by Danni Roan
Chapter 23
The horses had no sooner come to a stop in front of the two-story, gray ranch house than a flood of people came pouring out the front door.
A short, stout woman, her black hair liberally streaked with gray, was the first down the stairs, her arms raised as she raced around the wagon, shouting some strange language and nearly making the horses shy.
Mae leapt out of the wagon and threw herself into woman’s arms. “Nona!” she cried as the woman continued to jabber.
As Mae wrenched herself from the older woman’s arms, she turned and dashed up the stairs into the arms of a slight, dark man with sparkling, cinnamon-colored eyes. “Grans, grans,” Mae called, hugging him tight and squeezing him until he ‘oomphed’.
“Welcome home, Mae,” Isadoro Leoné said, love and laughter filling his voice.
At this point a gaggle of woman moved in, obscuring Mae completely their enthusiastic welcomes and hugs, carrying her onward into the house.
Reese sat on the bench seat, forgotten and bewildered, and watched as Eric helped his grandfather out of the cart and up the stairs. A moment later they’d disappeared into the house, leaving him alone in the long rays of the setting sun.
Reese Middleton climbed down from the little wagon and walked along to the horses’ heads. He was completely alone in the ranch yard, unsure what to do. Would someone come for him?
Slowly stroking the lead horse’s nose, he looked around him at the neat, well-cared for buildings. A wind mill squeaked from the corral, chickens clucked somewhere in the yard, and a light breeze swirled dust into a funnel before letting it drop back to earth.
“I’ll take them horses, Mr.,” a man’s soft voice rumbled behind him, making Reese jump and turn. A lean cowboy, his graying hair showing from under a wide hat, turned brown eyes toward him and extended his hand.
“I’m Stephens,” the quiet man spoke. “I’m one of the wranglers here. You go ahead and turn this pair over to me, then go on into the house. Ain’t no one’s formal here.” He nodded toward the front door of the ranch house with a slight grin.
“Thank you,” Reese stated, simply shaking the man’s hand and turning, walked up the stairs to the house.
The cool interior of a dark hall welcomed him and Reese looked around, wondering which way to go. Ducking his head into the room on his left, he took in a comfortably appointed parlor with lots of big chairs and a large fireplace.
To his right through a door at the bottom of the stairs, he found a bedroom. Scratching his head and feeling like an intruder, he stepped back into the hall and then followed the noise coming from that direction.
At the end of the hall, Reese stepped into what felt like pandemonium. A long, brightly decorated kitchen that stretched nearly the length of the back of the house was filled with noise as everyone seemed to be trying to talk at once.
The woman Mae had called Nona bustled to and fro between a big green and black cook stove and a tall work table, while Mae and the rest of the girls stood in a circle in the kitchen, each asking questions all at once.
Reese couldn’t keep any of them straight. There was a tall blonde woman with a little girl clinging to her leg, her extended abdomen showing that another one was on the way.
A willowy woman with dark red and copper colored hair stood back, smiling broadly as the others all tried to be heard.
There was woman with a baby on her hip, the little girl’s fingers wrapped tightly in a hank of her mother’s dark, curly hair.
The twins he could at least recognize, though not by name; they looked exactly alike except that one was heavily pregnant.
The hair on Reese’s neck prickled and he turned to see Mr. James sitting at a small table next to the window, his pale gaze assessing.
The sound of the door on the far wall snapping shut made Reese look up in time to see a wizened old Chinese man step into the kitchen on bowed legs.
“Mae,” he said softly in wonder, his voice somehow carrying across the chaos.
Reese watched bewildered as Mae wrenched herself away from her sisters and collapsed into the old man’s arms in a fit of tears.
Hearing the anguish in Mae’s voice, Reese pushed his way through the throng of women and reached for her, stopping only at the look on the little Chinese man’s face.
Tears of joy spilled across the wrinkled parchment face of the small figure, his crinkled eyes twinkling with delight as Mae squeezed him tight.
“Oh Ye-ye,” she said through her tears, “I’ve missed you so much. I don’t know what I would have done without your letters.”
The old man lifted an age-shrunken hand and smoothed the girl’s hair. “You here now, that all that matter,” he spoke. “You dry your tears now, tell us of your friend.” He pulled a large black kerchief from the pocket of his long, jacket-like shirt.
Mae giggled, leaned away from the man who was not much taller than she, and blew her nose on the proffered hanky.
Reese straightened his shoulders as all eyes turned to him expectantly.
“Nona, bring that boy a cup of coffee,” Joshua spoke, running a big hand through his snowy hair, “he’s going to need it.” His smile was friendly, though, and Reese sucked in a breath, letting his lungs work again.
Joshua laughed at the man’s discomfort. “Now the rest of you move this madness out onto the back porch or help your grandmother get dinner on the table.” His eyes twinkled. “I think it’s going to be a long night.”
***
Reese toyed with his second cup of coffee as he sat next to Mae at one of the long tables on the back porch. The sun was a pink glow along the western horizon and oil lamps had been lit to ward off the encroaching night.
“So let me get this right,” Billy said, his white whiskered face scrunched up in concentration. “Yuns two come all the way out here from Boston, all on yer own and yer not hitched.” The wiry old chuck wagon cook raised his eyebrows at his new wife. “Is that what you heard, Dora?” He raised his eyebrows at the woman next to him.
“William Bucephalus Remy Williams, you hush. We all heard why Mae and Mr. Middleton did what they did,” the tall, square boned woman with the gray top knot spoke.
“Weel, I’m just saying it ain’t regular.”
“Billy, there’s no harm done as far as I can tell,” Joshua spoke up, calming the old man. “Is there anything else we need to know?” he asked, looking directly at Reese.
“There is one more thing, sir,” The young man spoke. “My sister sent this telegram.” He pulled the yellow paper out of his pocket and handed it down the table to Mae’s father.
“Son, this says that you and Mae are married.” His gaze was cold.
“We think Mel did that so that Aunt Jemma wouldn’t follow us,” Mae said, looking between her father and Reese, feeling the tension at the table.
Reese was weary, but he held the gaze of the older man at the end of the table without blinking. It had been a long night. Names echoed through his head in a cacophony of sound, and the questions too numerous to consider still jangled his nerves.
“Well that’s good enough for me,” Joshua James declared, placing his hands on the table, “now how about some of that dessert.”
Reese caught an indignant grunt from the woman called Meg, where she sat on the opposite side of the table with her husband, Clayton. Was that a grin on the black-haired cowboy’s face?
Bianca Leoné sprang to her feet. “I made brown sugar dumplings!” the matron of the Broken J said excitedly.
“I’ll help you, Nona,” the girl with the curly hair, Fiona, said, also rising and handing her baby girl off to her oversized husband, Hank. The large man looked intimidating until Reese noted how gentle he was with Eric and his daughter, Lily.
“Me, too,” Alexis, the twin not expecting, stood as well.
“Oh, Nona that’s one of my favorites,” Mae beamed. She didn’t seem to be at all tired or confused by the hustle and hum of the ranch.
“I know, it�
��s why I made them,” Bianca replied, patting her cheek as she walked by.
“You’ll like this,” the lanky, dark-haired cowboy across the table from Reese spoke. “Nona’s brown sugar dumplings are a favorite around here.”
Reese blinked at the man, trying to remember his name.
“I’m Will,” the other man said. “I’m married to Mae’s oldest sister, Katie.” He nudged the blond woman next to him.
“Hm?” the woman said, looking at him. “Oh, yes, I’m Katie and this is our daughter Mary. We live in the house on the east side of the fence. Don’t worry about remembering who everyone is, eventually you’ll figure it out.”
“She’s right,” Will offered, “It nearly did my head in the first few days I was on the ranch, but it does get easier.” He smiled, his dark eyes bright.
A moment later the ladies returned from the kitchen and quickly began placing steaming bowls before them.
Reese looked down into the bowl at three fluffy white dumplings swimming in a brown sauce.
“Go on,” Mae said, “You’ll love them.”
Picking up his spoon, Reese lifted a bit of the concoction to his mouth. The slightly sweet dumpling, soft and fluffy as a down pillow, was warm and the rich, buttery, caramel-like sauce blended into an amazing treat; the addition of plump raisins added a hint of zing.
Mae smiled. “I told you you’d like it,” she said, indicating the bowl before him.
Chapter 24
The first golden rays of a new day silently slipped through the open window, waking Reese with a start. For a few moments he was disorientated as he stared at the wooden ceiling above his head. He blinked, bringing back the memories of the night before.
“I guess we did it,” he whispered into the quiet room. “Mae’s home.” He should have been happy at the accomplishment, but for some reason his heart was heavy.
Rising from the surprisingly comfortable bed, Reese looked around the room and wondered if he should go downstairs or if someone would call him for breakfast. Outside, a dog barked and he wondered where it had come from.
Standing, he shuffled to the window and looked out to see the puncher they called Clay riding out of the ranch, a pack of four dogs trailing his rangy horse.
Walking to the wash stand, he splashed water onto his face, then using the tepid water from the pitcher and a soft piece of towel, he washed the rest of himself as best he could. He had been directed to the privy the night before, but now dearly wished for the convenience of modern plumbing and a bath.
Pulling on the crisp denim pants and loose flannel shirt he’d purchased in Casper, Reese silently opened the door and crept downstairs, carrying his boots in his hands.
Reese stopped half-way down the stairs as women’s voices drifted toward him from the direction of the kitchen. At least someone was up already.
Quietly he descended, took the turn at the bottom of the stairs, and started down the hall.
“You should have seen it,” a well-rounded woman in purple was saying. “Billy walked right into the kitchen while we were preparing Thanksgiving dinner. He put his hands on his hips,” the woman with ample curves to her hips added, placing her hands on the aforementioned body part, “then he said; ‘Dora Ogden are you ever gonna’ get around ta’ marryin’ me or not? I’m eighty-four years old and you ain’t no spring chicken yerself no more neither.’ He said those exact words,” the woman in purple stated.
“Then what happened, Aunt Cathleen?” Mae asked as she leaned over the tall, wooden workstation in the middle of the kitchen.
“Oh you should have seen. Dora looked the man square in the eye and said; ‘William Bucephalus Remy Williams, you old goat, that is no way to ask a woman to marry you.’ I thought it was all over then, I really did.” The heavy-set woman leaned further over the table toward Mae. “But then Dora smiled and said she guessed they might as well get on with it and agreed to marry him that very day.”
The whole room burst into laughter at the telling. The woman everyone called Nona dabbed her eyes with the back of a flour covered hand. The two obviously pregnant women, Reese thought they were Katie and Isabella if memory served, turned their heads from where they stood washing dishes in the big sink, with bright smiles.
“Mae,” the older one said, catching a glimpse of Reese standing in the door way and indicating him with a jerk of her chin.
Mae turned toward the door, her bright eyes full of laughter, a smile on her lips. Oh, how he wished that smile were for him.
“Oh Reese,” Mae said. She practically bounced toward him and taking his arm, pulled him into the warm kitchen that smelled of apples and spice.
“This is my Aunt Cathleen, she’s married to Uncle Benji. You remember her letters to me.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Reese said, taking the older woman’s hand and lifting it to his lips, smiling when she blushed.
“Now aren’t you the gentleman,” she said. “Look there, girls, this humbly-bumbly old milk maid’s been kissed by a real gentleman.” Her smile was infectious and the others all laughed.
Reese wasn’t sure if he should be honored or insulted at the response, but looking at the woman carefully, he decided it was the latter.
“Am I too early for breakfast?” Reese asked, then started as the others all laughed again. “What did I say?” he asked in an aside to Mae.
“Breakfast is long since over,” the girl said brightly, “but we kept a plate warm for you.
“You can sit by the window at the small table and I’ll get it.”
Bewildered, Reese moved to the small table and took a seat. The tall blonde woman, her rounded belly covered in a bright apron, brought him a cup of coffee.
“I’m Katie, in case you’ve forgotten,” she said, her smile soft, but her pale green eyes serious. “I’m the oldest and Will,” she raised her hand to indicate a height just inches over her own, “the bean pole with brown hair is my husband.” Her eyes softened at the mention of the man’s name and he could see love in her cool-green gaze.
“Here you go,” Mae spoke as she placed a plate of potatoes, bacon and eggs before him. “Would you like some bread?”
“No,” Reese spoke, lifting his fork. “I’d like some company, though.” He glanced at the chair on the far side of the table.
“Just a minute,” Mae dashed away again, and Reese was sure he could feel the eyes of the other woman on him. Fortunately, Mae returned in only seconds.
“So what do you think of the Broken J?” the girl asked, settling into the chair opposite him with a hot cup of tea in her hands.
“It’s a lot to take in all at one time,” he said cautiously.
Mae laughed, her silver titter echoing over the sounds of dishes clanking and the other women talking quietly.
“That’s an understatement,” Mae said. “It must be very strange for you meeting so many people all at once.”
Reese tilted his head slightly to the side, making his brown curl flop over his forehead. Years of social events and business parties had honed his ability to learn the names and faces of a large number of people quickly, but this was different.
“That’s not so bad. I think I’ve got most of the people worked out in my head, though you do seem to keep adding new ones.” He indicated Cathleen with a smiled, making Mae giggle.
“We do that here,” she said.
Reese frowned, “I thought more of the men would be up already.” he said quietly.
Mae’s laugh made him sit back. “They’re already up and working,” she finally managed, getting her fit of mirth under control.
“Oh.” Reese’s reply was terse.
Mae reached across the table and laid her hand on his wrist. He could feel his pulse quicken. “No one expects you to understand about a ranch,” she said kindly. “Besides, you only arrived last night.”
Reese’s pride was soothed a little, but still prickled. He wanted to take her hand.
“What should I do today then?” he asked. “I wa
s hoping to see the range.”
“Mae, you are not to go gallivanting off this morning. We have too much to do and I could use the help, besides you just got here.” Nona called from across the kitchen and Reese knew the others had been listening.
“Eat your breakfast,” Mae said, now patting his arm where her hand rested. “I’ll show you around the compound this morning and then we’ll go from there.”
It came as no surprise that the first place she took him to was the barn. Reese followed Mae across the ranch yard toward the big, gray structure, noting the sway of her hips and the simple grace that seemed so natural to her here in the wild.
“Grandpa Isadoro designed and built the barn,” she was saying as they scattered the chickens that scratched and pecked nearby.
In the corral, Reese could see two huge draft horses and several cow ponies. There was so much to take in.
“Mornin’ Mae,” a soft male voice greeted them as they walked through the wide doors.
“Uncle Steph,” the girl called.
Reese watched the lean man step from a stall, still holding a pitchfork. It was the wrangler that had taken the team from him the night before.
“Got your horses all settled in,” the cowboy drawled.
“Thank you,” Reese said awkwardly, but the man’s smile set him at ease.
“Mae, Nona said she needed you ‘round the house today,” the aging cowboy spoke again. “I think she just can’t bear to have you out of her sight for a spell,” he added with a grin. “Why don’t you turn Mr. Reese over ta me and I’ll show him the spread today?”
Mae looked at Reese. “Is that alright with you?” she asked, a puzzled look in her eyes.
“Of course,” Reese replied.
Spontaneously Mae raised herself on her tip-toes and kissed his cheek. “Thank you for everything Reese, and have a good day,” she stated before dashing off across the yard to the house.
