Falling For His Gentle Soul (Preview)

Chapter One

Ellie tapped her foot on the floor of the home she shared with her older brother Dale. He’d said he would be back for dinner, but once again, he was more than a couple of hours late. Ellie ran her hand over her face, trying to shake the exhaustion. Staying up late each night, waiting for Dale, and getting up early in the morning was taking its toll. Things had to change. She couldn’t put up with this much longer. The sound of the door opening jarred her from the frustration threatening to overtake her. 

“Ellie, I’m home,” Dale’s voice came down the hall and into the kitchen. Ellie took a deep breath to calm herself. She shouldn’t light into him. He hated to be scolded by her at all, especially when it was right after he’d gotten home, but when she arrived in the parlor, caught a whiff of smoke floating off her brother’s clothes, and saw how he was half stumbling, half walking, her anger got the best of her. 

“You’re home? You said you would be home for dinner, almost three hours ago. I’ve been waiting for you this whole time.” 

“I’ve told you that you don’t need to wait up for me. If you’re tired, just go to bed.” 

“Me being tired is not the problem. It is one of them, but not the big one. Dale, you have to stop doing this to yourself. You can’t keep coming home late drunk, and who knows where you’ve been?” 

Dale threw his hat on the floor and shoved a hand through his hair. “Why do you have to get on me as soon as I walk through the door? I’ve been working most of the day. Is it a terrible thing that I want to have a little bit of time to myself?” 

“No, but I’m worried about you. You keep saying you’re not going to spend time at the saloon anymore. Didn’t you get paid today? Did you bring any of it home?” Ellie hated reminding her brother of his responsibilities, or how much they both depended on his income. More and more, she was the one who was responsible for bringing in the money from her jobs washing clothes around town and cleaning homes for those who had the money to pay her. 

Living in Sioux City, Iowa, was a change that had taken some time to adjust to. She wasn’t interested in having to move in a hurry again, as they had for most of her childhood. Sometimes she missed the days when she lived in blissful ignorance, unaware of how her brother’s actions affected her life. 

“I did get paid today but had to pay back some debts. You know you used to be a lot more fun when you were younger.” Dale threw down his bag and his coat on the floor, then stomped down the hall to his room and slammed the door. Ellie watched him go. Someone else would have a hard time guessing that her brother was sixteen years older than her, and she was the younger one. He struggled with maturity and doing the right thing. For years, she thought she could change him, she thought she could make him better, maybe show him the dangers of his ways, but he refused to listen. When she was a child, he did a good job of shielding her from his actions, and from the world, but lately, he didn’t even try.

He’d slowly stopped caring about doing that the more she discovered who he truly was. She stood up from the chair she was on and went over to his discarded bag and coat. She picked them up and hung them in their place, then carried the lamp to her room, gently closed the door, and blew out the light. 

Her entire body screamed at her with pain from the day’s work. She tried not to complain or ask for too much, and yet whenever she had these sorts of spats with her brother, she felt as if she were to blame. 

She hated feeling responsible for something she had so little control over. She sat down on the edge of her bed, let her hair down, and ran a brush through it before lying down and staring up at the ceiling. She wondered if her life would be different if her parents had lived. She would always be grateful for what her brother did to raise her. She would always thank him for the sacrifices he made, but at the same time, she would always wish things could be different now. 

The next morning, the house was as quiet and empty as the night before. Dale always slept in late on mornings when he’d been out drinking the night before. Ellie, on the other hand, made it a point to rise early, especially today. Today was the day she needed to write her application letter for the teaching position. Sioux City needed a teacher, and she was in search of a job. It seemed like the perfect opportunity for her to start providing for herself and find a way to start becoming more independent. When she was younger, she had tutors and hours of classes. She had spent so much time over the years learning and improving herself that she was fairly confident she would get the job. She had all the qualifications and loved children. She couldn’t imagine that there was another candidate who was better suited. Ellie set to work in the kitchen, preparing breakfast. Even though she was upset with her brother, she still had the desire to care for him. When the eggs and toast were ready to eat, and she’d had something herself, she pulled out a piece of paper and a charcoal pencil and began to write. She tried to include every single thing that she thought would make her stand out as a teacher. 

She also tried to put it in a way that didn’t make her sound presumptuous or as if she was over exaggerating her skills. By the time she had written her application three times and had come up with a version she liked, it was almost eleven, and Dale finally stumbled into the kitchen. His eyes were red, and he looked as if he hadn’t slept in a week, even though he’d slept twice as long as she had. 

She was just tucking the letter into an envelope and addressing it when he joined her. 

“Morning.” He looked sheepish like he did most times when he came home drunk and then overslept the next morning. 

“Good morning. Are you feeling better this morning?” The last thing Ellie wanted was to get in a fight. It seemed it was quite easy for her to start fighting with Dale, even on a peaceful morning. 

“I am…thanks for asking. About last night, I’m mighty sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I’m gonna make this different. Don’t worry.” 

Ellie sighed. “I know you didn’t mean it. I just…I really do wish things could change.” 

“You remind me of Ma, you know?” Her brother sat down at the table, and Ellie dished him up his breakfast, setting her finished application as well as the others she wasn’t going to send on the mantle. 

“How so?” As many troubles as Ellie had with her brother, she never tired of hearing him speak about their parents and the memories of them that he had. Ellie had never gotten the moments that he did with her parents. She’d never experienced getting to know them or hearing their words of advice. 

“She was always thinking ahead, worrying about the little details, even when she didn’t need to, just like you tend to do. Pa was the more relaxed one. He always thought that we could solve anything if we just gave it time and a lot of prayers.” 

Ellie smiled. She could imagine her parents having a slight disagreement, her mother worrying about getting to church on time, and her father saying, “Don’t worry, darling. God will understand.” 

Sometimes through her brother’s stories, she could almost reconstruct a past that she couldn’t remember. She could almost see her parents there, talking and laughing. The only memories she had of them were her mother’s long black hair, tickling her face as she laid her down in her bed and how she would kiss her on the forehead and whisper “I love you” in the dark. 

Ellie didn’t remember what they looked like, not really anyway. Her brother had a portrait of her parents when they were younger. It was done by someone with a charcoal pencil. It captured their essence, the way they’d looked, but it didn’t capture their souls. In that picture, which Ellie looked at often, she could see the likeness, but she didn’t see the emotions she imagined them to have. 

“I wish I remembered that.” Ellie sat down across from him with her second cup of tea. 

“I know. Ma would have been so happy that you’re like her. I can’t say that I don’t wish you could have gotten some of Pa’s way of things.” 

Ellie shrugged. “Being the cautious one doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Maybe I should try and be a bit more relaxed, and you could try to be a bit more cautious. It could help us be a little more balanced.” 

Dale laughed as if her suggestion were something comical. “I’m afraid that changing who you are is harder than you might think.” 

Ellie swallowed and forced a smile. She wished she could show Dale how important it was to her to see him change. He didn’t seem interested in it at all, and yet, it was something she dreamed of. 

Her brother stood, leaving his dishes on the table. “I should get going. I have to get to work. Thanks for the food, Ellie. I’ll try to be back for supper tonight.” 

“Will you really?” Dale hated it when she doubted him, and yet, she couldn’t seem to help it. She had been disappointed so many times before. It felt naïve of her to hope for anything to change. 

“I said I will do the best I can. When you expect me not to, it doesn’t help me come home on time.” Dale’s irritation was already showing. Ellie sighed and decided not to mess with it. Making him angry before he left wasn’t going to change anything or make anything better. 

“All right, have a good day.” Ellie watched him leave, remembering a time when things had been simpler. 

Ellie hummed as she hurried home, her work tucked under her arm. The teacher praised her efforts today, telling her that she was the brightest in her class. Her achievements were going to make Dale happy. He was always so worried about grades and her being at school on time and doing a good job. She loved her brother, and him worrying about her future made her want to do better for herself too. 

She stumbled through the door and almost fell over in her excitement. Dale was there, sitting in the parlor, a cup of coffee in his hand. 

“Ellie, you’re home early.” He grinned at her. “How was school today?”

“Good, I think. The teacher said that she was very happy with my progress.” Ellie plopped her books down. “Do you want to see it?”

Dale shook his head. “No, no. I believe you. Whenever I talk to your teachers, all they have to say about your work is good things. I’m proud of you, you know? You’re going to do good, for the both of us.” 

Ellie smiled. She liked making Dale proud. She didn’t see him as often as he liked. Sometimes, he would leave her under the care of the neighbor and would disappear for days on end. He said he needed to go to work, and that he needed to stay late, but sometimes, Ellie wondered if he was lying. She didn’t want to bring anything like that up on a good day like today. 

These moments, where Dale was in a good mood and talkative, were rare, and when she would ask a lot of questions, he tended to get grumpy and leave rather quickly. 

“Do you want to play a game of chess?” Ellie asked. For her tenth birthday, Dale had presented her with a hand-carved chess set and taught her how to play. Whenever he had time and was agreeable, they would sit down and play against one another. She had beat him a couple of times but was unsure if she’d really done it fair and square or if he had let her win. 

“Sure, why not? Maybe you’ll even the score this time.” Dale winked as he pulled up the chess game and motioned to the seat across from him for her to sit. 

Ellie slid into the seat and prepared to start. Maybe this time, she actually did have a shot. She’d been playing against everyone she could at school, preparing for this moment. She was hoping her hard work was about to pay off. She loved these afternoons. It made her forget that she was supposed to be spending these sorts of times with two parents, a family, and laughter. It made her feel like things were just a bit more normal than they actually were. 

Ellie didn’t know then how good she had things. She wished she would’ve realized it, then maybe she would have enjoyed it more.

Chapter Two

Ellie checked the window one more time. After the last incident, Dale had come home on time two days in a row, but his streak was already over. She sighed. She’d hoped he meant it this time but knew better. As the minutes stretched into hours, Ellie couldn’t stand another second of it. She decided enough was enough and set out toward town. It was already dark, and most respectable people had gone to bed. Ellie hated being out this late. She wanted to go to bed, where most women were at this moment. Instead, she was going into town to find Dale, to make sure he was all right, and hopefully convince him to come home, where he, too, belonged. She was tired of sitting around, waiting for Dale to fix things, to do better. 

Every time she tried to have faith in him, a little more of her trust was destroyed. She thought he would do better, that he would improve, but he never did. She was tired of going through that cycle. Hopefully, Dale would see tonight that she was not going to stand around waiting anymore. 

When she got to town, she immediately felt uncomfortable. The sound of pounding piano and guitar was blaring out into the street from the saloon, spilling out of every crevice. The raucous shouts of drunk men went along with the beat ending in course laughter. 

Ellie hated that sort of music. It was strange how the same instruments could make such different music, depending on whether it was in church or a saloon. She got closer and closer to the dreaded building. Why the town allowed the saloon to operate in their midst was a mystery to Ellie. She knew she was not the only one who abhorred the effect it had on people. She heard women complaining all the time in church about how their husbands spent their money, and how they wouldn’t come home on time, and would sometimes fall asleep in the street so their families would have to drag them home semiconscious.

Ellie imagined how peaceful their town would be and how much happier everyone might be if the saloon was not there, and there was nowhere to buy whiskey, in moderate or ridiculous amounts. She avoided the saloon at all costs whenever she could. She’d only stepped foot in the place once before, and it was also to get Dale and bring him home. 

Respectable young women did not spend time in or around saloons, no matter the reason. A drunk man stumbled out of the swinging doors, nearly knocking Ellie over. Ellie quickly covered her mouth as a reaction to the stench that rolled off of the man. She was not looking forward to walking home with Dale, who would most likely smell the same. 

The loud buzz of conversation immediately overwhelmed her. Men and their friends were sitting around tables, standing at the edge of the room, talking, drinking, and playing cards. Everyone was in a world of their own, and hardly anyone recognized that someone who didn’t belong there had just joined them. 

Ellie did not have any desire to be noticed at all. She’d made a vow to herself a long time ago, that she would never be attracted to, friends with, or around anyone who might be interested in drinking. She’d already spent half of her life dealing with the consequences of whiskey and the lack of self-control. She couldn’t imagine spending the rest of her life around someone who would disappoint her, mistreat her, and hurt her over and over again.  

She pushed through the crowd of people, scanning the room for Dale. She finally spotted him toward the back at a table, playing a game of cards with four other men. She didn’t recognize any of them but one, a friend who Dale spent time around. 

She’d never liked this man, Larry. He was a bad influence on Dale, in her opinion. On the days when Dale did try to stay on the straight and narrow, Larry would appear, asking for Dale to accompany him to the saloon or to town for a couple of games of cards. 

She straightened her shoulders and tried to look as strong as she could. She didn’t want to seem weak, or as if she didn’t know what she was doing here. She approached Dale’s table. He didn’t notice her and continued to play. One of his hands was shoved into his black hair, and the other held his cards. It was unclear whether he was upset because he was losing, or because he was drunk and couldn’t control his equilibrium. 

Ellie stepped closer. It was as if she’d just entered the world of these men around the table and they seemed startled by her sudden appearance. They looked up at her, most of them with red eyes and the look of exhaustion and intoxication. 

“Ellie, what are you doing here?” Dale’s tone was defeated, but also annoyed. He’d given up on hiding his true self from her ages ago. 

“I’m here to take you home. You said you’d be back for dinner, and you’re three hours late. Look at you. Are you all right?” Every time Ellie saw him like this, she felt worry for him fill her. She was scared that one day her brother would drink too much. He might fall or get injured and not be able to get help. Or maybe he would pass away from drinking too much, something she had heard about happening. 

She didn’t want to see that happen to Dale, no matter how frustrated he made her at any time of day. 

“I’m not ready to go home. You should have waited for me there.” Dale’s words slurred together, and his head bobbed as he talked. The second time, his head almost hit the table when he ended his sentence. 

“Dale, you’ve clearly been drinking too much. Come home.” 

“Larry, why don’t you walk her home? You’ve already been kicked out of the game.” Dale turned his attention to Larry, who, despite being drunk, seemed slightly more sober than Dale. 

“Course. I’d be glad to.” The way Larry looked at her made Ellie immediately uncomfortable. She didn’t want to be anywhere around him, much less with him walking her home in the dark. 

“No, Dale. I am not going to walk home with Larry. I need you to come home with me now. You don’t need to stay longer. You’ve clearly already been here much too long.” Ellie looked around. She didn’t like the attention she was attracting now. More than one table and a group of people were watching her, and many had stopped their conversations. Most everyone who was watching her had a look of disapproval on their face. 

For a moment, it was like she was back in school, doing something that attracted the attention of the whole class and her teacher. It made her uncomfortable and anxious. She wished the men would look somewhere else, anywhere but at her. 

“Dale, please. Let’s do this at home. You shouldn’t be out this late.” Ellie was silently praying her brother would hear her and see reason. He would jump up from where he was sitting and tell her that he was sorry and come along home with her. It seemed he was too drunk for that. 

He stood from the table, but not in the way that he would if he was going to listen. His look of devastation had turned to anger, and his eyes were thunderous. “I’m not coming home, Ellie. Stop acting as if you know what is best for me. You are not my mother!” 

Ellie took a step back. She felt her brother’s words as if they were a slap in her face. She didn’t know what had come over him. He had never tried to throw his weight around or tried to intimidate her. She was just looking out for him and trying to do what was right. She took another step back. 

“I…I’ll see you when you get home.” She hurried through the saloon, which was no longer unaware of her presence. It seemed that every single person in the place had stopped what they were doing to look at her. She didn’t stick around to see any sort of understanding on her brother’s face. She hurried out of the saloon and into the dark street, the night air hitting her face like cold water. 

She started back toward home. It was only after a couple of minutes of walking that she heard the footsteps behind her. She turned to see Larry lumbering after her. She stopped. If she kept walking, he would only follow her. 

“Larry, what are you doing?” Ellie didn’t have the patience to deal with him right then. She just wanted to be alone, to think and contemplate what she could do about this situation. Larry was only making things harder.

“I’m walking you home. Your brother is worried about you being out here in the dark by yourself.” The smell of whiskey rolled off Larry just like the other men who had been in the saloon. He didn’t seem in proper command of himself. 

“I don’t need anyone to walk me home. You need to go back with my brother, or somewhere else. I’ll find my own way.” Ellie spun on her heel and quickened her pace, hoping her words would be enough to turn Larry back, but they weren’t. He kept following her, eventually wrapping his arm around hers. She jerked away from him. They were on the main street of town. While most people were in their homes, there were one or two passing, and plenty of people in their houses, looking out the windows to see what commotion was happening on the street. 

The last thing Ellie needed was for people to think that she was walking with Larry out of choice. He was younger than her brother, by around seven years, which made him young enough for people to consider her romantically involved with him. However, she never was interested and could not imagine a time when she would be. There had been moments in the past when Larry tried to get her attention romantically, but she always turned him down. She wanted nothing to do with him, and if she’d had it her way, he would have nothing to do with either her or Dale. 

She walked faster this time, but Larry still stuck by her like a burr. Even though he didn’t try grabbing her arm again, they were still walking shoulder to shoulder. She imagined that it didn’t look good to anyone, and the last thing she needed was a blow to her reputation further than what she had endured already. 

As they arrived on the edge of town, Ellie knew she had to think of something. If she was uncomfortable with Larry beside her here in town, she would be ten times more uncomfortable once they were alone in a solitary area where he could take advantage of her. 

“Larry, go back to the saloon. Dale is going to need you.” Ellie tried to use her most persuasive voice, and for the first time, she saw her words getting through to Larry, if not a lot, then slightly. “He’s had too much  to drink, and it isn’t safe to leave him there alone.” 

Larry looked back toward the saloon. 

“I’m practically home. I won’t be walking alone that long. My brother will be grateful to you that you’ve walked me this far.” Ellie hated saying those words. She didn’t want him to think she was at all grateful for him being around her, but she didn’t have any other ideas on how to get him to leave her alone. 

“I don’t know. Dale told me to take you home.” 

“And what if something happens to Dale? You know that he can’t control himself when he gets too drunk.” Ellie held her breath, then let it out when Larry finally agreed with a nod. 

“All right. I’ll go back. You owe me, though, for looking out for him.” 

Ellie held herself back from agreeing or disagreeing. She would deal with Larry later when she figured out how to deal with Dale first.

Before she knew what was happening, Larry leaned in and hugged her. He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. 

“Be safe on your way home,” he said. He burrowed his face into her hair, making her shudder in revulsion. She shoved him back. 

“Get off.” She glowered at him. “What is wrong with you?” 

He shrugged. “I can tell you have feelings for me, Ellie. It is pointless to pretend you don’t. Your brother approves. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have trusted me to be out here with you alone.” 

“I don’t know if my brother approves or not, but I most certainly don’t. Go back with Dale, and if you ever try something like that again…” Ellie trailed off. There really was nothing she could threaten Larry with. He was larger than her and had her brother’s trust, and he could most likely get her brother to agree to some sort of union. The thought made her sick. 

“Fine, I’m going. We’ll talk about this later. I think we have a bright future together.” Larry turned with a huff and stomped off. He was clearly angry at her betrayal. He would forget this ever happened when he sobered up and pretended that it didn’t happen at all to save face, or he would assume that now that his feelings were out, he could properly pursue her. She hoped he picked the first option. 

She watched as Larry turned and started back toward the saloon. His gate was uneven, and he looked like he might topple over at any moment. Ellie was fuming. Not only had Dale lied to her, but he’d also disrespected her and treated her horribly in front of everyone. He’d also made her feel as if she was wrong to come after him. He had also put her in danger with his friend. From what Larry said, Ellie couldn’t help but suspect that Larry had brought up the topic of liking her to Dale, and he’d still thought it was a good idea to send her off through town alone with a drunk man. Maybe she was overthinking it, but she felt angry and betrayed.

She’d had enough. If she managed to get the teaching job in town, she knew there was a small room that was usually given to the teacher to live in. She would move out of her brother’s home and start fending for herself. As much as it would hurt to leave her brother behind after they’d done everything together for so long, the way things were right now was not working, and she had a feeling it never would be the way she wanted. 

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“Falling For His Gentle Soul” is an Amazon Best-Selling novel, check it out here!

Being determined to make a significant change in her life, Ellie Winters takes a job as a teacher in the west. Upon her arrival, she meets the previous teacher’s son, Charlie, and her heart shivers for the first time. Yet, Ellie could never imagine how easily happiness can turn into tragedy when she finds herself in the middle of a hostage situation…

Will Ellie find the help she needs to rescue not only herself but the people who depend on her, too?

Ever since his father died, it has been Charlie Newton’s lifelong mission to become a good sheriff and protect the town. When Ellie comes to live with his mother though, he is surprised by her easygoing nature and before he knows it, he finds himself captivated. The moment he feels that the happy life he craves may be within reach, he finds out that Ellie is in danger…

Utterly unprepared for the challenges that are about to follow, he sets out hoping that justice will prevail…

Ellie and Charlie experience an electric connection but when an old enemy of the town threatens everything they hold dear, they must face their worst fears. Will they manage to outsmart the vengeful man who wants to bring their town to its knees? Can their love survive the lies threatening to destroy it?

“Falling For His Gentle Soul” is a historical western romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

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