The Rancher's Southern Belle

by Leanne Burroughs

  Aunt Lola and Aunt Mary came later that afternoon. Maddie told them about their argument. “Sometimes he just takes himself and his obligations too seriously.” She hoped they could help smooth things over if there were any lingering problems.

  To her dismay, they sided with Luke.

  “Maddie, did you have a chaperone with you when you went places in Atlanta?” Lola reached up and smoothed away a wisp of white hair that had fallen over her eye. “That was how it was done where my late husband lived.”

  “Of course I did. Father would not allow me to go anywhere unless I was with either another woman or my lady’s maid.”

  “That was for your protection, right?” Lola’s voice grew thoughtful.

  Maddie’s brows dipped. “Well yes, but then again it was more for protocol. It was not proper for women to be out alone.”

  “Would you ever have gone somewhere alone with a man had he come to visit you?”

  Maddie laughed. “Mercy! Of course not! Aunt Agatha would have had the vapors had she heard something like that about me. She trusted men no further than she could throw them. She was jilted right before she was to be wed. Hated men after that. Never gave any man another chance. Probably why she and Father clashed so much.”

  “Land sakes, child. So, why is it different now? Why are you so upset with Luke for doing the same thing—wanting to protect you? He is your husband. It is what husbands do. You’ll soon learn how protective the Guylenhall men are of their women. Just ask Kat, and she is not hitched to a Guylenhall. But Aaron’s definitely just as bad.”

  Aunt Mary gave Maddie’s arm a gentle squeeze and interrupted. “Lordy, but didn’t we go through the same things with our own husbands, Lola? Men don’t need no dotty reason for doing it. It is just how they are, honey.”

  “But he was being unrealistic. He was bossy,” Maddie protested.

  “Because you left with a man he hates—with good reason.”

  “What is that reason? He won’t tell me.”

  “It is not our place to tell, dear.” Aunt Mary pulled a bowl out of the cabinet to mix biscuits. “Maybe someday Luke will tell you. Then you will understand his concern.”

  Maddie sighed, their words adding to her already foul mood. “I am not going to win this one, am I?”

  “No, dear,” they said in unison.

  “But in a way you already did. Luke did concede some. Believe it or not, that was a big concession for him,” Aunt Lola said while she gathered ingredients to hand to Mary. “His solution will affect the everyday running of the ranch. He is willing to make that allowance to allow you to keep practicing your medicine.”

  She patted Maddie on the shoulder. “He would not be so concerned if he did not care so much, dear.”

  Care for her? Luke? No, they were just friends. Well, good friends, but nothing beyond that.

  Could he?

  The next day Maddie and Luke headed into town to buy supplies for the bunkhouse. Not to mention a few things the aunts mentioned needing before they headed back to town that morning.

  “I did not realize the Bonners were our neighbors. I guess I never thought about who lived near us before. Could we swing by and see Rosemary and the babies for just a few minutes? I want to make sure they are okay. They really had me worried the other day.”

  He stiffened beside her on the wagon. “Maddie, I do not want to go over there.”

  “Please, Luke. This way you will be with me and I will feel better knowing there are no issues I missed the other night. Ten minutes maximum. I promise. You do not even have to get down off the wagon if you do not want to.”

  She smiled sweetly at him as he muttered a foul word and rotated the wagon in the direction of the Bonner residence.

  Rosemary answered when Maddie knocked on the door. Her face crinkled into a wreath of smiles and she practically pulled Maddie into the house.

  “Come see the babies. They are doing so well.”

  “They are both eating well? No problems getting started?”

  Rosemary startled.

  “Yes, I am the woman that apparently asks inappropriate questions.” She shook her head in amazement. “I never had this problem back in my father’s practice, but here it seems women are afraid to talk about anything personal.”

  “We have been taught it is unsuitable.”

  “Nonsense. How can you tell if something is wrong?”

  “We guess?” She raised a brow.

  “Not good enough. I want to know things are all right. That is why I stopped by today. I wanted to ensure you and the babies are doing well.”

  Rosemary laughed. “I really appreciate you coming by. I never have any visitors. But I assure you the babies are eating properly.”

  “And you? Are you having any pains? Dizziness? Nausea?”

  “No, I am fine, too. Just tired. Exhausted is more like it. I’ve not gotten much sleep since the babies were born. And there is not much Jeffrey can do to help. He does hold them a lot for me or rocks them in their cradles, but he certainly cannot help me feed them.” She giggled, then immediately sobered.

  “Seriously, Maddie, thank you for giving me back my husband.”

  Maddie started. “I do not know what you mean.”

  “I am sure you heard of his reputation with women.”

  Maddie hesitated to answer.

  “Yes, I know all about his behavior. I would have to be a simpleton not to know. And it is why most of the people in town ignore me. They take out their feelings for Jeffrey on me. I usually try to avoid visits to town, but sometimes I get so lonely.”

  She paused a moment in thought. “But since the babies were born, he has been the most attentive husband ever. I cannot say if this will last, but I pray it will. For some reason God chose to turn my Jeffrey back into the man I loved when I married him. The man who courted me—yet so much better. Kind. Loving. Focused.”

  “Well, I am very happy for you.” Maddie looked around the room. “Where is he now?”

  “In town at the mercantile—probably buying everything he can think of for the babies. He had a huge list when he left here. And of course, we need two of everything now.”

  “We are heading there next. Maybe we will see him.”

  “I doubt he will be able to get everything home in one trip. It probably won’t all fit in the wagon at one time.” She leaned forward and whispered, “He is going a bit overboard.”

  “Enjoy it.” Maddie hugged her new friend. “If you are certain you are fine, I had best get back to Luke. He is probably champing at the bit to buy our own supplies.”

  She headed to the door and then stopped. “Oh, I almost forgot to ask. What did you name the babies?”

  A full smile spread over Rosemary’s face. “Our son is named Neal Jeffrey, and our daughter is Samantha Madelyn.”

  Maddie’s eyes widened. “Madelyn? You named her after me?”

  Rosemary nodded enthusiastically. “We did. I hope you do not mind. If it were not for you, none of us would be alive. I know that for a fact. I knew when I sent Jeffrey for you that something was wrong. I just had no idea how bad. Jeffrey feels the same. It was the only thing that made him cross over onto Luke’s land. I can never thank you enough, Maddie. I mean it.”

  She took a few steps forward and pulled Maddie into a hug.

  In town, Maddie ran upstairs and checked on Birgit and Lars. This must be how her father felt when he continually checked on his patients. He’d said they were like his extended family, although there was always a gruffness about him. Doc Turner probably felt the same way about people, only with a kindness never shown by her father. Doc was one of the most caring people she’d ever met. She hoped someday people thought of her that way.

  It was a very good feeling.

  “It is so good to see you, Maddie. I love when you get to come into town and visit. I hope you will keep coming upstairs after Lars grows a little larger.” She brushed flour off her apron.

  “I will come every time I come
to town if you let me. Oh, and I have to tell you how much Luke enjoyed the apple pie you sent home with us the last time I was here.”

  “I am glad he enjoyed it. It is one of Sven’s favorites, too. I just finished putting an apple cobbler in the oven.” She glanced down at her clothes. “It is why I have flour all over me. I made Vaniljkakor yesterday. I would be happy to send some with you if you would like—before Sven eats them all.”

  “What in heaven’s name is that?”

  Birgit laughed. “Yellow cookies with a dab of jam in the center top. Sven loves them!” She reached into the pie safe. “Here, try one.”

  “Mmmmm. Delicious! Oh, Birgit, you are such a good cook. You should open your own bakery. Add it on to the side of the mercantile.” She thought a minute. “Or, sell the items in the store downstairs. I bet you would be swamped with customers every morning.”

  Birgit’s eyes widened at the thought. “Oh, I could not. Sven would never let… I would never… Well…maybe I could try a few things and see how they sold. Get my husband’s impression then.” She rushed forward to hug Maddie. “You are such a good friend! I cannot wait to mention this to Sven.”

  She rushed back to the kitchen counter and wrapped up the cookies. “Here, take all of these. Sven will have the cobbler to keep him happy.”

  When Maddie went downstairs and joined Luke, they left their list at the mercantile and went to the restaurant. It was always fun eating something she hadn’t had a hand in trying to prepare.

  Halfway through their meal, Jeffrey Bonner entered the restaurant. When he saw her, he headed straight to their table and started talking. “Mrs. Guylenhall, how nice seeing you again.” He dipped his head in greeting at Luke, but didn’t smile. “Guylenhall.”

  He returned his attentions to Maddie. “I came into town to buy a few things for the babies. We need so much with there being two of them. Rosemary thinks I am overdoing it, but I just cannot stop myself. You gave me a new lease on life, Maddie. I hope you do not mind my using your first name.”

  Luke grumbled. “She might not, but I do!”

  Bonner ignored him and continued to talk with Maddie. “I can never thank you enough for all you did. I never realized how much I had until I almost lost my Rosemary. I love her. I just have not showed her that. Probably not since the day I married her. I plan to make that up to her. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to do so.

  “You were a bit harsh with me the other day. Dast I say rude? But your words sunk through my thick skull. Thank you for giving me back my life.” He picked up her hand and kissed it.

  Luke fumed, pushed back his chair. Jealousy seemed to pour out of his ears. “We are eating, Bonner. Why don’t you just mosey along so we can get back to our food before it grows cold?”

  Jeffrey looked from Luke to Maddie. A smile crossed his face. “Of course. Of course. Forgive me for interrupting your meal. Maddie, I will see you again sometime. I hope you come to our home often and visit with Rosemary. We are neighbors, after all. She would love to see you.”

  With a dip of the rim of his hat, he exited the dining room. If he’d come in to eat, he hadn’t done it.

  Grumbling the entire time, Luke finished his meal. Maddie finished eating leisurely. She wasn’t going to rush because her husband was suddenly in a foul mood again. It certainly didn’t take much—just being around Bonner for a few minutes.

  Luke wiped his mouth and put down his checkered napkin. “Are you ready to collect our items from the mercantile and go home? I have some things I have to do around the ranch. And I need to get the items to the bunkhouse.”

  Riding home, silence lingered between them.

  Luke watched Maddie for a while, then finally spoke, his voice deceivingly calm. “I guess I owe you some kind of an explanation.”

  Almost too aggravated to care what he said, she shot him a glare. “Yes, you do.” Irritation clipped her words. “You were positively rude to Mr. Bonner. Again.”

  She took a deep breath to calm herself. The day was perfect, and she wasn’t going to let a jealous husband ruin it.

  “You know the man makes moves on and sleeps with anything in a skirt.”

  “Yes, his behavior was obvious when I first met him. But did you listen to anything he said today? He honestly seems to have changed. Almost losing his wife—not to mention his son and daughter—seems to have made him realize what is actually important in his life.”

  “I do not trust a word out of his lying mouth.”

  Her toward the sky eye roll lasted only a few seconds. She was sure of it. “So what are you finally going to tell me?”

  “He made a move on Kat.”

  “Did he—”

  “No, to the best of my knowledge, he has never forced himself on a woman. He does not have to. They all fall willingly into his bed.”

  “Then what happened?”

  “She was his friend. Trusted him. And he wanted it to go much further than she was ready for.” Seeing no need for any more information, he stopped.

  “And?”

  “Well…and nothing. I just did not like him coming on to my kid sister.”

  “That is it? That’s why you hate him so much?”

  “I have my reasons, Maddie. Let it drop at that.” He heaved a sigh. “We were having a nice time today until Bonner ruined it by coming to our table. Please let us just forget it. I do not want him ruining what we have between us.”

  ~ Chapter 14 ~

  Several weeks later, Matthew was officially elected sheriff of Kansas City. Maddie was ecstatic for him, knowing how much he enjoyed his job. Having what she thought was the perfect idea, she baked some pies and took them into town for him to ‘thank’ the people that voted for him. Luke told her he thought she was daft.

  “Maddie, what am I supposed to do with a bunch of pies?” Matt said when she approached him. His voice was stern, but the twinkle in his eyes belied his tone.

  “You are going to set them out in front of your office and serve them to people as they walk by. Thank them for voting for you.”

  He reached up and scratched the side of his head. “They will think I am a fool. I do not do pies.” He looked up and down the street. “I thank you for thinking of this. It really was thoughtful of you, but it is not me.”

  “Fine! I swear, you are as obstinate as your brother. Never open to anything new.” She swept her arm out to encompass his office and the street. “You go do your sheriffing and I will just cut these into pieces and set them out for people. I will write a note telling them to help themselves and thank them for their vote.”

  She met his eyes head-on. “Surely you cannot object to that!”

  A woman in a blue gingham dress walked by with her two children.

  “Howdy, Mrs. Petrie.” Matt’s countenance lit in a smile. “Nice day.”

  Maddie watched him closely. He was a big bear of a man, with a ready smile and a kind word for everyone. No wonder the entire town loved him.

  “Look, Ma. Pies!” the small boy shouted.

  Matt reached out and ruffled the boy’s hair.

  “Yes, dear. I see them. They look mighty good, don’t they?”

  “Thank you.” Maddie cast her eyes sideways at Matt. “Did your husband by chance happen to vote for Matthew to be the sheriff?”

  “He shorely did. Best one we have had around here in a long time. We are glad he is back from the war.” She smiled up at Matthew.

  Maddie reached toward the table she’d set up with planks along the boardwalk outside Matt’s office. “Then please accept this piece of pie as a thank you.”

  “How thoughtful of you both to think of us.” Her eyes brightened. “No one has ever done something like that before.”

  Maddie tried to stifle a grin and failed. She found some paper to place the pieces on. “Would you like two smaller pieces for the little ones, too? You may take them home for them if you like.”

  The woman beamed. “Why thank you kindly. Don’t mind if I do.” She lo
oked over everything on the table. “This shore is mighty considerate of you.” She looked to Matthew. “Thank you for thinking of us, sheriff. What a wonderful idea.”

  As the woman walked off, Maddie shot Matthew a satisfied ‘I told you so’ glare.

  “All right. I give in. You were right. Let’s cut all the pies and leave them here. I’ll stay here for a while, but I do have to patrol the streets soon. Folks are used to me checking in with them.”

  “You stay here. I will go inside and get a sheet of paper to make the thank you sign. You do have something I can use, don’t you? Maybe the back of some ‘wanted’ poster?”

  He chuckled. “As a matter of fact, I do have some old ones. Got notice they had been caught, just have not thrown them away yet. You can write on the back for your sign.”

  When she came back outside, she brushed away some stray hair that had come unfastened from its pins and fastened the sign to the table. Matthew had finished cutting all the pies.

  “There! That is perfect if I do say so myself.”

  Matt looked up at the sky. “Time you had best be gettin’ on home. I really should take you. Hate the thought of you riding out there all by yourself. If anything happened while you were alone, Luke would kill me.” He looked up the street toward the buggy she’d come to town in. “Cain’t rightly believe Luke let you come alone—even though he did buy that contraption special for you.”

  “Hardly. Luke thinks too highly of you to hurt you.” She didn’t answer the part about her being alone. “Although things have definitely been better between us since he told me why he is always so angry around Jeffrey—Mr. Bonner.”

  Matt started. “Luke told you about Allie? Allie Stone? I knew he needed to, but didn’t actually think it would ever happen. As you have reiterated so many times, my brother can be one stubborn mule.”

  What was Matt talking about? “Allie? He told me how Jeffrey got a mite too friendly with Kat. That he did not like him being with your kid sister.”