Cowboy Father

by Linda Ford

  Adele had considered the possibility, but only for a moment. “I hope not. I pray not.”

  Susie turned to face Adele. “I prayed for Mama and Papa, but I guess God only listens to grownup prayers.”

  Adele cupped Susie’s face in her hands. “Honey, God hears everyone. Why, He even hears prayers you don’t pray.”

  Susie’s eyes clouded with doubt. “How?”

  “The Bible says He knows what we are going to say before we even think it.”

  “Then why didn’t He help Mama and Papa? Doesn’t He care we need them?”

  Adele pulled the child into her arms and rocked her. “That’s a very big question.” One she had asked herself. Why did her parents die? Or had they? She’d never known for certain.

  Why didn’t God let her know about Floyd before she married him? Why didn’t He protect her from Floyd’s friends following her?

  She couldn’t think how to answer Susie. Pat answers such as “God knows best” were an insult to the child’s loss. Telling her God had something better in store was equally cruel. How could being orphaned be better than having parents?

  “Susie, honey, do you think your parents still love you?”

  “Oh, yes. Mama said we should never forget that they do.”

  “They didn’t want to leave you, did they?”

  Susie gave a shuddering sob. “Mama was sad when she got sick.”

  “Maybe it’s the same with God. Bad things happen, and He is sad. But He still loves us.”

  Susie leaned heavily against Adele’s chest. The poor child needed comfort on so many levels—physical touch, patient care, and the assurance of love from the people around her, but especially God’s love.

  “I know a Bible verse that might help. ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ Remember, God is with you no matter what.”

  “Mama told me that too.” She sighed. “I will try to remember even when I’m sad.”

  They sat in contemplative silence for several minutes.

  “Are you ready to go to bed now?”

  “I’m very tired.”

  Adele shifted the little girl to her feet and guided her to the bed. “You crawl in beside your little brother. If he wakens in the night he’ll know you are there, and he’ll feel safe.”

  Susie pulled the covers over herself and made sure they were tucked around Georgie.

  Adele knelt so she could tuck them both in. Her hand lingered on Susie’s shoulder.

  “Your mama and papa would be proud of how you take care of him.” Adele coughed a little as the words stuck in her throat. “What a brave little girl you are.”

  Susie smiled. “Mama told me I must be brave.”

  Adele began to rise.

  Susie caught her hand and stopped her. “What about my prayers?”

  “Do you want me to say them for you? Or do you want me to listen to yours?”

  “You say them for me.” Susie clasped her hands together on her chest and closed her eyes.

  Adele drew in a deep breath in the hopes of steadying her voice as she prayed for Susie and Georgie to have a good sleep. “And help them know how much You love them. Amen.”

  Susie opened her eyes and gave Adele a look that seemed to ask for something more.

  “What is it?”

  “Would you sing a song?” She lowered her voice. “Mr. Sandburg sang a nice song, but he sounds funny.”

  Someone coughed but not from the direction of the other room. Rather the sound came from outside. Adele grinned. “I think he heard you,” she whispered.

  “I liked the way he sang,” Susie said with utmost sincerity, making sure she spoke loudly enough for Ethan to hear.

  Adele realized she had enjoyed hearing him sing too. Even if Ethan was one of Floyd’s associates, he was willing to do what he could to ease the pain these two children had to deal with, and that raised her opinion of him. After all, he couldn’t be all bad.

  “Do you have a favorite song?”

  “Mama liked to sing ‘What a Friend We Have in Jesus.’ Do you know that one?”

  “I do.” Adele cleared her throat, but even so the first few notes croaked almost as badly as Ethan’s singing. Then her voice grew strong, and she sang the words with more feeling than she ever had before. She wanted Susie to trust in Jesus’s love and care.

  As she finished, she realized she had found the comfort and strength she needed for herself.

  Her heart went out to Susie and Georgie, and she vowed she would do everything in her power to help them adjust to their loss.

  Even put up with Ethan until the children felt safe enough to let him go.

  Ethan had heard almost every word spoken behind the door. His heart was stirred by what Adele said to Susie, reminding her that God was near no matter what happened in her life.

  Was Adele parroting lessons taught by her parents?

  Did she think God was close when her husband stole from others and bought luxury items for her? His questions silenced when Susie commented on his voice.

  Then he listened to Adele sing, her voice sweet and strong. How could someone with the voice of an angel be part of stealing from others?

  Before he could come up with a reasonable explanation, she stepped from the room.

  “They’ve settled?” he asked.

  “Susie isn’t asleep yet.”

  “Rocky and Cal are doing okay?”

  “I just checked on them.” She leaned against the wall, across the door from where he stood. “Cal is on the mend. Rocky still has congestion. I gave him more cough syrup, but I think it’s safe to let him rest rather than steam him again.” She released a gust of air.

  “It’s been a busy day. Would you like to walk for a bit in the cool of the evening?” Shadows darkened the east side of every building, fence, and rock. The sky had begun to turn gray-blue, but it would be another hour before the sun would dip behind the distant mountains.

  She straightened. “It’s hard to believe that everything seems to have settled for the night.”

  Taking that as agreement, Ethan fell into step with her, and they crossed the yard toward the garden. He’d already had time to study it when he got potatoes and carrots for supper. With a start, he realized he’d arrived only this afternoon. The day seemed to have lasted longer than normal.

  It was a large garden, but well maintained. “Are you the one who tends the garden?”

  “My sisters have had a hand in it. And Ma, before she took ill. I guess you could call it a family project.” They paused at the end of the fence enclosing the garden. “My father says there are many in the community ill with this summer cold, though some say it’s influenza. I don’t see it matters what you call it.”

  “What’s beyond the street?” Besides a strip of green grass and a line of trees.

  “Buck River.” She leaned on the fence, seemingly lost in thought.

  Perhaps the words she’d spoken to Susie were speaking to her own life.

  He knew much more about her than she realized, but he needed to ask questions as if he didn’t. “There’s been no mention of your husband. Where is he?”

  She straightened to give him a direct look full of challenge. “He’s dead.”

  “I’m sorry. Did he succumb to the influenza like the Oates?”

  “No. He died accidently.” She shifted, and he saw her profile and the way her jaw muscles bunched.

  He tried to think of how to ask more questions. “I take it you were left without a home, so you moved in with your parents. That’s tough.”

  Rather than answer, she faced him. “What really brings you to Montana Territory?”

  Her direct question caught him off guard. “I’m thinking I would like to have a place of my own. The more I see, the more I think this would be a good place to settle.” At least that was the truth.

  “But didn’t you say you worked for a rancher in Texas? Seems you should be back there helping out your boss.”

  She wasn’t falling for his
weak explanation. He should have known she wouldn’t. She wasn’t an innocent maiden inexperienced in subterfuge.

  “The boss sent me to look around.” That sounded even weaker than his previous words.

  “Don’t tell me some of his cows wandered this far from home.”

  He half considered telling her it was money that had wandered. “He had a task he needed a trusted employee to carry out.”

  Adele stared at him a long silent moment. Her back was to the lowering sun, making it impossible for him to read her expression and guess what she was thinking. The light was on his features, and he stilled himself to reveal nothing—no accusation or doubts. No demands for an explanation. He was simply a man on an errand for his boss.

  She broke the silence. “Trust is hard to earn. Hard to keep.”

  It was a warning, as clear as if it were written in large black letters across the sky. She wasn’t prepared to trust him.

  Nor was he prepared to trust her.

  “I need to check on Jake in case he wakens.” She turned her steps toward home, and he fell in beside her, keeping a foot or more space between them. A space filled with suspicion and guardedness. How was he to bridge that gap and learn her secrets? Would she accidently reveal them away if he watched her closely enough?

  “And I need to be with Susie and Georgie. I promised them I would stay until they were settled someplace.” He didn’t mean to sound defensive but realized he did. “I know that will mean asking for hospitality from you and your family until something else is arranged.”

  “My father has already said you are welcome. No need to move the children unless someone comes to claim them.” Her steps slowed. “Susie is very sweet when she doesn’t feel she has to compete with Donny, and Georgie is adorable.” Adele looked the direction of the room where the children slept, a tender smile on her lips.

  Ethan stared. How different she looked when she spoke of people she liked. A marked contrast to the expression on her face when she looked at him.

  They reached the door to the addition. “Goodnight,” he said.

  “Goodnight to you.” She took a step away and paused. “If the children waken in the night you might want to sing to them.” She chuckled.

  “You heard me.” He looked at the toes of his boots as embarrassment ran hot through his veins. “It was only meant for the children to hear.”

  “No doubt.”

  “You’re enjoying making me squirm, aren’t you?”

  She laughed softly. “It was a nice thing to do…sing to them. Susie said she liked it, so don’t hesitate to do it again.” She stepped inside the house before he could think of a reply.

  One thought blared through his brain. She considered it a nice thing to do. As if she approved of him. How foolish. She only approved of him doing something for the children.

  Besides, he was not about to let the sweet words of a woman lull him into stupid choices again. Especially not a woman who was the prime suspect in the loss of a lot of money.

  He went into the room and checked on the kids. They both slept, Susie with one arm protectively across her brother.

  In the next room someone coughed. He went to the doorway. “Rocky,” he whispered. “Do you need anything?”

  “I wouldn’t mind another shot of that cough medicine.”

  Ethan took some to the man and waited to see if he would settle. If his breathing grew tight, he knew how to deal with it. No need to disturb those in the main house. But Rocky lay on his side. “It’s worse if I’m on my back,” he said.

  Ethan returned to his room. A few minutes later he stretched out on the cot, his hands locked behind his head as he reviewed the events of the day.

  He’d prayed to find Mrs. Roberts, and that prayer had been answered.

  He’d prayed to recover the money. He had confidence he would, and having a reason to stay here made it more possible. Guess that prayer was on its way to being answered.

  He added another prayer. Help me give these kids a home. There was a faint chance the sheriff would locate family, but Ethan only reminded himself of that fact so he wouldn’t be terribly disappointed if someone came to take them. In his heart, he had already claimed them as his own.

  As he stared at the dark ceiling, he recalled Adele’s words to Susie’s questions as to why God hadn’t answered her prayers for her parents.

  God is sad at bad things happening, but He still loves us.

  Ethan wondered what those words meant to Adele. Did the shooting of her husband make her question God’s love and care? But then, how could she be part of such a life of crime and still believe God loved her?

  Except Ethan knew He did. Didn’t the Bible say Jesus came to call the sinners, not the righteous? If he found the money in Adele’s possession, he’d have to turn her over to the authorities. It wasn’t something he’d considered until now. She deserved to be punished for her crime. But Jake didn’t. Could Ethan believe that she was inadvertently involved in her husband’s crimes? How could he believe she was innocent after seeing the pricey things in her house?

  He fell asleep with unanswered questions circling in his brain and woke with them still there.

  When he’d set out on this journey, his path had seemed clear and direct.

  Now he saw barriers and roadblocks.

  He changed his prayer. God, help me find the money without making Adele guilty of a crime that would take her from her son.

  6

  Adele wakened with a start, realized it was morning, and hit the floor running. How many times had she roused in the night, hearing coughing from the rooms below and from the sickroom in the addition, or hearing one of the children call out and a croaky voice singing? And fallen asleep again with a smile on her lips.

  Why couldn’t Ethan be a visitor like Cal or Rocky or one of the many others who had come through the doors of the manse even in the short time she’d been there?

  But he wasn’t, and she had to remember that.

  She dressed Jake, listening to his half-babble, half-talk about Donny. One word she understood. “Barn.”

  “You can play with Donny after breakfast.” Which was going to be shamefully late if she didn’t get a move on.

  She paused at the doorway of her parents’ room. “How are you, Ma?”

  “I’ll be fine. You look after the others.” She ended on a cough. The same cough Adele had heard throughout the night.

  “I’ll be back as soon as I’ve taken care of breakfast. Would you like tea in the meantime?”

  “That would be nice. Have your father bring it in.”

  Adele paused at the doorway of the other room. She heard Stella speak to one of the children. Adele nodded approval when Stella didn’t cough. And said to herself, “Sounds like we might have another one on the mend.”

  She put Jake on the kitchen floor with a half-piece of bread and glanced out the window. Pa was tending the animals in the pen. Ethan helped him.

  Susie and Georgie watched from outside the fence. She studied the pair. They were darling children. Susie, especially, was doing her best to be brave. She held Georgie’s hand now, prepared to take good care of him. They would have a good home here. Maybe Ma and Pa were getting too old to care for two little ones, but Adele would gladly take over raising them.

  In fact, the idea was perfect. She could live here and raise Susie and Georgie along with Jake.

  The men finished the chores. Ethan opened the gate and held it for Pa, then stepped through and hooked it closed. He swept Susie into the air.

  Even inside the house, Adele could hear her laughter.

  He put her down and tossed Georgie into the air, earning him a belly laugh. Jake must have heard it too, for he went to the door.

  “Out, Mama. Want out.”

  Adele hesitated. Why must Ethan be so appealing? So good with the children? So helpful? But she couldn’t refuse Jake. She opened the door, thinking he would run to his grandpa, but he went directly to Ethan.

  Adele
waited at the door and heard Jake say, “Up. Want up.”

  Ethan tossed him in the air as he had done with Georgie. Jake laughed. It was one of Adele’s favorite sounds, but this time her joy was laced with concern. Jake had never known the love and concern of a father. Floyd had been too occupied with his clandestine activities. She expected her pa would provide a father-figure, but knew it could not be the same as a younger man could give.

  She did not want Jake growing fond of Ethan only to lose him.

  The two men and the children approached the house.

  Adele hurried back to the stove and set the coffeepot to boil. She rattled pots and the fry pan on the stove in the hopes of distracting herself.

  Pa entered. Then Ethan with Jake in his arms and the other two clinging to his side.

  “I need to check on Cal and Rocky,” she said, rushing past them to the addition.

  Cal was feeling good. “I’m not liking the idea of staying in bed,” he complained.

  “I think it would be all right if you sat outside in the sun so long as you don’t do anything else.”

  Cal was half out of bed, reaching for his trousers, before Adele finished speaking.

  She chuckled. “Maybe you could wait until I leave the room.”

  He fell back with a groan.

  She checked on Rocky. “I heard you coughing in the night.” She pressed her hand to his forehead. His fever had gone up again. And she could hear him wheezing.

  “Ethan got up and gave me cough medicine.” Rocky’s words came out as if pushed through a pinhole.

  “That was good of him.”

  “He seems to be a nice man,” Cal commented. “I wonder what brings him to Montana Territory.”

  “Best you ask him if you want to know.” She had no intention of discussing Ethan’s business with someone else. Especially when she had her own questions. She sponged Rocky and rubbed liniment on his back and chest. “I’ll steam you as soon as I get a moment. But you hear Jake.” Her son was wailing. “He’s not prepared to wait any longer for breakfast.”

  “I’m okay,” Rocky said.

  She knew he wasn’t, but she could only do one thing at a time. Rocky’s need might be as urgent as Jake’s but he wasn’t as loud. As she rushed back to the kitchen, she realized Jake had grown quiet.