Cora Captures a Cowboy

by Linda K. Hubalek

  Sarah couldn’t help snorting a laugh when her mother mentioned mud puddles, because she remembered it was one of her favorite things to do, too. “And hitching their homemade cart up to our old Shetland pony Trixie, who careened into the fence on purpose—I’m sure—throwing all three of them out of the cart. I can still remember seeing Jacob rising out of the soupy mud and slop because he went over the fence, ending up in the pig pen.”

  Cate laughed remembering the incident. “I poured buckets of water on him to get the mud and smell off him and his clothes. I would have burned his pants except he needed them. I tried to patch their clothing so it could be worn by the next boy in line, but sometimes the clothing was ready for the rag pile instead.”

  “They did look like triplets when we were little, not changing in height until they were teenagers. I always wondered why I had darker hair than my brothers while I was growing up. I know we can get features from up the family line instead of our parents. I’m glad I got a better looking nose and bluer eyes though.” Sarah chuckled saying it, but realized her mother didn’t say anything to her comment.

  “Momma?”

  “Oh,” Cate sighed and waved her hand to dismiss Sarah’s worry. “I was just thinking of you as a baby. You…were a blessing to us…and I was so glad you weren’t another boy.”

  “Well, I don’t think I knew it for a while, trying to keep up with my brothers.”

  “You were a tomboy and determined to do everything they could do. Of course, it didn’t help when the boys put you on a horse before you were a year old…or thinking you could automatically swim when Noah tossed you into the creek. Luckily, Adam thought to pull you out before you drowned.”

  “Really! I hadn’t heard that story. Or they don’t know you knew what happened that day?”

  “Remember I always told you I had eyes in the back of my head? Mothers do have a sixth sense of what mischief their children are doing.”

  “So again, do you think I can raise six children, if I have the opportunity?”

  “Your love and patience would give any child a good home. But you’ve got to prepare yourself for things which are beyond your control. There’s always sickness, accidents, and you could face the death of a child, or your future mate. You’d have a real challenge with these six children because of their losses and the upheaval in their lives. Children need routine and stability.” She laid Matthew down on the table to change his diaper. For such tiny beings, they sure could stink up the house with their soiled diapers. Sarah would be glad when they got through the diaper changing…but that could mean the babies were gone instead of them growing up. Her mother deftly took off one diaper, cleaned its little bottom and pinned on a clean one, without getting squirted. Sarah had learned quickly to be sure to always have a cloth on the little boys’ fronts when she changed their diapers.

  “You know, this would be a good time to have a heart to heart talk with Marcus, while all the children are sleeping or occupied with Isaac. And you need to tell him about the telegram Lyle sent, too. I believe Marcus is still in the office doing bookwork, so bring him a cup of coffee and a piece of pie,” her mother urged while reaching for Mark and his bottle. The boy took his time eating, slowly alternating between sucking and looking around, even though he couldn’t focus on anything. Mark had only drunk half his milk so far, so Cate had a while to sit with him yet.

  “Okay,” she drew in a deep breath, “I will.” If Sarah was ever going to talk Marcus into marrying her, it might be best to do it with a slice of fresh apple pie.

  Chapter 10

  Marcus jerked upright when he heard the knock on the office door. “Yes?” he called while wiping the sleep from his eyes. He had meant to lay his head on the desk for a minute, but now glancing at the mantel clock, it had been more than half an hour.

  “I thought you weren’t going to acknowledge my knocking,” Sarah stated with a grin as she set a cup of steaming coffee and a plate of apple pie on the desk in front of him. He sure hoped this was one of Millie’s pies. No one in town made a more flaky pie crust than Adam’s wife. He had hoped he would marry a good baker someday. Oops, looking up at Sarah’s expectant face, hoping she didn’t hear his inner thoughts, because she didn’t bake as well as Millie — nor Cate or Rania, for that matter. Hilda didn’t bake at all, being a horse trainer instead of a housewife.

  “Sorry, but I dozed off for a minute and didn’t hear you knock.”

  “Considering how little sleep we’ve gotten this week, a nap in the office sounds…very inviting and restful,” Sarah admitted.

  “Besides Adam bringing one of Millie’s pies—and I know you were hoping it was one of hers—he came to tell us he received a telegram from Lyle. He met Mrs. Rayburn, who is now a widow, and her son—and so they will have a say in the children’s upbringing. Lyle said Mrs. Rayburn will write to Isaac what she wishes for her great–grandchildren.”

  “Nothing else?”

  “No, it was a short telegram with only basic information. Adam thinks it will be another week or two before we hear from the Rayburns.”

  “So the children will stay here in the meantime? Unless you are ready to let some other families take over their care?” As soon as Marcus finished his question, Sarah was bristling, so he knew her answer.

  “I promised Margaret I’d take care of her children and I will do so until we hear differently. They are getting into a routine here, so I don’t think it’s wise to move them to strangers’ homes now.”

  Marcus took a sip of the hot coffee, hoping it would keep him awake for this conversation. He knew Sarah had more to talk about than the telegram. “Yes, I agree, it’s best they stay here until we know what the Rayburns want to do.” He cut off a forkful of pie and lifted it to his mouth, savoring the apple and cinnamon filling and the flaky crust. He placed his fork across the plate and picked up his cup of coffee. Marcus eyed Sarah over the brim of the cup as he took a long, slow sip.

  Although Isaac told him he’d have a home and income here at the ranch, he wouldn’t discuss it with Sarah yet. He didn’t know if Sarah would be satisfied here if the Sullivan children left, so he’d keep it to myself for now. Marcus picked up his fork and slowly ate a second, then a third bite of the pie, waiting…waiting…

  “I have been thinking, Marcus,” he knew Sarah had more on her mind, so he took another bite to let her talk.

  “Adam said the teacher’s position is still open in Clear Creek,” which wasn’t what he thought Sarah would talk about.

  “He suggested if I don’t receive guardianship of the children, I might apply for the job. Besides pay, the teacher will have a room at the Shelby’s Boarding House.”

  She had been begging for them to be married and now she was talking about moving into town to teach school? What happened to her dying love for me? He knew he was being melodramatic, but she had hurt his pride.

  “I don’t know what to say, except—do what you think is best for you,” Marcus ate the next bite of pie but it didn’t taste as good now.

  “Actually…I was thinking we could start a school out here for the neighboring ranch children to attend. That way we’d have a formal education in place for our children, too.”

  “Our children? Aren’t you getting a little ahead of yourself, Sarah?”

  “I’m sure there will be other children we can give a home to if it doesn’t work out with the Sullivan children,” Sarah said as if everything was planned out for their future.

  “Ah, Sarah, I haven’t asked for your hand in marriage.” He hated to be blunt, but she was throwing his mind into a tailspin.

  “Well, you told Isaac you love me and were ‘warming up’ to the idea of marriage,” Sarah coyly replied.

  When did he say that to his uncle? His lack of sleep this week was playing havoc with his memory. “When did you hear this, Sarah?”

  “I was walking by the office last Sunday to check on the infants in the bedroom…and heard your conversation.” Sarah twisted her mouth, so
at least she looked a little guilty to have been eavesdropping. Wait…

  “How much of the conversation did you hear, Sarah?” he asked sharply, not amused she probably knew everything they talked about if she had been outside the door in the hall long enough.

  She took a deep breath, but looked him in the eye to answer his question. “I heard Isaac say you were the heir to the ranch and you could use the house now—and get a salary to help run it. Then I heard Adam coming down the hall so I went around the corner so he couldn’t see me when he stepped into this office. I returned to the kitchen after hearing him say he’d found the letter from Mrs. Rayburn.”

  “Why haven’t you said anything before now?”

  “Honestly, I’ve been exhausted, stressed, and only thinking of the children. But the telegram got me thinking about what I overheard Sunday…plus the children are with Isaac, so we have a chance to talk now.”

  “Why did you toss out the idea of teaching school first?”

  “A school is needed here, because the Clear Creek School is too far away for the neighboring ranch children. If I didn’t have children to take care of, I’d like to teach school.”

  “And if you eventually had children to take care of, then what?”

  “You’re a natural with children, Marcus, and you’d make an excellent teacher. With Isaac and Rusty still on the ranch, I bet you’d have time to teach school and perform your duties here. You’ve been teaching Maggie and Marty their alphabet and numbers. Maggie’s been begging you to teach her how to read.”

  “And where would this school be taught, since you seem to have everything thought out?” Marcus was excited that she thought of the idea of the two of them teaching children in the area, but didn’t want to get his hopes up that it could happen.

  “A centrally located schoolhouse could be built in the area we want to serve. Surely someone would donate an acre of land for it, and we could ask the families whose children would attend to help build it. We could have a fundraiser for building materials on the Cross C to raise money. Box suppers and cake walks are popular and fun.” Marcus liked how Sarah’s blue eyes brightened as each new thought came to her while she expounded on the idea.

  “You must be getting more sleep than I do to have the mental capacity to come up with these ideas.”

  “Momma and I are taking turns getting up at night to feed the infants, instead of both of us getting up each time. This way we can each get three to four hours of straight sleep. It sounded as though you had problems last night? I heard Marty yelling at you.”

  “The kids are still crawling in bed with me during the night. I carried them back to their room when they were asleep, but Marty came back. I...uh was dreaming and rolled over on Marty, so he yelled at me to get off him.”

  “A dream or the nightmare again, Marcus? I thought you hadn’t dreamed of the attack for quite a while,” Sarah worriedly asked while putting her hand on his shoulder.

  “Just a bad dream, so don’t worry about it,” he replied, but he didn’t look up at her. Marcus guessed she would be able to tell if she saw his face. Time to change the subject.

  “Isaac said not to mention our talking about the house and job arrangement yet, because he didn’t want you to get your hopes up about us raising the Sullivan children. Plus, I haven’t yet decided if I want to work at the ranch or go back to Fort Wallace.”

  “Oh, really?”

  That wasn’t what he had expected her to say. He watched her go to the front of the desk, and snatch a piece of paper off the desk before sitting down in the chair on the opposite side from where he sat. What did she take? There was a pile of papers on the desk because he’d been looking through several cattle files Isaac asked him to become familiar with.

  She gave him a smug smile while plopping her booted feet on top of Isaac’s desk. “Sarah, take your feet off the desk. That’s not ladylike.”

  “Oh, shush. I need to rest my weary feet,” she chided him, still grinning.

  “Is that page about the number of cattle shipping this spring of interest to you?” Marcus started to sweat because her grin widened. What else was on the desk? He had been working on a list for...oh no. It was in plain sight when she walked in.

  “No this is a list of items...you plan to purchase, I’m guessing.”

  Sarah raised her index finger as she recited the list: “New shoes for the three older children.”

  She raised a second finger to join the first. “Bolts of fabric to make new dresses and shirts for children, and baby clothes.”

  Three fingers. “New children’s books, primary readers and picture books.”

  Four fingers. “Ring for Sarah ....” She chuckled while he groaned.

  Palm out showing her full hand, “New suit for wedding.”

  Sarah put her feet down, rose from the chair and walked around the desk. Marcus turned in the swivel chair to face her. To his surprise she sat on his lap and put her arms around his neck!

  “So,” Sarah said sweetly, “you have been thinking along the same line as I have. We should get married, live on the Cross C, and open our home to children who need a loving family.”

  He stared at her, shocked at her statement and her bold move.

  “Number six,” Sarah licked her lips and moved closer to his mouth, “talk to Pastor Reagan...to set our wedding date.” Sarah touched his lips lightly once, twice, before pulling Marcus into a heart–melting kiss.

  Chapter 11

  The children were starting to get into a routine, but anything could set off a temper tantrum; today, Sarah felt like she’d like to have one herself—and it wasn’t even nine o’clock in the morning. She had just cleaned up the spilled glass of milk from the table—and the floor—and before she could stand up, she felt something hit her head. She reached up to find a glob of jelly in her hair. When Sarah stood up, her mother acted like it was an everyday event…which it was, she realized.

  Her clothes were as soiled as the babies’ diapers, and smelled like baby spit up gone sour. Add to the fact it had rained last night, so Marty ran outside first thing this morning, made a loop through a mud puddle and ran right back into the house—with mud oozing between his toes—and before she had seen and stopped him, he’d run through the kitchen, the dining room, the carpeted library, and up the stairs! So much for the floor she had mopped clean moments before—and her mother just smiled…

  Now she could hear a wagon pulling up to the front door. Heaven forbid if it was Mrs. Paulson again. The woman had been out twice since last Sunday saying she’d found homes for the six children so Sarah could marry Ethan, move into their hotel and take over her job as hostess—in other words an unpaid maid and housekeeper. Hmm…Sarah was thinking she might send one or two or three children home with Mrs. Paulson so she can take care of them for a few days!

  Dagmar Hamner’s booming voice carried through the open kitchen window—along with the screaming voice of…Tate? Surely the man hadn’t come over to leave the toddler of the Bar E Ranch cook, Darcie Robbins, with them for the day! Sarah glanced at her mother…and she was smiling…

  “Uncle Daggy’s here!” The giant blonde Swede ducked his head while coming through the door carrying Tate. His booming voice set two infants wailing.

  “Dagmar, quiet your voice. You’ll upset the babies,” his wife, Cora, hissed at him while carrying in two fruit pies. Well at least they brought food. Darcie made excellent desserts like her sister, Millie, Sarah’s sister-in-law, so the pies would be a delicious treat.

  “Your warning is too late, Cora, as I knew it would be,” announced Darcie as she waltzed through the door next with her other child, Amelia, on her hip.

  Why didn’t they knock on the door instead of walking right in? She would have taken the pies and sent them on their way.

  “Good morning! What are you all doing here bright and early?” her mother asked, while smiling…

  “We thought we’d give you a break today and take care of the children. Our foreman
, Eli, can handle things at our Bar E Ranch today,” Dagmar replied as he lifted Tate up so the tot could touch the ceiling. Great, now there’s probably a little hand print ten feet out of my reach I will need to clean.

  “Oh, thank you, I’d so enjoy that,” her mother says. “I’m going to my room, then, to take a nap. Don’t bother me if I sleep through dinner, but please save me a piece of pie.” Her mother gave a little hand wave at their company and quickly backed out of the kitchen…while smiling…

  “Seriously, Sarah, we did come to give you all a break today. I’m sure you’re exhausted,” Cora said as she squeezed Sarah in a tight hug.

  Sarah wanted to cry on Cora’s shoulder, then sleep for the rest of the day…like her mother who was likely already in her bed…

  “Go on and take a nap yourself, Sarah,” Darcie urged. “Cora and I will take care of the babies today. My baby, Amelia, is over her cold, so I’ll nurse the babies a bit, if it’s okay with you. I’m sure mother’s milk will boost their strength.”

  “And I’m going to wrangle the youngsters outside with some fun playing today!” Dagmar’s voice set off the third baby, but Cora set the pies on the table and picked up Matthew to comfort him.

  “What do we get to do?” Marty asked with excitement.

  Dagmar set down Tate and picked up Marty. “Well, ‘Mighty Marty’,” he said as he pushed a giggling Marty up in the air so he could touch the ceiling too, “I’ve got two boxes of special things to share with you today. And one’s a secret you don’t get to peek into until after your afternoon nap.” Sarah noticed he winked at Tate who looked like he was ready to reveal the secret.

  “What is it?” Marty loudly whispered to Tate.

  “Now, don’t bother asking, because I’ve bribed my partner not to reveal it to any of you until the proper time.”

  By now, Sarah was starting to relax. No one could stay upset at the idea of the jolly antics of “Uncle Daggy” keeping the children entertained.