Darcie Desires a Drover: A Historical Western Romance (Brides with Grit Book 7)

by Linda K. Hubalek

  “What are you doing to meet him more than half way?” Millie added.

  “Tried getting him to work with me, but he’s clueless about ranch work. We don’t have anything in common except the first two years of his life, which, when I refer to, he walks away,” Reuben spoke sharply, frustrated at his son’s behavior and everyone asking about it, even if they meant to be helpful. But it was making him feel worthless that he couldn’t reach his son.

  “Are you taking Gabe along on the cattle drive, or leaving him at the ranch?” Millie questioned, probably to keep the conversation going.

  “No, he’ll stay in the big house with Cora and Darcie. He hasn’t been here long enough to learn how to ride a horse, let alone herd cattle. I’m scared to death he’d get hurt.”

  Millie got up from the table, picked up the empty gravy bowl and went into the kitchen. After transferring more gravy from her skillet on the stove, she brought the refilled bowl back to the dining room table.

  “I enjoy every meal of yours, dear wife. I thank the Lord every day—and twice on Sunday—you answered a mail-order bride advertisement to come to Kansas,” Adam dramatically said while placing a hand over his heart.

  Everyone chuckled at his statement, but Reuben knew what they went through before they were married. It was a trial taking care of Tate, who came with Millie, and worrying where Darcie was at the time, but the couple came out stronger because of it.

  Reuben noticed Darcie hadn’t joined in on the conversation. Tate, sitting in a high chair the Wilersons kept for his visits, was quietly playing and stuffing peas in his mouth, so she wasn’t having to concentrate on her son. Amelia was napping on a pile of blankets on the living room floor. Darcie wasn’t eating, but staring out into space, lost in her thoughts, apparently.

  Everyone welcomed Millie’s sister and her children, but he sensed she felt a burden having no home of her own. Plus her former husband’s past abuse and crimes made some people think less of her, even though she was the victim. She looked older than he knew she was, but at least she’d gained weight since arriving in Clear Creek. She had been a walking skeleton, with a tiny, underweight infant in her arms then. Thank goodness her father had found them and brought them here to be reunited with Tate and Millie.

  “Darcie. Darcie, you aren’t eating today. You feel alright?” Millie asked.

  “Fine, I’m…just thinking about what to fix for the ranch hands’ meals while Reuben is gone for a few days.”

  “I’m sure they’ll be enjoying your sweet rolls and cream pies again. Reuben never makes anything fancier than biscuits,” Dagmar complimented Darcie, while winking at Reuben.

  Darcie gave Dagmar a faint smile, then turned her attention to Tate. What was she thinking about today? It was hard to tell with women. He had thought he had known his wife, but Mattie had changed husbands without a hint of remorse.

  Reuben watched as Darcie glanced around the table, seeming to stop as she looked at the couples seated around them. He and Darcie were the only single adults here, surrounded by couples with good marriages. Darcie had a wistful look on her face, as though she wished she could be a part of a couple, too.

  How would Darcie handle a second marriage if asked? Someone could help raise her children, just like Ringwald had raised Gabe.

  Reuben thought of Curtis Robbins, Darcie’s husband; when he arrived in Clear Creek this past summer after tracking down Millie. Robbins demanded Tate be handed over to him, and Millie be put in jail for taking Tate to Kansas. Every man around the table, including him, stood between the aggressor and those he threatened. It still made Reuben’s blood boil thinking of how the man had treated his wife and child.

  How could you tell your children their father was an abuser and a murderer? Would it be better that they didn’t know? It made Reuben think of Gabe not knowing about him. Ringwald stepped up and took over his job of raising his son. Did he and Mattie think it was better that Gabe didn’t know about him? Probably, so to keep their secrets buried about what they had done to get together.

  “Reuben?” Adam said his name and Reuben realized everyone around the table was staring at him.

  “Sorry, what was the question?” He had been so absorbed in thinking about the woman across the table that he wasn’t paying attention. Reuben had better start paying attention, or this family of schemers would have him and Darcie married before he finished this meal.

  “Why don’t you go check on Gabe, and take Tate and Darcie with you. I’m sure Tate would like to see the boys playing ball,” Adam suggested with a slight smirk on his face.

  So, was that an innocent suggestion, or one to throw him and Darcie together? And which did he wish it to be?

  Chapter 4

  Darcie looked out the kitchen window, watching the current round of disagreement between Reuben and Gabe, which they were having in the middle of the ranch yard. She glanced back at Cora, who was sitting at the table eating her late morning snack of toast and tea.

  “They’re at it again.” Darcie didn’t need to tell Cora who because they had witnessed it several times this week. Cora came to stand beside Darcie. They couldn’t hear the actual words, just far-off raised voices.

  “Teenagers are hard enough to raise, let alone one with a rage of hurt inside,” Darcie felt sorry for both of them.

  “Oh, my brothers were a handful without any major stress in their lives. And their teenage rebellion years lasted well into their twenties as you well know from stories you heard at our wedding. Poppa was at his wit’s end when he sent Carl and Lyle out to the Bar E Ranch, but I’m glad he did, so I could move out here,” Cora smiled at Darcie.

  “Wonder what they are fighting about this time,” Darcie murmured. Gabe would yell something, then walk away. The Reuben would answer, following after him. Then the two would reverse directions as they continued stomping and raising fists in front of everyone who could see them from the barn and house. They acted like two bulls challenging each other in the pasture. Darcie snickered, thinking how much they acted alike even though they hadn’t been together for the past dozen years.

  “Chores, school, horses…take your pick or choose a new topic. Reuben tries too hard, then blows up when Gabe doesn’t do as Reuben tells him to do.” Cora shrugged her shoulders, apparently not as worried about it as Darcie was.

  “I hate they aren’t getting along. Reuben has missed his son so much, and now they butt heads about everything.” Darcie wished there was a way for her to help, but so far, Reuben bristled if anyone offered advice.

  “Dagmar told Peter to take over Gabe’s riding lessons, because Reuben was expecting too much too soon from Gabe. I don’t think Reuben adds in the factor that being around horses can be daunting, let alone sitting high atop one.”

  “Peter’s close to Gabe’s age and pretty easygoing, so I think they’ll become friends—if Gabe can get over the idea that the working class is way below him.”

  “We can’t fix Gabe’s problems in a few days, so everyone has to be patient,” Cora said as she turned away from the window.

  Darcie continued to stare out the window. It was a hot morning and both males’ shirts were wet with sweat. Reuben’s back and arm muscles bulged from all the work he had done. Gabe was a young, slender version of his father. Reuben was a little shorter in stature than most men, so Gabe would match Reuben’s height in his next growth spurt. Darcie wondered how tall the men were in Mattie’s family because Gabe could be several inches taller than Reuben by the time he reached maturity.

  Curtis was average height, slender and wiry, because he spent a lot of time walking on patrol. He had a thin face, with a lock of light brown hair that was forever falling down on his forehead. At first, she loved to brush it back, but after they were married, Curtis slapped her hand away when she tried it. She thought she had known Curtis so well, but he was a totally different person when their courting ended with their marriage.

  But watching Reuben, she instinctively knew he’d never raise a ha
nd against Gabe. Probably because she’d learned firsthand the signs of an abuser. Darcie continued to say a prayer daily, of thanks that Curtis would never hurt her and the children again.

  Now Reuben had his arm across Gabe’s shoulder and they were headed for the back porch. Halfway there, Reuben looked up and caught her watching them. Darcie stepped away from the window, embarrassed she had been caught.

  “They’re heading for the house. I think I’ll see if they want a cinnamon roll,” Darcie said excusing herself and walking out the back door to meet them.

  Gabe warily eyed Darcie, but Reuben looked like he was relieved to see her. “I just pulled a batch of cinnamon rolls from the oven, so I thought I’d ask if you’d like one or two. She held the screen open for Gabe to walk into the kitchen, then Reuben let Darcie enter next. He always automatically did simple gestures like that, while Curtis had expected Darcie to do it for him instead.

  “Thank you, Darcie. I believe we’ve worked up an appetite for your rolls this morning. We could smell them before we even got to the house, couldn’t we, Gabe?” Reuben responded, trying to work his son into the conversation.

  “Yes, sir,” Gabe quietly replied, then stepped back to the porch to wash up in the basin left on a side table for that purpose.

  Darcie stepped over to Reuben and put a hand on his forearm as a silent message of comfort to him. He put his hand on top of hers and gave it a gentle squeeze to thank her. Their relationship had changed over the past week since Gabe moved in, and she enjoyed the new closeness it had brought between them.

  “What have you been doing this morning, Gabe?” Cora asked as she sat back down to her plate of toast. She’d be ravenous for a cinnamon roll this afternoon, but for now she stuck with toast.

  “Went through the harnesses, bridles and saddles,” he shrugged his shoulders while answering.

  “They need to be in good repair for our next cattle drive, and Gabe did a good job of inspecting and cleaning them. We repaired worn leather now, so we wouldn’t have problems with them on the trail.” Reuben praised Gabe. So what was the argument outside?

  “Can I take another roll and go back to the bunkhouse to eat it?” Gabe asked, but didn’t look up at any of them when asking.

  “Sure, and take one pan of them with you for the rest of the hands,” Darcie pointed to the two pans of rolls cooling on the side table. Gabe mumbled a thanks before pushing through the screen door.

  Reuben sighed and rubbed his hand across his face once Gabe was gone. “Want a cup of coffee with your roll, Reuben?” Darcie wanted to ask what happened out in the yard between him and Gabe, but decided it wasn’t her business so she quelled her curiosity.

  “He wants to go back to Rochester,” Reuben blurted out. “How can you tell a child he can’t because he doesn’t have a home there anymore?”

  Cora and Darcie looked at each other, now knowing what they were fighting about outside. Should they give him advice, or just let him ruminate about it aloud?

  “Haven’t had a word from Mattie asking him to come home. I fully expected a telegram to be waiting for us when we got to Kansas saying ‘send Gabe home now’. Sounds like he’s not close to his grandparents, which doesn’t surprise me since he’s my son instead of Ringwald’s.”

  Reuben stared into space while he took a sip of coffee, then bit into the roll. After one bite, he put the roll back on the plate, like he didn’t have an appetite for it now.

  “And he’s angry at the man who he thought was his father, but now he’s gone, so he can’t confront him.”

  “So Gabe’s angry at you instead, Reuben. He’s hanging on to that emotion instead of giving in to his grief. Be patient with him, that’s all you can do for now,” Cora responded. “I see Dagmar riding in from the pasture, so I’m going out to talk to him.”

  “I wish Tate wasn’t napping. I need a hug from the little guy,” Reuben confessed after taking another sip of coffee.

  “And I prefer he sleeps another thirty minutes so he’s not cranky later on.” Darcie wished she could wrap her arms around Reuben to give him a hug since Tate wasn’t available. What would Reuben think of that? And why was she thinking of doing it?

  ***

  “Nooo! Gabe go, Poppa Reubie stay!” Tate screamed while fighting to get out of Darcie’s arms as Reuben prepared to mount his horse.

  Poppa Reubie? Darcie looked down at her son as he squirmed in her arms, then met Reuben’s shocked eyes.

  “Stay home!” Tate yelled again while tears ran down his chubby cheeks.

  “Tate, Reuben will be gone for a little while, but he will be back,” she tried to sooth him.

  Reuben handed Dagmar the reins of his horse and walked back to Tate’s outstretched arms.

  “Hey, Tate,” Reuben let the little boy grab his neck, so Darcie released her hold on Tate. Not so much because of her son, but because Reuben was standing so close to her she could smell his shaving powder, mixed in with a little horse and leather.

  “We’re driving cattle to a buyer so we’ll be gone for a few days. But I’ll be back before you know it,” Reuben softly said to Tate, who had buried his tear-streaked face in the crook of Reuben’s neck.

  “Gabe go. Poppa Reubie stay,” Tate said between sobs.

  “I’m sorry, Reuben. He hears Marcus’ children call him Poppa Marcus, so that must be where he picked up calling you Poppa,” Darcie tried to explain Tate’s reasoning.

  Was that a look of regret or longing on Reuben’s face when she tried to explain away Tate’s name for him.

  “I guess that makes sense.”

  “Tate was upset for over a week when you left for New York,” Cora added. “He looked everywhere for you, the poor tyke.”

  Darcie could feel the blush bloom on her face when Reuben looked at her with questioning eyes. How did she respond to that? She shrugged her shoulders and said, “He missed you.”

  “Yeah, I’ll have to confess I missed him, too,” Reuben said softly while looking over Tate’s head to Darcie.

  Reuben gently peeled Tate’s arms off his neck so he could look at the child when he spoke to him. “I’m sorry, Tate, but I do have a job to do, so I have to be gone for a while.”

  “You be back?”

  “Yes, I promise, son,” Reuben patted Tate’s back to comfort him.

  “I want Baker’s Kiss!” Tate demanded.

  “Tate, that’s enough. You don’t have a boo-boo we need to kiss to make better. Plus, we don’t have the tins of magic sugar and cookies out here, and we’re not going to go get them now either,” Darcie said reaching to take Tate out of Reuben’s arms. “But you and Gabe can have some cookies when we go back into the house,” she said as a bribe to get Tate to go into the house.

  Tate patted his tear-stained cheek while looking at Reuben. They all knew what Tate wanted, so Reuben gave Tate’s cheek a loving kiss. Darcie’s sister, Millie, started the “Baker’s Kiss game” while Tate was with her and Adam before Darcie arrived in Kansas.

  Millie had formed small round shortbread cookies, and pinched up a bit of dough on top before she baked them to give a little handle for her to dip into the tin of fine sugar. Millie ground sugar with a mortar and pestle to make it very fine and added a little corn starch to make the sugar stick better to the skin.

  Millie would take the special cookie, dip it in the special sugar, and pat Tate’s boo-boo. Then she’d wet her lips and carefully touched her puckered mouth on his skin, taking off a bit of sugar, leaving the imprint of a kiss on his arm. The simple act made Tate feel better, plus he got to eat the little cookie afterwards. Now Darcie kept tins of sugar and cookies for his little hurts in their room, too.

  “Feel better now, Tate?” Reuben asked.

  “Umm maybe,” he grunted while still pouting. “Momma needs Baker’s Kiss.”

  “Tate, those kisses are for children, not adults.”

  “Nuh uh. Unca Adam kiss Auntie Millie,” Tate argued back.

  Okay. She knew Tate would arg
ue forever, or scream his head off, so Darcie tipped her face up to Reuben, hoping he’d take the hint and give her a quick kiss on her cheek to satisfy Tate.

  After a second, Reuben leaned down, but kissed her lips instead! She stared at him in shock for his bold move, then blushed, realizing she liked his kiss.

  Tate whispered something in Reuben’s ear which made his face turn beet red, but Darcie didn’t hear what he said.

  Darcie automatically wrapped her arms around Tate when Reuben thrust him out to her.

  “Thanks for taking care of Gabe while I’m gone, Cora. I’m sure he’ll feel more comfortable in the big house than he has in the bunkhouse,” was all Reuben said before walking away to take the reins back from Dagmar and mounting his horse.

  Darcie followed Cora up to the house to watch the herd leave from the porch. Eli, with Gabe at his side, opened the corral gate and stood back to get out of the cattle’s way. Dagmar gave a sharp whistle and Yipper and Kipper ran into the corral along the inside of the fence to get around the cattle and push them out through the open gate. Isaac rode in front of the herd as the leader, Peter and Zach, on horseback on either side of the gate, waited until the herd was out, then rode up on either side of the herd to ride flank. Dagmar and Reuben rode drag behind the cattle herd and the extra horses, which were along for switching rides. Cate drove the chuck wagon’s horse team behind the herd.

  “I wish I was going along on this trip,” Cora sighed, juggling Amelia on her hip so she could wave when Dagmar turned back to look toward the house. “Dagmar and I have never been apart since I moved to Kansas.”

  “They’ll be back soon,” Darcie said to assure Cora.

  “I know, but I’ll miss my giant Swede. Of course, Hilda argued with Dagmar that their mother was on a cattle drive each time while with child with the four of them and got along fine. And so I should be able to ride along, too.”