Sweet Southern Haven

Emmaline

{Noelle’s POV}

He approached me slowly, and I raised my hands to try and deter him. He inched closer before pulling me into a gentle hug. “It’s not your fault, no man should ever touch a woman. You stayed because you cared about him, and loving someone isn’t a crime.” He spoke softly, rubbing up and down my back and kissing the top of my head. A strange sensation began to spread through my chest. It started with fear, then confusion, and suddenly, calmness. I felt a sense of calmness that I hadn’t experienced in a long time. “You shouldn’t have been put in that situation in the first place, Noelle. No man should ever hurt a woman.”

“I shouldn’t have let him get away with it for so long. It’s my fault. I stayed.” I whimpered, burying my face in his chest.

He kissed the top of my head, his hand still gently rubbing circles on my back. “No, and I never want to hear you blame yourself again, Noelle. You are an abuse survivor, the fault of his abuse!”

“Thank you.” I said softly, looking up at him.

He stared down at me for a moment before pulling away, giving me a small nod. He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. “I.. um.. I have to get back to the Ranch and finish up my chores. Mama will have supper ready around 6:30, if you’d like to join us.” He turned and walked towards the door. “You don’t have to be alone anymore. We’re right next door if you need us.” He smiled softly before walking out of the house and back up the hill.

I smiled, realizing how kind Silas could be. He was a difficult person to read, but kind enough to help me when I was struggling. I decided to go upstairs and get dressed. I braided my hair and pulled on a pair of high-waisted jeans, a tank top, and a red and brown button-up flannel shirt. I put on the brown cowboy boots that Daphne had given me and the brown cowboy hat that Owen had given me.

I stepped outside, taking a deep breath and heading towards the Moore Ranch. As I walked up the hill, I spotted Owen and Silas diligently working with the cows, guiding them into the barn. Meanwhile, Daphne packed a basket of eggs into the house.

I couldn’t help but wonder where Adelaide and Emmaline were. However, my curiosity was soon answered when I turned to see Emmaline in the horses’ corral. Horror washed over me as I witnessed her backing herself into the fence, only to be confronted by one of the largest horses I had ever seen. I shouted loudly, “Emmaline!” before I burst into a sprint, jumping over the fence in an attempt to reach her. As I hopped over, the horse barreled towards us. Without hesitation, I grabbed Emmaline, tossing her over the fence in a desperate attempt to save her.

“Noelle!” Silas’ voice echoed through the air, but it was too late. I was knocked to the ground, my world going dark as pain and panic engulfed me.

{Silas’ POV}

As I finished leading the last of the cows into the barn with Owen, I was suddenly jolted by Noelle’s voice outside. “Emmaline!” she shouted. Instinctively, I turned to look in the direction of her voice, fear gripping my heart as I saw Emmaline trapped inside the horse pen, Smokey galloping towards her. Without a moment’s hesitation, I sprinted out, turning to face the horse pen. My heart pounded in my chest as I witnessed Emmaline being tossed over the fence by Noelle, just as Smokey made it to her. “Noelle!” I cried out, watching in horror as Smokey reared up on his hind legs, striking Noelle with his hooves as he descended.

Owen and I quickly hopped over the fence. He grabbed Smokey, leading him away from the scene, while I dropped to my knees beside Noelle, who lay motionless on the muddy ground. She was unresponsive. “Noelle..” I whispered, gently pulling her into my arms. As my hand cradled her head, I felt a warm, wet substance. I was so dazed it took me a moment to realize what it was, my hand was covered in blood. “Mama, call for an ambulance!” I shouted, my voice filled with urgency, as I looked towards the house.

“What happened?” Daphne exclaimed, sprinting towards us, from the house.

“It’s Noelle.. she was injured while trying to save Emmaline from Smokey..” I said, glancing over at Emmaline. “Are you okay, honey? Are you hurt anywhere?” I asked, scanning her over.

“I-I’m fine, Daddy… is Noelle okay? Please wake up, Noelle..” she said, tears welling up in her eyes.

“The EMTs are asking what happened..” Mama shouted from the front porch.

“Noelle was kicked by Smokey. Her head is bleeding and she’s unconscious!” I shouted back, gently lifting her into my arms and carrying her to the front porch.

I laid her on the front porch swing, anxiously waiting for the EMTs to arrive. I ran inside grabbing a wash rag and holding it to the back of her head where she was bleeding. I held it hard against her head, hoping that she’d wake up soon, or maybe even that I would, that all of this was just an awful dream. We had a nice moment earlier, learning about her past, knowing why she’s here, she just wanted to move on from her past. She wanted to be happy, and free, instead fear had its claws in her, grasping at every moment of every day.

The EMT’s showed up, rushing to her side, and putting her on the stretcher, loading her into the ambulance. “We’ll go with them, the last thing we want is her waking up alone and scared.” I said, jumping into the back of the ambulance, picking up Emmaline and pulling her into it with me. “We’ll make sure she’s okay, and we’ll meet you guys at the hospital!” I said, looking over my family.

“Okay, we’ll meet you guys there.” Mom said, turning and making her way inside the house, grabbing her keys. They closed the doors to the ambulance, and drove off towards the hospital.