Shaking her head, Nora turned around and squeezed J.B.’s arm, leaning close to him. “I think our boy is a goner.”
J.B. grinned and nodded his head. “That he is, but who could blame him. She’s quite a girl.”
“Did you have a good day at the ranch?” Aundy finally asked Garrett, trying to distract him from continuing to stare at her. The way his silvery eyes flickered with heat made her completely unsettled.
“Yes. Nothing out of the ordinary,” Garrett said, finally regaining his ability to both think and talk, although still feeling distracted by Aundy sitting so close to him when she looked and smelled so lovely. “How about your day? What did you do?”
“Li helped me plant the garden this morning,” Aundy said, laughing at her statement. “Perhaps it would be more truthful to state I helped Li plant the garden this morning. He knew what he was doing and told me what to drop where and how much dirt to put over it.”
Garrett chuckled and took Aundy’s gloved hand in his, shooting sparks from their fingers up both their arms. “Then what did you do?”
“I took lunch out to Nik and we had a nature lesson,” Aundy said, looking into Garrett’s eyes with enthusiasm. “He’s such a bright boy, and so sweet. I want him to learn all he can. Maybe he’ll go to college someday.”
“Maybe,” Garrett said, studying the way Aundy’s lips tempted him when she smiled. “How’s he doing with that harmonica you bought him?”
“Wonderful. I heard him playing Daisy Bell today and recognized it right away.”
“If you aren’t careful, you’ll spoil that boy,” Garrett teased, knowing love and care couldn’t spoil a boy with a heart like Nik’s.
“I won’t either,” Aundy said, releasing Garrett’s hand to smack him on the leg. He used the opportunity to put his arm around her and draw her little closer to his side. When she didn’t protest, he let out the breath he was holding and relaxed. “The sheep are so peaceful to watch, Garrett. I’m ever so glad I bought them, even if most of the neighbors disapprove.”
“Who’s been jabbering at you about the woolies now?” Garrett might have been quite vocal in his displeasure with Aundy purchasing sheep, but he didn’t like the way so many of the neighbors had given Aundy a piece of their mind about them. He had to admit, they hadn’t been any trouble so far, except for keeping the neighborhood whiners stirred up.
“I think most everyone has been by at least once to let me know their thoughts on my flock, although Marvin Tooley seems the most concerned. He came by a little inebriated this afternoon,” Aundy said, wishing she hadn’t said anything when a look she couldn’t quite define settled on Garrett’s face. He frowned and she felt his arm tense behind her.
“He showed up at the farm drunk?” Garrett asked, angry with Tooley for his inappropriate behavior.
“I think that is what you’d call it. He couldn’t stand up straight and was slurring his words. He fell off his horse when he tried to leave and seemed quite incoherent, so I hitched up the buggy and took him home. My goodness, but his place could use some attention, couldn’t it? Does he have any hands to help out?”
“You what? Back up, honey. You took Tooley home? While he was drunk? What were you thinking? What if he’d done something to harm you?” Garrett pelted her with questions so fast, Aundy felt like she was being mentally whipped back and forth.
“He was too drunk to do anything and I couldn’t just leave him in front of the house sleeping it off. Taking him home seemed the logical thing to do, so I did. No harm done,” Aundy said in her matter-of-fact tone that Garrett was coming to realize coincided with the stubborn set of her chin.
Reaching out with his hand that wasn’t already wrapped around her shoulders, he took her fingers in his and gently rubbed his thumb along her glove-covered palm. Unsettled by the sensations it stirred inside him, Garrett assumed Aundy was feeling something similar with the way she melted against his side and released a soft sigh. “I’m very glad no harm was done, Aundy. Very glad. Next time, call and I’ll come over.”
“You’re a busy man with your own place to run, Garrett. I could have had one of the hands take care of it, but they were all out working. I’m capable of handling things,” Aundy said, wondering how many times she and Garrett would have variations of the same conversation. She wished he’d realize she was no weak little female who depended on a man to take care of her and protect her. Aundy could and would take care of herself.
Once in a while, though, it was nice to feel cared for and sheltered. Like now, with Garrett’s spicy scent tickling her nose as she sat against his side, letting her know she was safe and secure in his arms.
J.B. turned the surrey off the road onto a lane lined with dogwoods that were full of beautiful blooms.
“Oh, my,” Aundy whispered, impressed with the beauty of the trees and the setting of the house up on a hill.
“I forget how pretty it is out here in the spring,” Nora said, gazing at the trees. “I don’t know how Ashton keeps these trees alive as cold as it gets in the winter.”
“Must be his special fertilizer,” Garrett said, making J.B. laugh and Nora look at her son with a glare that would have chastised him had she not been fighting to contain her own smile.
J.B. guided the surrey around a circular drive, stopping in front of a three-story house that could rival any picture Aundy had seen of a stately plantation home.
“Something, isn’t it?” Nora asked as J.B. helped her out of the surrey while Garrett gave Aundy his arm.
“That it is,” Aundy said, tipping back her head to take in the grand white columns and balconies. They walked up the steps together and J.B. was preparing to knock on the door when a buggy came down the drive, followed by a lone rider on horseback.
Garrett grinned as Kade climbed off his horse. Politely offering his arm to one of the town’s schoolteachers, Almira Raines, her spinster sister wrapped her bony hand around his other and they started up the steps. Their brother, owner of a barbershop in Pendleton, followed behind. The two Raines sisters could talk a dead man into his grave and they were each doing their best to capture Kade’s attention, chatting up a storm with every step they took.
Swallowing down the chuckle that tried to erupt from his mouth, Garrett tipped his head at Kade.
“Evening, Deputy. Here for dinner?” Garrett asked, keeping a firm grip on Aundy’s elbow as they stood at the door.
“Yep. Ashton invited the sheriff, but he had to cancel at the last moment, so he asked me to come in his place,” Kade said, trying not to roll his eyes at the two women who had him caught like a mouse between two sparring cats.
“Lucky you,” Garrett said, grinning broadly.
Kade would have replied, but the door opened and Ashton’s butler welcomed them into the entry hall.
“Ladies, I’d be happy to take your outerwear,” the butler said, gathering wraps and shawls while the men removed their hats and handed them to the stoic man. Accepting them with a nod, the butler inclined his head toward a large gathering room. “Please be seated. Mr. Monroe will be down shortly.”
Walking into a room with an enormous fireplace, expensive furnishings and fine art, the group sat and visited for a few minutes until Ashton appeared in the door. He greeted them with his usual charm and did his best to put his guests at ease.
Moving them into the dining room when dinner was served, Ashton kept up a lively conversation. Aundy found herself seated between Ashton at the head of the table and Garrett to her right.
The undercurrents flowing between the two men were enough to make her feel battered from both directions. She didn’t know what was going on with Garrett and Ashton, but she wished it would stop.
When Ashton reached out and clasped Aundy’s hand in his, Garrett dropped his arm around the back of her chair and leaned closer to her. Ashton kept bumping her leg beneath the table and Garrett made sure his hand brushed against her arm any number of times.
By the end of the meal, the two of
them had her so jumpy and irritated, she couldn’t wait to go home.
Ashton had other plans, though, as he invited them to stay and play parlor games. After dividing into teams, they played a few games of charades before Kade and Garrett had their fill of listening to the Raines sisters’ chatter.
Executing a yawn that should have cracked the joint in his jaw, Kade begged pardon and said he had to get back to town since he was covering the night shift.
“We should be going, too,” Garrett said, nudging his dad’s foot with his own as he got to his feet.
“So soon?” Ashton asked. “But the fun is just beginning.”
“It was a lovely evening, Ashton, and we appreciate your hospitality, but we really should go,” Nora said, noticing Garrett’s desire to leave sooner rather than later. Aundy looked like she’d swallowed something bitter halfway through dinner and the frown that puckered her brow hadn’t gone away.
“Yes, Ashton, thank you so much for inviting us. Your home is very impressive,” Aundy said. For all the beauty of the architecture, Aundy thought Dogwood Corners was missing some vital welcoming element. She couldn't pinpoint what, exactly, but something seemed off.
“I hope, now that you know where to find me, you’ll come back to visit again,” Ashton said, draping Aundy’s shawl around her shoulders with much more lingering care than was necessary.
Snorting as he slapped his hat on his head, Garrett picked up her gloves and reticule, handing them to her.
“I’d be happy to bring her back anytime she’s of a mind to visit,” Garrett said, hustling Aundy out the door. Shaking Ashton’s hand, he thanked him for the meal and urged Aundy down the broad steps to where the surrey waited.
“That was a little rude, don’t you think?” Aundy asked as Garrett helped her in the back of the surrey.
“Not at all,” Garrett said, in a clipped tone, draping his arm along the seat behind her.
Quiet on the ride home, Garrett seemed more like himself as they neared her place, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pulling her against his side.
“Don’t want you to catch a chill,” Garrett said, his voice warm and husky by her ear. An involuntarily shiver raced from her head to her toes. Garrett’s proximity, combined with his voice, made Aundy think of sweet, thick molasses. She could picture it pouring over her heart right down to her soul.
If she had a brain in her head, she’d move away from him. Unfortunately, she seemed to have left her sense at home. It appeared to have fled the moment she opened the door earlier that evening and gazed up into Garrett’s silvery eyes.
Nestled against his side, breathing in his unique masculine scent, she savored every moment until J.B. stopped the surrey at the end of her walk. Garrett walked her to the door and that’s when they noticed a note nailed to the house.
Yanking it free, Aundy gasped to see it was written in what appeared to be blood. She sincerely hoped her imagination was running away with her and it was only paint.
Taking the note from her hand, Garrett read it in the fading light and folded Aundy into his arms. Whoever wrote the note was clearly lacking in basic spelling skills.
“Git rid a them sheep or git of the farm, ya dum wuman!”
“I’m sorry, honey. Do you think Marvin Tooley wrote this?” Garrett asked as Aundy stood with her head pressed to his chest. Although he appreciated the opportunity to wrap his arms around her, he was outraged that anyone would try to threaten her. She had every right to raise whatever she wanted on the farm and if he had anything to say about it, she’d never leave.
“I don’t know. He was quite drunk earlier. I don’t know if he would have come back already,” Aundy said, breathing deeply and stepping away from Garrett. Taking back the note, she stared at it a moment before opening her door.
“Thank you for seeing me home, Garrett. I appreciate it,” she said and walked inside the house. Turning to close the door, Garrett stood blocking the doorframe, looking into the empty house.
“Want me to come inside and make sure everything is fine?”
“No, I’ll be okay,” Aundy said, determined not to let fear override her need for independence. “Thanks again.”
“Aundy, are you certain…” Garrett started to say, but Aundy was quietly closing the door. “Goodnight.”
Trembling in fear, Aundy wanted Garrett to hold her hand, light all the lamps, and promise her everything would be fine.
Since that wasn’t going to happen, she pulled the gun out of her reticule and walked through the house, prepared to shoot if anything moved.
Making it to her bedroom, she lit a lamp and heaved a sigh. Why did the neighbors have such a hard time accepting her sheep? They weren’t hurting anyone. Nik kept them contained. She didn’t go around commenting on the state of her neighbors’ livestock, which included a herd of scrawny cattle, some horses that looked abused, and a pair of mean dogs that had to be part wolf for as vicious as they seemed.
Maybe it wasn’t so much about the sheep but about her, a woman, taking over the farm. Although she had a lot to learn, she was willing to try and gave her best each day to make the place a success.
Deciding there was nothing she could do right then, Aundy changed into her nightgown, blew out the lamp, and prayed.
Chapter Fifteen
Aundy didn’t mention the note she found on the door to anyone the next morning. Nora called right after breakfast to see how she was and she told her everything was fine.
It was fine.
Or it would be when whoever was trying to frighten her figured out she wasn’t leaving, wasn’t selling, and wasn’t giving up.
With renewed determination to ignore whoever was taunting her, especially if it was Marvin Tooley, Aundy did laundry all morning and was hanging the last sheet up to dry when Li suddenly appeared next to her clothesbasket.
“Missy, come eat with us?” Li asked, smiling at her imploringly. She’d eaten a few meals he prepared and the food was always delicious. The thought of not having to make herself dinner was too appealing to tell him no. That, and the fact he looked at her nodding his head, trying his best to make her agree.
“I’d love to, Li. Thank you for the invitation,” Aundy said, offering a genuine smile to her cook. “May I bring something?”
“No. Li cook,” he said, still smiling and nodding his head.
“Okay, I’ll see you later then.”
“Yep, Missy,” Li said, turning to go back to the bunkhouse before stopping and giving her an inquisitive look. “Missy, why wear britches, big hat day you help Li?”
Aundy almost swallowed the clothespin she was holding in her mouth. Snatching it from between her lips and hooking it on the sheet, she looked at Li with raised eyebrows.
In the weeks since she’d met the man, he hadn’t once mentioned her being the person who found him and she hoped, in his pain-induced state, he wouldn’t remember. It looked like he wasn’t quite as incoherent as she thought when she’d dragged him out of the stairwell to her horse.
“I didn’t think you knew that was me,” Aundy said quietly, looking around to see if anyone else was close enough to hear the conversation. It appeared they were alone. “I was trying to buy sheep and no one would talk to me as a woman, so I dressed like a man. I don’t plan on making a habit of it.”
“That good,” Li said, grinning at his boss. “You pretty lady, not man.”
Aundy laughed. “Thank you, I think.”
“Pretty boss lady,” Li said in a singsong voice, making Aundy grin. “Pretty lady. Pretty lady.”
“Can you keep that under your hat?”
“What under hat?” Li asked, looking confused.
“That means please don’t tell anyone I was dressed like a man. The guys wouldn’t take that news favorably,” Aundy said.
“Not tell nobody,” Li said, bowing at Aundy as he hurried back to the bunkhouse. Aundy finished the laundry, then retreated to Erik’s desk for the afternoon.
Completing boo
kwork she’d put off, Aundy rolled her shoulders and looked at the clock on the mantle across the room. If she didn't hurry she’d be late for dinner and she didn’t want to keep hungry men waiting. Going to the bathroom, she washed her hands and face then tidied her hair before going out the kitchen door and down the steps. She noticed the green sprouts coming up in the garden and decided to spend time weeding soon. Li had already made sure she knew what plants were weeds and what ones were supposed to be growing.
Knocking on the bunkhouse door, Dent opened it with a smile, ushering her inside.
“Welcome, Missy. Heard you was joining us for supper,” Dent said, motioning her to the big table, lined with benches on both sides and chairs on each end. Dent escorted her to a chair and held it while she sat down.
“Li was quite persuasive in his argument that I share supper with you,” Aundy said, winking at the cook as he set a bowl of rice on the table.
“We liked his funny Chinese food so well the other day, we asked him to make some more,” Bill said, looking a little sheepish. No doubt, he and Fred were the loudest protestors at eating strange food. “Nik said you wanted to try it.”
“I do,” Aundy said, bowing her head while Dent gave thanks. “I have eaten Chinese food before, though.”
“You have?” Nik asked, giving Aundy a questioning glance as he passed a bowl to her.
“Yes, I have. In fact, I had the opportunity to sample food from all over the world once in Chicago,” Aundy said, her thoughts drifting back to an adventure she experienced with her parents, brother, and sister.
“Where was that?” George asked, helping himself to a mixture of meat and vegetables in sauce.
“At the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893,” Aundy said, taking a bite of the food and enjoying the flavors that exploded on her tongue.
“Really? You were there?” Fred asked, his eyes lighting up with curiosity. “I heard it was quite something to see.”
Aundy (Pendleton Petticoats - Book 1) Page 21
