“If you’re still stayin’ with Poppy Walt, you should come with us. The Bear Creek Round Up is an awful lot of fun.”
Sam stared at his plate again and didn’t respond, and Penny opened her mouth to thank Maxwell for the invitation when someone laughed, spraying crumbs across the table. Some even landed on Penny’s plate.
She swallowed hard. The impropriety would have been unacceptable at her parents’ table. Her father’s temper would have no doubt exploded by now.
And yet…there was a sense of joy here she’d never experienced at home. Brothers, biological or not, she wasn’t sure, nudged each other, wrestled for the last biscuit. They were obviously close, as evidenced by the camaraderie they shared.
The question was, how had this family come to be?
* * *
Penny insisted on staying to help wash the breakfast dishes, while her grandfather and Sam headed home to try and salvage the kitchen.
She worked with Edgar to clear the table, dumping the used dishes into a sudsy tub of water. Most of the boys’ plates were remarkably clean of food.
After passing the teen several times in silence, she attempted to draw him into conversation.
“Do you get stuck washing dishes often?” She offered a cheerful smile as she stacked the last of the dirty dishes next to the water tub.
His blue eyes shifted quickly to her and away. He slapped a washrag into her hand. “You wash.”
“All right.” She plunged her hands in the hot water, wincing, and plucked a white plate with blue trim from the bottom to scrub.
Edgar didn’t answer her question, but when she handed him the clean plate to dry, he asked almost belligerently, “How come you ain’t come to visit Poppy Walt before?”
She supposed it was a valid query judging by how frail her grandfather had appeared last night, but the delivery had her bristling. Still, her schooling kept her voice even and polite as she answered. “Sam and I live in Calvin with our parents. I suppose sometimes it is hard to get away for a visit.”
“It ain’t that far. You look old enough to drive a wagon up yourself.”
She stared at the dusty blond head not far from her shoulder, but Edgar didn’t look up from drying the brown and white speckled cup she’d handed him a moment ago. Was the boy purposely being uncouth, or was he unaware that he was being rude?
She couldn’t tell him that her father had made his wishes clear and visiting her grandfather hadn’t been what her father wanted.
“I suppose you’re right,” she said, patience ebbing. “It’s not a good excuse, but I didn’t know Grandfather had been ill.”
He handed her back a chipped, crimson-rimmed plate, dripping water across her sleeve. “You missed a spot of grease, there.”
Penny accepted the dish, smile becoming brittle. She scrubbed at the spot he indicated, though she didn’t see any grease on the plate.
“Shouldn’t matter if Poppy Walt was sick or not. He’s your kin, ain’t he?”
His words both irritated her and convicted her. She had missed time with her grandfather that she couldn’t get back. Surely if she would’ve pushed harder, her father would’ve let her visit…
“Missed another spot on this one.”
This time, he dropped a mug into the sudsy water, causing it to splash up onto her dress. Penny suppressed an irritated gasp, knowing from living with Sam that it would only serve to encourage this boy in his awful behavior, and strove to change the subject.
“So you’re…what, thirteen? My brother Sam just turned fifteen.”
He bristled. “I’m fourteen.”
She couldn’t help smiling at the offended tone he took, and apparently her smile made it worse.
“Pa says I ain’t hit my growin’ spurt yet,” he said defensively.
“Hmm.” Her noncommittal hum seemed to fuel his ire. She enjoyed it probably more than she should. “And your brothers?”
He was quiet for a moment, as if deciding whether he should answer her or not, but finally he said, “Oscar’s oldest. He’s seventeen. Then Maxwell, sixteen, then me, then Davy. Ricky ‘n Matty are both ten. And Seb’s the youngest. Well, the youngest boy. Breanna’s the youngest of all.”
Penny knew Jonas couldn’t be much older than herself. And considering the vast range of ages of his “sons”—two of whom weren’t much younger than Jonas himself—there was no way Jonas had fathered these children. So how had he ended up with all of them in his care?
“I’ll bet my grandmother loved having your family close,” she said softly. “I know she talked about wanting a bigger family when she was younger, but said the Lord didn’t bless her and Grandfather that way.”
He didn’t respond immediately, and Penny noticed that his hands had slowed so he was barely drying the dish he held. After a moment, he asked, almost reluctantly, “You knew Grammy Peg?”
“Yes. I used to spend summers out here with her.” Surprised by the softness in the boy’s voice, Penny blinked at the sudden tears in her eyes. She sniffled, wiping a fallen tear with her shoulder as she scrubbed a spot of baked-on food from the large cast-iron frying pan.
“Are you cryin’?” The boy sounded disgusted and something splooshed back into the water tub, sending more water onto Penny’s skirt.
His horrified reaction to her tears made Penny laugh. “Only a little, don’t worry.”
Using one arm to wipe at her face, warm water rolled down Penny’s arm and dampened her sleeve. Apparently, she wasn’t any better at washing dishes than she’d been at cooking; she’d gotten all wet. Though some of it was Edgar’s fault.
“What’s going on in here? Are you crying?”
Penny laughed again at Jonas’s appalled tone—the very same one his son had used.
“Edgar, what did you do?”
The boy whirled toward his father, the towel he’d been using to dry dishes flicking Penny’s arm. “I ain’t done nuthin’!”
“Then why’s she all wet? And crying?”
The boy looked at Penny with narrowed eyes. Did he expect her to rat him out for his rude questions and splashing her? Maybe she should.
Penny wiped away the last of her tears with her wrist. “I’m afraid I’ve been a bit clumsy is all. And Edgar didn’t make me cry. We were talking about my grandmother, and my emotions got a bit carried away.”
Jonas squinted a little, as if he might not believe her. A sideways glance at Edgar revealed he wore a distrustful frown. Not the reaction she’d expected when she’d covered for him with his father.
“You two about done?”
“Reckon we’re close enough,” Edgar answered, nudging Penny away from the bucket that was now more water than suds.
She joined Jonas on the porch, and followed his gaze to two of the older boys, who repaired something along the outside barn wall, near where it and the corral met. Breanna squatted nearby, watching their progress.
Penny took a moment to look around the homestead. From the inside, she’d observed the house was bigger than her grandfather’s, but from out here, it was obvious that at least two of the rooms, probably bedrooms, had been added on after the original structure was built. Had Jonas added them as his family had grown?
The barn was newer than her grandfather’s as well, and appeared to be well maintained, as was the corral where several horses grazed. The yard was clean, with a few chickens scratching.
“You’ve built a fine home for yourself here,” Penny said softly.
Jonas startled, as if he’d forgotten she stood at his elbow. He didn’t move other than a slight turn of his head in her direction, but she sensed his perusal. “It isn’t a mansion, but my family is happy here.”
She wanted to ask more about his family and how it had come to be, but held her tongue. Mrs. Trimble would’ve been proud of her restraint.
“Thank you for sharing your breakfast,” she said instead.
He shrugged, moving down the porch steps. “That’s what neighbors do out here. Walt and Pe
g helped me out plenty when I first came out here.”
“Really?”
“Yep.” He motioned her to join him on the ground. “I’ll walk you part way back. Ease Walt’s mind.”
“Will Breanna be all right with the boys?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder to where the girl seemed awfully close to the swinging tools the teen boys used.
“They’ll watch out for her. And I won’t be gone long.”
Penny slipped her hands into the pockets of her gown as she fell into step with Jonas; her right hand touched the dollar bills she’d tucked there this morning. In the disorder of arriving at her grandfather’s place last night, she’d forgotten to give Jonas the money they’d agreed on for the wagon ride.
“Before I forget, here’s what I promised you yesterday.” She extended the bills to him.
He hesitated, eyes lingering a little too long on the cash before looking ahead. “I brought you as a favor to Walt.”
His hesitation made her think he probably needed the money, but was his pride standing in his way?
She pushed the money into his palm, then tucked her hand back in the folds of her dress. “I insist.”
Penny hadn’t noticed earlier when riding double with Sam, but Jonas’s property must be in a slight valley, because they seemed to be ascending a hill. Jonas touched her elbow when she stumbled over a dip she hadn’t seen.
“Thank you,” she panted. Certainly the walks she took in town when visiting her friends hadn’t prepared her for this much exertion. She was perspiring in a very unladylike manner.
“I’m sorry if Edgar was unpleasant to you,” Jonas said suddenly. “Especially if it was his fault you got all wet. I hope your dress isn’t ruined.”
A glance down at her damp, soot-stained gown was less than reassuring. Likely it was ruined, but it had been so before the breakfast dishes had even been started. She chose not to comment, only asked, “How did you know?”
“He tends to…he doesn’t always take well to new people.”
“Hmm.” The boy’s actions and almost belligerent attitude seemed to support that. And also reminded her of her brother, who seemed to have a bad attitude about everything these days.
“I noticed both of you got a little nervous at my tears. What do you do when Breanna cries?”
He looked at her askance. “She doesn’t. Well, hardly ever.”
“Whatever did you do when she was an infant?”
He kept trudging along beside her, even though she could see the top of her grandfather’s house now above the tree line.
“She rarely cried when she was a babe. Mostly just when she was hungry.”
Penny’s teasing attitude flowed away as she imagined the sleepless nights and feeding after feeding the man beside her had endured…
She knew Breanna was his responsibility; after he’d compromised Millie what choice did he have but to accept his duty? But he must’ve been so unsure, not knowing how to care for an infant.
“I’m curious,” she said because she had to know. “How did you…that is…where did you come by the boys? I know they can’t be your biological children. Their looks are too disparate for that to be true.”
He was slow to answer and when she looked at him, his jaw was set.
“They are my sons. We belong together.”
“Yes, but—”
“They are mine,” he said fiercely, and the closed expression on his face told Penny the subject was finished. He pointed ahead. “Walt’s place is right over that rise. I’ve got to get back.”
Chapter Seven
Penny’s day did not improve. She hauled buckets of water until her shoulders ached, scoured the soot and burn marks in her grandfather’s kitchen until her hands blistered. At one point she scrubbed so hard she pushed through part of the wall that had burned away.
Even after all her work, her grandfather came in as the sun was setting and declared that the kitchen was unusable until it received some repairs.
Penny dropped the worn rag into the bucket of water at her feet and plopped onto the floor. After all, she couldn’t get any dirtier than she already was. “How will we cook meals?”
“We’ll take meals over at the Whites’. Jonas won’t mind. I’ll turn over our eggs ’n milk to him to make up for what it’ll cost to feed us.”
“Do we have to?” Sam asked gruffly, leaning against the door with arms crossed. His face was pink from being out in the sun. He hadn’t been his usual self since they’d left Calvin with Jonas and Breanna, and it worried Penny. If he caused trouble for her grandfather, she’d be very disappointed in him.
“Unless you want to try cooking over an open fire. Might be fun.”
Sam grumbled something unintelligible and slammed out of the house.
Penny started to apologize for her brother’s behavior, but Walt waved off her words. “He’ll come around. You ain’t been out to see my horses yet, girl. Used to be your Gran and I couldn’t get you out of the barn.”
She hauled herself off the hard plank floor and hooked her arm through his, turning them both toward the door. “Then we’d better go see what kind of stock you’ve got now.”
They passed Sam, sitting on the ground just around the corner of the house. Probably pouting.
Penny had always thought her grandfather’s horses the finest around, and a visit to the barn revealed that even though his house might be in disrepair, his animals had been well taken care of. Two mares nearly ready to drop foals were in the last two stalls they visited.
“Saved the best for last,” Walt said, pushing through the barn door and gesturing her to join him at the corral.
Penny leaned against the railing and admired a stallion that cantered around the ring, obviously wanting to be out in the open fields. “He’s magnificent.”
“Bought this fella last year off a drifter who didn’t know what he was worth.”
The animal’s shiny black coat attested to a recent grooming; his muscles rippled as he moved in an easy gait. It was obvious he was a well-built, powerful animal.
“The two foals are his. Just waiting to see if they’ll turn out as fine as he is.”
“If the foals are anything like him, you’ll make a fortune…um, hiring him out.”
“Mmm. Well, money ain’t everything, Penny-girl.” He raised his eyes to the horizon. “Look at that sunset. You ever seen anything so beautiful?”
Penny placed one hand against her aching back. What she really wanted to do was go inside and rest awhile, but she obediently took a moment to study the pinking sky over the mountains in the distance. The colors were lovely, reminding her of a gown she’d admired in the dressmaker’s window recently. She couldn’t wear that particular color of pink, not with her complexion and hair, but she admired it just the same.
“Sometimes it’s the moments of beauty in yer life that are worth the most…” Walt’s voice trailed off, and Penny determined he must not require a response. She stood and watched the sunset with him.
“You want to tell me what’s really bothering you, Penny-girl? Other than your ornery brother, that is?”
“Hmm?” Could he have guessed that her frustration today wasn’t simply about her disastrous morning?
“I might not be as perceptive as your Gran was, but I can tell you’ve got somethin’ on your heart.”
She stared at the sky, now turning a deep red. “My father wants me to marry a man I can’t abide.”
Walt grunted.
“If it was someone I could possibly see myself with, I would give things a chance, but this man…he is…” She couldn’t explain the feeling Mr. Abbott inspired in her, but she shivered just thinking about the disturbing way he looked at her and the words she’d overheard before she’d left town.
“You know, I didn’t think your pa was worth much when your mama first brought him home.”
Penny had heard the story before, how her father had seen the most beautiful girl during a visit to Bear Creek and followed her
home.
“It’s more than that,” Penny said, shaking her head. “There’s something…unsettling about this man.”
Walt was silent; Penny knew he was still thinking. Her grandfather certainly wasn’t a man to speak quickly. Sort of like Jonas White.
“What should I do? I know I’m supposed to honor my father, but I won’t marry Mr. Abbott.”
“Penny-girl, if I know one thing, it’s that your father loves you and wants the best for you. Maybe this Mr. Abbott of yours has some redeeming qualities you don’t know about.”
Well, sure he did. He was one of her father’s associates and would solidify her father’s business connections. That seemed to be enough for him, but it wasn’t enough for her.
“But…”
Walt turned to her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Maybe it was God’s will for you to come out here and visit me. Get away for a little bit and think things through. Remember what really matters.”
She pondered his words as the sky turned purple. What really mattered…yes, finding a husband was important, but what about love? Just being around her grandfather today reminded her of the deep love he’d had for her grandmother.
That’s what she wanted, that kind of unending love. And she was certain she wouldn’t find it with Mr. Abbott. But how to make her father understand?
Penny’s muddled thoughts were interrupted by hoofbeats announcing a rider’s arrival. She and Walt turned to see Oscar White rein in close to the cabin, carrying a large hamper.
“Pa sent a cold supper and asked me to see how things were going over here. If y’all need to, you’re welcome to come for breakfast tomorrow.”
Well, at least they wouldn’t starve.
* * *
Sunset nearing, Jonas finished rubbing down the mare he’d ridden to the south pasture earlier and tucked her into her stall for the night. Her neighbor, a mule with a graying muzzle, stuck its head over the partition and lipped at Jonas’s shirt.
The Homesteader's Sweetheart Page 7