by Lilah Rivers
“I would love both,” Clementine replied, deciding that she would accept her aunt’s hospitality without complaint.
“Excellent,” she replied, making her way to the kitchen.
Clementine sat in the living room and looked at all of the trinkets that her aunt and uncle had collected during the course of their marriage.
Her mother had always said that they were a happy couple. That they had fallen in love very young and always wanted a large family. Although that did not happen for them, they found fulfillment in life through other means.
Clementine admired that. Even when things did not go as they had wished, they had chosen to trust God to take care of them and be their sole intention.
She waited for a short time before Aunt Roberta returned and brought the plate filled with wonderful food.
“This looks amazing,” she said.
“You think? I hope it tastes good. I am not half as wonderful as your mother was,” she said.
But Clementine loved the meal and said as much. Afterwards, Aunt Roberta showed her around the farmhouse.
“So if you need anything else, just ask. But I am usually in my room or down here doing my needlepoint. And Hank is always on the grounds, so if you need something and I am not around, he is the one to ask,” Aunt Roberta said.
Clementine nodded, hoping that her aunt would explain the other man.
“You know, it is the strangest thing. Yesterday evening, just after you had gone to bed and before dinner, I sat down to pray about the ranch. I asked God to provide another hand who could help with a great deal of other things that need done,” she began.
Clementine was listening intently. Her aunt had such a thoughtful look on her face.
“Within half an hour of the prayer, Hank shows up with a man who just got to town asking for work. Can you believe it? They must have been meeting just as I was praying,” Aunt Roberta said, shaking her head.
“That is an amazing thing,” Clementine said.
“Yes, it truly is. Anyway, I can introduce you to David whenever we happen to see him. He is also going to be staying in one of the houses out back behind the property and will be learning from Hank,” she said.
“Do you know anything about him?” Clementine asked. She knew that, perhaps, she was showing too much interest. But she also was deeply curious and thought that it might be a decent opportunity to find out more about this man.
“Not really. But I’m sure that he is safe. I don’t want that concerning you. Still, I would like to get to know him better if he is going to be working here. He seems like a very nice young man,” she said.
“That’s good to hear,” Clementine said, her smile genuine and unassuming.
“Would you like to go outside and see the land?” Aunt Roberta asked.
“That would be lovely,” she replied. Deep down, she knew that a part of her was hoping that they would bump into the new man, after all. Now that she was looking better, he might understand that she was not some simple maid.
Clementine followed Aunt Roberta into the fresh air and down the three steps of the porch. Before them was a wide, open world. A place where animals were roaming without fences, and beyond those that were kept at the ranch.
“What is that?” she asked, pointing out in the distance to a black mass that appeared to be moving with tiny little parts. Like enormous ants on a hill, they went together.
“Buffalo. There are many of them. They travel in herds and we never quite know if we might accidentally stumble upon them,” Aunt Roberta said.
“Buffalo? I have never seen one before, but I’ve heard of them,” she said.
“Enormous creatures. And their meat is quite good. I don’t like it so well as the elk, but it is decent,” Aunt Roberta said.
Clementine had never eaten any meat other than chicken, pork, and beef. Exotic creatures like the ones out here were intriguing.
“What other sorts of animals are there?” she asked.
Aunt Roberta thought for a moment before replying.
“Well, we have the occasional mountain lion, but they are rare and more afraid of people. But there are big horned sheep, deer, every type of bird, antelope, and so many more,” she said.
“But here,” Aunt Roberta continued, “I have only the very basic animals for a ranch. Now that Philip is gone, I have lost my hunter and have to buy meat if I want anything special.”
Clementine thought about what it would be like to see some of these creatures close up. She hoped that she would have the chance.
In the meantime, she followed Aunt Roberta and continued to be shown parts of the ranch.
“Here is the barn. You can see this is where we keep all of the supplies for the horses, so if you would ever like to go riding, just ask Hank and he can get you settled. Or the new gentleman, David. I’m sure he knows what he is doing,” Roberta said.
When they came out the other side of the barn doors, Clementine was taken aback once more. In every direction she looked, the views were spectacular. Everything was a picture that she had never seen before.
A river flowed at the base of a hill, and off to the west were even more stunning mountains. But the sight that quickly got her attention was altogether something else.
“Ah, here he is. You have already met Hank, but Clementine, this is Mr. David Brown. David, this is my niece, Clementine,” she introduced.
Clementine watched his jaw drop open in sudden realization. It gave her a deep sense of satisfaction to know that she looked her best just now and was able to shock him after what he had earlier assumed.
“Nice to properly meet you,” she said. Although she would have liked to have apologized for her earlier appearance, Clementine believed it was best forgotten about entirely and she could instead try to make herself as pleasant as possible now.
“I-uh-nice to meet you as well,” he said.
“Did the two of you meet already?” Aunt Roberta asked.
“Only briefly. We were both looking for you. I suppose that it makes sense now that neither of us showed much care in who the other was. We must both have assumed that the other was a long-time resident,” she said, trying to be charming and explain away any awkwardness.
“I guess so,” David replied.
Based on the pinking of his cheeks, Clementine thought that he was embarrassed and it made her feel a little bit better.
What she wanted even more, however, was for him to notice how she looked now.
Chapter 4
David tried to find the right words. It felt as though everything was coming out spluttered and confused.
That beautiful mess that he had met in the morning had made him feel terribly shy. But in his quick assumption that she was a maid, he had missed the fact that this young lady was the niece of his new employer.
Clementine was something else. David couldn’t help but note the chocolate hue of her eyes and the slight olive tone of her skin against the backdrop of light hair.
Put together, she made for quite a nice figure. And although she lacked a bit of the humble charm that she’d had when he had seen her in the morning, David still found himself surprised by the beauty that stood before him now.
“Have you worked a ranch before?” Clementine asked him.
“Oh, yes. This is my stock and trade,” he answered.
“Well, that is a relief. I shouldn’t like for my aunt to have anyone working for her who does not know his stuff,” she said.
“I assure you that I know what I’m doing,” he said.
She smiled at him and he gathered that there was no need to try and impress her. She would give him credit as it was due. With a smile that turned him inside out, he was confident that she appreciated the fact that he was there, working for her aunt when she needed someone most.
“Well, it was very nice meeting you,” he said.
“And you,” she replied.
Mrs. Roberta eyed him for a moment.
“I think you look like just
the right man for this job. Tell me, has Hank shown you a good deal of what is expected?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am. He is as good as a man could be to help me get settled,” David said.
He meant every word of it. Hank had been a huge help and he was thankful to have someone so skilled by his side.
“I do appreciate him. Hank has been with me for five years now and he knows everything there is to know about this ranch. He was the last man that my husband hired before he passed away,” Mrs. Roberta said.
“He was a wise man to hire,” David agreed.
“Well, do enjoy your afternoon. I am going to give Clementine the rest of her little tour and then we will work together to get some lunch prepared,” she said.
David saw that Clementine was about to protest, but she quieted. He wondered if she wanted to cook the food herself or if she wanted no part in it at all. Either way, he could hardly take his eyes off of her and hoped that they would all be eating together.
He wished that he had made a better impression that morning. And even now, he had not apologized for having thought that she was a maid. Had she not minded?
That was a foolish question. Of course she minded. He had experienced enough of women to know that if there was ever a reason to be offended by a man, they would choose to be.
Still, he wished that he could have gotten to know a little bit more about her. Why had she just arrived? What was she doing in Feldey and where had she come from?
David headed back towards the barn to put away a bit of rope and saw that Hank was coming towards him.
“I just saw Mrs. Roberta and her niece. Did you have a chance to talk to them?” Hank asked.
“Yes, I did,” David replied. “Lovely women.”
“Mrs. Roberta really is wonderful, as I said. I hope you are seeing that now. And her niece seems nice enough, but I only met her briefly yesterday when she had just arrived,” Hank said.
“So you don’t know anything about her?” David asked.
“Nothing. She’s pretty enough, though,” Hank said.
David didn’t want to say the wrong thing. Of course, she was beautiful. But would he upset Hank by agreeing? Was this man who had been at the ranch all this time thinking that if anyone was going to show an interest in the ranch owner’s daughter, it ought to be him?
“Sure,” he said, giving a noncommittal response.
Hank tried not to laugh and rubbed his arm.
“Think you could pretend any better than that?” he chuckled.
“What do you mean?” David asked.
“You know as well as I do that she’s beautiful. We’re men and there’s no need to pretend anything different. But if you’re playing coy for my sake, don’t bother. I have a love of my own that I get to muddle through,” Hank said.
“Well, I guess if I’m being honest, yes, she is beautiful,” David confessed. “I guess I haven’t been so lucky when it comes to love. I don’t know that it’s something I should be seeking just now.”
“I understand completely. Although there is a woman I hold dear, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to make the sort of match I want. Not with this bum leg of mine,” Hank said.
“Why would that be an issue?” David asked.
Hank gave him a side-eye.
“You’re a nice enough fella, but either you are trying to make me feel better by playing dumb, or you really are dumb,” Hank said.
David thought that maybe it was a bit of both. Of course he didn’t want to be the one to tell Hank that his disability was a cause for concern. But he also couldn’t understand why there was any concern.
“It’s okay. No need to feel bad,” Hank said. “But I don’t think that anything will ever come about with the woman that I really love.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” David said.
“It’s all right. And there was a young lady once who was pretty taken with me. Tabitha, you remember her from yesterday? The awkward thing at the well?” Hank asked.
David remembered it far better than he would have liked. Her overeager behavior towards him, the way she was so aggressive.
“I recall,” he said, politely.
“Yes, well, she was in love with me. I guess she changed her mind about it; I don’t know. I was never interested enough in her to try and find out. Man, I am glad that she isn’t still chasing after me,” Hank said.
“Really? Is that why she was so rude to you yesterday?” David asked, having wondered why she had behaved the way that she did.
“I guess so. She’s usually pretty rude to me. But she’s the only one who ever wanted me after my injury. Maybe it’s because she likes to chase men around and she thought she could catch one with a limp,” Hank said.
David laughed at that. He didn’t know Tabitha, but she shouldn’t have treated Hank that way if it was only because she was angry that he didn’t love her the way that she had wanted him to.
“What about this lady that you care for? Does she not feel the same?” David asked, hoping that it was all right for him to indulge in such a personal question.
“Well, it’s a little bit complicated. Her father doesn’t approve. Pretty much because of my disability. He thinks that I wouldn’t be able to really provide for her since I can’t do a whole lot,” Hank said.
David thought that was preposterous. Hank was doing plenty. All he had was a severe limp, but that didn’t make him useless by any means. He had been running the whole ranch on his own for nearly a month.
“That’s nonsense. And anyway, I didn’t ask about her father, fool that he is. I asked about the young lady. What does she think? Because if she loves you, you ought to pursue her,” David said.
Hank looked as though he was trying to find the right words to express himself.
“Well, here’s how it is. She cares for me enough. But her father is fairly influential in town. So if he forbids us from being together, she’s going to listen to him. I can’t blame her; he’s not a man to ignore,” Hank said.
“Any man who tries to keep love at bay is a man to ignore,” David replied.
Hank laughed.
“Woohee, I wish you had been around here longer. We can use some of your poetry here in town. Your faith in love is pretty inspiring stuff. I only wish there were more people around here who would hear it out,” Hank said.
“I guess it’s a good thing that I plan to stay then,” David said.
“It is, at that. And I’m sure you will see the young lady before long. But we always try to be cautious around one another. Neither of us wants to risk angering her father, or even allowing him to see us together. You see, he really is a good man. He just worries about how I would be able to take care of her,” Hank said.
David wanted to know about Hank’s injury, but didn’t think it was prudent to ask. Besides, trying to learn all about Hank’s love life was only making him think more about his own. He really did want to know more about Clementine.
Was he shallow for being so intrigued by her when all he knew was her beauty? That was the last thing that David wanted to be. He had always considered himself a better man than that.