In that moment, he understood. She’d lost her family, even her niece. She’d left her home and traveled across the country. Everyone and everything here was new and strange. That cat was the one thing that tied her to her home and her former life.
“I’ll make a trap to safely catch her,” he promised. “I’ll put food inside it and keep an eye out. She’s not used to catching her own food, so she’ll come when she’s hungry.”
“Do you think that will work?”
“Yes.”
Her glistening gaze moved across the pasture and the field beyond. She took a deep breath, as though collecting herself—or resigning herself, he wasn’t sure which—and released his hand with a nod. “All right. I’ll go help Evelyn with the boys.”
“I’ll be right behind you for their story.”
He helped Dewey finish with the horses and asked him to keep an eye out for the cat before washing up. When he reached the boys’ room, his mother had gone to bed and Marigold was sitting at the foot of Seth’s mattress, where the children had lain down, their complexions pink from their day in the sun.
“We waited for you!” Harper declared.
“Wait for you, Seff,” Little John said, mimicking his brother.
“Which chapter are we on?”
Marigold handed him the book, and he read until Little John was asleep and both Tate’s and Harper’s eyelids were drooping. She fussed with their covers, though they were already tucked in and comfortable, and he gave each one a hug.
She went downstairs ahead of him. “I’m going to heat water for tea. Would you care for a cup?”
“No thanks. I’m heading out to the barn. Sleep well.”
He exited the back door and lit a couple of lanterns around his work area in the barn. He found a crate and set to work making a trap to capture Peony. He got it ready and set it up near the back door, where Marigold most often took the cat out on its leash.
He’d actually used the arm in the cast several times today, so it ached, besides the infernal itching inside the plaster of paris. He was of a mind to cut the thing off himself then and there, but didn’t want to suffer Dr. Mason’s scorn or that of his mother, or Marigold.
He had as good as promised Marigold her cat would be safe, and he’d catch it, so he dragged a comfortable chair and a blanket to the very end of the porch, where he could see the place where he’d left the trap, and settled in. He lit one of the lanterns and read for a while, but the light prevented him from seeing out into the darkness, so he extinguished the lantern. He fell asleep after a while and woke up as light was breaking across the eastern sky.
He’d started chores when Hayden showed up to help. He cleaned stalls, then helped get the wagon and team ready to go to church.
“Thanks for coming to help,” Seth told him. “I’ll see you at church.”
“Not today. Pa wants me around. Has some people coming to dig holes.”
“Wells?”
“Nah, some fella named Jason Mitchell came around, interested in coal. Guess he thought we might have a deposit. So Pa gave ’im permission to check our land.”
“That must be the company that hung a sign in town.”
“Dunno. Just know he’s checking around.”
Seth waved him off.
The sky turned overcast. Marigold’s countenance showed she hadn’t slept well, and the way she checked the sky often showed she was imagining lost Peony in a downpour.
“If it rains, she’ll find shelter,” he assured her.
She gave him a half smile. “Does Dewey ever attend services?”
“On occasion.”
After church, Marigold wasn’t her usual friendly self, politely dodging conversations and friends to arrive at the wagon in anticipation of heading back to White Rock.
“Would you ladies enjoy a meal in town today?” Seth asked. “We might try The Lariat that’s just opened. I’ll go find Russ and ask him to join us.”
“That would be delightful!” Evelyn agreed with a smile. “Don’t you think, dear?”
“Yes,” Marigold replied without much enthusiasm. “That would be nice.”
“There’s room to leave the wagon down on Sixth Street. I’ll stop at the livery for water for the horses.” They took their places in the wagon, and Seth stopped as promised to bring the horses water.
The Lariat, farther north on the east side of Eden Street, was every bit as impressive as The Cattleman. It was a long two-story hotel and restaurant, painted dark green with a boardwalk and porch over a row of tall narrow windows with white shutters.
Russ, dressed in his waistcoat and holding his hat, stood in the shade on the boardwalk. Their mother was first to reach him, and he leaned his six-foot frame down to hug her. Then he nodded toward Marigold. “Hello, Miss Brewster.”
“Please call me Marigold,” she answered.
Near the door positioned against the outer wall was a six-foot-tall carving of a rearing horse with a rider, the cowboy swinging a rope above his head. The boys touched the grooves and bumps in the horse’s rear legs and the wood-curved spurs and boots.
“Have you eaten here?” Evelyn asked her middle son.
“Of course, Mother. We unmarried men are keeping these restaurants in business. The kitchen in my house has barely been used to make coffee a few times.”
“Why don’t you just hire someone to cook and clean for you?”
“In case you haven’t noticed there are more men with hungry bellies than there are women who can cook.”
“Well, your little bride can’t get here soon enough. I hope she can cook.”
“If not, we’ll eat here together.”
His mother laughed.
The inside was lavish for this Western setting, with dark wood tables and chairs with red-cushioned seats. The man who arrived to seat them brought a tall youth chair for Little John.
“We need one like this,” Evelyn said.
“Check Remmy’s catalog,” Seth suggested.
“Mr. Irving will be delivering furniture for the boys’ room tomorrow,” his mother told him. “Marigold bought them a desk.”
Seth’s gaze swept to Marigold’s.
“They’ll need it for schoolwork.” She cast her gaze aside.
From a few tables away, Sadie Shriver gave Marigold a wave. She was having dinner with a thin blond-haired gentleman. “Sadie’s friend looks familiar.”
“That’s Walter Kerr,” Russ replied. “The photographer Will sent for. You’ve probably seen his photographs or photos of him in the newspaper.”
They ordered and Russ took out his pocket watch for Little John to play with. He surprised Seth by talking to the children. The boys handled themselves surprisingly well, sitting patiently as they waited for their meals, and eating without incident. Harper left his peas untouched on his plate, and no one mentioned it. He hadn’t complained, and to Seth that was well-mannered. They could talk about vegetables at home.
“Where’s your black horse?” Harper asked Russ.
“He’s at the livery. He has hay and water, and they let him out for exercise.”
“Does he gots shoes on?”
“Yep, he does. New ones in fact.”
Tate laid down his fork. “Seth told us how Joseph’s pa gets the iron hot and bends it.”
Seth met Marigold’s gaze across the table. She smiled, as though she was pleased with their dinner and how the boys were interacting. He felt a strong connection to her, a connection that grew and matured each day. What was she feeling?
“I’ll have the paperwork ready for you to sign this week,” Russ said to Seth. “You can stop by my office anytime. If I’m not in, my assistant knows where they are and what to do.”
“Thank you for handling that.” Seth looked to his mother and then to Marigold. He lowered his voice and asked the
women, “What shall we tell the boys about the adoption process? Will they understand?”
Evelyn looked to Marigold.
“I don’t know that they’ll understand the legality or all the details, but what you can tell them is that they’re safe and they belong with you for good.” A look of pain crossed her features, but she covered it quickly and managed a stilted smile. “No one can take them away. They’ll understand security.”
Seth nodded. When their waiter came, he asked for pie for each person. This was a good opportunity, with his family gathered at the table and other diners absorbed in their own conversations, to bring up the adoption. Over dessert, he set down his fork. “I have something to tell you, Tate.” He glanced from boy to boy. “Harper. Little John.”
“What is it?” Tate asked with a frown.
“It’s something good. My brother Russ here is a lawyer. He takes care of legal things. He has written up papers that I’m going to take to a judge. The papers say that I’m going to adopt all three of you. That means I’ll be responsible for you. I’ll take care of you. You won’t ever have to go away, and no one can take you away. Russ says as soon as the judge signs them, the adoption is legal, and you will always belong with me.”
“Will you be our pa?” Harper asked.
“Well, that’s the thing. That’s something we can decide whenever we want to. Your father was a good man. He was my friend. I appreciate all the good things about each one of you that remind me of him—and of your ma. I know how much you loved him, and I’m not him. I’ll take care of you. You’ll always have a home with me. You’ll be like my own sons. If someday you want to call me Pa, well, that’ll be fine with me. If you don’t, that’s all right, too.”
“What about Missus Halloway?” Tate asked. “Will she be our gramma?”
Evelyn was quick with a reply. “I certainly will be.”
Tate’s gaze slid to Marigold, but he didn’t speak the question that Seth saw in his eyes. She’d been holding her fork in the air over her pie during the whole conversation. She set it down quickly. The last thing Seth wanted to do was make her uncomfortable.
“Marigold is your teacher.” He spoke before anyone could ask. “She’ll be your teacher until she’s taught you everything you need to know.”
She placed her napkin beside her plate and got to her feet. “Excuse me, please.”
With a rustle of skirts and on a wisp of orange and almond, she’d gone.
“Is Marigold all right?” Harper asked.
Little John turned to watch her go. “Mawidold awight?”
“She probably needed some air.” Evelyn wiped Little John’s hands and face and told the others to use their napkins. She brushed Seth’s cheek with a soft kiss. “Thank you for dinner, Seth. It was a lovely occasion. Thoughtful of you to think of it.”
Her approval pleased him immeasurably. He only wished Marigold had been half as happy about the dinner.
* * *
Marigold was happy for Seth and she was delighted for the Radner boys. Their sense of security and their happiness were more important to her than it should have been. She’d resolved not to become attached, but she’d done all the wrong things to keep that from happening. She’d been attempting to fade out of the picture at bedtime so that the boys became dependent on Seth and not on her. She’d forged other friendships in town and, as much as possible, spent time with others at the church functions. But time and again she was drawn back into the Halloway circle, into caring about those children, into thinking too much about Seth.
She’d made up her mind that she was leaving White Rock as soon as his cast came off. One week ago tonight he’d kissed her. She’d thought a lot about that kiss. She was nothing to him—only someone who’d needed rescuing. Someone who knew about children. Someone convenient.
She didn’t want to be convenient.
Caring made her weak, and she didn’t want to be weak.
The Halloways came out of the building and joined her on the boardwalk.
“Are you all right, dear?” Evelyn asked.
She nodded and gave the kind woman a smile.
Russ gave his mother a hug and said to Seth, “I’ll see you this week.”
Seth settled his hat on his head. “I’ll come by. Thanks.”
The ride home was a quiet one. Little John fell asleep on Marigold’s lap. When she got overly tired or distraught, the fears creeped in around the edges of her carefully constructed and guarded shield of protection. What if this was all there ever was, and she did nothing but teach and care for other people’s children until she was an old lonely woman? Sometimes she was afraid to admit she even wanted more, because wanting made her vulnerable. But God knew her heart. He heard her silent pleas and her prayers. She was too practical to feel sorry for herself. It wasn’t foolish or selfish to want something more for herself. If she was precious and beautiful in God’s eyes, surely she could choose her own path and achieve her own destiny.
Little John awoke as Seth stopped the wagon. Seth jumped down and reached over the side for the three-year-old. “We still have plenty of daylight for a ride.”
The boys cheered.
“I believe I’ll read in my room for a while,” she told him. “You fellows go ahead. Enjoy yourselves.”
From her window, she watched Seth and Dewey saddle horses and get the boys mounted. Seth climbed into the saddle of his big spotted gray, and led them away from the stables. Once they were gone, she ran downstairs and out the back door, where she stood in the vast expanse where the yard blended into fields, and called for Peony. She checked, and the trap Seth had made, as promised, still had fresh food in it, so she went back to her room.
The impending adoption of the Radner boys brought up all kinds of confusing emotions in Marigold. The children were Seth’s, as had been decided by their parents. That’s why she’d tried to hold herself at an emotional distance from the beginning. She knew firsthand what it was like to have a child she loved taken from her. And now she didn’t even have Peony.
Settling into the comfortable chair in the room she used, she picked up her Bible and held it. Opened it and read a few verses in Proverbs. She loved Proverbs because they were so practical—sometimes so blunt the verses made her smile. She loved the psalms of David in which he proclaimed his love and trust in his Lord. David always trusted God no matter the circumstances. She had to keep those verses fresh in her mind. God’s Word was always true, and she could trust it—despite her situation.
God loved her and gave her His Spirit and He was working in her life even when it didn’t feel like anything was happening or improving. Marigold closed her eyes. “I remember, Lord. I remember You’re working in my life. You love me and care about me. I’m not alone. You want what’s best for me. Show me how to get past the loss and how to be a whole person.”
She chose, in that moment, to be thankful for the good things she’d been given and her blessings. Her parents had left her a house worth quite a bit of money. She had nearly all of that money in the bank, and her physical needs were met. She had enough to buy additional supplies for the school and the children. Her life had been spared in the train accident, and she’d come through the ordeal with only a bruised chin. She had the privilege of instructing the children of this town. She had the children’s respect and their parents’ trust.
Leah, Hannah, Beatrix, Evelyn—so many women had befriended her and made her feel welcome. She even had the attention of several nice men, who wanted to court her—probably marry her. She wasn’t alone. She could still choose her future path.
As evening arrived, Evelyn tapped on her door, bringing her bread and ham with a glass of milk. “I thought you’d be hungry since you haven’t eaten since lunch.”
“It was a big lunch, but yes, thank you.”
“Little John was asking for you.”
“I’ll be down
in a few minutes. I hear them playing outside.”
She joined the others and watched Seth chase the boys until he caught them and tickled them. Dewey joined them on the porch for coffee, and told the boys stories about Seth and his brothers when they were young.
“Where’s your other brother now?” Tate asked.
“We haven’t heard from Adam for a while. My mom thinks he’s off catching bad guys and making the world a better place.”
“Like a Texas Ranger?”
“Like that, yes.”
“Is he fighting Indians?”
“Well, I don’t know about that.”
“Did you ever fight Indians, Seth?”
“Comanche shot us full of arrows and killed our horses right out from under us,” Dewey told them. “Seth caught a dead Indian’s horse an’ came back for me. We outran ’em and hid in a forest for two days.”
Tate and Harper’s eyes were wide as silver dollars. “Why did they shoot you with arrows?” Tate asked.
“Comanches don’t hanker to anyone bringin’ cows across their land,” Dewey answered.
“Did they kill all the cows, too?” Harper’s forehead wrinkled in concern.
“Nah, they stampeded ’em and run ’em off in half a dozen directions. Iffin we didn’t get ’em when we started that drive over, those ornery longhorns are probably still grazin’ in New Mexico.”
“Do you got arrow holes?” Harper asked.
“I have scars.”
The two boys bounced up and down, begging him to show them his scars, and Little John joined in.
“Go ahead, Seth. They won’t let up until you do,” his mother said from her seat on the porch.
Seth glanced at Marigold. “Apologies.”
She couldn’t suppress a grin. “You probably saw those scars when we first visited Seth at Dr. Mason’s,” she told the boys, “but you didn’t know what they were.”
“I didn’t see ’em,” Harper insisted.
Seth unbuttoned his shirt with his left hand, opened his collar to show them his shoulder, and sat on the top step. Three pale-haired boys crowded around him.
The Rancher Inherits a Family Page 15