by Danni Roan
“Mrs. Rodriguez, I’m only trying to help. If I’d known that Raul needed money like that I would have helped, I would have advanced him the money.”
“My husband was a good man, but he made a bad choice,” Rosa said as tears sprang to her eyes. “You do not need to worry about me or my Christina,” the petite woman continued. “We are here,” she gestured around the dining hall. “This is our home, we need nothing from you.”
“But,” Dan tried again, “at least take his last pay,” he fumbled in his pocket but the woman shoved it away.
“I do not need this money. Olive and Orville give me everything I need for my cooking. Stop bothering me.” Rosa spun on her heavy heeled shoes, stomping back into the kitchen.
Dan dropped his head, lifting his hat and shoving it over his brown hair as he gazed sheepishly at the others in the room.
“Preacher,” he drawled with a nod, turning toward the door and stepping back outside.
“That was rather dramatic,” Beth stated, still staring at the poor man who had disappeared outside.
“I think his heart is in the right place,” Brandon said softly lifting a hand to call Olive to the table as Mrs. Perkins seemed to hum more brightly.
Chapter 12
Beth sat in the wagon next to the stern looking man everyone called Jacks. He didn’t smile, but he didn’t seem to resent her presence either.
“It doesn’t take long to get to the ranch,” the man said, pushing his hat up with one finger. “I’m glad you’re comin’ along to help with Mrs. Perkins,” he continued, urging the horse to trot out.
“Does Mrs. Perkins require a great deal of care?” Beth asked, wondering if she had made a mistake.
“No,” Jacks shook his head watching the road as they moved along. “I think she’s gettin’ restless though. She seems able to do a bit more than she could when she and Prim first moved in, but now,” he paused looking around as if searching for the right words, “She’s livelier.”
Beth smiled, feeling that surely this must be a good thing. The woman wasn’t an imbecile or a total invalid, so if she was showing signs of a livelier attitude perhaps that was a good thing.
“I just thought you should know how things are. Mrs. Bowlings does real good by her ma, but she’s busy with that big house and all.”
“Is the house that large?”
“It’s mighty big,” the cowhand said. “I’ve been a foreman for a lot of years, and this is one of the biggest places I’ve seen. Anderson comes from England, and I guess there he’s used to a manor or some such.”
Beth smiled. “I take it the house was built recently.”
“Yes, we put it up this past year, and it’s a fine place. I think Anderson chose well.”
Beth couldn’t help but wonder if the foreman was speaking about the house alone, or if he meant Prim as well. She had seen the couple together a few times and they seemed to be deeply in love as, well as very compatible.
“I hope to be of use to Prim,” Beth acknowledged. “It will be nice to be out and away from so many of the men who seem to think they have some claim on me.”
“You came as one of those mail-order brides Peri and Olive ordered didn’t you?” Jacks asked a twinkle in his eyes.
“Yes,” Beth admitted. “I didn’t expect this though,” she offered lifting a hand and gesturing at the prairie and trees around them.
“You just take your time and make sure you’ve chosen right,” Jacks said with a grin. “Young folks get themselves in a hurry sometimes and that ain’t always good.”
In what seemed like no time at all, Beth drove up in front of a large two-story home with a wide wraparound porch and beautiful window boxes full of spring flowers.
“It’s lovely,” she said feeling she would be very comfortable at the Bowlings home. “I look forward to my stay,” she smiled letting the older man help her down from the wagon seat.
“Oh, you’re here!” Prim called walking out onto the porch a dish towel in her hand. “I was telling Mama you’d be along soon. She seems delighted with the notion of another body in the house,” she finished smoothing her skirts.
“I’m happy to be here,” Beth said, suddenly happy with her decision to join this family and help them in any way she could.
“It will give you a break from all those men ogling you in town as well,” Prim chuckled. “When I worked for Olive, I got two or three proposals every day.”
Together both women laughed and all the tension in Beth’s shoulders seemed to take wing, flying away to join the birds singing in the trees.
“I hope we’ll be good friends,” she said, feeling a kinship with the pretty Prim. “I’m not afraid of hard work,” she finished.
“I can see you’re ready to get started,” Prim spoke, ushering her into the house. “We’ll head up stairs and get you settled then I’ll show you around. Jacks would you sit with mother for a few minutes while we take the tour?” she cast over her shoulder with a smile.
Jacks veered off from the main entrance, headed for the comfortable parlor where Mrs. Perkins sat rocking quietly by a small stove, his heavy boots clomping on the hard wooden floor as the women headed up the stairs to the second floor. It was easy sitting with Mrs. Perkins. She never seemed to expect much from him.
Chapter 13
Brandon walked to the newly finished livery and ordered a wagon. He was pleased when Darwin handed him the reins of what appeared to be a reliable horse and thanked the man, who stared at him with blood-shot eyes.
Normally. the preacher would have simply taken a horse to ride out across the plains. but today he thought a buggy was more fitting.
He had spent hours the day before putting the finishing touches on his sermon, but today wanted to get out into the community and see how he might be useful to his congregation. In recent weeks he had mended fences, patched roofs, and even slopped pigs for a man who had been ill.
Brandon liked people as a whole. He found them interesting and most of them were honest and hard working, though the few rotten eggs often ruined it for those who simply wanted to make a living and care for those they loved.
Shaking out the reins, he pointed the horse toward the southern side of town making the turn toward the Cassidy cabin and on toward the Bowling place.
It had been a while since the preacher had been out to visit Mrs. Perkins and spend some time with the older woman. The fact that Miss Beechen was now living at the Bowlings home had nothing to do with his desire to head that way.
A preacher’s work was never ending and widely varied in ways many never imagined. He didn’t spend all of his time reading the Bible and writing rousing messages. No, he had a duty to his community to meet with them, visit, and even offer a helping hand when he could. Perhaps he would be a welcome respite from the cares of the day as he made his way toward the big house at the second largest ranch in the area.
***
“Beth would you mind taking Mama for a walk,” Prim asked. She had been busy cutting up a chicken for dinner and noted her mother’s restless rocking.
“I’d be happy to,” Beth replied. She had been at the Bowling home for a full week now and it was a blessed relief to be away from the prying eyes of the men from town. She still got a few extra hellos from the cowboys working for Anderson Bowlings, but she found the reprieve a welcome one.
Washing her hands in the stone sink Beth grabbed her shawl by the door and a wrap for Mrs. Perkins then helped the older woman to her feet.
“It will be nice to get a breath of fresh air now won’t it, Mrs. Perkins?” she asked kindly, placing the woman’s shriveled hand on her arm and heading for the front door.
Beside her the older woman hummed softly, squeezing her arm gently as they made their way down the stairs then turning for the burgeoning garden.
“Do you like growing things?” Beth asked, walking slowly around the home. “I like seeing things grow,” she continued, thinking of the days and hours she and her mother had spent
in their own kitchen garden each year. Beth’s mother had been a wonder at growing things, and they always seemed to have an abundance of produce. It had been difficult moving into the boarding house in her home town and leaving that part of their home behind.
Mrs. Perkins squeezed her arm again, and Beth looked toward the woman whose warm eyes were full of understanding.
“You know what it’s like to lose as well, don’t you?” Beth said. She knew little of Prim’s story, but she knew that the other woman had lost her father only a year earlier. “I’m sure you miss him as I miss my mother and father,” Beth mused.
The older woman’s humming changed and the soft strains of Coming Home, touched Beth’s heart.
Walking to a bench near the garden, Beth helped Mrs. Perkins take a seat, then walked the rows of newly sprouted vegetables looking for any weeds that needed pulled. The sun above brushed her cheeks with warmth, filling her with a different form of peace.
“I’ll pull these few weeds,” Beth spoke, “then we’ll carry on with our walk,” she finished looking up to see a small buggy pulling into the yard.
***
Brandon let the horse come to a stop near the front porch and gazed around him at the big house and yard only to catch a glimpse of Miss Beechen in the garden along the side yard.
Stepping down from the buggy, he tied off the horse and headed toward the bench where Mrs. Perkins sat.
“Good afternoon,” Brandon called, taking in the vision before him. Sunlight glinted off the young woman’s white gold hair and her green eyes sparkled happily as he came around the corner.
“Good afternoon,” the young woman replied. “It’s nice to see you.” Her bright smile and open features made him believe she meant every word and Brandon couldn’t help but smile in return.
“I thought I’d drop by and see Mrs. Perkins,” the preacher spoke approaching the bench where the older woman waited. “I hope you’re well today Mrs. Perkins,” he said, reaching for her hand and holding it for a moment.
“We were out for a walk,” Beth moved toward Mr. Tippert. “Would you like to join us?”
“I’d be delighted,” Brandon replied, helping the older woman to her feet while Beth took her other arm looping it through her own. “How are you settling in here at the Bowlings place?”
“I’m very happy,” Beth admitted, though she had only been there a week. “The work is light, and the company is delightful,” she grinned, as Mrs. Perkins started humming an indistinct tune. “How is everything in town?”
“About the same,” Brandon spoke, enjoying the easy banter with the young woman. “Mr. Alder is still allowing me to play the piano on Saturday nights and attending services on Sunday. He insists on having the piano delivered to the church before services as well.”
Beth laughed, surprised at the way the preacher had managed the saloon owner. “I’m still surprised you agreed to play the piano in a saloon. It is rather unconventional.”
Brandon couldn’t disagree and met her green gaze as he spoke. “I wasn’t always a preacher,” he said. “Once upon a time I was the son of a wealthy businessman who grew bored and started using his musical skills in dance halls and saloons as a lark.”
Beth gazed at the man in shock. Wondering why he would have left behind a lucrative living to play in saloons.
“I wouldn’t say I went wild, exactly, but I found the rowdy crowds and bawdy night life exciting.” Brandon wasn’t sure why he was telling Miss Beechen all of this, but there was something about her that begged honesty, and his unexpected attraction to her pulled the words from him. “It wasn’t until tragedy struck that I changed my ways and was led into ministry.”
Beth studied the preacher’s face, seeing a depth of emotion in his dark eyes. Although the man wasn’t handsome in the way many might think of the word. He had a quiet charm that spoke to her, and for the first time, she realized that as her first friend in Needful, her heart had warmed to the thin man with the mop of unruly curls.
“I guess it’s true what people say, and we don’t know where our path leads.”
“There’s a verse in the Bible that speaks to me of that,” Brandon looked at the young woman, unaware of the bright eyes of Mrs. Perkins studying him. “A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.” Brandon’s voice was warm and full of feeling, but his heart skipped a beat as Miss Beechen smiled.
Beth was shocked at the wave of feeling that seemed to engulf her. Before, the preacher had seemed a kindly soul who had offered her assistance in a time of need, but now she realized that what you saw of a person on the outside was not all of who they were. People couldn’t be neatly pigeon-holed like correspondence. They were more than what you saw, an amalgamation of experiences, emotions, and hopes.
She had come to Needful looking for a fresh start and hoping to find love in a world where she was all but alone, but she was coming to realize that her journey could mean so much more. Perhaps by being Mr. Tippert’s friend she could help him spread the love of Christ in a town where wild behavior and reckless abandon seemed to be the norm.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Beth said impulsively, dropping her gaze at her bold words. “You were there when I needed you and perhaps your path has crossed mine for a reason.”
Brandon felt a warm glow radiating from his middle. He had been worried that his confession of a moment ago might have put the young woman off, but she seemed to be willing to extend the hand of friendship, only making him realize that he would like to be more than just friends. If he understood the circumstances around Miss Beechen’s arrival, she had come to Needful as a potential mail-order bride, but instead was waiting on Olive, or was it Peri, to find a prospective groom. Could she possibly ever consider a skinny preacher with a wild past?
“Beth?” Prim’s voice echoed out across the neat yard, and the trio stopped, turning slowly toward the house. “Peri just sent word that she’s coming for dinner. Could you come in and help me finish up?”
“I’d be pleased to escort you two fine ladies home,” Brandon grinned, walking slowly toward the steps leading up to the front porch.
“Perhaps you’ll stay for dinner as well,” Beth suggested, wondering where her boldness had come from today. For some reason, she was reluctant to let the preacher leave, and even though she only worked for the Bowlings, she knew there would always be more than enough on the table for one more.
“If that’s alright with Mrs. Bowlings I’d be delighted,” he said, opening the front door and letting the women step inside. “In the meantime, I’ll go out and visit with some of the men I haven’t seen at services for some time.”
“I’ll send word to you as soon as I speak with Prim,” Beth smiled. “Thank you for coming.”
Chapter 14
The smell of roasting chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy assailed Brandon’s senses as he walked back to the main house with Jacks a few hours later. The foreman had called him from the bunk house where he had been swapping stories with the old cook that fed the cowboys, and now walked with him to the front door.
“It’s nice to see you out this way preacher,” the man said as he paused, tipping his hat to a pretty woman with light brown hair who was being lifted from a wagon at the stoop. “Miss Peri,” Jacks drawled, “Bear.”
“Hello Jacks,” Peri said with a grin. “I hope you’re staying to eat, Preacher,” the young woman smiled.
“I’ve been invited, and I’d be loco to miss a meal at your sister’s table.”
“Preacher, good to see you,” the big man next to Periwinkle said, grinning through his luxurious brown beard. The man everyone in Needful called Bear was actually Bartholomew Cassidy, and he seemed a happy man since he had married Peri only a few months earlier.
“Have you visited with Miss Beechen?” Peri asked, her blue eyes twinkling. “She seems a lovely girl, and I’m so pleased she could come work with Prim.”
“Miss Beechen is probably in the kitchen,” Brandon said
. “We took your mother for a walk earlier.”
Peri smiled, her blue eyes twinkling with a cheery light. The girl always appeared to be up to something, though often you couldn’t guess what it could be. “Then we’ll have a nice cozy visit,” she nodded.
In a whirlwind of activity, Brandon found himself seated at an elegant table in front of a roaring fire as plates of delectable looking food was served around.
Prim and Beth had obviously been busy while he had spent a quiet couple of hours in the bunk house with Cookie. The food looked and smelled wonderful, but the young woman across the table from him was beyond lovely and Brandon realized that he was developing feelings for Miss Beechen. The fact nagged at him as conversation picked up, and he wondered if he was ready for the feelings that now grew in his heart.
“Is Prim treating you alright?” Peri asked, leaning toward Beth as she carefully cut her mother’s food into manageable pieces. “I hope she isn’t working you too hard,” the blue eyed woman teased.
“Periwinkle, you know very well I’d never ask anyone to do a job I’m not willing to do. And for your information, Beth and I are getting along very well. She’s been a tremendous help.”
Peri wrinkled her nose at her sister then winked at Beth, showing that she wasn’t done with this conversation yet. “So how do you like Needful?” she asked, beginning to eat her own meal.
“It’s a very nice town over all,” Beth said hoping not to offend anyone.
“Yes, but the men are rather forward,” Peri giggled. “Why, Prim received at least three proposals a day at the Hampton House, and it wasn’t much better for me until Mama and me moved to the house here.” Peri jumped, reaching down and rubbing her ankle where her mother had just kicked her but didn’t slow down. “Even after I moved I worked at the Hampton House though,” she continued. “Olive needed the help, but now that her family has arrived I think she’s alright.”
