by Ciara Knight
The men took the horses into the barn, and he knew they were working quickly to get to this table. But for once, he needed a minute alone with Elizabeth without the men tripping over themselves for her attention.
“You were?”
He eyed the barn, then Elizabeth. She was strong and independent, but it wasn’t safe for a woman out here. This territory was dangerous and full of men who were desperate for a woman’s affections. “I was.”
She smoothed the front of her skirt. “Thank you. Even though I could have handled Cookie, I did appreciate the assistance. If you aren’t careful, people might begin to think you are a decent man.”
Bart, Charles, and Samuel spilled out of the barn and stampeded toward the front porch like a herd of spooked cattle. “Don’t let it get around.”
Elizabeth straightened and smiled. A smile that made his insides feel funny, like he’d eaten something that was alive and was now worming around inside him. “I’ll keep your secret.” With a wink she scooped up stew and poured it onto a plate.
A peppery, rich aroma settled around him, making him feel warm inside. He felt like he needed to say more. To be kind to a woman who had obviously been through enough in her life to make her stronger than most.
“Listen, when I return from the cattle drive, I’ll take you into Sherman and make sure you have a ticket to anywhere you want to go and money to help settle you when you get to where you’re going.” By the time he’d finished speaking, her face had drawn tight and her chin had lifted. He wasn’t sure what he’d said wrong, but it had obviously affected her. Before he could ask what, she darted into the house, and then the men came in, leaving him unsure if she’d left because of what he’d said.
Teddy smacked him on the back. “Great, what did you say now?”
“Nothing.”
The men flooded around the table and piled heaping spoons of stew onto plates and fought over the corn bread.
“This is the moistest, sweetest bread I ever had,” Samuel said as crumbles fell from his mouth.
Jeb snagged a muffin and took a large bite. It tasted like sweet churned butter that melted in his mouth. He closed his eyes and savored the flavor. It was the best bread he’d ever tasted.
“That’s worth keeping a woman around, right boss?” Bart said before ducking behind Teddy and digging into his stew.
Elizabeth returned with a pie. Geesh, the woman knew how to keep men happy.
“Do you know how to make sweet cakes?” Charles asked in-between shoveling bites into his mouth.
“Of course. I used to love to bake.” Elizabeth placed more muffins into the empty basket. “My Mammy taught me all about baking. We’d spend hours in the kitchen making things I’d never heard of.”
Jeb saw the spark in her eye. He wasn’t sure who Mammy was, but it was someone that was precious in her life. Perhaps he could send Elizabeth to live with her.
“Do you think you could make some next week? I mean, if it isn’t too much trouble.”
“We can make requests?” Bart waved his hand in front of his mouth as if he’d taken a scalding bite.
Elizabeth pressed her lips together and focused on her muffins.
“What is it, Miss McKinnie? Something wrong?” Teddy asked.
She sighed. “I’m afraid I won’t be around after you return from driving the cattle. The boss has made arrangements to send me away.” With an innocent, perfected Southern belle pouty lip face, she motioned at Jeb.
All the men erupted, flinging stew and words about the porch. Elizabeth shot him a sideways glance with a hint of joy and abandoned him to deal with the men. If he didn’t know better, he’d think she’d done that on purpose. To corner him into letting her stay. Of course she had. She was a manipulative woman, just like the rest of them.
“Stop. You all know she can’t stay here. It isn’t proper to have her on the ranch with all you stray dogs drooling around her.”
“But boss…” Charles held up one of those golden muffins as evidence of his argument.
Jeb didn’t have a rebuttal, so he grabbed his plate of stew and plopped a few muffins on top. “Go tend to your horses and chores. No more about this or I’ll dock your pay.” With a dismissive hand, he dusted the men’s words off and settled inside on his favorite chair to eat his food in peace.
It didn’t matter if she was tougher than he thought. She’d lied to him, and those tiny hips still weren’t meant for birthing babies. In only a matter of a couple of days she’d managed to turn his men against him, drive off his cook, and distracted him from his work. It had to stop, and it was going to stop now. Tomorrow, he’d drive her into Sherman while the men finished rounding up the last heads of cattle. Tomorrow, he’d return with a cook and everything would be back to normal.
Tomorrow, he’d end this insanity.
Teddy entered with a hesitant step. “Sir, I hate to tell you, but we’re already a man down for tomorrow. Stucky hurt his arm. If you leave, we won’t make it in time to head out on the drive.”
Great, the woman was mucking things up more. He needed to get that woman off his land, but not at the cost of losing everything. He’d have to remain strong, but how much longer could he keep from succumbing to the same fate as his father?
Chapter Nine
Elizabeth opened her temporary room and discovered the smell of coffee. She hurried down the stairs in hopes of catching Mary. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw her hovering over some papers on the wooden, iron-accent desk. “I’m glad to see you. I was worried you’d be off at another homestead and I wouldn’t get to say goodbye.”
Mary didn’t look at her, just continued tending to her letter writing in front of her.
Elizabeth had hoped they could spend more time together, get to know each other, but that wasn’t meant to happen. The aroma of fresh coffee drew her to the kitchen, where she found that the taste wasn’t quite as rich, but more burnt. Not wanting to offend Mary, she added a little extra milk to cover the bitterness of the brew.
Mary cleared her throat and sighed with extra exaggeration, then held up a piece of paper. “Read this.”
The soft cawing of crows in the distance and the low rumbling of the men waking and doing their morning chores settled around Elizabeth. She’d grown used to the sounds in such a brief time. Since the war, their home in Georgia had become a graveyard bereft of its formerly full home of little animals, plants, and human life. It had been nice having company. She missed the days of parties and gatherings at their home before the war.
Mary rotated in the chair and shoved the letter toward her. Elizabeth took the rough paper, unsure if she wanted to read what was on it.
“Go ahead. You need to know.” Without another word, Mary returned to her writing.
Dear Jeb Clayton,
* * *
Please be advised that your original intended, Francine, has swapped suitors due to health reasons. You will be receiving the beautiful Elizabeth McKinnie. I know you will be pleased with her delicate features, fine manners, agreeable disposition, and strength.
* * *
Sincerely,
Janet Scarborough
Elizabeth lowered the letter and looked to Mary. “You knew?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell him that I hadn’t lied?” Elizabeth asked.
“Because this business of my son marrying some woman because it is practical made my stomach churn, especially when it is all my fault. Besides I knew he’d be miserable with the kind of woman he wanted. He needs a partner that can challenge him.”
Elizabeth sank onto the bench at her side. “I don’t understand.”
Mary cupped her cheek and offered a sweet smile. “I know you don’t, but I’m going to explain things to you. I’ve been watching from my window, and I believe you are not just some woman for my son, you are the right woman.”
Elizabeth pulled away. “I won’t marry him.”
“Not now. Not when you believe he is some horrible man who onl
y wants a wife to give him sons to run his ranch, but there are things you don’t know.”
Teddy cracked the door and peered inside. “Um…we didn’t smell anything, so thought I’d check.”
Mary snapped her attention to the man. “There are eggs with the chickens. Tell my son I won’t let Miss McKinnie make breakfast since she needs to pack to leave.”
The door remained open, allowing her to see Teddy’s mouth falling open then his gaze traveling to Elizabeth with a pouty lip. “Yes, ma’am.” He slinked away and shut the door.
“I thought you said I wasn’t leaving.”
“You’re not. Girl, didn’t you have six sisters? Don’t you know how this works?”
Elizabeth tried to keep up, but she sounded like Dinah about the boys before the war. The ones who tripped over their own feet to win a smile from her.
Mary rested her arms on the table and shook her head. “I see you are more honest than I had even hoped.” She pressed her palms to the table and stood. “I think we need to speak over coffee.”
The morning sun shot through the front window and flashed into the room. Men shouted outside and, based on the obscene language, Elizabeth guessed that they were told there was no breakfast.
“That’ll get his attention,” Mary said. “Now he’ll realize how much he needs you.”
Elizabeth inhaled the bitter aroma of her coffee and started to realize why even Jeb liked her cooking. “You say that I don’t know your son, but I think I do. He cares about work and money and nothing else.”
“You have a point, but he does care about other things. He just doesn’t know it yet.”
“What else does he care about besides cattle?”
“You.”
The door swung open, and Jeb stomped into the kitchen and snagged some leftover bread from the kitchen. “I know you’re behind this, Mother. Whatever you have planned, don’t.”
“Why, what ever do you mean?” Mary held a hand to her chest.
Jeb slammed the door hard enough to make the plates rattle.
“I think you are wrong.” Elizabeth took a sip of coffee and knew it would keep her up for the day, if not the entire night.
“I cook fine, but not as well as you. I tasted your corn bread.” Mary fanned her face. “You would make any man happy, but I want you to make my son happy.”
Mary took a long sip from her mug before she set it down, took Elizabeth’s hands in hers, and squeezed as if to not let her escape the conversation. “My son would hate me for what I’m about to tell you, but I am at least going to give you a hint of why he behaves the way he does.”
Elizabeth rested her elbow on the table and settled in for what appeared to be a deep and lengthy conversation. Not that anything Mary said would change her mind about the man.
“I tried to raise my son as both Ma and Pa. I had to be tough and coddling at the same time. I’m afraid I spent more time warning him about the dangers of drinking, gambling, and women, than I did setting him up with a dream of a good life.” Mary took a long, stuttered breath. “My husband wooed me into believing he was a man of integrity, but he was a scoundrel. When both of my parents died of a fever, I was left alone and vulnerable with a small fortune. Jeb’s pa swooped in and convinced me to marry him. I didn’t know the man could manipulate a preacher into a seance.” Mary’s voice cracked, but she cleared her throat and pushed back her shoulders. “Before I knew what was going on, my husband sold my family’s business, took the money and bought worthless land in Kentucky. He never even attempted to make the place work, only gambled away what we had.”
“I’m so sorry for all you’ve been through.” Elizabeth listened to her words and wanted to comfort the woman, but she didn’t see why this would convince her to even consider marriage to her son.
“Yes, well. It wasn’t about me after Jeb and his baby sister Joanne came along. I tried to shelter Jeb from his father, but he’d steal him away and take him into town to try to make him into a ‘real man,’ as he put it.” Mary took a moment and blinked away the tears in her eyes.
The men outside didn’t settle down. They began arguing even more, which made Mary smile a wicked kind of smile.
Elizabeth wanted to lighten the mood. “Does Joanne live near here? Is that where you keep disappearing to?”
Mary shook her head. “She died from starvation as a baby. The same day that Jeb returned without his father and said it was time to leave. He was only a boy, but with a man’s experience of the world. I spent the next several years working any job I could find to put food in Jeb’s belly, all while preaching the sins of his father and what never to do. Including marrying a manipulative woman.”
Elizabeth pictured a young Jeb exposed to so much as only a boy, and then taking on the responsibility of caring for his mother. “He fought his way out of poverty to all of this.”
“Yes, and he will do anything to never struggle to survive again.” Mary cleared her throat. She released Elizabeth’s hands and drank some coffee, and they sat in silence for several minutes.
The story of Jeb’s childhood explained his obsession with money and success, but the damage was done. She realized how much he’d been pushing her away to protect his own heart. Had she been doing the same? “Jeb will never care for someone besides himself, and I could never care for a man that thought of me as a possession that he could order around and control. I don’t want a husband like that. I want to have a partner. A man that would treat me as his equal.”
Mary set her cup down and pulled Elizabeth into an unexpected hug. “You are. He just needs to realize it. That’s why I chose you to stay.” She held Elizabeth at arm’s length and captured her gaze. “I’ve run five women off this land. You are the first to be invited to stay. The minute you stepped off that stagecoach and told my Jeb what you thought of him, I knew you were perfect. Now don’t make me look like a fool. Get out there and prove yourself.”
“Why? Why would I want to stay?”
“Because I see it in your beautiful green eyes. You love it here. And if I do say so myself, you can’t do any better than my son. He’s well-off, protective, the most handsome man in these parts, and once you break through his fear, you’ll have the most kind-hearted soul to cherish you for the rest of your days. You’d have a real family. A large family with the ranch hands, but a family once again.”
Family? Could Mary be speaking the truth? She didn’t know if she wanted Jeb for a husband, even though he was the most handsome man she’d ever set eyes on, but she knew she liked the idea of family. If she could stay on as the cook, then she’d have time to get to know Jeb better and eventually decide what she wanted.
Steps pounded up the front porch, and she knew it had to be Jeb coming back to demand something. The front door swung open and he stopped, eyeing his mother, then her. “I can’t afford the time to get you to Sherman and make the delivery on time. Mother, you and Elizabeth will remain here with one of the ranch hands while we drive the cattle to the camp.”
Mary abandoned Elizabeth and crossed the room, and after placing a kiss to Jeb’s cheek, she dumped her coffee and turned to him. “Sorry, I won’t be here. I’ll be at the neighboring homestead. The woman has already started having contractions. I’ll be leaving in a few minutes.”
Jeb’s mouth hung open, and he looked between them. “Take her with you, then.” He turned to leave, but even though Elizabeth wanted to be there as someone else started their own family, she wouldn’t be ordered around. “No.”
Teddy ran up the front steps. “Boss, we’ve got to…”
The men were mounting their horses outside, and all were ready to head out to round up the last of the cattle.
Elizabeth stood straight and marched outside to stand with the men she knew would back her. “I’m going with you on the cattle drive. You don’t have a cook, and the men need to eat.”
Jeb shot out the door on her heels. “Not happening. It’s too dangerous.”
The men all trotted over on
their horses and lined up around them.
Elizabeth smiled coyly at them and batted her lashes. “We can’t let these poor men starve on their journey. Besides, here alone or on the drive with all you brave, strong men, I think I’m safer with all of you, right?”
Samuel removed his hat and held it to his chest. “I’ll protect you with my life.”
All the men grunted or nodded. A few even dared to say the same. Jeb snarled at them all, but even Elizabeth knew that the man couldn’t go against his men. Not when there was so much money at stake.
Elizabeth strutted back inside before Jeb could think of a better argument. Mary winked at her and offered the brightest smile.
“I knew I chose well,” Mary whispered.
Chapter Ten
Jeb sat atop his horse at the edge of his land, looking out toward the Krause homestead. He wasn’t sure why his mother spent so much time there, and why she felt the need to help them when there was plenty of work to be done on the ranch.
Teddy rode up and pulled alongside him. “Men managed to brand the last of the cattle. They’re going to rest early this evening, so we can start driving them out tomorrow at dawn.”
“Fine,” Jeb mumbled.
“You think we can make it to that camp in only a couple of days?”
A strong wind turned up dust on the ground, sending mini-funnels around the land. In the distance, plumes of smoke rose into the sky through the chimney of the neighbor’s house. Their house wasn’t much bigger than the bunkhouse the men slept in.
“You doing the cooking on the drive?”
Jeb studied the tiny garden out front and the lines of sprouts from their spring planting.
“You could always invite your mother to cook.”
“Fine.”
“Or you could have Samuel put on a dress and a red wig.”
“Fine.”
“Boss, you aren’t listening to a word I say.”
“What?” Jeb looked to Teddy.
