What kind of writer would I be if I let my characters live with no chaos for too long? :)
Chapter 30
They arrived
at Fairburn and Eric led the ladies into Robert’s Restaurant, the
best restaurant in town. Eric found a table for three and helped Cassandra
and Danielle into their seats. A waiter walked by and offered a glass of
water for the group. The group accepted and ordered their meals.
“So, how are things going with you
and Joe,” Eric asked Cassandra.
Cassandra looked at Eric in
surprise. “How do you know about me and Joe?”
“I met Joe at the blacksmith
yesterday. I mentioned Danielle and I were going out to eat today and I asked
him about a place to eat. He mentioned you two ate here often.”
“Oh,” Cassandra nodded. “Well,
things are going very well. Joe and I are waiting until we save up enough money
before we get married.”
“That’s wonderful,” Eric smiled.
“Glad for you both.” He turned to Danielle, “How’s your brother Albert and his
fiancée doing?”
“Very well,” Danielle said. “We
got a letter from him last week. He just bought some land from his boss
and now he and Gideon are beginning to build a house on it.”
“That’s great; I look forward to meeting him someday.”
The evening was filled with good
stories and enjoyable fellowship. At eight-thirty, the three arrived back at
the O’Neal farm. Eric helped Cassandra out of the buggy.
“Thank-you, Eric,” Cassandra
smiled at Eric kindly before she headed inside.
Eric nodded and looked back to
Danielle. “Did you have nice evening?”
Danielle smiled, “I did. Thank-you so much.”
Eric helped her down and walked
her up to the house. “I’m glad.”
The duo reached the cabin and they
paused. Eric looked down at Danielle and grinned bashfully,
“Danielle…you’re the prettiest
girl I ever saw.”
Danielle blushed brightly and she
was thankful that it was dark out. “Well…ah… um… thank-you,” she
stammered.
Eric took her hand and kissed it.
“See ya later.” He turned around and strolled back to his
buggy.
Danielle walked inside and was
greeted by Lillian and Paul.
“Hello,” her parents said.
“Hi.”
“How was your evening?” Paul
asked.
“Very good. I really enjoyed it.”
Danielle continued through the sitting room and toward the loft steps. “I’m
tired. I’m going right to bed.”
“Alright then,” Lillian nodded.
“Goodnight, darling.”
“Goodnight, Danielle,” Paul
added.
“Night.”
~~~
As the weeks past, Eric continued taking Danielle to dinner. Paul and Lillian felt confident in the two and allowed Danielle and Eric
to go without a chaperone. Danielle was excited and thrilled about the sign of trust
Paul and Lillian instilled in her. Eric was happy as well to spend a few
hours with just Danielle.
During one of their dinners, Eric leaned forward on the table
and took Danielle’s hands. “Danielle…I know we haven’t known each other for
long but…I feel strongly about you. I think you might be the one for me.”
She smiled at him. “I think you're the one for me too.”
“I hope we keep seeing each other
often.”
“Me too.”
~~~
The rest of the dinner went by
quickly and the evening was over all too soon. Eric took Danielle back home by
eight o’clock. When they reached the O’Neal cabin, Eric stopped the buggy and
looked over at Danielle.
“Will you have a picnic with me
next Saturday?”
“Sure! I’ll pack a lunch for us.”
“Great. See you then.”
Danielle climbed out of the buggy
and headed inside.
Paul was waiting for Danielle when
she walked in. “How was your evening?”
“Wonderful!”
Paul put his arm around Danielle.
“So do you see a future with Eric?”
Danielle looked at Paul very
seriously, “Pa, I love him…I think he’s the one. I want to spend the rest of my
life with him.”
“Lillian and I guessed that much.
You look so happy together.” The O’Neals were surprised at how quickly
Eric and Danielle’s relationship was progressing, but they could see how Eric
and Danielle felt about each other.
“So if we would get engaged…you’d
approve?”
“You’re speaking of engagement
already?”
“Well…a little…”
“Don’t rush things,” Paul
cautioned, “but Lillian and I do approve of Eric. Just take your time and
really get to know him.”
“Oh, I will!” Danielle kissed Paul
goodnight and hurried into her room.
~~~
The next morning the children were
all at the pond, swimming on the warm summer day. Cassandra was doing the
laundry and Danielle and Lillian were doing a thorough cleaning of the kitchen.
Paul was in Fairburn delivering logs to the mill. It was a quiet
morning in the Dakota Territory.
Paul came home at eleven. He walked
into the house silently. His usual big, booming hello was not with him. He
quietly asked if he could speak with Lillian in their room.
“What is it?” Lillian asked once
they were in the privacy of the bedroom.
“Early this morning there was
a bank robbery,” Paul said in a monotone voice.
“What exactly happened?” Lillian
inquired with worry.
“There were three men. They went
inside the bank and demanded the clerk open the safe.”
“Were there any others in the bank
at the time?”
Paul nodded. “Two. Mitchell Butler
and Eric.”
“Anyone hurt?”
“Eric…he was shot.”
“Paul…” Lillian said with an uneasy
voice.
“He’s dead.”
Lillian was speechless with
shock. “Oh Paul! Paul, no!” Lillian leaned on Paul and Paul enclosed her in his arms. “How?”
“He tried to jump one of the men
but the other guys pulled their guns on him.” Paul lowered his voice. “What are
we gonna tell Danielle?”
Lillian pulled back sharply. “I
don’t know…”
“We shouldn’t hide it any longer
from her.”
“I agree.”
Paul and Lillian walked into the
kitchen together where Danielle was busy scrubbing the stove.
“Danielle, we’d like to talk with
you.”
Danielle turned around and gave
Paul and Lillian her attention. “Yes?”
“There was a bank robbery in
town last night,” Lillian said.
“That’s awful!” Danielle
exclaimed.
“Well…there were some injured
people,” Paul said uneasily.
“Who was hurt?”
“Well uh….”
Danielle started feeling
uncomfortable. Something wasn’t right. Lillian and Paul were hiding something
from her. “Pa…Ma…”
Lillian placed her hand on
Danielle’s arm. “Darling … Eric was there last night during the robbery…”
Danielle stiffened.
“Eric’s dead,” Paul broke the
news.
Danielle stood
motionless. Her breath came in short violent breaths and her entire
body shook.
“He was trying to stop the robbers
but…”
“No…no…no…it’s a mistake.” Danielle
walked over to the sink.
“Danielle,” Lillian said softly.
“I’m sorry…”
Danielle covered her mouth and
tried to hold back her sobs. “No…it can’t be!”
“Danni, please,” Paul
begged. “Eric is dead…we’re sorry…”
“He isn’t dead! You’re lying to
me!”
Lillian rushed over to Danielle.
“No, Danielle, please listen. We aren’t lying, he’s gone…it can’t be helped…we
can’t change it.”
Danielle moved away from Lillian.
She seized one of Lillian’s china plates and hurled it across the
room. “NO!” The plate shattered against the wall.
“Danni!” Paul yelled at her. “That
is no way to act!”
“Let her go,” Lillian said to
Paul.
“She just destroyed that plate!”
Paul pointed to Danielle, “Calm down!”
“Paul, leave her be,” Lillian took
his arm.
Sobs broke through Danielle as she raced into
the bedroom and left Lillian and Paul to clean up the china pieces.
Cassandra walked inside and surveyed the scene.
“I heard a crash…” Cassandra stared
at the broken china plate.
Paul and Lillian quietly told about
Eric’s death to Cassandra. Cassandra stood there in shock.
“That’s…that’s…awful!”
“We know…just try to be there for
Danielle,” Lillian said. “She’s taking it very hard.”
“And I also want everyone to be
aware that those three men who robbed the bank could still be nearby. There is
a posse out now searching for them but…it could ugly around here,” Paul said to
Cassandra and Lillian. “I’ll tell the others tonight.”
~~~
Danielle cried most of the day
and wouldn’t eat anything. Paul and Lillian were very worried
about their daughter. After supper was finished, Lillian brought some
food to Danielle.
“Go away,” Danielle muttered.
“I brought some supper,” Lillian
replied.
“I’m not hungry.”
Lillian sat down on the bed beside
Danielle. “You need to eat something.” She placed a fork in Danielle’s
hand.
Danielle dropped it. “I don’t want
anything!”
“Come on, you must be a little
hungry,” Lillian persisted.
Danielle didn’t respond.
Lillian sighed, “If you don’t
eat this food by the time I return, I’m going to have to force you to eat.”
Lillian stood up and placed the food on the bedside table. “I don’t want
to, but it seems I have no choice.”
Danielle turned and stared at the
wall. She refused to give in and eat. She was too upset and angry and confused
and hurt. Ten minutes later, Lillian returned to the bedroom. She looked at
the untouched plate of food.
“Danielle, you need to eat
something.” She took the fork and speared a piece of venison. She handed
Danielle the fork.
Danielle threw herself face down on
the bed. “Just leave me alone!”
“Danielle, you can’t go on like
this.”
“I loved him, Ma! I loved
him.”
Lillian laid her hand on Danielle’s
back, her fingers tracing soft circles on the sobbing girl’s back. “I know you
did. But would Eric want to see you like this? If you don’t pull yourself
together, you’re going to get sick.”
“But I’m just not hungry. I can’t
eat at a time like this.”
“Of course you can eat,” Lillian
handed Danielle the fork again. “Here.”
“The smell makes
me sick.”
“It’s because you’re so hungry.
Just eat a little bit…”
Danielle stayed silent.
“For me?”
Still no movement.
“For your sisters and
Oakley?”
Nothing.
“What about Eric? Do it for
him. Eric wouldn’t want you to act this way.”
Danielle sighed and sat up. She took
the fork and ate the venison. She ate a piece of bread and half of the venison
before she decided she couldn’t take anymore.
“Alright, now try and get some
rest,” Lillian said leaving the bedroom.
~~~
Nighttime was the hardest time for
Danielle. Recently, her nights were filled with dreams of Eric but not tonight; there
was nothing to dream about. Danielle felt a wave of tears overcome her.
Danielle grabbed her robe and fled outside. She rolled a log over from the
woodpile and stood it on end so she could sit there and think. She cried a
little and prayed some. She thought of Eric and all the plans they had started
to make together.
Rain began to rain down on Danielle
as she sat outside. She didn’t even notice the water splattering against her
face. She was so focused on her sorrow for Eric, that she didn’t feel anything
else.
“Danni?” Isaac stood in the
doorway, watching his sister.
Danielle didn’t move.
“Danni, I’m sorry about Eric … I
really am.”
Danielle’s eyes remained fixated
off in the distance.
Sensitive Isaac watched Danielle a
little longer. “Are you alright?” He watched the rain soak through
Danielle’s thin robe. “I’m gonna go get Mr. and Mrs. O’Neal,” he said,
running inside.
Isaac hadn’t noticed that Danielle
was crying. Her silent tears mixed with the rain drops and snaked down her face
in a wet stream. Danielle found her
voice after Isaac left. “Oh God! Why did You take Eric? Why Eric? I needed him …
I needed him…”
Paul suddenly appeared beside Danielle.
His arms encircled her shoulders and his beard tickled her ear.
“Danni! Come inside.”
Danielle automatically stood and
leaned against Paul as he helped her inside.
“Danielle, what on earth?” Lillian
was waiting for Danielle inside the cabin. She and Paul peeled off Danielle’s
wet robe and wrapped a dry blanket around Danielle.
Paul sat Danielle down at the
kitchen table and sat down across from her. He looked tired and worried as he
rubbed his beard. Lillian and Isaac made themselves busy in the kitchen; making
tea and buttering bread.
“Drink this,” Lillian pushed a cup
of tea in front of Danielle.
Danielle sipped the tea and
welcomed the warmth that entered her body. Lillian sat beside Paul and
Isaac slipped in beside Danielle.
“Here’s some bread.”
Danielle nibbled on the
bread.
“Isaac, why don’t you go to bed?”
Lillian said gently.
“Alright.” Isaac stood and said
goodnight. “Goodnight, Mr. O’Neal. Goodnight, Mrs. O’Neal.”
“Goodnight, son,” Paul said.
“Sweet dreams,” Lillian whispered.
The O’Neals turned their attention
on Danielle. “Are you alright now?”
Danielle stared at the wall
adjacent to her. Her eyes had a faraway look in them. She didn’t seem to
hear them.
Paul and Lillian exchanged
glances. Danielle seemed to be half asleep; her mind somewhere between
reality and the dream world.
“Honey, let’s get you back into
bed,” Lillian put her arm around Danielle and walked her back to bed. She
helped her daughter into bed and fixed the blankets around her. Her heart ached
for Danielle. She hated to see her suffering like this. “I’m sorry, darling,”
she whispered as she brushed a gentle kiss against Danielle’s forehead. She
returned to her own bedroom and slipped into bed beside Paul.
“How long will she act like this?”
Paul wondered aloud.
“I don’t know. A broken heart is a
very awful thing,” Lillian said. “When my father forbid you to court me, I
was crushed.”
Paul sighed in agreement. “I was
heartbroken too.” He leaned over and kissed his wife. “I want to help
Danielle…I just don’t know how to.”
“I’m not sure either…we just have
to be loving and understanding.”
Noooo!!! Why Eric?!?!
ReplyDelete*sniffs* I miss Eric and I feel bad for removing him from the story so quickly...but all to the furtherance of my story, right? :)
DeleteO.O NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! *glares at Lauren* *glares at the bank robbers* *glares at Eric for leaving Danni brokenhearted*
ReplyDelete*meekly hangs head* Sorry!! But, alas, it needed to be done haha!
Delete