“Come upstairs. I’ll make you some tea. Mrs. H has gone to visit a few people. She won’t be back for a while.”
Mary followed Katie upstairs, reading the letter as she went. “Sorcha says Ben wanted to come after me. He’s only a baby, Katie, why would anyone want to give away their own child?”
Katie rubbed her belly. “I can’t imagine anyone giving up their baby. Is there no chance for him to be adopted?”
“Nobody wants us orphans for the most part. Unless they want child labor. Ben wouldn’t be much use in their eyes. But he is such a sweet boy, Katie.” The tears stopped Mary talking. Katie held her hand until she composed herself.
“What else does Sorcha say? Did she mention Father Molloy?”
Mary smiled. The kindly old priest had been good to both Katie and Mary, allowing them time to catch up together as well as feeding them treats. “She says he comes regularly for tea with Cook and the two of them are still arguing. Here read it for yourself.” Mary cradled the warm tea in her hands while Katie read the rest of Sorcha’s letter.
“She wants to know if there is anyone else looking for a wife. She says life is unbearable at the orphanage. She’ll be eighteen next year so will be able to leave.” Katie put the letter on the table. “There’s loads of single men in Clover Springs. I’m sure we can find someone.” Katie started giggling.
“What’s so funny?”
“Sorry, but can you imagine Mrs. Grey’s face if she knows there is another Irish bride on her way to Clover Springs.”
“You haven’t found her a husband yet.”
“But I will, if only to wind Mrs. Grey up.”
Mary burst out laughing at the look on Katie’s face. She missed Ben and wanted nothing more to give him a big hug but that wasn’t possible now. But maybe it could be…
Chapter 25
A few days later, Davy took Mary on another picnic. He knew he should be working but he couldn’t help wanting to spend time with his wife.
“This is beautiful, Davy.”
“It’s my special thinking place. Ma said she always knew where to look for me if I went missing as a kid.
“It’s so peaceful up here. You could forget about all your troubles.”
“Are you not happy here, Mary? I know it’s difficult with you not having family nearby. I hope in time you come to love it.”
“I like it fine but I guess I do miss my family and Ben, most of all.”
“Ben?” Davy’s body stiffened. Was this a man she loved in Boston? “I wasn’t aware I had competition.” Mary laughed. Davy loved to hear her laughing. It was infectious.
“You don’t, unless you consider a six year old boy competition.”
“I didn’t know you had a brother.” Davy was confused. He was sure Katie had said Mary’s sister was the only other survivor of the trip from Ireland.
“Ben’s not my brother. He lives at the orphanage. I grew very fond of him.”
“Oh, another orphan.”
“No, he’s not. His parents are alive, or at least they were.”
“What’s he doing living in an orphanage then?”’ He saw the pain in Mary’s eyes and immediately regretted asking. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to cause you upset.”
“It’s not you. Ben is crippled. He had polio when he was two and it left him with a damaged leg. His parents gave him to the nuns when they decided to go to Montana. Nobody will adopt him due to his leg. The other children aren’t always kind and the adults… Well enough said about them the better.”
“Oh, the poor boy. Not much of a future for him, is there?”
“No. I was teaching him his letters before I came out here. Sorcha wrote to me the other day about him. That’s the letter I collected from town.”
“The one that had you all upset?”
Mary nodded.
“It will be hard at first but he is bound to get over it. Someone else will look after him.”
“Will they? Sorcha said Ben tried to run away. He told Sister Una he was going to follow me. Mother Superior had him whipped for causing upset.”
Davy clenched his fist. He didn’t like violence and it pained him to think of any child being beaten particularly one so young. And a cripple at that.
“People are so cruel, Davy. He is only a child. I shouldn’t have left him.”
Davy took her in his arms, trying to soothe her grief as she gave into tears. She sobbed her heart out on his shoulder. “Shush, Mary. Sure, what could you do? You couldn’t bring him with you?”
Mary sniffed before staring up at him. “Couldn’t I? There is plenty of space around here. He wouldn’t be a burden. I would take care of him.”
Davy moved away from her slightly. He rubbed his jaw before saying as gently as he could. “A ranch is no place for a cripple, Mary. There are far too many things that could happen.”
“Like what?”
“Don’t look at me like that. You haven’t seen what the winters are like out here. This isn’t Boston. Everyone has to pull his or her weight on a ranch. Otherwise, they won’t survive.”
“You want children, don’t you? You wouldn’t expect your six year old son to earn his keep, would you?”
“That’s different.”
“Why?”
Davy struggled to contain his frustration. “Mary, you can’t compare a stranger to our own child.”
“He’s not a stranger. Not to me.”
Davy stood up, having decided it was best to return home. He didn’t want to hurt Mary’s feelings any more than he already had but he wasn’t about to agree to her request. “Mary, we haven’t been married that long. We need time to get to know each other before we take on responsibility for a child.” She opened her mouth but he shook his head. “Please don’t say anything else. I am very sorry, Mary, but I won’t change my mind. Let’s go. I have chores to do. “He walked back to the horses feeling her eyes boring into his back. He swore to himself. How had such a nice afternoon ended on a sour note?
Mary watched Davy stride toward the horses. He was upset. She knew he felt sorry for Ben and couldn’t really understand why he was so against bringing the child out here. Maybe it was just too soon to mention adopting Ben. As she gathered the picnic things together she went over and over what had happened. What had she been thinking? She barely knew her husband. How could she expect him to take on another man’s child? Daniel took on Ellen. That’s different. He was hardly going to turn away Katie’s sister. Ben wasn’t her blood kin. She wished she could turn the clock back and start their afternoon over. Their day had started with such promise too. When are I going to learn to keep my mouth shut?
When she had everything packed up, she walked over to where Davy stood waiting. She smiled before she realized he wasn’t looking at her. “Davy, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything about Ben.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Davy took the basket from her and put it in the wagon. He held out his hand to help her onto the seat. Her skin shivered at the contact. She looked into his eyes and saw he felt the attraction, too. On impulse, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “Thank you for taking me to see your special place. I hope we can have a longer picnic next time.”
They rode home in silence. Mary thought it was better to let Davy get over the upset in his own time. She remembered her mam saying men needed time to come to a decision. Maybe the silence meant he was thinking it over.
Chapter 26
Mary sat and poured coffee for both of them. She resolved to buy some tea when she next went to the store. She then filled her plate with bacon, eggs and biscuits. Mrs. H was a wonderful cook and the fresh food tasted so much better than the food in Boston. Davy came in just as she was finished. Mrs. H set a plate of food on the table as he washed his hands.
“Sorry if I disturbed you this morning. I had to get an early start.” Davy smiled at Mary.
Her heart thumping she smiled back although she could feel her cheeks turning pink. “I was just asking Mrs. H to show m
e how I can help. It doesn’t feel right to stay in bed when you work so hard.”
Davy nodded his eyes full of approval but as his mouth was full he didn’t say anything. Mary turned to the housekeeper. “What would you like me to start on today? Perhaps I could help with the laundry.”
Mrs. H shook her head. “We will leave that to another morning. Let’s go see if the hens have lain this morning. I usually do it before breakfast but didn’t get a chance this morning.”
Mary smiled. How hard could it be to collect eggs? She soon changed her mind after the third painful peck on her hands. “Ouch. You nasty little bird.”
Mrs. H stood with her hands on her hips laughing loudly. “Sorry, Miss Mary, but you should see your face. You look like you would put poor old Agnes in the crock pot for dinner.”
“Agnes? You name all the hens?”
“Sure do. They are nice creatures. You just need to know how to handle them. See like this.”
Mary stared as the housekeeper collected three eggs without being threatened, never mind pecked.
“Don’t worry, they will get used to you soon enough.”
“Do you keep all the eggs or does Davy sell some?”
“We take some to the store if he is going into town but usually we keep them for the ranch. The men appreciate the cakes I make. Keeps them sweet when the weather turns nasty. It’s a hard life working outdoors especially when the cold season comes.” Mrs. H handed the basket now full of eggs to Mary. “Tomorrow you can do this while I’m making breakfast. Have you ever milked a cow?”
“Once and she didn’t kick so that’s good, isn’t it?”
Mrs. H laughed before taking Mary’s arm and showing her where the cows lived. “One of the boys currently looks after the cows but it would help if you could take over. It could do with a woman’s touch, couldn’t it?” Mary looked around the barn nodding in agreement. The hay looked like it hadn’t been turned as often as it could. The cows weren’t too clean either. “Jeb knows better than to try to milk dirty cows. He will make us all ill.” Mrs. H tutted, not hiding her disapproval.
“Who is Jeb?”
“One of the youngsters. His Pa works for Davy. His Ma is sick and Davy thought he could help the family out a little more if the youngsters earned a few coins. Jeb isn’t cut out for farming. He likes reading and such. He should be in school really.”
“What age is he?”
“Not rightly sure. About nine I would guess, although he could be small for his age. Doesn’t say much. Always has his nose stuck in a book. Seen his Pa hit him more than once for not doing his chores.”
Mary’s heart went out to the little boy she had yet to meet. She resolved to help him get to school. Handing the basket back to Mrs. H, she rolled her sleeves up. She mightn’t know much about ranching but she was an expert on cleaning. In no time, this barn would shine. Of that, she was determined. Mrs. H went back to the house leaving Mary to it. She worked for a while before realizing someone was watching her. She looked up to find a boy dressed more or less in rags. He didn’t look much cleaner than the barn and sported an ugly looking black eye.
“Why you working here?”
“I thought I would help you get the barn sorted. It needs a good clean. I take it you’re Jeb?”
“Who’s asking?”
Surprised at his cheek, Mary didn’t get a chance to answer. Instead a voice came from behind her.
“The lady is my wife, young man.”
Jeb paled under his freckles. “Sorry, Boss.” He mumbled kicking at the straw with his foot.
Mary put her hand on Davy’s arm to thank him for his support before focusing on the youngster. “You weren’t to know, Jeb. We haven’t had a chance to be introduced properly. My name is Mary and I need your help. It’s my first time in a barn. I am relying on you to show me what needs to be done.”
“Your first time in a barn? Where you been up to now?”
“I came from a small village in Ireland and then lived in Boston for a while. They don’t have much call for barns in a city.”
“What’s it like living in a city?”
Mary smiled at the wistful look on the child’s face. “It’s very different out here. For a start, you can’t often see the stars, as there are lots of buildings blocking your view. There are lots of people too, so the streets get very crowded. When you are all grown up, you can go visit Boston and other places.”
“That will take forever. I want to go now.”
“Mrs. Higgins says you like to read. I brought a couple of books with me. What say we have a look at them later?”
“I got chores to do.”
“I’ll make a deal with you. If you show me what to do in the barn, then I will help you with your chores. When we are finished, we will ask Mrs. Higgins for some cookies and go look at the books.”
“For real?”
Mary watched his face distrust fighting with hope. “Yes it’s for real. Now let’s get to work.”
Chapter 27
They were so engrossed in their chat and the subsequent chores; neither noticed Davy leave the barn. Mary seemed happier this morning. He had got little sleep last night. His mind kept going over and over their conversation. He hadn’t changed his mind. It was too soon to bring someone else into their relationship even if it was a child. He liked children and hated to think of anyone mistreating one, especially a cripple. But life was hard on the ranch. It was better if Ben stayed in Boston.
Maybe Jeb would help Mary forget about her past. He had to admit his wife had a real way with children. She had gotten Jeb to trust her, no mean feat considering how the child had been treated in the past. It wasn’t his fault his Pa was a drunk and a wife beater but some of the townsfolk seemed to think the boy would grow up just like Rowdy. Davy clenched his hands. He would love to give Rowdy a black eye but knew anything he dished out to the father would have repercussions for the whole family. It galled him that he couldn’t stop the man from beating up his wife and children. The law wouldn’t intervene either although Davy believed the Sherriff wished he could. He didn’t know how long he could keep Rowdy on the payroll. The other lads were sick of his drunken binges and most didn’t appreciate the way he treated his family. But if he sacked him, the family would be destitute and he couldn’t have that on his conscious. He must remind Mrs. H to put some salve in the next food basket she sent to the Brown’s shack. It might take the sting out of Jeb’s bruises.
Davy hopped onto his horse and let the animal gallop off toward the range. Mary was an asset to the ranch, no doubt about that. He wished he could spend all day helping her and Jeb in the barn but there wasn’t time. He had to keep on top of the jobs while the weather held. He looked up at the sky wondering how long the unseasonably warm weather would last. Then he heard gunshots. They were coming from the area where his men had been working yesterday. Digging his heels in, he galloped toward the gunfire, one hand on his gun. Thankfully, all his men were safe but there was a wounded stranger on the ground.
“Who is it?”
“Don’t know boss. He passed out but he’ll live. Haven’t seen him around. What do you want to do? Go after them?”
Davy was torn. “Any of you see where they went? How many were there?”
“Reckon three, boss, but it’s hard to know if they were alone or part of the larger gang some of the other ranchers been complaining about.”
Davy stared into the distance. Should he head after them or wait for the sheriff. What if it was a ruse to get them all away from the ranch? Mary? He couldn’t leave her without protection. Especially since she hadn’t taken so well to her shooting lessons. “Best leave it to the sheriff. He will want to talk to you. He may recognize this dirt bag.” The stranger groaned. “Tie him up, Henry. We don’t want him getting away.”
Davy watched as Henry tied up the cowboy none too gently. He was younger than he expected but it was pointless feeling sorry for him. Cattle rustling was a serious crime. Everyone knew the penalty.
“Henry, you take a couple of the boys and take our friend here to town.” Henry nodded before mounting his horse. “Not a word of this at the ranch okay. I don’t want my wife spooked. All right you lads, get those cattle rounded up. We will move them closer to the ranch for now. I want to know as soon as possible how many we lost.” Davy sighed heavily. The last thing they needed was to lose cattle to rustlers. “Henry come find me when you get back. We need to double the watch for the time being.”
“Sure thing, boss.” Henry rode off with the now conscious rustler tied to the saddle of his horse. The rest of them rounded up the cattle. Davy thanked the Lord his men had disturbed the rustlers and yet escaped unharmed. They had only lost a few steer, nothing compared to what could have happened.
After he washed up, he headed into the ranch house. Mrs. H was in the kitchen.
“I sent Miss Mary up for a nap. The poor girl has that barn looking so clean you could eat your dinner off the floor.” Mrs. H looked up when silence met her words. “Cat got your tongue?”
“Mrs. H, you need to stay close to the house for the next few days. Make sure Mary doesn’t go far, too. The men disturbed some rustlers. They seem to have gone now but I can’t be sure. Henry took one of them to the Sheriff. I’m going into town to find out what’s going on. I don’t want you telling Mary what happened. No point in scaring her.”
“I won’t say a word.”
Chapter 28
Mary looked up from the hem she was sewing. She was working on Ellen’s harvest festival dress while Katie cut out Mary’s dress. “Katie, do you mind if I ask you something?”
“Of course not.”
“Do you ever find Daniel is, well he’s a little overprotective?”
“My Daniel? Whatever makes you think that? The fact he acts like I am the first woman ever to fall pregnant?”
Mary: Clover Springs Mail Order Brides 2 Page 7
