A Daughter's Return Page 10

  “I think so.” She bit her bottom lip and slid her arm around his neck while Ben lifted her quickly and began skating over the ice. Once at the bank, Michael held his arms out to take her. But Ben shook his head and said, “No need to jostle her any more than necessary. I’ll carry her.”

  Michael nodded. “All right. Mother’s got a hack waiting. She and Jenny are already in it. He’ll take you home and the rest of us will be right behind you.”

  “Good. She needs to see a doctor as quickly as possible—I think it’s a sprain, but it could be a break.”

  The two men exchanged a glance.

  “I’m here, you know,” Rebecca said. “And I realize it might be painful to set, but it’s painful now, so I can handle it. And don’t mention break around Jenny. I don’t want to worry her needlessly.” Rebecca closed her eyes against a wave of nausea. “Please.”

  “Don’t worry, Rebecca. We won’t frighten Jenny,” Ben answered.

  They reached the hack and he gently settled her on the seat across from her mother and Jenny, and yanked off his skates while he explained to the two of them that they thought it was just a sprain.

  “Are you hurting bad, Mama?” Jenny asked, her eyes full of fear.

  “It hurts some, but I’m going to be fine, Jenny.”

  “And we’ll see that she is, dear. Don’t worry,” her mother added, pulling Jenny close.

  Ben gently took off Rebecca’s skates and asked, “May I unlace your boot? I’m afraid the swelling will make it much harder if we wait until we get back to Heaton House.”

  Rebecca nodded and held her breath at the pain that engulfed her as he worked to ease her foot from her boot. “I’m sorry, I know it hurts. Let me settle your legs on the seat while you lean against me for support.”

  Rebecca really had no choice in the matter as Ben gently eased her foot onto the seat. He told the driver to take off and the motion threw her up against him. His arm settled round her to steady her and as she leaned against his strong arm, his warmth gave her comfort. She closed her eyes, ignoring the searing pain shooting through her ankle.

  * * *

  Once back at Heaton House, Ben was allowed to do what few men had ever done and that was to go up to the second floor. After he’d set Rebecca on her bed, Mrs. Heaton quickly thanked him and told him he could go back downstairs.

  “Yes, ma’am.” He turned to leave the room but was stopped by Rebecca’s voice.

  “Thank you for coming to get me, Ben. And for teaching my Jenny how to skate today.” Rebecca reached out and pulled her daughter, who was hovering by her bed, into a hug.

  Jenny smiled at him. “Yes, and thank you for picking up Mama, too, Mr. Ben.”

  “You’re both very welcome. And while Jenny did wonderfully today, I think we may need a few more lessons before she flies like you did today, Rebecca. I hope to see you later after the doctor examines that ankle of yours.”

  The pain in Rebecca’s eyes had him wanting to do something—anything—to take it away, but right now the best thing he could do was to let her mother make her as comfortable as she could. He turned and headed back downstairs.

  Not long after he joined the others in the parlor, the doctor arrived and was shown to Rebecca’s room. Ben tried not to show how concerned he was. If he did, there was no telling what the others would make of it. He had a feeling they’d been twittering about him rushing over to her the minute he’d seen Rebecca go down on the ice.

  Gretchen brought them hot chocolate and cookies and they all took turns warming themselves in front of the fire and oohing and aahing over baby Marcus as they waited to hear what the doctor had to say about Rebecca.

  Ben sipped his hot chocolate, trying not to remember back to the night he and Rebecca had stopped in at the café on the way home from class. Then all he could think of was that he should have stayed with her instead of letting her take off across the ice by herself. But she’d been doing fine and he was happy for her, until she’d taken that fall.

  However, while falling was normal in ice-skating, most didn’t end up with the need to see a doctor. Ben prayed Rebecca’s ankle wasn’t broken. She’d felt light as a feather when he lifted her into his arms and he’d liked the feel of holding her, perhaps more than he should.

  They heard murmuring and steps on the staircase just before Jenny came running into the room as her grandmother showed the doctor out.

  “Mama is going to be okay! She just can’t...” She turned to look at Mrs. Heaton, who came into the room. “Can’t what, Granma?”

  “She can’t put any weight on that ankle for a week or so, and she’ll be in some pain, but she should heal fairly quickly. No break, just a very bad sprain. He gave her some medicine to help with the discomfort and she’s already dozed off.”

  Ben let out a relieved sigh and grinned at Jenny. She ran into his arms and hugged him. “Thank you for getting to Mama so fast, Mr. Ben. She said we’ll go skating again just as soon as she’s up to it.”

  “That’s good to hear, Jenny. Best thing for a fall is to get back on the ice and try again.”

  And he was going to make sure Rebecca did get back on it soon as she was able to. Only next time, he’d make sure he was right there with her. He’d loved skating across the ice with her, holding her steady and matching steps with her.

  She’d looked beautiful, her cheeks flushed, her blue eyes sparkling and her lovely mouth turned up in a smile. He knew it was due to the brisk air and the fun of being on the ice, but just for a moment he allowed himself to think she was happy because she was skating with him.

  Chapter Nine

  Rebecca hated missing church the next day, but when she’d tried to put weight on her foot first thing that morning and use the crutches the doctor had sent over, the best she could do was an awkward hobble just to get to the bathroom.

  So she’d stayed under the care of Gretchen and Maida and sent Jenny with her mother and the others to church. Before they came home, though, Gretchen helped her get dressed. She was not going to stay in bed all day.

  Once she’d been confined to bed for the evening the night before, her mother had helped her freshen up and get into a gown before Gretchen brought dinner up for her and Jenny. Her daughter hadn’t wanted to leave her side in case she needed anything.

  While they ate, Jenny entertained Rebecca with tales of how she felt trying to learn to skate and how wonderful Mr. Ben was when he hurried to pick up Rebecca.

  “He saw you wobble and took off even before you fell, Mama.”

  “He did? No wonder he got there before I realized what happened.”

  “He must be very strong to pick you up without falling and skate back with you.”

  “Yes, he must be...”

  Soon after they’d finished their meal, Millicent and Julia had stopped in to see how she was feeling while her mother got Jenny ready for bed. It was comforting to hear her mother talk to Jenny much like she had to Rebecca when she was that age. Knowing that she was here for them gave Rebecca immense comfort. She’d always wondered who would take care of Jenny, if she weren’t able to. She’d even had nightmares about something happening to her and Jenny having no one to take her place. Thank the good Lord above, she never had to worry about that again.

  Still, Rebecca wanted to be up and around as soon as possible. By the time the others were due home from church, she’d practiced enough that she hoped, with some help, she might manage to get downstairs and have Sunday dinner with everyone.

  She was sitting on the settee in front of the fireplace in her room when Jenny burst through the door, Mrs. Heaton right behind her “You’re up, Mama! How do you feel?”

  “I am up and I’m not hurting quite as much as yesterday. Thank you for asking. How was church?”

  “It was good. We asked everyone to pray for you to
get better soon. And Granma says you might feel like eating with us—if you’d like to, and we can get you downstairs.”

  “I’d like that very much.”

  “Good,” her mother said. “Ben, she’s ready to come join us.”

  “Wonderful,” Rebecca heard him say before she actually saw him. He smiled when he entered the room. “I’m here to help you do just that, Rebecca.”

  Rebecca tried to ignore the sudden fluttery feeling in her tummy and stood with the aid of her crutches. “I think I can manage on my own if—”

  “No, dear,” her mother said in no uncertain terms. “Ben is going to carry you down and I’ll bring your crutches. We aren’t taking a chance on you falling and ending up hurt worse.”

  “But—”

  “Rebecca, dear...” Her mother held that hand up and sliced it through the air and Rebecca knew full well that meant no more arguing. “Please.”

  Giving in to her mother on this seemed the least she could do after all she’d put her through in the past. “All right.”

  That was all she had a chance to say before Ben’s arm came around her to steady her while her mother took her crutches. Then he scooped her into his arms as though she weighed nothing. “Are you ready? I’ll try not to jostle you too much.”

  “I am. And thank you.” Rebecca slid her arms around his neck as he walked through the door and to the landing. Ben tightened his hold on her before taking the first step down. “I’m sorry to be so much trouble.”

  Ben glanced at her quickly before turning his attention to the steps in front of him. “You aren’t any trouble, Rebecca. Besides, I feel it’s partly my fault you fell. I should have stayed with you, knowing you were a bit nervous at the start.”

  “I wanted to try on my own, remember?”

  “But I shouldn’t have let you.”

  She chuckled. “I don’t think I gave you a choice.”

  He grinned. “I shouldn’t have given in to you.”

  Rebecca had a feeling they could go on like that for a while. And she would have enjoyed it. “Still, thank you for helping me.”

  “You’re welcome.” They were safely down the stairs and he turned to her. “But, truly, it’s been my pleasure.”

  Rebecca felt color flood her face and she felt all jittery inside as she said, “You can put me down now and I’ll try my crutches.”

  He gave her a doubtful look.

  “Please. I have to do as much as I can on my own.’

  Ben sighed and eased her to her feet, holding her at the waist to steady her, which did nothing for her flutters.

  Her mother handed her the crutches and, stepping away from Ben’s touch, Rebecca hobbled into the dining room. She could feel that Ben was right behind her, following as closely as he could until she reached the chair her mother directed her to so she’d be able to sit sideways and not worry about her ankle being hit. Her mother took the crutches while she eased down onto the chair, and Ben scooted it as close as possible to the table before taking his own seat.

  Once Gretchen and Maida had served them a meal of roast chicken, scalloped potatoes and creamed peas, Rebecca’s mother turned to Ben, “Will you say the blessing, please?”

  “I’ll be glad to. Please pray with me. Dear Lord, we thank You for today and we thank You for each other. We thank You that Rebecca is feeling a little better today and ask You to give her complete and quick healing of her ankle. We thank You for this food we’re about to eat and most of all we thank You for Your plan for our salvation through Your precious Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ. It’s in His name we pray, amen.”

  Rebecca was touched that he’d prayed for her, and that everyone seemed happy she’d joined them. “Thank you for your prayer, Ben, and all of you for your concern yesterday. And Mama, thank you for having my favorite meal.”

  “You’re welcome, dear.” her mother said. “I’m very thankful you didn’t break your ankle. Michael and Violet said to tell you they’d be checking in on you later today and Kathleen and Elizabeth said to tell you they are praying. They’ll be checking in on you, too.”

  “That’s nice. I am sorry if I cut everyone’s fun short yesterday.”

  “It was getting time to quit anyway, Rebecca,” Julia said. “We’re just sorry you sprained your ankle. Other than that, it was a wonderful day. I hope we get to go several more times this winter.”

  “So do I!” Jenny turned to Rebecca. “We will, won’t we, Mama?”

  “I hope so. I was having a great time until I fell. I’d like to go again.”

  “I don’t think you have to worry, ladies. The lakes are frozen solid. Unless we have an unusual warm-up, we’ll be skating for a while,” Ben said.

  “I’m so glad.” Jenny let out a huge sigh that had them all chuckling.

  “So am I, Jenny,” Ben said. “I want to see you fly like your mama did yesterday. Just don’t want you to fall as hard as she did, so a few more lessons are in store.”

  “Are you saying I need lessons, Ben?” Rebecca arched an eyebrow.

  He grinned and shook his head. “No, ma’am. I wasn’t saying that at all. Any of us could have fallen like you did. It is ice, after all.”

  The expression in his eyes had Rebecca’s pulse surging and her heart pounding.

  Everyone began to scoot their chairs out, but Rebecca found she didn’t have the leverage she needed to move hers. Ben was by her side in only a minute. He bent down to whisper in her ear as he scooted her chair out. “You aren’t very good at asking for help, are you, Rebecca?”

  “Why, I asked for your help in catching Jenny the day she flew down the banister.”

  “You did. But that was for the safety of your child. You don’t ask for yourself.”

  “I suppose I did get used to doing things on my own.”

  “That is understandable when you were on your own. But you have people more than happy to help you now.”

  And he was one of them in so many ways. But the more he helped the more she began to see him as the hero her daughter did. And she knew better. She didn’t believe in heroes anymore.

  * * *

  There was an unsettled look in Rebecca’s eyes, as if she were troubled about something. Maybe he’d upset her by telling her she wasn’t very good at asking for help. But he wanted her to know that he was there for her and Jenny and—

  His gaze caught hers once more. Ben had a feeling that wasn’t something she wanted to hear and he was sure it wasn’t something he should say—not until he’d thought about his motivations, and he didn’t want to think about them now.

  “Are you staying downstairs awhile? Or do you want to go back to your room?”

  “I’d like to stay down, but I have to admit, I’m a little tired. If I go rest now, maybe I’ll feel better when visitors start to come. But I could do that in the little parlor so that you don’t have to carry me up just now.”

  “Rebecca, I don’t mind.”

  “I know. But back there, I can watch Jenny play and visitors can come there to see me. It will be easier on everyone.”

  “There’s no need for you to go to the back parlor,” her mother said. “And Jenny can play anywhere. Take her to the front parlor, Ben, and—”

  “Mama, that’s a good idea. But I am going to use my crutches to get to the parlor. It’s just across the way.”

  “But—”

  “Mama, if I can’t make it, I’ll stop and Ben can help me.” She turned to him and smiled. “Right, Ben?”

  “Right.” He smiled down at her. Maybe she was coming to her senses, but he had a feeling she was just appeasing her mother. “I’ll make sure she doesn’t fall, Mrs. Heaton.”

  “Thank you.”

  She handed the crutches to Rebecca and Ben helped her to stand. Once she put the crutches under
her arms, she took off with Ben right behind her and Jenny following him.

  She did wobble a bit, but she made it over to the nearest sofa and managed to sit down. However, as she laid her crutches to the side, she looked a little pale and Ben was pretty sure she’d tired herself out. “Are you all right? You should probably get your foot up.”

  “I am and I will. Thank you.” She settled back against the sofa and he brought over a footstool and helped her get her bad foot up on it.

  Ben wasn’t sure what to do next except be nearby in case she wanted to go back to her room or needed help getting around. But he had a feeling that if he just sat and waited until then, she’d be shooing him out of the room.

  “Why don’t we play a game of charades to entertain Rebecca?” Millicent said. “Ben and Mathew against me and Julia. What do you think, Rebecca?”

  “I’d enjoy it.”

  “Then let’s do it,” Ben said.

  For the next hour, they had Rebecca, her mother and Jenny laughing at their attempts to outdo each other. It seemed to be just the distraction Rebecca needed until Michael and Violet showed up with baby Marcus. Violet handed the baby to Rebecca while she and her husband joined the game.

  Rebecca smiled as Jenny sat close to her and began to talk to the baby. Jenny needed a sibling...and a father. And he—whoa! Where were his thoughts leading? He wasn’t going there. Not now. A little rattled by his thoughts, Ben forced his attention back to the game.

  Kathleen and Luke came over and then John and Elizabeth showed up not long after. They all stayed for afternoon tea and Rebecca seemed to be enjoying herself, but Ben saw her wince a time or two. He hoped her ankle wasn’t hurting too bad.

  “What do you think, Ben?” Michael asked, pulling his thoughts away from Rebecca.

  “I’m sorry, I must have been woolgathering. What are we talking about?”

  The grin Michael gave him had Ben wondering if he knew what he’d been woolgathering about.