Herding the Hellions

by Danni Roan

  “Ryan, promise you’ll be good.” Agi said.

  “I’ll be good if I can have cookies,” the oldest boys said, “and coffee.”

  “All right,” Agi agreed. “I’ll let the sitter know.”

  Agi wiped his brow with an oversized handkerchief as he walked back toward town. The initial meeting between the boys and Miss Hebert had gone better than he had expected, and as long as they didn’t burn down his house while he was gone, he was sure that things would go well. He only hoped that the old busy bodies in town didn’t tell Miss Hebert too much about his boys before he could get her to the altar.

  Stuffing the kerchief back into his pocket Agi gazed up at the darkening sky. He could have put another two hours work in if he hadn’t needed to come courting, but since his last housekeeper had quit, things around the house were getting critical.

  Even offering extra money to watch the boys or clean the house could no longer persuade anyone to work for his family. He needed to get Miss Hebert to marry him fast. She had said herself that she needed a place for her father to live, so perhaps she wouldn’t balk at being rushed down the aisle.

  “Mr. Pennington,” a voice called as Agi walked the familiar street through town and he paused looking up. He had been so deep in thought he had walked straight past Miss Viola’s house and the young woman waiting on the front porch.

  “I’m sorry,” he said offering her what he hoped was a friendly smile. “I was just thinking about the future.” She was an attractive woman at least with all that dark, copper kissed hair and deep brown eyes.

  Helena smiled back at the man. He was rather handsome and not so many years older than she was. He must have married young to have three boys and a booming business.

  “Why don’t you two young people take a stroll along the road there,” Mrs. Worthington their chaperone said adjusting her knitting on her lap as she sat in a comfortable chair on the porch. “I’ll just keep an eye on you while you walk. Poor chit has no clue what she’s in for if she stays this course.” She added in a mumbled whisper.

  “Excuse me?” Helena asked politely.

  “Oh nothing dear,” the old woman said. “Counting stitches is all.” She replied with a wrinkled smile. “Unless you count me saying prayers that God will spare you a day with them boys on your own.”

  Helena nodded wondering if the woman had all of her faculties. Apparently, Viola thought that she was sufficient as a chaperone, or Chance wouldn’t have asked her, so that would do for Helena.

  Stepping up to Mr. Pennington, Helena hesitated before taking his arm. She wasn’t used to being unsure of herself or what to do and the feeling was foreign. When her fingers came to rest on his arm a warm feeling seemed to zing up her arm making her gasp.

  “I’m sorry, did you get a splinter?” Agi said. I’m afraid I didn’t have much time to freshen up before calling. The mill is so busy that I’m always coming back and forth, scattering sawdust and shavings in my wake.”

  “That must have been it,” Helena agreed. “Perhaps a prickle from a wood shaving grazed my hand.”

  Agi stopped, taking her hand from his arm and turning the palm toward him. He couldn’t see any blemish, as he examined the young woman’s smooth palm. Her hand was warm and soft in his and memories of a woman’s touch stirred in his mind. He had loved his wife, the sweetheart of his younger days, but she was gone, and he needed someone who could fill the gap she had left in his life.

  Dropping her hand rather abruptly Agi turned to study the night sky. “Would you like to see the sawmill?” he asked covering his moment of weakness. He wasn’t looking for a wife. He only needed someone to care for his boys and his home.

  “If you’d like,” Helena said wondering why he had dropped her hand so quickly. She had rather liked the way his strong calloused hand felt wrapped around hers.

  “What do you like to do?” Agi asked. “If you do decide that we suit, you might want a pastime. I don’t have a kitchen garden or stock to tend, so it’s just the boys and the house.”

  Helena smiled, “My father and I both enjoy reading,” she said. “Father will be bringing books with him.”

  “Perhaps you can help my boys learn to read,” Agi said. “They aren’t too keen on it yet.”

  “Ryan doesn’t read?” Helena asked horrified. “I would have thought that he was of an age to be reading already.”

  “He should, but so far he hasn’t really settled into school and learning. I think when he lost his mother, it slowed him down.”

  Again Helena’s heart was touched by the plight of the boys. They truly needed a mother, someone to help them learn to love to learn. She was sure that with her father along that Ryan, and Albert as well would be reading in no time.

  “I’m very sorry for your loss,” Helena tried. “It must have been hard on all of you.”

  Agi looked into the lipid dark eyes of the woman beside him as they made the turn at the end of the street, and felt himself being drawn in. Shaking his head, he shook off the feelings that seemed to buzz in his brain.

  “Thank you,” was all he said as he turned back toward a racing stream behind the last house on the street. “If you’ll look along the stream, you can see the mill at the bottom of the hill.”

  Helena gazed down the stream bed picking out the long building and stacked wood on the flat plain next to the stream.

  “It runs on water power,” Agi said. “the water turns a wheel that works the gears and machinery.”

  Helena smiled at the man’s animation. He was clearly proud of his business and obviously dedicated to it based on the amount of sawdust in his raven locks.

  “What are you two doing all the way down here?” Mrs. Worthington called hurrying down the boardwalk at a pace that belied her advanced years. “You get back up here and home,” she finished waving her knitting at both of them.

  “I’m sorry Mrs. Worthington,” Agi said looking like a boy who had been caught misbehaving. “I was simply showing Miss Hebert the sawmill. If she accepts me as suitor, I’d like her to know that I can provide for her every comfort.”

  The old lady harrumphed. “At least she’ll not want for food or shelter,” she said. “Might lose her mind with those boys of yours though,” she mumbled.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you,” Agi said.

  “I said you’d better walk her back to the house. I’m sure you’ll want to get home to those boys of yours,” Mrs. Worthington said more loudly. “Besides I’m an old lady and need to go home to my bed.”

  Agi offered Helena his arm again as they turned back to the large Victorian house. “I hope that I can call tomorrow?” he said as he escorted Helena to the front door.

  “I think I’d like that,” Helena agreed.

  Mrs. Worthington waved herself on down the street as the two chatted for a few more minutes. “I’ll leave you two to say goodnight,” she said shoving her knitting into her bag. “I’m sure you’ll mind your manners with everyone watching out the windows. More than I can say about your boys,” she finished in a hushed rumble.

  Helena grinned wondering if anyone was truly watching, shaking her head at the woman’s habit of mumbling to herself.

  “Have you had any news from your father?” Agi asked slipping his hands into his pockets. He felt somehow tempted to take Helena’s warm hand back into his, and that was not something he wanted to do.

  “I sent him a wire today asking him to stay another week with his friends in Kansas while we get to know each other a little more.”

  “That seems prudent,” Agi said thinking the exact opposite to be true. The sooner Miss Hebert’s father arrived, the sooner she would need to wed. “I hope this doesn’t mean that you’re unsure of a match with me.”

  “No, it’s not that,” Helena said. “I was very impressed with your boys and I feel that our mutual need is complementary. I do think it would be best if we had a bit of time to get to know each other though.”

  Agi smiled hoping that she c
ouldn’t see his annoyance. He would take her to the preacher today if she’d agree, but that was not the arrangement Miss Hebert had made with Miss Viola, and he knew he would have to be patient a bit longer.

  Hopefully he could keep his boys under control that long.

  “I’ll bid you good night then,” he said taking her hand and squeezing it gently before turning and striding away.

  Helena watched Mr. Pennington walk away down the street, her heart warming to the man. Perhaps they would make a good team if they were to wed. She had a need as did he, and sometimes necessity led to great things. She knew that she would be content to have a home and a secure place for her father, and it was obvious that Mr. Pennington was putting his boys’ needs before his own.

  Tomorrow she would understand more about the man and the plan she had brewing in her head.

  Chapter 8

  Helena smiled at Myrakle and her dog, Dumpling, who were sitting in the parlor playing with a ball. It amazed Helena how much the little dog helped the young woman who had been struck deaf from scarlet fever years ago.

  “Did you have a nice time?” the younger woman asked in her unusual tone.

  “It was very informative,” Helena said letting Myrakle see her words formed as she spoke. “I think I’ll head up to bed now,” she finished. “I have a lot on my mind.”

  “You back from your outing already?” Beans stepped into the parlor calling out to Helena. “Kind’a a short visit wasn’t it?”

  Helena only smiled. “I think Mr. Pennington had other responsibilities to tend to,” she said lightly. “He brought the boys over to meet me, and I’m sure he wanted to be home to tuck them in for the night.”

  Beans’ eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You met his boys?” he asked gesturing for her to follow him into the kitchen.

  “Yes, and they seem to be very pleasant,” Helena said following him back into the kitchen where he lifted a pot of coffee in invitation.

  “Thank you, I think that could be just what I need.”

  “Anyone ‘round those boys could probably use a stiff drink,” Beans mumbled pouring the coffee.

  “What was that Beans?” Helena asked.

  “Oh, nothing.” The old cook said placing a cup on the table where Helena had taken a seat. “Just an old man talking to himself.”

  “There seems to be a great deal of that going around tonight,” Helena said with a grin as she stirred her coffee. “Mrs. Worthington seemed to talk to herself as well.”

  “Ain’t surprised she did,” Beans said taking a swallow of coffee.

  “Why do you say that?” Helena asked wondering if there was something he wasn’t telling her. “It’s just something old people do,” Beans hedged. “Kinda like getting advice from yourself,” he added with a chuckle.

  Helena shook her head at the old man, but laughed just the same. She could see that he was someone else she could turn to in need, even as she and the others were looking to Violet to help Mr. Redburn sort out there situations.

  “Mr. Pennington seems very dedicated to his business,” Helena said looking up from her cup.

  “He spends a lot of time workin’ that mill and making sure it runs right. No wasted cuttings with that one,” Beans agreed. “Now if he’d just look to a few other things.” He finished.

  “Like what?” Helena asked.

  “Like, getting his household in order. I guess he thought he was taking a step in the right direction when he talked to Miss Viola, and she took him on, so I think in the end things will all work out.”

  Helena sipped her coffee silently for a few minutes. If Old Beans thought that Mr. Pennington would make a good match for her then surely between them all they could convince Mr. Redburn. As annoyed as she was with the cowboy turned matchmaker she still wanted him to do well.

  Something told the young woman that the former rancher had his heart in the right place even if he didn’t seem to know what to do with the ten women who were now residents in his home.

  “I’m glad I have you in my corner then,” Helena said patting Beans on the arm. “I’d like to marry Mr. Pennington as soon as possible and have everything settled for when my father arrives.”

  Beans spluttered almost choking on his coffee at Helena’s words. “Now don’t be gettin’ the cart before the horse young lady,” he said dabbing at his whiskers with a red bandana. “There ain’t no hurry. You can stay here as long as need be. Kind of make sure that you’re making the right choice.”

  “Do you think there is something wrong with Mr. Pennington?” Helena asked her dark eyes suddenly troubled.

  “No, no, I ain’t saying that. Agi’s a good man, bit distracted by work and such is all.”

  “Well it is obvious that the man needs a wife and a mother for his children,” Helena continued. “I think it is admirable that he is willing to put his boys’ needs before his own. Besides I need a home and a safe place for my father. Is Mr. Pennington’s home sound?”

  “Last time I was over that way it was,” Beans said. “He built a fine house, spacious like with the best materials. Probably one of the best houses outside of Bent itself.”

  “There then what else is there to worry about. I’ve been very frank with Mr. Pennington, and he seems to sympathize with my situation.”

  Beans ran a hand over his beard wrinkling his nose. Everyone in town knew that Agi’s boys were hellions, but was it right to say such a thing to Miss Helena. She wasn’t one of these straight out of pigtails girls who didn’t know about life.

  No, it wasn’t his place to speak to the boys’ behavior. Instead he would see how things played out. He had at least until Miss Hebert’s father arrived.

  Helena finished her coffee feeling more confident than ever. If Beans wasn’t telling her she should run the other way, then surely everything would work out.

  She could help Mr. Pennington, and he could help her. Together they might even have a chance at a comfortable future, and she was already certain that she would love those sweet boys from the moment she became their new mother. What could possibly go wrong when two people in need determined to help each other out for the benefit of others? The three boys and her father would have a home. She would have a purpose, and perhaps in time, the man she had determined to marry, might even feel some affection for her as well.

  Chapter 9

  Agi ran a comb through his hair noting that once again he had gone too long between haircuts.

  He had met with the not unattractive young woman again for the last two nights, and tonight, he was going to propose.

  Miss Hebert seemed a sensible sort, and with her need to find a home for herself and her father, he was sure that she would agree.

  He simply did not have time to continue courting the woman for an extended period of time. Both his business and his boys needed attention, and he was too busy to waste time with the niceties.

  Last night as he had escorted Miss Hebert through town, Mrs. Worthington shuffling behind and mumbling the whole while, he had learned more about the circumstances surrounding Miss Hebert’s need for a new home and had concluded that she would be amicable to his request.

  He also didn’t know how much longer he could keep the lid on the boys’ behavior. It was only a matter of time before the boys did something that would have the woman running the other way if he didn’t act fast.

  Brushing the last flakes of sawdust from his shoulders, Agi smoothed his rumpled shirt as best he could and headed for the door. Tonight, everything would change.

  “Violet, I need your help,” Helena said as she opened the door to the small office where her friend was straightening papers and files on a large desk.

  “What’s wrong?” Violet asked giving Helena her full attention.

  Helena took a seat in front of the desk, smoothing her skirt with nervous fingers. “As you know Mr. Pennington has called on me several times over the past week and a half,” she began. “He is coming again tonight for a stroll.”

 
“Yes, I have noticed that he’s been to see you a few times,” Violet smiled. It wasn’t easy keeping track of the brides and their beaus as well as wrangling Chance in the direction she knew his late aunt had determined he should go.

  Helena touched at her hair, she knew she was fidgeting, but what she had to say next was not exactly the way things were done in the Match Making business or the realms of romance. “I intend to propose to Mr. Pennington tonight!” she finally blurted.

  Violet stifled a gasp that quickly became a giggle. “Are you sure that is wise?” she finally asked.

  Helena lifted her hands as if unsure but her eyes gleamed with determination. “I think it is the most pragmatic thing to do,” she said. “As you know my father will be arriving in only three days, and I simply must secure a place for us.”