Heart and Home: The MacAllister Brothers

by Barron, Melinda

  Frank was the only one who concerned her. Maybe with any luck, they’d learn how men were supposed to act by being around the hands here. Of course who was to say that the men here were any better than Hank? Before she’d married him he’d been gentle and kind, never lifting a finger toward her, or letting an unkind word pass through his lips. After they were married, though, he’d not had anything nice to say about her.

  She’d just finished feeding the ten hands, plus the boys, Rob and herself. They’d all praised the meal, and it did her heart good to hear it. In the morning, she would wash out the material they’d brought and hang it out to dry. That meant by the next day, she could start sewing. She’d make Rob’s clothing first, then the boy’s, and then a dress for herself.

  Maybe if she worked hard enough she could have Rob’s shirt done by the time his brother came for dinner on Saturday. She probably needed to measure him pretty quick, though.

  She turned to the boys, who sat at the table while she washed dishes.

  “How did things go today?”

  “Fine, Ma, real fine,” Frank said. “We had a good time making sure all the cattle and horses were fed.”

  “Did you finish all your schoolwork?”

  “Yes,” Tony replied. “And I hate school.”

  “Me too,” Mark said. “I don’t wanna go anymore.”

  “Nonsense,” Dawn replied. “Learning will help you get far in the world today. And it’s just until three.”

  “She’s right,” Rob said from the doorway. “My parents made sure all of us went to school, and you will too. But what are the three of you doing sitting around while your mother does all the work?”

  “She’s doing women’s work,” Frank said. “Men don’t wash dishes, women do.”

  Rob laughed. “Well, what if there’s not a woman around? Would you let the dishes pile up?”

  “Until Ma came back, yeah,” Frank said. “Pa always said that’s what women was for. I would think you would know that at your age.”

  Dawn wheeled on her son. “Don’t be fresh.”

  “I ain’t. I’m just saying…”

  “I know what you’re saying,” Rob cut in. “But this is my house. Your mother may be the housekeeper and cook, but she’s not a nursemaid. She’s been working hard all day, just like the three of you, and I’m not going to watch you sit around and twiddle your thumbs while she washes all these dishes by herself.”

  He walked to the cabinet and Dawn watched in horror as he handed each boy a dishtowel, and kept one for himself.

  “Now, we’re going to dry the dishes and put them up.”

  “That’s not necessary,” Dawn said quickly. “I can do it.”

  “It is necessary, Dawn,” Rob said. “You do all these yourself and you’ll be here half the night. There’s no reason why the boys and I can’t help, is there?”

  He turned to them with raised eyebrows.

  Dawn watched the look of disbelief on her boys’ faces. One by one they turned to her for confirmation.

  “Go on,” she said. “Do as Mr. MacAllister says.”

  “I ain’t doing what a woman should be doing,” Frank said. “Pa always said…”

  “Your pa was wrong,” Rob said. “There isn’t anything wrong with a man doing a dish or two. I’ve done lots of them. And a woman’s not a servant just ’cause she’s a woman.”

  Dawn turned toward the sink after the boy’s mouths dropped open. There was no way she was going against what Rob said. He was the man of the house here, and what he said was law.

  “Go on, do as he says,” she whispered.

  Tony and Mark both took up a dish, wiping at it cautiously as if afraid it would bite. Frank stood at the table and shook his head.

  “I ain’t doing no women’s work. Ma does the dishes and the cooking and the cleaning, not me. And she needs to hurry up and finish so I can have my pie.”

  “Fine,” Rob replied. “Then you can just go to the bunkhouse without any of that good pie your mother made.”

  “Hell no,” Frank said. “That’s for us. The hands done got theirs.”

  “You need to watch your mouth,” Rob replied. “Don’t be using foul language in my house. And you should say the hands already have theirs. And in my house, young men respect their mothers enough to help when asked.”

  “Ma’s the maid, not me.”

  Dawn fought back tears.

  “Fine,” Rob said. “You either apologize to your mother for disrespecting her, or you can leave my house. It’s your choice.”

  “I ain’t doing nothing but telling the truth,” Frank said, his voice rising. “Pa always said woman was made to serve man.”

  “Your father was wrong,” Rob said, his voice level. “Now, apologize to your mother for your mouth. Then, you can help with the dishes, or you can leave.”

  “Mr. MacAllister. Rob.” Dawn put her hand on his arm. “It’s all right.”

  “No, it’s not. I won’t allow that disrespectful attitude in my home.”

  “Fine, I’ll go to the bunkhouse with the other men. You sissies coming with me?”

  Frank turned to Anthony and Mark, who both stood rock still, towels and plates in hand. Anthony started to move, then turned toward the cabinet, put his dish up and picked up another one. Mark followed suit.

  “Babies.” Frank slammed out the back door and Dawn shot Rob a look that said she was sorry.

  “Let’s get busy,” Rob said with a smile. “Then we can have some pie.”

  Chapter 2

  After the boys had eaten their pie, and helped wash those dishes, Rob gave them a lamp.

  “Don’t let your brother give you a hard time,” he told them both. “Stand up for yourselves. And let me give you some free advice. Respect is a two-way street. To get it, you have to give it. That same rule applies to men, and women. Am I clear?”

  “Yes, sir,” the boys said in unison. Anthony took the lamp and they started for the bunkhouse.

  Dawn stood in her usual spot, her back toward Rob.

  “Did he beat you?”

  “That’s none of your business.”

  “It is. Did he?”

  “No. I’m not going to talk about Hank with you.”

  “All right. I’ll respect that. But I’m not going to allow Frank to talk to you that way, though. I hope I made that clear tonight.”

  “You did. Thank you.”

  He wanted her to turn toward him, to learn not to be the scaredy cat that she was. He needed to do something to lighten the mood.

  “Would you like to play a game, maybe checkers or chess?”

  “I don’t know how to play chess, but I can play checkers.” She turned toward him.

  He could tell from the tone in her voice that she wanted to play, but thought that saying yes wasn’t the right thing to do. But, she wasn’t going to go against him.

  “Good. One of these days I’ll teach you chess.” He took a deep breath. “You know how to read, don’t you? I remember you going to school, even though you were a few years older than me.”

  When her back stiffened he mentally kicked himself in the ass.

  “I do. But Hank wouldn’t allow it, so it’s been a good long while.”

  He was happy that she was actually talking to him. This was the most he’d gotten out of her in the week that she’d been here.

  “I have some books that were my mother’s, some dime novels and such. You might like to try reading.”

  “I might.”

  “Good. Now, let’s go and play.”

  Well into the second game, Rob realized that although Dawn might be a mouse, she was a damn smart one. She’d beaten him soundly the first game, and she had him on the run on this one.

  “King me,” she said loudly, jumping over one of his men to the back square on the board. He grinned at her and she smiled back. This time, it looked like it almost reached her eyes.

  “I think I’ve been taken,” he said, placing a red circle on top of hers. “You’
re better at this than you led me to believe.”

  A fire crackled in the grate and when she grinned this time, the smile reached her eyes.

  “I taught the boys to play, when Hank wasn’t home.”

  “I see. Well, tomorrow I will teach you how to play chess, so we can level the playing field, so to speak.”

  “All right. But I have a lot of work to do tomorrow. I wanted to start on your shirt, so it could be done by the time your brother comes for dinner on Saturday.”

  “There’s no rush. Win doesn’t care what I wear. Besides, I like seeing you relaxed and smiling. It’s kinda fun.”

  The smile disappeared from her face and she jumped up from the chair.

  “I have to go now. I’ll measure you tomorrow.”

  She ran from the room as he called her name, asking her to come back.

  “Damn!” He leaned back in the chair and stared at the fire. He had to figure out some way to break through the shell she cowered inside. He could tell that she was a fine woman, and that she would be a great companion. He just had to figure out a way to bring her out.

  Tonight had assured him of another thing. He liked Dawn Richardson. Liked her a lot. Maybe the idea of marriage to her wasn’t such a bad thing. He just had to tame her boys, and get her to open up to him first.

  * * *

  Dawn lay in bed and listened to the rooster crow. She needed to get up and gather eggs, make breakfast for Rob and the hands, and then get started on the wash. Sometime today she had to measure her boss for the shirt she was going to make him.

  Her boss. It was hard to think of him that way after last night. She couldn’t believe what had happened between him and Frank. He’d been the first person to stand up for her in a really, really long time. Her parents were living in Denver, and she’d had no brothers or sisters. All she’d had was Hank and the boys.

  To hear Frank echo Hank’s words had hurt her heart. But to see the younger boys stand up against him had strengthened her. She’d had a good time playing checkers with Rob and looked forward to him teaching her how to play chess.

  Still, the thought of Frank loomed. She wondered how he would act this morning. She wanted him to behave himself, to learn to be a respectful man like Rob obviously was. There was no way that she wanted Frank to treat his wife the way she herself had been treated, ground into the dirt until she was afraid to say her own name for fear of being thrown in the cellar.

  She got up and quickly and went outside to take care of her morning obligations, taking a quick sponge bath and dressing after. The house was dark and she knew that Rob wasn’t up yet. She went back outside to gather eggs, getting the last of them right as the sun started to rise.

  To her surprise, Rob rode up on his horse moments later.

  “I thought you were still asleep,” she said as he dismounted.

  “No, I wanted to take an early ride and see how the herd was faring.” He reached down and took the bowl of eggs from her.

  “I can carry that,” she said.

  “So can I. Shall we go inside? I’m starved and was hoping for some hotcakes this morning.”

  “I can provide that,” she said. “I’ll get them going so you can eat before we feed everyone.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  She’d just set the first batch of flapjacks on the table when Anthony and Mark came in, both of them eyeing the treat with eager gazes.

  “Have a seat,” Rob said. “Where’s your brother?”

  “He said he’d eat outside,” Mark said. “So he didn’t have to see you, Mr. MacAllister.”

  Anthony slugged his brother in the arm. “Big mouth.”

  “He asked,” Mark said, rubbing his arm.

  “You don’t have to repeat everything.” Anthony glared at him.

  “Sit down, boys,” Dawn said, putting full plates of bacon and hotcakes on the table.

  The boys quickly said grace, then started to eat. Dawn cooked as fast as she could, frying bacon and cooking flapjacks for the men that she knew would be here any minute, ready to fill their bellies.

  She’d just filled one platter full of food when Rob picked it up and headed outdoors.

  “I can do that,” she said.

  “So can I,” he replied and then winked at her.

  Dawn felt warmth spread through her belly. He was flirting with her. Hank hadn’t really flirted with her while he was courting her, just said that he wanted her to step out with him for a bit, so that they could get to know each other.

  He’d been polite and nice, but never flirty. To watch the tall, blond, and handsome Rob MacAllister wink at her sent shivers up her spine.

  “I think he likes you, Ma,” Anthony said as he shoveled food into his mouth.

  “Finish your breakfast.” She turned back toward the stove, barely rescuing the flapjacks in the skillet from burning. She finished a second, large batch of food and started to carry it outside. She opened the door to find Frank standing there, his dark eyes scowling at her.

  “Can I eat inside?”

  “Of course you can,” Dawn said, stepping aside.

  Rob came up behind him and cleared his throat.

  Frank straightened and said, “I’m sorry, Ma, for my actions last night. I hope you forgive me.”

  Dawn looked at Rob, who smiled and nodded, and Dawn knew that her new boss hadn’t been on an early morning ride to check the herd. He’d gone to the bunkhouse, roused Frank and probably given him a good talking to.

  “I do, Frank.” The words felt alien in her mouth. No one had apologized to her in the years she’d been married to Hank. “Why don’t you sit down with your brothers?”

  “Why don’t we all sit down,” Rob said. “The men have enough food for a while.”

  He indicated the end of the table to Dawn and she bit her lip. “I should finish cooking.”

  “You’re finished for a good long while,” Rob said as he once again indicated the chair. “There’s more than enough food outside and you need to sit and relax, and enjoy your breakfast before it gets cold.”

  * * *

  For a few moments, Rob thought she would tell him no. Then, she sat a plate down and tentatively took a seat.

  The looks on the boys’ faces said it all. Dawn didn’t eat with them. She cooked and served them, and then ate. He’d thought what he’d seen the previous nights had just been a fluke, because she was nervous about being in a new place.

  He knew now that it wasn’t. If he could resurrect Hank Richardson and kick him in the ass, he would.

  “So are we all set for the day?” Rob looked at the boys, who all nodded.

  “Ma needs to fix us lunch for school,” Frank said, his voice low as if he didn’t want to cause trouble.

  Dawn started to stand, and Rob indicated for her to sit back down.

  “At lunchtime, go to my brother’s store, the three of you. Tell him to serve you a sandwich, one of those new box lunch things he’s selling at mealtimes. Tell him to put it on my account.”

  Frank’s eyes widened. “Really?”

  “Really.”

  All three boys nodded enthusiastically, but Rob noticed that Dawn sat at the end of the table, a sad look on her face.

  “Go on,” she said softly. “Or you’ll be late.”

  They headed out the door without saying goodbye to their mother and Rob frowned.

  “Well, it’s…”

  “You shouldn’t have done that.”

  “What?”

  “About the lunch. You shouldn’t have allowed them to go to your brother’s store. I could have fixed them something.”

  “It’s not a bother. Plus, the business will be good for Josh.”

  “Mr. MacAllister, I’m your housekeeper and your cook. My boys and I are not here to freeload off of your generosity.”

  “So we’re back to Mr. are we? Dawn, I don’t think you’re freeloading. It was just a gesture, that’s all. No strings attached.”

  “I hope not. I appreciate what
you did last night, and I want my boys to have a good male figure in their lives. But please don’t think that I will in any way, at any time, allow myself to become involved with you.”

  She stood and walked from the room and Rob shook his head. Well, that worked like a charm.

  * * *

  She sat on her bed, her head in her hands and waited for him to follow. He would tell her to get out, that she couldn’t talk to him that way. She never should have said that, but she wanted to make it clear that she had no intention of becoming involved with him, for she was sure that’s what he was leading up to.

  Last night had been so much fun, though. She couldn’t remember when she’d had that much fun. Even when she and the boys had played games, she’d still been uptight, afraid that Hank would come home and see her sitting around, not working around the house as she should.

  The boys had never said anything to their father, she knew, because Hank had never mentioned the games to her. And he would have.

  The seconds stretched into minutes and when Rob didn’t appear, she took a deep breath. She had work to do, not the least of which was cleaning up the breakfast dishes and then doing the wash.

  She stiffened when she heard his bright whistle coming down the hallway. He passed her room and went into his own. Seconds later he went by again and the back door opened.

  A frown creased her brow. He hadn’t come in and screamed. He hadn’t come in and told her to be seen and not heard. But better yet, he hadn’t fired her.

  Dawn rose and quickly went to the kitchen where she finished the dishes. She turned her attentions to the new material, washing it and hanging it out to dry. After that, she dusted the living room, made her bed and went into Rob’s room to do the same.

  At noon, she went to the kitchen, slicing bread and going downstairs to gather meat from the cold storage area. She’d just finished slicing when he stepped inside.

  “Hello,” she said tentatively.

  “Afternoon.” His voice was happy and she exhaled loudly. He didn’t seem angry with her, which made her very happy.

  “I’m sorry about…”