Gift of Hope

by Shanna Hatfield

  He drew in a deep breath, only to have her scent, something exotic and warm, enticing and comforting, fill his nose.

  Outside.

  He needed to go outside and work, alone, until he could get his longings and scattered thoughts under control.

  “Thank you for breakfast. It was delicious,” he said, ramming his arms into the sleeves of his coat. He snatched his gloves from the pockets, and hurried out the door without a backward glance.

  Halfway to the barn, he realized he’d left his hat inside the cabin. Rather than return for it, he wrapped his scarf around his ears and started chopping wood. The physical exertion helped him regain his equilibrium and worked the edge off his tightly coiled emotions.

  The day warmed, so Grady removed his coat and scarf and returned to driving himself to cut as much wood as possible. When his arms began to quiver from the strain of it, he stopped and looked over to see Gia and Matty stacking the wood on the porch while Gwennie played with sticks tied with bits of colorful string.

  Gia brushed her hands on her apron, hurried into the house, then reappeared with a glass of water in her hand. “Drink this,” she said, holding it out to him.

  Grateful for something to quench his thirst, he tipped back the glass and glugged every drop of the icy water. As he drank, he kept focused on Gia, watching a spark flicker in those honey-colored eyes. She’d pinned her hair up in a modest knot at the back of her head, but it did nothing to hide her beauty. Tendrils of gold and dark brown escaped, framing her face in a most becoming way. Her cheeks were pink from the outdoors, and her lips looked so ripe and luscious, Grady found himself leaning toward her before he abruptly came to his senses.

  He handed her the empty glass, nodded once, then went back to chopping wood. When his shoulders and back ached in protest of swinging the ax, he swung it into a stout log so one of the children couldn’t get it loose then glanced at the trees around them.

  “Do you think you could gather a few buckets full of moss?” he asked as Gia stared at him, her expression unreadable although she appeared somewhat confused.

  “Moss?” she finally asked. “What do you need with moss?”

  “For the cabin walls. I’ll mix it with mud from the creek and use it to seal the cracks. It should make the cabin a lot warmer that way.” He picked up a large bucket he’d brought from the mine along with a shovel he found in the barn and started to the creek. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Gia watching him, although she’d yet to move. “Moss, Mrs. DeVille?”

  “Moss,” she repeated then spun around and took the glass inside the house.

  Grady wondered if she felt the same unexplainable pull between them that he experienced whenever they got within a few feet of each other. That was precisely the reason he should stay away from her and why he had to unearth the truth of what happened to her husband.

  He lingered at the creek a few minutes, washing his face with the frigid water. After wiping his hands with his handkerchief and stuffing it in his pocket, he returned to the cabin. When he got there, Gia and both children were walking back from the woods with pails stuffed full of moss in their hands.

  All three of them watched as he mixed moss with the mud then began spreading it between the logs, over the chinking. Whoever originally did the work had left many gaps. It was a miracle the family hadn’t frozen to death last winter with the size of some of them. No wonder Gia had the children sleeping with her in one bed to keep them warm. Then again, the cabin was so small, there wasn’t really room for beds for the children.

  The cold mud made his hands ache, but Grady kept working. When he used up all the mixture, Gia insisted he come inside and warm up for a while. He would have argued with her, but his hands were raw and stiff, so he followed her and the children inside. She dipped warm water from the stove reservoir and poured it over his hands as he washed them then handed him a cup of hot coffee to hold.

  Grady drank the coffee before he returned outside and filled another bucket with mud as Gia and the children gathered more moss.

  While he finished daubing the cabin, Gia went inside to prepare lunch, taking Gwennie with her. Matty stayed with Grady, happily talking about anything and everything that popped into his head.

  With a few guided questions, Grady learned that Matty remembered living in a “noisy city” before they came west on the train. The boy mentioned cousins and caused Grady to wonder about Gia’s family. Did she have siblings who would welcome her and the children to their homes if she returned to wherever she came from?

  The thought of her leaving made his stomach clench into a tight knot, so he switched his thoughts back to the little boy beside him. Matty had picked up two sticks and tapped them against an overturned pail, like it was a drum. Unlike most children, he wasn’t making a racket, but something that sounded more musical.

  The children didn’t seem to have much in the way of toys. Truthfully, he’d not noticed any. Gwennie packed around a handful of sticks wrapped in colorful string, cradling them as though they were dolls. Matty had rocks and sticks he played with, but no actual toys.

  Grady would have to see about remedying that with Christmas approaching. A grin creased his face as he thought about bringing holiday cheer to the family. If the gifts were from Saint Nicholas, Gia couldn’t refuse them, could she?

  He wondered if she’d let him help her put up a tree. He could find a small one that would fit on the table, or perhaps sit in the corner behind the door.

  Lost in thoughts of plans for Christmas, he didn’t hear Gia approach him until he felt a touch on his shoulder. He spun around, slinging mud and moss in his wake only to find her shaking her head and grinning at him.

  “A sore-footed bear could sneak up on you,” she said with a cheeky smile. “Lunch is waiting when you’re ready to come in.”

  He watched her take Matty’s hand and lead him around the corner of the cabin before he turned back to his project and quickly finished filling the last hole. After spending a few hours with his hands buried in a bucket of frigid mud, his hands ached so badly, he could hardly move them. He managed to rinse out the bucket and set it back in the wagon then wash the mud from his hands and arms before he walked up the steps to the cabin. Tapping once, he pushed open the door and moved inside.

  Gwennie and Matty giggled and chased each other around as Gia set food on the table. The scent of meat made Grady’s stomach growl as he shut the door behind him.

  “All finished?” Gia asked as she poured milk into four glasses and set them on the table.

  “Yep. If the weather stays nice for a day or two, the daubing should have a chance to set up.” He walked over to the stove and held his hands out to the heat. Although the day had turned warm and pleasant, the mud had felt as though it had been dug from beneath blocks of ice.

  Gia glanced at him as she sliced bread then gave him a second look. She gasped and set aside the knife, quickly coming to his side and taking his hands between hers.

  “Crazy man! What have you done to your hands?” she admonished as she gently rubbed them to restore warmth and circulation.

  The feel of her skin brushing against his made every nerve ending in his body tingle. Her hands were roughened from work, but still soft and gentle. His gaze tangled with hers and he saw something flash in her eyes that lit a spark in their honeyed depths. The flame burning there reflected the heat he was sure intensified in his as she took a step closer to him and continued to caress his hands.

  Visions he had no business thinking about flooded his mind. When her thumbs brushed over the pulse point in his wrist, he drew in a ragged breath. Unless the woman was utterly naive, which he could hardly accept a widow with two children would be, she had to know she was about to push him beyond the limits of his tightly stretched restraint.

  He started to dip his head toward hers, intent on tasting her full, tantalizing lips. A squeal of laughter from Gwennie drew him up short as she and Matty plowed into their mother’s legs.

  G
ia fell against him and Grady was sure he’d never felt anything in his life as wonderful as the sensation of her in his arms, pressed close against his chest. Hastily, she pulled away, but not before he saw a look of longing in her eyes.

  “Be careful, little ones. What have I told you about playing near the stove?” she asked with a stern look on her face as she stared at her children.

  “Not to get too close,” Matty said, while Gwennie’s bottom lip rolled out in a pout. “We’re sorry, Mamma.”

  “I know,” she said, dropping to her knees and hugging the children to her then kissing their cheeks. “Why don’t you play over by the bed until we’re ready to eat?”

  “Okay,” Mattie said, then took his sister’s hand and pulled her across the room.

  Gia lifted a dipper of water from the reservoir on the stove and filled a shallow basin with the warm liquid. “Put your hands in there,” she said, motioning to the basin.

  Grady would have much rather spent a few more minutes with her rubbing his fingers, but he obediently set his hands in the water. It hurt at first, but not as much as he anticipated. Gia added hot water from the kettle then returned to setting the food on the table. By the time the children’s faces and hands were washed and they were seated, the ache had mostly left Grady’s hands. He dried them on a towel and took a seat across from Gia.

  She asked a blessing on the meal then began cutting tiny bites of the venison steak she’d fried. Mashed potatoes with gravy and canned beans she’d cooked in the leftover bacon grease rounded out the meal. Slices of toasted bread with butter melted into every crevice were delicious. When they’d cleaned their plates, Gia gave Matty and Gwennie a cookie then held out the tin for Grady. He took two and handed one of them to her. She started to put it back, but when Grady began to return his, she tossed him an annoyed glance and bit into her cookie.

  The afternoon was spent mostly outside, as Grady hastened to make repairs around the place. The last thing he did before he left was to install three pegs by the door where she could hang coats.

  “Anything else that needs to be fixed?” he asked as he stored tools in the toolbox he’d brought along.

  “No, Mr. Gaffney. You’ve done far more than anyone should have. Thank you.”

  Grady stood and offered her a boyish grin; one his mother had informed him was going to either get him into or out of trouble someday. “After all the time we’ve spent together the past few days, I think you can leave off the mister business. I’m just Gaffney or Gaff.”

  “No.” Gia shook her head.

  “What if I insist?” he asked, taking a step closer to her.

  She took a step back. “Insist all you like, but you can’t make me say or do anything.”

  He chuckled. “I’ve already discovered that, Mrs. DeVille. Believe me, that is not a secret.”

  “Are you hinting that I’m stubborn?”

  His grin broadened. “No hinting about it, ma’am.”

  She smiled. “Call me Gia.”

  Grady nodded once and gathered his things. The children trailed after him as he went out to the wagon and set the toolbox inside. Gia followed and watched as he harnessed the team to the wagon.

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to take you to town or even up to the mine?”

  “No. We’ll stay here, but thank you.” She moved a step closer and took his right hand between hers, squeezing it tightly. “Thank you for all you did today, for the food and the help, and for…” Her voice broke and she blinked back the moisture gathering in her eyes. “Thank you, Grady, for giving me hope.”

  He smiled at her use of the name his mother had given him. “You’re welcome, Gia.”

  Before he surrendered to the unsettling urge to kiss her, he ruffled Matty’s hair, and picked up Gwennie and kissed her cheek. He handed the little one to her mother, then easily swung onto the wagon seat.

  “I won’t be back for a while, but if you ever need anything, just follow the wagon tracks up the hill to the mine.”

  “We will be fine, Grady. The next time you come don’t think you need to bring anything. We can’t and won’t accept more charity.”

  Annoyed by her words, Grady gave Gia one last, long look before he snapped the reins and the horses leaned into the harness, pulling the wagon back to the mine.

  All the way there, Grady wondered what Gia would do if he’d given in to temptation and kissed her.

  Chapter Six

  “Thanks, Sizzler,” Grady said, taking the sack of food the man held out to him.

  “Just don’t freeze on your way down the mountain,” Sizzler warned as he went back to washing the breakfast dishes.

  “I won’t. Keep an eye on everyone while I’m gone.” Grady walked through the cookshack and out the door to where he’d left Happy saddled with his reins looped around a post. He hung the sack from the saddle horn, swung into the saddle, and rode out of camp in the pre-dawn darkness.

  At least the snow had melted. After being cold and snowy in the week after Thanksgiving, the temperature climbed and the sun had shone for several days. Although there was now mud everywhere, Grady wasn’t going to complain. He hated being cold and looked forward to the arrival of spring even if winter hadn’t yet fully settled in.

  The second Thursday of each month, he rode to the Jordan Ranch to meet with Thane and discuss the mine. They could talk about any employee issues as well as general business concerns without worrying about one of the miners hearing them. Grady usually took along the record books for Thane to look over, too. Most of the time, Thane rode up to the mine on the fourth Tuesday of each month just to check in. The arrangement was one Grady liked and Thane seemed to as well.

  However, as he rode toward the ranch in the morning chill, his thoughts weren’t on the mine or how well it was doing. They centered on a certain woman and her two children.

  Grady acknowledged he had to get his thoughts in order where Gia was concerned, but it was difficult. He didn’t know how he knew, but he was certain her husband was never returning. If Gia cared to face the truth, he thought she’d probably say the same thing. But until Rocco’s whereabouts were known, Gia was a married woman and completely off limits. Grady had to get his runaway feelings for her under control.

  It wasn’t just her, either. Matty and Gwennie had carved out a special place in his heart, too. Matty was smart and full of energy, but he minded well and was eager to please, excited to learn. Gwennie was such a sweet, tiny little thing, and so delicate-appearing. He half expected her to disappear in a puff of fairy dust.

  When his thoughts rolled back around to Gia, Grady tried to push them away. He took out the ham-filled biscuits Sizzler had packed for him and ate them with gusto. In spite of the fact he’d eaten breakfast with the rest of the men, he was hungry. Jemma Jordan would insist he stay for lunch then she’d send him on his way with treats, so he wasn’t concerned about having something to eat later. He took a juicy red apple from the bag and bit into it, enjoying the sweet, tart flavor on his tongue. When he finished, he tossed the core into the trees and glanced around as the sky began to lighten with the arrival of dawn.

  The trail he followed wasn’t well marked, but he’d ridden it enough times to know the way without worrying about paying close attention to where he was going. When he came to several old trees that had fallen in a storm and blocked the path, he rode around them. In the mood to explore a bit, he continued riding in a more northernly route than he normally took.

  Much to his surprise, he came to the edge of a ravine he hadn’t realized was there. Down at the bottom of it, something glinted in the early morning light.

  “Whoa, boy,” he said, reining in Happy and studying the shiny spot at the bottom of the ravine, unable to tell what reflected the light. He couldn’t explain what drove him to investigate, but he felt an unreasonable need to see what caught the first beams of sunlight.

  He left Happy’s reins looped around a sturdy tree branch and descended the steep slope one careful ste
p at a time. He walked along the narrow stream at the bottom of the ravine until he came upon what appeared to be the remains of a horse along the rocky bank on the other side. A saddle and bridle rested amongst the bones and tufts of horse hair.

  Grady crossed the stream in one leap then walked around the horse. His breath whooshed out of him as he stared down at the bones. Beneath the horse, as though he’d been pinned to the ground, were the remains of a human. Shreds of fabric covered the ground around the skeleton, like the cloth had been torn away, most likely by a hungry cougar or wolf. A few feet from the remains, Grady saw something glittering in the sun.

  He walked over and picked up a pocket watch. The silver casing was dented, but it was still in one piece. If the trees hadn’t been across the pathway and he hadn’t ridden out of his way, Grady would never have noticed the sunlight glinting off the surface of the watch.

  Although the watch wouldn’t open, Grady tucked it into his pocket. Perhaps something in it would identify who had met their death at the bottom of the ravine.

  He looked up the hill, trying to imagine what had happened. Something might have startled the horse. It could have fallen down the slope, or been chased. Or maybe the rider was thirsty and hoped to get a drink in the stream but the horse slipped on the way down. No one would ever likely know what happened, but he felt sorry for both the man and horse who’d died alone at the base of the ravine.

  Although he hated to do it, he searched through the remains for anything that might be useful in identifying the man. He found a pocket knife with a dull blade, less than a dollar in coins, and a banded agate marble that made him think of Gia’s eye color.

  Grady removed his hat and said a prayer for the man who’d lost his life in what appeared to be a terrifying way then pocketed what he found and made his way back up to Happy.

  He would get word to the sheriff so Tully could examine the remains, although there didn’t appear to be much to investigate.

  His thoughts lingered on the man and how he’d died as he rode the rest of the way to the Jordan Ranch. He stopped outside the house. Before he had a chance to dismount, Ben Amick, Thane’s half-brother, sauntered out of the barn with a friendly wave.