“Talk to your horse,” Jim gruffly said. “That way you’ll hear yourself think out loud and figure it out yourself.”
All the men nodded in unison and went back to eating. Darcie didn’t think Jim’s advice was the answer, but then women tended to overthink the situation at times. Maybe she should use this tactic to figure out if she should marry again and to whom. Reuben’s face flashed in her mind and she blushed at her thoughts. Why was she thinking of him so much these days? Probably because of Tate gravitating to Reuben, but she had to admit she was wanting to turn to him, too.
The next morning
“Darcie, could you go into town this morning when Jim takes Gabe in for his visit? I’m hungry for those dill pickles the mercantile carries and I’d like you to get two jars of them besides some other supplies,” Cora asked as she buttered her piece of toasted bread. It was the only thing she’d been eating for breakfast the last two weeks.
“Oh, of course. I didn’t know Gabe was visiting someone…” Darcie fished for more information because no one had mentioned it to her.
“Yes, he’s spending a few days in town while Reuben is gone,” Cora replied. Darcie looked at Gabe, but he looked like he knew about it.
“Where are you staying, Gabe?” Darcie wanted to pull him in on the conversation. He sat on the end of the kitchen table eating oatmeal and pancakes which Darcie had made for everyone’s breakfast this morning.
“Your father’s boarding house, although I’ll spend time at the Pastor’s and marshal’s houses for meals,” Gabe responded after swallowing his food and setting his fork on his plate. Hopefully, Tate would pick up on Gabe’s good table manners.
“Did Reuben know about this?” Why had she been kept out of the loop? Because she didn’t have any reason to know, she guessed.
“Didn’t he mention it to you?” Cora asked. “He decided it would work best for Gabe to stay in town to meet people while he’s gone, then Gabe will come back to the ranch when Reuben returns.”
“Makes sense.”
“Why don’t you take Tate into town, too?” Cora leaned closer to Darcie to whisper. “Ask if Tate could stay a few days with your father and Flora. Maybe Tate wouldn’t be as jealous if he spent some time with Gabe without you or Reuben around?”
Darcie hated to be away from her son for a few days, but Tate was used to staying with family members and would get along fine. And watching Tate—ready to launch a spoonful of oatmeal at Gabe—maybe Cora’s idea would help Tate accept Gabe. This rivalry was getting old.
She’d have to warn Flora to keep an eye on Gabe’s boots though. Three days ago, Tate put pebbles in Gabe’s boots. Gabe didn’t find the little rocks until he shoved his foot into the boot. Gabe figured out who did the prank when Tate tattled on himself.
Day before yesterday, Gabe shoved his foot into…an egg, which Tate had dropped into his boot. Not only did Gabe hear the crunch of the egg shell, he could feel the smashed yolk soak into his sock when he pulled his boot on.
It was funny to see Gabe pull his socked foot out, but she didn’t dare laugh when Tate was clearly the prankster. Gabe’s sock was covered with bits of egg shells and tinted a dark yellow but what a mess to clean up when Gabe took after a screaming Tate. Unfortunately, her son wasn’t old enough to clean the smeared egg footprints off the wooden floor in the bunkhouse, or else he would have done it. He did get a “sit down and listen” talk about not doing that again because it made a mess and it wasted food.
Gabe poured water into his boot to get most of the egg out. Per her suggestion, he rubbed the inside with a soapy rag, then rinsed again. Yesterday the boot was wet to wear but Gabe didn’t have another pair of boots to wear. Today it was stiff after drying overnight and starting to smell like rotten eggs.
Maybe Tate needed to spend some time with her father. The former policeman might be able to steer her son away from being a juvenile delinquent.
“Gampa! Gamma!” Tate scurried out of Darcie’s arms and rushed to his grandparents as soon as Jim opened the door to the boarding house for them. Tate headed toward the back of the house to the kitchen, knowing that’s where at least Flora would be.
“Hello! Hello!” her father heartily called as Tate plowed into his knees. He was sitting at the kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee. Flora was setting a plate of just-baked cookies on the table when they entered the kitchen.
“You’re just in time to enjoy some warm oatmeal cookies, so have a seat everyone,” Flora said as she turned to get cups off the shelf above the side table.
“We’ve been looking forward to your visit, Gabe. The town’s small compared to what you’re used to, but I think you’ll find plenty to do here while your father is on his trip;” her father gave a welcoming statement to Gabe.
“Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Donovan for hosting me,” Gabe replied politely.
“No formal titles here, son. Please call us Grandpa and Grandma like Tate —and every other kid in town—calls us. You’ll confuse Tate, otherwise.” By now, Tate was on his grandpa’s lap and reaching for an oatmeal cookie.
“Gabe, do you want coffee, hot tea or milk?” Flora asked, treating him like one of her boarding house guests.
“Um, may I have some coffee?” Gabe asked timidly.
“Of course you can. Would you like cream and sugar in it, too?”
“Please and thank you.”
Darcie was amused. Tate was watching Flora and Gabe talk, and not making a fuss about it. Maybe it was a good idea for the boys to spend time together, without her or Reuben around.
“Would it be too much for Tate to stay with you a few days, too?” she timidly asked.
“That’s a great idea. Tate can introduce Gabe to Henry and Homer.” Her father looked over to Gabe. “They were Tate’s unofficial babysitters when Tate lived in town with Millie and Adam. The older gentlemen spend most of their day, during good weather, sitting on the bench in front of the mercantile, so they see and hear everything that goes on around town.
“You’ll spend time with the Wilersons, too. You’ve heard Tate mention he wants a Baker’s Kiss cookie? Millie, started that game, so be warned he’ll want you to play, too,” Flora smiled, figuring Gabe would be eating cookies and get powdered sugar all over him if Tate had his way.
“Unca Adam has doggie ‘n kitty,” Tate added to the conversation, since the pets were added to the family to keep Tate happy when he lived with Adam and Millie.
Her little boy was growing up fast. Before she knew it, he’d be Gabe’s age. It made her sad for Reuben, knowing what he’d lost by not staying in Rochester after he recovered from the war.
What would she regret in the future if she didn’t do something about it? Finding a father for her children immediately came to mind, and maybe to marry again. Reuben was the first person who came to mind for both roles. Maybe she needed to go find a horse—or dog—and talk it out.
Sunday morning
Darcie was surprised when she met her family in church this morning. Everyone was happy, not worn out from having Gabe and Tate with them for four days. She thought Tate would miss her and Amelia so much someone would have to bring him back to the ranch. Instead, her son was holding Gabe’s hand, hopping up and down as they approached the pew where Darcie sat waiting for them.
“Momma!” Tate yelled as he let go of Gabe’s hand and crawled into her lap while she re-settled Amelia to be able to hold both of them in her arms. Oh, how she had missed her son, but it looked like he did fine staying with her family.
“Did you have a good time with Grandpa and Grandma?”
“Yep.”
“What did you do this week in town?”
“Me ‘n brother played with doggy. Cat ran away,” Tate looked up at her, seriously stating his last thought, but she was still on his first. Me and brother?
Darcie expected Gabe to sit in their pew, but he walked up the aisle and crowded in with the Reagan boys. Looks like Gabe felt comfortable sitting with friends now instead
of family.
Darcie narrowed her eyes when Millie slid in next to her and automatically reached for Amelia. Darcie held both her children a little tighter, wanting some answers first. “What did you do to Tate and Gabe this week? Why are they now brothers?” she hissed at her sister.
“I don’t know. I’m guessing Gabe misses his sister, and Tate realizes it is fun to have a big brother. Tate knows other children in church who have older brothers, so it was natural he wants one, too.” Millie shrugged her shoulders, but Darcie was sure there was more to it than that.
Flora and her father moved into the pew from the other side and sat down beside Darcie.
“Hello, Amelia. Grandma missed you this week,” Flora sweet talked to the baby, while holding out her hands, waiting for Amelia to change laps.
“Hello, Flora. Thank for your taking care of Tate…and Gabe these last few days. Any problems?” Darcie hinted. Surely it wasn’t peaceful the whole time the children stayed at the boarding house.
“Your father set the rules the first hour and there were no major problems, other than what a normal two-year-old can cause,” Flora smiled down at Amelia while she talked. “Ennis has handled so many situations in his career as a policeman—and as a father—that nothing fazes him.”
Darcie leaned forward to talk to her father. “I need to know what you did to control fights so I can use the same tactic on Tate and Amelia,” she whispered so the people around then didn’t hear her.
“Firm voice, firm hand. But only go that route after you let them try to solve the problem between themselves first.” Her father said it like it was the most logical thing in the world and why didn’t she know that?
Tate gave Amelia a kiss when he first crawled in Darcie’s lap, but then shoved her toward Flora when the older lady put her hands out to Amelia. Okay, things were back to normal between her two children. But she couldn’t help but wonder how things would go in the future with Tate latching on to Gabe.
What would Reuben say when he finds out their sons are now thick as little thieves?
Chapter 6
Reuben had always enjoyed cattle drives, even if they moved at a slow pace. It gave him time to forget his past and just think about taking care of the cattle and the drovers. It was a short trip this time, but the nine days they had been gone seemed like weeks. Because now he had Gabe to come home to this trip…and he had to confess he thought of Darcie and her kids just as much.
Cate and Isaac made subtle hints about marriage enough times that Reuben was seriously considering talking to Darcie about getting married—for the sake of their children, of course.
But…
He’d been alone for years and was not always the best company. Reuben was used to a quiet evening after work, instead a houseful of noisy children.
His job as cook and caretaker of the ranch hands was a typical bachelor’s job where you got a room to live in while you cooked and washed for a group of men. Reuben wasn’t sure the pay would be enough to support a wife and three children, plus they’d need a large place to live.
Maybe it was too far a stretch to hope Darcie would even consider a marriage with him. Could she love him after the disaster of her marriage, or would she be fearful if Reuben tried to touch her?
Could Gabe and her children accept each other? Would she want more children and how would that affect Gabe and his sister, Mary?
But, he needed to consider Gabe as his first priority, no matter his feelings for Darcie. What if Gabe was so homesick here he wanted to go back to Rochester? Would Reuben move back, too, to stay in his son’s life? He felt his pulse quicken, thinking about moving to a crowded city again. Because of his time in Andersonville, he sought open spaces, free of anything that felt like an enclosure.
He hadn’t spent enough time with Gabe yet to know his relationship with his mother. Reuben guessed Gabe had been closer to his step-father than Mattie had liked him to be because it pulled Ringwald away from her and their daughter.
They descended down the last hill leading to the ranch yard. The normal activity of the animals and people living and working on the land eased his soul.
Even though it wasn’t his property, it still felt like home to him. The headquarters of the Bar E Ranch were tucked into the base of three adjoining hills, right along a creek with springs which gave the barn and house their water source. Besides the huge stone barn and the two-story stone house, the yard held other wooden buildings: a wash house, shop, storage shed, chicken house and the bunkhouse for the ranch hands.
“Boy am I glad to be home. The money in my pocket from the cattle sale doesn’t compare to coming home to Cora. I’m going on down. We’ll help you unload after I kiss my wife,” Dagmar grinned before giving his horse a kick in the sides to change his speed.
Reuben tried to keep a steady pace, not wanting to upset the wagon, but the horses picked up speed anyway knowing they were almost back to their own barn.
Huh. Interesting to see Gabe, Tate and the dogs running around like they were playing together. Reuben saw the moment the boys realized the group was home. Both waved at the wagon, then turned to run to the house, probably to tell Darcie and Cora the crew was home.
The women and children were at the barn by the time Reuben halted the team. Zach and Peter had put the extra horses in the corral by the barn and taken the three horses into the barn to unsaddle them. Dagmar had his arms wrapped around Cora, holding her off the ground as he kissed her, oblivious to the hands standing around them chuckling at their affection.
“I’ll take the team, Reuben,” Eli called out as he strolled toward the wagon. “You got family wanting to welcome you home, too.” Reuben looked the direction Eli had pointed and felt a jolt in his chest. Standing near the barn door was Darcie holding Amelia, and Gabe holding a happy-looking Tate. And they all had smiles on their faces. Reuben climbed down off the wagon and stretched his legs a bit before walking over to the little group.
“Poppa Reubie!” Tate launched out of Gabe’s arms when Reuben was close enough to catch him. It felt so good to have the toddler’s arms wrap around his neck. He met Gabe’s eyes to gauge his mood, and found that he was smiling, too.
“Welcome home, Reuben,” Darcie said cheerfully, slowly swaying back and forth to keep Amelia soothed.
“Hello everybody. It’s good to be back. How did things go while I was gone?” Reuben met Darcie’s eyes to watch her silent answer, but she smiled and nodded her head as if to say “just fine.” He was expecting her to frown, roll her eyes or purse her lips at the trouble Gabe had been while Reuben was gone.
“Glad you’re back,” Gabe finally said, “but we’ve been okay, haven’t we, Tate?” Gabe lightly tickled the back of Tate’s neck, causing the child to giggle and scrunch up his neck.
“Brother and me stay at Gamma’s,” Tate declared. Brother and me?
“You did? What did you do in town?”
“Played ball, visited people. Ate several pieces of Aunt Millie’s delicious pies, didn’t we, Tate?” Gabe replied, while teasing Tate’s neck again. Instead of pulling away, Tate launched himself into Gabe’s arms, screaming in delight at Gabe’s play.
“Why don’t you two go help pull things out of the wagon while I talk to Darcie,” he suggested to Gabe. Reuben watched them go to the back of the wagon before facing Darcie.
“‘Brother and me stayed at Grandma’s?’ I was hoping the boys would start to get along while I was gone, but I am surprised to hear they’re now brothers,” Reuben said quietly as he took Darcie’s elbow to move them away from the group so they could speak in private.
“Well, your idea of the two of them spending time together in town without us, worked to get them to accept each other,” Darcie shrugged her shoulders, conceding it had worked.
“I didn’t make the suggestion they spend time together in town to anyone,” Reuben denying it was his idea.
“Cora said you had arranged it, and Flora and my father were waiting for their arrival so th
ey knew about it, too.”
Reuben chuckled and looked up at the sky a minute before looking back at Darcie.
“I did nothing of the sort, but Cate mentioned you knew about it,” Reuben raised an eyebrow, waiting to see if Darcie was innocent or not.
“No, I did not,” Darcie emphatically exclaimed. “So who set this all up, and why?”
“I believe ‘The Saints’ have decided we should be a family, so they started by getting the boys together first.”
“What?! Cate and Flora…are matchmaking us together?” Darcie’s face turned a pretty shade of pink. Her eyes darted one way and then the other before meeting his eyes again. She was absentmindedly bouncing Amelia faster in her arms.
Reuben put a hand on her arm. “Slow down. You’re going to make Amelia dizzy at that pace.”
“I need to start lunch. I’m sure you’re all ready for a good meal after being on the trail,” Darcie eased away to get Reuben’s hand off her arm.
“Darcie,” Reuben eased his hand around her forearm again, “does the idea of us joining together for the sake of our children frighten you? I am not and never will be like your former husband,” he assured her.
“I know, it’s just…”
“Couldn’t stand to be with me?” Reuben finished her thought, dejectedly.
“No, I’m embarrassed to say I have thought about it.” Then she whirled around and started walking briskly to the bunkhouse.
Reuben watched her leave, then turned his attention to Gabe and Tate. Gabe had changed while Reuben had been gone. His pale skin had a healthier color to it now, and his cheeks were filling out. Apparently sunshine, outdoor activities and simple home-cooked meals was a good change for his son. And it gave Reuben another painful reminder that he should have visited Gabe years ago. Maybe, with Darcie’s help, he could improve the lives of three children.
Darcie Desires a Drover: A Historical Western Romance (Brides with Grit Book 7) Page 6