“You mean you’d think of getting married again?”
She looked him straight in the eye with firm conviction. “Yes—for two reasons. Jacob and Rania need to take over the ranch and make this their own family home. They won’t think of this place as theirs while I still live here. Rania needs to become the head of the household instead of me. I want to be a good mother–in–law and a grandma instead. Also, I’m still young. I’m not forgetting your father, but I could be married another thirty years to someone else and feel productive, instead of a third wheel in my children’s lives.”
Noah could see her point, but he was still numb from his own loss. And it finally sank in that he was homeless. “Well, I need to find work if I don’t have my own ranch to tend to. Surely, with all the cattle in the area, I can find something for a wage. I’ll go visit Adam and see if he knows of any jobs in Clear Creek and Ellsworth. But first, I need to go back to my homestead to reclaim some of my belongings.”
“I think it’s a good idea to visit Hilda. I’m sure she’d like to show you what she’s done around the place, and Hilda might have some questions too,” Cate suggested as she rose to refill their coffee cups. “Oh, and Hilda has a wild cat that shows up now and then. I wouldn’t want Poker to scare it. Call ‘Kitty, Kitty’ when you get there so the cat has warning there are strangers around.”
***
“Here, Kitty, Kitty! Here, Kitty, Kitty!”
Blast it, who’s calling my cat? Hilda tore around the corner of the barn just as Kitty sat up from her usual spot by the chicken house. Noah Wilerson was back, clean shaven, looking rested…and causing trouble.
Noah called again and Kitty answered, spooking Noah’s horse into a hopping fit. His dog raced toward the animal who was ready to attack whoever came near it.
Hilda and Holy Terror raced around the corner of the barn, getting between Noah’s dog and a bobcat—who was giving them all a menacing eye, and looked ready to spring on any one of them.
“Stop!” Hilda and Noah yelled at the same time, although Noah’s horse kept bucking around in circles.
“Sit!” Hilda commanded, and poor Poker did as he was told, but whining like a little anxious poodle instead of a ferocious guard dog. Ace continued to twirl around for the umpteenth time, with Noah hanging on to the saddle horn for dear life.
Hilda walked toward his horse, speaking softly to it. Ace stopped abruptly, shaking so violently Noah nearly pitched over the horse’s head. Hilda had one hand on the bridle, the other hand smoothing the horse’s nose before Noah could react.
Ace, after jumping around like he had cockleburs under his saddle only moments before, quietly nosed Hilda, and Poker crawled over to lean against her legs. The bobcat and Hilda’s mutt sat together, eying the new trio like they were the crazy ones.
“Okay, Mr. Wilerson, I assume it was my sister who told you to call my cat?”
Noah pointed at the bobcat sitting there watching the whole situation. “No, it was my ma, but I’m not sure why she told me to ‘call the cat’ when she knew me and my horse would be scared out of our wits.”
Hilda moved to stand by her animals. “Your mother has an unusual sense of humor.”
“So, why is there a wild bobcat calmly sitting near the chickens, who don’t seem to be upset with him? And why is your mutt, which could also be a snack for the bobcat, sitting next to it, almost to the point of protecting it from us?”
“Miss Terror found the baby bobcat and brought it home, claiming it as her own.”
“Wasn’t the kitten about the same size as the dog?”
“Kitty was just a few days old, and Terror did have to work to drag her home. I bottle fed her with milk from your mother’s milk cow and she survived. Now Miss Kitty comes back now and then to visit.”
Frustration made Noah lash out again. “And what’s with your dog’s name?”
“My mother called her a Holy Terror when she was little, so the name stuck.”
Noah shook his head. “Why hasn’t the bobcat finished off the pen of chickens?”
“She learned white chicken feathers sprinkled with red pepper powder are very nasty. So she hunts elsewhere for her meals, but sits by the pen to guard her pet chickens.” Hilda stared at him in defiance. “Any other questions, Mr. Wilerson?”
Noah took a deep breath, probably attempting to calm his nerves in order to state why he stopped by in the first place. “Miss Hamner, according to my family, you ‘bought’ my homestead; but I’m going into town to dispute it with the authorities. Until I get things settled, I’d like my personal belongings back in my possession.”
Hilda pasted a sweet smile on her face, although she was sure Noah could tell it wasn’t genuine. “Your mother already has your personal possessions at her house—including your Bible—which, by the way, is still intact.”
She could tell Noah was gritting his teeth when he growled, “Thank you. I wish my mother would have told me… Would it be too much trouble for me to water my horse, before I have to leave my place—again?”
“Careful with your tone of voice, Mr. Wilerson. I don’t want Kitty and Terror to be upset with you. Both like to chew on bones, and they might enjoy a taste of your leg,” she snapped as she crossed her arms and stared him down.
Chapter 4
Noah rode into Clear Creek, noticing changes in the bustling town since he left last spring. The Main Street was a block longer now, with new wooden buildings open for business, or in the process of being built. Noises from hammers, saws and men mixed with the racket of harnesses and wagons rumbling down the dirt street.
The hills to the distant west of town were dotted with longhorn cattle of all colors. The majority of the cattle that had been driven up from Texas this past spring had been shipped back east by rail, or driven to the new ranches in the area who had contracted to buy livestock. But, there were still cattle in the county to fatten up on the area grass before leaving for their destinations. He knew the groups of cattle would be scattered from Clear Creek to Ellsworth and beyond to the south, wherever they could find open land with grass and water for the herds.
Noah swung out of the saddle and tied Ace to a hitching post in front of the jailhouse. Poker stayed outside the door at Noah’s command. When Noah opened the door and stepped across the threshold, his brother Adam looked up in surprise and then rose from his desk chair.
Adam greeted Noah with a rough hug and slap on the back. “Hey, Noah. Good to see you. How you doing? Been home to see Ma yet?”
At Adam’s gesture, Noah sat down on the chair facing the marshal’s desk and stretched out his legs to get comfortable. Adam sat on a front corner of the desk, folding his arms and patiently waiting for Noah’s explanation. “Yep, been to see Ma, Jacob and meet Rania. Surprised to hear Sarah is spending time over at the Cross C playing housekeeper for Isaac Brenner and his nephew, Marcus.”
Adam nodded. “I’m happy she’s away from the Paulsons’ hotel project for a while. She might come to her senses yet and call off the wedding with Ethan.”
He looked his brother in the eye to answer the first question. “And how am I doing? Well, let’s just say my dander is up, thanks to my place being taken over by a female who won’t let me get off my horse when I ride in.”
Adam chuckled, as a slow smile spread across his face. “Yes, Hilda is very protective of ‘her’ ranch. Say, I was about to go home for lunch. How about you join me so we can continue to catch up?”
Noah stood up and followed Adam out the door. “My brother, the bachelor who Ma could never get to even boil water, is now cooking at home? I thought you usually went to the café or saloon for your meals.”
Adam continued to walk to the wooden, two–story house behind the jail without answering him. When Adam opened the front door, he said, “Things have changed a bit for me, little brother.” He gestured for Noah to walk through the door first.
“Unca Adam!” A tiny red–haired boy slammed straight into Noah’s lower legs, almost kno
cking him backward out the door. Then the tyke looked up; his expression changed from a giggle of delight to a shriek of surprise.
“Whoa, Sweet Poo–Tater.” Adam peeled the two–foot–tall kid off Noah’s knees and scooped him into his arms, settling him on his hip like he’d been doing it forever.
Next, Noah noticed the petite woman with bright–red hair and gentle eyes who stood in the middle of his brother’s dining room.
“Millie, I’d like you to meet my brother, Noah.” Adam turned to Noah with a wide grin on his face. “I got me a ‘mail–order family’ while you were gone! This is my lovely wife, Millie, and you’ve already met my adoring nephew. Love recently hit me in my knees, so to speak.” Adam gave a noisy smooch to the child’s cheek—which caused the little one to giggle and wiggle in his uncle’s arms.
“Nice to meet you, Noah. And my nephew’s real name in Tate, but until he is old enough to protest, I’m afraid his nickname will be related to a red potato.”
Noah took off his hat with his left hand and offered his right to the woman. “No offense, ma’am. But when I left for Illinois, my brother wasn’t married, let alone caring for a child.” Noah felt a tinge of envy seeing his brother with one strong arm holding up a child and his other wrapped around the smiling woman. Dang, now I’m jealous of both my brothers!
He shook his head in disbelief at the changes in his family while he’d been gone. “First, I find out my claim has been sold. Then, I go out to Ma’s ranch and see a spitting image of the woman who took over my place—in the arms of Jacob—but his wife is the first lady’s twin. And they didn’t bother to tell me you got hitched, either.”
Adam chuckled at Noah’s reaction. “I wanted to surprise you, so I asked Ma not to tell you. Come on into the kitchen and meet the rest of my new family.”
Noah was taken aback to see three people already sitting at the crowded kitchen table.
Millie calmly set another plate at the table while Adam put the little boy in the child’s high chair. “This is my father–in–law, Ennis Donovan, my sister–in–law Darcie Robbins, holding her daughter Amelia, and the children’s honorary grandmother, Flora Davis.”
The older man with the fading red hair, stood up to shake Noah’s hand. “Nice to meet another Wilerson boy,” he said with a thick Irish brogue. “Cate and her two sons were a blessing to me daughters in their time of need.”
“Sir, nice to meet you and your family too. I’m afraid I’ve been kept in the dark about the goings–on of my brothers until yesterday—and today,” Noah replied back as the big man pumped his hand.
“Long story short because I know you men are hungry…Millie come from Chicago to meet her future husband, Sam Larson, who she had been corresponding with. Only she stopped in St. Louis to see Darcie first, who was having trouble with her no–good husband, Curtis. Millie brought Tate with her on the train and Darcie was going to follow once she was strong enough to travel after Amelia’s birth.”
“But Sam died…” Noah injected into the older man’s monologue.
Now Adam spoke up. “Rania found Millie’s letters in Sam’s house while cleaning it out and gave them to me. After reading them, we realized we couldn’t contact Millie about Sam’s demise, so I met her at the depot with the news, thinking she’d turn around and travel back home.” Adam paused before continuing the explanation, “Then Ma got involved…”
Noah’s hands went up in the air in a silent surrender gesture. “Let me guess. She moved Millie and the boy into your house.”
“Yep, and let me tell you it was a rocky start getting used to living with a toddler. Tate can shed his clothes and run naked down the street faster than Hilda’s horse can win a race.”
Everyone was laughing around the table, eyeing the grinning tot in the high chair.
Adam sobered up when he spoke again. “Things got serious when Amelia’s husband showed up here demanding the boy back and that Millie be arrested for her sister’s ‘murder’.” But, smiling again at Millie, “Mr. Donovan was a Chicago policeman, and his daughter knows how to interrogate a criminal, and Millie solved the case.”
Millie blushed with Adam’s praise. “We had to work through some issues first, but Da, Darcie and Flora arrived in time to be a part of our wedding. They are staying here until they make plans.”
“I told Ennis I could use a deputy so they just as well stay in Clear Creek instead of going back to Chicago.”
Noah sensed Ennis eyeing him and turned back to the man. “Say, Noah, what do you do for a living? I have a daughter and two grandchildren who need a loving provider,” he said with a wink.
“Da!” Darcie exclaimed, “I don’t need a husband. Curtis cured me of ever wanting another one.”
“Oh, sister, I can guarantee there are some good ones around,” Millie said while winking at Adam.
This marital bliss was getting to Noah. Even Ennis and Flora looking dreamily into each other’s eyes.
“Now if you gentlemen will wash up, I’ll get our meal on the table,” Millie said as she placed a plate of sandwiches in the middle of the table.
Adam began explaining to Noah between bites of his sandwich, “Last spring, after you left, the county changed overnight into a dust field. There were more cattle, manure and cowboys than I ever expected to see in my lifetime. Over thirty thousand cattle were sent out by rail back east, and one hundred thousand more moved out to the new ranches springing up around the county. There are still several square miles of cattle roaming the range, eating the prairie grass, and waiting to be shipped out this fall.”
Noah couldn’t imagine the commotion he had missed while away. “How are you holding the peace with all these extra people in town?”
“Worst of it is over in Ellsworth, but Clear Creek gets the overflow. I have a deputy now, and two others I can call on if we need help. The townspeople used to know every person between here and the next county. Now, we have dozens of strangers in town every day, but it helps the merchants—especially the saloons. But enforcing the law has kept me busy this summer.”
Noah changed the subject when Adam paused in his talking long enough to chase down his sandwich with a swig of coffee. “I was really shocked when I found out you allowed my land to be sold, Adam. What is the procedure to getting it back?”
“Sorry, Noah, but it’s a done deal. Hilda owns the claim now. I stalled as long as I could, but the land agent had a man pestering him, insisting you had abandoned your claim, and he wanted it. He’d been watching your place, and knew you’d been gone for some time. Hilda was interested in the homestead and land for her horses, so I decided it would be better for her to buy the deed than to let some stranger move in.”
It made Noah feel a little better that Rania’s sister was the neighbor to his family ranch instead of the character badgering the land agent.
“Turns out this man, Sid Narker, who wanted your place, was the person who caused all of Rania’s problems.”
Noah looked around at the people sitting at the table before asking, “What problems? We didn’t get into that at supper last night.”
Adam looked over at Tate before carefully wording his answer to Noah. “Ask Jacob. No, better, ask Hilda what went on. Jacob still gets riled up talking about it. Narker was hired in Texas by Mr. Hamner to help on their trail drive to Kansas. He caused problems for Rania, although she didn’t tell father. Rania’s mother told Narker to leave, which he did, but he was waiting for Rania here in Kansas when the herd arrived. Narker forced Rania to leave with him, but when they crossed the flooding river…Narker disappeared.”
“Please tell Noah what’s been going on at Hilda’s place too,” Millie urged her husband.
“After Hilda moved in, little things happened around the place when she wasn’t there. We thought it must have been Narker, but it’s continued after he died. It’s spooked Hilda—although she won’t admit it.”
Noah frowned with that information. He didn’t think anything would scare the woman.
>
“First, someone broke into her home, emptied a dresser drawer of underclothes on the floor, and then dumped a ten–pound sack of flour on them, poured the leftover pot of coffee over the clothing and then stomped it in thoroughly. You could see a man’s boot print right in the middle of the mess.
Another time, someone whirled a horse around and around in the middle of her garden. Nothing like burning down the barn or taking off with the horses, but enough pranks for us to worry about her out there by herself.”
Shoot, now Noah was just a little worried about her…and all of her animals.
“When both families were over at Ma’s place last Sunday, we talked about the situation. Hilda needs help building her pasture fence, among other things, and she has agreed to us brothers finding her decent help. And of course we didn’t say it to Hilda, but there needs to be someone watching over her—someone we all can trust. Now that you’re back, I’m thinking that person is you.”
Noah stared at his brother in disbelief. “If I can’t get my claim back—I need to find a job—but you expect me to work on the place I started?”
“She can pay you wages, you can sleep in the barn to give you a place to roost, and the rest of us won’t have to worry about her out there alone.”
Noah’s first thought was Heck no, but the idea grew on him when he thought about Hilda’s spunk and determination to keep him off his place. Noah narrowed his eyes in thought. Maybe this way, he’d find a way to get his place back from her. “Think she’ll agree?”
“She promised to hire whoever Jacob and I choose. Her brother Dagmar is backing us on this, and she listens to him—most of the time.”
Chapter 5
Noah rode into his—or her—homestead for the third time in the last two days, looking at all the things which still needed to be done.
But this time, he was met with silence. Where were Hilda, the mutt—and that bobcat? Was there a rifle trained on his head? He had waited until after supper to make his appearance, hoping the timing would help his cause.
Hilda Hogties a Horseman Page 3
