Carrie's Montana Love: New Montana Brides (New Montana Bride Series) (6 page)

chapter Twelve

The Lazy J

Carrie was quiet during the five mile ride to the Lazy J Ranch. As they entered the yard, she could see the swing Case had hung from a limb in the large cottonwood tree that shaded the yard in the summer. She, Lucy, and CP had spent many hours swinging, and arguing over whose turn it was. She recalled how CP would pass on his turn and let her or Lucy go ahead.
He was the same way then, as he is now, flashed through her mind. Why didn’t I realize it before now? He hasn’t changed. I was the one that changed
.

The carriage had barely stopped before she jumped down and ran into the house
. Maude was in the kitchen when she burst in.

“My gracious, child. It’s good to see you.”

“Where is he, Miss Maude? Is he in his room?”

“Why no, he’s in the spare bedroom down the hall
.”

The door to the bedroom was open, so she tapped on the frame, and walked in. CP’s mother, for whom Carrie was
named, was sitting in a rocking chair, a book in her lap. In between the lines on the page, she was watching her son.

“Carrie Elizabeth. I didn’t know you were coming. I’m so glad to see you. I know it will mean a lot to CP when he wakes up. He cares for you so much.

“If you love him, let him know. I wouldn’t  waste any time.”

Through her tears, Carrie looked at his mother. “I know, he told me before he left to come home. How is he?”

“Carter thinks he’s beginning to come out of it. Pull the other chair over here and talk to him. He might hear you, who knows?”

“Did your mother come?”

We’re here,” said Letty from the doorway. “Is there any change?”

“Carter thinks so. Now that Carrie is here, maybe that will speed things up.”

Carrie burst into tears again. I should have come home with him,” she said. “He asked me to come.”

“It wouldn’t have made any difference,
” said his mother. “He was coming to help with the cattle, and would have been doing the same thing.”

“Maybe,” Carrie Elizabeth said.

She took his limp hand and began stroking it. “CP, I don’t know if you can hear me or not, but I’m going to say this anyway. I love you with all of my heart, and I won’t let you down again. I’m here and here I stay.”

His mother stood and went to
Letty, and said, “Let’s leave them alone.”

They joined their husbands in the kitchen.

Carrie continued massaging his hand. She leaned over the bed and kissed his cheek, then kissed him on the lips. There was no response, but she continued talking. “If we’re going to spend the rest of our lives together, where will it be? Will we use your bedroom, or do you suppose we could build our own house nearby?”

She had no idea how long she sat there, but her legs b
egan to cramp. She stood, leaned over and kissed him once again. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. I just need to stretch.”

She went to the living room and joined the others. “Aunt Carrie, would it be all right if I stayed? I really don’t want to leave him.”

“Well of course it’s all right. Maude will get his room ready for you.”

Her mother said, “Honey, your father put your bag in the carriage. We though
t you might want to stay. He brought it in.”

“Thanks, Mama. I’m going back in with him.”

Late afternoon, her parents left to return to town. She stayed by the bedside, even while eating the food Maude had prepared for her dinner.

It had grown late when CP’s mother suggested
, “Carrie Elizabeth, you need to get some rest. You look a bit haggard. Get some sleep. It won’t do either of you any good for you to make yourself sick. Why don’t you take a hot bath and go to bed.

“You’r
e right,” she said. “I am tired, but it’s late and I don’t what anyone to go to the trouble of heating bath water.”

“Carrie, we have a hot water heater. The bathtub has a cold water tap and a hot water tap. Case had it installed a couple of years ago. Come on, I’ll show you how it works.

“I heard about those, but I’ve never seen one or known anyone to have such a thing. It sounds wonderful.” Wearily, she stood and kissed him once again. “Good night, darling. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be upstairs. In our room.”

The tub was huge, and was filling with hot water.
She undressed, and got in. It felt so good, she nearly fell asleep.

Sometime during the night, Carrie awakened and came downstairs and went into the room with CP. She took his hand in
one of hers. She talked to him for a while, then her eyelids, heavy from the lack of sleep, began to close. She let her head rest on the bed for just a few minutes. It was the way CP’s mother found her the next morning when she came in to check on her son, who was still unconscious, his hand clasped tightly in hers.

Carrie’s sleep encrusted eyes opened. She looked at the serene face a foot or so away. It hadn’t changed from the last time she looked. “Good morning, CP. See, I’m still here, just like I promised.
Waiting for you to wake up. I love you CP. Do you remember hearing me say it? Well, I do. I love you.”

“Can you hear me, CP? I need
to know. Should I keep talking? If you hear me, squeeze my hand. Just squeeze it if you can hear me.”

Did I feel a squeeze? Was it my imagination, or did I feel something
, she asked herself.

“Squeeze my hand again, if you hear me. Please, CP. Squeeze my hand.”

That was not my imagination. I felt something. I felt it.
She jumped up and ran to the kitchen. “Aunt Carrie, he squeezed my hand. I asked him to squeeze if he heard me, and I felt it. Just to make sure, I asked him again and he did it again! He’s coming back.”

His mother hurried into the bedroom with Carrie. “Take his hand and ask him to squeeze it if he hears you,” Carrie urged.

His mother took his hand and said, “CP, let me know if you can hear me. Squeeze my hand, son.” Carrie was watching the muscles in the back of his hand. She could see them tense as he squeezed his mother’s hand.

“Did you feel it?” she asked. You felt it, didn’t you?”

“I felt it.” She hugged Carrie. “He came back for you,”

“Carrie, kissed him on the lips. Can you open your eyes? Open your eyes for me, darling.” She could see the lids quiver as he struggled to open them. One eye fluttered open, then closed again.

For the next two hours, Carrie didn’t move from her seat, maintaining a constant line of chatter. CP continued to drift in and out of consciousness.

“Carrie?” She thought she was hearing things. “Carrie,” there it was again.
The scratchy voice, saying her name.

“I’m here, darling. I’m here.” She leaned over him, and kissed his cheek, then his forehead and finally his cracked lips. I’m here. Welcome back,” she said.

“When… you get here?” the voice asked.

“Yesterday,” she said.

…day is it?”

“It’s Saturday,” she said.

Aunt Carrie, do you think it would be all right for him to have water? His voice is really scratchy.”

She was handed a glass of water, with a straw. She held it to his mouth. “Not too much now. Just a little and then you can have more.”

Dr. Palmer came into the room. “I understand our boy is awake.”

“Yes. He squeezed Carrie’s hand this morning after she asked him. He’s been in and out of it since. He’s talked a little bit. We gave him a little water. Is that all right?”

“Yes, I’m sure he’s dehydrated. Just take it slow. I’ll check him over now.” Carrie moved back to give him room.

“Carrie, don’t go.” The scratchy voice rasped.

“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be right here. Dr. Palmer needs to check you over.”

After the examination, Carter said, “He’s on the way back. Because of his leg, he can’t get up yet. We need to get some soft food in him. And water, plenty of water.” He pa
tted CP on the shoulder. “You fought hard son, good job, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

After the doctor left, Carrie was alone with CP. “Do you remember telling me you wanted to spend the rest of your life with me?”

“Yes.”

“I’m ready to spend the rest of my life with you. Only you.”

“No Chicago?”

No Chicago.”
she said.

chapter Thirteen

Will You Marry Me?

Those incredible green eyes
…

CP looked into the incredible green eyes, and took her hands. “Carrie ‘Lizabeth, Will you marry me?”

She snatched her hands free and threw them around his neck. She tried to smother him with kisses, “Yes I will. I will. As soon as Papa can get here, I’m ready.”

“If it’s all the same to you, I’d like to have it in church.”

“Whatever, whenever you want,” she said. Holding his chin, she lowered her lips to his. Moving her mouth, she massaged his cracked lips with hers. His arms tightened around her shoulders. She parted her lips to allow him entry. When his tongue touched hers, she felt the electricity shoot through her body.

When they broke the kiss, she said, “Oh my goodness, that was something else. I don’t think I could stand up. Let’s do it again.”

He smiled and obliged her. When they broke, and Carrie opened her eyes, she became flustered. “I’m sorry, Aunt Carrie, CP asked me to marry him. I said yes, and then… well, you saw the result.”

“Don’t be embarrassed. It’s a natural thing. I think I did the same thing when his father asked me to marry him.” She kissed her son. “Congratulations, Darling. I’m happy for the two of you. I’ve been waiting for this since you were two.”

“Case,” she called out. “Can you come in here for a minute.”

“Be there in a second,” he replied.

When he walked into the room, his wife said, “We’re going to have a wedding! CP just proposed and Carrie said yes. “We’re going to have a wedding, and I’m going to have grandbabies.”

“Aren’t you rushing things, Mama?” CP asked.

“Not at all. I need to talk to Letty. We’ve got so much to do to get ready. I think I’ll go into town. Carrie, would you like to go? You know, you’re welcome to stay as long as you want, but I thought you might want to be the one to tell your mother. Maude can babysit our little boy.”

“I would like to go in with you. About staying here? I’m afraid there would be too much temptation if you know what I mean. “

“I do. Let me tell you a little story. When I first came to Helena after answering Case’s ad, I stayed at your house the first night. He was going to bring me out and show me the ranch, in case I wanted to change my mind. We planned to be married on Sunday. He asked your mother to chaperone. She suggested I stay out here and come in for the wedding on Sunday. She said, “I know Case well enough to trust, and I think I know you, and besides, what harm would it do? I stayed and nothing happened, and we were married on Sunday.”

“You left the part out about undressing me and getting in the bed with me.”

“I’d like to hear that part,” Carrie said.

“So would I,”CP said.

“We had a really bad storm come up that night. We had to go out with the herd and keep them from stampeding. It was a cold rain, and when I came back, I was soaking wet. She was using this bedroom, and I was in the one upstairs. I guess she heard me come in, and came into the kitchen where I was struggling with my boots. She helped get those off, and ordered me upstairs and to get out of the wet clothes. She came up to check and found me still shivering. She got into bed and hugged me until I stopped shivering. And that’s the truth, so help me. Your father performed the ceremony on Sunday, and the rest is history.”

“What a
romantic story,” Carrie exclaimed.

“Mama, you went to bed with Papa before you were ma
rried?” CP said in a faux shocked voice.

“I guess I did,
” his mother said.

Later that day, at the Owens home…

Letty greeted them at the door. “I guess seeing this contingent, the patient is better,” she said, with an expectant smile.

“He is,” her daughter said. “Mama, I’m going to be Mrs. Carter Patrick Jamison. He asked me this morning and I said yes. We’re going to be married.”

She hugged her daughter, fiercely. “I’m so happy for you, Honey,” she said. She turned to her best friend. “Our dream came true, huh?”

“Yes, it
did. I think she made a big difference. She stayed right with him until I made her go to bed. When I went into the room the next morning, she was there, holding his hand, with her head on the bed, fast asleep. The first word he said was “Carrie.”

Letty
said, “We are well and truly blessed.” She turned and called out, “Jack, come in here. We’ve got something to tell you.”

When he came into the room, Carrie said, “Papa, will you marry CP and me?”

“When did this happen?” he asked.

“This morning,” his daughter said.

He grabbed her and held her in a big bear hug. It would be my great honor and privilege to conduct the ceremony.

The week before the wedding…

Case and Carrie were sitting in their living room with CP and Carrie Elizabeth.

Case said, “We want to give you a honeymoon trip. A
nywhere in the world, you would like to go.”

“Papa, to tell the truth, we were thinking about a house here on the Lazy J,” CP said.

“Good point. Your mother and I have talked about this a good bit lately. When you finish school, and come back home, I want you to take over the ranch. I’ll still be here for advice, but it’s going to be yours to run. We’ve been thinking about doing some traveling.

“You know, I haven’t been out of the state since your grandpa moved us here when I was a kid. We haven’t even taken a vacation since we were married, and it’s time we saw some more of the world besides Montana. If we do that, then this big old house would sit empty, and that would be a shame. We were kind of hoping you two would live here. We could fix a space for you.”

CP looked at his fiancé. “Pop, it sounds good. Let us talk it over.”

Carrie was staying at the ranch and using CP’s bedroom, since the stairs were out of the question for him. “What do you think?” she asked.

“Well, you know how I feel about the Lazy J. I would love it, but could you live with Mama and Papa?”

“I could, and I think it’s a wonderful idea. What about Maude. Will she stay here while your Mama and Papa are gone?”

“It wouldn’t be home without her, he said, “but she may want to slow down. She has her own house over by the bunkhouse.”

The next morning, they told his parents they would a
ccept the generous offer. “Mama, what about Maude What do you think she will want to do?”

Case said, “Honey, let me talk to that. Maude has a home on the Lazy J as long as I’m alive. Whether she continues to be the housekeeper and cook is between you and her. Why don’t you talk to her about it?”

* * *

Two weeks later on a crisp and cold Saturday afternoon, in the Christian Church of Helena, Carrie Elizabeth
Owens and Carter Patrick Jamison were united in Holy Matrimony. Lucinda Palmer was the maid of honor. Luke Haskins was best man.

An announcement ran in the Helena newspaper, the Ind
ependent Record,

On Saturday last, Miss Carrie Elizabeth Owens, daughter of Reverend Jackson and
Letty Owens was wed to Carter Patrick Jamison, the son of Case and Carrie Jamison.

Reverend Owens conducted the ceremony. Miss Lucinda Palmer attended the bride as her maid of honor. Lucas Haskins was best man.

After a wedding trip to San Francisco, the couple will make their home on the Lazy J Ranch, until the fall, when both will continue their education at Montana State University in Bozeman
.