Loving Lily- Sequel to Loving River

Spying on my cabin

Micah smiled at the sleeping Lily. She was so beautiful. So peaceful in her slumber. Reaching out, he brushed the back of his hand against her cheek. It was so soft. Micah wanted to press his lips against her face, he wanted to run his fingers through her soft hair. 

He was so busy enjoying the sight of the beautiful woman, that it took him several minutes before his brain realized he had a problem. A woman was sleeping in his cabin. He couldn't stay in his cabin while she was in it. It wasn't the least bit proper. And yet he couldn't go back to town either. He'd told Zane that he would be hunting for a week. He  had made a big deal about needing to get away. Zane knew about his discontent, he understood Micah's reason for time alone.Micah didn't want to go back and explain to his friend why he changed his mind about his hunting trip. And yet, Micah couldn't stay in the cabin with this girl. He grinned, no, he couldn't stay with her. No matter how much he wanted to. There had to be another way. Micah frowned in thought as he studied the girl and her delicate features. It seemed rather ironic in a way. The girl he's admired from afar, the girl that occupied most of his idle thoughts was using his abandoned cabin as her home. Micah stood and glanced around the cabin again. It was difficult to see in the sparse light, but Micah could see enough to know that no woman should be living in conditions such as these. The cabin wasn't properly stocked with food or blankets. It didn't even have a bed. Micah wasn't positive but he what fairly sure that vermin had decided to winter in the cabin. Winter. That's right! Autumn was heavy in the air, winter was nipping on autumn's heels and the cabin wasn't properly chinked. The roof needed repairs. The chimney probably had birds nests in it. And there wasn't even a supply of fire wood for the cold nights. With very little to keep the cabin warm, the girl would surely catch her death by sleeping on the floor at nights.

Micah's smile slowly spread across his handsome face as an idea began to take root in his mind. He had the solution to his problem. He nearly glowed with the delight of a good plan. Yes, a solution had been found and nobody had  to know about the problem except him. Kneeling down, he pulled the thin quilt up on the sleeping woman. He would let her live in the cabin. He would never make his presence known to her.

Standing again, Micah strode toward the door and closed it firmly behind him. He smiled in delight when the door stayed latched securely and stayed shut. "Guess I'm not such a bad handy man after all." He murmured. Hurrying to the barn, Micah frowned as he took in its disrepair. He had forgotten how bad it was. "Guess that part of my plan is going to need some more thought." Micah mounted his horse and sat for several seconds just observing the buildings on his land. How was he going to put his plan into action now. He needed a place to stay, and he didn't want Lily to know he was staying so close to her. "I know." He said, his smile returning to his face. "I'll stay in Jake's cabin until my barn in repaired." With his goal firmly fixed in his mind and heart, Micah turned his horse and traveled up the road a ways to Jake's cabin. Like Micah, Jake rarely used his cabin. Unlike Micah, however, Jake preferred sleeping outdoors to the confines of a man built house. Jake was a free spirited type. He lived off nature, used it to survive. He lived fairly well despite not living a soft life like most in town.Some days, when the winter was especially cold, Jake would winter in his cabin. 

Micah arrived at Jake's house to find it in even worse condition than his own cabin. Micah wasn't overly concerned about the cabin, sure, it wold be rather cold but Micah wouldn't be staying there for long. Opening the door, he led his horse in with him. It wouldn't keep them very warm but at least they would be  protected from the elements. Micah looked up at the bad roof. Well, some of the elements... as long as he stayed in the one corner of the house. "Well, you can either have your back half dry or your front half. " He said to his horse. "Which is it going to be?" The horse made no reply. Micah settled himself on the floor and leaned his head against the cook stove. His eyes slid shut and visions of his sweet Lily danced before his eyes. His lips tipped upward as he watched her, her long hair blowing freely as she skipped down to the river. Pausing, she turned tossing a dimpled smile at him from over her shoulder. It was the only invitation he needed. Micah ran after his little Lily Princess... and awoke to a horse nuzzling his head.  Micah rubbed the sleep from his eyes as his horse snorted rather impatiently. Bringing the horse in had been a rather good idea, Micah thought as he stood to his feet. The large animal's body heat helped to keep Micah warm during the night. 

He could see without opening the door that the sun had risen. It was shining brightly through the roof although it seemed to give very little heat. Micah led his horse outside and mounted. He rode the short distance to his cabin. He wasn't sure if Lily had gone to town yet, so he went to the window and spied on the inside of his cabin. Where the blankets had covered a sleeping girl last night, now a clear floor was seen. Micah could see the quilt folded neatly and placed on the table. Sure that Lily had gone for the day, Micah let his horse to the creek and allowed him his leisure while Micah worked.

---

Lily nearly smiled in relief when the small cabin came into sight. It was a long day, Lily was tired and ready for rest. Lily started up the steps but paused in surprise. The porch had been repaired, it's holes and bad boards had been fully replaced. When Lily had woken earlier that morning, she had been astonished to find the chest of drawers shoved away from the door and the door latched securely. Someone had fixed the door while she slept. It scared Lily to realize that someone had been in the cabin while she lay unaware in the corner. An unknown person had just walked in and... fixed the door. And now the porch had been repaired. Hand shaking, Lily reached out and pushed open the door. Cautiously she entered the cabin. It looked similar to when she had left. Her blanket lay untouched on the table. The fire place had chopped wood  waiting to be lit. The was solid, Lily looked up and smiled at the repaired roof. Hurrying to the wall, Lily gasped when she found that it had been freshly chinked. Turning, Lily walked back to the porch and and struggled to examine the outer wall in the dimming light. Reaching out a slim white hand, she  felt the the outer wall. Bothe sides had been chinked in preparation for winter. Other than the repairs made, the cabin seemed the same. No personal objects lay anywhere save her quilt on the table. The cabin could't have repaired itself. But who would've repaired it? Who would be kind enough to come in last night and fix the door without waking her? An image of the kind Deputy Micah passed through her mind but Lily pushed it aside as wishful thinking. Just because he had been kind in offering her an evening meal, she had jumped to thinking he might be generous and caring enough to repair her living quarters. "That's ridiculous." She muttered as she reentered the cabin and shut the door. "He doesn't know where I'm living. Nobody does. Whoever did the repairs and fixed the door probably don't even know that I'm staying here. They probably fixed the door and didn't even noticed me sleeping in the corner."

 Even as she spread the quilt on the floor and sat down to remove her boots, Lily couldn't help but smile as the Deputy's face once again came to mind. She smiled at the memory of his smile and  his laughter. He was such a kind and gentle man. "Wish Father could be more like the deputy." Laying down, she pulled the quilt to her chin and closed her eyes.

HOPE YOU ENJOYED THESE TWO CHAPTERS! MY GOAL IS TO UPDATE TWO CHAPTERS EACH SUNDAY> 

I APPRECIATE EVERY VOTE AND COMMENT! THANKS FOR READING MY LITTLE TALE!

HAPPY DAY TO YOU! :)

-Lady R