To the right of the blackboard was another doorway.
“What is through there?” she asked, even as she walked toward it.
His boots clopped on the wooden floor behind her. “That would be the storage closet, but I think we can fit a bed in it, and maybe a side table for you to use, until we get married.”
Hannah opened the door to find a nice-size room. About ten feet wide and twelve feet long, it was much larger than she’d expected. Built-in bookshelves lined the far wall, and a window on the west end let in the setting sun. A smile touched Hannah’s lips. It was perfect.
“Yoo-hoo!” The call came from the front door.
Hannah looked to Daniel. He’d already turned and was heading in that direction.
“Well, hello, Opal, girls,” he said as he walked toward an older woman and two little girls.
A warm sensation enveloped Hannah at the pleasant kindness in his voice. It curled around her heart, creating a space of its own. During the past few hours she hadn’t heard that tone from Daniel, but decided it was one she’d love to hear all the time.
Opal wore an apron over her day dress and a flush tinged her cheeks. “Your mother sent me. There is a bed and bedding in the back of the wagon, and I brought a basket of food, just in case you two might be hungry.” She handed Daniel the basket and stepped around him.
Hannah watched her approach. After the reception she’d received from his mother, she wasn’t sure what to expect from this woman.
“I’m Opal Dean and these are my granddaughters, Daisy and Mary.” She pulled the girls in front of her and offered a wide smile.
Daniel set the basket on the floor and headed toward the door. “Thank you, Opal. I’ll go unload the bed.”
Hannah smiled at the children. Daisy looked to be older, perhaps eight or nine. As Mary chewed her fingernail and stared up at her, Hannah decided she was probably five or six. “It’s nice to meet you all. My name is Hannah Young.”
“That’s a pretty name,” Daisy offered.
“Thank you. I think Daisy is a pretty name, also.” Hannah raised her gaze to Opal.
“I’m sorry about Bonnie’s behavior earlier. I don’t know what has gotten into her lately. She’s normally very kind and levelheaded.” Opal shook her head as if trying to figure the other woman out.
Hannah wanted to ask how she knew Bonnie, but felt it wouldn’t be appropriate at this stage of their relationship. “I’m sure she was having a bad day,” she murmured politely.
“No, she’s just gotten ornery over the past few months. I’m her housekeeper and best friend, so I should know. It’s not like her to be so rude.” Opal stroked Mary’s red curls.
Hannah didn’t know what to say. If this woman really was Bonnie’s close friend, then it would be best not to say anything at all. She was saved from answering by the tugging on her skirt.
Mary stared up at her with big brown eyes, looking almost like a miniature image of her grandmother. She pulled her finger out of her mouth and asked, “Are you our new teacher?”
Daniel set part of the bed down and answered before Hannah could. He must have seen the look of dismay cross her features at the little girl’s question. “She sure is. I told you I found a teacher to start teaching you those ABCs, didn’t I?”
* * *
Daniel snuck a peek at Hannah. Confusion marred her lovely features. His gaze returned to the kids, who were laughing and jumping about. These two little girls were a big part of why he’d chosen Hannah’s letter from the stacks of others he’d received in answer to his newspaper ad. She’d been the only schoolteacher to respond.
His announcement was rewarded with a smile from Mary and a frown from Hannah. To avoid a confrontation with Hannah, he turned his attention to the younger female.
Mary’s front tooth had fallen out sometime between yesterday and this evening, he noted, as the redheaded urchin nodded.
Daisy clapped her hands. Her pigtails bounced against her shoulders as she jumped up and down. “Oh, I’m so glad! We’ve been waiting forever for you to get here. I can’t wait to tell John Paul. He hates school.”
He realized he couldn’t ignore her forever, and walked to her side. “I thought you understood that part of the reason I chose you was because you are a schoolteacher.” He tried to keep his voice from carrying to Opal, who was squawking at the girls to settle down.
“How would I have known that?” she whispered back.
He ran a hand through his hair and tried to remember if he’d mentioned the new schoolhouse, or his expectations that she’d agree to teach the children on the ranch. With a sinking feeling, he realized he hadn’t.
“Did you and Mr. Daniel get married?” Mary asked Hannah, and then poked the tip of her finger back inside her mouth.
Daniel coughed to cover up his embarrassment. Surely Opal had already heard from his mother that they weren’t married yet.
A nervous laugh exited the older woman. “Girls, girls. Let Miss Young get settled before you start asking her personal questions.”
“John Paul says Mr. Daniel isn’t the marrying kind. John Paul’s sister has been trying to get him to marry her for years, and he keeps saying no. You didn’t marry him, either, did you, Miss Young?” Daisy asked, moving out of range of her grandmother.
Daniel felt his face burst into flames. Hannah answered by shaking her head. Her eyes searched his face and he could hear the unasked question. Why hadn’t he married John Paul’s sister?
“I need to go get the rest of the frame for your bed.” He hurried away from her accusing eyes.
Opal’s embarrassed voice filled their ears. “Daisy Dean! Go play on the swing and take your sister with you! Don’t get dirty!” She shooed both girls out the door.
Just as they passed him on the stairs, Daniel heard Opal say to Hannah, “I’m sorry. This hasn’t been a good day for you, has it, dear?”
It hadn’t been a good day for him, either. He stomped down the stairs and yanked another piece of the iron bed from the wagon as he recalled his day.
The west fence had been cut and had to be mended, so he’d had to rush to get to the stagecoach on time to meet his bride. She’d refused to marry him, and his brother had tried to steal her from him. His mother refused to believe he was going to wed Hannah and had forced him to find a new home for her, and now had sent the heaviest bed in the house for him to haul inside and assemble for the woman who wouldn’t marry him.
Daniel tugged the heavy section of bed frame into the schoolroom and dumped it next to the one he’d brought in earlier. Opal stood hugging Hannah around the shoulders and talking softly to her. He headed back outside.
The sun was steadily sinking and he still had a bed to assemble and chores to do before he could eat and turn in himself. He jerked at the next piece of metal framing. This was not the way he’d thought his wedding day would go.
A movement to his right caught his eye. Cole Winters, Daniel’s right-hand man on the ranch, stepped out of the shadow of the building. The serious look on his rugged face caused Daniel to pause. Cole normally greeted everyone with a lazy smile. As he came closer, Daniel could see he was covered in mud and a fresh, bloody cut marked his face.
“Boss, we’ve got trouble.”
Daniel wanted to groan. Trouble seemed to be in abundance today. Lord, I should have stayed in bed.
“What kind of trouble?”
Cole grabbed the other end of the bed and helped him pull it from the wagon. “Jack Tanner kind of trouble.”
Jack had been a thorn in Daniel’s side ever since the day he’d hired him. The man drank too much and always brought some sort of bad attitude with him wherever he landed.
Cole walked toward the steps with his end of the frame. “The kind that started with us both in the horse trough and ended with him sprawled out in the mud beside it.”
That explained the scratch down Cole’s face. “So you were fighting.” Daniel heaved his end of the bed up and followed him inside.
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“’Fraid so.” Cole laid his end down beside the other pieces.
“What started it?” Daniel asked, standing. He didn’t see Hannah or Opal in the schoolroom, then detected the soft sound of their voices coming from the supply room.
Cole removed his hat and swept his chestnut hair off his forehead. “He came back from town drunk and as mean as an ole polecat.”
Daniel shook his head. “Well, help me get this bed set up for Miss Young and we’ll escort him back to town.”
“So you’re gonna fire him this time?” Cole asked, stooping over to pick up the bed again.
“Yep, no choice. He was warned. It’s a shame, too. He’s a good hand when he’s sober.” Daniel and Cole carried the bed frame into the storage room. He really did wish there was another way to deal with Jack. Letting men go wasn’t his favorite part of running a ranch.
“I’m going to fill this shelf with the books I brought from Cottonwood Springs,” he heard Hannah say as she dusted off one of the many shelves.
“Miss Young, where do you want the bed set up?” Daniel asked.
She turned and gave him a gentle smile. “Really, Daniel, just call me Hannah. After all, we will be married, so we might as well start using each other’s first names.”
So she was planning on marrying him. Daniel felt as if she’d lifted a hundred-pound bale of hay from his shoulders. He nodded in her direction. “Hannah, where would you like the bed?”
“Under the window would be nice.”
Cole didn’t move to where she’d indicated, but continued to stand there, staring at Hannah.
Daniel gave Cole a shove to wake the hired hand from his apparent awe of Hannah. “Cole, this frame isn’t getting any lighter.”
Hannah’s cheeks became a pretty shade of pink before she turned her back on them. Her hands worked at dusting the shelves.
“Oh, sorry, boss. I, uh, had something in my eye.” Cole ducked his head and began moving toward the window.
Opal grinned at Daniel. “You two bring in the rest of the pieces and we’ll put it together.”
Daniel didn’t know what to make of his friend’s behavior. “Thank you, Opal.” They set the section down, then headed back to the wagon.
Cole didn’t look at him, but walked ahead. “Sorry about that, boss.”
Daniel nodded. “I’ll get this piece while you grab the other two.” He bent over and picked up the rail.
“I’ll be right back.” Cole hurried from the schoolhouse as if his boots were on fire.
Did Hannah really have that effect on men? Daniel answered his own silent question with another one. Hadn’t he stopped to stare when he’d first seen her, too? He hoped she wouldn’t have that effect on all the hands on the ranch or they might never get any work done.
Chapter Six
Hannah waved goodbye to Opal and the girls just as the sun slipped over the horizon. She shut the door and bolted the lock. The schoolhouse felt silent and peaceful. After the day she’d had, silent and peaceful seemed wonderful.
She walked back to the bedroom and dropped onto the soft mattress. Her gaze moved to her suitcases. This day had not turned out the way she’d thought it would. Daniel Westland wasn’t the man she’d expected.
She’d assumed he would be open, talkative and thrilled that she wanted to get to know him and fall in love before they got married. Daniel was far from those things. He seemed angry all the time, except when he was with the little girls. The man hadn’t said fifty words to her since they’d met, not that she’d been seriously counting, and he wanted a quick marriage and children so he could have the family ranch.
But he was handsome, and when he’d talked to Daisy and Mary she’d seen a soft side of Daniel that touched her heart and took away her anger at him for not telling her she was expected to teach the schoolchildren on the ranch. She’d also seen the sadness in his eyes that told her he was a wounded soul.
And what about Bonnie Westland? Hannah hadn’t given his mother any thought when she was writing him letters and had agreed to come to Granite to be his mail-order bride. Now that she’d met the woman, Hannah wasn’t sure what to think of her.
What kind of mother pitched her sons against each other? And of all things, over a plot of dirt? Why did she demand that they marry and have children if she wasn’t going to be happy with the women they chose?
Hannah turned the wick up on the kerosene lamp that Opal had lit earlier, and then walked to her suitcases. She opened the first one and began unpacking her books. The Holy Bible was on top, and she caressed the cover before taking it to the small table beside her bed.
After that she arranged The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There and the remaining books on the shelf closest to the headboard. She ran her hand over the spines of her favorite stories.
Hannah took out her shoes and lined them up at the foot of the bed. Her gaze moved to the other suitcase and she wondered where she should put her clothes.
Weariness tugged at her. She slipped her shoes off and placed them with the others. Opening the second suitcase, she pulled out her nightgown and then proceeded to get ready for bed. Hannah decided she’d worry about the rest of her unpacking tomorrow. Carefully, she folded her dress and laid it on one of the many empty shelves.
Before climbing between the fresh clean sheets, she knelt beside her bed and prayed. She thanked the Lord for her safe travel from Cottonwood Springs, New Mexico, to Granite, Texas. She asked Him to help her and Daniel work through their new relationship, and she prayed that Bonnie Westland would learn to accept her as a potential daughter-in-law. Once her prayers were complete, she pulled back the covers and climbed into bed.
The sound of hammering woke Hannah the next morning. She quickly rose and pulled on a simple dress. The noise was coming from the back of the building, and with the room’s one window facing west instead of south, she had no idea who was making the racket.
Running her fingers through the tangles in her hair, she rushed to see what was going on. Hannah took a deep breath before opening the back door. Daniel and the man who had been with him the day before were working on a small building. The rancher turned with a soft smile. “Good morning, Hannah.”
“Uh, good morning.” For the life of her, she couldn’t figure out what they were building. It was too large for a wood box and too small for an extended room to the building.
“I see that we woke you. Sorry about that.” Daniel was looking at the ground in front of her. A frown replaced the smile that had seemed so warm.
Hannah looked down, too, and realized her bare feet were showing. The scars on her right foot were pale but visible. She felt heat flood her face. “I’ll be right back.” As quick as her feet would carry her, she hurried inside.
The horror that he and his hired man had seen the scars filled her with a sense of illness. No one had seen them since she was a child. Hannah had always been careful to keep them covered. She even had special socks she wore at all time, except when she was sleeping.
Now that he’d seen the scars, what must Daniel think of her? She hurried to her suitcase and pulled out a pair of stockings, then proceeded to put on her shoes.
The sound of hammering resumed.
Taking a steadying breath, Hannah decided he’d have had to seen them sooner or later. She would have preferred later, but the damage was done and she’d have to deal with whatever results it brought.
She sank down on the edge of the bed. The thought had come to her in the middle of the night that she would need supplies if she was going to live in the schoolhouse. And as soon as she could get up her courage, she’d go back outside and ask if Daniel would escort her to town. She wondered again what they were making as she combed her hair and pulled it into a braid.
The hammering stopped, and Hannah stood up. She inhaled deeply to soothe her nerves. Be brave, Hannah Young, she silently told herself as she walked to the door once more. He’s just a man and you need him
to take you to town. You can do this.
Even if he is as handsome as sin and has now seen your worst flaw.
* * *
Daniel turned toward the sound of the door opening. He saw that Hannah had donned shoes and fixed her hair. Color still rode high on her cheeks, but her blue eyes held his. “I thought you might need a storage shed.”
Hannah smiled. Even white teeth flashed in the morning sun. “So that’s what you are making. I wondered.”
“Ma sent over a washtub and a small armoire. I thought you might like to have a place to store the tub and any supplies.” He took his hat off and wiped sweat from his forehead. Hannah looked as pretty as the flowers Levi had given her the day before.
“That was very considerate of both you and your mother.” She played with a ribbon on her dress. “Speaking of supplies, do you think we could go back into town today so I can pick a few things up?”
Daniel thought of all the jobs he still had to do. They needed to finish the shed, a stall in the barn needed to be mended and he wanted to check his fence line in the north pasture. The thought came to him that he could send one of his men. He turned to Cole.
The man was grinning at Hannah as if she was a slice of his favorite pie. He tipped his hat to her and said in a husky voice, “Good morning, ma’am.”
No, sending her with one of the ranch hands was out of the question.
“Sure. Let me talk to Cole here and then we’ll be on our way.” He enjoyed the sweetness of her smile, which brightened her eyes and face. Strands of black hair had escaped the braid and curled about her rosy cheeks. She almost looked like a porcelain doll he’d once seen in a city shop.
“Thank you. I’ll go start a list.” Her skirt swished as she turned and reentered the school.
Daniel glanced back at Cole, who had picked up another board and was about to resume working. “I need you to take care of a few things while I’m in town.”
“Sure, boss, you name it,” he said, hammering the board into place.
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