The Rancher Inherits a Family

by Cheryl St. John

  “You could,” he said. “Come try.”

  She pitched hay until her back and shoulders ached, and her skin itched from head to toe. She only fell off the wagon once, and Hayden jumped down to assist her, but he laughed the whole time he brushed her off.

  She’d never been so glad to see the bare wood of a wagon bed as she was once all the hay was gone. Hayden shoveled out the stalls in the barn and she helped him lay fresh bedding for the horses. He finished for the day and headed out on a mahogany horse with a black mane. Marigold thought of a poem and recited it to Bright Star before heading out of the barn.

  Seth was hanging tools inside the door and paused to give her a nod.

  “Are you all right?” she asked.

  “I’m fine.”

  “Ribs doing okay?”

  “Yes, I’m fine.”

  She watched him a minute and went on to the house, where she washed up at the dry sink on the back porch. Evelyn had shown her how to pump fresh water for the pail, and she filled it a couple of times a day.

  Evelyn met her at the door and held out Marigold’s hairbrush. “I went and got this when I saw you on the porch. You’ll want to brush your hair before coming in.”

  Marigold took the brush and Evelyn followed her. She bent over at the foot of the stairs and brushed out her hair. Bits of hay fell to the ground, and she laughed. “Oh, my.”

  She proceeded to tell Evelyn how she’d fallen off the back of the wagon, and the two women laughed like schoolgirls. “I’ve done that plenty of times myself.”

  Seth walked past them and up the porch stairs, where he washed at the dry sink.

  Marigold exchanged a look with his mother.

  He dried his hands and went into the house without a word.

  “I asked him if he was feeling well, and he said he was fine,” Marigold said.

  “He’s been quiet ever since we left church.”

  Marigold looked at her again.

  “I think his mood has something to do with your dinner with Buck Hanley.”

  “Oh.” She glanced out into the yard and toward the sun lowering in the sky. “Oh,” she said again. “You think...?”

  “I think he feels...protective.”

  Marigold didn’t know how she felt about that. “I appreciate that he’s teaching me to ride and shoot and protect myself.”

  Evelyn pursed her lips and looked as though she wanted to say more. Instead, she made for the stairs. “It’s time to get the boys some milk and then prepare them for bed.”

  “I’ll read their story,” Marigold offered.

  Evelyn told the boys good-night and left the room as Marigold brought a book and perched on the side of their bed. They’d finished Jessica’s First Prayer and started on Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates the previous evening. Before she even started reading, Seth joined them, and pulled a chair close to the other side of the bed.

  “Look, Seth!” Harper got to his knees and leaned so Seth could see his tongue moving his front tooth. “Thith toof is wiggly.”

  “You’re right. Your tooth is going to come out.”

  “Why do teeth fall out?”

  Seth glanced at Marigold and then away. “Don’t really know.”

  “Do you know, Marigold?” Harper asked.

  “Well, we might ask Dr. Mason, but I suppose it’s because a baby’s jaw doesn’t have enough room for adult-size teeth, so God gives babies little teeth. When kids get bigger, the little teeth fall out and bigger ones grow in.”

  “Tate has big teeth in front,” Harper said.

  “God’s pretty smart.” Tate’s expression was serious.

  “So is Marigold,” Seth added.

  “You can read to us, Seth?” Harper asked.

  She handed him the book and he opened to the place where they’d left off. “‘Holland is one of the queerist countries under the sun. It should be called Odd-land or Contrary-land, for in nearly everything it is different from other parts of the world. In the first place, a large portion of the country is lower than the sea...’”

  “Is Holland on the map at school?” Tate asked.

  “Yes, and I’ve ordered new maps, as well,” Marigold answered.

  Little John’s eyes had closed and he was already fast asleep.

  Seth continued to read to the end of the second chapter. Together they tucked in the boys and said good-night.

  “I’m going to bathe and wash my hair before bed,” she told him. “I’m still itchy from the hay.”

  “I’ll carry water for you.”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “But I will,” he insisted. He hurried down the stairs ahead of her, carried in several pails of water and started a fire in the stove.

  After bathing, she dressed and dried her hair in front of the stove as it cooled down. Seth showed up to bail water from the tub, which sat in a small room behind the kitchen. He only used one arm to carry, since he still had a cast on the other, so it took him twice as long, but all her objections had been ignored, so she let him.

  She heated him coffee and made herself a cup of tea, and pointed it out when he returned. He sweetened the brew with a spoonful of sugar and thanked her.

  She sat at the table.

  “How was your dinner?”

  His question surprised her and she glanced up at him. He stood there, holding the cup in his long fingers without using the tiny handle. His gaze drifted over the hair that fell over her shoulders.

  “It was nice. The Cattleman has an interesting menu and fresh fruit.”

  He sipped his coffee. “How was the company?”

  “Buck? He’s nice. We went for a ride afterward.”

  “Did he kiss you?”

  She blinked at the question. “That’s none of your business, but no.”

  “Did you want him to?”

  She didn’t know how to answer or if she should. His questions made her uncomfortable. She got up from the chair and reached for her cup. “I’m taking my tea to my room.”

  In one stride, he set down his coffee and stopped her with a hand against her neck and jaw, his fingers threading into her hair. She raised her chin to look up at him, placing their faces inches apart. Marigold’s heartbeat increased, and she was compelled to raise her hand to the front of his shirt. Beneath her palm, his heart thumped in an erratic pattern.

  In the light of the lantern, her eyes moved from his intense gaze, along his lean jaw with its evening shadow, to his full lip beneath his dark mustache. He lowered his head and blood pounded through her veins in anticipation.

  When he touched his lips to hers, the caress was tender, more tender than she’d expected, though she hadn’t known what to expect. He wasn’t holding her there; with one strong but gentle hand, he cupped her shoulder, while his other arm, with its cast, rested at her hip. She could easily move away. She could easily end the kiss.

  Seth Halloway was kissing her.

  And she was kissing him back.

  Her head felt light, and her breath came in quick bursts. She stood, enthralled in the moment. She’d never been kissed before. She raised her other hand and pressed both against his chest, easing herself away and separating them by several inches.

  He looked at her lips, into her eyes, his gaze intense.

  The air around them crackled with tension and expectation. He was large and brawny, his chest and shoulders muscled under his shirt, but his size and strength didn’t intimidate her. She wasn’t afraid of him.

  She lowered her hands and he released her.

  No, Seth didn’t frighten her. She was afraid of how he made her feel.

  She was afraid of herself.

  * * *

  Consumed by her citrus scent, her shiny hair, by the look of surprise and confusion on her face, Seth gathered his thoughts. H
e wasn’t sorry he’d kissed her. He’d wanted to for some time.

  She didn’t move for a moment, and when she did, she turned, picked up her cup and left the kitchen without a word. She liked people and got along with everyone, had laughed with young Hayden today, though she’d just met him. His mother loved her, the boys loved her, apparently students and parents and everyone else appreciated her. Buck Hanley had taken a real shine to her.

  What was not to like? She was smart and thoughtful...lovely, actually.

  He wasn’t fooling himself. He’d been steadfast in his ambition to start a stable life for himself and for his mother, and even for Dewey, who was like family after all these years. His focus and energy had paid off and landed them here. White Rock Ranch was shaping up to be all he’d worked for.

  He went out to check the horses in the barn, came back and extinguished the lanterns. The Radner boys had been unexpected. After the initial surprise, he’d quickly determined they belonged here with him and he’d do everything in his power to give them the life his friends would have wanted for them. His injury was frustrating, but the boys weren’t a burden.

  Marigold’s presence, on the other hand, had chafed his hide from the beginning, and the condition had only worsened with the passing days. Evelyn claimed she needed her help, and Marigold was indeed a big help. She was kind and patient and knew all the right things to say to the children. She held herself aloof, at times more aloof than others, and that was likely a good thing. She didn’t plan to be here forever.

  But he was not unaffected. He went to his temporary room and backed up to the bootjack to remove his boots, then sat on the edge of the narrow bed. He liked to think she was unsuited to this land, to ranch life, but she gave everything her best and was learning to thrive. He’d told himself he was too busy, had too many other concerns and didn’t have time to think about a book-smart female who recited poetry to horses. But instead of his self-admonitions helping, he thought about her all the time.

  And the thought of her spending time with Buck Hanley—or any other man—put a burr under his saddle.

  So he’d kissed her.

  Seth stretched out, rested his arm with the cast at his side and stacked the other hand under his head. He hadn’t wanted it to happen—hadn’t expected it to, but the city girl with the red-gold hair and big hazel eyes had gotten under his skin.

  Chapter Nine

  Michael Higgins arrived midmorning, making a production of stomping to the front to drop a pail into the wooden lunch chest, and then he took his seat. Marigold gave the students assignments and stepped to where he sat. “May I see you outside for a few minutes, please, Michael?”

  She continued to the door and stepped out into the sunshine, then waited, unsure of whether or not he would follow.

  The boy opened and closed the door behind her and dragged his feet to where she stood waiting. He was nearly as tall as she, with wide shoulders. He was quickly growing into a large man. “You gonna kick me out?”

  “No. I just wanted a moment in private with you.”

  “About what?”

  “I was wondering why you don’t attend every day, and why, on the days you do attend, you’re late arriving.”

  “I got chores.”

  “I see.”

  “My ma makes me come anyhow.”

  “I’d like to speak with your mother. Where is it you live?”

  “My pa don’t like strangers comin’ around.”

  “Perhaps she could meet me here after school one day.”

  “I’ll tell ’er.”

  “I like to work with families to learn the best studies and an education plan for each student. It’s helpful when everyone is involved.”

  “Ain’t nobody gonna be involved.”

  “All right,” she said. “Well, we’ll see after you speak with her. Tell her I’m available any afternoon.”

  He shrugged.

  “Michael, did you take one of the primers home?”

  “No. Told you I ain’t gonna read them stupid stories.”

  “All right. Thank you.”

  “Can I go back now?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  Michael wasn’t disruptive the remainder of the day, ate his lunch alone and took off as soon as she dismissed the class. Hopefully, a talk with his mother would shed some light on his strange behavior.

  * * *

  At supper that evening, Seth behaved as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened between them. Marigold, however, had barely slept the previous night, thinking about the kiss. Now whenever she looked at him she got befuddled and couldn’t get it out of her head.

  “We’re going to saddle up tonight,” he said before leaving the kitchen. “You and the boys meet me in the corral in ten minutes.”

  Evelyn smiled at her. “Go ahead, dear. Change and join them for a ride.”

  Evelyn had given her a split skirt, so she changed and headed for the corral.

  “You saddle Bright Star while I get the other horses ready,” Seth told her.

  She touched the horse’s neck and forehead as Seth had taught her, while reciting Henry Longfellow. “‘The day is done, and the darkness falls from the wings of night, as a feather is wafted downward from an eagle in his flight. I see the lights of the village gleam through the rain and the mist, and a feeling of sadness comes o’er me that my soul cannot resist.’” She smoothed the animal’s hair over its back, then laid the blanket over it and smoothed out every wrinkle. “‘A feeling of sadness and longing, that is not akin to pain, and resembles sorrow only as the mist resembles the rain.’”

  After lifting the saddle down from the rail, she settled it on Bright Star, fastened the leather straps and checked them.

  Seth had three horses waiting when she led hers from the stable. He helped Tate and Little John on the back of one and Harper on the other. “Can you get up?”

  She put her foot in the stirrup and hoisted herself. Her arms and shoulders complained from the previous day’s hay throwing, but she muffled a groan and eased herself into the saddle.

  Dewey and Hayden stood near the corral fence, and Hayden opened the gate.

  “Where are we goin’?” Tate asked.

  “You’ve been doing all your lessons in the corral, and now we’re going for a ride,” Seth told him.

  “Just like real cowboys!” Harper yelled.

  “Real cowboys are careful,” Dewey said to him. “You hold those reins loose and guide the horse gentle-like.”

  “Yessir.”

  “Have you ridden since your ribs were hurt?” Marigold asked Seth as they walked the horses.

  “Tried a couple of times. This is the first it didn’t hurt.” He nodded toward the oldest boy. “Tate is a natural. Takes after his father.”

  “You and Jessie were close?”

  “Friends as boys. He lost his mother when he was young, but our fathers were friends.”

  “And Tessa?”

  “Her father was a Texas Ranger, settled in Missouri. She could keep up with us boys, when it came to ropin’ and ridin’. She set her sights on Jessie right off, and there was never a doubt those two would marry one day. They’d no sooner married, started their ranch, had a couple babies and the war came. We enlisted together, he and I.”

  “They’ll always have you to tell them about their parents.”

  “Doesn’t seem like enough.” He pointed to a few scattered trees and bushes. “There’s a stream ahead. We’ll stop and water the horses.” He rode ahead and directed Tate and Harper to guide their mounts toward the stream. The horses didn’t need any encouragement. They smelled the water and lightened their step.

  Marigold slid from the saddle and held the reins as Seth did, then led Bright Star to the water.

  “You can loop the reins around the pommel. She won’t go
anywhere.”

  The boys walked along the bank, tossing pebbles and sticks into the current. Seth kept an eye on them and the horses.

  “Do you ever resent being the responsible one?” she asked. “You said you paid off the loans for your father’s ranch, even though you didn’t believe he signed the papers.”

  “It was that or lose the land altogether. I couldn’t let that happen.”

  Marigold nodded, understanding. “You feel a responsibility to your mother.”

  “She’s helping me right now.”

  She looked toward the children, then back to Seth. “I know their parents were your friends, but you didn’t ask for responsibility of three children. Do you feel like you’d rather make your own choices?”

  He studied her for a long minute before turning his gaze back to the boys. “Is that how you feel?”

  “Yes. That’s why I came here. So I could make my own choices.”

  “I respect that.”

  She should be thinking about leaving the Halloway ranch. That’s what she told herself she’d do. Seth would get better and she would board with one of the other families. The longer she remained here, the more difficult it would be to explain her departure to the children, to Evelyn. The more difficult it would be to resolve herself to going. If she was going to make her own choices, she needed to be quick about it. How much longer until Seth was fit to do all the chores? “When will you see Dr. Mason again?”

  “Why do you ask?”

  “I wondered how long until your ribs were healed.”

  “They’re better. They were only bruised.”

  “But you have a few more weeks with that cast on your arm.”

  “Only two more weeks.”

  She could stay two more weeks.

  Seth rubbed his upper arm. “The first thing I’m going to do when this cast comes off is ride up Cowboy Creek a ways to the deepest spot and get into the water.”

  She arrested her thoughts and stayed focused on the next two weeks. “Do you suppose the boys and I might be able to ride to school without Dewey soon?”