"It's back there a few miles. I've been enjoying watching you enjoy all this and forgot about the house too." Jared hated for the ride to end. This kind of pleasure had become foreign to him. It had been a long time since he'd taken a lady for a ride. Melanie didn't like riding horses. Whenever he went anywhere with her, he had to use the buggy, which meant sticking mostly to roads. "We can eat here or at the house. It's up to you."
"It's so pretty here. Let's have our sandwiches where we can watch the pond." She swung her leg over Polka Dot's back and slid to the ground with far more grace than she had the day she arrived. "I'm sure you don’t have beavers at your house."
"No, I don't." He laughed.
Jared joined her on the ground and took a bundle from his saddlebag. After spreading a horse blanket on the thick grass, they sat down and opened the packet of sandwiches.
"Mm," Healy murmured. "Roast beef leftover from last night. Delicious."
He almost chuckled at the delicate, dainty way she bit into the thick bread and meat. He doubted she did anything without grace. Would that include making love?
Where on earth had that thought come from? Dangerous thinking. He changed the subject. "Tell me what you like to do when you have spare time."
"Knit, crochet. In Ohio, I dabbled a bit with watercolor paints. Seeing beauty like this makes me feel like painting again."
He uncapped his canteen and handed it to her. "I'd love to see you paint sometime."
She laughed. "That's because you don't know how bad I am a tit."
"I can't imagine you doing poorly at anything you set your mind to," he said.
"Why, I do declare." She feigned a rich southern drawl. "I believe you're trying to flatter me, sir."
That took him aback. Had he meant to flatter her? He didn't think so, and it certainly wasn't a good idea.
Get your head where it belongs, Jared.
He did honestly think she'd be good at whatever she took a notion to do, though.
After several quiet moments, Healy said, "Are you going to marry Melanie?"
He chuckled but without humor. "That's what I've intended ever since sixth grade. Not so sure she'll have me now."
"I think she's hoping to marry you."
He thought about that. He wished he knew more about how Melanie felt right now. She was pretty and everyone liked her. He loved the way she let him hold and kiss her when they were alone. He appreciated her manners. Was that enough to label it love? Ma wouldn't say so. He put away the remains of their meal since they'd both stopped eating."Shall we go see the house now?"
He stood and stretched his arms above his head to get out the kinks from riding for so long.
Healy's eyes rounded as she watched him. In admiration?
"Yes, let's do." She rose and brushed crumbs from her split-skirt.
Jared stowed the mostly empty food cache in his saddlebag, and they mounted up.
The house sat on a plateau above the creek surrounded by pine trees, hidden until a person rode right in front. The frame and log walls had been completed. All it needed were glass panes in the windows and a roof.
"Jared," Healy exclaimed. "It's beautiful. So much like the main house. I love it. It almost makes me wish we were really married, so it would be my house too."
Jared gave a nervous chuckle. He had no idea what to say to a comment like that. "I'm glad you approve. I hope to have it done before the serious snowstorms start."
After dismounting, he hobbled the horses so they could graze while they toured the half-constructed building.
"I can't believe you built a porch before you have a roof." Healy's eyes crinkled with amusement as she studied the structure.
"It gives me a sound, level surface to work on." He led the way up the steps to the front door and slid a key into the lock.
"Why do you have it locked up when all anyone has to do is climb through a window?" Healy asked as he opened the door.
"To let folks know they aren't welcome inside and prevent them from hauling off lumber and equipment."
"That makes sense." She followed him into the raw, unfinished house, her gaze darting everywhere. "I can see exactly where everything is going to be."
Healy moved quickly from the living area to the kitchen and back. She hurried to the staircase. "Is it the same upstairs as the main house too?"
"See for yourself." Jared gestured for her to go up, then followed.
"It is." She stood in the center of the building and turned around and around, taking it all in."You're doing an excellent job on it, Jared. In the city, you could build homes for a living."
Jared laughed. "It's not something I'd enjoy doing that much."
"Well, I like your house tremendously."
They wandered inside and out, talking.
Healy picked up a wooden rod with a hand-shaped stone attached to the end with sun-shrunken leather. "Some of your tools look handmade."
"They are. One of the hands is half-Crow. He helps me sometimes and made those for me."
"He does beautiful work." She ran her fingers over the stone and leather strips before putting it down. "When do you think you'll move in?"
"As soon as the last wall is finished, and it has a roof." Jared went to a stack of shingles made from tough bark. "We'll have a roofing party with lots of food, and the hands and some neighbors and townsmen will come to help. That way, we can have the roof on in one day."
"What a lovely idea. I hope I'm able to see it."
"Well, we'll see, won't we?" Jared shared her wish. He couldn't say why, but it would mean a lot to him to have her present at the event. "I'd better get you back. Don't want more rumors circulating about us. "
She turned toward the front of the house. "It's been a lovely day. Thank you, Jared."
"You're welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed it." The fact that he'd taken pleasure in it too had his mind working overtime. He hadn't enjoyed being with a woman this much in a long time. Not even Melanie? What did that mean? Should he worry about it, start avoiding Healy? Glancing at her, he wished he could better read her thoughts. Did she share his confusion?
Mounted and ready to ride, Healy turned in her saddle for a last look at the house, an expression of longing in her gentian-blue eyes. Suddenly, it hit Jared that he didn't want to bring Melanie here. Not yet, anyway. Not until he had the house finished and furnished. Right now, he felt high as the clouds, thanks to Healy's pleasure in his work. In his home. Somehow, he knew sharing it with anyone else, even family, this soon would ruin that.
On arriving back at the ranch, Jared took Healy to his workshop in the stable, a sad picture, to his eyes. So small. So inadequate.
"Oh, Jared," Healy exclaimed. "You're right. You need better working conditions than these."
She walked over to a contraption hanging on the wall. It looked like a deep shelf with one long wall at the back and two short, V-shaped walls of chicken wire on the sides. Heavy canvas firmly attached to a wooden frame formed the floor. "What is this?"
"Something I'm still figuring out." Jared went to stand beside her. "I'd planned to mount this in an open house window. Hinges would hold it securely at the top and bottom, and Cynara could place one of the babies inside to soak up some sunlight without being exposed to insects and other dangers."
"What an inventive idea. Jared, you are so clever. Has Cynara tried it out?"
He shook his head. "No. I haven't shown it to her yet." He'd shown it to Melanie, who'd considered it a horrible idea, saying it looked too flimsy to hold a child safely. "It needs more work."
"It appears ready to use to me," Healy said. "I bet Cynara would love it."
Would she? Jared had his doubts. He'd meant to put the thing away but hadn't gotten around to it. He glanced at his work bench for something to distract Healy. She had moved on to the recording machine he'd made a few months before.
"And this?" She ran her hand down the sloped side of the cone-shaped amplifier.
"It's a recording machine."
"Truly?" He eyes lit up with interest, turning them a violet hue. "How does it work?"
Joining her, he pointed out the flat, black recording plate on the turntable. "The machine picks up sounds and records them on this with that needle. He lifted the arm and set the needle on the plate, then flipped a switch. After a few scratchy sounds, his own voice emerged from the amplifier, "Testing. Testing."
Healy jumped back. "Oh! That's you."
"Yes. I spoke into the machine to see if it would work. Thomas Edison made one similar to this and I wanted to see if I could create one of my own."
"It's unbelievable." She stared at him as if awestruck. "You're a genius, Jared."
Laughter rumbled out of his chest."A genius? I hardly think so."
To distract her he led her to a wooden stand like a child-sized porch swing frame. "What do you think of this?" A round cage made of wire with wood circles for ends hung in the middle. A conglomeration of gears clung to one side with a handle.
"What is it? A squirrel cage?" she asked.
Jared gave an embarrassed chuckle, wishing he hadn't shown it to her. "No. You nestle a baby in a bed of blankets inside, hook the door shut, wind it up and the cradle rocks the baby to sleep."
"Oh, my." She stepped closer to study it. "This is ingenious, Jared. You should sell these. Every mother and grandmother will want one. I know Cynara would like it."
"No. I brought Gage out here one day and tried it out and he liked it. Fell asleep in a few minutes, but…." He held back from mentioning the experience with Melanie.
"I can well imagine he did." Healy turned to him and put her hands on his arms. "You are so smart. You could make a fortune with these wonderful inventions of yours."
Jared laughed, until he realized the depth of her seriousness. "I don't know, Healy. I've mentioned a couple of my ideas to Barclay and he considered me crazy."
"You're joshing!" Anger darkened her eyes and she slapped her hands on her hips. "Why, I have half a notion to march into that house and give him a piece of my mind. I don't see him creating wonderful objects like these. What's the matter with him?"
"It's all right, Healy." He took hold of her arm, meaning to calm her. At that very instant, she swung toward him and they found themselves nose to nose. Instinctively, he reached out to steady her, and his hands lingered.
She stared at him with wide eyes, lips parted. The warmth of her body awakened his, and he slid his arms around her, drawing her closer.
"Jared?" she whispered, her eyes changing to a soft passionate shade of purplish blue.
Without thinking, he lowered his mouth to hers. Her lips softened, becoming pliant. With a moan, he tightened his hold and explored her delicious mouth. She moaned and the inappropriateness of the act struck him. Reluctantly, he stepped back, dropping his hands to his sides. "Healy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take advantage of you like that. I just… You were too appealing to pass up. Please forgive my bad behavior."
"C-Certainly." Her cheeks flushed, and she touched her fingertips to her reddened lips.
Jared's insides somersaulted. To avoid grabbing her again, he walked into the cooler air at the wide entrance to the stable. Before long, Healy appeared beside him.
"Skelly kissed me." Her voice held a painful wistfulness. "It was wet and painful."
He didn't want to hear about Skelly, but her comment about the man's kiss being painful roused his curiosity. "Painful in what way?"
"His teeth ground into my lips, scraping them."
"The man sounds like a brute." He put more distance between them, not trusting himself to behave appropriately. Rat guts! He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a problem like this. Normally, he kept control easily.
"You're right. He's a monster." Healy picked up a piece of straw and began tearing it apart."I can't tell you how glad I am to have escaped from him."
"I am too." So glad, it rang a warning bell in his head. He already had a problem he needed to deal with concerning Melanie. He didn't need more. "I'd better take you back to the house. Cynara will be thinking I kidnapped you or something."
Healy laughed. "I doubt that. But I guess I should get back. Thank you for this, Jared. It's been a marvelous day. I truly enjoyed it."
"So did I."
"Does that mean I can come back and maybe help you sometime?"
"We'll see." Help him? More likely her enticing presence would cause him to make a mistake, one that could get one of them injured. "I'm not sure when I'll have time to get back out here."
Jared followed her to the horses, knowing that bringing her back here would be a bad idea, but realizing deep down, he wanted to.
You're in big trouble, Jared Givens.
Chapter Five
St. Louis, Missouri
Skelly Bernard tossed the whiskey down his throat and slammed the empty glass onto his desk so hard it shattered. "Damn that useless imbecile! Trying to tell me Ruth isn't anywhere in St. Louis. Where else would she go?"
Rupert, the only other soul in the room, ventured to defend Skelly's hired man. "He said he did a thorough search."
"Thorough?" Skelly swung toward him, eyes afire. He should have known better than to rely on someone other than himself to get things done right. "That street rat wouldn't know the meaning of the word. If the girl isn't here in St. Louie, it means she's left. Tell him to check at the train station, Wells Fargo coaches, every means she'd have had to leave town. I'm going to search her room myself."
"Very well, sir." The harried secretary hurried to the door.
Alone, Skelly took out a new glass, poured himself another shot of golden glory and swallowed it down. When he got his hands on Ruth Kimbrough, he'd throttle her for all the trouble she'd caused him. Hell, he'll have to do it anyway to shut her up. Who had she told about his personal business? Not McCurdle. She knew better than that. But she could tell the law somewhere else.
Putting on his coat and hat, he hurried to the front door where Chips, his Chief of Security, stood, awaiting orders. "Bring the carriage around and take me to Ruth's room."
"Yes, sir."
Within minutes they were pulling up in front of the building. Chips held the door open for him and he descended to the street. "Wait here."
The housekeeper opened the door, her gray hair piled on her head as usual and her wrinkled face sour as always.
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Stern. I wish to see Ruth's room, please."
"Oh, I can't do that, Mr. Bernard. I never enter a guest's room without an invitation."
He moved a step closer and stared at her, donning his fiercest countenance. "You will let me in, woman. Now."
She backed away, fishing for her keys in her pocket. "Yes, sir, Mr. Bernard."
Once inside, he shut the door in the woman's face. The place was as tidy as ever. He went to her secretary in the corner and rummaged through its drawers, finding nothing. Her waste bin stood empty. Next, he searched her wardrobe and dresser. Nothing.
"Where would she hide something she didn't want found?" he murmured.
Spying the trunk at the foot of the bed, he knelt in front of it and threw open the lid. The thing contained every manner of junk which he took out and threw on the floor. Finally, at the bottom, he uncovered a box tied with a yellow ribbon. She wouldn't dress it up that way unless it held items of importance. He lifted the lid.
Inside, he found a bonanza. Letters written to her sister and never mailed. How kind of her to write the address on the envelope for him to find. High Mountain Ranch, Cutthroat, Montana.
Grinning, he tucked a few of the letters into his pocket and quit the room, leaving the trunk open and its contents strewn everywhere.
Back in the carriage, he handed an envelope to Chips. "Wire Blackie and send him to this address. Tell him not to touch the girl or approach her. I'll be boarding the train myself in the morning. If you want things done right, you must do them yourself."
"Hold your finger down on that for me." Jared pointed to the end of
a board and lifted his hammer. Two weeks had passed, and everyone had begun to relax, thinking, if Skelly were coming, he'd have been there by now. Healy assured herself he hadn't found her letters to Cynara and had no idea where to find her. Gradually, she and Jared had begun spending more time together working on his projects. She'd even made curtains for his house, once he'd installed glass in the windows.
Now, she put her finger where Jared indicated and waited. She loved helping him with his projects, but could she trust him not to hit her finger? He knew what he was doing. Of course, she could trust him.
After he'd pounded the nail in, they stood back and studied their work. All morning, they'd nailed and sawed, measured and hammered on the contraption of wood and canvas that sat on his workbench. Healy had done the sewing. Jared had drawn the plans.
"I think it will work, Jared," Healy said.
His laughter held no humor. "No, you don't. You figure it will fall apart once we put a baby in it. Your eyes give you away."
"Oh, pish." She whirled around with her back to him. She hadn't believed him about her eyes changing color according to her emotions, but he had guessed right just now. "What do they tell you now, smarty-pants?"
"That it annoys you when I guess your thoughts correctly." He laid the tools on the bench and walked around the table, studying his latest project from every angle. "Are the legs too flimsy?"
She joined him. "That's not what concerns me, although stronger legs might help. I'm afraid the baby will tip it over and fall out."
The door opened and Cynara came in. Her gaze went straight to the wood and canvas apparatus. "What is that?"
Healy folded her arms over her chest and lifted her chin. "Guess. Go on. Look closely and tell us what you think it is."
Cynara copied Jared's action of circling the table. "Is it for the babies?"
"Yes."
"It's a chair made just their size," Cynara said with a smug expression on her face. "I love it, Jared. The babies will love it."
"It's more than that, Cynara," Healy said. "If the legs had wheels on them, would that give you any hints?"
Jared (Bachelors And Babies Book 7) Page 6
