The Rancher's Southern Belle

by Leanne Burroughs

  “He was in mine at one time. When I was young. Mother was a very devout woman from what I remember. She loved God with all her heart. Tried to teach me to love Him.”

  “And did you?”

  A deep, soulful sigh escaped Madelyn’s lips. “I did. I liked the stories about Him.”

  “Then what happened? What made you doubt God—although in our own way we all do at one time or another.”

  “The war.”

  “Ah.”

  “He stopped listening to us—at least to the South. I begged Him to help us, but He stopped listening to me. I doubt the Almighty cares for me one whit.” Her voice broke despite her efforts to keep her emotions at bay.

  Kat reached out and placed her hand over Madelyn’s. “No, He did not stop listening. As a person of faith, I believe He always listens. Isaiah 41:10 says ‘Do not be dismayed…do not fear, for I am with you.’ He did not say ‘sometimes.’ Did not say ‘when I feel like it.’ Did not say ‘when you are good.’ He simply said, ‘I am with you.’ That means always.”

  Kat worried her lip. “For reasons beyond our understanding, He may not give us what it is we think we want when we are asking, but He always listens and gives us what is best for us.”

  “Decimating the South was best for us?” Her voice rose, her tone heavy with sarcasm. “Isn’t killing against God’s plan?”

  “We are not always meant to know the reasons why things happen the way they do. Sometimes it is just God’s will. At least that is my belief. I do not begin to pretend I have all the answers. I don’t. And I doubt any of us will ever completely understand the war. One of my older brothers died in it. I miss him every day. He was the kindest, gentlest, most caring person I ever knew. Anyone ever knew. In the wake of his tragic passing, I cried. I screamed. I railed against God.”

  “You yelled at God?” Surprise overtook her. How could a woman who so trusted God do that? Wasn’t she afraid God would strike her dead?

  Kat nodded. “Being a Christian does not mean we do not make mistakes or question why things happen to us.”

  “But—”

  She looked Madelyn full in the face. “I told you most everyone doubted God at some time or another. I imagine even preachers are not immune. Many people lost loved ones in the war. From both sides. Many people suffered—are still suffering. You are clearly one of them. I am so sorry. I wish I could help you through that. While it may not mean much to you now, I will tell you I will pray for you every day. For you to heal and to come back to a loving relationship with our Lord and Savior.”

  “You do not need to—”

  “Oh, but I do. God tells us to pray for one another. While I am far from the best sheep in His flock, I do my best to do what He tells us.”

  She rose from her chair and her eyes lit in challenge. “Now, let us change the subject. You said I could have one of these gorgeous dresses!” She headed to the front door and called out. “Rebekah, come inside and see the beautiful dress Aunt Maddie is giving you. I am gonna make you a dress out of it. There will be plenty for a bonnet, too.”

  She turned back to face Madelyn, her countenance set and determined. “And that is the last I ever want to hear about you thinking about leaving. When my brother pledges forever, he means it. Remember you will have to live with your decision the rest of your life. Smart people make bad decisions sometimes. Do not be one of them.”

  Although she wasn’t sure she wanted to admit it, with a small flutter of hope, Madelyn’s heart bade her to stay.

  ~ Chapter Ten ~

  Two weeks later, after Madelyn’s follow-up visit with the doctor, she and Luke stopped in at the aunts’ house. Kat realized more items were needed for future meals, and Madelyn wanted to pick up two more sets of buttons she’d seen in town on her previous trip—one for herself and one for the dress she’d given Kat for Rebekah. When she’d seen them before, she’d thought the little pink flowers on them would be perfect for some little girl. She couldn’t wait to give them to Kat as a thank you for all she’d taught her these past few weeks. She hoped she might find a set for Kat, too, but hadn’t seen anything that struck her fancy the last time she’d been to the mercantile.

  The aunts were coming back with them today, but she was delighted to have the opportunity to see their small house. Its size was perfect for them and totally reflected both their personalities. She glanced around the parlor and couldn’t believe all the knick-knacks that graced the room. They were everywhere—on tables, on shelves on the wall, and in cabinets that hung on the walls. Clearly both women had brought items with them from their own homes and had merged them into their new home.

  If she were to guess, Aunt Mary had collected the angels and Aunt Lola had collected the small animals—especially carved horses. The smaller of the two women, whenever at the ranch, Aunt Lola was always outside with the animals or near the horses in the barn or corral. She especially seemed to enjoy longeing them when the men allowed her to help.

  “Look at you,” Mary expressed as she took in Maddie’s dress. “Is that the latest dress you and Kat have been working on changing?”

  Madelyn nodded.

  “The royal blue is beautiful on you. With your dark hair, bright colors look wonderful on you. You did a very good job on the dress. I am so proud of you.” She came over and embraced Madelyn in a hug.

  It felt so good. With her mother dying while she was young, she hadn’t received many hugs after that. Aggie had done her best and had certainly bestowed hugs, but Madelyn would have done anything to receive one from her father. It never came.

  Luke bid the aunts goodbye. “I will stop for you on the way home and you can follow us.” While the women made the trip themselves many times, at their age he preferred to have someone travel with them whenever possible.

  Outside he turned to Madelyn. “You head on over to the mercantile while I go see the barber for a few minutes. Guess it is time I get rid of all this hair. If it is still Mac that owns it, it will not take long a’tall. He is really good at what he does.” His warm voice swirled around her, warm and reassuring. “Then I have to go to the livery a minute to fetch more feed. With the new horses I bought the other day, I want to make sure we are plenty stocked. Aunt Lola loves the palfrey I found. She said it has the sweetest temperament.”

  She thought for a minute. “You know, it is odd. Aunt Lola lived back East, yet she is the one who loves horses. Aunt Mary always lived in the West but does not seem to have an affinity for them.”

  The captain chuckled. “True about Aunt Lola. But do not forget she did grow up here. From what folks said through the years, everyone was surprised when she up and married some Easterner. Folks figured she would settle here and have her own spread.”

  He dropped a careless kiss on her hand before he walked away.

  Madelyn smiled. That had certainly been a surprise.

  She couldn’t wait to see what new notions Swede might have in his store. Maybe he even had a new supply of buttons.

  Retying the ribbon of her hat in a perfectly symmetrical bow, the bell jangled as she walked inside the store. Its savory scent wafted throughout the building. How she enjoyed coming here. She waved to Swede and headed straight to the notions, not paying any attention to anyone else in the store.

  A slender man blocked her path. “How do, darlin’.” He doffed his hat. “Let me introduce myself. Jeffrey Bonner at your service.” He gave her the once-over and a cocky grin.

  Taken aback at being spoken to by a strange man without a proper introduction, she forced herself to smile. “I am pleased to meet you, sir.”

  Something hard and cold shimmered in the depths of his eyes. He looked like a cat ready to pounce on a mouse. And being a mouse was something she very much didn’t like.

  “And I am very pleased to meet you.” He leaned close, his warm breath fanning her skin. His voice had a gravelly quality to it. “Any time you want to spend some time with a real man, feel free to look me up.” His thin lips sneered.
“I am sure it will not take you long to get bored living with the likes of Guylenhall.”

  Her eyes widened in shock. Had this stranger actually just propositioned her? Dipping her head, she quickly excused herself and continued on to the notions department. Where was the captain? She hoped his tasks at the barber shop and livery wouldn’t take long. She needed him to join her quickly. She didn’t feel comfortable alone.

  Since when have I started leaning on him? I have always had to do everything myself. Ever since Mother died. Was always darn good at it, too. I never needed anyone. Liarliarliar, her mind screamed!

  Within minutes of entering the notions department, two women approached—an elderly woman and a younger one, clearly her daughter, who wore a particularly pretty pale yellow dress with a bit of lace at the cuff.

  “Surely my ears are deceiving me. Rumor has it you are Luke Guylenhall’s wife.”

  Madelyn smiled, pleased to be making the acquaintance of some of the women in town, even if once again there was no one here to introduce them. People in the West clearly didn’t find themselves bound by the same constraints she’d been raised with. “Yes, you heard right.”

  The woman’s face pursed in a frown. “That cannot possibly be true.”

  Madelyn was disconcerted by the woman’s words. “Why can’t it?”

  The elderly woman turned up her nose. “Our dear Luke would never marry the likes of someone like you.”

  “The…likes of me?” She drew up to her full height and her ire rose. No one talked to her like that! By sheer will she forced herself not to clench her fists.

  The woman looked her over from head to foot. “Yes, someone who looks more like a strumpet than a well-established woman. Or at least like someone who thinks she is much better than the rest of us. While your clothes may have been what women wore in the traitorous South, I assure you such apparel is a mockery and totally inappropriate here. You look like a floozy in some wild west show.”

  She uttered a disparaging laugh and looked at her daughter, who quickly lowered her head to face the floor. “Why would our Luke marry the likes of you when he could have married any woman he wanted from here—my daughter included?” She placed a hand on her daughter’s arm, but the young woman refused to look at her.

  Madelyn clenched her teeth, then ground out, “Your Luke married me because he loved me, which clearly is more than can be said about how he felt about any woman in this town.”

  Surely God wouldn’t strike her dead for telling such a lie!

  “Well! I never!” The woman flounced off, then turned back. Hatred covered her countenance and she speared Madelyn with a resentful glare. “You have no idea what you are talking about you”—the woman’s eyes again assessed Madelyn from the top of her head to the tip of her toes—“…you strumpet. Decent folk like us run women like you out of town!”

  Audible gasps from the onlookers echoed throughout the store. Swede rushed to the front door and shouted out to someone. Madelyn didn’t hear what he said.

  She didn’t know what to say over the lump in her throat and struggled to maintain a façade of calm. She gripped the handle of her reticule so tight her knuckles whitened.

  But the harridan was on a roll. “Just you wait and see, our Luke won’t keep you around long. And I will be the first to cheer when the door to this life slams on your backside.”

  Madelyn should have left it at that, but she was far too angry. Her mouth always ran when she was angered. Father always considered it her worst flaw. And this woman who acted so high and mighty had pushed too far. She hated women like her and she’d met her fair share of them in Atlanta. Women who thought they were perfect and the world owed them everything. She’d had to put up with some of them in what had been considered proper society. No more! She had every intention of putting the viper in her place.

  “Then again, madam, perhaps I was mistaken. Perhaps Luke married me just so he would not end up having you for a mother-in-law!”

  Madelyn clenched her teeth. Her eyes began to sting with hot, unfallen tears. She wouldn’t cry. She would not cry in front of this hateful harridan!

  The woman looked angry enough to strike her. Actually raised her hand, but her daughter reached out to stop her.

  To Madelyn’s relief, Matthew stepped into the fray. “Ladies, if you will excuse us, my new sister and I were just about to head to my office for a cup of coffee.” He moved forward and wrapped an arm comfortingly around her shoulders. “Maddie, if you will come with me, please.”

  He moved her forward and out the door, the bell tinkling as it opened and closed.

  Her shoulders shook, but he kept moving her forward. He lowered his head and spoke close to her ear. “Do not stop now. Let us go to my office. It is not far.”

  She shivered despite the warm sunshine.

  Once inside, he seated her in a wooden straight-back chair, then moved to a small table and poured a cup of coffee. He started to hand it to her and stopped cold.

  “Aw, no. You are not gonna cry. I do not do well with women that cry.” He spoke in his gentle baritone.

  Her lips quivered and her shoulders shook. She couldn’t stop herself. Before she knew what he was about, he’d placed the cup on the table, moved toward her and pulled her to her feet, and wrapped his arms around her, trying to console her.

  “It is all right now, Maddie. You are gonna be fine. You are a Guylenhall now.” He ran his hand lightly up and down her back. “We do not let the likes of Mrs. Peabody make us miserable. We face them and shake them off.”

  The door opened and Luke stormed inside. After one quick look around the room, a flicker of annoyance crossed his face, was quickly masked. “Take your hands off my wife!”

  Matthew released her with a sigh. “Good. You are here.” He eased Maddie toward Luke. “You can console her now. I am not good at it.”

  “What is wrong? Why is Maddie upset? Why does she need consolin’?” He ran a restless hand through his recently cut hair. “Swede said there was a disturbance at the mercantile and you rushed Maddie out of there. What happened? I was only gone a few minutes! What could have possibly happened?”

  “You left your wife alone with one of the town termagants.”

  “Who? What happened?” He shook his head and grumbled. “Why do I have the feelin’ you are gonna tell me somethin’ I really do not want to hear?”

  “Mrs. Peabody attacked Maddie the instant she walked in the store. Made some mighty rude comments.”

  Anger overwhelmed Luke. “About?”

  “From what I heard, mainly about her looks. Slammed her character.”

  Luke eased Maddie away from him and regarded her, then shot a look at his brother. “What are you talkin’ about? She is beautiful today. I watched her cut this dress down all by herself —well, with help from Kat. Sewed on it every night.”

  “Luke, that is not the issue. I agree your wife is lovely, but that is part of the problem. People are jealous. Especially those that had designs on you for their daughters. And while this dress”—he motioned toward it—“is not as fancy as the one she wore to town when she first arrived, it is still much prettier than what most women hereabouts wear on a regular basis. In most cases, prettier than anything they have ever owned. I am not saying they are right. I am just stating a fact.”

  Though it pained him, Luke dipped his head in acknowledgement. “And?”

  “And when Maddie was attacked, she stood up for herself. Said some things that angered our dear Mrs. Peabody, even though the old battle-axe had them coming.” A grin covered his face and he winked at her. “I am proud as a peacock at how she stood up for herself.”

  Luke eased her back. “Maddie? Darlin’, are you all right now?”

  She nodded.

  “Good. Tell me what you said.”

  “I am sorry. I admit I said too much. I am not used to people talking to me before they have been introduced. It is taking me some time to adjust to that. You go up and talk to perfect stranger
s. Where I came from, that just was not done. Obviously things are different here. While I understand that woman had the right to speak to me, she did not have the right to attack me. I lost my temper, but I should never have said what I did.” She mumbled the last words and refused to meet his eyes. “I apologize.”

  He closed his eyes a moment anticipating the worst. “What did you say?”

  She bit her lower lip. “I would really rather not—”

  “What did you say?” His voice was a bit firmer.

  “Even though it is not true, and never will be, I stretched the truth and told her you married me because…because you love me.” She lowered her head and refused to look at him again. “I didn’t mean to lie. Honest.”

  He dipped his head once, a smile pulling at the corners of his lips as he tilted her chin up with one finger to face him. “I can certainly live with that.”

  “Oh, that is not even close to being all.” Matthew’s face grew crimson with mirth.

  “There is more?” Luke raised a brow.

  “Oh yeah. Much more.” Matthew chuckled.

  Madelyn looked toward Matt and shook her head. With a smile on his face, he ignored her.

  Luke took in both of them. How could his little wife get in so much trouble in such a short time? Then again, he shouldn’t have left her alone in town until people got used to her being here. The fault fell squarely on his shoulders. He had to find out if he had to play damage control.

  “What did she say?”

  Madelyn groaned and shook her head again. She frowned at Matt. He ignored her.

  “She told Mrs. Peabody that perhaps you really just married her so you wouldn’t have to have the old biddy as a mother-in-law.”

  Luke pulled Madelyn close. He didn’t know if he wanted to groan or laugh. Laughing won.

  “It is all right, darlin’. Perhaps you should not have phrased it quite that way, but I am sure Mrs. Peabody asked for it. She can be a right meddlesome woman.”

  When they left his brother’s office, Luke looked down the street and saw said busybody standing outside what all the women hoped would someday be a milliner’s shop. Or perhaps a modiste. So far no one had come to town to open such an establishment, although Mac steadfastly recruited newcomers in an effort to rent out the other half of his building.