Sterling looked over the ranch with a covetous stare and then at her with a gaze filled with scorn. “Whoever he is, he only wants you for your ranch. Never for you. Who would want to be saddled with two boys who aren’t his?”
“I would,” Lance said in a strong voice behind Sterling.
Sterling spun around so quickly he almost fell to the ground at Lance’s voice. “You have no right to interrupt my conversation with your boss. I would assume you have duties to attend to, although, with your injuries, I imagine you are a rather worthless hand. If you worked for me, I’d have fired you by now.”
“Then I shall remain ever thankful I refused your offer of employment and continued here to inquire for work,” Lance murmured as he stared at Sterling.
“What?” Eleanor gasped as she looked at the two men glaring at each other.
Lance spoke to Eleanor, although his gaze never left that of Sterling’s. “On the day I arrived, I passed him on the road. He attempted to entice me to work for him rather than you, but I declined.”
Sterling growled. “You were after an easy mark.”
Lance stiffened, and his hands fisted. “I’d watch your tongue. You’re insulting my betrothed, and I will have no remorse in teaching you manners.”
Sterling spun to glare at Eleanor. “You can’t be serious? You aren’t going to marry this…this…laborer?”
Eleanor beamed at him. “I am. And I know we will be quite happy.”
Lance shared a long stare with the man. “Your visits to the Broken Pine are no longer required. And you should know, your interference in the ranch will no longer be tolerated.”
Sterling shook his head in confusion. “I don’t know what you mean.” He puffed out his chest and appeared insulted as he thought through Lance’s words. “I hope you are not implying I had anything to do with the unfortunate destruction of the ranch house?”
Lance shook his head. “No, but there have been other suspicious events. You’d do well to inform those who work for you that any mischief will not be taken lightly.”
Sterling slammed his hat on and marched away, not bothering to wish Eleanor a good day. He mounted his horse and cantered away before pushing his horse to a gallop.
Eleanor let out a sigh and slipped her arm through Lance’s, leaning against his side. “I wonder if he will accept your warning and rethink his visits.”
“The man isn’t stupid, Ellie,” Lance said as he kissed the top of her head. “He’ll stay away because he understands you’re not alone now.” He shrugged. “You never were. You always had Zachariah. But, for a man like Sterling, until you committed yourself to another man, you were open to a relationship with him. Now he knows you aren’t.”
She smiled as she pressed herself more closely to his side. “And he knows you are competent and able to work the ranch with Zachariah. He’s not foolhardy enough to challenge you.”
He chuckled and hugged her closer. “Thank you for your confidence in me.” He held her for a few minutes before kissing her on the forehead and returning to work with the boys.
* * *
On Sunday, they traveled into town for church and the fall church picnic to be held after the service. Eleanor had little to offer after the fire, and she had informed the boys their contribution was helping to serve and to clean up. Eleanor rode next to Lance in the wagon while Zachariah rode his favorite horse, Rogue. The boys chattered the entire trip into town, excited to see their friends and to tell them the tale of the fire.
“No embellishments, boys,” Lance said as he shared a smile with Eleanor.
Simon sat on his knees behind them, waving his arms about. “But, Mr. Lance, the flames, and the windows blowing open, and you running into our burning house.” He paused when Lance made a noise in his throat.
Eleanor shuddered next to Lance and gripped his arm. “Mr. Lance is correct, Simon. No embellishing. From everything you’ve told me, there is no need for it.” She looked at her two sons in the only clothes they had. “The truth will still be enough to shock your friends.”
She sighed as Peter and Simon settled down behind them in the wagon bed to talk over what they wanted to say to their friends. “I should have known they’d want to regale their friends with the house inferno,” she said in a low voice to Lance.
He gripped her hand for a moment. “It’s natural for them to tell their friends. The more they talk about it, the less fear they’ll have.” He smiled at her. “I’ve found silence often makes a fear grow.”
She leaned into his side. “How true,” she murmured. She smiled at acquaintances and friends as they arrived at the church, accepting a hand down from Lance. She walked into the church on his arm, ignoring the curious stares as her boys walked behind her with Zachariah.
After the service, Eleanor stood beside Lance with her arm through his. She had already spoken to Barbara and Gracie, and word had leaked that she and Lance were engaged. Although she had tried to help with the preparations for the church picnic, the townsfolk continued to approach her and Lance to congratulate them, making it impossible to aid with the setup.
“Congratulations,” Mayor Jacob Winthrop said as he paused to speak with them. “I’m delighted to hear the news. For your happiness and for the stability of your ranch.” Winthrop was an astute businessman, but he also wanted to ensure his town flourished and attracted new residents.
“Thank you, Mr. Winthrop,” Eleanor said. “May I introduce my fiancé, Lance Gallagher?”
Winthrop seemed to take Lance’s measure as he shook Lance’s hand. “You’re earning a reputation as a competent rancher.”
Lance nodded. “I do my best, sir.”
Winthrop focused on Eleanor. “It’s a darned shame what happened to your house.”
She nodded, her grip on Lance’s arm tightening. “Yes, but we all survived. That is what matters.”
“Yes, it is.” He tipped his hat to the couple and moved on, allowing others to offer their congratulations. By the time they had finished speaking with the townsfolk, the tables were laden with food, and most townsfolk had a plate in their hands.
“Seems we’re too late to help,” Eleanor said.
Lance smiled reassuringly at her. “They are happy to see you well. They don’t begrudge you anything.” He kissed her forehead as she slipped her arm free to speak with Barbara and Gracie while he joined Zachariah and Jack.
She hugged her friends and fought her inclination to squeal like a schoolgirl with delight at her situation. “Thank you for spreading the rumor,” she whispered to her friends. “I couldn’t have handled the speculative glances if they thought I was having a dalliance with Lance.”
Eleanor smiled in a noncommittal way as the reporter’s wife, Beth Langhorne, approached them. “Hello, Mrs. Langhorne.”
Beth smiled and sipped at her punch. “Hello. I wanted to offer my congratulations and inform you that, when you do wed, Samuel and I would be pleased to run an announcement of that blessed event in the paper. It will then be posted at the General Store for all to see.”
Eleanor smiled. “That is most kind. However, I fear it may be some time until we wed. The living arrangements are rather cramped at the moment at the ranch, and I would prefer to wait until I feel more settled.”
Beth sobered. “I can’t begin to imagine what you suffered.” She waited for Eleanor to respond and then sighed at the ensuing silence. “Again, I offer my congratulations.” She smiled at the small group of women and walked away.
Barbara watched Beth Langhorne mingle with other churchgoers, never remaining long in any group’s company. “Everyone’s afraid of saying something that will end up printed in the paper.”
Eleanor sighed. “I’d think she’d be lonely.”
Gracie shrugged. “Perhaps she is. But I believe she is quite happy with her husband.” She paused before speaking as she heard a snippet of gossip, frowning as the words were carried on the soft breeze.
“I tell you, it’s a disgrace she’s marryi
ng another. She should marry that foreman and legitimize that boy once and for all,” the woman said in an imperious tone.
“Is that…?” Eleanor asked as she stiffened.
“Yes, Mrs. Handley,” Barbara said as she glared in the direction of the voice. “Oh my,” she breathed, causing Eleanor and Gracie to look in that direction.
Adeline Brown, the preacher’s wife, approached Mrs. Handley with a purposeful stride. Adeline looked like a general about to marshal troops, and Eleanor instinctively stood a little taller as she watched Adeline. “Mrs. Handley,” the preacher’s wife said in a no-nonsense voice. “I am most displeased with the rumors I have heard circulating at your fine store.”
Mrs. Handley flushed and shook her head in feigned confusion. “I’m afraid I have no idea what you are talking about.
“Have you or have you not said on more than one occasion that Mrs. Ferguson knows no shame and should be shunned due to her mistreatment of her deceased husband?”
Mrs. Handley gaped as her mouth opened and closed numerous times while no sound emerged.
“Have you not intimated that any upstanding woman in this town must shun her or be tainted by her supposed indiscretion?”
Mrs. Handley raised her chin in defiance of Mrs. Brown’s words, although her friends slunk away like cockroaches exposed to sunlight.
“I expect you to call for tea Tuesday at 2 p.m.” She waited a moment until Mrs. Handley nodded her agreement before she spun on her heel and returned to her husband’s side.
Barb hid her delight by taking a sip of punch and then turned away as Mrs. Handley slipped into the shadows. “That should help rid any ongoing suspicions.” She smiled at her friend. “What I wouldn’t give to be at that tea on Tuesday.”
Eleanor burst out laughing. “I agree. And I find I’m no longer as affected by her malicious words.” She gripped her friend’s arm. “I almost died, Barb. After something like that, gossip isn’t important.” Her smile broadened. “And I reconciled with Lance.”
Barbara gave a knowing nod. “Yes, once we find love and face our fears, we realize what is and isn’t important.” She looked in the direction of her husband and gave an appreciative sigh. “I can say, we are most fortunate to have fallen in love with such attractive men.”
Eleanor nodded. “Yes, but more than that, such good men.” She walked arm and arm with Barbara to join Jack and Lance and to enjoy the church picnic.
* * *
Three days later, Simon gave a shout as he acted as sentinel in the old pine. Lance looked up from working on the bunkhouse roof as he wanted to ensure it was secure for the upcoming winter. He scratched at his head and rubbed at the sweat on his brow when he looked down the drive with a perplexed frown. “What the devil?” he asked as he walked to the ladder and climbed down.
“Mr. Lance!” Simon hollered from the tree. “Do you see?” He gave a whoop of delight and clambered out of the branches as he raced to stand beside Lance. Peter emerged from the barn where he’d been working with Zachariah, and they stood in a row as a line of wagons laden with lumber rolled into the yard. Men on horseback accompanied the wagons, and Jacob Winthrop yelled his hello.
“Good morning!” the mayor called out. “We thought we’d have a good ol’ house-raising!”
Lance shook his head as he looked at the assembled men. “I…I don’t know what to say.” He shared a panicked look with Zachariah.
Jacob jumped from the wagon and approached them. “Consider this the town’s wedding gift. We want to do this for Mrs. Ferguson after all the disparaging comments over the years about her husband.” He grimaced. “And about her.”
Lance smiled. “She’ll be delighted.” He looked up the lane and saw another wagon approaching, this one filled with women. “Why are they here?”
Jacob laughed and hit him on his shoulder. “To drive us mad with suggestions. And to feed us.” He winked at him and Zachariah before calling out to the men about where to start unloading the lumber. After a moment he called over Zachariah and Lance. “Where would you like the new house to be built?”
Lance frowned. “Eleanor should decide.” He smiled as he saw her standing on the bunkhouse porch with a hand covering her mouth as she gaped at the spectacle in her barnyard. “Ellie!” he called out and waved for her to join them.
When she approached, she smiled her welcome to Jacob and moved into Lance’s side. “I can’t begin to imagine why you’re here,” she breathed.
“They’re building us a new house,” Lance said, unable to hide his broad smile. When she gaped at him, he nodded with delight. “Come, where would you like it?” He walked with her as they approached the scarred remains of the old house.
“Near the old house as the privy, root cellar, and water pump are nearby,” she murmured. After a moment, she pointed to a spot on the other side of her vegetable garden that sat on a small rise. It would give a good view out to the valley and mountains in the distance. “I always wished the house was up here, but it was built when we won the ranch.”
Jacob Winthrop joined them and scratched at his face. “This might seem like a perfect place right now, but, when the winds blow, you won’t want to have such an exposed home. It will never be warm, no matter how well we build it.” He waited for Eleanor to overcome her disappointment. “How about there?” He pointed to a flat place nearer the root cellar.
Eleanor walked over there and around in the grass. After a moment, she smiled and nodded. “What do you think, Lance?”
He shrugged. “Wherever you want the house is fine with me.” He looked at Jacob. “And, if you have questions about how the house should be built, speak with Ellie. She is the expert in this domain.” He kissed Eleanor on her forehead and left to help unload the lumber from the back of the wagons.
* * *
As they watched Lance join the lumbermen, Jacob murmured, “Extraordinary. Most men want to have much more control over how things are done.”
Eleanor smiled at Jacob Winthrop. “Lance wants me happy. And he doesn’t care what the house is like. Only that we’ll be married and live in it together.” She smiled at the town’s mayor. “I can’t believe you’re doing this for me.”
Jacob flushed and looked away from her searching gaze. “The fact is, I fear the townsfolk have not treated you as well as we should have. That we have not shown you the compassion we should have after Alan’s death.” He met her shocked gaze. “I know that nothing will ever make amends for how you were treated, but I hope this will begin to heal the hurt of what occurred.”
She smiled at him as she battled tears. “It does. Thank you.” She looked at the place her home would be built and waved her arms about as she described the home she envisioned. “I know it can’t be as grand as the home that burned.”
He shook his head and smiled. “I brought the best lumbermen and builders with me. We’ll have a new home built for you in no time.”
“Thank you, Mr. Winthrop,” she said. “I should ensure the women who have traveled here today are comfortable.” He tipped his hat at her, and she walked with a measured gait to the townswomen who had traveled here. Barbara stood with her daughter, Isabelle, and Eleanor gave Barbara a welcoming hug. “Thank you for coming,” she whispered.
Barbara giggled and nodded to Mrs. Handley. “I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.”
Eleanor shook her head in confusion. “Why?”
“You’ll see,” Barbara said with a wink. Barbara pasted on an impersonal smile as Mrs. Handley approached them with a few of the townswomen who had a propensity to gossip.
Mrs. Handley looked as though she had just swallowed half a jar of castor oil as she squared her shoulders and faced Eleanor. “Mrs. Ferguson,” she said in her carrying voice. “It has been brought to my attention by an estimable member of our town, Mrs. Brown, that I have wronged you.” She paused and then cleared her throat. “I am most sincere in my apology, and I ask for your forgiveness.”
Eleanor fought a smile as s
he watched the shopkeeper squirm. “For what are you asking my forgiveness?”
Mrs. Handley flushed. “For ever imagining that you would act dishonorably. I beg your pardon for ever believing you had strayed from your marriage vows.”
“How do you know you were wrong?” Eleanor asked.
Mrs. Handley flushed. “It has been brought to my attention that Zachariah was away from the ranch when you were expecting your second child.”
“Yes, he was, although few remember he had to return to Ohio to see his dying mother,” Eleanor said. After a moment, she smiled with grim satisfaction. “You were wrong, and your insinuations caused me much consternation. You have my forgiveness because you did not harm my son with your mindless chatter. As far as I know, he remains innocent to your prattle.” Her gaze was filled with warning, and Mrs. Handley nodded. Eleanor’s smile broadened and became more sincere. “Come, let’s celebrate the joy of friendship today.”
Eleanor moved to the wagon the women had driven out, her mouth dropping open to see the amount of food the women had brought. However, the true surprise was in the last wagon to arrive. That wagon was chockablock full of items that would fill a home. Chairs, tables, lamps, mattresses. A butter churn and an icebox for the kitchen. She rubbed at her forehead and fought tears. “I…I can never repay such kindnesses,” she murmured.
Barbara wrapped an arm around one of her shoulders. “Every time there has been a request for aid, you have found a way to help. Food, clothes, anything. This is everyone’s way of thanking you.”
Eleanor swiped at her cheeks and took a deep breath. “I thought we’d have to live humbly for a while.”
Barbara laughed. “And so you will. It will be some time before you can afford to buy the little luxuries you were used to. But these necessities will help your house feel like a home.”
Eleanor worked with Barbara and Isabelle as they set up a trestle table laden with food in the barn’s shade for the men’s midday meal. After everything was ready, she instructed the men unloading the wagon with items for her home to place them in stalls in the barn. “The horses can remain in the paddock for as long as necessary.” Soon, most of the work was done, and she found a shaded spot near the bunkhouse to watch the men work.
Drifting from Deadwood: The Pioneer Brides of Rattlesnake Ridge, Book 6 Page 14
