The horses were more than fidgety by this point, but Mr. O’Brien thrust the reins into Anna’s hands. “Hold these,” he barked. One of the horses surged into its harness, but Anna kept a steady tension on the heavy leather straps.
“Easy there, boys. Easy now,” she crooned, despite the knot that churned in her gut. Anna’s head swiveled between the bear, the horses, and Mr. O’Brien as he cocked the rifle and took aim. She tensed, preparing for the loud boom and the reaction of the horses. Horses that were used to pulling the wagon probably weren’t accustomed to gunfire over their heads.
After what seemed like a very long time, the deafening retort of the Sharps carbine rang out. The horses danced in their harness, jerking at the reins. She continued crooning to the animals, focusing all her attention on keeping them from bolting. Runaway horses could be just as deadly as a grizzly bear.
For a split second, Anna looked up to make sure the bear lay dead in the distance. Her heart jumped into her throat. The bear was not lying dead or even injured. It still charged straight toward the wagon. Without slowing or missing a stride, it let out a tremendous roar that sent chills all the way down to Anna’s toes. One of the horses released a frantic whinny, and she fought to keep them still.
A clicking sound beside her signaled Mr. O’Brien reloading his rifle. He again took aim, and Anna’s attention was drawn back to the bear. It was only fifty feet or so away from them now and moving faster. The thunderous crack of the rifle boomed again, and the huge body of the brown bear dropped in mid-stride. One moment it was charging, massive paws in the air, and the next it was lying on the ground in a great brown heap.
Anna sucked in a deep breath and let it out. Only then did her heart beat again, picking up speed until it thumped like a stampede in her chest.
“Thanks be to God.” The quiet brogue whispered beside her. The older woman’s wrinkled hand moved in the shape of a cross over her chest.
The horses were still now, though whether they were just being obedient or if they could sense the danger was over, Anna wasn’t sure.
Mr. O’Brien reloaded his rifle more slowly this time, but his hands shook a little. “You did good with the horses, Anna.”
She nodded her thanks then turned back to the brown lump in the field not twenty-five feet away from them.
Mr. O’Brien climbed down from the wagon and crept toward the form on the ground, the butt of his rifle tucked into his shoulder in case he should need to aim quickly. After an inspection of the body, he turned back toward the wagon. “He’s a big one. Gonna take a couple of men to get him loaded. I’ll come back out here with some of the cow hands to bring him in. It’ll be nice to have a bear hide to keep warm this winter.”
Anna shivered despite the hot Texas sun.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Very little was said during the rest of the ride home. When they arrived, Anna headed straight for the kitchen and began preparing supper. It would have been easiest to make some kind of stew for tonight, especially since she’d been gone all afternoon. But Aunt Lola’s specialty was stew, and she imagined the boys would have their fill of it while Anna and Jacob were gone on their wedding trip. A tickle of nervous excitement skittered down her spine.
Tonight’s fare would be beef burritos, using meat from the steer they’d butchered this week. Spicy cornbread would be the side and peach pies for dessert. She’d made the pies that morning, so all she needed to do now was mix the cornbread batter, brown the meat with seasonings, mash and re-fry the beans, and melt cheese to pour on top of the wraps. That was a special trick Juan had taught her, and it added the perfect creamy flavor to soften the spices inside.
Anna folded the flour tortillas around the stuffing when a pair of large hands gripped her waist. She squealed and spun around to find Jacob with a wide grin across his face. His blue eyes danced as she let out a breath, one hand on her chest to contain her racing heart.
“Jacob O’Brien, you almost scared me to death.” Her tone was scolding, but she couldn’t hold back the smile that begged to join his.
“The smells coming from in here were too good to resist. I had to stop in and get a taste before dinner.” His eyes drifted down to her lips and he pulled her close to his body. “Just couldn’t wait to see you.” As his lips found hers, Anna was again lost in the wonder of this man. He would soon be her husband. His kiss was sweet and gentle, yet full of longing. “I missed you today.” His husky voice and warm breath in her ear sent a shiver all the way to the core of her being.
“Oh, Jacob.” It was all she could manage. His lips reclaimed hers with an intensity that matched the fire burning inside her. But after a few more moments, he slowed, ending with a final caress of his lips. As he rested his forehead on hers, they both struggled to rein in their breathing and the emotions coursing through them. Anna ran her fingers over his strong jaw and whispered. “You have no idea how much I love you.” Jacob pulled her tight against his chest, arms gripping her as if he would never let go. Anna breathed deeply of his scent, a mixture of man and nature and that something indefinable.
Too soon, his grip loosened and he ran his hands down the length of her arms, catching her hands in his. “I’d better let you finish supper or the boys’ll be upset. Just about all they could talk about today was what you were going to cook tonight.”
With a gasp, Anna spun around and flew into motion. “Oh, my goodness, I have to get dinner on the table.”
Jacob stepped back to clear the way for her sudden flurry of activity. “Anything I can do to help?”
She kept her hands busy wrapping tortillas but glanced over at the stove. “Could you check the oven to see if the cornbread’s ready? Use a towel so you don’t burn yourself.”
He picked up the rag from the worktable and opened the oven door. “How do you know if it’s ready?”
Anna smiled at the picture Jacob made, his tall frame bent over to peer into the oven, a puzzled expression on his face. She leaned over for a quick glance inside. “It should be golden on top. Looks like it’s just about right. Would you mind taking both pans into the dining room? Just make sure you set them on the leather pads so the heat doesn’t burn the wood.”
* * *
“You were attacked by a what?” Anna cringed as Jacob spat the words from his chair at the end of the long table in the dining hall. His eyes shot flaming arrows at her. Was she the cause of his ire? Good thing his father had control of this conversation. At the moment.
“Don’t get your dander up.” Mr. O’Brien drawled as if he were calming a spooked horse. “I shot him before he reached us and not one of us has a scratch. No one ’cept the bear, that is.”
“How close did he get?” Jacob’s voice was terse.
“He was about seventy feet away when I got off the first shot.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
Mr. O’Brien released a sigh. “Never got closer than twenty-five feet.”
Jacob sucked in his breath. “What kind?”
“Brown bear. And like I said before, we’re all fine.” He turned toward the foreman. “Monty, do you think you could spare three or four men to go with me to fetch him tonight?”
From the finality in his voice and the change of topic, Mr. O’Brien was finished with his son’s question-answer session. But Jacob continued to stew over his peach pie. His blue eyes were glaring a hole in his plate, but his mind appeared to be far away.
The men finished dessert and made plans for the hauling, skinning, and curing of the bear, then all rose and headed out to put the plan into action. Jacob rose, too, but remained standing behind his chair. He ran a hand through his thick hair and let out a sigh.
Anna gathered dirty dishes to take into the kitchen. She wasn’t sure what to say. Wasn’t exactly sure what was wrong, but it had something to do with them being in danger. Although, what could they have done differently to keep them from the peril? They hadn’t planned to run into a bear. And each of them had reacted just as qu
ickly and correctly as they should have. Like Mr. O’Brien had said, the end result was they were all fine. Except the bear.
She let the dishes slip into the clean water in the kitchen with a gentle thunk and headed back into the dining hall for another load. She froze in the doorway. Jacob was still rooted in the same spot, his hands on the back of his chair. He was just standing there, staring. His face held such an odd expression, she couldn’t make it out. It wasn’t anger anymore. Sadness maybe, or fear?
Anna’s heart went out to him and she stepped in his direction. Ducking under his arm, she slipped herself between each stiff elbow and wrapped her own arms around his middle in a tight hug. He allowed his hands to rest on her shoulders at first, a bit stiffer than she was used to. Then they eased down her back and rubbed circles around her shoulder blades. She stayed in that spot, arms around his body, until his heartbeat reached a steady rhythm under her cheek and his shoulders relaxed.
At last, Anna loosened her grip and leaned back to study Jacob’s face. His sky-blue eyes were clouded by a sheen of moisture, and he kept them focused on a point above her head. His jaw worked once, twice. She kept her gaze on his face and he finally lowered his eyes to meet hers.
“Doggone it, Anna. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you.”
She stroked his jaw. “It’s okay, Jacob. I’m safe. We’re all safe.” She snuggled back into his chest. “It used to kill me for Edward to do anything dangerous. After Mama and Papa died. Then we lost everything in the fire. It scared me silly to think I might lose him. It wasn’t until those cattle thieves tied me to the tree that I realized I truly have no control. Not an ounce of it. God expects us to make good decisions, but then it’s all up to Him. And He’s got a pretty good plan when you look at the big picture. After all, if our house hadn’t burned down in Columbia, we never would have moved to Seguin.” She leaned back and offered a sweet smile. “And if we hadn’t had so much trouble with the Union soldiers, I never would have agreed for us to hire on to your father’s ranch.”
“What trouble with the soldiers?” Jacob’s brow creased as his eyes studied her face.
Oops. She wasn’t sure she’d ever told him about that little bit of difficulty. “A few of the soldiers in town roughed up Edward, but I went to talk to their commanding officer and he put a stop to it.”
His body tensed again. “You went to the Army camp? With your uncle?”
Anna shook her head, not looking him in the eye. “I went by myself, but the Major was nice enough. I can’t say the same for some of his soldiers, but the officers seemed to be decent men.”
“What do you mean you can’t say the same for the soldiers? Did one of them touch you?” Jacob’s gaze pierced as he ground out the last words.
“Just one.” Anna scrambled to find a way out of this conversation. She hadn’t planned to upset him again. “But the other soldiers came when I screamed and stopped him. He was punished then shipped off to another battalion in Virginia. Nothing to worry about now.”
She kept talking to change the subject. “I remember the first time I saw this ranch. It’s hard to believe it was less than a year ago. I was fiery mad about Monty hiring my brother and came riding all the way out here to tell your father what was what. Before I could talk him into firing Edward on the spot, though, he offered me a job.” She smiled at the memory. “I decided it was the only choice we had at the time. Isn’t it funny how something can look so bad when it’s happening, but when we look back, it’s apparent how God’s hand was at work?”
Jacob shook his head then rubbed circles in her back again. “My Anna. Something tells me I’m going to have my hands full keeping up with you.”
She flashed him a bright smile and snuggled back against his chest. “Don’t you worry, Mr. O’Brien. I’ll do my best to behave.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
The O’Brien men had been gone for two days. As Anna washed breakfast dishes the second morning, she forced herself to go through the motions. Jacob and his pa had gone to San Antonio to take care of ranch business, taking the wagon to bring back a load of wood from the sawmill and a few other things they needed for the barn. It was business, and Jacob wouldn’t have gone unless he needed to, but the selfish part of her hated that he was away just one week before their wedding. Didn’t he have things to do here? Maybe he didn’t want the wedding to happen yet.
She was being ridiculous. This had to be pre-wedding jitters getting the best of her. What she needed was something special to do. Over the past two days she’d given the house a thorough cleaning and scrubbed all the laundry. The garden was picked and everything that needed canning had been prepared, pickled, and sealed in glass jars. She’d planned to wear her yellow gown for the wedding, so there wasn’t a dress to make. She couldn’t do any of the wedding baking yet, as it was still seven days until the ceremony. She could take Bandita for a ride to the river but really didn’t have any desire to be alone with her thoughts right now. They might eat her alive. Maybe she should find Aunt Lola and ask if there was anything with which the older woman needed help.
Anna peeked into the front parlor. Aunt Lola nestled in the petite chair that fit the small Irish woman like it had been built around her. Aunt Lola was reading her Bible, but looked up with a pleased smile when Anna entered the room.
“And what might ye be up to this fine mornin’, Anna dear?” She studied Anna and the wrinkles above her eyes scrunched together in concern. “Ye look like yer mind’s about to torture yer poor heart.” She patted the sofa next to her chair. “Come sit down and tell me what’s botherin’ ya.”
Anna sank onto the couch and released a sigh. “I guess I’m not sure what to do with myself. I was hoping I could help you with something.”
Aunt Lola chuckled. “I’d be more than happy to let ya read to me from the Good Book and save my poor eyes, but I think what ya need is to move around a bit. Why don’t ya head into town? I have a letter to mail and you could visit with your aunt and uncle a bit.”
That appealed to Anna more than anything else she’d come up with. Maybe she could pick up lace to add to her gown while she was there. It’d be nice to have a little something special for her special day.
“I suppose that might be a good idea. Is there anything I can pick up for you in town? I can borrow a wagon from the livery and get supplies while I’m there.”
“Nay, I sent my list with Marty and Jacob. They’ll be bringin’ everything I need. You take that mare you like to ride so much and make a day of it. I’ll cook supper for the boys tonight, so you don’t need to be back until dark time. And I promise I won’t make stew…this time.” The twinkle reappeared in the older woman’s eyes and the skin above her cheeks bunched into the usual smile lines.
Anna couldn’t stop the impulse to hug the sweet lady and plant a kiss on her cheek.
Aunt Lola only laughed and returned the embrace then made a shooing motion. “Off with ye then.”
* * *
“You’re not going to make a wedding dress?” Aunt Laura’s gaping mouth and raised eyebrows evidenced her shock. She looked almost as appalled as if Anna had said she was going to dance down Live Oak street in nothing but a corset and petticoat. Now that would be true cause for the expression Aunt Laura was now aiming in her direction.
“But there’s no time,” Anna defended. “And I don’t want to delay the ceremony. And my yellow gown is lovely. I thought I could add lace to the white ribbon on the edges and it will look brand new.” She gave her aunt a cheery smile, but it ricocheted off the woman like a pebble off a coat of armor.
“My dear, no Stewart woman has ever been married without a wedding gown as far back as I can remember. Not one who was born a Stewart. And not one who married a Stewart. Your mother would turn over in her grave if she knew you were considering such a thing.” Aunt Laura shivered.
Anna forced her face not to reveal her amusement at Aunt Laura’s ranting. It didn’t seem the situation required such dramatics. Maybe in
the ‘old days’ women always wore a bridal gown for a church wedding, but much had changed with the war. Many brides didn’t have money for a new dress, especially one that couldn’t be worn many times after the wedding.
Aunt Laura stood in her kitchen, frowning, hands on her hips. Her toe tapped the floor and the lines on her forehead were scrunched into deep grooves, evidence of her mind working. “I suppose if we start right now, we could most likely have it ready before the wedding. I could work on the top half and you could take the…Wait!” Her face lit and she spun around, striding down the hall toward the bedrooms. On a mission.
Anna wasn’t sure whether she should follow or stay but sat quietly in her ladder-back chair at the kitchen table. The whole episode was a little funny, but maybe she should put more effort toward decorum. It honestly hadn’t seemed like a bad idea to wear the yellow gown. She wanted to focus more on making sure she was ready for the marriage than spending unnecessary time preparing her wardrobe for the ceremony.
Within two minutes, Aunt Laura strode back into the room, carrying a large fluff of white material. “I think I have the perfect thing.” Her eyes shone as she gently laid her load on the table.
Anna’s jaw dropped. Her gaze roved the yards of material then trailed back up to her aunt’s face. “Your wedding dress?” Anna’s voice squeaked.
Aunt Laura nodded, a smile budding on her face. “We’ll need to add a flounce at the bottom to reach over your crinoline, and maybe tweak a couple of seams, but I think it will be perfect.”
* * *
Anna rode home later that afternoon with a full heart and a spring in her step. Aunt Laura had been just the right medicine to settle her jitters and help Anna focus on what needed to be done before Saturday. Now it was time to get down to the doing.
The Rancher Takes a Cook Page 19