Luke moved around the soddy and entered.
Laney glanced up and gave him a cursory smile, then she turned back to the sheriff. “That’s my pa over there, Sheriff,” she said. “He’s pretty sick.”
“We’ll get Sam over to take a look at him once I get him all locked up in the jail.”
“Just get him out of my house, please.” Her voice trembled slightly, and she passed her hand wearily across her forehead.
Luke strode across the room until he stood next to Laney. “Are you all right?”
She gave a nonchalant wave. “Oh, I’m fine. But they put me even further behind with Tucker. Think Granny’s about ready to come back?”
Luke knew she was shaken and trying not to show it. Tenderness rushed through him. He brushed his thumb down her cheek, testing its softness. “I’m sure she’ll be ready soon.” He wanted to take her into his arms to reassure himself that she was truly all right, but he knew she’d balk at the gesture in front of anyone.
“Well, I suppose I’ll get these two where they belong.” The sheriff eyed Jenkins critically. “You don’t look much like the man you used to be, Jenkins. I guess this is what hard living does to a man.”
“Save your sermon, Sheriff,” the bone-thin man replied with a sneer. “Just do what you gotta do.”
“Can you sit a horse?”
“I’ll hitch Laney’s wagon and drive him into town,” Luke volunteered. He’d left his own wagon a mile from the soddy to enable him to approach silently.
“No need for that,” Jenkins growled. “I can sit a horse just fine.” His last words were followed by an onslaught of coughing from deep within his chest.
Laney snorted. “Hitch the wagon, Luke. He couldn’t ride ten feet without falling off.”
Sheriff Boggs shoved the other outlaw out the door. “I’m taking this varmint on ahead. You follow as soon as you get the wagon hitched, will you, Luke?”
“Sure, Sheriff. We won’t be long.”
“What makes you think I won’t make a run fer it?” Jenkins said, his voice trembling from his last coughing fit.
“You couldn’t make it to the outhouse, let alone run away, Pa.”
“You better just watch yourself. I can still tan your hide.”
Laney snorted again, but the sheriff interrupted before she could reply. “We’ll be going now.”
“Might as well sit and wait,” Jenkins grumbled, obviously too sick to keep up his grisly facade.
Once the door was closed behind the sheriff, Luke turned to Laney. “Why don’t you pack a few things and ride along?” he suggested. “I’ll drop you off at Anthony and Tarah’s for the night so you don’t have to stay alone.”
“I told you, I have work to do. Besides, I won’t be alone. Will I, Jane?”
Luke shifted his attention to the little girl on the bed. He’d forgotten she was even there. “Who’s this?” he asked, smiling at the child. She ducked her head and trembled.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to scare her.”
“It’s all right,” Laney said softly. She walked to the bed and pulled the girl in her arms. “This is my sister. I guess she’ll be staying with me from here on out.”
Luke raised his brow, trying not to show his shock at the news. He eyed the little girl and smiled. “It’s nice to meet you,” Luke offered. “I’m Luke, a good friend of your sister’s. I hope we’ll be friends, too.”
Jane glanced at him, eyes wide, but she didn’t speak, nor did she smile.
Luke cleared his throat. “I suppose I should get that wagon hitched.”
Laney watched Luke go, not sure what to say to her pa now that he was headed to jail. She turned and observed him wrapped in his blanket at the table.
White-hot anger burned inside of her. She wanted to be glad he was going to get what he deserved, but her anger warred with the compassion rising inside of her. He could be sentenced to hang, and if he did, he would die a sinner. He wouldn’t last a week in prison.
God, what can I do about it? I already tried to share with him about Jesus, and he won’t listen.
“Stop starin’ at me like that, girl. I ain’t no charity case.”
Laney laughed at the ludicrous statement. “As long as I can remember, we lived on folks’ charity, Pa. When did you suddenly grow a sense of pride?”
Jenkins glowered at her. “Maybe I wanted to make life easier for her,” he said, jerking his thumb toward Jane.
“So making her travel with an outlaw gang and threatening to hurt her if I didn’t cooperate was your way of making things easier? That doesn’t seem too likely, Pa.”
“I was just blowin’ smoke. I ain’t never hit her even once, and I never would.”
A bitter laugh erupted from Laney’s lips. “First thing you did was knock me to the ground. Just like old times.” Impatiently she pushed aside the hurt trying to shove its way in through the memories she’d tried to forget. What did she care if her pa loved her little sister but had never loved her?
He grimaced. “I know how stubborn you are. How was I supposed to keep ya in line without some sorta hold over ya? If I didn’t remind ya who was boss and threaten to beat your sister, ya never would have obeyed. Then I couldn’t have protected you from Matt and Abe, no matter how much rough talkin’ I did.”
Choosing to ignore the implication that he cared anything at all about her, Laney stepped closer and lowered her voice so Jane couldn’t hear. “If you care so much about Jane, why didn’t you take good care of her, Pa?”
His features darkened. “There was supposed to be enough money in that old fool’s safe to make all three of us rich,” he growled. “I was gonna buy us a little house somewhere where Janey could go to school like other little girls. I wanted her to be proud.”
He began to cough again before Laney could reply. She regarded him silently. Could he possibly be telling the truth? She recalled the last few days. He had protected both her virtue and well-being against Matt and Abe numerous times. She had to admit Jane wasn’t afraid of him in the same manner she and Ben had been as children. And he seemed almost gentle when dealing with the little girl.
While Laney pondered these last thoughts, Luke returned. The door opened, letting in a blast of cold air and a swirl of snow.
“It’s snowing again? Honestly, Luke. My pa will catch his death if he goes out in this.”
Luke shrugged. “I don’t see as how we have a choice in the matter.”
“Go tell the sheriff we’ll bring him in tomorrow if the snow has quit falling. No sense in having him keel over before the circuit judge comes through.”
Laney noted the hesitation in Luke’s eyes. His concern warmed her, and her lips tilted upward in a small smile. “Don’t worry, Lukey. I’ll be fine. Pa couldn’t hurt a puppy in his condition.”
“I suppose you’re right. I’ll run to town and talk it over with the sheriff, but if he objects, I may have to come back and get your pa.”
Relief washed over her. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”
“Can you walk me out?” he asked, lifting her coat from its peg next to the door. The intensity of his gaze sent a rush of warmth through Laney. He held her coat while she slipped her arms in it. Laney could feel the insistent pressure of his hands on her shoulders, and another wave of warmth covered her.
Laney turned to Jane. “Help Pa to his pallet, honey. I’ll be right back.”
Jane scooted off the bed and shuffled to Jenkins’s side. “Come on, Pa,” she said quietly. “Laney says you ain’t gotta go nowheres tonight.”
Laney’s heart ached as she watched her pa smile at the child. In the first twelve years of her life, he had never once looked at her that way. She welcomed the frigid air as she stepped into the night. Luke snatched up her hand and tucked it through his arm.
“I’m going to ask Sam to come and take a look at Jenkins,” Luke said. “So don’t bring him in too early tomorrow. Wait for Sam.”
“The sheriff said he’d have
Sam take a look at him at the jail.” Standing so close to Luke, Laney had difficulty concentrating.
“Your pa seems pretty bad off. If Sam suggests it, the sheriff might let him stay with you until the judge comes. You know as well as I do that could be anywhere from a week to two months, depending on where he is and how much crime there’s been in the county.”
Laney cringed inwardly at the very thought. Judges sometimes took months to respond to a summons. She didn’t want Pa staying with her for days or weeks or months. Why shouldn’t he be locked up like Matt and Abe? It was one thing to keep him overnight while it snowed, but two months? How would she ever put up with him that long? Why should she have to? He had sold away his rights to her eight years ago.
“Well?” Luke’s voice broke through her bitter thoughts.
Laney shrugged. “I guess we’ll wait and see what Sam thinks.”
“What do you think?” he insisted. “If you don’t want him here, I’ll take him right now. It’s your decision.”
Laney tilted her head and regarded him frankly. “He’ll stay the night, and after that, I just don’t know.”
They reached the wagon. Luke released her to pull the team back into the sod barn. Laney followed and helped him unhitch the horses.
When they finished, Luke leaned against the wagon and faced her. He captured both of her hands in his. “Are you all right?” he asked, his voice shaky with emotion. “They didn’t hurt you?”
Laney smiled and shook her head. “They didn’t lay a finger on me. Pa wouldn’t let them, actually.”
Relief washed over his features. He drew her close. Laney went willingly into his arms and nestled against his broad chest. She felt his hand stroke her hair. A sigh escaped her lips, and for the first time in days, the tension left her shoulders. “Thank you for coming for me, Luke.”
Luke pulled slightly away and tipped Laney’s chin upward until she met his gaze. “I’m sorry I let my pride keep me away as long as I did. I could have spared you sooner if I had come by to check on you.”
Reaching up, Laney pressed her palm against his rough cheek. “None of this is your fault,” she said softly, swallowing hard as she recalled the last thing Luke had said to her that day. He had wanted to propose. “I wasn’t exactly nice to you last time we spoke.”
“We do seem to bring out the temper in each other.” Luke grinned and covered her hand with his. “But I’d rather be mad every day of my life and have you with me than live in peace with anyone else.”
What exactly was he trying to say?
“Marry me, Laney.”
She glanced at him cautiously. “Where have I heard that before?”
He sent her a heart-stopping grin. “I’ll keep asking until I get you in front of a preacher, Laney Jenkins.” He slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her close. “You’re the only woman for me.”
Laney’s knees felt watery, and her senses reeled at the proximity of the man she loved. She swayed forward as his head slowly began to descend. Then, although it required every ounce of her will, she pressed her palm against his chest to deter him. “Wh–what about Oregon? I still can’t move off away from here—especially now that I have my little sister to raise.”
“I’ve decided not to go.” Luke’s eyes momentarily seemed to cloud in the soft glow of the lantern light.
“Why would you decide something like that?”
“Pa won’t be up to sitting a horse again for quite a while, if ever. He needs me to run things for him. We might have to put off building our herd for a few years while I keep his operating until Will can take over. That okay with you?”
“Of course it is, Luke. I’ll continue sewing for Tucker, and we can keep saving money.” Laney’s excitement grew with each word. “By the time we’re ready, we’ll have enough to buy a right fine herd to start us off.”
A grin split Luke’s face. “Are you saying yes, then?”
Laney’s cheeks heated. “Of course my answer is yes!” She flung her arms around his neck and giggled when he lifted her off the ground.
He set her down and kept a steadying hand on her arm, allowing them both to regain their composure a moment before he pulled her close. “Thank you, Laney. I promise you’ll never regret becoming my wife.”
“I know I won’t,” she murmured just as his lips moved slowly over hers, drowning her words and pushing aside the doubts creeping into her mind.
Later, while she lay in the darkness next to Jane, listening to her pa’s loud snoring, Laney recalled the faraway look in Luke’s eyes when he told her he’d decided to stay in Harper and run St. John Ranch.
Unease gnawed at her. She had said she would never be second choice to Luke’s dream. Would she ever believe he was staying because he wanted to run the ranch and marry her, or would this anxiety always creep in during times of uncertainty? She tried to push the worry away. After all, she was getting everything she wanted—her own place, a means of making and saving money, her own herd eventually, and now the most important dream of all…she would soon marry Luke. So why was her stomach twisted in knots?
Closing her eyes, she tried to pray, but the words wouldn’t come. Finally, after hours of trying not to toss and turn, she got up and stoked the fire to make sure Pa stayed warm, then she pulled out her sewing and went to work. Things were changing so fast, she was having trouble wrapping her mind around the reality of it all.
As she tried to sort it all out, her thoughts wandered away from the task at hand. She pricked her finger with a pin, and sudden tears sprang to her eyes. Then, as though she had opened a floodgate, the tears continued in a steady stream down her cheeks until the sobs wrenched her body.
Lord, I have everything I have ever dreamed of, and still I feel like there’s a hole dug in my heart. What’s wrong with me?
She felt a soft hand slip inside hers and looked up. Jane’s brilliant blue eyes were flooded with tears, and she leaned her head against Laney’s shoulder. “I been crying, too,” she whispered. “I think Pa’s real sick. Is that why you’re crying, Laney?”
Laney held Jane more tightly, taking comfort from her warm little body as she pulled her onto her lap. “Partly, honey.”
She stared at the child and wondered at her ability to love their pa. Maybe if he had treated Laney and Ben with an ounce of the affection he seemed to feel for Jane, she would be able to feel something for him, too. As it was, she was willing to let him stay until the judge came through—for Jane’s sake, if nothing else. But once he was sentenced to his fate, she was through with him. For good.
Chapter 10
A persistent knocking at the door awakened Laney after barely two hours of slumber. Pa’s coughing was getting worse, and sleep was sporadic, at best. The knock came again as she pushed back the quilts and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Turning, she replaced the covers over Jane.
“I’m coming,” she called, her voice husky from sleep and irritation.
She grabbed her dressing gown and padded across the sod floor strewn with rag rugs. She lifted the latch and swung open the door.
“I declare. Who stays in bed two hours after sunup? Where is your sense of propriety, gal?”
“Granny! What are you doing here?” Glancing past her, Laney spied Anthony grinning broadly as he lifted his hand in farewell and flipped the reins at the horses.
“Humph.” Granny walked right in, thumping her cane against the floor. “I live here, remember—or have you thrown me out since I’ve been helping Tarah with her new baby?”
Laney felt her cheeks grow warm. “Of course I didn’t throw you out. It’s just that…”
Granny waved toward Jenkins’s pallet. “Oh, him. Well, I know all about that rascal.”
“My pa ain’t no rascal!”
Laney started at Jane’s outburst.
Granny cackled. “Heard about her, too. ‘Course, I heard she was quiet as a mouse and not a thing like you. Maybe she’s more like you than Luke gave her credit for.”
“Maybe.” The thought didn’t entirely displease Laney. A woman needed a voice in this world.
Making her way to the bed, Granny eyed Jane sternly. “Now look here, I am your granny now, so you must watch how you speak to me. Is that understood?”
Jane trembled beneath the covers. Laney only prayed she didn’t wet the bed from fear.
“Speak up. You weren’t afraid to voice your opinion a minute ago.”
“Yes ma’am,” Jane squeaked out.
“That’s fine.” Granny’s stern face lit, and she smiled. “Now I showed some mighty poor manners by calling your pa a rascal right in front of you. But I’ll forgive you for sassing if you’ll forgive me for my bad manners. How’s that?”
Jane gave her a shy smile. “That’s just fine, ma’am.”
“I thought you looked like a girl with some good sense. Now you must call me Granny.”
“Yes, Granny.”
Laney stared in wonder at the exchange. Granny was a crotchety old woman, but she never ceased to amaze her.
“Get yourself dressed, Laney-girl. I’ll put some coffee on to boil and start breakfast.”
“But, Granny, you can’t…well, I don’t see how you can stay here. My pa has some sort of lung sickness. When Sam came by yesterday and examined him, he said we’d best keep him away from folks just in case it’s contagious.”
“Hogwash. I’ve nursed my share of disease-riddled men. I haven’t taken even one man’s sickness, and I don’t figure to start at this late date.”
Laney cleared her throat. “That’s not the only reason. You might have noticed…”
“Oh, stop trying to be polite. Of course you don’t have room for me to sleep here. Anthony will be back to pick me up this evening after supper. In the meantime, I hear you’re behind on your sewing for Mr. Tucker. I’m here to help.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Don’t say anything. Just go get dressed, and make the bed so we can get our day started. Now, Jane, I have a couple of sourballs and a book in my bag. After breakfast, if you’ll sit quietly and look at your book, I’ll let you have one sourball. How’s that sound?”
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