“Alright,” Alicia replied. “So tell me more about your ranch. Do you have hands to work for you?”
“I have a couple. Jose, my foreman, handles the more delicate tasks and he works with a young man from a neighboring town, showing him the ropes so to speak.”
“So what do you do for fun here?”
“My ranch takes up most of my free time, but occasionally I attend a social function at the church.”
“Oh,” Alicia smiled. “Well, maybe we can do something about finding a life here.”
“I don’t mind my life,” Kale said. “I like raising cattle and using the Earth to do it right. I’m blessed to have so much and I try hard to remember to be thankful every day.”
Kale showed Alicia into Clara’s boarding house and set her luggage down at the door. It smelled of apples and cinnamon as they stepped into the sitting room. It wasn’t the most modern place in Westin, but Kale knew Clara’s prices and services couldn’t be beat. Her rooms were spacious, always clean, and Clara still cooked three meals a day for her guests. Clara had taken over the boarding house when her mother had passed away. Kale looked around at the furniture, marveling at the pristine couches and pretty floor rugs. Older and well-worn they still seemed to work well for visitors and such.
He’d never taken the liberty of a tour, but had no doubt that Clara ran a tight ship. With her black hair just going gray, she was still spry for a woman of fifty. Her soft and welcoming attitude reassured her customers that nothing would go amiss at her place. If that didn’t do it, her steely gray eyes surely would. Thankfully she’d never had much trouble over the years she had run the boarding house.
“If you’ll excuse the early hour Miss Clara,” Kale smiled. “This is Miss Alicia Meyers. Alicia, this is Ms. Clara Caulburn. She’s run this boarding house since before I came to town.”
“It’s lovely to meet you dear. You come with me while we let Kale put your things in your room. Just so you know, we don’t allow male visitors after five on weeknights, three on the weekends. Sundays are reserved for worship time. Also, breakfast is served promptly at eight. Lunch is at noon, with a snack between two and three, and dinner at six p.m. If you’re not going to be here, please let me know. If you’re going to be late, please let me know. Other than that I’ll expect you to be here for meals. No male visitors may enter your room upstairs for any reason, outside a life threatening emergency.”
Kale felt a pang of irritation even as he lugged Alicia’s luggage up to her room. Had the young woman even read his letter? It didn’t appear as if she knew anything about hard work. He needed someone who could work beside him, not someone he needed to pamper and smother with attention.
He saw her settled and then told Alicia, “I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon to take you out to the ranch, if that suits you. We’ll see how you and the cattle get along.” He smiled and reached out his hand to shake hers. Alicia looked down at his rough gloved hand, and smiled at Kale as she kept her hand at her side. “Alright.”
“Goodnight Miss Meyers.”
“Night Kale,” Alicia returned.
*****
Unexpected Blessing
Mercy woke on Tuesday morning with a shiver of anticipation. Kale had written late last week to say that she was one of two women he had invited to Westin. Still, she knew that God had laid her path straight. No matter what he had planned, she was certain He had it all figured out for her good.
“Next stop, Westin, Texas!” the conductor called. Mercy realized that anticipation could turn to nervousness as Westin drew nearer. Her first impression was that it was certainly a small town. When the train called for all passengers to disembark, she grabbed her bag and gladly did so.
It felt wonderful to truly stretch her legs and Mercy found her spirits lifting as the sun shone strong through the puffy clouds. After most of the passengers had departed, either going their own way or returning to the train, Mercy heard her name being called. When she turned, she saw a very handsome gentleman headed her way. She could only hope he was Mr. Preston. The man approaching her was tall and looked very strong. His eyes. She looked right into those soft, welcoming eyes and her soul recognized him. Her heart began to beat a little faster. She felt almost giddy.
“Miss Thompson, I presume?”
“Mr. Preston?” Mercy smiled. She shook his hand and accepted his offered elbow. She tried to keep her hand from shaking as it rested against his strong forearm. He smiled at her as she wrapped her hand around his bicep. He patted the top of her hand gently and it felt like he was acknowledging her very thoughts. Soul mates. She sighed contentedly.
“Your trip went well I take it?”
“I’ve never seen so much of God’s beauty,” Mercy smiled again. Kale was much better looking than she’d feared to hope. His sandy blonde hair was long enough to wave in the breeze and his blue eyes were light and shining.
He smiled and nodded. “I’ve always felt the same whenever I take the train. It’s a wonderful way to travel.”
“Thank you for sending passage. It was a kind and generous gesture,” Mercy said.
He squeezed his fingers over hers. “It was my pleasure Miss Thompson.”
“Call me Mercy, please.”
“Only if you call me Kale.”
“Deal,” Mercy chuckled. Just as they stepped out onto the street, and it was completely quiet around them, Mercy’s stomach growled. Embarrassed, she could already feel the blush creep along her cheeks.
“Hungry?” Kale laughed.
She nodded her head vigorously. “Truth be told Kale, I’m starving. Is it true that everything’s bigger in Texas?”
“We Texans like to think so,” he smiled. “Let’s go over to Tin Spoons and I’ll see if Daisy can’t scrounge up something for you to eat.”
“Thank you,” Mercy said.
***
Kale knew that Mercy Thompson respected the truth. He tried to put her manners and personality before her stunning beauty, but failed miserably. She had pinned her dark hair into a neat coiffure that sat under a cute sun hat. Her milky skin sported a spray of freckles across the bridge of her nose that well matched the innocence practically bubbling from her. Already though, her maturity shone through and Kale felt an immediate attraction and respect for this young lady. He respected her level of honesty as well. Her positive attitude was something to admire as well. It seemed especially in the last year she’d had a considerably harder life than Miss Meyers, and Kale immediately noticed the difference in maturity.
Mercy ate delicately but heartily. She raved about the homemade stew and devoured every drop of her dish. She also ate two pieces of the homemade bread and made some lovely, enjoyable noises as she ate, that caused Kale to blush. She was certainly a breath of fresh air. He decided to gauge her reaction to touring around. “After lunch, I can show you to Clara’s boarding house. If there’s enough time before the sun goes down, I can drive you out to the ranch as well.”
She smiled after swallowing her mouthful, and declared enthusiastically, “Oh, I hope there’s enough time. I would love to see your home!” She was beautiful when she smiled. Kale smiled back at her.
“She is getting along just fine. She toured the city a bit and had lunch out.”
Mercy came back downstairs and Kale asked, “How does dinner at my ranch sound?”
“I’d love that!” Mercy replied. Kale helped her up into his wagon, a buckboard he used for most of his travels. As he climbed up next to her, he hoped they’d get along better than he and Alicia had on her first trip out. The weather was pristine with puffy white clouds spreading out across a gorgeous blue sky. Seeing as there was time on the drive out, Kale told Mercy more about how he had started in the cattle business.
“Growing up, we like most people, didn’t have much. I made friends with a boy, Jack, who didn’t live too far from my parents. We grew up and went into business together. A year ago, my friend got married and decided that he and his wife wanted to move to Misso
uri. Apparently she had some connections there and Jack had always wanted to travel and experience life in the big city. They’re settled well in St. Louis now.”
“So he just gave you the ranch?”
“We lived there together. Then Darcy came to town last spring and changed Jack’s whole life. Last I heard from him they have a baby on the way. He said he’s never been happier.”
“But you miss him?” Mercy smiled, her eyes full of understanding.
“I miss him,” Kale agreed. “It was a change for sure, but in a way it made me see that I’m not getting any younger. I’d like to settle down too and raise a family.”
“I’d love to have children someday as well, provided God blesses me with a husband first, of course.”
“I’d think that’s the natural order of things.” Kale chuckled. “Have you ever ridden a horse Mercy?”
“I rode a pony once when I was about six. Since then though, I haven’t had much time to myself so my horse knowledge is sadly lacking.”
“But you’re not afraid of them?”
“No,” Mercy smiled.
“Good.”
Kale pulled up to his ranch house and watched Mercy soak it all in. Unlike Alicia, who’d wrinkled her nose at the smell of manure, Mercy seemed to blossom as she looked around. Her pretty green eyes roamed over his home and the stables. He watched her with rapt attention as she scanned the vast fenced acres of land and went all soft over a pair of newborn calves. “They were just born yesterday,” he told her, helping her down so she could step closer.
“Oh look at you beauties,” Mercy cooed. She loved the two darling cows that barely looked old enough to survive. Their white muzzles sniffed her hand when she stuck it through the metal gate that kept them inside their pen with their mother. Standing again, Mercy took another look at Kale’s ranch. The house was one-story that spread out to include a lovely wrap-around porch. On the corner sat a porch swing that all but begged to be sat in. The wood had been painted a pretty canary yellow and the shutters at the windows were a robin’s egg blue that went well with the exterior. The stables sported a new coat of red paint with the trim done in white. She could hardly wait to see where the horses were kept. Much more property than she’d expected, Mercy had no doubt that Kale Preston was blessed to be a blessing. When she turned back to the calves and asked to pet them, Kale helped her through the gate so she could. He laughed when she got a nudge from their mother. She turned to pet her as well, giving her a scratch between her eyes.
Kale laughed at the cow’s outgoing behavior. “She must like you. She never lets anyone pet her.”
“I like her too, and these beautiful little ones. Do you have any more heifers that are due to drop a calf?”
Kale tried to hide his surprise at her knowledge of cows. He smiled and shook his head. “Not this late in the season. She was our last one and the twins were a surprise blessing.”
***
Mercy liked that Kale talked so openly of his faith and the times when it had been shaken. He wasn’t just a good looking man. He was a good man, a godly man. Mercy could easily see herself living the life of a rancher’s wife. The day-to-day tasks brought a sense of reality to her and she hoped to prove to Kale that she was best suited for him and his accustomed way of life. “Have you always known you wanted to be a cattle rancher?” she asked during their supper.
“Not always,” Kale smiled. “I’m pretty sure when I was five I wanted to be a lumberjack. I idolized Paul Bunyan and his big blue ox, Babe.”
Mercy laughed, enjoying the way Kale showed interest in her life and painted colorful visions of his own. “When did you know that ranching was your lifelong dream?”
“Truth be told, I didn’t. Jack wanted to be a rancher. We pooled our money. Those first few years were lean ones. I remember a time when I’d go two or three days without eating just to make sure we got our herd to market on time. First come, first served with the best price per head.
“What a hard-working man you are Kale. Amazing,” Mercy smiled. She reached across the table and laid her hand over his. Then she immediately drew back, her cheeks growing warm when his breathtaking blue eyes met hers. His smile assured her he hadn’t been offended. “Can I see the calves one more time before we have to head back to Clara’s?”
Kale smiled. “Sure Mercy.” Mercy smiled at his use of her name. They headed outside. Kale took her hand in his, leading her out to the barn where the babies were bedded down. He lit an oil lamp and held it over the stall while Mercy sat down with the twin calves and their mother. She showed them equal affection, even petting the mooing mother. After ten minutes of playtime, Kale helped her up and together they walked back to his buggy.
“I hope you don’t mind my saying so, but I’m already sad to leave. You have such a beautiful place here Kale.”
“I don’t mind and thank you. Jack and I worked hard to make this place what it is and I’m proud that you like it.”
Mercy felt at peace on the farm. She wanted to soak up as much of the spectacular environment before she had to leave. She turned to Kale, and asked, “Can I come back tomorrow morning and help you with the chores?”
***
Kale didn’t have to be told the difference between Mercy and Alicia, because it was as plain as the nose on his face. Alicia, while a lovely young woman, just didn’t have the qualities he was looking for in a wife. One afternoon with Mercy had shown him the stark difference. He knew, taking Mercy back to the boarding house, that he would take Alicia to lunch and tell her that while he enjoyed having her, she just wasn’t the right woman for him.
“What do you think of Westin so far?” Kale asked Mercy on the drive back to town.
She sighed and smiled. “Oh, It’s lovely Kale. I have really enjoyed myself. People are so friendly and outgoing. And you, have been a most generous host.”
“I have to admit that I’m impressed with your level of faith.”
“Don’t be,” Mercy grinned. “I haven’t always been this confident. After my dad passed, I struggled. I was angry for losing my father, for being shunned by my stepmother. I resented having to work at the shelter just so I had a place to sleep. It took me a long time to see that God knew what He was doing. Even then, I’m not sure I truly understood, not until I saw your ad in the paper. Your ad in the newspaper felt like a sign. I couldn’t pass it up.”
“Hm,” Kale replied.
Mercy smiled, hesitantly. She hoped she wasn’t reading all of this wrong. “I’m here and I’d like to believe that we are becoming friends.”
“That we are Mercy,” Kale smiled. “That we are.” Mercy smiled back.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” he smiled. “Have a great night Mercy.”
“Night Kale,” Mercy smiled. She turned and headed upstairs and Kale waited until he could no longer see her.
“It’s certainly none of my business.” Clara sighed. “But if I were a betting woman, I’d lay money on Miss Thompson being a better match for you than Miss Meyers. The fact that Miss Meyers would rather tour around the city than spend time with you, speaks volumes.”
Kale took Clara’s words to heart, thinking about the vast sea of differences between the two young women he’d invited here. Both were beautiful, but that’s pretty much where the similarities ended. Alicia wasn’t much younger than Mercy, but maturity wise she seemed years behind the dark-haired beauty. Fragile in her constitution and finicky in her attitude, Kale feared that she didn’t have what he needed in a wife to sustain a solid relationship in the middle of Texas, especially if she hoped that this small town would someday become a bustling cityscape. He turned his concerns for his future and that of the women he’d brought here, to God.
Please guide me in this decision Lord. You know the qualities I need in my wife. You know that both of these women are deserving of a relationship that proclaims your glory. Help Alicia and Mercy seek you in the midst of all our engagements. Give them peace in their interactions with me and mos
t of all guide all of us to be open to your will in our lives. The last thing I want to do is hurt either of these women. Give me guidance in what to say and show me the way forward Father. Amen.
Kale continued to pray throughout his late night as he worked on the tack room. He slept very little, consumed with choosing between Mercy and Alicia so that he could send the woman he didn’t choose back home as soon as possible. As the sun broke over the horizon Kale’s heart seemed decided in the matter and a peace he’d never experienced settled over him.
***
Mercy woke the next morning to find Alicia standing in front of her door. “Good morning,” she greeted the fair haired young woman. “You must be Alicia.”
“I know who you are and I want you to stay away from my Kale.”
“Your Kale?” Mercy chuckled. “Are we talking about the same man because you make him sound like a prized horse to be argued over? Kale will make up his mind in due time about which one of us he’d like to continue courting. Until then Miss Meyers, I suggest you examine your true feelings. Living in Texas, especially a small town like this, isn’t for the faint of heart. If Kale decides he wants you for his wife, you better be sure you want to live here for a good, long time as I don’t see him moving anytime soon.”
“I can live anywhere I’d like. And despite what you think, Kale would follow me anywhere if I asked him to.”
“Then why am I still here?” Mercy asked. She didn’t wait around for the snippy young woman to provide an answer. Instead she headed down to breakfast, grabbing a muffin and a cup of orange juice before thanking Clara and practically bolting out the door. In her hurry she neglected to watch her step and nearly knocked Kale down.
“Whoa,” he chuckled. Looking up into compassionate and stunning green eyes, Mercy blushed.
“I’m sorry, I… I should have been watching where I was going.”
“You seem upset Mercy. What happened?” Kale asked, his hands still on her arms. He dropped them like lead weights before he looked at her face again.
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