Wanted_Horse Breeder

by Barbara Goss

  “Yes! Dawn promised me you’d come home though, so I didn’t worry.”

  “You’re getting very brave,” Max said. “I’m glad you were good for Dawn. I’m also glad we didn’t forget to bring you something back from Astoria.”

  Caro’s eyes grew large. “What is it?”

  Laura opened her reticule and pulled out a jumping rope. “I’ll teach you how to use it.”

  “Can we do it now? Can we?” Caro jumped up and down.

  “Of course. Let’s go in the backyard.”

  “That’s my cue to disappear into the stables,” Max said.

  “Wait,” Dawn called from the doorway. “A man came here looking for a job. I told him to return today. Was that all right?”

  “Sure.” Max opened the front door. “Just send him to the stables when he arrives.”

  Max was grooming a horse when a stranger entered the stables. He was clean-shaven and about age forty. The man removed his hat and introduced himself.

  “My name is Daniel Hudson, and I wondered if you were hiring. I’m good working with horses.”

  “Have you had any experience with breaking horses?”

  “Yes. I’m good at grooming and also training horses. I need the job, and I’ll do any task you give me.”

  “All right, Daniel. I’ll have Dexter show you around.”

  Max went out to the corral and came back with Dexter. “He’ll take care of you, Daniel.”

  There was something familiar about the man, but Max couldn’t think of why that might be. Had he reminded him of someone in Texas? Max shrugged and continued with his grooming.

  Laura finally got Caro down for her nap. Dawn met her on her way down the stairs.

  “Max hired the man that was here yesterday. I don’t like him. I was hoping Max would send him on his way.”

  “Dawn—why didn’t you say something to Max? He wouldn’t have hired the man.”

  Dawn shrugged. “Maybe it’s just me, but he looks at me like I’m not wearing anything. Then he licks his lips like he's about to drool or something. Watch out for him, Laura.”

  “I will. Is there anything I can do to help you today, Dawn?”

  “I’m going to start dinner. You could bring in the clothes on the line?”

  “Certainly.”

  Laura went out to remove the clothes from the line, folding them as she took them down and placing them in the wicker basket. She was humming as she worked, so she didn’t hear anyone come up behind her.

  “Hello,” a voice said, and Laura jumped with a squeal.

  “Sorry, ma’am, I didn’t mean to scare you. I was wondering if I might get a drink of water.”

  The man had his hair greased back and the sun gleamed off his shiny head. He was giving her the same kind of look Dawn had spoken of.

  “The water for workers is behind the barn. There’s a well with a bucket and a scoop.”

  He tipped his hat. “Thank you, ma’am.”

  His looks and voice gave Laura goosebumps. She’d seen him before, but she couldn’t place where. He must be a Silverpines resident she’d seen in town. She cringed and finished taking the clothes from the line but she did so without humming.

  She didn’t like having a man like that around. She’d have to talk to Max about it.

  Chapter 14

  Max watched Daniel working with the mare he was training. The fellow was good for a west coast man. Daniel was gentle and talked to the horse in soothing tones. He soon had the horse rope trained. Max was sure the man would be riding him the very next day, if not sooner.

  The breeding was going well—he had four mares ready to have young ones in the late spring.

  After everyone had gone home for the day, he heard Dawn ringing the dinner bell. He went in and washed before coming to the table.

  “Whatever it is, Dawn, it smells delicious.” Max pulled out his chair and sat down across from Laura.

  Laura smiled at him. “It’s your favorite: chicken and dumplings.”

  Max helped himself to a large portion and asked Laura how her day was.

  “It was uneventful, but there is something I’d like to discuss with you later.”

  Max looked down at Caro who was unusually quiet. “How about you, little one. How was your day?”

  “Annabelle was naughty. She wouldn’t take a nap and kept me awake.”

  Laura smiled at her daughter. “And that’s why she’s so sleepy now.”

  “Who?” Max asked. “Caro or Annabelle?”

  Everyone laughed.

  When dinner was over and the kitchen had been cleaned, Laura asked Max to take a walk with her. Caro played with her jump rope on the front lawn while Dawn sat on the porch, watching her.

  When they’d walked about halfway to the main road, Max asked, “Is there a problem?”

  “Yes. It’s the new man you hired.”

  “Daniel? He’s an excellent horse trainer.”

  “Dawn and I don’t care for him. He had the nerve to come into the backyard while I was taking laundry off the line and ask for a drink of water.”

  “Well, Laura, he’s new and probably didn’t know about the well. Did you tell him?”

  “Yes…but there was something about the way he looked at Dawn and me.”

  “Sweetheart, could you both be imagining it?”

  Laura stopped walking and put her arms across her chest. “No.”

  “I’ll keep him away from the house.”

  Laura sighed. “I guess that would work. He makes Dawn and me feel uncomfortable.”

  Max put his arm around her and squeezed. “I’ll talk to him tomorrow. I’ll make sure he doesn’t bother either of you again.”

  When Daniel came into the stables the following morning, Max pulled him aside. “Daniel, I think you’re doing a great job, but you’re a stranger and you’ve upset the ladies of the house a bit. They’re not used to ranch hands approaching the house. Keep to the stables, okay?”

  “Of course. Now that I know where the water is. I’m sorry if I caused a problem.”

  Max tried to weigh his own feelings about Daniel. He was different. When he talked to Max, he never looked him in the eyes which bothered Max some, but the man was a good horse trainer and the fall sale was fast approaching. It was August, already. If the man stayed away from the house, all would be well.

  Jake came for dinner that night and Max noticed a bit of fondness between Dawn and him. He wondered if there might be a romance blooming.

  Max aimed to find out. “How about all of us go on a picnic after church on Sunday. You too, Dawn. Cancel that sewing circle for one week. It’ll be fun.”

  Dawn blushed a bit and glanced at Laura and then Jake. “I suppose I could.”

  “It’s settled, then.” Max couldn’t think of anyone he’d rather pair his brother with. Dawn was a pretty woman, but more importantly, she was a good person. The more he got to know Dawn the more he liked her. He hadn’t thought Dawn was pretty when he’d first met her, but after he’d gotten to know her she'd become prettier and prettier. A good personality will do that for a person, he supposed.

  Max had been enjoying the Sunday services, and he liked Pastor James. Jake accompanied them every Sunday. He wondered if Jake felt the same way about God and prayer as he did. Neither of them had experienced religion in their home growing up. It was new, but it was also reassuring to know there was a higher being who loved them. He learned about how God had sent his son down to earth to die on the cross so that man’s sins would be forgiven. It gave him a feeling of belonging and confidence to know God.

  The sermon that Sunday was about baptism. After listening to the sermon, Max knew what it was he needed next—he wanted to be baptized. Pastor James had read from the Bible: “'Whosoever believeth and is baptized shall be saved,'” and he decided to approach Pastor James about it soon.

  After church, they all piled into one buggy and rode to the Columbia River where a small area had been cleared for picnics. There were a few
other people there as well. Max chose a large Elm tree, and they spread their tablecloth beneath it.

  Caro sat with Annabelle, pretending to feed her as she ate. Jake sat beside Dawn, and Max sat beside Laura. Max watched for tell-tale signs of a romance between Jake and Dawn. He caught a few smiles between them but nothing more.

  After the women had cleared the food away, Max suggested they walk the path along the river for a while. The path was narrow, so they had to walk in pairs. Max put Caro on his shoulders, took Laura’s hand, and led them to the path, so Jake and Dawn had no choice but to walk together. Max walked faster than usual, trying to give Jake and Dawn some privacy. Finally, he was far enough ahead of them to slow down and talk to Laura.

  “It’s a perfect day for an outing, don’t you think, Laura?”

  “Oh, it is. Why were we walking so fast? I could barely keep up.”

  “I wanted to give Jake and Dawn a bit of privacy.”

  “Max! You don’t think—”

  “Maybe. Hush, they’re gaining on us.”

  Laura turned to look at Jake and Dawn. “I’d really love it if it were true. I like Jake.”

  “Are they talking?”

  “Yes. They’re walking slow. Dawn is talking with her hands.” Laura laughed. “She always does that. She’s an animated talker.”

  “Well,” Max said, “I don’t think we should pressure them or even act as if we've noticed anything between them. I just wanted to know if a match was possible. I rather like the idea.”

  Max managed to slip away from the ranch mid-week to seek out Pastor James, who was working in his office.

  “Come in. Maxwell, isn’t it?”

  Max and Pastor James shook hands.

  “Have a seat.” Pastor James pointed to a chair in front of the desk. As soon as Max had sat down, the minister did so as well.

  “What can I do for you today?”

  “I’d like to be baptized.”

  “Wonderful. Let me explain what baptism is and why people need it, then, I'll schedule you for the next immersing. There’s one coming up in a few weeks. I usually wait until I have several to baptize and then we make a church picnic out of the affair. Everyone comes to see the baptisms.”

  By the time Max had left the church, he was confident that he wanted to be baptized.

  “Laura, there’s no money in the sugar bowl,” Dawn said.

  The sugar bowl was a decorative empty bowl with a lid in which Laura’s mother had hidden her money.

  “I know. Max insisted I deposit the money from the sale in the bank.”

  “That may or may not be a good idea, but the fact is, when I need something for our meals, I get money from the jar and ride to town to buy it.”

  “Oh.” Laura tapped her index finger on her chin. “I probably should have kept some of it for the sugar bowl. I’m sorry; I didn’t think.”

  “I was going to ride into town to buy some potatoes. Our crop isn’t ready, and I really would like to put potatoes in the stew.”

  “I’ll ride into town and get some of the money, and I’ll bring back a sack of potatoes.”

  Laura walked along the wooden walkway, stopping to look at the wanted posters for two men who were wanted for bank robbery on a wall near the bank. She shivered. The picture of Ambrose was still up, and she cringed to think of how he'd married them when he didn’t have the authority. Nevertheless, her mind was still on the bank robbers. What would happen if their bank was robbed? She walked into the bank and went to the bank manager’s desk.

  “Excuse me," she began, "what happens to our money if the bank is robbed?”

  “It depends,” the mustached man said. “If the bank owner is rich, he will often reimburse some of the money but certainly not all of it. We’d do our best, though. The Federal Government has been talking about forming a sort of insurance for banks, but so far nothing’s been done. It’s in the works, though.”

  “That doesn’t sound fair,” Laura said.

  “Now, don’t you worry. Our bank has only been robbed once. Even so, they didn’t take the money in the vault, only what the tellers had in their drawers. Your money is as safe here as it is at home under your mattress.”

  Laura thanked him, went to the teller, withdrew all of their money, and stuffed it into her reticule. She’d put it back into the sugar bowl where it always had been and where it had always been safe. With so many new people coming to Silverpines, someone could easily rob the bank. She’d explain it to Max. She was sure he’d understand.

  Somehow, Laura forgot all about the money and never mentioned it to Max. They’d been so busy getting ready for the fall sale—picking vegetables from the garden, canning and preparing them for winter—it just slipped her mind. When Max announced he was going to be baptized, she was thrilled. She and Dawn prepared food to take with them to the baptism. She was excited to see her beloved husband baptized.

  The service was short on Sunday. It was a hot and humid day and everyone was happy to get out of church early and gather at the river where it was cooler.

  Several people lined up to be baptized, and Laura was pleased that Max was one of them. Laura watched Pastor James immerse him, and she ran to the shore with a towel, not caring if she got wet. She hugged and kissed him. “Congratulations!”

  They watched the other baptisms and ate with the others. Caro played with several children nearby. Everyone enjoyed the outing so much, they stayed until the sun had begun to set over the river.

  “Are you ready to go home?” Max asked Laura while holding a sleepy Caro.

  “Yes. I’ll find Dawn.”

  Laura flagged Dawn down. She was talking to Betsy Sewell, and she soon joined them. She got into the buggy and sighed. “What a wonderful day!”

  Max jumped up onto the driver's seat. “Our little girl is worn out.” He looked at Laura’s eyes drooping. “Both of my girls are worn out.”

  When they pulled up to the house, Max came around and helped Laura—who was holding Caro—from the buggy. “I’m going to unhitch the buggy, and I’ll be in shortly.”

  Laura nodded and entered the house.

  Max took the buggy into the barn, unhitched the horse, and led him to the stables. Around that time, he noticed an empty stall, and he heard Laura scream for him.

  He rushed to the house to find Laura standing in the doorway. “Come quickly— our home has been broken into.”

  “What?” Max followed Laura into the house. He couldn’t figure out what Laura had meant as the sitting room still looked fine.

  “In the kitchen,” Laura urged, pulling on his sleeve.

  Max walked into the kitchen, and he couldn’t believe his eyes. Things had been knocked onto the floor including the flour which had spilled out and mixed with the sugar and other spices. The cupboard doors were open and the chairs had been tipped over.

  Max walked to the back door and noticed it had been kicked in. “What’s missing?” Max asked.

  Laura picked up the empty sugar bowl. “They took all of our money.”

  Chapter 15

  “Money? How much?” Max asked.

  Laura knew she was in trouble. All the money from the horse sale was gone. She was afraid to tell Max after seeing the anger on his face.

  “How much?” Max asked again. “You did take the sale money to the bank, didn’t you?”

  “I did…but then I took it out again when the bank manager told me if the bank was robbed we’d lose everything.”

  “Laura! That’s just what happened! We lost everything! Why didn’t you talk it over with me first? Did you marry me just to have a man to do the ranch work but not to discuss how the money should be handled? Is that all you wanted from our marriage, a glorified ranch hand? Marriage is a partnership between two people. That means important decisions are discussed.”

  Laura felt her heart drop to her toes as Max spoke. His face was red, and the pulse in his temples throbbed visibly. She didn’t know what to say, because he was right—she should h
ave discussed it with him. Why hadn’t she?

  “I...I’m sorry, Max. I was going to tell you but—”

  “Forget it!” he yelled and left the house, slamming the door behind him.

  Laura and Dawn just stared at each other for several moments.

  “You didn’t tell him about taking the money out?” Dawn asked.

  Laura shook her head. “I’m going to put Caro to bed.”

  Once Caro had been tucked her into her bed, she looked up at her mother and asked, “Is Max coming to kiss me goodnight?”

  “Not tonight, sweetheart. We have a mess to clean up in the kitchen.”

  “What happened to it? Was it another earthquake?”

  Laura didn’t know how to answer her. She didn’t want to scare her, but what could she say?

  “Maybe a little one,” she said finally.

  “Will Max be back?”

  “Of course, he will.”

  Laura came downstairs. She saw Max ride down the lane to the main road from the front window, and she felt sick to her stomach. What had she done?

  Dawn and Laura cleaned the kitchen, but didn’t talk much. Once the kitchen was back in order, Laura bid Dawn a goodnight and went up to their room. She undressed and slid into bed. Would Max come back that night? Where had he gone? She tossed and turned, but the feeling of dread never left her. It stayed in the pit of her stomach and throbbed there.

  She hadn’t come close to falling asleep, but she figured she’d been in bed about an hour before she heard Max enter the house through the front door. Laura listened, hoping to hear his footsteps on the stairs, but instead, she heard hammering in the kitchen. Of course, he was fixing the kitchen door. She wondered if what had happened between them could be fixed as easily? Would Max ever forgive her or would this be the end of their happy marriage?

  Max fixed the door as best he could, but he felt sick to his stomach. He felt the same as he had when Catherine had left him for Joe Mercer, as if he’d lost the love he’d had for such a short time. He felt similar to a lackey, there to do all the work but not important enough to make decisions in the house or business. He felt belittled, and yes, he was angry. Not only did he feel betrayed, but they’d lost all of their money, every cent of it. He had no idea what they’d live on moving forward.