by Linda Ford
Elin pulled the man forward. “Sam, Gus, Joey, this is my brother, Nels. Remember, I told you about him.”
The air left Sam’s lungs so fast he felt weak. “I remember.” He gave the man a hearty handshake.
Gus shook his hand too.
Nels squatted down and said hello to Joey, but the boy clung to Sam. Sam lifted him to his arms.
“Come in and sit a spell,” Sam said, leading the way to the house.
Nels said something in Norwegian and Elin answered in the same language, her voice slightly scolding.
Sam wished he knew what they said. But if they’d wanted him to know, they would have spoken English.
They sat about the table as Elin made coffee and served it with some of her cookies.
Sam devoured one. He’d gotten used to enjoying her baking. Would he now have to do without it? Though it wasn’t surviving without her baking that had his throat closing off until he could hardly swallow the cookie. He washed it down with some coffee.
“You’ve come to visit your sister?” Sam knew the answer was obvious but was that the only reason for the visit?
“As soon as I got her letter I knew I must visit.”
“Nels.” Elin’s word carried a load of warning. “I told you, it’s okay.”
Nels held up his hand to stop her. “I was not in favor of my sister coming here to marry a stranger. Mor and Far thought it was okay. They said no one in Norway suited her or her them so she might as well seek her happiness in the new land. They thought she would be living near where I did. We did not realize it was so far away.”
Sam wanted to point out that it took only an hour by train to reach Buffalo Hollow from Grassy Plains. But Nels knew that.
Nels continued. “Then I get a letter saying she is not married. She is living with two men and has found a boy. The boy is okay. But this—” He looked about the room, letting his gaze rest on Sam and then Gus. “Is unacceptable. I came to take her back with me.”
Elin pressed her lips together. She squeezed her hands so tight the tips of her fingers were red. She looked to Sam as if waiting for him to speak.
He could think of nothing to say. He didn’t want her to go. Nor did he want her to stay and marry Harry should the scoundrel ever show up. And he understood Nels’s concern.
Elin bit her bottom lip and looked to Gus.
Gus pursed his lips. “Harry is not here. We cannot say when he will return. But she is far too good a woman for Harry anyways. I understand your concern, but we need her. She takes care of us and the boy. Her virtue is safe. I cannot speak for her reputation.” He told about the Scanlons.
Nels rocked his head back and forth. “It’s not proper.”
Sam leaned forward. “Like Gus said, she is needed here. I’m sorry about Harry.” He drew back as he realized the truth. “No, I’m not sorry about Harry. Gus is right. She deserves better than him.”
Elin ducked her head.
Sam couldn’t tell if she was pleased at his words or disappointed.
Nels lifted his hands as if to say he didn’t know what to do. He spoke to Elin in Norwegian.
She answered him in English. “I would like to stay here. I have planted a garden. I have made friends. I like the country. I like the ranch. What would Gus and Sam do if I left?” Her eyes glistened with emotion as she looked about the table. “This is Joey’s home. And he needs someone to take care of him.” She turned back to her brother. “Please, Nels, let me stay.”
“What will I say to Far and Mor?”
“I already wrote them and said my wedding was delayed, but I had a place taking care of a home. Do they need to know any more?”
“You might as well have stayed in Norway. At least you had family there.”
Elin grew fierce. “I have family here too. I have you and Anker and his wife. I have Freyda. And I have Sam and Gus and Joey. My own family.”
“Oh, Elin. Always wanting something your own.”
“Yes, and now I have it.”
“What about marriage? Don’t you want that?”
Elin’s gaze darted to Sam and then back to her brother. “Maybe I have to take what I have and be content with it.” Her smile was so unexpected that Sam blinked. “You know what, Nels? I am more than content. I am happy.” She got to her feet. “And I will stay here. Nothing you say will change my mind. Now would you like to join us for supper?”
Nels tipped his head back, looked at the ceiling, and blew out his lips. “You are one stubborn woman.”
“No, I simply know what I want.” She went to the cupboard and began pulling things out.
Nels looked toward Sam and caught him with a wide grin on his face. Nels chuckled. “You sure you want to keep her?”
“I’m sure.” He looked at Elin, met her warm gaze across the distance. It was as if they had sealed a bargain. Yes, he was sure.
Gus slapped his knee. “She’s the best thing around here since…well, since creation.”
Elin laughed. “Did you say you would stay for supper?”
“Didn’t say no,” Nels said.
She made and served a meal. Sam’s gaze darted often to her as he visited with Nels.
“I am building house. Soon, it is finished. I have sent a letter to Inga to come on the next ship.” His grin wreathed his face. “We will be married in America.”
Sam rubbed his thumbnail along the edge of the table. Nels made it sound so wonderful to be planning marriage. He was in love and living for the day his Inga would join him.
How did Nels know it was safe to love?
Was it ever safe?
He wished he had answers other than the notion that the safest thing was to not take the risk.
As they ate, Elin and Nels entertained them with stories of growing up in a large family. Her smile spoke of her love for her brother.
Sam thoughts twisted and tangled as he watched the easy affection between them, the confidence that their hearts were safe. Was it the result of growing up in a big, affectionate family?
Perhaps his wariness came from having so few to love him. When one died, his world—his heart—grew so empty.
Joey drooped over his plate.
Sam picked him up. “I’ll put him to bed. You visit with your brother.” He took his time with the boy. As he read a story to him, he tried to sort out his feelings. But it was impossible.
He kissed Joey good night and rejoined the others. Gus sat in the easy chair, trying his best to keep his eyes open.
Elin dumped the dishwater out the door while Nels hung the drying towel behind the stove.
Sam looked from her to her brother, unable to understand the sour taste in the back of his throat. Why should he mind if Nels helped Elin with the dishes?
“Would you like to take a look around?” Elin asked.
“Ja.”
The sourness intensified as Elin and Nels went to the door.
Elin glanced over her shoulder. “You’re coming, aren’t you, Sam?”
The awful taste in his mouth fled and he joined them.
Elin took Nels’s arm on one side and reached for Sam’s arm on her other side.
Sam grinned. Now that was more like it. “Do you want to show him your garden?”
“It’s mostly dirt and dreams at the moment,” Elin said. “But yes.”
Three abreast they made their way to the garden. Elin dropped Sam’s arm. Nels’s too, and sprang forward. “Look, little sprouts.” She fell to her hands and knees, examining the tiny plants.
Sam’s insides grew smooth. He had had a part in giving her a garden and bringing her such joy. Nels hadn’t even been there. He turned to study the other man, found Nels watching him. He gave a slight nod as if he’d seen something in Sam’s face.
“You see she is treated right or you will answer to me and all my family.” Nels’s words were soft, not meant for Elin to hear.
Sam shrugged. “She is safe here.”
Probably safer than his heart, which had developed a
huge crack. He couldn’t say if there were feelings wanting to get out, or feelings wanting to get in.
Elin sat back on her heels. “My very own garden.”
Nels chuckled. “Ja. And you will have to wrest it from the grass and rodents.”
She stood and faced him. “It will be worth the effort. Some things are, you know.” Brother and sister studied each other.
Sam got the feeling that they communicated something of importance, but without words, he couldn’t say what it might be.
“Let’s go see the kittens.” Elin took the men’s arms, and they crossed to the barn.
Nels seemed less interested in the kittens than in the harnesses and stalls. “I will have a barn like this someday, but first, my house.”
As they returned to the house, Elin pointed out the sunset. “’Tis beautiful.” Her voice rounded with awe.
“It will soon be dark,” Sam said. “Nels, you’re welcome to spend the night.”
“I thank you. The train doesn’t return east until tomorrow. I will sleep in the bunkhouse.”
“No, you take my room and I’ll go to the bunkhouse. I have a bedroll. You don’t.” He grabbed it from the tack room.
“True.” So it was agreed. They left the barn and Sam headed away from the others.
“Good night, Sam,” Elin said.
“Yes, good night and thanks,” Nels added.
Sam waved to them and went to the bunkhouse. He spread his bedding and lay on the nearest bunk, smiling at the wooden slats above him. It might only be his imagination or wishful thinking, but Elin had sounded regretful at seeing him go the opposite direction she did.
He closed his eyes and thought of all the pleasant things he had shared with her the last couple of days. Reading their Bibles together was one of them. He regretted his Bible was in his room, knew that he would forever feel her presence when he read it.
The next morning, he trotted to the house. Because he was hungry, he reminded himself. Not because he was anxious to see Elin.
Joey raced into his arms the minute he opened the door and Sam tossed him in the air, grinning as child giggled. “I never knew little boy laughter was so infectious.”
He met Elin’s gaze across the table and warmth flowed through his veins at her smile.
Nels and Gus sat at the table with steaming cups.
He put Joey on his chair and took the cup of coffee Elin offered him.
“We’re ready to eat.” She placed heaping platters of griddle cakes, eggs, and bacon on the table. On the stove, a boiler of water heated. She was going to do laundry today. Several smaller pots simmered. Looked like she had dinner cooking. Or was it supper? He hoped the latter as he would be out with the cattle for dinner.
As soon as they ate, Nels hugged his sister. “Good-bye. You know where I am and how to get a hold of me if you need anything.” He patted Joey on the head and shook hands with Gus and Sam. He strode from the house and returned a few minutes later, leading the saddled horse.
“Thanks for the hospitality.” He gave Elin a studying look.
Sam stood at her side, pressing back an urge to put an arm about her shoulders and let her brother know she belonged right here. Of course she didn’t. She was more than welcome, but nothing bound her to this place. There was only one way to change that.
Nels rode away.
Sam pulled his hat tight to his head. “I’ll be back for supper.” He rode away without a backward look.
He was not the man to tie her to the place. He’d have to leave that to Harry.
Elin stared down the road after her departing brother. She changed the direction of her gaze to Sam as he rode away. Her world seemed hollow and empty.
What nonsense.
Gus patted her arm. “You miss him, but he’ll be back.”
“I know.” She wouldn’t ask who he meant and turned back to the kitchen. She had enough work to do to keep her from missing anyone.
She set up the washtubs outside and gathered together the items to be laundered. Scrubbing the clothes was hard work, but she found it provided a soothing rhythm. Seeing the clean clothes flapping on the line filled her with satisfaction.
But the work allowed plenty of time for thinking.
She looked for Joey, hoping he would provide a distraction from her thoughts, but he played with his farm. Gus had gone to check on his chickens.
Her thoughts followed their own path. She’d enjoyed Nels’s visit but had no intention of going with him. She would forever be his little sister. Someone to take care of, watch out for, and get annoyed at. Besides, he didn’t even have a house yet. No. She belonged here.
Warnings rang in her head, reminding her that only Sam and Gus’s generosity allowed her to stay. That, and their need to have someone look after Joey and their enjoyment of her cooking. Absolutely nothing prevented them from asking her to leave.
She scrubbed the towel harder and harder, the effort keeping her worrisome thoughts at bay. She had the last of the laundry on the line by dinnertime and served the soup that had simmered all morning. Wash-day soup, Mor called it, because the mixture was thrown together early in the day and left on its own while the womenfolk took care of wash-day work.
After the quick meal, she checked the clothes. The sheets she’d hung out first were almost dry and she brought them in to iron.
The door stood open, a cooling breeze wafting through the house. She could see Joey playing beside the house. Gus had gone past the barn on his own pursuit.
She folded the clean sheets and put them in the cupboard. Nothing else on the line was dry enough to iron.
The afternoon passed slowly. She did as much preparation for supper as she could and baked another batch of cookies. She brought in the rest of the laundry and folded it. Some she put away. The rest she set aside to iron tomorrow.
She glanced at the clock. Finally the afternoon hours had passed, and soon she could think of setting the table and hoping for Sam to return.
Rather than stay in the kitchen and watch the minutes tick away, she went to the garden to admire the tiny plants.
Grass sprang from the sod and encroached upon her neat rows. She found a shovel and set to work digging it out. Like Nels said, she would have to fight for the survival of her garden.
The sound of approaching horses drew her attention. Her heart skipped as she looked the direction Sam had ridden. No rider approached. She shifted her gaze toward the lane. Three men rode toward her. Three rough-looking men. One had a scruffy beard. The other two appeared to have forgotten to shave for the better part of a week. Even from this distance she could see they were trail dusty, their horses unkempt. Her chest muscles tightened until every breath brought pain.
She looked about for Joey. He played in the shadow of the house. She prayed he would stay there. There was no sign of Gus. She couldn’t decide if she hoped he’d show up or stay out of sight.
The men rode toward the house then saw her by the garden and turned their horses her direction. The closer they got, the tighter her chest grew. Their expressions were hard, threatening. The sort of men she would have avoided at all costs.
At least she wasn’t unarmed. She gripped the handle of the shovel.
Chapter 12
Sam rode toward home earlier than usual, anxious for a good feed. He pushed away the thought that he might be even more anxious to see a certain young lady.
The day had gone well. He’d instructed Billy to let a dozen or so cows wander away from the main herd and make it look like no one watched them. “Send some men ahead and have them stay out of sight. Maybe we can trick the rustlers into thinking the cows are easy prey.”
Billy had nodded. “Good idea.”
Sam had looked around but again found nothing to indicate he should be concerned—no unusual tracks, no distant riders…nothing, and yet his gut said it wasn’t over. But then, it wouldn’t be over until the guilty parties were arrested and justice meted out.
Satisfied he’d done all he co
uld, he forgot about the cattle and looked forward to home.
He topped the last rise and came around the last bend. Elin stood in the garden. He smiled. She couldn’t wait to get out there and work. He looked again. Something didn’t look right. He pulled Sorry to a halt. Why was Elin standing there, staring at something out of his sight?
He guided Sorry off the path until he could see around the house. When he saw what Elin stared at, his heart slammed into his ribs.
Three men confronted her. Unfriendly, dangerous men.
His first instinct was to ride forward as fast as he could but he waited, assessing the danger. But when one man nudged his horse closer to Elin, he reacted instantly. He kicked Sorry into a gallop and raced across the yard and skidded to a halt in front of Elin, effectively blocking the man from reaching her.
The men sat up in their saddles. Their mocking smiles faded and their eyes grew guarded and watchful.
“Can I help you?” Sam’s gaze touched each of them. He rested his gaze on the man who had pushed his horse closer to Elin. The only help he wanted to give any of them was the feel of a whip. Young Andy carried a quirt with him and, for the first time, Sam wished he had one.
“Came to see Harry,” the front man growled. “Him and us has unfinished business.”
“Harry isn’t here.”
“Where is he?” The three crowded closer, but Sam didn’t move or let Sorry sidle away.
“Don’t know. Haven’t seen him in more’n a month.”
“Huh. Guess he’ll have to come back sooner or later.”
Sam grunted. “Don’t know why.”
The men looked at each other. “He better or we’ll find him. You see him, you tell him the Barton boys are expecting him to call.” They scowled at Sam for a moment as if they hoped to frighten him into revealing where Harry was. If only they knew that he’d gladly tell them if he knew.
They jerked their horses about and rode away.
Sam waited until they were at the bottom of the lane then jumped from the horse and pulled Elin into his arms, pressing her face to his chest. “Are you okay?”
“I am now.” Her voice was muffled against his shirt, her fingers clutching at the fabric.