by Etta Foster
Chapter 6
“Hello, Mr. Hanson.”
Louise Moreau had the sweetest accent Richard had ever heard.
Southern Louisiana had brought him a nightingale. She offered him a shy smile and put her hand out.
Richard cleared his throat and kissed her knuckles lightly, proud to see a light blush spread across her cheeks. Her eyes never left his as he slowly let go of her hands.
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” Richard announced. “And please, call me Richard.”
“Then you must call me Louise.”
Grinning, he could feel the thumping in his heart as he studied the young lady.
Though she had mentioned her looks so that he would know who he was picking up, there was much she hadn’t said.
The dimples, for example. There were two big ones on either side of her face. She had a small smattering of freckles across her nose, and blue eyes with some green in them. Her eyelashes were long and dark though her hair was a few shades lighter.
The young woman had a heart-shaped face and couldn’t be much prettier than she already was.
Then someone cleared their throat, pulling him from his thoughts.
Both of them glanced over to where someone else stood.
A young woman with blonde hair put her hands on her hips as she tossed him a stern look.
No, he realized, it wasn’t to him. It was to Louise.
Louise Moreau turned back to him. “I must apologize for this last-minute arrangement. I hope you don’t mind, but my family thought it best that I not travel alone. My older sister, Luanne, accompanied me as my chaperone.”
It was strange enough news that Richard took a small step back in surprise. But he forced himself to quickly adjust.
That made sense. He and his brother had a housekeeper, but that was all. If anyone thought false thoughts, then her reputation could be compromised.
Of course she shouldn’t have come alone. He felt sheepish for having expected that in the first place.
He nodded. “Right, yes. She is more than welcome. Luanne, you said?”
When she murmured an affirmative, he followed after her to the young lady. As he drew closer, Richard could see the similarities.
Luanne’s hair was a lighter yellow and her nose was sharper, with a thinner figure that reminded him slightly of a hawk.
With the two women standing side by side, they could be nothing less than sisters.
Louise looked softer while she stood by her sister. She wore a faint smile, though her brows were creased like she was still apologizing for the unexpected arrival.
Either way, Richard resolved, they would enjoy their festivities. It was winter and Oklahoma was beautiful with the snow. He wanted to make their time together as joyful as possible.
Putting on a grin, he waved. “Luanne, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Richard Hanson. Welcome to Oklahoma.”
The young woman attempted a smile, but it looked sourer than anything. As she wrapped her jacket around herself, she glanced around.
“Is it always this cold?”
He shrugged, fiddling with his gloves. “I suppose it is in the winter. I’ve lived here all my life, so I’m afraid I don’t know what it’s like elsewhere. I have some blankets in the wagon. Are you two ready to go?”
Louise nodded, throwing her sister a glance. “We certainly are.”
Before they could grab their bags, Richard took them. “Right this way.”
As he led them, he was warmed to find Louise keeping in step with him and not behind him. They smiled at each other before turning back to the path.
It was a busy lane in town, so most of the snow had been melted. That made their walk easier as they reached his wagon and climbed in.
Louise burrowed her hands under the blanket as she sat beside him on the driver’s bench.
There was a second blanket, but he had immediately handed that over to Luanne who sat in the back with their bags.
“Do you want this blanket?” Louise frowned in concern. “The wind is chilly.”
With both hands on the reins, he glanced over. “Thank you,” he smiled again, “but I want you to be warm. I’ll be fine. It doesn’t grow this cold in Louisiana?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. Especially with this wind. You know, I can’t have you growing ill now that I’ve come here for some time.”
Louise pointed this out as she unfurled the blanket and spread part of it across his lap. “There,” she announced with a proud smile. “We’ll both keep warm.”
His heart certainly couldn’t feel any warmer.
Richard grinned back. “Thank you.”
“Are we nearly to the house?” Luanne hollered, breaking his concentration.
Louise glanced back and turned to him.
When he shook his head, she told her sister, “We still have some time, Luanne. Won’t you sit back and enjoy the ride? We’ve never been so far from home.”
“This wasn’t my idea,” Luanne complained. “And it’s freezing. My coat won’t keep me warm enough. This is awful.”
Though he kept his hands on the reins, Richard glanced at the unhappy young woman. Then he turned to Louise whose smile looked more like a painful wince.
“I’m terribly sorry,” she managed. “It wasn’t either of our preferences for her to accompany me. I’m hopeful she will adjust. But in the meantime, please ignore my sister.”
Richard wasn’t certain how to respond. He didn’t want to add insult to injury for either of them. Changing the subject, he started to point out the views.
“It’s so beautiful,” Louise murmured in an awed tone when they finally reached his house. “Why, it’s so big and charming. It feels like a Christmas dream.”
He glanced down after slowing down. “It does, doesn’t it? You’re quite the jolly gift then.”
Richard didn’t know what compelled him to say such a silly thing, and he opened his mouth to apologize.
But she laughed, touching his arm before tucking her hands under the blanket. “You’re too kind, Richard.”
Just as he opened his mouth again, he heard a shout. There was Mrs. Pennyworth waving from the porch.
“Welcome!” the housekeeper called. “Come in, come in.”
Pulling up nearby, he stopped the wagon.
“I’ll help you out,” Richard explained. “We’ll have to be careful. I shoveled the snow off the path, but it’s still easy to fall.”
He climbed down and made his way around to Louise. She was complacent sitting there as she studied the house. The young lady was biting her lip. Then she shivered.
Richard put out his hands to her. “You should wrap the blanket around yourself and not keep it folded in your lap,” he pointed out.
“I was too distracted looking at your lovely house,” she explained teasingly. “Help me down first and then I shall do just that.”
She put her arms out to him, settling them on his shoulders when he grabbed her around the waist and set her down.
She had a small waist, warm, and he let go reluctantly. Louise let out a breathy sigh as she tactfully wrapped the blanket around her shoulders.
“See?” she showed off with a warm grin. He could have sworn her eyes were twinkling. “Now I’m as cozy as can be.”
Mrs. Pennyworth reached them. “Welcome! You must be Louise Moreau? Oh, what a dear. You are welcome, most welcome indeed. Richard, what are you doing? We’ll freeze out here.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Luanne chimed in.
Remembering the other young woman, Richard turned to help her out of the wagon.
But Luanne had already climbed down. One hand gripping the wagon for balance, she glanced between everyone.
“Well? Are we going inside or not?” Luanne asked pointedly.
Mrs. Pennyworth’s eyes widened but she recovered more quickly than Richard thought he had earlier. “Welcome, dear! And who might you be?”
“This is my sister,” Louise said h
urriedly. “My apologies for not preparing anyone in advance. It was a last-minute change of travel plans. Mrs. Pennyworth, this is my older sister, Luanne Moreau. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard wonderful things about you from Richard.”
That made the older woman beam.
“Oh, you’re too kind. Now then, let’s step inside before we freeze. I have a toasty fire going and tea waiting for us.
“Richard, take care of the poor horses already. They don’t deserve being left here unattended.”
“Of course not,” Richard nodded.
Mrs. Pennyworth was in her element, fussing over more than two men who didn’t want to be babied.
Louise glanced at him curiously and he shrugged as his housekeeper led the women away from him and towards the house.
He set the women’s bags down inside and then took the horses to the barn. The wagon was untethered, and he fed them before brushing them down. Richard worked quickly so he could return to Louise.
He was just finishing up when his brother arrived, carrying a few horseshoes.
“Back already?” Jacob shot him a crooked smirk. “She was bald, wasn’t she?”
Richard glanced up, trying not to get irritated. It was only a joke, he told himself.
“She’s got the prettiest hair in all of Oklahoma. Please call her Louise,” he added. “Be kind to her, would you? And her sister, Luanne.”
His brother sighed loudly. “Great. More strangers for the holidays.”
Richard stepped out of the stall with a stern look. “I mean it, Jacob. Come up and meet them, would you?”
Though he muttered something under his breath, Jacob followed him up the trail leading to the large house.
Richard fixed his jacket as they stepped inside, hoping he looked decent as he found all three women sitting in the parlor chatting away.
“Ladies,” he grinned. “This is my younger brother, Jacob.” He glanced back at the man who was studying their guests. “Jacob, this is Louise. And Luanne.”
Jacob tipped his hat off. Then before Richard could stop him, his brother took the open space beside Louise on the couch.
“It’s delightful to meet you at last,” Jacob announced to Louise.
Louise nodded. “Thank you,” she offered politely. “It’s good to meet you as well. I’ve heard kind things about you. Luanne, this is Jacob. He owns the ranch alongside Richard. Isn’t that impressive?”
The other blonde curled her hair around a finger as she smiled. It was the first smile Richard had seen from Luanne. “It certainly is. Hello, Jacob.”
After watching the three of them talk, Richard realized that the other young lady was rather taken with Jacob. As she should be, for he was a fine-looking young man and could be cheerful when he decided to be.
Richard hoped that would be enough for his brother to keep his attention on the sister, then, instead of Louise.
Chapter 7
They were pretty girls.
Young enough that he hesitated to call them women. Jacob scratched his knee as he looked at the two of them. Though his brother probably wanted him to sit far off in the chair across the room, he didn’t want to do that.
There were pretty girls to look at. Besides, he liked annoying Richard.
His brother deserved it. He was too cocky for his own good, moving forward with ideas he had no business making happen. Jacob was surprised that Miss Moreau had come to the house at all. He had felt certain that she would be old or frail.
Maybe she was dumb.
“How was your journey?” he forced himself to ask politely.
He hadn’t meant to take a seat to join them. Even though he liked a toasty fire as much as the next person, there was work to get done.
Richard was always leaving something unfinished behind, after all. He had left to town without finishing the horseshoes.
Those had been needing to get done for two months. A horse could lose its shoe any day, after all, and it paid to be prepared.
It was a cold day. There hadn’t been any fresh snow for two days, but the chill hadn’t left. If anything, it had only gotten worse. He could practically taste ice in the sky.
They were in for a cold night and that meant extra work needed to be done. Their garden needed to be covered up, all of the horses needed to be put in the barn, and he wanted the sheep to move to the next pasture.
Jacob could already feel in his bones that Richard wasn’t going to remember any of that.
Most likely, he’d forget about everything now that there were girls in the house. That hadn’t happened in a long time.
Mrs. Pennyworth didn’t count.
When Richard had invited him to come to the house to meet them, Jacob had grudgingly given in. He would have to meet them eventually.
If they were ugly, he would have the opportunity to laugh at his brother. If they were pretty, maybe it would soften the winter.
And boy did those pretty green eyes soften everything.
They were greener than grass on a May morning, greener than any frog he’d ever seen jumping in the creek as a boy.
He assuredly wasn’t any kind of poet, but if he was, Jacob knew he would write about those green eyes. Green and bright and sweet. Especially when they crinkled up in a smile.
Louise Moreau smiled at him and Jacob could hardly believe his luck.
How had his brother managed to find a beautiful woman?
She had just passed the verge of being a young girl to becoming a woman. That much was clear in the curves of her body.
Sitting up straight, Louise had a way of cocking her head to listen that he found himself immediately taking a liking to.
Jacob racked his brain as he wondered how it was possible for Richard to have found her.
Had she truly been the one who had been writing to him for the last couple of months? Certainly she had a beau back home waiting for her to finish with this joke. Or perhaps she had wanted a real man and not a pansy in town.
Considering his brother, however, he decided she had picked the wrong Hanson.
Richard had the ranch, the good graces of town, and everything else. As the older son, he had been the golden boy who could do nothing wrong. Their parents had given him the first of everything. And that had meant the best of everything.
In turn, Jacob had received the leftovers. He received the used clothes, the older horse, the dirty toys, and offhand compliments.
Even twenty years later, he could remember the first time he was able to make a hoop fly down the lane. Jacob had spent days trying. He had a drive and goal, just looking for an opportunity to make his parents proud of him.
After several tries, after insisting his mother join him outside just for a short while, he had made it happen. The hoop had made it down the lane without tipping over. He had shouted for joy, waving his arms in excitement.
When he turned to see her proud smile, he had nearly toppled over to find his mother clapping with her back to him.
Richard had come out of the small grove of trees to show the single orange he had found for her. She had been so happy that she clapped for Richard. She laughed and she clapped.
But not for Jacob.
What was it about Richard that made everyone want to dote on him more? Jacob shot a glance at his brother in frustration. Though his brother wasn’t ugly, he wasn’t the most handsome fellow. His nose was too long and his hair was always in his face.
Everyone still wanted to give him the best of everything. Like the horse.
He couldn’t forget the horse. How could he?
Jacob saw that horse every day. It was a silver appaloosa with a star on the forehead. Not only was he beautiful, the animal was fast.
When his parents had brought the creature to their ranch only a week before his birthday, he had been certain they were gifting the animal to him.
Except that they didn’t.
Instead, they gave the horse over to Richard. And they gave Richard’s ten-year-old horse to him.
That very horse still sat out in the barn, only ever ridden by Richard. When he was given the animal, his brother proclaimed that no one else would ever ride the horse but him. And that decree so far had come true.
He could feel the itch in his hands again to jump on that animal and defy his brother. Just once, Jacob thought, just to see what happened.