by Zoe Matthews
“I wish I could have a little sister. I would even be happy with a little brother like William, but I really want a little sister. Do you think I could ever get one someday?”
“Have you talked to your pa about this?” Katrina did not know what she should say to her.
“No,” Sage whispered softly. “I’m afraid he would say no.”
“You won’t be a big sister unless your pa remarries, sweetie.” She tried to soften the words with a smile.
“Oh.” Sage walked slowly, looking at the ground as she shuffled her feet. “Do you mean I need to get another mother?”
“Yes,” Katrina nodded, glad the girl was able to figure that out, but her heart melted as Sage did not look happy at her words.
Then Sage stopped and looked at Katrina with a big grin on her face. “You like me, right? I know you like me.”
“Yes, sweetie, I like you very much,” Katrina agreed, puzzled at her question.
“Then why don’t you marry my pa? Then you can have a baby like Aunt Anna did and then I can be a big sister.”
“Oh, honey, I don’t think that is going to happen.” How did she explain to a little girl that her father was deeply hurt by her mother’s death and will likely never marry again?
“Why not? I know you like me. Don’t you like my pa?” Sage started her skipping again. “I know he can be grouchy at times, but he doesn’t mean anything by it. And you know what? He has been happier since you came. Maybe he likes you, too.”
Sage’s words confused her and made her feel nervous. What did Sage see? She always believed children were very aware of what was going on around them, especially when it came to people they cared about. She remembered the conversation she had had with Anna a few days ago when Anna had hinted the same thing, that Luke was different than he used to be. What if they were right?
By this time, they had arrived at Aida’s home and she watched as the two girls greeted each other in their typical way of hugging and shrieking together. She waved to Aida’s mother and turned around to head back to the main ranch house. As she walked, she went over the conversation she had with Sage and then with Anna.
Were they right? What if Luke was interested in her? She was not sure if she was ready to even think about another man. Her experiences with men had been limited to Joshua and friendships with a few young men that were quickly stopped by the Porters. She did not know if she would be able to trust another man.
She unconsciously started to compare Joshua and Luke. She had not felt comfortable with Joshua right from the very beginning when she first met him. He had been very stern, hardly ever smiled, and it always seemed to talk down to her, almost as if he thought of her as a small child and not an adult woman. He discouraged any type of conversation where Katrina would give her opinion, and he looked harshly at her when she did or said something he did not approve.
On the other hand, Luke had been grouchy and ornery since he met her, but he also talked to her with respect. He treated her like a woman wanted to be treated. He did not raise his voice to her and he had been very patient when he taught her how to ride Stormy.
As she approached the barn, she saw Luke and Paul leading some saddled horses out of the barn and tie them to a nearby fence. She knew she was not going to be much help with gathering the missing cattle, but she had been looking forward to this outing since Luke had invited her to come. She really wanted to see those mountains. She also admitted to herself she wanted to spend some time with Luke. She wanted to see for herself if Anna and Sage were correct.
“Good, you’re back,” Luke told her briskly, but did not look at her as he put some items in a saddlebag on his horse. Katrina’s heart dropped at his reaction to her. Maybe he regretted inviting her. “Are you ready to go? I would like to leave as soon as possible. It will take all day to get those missing cattle back here.”
Katrina nodded. “I just need to grab a few things. I will be ready in a few minutes.” She quickly ran into the ranch house and saw Serena had finished making the lunch as there were cloth bags sitting on the table with their food in them. She went back to her room and quickly slipped on her men’s pants under her dress. She grabbed a straw hat and tied it under her chin. At the last second, she grabbed a wrap in case it was cooler in the mountains.
When Katrina left her room, Serena was gathering up the bags of food. “Are you ready to go?” Serena asked.
“Yes,” Katrina answered and picked up one of the bags. “I am looking forward to seeing the mountains.” She grinned at her friend. “It’s too bad Anna and Alex can’t come with us.”
Serena smiled at the thought of Anna joining them. “I think she would rather stay here. After all, she just had a baby.”
Katrina felt a little guilty at Serena’s words. Not once had she thought of Anna staying at the ranch on her own with a newborn. “Do you think I should stay and help her?”
“No, Alex will be around if Anna needs him and besides, she would insist on you coming.”
The two women met Luke and Paul by the four horses. Paul took the bags of food and placed them in saddlebags on his horse. Luke helped Katrina onto Stormy and soon they were on their way.
Katrina spent her time as they rode towards the mountains looking at her surroundings. At first, much of what she saw was similar to the ranch near the main ranch house and schoolhouse, but as they rode and got closer to the mountains, she noticed that the trees were closer together and larger. They followed the winding creek for a while before veering off and going deeper into the mountains.
Over the next few hours, Katrina watched as Luke and Paul herded a few cattle that they had found. Serena helped a little bit, but Katrina made sure she stayed well away from the cattle. They were so large and she felt a little scared of them. She admired how well Luke handled the cattle. Using his horse, he was able to keep the cattle in the direction he wanted them to go. Paul also helped.
When it was noon, they stopped for lunch. Katrina was glad for a break from horseback riding. Her back and legs were starting to ache. Luke helped her down and she noticed he kept ahold of her arms until he knew she could stand on her own. She was grateful for the help since this had been the longest she had ever been on a horse, and her legs and back were starting to feel stiff. Serena had brought a small quilt and she quickly spread lunch out on the colorful fabric. After a quick prayer, everyone ate quietly as they all were hungry. Soon the beef sandwiches were gone, as well as the apples, and they were all munching on the delicious cookies. Luke handed everyone a canteen he had filled with water from a nearby spring that fed into the winding creek. The water was cool and delicious.
Paul invited Serena to ride their horses towards a clump of trees that was a fair distance away where he suspected a few cattle were hiding. Soon Katrina was alone with Luke.
“How do you like living on our ranch?” Luke finally asked after a long silence.
“It is the most beautiful land I have ever seen,” Katrina admitted.
“How is teaching going?”
“It is going well. I enjoy the students and the school. I do appreciate being able to have this job. I hope you know that I will do my best.”
“I know you will. I hear about school every night from Sage. I can tell you are a great teacher.”
They sat in silence again for a while and Katrina started to feel uncomfortable. She was ready to stand and go on a walk on her own when Luke interrupted the silence.
“Can I ask you why you left Texas?” Luke asked. Katrina was surprised at his question. This was the first time he had shown any interest in her background. She glanced at him, but he was looking in the direction Paul and Serena had gone. He then turned and looked directly at her.
“I came because Serena came to marry Paul and Anna was already here. Surely, you have heard of our history from Anna.”
Luke nodded. “I have heard your stories. You three were orphans living in a home in New York. You were given the opportunity to ride on a train to Texa
s and you were each adopted by a different family, but all three of you were able to stay in the same town.”
Katrina looked at Luke, wondering if she should tell him what he wanted to know. Would he really care? Something deep inside told her that she should tell him and that he would understand.
She proceeded to explain her life with the Porters. She told him all about her teenage years with them and how they used their money to get what they wanted. She explained about her two years away from them going to school and getting her teacher’s certificate, but how, when she returned, they continued to subtly control her life. She talked about her teaching job at the Maple Grove school. She then told him about meeting Joshua and how she was essentially being forced to marry him, to keep the money she would inherit when she turned 21 in the family.
“I just couldn’t make myself marry him. He scared me. When Serena made the decision to marry Paul, I decided to accept your offer to teach at your school. I had to sneak out. I am actually surprised that the Porters haven’t shown up here, trying to make me go back. They know Anna came here to marry Alex. I am sure they learned Serena also left. All they would need to do is put the pieces together.”
“When do you turn 21?” Luke asked.
“Next week, actually.” Katrina had never looked forward to a birthday as she had this one.
“You do know that they really couldn’t make you marry someone you don’t want to marry. Hopefully, no judge or reverend would have performed a ceremony like that.”
“You don’t know the Porters. They are very convincing. If I hadn’t left, if I hadn’t had this option to come to Montana, I probably would have had to marry Joshua.” Katrina knew it would be hard for Luke to understand what it was really like living with the Porters.
“Aren’t you afraid of being disowned and that you will not receive your inheritance money?”
Katrina shook her head. “I don’t care about the money. They can keep it, all of it. If and when I marry, it will be my choice and no one else’s.”
Suddenly Luke reached out and grasped her hand. At his touch, she felt a tingle run clear through her body, and she gasped. She suspected Luke felt the same thing because he froze and started to pull his hand away, but then he suddenly grasped her hand harder.
“If they show up, we won’t let them take you,” he promised. “I will make sure the ranch hands, as well as Alex and Paul, know the circumstances.”
“Thank you,” Katrina whispered. Emotion swelling within her, a pure tenderness towards this man. She was glad she told him. “I was planning on sending a letter after my birthday explaining why I left and that I don’t want any of their money, nor do I want any contact with them.”
“That is a good idea. You might as well send it as soon as you get it written,” Luke advised. “It will take a week or so to get to Maple Grove. By the time it arrives, you will have already had your birthday. I know an attorney in Pine Valley. We can ask him to send a note with the letter advising them to leave you alone and to not contact you again.”
Katrina felt relief at his words. It felt so good not to have to keep this problem to herself any longer.
When they returned that evening with a total of about 25 head of cattle, Katrina helped with the evening meal and then she quickly wrote the letter. She gave it to Luke, who promised he would ride into town the next morning to see that it was mailed. He would also find the attorney and ask him to write a short note advising the Porters that Katrina was of legal age and to respect her wishes of no contact.
CHAPTER 11
The next few weeks were some of the happiest Katrina had ever experienced. She continued to enjoy teaching at the school. Luke always was available when she left for the school and he made sure Stormy was saddled and ready for her, along with Sage’s horse. In the evenings, the group of adults spent many hours in the great room talking or playing games. All six of them, along with Sage, got along together very well. Katrina liked to watch Anna and Alex together with their baby. She could tell they loved each other very much. One evening Serena and Paul announced that they were expecting. Over the loud congratulations that were being given to the couple, Katrina glanced at Luke and saw that he was looking at her with an unreadable expression. Her heart jumped again, just like it always seemed to when he looked at her. It was then she realized she was starting to fall in love with him. She felt a closeness to him, like a touch to her soul, even though he was across the room.
She quickly looked away as she hugged Serena. She knew he likely would not return her feelings because of his previous marriage. She hoped she would be able to hide her own feelings from him and that he would never know that she had fallen for him.
Sometimes though, it seemed that Luke would seek her out. One time he gave her a book of poems to read that he had told her about. Another time, he walked with her around the ranch, their feet crunching in the newly fallen snow. It was November by this time and the weather was getting colder, but Katrina loved to walk every evening around the ranch. She had started a habit where she went for a short walk by herself every evening after the dinner dishes were done. She loved the outdoors, breathing the fresh cool air, and watching the night settle over the ranch. On some evenings, the sunsets were incredible, multiple colors that spread over the nearby mountains of purple, orange, red, and yellow. It was as if God was painting the sky, letting them know that all was right in their part of the world.
Katrina had received an answer to her letter from the Porters about a month after she sent it. It was a harsh letter, letting her know that she was ungrateful and selfish after all they had done for her, taking her in as an orphan and giving her all that they had. They informed her that they disowned her and she would not receive a penny of her inheritance. They even informed her that Joshua had already found another woman who was glad to marry him and that they knew Katrina would someday regret her decision in rejecting him. Katrina let Luke read it. While he was reading, anger flared in his eyes, but Katrina quickly assured him she did not care. They were going to leave her alone and let her lead her own life and that was all that mattered.
One evening, Katrina left for her usual evening walk. Since it was the night before Thanksgiving, it was already dark by the time dinner was over, and it was getting very cold. She did not care though. She loved her evening walks. Since school had been closed for the holiday, she had spent the day helping Anna and Serena prepare what food they could for a large Thanksgiving dinner they were having for the hired hands and their families. The men had cleaned out part of the horse barn and set up some makeshift tables and chairs. They had added the wood stove that had originally been in the shack Katrina was supposed to have used when she first arrived, so the barn would have some heat. She was exhausted from all the cooking they had done, and was looking forward to some time to herself.
Katrina had grabbed a heavy quilt and wrapped it around herself to keep warm. She had only walked a few steps when she heard her name called. It was Luke.
“You must be going on your walk,” Luke commented as he caught up to her. She knew he didn’t like it when she walked on her own and had given her strict instructions as to how far she was to go in the dark.
“Yes,” Katrina said. “Would you like to join me?”
Luke smiled and started to walk beside her. They conversed for a while on what still needed to be done for the meal tomorrow. Katrina thought it was great that they made this meal for all the hired families and told him so. He explained that it was a tradition his mother had started many years before when she had first married his father.
They circled the two large barns as they talked and soon they had arrived where they started, in front of the horse barn. Katrina was starting to get cold, so she agreed to go inside the barn where the dinner was going to be held and warm up for a bit before going back to the main ranch house.
Once inside the barn, they both sat on some chairs and continued talking. Katrina was coming to love these talks with Luke. He had
often joined her on her walks. They talked about many things and she felt she knew him well. The only subject that he avoided was his marriage. She could tell he was starting to have feelings for her. He had held her hand a few times on their walks and one time he hugged her when they were saying goodnight. He had not kissed her, though she desperately wanted him to. She knew that he needed to get past whatever happened in his marriage if they were going to get any closer.
“Can you tell me about your marriage?” Katrina dared to ask this evening. Luke looked sharply at her and she was afraid he would refuse, but then he sighed and nodded.
“I met Pamela when she was visiting some of her relatives on a nearby ranch. I thought she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. I soon learned that beauty is only skin deep. I courted her that summer and was able to convince her not return to her family back east, but to stay and marry me.
“She agreed and, for a while, things went well, but I soon learned that she hated living on the ranch. She missed the life she used to have. She continually tried to talk me into selling my share of the ranch to Paul and Alex and taking her back east. I refused.”
