Toni admitted, though she wasn’t about to tell him that she had slept beside him so she would feel every move he made. “I’m gonna go back inside to check on him. Who’s taking these bodies into town?”

“Reckon I will, even if I don’t necessarily want to see that sheriff” Wade mumbled.

Toni could say something to him in agreement, but she was determined to treat people better, even if they didn’t deserve it.

“Be careful. Maybe he’ll be awake when you come back” Toni sighed.

She went inside just as the doctor was coming out of the room.

“Doc? What’s the verdict?” she rushed to his side.

“He’s awake” Doc grinned.

Toni could have squealed. “Really? Is he okay?”

“He’ll be a long time recovering, but I think he’ll be just fine” Doc smiled.

Toni let out a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding in. “Thank God. Can I see him?”

“Yes, but don’t over do it. He needs his rest” Doc said, taking up his bag and exiting the room.

Toni breathed deeply and sent up a brief prayer of thanks to God before going into the next room. Erik laid there, his eyes closed and his stomach wrapped in clean bandages. She gave him a look, knowing that he was pretending to be asleep. That was okay, she’d just let him play his little game. She walked to the window and turned her back to him. She could feel his eyes on her back but resisted the urge to turn around and see those unnaturally dark green eyes.

“To answer your question” she smiled when she heard Erik’s voice. “It’s the kind of love that a Christian man has for his woman.”

She gripped the window frame to keep from turning around. “I thought you were sleeping,” she said, grinning.

“I woke up” Erik said weakly.

She gave into herself and turned around. He was a sight for her eyes. Though his face was still etched with pain, she was just happy that he was awake.

“How are you?” she asked, sitting on the bed beside him.

“I‘ve felt better.” Erik mumbled.

Toni rubbed his arm. “That’s to be expected” she looked into his eyes. “I missed you.”

Erik smiled. “I missed you, too. Who else was hurt?”

When she didn’t answer right away, his face began to get worried. “Toni?”

“B-Ben got hit” Toni said in a low voice, tears stinging behind her eyes.

“Is he okay?” Erik asked.

Toni nodded. “Forevermore.”

Erik got her meaning and groaned. “Not Ben.”

Toni covered her mouth to keep from sobbing and nodded again. Tears spilled down her cheeks and over her hands.

**********

Erik pulled Toni into his arms, and tried to ignore the pain in his back from the movement. She sobbed and her tears spilled onto his shoulder. She blubbered for a moment before pulling back.

“I’m probably hurting you,” she said, sniffling and wiping her eyes.

Erik stilled her hands and wiped a lone tear from her cheek. “I’m just fine.”

Toni took a deep, calming breath then reached over him to where his Bible lay on his other side. “I read some of this while you were out.”

“You did?” Erik tried not to get his hopes up. Toni was too stubborn.

“I did. You’ll never guess what it did to me” Toni smiled.

Erik’s hopes raised on their own.

“I knelt right there beside you and asked the Lord into my heart. I don’t know if I did it right. Wade always said that all I had to do was ask for forgiveness and be willing to turn from my wicked ways, so that’s what I did. Is that right?” Toni asked pure innocence behind her brown eyes.

Erik smiled and felt the knot in the pit of his stomach disappear. His eyes stung from the tears of pure joy wanting to break loose. He put his hand on the side of her face. “You did everything just right, my love,” he whispered.

“I want to learn more about God and all of His promises. Do you think you can teach me when you feel up to it?” Toni asked, the tears of the moment before giving way to a glowing face.

“You know I will” Erik replied.

She sighed and moved to sit closer beside him. “I’m glad I hired you, McBride.”

Erik laughed. “I’m glad of that.”

“You might be worth your wages after all, anyway” Toni looked at him and winked.

“That’s good to know.”

“Okay, so maybe I kinda like you” Toni giggled.

Erik’s brow furrowed. “That’s too bad.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because I love you so much it hurts. Kinda stings that you don’t feel the same way” Erik crossed his arms sorely and pretended to pout.

Toni fixed him with a look and huffed. “I can’t believe you, Erik McBride. After all this while of being married to me you still don’t know that when I say ‘I kinda like you’ I really mean…”

**********

Toni boldly leaned forward and kissed him smack dab on his pouting lips. She hadn’t expected to, but it wasn’t that she regretted it now. He smiled against her lips and she knew he was pretending. He seemed to like doing that now. His hand moved to the side of her face to keep her there while he commenced to kiss the living daylights out of her. She didn’t mind it one bit, either. His other hand rubbed up and down her arm and Toni had never felt so loved in all of her life.

She pulled back and rubbed his cheek. “Doc said you needed your rest, you know. I’ve still got an outfit to run, and that herd needs to be moved before they eat my dirt, too.”

“The herd can wait” Erik said, sneaking in a brief, soft kiss.

“You know good and well they can’t, Erik. Doc’ll be around if you need anything, okay?” Toni stood, but Erik caught her arm, pulled her back down to sit next to him, and kissed her again.

She sighed and kissed him back. “I’ve really got to go now.”

Erik kissed her nose. “If you have to.”

Toni watched his beautiful green eyes for a moment. “I love you so much,” she whispered.

“I love you, too,” Erik whispered back, rubbing her cheek with his gentle, calloused thumb.

He was indeed the best thing that ever happened to her.

Thank you for sparing him, Lord.

She kissed his forehead, tousled his hair as if he were a boy, and walked out, grabbing her hat from off the dresser. She walked toward the front door but turned around to look back at him once more to find that he had already fell back to sleep. She shook her head and walked outside.

**********

Katie stared at the fresh grave of her fiancé, feeling her broken heart barely beating in her chest. She felt like dying with him.

“I’ll always love you, Ben. I’ll never marry anyone else as long as I live. I promise you that, my love,” she whispered.

The wind blew her hair across her face and rustled the grass around her like the winds of change. It was true; change was coming for the residents of the Broken F, every last one of them. She had seen the glow on her cousin’s face for the past few days after Erik woke up. A face of someone in love. A face that she had sported at one time.

It wasn’t fair that she had to go through life without Ben, and she was planning to be as close to him in death as possible. She would be moving back to El Paso, she couldn’t be that far away from Ben.

If only she could have him back. There were so many things she wanted to tell him. So many things she forgot to say. Now that she thought about it, she didn’t suppose she would redo her days with him for the world.

**********

Toni rolled over on her little bed in the front room of her shack and sighed. She couldn’t sleep to save her life. Finally giving up after half an hour of studying the ceiling, she stood to her socked feet and looked in to Erik, who was sound asleep. She sighed and smiled at him. She had nearly lost him, and God saw fit for her to keep him. Something about that was just amazing.

She plopped down on the table and stared at the slip of paper there. Erik had given it to her when he remembered it in his vest pocket. Mark’s information incase she changed her mind about going to stay with him. She knew that she should forgive her uncle, and give him credit for all of his hard work, but he was asking the impossible of her. She would never leave the Broken F, not for all the money in the world.

She wanted to mend her relationship with the man, but she couldn’t leave the ranch. That was all there was to it.

Maybe there was another way….

It seemed a little short to me, but I couldn't get my thoughts together today. Tell me if there's a problem, and I'd appreciate it! Only two more chapters to go.. I think:)