Blackstone's Bride

by Teresa Southwick

  “But, Abby, Uncle Jarrod.” Katie stepped away from her sister and turned to look at both of them. “We already know how we feel—”

  “That’s a wonderful idea,” Lily said quickly. “Uncle Jarrod, you and Abby can go do something while we get to know Miss Peters.”

  “Is that all right with you, Bea?” Abby asked the woman.

  “Perfectly. It makes a great deal of sense.”

  Beatrice Peters hadn’t taught school all those years without learning a thing or two about children. These four were definitely up to no good. She sat in the big easy chair beside the rock fireplace and studied them.

  Right after Jarrod and Abby left, Tom had disappeared to his room and returned a few minutes later. He waited in front of her now with his hand behind his back. “I have something for you,” he said.

  The scamp had looked at her with nothing less than hostility since he’d first come downstairs to be introduced. Now he was smiling like a cherub. Why did children always think their elders had less brains than the good Lord gave a rock? She met his angelic expression with one of abject innocence, and braced herself. “What have you got there, young man?”

  He yanked forward a bouquet of yellow dandelion weeds. “Here,” he said, thrusting them at her.

  She took them from him. “How very thoughtful. Thank you, Tom.” She made a great show of smelling them. “Did you know that these leaves are edible?” she asked as Tom sat on the stone hearth, very close beside her. She eyed him with a good deal of suspicion, but was distracted when Katie came closer.

  The little girl rested her elbows on the arm of the chair, thrust her chin into her hands and tipped her head to the side. “Ed Bull? Who’s that?”

  “Not a who, dear. Ed-i-ble means you can eat them. They make a fortifying soup, and tasty too.”

  “You don’t like soup. Remember, Katie?” Lily stood beside Oliver, looking a little nervous. Bea realized the girl hadn’t been able to meet her gaze since she had come downstairs.

  “I liked Mama’s soup,” Katie corrected. Her green-eyed gaze turned to Bea. “Did you know the angels took my mama to heaven?”

  “Yes, dear. Abby told me,” Bea said softly.

  “I have bad dreams about a mean man coming to get me. Mama went because she was tired, and that made her ready to go.”

  “Katie hasn’t slept all night since Mama passed away,” Lily said. “Poor Uncle Jarrod gets up with her constantly.”

  “That’s why he wants me to come stay,” Bea said. “What do you think about that?”

  Lily glanced up quickly, then back down at her hands. “I think you probably wouldn’t like getting up with her every night.”

  “Why don’t you let me worry about that. Is there anything else I should know?” she asked.

  Katie thought for a minute, then piped up, “Oliver wets the bed. And he has accidents—”

  “Do not.”

  Bea looked at the boy sitting cross-legged at her feet, thumb in mouth. “I’ll bet the outhouse is just too far away. Isn’t that right, Oliver?”

  He nodded without removing his thumb.

  “What else?” Bea asked, looking at the young faces. She glanced beside her at Tom, who quickly moved his hand away from her skirt and stuck it in his pocket. “What about you, young man? Do you have anything to add?”

  “I can take care of myself. Don’t need a housekeeper.”

  “Your uncle disagrees, and if you think we can all get along together, I’ll be taking the job. What do you say?”

  Lily smiled thinly. “We’d like that. Right everyone?”

  There was a chorus of weak assent. Then Bea looked at Katie. “But I think there are some things we should straighten out first. Dear, you said you didn’t like me. Have you changed your mind?”

  The little girl thought for a minute, glanced over her shoulder at Lily, who shook her head slightly, then looked back. “No’m.”

  These children had made up their minds before meeting her. Why?

  “You’re honest, child. I like that.” Katie beamed. “But what is it you don’t like? Perhaps if we talk about it, we can—”

  A loud croaking noise interrupted her at the same time she felt something wiggle around in the pocket of her skirt. Aha, she thought, the dandelions were a decoy, a way to get close to the real objective. The children glanced at each other expectantly.

  If they wanted screaming and carrying on, they were barking up the wrong tree, Bea thought. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a medium-sized frog. She held him up, letting his legs and webbed feet dangle as she looked him over carefully, then pronounced, “He’s a fine fellow. Thank you, Tom. I like him better than the dandelions.”

  The boy’s gray eyes widened with something close to admiration. “You do—”

  “Did you know that frogs eat insects? He’ll have a feast this year. After all the rain, there will be a bumper crop of mosquitoes and flies. And aren’t you glad he’ll be around to do that? He will certainly make our life more comfortable. Don’t you think?”

  Bea stroked her finger along the frog’s back, and the children’s jaws dropped. Oliver’s thumb fell out of his mouth.

  She extended the frog. “Katie, would you like to hold him?”

  The little girl squealed and jumped away. “No’m. I don’t even like bedbugs. Does he bite? Uncle Jarrod says bedbugs don’t, it’s just a ‘spression. But I don’t wanna find out. And I don’t wanna hold him,” she said, jamming her hands behind her back.

  “Oliver?”

  He shook his head. “Gotta go,” he said, and raced from the room.

  “Anyone else?” she asked the others.

  Lily and Tom shook their heads. Bea put the frog on her palm and he croaked loudly. Without warning, he leapt from her hand and Lily and Katie squealed. Tom laughed. The animal poised in the middle of the wool carpet, seeming almost at home on the patterned rug done in shades of white, goldenrod, and bright emerald-green. Only the bubble beneath the frog’s chin puffing in and out at an alarming rate told Bea he was nervous and frightened.

  “Tom,” she said, spearing the older boy with a stern look. “Catch the poor creature before he hurts himself and take him outside where he belongs. Put him back where you got him. And don’t harm him. Do you understand?”

  He nodded. “Yes’m.”

  “Good.” When he was gone, she looked at the two girls. “Would either of you young ladies care to explain to me what’s going on?”

  “Not me,” Katie said. “I was just s’posed to ask questions. That’s what I do best,” she said proudly. “Right, Lily?”

  When Lily turned the shade of a sun-ripened tomato, Bea’s suspicions were confirmed. A conspiracy was definitely afoot.

  Lily looked down, then reluctantly lifted her gaze. “It’s not you, Miss Peters. We’ve been planning this for anyone Abby brought.”

  “But why, child? Your uncle obviously wants and needs help.”

  “We know that. But we decided we want him to hire Abby as our housekeeper.”

  “Why not come right out and ask your uncle to do that?”

  Lily shook her head. “He already did and she said no.”

  “How do you know?”

  “We overheard them talking.”

  “Did anyone ever tell you eavesdropping is underhanded and not a very nice thing to do?”

  “Yes’m,” Lily said. “But when Mama was alive, she always told us things were fine, to protect us. We knew different. We felt it was better to know what was going on, so we started listening in.”

  “I see.” Bea’s heart went out to the children. She wanted to see them get what they wanted for a change. “Why did Abby turn down the job?”

  “She said she already has one and her life is in town. I think she and Uncle Jarrod don’t like each other.”

  “Is that so?” Bea asked, making her own assessment of what Jarrod and Abby felt. “So you plan to play this little game with everyone Abby brings to meet your uncle. Why? W
hat if I decide to accept the job in spite of your shenanigans?”

  “Uncle Jarrod said he wouldn’t hire anyone we didn’t like.”

  Bea nodded in understanding. “So the plan is to scare everyone off. That’s not fair to Jarrod.”

  “We figure Abby will feel sorry for him and be our housekeeper.” Lily hung her head. “Are you gonna tell Uncle Jarrod what we did? He’ll probably send us away to an orphan home.”

  Bea snorted. “I doubt that. Jarrod Blackstone takes his responsibilities seriously.” She studied the girls for a moment, then said, “Let’s discuss this with the boys when they come back and we’ll see what we can do.”

  Abby sat on a swing hanging from the sturdy branches of two huge oak trees. It was early afternoon, but the foliage was so thick, only dappled sunlight penetrated. A warm breeze blew the hair around her face as she gently moved back and forth. Abby didn’t remember seeing the swing the last time she’d been at Blackstone Ranch.

  She looked up at Jarrod, who leaned one broad shoulder against the thick tree trunk as he watched her with an unreadable expression on his face.

  “Did you make this?” she asked, indicating the thick, sturdy hemp ropes holding her up.

  “Yes.”

  “For the children?”

  “Why would you think that?”

  “It looks new. Just seems to me you would have made it for them.”

  “I did. When Sally and I were young, we had one. The ropes and seat rotted a long time ago. I just thought the kids might like it.”

  Abby felt a glow close to her heart. It couldn’t be easy taking on four children. He had never been around any, yet he was trying to do his best for them.

  A sudden yearning for her own father sliced through her. Sam Miller had gone away when Abby was a bit younger than Lily. To find a better life for the family, he had explained. Abby had been inconsolable. She had missed him terribly but hadn’t seen him since. Every year or so he sent a letter. One day soon, she planned to find him. From the moment he’d left, she’d dreamed of uniting the family again.

  Mama was dead, but she and Clint still needed their father. Abby closed her eyes as she swung gently and promised herself that she would make it happen. Right now she was too busy working. All the money she could spare went to put Clint through college. Come hell or high water, she would make her mother’s dream for Clint come true. Afterward, she would find her father and go live with him. As soon as her brother came around to her way of thinking, they would all be together again.

  “There’s not much for kids to do here,” Jarrod said, breaking into her thoughts. “No one to play with.”

  Abby looked at him. “It was thoughtful of you to make them the swing.”

  “I had to do something to keep them occupied.”

  There was an edge to his voice that made her wonder. “Has there been a problem?”

  “Nothing big. Tom’s been getting into mischief.”

  “He hasn’t hit Katie again, has he?”

  He smiled. “No. Just teasing the animals, stuff like that. I’d ignore it, but I have the feeling it’s getting worse.”

  “Have you talked to him?”

  “Of course. So has Gib. But so far it hasn’t stopped him.”

  “What are you going to do about it?”

  He shrugged, bent over to pluck a blade of grass, and twirled it through his fingers. A stray dark curl blew across his forehead. The lines around his eyes seemed deeper, whether from worry or lack of sleep, she didn’t know.

  “When I talked to Tom that first day, I told him we needed time to adjust, that I didn’t want to have to tan him. But I’m beginning to think—”

  She stopped swinging and stood up. “Are you sure that’s the answer?”

  “I don’t know what else to do.” He looked completely bewildered.

  “Try giving him some of your time first.”

  “What makes you think I haven’t?”

  “Have you?”

  “Some, but—”

  “Have you taken the time to at least eat breakfast and dinner with them?” He started to answer and she pointed at him. “The morning I was here doesn’t count.”

  “Then no, but I get up before daybreak—”

  She sighed. “Jarrod, please tell me you’ve tucked them into bed at night.”

  He let out a long breath. “You don’t understand, Abby. It’s easy for you to judge me when you’re standing on the outside looking in. You have no idea what I’m up against running a ranch this big, and now having to worry about four kids.” He ran a hand through his hair. “They found the waterfall where Sally and I used to go. But the two youngest can’t swim. What if they disobey me and drown?”

  “Jarrod, I—”

  “They’re into everything. They’re just playing, but it’s dangerous. Accidents happen to grown men who know to be careful. When I have to be away, I never know what I’ll find when I come back.”

  Abby felt terrible, especially when she looked closer and noticed the dark circles under his eyes, the weary slump of his shoulders. Now she knew it had been worry and lack of sleep that carved the lines around his eyes and forehead.

  “Is Katie still waking up?” she asked gently.

  He nodded. “Like clockwork. She has the same bad dream every night.”

  Abby didn’t have the heart to stay mad at him, especially when he looked so worn-out. “She’s been through a lot. When she feels secure, the dream will stop. Maybe if you put her in Lily’s room—”

  “I thought of that. It didn’t help. She just woke all of them up. At least if I go to her, no one else is disturbed. The days seem to be more peaceful that way,” he said wryly.

  “If you don’t spend time with them, how would you know?”

  “The hands take turns staying behind to keep an eye on things.”

  He was right. She hadn’t the vaguest notion what he went through. But surely with a little common sense he could get through until Bea had the household under control.

  “I have a suggestion,” she said.

  “What?”

  His gray eyes narrowed as he shot her a wary look. Why that expression caused her heart to beat a little faster, she couldn’t say. But for some reason, it made her see what she had been trying hard to forget or at least to ignore in the days since she’d been here. He was a fine-looking man. A fact that kept jumping into her mind even though the distance between Hollister and Blackstone Ranch separated them.

  She turned until her shoulder brushed his arm and they stood side by side, staring at the front porch. “Take Tom with you when you leave in the morning.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Whatever you have planned for the day, take Tom with you. My guess is the mischief is his way of getting your attention. So give him what he wants. Sooner or later he’s got to learn about the ranch.”

  “He’s just a boy. I leave before sunup.”

  “It won’t kill him. He’ll go to bed earlier. Tom’s a boy who’s getting bigger every day. Why, I swear he’s grown a foot since I last saw him. Makes me wonder if the clothes I brought from the mercantile will fit.”

  “So you think all I need to do is give him some notice and spend some time with him?”

  “That’s right. It doesn’t have to take you away from work. Include him in what you’re doing. Explain things. Teach him.”

  “Might slow me down some.”

  “Might. But at least you’ll have him where you can see him. You won’t have to worry about what he’s up to while you’re gone.”

  He nodded absently and gave Abby a small smile. “There is that.”

  The fact that he didn’t dismiss her idea caused Abby to warm to her topic. That smile on his face caused her to warm to him. She started talking faster. “It’s always been my belief that you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.”

  “Hmmm.”

  “While you’re about it, he’ll learn how to be a man.” She recalled Katie’s
disbelief when Jarrod told her he wouldn’t let any harm come to her. Chances were good that Tom had never had a decent man to look up to. “Show him how to be a good man, Jarrod.”

  “Abby Miller, did you just say something nice to me?”

  “Good Lord, no. Whatever gave you a crazy idea like that?”

  He stuck his hands in the pockets of his denims. “Beats the heck out of me.”

  In spite of her vehement denial, Jarrod knew she had just paid him a compliment. That surprised him some, since more often than not she was hot under the collar about something he’d said or done. He was surprised how much her favorable opinion meant to him. It felt good to talk to her about the kids and the things that had been bothering him. He hadn’t wanted to resort to tanning Tom. Her notion of letting him tag along, of teaching him, well, maybe it was a good one.

  The ranch would probably be Tom’s someday. Jarrod figured it wasn’t likely he’d ever have a son of his own to leave it to, since he didn’t want a wife.

  He glanced at the house. “Do you think they’ve had enough time to look Bea over?”

  Abby shrugged. “Maybe we should give them a little longer. What do you think of her, Jarrod?”

  “She’s just what the doctor ordered.”

  “I’m glad you feel that way.” She looked up at him and smiled. Her eyes sparkled with pleasure at the praise.

  She was real pretty when she smiled, he thought. Although she was real pretty when she frowned. And when she looked like she wanted to shoot him too. He rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. This kind of thinking was dangerous. If he wasn’t careful, he could get to like Abby Miller a lot more than he already did.

  “I hope the children approve,” Abby said.

  “Yeah. But why wouldn’t they?”

  “No reason that I can think of,” she said. “And from the looks of you, I brought her just in time.”

  “What does that mean? From the looks of me?”

  She shook her head at him as if he was dumb as a post. “You’ve got bags under your eyes big enough to store grain for the winter.”

  “No,” he said, resisting the urge to touch his eyes. “I don’t look that bad.”

  He felt that bad, but he didn’t think it showed. Shoot, he’d put on a clean white shirt, combed his hair, and generally spruced up. It bothered him that he didn’t look his best. Hell, it annoyed him that he even cared about how he looked to Abby.