Lilly wasn’t sure what the future held for all of them. But she did know that God had put each of them in each other’s paths. Still, she couldn’t help but worry about what Jacob had said about the ranch. Was he planning on taking over her and Daisy’s ranch? Or was he planning on buying his own? She’d heard him offer Caleb a job. How many of her other men had he offered jobs to? If he was talking about her ranch, then he was about to have the fight of his life.
Chapter Twelve
Jacob held his hat in his hands as Lilly formally introduced him to Willow Springs. The young widow was nice to look at, but he reminded himself that women couldn’t be trusted and he’d have no interest in her. His concern was for the Johnson women. Well, Daisy wasn’t a woman yet, but she would be someday and he was going to be there for her. “It’s nice to meet you, ma’am.”
“Oh, we’ll have none of that ‘ma’am’ business. I am Willow.” She juggled the baby in her arms. “And this is little Gabe.”
He didn’t know what to say to that. Calling her Willow seemed inappropriate but he called Lilly by her Christian name. Jacob felt confused and a little embarrassed.
As if she sensed his mood, Lilly said, “It’s good that we all call each other by our first names since we are friends, or soon will be once we get to know each other better. This is a ranch after all.”
Jacob nodded, thankful that Lilly had given her permission. Now all he wanted to do was get back to his barn and horses.
“Jacob, would you and Caleb please bring in the boxes of Willow’s things?” Lilly motioned for Daisy to come to her. “As for you, young lady, I believe you’ll need a bath before bedtime.”
Daisy clapped her hands and giggled. “With bubbles?” she asked.
Willow touched the top of her head. “Is there any other way to take a bath?” She dramatized her voice and made Daisy giggle even more.
“We’ll have to see if we have the right soap to make bubbles. I’m not sure if you used the last of it last time you took a bath,” Lilly answered. She walked to the door and held it open for Willow and Daisy to enter.
Jacob and Caleb walked to the wagon. There were two boxes, one large and the other of medium size. “I’ll take the big one,” he said, pulling it toward him.
Caleb did the same to the smaller box. “She doesn’t have much stuff, does she?”
“Do you have more than this?” Jacob asked playfully.
Caleb frowned. “No, but I’m not a woman. They usually have wagons full of stuff, not two boxes.”
Jacob shrugged his shoulders. “Well, maybe she likes traveling light.” He led the way up the porch steps.
Lilly stood at the door and opened it for him. “I’ll show you to Willow’s room.”
Caleb followed him inside and looked around. Jacob got the impression that this was the young man’s first time in the house. They walked through a large sitting area with a fireplace. A large window overlooked the yard. The kitchen sat off to the right. They entered a long hallway. Four doors led off the hallway and Jacob assumed they were bedrooms.
“Lilly, can we show Mr. Jacob and Mr. Caleb my room, too?”
Daisy skipped in front of them.
“Is it clean?” Lilly responded as she opened the second door to the left.
Daisy looked down. “No.”
Lilly looked at Jacob and grinned. “Do you still want to show it to them?” she asked Daisy.
“Ummmm.” Daisy scuffed her boot against the floor. She looked up. “Maybe they can see it next time.”
Lilly motioned for Jacob to take his box in first. The room was bigger than his tack room. It had a full-size bed with a green-and-white quilt on it. A tall armoire stood off to the right of the bed and there was a dresser to the left. A cabinet with a built-in washbasin sat under the window. He set the box beside the dresser, assuming that clothes filled the container.
“Just set yours on top of his, Caleb.” The young boy did as he was told and left the room.
“Thank you both for carrying those in. I could have gotten them but appreciate that you did it for me,” Willow said.
“Our pleasure,” Caleb said before Jacob could respond. He noticed that the boy’s neck and cheeks turned a soft red before he ducked his head.
Lilly frowned and Willow smiled knowingly.
“I made a spice cake earlier. Would you both like a slice before you go back to work?” Lilly asked, leading them back down the hall and toward the front of the house.
Caleb recovered from his embarrassment and said, “I’d love some. Cook tries to bake, but, well, he’s not very good at it.”
Jacob laughed. “Well, then it’s a good thing for you that you’re not going on the cattle drive.”
The young man sighed as he entered the kitchen. “I’m not much of a cook, either. I’ll be begging Cook to fix me a meal by the time he gets back.”
Jacob started to comment but Lilly spoke before him. “From what I gather from Sam, you two will be the only men left on the ranch when they leave. How about you two have your meals here at the house.” She slid dessert plates in front of both of them and added three more around the table.
“We wouldn’t want to put you out,” Jacob answered, shooting Caleb a look that he hoped the boy would understand.
Daisy came to stand beside his chair. “I don’t want you to go hungry, Mr. Jacob.” She laid a small hand on his shoulder.
“Oh, Daisy, stop being so dramatic. They aren’t going to starve.” Lilly laughed as she set the cake in the center of the table. She looked for Willow. Not seeing the other woman, she stepped out of the kitchen and called down the hallway, “Willow, come join us for dessert.”
“They might starve, Lilly,” Daisy said, turning big brown eyes on Jacob. “Can you cook, Mr. Jacob?”
He tweaked her nose. “I can open a can of beans. So I won’t starve.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Did you hear that? He’s gotta eat beans.” Daisy looked at Lilly like it was all her fault that Jacob could only open a can of beans.
“I said they can come up to the house and eat with us.” Lilly walked to the coffeepot and poured four cups. Then she looked at Daisy. “Would you like a glass of milk?”
Daisy climbed into the chair closest to Jacob. “Yes, please.”
Willow entered the room. Her green eyes looked at the small table. Her only choice was to sit down by Caleb. “Is there anything I can do to help, Lilly?”
Lilly placed a hot cup of coffee in front of Jacob. She motioned for Willow to sit down. “Go ahead and start serving the cake while I get the rest of the drinks.”
“Where’s the baby?” Daisy asked.
“He’s sleeping.” Willow picked up Daisy’s plate and put a small slice of the cake on it.
Daisy looked down at her dessert. “He needs a bed, huh?”
Willow quickly dished cake onto Jacob’s plate and then Caleb’s. “Yes, but for now he can sleep with me.”
Lilly sat a glass of milk in front of Daisy and a cup of coffee in front of Caleb. “Would you have preferred milk, Caleb?”
Jacob wondered if Lilly was politely reminding the boy that he was fifteen years old and too young for Willow.
Caleb shook his head. “Nope. Coffee is fine.”
Lilly picked up Daisy and then sat back down with Daisy on her lap. She hugged the girl and then said, “Thank you, Willow.”
Willow smiled at her. “I should be thanking you. This cake smells wonderful.” She bowed her head, reminding everyone that they should say grace.
Jacob listened as Lilly thanked the Lord for sending Willow to them and for the food that they were about to eat. Her soft voice spoke with respect. When she said “amen,” everyone echoed her.
Caleb immediately dug into the cake like a starving hound dog. Ja
cob shook his head and then turned his attention to Lilly. “Daisy and I went to the small pasture and got one of the Pony Express horses. She’s riding really well on her own.”
Daisy smiled around a mouthful of cake.
“You have a Pony Express station here?” Willow leaned forward in her seat. Her green eyes sparkled with interest.
“It’s a relay station. The men exchange horses and keep going,” Jacob answered.
Willow smiled. “That is so exciting. I can’t believe how fast those men can get mail from one end of the country to the other.”
Lilly nodded. “It really has been interesting.”
Jacob wondered what Lilly meant by that. As far as he could tell she hadn’t shown that much interest in the Pony Express. His gaze searched hers. She smiled that sweet smile that caused his stomach to do somersaults.
“So how many of the men on the ranch work with the Pony Express?” Willow asked, pulling his attention from Lilly.
“Just Jacob,” Caleb answered. “The rest of us work for Miss Lilly.” He shoved the last bite of his cake into his mouth.
Willow smiled. “And what is it that you do on the ranch, Caleb?” She took a dainty bite of her cake and focused her full attention on the teenager.
He leaned back in his chair. “I’m a stable hand. I take care of the horses, the stalls and the equipment, and make sure that all the horses stay healthy.” Caleb tilted the chair back on two legs.
Jacob hooked his boot over the bottom rail of Caleb’s chair and forced it back down on the floor. He tried not to make it obvious what he was doing but the look on Caleb’s face told all. Jacob finished his cake and then stood. “Thank you for the cake and coffee. We best get back to work, right, Caleb?”
The youth stood also. “Yeah, Sam wants that equipment oiled and ready to go by day after tomorrow.” Caleb walked to the door with a swagger.
As Jacob closed the door he heard Daisy ask, “What was wrong with Caleb? Did he hurt his back when Mr. Jacob made him sit in his chair right?” He chuckled. Out of the mouths of babes.
Caleb must have heard her, too. He hurried to the barn.
Jacob followed. He wondered if he should talk to Caleb about Willow. It was obvious to all that the boy was smitten with her. Should he warn Caleb that Willow was too old for him? Or that she was a woman and couldn’t be trusted?
* * *
Lilly felt as if she’d worked in the field all day. Her arms ached and her back cramped. Willow had helped her strip the beds, but Lilly had insisted that she and Daisy get to know one another better while Lilly did the laundry. It had been a while since all the bedding was done at the same time. And then she’d washed hers and Daisy’s clothes.
The sun was setting as she pulled in the last sheet. Movement by the barn caught her attention. She squinted to make out who stood in the shadows. A moment later Sam stepped out of the darkness and walked toward the bunkhouse.
Lilly released the air she’d held in her lungs. What was wrong with her? She’d lived on this ranch all her life and had never been fearful. Now she jumped at shadows.
“Are you all right?”
She twisted around and gasped. “Jacob, you scared the wits out of me.” Lilly hugged the sheet close to her chest.
“That wasn’t my intention. I saw you staring at the barn and wondered what was wrong and then you started panting and I thought maybe you were feeling sick.” Jacob crossed his arms over his chest.
“I’m fine. I just thought I saw something.” She took a step toward the house and then stopped. “Was there a reason you were lurking behind me?”
Jacob laughed. “I wasn’t lurking.”
“Then what were you doing?”
He sobered. “I was waiting for you to get done with the wash. I wanted to ask you something.”
In the fading light she could see that his features were no longer teasing. His tone had changed, as well. “What did you want to ask?”
“Would you mind if we talk a little farther away from the house?”
She looked over her shoulder, where light spilled from the kitchen door. Willow and Daisy were setting the table for their evening meal. Did he not want them to hear their conversation? “All right.”
Jacob walked to the garden spot and circled to the far side, where a large tree stood. He leaned against it and said, “I think this is far enough.”
She noticed that he positioned himself so that he could still see inside the kitchen. “Jacob, what is this about?”
“I wondered what you knew about your new nanny.” He braced a booted foot against the base of the tree.
Lilly walked over to him and handed him one end of the sheet. If he had time to lean against a tree, he had time to help her fold the sheet. “I know she’s a widow. That her husband and three-year-old son were killed in a mining accident. That she’s alone other than Gabe, who she had two months ago. She seems to like Daisy and needs the job.”
He worked with her to fold the sheet. “Is that all?”
She finished folding. “So far. Do you know something I don’t?”
“I know that Caleb is smitten with her.” He brushed a hand across the back of his neck as if it hurt.
Lilly smiled. “I know that.”
He grinned back. “Yeah, I suspect you do.”
“Why are you asking about Willow?” She tucked the sheet under her arm and watched his expression. Jacob might not know it, but his expression often gave his thoughts away.
Weariness filled his face. “I just worry that we don’t know enough about her.”
“Jacob, I knew that there was a good possibility that I wouldn’t know the woman who applied for the job of being Daisy’s nanny. I promise I’m not going to leave Daisy in her full care until I’m positive that she is safe for Daisy to be with. Right now I have no reason to doubt that she’s a struggling widow who needs a job.” She hoped her words would reassure him. Daisy was her sister and she wouldn’t let anything happen to her, if she could prevent it.
He nodded. “I’d like to keep giving her riding lessons and maybe start a little schooling with her.”
Darkness now fully covered them. She couldn’t make out his face. “What kind of schooling?” Caution filled her voice.
He chuckled. “I just want to teach her to read.”
“You don’t think she’s too young for reading?” Lilly hadn’t thought of teaching the little girl reading.
Willow had pointed out that Daisy could do a few chores around the house. Now Jacob wanted to teach her to read. Lilly felt as if they were going to force Daisy to grow up too fast. She knew what it was like to lose your childhood and she didn’t want that for Daisy.
“No, she’ll be five in a couple of months.”
His answer surprised her. “I don’t know, Jacob.” Her voice quivered.
Jacob placed a hand on her shoulder. “What’s wrong, Lilly?”
Had he really heard the fear in her voice? Everything was changing so fast. She didn’t want Daisy to grow up. “I’m tired. Let me think about it.” Lilly started back to the house.
“Can I at least read to her at night before she goes to bed? I’d like to spend more time with her.” Jacob put his hand at the small of her back.
Was he afraid she’d trip in the dark? Or did he think touching her would make her want to do as he asked? She had to admit that his hand on her back had her emotions running amok. Lilly tried to ignore her feelings and focus on what was best for Daisy.
Chapter Thirteen
Jacob removed his hand from her back when they got close to the kitchen door. Lilly still hadn’t answered him. Disappointment rested upon his shoulders like morning dew on grass. With Willow taking care of Daisy, Jacob feared he’d see less and less of the little girl. He’d just found out he had a r
eal sister and it felt as if she was being taken away from him.
Lilly stopped in the doorway and looked out at him. “This is really important to you, isn’t it?”
He offered what he hoped looked like a soft smile. “You have no idea.”
Lilly studied him. “No, you’re wrong. I believe I understand more than you know. It’s late. If you want to read with her tomorrow night, I can’t stop you.”
Jacob reached out and pulled her back down the back steps. He lowered his voice and growled, “Lilly, I’m not going to force my way into Daisy’s life.” Then he stomped off.
Old hurts ate at him. Voices in his head whispered he wasn’t good enough to read to his sister. They reminded him that women couldn’t be trusted.
He stopped by the same tree he’d leaned against moments earlier. Jacob forced the unpleasant thoughts away.
Lilly hadn’t done anything to him to cause such hurt, other than think he wanted more from her and Daisy than he actually did. He was very aware she feared he’d take their ranch from them, or at least try to. He’d never do that. But his knowing it didn’t give him the right to become angry with her. He’d messed up.
Jacob sighed, bowed his head and softly prayed. “Lord, I shouldn’t have spoken to Lilly like that. I meant what I said but the way I said it and stomping off was wrong. Please help me face her tomorrow and apologize. I know I was wrong but I’m not good at admitting when I’m wrong. I’m going to need Your strength tomorrow when I talk to her.”
A gentle clearing of the throat pulled him from his prayer. He groaned inwardly, then turned to face the woman behind him. He raked his fingers through his hair. He spoke in a soft voice. “You followed me?”
“You seemed upset.”
Darkness had settled around them like a black cloak. Jacob couldn’t see her face and knew she couldn’t see his. “I was. I’m sorry I was rude.”
“I’m sorry, too.”
Jacob shifted. “What do you have to be sorry for?”
Her voice sounded tired. “I overheard you offering Caleb a job and assumed you were talking about this ranch. I should have talked to you about it but instead got scared.”
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