by Barbara Goss
“Racing horses? Wow. I’d love to see one.”
“Come this way,” Harlan said as he opened the stable door for him and Elise.
From T.J.'s expression, Elise could see that he was impressed. He seemed most interested in the most expensive horse in the stable, a giant black Stallion.
“This is a fifth-generation thoroughbred,” Harlan said. "He’s a show horse, and I already have a buyer for him: Matt Stanley, the town banker is more than a little interested.
At the end of the tour, T.J. complimented him on his stock and thanked him for the tour.
After T.J. left, Elise felt a sense of relief for some reason. She sensed a mutual dislike between the two men even though they seemed friendly, and she hoped that inviting T.J. to the ranch hadn't caused any problems between them. She liked and respected Harlan. He knew his horseflesh, and he was a wonderful father.
As Elise made her way out of the stables pulling a horse to train, she noticed Millie hiding behind a stable post. “Why, Millie, what are you hiding from?”
“The man.”
“What man?”
“The one named T.J. I don’t like him, Elise.”
“He’s all right. Come here.”
Millie slowly came out of hiding to face Elise.
“It’s nearly lunch time. What do you say we ask Martha to pack us a picnic lunch, and we take it down near the stream?”
“Yes! Can Papa and Clay come, too?”
Elise shrugged. “Sure. If they want to.” She watched Millie run to the other stable to ask her papa and brother. Elise sighed. She knew Harlan would agree to go along if he wasn’t busy because he did just about everything Millie asked of him. It’s not that she didn’t like Harlan or enjoy his company, it’s just that she wasn’t good with men. She never knew what to say or not say. She’d have to mind how she sat and be on her best manners. Of course, if it made Millie happy, she’d go along with it.
Clay was busy mending fences with Pedro, and he declined the picnic but gratefully so.
Harlan put his arms out for Millie, and she ran to him. “Hey, Millie-Billie, what’s your hurry?” He swung her around. “Did you finish your horse riding?”
“Yes... but Papa, it’s almost lunchtime, and I’d love to go on a picnic. It’s such a wonderful day.”
“I do have a lot of work to do, but you also know I try never to be too busy for my favorite girl. Where should we picnic?”
Millie brought her finger to her cheek. “How about the stream by the woods?”
“All right, but we can’t linger eating too long. Go ask Martha nicely if she’ll pack us a basket.”
“Um...” Millie said hesitantly. “Is it all right if I invite Elise, too? I thought that way, we could ride horses to the stream.”
Harlan tapped Millie’s nose. “Of course. Now, hurry—I can only give you an hour.”
He watched her run through the stable and wondered how he’d come to love that little girl so much. He often recalled the moment he'd first seen her, clinging to Clay’s shirt. He was so glad, he'd decided to adopt her along with her brother. Now, they were a family. At first, he hadn’t much to do with her, and she'd hidden herself from him, but slowly, they’d bonded. Adopting Millie and Clay was the best thing he ever did.
Harlan went inside and washed in the laundry room. He was drying his hands when Elise came rushing in.
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize you were in here.” She turned to leave.
“No, don’t go. You need to wash up for the picnic, too.” He tossed her a clean towel. “Millie wants to ride. Pedro is saddling our horses. I’ll meet you and Millie outside.”
The spot Millie had picked was beneath a large oak tree. Elise helped her spread the tablecloth, and Millie served the plates and meal.
“It’s chicken!” she said with glee. “I love chicken. Don’t you Elise?”
“It’s my favorite, too.” Elise helped herself to a sandwich and passed the plate to Harlan.
“I wish I could say chicken was my favorite,” Harlan said, “but beef is mine.”
“Elise,” Millie said, “tell Papa about your parents and the livery they owned in... um… where was it again?”
“Pennsylvania,” Elise said with a laugh. “My family business was nothing like what you have, Harlan. We had a simple livery and some race horses. My mother, a tiny woman, raced against the men and sometimes even won.”
“How interesting. Were these professional races?” he asked.
“Oh, goodness, no. Just for fun, but a lot of the men placed bets. We had some Gypsy men as well as other horse enthusiasts. I remember watching them and wishing I could race one day.”
“I have the race horses if you still have that wish,” Harlan said with a laugh.
“No, I’ve gotten over that wish. I simply love working with horses. They are so unique. I’ve always loved them.”
Millie seemed to want Elise to tell him all her stories that day. “Elise, tell Papa about the horse that threw you in the water trough.”
“Oh, dear. Please don’t make me tell him that story, Millie.”
Harlan laughed heartily. “Oh, now you must.”
He watched Elise blush, but then she smiled and said, “Since I’m among friends, but,” she put her finger to her lips, “not a word to anyone else.”
Millie crossed her heart. Harlan saw Millie and crossed his heart as well.
Elise laughed. “I was leading a rather belligerent horse out to the corral when he stopped short, backed up quickly, and knocked me heels over head into the water trough.”
Millie and Harlan laughed so hard that Elise laughed with them. “I was so embarrassed. Of course, we had a customer that day who was quite amused to see me pulled out by my father, soaking wet.”
Harlan thought about how comfortable the three of them were together, and he told Elise and Millie a few stories of his own embarrassing moments in the stables.
Then, Harlan stood. “This has been so much fun that I’ve lost track of time. We need to get back, but we must do this again. I’ve enjoyed it.”
“Me, too,” Millie said.
“It was, indeed, a great picnic. Thank you for inviting me,” Elise said as she helped Harlan pack up the picnic remnants.
“You’ll always be invited,” Harlan said. “You’re...” He was about to say she was a part of the family now, but that wouldn’t have sounded quite right. “You’re like a part of the family,” he corrected.
Harlan felt happy as he worked on the ads for the upcoming auction, not that he was sad before the picnic. Everyone who knew him described him as happy-go-lucky. He didn’t know how his happiness that day was different, but he supposed he felt giddy for some reason. It was a great day.
Chapter Nine
Troy Dyson was waiting on the porch for T.J. when he returned from his tour of the Tanners' horse ranch. “How was it?” Troy asked.
“Magnificent. I’ve never seen such marvelous horseflesh. There’s one race horse, a stallion, that’s worth over a thousand dollars.” T. J. rubbed his hands together. “This will be the biggest theft we’ve done yet, but not the easiest.”
“What’s the problem?”
T.J. tapped his fingers on the wooden railing. “It’s locked up tight at night, and in the daytime, there are workers all around. I have to figure out a way to get at least the stallion and maybe a few others out.”
Troy sat down on the front steps. “Can you use the woman in some way?”
“Nah, I don’t think that will work.” T.J. pounded the railing. “Unless... we have to get Tanner off the property in the daytime. Let me think...”
Troy snapped his fingers. “We could do it the way we did the Mathisons’ place in Denver. Set the house on fire, everyone runs to put it out, and we grab the horses.”
T.J. shook his head. “Tanner’s too smart, and his place is so open, we couldn’t get near it with a torch.”
“What then?”
“Quiet! I’m thin
king.” T.J. sat down beside Troy. “The little girl... that’s it!”
“The one we saw that day? What can we do with her?”
“We’ll kidnap her, and when her family goes to look for her, we break into the stables.”
“Someone might see us. Surely, everyone in the family won’t go looking for her,” Troy said.
“I think they all will, and just to be sure, we’ll cover our faces. I’ll grab the stallion with my rope, and you lasso at least one more, but two if you can. I’ll have to be satisfied with that.
“Where will be take the horses?” Troy asked.
“We can’t hang around here. We’ll head for Topeka and try to catch our cattle crew on their way back. We’ll get our share of the cattle money and continue to Topeka to sell the horses.”
“Sounds like a good plan. What about the little girl?”
“We’ll leave her in a place where they can find her later. Maybe we’ll tie her up somewhere.”
“I like it T.J. When do we move?”
“In a few days. Maybe some afternoon. That way they’d have to search for the kid until dark, giving us more time to get far away.”
Elise received her first letter from her parents and felt elated to hear from them. She sat down one evening to respond and found herself writing glowing reports of her job. She reread what she’d written and smiled. Elise supposed her heart had taken over her hand in the writing. She'd gushed over the quality of the horses and property, but mostly, she'd written about her new “family,” although she dared not refer to them as such. She'd bragged about Martha’s cooking, and Clay’s politeness and eagerness to work, and when it came to Millie, she'd written two paragraphs on what an amazing child she was. She'd even told them how wonderful Harlan was as a father to his children, and how well he'd treated her.
Smiling, she blotted her letter and folded it to put it into the envelope. It was all true—she loved the ranch and the Tanners.
As she prepared for bed, her mood changed. What would happen when the job was over? Would there always be horses in need of training, or would Harlan let her go now that Pedro had returned? She’d never asked him about that. Was he just training horses for the auction, or was it a permanent position? She’d hate to leave if that were the case. She’d especially miss Millie. She’d come to love the child. And Clay—he was such a great young man. Martha... not only would she miss her cooking, but they were friends. What about Harlan, she asked herself—would she miss him? Her mind went back to the picnic that day. What fun it had been. She knew she’d miss him, too. He was gentle and kind, but at the same time, very sensible and strict about things. Except for the day he'd been angry with her about Millie’s riding too soon, they’d had a warm and friendly relationship. He had something she found hard to resist: his cockeyed smile. He hadn’t had it when she’d first met him, but lately when he smiled at her, it was a slightly off-center, almost flirting smile. Elise shrugged. She rather liked it. His brown eyes twinkled when he grinned, too.
The color of Harlan’s eyes made her wonder as both children had bright blue eyes. What had his first wife been like? How had she died? No one ever mentioned it, so she'd assumed the subject was off limits.
Elise slid into her nightgown and stared at her image in the mirror. Was she pretty? She turned from left to right, gazing at herself. She’d never cared for her looks, although she did like her long brown hair. She pulled out the hairpins and sat on the edge of the bed to brush it. Elise made up her mind that she was no beauty, but perhaps she had other qualities a man might be attracted to someday. Naturally, she hoped to marry in a few years and have children… if she could do it without giving up caring for horses. She’d want a daughter just like Millie.
Climbing into bed, Elise curled up beneath the quilt, reached over, and put out the lamp. She said her prayers and knew she’d fall asleep quickly as she did most nights after working hard. She gazed over at Millie who’d been long asleep. Elise smiled. Millie was hugging her pillow and looked so sweet and peaceful. She made up to her mind to speak to Harlan about the permanence of her job soon.
Elise’s first opportunity to speak to Harlan was at breakfast the next morning. It took her half-way through the meal to get up the nerve to ask. “Harlan, can I ask you a question?”
“Of course, you can,” he said.
“After the auction, will you still need me to work here?”
Harlan stopped eating and gave her a serious look. “I hope you aren’t thinking of leaving us. The job is permanent. I love your work.”
His answer threw Elise off of her next question. She felt elated that he wanted her to stay. All she could do was answer with a smile.
“In fact,” Harlan added, “I’m going to give you and Pedro a percentage of the auction profits to show my appreciation.”
Elise sat stunned by his offer and couldn’t think of a thing to say.
“I’m sorry, Elise. I didn’t give you a chance to say if you wanted to stay on after the auction. I know you must miss home. I’d understand if—”
“No!” Elise said, finally finding her voice. “I love the job, and I’d love to stay on. I was worried that I’d be asked to leave. And a percentage of the auction money isn’t necessary. I love what I’m doing. I don’t need any incentive.”
“It’s not incentive; it’s appreciation. I insist.” He gave her one of his lop-sided smiles. “I’m relieved that you love it here and want to stay. You feel like a part of the family.”
Millie came into the room rubbing her eyes. “Elise, you didn’t wake me.”
“You were sleeping so soundly, I just couldn’t.”
Millie climbed up on a chair and said, “What’s for breakfast?”
“Well, look who’s here,” Martha said, coming from the kitchen, carrying a plate of eggs and ham. “It’s little miss sleepy-head.”
Elise finished her tea and stood. “I’m off to work.” She turned to Millie. “How about we try riding out in the fields behind the house today?”
“Yes,” Millie said excitedly. “I’m ready.”
“Good. I’ll be ready for you right after lunch.”
“Can I take Cocoa to the church picnic on Sunday?” Millie asked.
“No,” Harlan said, “we’ll be taking the buggy.”
Millie frowned. “Are you going with us, Elise?”
Elise hadn’t been formally invited, so she hesitated.
“Of course, she’s going,” Harlan replied. “She’s part of the family now.”
Chapter Ten
Millie rode close to Elise as they traversed the large meadow behind the house. “You’re doing great,” Elise said.
“Can I try going faster?”
Elise hesitated. “How much faster? I’m afraid you aren’t ready to go too fast yet.”
Millie grimaced. “But this is getting boring.”
Elise pulled up close to Millie and said, “All right. Click your heels in. If she goes too fast, I’ll grab the reins and stop her.”
Millie did as she was instructed, and Cocoa moved into a fast trot. Millie giggled. “This is fun.”
Elise stayed beside her, but Millie seemed to be doing a fantastic job. “Turn her toward the fence,” she called. “We’ll trot back to the stables, now.”
“All right,” Millie said with glee. “When can I ride her out here alone?”
“Not for a while yet,” Elise said. “I want to be sure nothing happens to you.” Elise marveled at what a small thing like trotting did to revive Millie’s mood.
It soon became a daily ride in the meadow, and each day, Millie became more experienced with Cocoa.
During the summer hours, everyone except for Millie and Martha worked until sundown.
Elise led the horse she’d been training back to her stable to meet Harlan on his way out.
He smiled as he unrolled his sleeves, hinting he was done working for the day. He stopped to open the horse’s stall door for her. “It’s such a beautiful evening, don
’t you think?” he asked.
“Absolutely. If it hadn’t gotten dark, I’d have kept on working,” she answered.
“It’s going to be warm in the house,” he said casually. “I’m going to take a walk around the grounds before I go in—would you care to join me?”
Elise closed the stall and said, “Yes. I’d love to take a walk.” The offer was casual—they were friends and almost family. She liked and trusted Harlan, and she felt it would have been rude to refuse such a thoughtful invitation.
As they walked, she said, “It’s almost a sin to have to go inside tonight.”
“Look,” Harlan pointed upward. “There must be a million stars up there.”
It was dark and difficult to see, but luckily, Harlan wore a light-colored shirt, so Elise just tried to keep in step with him. Then, suddenly, she was on the ground.
Harlan quickly helped her up. “Are you all right?”
“Yes. I think I stepped in a gopher hole.”
“That was my fault. I should have taken your arm while walking in the meadow, but I felt you might think me forward.”
Elise brushed off her elbows and knees. “I think I shall leave etiquette behind and allow you to take my arm.”
Harlan linked his arm around hers, and they walked the whole length of the meadow, then turned around and headed back. “There’s nothing quite like a Kansas summer.”
“Pennsylvania summers are lovely, too.” Elise sighed. “And the mountains are so majestic there.”
“Do you miss home and your folks?”
“I do, but I know they are well taken care of and... well, I don’t think I miss the life I had there before coming here.”
“How’s that?”
“After my parents sold the livery, we owned just a few horses, and they were already trained. I missed working with them. I was bored and felt there was no life there for me anymore. I was excited when I received Martha’s letter.”
“So, you aren’t sorry you came to Kansas?”