Montana Cowboy Family

by Linda Ford

  His story left her shaken. How could a woman be so careless with what had been offered to her in the Marshall family? Even more condemning for her was the knowledge he would not let anything harm his family, especially association with a fallen woman.

  She must protect her secret at all costs.

  Chapter Seven

  As soon as Logan realized how desperately he wanted to cling to Sadie, how much he emotionally leaned into her, he dropped his arm to his side and shifted so he looked at the door into his uncle’s store. Why had he told her about his foolishness in misjudging not one, but two, women? He normally did his best to put those incidents behind him.

  He’d only wanted to know why she had been avoiding him these past two days, three counting today. There had to be a way to get her to tell him what was the matter.

  “Are you finding it too much work to care for the children as well as be the teacher?”

  She gave him a look so challenging it was all he could do not to cringe. “Has someone suggested I have neglected my duties?”

  “I didn’t mean it that way. But if you need more help with the children—”

  “The children practically take care of themselves. What are you suggesting?”

  He lifted his hands, palms out in a placating gesture. “Sadie, I’m only trying to guess the reason you’re so distant.”

  “And, like I said, you’re imagining things.” She looked about as if checking every detail of the room. “We’re done here.”

  Why did he get the feeling she didn’t only mean cleaning the room? And why was he so reluctant to end the day? An idea sprang into his mind. “You’ve served me supper several times. Let me return the favor. Let me take you out for the meal.”

  Was she surprised? Pleased? Displeased? Her expression gave away nothing.

  “I don’t know,” she said after a moment’s contemplation. “What if Jeannie starts to cry like she does every evening?”

  “We’ll eat early and take her home before she can get overtired.”

  “Sammy doesn’t have a clean shirt. I was hoping to make him a new one over the next few days.”

  “I have a better idea. Come on.” He took her hand, pleased that she didn’t pull away, and led her into the store area. “Uncle George, we need a couple of shirts for Sammy.”

  Sadie slipped from his grasp and stood a distance away from him, her look wary.

  He glanced about. Although no one else was in the store, perhaps she was afraid someone would enter and find her holding hands with him. The thought stung. He tried to tell himself she only meant to be circumspect, but he curled his fingers into a fist and wished she would be so glad to hold his hand or even let him hold hers that she wouldn’t care who saw them. Uncle George led him to the shelves of ready-made clothing, allowing him no time to dwell on the matter.

  “Here are some that would likely fit the boy,” Uncle George said, laying a half-dozen shirts before them. “Let him try them on and choose which ones fit. Bring the others back.”

  Logan selected three. “Do you like these, Sadie?”

  “They look fine.” She seemed distracted. Logan tried to think why. Was she reluctant to lose her excuse to refuse joining him for supper? Well, he didn’t intend to let her avoid it.

  “I’ll take these,” he told his uncle. “Let’s go see what Sammy thinks of them.” He took Sadie’s elbow and guided her across the street.

  The children were in the yard, laughing about something.

  Sammy saw them approach and hollered, “Hi, you’re home.”

  Beth’s laughter died. Her expression soured and she headed for the house. Jeannie would have run to them, but Beth saw her intent and caught her hand.

  Logan’s shoulders sank a good two inches. “Will she ever accept me as a friend?” he asked Sadie.

  “Don’t be upset. She’s simply cautious around men.”

  “I know you’re going to say ‘and likely with good cause’ but I don’t want to believe her father has made her afraid. Fathers are supposed to protect and guard their children. I can hardly wait until tomorrow when I go to Wolf Hollow. The man has to be there and if he is, I aim to find him.”

  They reached the door and stepped inside, Sammy hot on their heels. Logan would have liked more time to talk to Sadie about his plans for the next day and how he hoped and prayed to find good news.

  “Children,” Sadie said. “Logan is taking us to Miss Daisy’s Eatery for supper.” It was the only eatery in town. “Won’t that be fun?”

  “It’s just across the street.” Beth made it sound like that made it less than appealing.

  “We’ll go early.” Sadie had obviously decided not to let Beth’s attitude upset her. Logan decided he would do the same. “Beth, can you help Jeannie into a clean dress?”

  Wearing an angry scowl, Beth took Jeannie to the bedroom.

  “Hey, pardner, I brought you some shirts. You can wear a spanking-new one to the restaurant.” Logan held out the three shirts. “Which one do you want to try on?”

  Sammy gave the shirts wide-eyed study. “For me?”

  “If they fit. Here, try this one.” He picked the blue one that seemed to draw Sammy’s eyes the most.

  “Okay.” He slipped his worn shirt over his head and reached for the new one.

  Sadie stood behind Sammy. Her gaze dipped to his back and she pressed her fingers to her mouth. She crooked her finger to indicate Logan should look.

  He helped Sammy get the shirt over his head, allowing him to move around so he could see Sammy’s back. The glisten of tears in Sadie’s eyes warned him he would not like what he saw and she was right. Red welts crossed Sammy’s back from one side to the other. One still had a scab on it. Without thinking he gently touched it.

  Sammy jerked about, yanking the shirt to his waist. He faced Logan with a mixture of fear and defensiveness in his eyes.

  “Son, who did that to you?”

  Sammy’s only answer was a scowl.

  “Did your pa do this?” Logan persisted.

  Something flickered through Sammy’s eyes too fast for Logan to know if it was denial or acknowledgment.

  “Do you want me to find your pa?”

  Nothing but a dark scowl.

  Beth and Jeannie came out of the bedroom and Sammy quickly tucked in his shirt. “Can I keep this one?” he asked.

  “It’s yours.” Logan rubbed the back of his neck where an unfamiliar tightness had developed.

  The three children marched from the room and into the yard. Neither Logan nor Sadie moved. With movements so jerky they hurt, he faced her.

  Her wet eyes shouted anger and pain. “I’d hoped I was wrong,” she whispered.

  “I will find the man and get an explanation.” He knew children got whipped, but this was more than that and he meant to find out what had driven a father to treat his children so terribly. “Do you think he’s done the same to the girls? Beth especially?”

  Sadie rocked her head back and forth. “I’ve seen both girls’ backs and there are no marks like we saw on Sammy, but something has happened to Beth.” She ground down on her teeth. “I don’t like to think what it might have been.”

  He didn’t, either. He reached for her hand, pleased when she grasped his. Together they would see that these children got a good and safe home. “We’ll get some answers tomorrow.”

  *

  Sadie had suspected it all along. She’d believed it from the beginning, but seeing proof did not give her any satisfaction. She would have given anything to be wrong. This child had been hurt enough times to leave a maze of scars. Her skin felt like a dozen spiders crawled up and down her arms. She choked back a bitter taste in the back of her throat. She had reached for Logan’s hand but slowly withdrew from his grasp and went to look out the window toward the town square. How could people hustle back and forth as if everything was normal? Didn’t they understand a little boy had been hurt?

  “This is the other side of family.” Each word stung her
tongue. She felt Logan at her side.

  “I can’t believe what my eyes saw is true,” he said.

  At least he didn’t pretend it was simple correction of a child by an adult. Though the evidence made denial futile. He stared out the window, his mouth set in a hard line. “I will find the man and demand an explanation.”

  “Explanation! What excuse could he have? It’s not like he’s a—” She caught the final word between her teeth before it escaped. No, he wasn’t a partner. He was a parent. She slowed her breathing. “Parents should protect their children, not hurt them.” She stopped, again slowed her breathing, forcing herself to speak calmly. “And if the parents fail to do so, other adults should step in and do it.” Like Aunt Sarah. What would she have done without that refuge?

  She would offer the same refuge to these children.

  She shifted to the other window to watch them. Jeannie twirled about, enjoying her new dress found in the box of clothes Annie had sent.

  Beth stared down the alley. Sadie looked the same direction even though she suspected there was nothing to see. On one side of the alley, ashes remained from the recent fire, and across the alley were the clean backyards of the buildings that had been spared. Nothing both she and Beth hadn’t seen many times before.

  No, she suspected the girl saw something in her memories.

  Sammy hunkered down at the far corner of the yard, his shoulders hunched to his ears.

  Beth turned slowly and studied her brother. She spoke to him. Sammy shrank further into himself.

  Sadie wished she could hear the words, especially when both of the children looked toward the house.

  Even across the distance she could see the defiance in their postures and the set of their mouths.

  “Do you suppose Beth acts the way she does because she’s protective of her brother and sister?”

  Sadie brought her thoughts to his question. “That might explain her behavior.” She wished she could believe it was so.

  “You think otherwise, don’t you?”

  She gave a halfhearted shrug. She could see no point in telling him her suspicions. Even putting them into words proved too painful. “If we’re going to get them fed before Jeannie runs out of sweet, as Sammy says, we should go.”

  He started for the door but she didn’t move. How was she to keep her emotions under control? Indeed, how was she to take her next breath and not break down?

  She stiffened. This was not about her, and for the sake of the children she must be calm, show no shock, which could serve to make them feel it was their fault. She would provide strength and safety. Her determination in place, she followed Logan outside. “Children, are you ready?”

  Jeannie ran toward them. The other two didn’t move, studying the adults, gauging how they would react to their discovery.

  Sadie regretted that she had not warned Logan to hide any sign of distaste. She should have told him the children would misinterpret any such expression as being condemnation toward them. It was too late now. All she could hope to do was signal him with a look.

  But he swept Jeannie off her feet and swung her overhead, earning himself a throaty chuckle.

  His eyes met hers and she knew she would not have to warn him.

  The thought eased her tension on one front and increased it on another. What would it have been like to know such understanding on her behalf? Would that acceptance disappear if he knew the truth about her?

  She shifted her attention toward the children. She wasn’t going to test the idea. “Come along.”

  Beth and Sammy joined them. Beth’s expression was wary, Sammy’s defiant.

  Sadie pretended not to notice. “I’ve eaten at Miss Daisy’s several times when I was living in the hotel. She always serves a great meal. Maybe I should take lessons from her.”

  “You’re a good cook,” Beth said.

  “Thank you. You are, too.” The girl made noon dinner for herself and Jeannie every day, and sometimes there were leftovers for Sadie to enjoy.

  “Mama taught me.” Beth’s voice caught.

  “She’d be proud of you.” They reached the café and their conversation ended as they stepped inside. Immediately Sadie was engulfed by the warm, welcoming smells of meat, potatoes and pie cooking.

  “Miss Sadie.” Dorie bore down on them. She was short and thin and very energetic. Her sister, Daisy, cooked, and Dorie served the customers with enthusiasm. She looked ready to hug Sadie but, instead, grabbed her hands and squeezed them. “So nice to see you again.”

  When the children edged to Sadie’s back, Dorie would have none of that. “And these are the young ones sharing your quarters.” She planted her hands on her hips and studied the trio. “You look like Miss Sadie is taking good care of you.”

  Jeannie, still in Logan’s arms, returned her study. “And Logan, too.”

  That raised Dorie’s eyebrows. She shifted her attention to Logan. “It’s nice to see you taking an interest in the children.”

  Logan grinned. “We need to feed them before this little miss hits the end of her day.” His grin came to Sadie, and at the look in his eyes she almost forgot how to think…as if they shared a sweet secret.

  “You find a place and I’ll bring out the meal.”

  Sadie had learned there was one meal served…take it or leave it. But after tasting a few of the meals, she knew no one had a problem with taking it. She led the way to a table big enough to accommodate them. They had barely got themselves settled before Dorie began bringing out laden plates.

  Logan waited until a meal had been placed before them all. “I’ll give thanks.” Obediently the children bowed their heads. Sadie drew in a sigh. How was she to ensure these children were given the safety and security they deserved? As she’d said to Logan, how long before someone raised an objection to her caring for them? How long before the single objection increased into a public uproar? Especially if the truth about her came out.

  “Dear Father in heaven…”

  At Logan’s words, she quickly bowed her head and closed her eyes, silently adding her own prayer to his. God, help me. Please give me the strength and wisdom to care for these precious children. Help us discover the truth about their father. Help… She didn’t finish the thought as Logan said, “Amen.” Nor was she sure she could have. She needed help in so many directions. She could hardly wait for the meal to end so she could hurry home. But not until the children were in bed would she be able to truly examine the situation. Until then, she must keep her emotions under control.

  The children ate quickly and quietly. Sammy and Beth sat with their backs to the wall, facing the room. Every time the door opened, both sets of eyes jerked in that direction and Sadie saw fear flicker through their eyes. The children watched the newcomer, and when they were certain it wasn’t someone they dreaded, they sucked in air.

  Sadie gave Logan a look she hoped told him to take note of the children.

  He tipped his head slightly to indicate he did.

  Sadie’s appetite fled and she couldn’t finish her meal. She knew what it was like to dread the appearance of a man she feared. How the thought coiled and recoiled inside her stomach like something alive and venomous. How it caused a person to jerk awake in the dead of night, so caught in the throes of terror that it was impossible to breathe. How one learned to listen at corners, slip away silently for fear of being discovered alone and unguarded.

  I will not allow these children to go back to such a man, she vowed, although she knew there was little she could do to prevent it. A father had rights to his children that could not be taken from him.

  God, protect them. The prayer cried through her innermost being.

  Logan and Sammy had cleaned up their meals. Food remained on Beth’s plate, as it did on Sadie’s.

  Jeannie held her fork and had stopped eating. The child’s eyes glazed and her lips started to tremble.

  Sadie pushed to her feet. “If everyone is done, we better be going.”

  Alrea
dy Sammy and Beth were on their feet. As Beth reached for Jeannie, the child whimpered and lifted her arms to Logan, who scooped her up and hurried to the door.

  “I’ll settle up later,” he called to Dorie.

  They hurried across the street and into Sadie’s living quarters. Logan tried to transfer Jeannie to Beth, but the little one wailed and clung to Logan.

  “Should I…?” He tipped his head in the direction of the bedroom.

  Sadie was about to give permission for him to take Jeannie there when Beth planted herself in the doorway. “I’ll take her.” Ignoring Jeannie’s cries, she pried the little girl from Logan’s arms, went into the bedroom and firmly closed the door behind them.

  Jeannie’s protests rang through the small quarters along with Beth’s quieter, calming, firm voice.

  Sammy stared at the bedroom door for a moment, then dashed outside.

  Sadie blinked at the boy’s sudden departure.

  Logan rubbed his forehead. “This has not turned out the way I’d hoped. It was supposed to be a pleasant break for all of you.”

  “I’m sorry.” She couldn’t begin to say what she was sorry for as regret after regret twisted through her, the rope of them growing tighter and tighter until she wondered something didn’t snap. So many things she wished could be different. The fear and pain she saw in the children. Beth’s guardedness. Sammy’s back. The failure of parents to provide protection. Her own past. Even her growing dependence on and trust in Logan.

  She knew better than to allow it. Yet she was powerless to end it. She needed him to help find the children’s father. To help with Sammy. To finish the schoolhouse.

  To be a rock to lean on.

  No. God is my rock and salvation. I need no other.

  But for the first time since her parents had let her down, she allowed herself to think how pleasant it would be to have someone in her life she could trust.

  She pushed aside every wayward thought. “Thank you for supper. It was lovely.”

  “You’re welcome.” He touched his hair. “I’ve left my hat at the diner. I’ll have to go get it.” He reached the door and paused. “I’ll be back at noon.” He studied her with blue-eyed concern. “I’ll speak to Sammy.” His look went deeper, offering sympathy and concern. “I feel I am leaving you with a mess.”