“There had better be.” He tossed the shirt on the bed and stood with his hands at his hips. “Well, Miss Price? We’re waiting.”
“I had a bag of some dried flowers in my pocket. The sack fell out and into the cauldron after I’d already added your shirts and underclothes.” She hated the lie, but she’d planned out beforehand what to say when caught.
“Flowers did that?” He pointed at the shirt as if it were a pouncing cougar. “You put flowers in the laundry for my clothes?”
“Not intentionally, of course.” She looked at Lizzie and Maggie then back toward Zach. “One of my little bags dropped into the boiling water.”
“What was it, dear?” Lizzie asked.
“Um, yellow oxalis heads.”
Lizzie’s hand flew to her cheek. “Oh, my. No wonder the color is so bright.” She laughed behind her hand. “It’s not as if she did it on purpose Zach. Surely you can see the humor.”
“No, I cannot see any humor in this situation. How am I supposed to wear clothes loud enough to shout my coming?” He waved toward his shirt. “That color is so bright I’ll bet it glows in the dark. I’ll be a laughingstock.”
“I’ll rewash them in the morning.”
“Oh, no. Not my clothes, you won’t. Mrs. Harmon can wash them like she’s supposed to have done in the first place.”
“I was just trying to help. Your housekeeper was feeling poorly today. Surely you see I couldn’t let your aunts do the laundry.”
“I’m beginning to see a lot of things, Miss Price.” He pivoted and stomped down the stairs.
“I’m sorry. I can’t seem to do anything right.” Alice clamped her lips, prepared to be sent away.
Lizzie sat down and laughed. “Oh, my, did you see Zach’s face. I’ve never seen him lose his temper, not since he’s been grown.” She used her apron to wipe her eyes. “I’m sorry, dear, I shouldn’t have laughed. But that man is the most even-tempered member of the family.”
Maggie chuckled too. “That’s right. He’s always been the peacemaker in any ruckus, and he never loses control. I believe it did him good to get angry for once.”
“He didn’t look in a fit state. He’ll never forgive me. I might as well pack my bags and head back to Georgia right now.” Alice broke into a fit of coughing that left her plumb tired.
Lizzie reached over and patted her hand. “Nonsense, dear. That boy is smitten with you.”
“Smitten? No, you’re wrong. I reckon he can’t wait until I’m well enough to send me on my way to Georgia and be shed of me.” But what woman wouldn’t want Zach Stone smitten with her? Being upset brought on more coughing.
Maggie walked to the washstand and poured a glass of water from the pitcher and handed Alice the drink. “No, Sister’s right. Zach won’t be sending you anywhere but the church for your wedding.”
She waited while Alice emptied the glass. “He’s sweet on you. But I can tell the morning’s exertion was too much for you. You have to pace yourself and not overtire.”
“And don’t worry about Zach, dear. He’ll cool off and see the humor, especially when his clothes are white again. Give him a little time.”
Time was one thing she didn’t have. The longer she stayed here, the harder it would be to leave. Already she wished she could stay forever. In a few more weeks, Zach would have to use a team of horses to drag her out of here.
Chapter Nineteen
With Zach being gone the past two days, Alice worked up the courage to explore his room. White walls with dark green jacquard drapes offered a welcome. Dark cherry furnishings were the prettiest Alice had ever seen. The huge bed would allow Zach to sleep without bending his legs or having his feet stick out the end. Intricate carving at the head and on the four posters let her know this had been an expensive set.
Was it here when he bought the house, or had he purchased the furniture? Somehow, she couldn’t see Zach spending money on his own bedroom when he needed things on the ranch. A large rocking chair near the fireplace would be nice of an evening. The rag rug covering the floor used mostly shades of green. Anyone would be pleased as could be to sleep here.
Heat rushed to her face, envisioning him in this bed with her beside him. He’d cuddle her as he had in the bedroll, only she could turn to him and snuggle her head to his powerful chest. They’d lie entwined close as two parts of the whole.
She gave herself a mental slap. Wake up, Alice, and quit your daydreaming. Remember you’re only here until you can travel.
All this lying and fretting had turned her insides into a giant knot of worry. Having Zach away for a couple of days had given her a chance to relax instead of bracing herself whenever he came into the room. He was still mad about his laundry. How was she to have known his wool longjohns wouldn’t release the dye?
Realizing she and the other women would be on their own these couple of days had aroused other worries. Recalling the stories of Comanche and Kiowa raids, she prayed she and the others here would not be under siege. Thank goodness Zach and his two ranch hands would be back by evening. She thanked God for the thick stone walls and tin roof that protected them.
But she wasn’t about to admit even to herself how much she’d missed Zach’s company, or knowing he was around the place and could come in any minute. Even when he was angry enough to chew nails, having him around wrapped her in a warm veil of security.
Alice padded softly downstairs. No point letting others know what a yellow-bellied coward she’d become, so she pasted a smile on her face and entered the kitchen.
“You’re looking much healthier, dear. So nice of you to tidy the bedrooms, but you mustn’t overdo.” Lizzie sat with a bowl in her lap, cutting potatoes.
“I’ve rested until I feel like I’ve grown to that bed.”
Maggie shot her an assessing gaze. “You ever garden?”
“We always had a big garden. I can help plant those potatoes.”
Maggie asked, “Are you sure it won’t be too much for you? We don’t want you to have a setback.”
“It won’t take us long if we all work together.” She caught Seth’s hand before he popped a bite of raw potato into his mouth. “Don’t eat them before they’re cooked. Don’t know if it’s true, but I heard they can give a body worms.”
Lizzie pointed her knife at him. “Besides, we need all of these to plant, young man.” In spite of her stern words and action, she chuckled. “Boys are never full. Seth, get you two cookies from the jar, and that should hold you until dinner.”
Seth hopped up from the floor where he’d been playing with his top and reached for the cookie jar. “Bringing in the eggs and the wood made me plenty hungry.”
He grabbed two cookies and stuck most of one in his mouth. He broke off a bit of the treat for Harry before demolishing the second cookie.
Around the last bite, he said, “This ranch sure is a good place to work.”
Alice helped gather the potato pieces into flour sacks, each potato wedge with at least one eye left for new growth. She handed a bag to Seth. “Reckon you can carry these without eating them?”
“Sure.” He stuffed a third cookie into his shirt pocket and replaced the jar lid, then took the bag from Alice. “Me and Harry can garden up a storm. You oughta seen the garden we had back home.”
“Seth.” Maggie’s voice held censure. “Remember what our nephew told you.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He hung his head, but his remorse lasted only a second. “Miss Price, don’t forget the rifle. My new pa said always keep it nearby when we’re outside.”
She fastened on a bonnet. “It’ll just be in the way, but I promised Zach to keep it near if we left the house. I don’t plan on shooting anything though.”
“I can shoot pretty well. Are you a good shot?” Maggie tied a bow under her chin to anchor her sunbonnet.
Alice hoped the matter wouldn’t come up, but she never missed, leastways not since she was ten. “I had to be. Pa insisted I learn to shoot and taught me not to waste amm
unition.”
Zach had plowed the garden earlier in the week. The large plot beside the house reached almost to the river. Alice figured he’d prepared an acre, but they were only planting a few rows of potatoes today. By now he should have had winter greens up, but he said this was the first season he’d been able to spend here since he quit rangering and healed from his wounds.
Although the wind was brisk and cold, the sun shone. Snow had melted two weeks ago, and they hoped the rest of February would be mild. The odor of newly turned earth greeted her and birds sang nearby. A large hawk circled overhead, looking for dinner.
“Soil looks rich and fertile. Reckon this garden will grow all you need for the ranch.” Alice poked a hole with a stick, then dropped a chunk of potato into the depression she’d made on the mound. Seth followed behind her covering the pieces they hoped would produce vines rich with potatoes. Carting her rifle with her was as much a nuisance as she’d feared, but together they made good progress.
Maggie and Lizzie toiled the same way on the next row over. Their labor proceeded back and forth along the furrows until the potato chunks were planted. Alice’s muscles protested and she figured being sick had turned her soft. The three women and boy were halfway to the river when they finished their task. Suddenly, Harry growled.
Seth tugged on her skirt. “Ma...Miss Price?” Seth’s voice held fear.
When Alice raised her gaze, she spotted a savage standing at the river’s edge. Half hidden by a tree, he was dressed as those she heard about in stories. What looked like buckskin leggings ended in high moccasin-like dark boots.
He wore no shirt, but an animal fur draped across his shoulders and hung down his back and sides instead of a coat. The man held a bow with one hand and a rifle in the other. A quiver of arrows and some sort of bag hung from his chest. Behind him stood a horse.
Panic seized Alice, but instinct took over. “Seth, get Harry. Carry him if you have to. Everyone head for the house. Don’t run, but walk mighty fast.” She aimed her rifle at the savage and backed slowly, praying she wouldn’t trip over the rough ground.
He stood watching their progress, unmoving, his expression impossible to read.
When Alice was inside, she barred the kitchen door and sagged against it.
Seth’s eyes were like saucers as he stared at Alice. He clutched a squirming Harry to his chest. “Reckon there’s more of ‘em?”
Lizzie hurried back into the kitchen. “Sister and I barred the front door.”
Maggie soon appeared, but she carried a rifle and ammunition bag. “What else should we do?”
Why were they asking her?
“I don’t know.” Alice dropped to a chair at the table and leaned her rifle nearby. What would Zach advise?
“The Indian didn’t wear war paint, and he could have shot one of us before we saw him. Maybe he’s just hungry.”
“Could be a scout for a war party.” Seth said.
Alice stared at her rifle, then dropped her head to her knees, swallowed against bile, and willed herself not to vomit. “Dear Lord, forgive me. I would have shot that man and he’d done nothing to us.”
Lizzie patted her shoulder. “But you didn’t shoot him, dear. What a quick thinker you are. You did what you needed to protect us. Zach will be very proud of you, as we are.”
She raised her head. “You don’t understand. I don’t believe in murder. Except the time I shot a rattler set on striking my horse, I’ve never killed a living thing.”
Seth asked, “You mean ‘cept to eat, like a chicken?”
Alice shook her head, still fighting nausea. “No, that’s why I love a big garden. We had an orchard, too. I canned, and dried fruit in the sun, and put things by in the root cellar.”
“But surely you had meat. We’ve served it here and you ate a helping each time.” Maggie stared at her as if she had grown a second head.
“Anyone at home wanted meat, I’d cook it, but someone else had to do the butchering and dressing.” When Maggie opened her mouth, Alice stayed her with a raised palm and shook her head. “Doesn’t make sense, I know, but if it’s already dead and ready to cook, somehow it seems different. I just can’t abide killing anything, much less a person.”
Lizzie stepped back from the window and hugged her shoulders. “You haven’t killed anyone, dear. But he’s still standing there, just like a statue.”
Alice stood and took a deep breath then squared her shoulders. If the aunts were looking to her as a leader, then she had better stand up and take action. “Reckon I’d better see what he wants, then. If he’s hungry, we ought to feed him.”
“What if he wants to scalp us?” Seth asked.
Alice gave Seth’s head a pat. “Reckon he’d have more savages with him if he planned to raid this place.”
Maggie grasped Alice’s arm. “Wait for Zach to get home. He’ll be here by supper. An hour won’t hurt.”
And risk the savage killing Zach? No, she couldn’t let anything happen to the best man she’d met. Not even if he stayed mad at her half the time.
Seth appeared near tears. “What if he come to kill my new pa? We cain’t let him, can we, Miss Price?”
Exactly what she’d been thinking. “Don’t worry, Seth. We won’t let anything bad happen to your Pa if we can help it.” Zach had saved her. Now it was up to her to save Zach.
“Maggie, you said you can shoot, so you stand at the door with the rifle barrel pointing out. I’ll step outside, but close so I can jump back in quick like if I need to.”
Trembling inside as if shaken by a tornado, Alice stepped onto the small back porch. She held her arms out so he could see she didn’t have a weapon, then gestured to the Indian to come toward her and the house.
He moved slowly, as if unsure of her intentions, skirting the plowed garden area.
As he neared, he held up his right hand, palm out. “I come in peace. Where is Stone Man?”
“Not far. What do you want?” She fought to keep her nose from wrinkling at his odor.
He appeared clean, but apparently had coated his hair in grease. The center part was colored with a streak of yellow dye. He wore two long braids, except for a small side plait decorated with a feather. She judged his age as somewhere in his fifties.
“I have words for Stone Man.” His face remained impassive. “You are Stone Man’s woman?”
Dear Lord, how could she answer? If she said yes, he’d think they were wed. If she said no, he might think she was up for grabs.
“I am promised to him.”
When he nodded, she exhaled in relief. “Are you hungry?” She wanted no one starving.
He gave a slight nod. “I have come far.”
Now what was she to do? She shouldn’t have asked.
Dear Lord, this is your faithful servant, Alice Price. Protect us as you protected Daniel in the lion’s den. I pray I’m being a good Samaritan and not a lamb to the slaughter.
“Come into Stone Man...um...Mr. Stone’s home where it’s warm. We’ll feed you. He will return soon.”
He surveyed the building. “Walls like prison.”
“It is Stone Man’s home...his lodge.” Alice stepped back and held the door so he could enter. She faced the others when the man stepped inside the kitchen. “This man wants to speak to Mr. Stone. Only he called him Stone Man.”
“Oh, I believe that’s what the Comanche who helped Zach rescue that Warren boy called him.” Lizzie was already gathering the makings of a meal. Speaking as if the man weren’t right beside her, Lizzie said, “He’ll want something warm, so I ladled up some stew left from lunch.”
The Indian stared at each person and then surveyed the room as if memorizing each detail.
Maggie still held a rifle and watched him with a frown. “Don’t stand there like a statue. Come in and sit at the table.”
“Or you will shoot?” he asked.
She didn’t smile at his sarcasm. “Not unless you try to hurt someone.”
Seth sat across th
e table from their visitor. “My name’s Seth. What’s yours?”
“I am called White Eagle.”
Apparently Seth’s earlier fear had turned into fascination, and he pointed. “These here are my new aunts, Aunt Lizzie and Aunt Maggie. The lady at the stove is Miz Harmon and she takes care of my new pa’s house. This other lady is Miss Price.” He leaned forward. “Don’t worry, she don’t like killing nothing, especially not a man.”
White Eagle’s facial expression didn’t change, but a sparkle lighted his dark eyes. “You live with Stone Man?”
“He’s my new Pa. My other pa died. Now I work here.” He gestured at his clothing and boots. “These here are my workin’-on-a-ranch clothes. And my dog Harry is a sure nuff good ranch watchdog. He saw you ‘fore we did.”
Lizzie set a bowl of stew, a large piece of cornbread, and a cup of coffee in front of White Eagle. “Seth, give the man a chance to eat.”
White Eagle dug into his food as if he were starving. He made odd noises as he ate. When he finished, he pushed the bowl away.
***
Zach and his companions sighted the house. Relief washed over him. Being on the range had never bothered him before, but this time he kept wishing he were home. Durndest thing, but he couldn’t get Alice out of his mind. He kept thinking of things to tell her, or ask her. Must be coming down with the ague or something.
“You’re safe, boss.” Mick said. “Can’t see any yellow flags waving in the breeze to welcome us.”
He’d sure taken a lot of razzing about the laundry. “I see a horse at the back door. I’m going to investigate.” He nudged Solomon into a gallop.
As he drew near, he realized the waiting horse was fitted out with Comanche gear. Did others wait in ambush?
Alice was his first thought. A blond woman was naturally attractive to the Indians. Then there was Seth, who was becoming more and more like a real son to him. And how could he ignore his sweet aunts, who had always doted on him and his brothers, and had taken over as parents when his own had passed away? He was even growing fond of surly Mrs. Harmon.
He hoped the horse’s owner was the man he thought. Dropping his reins at the back rail, Zach was off his horse and on the back porch in seconds. He skidded to a halt. Should he rush in, or scout around and see what was going on inside?
High Stakes Bride, Men of Stone Mountain Book 2 Page 12