by Linda Ford
Many questions but no answers.
And as she’d told Ma and Pa, she’d guard herself and the family from a man with unanswered questions.
By midafternoon the floor was completed, and the three of them admired their work.
“Next, we’ll tackle the roof,” Wyatt said.
She felt his gaze on her and turned to meet his look. “What?”
“Are you sure I can’t persuade you to let Lonnie and me do it on our own?”
“Huh?” Lonnie had been watching Lilly feed the pigs.
“We could manage on our own, don’t you think?” he asked Lonnie.
“I guess.” Lonnie’s attention had already drifted away as he watched Lilly.
Cora refrained from pointing out how often Lonnie’s attention had wandered. Usually to observe the pigs.
Lilly noted Lonnie’s interest and called up to him, “I found the other batch of kittens. Do you want to see them?”
Lonnie scampered down the ladder before Wyatt could say a word.
Cora laughed at the confounded expression on Wyatt’s face. “He likes the animals every bit as much as Lilly does. She gets a lot of satisfaction out of tending them. Not just the pigs and the sheep, but also the cats and their yearly batches of kittens. She hates to give the little ones away, but kittens from the Bells are known to be good mousers and are in high demand.”
“I promised him we’d have pigs when we find a place to settle down.”
“Have you decided where that might be?”
He shook his head, his eyes revealing nothing but secrets.
If she needed any reminder of the distance that separated them, he provided it at every question.
She shifted her attention to Lonnie and Lilly as they went to the cow shed to find the kittens. It reminded her of their first kittens on the farm. “We moved out here when I was twelve. Even though I liked the thought of living on our own farm, I didn’t like change and I was sad. One day, Ma brought home a kitten for each of us. I remember how mine comforted me.” That gave her an idea. Something that might help Lonnie get over his bouts of worry and fear. “Lonnie loves the pigs.”
“He sure does.”
“I would like to offer him two little ones in return for his work.” Perhaps the pigs and the pleasure of working to earn them would comfort him as much as the kitten had comforted her.
Wyatt shook his head. “Our work here is to pay for the feed for the horses and our meals.”
“I could ask him to do some other chores.”
“Such as?”
“Feed the pigs.”
Wyatt laughed. “He already does that. No, in order to be fair, it would have to be a job that needed doing.”
She pressed her finger to her chin and considered the matter. “There’s always something to be done.” She refrained from pointing out that Lonnie often got distracted while helping with the barn, so he wasn’t really doing his share anyway. “Like picking potato bugs off the plants. Or cutting the grass around the trees in the orchard.”
He nodded. “So long as he does enough work to warrant earning the pigs.”
“I’ll see that he does. Do you want to tell him?”
“It’s your deal. You tell him.”
“Let’s tell him together.”
He helped her down the ladder and they crossed to the shed where Lilly and Lonnie sat cross-legged, each holding two kittens while the mama cat hovered nearby.
Lonnie looked up and guilt blanched his face. “I’m only going to spend a minute or two with them.”
Cora again wondered at the tightness in him when he spoke to Wyatt.
Wyatt spoke gently. “I’m not here to scold you. Cora has a business proposition for you.”
Lonnie turned an eager look toward Cora.
She stole a glance at Wyatt, and if she didn’t miss her guess, he was hurt that Lonnie seemed to trust her more than him. If only she understood the reason. Could it be that Lonnie thought Wyatt would act like their father if angered? But she’d seen no evidence of raging anger, even when he corrected or instructed Lonnie. But there had to be some reason for Lonnie’s odd behavior around Wyatt.
For now, she had a deal to strike with Lonnie. “Every year we sell most of the pigs.”
Lilly sighed. “I hate that we do, but we can’t afford to feed them all winter long. Besides, there are new ones in the spring.”
Cora continued when Lilly gave her a chance. “I see you like pigs, and Wyatt says you want to raise them when you get your own ranch.” No reason why it should hurt to think of them moving away, but she couldn’t deny a stabbing pain in her heart.
“Has he changed his mind?” Lonnie’s voice carried a bitter edge.
“No. Not at all. In fact, he and I have discussed letting you do extra chores around the place in exchange for two of these little pigs.”
Lonnie transferred the kittens to Lilly’s lap and bounced to his feet in one swift movement. “Really? You mean it?” He looked from Wyatt to Cora and they both nodded.
“If you think it’s a good idea.” Cora wanted to hear him continue to express his pleasure as openly as he did at the moment.
“Wowee! Do I ever! Thank you.” He grabbed Cora’s hand in a hard grip and pumped her arm up and down.
“You’re welcome. Be sure to thank Wyatt, as well.”
Lonnie faltered for barely a second, but his joy would not be thwarted. He slapped Wyatt on the back. “Thank you, big brother. Come on, Lilly. Help me choose which ones I want.” The pair trotted over to the pigpen.
Cora grinned after them. “That went rather well, I think.”
Wyatt’s face wore a look of wonder and amazement as he stared after his brother. He nodded without speaking.
Sensing how Lonnie’s customary fear around him hurt Wyatt’s heart, Cora pressed her hand to his upper arm. “He’s cautious of trusting people. Who can blame him when he’s been hurt over and over by the very person who should have protected him? Give him time. He’ll learn to trust—” She thought to say trust you, but perhaps that was too direct. “He’ll learn to trust others in time.”
Wyatt nodded again.
They didn’t return to work on the barn before supper, but Lonnie trotted over to ask what chores he could do and Cora put him to work picking potato bugs off the plants. To his credit, he didn’t complain about the disagreeable task.
Rose and Lilly sidled up to Cora. “Sure glad he likes the job,” one of them said. “’Cause we don’t,” the other added, and they both shuddered.
The next two days Lonnie scampered up the ladder, eager to get done the work on the barn so he could do chores to earn his pigs.
Cora wondered if Wyatt had spoken to him about paying more attention to the building of the barn or if the boy was motivated of his own accord.
During the hot afternoon sun, and because she had other things to attend to, she insisted they take a break.
Lonnie scurried to do whatever jobs she assigned him.
She had to smile at his eagerness.
Pa, aware of her bargain with Lonnie and supportive of it, came to her side as she watched him scouring the potato plants for more bugs. Besides that, he had swung a sickle and mowed a patch of grass in the orchard. Once it was dry he’d stack it in the cow shed.
“He’s a hard worker when motivated,” Pa said.
“Certainly is.” Her gaze went toward the path that led to Wyatt and Lonnie’s campsite. Wyatt had gone there an hour ago to check on Fanny.
“I wonder if Fanny is okay,” Cora said.
“Seems she should have delivered by now. Perhaps you should run down there and see if she needs help. Come and get me if she does.”
“Okay, Pa.” She trotted to the camp.
She hadn’t
been there since the first day and was surprised how neat and tidy the place was. She’d seen cowboy camps on occasion, and they were usually anything but clean.
The horses cropped the grass contentedly. Wyatt had moved the rope corral to give them ample grazing. A couple of the horses whinnied at her approach, then ignored her.
She didn’t see Wyatt anywhere and edged along the herd. There he was. He signaled her over, holding a finger to his lips to indicate she should approach quietly.
Tiptoeing and moving slowly so as to not disturb the mare lying nearby, she moved to his side.
“Look,” he said.
“Oh.” A newborn foal lay on the ground.
“It was just born,” he whispered.
The mare struggled to her feet and turned to lick her baby, cleaning it and encouraging it to stand.
The newborn put one front foot and then the other in place, lurched to its feet and fell as it failed to get its hind legs in place.
Cora held her breath, willing the little one to get up.
It struggled twice more, then took a break.
The mare waited beside it. Then the mare licked the baby again until it staggered to its feet and lurched forward on incredibly long, wobbly legs, nuzzling as it looked for milk.
Cora dashed away tears with her free hand. When had she taken Wyatt’s hand? Or had he taken hers? All she knew was they held on tightly and neither made any move to break free.
“That was beautiful,” she murmured.
“My first foal.” His words resounded with awe.
“May it be the first of many, and may they be as perfect as this one.”
He looked deep into her eyes, letting her see clear through his thoughts, except all he allowed her to see were his hopes and dreams of a successful ranch.
Far away from here, if he followed his plan.
She slipped her hand away. “What will you call her?”
He studied the little one, apparently unaware they no longer held hands.
For a heartbeat she regretted breaking the contact. But only for the length of time it took for her thoughts to register in her brain. He made it clear he meant to leave. He refused to share his secrets and she knew there were plenty. Truth be told, she knew little about this man.
Except his generosity, his gentleness with his brother and with animals and his honor in wanting to help to pay for feed that others might have accepted without offering anything in return.
“I think I’ll call her Bell Flower. Because she was born on the Bell farm and you three girls are like flowers in a summer bouquet.”
She added one more asset to the list. He was poetic.
He tipped his head to look into her face. “Do you like it?”
Feeling responsible for the uncertainty in his voice, she met his eyes. “I like it very much.”
His gaze went on and on, laying claim to her thoughts, forbidding them to recall her reasons for caution. It went past her fears and her doubts to a tender spot inside that she kept covered, hidden from view. A spot that yearned to be touched in an affectionate way. To be protected through every danger. To be loved until life was no more.
She knew she had good reasons for keeping that place tucked away, but at the moment there seemed no reason at all and she could only smile with an open heart.
He touched her cheek. His gaze dipped to her mouth and then lifted to her eyes.
“Wyatt, Cora, are you here?” Lonnie, Lilly and Rose called them.
“They will all want to see the newborn.”
“Yes, they will.”
But neither of them moved.
The others called again. The mare whinnied, protective of her baby.
Cora sighed. “We’d better go warn them to be quiet before they start a stampede.”
“Yes, we should.”
Still they continued to look at each other, then he nodded and took one step away.
She blinked. What had just happened? How had she been mesmerized like that?
“Are you coming?” Wyatt waited for her, and she hurried to join him.
They reached the others, warned them to be quiet and led them back to watch Fanny and Bell Flower.
“Oh, the baby is so sweet,” Lilly whispered.
Everyone agreed, but after a few minutes, Wyatt indicated they should leave the pair alone. They made their way back to the campsite and sat on logs pulled into a circle.
Rose and Lilly talked at once, joined often by Lonnie, oohing and aahing about the baby.
“I think my pigs are just as cute,” Lonnie finally said, reducing the whole lot of them to laughter.
Cora jerked to her feet. “Come on, girls. Pa will wonder where we’ve disappeared to.”
The twins rose more slowly. “He’ll understand. After all, we’ve not seen a newborn foal before.”
“You’ve seen calves and pigs, kittens and puppies born,” Cora pointed out.
“It’s not the same,” Rose insisted.
“No, it’s not,” she agreed. “Besides, can one ever get tired of seeing the beginning of new life?” She smiled around the circle but her gaze rested on Wyatt. “A reminder that we can start fresh. Every day is a new beginning.” She hadn’t meant to suggest he should start over, build a new life, leave behind whatever secrets dogged him. The words had come out without such forethought.
But perhaps he would consider it.
And if he did? Would she be willing to open her heart to him? Trust him?
She wasn’t sure. Wasn’t it easier and safer to guard her thoughts and heart and mind?
* * *
It wasn’t until after he and Lonnie lay in their bedrolls that night that Wyatt got a chance to think through the events of the day.
The birth of Fanny’s foal had changed his relationship with Cora. Or at least it would if he let it. They had shared a special moment. He’d allowed himself to open his heart to her in a way he’d never done before. And then she’d offered him the hope of starting over.
But she didn’t know what she offered or to whom. He was a man convicted of a crime and could not accept the hope of a new beginning.
“Are you awake?” Lonnie asked.
“Yes. Are you?”
Lonnie laughed. “No, I’m talking in my sleep.”
Wyatt grinned. He loved it when Lonnie relaxed enough to joke and laugh with him. “What’s on your mind?”
“So many things don’t make sense. Like how nice the Bells are. But what would they think if they found out the truth?”
Wyatt had no answer. “I hope they never do. You know what people are like when they learn about me. I wouldn’t want the Bells to have to deal with that.” All the name-calling, the refusal to do business with anyone who associated with a jailbird and the accusations every time someone lost something.
Lonnie grunted. “Me, either.” He perched up on one elbow. “It’s nice for a while, though, isn’t it?”
“It surely is.” But Wyatt knew deep inside that he couldn’t keep his past hidden forever. There was always the threat of someone journeying through who would recognize his name or face and recall the story of his going to jail. All he could hope for was to stay until Fanny and Bell Flower were ready to travel.
Please, God, keep the truth concealed until we can leave and then after so the Bells are never touched by my past.
He would leave as soon as possible, but he meant to enjoy every minute of the few weeks it would take for Bell Flower to get strong enough to travel.
Surely there was no harm in that.
He closed his mind to the warning bells jangling in his head.
Chapter Thirteen
The rafters were in place by early afternoon the next day. It was time to start building the roof. Wyatt eyed
the height and slope and swallowed hard. How was he to persuade Cora to stay on the ground and let him and Lonnie do the work? He’d mentioned it three times yesterday and she’d scoffed. But he simply couldn’t think of her in such a dangerous place.
“No one is going up there until I make some footholds.” He climbed the ladder and nailed boards into place.
From his vantage point he saw a wagon crossing the river. Five minutes later, he called, “You got company coming.”
Visitors weren’t unusual. Three times in the past week someone had come for one of Mrs. Bell’s medicines, or eggs or milk or any of the various things the Bells sold.
Until now, the arrival of callers had set his nerves to twitching. Each time he feared it was someone to inform the Bells they harbored a jailbird who was not welcome in the community. But today he breathed a prayer of thanks. This wagonload of people might be enough to keep Cora on the ground for the rest of the afternoon.
He recognized Anna, Nancy and three other young ladies from church whose names he didn’t recall. Apparently this was to be a social call. All the better.
The wagon drew to a halt before the house. “Hello, Cora,” called Anna.
Cora sighed loudly enough that Wyatt heard her from his perch atop the roof. “Hello, girls.”
Wyatt wondered if the visitors heard the resignation in Cora’s voice. If so, it didn’t deter them. They hopped down, patted their skirts and adjusted their bonnets. One young lady removed her hat to reveal a mass of golden curls. She looked around, spied Wyatt on the roof and waved.
Five pretty faces turned in his direction and smiled.
He ducked away and hammered nails, successfully drowning out anything they said.
“Rose, Lilly, we have guests,” Cora called, and the girls left the garden where they’d been picking beans.
Wyatt saw a lot more eagerness in their faces for the interruption than Cora had expressed.
Lonnie had watched the proceedings from the ground but now climbed the ladder. “Suppose they’re going to have a tea party or something?”
“Do you want to join them?” Had Lonnie noticed that one of the girls was a younger sister?
