Chapter 23

Bliss looked at the curiosity in Clint’s eyes and knew that she wasn’t obligated to tell him about Seth, but something inside her wanted to. Maybe he could help her sort things out if he knew the whole story.

“Was he your beau or something?” he asked.

Bliss chuckled to ward off her impending tears. “Oh, that he was. That, and so very much more.”

She saw his confusion and took a deep breath before diving into her story.

“When I was eighteen, my daddy hired on a new cowboy. I’ve never been allowed to fraternize with any of the cowboys except for Mose and Colt, but there was something about this one that caught my eye. I was still a spoiled brat inside, though by all indications on the outside I was an adult. Seth was handsome and had a charming smile. That was about all I wanted back then. I didn’t take time to get to know his personality. We would sneak off in the middle of the night and go riding. Nothing happened much, but we got to know each other. He was about ten years older than me I think, so I hung to every word he said as pure wisdom. I became wrapped up in empty promises and whispered words of what he could give me. I was so stupid back then.

We got married on a whim, regardless of what my father told me. He warned me against entering into such a lasting thing like marriage without very much thought. I didn’t listen. He had given me everything I had ever wanted and I didn’t know how to react to his warning. About a month after our marriage, I found out that he was a drinker. He seemed closer to his bottle of red-eye than he ever was of me. Once he got his whiskey into him, there was no telling what he was going to be. He could be a sad, heartbroken man who would cry in my lap about all of his troubles, or he could turn into a monster that would break things and yell at me. I reacted in the worst way possible to it. I gave him everything he wanted and waited on him hand and foot. I told myself that I was doing the right thing, that waiting on him was how a wife was supposed to be to her husband. That’s what he told me, and since he was so much older, I believed him. So stupid.” Bliss let a tear slide down her cheek as she squeezed her hands, trying to ward off the feeling of regret. “I would never tell Daddy anything. One of the arguments we had before I married Seth was that I couldn’t handle it life away from the ranch. I was so determined to prove him wrong that I let Seth walk all over me. There was a time that I broke, though. One day he went to town and got drunk. I was out for a walk when he came home, so I didn’t find him until some time after he returned. This time he decided to bring another woman along with him. I was so angry when I found them together that I didn’t even get her out. I simply walked outside, grabbed my horse, and rode bareback all the way back to the ranch and told Daddy everything. At first Daddy was angry, but he cooled off before he decided to ride off and blow Seth’s head off. I spent the night at the ranch and when Seth came the next morning to beg my forgiveness and to try to convince me that he loved me, I wouldn’t even hear him. Daddy demanded a divorce…”

She stopped and looked over at Clint, who stared at her through shocked eyes.

“D-divorce?” he croaked.

Bliss nodded. “That’s why no one speaks of Seth. I’m humiliated to admit it, but I figure I’ve got to own up to it sometime or other. No one outside of Seth and I knew except for Daddy, Grace, Colt, and the Justice of the Peace in Plateau. No one else knows to this day. They all think that he’s dead and gone and that I’m a grieving widow. So I guess it’s plain to see why Daddy is so protective of me, but that doesn’t account for the secrets. Seth had nothing to do with Momma’s death.”

Clint simply sat there, processing the flow of information. His expression was somewhat stunned at first, but his features relaxed some after a few moments.

She had just spilled her whole story out to him, and he didn’t seem to have any emotion other than shocked on his face. She was surprised he didn’t get up and run away from her at the mention of a divorcement. Maybe he saw that she had no choice. A life with a cheating husband was no way to live at all for a woman like Bliss. Besides, she wasn’t the way she was back then, was she? Surely she had grown up some since then.

“Please say something,” she murmured to Clint.

“I…I don’t know what to say. It seems so simple; like your father’s overbearing nature should be explained, but I feel like there’s something left out.”

Bliss sighed. “I’ve felt that way for years. Now that I’ve come completely clean to you and you know the whole story, maybe we can get this situation cleared up soon. We both have lives to get on to, ya know.” She forced a smile at him.

He waited a moment before answering, as if choosing his next words carefully. “I’m not in a big rush.”

*****

They arrived back at the ranch in the early evening, and Clint’s eyelids seemed like they weighed fifty pounds each. All he wanted to do was go to bed and sleep until noon the next day, but he knew that he had to stay up and take his punishment for being out in the rain same as Bliss did.

He looked over at her as they entered the ranch yard. Her eyelids drooped and circles had begun to form under her eyes, but even in the dusky air, she wasn’t that bad to look at.

No one stirred around the ranch yard, everyone having gone into the bunkhouses or the ranch house, and for that Clint was thankful. He and Bliss walked up onto the porch and he looked over at her.

“You ready for this?” he asked her.

She bit her lower lip. “What will Damian say after that display this morning?”

“Listen here, you can leave that old buzzard to me, okay?” Clint said as he opened the front door.

The sound caused what seemed like a stampede down the hall. In a matter of seconds they were surrounded by Grace, Colt, and Mose.

“Where were you? I’ve been worried sick,” Grace hugged Bliss tight.

Bliss looked at him from over the woman’s shoulder and bulged her eyes to hint that she was about to pop. Clint bit back a smile and looked to face Colt and Mose’s scrutinizing gazes. They probably thought that he had abducted Bliss or something when they were gone so long. What did it take to get people to trust him around here?

“It’s a really long story, Grace. Right now I just want to sit down and drink some tea,” Bliss sighed as Grace let her go.

Grace rubbed her arms. “We can fix that, honey child.”

Clint watched as Mose hugged Bliss much like a father would have. The old dusty cowhand must have had a soft spot for his boss’ daughter in his heart, and Sherman must trust him an awful lot to allow Bliss to associate with him after all that had happened with Seth.

Clint looked around. He didn’t see Bliss’ daddy anywhere in sight. “Where’s Sherman?”

“He left looking for you two about two hours ago. He should be back soon,” Grace answered.

Colt wrapped his arms around Bliss, and for a moment Clint’s insides seared with jealousy. He soon recovered, trying to pound some sense into his own head.

He’s the best friend she’s got in all the world. He has a right to hug her if he wants to

.

They walked to the kitchen and Grace sat them both down at the table.

“Tell me what happened. You two look like you’ve been rode hard and put up dry,” Grace said as she went about making Bliss’ tea.

Bliss looked over at him. “You tell ‘em. I’m too tired.”

Clint took a deep breath. He knew that she was telling him that it was his decision whether or not to tell them the whole truth.

“Well, we went out toward Almighty this morning and stayed there for a while before we got caught in the rain. Miss Cooper told me there was some shelter nearby so I followed her there. I took care of the horses them went inside and we waited until the rain stopped. When she went outside, the horses were gone. I must have forgotten to tie them up good. So, we didn’t have any horses and had to walk back here on foot.” Clint figured that gave them as much information as they needed to know.

“Why’s she wearing your boots and why are you barefooted?” Colt asked, sitting at the head of the table.

“She broke her shoe,” Clint held up the pair of shoes that he still held.

Just then, a pair of boots were heard coming down the hall from the bedrooms.

Damian.

“I’m grateful that you didn’t let her walk around on a broken shoe or bare feet,” Colt told him.

Clint simply nodded.

Damian made his appearance.

“What did you do to her?” he exclaimed, looking from Clint to Bliss.

Clint rolled his eyes. “I didn’t do a thing to her, you old badger, so you might as well sit down. I’m sure the rain irritated your arthritis.”

He was in no mood to deal with the man.

Damian scowled at him. “Are you okay, Bliss?”

“I’m fine. You can stop worrying,” Bliss said.

“Well, you could have sent that man after a horse instead of walking home, Miss Blissful,” Mose said, speaking for the first time.

Bliss looked over at Clint. “I didn’t even think about that. Besides, once I get some sleep I’ll be right as rain.”

Damian continued to scowl at Clint as he sat down across the table from him. Clint scowled right back. If the man didn’t trust him, he’d give him a reason here in a little while if one of their attitudes didn’t improve.

Suddenly, hoof beats came from near the front porch and soon the front door opened.

Clint braced himself. Either he was about to be fired or applauded for bringing Bliss home safely. She looked over at him and attempted a nervous smile.

The sound of boots hitting the wood floors preceded the demanding voice of Sherman Cooper.

“Grace? I’m gonna need a lantern, a thicker coat, and Colt to saddle me a fresh horse.”

Okay, so now you know the whole story behind Seth. Thoughts?