Tucker stared at her as though she had lost her mind. “You expect me to provide the dress goods and split the profits fifty-fifty?”
Laney shrugged. “I have to do all the work. Seems fair to me.”
Tucker squinted at her as if considering. “All right,” he grumbled. “But it sounds like highway robbery to me.”
Elated, Laney nodded, trying not to glow with victory. She’d never expected Tucker to give in so easily. “And I broke the handle on my shears last week, so I’ll need a new pair.”
Tucker gave her a wry grin. “You can pay for those, can’t you?”
Luke chuckled. “Seems to me that’s the least you can do, Laney.”
Grudgingly Laney handed over the money. “All right. You willin’ to put all this in writing?”
Laney winced as Mr. Tucker’s mouth turned down in indignation. “What do you take me fer? Some thief? We got a witness right here.” He jerked his thumb toward Luke.
“That’s not what I mean. I want to show Mr. Garner proof of a steady income so I can get my soddy. I won’t have room to work at Anthony and Tarah’s with all those kids running around.”
Appeased, Mr. Tucker nodded. “Reckon I can do that.”
Twenty minutes later, with signed proof of a steady income, Laney strode from the mercantile and headed for her horse.
Luke followed. “Congratulations. Looks like you’re getting what you wanted.”
“Looks that way.” Then why did she feel so empty when she gazed at the familiar freckled face staring back at her? “How about you? You told your ma and pa about your plans?”
Luke’s jaw tightened. “Not yet.”
“It’ll be all right, Luke. You have a right to be your own man. Your pa will understand that.”
A short laugh lifted his shoulders. “But you can’t understand it?”
“I just don’t see why you’d want to leave your family. If you’d stay here and help me start my herd…”
“Your herd?”
“Well, it would be ours. Yours and mine. If you’d stop being so stubborn about letting me share it with you.”
Luke smiled at her. “I have money saved. I could help you buy the soddy and start the herd.”
Hope lifted Laney’s drooping spirits.
“But that’s not the point. I want to go west and be my own man.”
“But, Luke, if you stay here and we got mar—” Laney stopped. She would not beg.
Luke’s brow arched. “If we got married?” He reached for her hand, sending warmth through her belly. Luke’s gaze searched hers, drawing Laney in until she was certain. “Don’t go put that money down on the soddy, Laney. Marry me. Come west and let’s build a life together. Don’t you see how good it would be between us?”
Looking into Luke’s emerald green eyes and remembering the warmth of his kisses, Laney almost relented. But reason prevailed. She snatched her hand away. “I can’t do it, Luke. I just can’t.” Quickly she mounted her horse. She stared down at him. “You got your plans, and I got mine. They just don’t match up, that’s all.” Without giving him a chance to respond, she whipped her horse around and headed off toward Mr. Garner’s property. She knew if she stayed any longer, she would fall into Luke’s arms and never leave them. But Harper was home. Tarah and Anthony and their brood were home. How could she give them up? No. This way was for the best. Luke would go to Oregon and fulfill his dreams, and she would stay here and fulfill hers.
It was for the best….
Luke drove in the last stake for the new fence and stepped back to wipe the sweat from his brow. “There,” he said, taking the proffered canteen from his pa. “If that doesn’t keep Ol’ Angus in his own pasture, nothing will.”
He took a swig of the tepid water, wiped his mouth with the back of his arm, and screwed the lid back on the canteen.
Pa leaned his weight against the newly repaired fence. “I thought I’d go ahead and buy a new bull next year in Abilene.” He stared at the bull with a troubled expression. “Ol’ Angus has just about worn out his usefulness, and he’s getting meaner than a grizzly from what I can tell. I’m worried he’ll get loose and gore a young’un walking home from school.”
Luke nodded, clenching his teeth to refrain from mentioning that he’d been suggesting that very thing for the past year. The aging bull had knocked this same fence down twice in the past six months trying to get at a passing rider or someone walking through the north field. If Pa had listened in the first place, they wouldn’t have had to waste time making the repairs.
“Reckon you already knew that about Ol’ Angus, huh?”
Luke stared off into the blue horizon. “I reckon.” What else could he say?
“I should have listened to you.” Pa kept his own gaze fixed beyond the brown field.
Luke knew what the admission had cost his pa. He remained silent, sensing there was more to this conversation than Ol’ Angus’s foul temper.
Pa cleared his throat. “I know I’ve been pretty hard on you, son. There were times when I could have taken your advice and should have but didn’t. I guess my pride got the best of me. It’s not easy to admit my son might know more than I do about ranching.” A chuckle rumbled his chest, and he coughed, then pulled out his handkerchief and blew his nose.
“You taking a cold, Pa?”
“Must be. But don’t go telling your ma, or she’ll have me sitting in front of the fire sipping hot tea and all wrapped up in a quilt.”
Luke grinned. His pa carried on, but everyone knew he loved Ma’s attention. Marrying late in life, Luke’s stepmother, Cassidy, had years of nurturing to catch up on, and she babied anyone who would allow it. Luke could scarcely remember a time when she hadn’t been a part of their lives. His memories of his own ma were misty, and except for the daguerreotype sitting on Tarah’s mantel, he wouldn’t remember her at all. Cassidy had filled that empty space long ago, and he couldn’t love her more if she truly were his mother.
Pa sneezed, drawing Luke’s focus back to the present. “I reckon we oughtta head back to the house. Ma’ll tan my hide if I let you catch pneumonia.”
“In a minute.” Pa turned to face him. “I want to talk to you about something.”
At Pa’s serious tone, a gnawing sensation nearly overwhelmed Luke’s stomach. Had he somehow caught wind of Luke’s plans to move west? Luke knew it was time to come clean, but he dreaded the conversation. “What is it, Pa?”
“I’ve decided it’s time you start taking on more responsibility around the ranch. I’ve never had a manager before, but I’m offering you the position, son.”
“Manager? You have a foreman.”
Pa shook his head. “I need someone to oversee the ins and outs of the ranching—not just to watch over the hands—do the hiring and firing, accounts, keep track of the buying and selling. That sort of thing.”
“But you do that.”
“I have. And now I’m ready to hand it over. Sam never was interested in ranching, and of course Jack is headed for college in a couple of years. Will might enjoy ranching, but you’ll get the lion’s share when I’m gone. Thought you might like a chance to put some of your ideas into practice without me standing over you telling you no all the time. You can run the ranch any way you see fit.”
Luke tried to make sense of Pa’s words, but he couldn’t quite wrap his mind around the truth of the matter. “But if I take over for you, what are you going to do?”
Pa chortled, then coughed again. “Don’t worry, I’ll be around, getting in the way. I’m just ready to hand over the responsibility.” He peered closer at Luke, his brow creased. “I thought this would be good news. Am I wrong?”
Just say it. You can’t take on a position like this and then up and quit come spring. Pa deserves to know the truth so he can make other plans.
“The fact is, Pa…” Luke cleared his throat, then braced himself for whatever reaction Pa would give. “The fact is that I got other plans.”
“What kind of pla
ns?” He sounded hurt, confused, and worried all at the same time.
Luke nearly relented, but he knew he couldn’t. The thought of running the St. John ranch for the rest of his life left a bitter taste in his mouth. He had to make it on his own.
“I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. I love the ranch; you know that. I’ll do whatever I can to help—until I move west in the spring.”
Pa drew in a long, slow breath, the kind he always drew when trying to maintain control. “When did you decide this?”
“I’ve always planned to, but lately it’s all I can think about.” Despite the intensity of the moment, Luke’s excitement rose. “I’ve been saving every penny to start my own herd.” Luke’s plans spilled from his lips like water over a fall. When he stopped and glanced at his pa, the man’s eyes were moist, but a smile lifted his lips.
“I see you’ve thought this through.” Pa clapped him on the shoulder and strode toward his gray mare. “Let’s get back. I promised your ma we’d be back in plenty of time to clean up and get to church.” With a sad smile, he mounted the horse.
Luke’s stomach clenched. He climbed into Rusty’s saddle and urged the roan forward. “Pa, I could stay on until Will’s old enough to take over.” He heard his voice but couldn’t quite believe he’d made the offer.
“I appreciate that, son. But it’ll be a few years yet before your little brother is old enough to break a horse, much less run a ranch. But that’s my concern, not yours. I won’t have it said I held back any of my children from their dreams. Sam’s a doctor, Jack’s going to practice law, your sister is married with a brood of her own, and they’re a happy bunch.” He gave a short laugh. “Even little Laney is doing just what she’s been bragging she’d do for the past five years. She’s got herself that little soddy and plans to start a herd of her own in a couple of years.”
Pain stabbed at Luke’s heart. Laney had made herself pretty scarce the past three weeks. He’d heard from Tarah and other female members of his family that she was sewing her fingers to the bone and happy as a pig in slop to be doing it in her own home. It stung his pride to know she was so happy without him. “So I heard,” he said, trying to keep his voice even.
“Don’t you think your happiness is just as important to me? If you want to go off and make it on your own like I did when I came here to Kansas, I won’t be the one to try and stop you.”
Relief flowed over Luke like a cool summer shower. “You’re not mad?”
“Nope. I just assumed because you have ranching in your blood like me that you’d be content to stay on and take over for me. I should have asked you what you wanted instead of taking it for granted. I’m sorry you found it so hard to share your dreams with me, son. Cassidy is right. I can be mighty thickheaded at times.”
“You’re not the only one.”
Riding back to the house next to his pa, Luke felt a kinship like he’d never felt before, even though they’d worked side by side for as long as Luke could remember. His insides quivered with excitement now that the last barrier to his dream had been knocked over. Only one thing would have made everything perfect: if Laney would share the dream with him; but she had made her choice and had found happiness in fulfilling her own plans. He had to accept that and move on without her. But how did one function when he felt incomplete—as though he were only half a man?
Chapter 4
Laney suppressed a yawn while she waited just inside the church doors for the crowd surrounding Anthony to diminish. She eyed the side door, wishing she could slip out unnoticed and head for her little soddy.
With a gnawing sense of dread, she envisioned the enormity of the task awaiting her when she arrived home. She still had one Christmas gown to finish for Mrs. Thomas and one for Mr. Tucker’s mercantile before next Saturday. How she was going to get everything done, she’d never know.
“Laney honey, you okay?”
Laney turned at the sound of Mama Cassidy’s voice. The older woman’s worried tone warmed Laney. Tired as she was, she would like nothing better than to lay her head on Mama Cassidy’s shoulder and close her eyes for ten minutes.
“I’m all right. Just a little tired.” She gave what she hoped to be a reassuring smile; but from the deepening skepticism on Mama Cassidy’s face, she knew she hadn’t been very convincing.
“You have circles under your eyes.” She cupped Laney’s chin. Mama Cassidy’s green-eyed gaze studied every line of her face, then swept over the rest of her. “And you’ve obviously lost weight. My guess is that you haven’t been sleeping or eating since you moved out on your own.”
Unable to deny it, Laney shifted her weight from one booted foot to the other and dropped her gaze to the wooden floor.
Mama Cassidy gave her a one-armed hug and a gentle smile. “That’s all right. You’ll eat at the picnic and take a nap afterwards. You’ll be sick if you don’t take care of yourself.”
Clearing her throat, Laney gathered her courage to broach the topic of the picnic. She would need to tread lightly if she was to get out of it without too much outcry from her large adoptive family. “To be honest, I—”
“Mama, you look lovely this morning.”
Laney stopped as Tarah joined them, carrying little Olive in her arms. She brushed a kiss on her stepmother’s cheek. When she turned to greet Laney, the smile faded from her lips, to be quickly replaced with an indignant frown.
“Laney Jenkins, you promised you’d get more rest.”
“I did,” Laney mumbled.
Tarah’s gaze traveled over her. “Not much, from the looks of you. Have you been eating the food I’ve been sending over, or is it going to waste?”
“I eat some of it.” A few bites here and there, when her fingers weren’t too busy to pick up a fork.
“Not much, I’d say.” The thump of a cane hitting the wooden floor accompanied a sharp voice.
Laney inwardly groaned. If Granny Ellen joined the hovering women, she might as well forget about skipping the picnic. With as sweet a smile as she could muster, she faced the women, feeling as though she were standing before a jury—only these jurors had already made up their minds. She was guilty of not taking care of herself. If she didn’t control the situation, not only would they force her to attend the picnic; they’d take turns standing over her to make sure she was eating to their satisfaction.
“You all are dear to worry so much about me. I promise to take better care of myself. I declare, sewing for Mr. Tucker has me busier than a fox in a henhouse.” Laney cleared her throat. “As a matter of fact—”
“Harrumph.” Granny Ellen narrowed her gaze. “Don’t try to sweet-talk your way out of the picnic today. I can see plain as day you want to go home and sew.” She thumped her cane on the floor for emphasis. “I’ll not have a member of my family working on the Lord’s Day, so you get that notion right out of your head. And don’t go blaming it all on Mr. Tucker either. He would never approve of your working on the Lord’s Day! So there, girlie.”
“Laney!” Tarah’s eyes widened. “You know very well it wouldn’t be the same without you. No one would have a bit of fun.”
Fully prepared to put up a fight, Laney glanced at the determined faces and changed her mind. If she knew Tarah and the rest of the St. Johns, they’d hog-tie her and throw her into the back of a wagon before allowing her to skip the picnic. And as much as she’d like to be irritated at the whole situation, something about the reminder that so many people loved her warmed Laney to her toes.
With an exaggerated sigh of defeat, she nodded. “All right. I’ll go to the picnic. But only for a little while. At sundown I have to get back to sewing, or I’ll never finish.”
Relief coursed through Luke at the sight of Laney riding alongside Tarah and Anthony’s wagon. He hadn’t been at all sure she’d even show up to the picnic. As she drew nearer, alarm shot through him. She looked downright worn to a frazzle. When she dismounted, he noticed the usual spring in her step had been replaced by a weary stride.
“So I’ve been told,” she said dryly. She grabbed a basket of food from the back of Tarah’s wagon and headed for the picnic site.
Luke fell into step beside her. “You’re working too hard.”
She glanced up, and alarm seized Luke at the dark smudges beneath her eyes.
“It’s not possible to work too hard.” She stifled a yawn. “Hard work gets you where you want to go in life.”
“Working too hard gets you dead, or sick at least. Give me that basket.”
Alarm clenched his throat like a hangman’s noose when she let out a weary sigh of relief upon relinquishing the load. He stopped in his tracks.
She halted beside him. “What’s wrong?”
“You. You’re worn to a frazzle. I’m talking to Tucker about getting you some help, and you’re going to have to stop accepting so many orders.”
“Oh Luke, mind your own business.” Turning, Laney ambled away without putting up a fight, which only fueled Luke’s concern. He went after her, took her by the arm, and turned her to face him. “I think you should have Sam check you over.”
A slow smile tilted her lips, making Luke wish he were free to swoop her up in his arms and force her to rest.
“I’m not sick, Lukey.”
The childhood pet name used to make him mad back when he was a boy, but now he delighted in the familiarity, accepting the name as an endearment from Laney’s lips.
She passed her slender hand across her forehead. “I’m just tired. Once I finish this order for Mr. Tucker, I’m going to take some time to rest. I promise. Now come on, they’re waiting for that food.”
“Laney, come play ball with us!”
Little D’s shrill voice cut through the air just as Luke was about to insist Laney go lay down in the back of the wagon until Cassidy called them to eat. He addressed his nephew instead. “Laney’s too tired to play today.”
“Aw! Who’s going to pitch?” Little D ran to them.
Brides of Kansas Page 37
