Robin

by Julane Hiebert

  Sam wiped his mouth. “You got any work, by chance? I’ve gone about as far as I can on what money I brung along.”

  “We’ll talk to my foreman. He’s always looking for good help, and I let him do the hiring.”

  Sam stood and reached for Ty’s hand. “Mighty grateful, mister. Was about to give up on life out here.”

  “Well, you don’t know what kind of work you’ll be doing yet, so better not set your hopes too high. But I can give you a safe place to sleep and some grub.” Ty helped him gather his meager belongings. “This all you got, man? Not even a change of clothes?”

  A slight frown wrinkled across Sam’s forehead. He emptied the remains of the coffeepot on the hot embers, scuffed them around with his foot, then mounted and waited for Ty to lead out.

  “Mind if I ask a question, Morgan?” Sam moved his mount up next to Ty’s.

  Ty shook his head. “Fire away.”

  Sam laughed. “Well, you saw my weapons.”

  “Only an expression. What’s on your mind?” He would ask him about his guns later. Even a tenderfoot should know you needed to carry a firearm in this country.

  “I passed a new-dug grave back yonder. The only name on the marker wasMama. Any idea who it might have been?”

  Ty frowned. “You looking for someone, Sam?”

  “Nah, curious is all. Seemed kind of a lonesome place for a grave. That’s all.”

  A raindrop splattered on his forehead, and Ty spurred Tag forward. “We better ride, fella. Not much farther.” The horses loped in rhythm. Any further questions could wait.

  NINE

  “Will Ty come talk to me before I go to sleep?” Jacob climbed into bed and flipped onto his back.

  “I don’t think we can plan on Mr. Morgan coming tonight.” Robin drew the thin sheet up to Jacob’s waist and bent to give him a hug. “You’re a big boy. You can put yourself to sleep without Ty reading to you.” She ruffled his hair, then straightened and massaged her lower back with her fists.

  “We have to pray. Do you know how?”

  Robin sighed. Of course she knew how. But she hadn’t done it for a long time. “Why don’t you pray, and I’ll listen.” She pulled a small rocking chair closer to the bed.

  “Ty listens, then prays. It’s real easy, Robin. It’s just like talking. I’ll go first, okay?” He folded his hands under his chin and scrunched his eyes. “You don’t have your eyes shut. You have to close them real tight.”

  She smiled as one little eye peeked up at her. “How do you know I don’t have my eyes shut, Jacob?”

  “Sometimes when I squeeze ‘em shut real hard they kinda wiggle open.” He rubbed his eyes with his fists. “Will Ty get all hurted when the storm comes? I don’t want him hurted.” A flash of lightning pierced the room, and he held his pillow over his face.

  “Oh, little man. Ty knows what to do. Don’t worry about him.”

  He turned his head away from the pillow. “Where’s Uncle John?”

  “Uncle John is downstairs. I’ll stay here with you for a while. How’s that?”

  “Good. Okay, I’ll pray now. He scooted up in the bed then folded his hands again. “Dear Jesus, thank you for Robin and Uncle John and Ty, but I don’t much like the other lady that squeezed my shoulder so hard. Please have Ty come before the storm hurts him. Oh yeah, and could you please let Robin be my new mama because I know my other mama would like her a lot. Amen.” He peeked up at Robin again. “It’s your turn now.”

  She swallowed. It seemed so simple when this little boy prayed. He even dared to voice his dislike for Henrietta. Oh, she’d voiced similar complaints many times, but never in prayer. What if Ty didn’t make it through the storm? As for her being Jacob’s new mama—

  The pounding of hooves echoed through the open window, interrupting her thoughts.

  “Horses coming!” Jacob bolted to the window. “I bet it’s Ty. He’s here, isn’t he?”

  She shrugged. Why would he come this late? Surely he knew Jacob would be in bed by now. She bit her bottom lip. If he thought he could come riding back into their lives after everything that happened today, he could think again.

  “Can I go see him?” Jacob scooted past her and grabbed the doorknob.

  Robin pulled him away from the door. “No, young man, you stay right here. We don’t even know it is Ty, and even if it is—if he wants to see you he’ll come up. Now, you crawl right back into that bed.”

  Jacob complied with a huff. She smiled at the boy’s obvious frustration, but was in no mood to see Ty Morgan tonight, or perhaps any other night soon. She would talk to Uncle John in the morning about returning to Chicago with Jacob. She had no right to take the child, but what other option did she have? He needed her. And the truth be known, she needed him.

  ###

  John held onto his hat and ducked his head against the pelting rain as he made his way to the barn. No one sat a horse like Ty Morgan, but someone had ridden in with him.

  He reached the barn and shook the rain from his hat as he entered through the still open door. “I knew it were you as soon as you rode in, Ty. Go ahead and put your horses in the stalls, and throw ‘em some hay if you want.” John pulled the door shut behind him and fumbled in his pocket for matches to light the lantern hanging on a hook nearby. “That lightnin’ pert near makes enough light to see by, don’t it?”

  “It does at that, friend.” Ty slid the saddle off Tag and hung it over the edge of the stall. “John, this is Sam Mason. I met him down on the Pigeon not far from here. Told him he could come along to get out of the storm.”

  Sam peered over the back of his horse and nodded to John.

  “I reckon anyone Ty’s comfortable with is welcome here, too, young man. Where you come from?”

  “No one place, sir. Here and there mostly.” Sam shook hands with John, then continued rubbing down his animal. “Thanks to you both. Didn’t fancy ridin’ out a storm in the open.”

  Ty stuck his hands in his pockets. “Is the boy still awake?”

  “Don’t rightly know but suppose you could go check. You know where he sleeps.” John made a circle in the loose hay with the toe of his boot. “But if I was you, I’d be waitin’ a spell.”

  “Is Robin okay?”

  John leaned against the rough boards of the stall. “Little late to be worryin’ about that, I’d say. I think she’s a bit embarrassed. That Blair gal done put a hitch in her plans when she told us you’d be goin’ home with her. Guess Robin figgered you’d be here for Sunday dinner like ya were last week. Fried a chicken and baked a pie yesterday. Just give her some time.”

  Ty hung his head. “I had no idea—”

  “I know.” John clapped him on the shoulder. Aware of the stranger, he wanted to change the subject. No need for the newcomer to know business that weren’t his to know. “Can bed you boys down in some fresh hay. There’s blankets hangin’ in the empty stall.”

  He pushed the door open with his shoulder and nodded to Sam. “Glad to meet you, young man. Likely our paths will be a crossin’ again come sunlight.”

  ###

  Sam Mason sat with his back against the side of the stall, arms wrapped around his knees. “Uh . . . you married, Mr. Morgan?”

  Ty shook his head. “Nope.”

  “Got a girl?”

  Ty hesitated. Did he? This morning he thought he did. Before noon it seemed he might have two. Right now he wasn’t sure he had any. “Do you, Sam?”

  The newcomer grinned. “Not no more. I did have, but guess she favored big men with tin stars. Only woman in my life now is my sister. But like I done told ya, I ain’t seen her for a long time.”

  “Always kinda wished I had me a sister. A younger one though. I’m thinking an older one could get mighty bossy.”

  “Mine’s younger. After our ma died, Sis thought she was the boss. I left home about then. Decided I didn’t want to take orders from a woman. Seems pretty childish now.” Sam stretched out on the hay and put his hat over his eyes. “
Maybe if I can’t see the lightning I can get some sleep.”

  “Good luck with that one. But it’s worth a try.” Ty lay on his back and put his arms behind his head. He didn’t feel much like talking—at least not to a stranger—and John wasn’t going to listen. Would Robin still be awake if he went to the house for a pot of coffee? No, that probably wasn’t a good idea. And besides—how would he explain this morning?

  Sam turned to his side and propped himself with his elbow. “Mr. Morgan? Is your ranch far? Sorry you didn’t make it home because of me.”

  “Don’t worry about it. An easy ride from here. I was coming to the Feather anyway.”

  “That John fella, is he related to you? Seems like a nice man.”

  “John Wenghold is as genuine a man as you’ll ever meet. Likes to grumble, but has a heart as big as the prairie.”

  “Is he upset with you over a woman? I couldn’t help but overhear some of your conversation.”

  “Like I said, it’s a long story. Yes, I think he’s upset with me, but it’s nothing that can’t be worked out.” Surely a new day would bring an opportunity to make things right with Robin. But what about Anna? According to her, they were still very much engaged, and she had the ring to prove it. She’d reminded him numerous times during the afternoon that they’d planned their wedding for this coming Christmas. How could he forget?

  Oh, Anna, if only you knew how hard I worked to forget.

  Ty stood and walked to the door. A light still shone from the kitchen. Maybe he should try . . . No, he’d wait until morning. He blew out the lantern hanging at the end of the stall and settled down in the corner. Sleep might elude him, but the Lord never would. He’d pray. God would listen.

  ###

  Robin tossed the sheet aside. A warm, humid breeze added to her discomfort. She sat up, twisted her hair into a coil and reached for pins to secure it on top of her head. She’d convinced Jacob that Ty was safe. Now she needed to convince herself. She fumbled her way down the dark stairway then leaned against the wall at the bottom. A light in the kitchen frustrated her plans. She hoped she’d be alone, but Uncle John sat at the table with pencil and paper in front of him.

  “You couldn’t sleep, either?” She took a cup from the cupboard and poured herself some coffee. “Need more while I’m here?”

  “Nah. It’s cold. Didn’t want to heat the house any more than necessary.”

  Robin turned up her nose. Her papa drank cold coffee, but she’d never developed an appreciation for the stuff. But she’d drink it. At least it would give her something to do besides fret about Ty Morgan.

  “On second thought, I’ll join you.” John held his cup. “Ty rode in after you and the boy went up to bed.” He spooned sugar into the coffee.

  “Jacob heard someone. I thought Ty would’ve come up to tell him good night.” Robin rummaged in the cupboard for the few cookies left and put them on a plate.

  “He brought a stranger in with him. Said he found him on the Pigeon.”

  “You didn’t know this man?”

  “Nope. Never seen him before in all my days. Good-looking young fella. Seemed nice enough. I think Ty aims to put him to work.” John reached for a cookie and stirred another helping of sugar into his coffee. “Robin. I think we need to talk about somethin’.”

  Robin sank to her chair. Did he plan to send her back to Chicago? That’s what she wanted, wasn’t it?

  “When I was in at the post office the other day there were a Wanted notice on the wall what got me thinkin’.”

  “You’re interested in Wanted Persons?”

  “You might call it that. Actually, it was an advertisement askin’ for women to go to Colorado and marry up with ranchers out there.”

  Robin’s heart plunged. “Please don’t tell me you’re sending me to Colorado.”

  “No, no, girl. Now that I got to know ya’, I ain’t about to let you leave the Feather. But it did set my mind a wonderin’. After today, I been givin’ it even more thought.” He pushed the paper toward her. “Here, take a gander at this and tell me what you think.”

  NOTICE: Looking for a strong young man, between the ages of 25-40, willing to come to Kansas and marry my niece to help run the Feather ranch. Niece young, hard worker, good cook. Will pay top wages. Send letter to John Wenghold, Feather Ranch, Cedar Bluff, Kansas. P.S. No drunks or crooks need to bother writin’.

  Robin put her elbows on the table and cradled her head in her hands. “You’re not serious. Surely you don’t intend to advertise to see if you can get someone to marry me. Oh, Uncle John.”

  “It might not be all that—”

  “No, let me tell you how it will be.” Robin pushed away from the table and coffee splashed from their cups. “I will save you the hassle of deciding what to do with me. I intend to take Jacob and go back to Chicago—soon—very, very soon.”

  John’s forehead wrinkled. “You can’t take the boy away, Robin. We still don’t know if he has a pa. What if someone comes lookin’ for him? Besides, I need you here.”

  She grabbed a towel from above the sink and mopped at the spilled coffee. “If someone comes looking, then you can always tell them where to find him. And as for you needing me here, Uncle John—nonsense. I agree you could use help around here. So why not advertise for a hired man? Why does it have to include me in the bargain?”

  John shook his head. “Never had much luck with hired men. Besides that—don’t think it would be real proper for you to be the only gal livin’ here with a single man, ‘cept me of course. Truth be known, girl, I don’t want you or the boy to leave. Never thought I’d get so used to havin’ somebody else in the house. Knew I took a chance when I offered you a place to live. But . . .”

  “But you felt guilty, right? Poor Lionel. Poor Lionel’s daughters. Well, let me tell you, Uncle John, it may take longer than I expected, but I will find a way to pay off Papa’s debts.”

  “With what, Robin?”

  “This may surprise you, but I did have a proposal for marriage from a young man before Papa died. I turned him down. Perhaps I should reconsider.”

  John raised one eyebrow. “Did you love him?”

  She threw the towel into the sink. “No, but at least I knew him.”

  “You’d settle for marriage without love?” John spooned more sugar into his nearly empty cup.

  “And you think advertising for a husband will bring me love?” She tapped her temples with her forefingers. “What are you thinking? What kind of decent man would even consider a wife on those conditions? They’d get out here and see I wasn’t the bargain you made me out to be. Oh yes, I can cook, and I can work hard, but you never mentioned my infirmity, or the fact there was a young child to consider.” She blinked back tears.

  “I thought ya understood, when I sent that there letter askin’ ya to come, what I needed was help around the house.”

  Robin stared at her uncle. “That’s what I’ve been doing, isn’t it? Cooking. Cleaning.”

  John shook his head. “That’s inside the house, Robin. I been doin’ that myself all these years. Don’t need no help with that. I admit it’s been mighty nice to sit down to your good cookin’, and I rightly ‘preciate all the scrubbin’ and dustin’ you been doin’. But you see, girly—it’saround the house I need help.” He swung his arm in an arc. “Out there. Outdoors. In the yard. Out amongst them hills, lookin’ for strays, huntin’ where all them mama cows done decided to hide their babes. Gatherin’ rock for the fence lines. Things like that.”

  Robin sank to her chair. “You thought I would be able to help you, Uncle John? You believed a girl from Chicago, even without a bad leg, would be able to do all that?”

  “My ma did it ever day.” John wiped his hand across his face. “Reckon it never occurred to me any other gal would find it strange.”

  “Is that what the women who answer the ad will be expected to do?”

  John shrugged. “Reckon so, but don’t rightly know what them men might’ve had in mind
.”

  “Are you’re saying the only way you will let me stay on here, and do what I’ve been doing, is if I let you try to get me a husband?”

  “I can’t make you stay, Robin. You’re a woman growed. But you can’t take the boy. That’s final. Not until we know for sure there won’t be someone come ridin’ in a-lookin’ for him.”

  Robin spread her palms on the table. “You have me trapped. You know I won’t leave Jacob here alone, and you won’t let me go unless I leave him. Uncle John, look at me.”

  John ducked his head and stirred his spoon around and around in his empty cup.

  “Look at me, Uncle John. I’m a woman—a living, breathing, human being—not a dozen eggs you can trade or a horse you can sell to the highest bidder. I do not belong to you. Why do you think you can pawn me off on the man who makes you the best offer? Some who-knows-what-kind-of-man hoping to get his hands on a woman and a ranch all in the same deal?” She rubbed her temples. Her head throbbed and she thought she might be sick.

  “Well, tell me this, girl. This fella what asked you to marry him. Was he your beau?”

  Robin stood and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Not a beau, exactly—a very good friend. His name is William Benson, and his father was Papa’s banker.”

  “Well, then he probably didn’t want you for your money.” He chuckled.

  She sighed “I don’t think he wanted me for love, either, Uncle John. At least it was never mentioned.”

  John shook his head. “Never intended for ya to have to marry up with any old body what happened to come along. Mentioned it first off to Ty, seein’ as how he seems to be taken by the boy.”

  “What?” Heat flooded her face and she laid her head on the table.

  “Ty would’ve been a good man for ya, if that Blair women hadn’t showed up when she did.”

  Robin wanted to crawl under the table. He’d talked to Ty about marrying her? And what did the good Reverend have to say about that? She could only guess. Well, she could play this game, too. She would have to pull on every Wenghold bone in her body, but she would not let her uncle get the best of her