The Texas Rancher

by Jane Corrie

  added suggestively. Josie's glance left Maryanne's watchful eyes and she concentrated on the exercise book in front of her willing herself not to show the child how much this news had affected her. 'They've probably already got their quota of staff,' she murmured casually, and looking up, met Maryanne's intent gaze. 'I'm a newcomer here, remember, Maryanne,' she added softly.

  'No, they haven't,' Maryanne replied swiftly. 'I

  know they haven't, because I heard Miss Plumstead suggest you to Uncle Kade, but he said you wouldn't be interested.'

  'I think it's about time we got down to some work,' interjected Josie quickly before Maryanne could dwell on this highly embarrassing theme any longer. 'Juan, will you read the first four lines from the page I've marked in front of you?'

  So the morning progressed, and for Josie it was the longest morning she had known since taking the class, and she longed for the lunch break so that she could be alone with her thoughts.

  While she prepared a light lunch for herself and her grandfather, Josie knew she ought to tell her

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  grandfather that she would not be working at the new school. The sooner it was over with the better but tor the life of her she couldn't bring herself to

  talk about it�not yet. The sense of deep hurt was still with her, and the knowledge that Kade had let

  her down hurt more than the bald fact that she hadn't even been given the chance of accepting a post. Her only champion, it seemed, was Miss Plumstead, and Josie made a mental note of personally thanking her on the first occasion offered

  for her kind interest.

  It did occur to her that she could go over Kade's head, and visit Miss Plumstead. She needn't go into details, but she could tell her that she was interested, and say something on the lines that there had been some misunderstanding on Mi Boston's part.

  All these thoughts went through Josie's mind as she drove back to the school after lunch, but by the time she had turned into the drive at Blue Mount, she knew she would do no such thing. If the project had been financed by anyone else but Kade, it might have been possible; as it was, Josie wouldn't accept a job there now if the whole wretched town

  went down on their knees and begged her to!

  Josie felt much better after this; it wasn't the only school in Texas�although it was the only one near Carella�and it meant she would have to look further afield. She sighed heavily; it also meant she

  would have to be away all week and home for the

  weekends�but she'd worry about that later- Right

  now she had to begin looking for other work. She

  had ten weeks in which to find herself a position�

  long enough, surely, for something to come up.

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  When Josie walked into the schoolroom, the boys were totally engrossed in their favourite topic, cowboy heroes, and she rather envied them their uncomplicated existence as she called them to order. Of Maryanne there was no sign, and a query from Josie to the boys on her apparent disappearance produced the answer that Miss Hanway had collected her, but that she would be back in time for afternoon lessons. This was supplied by Pedro, who sounded very regretful about the last bit, and he wasn't the only one, Josie thought, who would "welcome a lesson free of her presence.

  Since the arrival of Miss Hanway, Maryanne's work quota had fallen depressingiy low, and her interest in the lessons still further. If Josie tried to take her to task on this, she would invariably repeat something Miss Hanway had said about there being plenty of time for her to catch up on her schooling when she went to a 'proper school'. Josie was well aware of the implication behind this barbed remark, but knew it would not help her cause to lose her temper with the child.

  Of the boys' work, Josie had no complaints; they had gone ahead in leaps and bounds now that they had a goal to aim for. To be excluded from the new school was, not to be contemplated�particularly when it became known that a sports section plus swimming pool had been added to the original plans.

  Before long they had outstripped Maryanne, and not unnaturally were impatient to go on to an advanced level before she was ready. This state of affairs should have spurred Maryanne on, and Josie was sure that it would have done had not Miss

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  Hanway been doing a little spadework in the background.

  Only top well could Josie see what was happening, but she was powerless to do anything about it. The child thrived on flattery, and badly missed the attention she had been used to receiving as the only child in the company of adults when accompanying her parents on their various excursions in whatever wilderness they were exploring, With a little perseverance, Josie felt that Maryanne could become a nice child, but not with Miss Hanway carrying on the adulation theme and sympathising with her on the imagined slights she felt she had received from Josie and the boys.

  Josie was under no illusion as to why Miss Hanway had attached herself to Maryanne. In a way, she had a lot in common with the boys in Josie's class�they each had a goal to aim at�in Jessica Hanway's case it was Kade. Encouraging Maryanne had given her a foothold at Blue Mount and a reason to visit the ranch at every given opportunity, if possible to bring her into contact with Kade. Josie often wondered if in fact she did see Kade, but at this point would always pull herself up sharply. It was no concern of hers if she did, and in the light of what had happened lately, it certainly looked as if Lucy hadn't been all that far off the mark when she had asked about the 'romance'. Kade must have altered his previous attitude towards the girl, to have not only allowed her to visit the ranch twice a week, ostensibly to give Maryanne music lessons, although Josie suspected he would have seen through that ploy for what it

  was, but he had given her a seat on the school

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  committee, handing her yet another excuse to seek his company. Five minutes had elapsed over the time the class should have begun by the time Maryanne, accompanied by Miss Hanway, put in an appearance. A breathless Miss Hanway, handing Josie a huge

  bunch of bright blue flowers, said brightly, 'I do apologise for making Maryanne late. Kade met us on the way back.'

  Josie stared at the flowers, then back at Miss Hanway, failing to understand the reason for the gift and forcing her to give some sort of explanation, that judging by her hesitation she was loth to do. 'Er ... Kade sent them,' she said brightly, and went on hurriedly, 'You won't scold Maryanne, will you? It was entirely my fault.'

  Josie didn't think this was worth answering, but she did anyway, with a dry, T promise I won't beat her this time. Miss Hanway,' which produced a

  glint in the other girl's eyes.

  The glint became a positive rapier beam when

  Pedro, who had been studying the bright blue

  flowers Josie held, suddenly announced, 'Heart's

  desire.'

  'I beg your pardon?' said Jessica Hanway coldly,

  staring at the boy.

  'The flowers,' explained Pedro, completely un

  abashed. 'It's what they're called.'

  'Nonsense!' snapped Jessica sharply, and stared

  back at Josie, then shrugged her elegant shoulders.

  'I thought it was a nice thought of Kade's. I did

  rather overdo the flower arrangement last evening,

  and giving them away is better than throwing

  them away.'

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  On this back-handed compliment she swept out of the room, leaving Josie clutching the flowers a little tighter than was good^for the slender stems.

  Seeing that Josie had put the flowers down on a windowsill and not attempted to put them in water, Maryanne solicitously offered to carry out this task for her, telling Josie that she knew where she could find a container for them, and although Josie longed to tell her she could stamp on the wretched flowers tor all she cared, she made no objection, but all through the afternoon's lesson the bright bl
ue blooms seemed to leer at her from the other side of the room and she had to will herself not to look at them.

  When three-thirty came, and Maryanne requested to be excused earlier, as Miss Hanway had left her some extra work to do, Josie gave a sigh of relief, tor she had formed the intention of giving the flowers to Pedro to give to his mother. She daren't give them to Billy to take home to Lucy. for quite apart from the interpretation Lucy might put on the episode. Billy had to go back to the ranch-house for transport back to the town, and the way things were running for Josie at the moment she was sure he would either run into Miss Hanway�or worse, Kadel

  It was clear that Pedro was not too sure that he ought to accept the gift, even if, as Josie had intimated, he intended to give them to his mother. He also didn't quite understand why Josie should be so anxious to be rid of them, until a solution hit him and he looked at Josie. 'You get hay fever?' he asked brightly.

  � Mentally asking to be forgiven, Josie nodded,

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  and the affair was settled. For Josie as she watched

  the boy leave the classroom holding the bunch of flowers, it was the end of what had turned out to be the_worst day of her life. Not only had her hopes been crushed, but she had had to stomach

  the added insult of receiving what she could only

  interpret as a 'sorry' gift from Kade. The fact that he must have known how much he had hurt her made things twice as bad from her point of view, and she couldn't ever remember feeling quite so miserable before, not even when she had craved for affection back in England, and received none.

  She was about to turn away from the window from where she had been watching Pedro's progress down the narrow path, when a voice broke into the stillness of the hot afternoon. 'Where are you taking those?' demanded Kade of Pedro.

  Josie drew in a deep breath�of all the times for Kade to put in an appearance, it would be now! She hurried out to put in a word in Pedro's defence. "I gave them to him,' she said quietly. 'He's giving them to his mother.' That was all she said, and her eyes met the grey ones resolutely. He knew now what she thought of his gift, and in a way she was pleased, it was little enough consola

  tion for her. 'Put them in Miss West's car,' he ordered the worried Pedro, who gladly acceded to this request, and made himself scarce directly afterwards. Josie turned back into the classroom to collect her bag. She would lose the wretched flowers somewhere on the way back, no matter what, she was not going to keep them. 'Just^what was that gesture in aid of?' asked

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  Kade in a dangerous voice that warned Josie of his :

  mood. ;

  'It wasn't "in aid of" anything,' replied Josie, and deciding to take the coward's way out added, 'I occasionally suffer from hay fever. I was just taking precautions, that's all.'

  'Liar,' said Kade softly. 'You were taking pre-. cautions all right, though, weren't you?'

  Josie's hands clenched on her bag; all right, if he wanted a fight he could have one; she owed him nothing now. 'Very well,' she spat out at him. 'If you must know I resent receiving charity, wellmeant or otherwise.'

  'Thank you,' he grated out harshly, now as

  furious as she was. 'I suppose it's only your kinfolk 1

  you accept charity from, is it?' he added thinly.

  Josie went white at the barbed insinuation and looked away quickly, not being able to bear looking at him, or showing him how much the remark had hurt. 'I'm sorry,' she said quietly, 'I didn't mean to offend you.' She was too weary to fight him and only wanted him to go. She couldn't blame him for something she had started herself.

  There was a moment's silence before he spoke again, then he said, 'I guess I owe you an apology, too.'

  He could have been apologising for letting her down over the new school, but Josie knew better. 'There's no need to apologise, Mr Boston. It's the truth, isn't it?' she answered wearily with a shrug of her slim shoulders, still refusing to look at him.

  At the quick indrawn breath he took, she knew he was furious again, and quickly changed the subject in order to end this embarrassing interlude.

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  'Pedro needs another pair-of plimsolls,' she remarked as casually as she was able. 'I noticed he'd worn a hole in the ones he's wearing.'

  She glanced quickly back at Kade as she said this and saw that he had not liked the way she had abruptly curtailed any further discussion on personal lines. He studied her silently for a second or two, and Josie, taking the keys out of her bag, locked her desk, giving him a broad hint that she wanted to be off.

  'One day, Josie West, you're going to tell me what really happened,' he drawled meaningly, then as it it were an afterthought, added, 'I'll see Pedro gets those plimsolls.'

  Josie watched his broad back as he temporarily blocked out the light from the window he passed as he walked down the path and out of her view. She closed her eyes; there was no mistaking the resolve in his voice�like everything else about Kade Boston, he was a man of his word. Why should he bother anyway? Was he telling her he didn't believe the rumours? She shook her head dumbly. He believed them all right�he must have done to have said what he did earlier. Was he curious to know what she had done with the money she had supposedly taken from her grandfather? She gave a small nod at this thought; that would be like Kade Boston too. He wouldn't accept that there were some things that were private.

  Tears pricked Josie's eyes as she walked to the schoolroom door. The gift of the flowers showed that he was about to resume friendly relations with her, perhaps intimating that a school job would be hers if she played along with him, and if it hadn't

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  been for that one unguarded slip of his, she might ; well have fallen into the trap.

  With an impatient shake of the head, she shook away the wetness gathering in her eyes. She had not thought that she would welcome the fact that

  she had not been recommended for a post at the new school, but now she thanked providence that she owed Kade Boston nothing. She bit her lipwell, there was still that wretched fencing, but if she was careful with the housekeeping, she could put aside her next two months' salary and send it back to Kade after she had left his employment.

  He wouldn't like that one bit, but Josie had no other choice. At least she had stuck to her side of

  the bargain, and he would have to accept it.

  The week the vacation started, Josie found herself devoutly hoping Maryanne was successful in gaining Kade's permission to skip the afternoon lessons, thus enabling her to receive the promised extra music lessons from Jessica Hanway.

  Her expectation of finding a note in her desk from Kade advising her of this was soon dashed by the absence of any such missive, and a very sulky Maryanne. To make matters worse, the boys un

  kindly remarked on the tact that Maryanne wouldn't be attending the afternoon class, when it was patently obvious that the extra coaching she had boasted about the previous week would not be forthcoming, and Josie was hard put to it not to

  bang their heads together. In all fairness she could

  not blame the boys tor getting a little of their own

  back, for Maryanne's behaviour towards them in

  the previous weeks had left much to be desired.

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  Josie soon found that a belligerent Maryanne was ten times worse to cope with than a bored Maryanne, and most of her time that morning was spent in settling disputes that broke out between her and the boys with depressing regularity, and had nothing to do with the lesson on hand.

  This, Josie surmised, would have been the kind of tactic employed by Maryanne during her stay at the local school, and she could well understand the

  necessity of her early removal, as Kade had said, for the good of the school.

  When the boys ignored her petty but infuriating interruptions�such as... she couldn't find her pen �was that Pedro's own pen he was using, or had he bor
rowed hers and if he had, would he please stop chewing the end of it? being just one of them, and Maryanne was forced to adopt another tactic. This time she took an interest in the boys' work, and did not attempt to do any herself, and was soon successful in putting them off their concentration.

  Spotting this move, she moved the child's desk so that she could no longer overlook any of the boys work, and'placed her in solitary splendour at the back of the class. When Maryanne complained bitterly of the inferior position she had been allocated, Josie moved her forward and the boys' desks back. This delighted the boys, but did nothing for the worsening relationship between Josie and Maryanne.

  By the end of that day, Josie seriously considered seeking Kade's help by requesting that Maryanne be allowed to take the time off for the extra music lessons. It was plain that the child did not intend

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  to settle down in class, and very soon the boys' work would deteriorate, and no matter how hard they tried, the continual distractions were bound to affect them.

  Josie never knew what actually did happen to bring the situation back to normal, for the next day, to her surprise and needless to say, relief, Maryanne was a model pupil; so much so that Josie reshuffled the desks back to their original positions, bringing Maryanne back into the fold.

  When the child attended the afternoon class as well, Josie's puzzlement grew, for she had been convinced that Maryanne had somehow persuaded Kade to let her off the afternoon lessons. However, this apparently was not so, and Josie failed to see what objection Kade could have to the child taking the extra coaching offered by the solicitous Miss Hanway.

  It did occur to Josie that perhaps Jessica Hanway had overstepped her welcome at Blue Mount, but she thought this was unlikely. She must have inveigled herself pretty deeply into the household if she had got to the flower arranging stage for the social occasions. Another reason presented itself, and this was more than a probability�if Jessica's time at Blue Mount was taken up by her adoring pupil, Kade would have to take second place�and as Kade was not the kind of man to even consider such a state of affairs, Maryanne's hopes had been non-runners from the start.