by Maggie Ryan
Anna felt awful about the mishaps but wasn't above taking advantage of the man's kindness. She tugged the basket from her son's hands and scooped him up before he could do further damage. "I really do apologize," she said, bending down to pick up some of the pencils that had rolled off the counter. "I was just so excited to finally get a letter from home."
"Don't fret. I understand completely," Samuel Franklin said, sweeping items back into the basket. "I just can't understand how on earth it can take so long for mail to arrive. You could have gone back to Missouri, picked it up yourself, and been back home twice by the time the last packet arrived."
Anna laughed. "From the condition of my letter, I'm just pleased that it finally reached me. It looks like it had as hard a journey west as my husband and I did." Mentioning her husband had her looking around again. "Where on earth can that man be? He was right next to me when you brought us the mail."
"Last I saw, he was taking off after a pretty little blonde." Anna's head snapped back and he chuckled. "Big blue eyes and the sweetest little smile. Oh, and she was about yay tall…" he continued, holding his hand about two feet above the counter top's surface.
Shaking her head, her expression going from disbelief to a smile, Anna said, "Ah, yes, Hope is a quick little thing," she acknowledged. "I guess Johnny crawling isn't anything to complain about." She kissed the top of her son's head.
"Oh, I think he's just there," Samuel said, pointing towards another counter on the opposite side of the mercantile.
Thanking him, Anna hefted Johnny on her hip and scooted around several customers in order to reach her husband. It seemed as if everyone had decided to visit town to resupply, check for any correspondence, or simply to chat. Within feet of her goal, she heard her husband speak.
"Shit…"
"Richard!" she chided as she watched Hope, Charity's eldest daughter, looking up from where she was standing tugging on Richard's pant leg.
Richard turned at Anna's call. "Oh, I didn't see you…"
"It's not me you should be looking for," Anna said, giving her head a tilt towards the little girl. Richard instantly crouched down.
"Did you need something, little one?" he asked once he was face to face with the child.
"Candy," Hope said, one hand continuing to hold onto his pant leg while the other waved towards the jars lined up on one end of the counter.
"Ahh, my sweet girl wishes for a sweet?" he asked, standing as he lifted Hope in his arms. Her blonde curls bobbed as she nodded, her hands reaching for the treats.
When Anna saw Richard lift the lid from the first jar, she shook her head and stepped closer. "Hope, Uncle Richard will get you a sweet but you must wait until after supper to enjoy it."
"No!"
"Yes, honey. Your ma won't be happy if we allow you to spoil your appetite," Anna said, attempting to keep Johnny's hands from the jar as well.
"No! Candy!" Hope screeched, her face beginning to squinch up in what the adults on the Rose Ranch had quickly come to understand meant the darling little angel was about to undertake quite a transformation. She was the oldest of the three little ones whose parents had founded the ranch, and was proving to be an education to them all.
"Auntie Anna is right," Richard said, almost dropping the glass lid when Hope lunged for the jar. Replacing it in order to settle the little girl on the countertop, he said, "Listen here, young lady…" Hope's shriek and the arching of her tiny body rendered the man who was ten times her size absolutely speechless for a moment.
"Shh," he said, his head swiveling as if to make sure that no one was witnessing the fact that he was obviously out of his depth. "I didn't say you couldn't have candy—"
"Candy!" Hope squealed, her little feet drumming on the counter as her hands attempted to push her Uncle Richard away.
"Wow, that's a set of lungs now, isn't it?"
Anna turned to see a sight that shocked her almost as much as Hope's tantrum. Matthew was standing next to her, a young boy on his shoulders. Before she could speak, he'd lifted the child from over his head, sitting him on the counter beside the little girl, who immediately stopped yelling to look at her new companion.
"That's better," Matthew said. "Now, young lady, if you apologize to your Uncle Richard for screaming, I'll let you choose one candy." Hope appeared undecided until her Uncle Matthew lifted the lid again.
"Sowwee," she said, her hand reaching towards the jar.
"Only one," Matthew said, scooping a few of the candies up with the metal scoop attached to the jar. "What color?"
"Wed," she answered immediately.
"Red it is," Matthew said, picking up the red gumdrop and holding it just above her outstretched palm. "What do you say?"
"Tank you," she said, stuffing the entire gumdrop into her mouth as if afraid he'd change his mind. Matthew chuckled and turned to Davy.
"What color would you like?" When the boy didn't answer, Hope did for him.
"Wed."
At Davy's shake of his head, Matthew shook his own. "No, Davy doesn't seem like a red kind of guy. Nope, he definitely looks more like a green one. Am I right?" The boy looked between the adults and the small girl before his eyes settled on the candy and he nodded. Matthew plucked a green gumdrop from the scoop and dropped it into the boy's hand, noticing he took only a small bite, then another, as if determined to savor the treat for as long as possible.
Matthew turned his attention to the clerk behind the counter. "Fill a bag for me, if you will. Add it to my tab."
"Sure thing, Mr. Stone," Timothy said, pulling a small brown bag from beneath the counter. Once he had done so, Matthew thanked him, pushing the bag into his pants pocket, shaking his head as both children watched his every movement.
"No more candy until after lunch," he said, once again lifting the boy and settling him on his shoulders as Richard picked up Hope.
"That was quite miraculous," Richard said with a grin. "How on earth do such sweet little babies turn into such horrid monsters?"
"Anyone knows you can't expect her to see such a colorful, tempting display and not temporarily lose her sweet disposition. Unlike Davy here, who kept his cool, didn't you, son?" Matthew said.
"I felt like I was about to lose my mind," Richard said, and then chuckled when Hope pressed her rather sticky lips to his cheek, sliding her arms around his neck. "What the heck, give me a small bag as well," he added.
Anna giggled, her husband shooting her a bit of a chagrined look as he shrugged. She turned to look at Matthew. "Um, and who is this young man?"
"Oh, pardon my manners," Matthew said. "This is Mr. Davy Jefferson, a new friend of mine. Davy, this is Mr. and Mrs. Lewis, very good friends of mine, and the pretty little lady with the lungs is Miss Hope."
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Jefferson," Anna said, lifting her hand and smiling when the boy loosed his hold on Matthew's neck long enough to give it a brief shake. "I thought you weren't coming to the store?" she said, though that wasn't the question she really wanted to ask.
"Changed my mind," Matthew said. "Where is everyone?"
Anna shook her head, again gazing at the customers milling about the store. "I don't know. The last I saw of Agatha, she and Teresa were at the dry goods counter trying to decide on material for baby clothes, and Charity, well, I lost her from almost the moment we came in. Roger should still be here but I don't know where Wyatt and James went."
"They went on to the feed store," Richard provided. "Said they'd meet us at Goldman's for lunch. I swear, this town is growing faster than our little ones."
"That's what I was just thinking," Anna agreed. "Ever since Teresa and Roger's wedding a few months ago, I see several new faces every time we come into town."
"Ma!" Hope said, her arms stretching out as she squirmed to get down. Richard set her down so that she could dash the few yards to her mother.
"Here's your c.a.n.d.y, Mr. Lewis," Timothy said. His spelling out the word had Anna giving a giggle.
"Watch it, youn
g lady," Richard said, accepting the bag and pushing it into his pocket. "Wives who make fun of their husbands are just looking for a s.p.a.n…"
"Richard!" Anna admonished, her eyes cutting up to the young boy.
"Can you spell, young man?" Richard asked. At the boy's shaking of his head, Richard grinned and turned back to his wife. "K.i.n.g," he finished.
"Even though that's pretty sneaky, I'm sure that Matthew can spell just fine," Anna said as her cheeks pinkened.
"Sure can," Matthew said, his grin making Anna's color deepen a bit. "See you at the restaurant," he added, walking away.
"I never would have believed it if I didn't see it with my own eyes," Anna said, watching the pair as they moved through the crowd. "Where on earth did he get that child?"
Richard chuckled and held out his arms. "I'm pretty sure he didn't just snatch him up."
"Of course not, but who does he belong to? I've never seen him before, have you? You don't suppose Matthew has been seeing someone without us knowing, do you?" She turned back to her husband, one hand on her hip, her red hair gleaming a she shook her head. "If he has, then that's just… just…"
"His own business," Richard supplied. "Here, let me take him." As his wife adjusted their son in order to pass him off, she also gave a sharp yelp when his hand connected with her behind. When she turned wide green eyes up to him, he chuckled. "Just a little reminder that wives who meddle can expect that s.p.a.n.k.i.n.g. as well."
"Geeze, are you going to start spelling everything?" Anna huffed, giving her rear a quick rub.
"Who's spelling?" Charity asked. Without waiting for an answer, she continued, "I'm sorry it took so long. Thank you so much for keeping an eye on Hope. I hope she wasn't a bother."
Anna was about to ask if her friend needed her hearing checked, as surely she'd not been able to miss her child's shriek, but Richard shook his head. "Nothing I couldn't handle."
Shaking her head in amusement at the man's flat-out fib, Anna asked, "Did you see Matthew?" as Agatha and Teresa, escorted by Roger, joined them.
"No, I thought he wasn't shopping," Charity said.
"He changed his mind," Roger said. "Probably didn't like the shirt I picked out to replace the one he lost somewhere."
Before Anna could ask anything else, Agatha gave a soft moan. "Goodness, I'm exhausted. Poor Beatrice, she has a long line of customers all wanting yard goods measured and cut." She almost dropped her wrapped package when she began waving her hand in front of her face. "Why is it so hot in here? Who are all these people?"
"It's not that warm, and I don't know them all," Teresa said, taking the bundle from the pregnant woman's arms. "I'm more familiar with the ones who have children old enough for school." The young teacher gave them all a smile. "They are just so adorable, aren't they?"
"I'm sure Mrs. Franklin just wishes some of these folks are looking for a job. She is simply overwhelmed," Agatha said.
Teresa laughed and nodded. "Barb is hoping the same. She has been complaining that she doesn't see near enough of Timothy and when she does, well, he's pretty tired."
"Ladies, what do you say we go on over to the restaurant? We can come back later and pick up the provisions, but if the dining room is as crowded as this, we might be waiting quite some time for lunch and I'm starving."
"That sounds wonderful," Agatha said. "I need to sit down. I had no idea that ankles could swell so much."
"Then it is definitely time to get you off your feet," Richard said.
As the group left the crowded mercantile, Anna couldn't help but turn to scan the crowd again, hoping for a glimpse of Matthew. Spotting him, she squinted a bit… who was that woman he was talking to? Almost as if speaking to herself, she said, "Where on earth would Matthew lose his shirt? Maybe I should…" Before she could finish her sentence, Richard gave her hand a firm tug, pulling her out the door.
***
"How do those feel?" Matthew asked after setting Davy onto his feet. "Go on, walk up and down a bit to make sure your toes are gonna be happy." As the boy turned to walk up the aisle, Matthew looked down at Sally. "My ma always said that trying to keep us in clothes was harder than keeping weeds from her garden."
"I can see the truth in that," Sally said, reaching towards a pile of ready-made trousers. "He certainly seems to grow like a weed."
Davy returned, only to fidget as his ma held up a pair of pants, measuring them against him. "Steady, buddy," Matthew said. "The faster we get you some new duds, the faster we'll get to eat." He grinned and added, "Of course, the more you eat, the faster you'll grow, and the faster you grow, the quicker you'll need new clothes." Giving an exaggerated sigh, he said, "It's an endless cycle, I'm afraid." Hearing his ma giggle, the boy grinned and cooperated as another pair of pants was considered.
"These will do," Sally decided, folding the pair again. "I just need a few more things. Are you sure you don't mind waiting?"
"Not at all," Matthew assured her. "How about I pick up the medicine while you finish up with whatever you need? Just ask one of the clerks to box everything up. We'll get it after lunch."
Sally agreed, and pulling a sheet of paper the doctor had given her from her string bag, she passed it to him. Matthew leaned a bit closer. "Keep that bag tightly closed. We'll need to go to the bank as well." Once she'd nodded, tucking the reticule more securely under her arm, he turned to Davy. "Wanna go with your ma?" he asked.
Davy looked up at his mother, who said that she was going to the dry goods counter for some thread and cloth to make him a new shirt. He made his choice by reaching up his arms. Matthew soon had him seated again on his shoulders. "We'll meet you outside."
"All right, it shouldn't take too much longer."
"No hurry, take your time," Matthew assured her before striding back down the aisle, his hands clasped around the new boots on Davy's feet as the boy's hands clung to his neck.
Chapter Six
Sally didn't move for a few moments as she stood watching the man carrying her son as if he'd done it his entire life. What truly surprised her was that Davy seemed to feel comfortable with him so easily. Not wishing to attach too much meaning to her son's acceptance, she decided it was due to the fact that Davy knew he owed his very life to Mr. Stone. Still it made her heart warm to see the two of them. Giving them a final glance as he joined the line at the front counter, she turned to the left side of the store, where several women were patiently waiting to be served.
Once she had her blue cloth measured and cut, and had picked out thread and a card of buttons, she asked if she could have her items held.
"Certainly," Mrs. Franklin said. "Shall I add those trousers to your box?"
"Oh, please," Sally said, passing over the pants she'd chosen. "I still have a few provisions to pick up."
"If you'll just give me the list, I'll have my son pull the items. Everything will be boxed and ready in an hour or so, if that's convenient?"
"That will be perfect, thank you. Oh, I need to write the list down." A piece of paper and a pencil were passed to her before the older woman turned to the next customer. It only took a few minutes to transfer the items she'd made in her head to print, and she smiled as she added sugar and butter to the list. Of course, she knew how to make her own butter, but until she had her milk cow back, she'd have to purchase the item. When Mrs. Franklin had served her customer, Sally handed her the list, thanking her again. Not seeing Matthew, she moved towards the door.
She found him and Davy outside. The two were… no, certainly not! "David Tanner Jefferson, please tell me you are not spitting in the street!"
The little boy whirled around, his lips pursed, evidently caught only a moment before he spat again.
"Oops," Matthew said, spitting what appeared to be a seed into the street. "It's my fault. I challenged him to a seed spitting contest while we waited." He held up what remained of an apple core.
"I see," Sally said, shaking her head. The look on her son's face had her smile. "Go ahead, spit i
t out, but do it politely."
Davy turned and bent forward, spitting the seed onto the ground in front of his feet instead of attempting to beat the distance of Matthew's last seed.
"Ready to eat?" Matthew asked, drawing her attention back to him, reaching for something he'd left leaning against a pillar.
Seeing the fishing pole, she shook her head. "I didn't think we were going to have to catch our lunch, today, Matth—um, Mr. Stone." Pulling out a hankie edged with lace from her pocket, she attempted to cover her slip of calling him by his Christian name by dabbing a corner of the linen with her tongue and then reached out to wipe her son's chin where a bit of drool had gathered. She ignored Davy's attempt to pull free of her hold as well as Matthew's chuckle.
"Keep laughing and I'll be wiping your mouth next," she warned Matthew without thinking, unable to keep from grinning when he also pulled back, his head shaking.
"Not gonna happen. I remember exactly how I felt when my ma used to do that," he said, pulling a bandana from his pocket and wiping his own mouth. Stuffing it back into his pocket, he grinned. "We'll get you your own bandana," he told Davy as he once again swooped him up.
"Seems like your ma doesn't approve of our plan, buddy," he said, settling the boy on his shoulders. "How about we take her to a fancy restaurant today, and then maybe she'll cook up all that trout we'll be catching?"
Sally knew she should protest, should state Davy could walk, but seeing her son's face, his eyes bright, his dark head nodding, his hands clasped about Mr. Stone's neck, she just didn't have the heart to do so. Instead, she smiled and said, "Only if you do the cleaning." Something had her adding, "Of the fish and the dishes afterwards."
"Deal," Matthew said, giving a soft whistle that had King rising from where he'd been lying, following a few paces behind.
A few minutes later, Sally said, "Stay," bending to pet King's head when he sat down next to the door of a building not too far from the mercantile. Thanking Matthew, who was holding the door open, she stepped inside. The interior was bright and airy, a yellow and white striped wallpaper print seemed to bring the sun inside. There was a staircase to her left and a large opening to her right.
