“Is Lawson on it now?”
She shook her head then changed her mind and shrugged. “I guess it’s only fair to add him. He deserves to find a good match as much as anyone else—maybe even a little more.”
Lorelei set her elbow on the back of the bench and rested her cheek in her palm as she leaned in. “Who would you match him with? Sophia?”
Ellie’s gaze darted to Chris’s sister. “I had Sophia in mind for someone else.”
“Helen?”
Ellie shook her head. The schoolteacher would be a good match for someone with children. Of course! She smiled then put the woman’s initials by a name on her list. “No.”
“You?”
She stilled. Her eyes shot to Lawson. The firelight painted him in shades of gold simultaneously softening and contouring his handsome features. He caught her watching. Their eyes held for a moment before he flashed a grin and winked. Her heart lurched down a few rib bones before fluttering back into place. “I don’t remember him being quite so...”
“Attractive?” Lorelei laughed softly. “So you don’t mind if your family and friends do a little matchmaking?”
“For my part, I’ll admit that I wouldn’t mind. But what makes you think he’d want to be with me? Everyone in town’s all but thrown me into his arms and he hasn’t shown any interest yet.”
“Hmm. Do you think we’re taking the wrong approach?”
Ellie started to argue that that wasn’t what she’d meant, but then she stopped to think about it. “Well, that may be part of it. Blatant suggestions like we’ve been getting tend to make couples more resistant—at least when they’re together. Now, if they’re apart, then it helps to encourage the idea of a romance. Mainly, y’all just need to be less obvious about pretty much everything.”
“Got it.” Lorelei gave her a parting smile then hurried away as if she couldn’t wait to start coordinating everything.
Ellie chuckled. Well, Lord, I asked for a little help in finding a match for myself and You sent me an entire town. I sure do appreciate it. Now if only I could convince myself it will do any good.
Chapter Six
Lawson drowned his bemused smile with another gulp of lemonade as he glanced at the man beside him. He had no idea what Ethan Larue was talking about. He’d stopped paying attention the moment Ellie looked up and smiled at him from across the fire. Her golden hair was swept up and away from her neck, leaving her shoulders bare save for the pale green cap sleeves of her dress. He wasn’t used to seeing her all fancied up like this. Normally she wore a simple blouse and split skirt around the ranch and left any fancier fare for Sunday services. He’d called her beautiful when they were in the barn, but now she was truly stunning. And very distracting.
Guilt pulled his focus back to the conversation just in time to realize that Ethan was staring at him expectantly. Lawson grasped for some clue of what the man had been saying. He came up empty. He cleared his throat. “Well, now. I couldn’t say.”
Ethan nodded thoughtfully. “It would probably be hard to tell without an official census. There are plenty of interesting people here, though, and they’ve all been so kind and welcoming. It makes a man think about settling down and starting a new life.”
“Are you planning to settle here, then?”
“No. I’m not exactly the settling type.” He glanced out at the field and frowned as if looking right into his past. “My mother died when I was eight. I lost my father when I was thirteen. I was put in an orphanage a few years before I was able to leave. I learned a long time ago that it’s pointless to put down roots.”
“I understand. I’m—”
“You understand?” Ethan gave a bitter laugh. “I appreciate your sympathy but—”
“No.” Lawson met his gaze unflinchingly. “I said I understood and I meant it.”
“Really?” A slightly victorious smile pulled at the man’s lips for an instant before he tempered it. “Tell me about it.”
Lawson stilled. Why did he just feel as though he’d just walked into a trap? Had Ethan been waiting to hear Lawson’s story? But why would he? Lawson scanned the man’s features, looking for anything familiar in them. As a Ranger, he’d made his share of enemies. Enemies who’d do a good deal to learn his background and find out where he was vulnerable. But Lawson couldn’t find anything there to legitimize his suspicions. He’d give Ethan, if that was his real name, what he wanted for now.
He began with a grim smile. “I don’t remember a time when my parents weren’t drinking or fighting. When I say fighting, I don’t just mean yelling or screaming words no child should hear. I mean...” He swallowed against the emotion that rose in his throat. “Let’s just say there was a lot of abuse involved. Most of that time is just a blurry memory. I try to keep it that way.”
Ethan gave a curt nod but didn’t try to interrupt.
“I must have been about nine or ten—maybe eleven—” he hated that he could never be completely sure “—before they left me.”
“What do you mean, ‘they left me’?”
Lawson was startled awake by a banging on the door. He sat up and watched the shadow of his mother’s petite frame race across the white sheet that separated his little corner from the rest of the cabin. His father’s shadow staggered into the room. His familiar walk seemed a little off—almost listing. His mother gasped and guided his father into a chair. “What happened? You’re bleeding something fierce.”
He groaned. “You aren’t drunk, are you, woman?”
“I had a couple but I’m not drunk yet.”
“Good. I need you to bandage me up then we’ve got to get out of here.”
“The job went bad?”
“Course it did. Why do you think I’m bleeding like a stuck pig?”
“I guess that means you won’t get paid. The rent’s due in the morning. Maybe you should have thought about that before you messed up whatever you were supposed to do.”
“The rent! I could have the sheriff on my tail and you want to talk to me about the rent!”
Lawson sighed and snuggled back under the threadbare cover with no other choice than to listen to another argument. “You get that look out of your eye. Don’t even think of hitting me tonight or I’ll push you out the house and let you die on the street where you belong! Do you really think the sheriff is after you?”
“Probably so. They couldn’t pin anything on me, though. I wasn’t sloppy enough to leave evidence.”
“Don’t be a fool. That hole in your side is all the evidence they need.”
“That’s why I say we’ve got to leave here and tonight. I’m in the clear if no one sees this.”
“What makes you think I’m coming with you?”
“Do you want to be put in jail as an accessory?”
“Accessory to what? No, don’t answer that. I’m coming. Let me get the kid.”
“No. The kid stays.”
Lawson’s eyes flew open. He saw his ma pause before she set the suitcase on the table. “Are you crazy? We can’t just leave him here.”
“He’d slow us down. Have you looked at the boy lately? He’s skinnier than a ragweed and twice as puny. We can’t even provide for ourselves in the best of times. How are we going to provide for him on the run? Send him to your family. They’ll take him in, won’t they?”
“I suppose they’ll have to. I know, I’ll write a letter and pin it on him. That will explain everything. Have you got any money I can leave with him?”
“I’ve got a dollar.”
Lawson pretended to be asleep when his mother stepped through the sheet. It only took a second for her to pin something on his raggedy shirt. She paused then whispered, “I know you’re awake. You have to trust me. This is for the best. You know how mean your pa gets when he drinks and you know how silly
I get. Neither of us is getting better. Look at me, Lawson.”
He slowly did as she commanded. Her bright blue eyes stared as though she was memorizing his every feature. “I’m no good but I love you. That’s why I’d rather see you gone than bleeding to death from a beating one day. Promise me you won’t be like your father or me. Promise.”
“Yes, Ma,” he whispered.
He watched her sweep from the room. Her shadowy form grabbed the suitcase then disappeared. He jumped from the bed and slipped around the white sheet in time to see his father turn to close the front door. The man caught sight of him and hesitated for just a moment. Their eyes held. “You stay inside tonight. You hear me?”
Lawson leaned against the wall then gave a single nod in response. The door closed. He stared at it for a while. His gaze swept the disheveled but empty cabin. Then, turning on his heel, he slipped back into his cot, pulled the covers over his head and waited for daylight.
“I don’t think I ever believed my mother’s reasons for leaving me behind.” He shrugged. “Whatever they used to justify it in their own minds, they abandoned me.”
“That’s awful.”
“That’s just the beginning. The landlord was a big man and I was scared of him so I ran before he could come for the rent. I couldn’t read the note they left. I was afraid if I showed it to someone else they’d send me to an orphanage like the one my father said he’d take me to if I was bad. I wandered from town to town doing whatever jobs I could manage and stealing food when I couldn’t get work. Let me tell you, Ethan, you lived a charmed life in that orphanage. People don’t treat children well in bawdy Western towns. I’ve got the scars to prove it. Some of them are still visible.”
He stared at the man who would no longer meet his gaze. “Is that enough or do you want to know more?”
“That’s enough.”
“Good.” Lawson was quiet for a moment then decided to take a risk. “Now, who are you going to give that information to next?”
Ethan tensed, his startled eyes flying back up to meet Lawson’s.
Lawson smirked in satisfaction. Man, he was good. He leaned forward to press his advantage. “You’re pretty good but you aren’t professional. Your face gives too much away. You should work on that.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Lawson laughed. “Oh, come on, Ethan. I know you’re digging around for someone. Tell me who it is.”
Ethan just stared at him. “I’m not digging for anyone. I shouldn’t have asked. I didn’t know it would be so painful for you. Don’t let it ruin your evening. I’m not going to let my past cheat me out of a dance with one of those lovely ladies over there. Excuse me.”
Lawson didn’t believe him for a moment, but Ethan ignored his silence and walked toward Amy and her sisters. Meanwhile, Lawson valiantly pushed away the heaviness that settled around his soul. He never went through a visit to his past unscathed.
Sean appeared at his side with Lorelei in tow. “I convinced Chris to play a few more dances before putting away his fiddle. The rest is up to you, my friend.”
It took Lawson a moment to figure out what Sean was talking about. “My parents told you about our conversation in the cabin, didn’t they?”
Sean grinned. “Why do you think they brought it up?”
“Of all the—” He shot a frown at his parents then slid his wary gaze to Ellie. “That was supposed to be private.”
Sean slipped an arm around his wife as she swayed in time with the lively music. “You agreed to let us help so they had to tell us.”
“Don’t worry. Ellie won’t know a thing about it.” Lorelei winked at him as she tugged her husband toward the circle of dancers. “Now, go get her before someone else does.”
“What have I gotten myself into?” he mumbled as he searched for Ellie in the crowd. He found her already dancing with Clayton Sheppard, a young farmer who was a good friend of Jeff’s. However, when Clay caught sight of him, the man led Ellie closer to Lawson. Clay sent him a questioning look, which Lawson returned with a nod. Clay gave Ellie one last twirl, which placed her right in front of Lawson.
They both stilled along with pretty much everyone else on the field. Ellie’s gaze held his before it slid away to take in the fact that everyone was waiting for something to happen. “What? Are they expecting me to kiss you or something?”
He swallowed a chuckle. “Well?”
Her eyes widened until she realized he was waiting for her to place her hand in his. “Is that an offer to dance?”
“It is.”
She frowned. “We’re giving people all sorts of wrong ideas. You know that, don’t you?”
“Can’t give people something everybody already has so I reckon we might as well have a little fun.”
She considered this for a moment then made a show of resting a hand on his shoulder and placing the other in his. His free arm went around the small of her back. They waited for the right moment in the music before he led her into a quick two-step to Chris’s robust rendition of “Cotton-Eyed Joe.” A cheer echoed across the field but it was Ellie’s warm smile that chased away the heavy memory of his past.
* * *
Ellie pulled in a refreshing breath of dawn air as she urged Starlight into canter through the woods toward the farm. It still smelled like rain from the heavy deluge that had lulled her to sleep last night. She had awakened before dawn and finished her chores in the barn early so she would have time to ride Starlight before getting ready for church.
She burst from the woods near the old cabin where Lawson was staying. She didn’t see any movement inside of it so she assumed he must already be doing his chores. She guided Starlight across the cleared land toward the barn. Suddenly a small white object dashed from the barn toward the pasture. She leaned over the saddle horn to stare. Was that her pig? It was. Her breath caught in her throat. It must have escaped. She urged Starlight faster. Her shout pierced the still morning air. “Lawson! Lawson!”
She pulled Starlight to a stop outside the pasture fence then vaulted over it. The pig streaked toward her, running in a zigzag pattern. She heard Lawson call her name and glanced up in time to see him running out of the barn. Good. She needed help catching it. She refocused her attention on the pig. The little thing slowed to a trot and stared up at her with a wary eye. She took a calm step toward it. It took off again. She whirled and chased after it.
It ran straight toward the tree line. Her eyes widened. If it went into the woods she would never find it. Suddenly the pig turned and ran straight up the middle of the field away from the woods and the few horses Lawson must have already let out to pasture. Relief filled her. Mud began to cling to the bottom of her skirt, making it harder to walk. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath. The pig stopped almost immediately. She narrowed her eyes. The pig stood frozen. She stepped toward it. The pig began walking away. She stopped. The pig stopped. She let out a huff of frustration. “Great.”
“Ellie, stop!”
She glanced behind her to see Lawson closing in on her. Three horses followed on his heels. “Good,” she yelled back. She motioned him to her left. “You go that way.”
“No.”
She frowned at him over her shoulder then started running. The pig started running. It veered sideways so she tried to cut it off. She was getting closer. “Now, Lawson! Go that way quickly.”
A hand caught her arm and she screamed. She’d been so focused on the pig she hadn’t realized Lawson was behind her. He pulled her to a stop. She fought to free herself from his grasp. Finally, she pinned him with a glare. She said between gasps, “You were...supposed to...go that way!”
He shook his head. “I’m trying to tell you. Don’t chase it.”
“Of course I’m going to chase it.” She pulled in a deep breath. “It’s my pi
g. I don’t want it to escape.” She swallowed. “Now stop talking and help me.”
“But Ellie, I’m trying to tell you that the silly pig—”
“The pig.” She gasped. She turned from him to scan the field for the pig. It had stopped running to wallow in a mud puddle about ten feet away.
“Ellie—”
“Hush!”
“Fine. Do it your way.”
“I will,” she breathed as she carefully approached the pig. It was apparently too busy wallowing in the mud puddle to notice. Mud began to creep up the sides of her boots. It dragged at the hem of her skirts. She hiked it up several inches. Each time she pulled her boot from the mud it made a loud sucking sound.
She froze as the pig’s ears jumped. She took another large step as it gave one last good wallow, then turned onto its stomach to stare at her. It was so close. She diverted her eyes so she wouldn’t threaten it. Then she knelt. The pig stood to its feet and took a step toward her. Her eyes widened. This was too easy. She reached out to it very slowly. The pig took another step toward her.
Suddenly it tried to bolt past her. She lunged in a twisting motion toward it. She managed to get one hand on it before it slipped through her fingers. She landed facedown in the mud. She lay there for a stunned second before she managed to push herself onto her forearms. She glanced up in time to see its curly-tailed behind racing back toward the barn.
She closed her eyes. She heard the squish-pop of Lawson walking toward her through the mud. Finally, he stopped in front of her. She eyed his muck-covered boots for a moment. Pushing her stomach away from the mud, she didn’t even bother to stand up. Instead, she plopped onto her bottom and braced her arms behind her to look up at Lawson.
She lifted her eyebrows, daring him to comment. He did an admirable job of keeping his laughter in check, though he couldn’t stop the way his golden eyes danced. He knelt beside her as a smile barely tilted the corner of his lips. “I let your pig out every morning. He runs around the pasture for ten minutes then comes back to the barn on his own. He likes the exercise.”
A Texas-Made Match Page 7
