“Honey, if you peel any more of those carrots, we’re going to have to make carrot soup.” Calla’s dry tone jolted her out of her anxious thoughts. “You were away with the fairies. Are you okay?”
Abby looked down at the huge pile of carrots with dismay. “Damn,” she grimaced. There were enough carrots peeled to last them for days. “What on earth are we going to do with all these?”
“Well, if carrot soup’s not your thing,” she laughed as Abby grimaced, “how about making carrot cake for desert tonight?”
Abby’s expression lightened. “Sounds good.”
“So, were you thinking about telling him?”
Calla paused as Mac walked into the kitchen, looking big and strong and handsome in his chambray shirt, jeans and chaps. His face looked dusty and tired, but his eyes brightened as he looked at Abby. He reached around her to snag a piece of carrot. “Telling him what?”
“Oh! I…” Abby flushed and Mac’s eyebrows rose.
“Come on Abby, tell me.”
“I’ll uh… just go and see if that load of washing’s finished.” Calla disappeared, leaving Abby staring after her, open-mouthed.
“Honestly, that woman.”
Mac grinned. “She always did have an impeccable sense of timing,” he said. He turned to the coffee pot. “Want one?”
“Please.” Abby scooped up the huge pile of carrots, and dropped them into a pan, before sitting down at the big, scrubbed kitchen table.
Mac sat opposite her, handing her the fragrant brew. “So, what’s on your mind, honey?”
His tone was light, but Abby thought she saw his fingers tighten round his mug for a moment before he relaxed them. She frowned. Was he concerned about something?
“I… well, it’s about the library.”
His expression brightened. “The library? What about it?”
“Well, we popped in yesterday to take our books back and there was a new superintendent there, a Mr. Franks. He was in his office, but he came out when he heard us talking to the new library assistant.”
“There’s a new one?” Mrs. Mason had been the main library assistant for years.
“Yes. Her name’s Holly, from Billings. Mrs. Mason retired.”
“Oh. I suppose she was getting on a bit.”
“Mmm. But apparently, before she left, she told Mr. Franks about how I used to work there, and how good I was with the children’s club. So he came to ask me if I’d like my old job back.”
“There’s enough work for two librarians?”
Abby nodded. “Well, Holly works part-time, and mine would be part-time too, mostly dealing with children’s activities.”
Mac sat back in his chair, and looked into his wife’s sparkling eyes. It was obvious to him that she was really excited at the thought of taking her old job back, and he had to admit, he was glad that the opportunity had presented itself. He was very aware that the ranch could be a lonely place for a young woman.
“Well, honey,” he said, “if it’s something you’d like to do, why don’t you accept?”
“You wouldn’t mind?”
“Why should I mind?”
“Well, there’s a load to do here…”
His face softened. “I didn’t marry you to be a ranch hand, though I appreciate all you do,” he said. “I want you to do whatever makes you happy. And to be honest, I think you have a talent for inspiring a love of books in others. It seems a shame to waste it.”
Her smile made his breath catch.
“Thank you for that vote of confidence,” she said, leaning over for a kiss. “I would love to do it.” She paused, thinking. “He said he wanted someone to start quite soon. It could coincide with round up.”
“It doesn’t matter. We’ll manage. It’s a good opportunity, you should go for it.”
Abby nodded. “You’re right. I’ll go and ring Mr. Franks now.”
* * *
Abby started work the following week, and it was obvious from the outset that she loved being back at the library.
“There hasn’t been a children’s club at the library since I left,” she explained to Mac, Jeb and Calla over dinner after her first day back at work. “But apparently, Mr. Franks and Holly told everyone I was coming back. So today loads of the children who used to attend before came in to put their names down for the new club, and they brought new ones with them! There were so many that I’m going to run two groups. One for the tots, during the day, and one for the older children after school.”
Calla nodded. “Mrs. Harris in the store was saying that her Daniel hasn’t set foot in the library since you left. But now he can’t wait to come back.”
Abby nodded in satisfaction. “He came in today to put his name down. I can’t believe how much they’ve all grown and changed since I was last there. But they still want to read.”
A fleeting frown crossed her face. Mac noticed immediately. “What is it, honey?”
“Oh, nothing really. It’s just that the children’s book section is so limited, and the books are looking quite shabby. There’s hardly anything for young teenagers. I wish we had the budget for some new ones. The young James Bond, Alex Ryder, Harry Potter, maybe some Meg Cabot or Louise Rennison for the younger girls…” She picked up a bread roll and split it open and taking up her butter knife, she began to slather it. “Oh well, if the kid’s club takes off, maybe Mr. Franks will consider letting me buy more books out of next year’s budget.”
Mac looked at his pretty wife with amusement. She still hadn’t adjusted to the idea that they were well-to-do, and that she had access to enough money to buy the whole library, if she wanted. “Maybe we could do something before next year,” Mac said. “Perhaps we could make a donation of children’s books to the library – in memory of your father, say. You could choose what you wanted, then.”
“Oh!” Abby stared at Mac, stunned. “Oh yes, that would be wonderful.”
A gift of books in her father’s name would be a wonderful tribute to a man who had loved both children and reading. She still had precious memories of him reading her bedtime stories, and it was his passion for literature that had inspired her to become a librarian.
She realized that she hadn’t even thought about the possibility of buying the books for the library herself. It still felt so weird, having access to so much money and so many choices. She’d been raised to budget carefully and live frugally, and it was difficult to adapt to the idea that she could buy what she wanted, when she wanted, without any worries. Mac constantly reassured her and encouraged her to think of the money in the bank as her own, but she still found it difficult to spend it.
Reading her mind, as usual, Mac said softly, “Don’t worry. You’ll get used to having the money there, and spending it to make good things happen.”
She smiled at him appreciatively. Oh, she loved this man. He really was her knight in shining armor. “I love the idea of donating books in my father’s name,” she said softly. “He would have really liked that.” Her eyes shone as she thought about all the wonderful books she could buy, and how much the children would love the amazing stories. It really would be a magical gift that would benefit so many youngsters.
“He would,” Jeb said gruffly. “Especially if you have some kid’s cowboy stories in there.”
Abby laughed. “True. He really loved all the classic western stories, Zane Grey, Louis L’Amour, Elmore Leonard...”
“A man after my own heart.”
“I can see you’ll be starting a list straight after dinner,” Mac said.
She grinned. “I can’t wait. And Holly will be thrilled; she loves children’s literature. Maybe she could contribute to the list, suggest things.”
“Holly?” Jeb asked.
“She’s the new library assistant,” Abby said. “She’s about the same age as me. She’s from Billings, but apparently she was raised in the country, and missed it, so she decided to move here. She doesn’t know many people, though; I think she’s a bit lonely.”
Mac took a last delicious bite of his beef, and laid down his knife and fork. “Why don’t you invite her for dinner?”
“Oh, that’s a great idea. I will.”
Calla nodded. “We should make her welcome. It’s not easy, settling into a new community, and she seemed like a lovely woman when I met her.”
“Yes.”
Finishing his own meal, Jeb picked up his drink and said, “Speaking of newcomers, we’ve got the interview tomorrow for the new foreman’s job.”
Abby frowned. She still couldn’t imagine life at the ranch without Jeb and Calla, but she was wise enough to know that they needed to find a new foreman now so that there was plenty of time for Mac and Jeb to train him. “Who is he?” she asked.
Taking a last swallow of his iced tea, Jeb replied, “A man by the name of Nick Farrell. Met him at Nancy’s Diner – I popped in for coffee in town last week. Old Fred Wright introduced me. He’s renting Nick a room while he looks for work in the area. Seemed all right, knew his cattle.”
‘Knowing his cattle’ was the highest form of praise from Jeb. If someone ‘knew their cattle,’ it was a gold plated guarantee of quality.
“If he turns out to be suitable, I’ll invite him to dinner tomorrow night,” Mac said. “I won’t hire him unless you all like him. After all, he’ll be around the place a lot.”
Abby nodded. “It would be good to meet him,” she said. “Now, who’s for carrot cake?”
* * *
Nick Farrell did indeed know his cattle, Mac reflected the next day. The man, who was only a little older than Mac himself, was a well-worn experienced foreman, who’d been working on ranches practically since he was in the cradle. Mac was impressed with his knowledge and attitude, but had yet to work out why a man with such understanding of the business didn’t have a job already.
“So,” Mac asked, “why did you leave your previous job?”
Mac watched a shadow pass across the man’s face and knew instinctively that he didn’t like the question. A muscle flickered in his jaw. Then Mac saw him gather himself, and he replied, “I’ve been working on a ranch, the Bar H near Cheyenne, for the last twenty years. The man who owned it, Buzz Dearborn, gave me a job there when I was just a boy. He taught me everything. After a few years I got married, got promoted to foreman, and everything was fine.”
He paused, and Mac could see that he was finding the explanation difficult. It was apparent that Nick was a very private man, who was clearly uncomfortable talking about himself. “Buzz didn’t have any children. We planned that one day I’d buy the ranch from him. But then, my wife fell ill… and she… she died. After that, I couldn’t live there, couldn’t take it. So, I stayed until Buzz sold the ranch and retired, and I… well, here I am.”
Mac frowned. He could only imagine the pain Nick had gone through. If anything ever happened to Abby, he knew he wouldn’t want to live. “I’m sorry for your loss,” he said. Beside him Jeb, looking sympathetic, nodded his agreement.
Nick looked at the floor. “I want a fresh start. I want to be back out there.” He gestured to the window, with the far plains and mountains beyond. “I want to be on a horse, and working with cattle, and to be busy.”
Jeb chuckled. “Well, lad, you’d be busy all right, in this job.” He cast a swift look in Mac’s direction.
Mac stood. “Nick, would you like to stay for dinner?” Waiting until Nick had gone to wash up, Mac turned to Jeb. “What do you think?”
“I like him. I think he’ll do all right here. He’s got his head screwed on right.”
Mac nodded. “I think so, too. Let’s see what the women make of him. Take him along for a drink, while I give this Buzz Dearborn a call.”
Twenty minutes later, Mac put down the receiver and stared thoughtfully into space. Buzz Dearborn had been forthright in his praise of the young man, and had recommended him wholeheartedly. It was obvious that he’d really wanted Nick to take over his ranch, but, as he said to Mac, “Nick couldn’t cope after he lost Margaret. You could see it was killing him to be here.”
Fair enough. He picked up the report from Hollisters. That, too, had come back clean. The man had no debts and no criminal record. On paper, he looked like a good bet and Mac’s own instincts agreed. He wondered what Abby, with her sharp woman’s intuition, would make of him.
“Dinner will be about fifteen minutes,” Calla said, piling roast potatoes into a dish as Mac walked into the kitchen.
He nodded. “Smells good. Chicken?”
“Yes. Roast chicken and all the trimmings.”
“Lovely. Anything I can do?”
“Nope. Abby’s helped me get everything ready.”
“Where is she now?”
“In the snug with Jeb and Nick.”
“Right.”
He went through into the snug, and found all three of them relaxing with drinks. He poured himself a whisky and went to join them.
As he’d expected, Abby was doing a great job making Nick feel welcome. “So,” she smiled, “I hear you’ve been a foreman before?”
The conversation flowed lightly as Nick recounted amusing stories of ranch life, and Abby responded with tales of her own. Before long, everyone was involved in the conversation, and over roast chicken and crème brûlée they discovered that Nick was quite unassuming, with a dry sense of humor.
After the meal, he sat back with a contented sigh. “Thank you very much for dinner,” he said. “I don’t often get to eat good home cooking. That was really excellent.”
Mac stood up, smiling at Abby and Calla. “Indeed it was. Now, how about drinks on the verandah?”
The following morning, Mac rang Nick to hire him. Both Abby and Calla had been unanimous in their approval of him.
“He’s a decent man,” Abby declared to Mac later, in the privacy of their bedroom. “Withdrawn – sad in some way, I think – but fundamentally, a nice guy.”
Mac nodded. “You’re right about the sadness. His wife passed away.”
“Oh! Poor man. That’s why he’s here? He wants a fresh start?”
“Yes, I think so.”
He turned to her, drawing her into his arms. “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you.”
“Nor I, you.” She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing his head down for a kiss. It started out comforting, but as usual, flared into passion instantly. His tongue went into her mouth and he groaned as she pressed her slim body against his.
“Honey, what you do to me…” he whispered.
She chuckled. “I think that’s my line,” she said.
Calla, too, had been decisive in her opinion of Nick. “I think he’s perfect,” she said, when Mac asked for her views. “You don’t get many men like him around; he’s got the skills and the personality. He’ll be a good addition to the place.”
Mac, agreeing, was delighted when Nick accepted the job on the spot. “When can I start?” he asked.
Mac grinned. It was good that his new foreman was keen. “As soon as you like. There’s a cabin you’d be welcome to stay in, if you like. We sometimes use it for visitors – it’s spacious, and well equipped.”
“Great. I’ll come today, then. Eleven o’clock?”
Chapter 2
It seemed to Abby that everything accelerated from that moment on. Over the next few weeks, life at the ranch grew steadily busier. Round up was imminent, and they hired more hands to help. Abby and Calla were kept busy preparing huge meals and a never-ending stream of dusty boots made cleaning a constant chore.
At the library, the children’s club had taken off in a big way, with the result that Mr. Franks had asked her to work an extra evening a week. “The children love you,” he’d said happily, patting her arm in an avuncular manner. “You seem to be attracting a lot of teenagers; just the ones we want to reach.”
Abby had nodded, taking a step back. “Yes, I’m pleased with how it’s going.”
“Me, too. Very pleased.”
&
nbsp; The books Abby had ordered had arrived. In consultation with Holly, she had produced a list that covered most of the children’s classics, plus a wide variety of modern stories for younger children and teens. Mr. Franks had been over the moon with the gift, and the books were now displayed beautifully in a corner dedicated to children.
All in all, it was going well.
Abby said as much to Holly, who agreed. “The library usage is going up and up,” she said, “and a lot of it’s to do with the children. They’re bringing their parents in with them, and they’re discovering what the place has to offer.”
“Mmm. I don’t think that many of them realized that we have Internet facilities, DVDs and CDs as well as books on offer.”
“No, I think you’re right.”
They discussed how they could promote the library’s services, bouncing ideas back and forth. At closing time, Holly sighed. “I’ve enjoyed our discussion today. It’s so nice to talk things over.”
Abby nodded, smiling. She’d enjoyed it, too. “I know you might be busy, but would you like to come over for dinner, one night?“
“Oh!” Holly beamed at her. “That would be great. What night would be good for you?”
Holly left shortly afterwards, and Abby finished tidying up the children’s corner before looking around Mr. Franks’ office door to tell him she was going.
“Oh, Abby. Do you have a minute before you leave?”
“Sure.” Surprised, Abby stepped inside his office.
“I’ve got an email from the local school. They’re really pleased about the children’s club. They want to know if we could go to a school assembly, to do a talk about it.”
“Oh! That’s great.”
“Yes. I thought we could go together. Friday morning?”
“Yes. Fine.”
That evening, over dinner, she told Mac, Nick, Calla and Jeb about the invitation.
“That’s great, honey,” Mac exclaimed. “It just shows how much difference you’re making to the children. They’re obviously talking to their teachers about it.”
Teaching Abby (Lone Star Family Values) Page 7