The Rancher's Southern Belle

by Leanne Burroughs

  “He does love her. I could tell the day I was with them. His distraught actions were not faked. He truly cares.”

  “How or why she puts up with him, I’ll never know. But like most women, she probably thinks she don’t have a choice. And she is right. It is very difficult for a single woman to support herself in the West. Other than becomin’ a…”

  “Soiled dove, I believe they are called?”

  He nodded.

  “And you have hated him ever since?”

  He nodded again. “I have.”

  “You said you never…did that with Allie. Yet you certainly knew what to do the night you moved into our bedroom.”

  “Yeah, well, I did some rebellin’ after what happened with Allie. Figgered if what a girl really wanted was a guy that would take them to bed rather than treat them like a lady, I would be more obligin’ in the future. Stupid, huh? I just thank God Ma never knew. It would have broken her heart to know one of her sons strayed so far from God’s word.”

  She reached over and took his hand in hers. “Now that you have told me what happened, are you going to continue to hate Mr. Bonner? You have wasted an awful lot of years for two people who used to be so close. True friends are not that easy to come by. We should not throw away the ones God sends our way.”

  “You want me to forget?” How could she expect that of him?

  “I want you to forgive. Is that not what you are always preaching to me?”

  He squeezed her hand. “I don’t know, Maddie. Some things are not so easy. I know God’s Word tells us we have to forgive, but I am afraid that is one of my weaknesses. I do not forgive easily. I tend to hold on to grudges.” He offered an abashed shrug. “Never claimed to be perfect.”

  “And what about me?”

  His brows knit in concentration. “What do you mean ‘what about me?’”

  “Do you still think I am going to fall for Jeffrey’s charm? Are you going to get angry with me every time I talk with him?”

  He stood, pulling her up beside him. “Ah, God, Maddie. I do not know what to believe. I know what I want, but it is like I am afraid to ask for it or believe it.”

  “What do you want from me, Luke? What do you really want?”

  He hung his head. “I want you to want me. Only me. Not Bonner.”

  She smiled. “Well then, you just got your wish.”

  His head jerked up and he met her gaze, but didn’t say anything.

  “I really like his wife, Rosemary,” she said. “And I think almost losing her was a real awakening moment for him. While I would like to say he won’t be out gallivanting anymore, I cannot say that with certainty. I just don’t think he will. But what you have to understand is that if I spend time with Rosemary, I shall probably have to spend time with Jeffrey as well. I am willing to give him that second chance. I think everyone deserves one. I am hoping you will too.”

  His brows pursed together. “How does that answer my wish?” Slowly, he released his tense fingers, running his palms over his thighs.

  “Because I can tell you with all certainty that I will never want Jeffrey Bonner as anything more than a friend. Than as Rosemary’s husband. Just like I think of Swede. He is a very nice man and I like him, but he is simply Birgit’s husband. And yes, I am not going to lie. Jeffrey is handsome. I would be blind not to notice.”

  Luke grimaced, yet pleased by the first part of her revelation, his shoulders relaxed.

  “But looks do not make the man. And he is not the type of man I would want for a husband. Never would have been.” She reached out and pulled Luke to her. “Truth be told, I am quite happy with the one I already have. You are growing on me, Mr. Guylenhall.”

  Not exactly a declaration of love, but he’d take it. Luke pulled Maddie tighter against him and lowered his mouth to hers, claiming her, marking her as his. Her warm fragrance lifted to tease his nostrils. Oh yes, his heart was much more involved than he cared to admit, no longer steeled for battle or with walls built around it. More like racing at full gallop.

  Nothing for it now. He was clearly past the point of no return. Now he just had to figure out how to make his wife love him back. Something more than ‘growing on her.’ Although he’d take it over the way they’d started.

  Wanting her to know he cared was suddenly very important to him.

  How could he show her? Maybe he could go out and gather some wildflowers for her. She seemed to like those. Yes, that’s what he’d do.

  Later.

  The next morning Kat arrived bright and early. “Hello the house!”

  “Come on in, Kat. We are in the kitchen.”

  “Brought you a batch of biscuits. Thought you might like them and not have to make your own for a change.”

  Luke reached for one as soon as she placed the platter on the table.

  Maddie rolled her eyes. “Luke Guylenhall, you could at least wait for breakfast.”

  “I am starvin’.”

  Laughing, she couldn’t help it, she rolled her eyes again.

  “You still coming to supper tonight, Kat?”

  “Wouldn’t miss it. Glad to hear Matt’s gonna be able to join us. Even though he is only an hour away, we don’t get to see him as often as I would like. But he is a good sheriff, so I won’t begrudge him being in town.” She pursed her lips. “Honestly, I wish he would find himself a wife. Sometimes he seems lonely.”

  Luke shook his head. “Do not start matchmakin’, little sister. Matt would have your head for that. And he does not seem the least bit interested in anyone in town.”

  “No, but I have been thinking. Maybe he could send for one of them newfangled mail order brides.”

  Luke almost choked on his coffee. “A mail order bride? Where did you get a dadblamed idea like that?”

  “I saw an advertisement just the other day when Aaron brought me back a week old newspaper.” She looked between Luke and Maddie. “You two did not know each other when you got hitched and it seems to be working out well. Who knows, maybe Matt could do something similar. Only in his case, send off for a wife—instead of being marched to a church at the point of a gun.” A grin spread wide over her face.

  Luke almost dropped his biscuit, then talked around a bite of it. “If you want to live to be a ripe old age, I would suggest you let Matt get his own wife and forget this mail order bride idea you have come up with.”

  He shook his head and reached for another biscuit. “Women!”

  When Matt arrived later that afternoon, Kat was there to see him too. “Aaron and the children should be here shortly. Johnny cannot wait to see you. Says he wants to hear about your latest exploits. It is beyond me where he heard a word like that.”

  Both men exchanged a glance and looked pointedly at Maddie, and Kat burst out laughing. “Yep, you are probably right.”

  Matt made a snide comment to Maddie. “Glad to see you made it home okay. Guessing you did not overturn the buggy or have any other mishaps.”

  “Peace!” She threw her hands up in surrender. “I have already heard it all.”

  He acquiesced graciously.

  Laughing she asked, “Did all the pie get eaten?”

  He nodded. “Oh, yeah. And some folks that heard about it but got there late were mighty disappointed not to get any. I pondered the idea of havin’ you bake more, but quickly disabused myself of that delusion.” He chuckled. “It went so fast I did not even have to delay my rounds. Could not believe how fast word spread.”

  Aaron soon arrived. While he took care of the horse, Johnny charged through the door, Rebekah close on his heels. She flung herself into Matt’s arms and he swung her around in a circle.

  “Arrest any horse thieves, Uncle Matt?” Johnny asked, standing beside him once he set Rebekah down.

  The adults couldn’t hide their smiles.

  “Not this week, bucko. Been pretty peaceable.”

  Johnny looked decidedly unhappy with that answer.

  When Aaron came inside, he went straight to Kat,
pulled her back to his front, and wrapped his arms around her. One of his hands lingered on her stomach.

  Kat cleared her throat. “Since we are all together, thought this would be the perfect time to make our announcement.” She drew in a deep breath and shifted her head to glance up at her husband.

  The look they exchanged held so much love it brought a lump to Maddie’s throat.

  “We are havin’ another baby!” The words burst from Kat, as if she couldn’t wait to share the news.

  Maddie rushed forward to hug her, and the men slapped Aaron on the back as he moved away from Kat. Congratulations sounded throughout the room.

  When the excitement ebbed, they all sat around the kitchen table. “Now we just have to tell the aunts.” Kat smiled.

  Luke had slaughtered one of the hogs and Maddie had prepared a pork roast with potatoes and onions. She still had green beans from the garden, so she’d cooked those as well.

  Matt sat back and rubbed his stomach. “You are turnin’ into a right fine cook, Maddie. I guess kudos go to Kat and the aunts. I will have to be sure to let them know how much I appreciate their passing on their culinary expertise as they call it.”

  ~ Chapter 15 ~

  The next week Maddie once again headed out to visit Granny Mac. A hint of mildew and decay hung in the air as she neared the property. Somehow she had to stress the importance of the house and surrounding buildings being cleaned up. Granny was getting too old to do the work and her worthless grandson refused to help. Her granddaughter tried her best, but she could only do so much.

  Maddie hadn’t been sure if the elderly woman would actually take the tonic she’d prepared and left for her and she was really worried about her.

  When Luke found out where she was going after a young woman came to fetch her the first time, he was amazed. “Granny never lets anyone help her. She refuses to let the doc treat her. Then again, she distrusts all men. Her husband was a worthless sort, and he pretty much turned her into a hermit. She never goes to town.”

  “How does she live then?”

  “Once a month Swede sends supplies out to her. He pays one of the young men two bits to drive all the way out there. I have no idea how she pays him, since to the best of my knowledge she has no income. Yet she does her best raising those two grandchildren of hers. Cain’t think of their names.”

  “Misty is the girl that came to get me.”

  “The fact that Granny let her come—or actually sent her—is a miracle in itself. People hate that they live so secluded. They would like to do something for them, but Granny insists she don’t take no charity. Not much a body can do when the person refuses to accept the help.”

  Maddie pondered the predicament. Somehow she’d have to figure a way to get around it. Misty was a delightful young woman, albeit one that needed a bit of cleaning up. But Micah seemed too wild. She doubted Granny was able to keep him under control much anymore. She hoped he didn’t get in with a bad crowd. That could too easily happen up in the hills where lawlessness reigned.

  She hadn’t liked the way the young man stared at her while she’d talked with Granny. Not that she’d ever tell Luke!

  The visit turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Granny had indeed taken the tonic and seemed to be much improved. “You come inside now and get a batch of my biscuits ta take home wi’ you. I’ll not be owing you fer that infernal tasting medicine you forced on me.”

  Maddie couldn’t help but smile. “But it helped, didn’t it? I told you it would.”

  Granny reluctantly nodded. Maddie could tell the admission cost the elderly woman. “Yeah, yeah. You harped about it enough.”

  Maddie choked. “Granny! I did no such thing as harp. Ladies do not harp.”

  Granny raised a brow. “Well then, despite them fancy duds you be awearin’, perhaps you ain’t always a lady.” She started walking inside. “Now come on. Don’t be dawdlin’. I ain’t got all day.”

  Maddie sat and ate a biscuit slathered with apple butter. It practically melted in her mouth. What Kat had taught her to make were good, but these far surpassed those. Maddie wondered what she’d have to do to get Granny to teach her the recipe. She finally decided to just ask.

  “Granny, if I came out here one day, would you teach me how to make these? I have never tasted biscuits so light and fluffy. Luke would love them. Not to mention what a treat they would be for the men in the bunkhouse if I braved making them.”

  Granny scratched her head. “Nothin’ to it, child.” She narrowed her eyes as she watched Maddie. “You really want to come here? To visit with an old, worn out woman like me?”

  Maddie nodded emphatically. “I do! Please say yes. I do not want to just come here while you are sick. I would love to visit with you.”

  Granny looked suspicious. “Why?”

  “Because I like you.”

  That seemed to take the old woman by surprise. “Well I… I…” She sat a minute in silence. Then she finally said, “All right. Come back in two weeks. I’ll be gettin’ some supplies in by then.”

  “I can bring—”

  “I said I’ll be gettin’ in some supplies.”

  Maddie couldn’t help but grin. “Yes, ma’am. Two weeks.”

  She pulled the frail woman into a hug. “In the meantime, I hope you and your grandchildren will come to our ranch for our Independence Day celebration. I am really excited about it.”

  “Ain’t got nothin’ to bring. Ain’t never been to no celebration. Well, ceptin’ back when I was a young’un. My ma and pa always attended the doins’ in the town where we lived back then. That stopped when I married Buck. He weren’t one fer socializin’. Ceptin’ goin’ into town hisself and gettin’ drunk.” Under her breath she added, “Then comin’ home and whoppin’ on me and the kids. Never been so glad to see someone die. I weren’t goin’ to let him hurt the grandkids like he hurt me and our young’uns.”

  But Maddie heard her. Appalled, she vowed then and there that she was going to do everything she could to get Granny to once again join the world of the living.

  Had Granny’s words meant she’d killed her husband? Maddie didn’t know, and she had absolutely no intention of finding out. Some things were meant to be buried. She quickly realized the double meaning of her words.

  Preparations for the Fourth of July picnic to be held at their house were under way. Maddie barely had time to breathe. She made flyers and posted them in town, and made sure to head over to the Bonners’ house to invite them to attend.

  Rosemary wasn’t certain. “I would love to come, Maddie, but I really do not think Luke would appreciate it. I do not want any problems between you and your husband because of our friendship. Not to mention people in town are not too welcoming of us.”

  “Nonsense. It is my house and I want you there. Both of you. And the babies of course. Cannot pass up an opportunity to hold and hug on them.”

  “I will talk to Jeffrey about it, but I won’t make any promises.”

  “That is all I can ask for. Birgit and her baby will be there, too. I know she would love to see you.”

  Rosemary didn’t look convinced.

  Two nights before the celebration, Maddie sat sewing the bonnet she’d been working on for the past two weeks. Small, even stitches bound the garment together. Tonight she put final decorative stitches on the brim. Hurriedly, she bit off the final thread. When she put her needle and thread back into her sewing basket, she could hardly contain her excitement and jumped up out of her chair. Donning the hat, she spun around the parlor. “I did it! I finished the hat!!! I made it to match the blue material you bought for me in town.”

  Luke eyed her like she’d lost her mind. “It’s very nice, Maddie.”

  He rose from his chair, narrowed his eyes and looked closer. “You did a very good job on it. I might have thought Kat or the aunts made it for you. Actually, with the decoration you added, maybe some professional milliner.” He nodded. “Yes, you really are getting quite good at your stitching.
Ready to make me a shirt yet? I could use a new one for church.”

  Church! How she hated that topic. Hated sitting there every Sunday not listening. But she wasn’t going to let her evening be ruined. She’d finished a project completely by herself and was really proud of what she’d accomplished.

  “Yes. The next time we are in town I will get some white muslin to make one for you. I only hope you do not regret asking me after I finish with it. The socks I attempted to knit did not turn out very well.”

  “Aunt Lola said knitting is difficult to learn. Give it time. You will catch on.”

  He pulled her close. “Look how far you have come since you arrived. On our trip here, did you ever think you would accomplish what you already have? Make dresses. A new hat? It is almost like you were born here.”

  A ripple of laughter escaped her lips. “Hardly. And had I any idea then of exactly how much I would have to learn, I probably would have turned tail and ran back to St. Louis. I would have found the money to go to San Francisco somehow.”

  Oops, maybe she shouldn’t have phrased that quite like that.

  The morning of the picnic, the ranch buzzed with activity as everyone got up early. Luke’s perusal of the sky convinced him the weather was typical for July. The day promised to be a scorcher. The sound of pink katydids echoed from the distant plains. The rich, earthy scent of dew, damp grass, and flowering trees filled the air. Men from the bunkhouse were busy barbecuing the meat. Maddie ran here and there gathering things, and Luke was already outside helping to set up ‘tables.’ He hoped he had enough planks to serve as table tops.

  He watched Maddie as she brought things out from the house and started decorating the tables he’d finished. The wind teased her hair as it cascaded down her back. Never in a million years had he thought she’d actually adapt to living on a ranch. But after a rough beginning between them, she was adjusting admirably and seemed to like life here.