* * *
Jacob ran in front of Gingersnap, leading her, his hand securely on the bridal bit. The little mare trotted after him. Daisy squealed with laughter as she tried to balance with one hand on the saddle horn. Her blond hair had come out of its ponytail and hung down her back.
His job was to keep Daisy occupied while Lilly talked to the three women who had come out to apply for the nanny job. He’d been surprised to see how quickly they’d arrived.
If anyone had asked him the day before if he thought anyone would apply for the job of nanny, he’d have told them no. The little town of Orange Grove didn’t look like it had three single women in it. Of course, no one said the ladies were single. Maybe they were married and had children of their own for Daisy to play with.
Would Lilly hire a married woman with children? She’d said age didn’t matter, but what about their marital status. He concentrated a moment on what Lilly might consider a proper nanny, his thoughts taking him away from what he was doing at the moment. He slowed down to a walk.
Caleb laughed out loud from where he stood with a bucket of water that he’d brought from the stream to fill the water trough. He poured the fresh water into the wooden trench. “I saved a little for you, old man.” He waved Jacob over to the shade of the barn.
“I want a drink,” Daisy said from her perch atop the horse.
Jacob led her over to Caleb. “What was so funny and who are you calling ‘old man’?”
“You.”
“Boy, I can outwork, outlift and outride you all day, so what are you talking about?”
“Uh-huh. Then why’re you looking worn out?” Caleb held the bucket up to Daisy.
Daisy took the pail and raised the rim high to drink.
Jacob frowned at Caleb. “I’m not worn out,” he protested.
“Then why did you quit running with Gingersnap?” Caleb countered.
Daisy squealed as the weight of the water shifted to the front, then ran from the bucket in a rush, dousing her head and face with cool water that seemed to take her breath away. She turned loose of the bucket, then made a mad grab for it, lost her grip on the horse and tumbled over the opposite side.
Jacob’s breath caught in his throat. He rushed around the horse and caught her, just before she hit the ground. Water covered Daisy from head to toe. Caleb quickly grabbed Gingersnap’s reins, speaking soft words and stroking her nose, keeping her calm during the ruckus.
Jacob expected tears from Daisy but she looked at him with a big grin and said, “You caught me.”
Caleb nodded. “He sure did.” His eyes were huge as he looked down on Jacob and Daisy.
He slid her down on the ground. “Are you all right?” Jacob asked, putting the bucket on the ground and running his hands up and down her arms.
“I’m all right.”
Sam crossed the yard. His gaze looked amused. “Good catch, Jacob. Caleb, I need a word with you.” He motioned for the boy to follow him to the water trough.
Jacob looked at Daisy. “Ready to get back on the horse?”
She nodded. “I didn’t mean to fall off.”
“I know you didn’t.” Jacob picked her up and sat her on the horse’s back. He handed her both reins. “I’m going to walk around for a few minutes first and then we’ll try trotting again.”
“All right.” Daisy’s gaze moved to where Sam and Caleb stood talking.
He adjusted her stirrups and patted her on the leg, thankful that Daisy hadn’t been hurt in her fall.
Worry lined her face as she whispered, “Is Caleb in trouble?”
Jacob looked to where the two men stood. Sam spoke in a lowered voice and Caleb’s features said he wasn’t happy with what he was hearing. “Don’t know, let’s continue your lesson.”
At her nod, he began slowly walking beside Daisy and the mare. After several quiet moments, Jacob clicked his tongue and then ran beside the horse while holding onto her bridle. She trotted along beside him.
Gingersnap seemed to know exactly what they were doing and kept pace with him. Her ears twitched as if listening for a new command.
Daisy sat straight in the saddle. Her little face focused as she clung to the reins instead of the saddle horn. Pride built in Jacob’s heart for the little girl.
“Whoa,” he said, gently pulling on the bridle so that the horse would slow back to a walk. “You are doing good, Daisy.” She wasn’t talking to him, chattering like she normally would. Had her fall earlier scared her more than he’d thought?
Jacob searched her face and realized she wasn’t looking at him, but over his shoulder. He turned to see Caleb enter the barn with his shoulders slumped and his head down. His gaze swiftly searched out Sam. The older man was walking back to his own horse that stood grazing a few yards away.
“I am tired of riding Gingersnap,” Daisy said, looking down at him.
He knew instinctively that Daisy wanted to go check on Caleb. “We’ll take a short break and then I need to go get another horse from the new pasture.” Jacob reached up and pulled her from the horse’s back.
As soon as her feet were on the ground, Daisy ran for the barn. Jacob tied Gingersnap to the water trough and then followed slowly. He didn’t want to get into the other man’s business but like Daisy he was concerned for Caleb.
Jacob heard Daisy say, “I’m glad you aren’t going, Mr. Caleb. I would miss you for a whole week if you went.”
“Thanks, Miss Daisy, I would have missed you, too.” Caleb sat on a bench just inside the barn door.
Daisy saw Jacob standing in the doorway. “Mr. Sam says Mr. Caleb has to stay behind and he don’t get to go on the cattle drive this year.”
Again Jacob didn’t want to interfere with the ranch business. “That’s too bad,” he said instead of asking why not.
The little girl laid a hand on Caleb’s leg. “How come you can’t go?”
Caleb looked to Jacob. “He said I need to keep an eye on things around here.”
“Like me?” Daisy asked.
Caleb smiled at her. “No, like the horses and the barn.”
“Oh.” Daisy looked longingly back to where the kittens were.
“Daisy and I are going to the small pasture to get a Pony Express horse. Want to come?” Jacob met Caleb’s gaze.
“Thanks for the offer but I need to get the saddles oiled and make sure all the equipment will be ready for the drive.” Caleb stood.
Jacob clamped a firm hand on the boy’s shoulder. “That’s an important job, too, Caleb.” He squeezed to assure Caleb that he thought he was doing a good job.
“Thanks, Jacob.” He swallowed hard. His young Adam’s apple bobbled.
From the corner of his eye, Jacob watched Daisy edge closer and closer to the farthest stall that held the kittens. “It’s true. Someday, I’ll own a ranch and I’d be honored if you’d work for me.” He smiled at the boy to let him know he meant every word of it.
“Daisy!” Lilly’s sharp tone had all three of them spinning around.
She glared at them with burning, reproachful eyes. What had gotten into her? Had one of the women she’d been talking to said the wrong thing? Or was it that Daisy had almost reached the newborn kittens?
Daisy ran to her. “Are the ladies all gone?” she asked innocently.
“Yes, they are. What were you doing?” Lilly’s gaze raked over the little girl.
Jacob couldn’t help comparing Daisy’s messy appearance with the perfect way she’d looked earlier in the day. Her hair, which had been pulled up neatly into a ponytail, now hung about her shoulders in a damp mess. Her pants were dirty with splotches of moisture on them. To a woman’s eyes, she must have looked a sight.
“I was just looking around the barn,” Daisy answered.
“You aren’t fooling
anyone—you were inching your way toward those cats. Do I need to keep you at the house all day?”
Daisy’s lips trembled and her brown eyes flooded with unshed tears. “Why are you so mad, Lilly? I didn’t do nothing wrong.”
The anger washed from Lilly’s face. “I’m sorry, Daisy. I shouldn’t take my frustrations out on you.” She kneeled down to hug Daisy. “Yuck! You are soaked. How did you get so wet?”
Caleb hid his grin by ducking his head just as Lilly turned her attention on him and Jacob. Jacob wished he could hide so easily. Her gaze demanded answers.
Daisy giggled. “I dumped water on my head and fell off the horse.”
Why did children have to tell everything? Couldn’t the child have held her tongue? No, Daisy was already into a full-blown explanation of their morning. Lilly’s eyes bored into his as their sister talked. Jacob sighed. From the look on Lilly’s face, he had a lot of explaining to do.
* * *
Lilly listened to her sister as she stood. Daisy and Jacob had had quite the morning. But she couldn’t focus on Daisy’s story. She could still hear Jacob saying, “Someday, I’ll own a ranch and I’d be honored if you’d work for me.” Did he think he’d own her ranch before much longer? That worry, along with the ladies’ visit first thing this morning, had her wound up tighter than a pocketwatch. At Daisy’s pause, Lilly said, “I see.”
“Daisy and I were about to go to the small pasture and get one of the Express horses. Want to come?” Jacob asked.
“I...” The sound of wagon wheels crunching on the road stopped her answer. She sighed. “Need to see who this is first.”
Sunlight hit her eyes as she exited the barn. Aware of the other three following her, Lilly looked to see who had arrived. A young woman with long brown hair pulled up into a fancy hairstyle, where part of it was up and part of it hung down her back, climbed down from the wagon. She wore a red velvet dress and fancy button-up shoes. She looked around the ranch until her eyes fell upon them.
She sashayed across the yard like she owned it. When she got within speaking distance, the woman held out her hand. “I’m Willow Springs. I came in response to your advertisement over at the Orange Grove general store.”
Lilly took her hand. “I’m Lilly Johnson, this is my sister, Daisy. Come on up to the house, I have a pot of tea made and we can discuss the job.”
Willow kneeled down in front of Daisy. “I hope I get the job, Daisy. I like little girls.” She tucked a strand of Daisy’s hair behind her small ear, then stood. She turned to Lilly with a wide grin. “I’d love a cup of tea.”
Lilly looked to Jacob, who nodded his head.
“Daisy and I are heading to the small pasture.” He laid a protective hand on her shoulder. “Isn’t that right?”
“Yep, I get to ride Gingersnap.” Daisy pointed to the mare.
“Good. I’ll see you both in about an hour.” She turned toward the house and heard the gentle swish of Willow’s skirt as she followed.
Willow didn’t strike Lilly as someone looking for a nanny job. When she’d first seen her, Lilly thought she was a woman of ill repute. But then she’d seen her eyes. They weren’t hard or cold. They were hopeful and warm.
She opened the door to the house and motioned for Willow to enter. “The kitchen is off to the left.”
Willow entered the kitchen and moved to the table but didn’t sit down. “This is a nice house.” Her gaze moved around the pantry and seemed to drink in every detail.
“Please, have a seat,” Lilly said, indicating one of the kitchen chairs.
“Thank you.” Willow pulled out the chair that gave her the best view of both doors. She sat down. “You’ve already decided that I don’t get the job, haven’t you?” She held her hands in front of her with the palms together.
Lilly placed a small tea bag in each cup and poured hot water in them. “No, I haven’t decided anything, yet.” She placed a cup in front of Willow and then sat down, too.
Sugar and cream sat in the center of the table. Lilly had given three different ladies a cup of tea and talked to them about the job she had advertised. The first one had been too old to watch an active little girl and Lilly had felt sorry for her, but had to tell her she couldn’t offer her the position. The second had been a widow who was more interested in housekeeping than in taking care of a little girl. The last one might have worked out, if she hadn’t told Lilly she’d be bringing her three boys all under the age of ten with her and expected to have rooms at the ranch. “Please, help yourself to the cream and sugar.”
“Thank you.” Willow reached for the sugar. Her hand shook and all the confidence she’d shown earlier seemed to have fled her now.
Lilly sipped her weak tea. She set down the cup and asked, “Why do you want to work here, Mrs. Springs?”
The young woman put down her cup. “Please, call me Willow. Mrs. Springs is too formal and is what folks call Ma in church.” She smiled as she stirred the tea into her cup. “I need a new start and I like children.”
Lilly sat back in her chair. She wrapped her hands around the warm cup. “I’m glad you like children. Daisy can be a handful.” She wanted to ask what Willow meant by saying she needed a new start. But how could she ask such a question without seeming rude?
Willow’s green eyes bored into hers. “Mrs. Johnson, can I be honest with you?” She leaned forward.
“If I am to call you Willow then I hope you will feel free to call me Lilly and yes, I expect you to be perfectly honest with me.” This woman was more forward than anyone she’d ever met.
Her chest rose as she took a deep breath and then pressed on. “Lilly, my husband, God rest his soul, died in a mining accident a few months ago. I’ve been trying to take care of myself and as a last resort had gone into town to see if there was a saloon I could work at. I’ve never done that kind of work, but I’m desperate. Then I saw your advertisement and thought maybe God hadn’t turned His back on me yet.” She picked up her teacup and took a small drink.
It seemed to Lilly that the other woman was trying to build up the courage to say more. “I’m glad you did. Tell me, what are you willing to do as a nanny to Daisy?”
A small smile touched Willow’s lips. “Well, I will help her get dressed, fix her meals, but most importantly, I’ll play with her and make sure she stays out of harm’s way.”
Lilly could just imagine what Willow’s first impression of the little girl had been. Daisy had been soaked with mud and dirt all over her clothes. Her hair hung in damp ringlets around her shoulders, not in the ponytail Lilly had pulled it up into that morning. “What if I told you that I don’t want you to let Daisy out of your sight?”
“I’d say you are a wise woman. Children Daisy’s age can get into a lot of mischief, if not watched properly.”
“You seem to know a lot about children. Do you have any children?” Lilly watched sorrow flood Willow’s eyes before she shut them. When she reopened them, they were clear.
“When my husband died, he had our three-year-old son with him. They both died in the cave-in.” Willow looked down into her cup.
Lilly’s heart ached for the young mother who had lost her husband and son. “I am so sorry.”
Willow looked up. “Thank you, but it wasn’t your fault. But I do need the job.” Her moist green eyes met Lilly’s.
She saw honesty and raw pain in the green depths. Lilly decided of the four women who’d applied for the job, Willow was probably her best choice. “I have one more question for you and if you don’t want to answer, you don’t have to. It won’t sway my decision one way or the other.”
The young woman nodded. “All right.”
She swallowed. “How old are you?”
Willow laughed incredibly. “That’s the question?”
Lilly felt foolish but wanted to make sure that t
his woman wasn’t too young to watch Daisy. She nodded. “Yes.”
“I’m twenty-five. How old are you?”
It was a fair question and one Lilly didn’t mind answering. “I turned twenty in February.” Her stomach growled and Lilly realized it was almost time for lunch. “The job pays ten dollars a week, plus a room and your meals. If you want the job, it’s yours.”
A big smile graced her pretty face. “Before I allow you to hire me, I have one more thing I have to show you. I’ll be right back.” Willow left the room in a hurry.
Lilly wondered what she had to show her. The thought that she should follow the other woman had her standing up, but then Lilly realized that if the woman was going to work at her house, she needed to trust her to come back and reveal her secret.
Lilly picked up her teacup and set it in the washtub. She heard the front door open and close again. She turned from the washbasin to see Willow return to the kitchen. Within her arms she held a baby wrapped in blankets.
“I’ll understand if you don’t want to hire me, now.” Willow cuddled the baby against her in a protective manner. “This is my son. His name is Gabe, short for Gabriel.”
How could she not hire her? Willow had a baby to care for and had already said this position was her last resort. Lilly stepped closer. “May I hold Gabe?” she asked, looking down on the sleeping infant.
Willow handed her son over to Lilly. “He’s the reason I am desperate. I love Gabe so much I’ll do anything to provide for him.”
Lilly cuddled the baby close. Memories of holding Daisy like this when she was just a few months old caused her throat to swell. He snuggled within his blanket. Light brown hair covered his little head and long eyelashes rested against his cheeks. She looked up at Willow. “I still want you to take the job. Would you like to see your room now?”
A tear slipped down Willow’s cheek. “Thank you. Yes.”
Pony Express Hero Page 9