The Deardons Complete Mini-Series

by Kelli Ann Morgan

  “I thought you…I thought…”

  “Shhhh,” Liam said, stroking her hair.

  Cough.

  She stood up, retrieved the cup, and placed it up against his lips.

  Cough.

  It spilled a little, but she was persistent.

  “He’s going to need plenty of rest,” the doctor told them. “I’ll stay in my quarters down the hall for the night.” He nodded curtly and turned to leave the room, but stopped when he reached the door. “Where’s Hank?”

  Lucy stood up.

  “I,” she started and then cleared her throat. “I’d imagine he’s still at home. With the weather being what it was, I needed Denver to collect you.” She looked at Lucas. “Neither one of us was willing to leave his side.”

  He nodded appreciatively at her.

  There had been several hands in the bunkhouse that could have possibly ridden out to get his uncles, but with the storm the way it was, they hadn’t wanted to chance another mishap and there was nothing Hank or Sam could have done, except worry. He tried to justify it in his mind, but the truth was, Lucas wasn’t sure he was ready to meet them just yet. He’d just gotten his grandfather back. He couldn’t lose him now.

  “Smart girl,” the doc told Lucy with a wink. He picked up his hat, the curve of a smile touching his face, and he walked out.

  “The doctor has his own quarters in the house?” Lucas could hardly believe the extent of the wealth surrounding him at every turn. He thought of his own room back home that he shared with Noah. The oversized bunks took up the majority of the space, but they only needed it for sleeping. It had been plenty big. But staying here at Whisper Ridge, even for a short while, was going to take some getting used to. Not that he was complaining.

  Lucy placed a hand on his forearm. “I’m sorry I doubted you.”

  Chapter Nine

  Lucas nodded, then turned back to his grandfather and sat down on the edge of the bed, leaning over as if to be closer to the man.

  “Jonah got married,” he blurted. He wanted to tell his grandfather all the good things that had happened in their lives and not just the bad. He hadn’t had that chance at dinner. “Emma is perfect for him. And dang pretty too. It’s quite a story.” He glanced over at Lucy who sat on the hearth with her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands. He winked.

  “Lucas?” his grandfather spoke with a low, scratchy voice as he reached up and touched his grandson’s face. “I’m so glad you’re really here.”

  Lucas closed his eyes with gratitude. With everything that had happened over the last few hours, he wasn’t sure if his granddad would be able to recall their conversations. He reached up to take the old man’s hand in his.

  “Yes. I’m here.”

  Lucy stood up again and poured a glass of water, handed it to Lucas, and motioned at Liam with a nod of her head. Lucas gently placed one hand under his grandfather’s head and placed the cup against his lips, willing him to drink. After only a couple of sips, he choked on the water and it drizzled down his chin.

  “Argggg,” Liam said disgustedly as he wiped it away with the back of his hand and pushed himself up into a seated position on the bed. “Now, there’s no need to fuss over me.” He took the cup from Lucas’s hand. “I know you both feel like you have to hover, but I am a grown man and can drink for myself.”

  “Ha,” Lucas laughed, evoking a reluctant smile from his grandfather.

  “Of course you can, Granddad.”

  Liam set the glass on the night table.

  “How are you feeling?” Lucy asked the older man from her position on the other side of the bed.

  Granddad turned to look at her. “Like a herd of wild horses dragged me through an icy swamp.” He shivered with exaggerated movements, but managed a smile. With an attempt to get out of the bed, he threw the covers off his legs and swung them over the edge.

  “Oh, no you don’t,” Lucy said, jumping up and pushing gently against the old man’s chest. “You have to rest. Doctor’s orders.” She threw the blankets back over him and brushed her hand across his forehead. “And you…” she said as she squinted her eyes at him, “are going to do what the doctor ordered.”

  Lucas couldn’t help but admire the woman who’d demonstrated more than once over the last few hours her devotion to his grandfather. Who was she to him? And why was he so bent on making sure she became a part of the family?

  “Come on, Luce. I’m feeling much better. Thanksgiving is near upon us and we’ve still got a lot to do to finish the preparations.”

  “Nonsense.” She placed her hands on her hips. “Most everything has been in place for days. What’s a little weather when a Deardon is involved? Besides, Lucas will help me with the final prep—”

  “I will?”

  She slapped him on the arm.

  He cleared his throat. “I mean, I will!” he confirmed with conviction.

  “Although,” Lucy continued, “If this storm doesn’t let up, we may have to postpone or even cancel the Thanksgiving tournament.” A smile cracked on Lucy’s face before her expression turned matter-of-fact.

  Lucas smiled too.

  “Cancel Thanksgiving?” Granddad bellowed, or at least he tried, but his cry lacked volume. “Why, Thanksgiving is a tradition around here. A rite of passage for my boys. Come hell or high water we’re having the tournament.”

  “Oh, don’t you go working yourself up into a tizzy,” Lucy mock-scolded him. She glanced out the window. “It looks like the snow is letting up some. Denver and some of the others are still out there, so I think we’ll just head out to check that everything will be ready. I’ll stop by to see Hank on the way. He’ll already be cross that I didn’t tell him about this little episode sooner.”

  “My son will just blow everything out of proportion. You know that just as well as anyone. He’ll be fine not knowing ‘til morning.” Granddad raised an eyebrow as if daring Lucy to go against his wishes.

  She stared at the older man through squinted eyes, then a fully vibrant smile broke through. “The targets must be covered in a foot of snow by now. We’ll have to get them brushed off before they freeze if you still want to have the archery and shooting competitions.” She completely ignored his last comment. “Mara and Alex are bringing the pies tomorrow, Tillie has recruited several of the men to help with the food for the orphanage, and I’ll speak with Denver about the big logs tomorrow.”

  Names swirled around in Lucas’s head. Belonging to a big family was going to have its challenges and learning everyone’s names and keeping them straight was going to be one of them.

  “They are cabers, lassie. It is to be a caber toss to find the strongest of the lot.”

  Their grandmother had been born in Scotland, but it was odd hearing his granddad trying to imitate the brogue.

  “Yes, yes, cabers,” she waved at the air as if making a mental list of everything she needed to do. “Well, I think that just about does it.”

  “Luuucyyyy,” Granddad said, a warning in his voice.

  “Fine, I won’t tell Hank. Until tomorrow,” she clarified.

  “What did I do all those years without you?” Liam asked through a tired smile.

  Lucy smiled back.

  “Goodnight, Mr. Deardon,” she said with a playful shake to her head.

  “Goodnight, Miss Russell. Or should I say soon-to-be Deardon?” He closed his eyes and lay back against the onslaught of pillows Lucy had stuck behind him. “Yep. Deardon. Now that it’s settled, I think I might doze for just a wee bit,” he made another attempt at his brogue. He coughed.

  “You’re incorrigible. We are not getting married, so stop pestering your grandson if you want him to stick around.”

  “Lucas. Son,” Granddad opened his eyes and sat up straighter on the bed—with some effort, “I expect you’ll be participating?”

  “In what, exactly?” He liked Lucy, but he wasn’t about to unwittingly agree to take on a Mrs. Lucas Deardon on a whim. Although the prospect
didn’t seem as terrifying as it had a few hours ago.

  “In what?” Liam asked incredulously. “Didn’t your father tell you any...?” his voice faded as he shook his head and mumbled something under his breath. He stopped and looked Lucas straight in the eye. “You’re a Deardon...”

  Lucas had the right name, but he sure felt like a foreigner with no idea what they would be doing to prepare for Thanksgiving. Back home, it was most like any other day, except, Dad paid Mrs. Markham to cook them up a fancy bird to eat with all the fixings. He imagined that Emma would be making something real special for those still at home. She was an excellent cook.

  Cough.

  Granddad sat up again. “…and you’ll be competing in the Deardon’s Thanksgiving Day Tournament, of course.”

  “We have a tournament?”

  Lucy pushed Liam back against the fluffed pillows. “If the weather clears up,” she amended. “Every year, the Deardons celebrate the holiday with a huge competition,” she told Lucas. “There are three homesteads on Whisper Ridge. Liam’s, Hank’s, and Sam’s. I guess your father never finished building his. Though you can see where he started.”

  Lucas had wondered what had ever happened to the foundation he’d seen his father working to build for their family—one of the only memories he still had of his time at Whisper Ridge.

  “The others will start arriving first thing on Thursday morning.” She patted Liam on the chest. “If you want to be well enough to get out of this bed and watch them, I suggest you get some rest.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Liam said, closing one eye, but keeping the other partially open, staring at her.

  “What sort of competition?” Lucas rubbed his arm, which started to ache just thinking about what might await him. “And please tell me the teams are not divided into homesteads. I think ours would be slightly lacking.” He managed a laugh.

  “Come on,” she pulled on his good arm.

  He groaned, but followed her out of the room.

  “It’ll be grand,” Granddad called after them.

  “What sort of competition?” He repeated his question as they descended the stairs.

  When they reached the bottom, Lucy turned to him. “There’s to be a log toss, an archery match, a stick pull, leg wrestling, and a riding course. I just hope we can pull it off with all this snow. It will certainly be a challenge.”

  There were no words. How was he supposed to hold his salt in a competition with his shoulder still causing him pain? Jonah told him before he left that he should give the injury time to mend, but he’d wanted to leave for Whisper Ridge as soon as he’d been able. The journey had proven more arduous than he had expected. Riding full days and sleeping on the cold, hard ground every night as he traveled to Montana hadn’t helped the situation.

  “You’ve had quite the long ride, Mr. Deardon, and with the water tower disaster and the unfortunate mishap with your grandfather, you must be exhausted. You don’t have to participate if you’re not feeling up to it. Your uncles and cousins won’t think any less of you. And neither will I. Liam,” she waved her hand up the stairs, “will get over it.”

  Lucas stared at her for a few moments.

  Pain or not, Deardon, you are going to do this.

  “Where do I sign up?” He pretended the crack in his voice had been on purpose.

  Lucy giggled.

  Lucas liked the sound.

  Chapter Ten

  “Good morning.” Lucy crooned as she threw back the curtains in Liam’s bedroom to allow in the brilliant beams of the morning’s light. “Tillie made up some hot cakes, eggs, and bacon so you’ll have a hearty breakfast to start off your day.” She walked over to the table for the tray with the delicious collection of food.

  With only one eye opened, Liam leaned up on one arm. “I’d forgotten how cheerful you can be when the sun comes up,” he grumbled.

  “You look like you are feeling much better,” she said, happily.

  “Yeah, thanks to that grandson of mine.”

  Lucy’s face heated at the thought of the tall, handsome addition to Whisper Ridge.

  “Where is that boy, anyway?”

  “He’s been up since the cock crowed near an hour ago.” She placed the tray on his lap. “Helping Denver with the horses.”

  “So much fussin’. I can eat down at the table as well as anyone.”

  “Not today. Just let us spoil you for once.”

  “I need you to make good use of him this morning, Lucy. Show him around the place. I’d like him to stay on and don’t want to waste any time getting him familiarized with the ranch. All of it.”

  “Well, I see my patient is up and talking.” Doc pushed open the door a little farther and stepped into the room, his bag in hand. “How are you feeling this morning, Liam?”

  “Right as rain. Ready to get back to work.”

  Doc looked from Liam to Lucy. “Under no circumstances is this man to leave this house today.”

  “Yes, sir,” Lucy said with a smile. She knew it would be no easy feat, but it could be done. “You heard him,” she said, pouring a glass of fresh milk, “doctor’s orders.”

  Liam mumbled something under his breath just as he raised his cup to drink.

  The spark was back in his eyes and that gave her comfort.

  She turned to leave.

  “Lucy Mae,” Liam called.

  She turned back to look at him.

  “Lucas.” He said his grandson’s name as a reminder of what he’d asked of her.

  She nodded. “I’ll see to it that he’s kept busy and out of trouble all day. And I’ll be back to check in on you in a while.” She skipped from the room and down the steps. After a very eventful day, she was ready for things to get back to normal—not that it was going to happen anytime soon. Especially with Lucas Deardon on the ranch. Whisper Ridge was interesting before, but now with him around, she couldn’t wait to see what would happen next.

  Lucy caught herself glancing into the mirror in the hall on her way into the kitchen.

  He’s already said he has no interest in a wife, she reminded herself. Still, she couldn’t stop herself from humming. She had a feeling it was going to be a very good day.

  “Morning, Tillie.”

  “Yes it is.” The cook punched the dough with a raised brow. “What’s gotten into you? Yesterday you were a bundle of nerves, and now…”

  “Oh, nothing. Can’t a girl just be happy?” Lucy grabbed an apron off the hook behind the closet door and quickly tied it around her waist. “How many do you think we’ve got this morning?”

  “Ten. I’ll bet Camilla doesn’t have one.”

  Lucy opened the door and hurried through the cool morning breeze, crunching the snow beneath her feet, to the enclosed chicken coop where several hens sat as if they hadn’t a care in the world.

  “Hello, ladies. What do you have for me today?” She gathered up her apron to cradle the eggs as she checked beneath each of the eleven hens in the coop. Ten eggs.

  How does she do it?

  When she emerged from the pen, she spotted Lucas walking toward her from the barn. His hat rode low on his head and there was a swagger to his step.

  “Feeling better?” She asked as he approached.

  “I’ve never slept in a more comfortable bed.” His eyes grew wide. “Excuse me, ma’am. I meant to say, I slept well. Thank you.”

  Lucy giggled. “I said the exact same thing when I arrived.”

  Lucas visibly relaxed.

  “Liam likes quality and feels like everyone works better when they’ve had a good night’s sleep. Even the beds in the bunkhouse were imported.”

  “How is my granddad this morning? Can I see him?”

  “I don’t see why not. The doctor is with him now, but you should be able to go up in a little while. However, I could use your help.”

  “I’m warning you now, I don’t know anything about folding napkins.”

  Lucy laughed loudly. “Don’t worry, if I need napki
ns folded, I’ll teach you. Come on.” She turned away from him and took a step toward the house. With no warning, her foot slipped out from beneath her and she squealed as she closed her eyes, waiting for impact.

  “Whoa there, little lady.” Lucas caught her under the arms before she could hit the ground.

  She opened one eye and then the other. It wasn’t exactly how she’d pictured being in his arms, but she had to admit, she liked being this close to him.

  “Did I mention it’s a little slick out here?” he said as he lifted her back to a standing position. She scrambled to gain her footing.

  “Information that might have been helpful a few moments ago,” she retorted with a smile.

  “Here. Allow me.” He removed his hat and turned it upside down. “May I?” he asked, pointing to her apron.

  She opened the smock enough that he could collect the eggs and place them into his hat.

  “Shall we?” He took a step.

  Slick. Down he went.

  Brewster’s bark sounded from the nearby barn.

  “We’re okay,” he said, holding the hat with the eggs in the air. “We’re okay.”

  The border collie came running from around the side of the outbuildings and immediately started licking Lucas’s face.

  She looked down and couldn’t help the giggle that escaped. She’d never seen a grown man fall flat on his behind before and the dog’s enthusiasm added to the humorous scene.

  “A little help, please.”

  Lucy snorted as she took his hat and bent down to help him up from the ground.

  “Did I mention it’s a little slick out here?” he repeated his earlier question with a laugh as he stood up and brushed the snow from his denims. “How are you, Brew?” he asked as he rubbed the back of the collie’s head and ears. He smiled at Lucy, took his hat and cradled it in his arm, then reached out and took her hand in his.

  Lucy forced herself to breathe. His touch sent tingles up her arm and filled her chest with a substance lighter than air.

  Together, they took a step forward, then another, until they’d gingerly made their way to the back entrance with Brewster happily bringing up the rear.