by Linda Ford
“I’d like that. When?”
“Tomorrow?”
“What about your head? Don’t you think you should wait a day or two?”
“My head is fine.” He bounced to his feet to prove it and forced himself to hold steady as the world turned around him. “Tomorrow then?”
“Only if you’re up to it.”
“I’ll be up to it.” He trotted over to grab a hammer and help with the school. And if he had to squint to see the nails he pounded in, no one seemed to notice.
Tomorrow he’d be well enough to go if he had to drive with one eye closed.
Chapter 11
Victoria was more anxious to see Reese’s ranch than she cared to admit. She even allowed herself to think he had invited her to see it because he wanted her opinion. Perhaps he wondered if she could see it as a future home for herself.
She shivered as much from anticipation as fear. She had determined that her non-existent past would no longer have a hold on her. It would no longer be allowed to dictate how she lived her future. So long as Reese could accept the chance that someone from her former life could show up and reveal it to her….she shuddered. So many scenarios had played through her mind as to what that life had looked like.
She was ready to go right after breakfast. “He might not take us,” she told Donny who waited at her side. “His head might be too sore.”
“A wagon’s coming,” Eve said from her station by the window. “He doesn’t look any worse for his accident.”
Victoria remained at the cupboard by the picnic lunch she’d made. She didn’t know if he would expect or even want one, but they would likely be gone past noon.
“He’s getting down. Moves all right. Guess he’s fine.” Eve kept up her commentary until Reese reached the door, and then flung it open before he could knock.
“Howdy,” he said. “How is everyone this morning?”
“We’re fine,” the three girls chorused.
Ma gave Reese close study. “Are you sure you’re up to this trip? I wouldn’t want to think of you collapsing out at the ranch and my daughter having to deal with that.”
“Ma,” Victoria scolded.
“I’ve got a lump on my head but nothing I can’t deal with. No pain. No dizziness. Both my eyes are working.” He widened them and leaned toward Ma to prove his point. “See anything wrong with them?”
“Oh you.” She laughed and pushed him away. “Just take care of yourself and these two.”
“Ma’am, you can count on it.” He turned to Victoria. “Shall we?”
Stella hugged Donny goodbye, warned him to be good, and thanked Reese for entertaining her boy.
Victoria grabbed the picnic basket.
Reese took it from her and set it in the wagon. Donny sat in the back with a few of his farm animals to amuse him.
They rode out of town. Several people waved as they passed.
“The whole town will know where we’re going before we get two miles down the road,” Reese said.
Victoria laughed. “They’re just concerned that you might be overdoing it.”
“Well, I don’t mind their interest and concern. It’s kind of nice.” He leaned back.
She studied him. By all appearances he seemed relaxed, but she detected a tightness at the corner of his mouth.
He turned to her. “What?”
“You’re worrying about something.”
He blinked. “Why would you say that? Do I have a sign on my forehead?” He scrubbed at the skin there.
“No, silly. It’s written right here.” She touched the corner of his mouth. At the jolt that ran up her arm, she knew she shouldn’t have done it.
He caught her hand and held it near his chest. “I think you’re making that up.” He slowly released her, and she sat up prim and proper as her ma would expect.
“We are now on my land,” he said after a bit.
She looked about. “How can you tell?” Far as she could see, there was only more grass, more rolling hills.
“I have a special sense about it.” He grinned, and she knew he was teasing.
“Like the lines that inform me you’re worried. Care to tell me what’s on your mind?”
“Umm. Well, there are a lot of things. Like how long will your pa be gone?”
That seemed a strange thing to concern him.
“Or whether or not Mickey and Martha will tie the knot. And then there’s Sylvie and Earl. By the way, what do you think of that pair?”
“I know you’re avoiding giving me an honest answer, but I have no desire to ruin a perfectly good day, so fine. Sylvie and Earl seem like a fine match. Only one problem.”
“What’s that?”
“Will she give up her diner or will he give up his job on the ranch?”
“That is a fine dilemma.”
The lines at the sides of his mouth deepened. What was there about Sylvie and Earl that bothered him? “If she gives up the diner, I suppose cowboys like you might not have a place to eat when you’re in town.”
“That’s sad to think of.” He brightened. “But likely someone else will run her business. Maybe one of the Kinsley girls.”
“Not me. I’ll be teaching school.”
Again, those lines deepened.
Reese pulled in his bottom lip, hoping it would make those lines Victoria referred to disappear. How ironic that she asked the question that he wondered about. Even if Mr. Hayworth didn’t whisk Victoria back to Chicago, would she leave teaching to become a rancher’s wife?
Not that he needed the answer, because he knew what Mr. Hayworth would do.
But he had until Mr. Kinsley returned, and he meant to make the most of every day.
He pointed out the hollows with lush grass, the trees that would provide shelter, and the rolling hills that allowed for good grazing. He pulled to a stop. “There it is.” His throat tightened at the overwhelming sense of pride and ownership.
She studied it a moment then nodded. “Let’s see it closer up.”
Donny leaned forward. “This your place?”
“It is.”
“Almost as nice as ours.”
Reese glanced at Victoria and they shared a little smile.
He drove toward the house. Abe stepped out. “Good timing. I’m ready to leave. Could get on the trail this morning.”
Reese helped Victoria down while Donny jumped out on his own.
Victoria stepped forward. “I don’t know if you remember, but we’ve met. I’m sorry about your loss.”
Abe nodded. “Thanks. How’s your parents and sisters?”
“We are all fine.”
Abe led them to the house. “Reese, I got things all sorted out.” They stepped inside. “I’m leaving all this for you.”
The house was fully furnished.
“Did you take anything?”
“Just personal things and my wife’s rocking chair. They’re all stored in the barn loft out of your way.”
“I’ll take care of them until you get back.”
“Just happy to have things sorted out. My bags are packed. I would have left already but there’s something been bothering the cows. Can’t say if it’s a bear or a cougar but I’ve been spending the nights out there, building a fire in the hopes of scaring off whatever it is. Been keeping the herd together. But now you’re here, I’ll be on my way.” He trotted to the barn and emerged a few minutes later riding one horse and leading another carrying packs.
Reese was glad to see the man eager to move on but had hoped he’d stay a bit longer… at least until Reese had dealt with the truth he must reveal. But today would be his last day. He wouldn’t be able to stay in town with his cows needing his care.
They watched Abe ride down the road. Then Reese turned to Victoria. “Would you like to see around the place?”
“I would.”
He gave her a tour of the house. The roomy kitchen, the cozy sitting room where a family would spend long winter days, three bedrooms, two with b
eds and the third with a crib bare of bedding. Seeing that little cot tugged the cords holding Reese’s heart. Abe had built this home with so many hopes and dreams.
They returned to the kitchen.
“It’s a lovely home,” Victoria said. “I can see his wife’s touch in so many places.” She ran her finger along the smooth table top. She glanced out the window, her blue eyes reflecting the cloudless sky. The skirt of her dark blue dress fluttered from the breeze through the open door. She’d removed her bonnet, leaving her head uncovered. Her blonde hair glistened as if touched by sunlight.
Reese knew that picture would stick in his mind forever.
“Can we look outside now?” Donny asked.
“Yup. Let’s go.” The three of them trooped outdoors. They wandered through the barn, now empty. They opened the doors of the outbuildings. Victoria exclaimed over the smokehouse and empty chicken house.
“This was her garden,” Victoria said. “Look, there’s even a few volunteer plants coming up.”
“And a good crop of weeds.”
Donny found a bent spoon and began digging in the soil.
They left him there and continued to wander around the place.
The sun was high overhead when Reese looked for a place to have their picnic. They could have eaten inside the house, but he wanted to find a special spot like Donny had at their farm. A place where he would go and remember this occasion.
Donny ran up to them. “I’m hungry.”
Reese laughed. “Me too. Let’s have a picnic.” The three of them returned to the wagon and got the basket. “Wait while I get a blanket from the house.” He dashed inside and grabbed one off the nearest bed. As he went through the kitchen to return outside, he glanced out the window by the table. The grassy ground dipped toward a little grove of trees. The perfect place for them to enjoy their food. A place he could see from the table.
He led the way to that spot and spread the blanket. He waited until Victoria chose where to sit and then he sat beside her, breathing in the scent of wild flowers and green grass.
“You gonna pray?” Donny asked.
Reese tossed his hat to the side and closed his eyes. His thoughts crowded with so many things. The desire to make this moment last forever was uppermost, warring with the way his conscience accused him of being like Betty.
The difference was his feelings were sincere. Only the circumstances of the situation were wrong. He said a quick grace then took a sandwich Victoria offered him. He lingered on the taste of the fresh bread and how her eyes flashed with sunlight. He grabbed every moment of the day. The way she brushed her finger across Donny’s nose to wipe away a bit of dirt. The way she laughed at Reese’s teasing. The way she closed her eyes and lifted her face to the sun.
He could ask her to marry him. If she agreed, it would stop Mr. Hayworth from taking her back to Chicago. Only he couldn’t be sure it would. Mr. Hayworth expected people to do as he ordered.
But the biggest reason he couldn’t ask her was she needed to be free to discover who she was and how she wished to deal with that.
He wanted the day to last forever. Wanted to fill it with memories to last a lifetime. It made him think of something he had not thought of since it happened.
Leaning back, he said, “Once upon a time I remember being happy and sure the world would never change. I thought life was roaming the hills, exploring the beach, running across the yard to see my grandparents. It was idyllic. Then it ended. Abruptly. I was five years old.” Donny had wandered away, so he felt he could tell Victoria the painful memories. “Everyone was very sad. I didn’t know why, and then they took me to see my grandparents. Only they weren’t smiling and hugging me. They were laid out in black clothes, stiff and waxy looking. I wanted to know why they looked that way and Mama said they were gone.
“That didn’t make any sense. I could see them. Mama said they were in heaven and before I could ask how that could be Pa told me to hush. People came. Some patted my head. Everyone whispered. And then everyone was gone. Even Gramma and Grampa. And then Pa said we had to leave too. I didn’t understand. Mama and Pa talked behind their bedroom door but I heard them.
“My pa sounded very angry. He said Grandpa had promised him the place but now he’d given it to the church. His voice grew louder as he asked what we were supposed to do?
“I couldn’t hear what Mama said, only her pleading tone. Then Pa spoke again. I’ll never forget his words.
“‘I trusted them. If you can’t trust your own parents, who can you trust? Aren’t they supposed to love you and honor their word?’
“I was so frightened. Remember, I was only five. But if Pa was right and a person couldn’t trust their parents, then what would become of us? Well, we moved to the city. Pa worked at the foundry and drank too much. He died. And Ma remarried.” He stopped, shocked that he had said so much. He didn’t even know he remembered it.
“Reese, that’s a sad story. No wonder you expect honesty and trust between people.”
“It wasn’t all bad. I saw the mighty hand of God in my travels. In the land, in the storms, in the newborn calves, and in good people. I decided I would choose to trust Him. And not rely on others for my happiness.”
She twisted a blade of grass. “Doesn’t seem to leave much room for a wife and family. Don’t you want that?”
He’d like home and family such as he’d known when his grandparents were alive. Full of welcome, warmth, and love. But all that required honesty, and he couldn’t give her that at the moment.
Victoria gathered up the picnic things. Reese had been distracted since they’d reached his ranch, and she understood. “I know you’re anxious to be able to check on your cows. It’s been a very pleasant outing and I shall cherish the day, but you need to take us home now so you can be a rancher.” Meaning to tease him, she laughed, hoping he didn’t hear the reluctant note amidst the merriment.
Reese took the picnic basket. “I hate to eat and run, but you’re right. I have to take care of my cows.”
They were soon on their way back to town and passed the time talking about things that didn’t matter. The trees, the mountains, the sunshine…
Victoria ached inside, wishing for a reason to make the afternoon last even while knowing she couldn’t. Reese must get back to his cows. He likely wouldn’t be coming to town any time soon if his herd needed close watching. Even now, she felt his restlessness and knew he was anxious to get back to the ranch. She understood. She truly did. But she didn’t want to say goodbye.
They drove down the street past White’s Store. A stranger stood on the step momentarily then ducked inside. Not the usual kind of stranger. This was a city man, his suit and bowler hat giving it away. Victoria paid him scant attention as her mind raced with all the things she ached to say to Reese. But he’d given her no indication that he shared her growing affection.
They arrived at the manse and Donny jumped down, racing to the house.
Reese helped Victoria to the ground.
They stood facing each other.
“I don’t know when I’ll be back.” He sounded regretful that he couldn’t promise a date for returning.
“I understand.” She pressed her hand to his forearm. “Be careful around whatever wild animal is out there. I wouldn’t want to see you hurt.”
He touched her hand and smiled.
Dare she think his eyes contained a thousand promises?
“I’ll be careful. I will be back.” He climbed to the wagon seat and flicked the reins.
She waited, watching as he drove away.
Just before he went out of sight, he turned, smiled, and waved.
Cherishing the thought that she would see him again, she went inside.
Ma rushed to her. “I’m so glad you’re back.”
Something in Ma’s voice sent alarm bells ringing in Victoria’s head. “What’s wrong?”
Eve and Josie hovered close. And Lisa was there.
“What’s going on?”
Everyone talked at once. “Someone has been asking some very strange questions about the family.” “He asked everyone, even Jimmy.”
Victoria sank to a chair, her heart thumping madly. “A city man?”
Lisa nodded.
“I think I saw him.” She shivered and wished she’d paid more attention to the man. “Did he say what he wanted?”
Again, it was Lisa who answered. “Norm asked him, but he wouldn’t say. His questions were unusual for a stranger. I heard him ask where the Kinsleys came from. Were all the girls adopted?” She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “He showed Norm a picture and asked if any of the girls looked like that.”
Victoria’s heart slammed her ribs. “Was it one of us?”
“I didn’t see it and Norm wouldn’t say. He told the man it could be anyone.”
“I don’t like it,” Josie said. “Come on, Lisa. Let’s find this man and ask what his business is.”
The two girls headed for the door.
“You be careful,” Ma said, but she didn’t ask them not to go. Which convinced Victoria her mother was as worried as she was.
“Ma, it must be someone from my past.” She couldn’t keep the tremors that filled her from shaking her voice.
“Let’s wait until the girls get back.”
Eve drew her mother to a chair. “I’ll make some tea. You both look like you need something to calm you.”
“Thank you, dear,” Ma said, but Victoria knew tea would not still her fears.
Eve filled the kettle and waited for it to boil. She was pouring water over the tea leaves in the brown teapot when Josie and Lisa rushed in.
“He’s gone,” they announced.
The air whooshed from Victoria’s lungs so fast that she felt weak. “Thank goodness.” Eve served the tea. A warm, soothing drink to calm Victoria’s nerves.
Who was the man and why was he interested in her? Was it as she had always feared…her past coming back to destroy her present and rob her of a future just when she’d begun to allow herself to dream of one?
