The Rancher’s Frontier Family

by Maya Stirling

  Landon saw Beth's cheeks flush. "Now you are embarrassing me," she said and shook her head. "I'm no angel."

  Right now, sitting across from her, Landon would quite happily have disagreed. As far as he was concerned, she was an angel. A precious gift from the Lord who'd saved him from a terrible tragedy. He wanted to say as much, but he saw how uncomfortable she was already. He'd already learned that Beth didn't like being the center of attention. In spite of all the hardship she'd endured, she possessed a powerful sense of modesty. That was another thing which had drawn him to her.

  The clinking sound of plates and steady beat of footsteps signaled the arrival of Sally and the children. Sally entered the parlor carrying a tray upon which was set a coffee pot, cups and a plate piled high with biscuits. Soon everyone was drinking coffee and eating cakes. Now that the children were in the room, the conversation shifted to lighter matters. Gabe teased the children and made them laugh plenty of times. Some of the talk was about the ranch. Describing what she currently owned, Beth seemed delighted to share that knowledge with Gabe. For his part, Gabe nodded sagely, seemingly impressed with the way Beth had set things up at the Circle D.

  "You've done an amazing job, Beth," Gabe said to her. "Especially for someone who never knew ranching before you came here."

  "I have my ramrod, Doyle, to thank for that," Beth replied. Landon drew in a sharp breath and schooled his features. Beth continued: "Doyle knew how the place worked. And he found the ranch hands I needed. He was here before my brother and sister-in-law bought the place." Gabe's eyes widened with interest. Landon saw Beth's brows furrow. She paused and her gaze dropped to her lap. The mention of Luke and Jenny had caused an instant change in Beth. She seemed reluctant to continue. Landon glanced at the children who were sitting at the table by the window. Luckily they were both too busy eating cake and talking with each other to have heard the mention of their parents.

  Landon caught Gabe's eye. With a flick of his head he indicated that he and his brother should make their way outside. Gabe nodded, murmured words in Lauren's ear and stood. Beth watched Landon as he stood. "Me and Gabe are going outside. There's one or two things I have to tell him," Landon said. He concluded with a glance toward the two children. Following his gaze, Beth nodded, understanding Landon's intentions.

  Outside, Landon and Gabe walked slowly across the yard. Landon explained the tragedy of Luke and Jenny. As he did so, he saw Gabe's eyes fill with sadness. After he finished telling Gabe, his brother halted and faced Landon. "That's a terribly sad story," Gabe stated. He sighed heavily and shook his head. "A tragedy. And they were just starting out in life." Glancing at the ranch house, Gabe continued: "Those children have been through so much."

  Landon nodded. "Now you understand why we couldn't talk about that in the parlor."

  Gabe nodded. "It would have upset the children. And Beth, too."

  "She's been through so much," Landon said.

  "I saw Beth and the children in church this summer. Not every week, mind you," Gabe said. "I had no idea they'd been through so much. I thought they kept themselves to themselves because they were from out of town."

  Landon nodded. "I remember seeing them with Sally, too. I did wonder who they were. I hardly ever saw them in town."

  Gabe ran his gaze around the ranch compound. "Living out here, so far from town, I suppose they don't leave the ranch much." Gabe peered at Landon. "How long are you planning on staying?"

  "Doc says I should stay here for at least another couple of days," Landon replied.

  Gabe's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. For a moment, Landon was sure Gabe was going to say something significant about his decision to remain at the Circle D. But he didn't. Instead, he rested a hand on Landon's shoulder. "Seems like you've got good reason to stay here a while, Landon."

  Landon frowned. "What do you mean?"

  Gabe grinned. "It's pretty obvious Beth wants you around the ranch for a while longer." He tilted his head and lifted a brow. "And not just because she wants that head of yours to heal right."

  Landon drew in a deep breath. "I think I know where you're heading with this, Gabe."

  "She's a beautiful woman, Landon. And I can see by the way she looks at you that she thinks a lot of you. It would be a pity to throw it all away by leaving too soon." Gabe fixed Landon with a knowing look. "I take it you're following my drift."

  "I am, Gabe," Landon replied. "She needs help. And I'm the man who can give her that help."

  Gabe squeezed Landon's shoulder. "I know you'll do what's right," he said.

  Landon peered into his older brother's eyes. "She's special, Gabe. Real special."

  "I can see that," Gabe replied. "Looks like the Lord has brought another amazing woman into our lives," Gabe added.

  Landon nodded and glanced back at the ranch house. "He sure has, Gabe."

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  "Tell me something about Landon and his family," Beth said to Lauren as they walked in the garden at the rear of the ranch house. After coffee and biscuits, Sally had taken charge of the children. Landon was out in the yard, talking with his brother, Gabe. Beth had suggested to Lauren that they take a walk in the small garden. Lauren had happily agreed. Beth had warmed to Lauren during the last hour, and she was eager to find out more about the Baxter family.

  Beth led Lauren along the narrow, gravel-covered pathway between hedgerows. There was a wooden bench beneath a small cottonwood tree at the far end of the garden. Beth and Lauren sat down on the bench. The tree's branches cast shadows in the late-morning sun. The air was cool. Beth was glad to get a chance to speak with Lauren.

  "What's there to tell," Lauren replied. "Landon's one of the real dependable types." Lauren lifted a brow. "You know what I mean? He works hard and you can always rely on him to do what he says. Gabe's always making fun of Landon."

  "I noticed," Beth said smiling.

  "But really Gabe thinks the world of Landon." Lauren laughed quietly. "I guess he just doesn't want to spoil Landon by telling him that."

  Beth thought a moment. "Landon seems like a man you could trust."

  Lauren nodded. "He helped me and Gabe when it came to Gabe courting me. He took over the running of the Baxter ranch for a while when me and Gabe were trying to decide whether we wanted to get married." Lauren frowned. "And then we had a problem with Kyle. That's Landon's younger brother."

  "What kind of a problem?" Beth asked. Landon hadn't mentioned anything about Kyle having difficulties.

  Lauren waved a dismissive hand. "It turned out to be nothing. Kyle had some fool notion of leaving the ranch and looking for adventures out on the frontier."

  Beth was shocked to hear such a thing. The Baxter family had seemed so dependable. The idea that one of them would have wanted to abandon the happiness of family for a life of drifting seemed inexplicable. "What happened? Did Kyle leave?"

  Lauren shook her head. "Kyle saw sense." She rolled her eyes. "Eventually. One of the reasons that happened was he renewed his faith in God."

  "Oh," Beth said abruptly. She hadn't expected that. "How did he do that?"

  Lauren smiled warmly. "The whole Baxter family has a powerful faith in the Lord," she explained. "Kyle's faith just got weakened because he got mixed up with the wrong people. One of the men turned out to be a horse thief."

  "A thief?" Beth exclaimed.

  Lauren nodded. "Kyle was in church one day. I guess the Lord got into Kyle's heart. Brought him back. Kyle was a new man after that. Next thing, Kyle, Gabe and Landon had caught the thieves. And then me and Gabe got married a couple of months later."

  Beth lifted a hand to her throat. "The Baxter family certainly sound like they lead exciting lives."

  "That's not all," Lauren said, warming to her task. "Kyle met Veronica around the same time and Gabe and I got married. Kyle and Veronica fell in love almost immediately. Veronica is a widow. And she has a little girl of her own." Lauren's eyes brightened. "Anyway, Kyle is a family man now."

  "I d
o hope there wasn't any drama during their courtship," Beth said.

  Lauren laughed quietly. "It wouldn't be a Baxter courtship if there wasn't any drama. Veronica's father had a business associate who wasn't too pleased with moving out to Montana to live. Seems he had the fool idea to get money from Veronica's father and then go back East." Lauren lifted a disapproving brow. "By any means."

  Beth's eyes widened. She didn't spend much time listening to gossip when she went into Inspiration. She hadn't heard any of this about the Baxter family. "He wasn't planning on doing something bad, was he?"

  Lauren frowned. "Let's just say the man planned to use Veronica to get the money he wanted. I guess you could call it extortion."

  Beth gasped. "Was Veronica harmed?"

  Lauren shook her head. "Kyle saved her. With the help of Gabe, I might add," Lauren said proudly. "And Landon. The brothers and some of the ranch hands managed to stop the whole thing without violence." Lauren grinned. "Then Kyle asked Veronica to marry him. And she accepted."

  Beth sighed and leaned back against the seat. "Another happy ending."

  Lauren nodded. "You could say that. Now there are two new families living at the Baxter spread. Me and Gabe are building our own cabin on the rangeland, near the river. Kyle and Veronica and Molly, that's Veronica's daughter, are staying in the ranch house. The house is big enough for them." Lauren rested her hand on Beth's arm and leaned closer. "I almost forgot. The boys have one sister. Victoria. She married Wyatt Munro, a rancher who runs a spread out east of the town."

  "It's a family of ranchers, then," Beth said thoughtfully.

  "One thing the Baxter family knows is ranching," Lauren declared. "There's not much Gabe, Landon or Kyle don't know about running a ranch."

  Beth was quiet for a while. Lauren had told her almost everything she needed to know about Landon's family. Now she could understand why Landon had been so interested in the details of how Beth was running the Circle D. Landon Baxter sounded like he was a ranching expert. It was that simple. Next to him, Beth was a complete novice. She turned to Lauren. "And what about you, Lauren. How do you like living on the Baxter place?"

  "Gabe and I only married this summer. I'm only just getting to know the Baxter family. We're Munros. My father and I came here to visit Wyatt and Josh on their spread." Lauren looked thoughtful for a moment. "Pa wanted to go West to California. But when I married Gabe, pa decided to stay in Inspiration."

  Beth had only just gotten to know Inspiration during the summer. But she was already coming to believe that the place was special. And that she could happily spend her whole life close to the town. "I guess Inspiration got into your father's heart, too," Beth suggested.

  "He was itching to start a new life," Lauren explained. "But when he saw the kind of place it is, he changed his mind." Lauren peered intently at Beth. "It's a godly town. You know that, don't you."

  Feeling suddenly awkward, Beth shifted on her seat. "I've seen that whenever I've managed to get to church," she said hesitantly. "Although the children and I don't get to church every Sunday, we go as often as we can."

  "It is a long way into town from the Circle D," Lauren admitted. Lauren's tone of voice suggested to Beth that the pretty Baxter wife was merely trying to be diplomatic.

  "It is something I plan to do more regularly," Beth explained. "The last thing I want is for the children to miss church. I desperately want them to grow up with a strong faith," Beth added. Looking at Lauren she concluded: "It's what their parents would have wanted."

  Realizing that Lauren probably still didn't know the whole story of Luke and Jenny, Beth considered telling her about it. She was sure Landon would be sharing his knowledge of the tragedy with Gabe. Beth knew that was the real reason why Landon had gone outside with Gabe. He hadn't wanted to talk about it in front of the children.

  "You're a three hour ride from town," Lauren said. "I imagine during the winter it's going to be hard for you all to go to church."

  Beth frowned and sighed heavily. "But I've had no excuse when the weather has been good," she objected.

  Sensing Beth's distress, Lauren smiled understandingly. "Don't be too hard on yourself, Beth. You've had so much to do here. Taking on the ranch. Becoming a mother to those adorable children. That would be more than enough for any woman."

  Beth nodded. "Thank you, Lauren. I haven't been able to talk about these things to anyone since I came here with the children. Sally is always too busy looking after the house. And I don't really talk much with any of the ranch hands." Beth tilted her head. "The only exception is my ramrod Doyle. He's been helpful." Beth saw Lauren's brows rise in a line. "But he's only an employee. A foreman," she added quickly. "Nothing more."

  Lauren lifted her chin and gazed out across the garden. Feeling this was her opportunity, Beth told Lauren all about Luke and Jenny. She figured it was only proper to share the truth with Lauren. Especially since Landon had so quickly become a part of life at the Circle D. As she spoke, Beth saw Lauren's eyes fill with a tender and pained look.

  Once Beth had finished speaking, Lauren gasped and was silent for a minute. Then she took hold of Beth's arm, squeezing it gently. "You poor dears," she moaned. Lauren was almost on the verge of tears. "How awful it must have been for you. And for the children." She swallowed and then shook her head. "They've been so brave," she murmured. Looking quickly at Beth she added: "And so have you. How have you been able to cope with all of this on your own?"

  Beth nodded. "It has been hard. But, we're all still here. And we're not going anywhere else." Beth lifted her chin. "Not if I have anything to do with it."

  Hearing Beth's defiant tone caused Lauren to smile. "I can see the Russell family have something in common with the Baxters."

  "What's that?" Beth asked.

  "A fighting spirit," Lauren exclaimed good-naturedly.

  Beth smiled. "I guess it runs in the family."

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Later that afternoon, Landon was in the parlor with the children when he heard raised voices from out in the yard. He went to the window and saw Beth and Doyle standing over by the stable. He saw Doyle holding onto the reins of his horse. It looked like Beth and Doyle were engaged in a heated discussion soon after Doyle returning from working out on the spread. Immediately, Landon decided to go and find out what all the fuss was about. Instructing the children to remain in the house, Landon made his way outside after quickly telling Sally who was in the kitchen where he was going. As he closed the door softly behind him, he saw Beth and Doyle looking in his direction. Instantly they both stopped talking. Beth wrapped her arms around herself, but she didn't walk away from Doyle.

  Striding across the yard, Landon reflected on what had happened earlier that day. Gabe and Lauren had left soon after lunchtime. Not only had Landon been able to talk with his brother. It seemed Beth and Lauren had shared a lot out in the garden. The visit had been a godsend, Landon told himself. It had given Beth a chance to find out more about the Baxters. Landon hoped that would stand him in good stead over the next few days. After his conversation with Gabe, Landon had come to a decision. Even if he was well enough to return to the Baxter ranch, Landon had no intention of doing so. His hopes were rising about himself and Beth. And anyway, he figured Beth didn't want him to leave. He knew he might be wrong about that, but he could feel it in his bones that she wanted him to stay a while longer. After Gabe and Lauren had left, Beth had spent a couple of hours tutoring the children in the study. He hadn't seen her for most of the afternoon, until she'd asked him to be with the children.

  Walking up to Beth and Doyle, Landon saw the ramrod peer defiantly at him. Up close now, Landon could see how much the conversation had affected Beth. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were bright with emotion. She didn't look happy.

  "What's all the fuss about?" Landon asked squinting at Doyle.