It was nice to sit down on a real chair, have his plate and cup on a table, and not have to cook the meal for all the hungry cowboys. Reuben was more than happy to have Darcie in charge of the meal today. Gabe shyly grinned when Darcie said he’d helped her make the meal.
She had short notice to prepare the meal since they’d arrived before lunch, but she stretched the meal to accommodate everyone. The hot chicken and dumplings she’d fixed for lunch was piled on top of mashed potatoes. She’d opened jars of canned green beans to add a vegetable to the meal because she didn’t have time to pick, snap and boil the beans still growing in the garden. Darcie’s soda biscuits were soft, fluffy and much better than his. Melted butter and currant jelly dripped between his fingers as he ate his third biscuit, but he quickly licked his fingers not wanting to waste the sweet topping. He couldn’t wait to see what she had made for dessert.
Lunch in the bunkhouse could almost be labeled a joyous affair. The cowboys were tired from their long days in the saddle and being out in the weather full-time, but now they were happy swapping stories of what had happened on the trail and here on the ranch.
“We only had one evening storm we thought would scatter the herd, but luckily the clouds moved on before completely drenching us,” Zach said between scooping mashed potatoes in his mouth.
“That was a gentle sprinkle compared to the weather I’ve experienced on past drives, Zach,” Dagmar scoffed. “I remember one lightning bolt that hit so fast and close we were all deaf for a few days. The bolt hit one of the metal stakes we’d pounded into the ground to tie a rope around to make a temporary corral for the horses,” Dagmar explained.
Gabe was hanging on every word being said around the table. “What happened then?”
“Oh, it was bad,” Dagmar looked down at his plate and shook his head. “Every critter took off at breakneck speed away from the bolt’s point of contact. I won’t go into detail with T-A-T-E at the table, but we lost over a hundred head of stock, two hands, and the chuck wagon was a pile of fire wood after a thousand head of cattle ran over it. Took three days to round up the scattered herd which had run several miles in opposite directions. It was by God’s protection we didn’t lose anyone in our immediate family.”
“How long ago was this?” Zach asked.
“Let’s see. It was before the War, and we were driving a herd to Baton Rouge…”
“That’s in Louisiana,” Gabe interrupted.
“It is. We’d round up wild cattle in Texas and drive them wherever they needed beef. I’ve been through several states and territories though the years.”
“How old were you when this bad storm happened?” Peter asked.
“Leif would have been about fourteen or fifteen, me two years younger, and I don’t think the twins were even eleven at the time.
“You were my age?!” Gabe squawked with the realization.
“Yep, riding in the middle of a thundering herd, in the pouring rain—pitch black except when the lightning lit up the sky. Dreading the moment I was gonna be knocked down and trampled by the panicking cattle. Or, getting hit by the next lightning bolt,” Dagmar was getting into his story.
“T-A-T-E is starting to figure out some of your conversation, Dagmar,” Cora stopped her husband’s story.
“So, yeah, we just had a sprinkle of rain on this trip. Cate and Isaac enjoyed the trail drive, then boarded the train leading to the next leg of their adventure,” Dagmar concluded and went back to eating.
“When do they plan to be back home?” Darcie asked.
“In a month, in time for your…ouch!” Dagmar stopped talking and leaned over to rub his shin. “Did you just…oh, never mind,” when he saw Reuben glaring at him from across the table.
“What’s for dessert, Darcie?” Reuben switched tactics to get off the subject Dagmar almost spilled to her and everyone at the table.
She looked confused a moment but then answered, “I made cream puffs for the few of us who were going to be at lunch today, so you’ll only get one each now…”
Darcie rolled her eyes and waited to talk again when the men all let out a disappointing groan. “So I made rice pudding to go with it.”
“Tack så mycket! Thank you for making my favorite dessert, Darcie! Did you make kräm for it, too?” Dagmar’s eyes shined under his raised eyebrows.
“I’m sorry, Dagmar, I didn’t have time to make the grape juice sauce you like to eat with it. But I have strawberry preserves to spoon on the pudding and cream puff. Will that do?”
Another round of contented talk went around the table. You’d think Reuben had never made a dessert for these guys the way they acted. Of course, it could be an act to compliment Darcie.
“We’ve been eating this good since Darcie took over the cooking,” Eli pointed out. “Yesterday noon, Darcie served a chicken pie, deviled eggs, a sour cream cake that would beat her sister’s version in a competition—and you know how good a baker Millie is.”
“Last night’s dessert was a raisin cream pie,” Ker added.
“My favorite so far has been the lemon chiffon pie,” Gabe added, getting into the spirit of praising Darcie’s cooking.
“Cookies!” Tate yelled, making the men chuckle. Gosh, this had been a sober bunch of cowboys before Darcie and her kids took over the bunkhouse. Good food, a bunkhouse decorated like a home, and children to brighten their day. No wonder the ranch hands were happy to work here now. Bet she’d washed and ironed their shirts better than he did, too.
Was he mad that Darcie was taking better care of the bunkhouse and crew than he’d been doing? No, when he thought about it. Instead of doing the cooking, he was ready to go home at the end of the day to a wife who was a good cook, and a family to brighten and share his life. Maybe it was time to move forward with his life instead of keeping it the way it had been since the war.
Chapter 7
Meet me at the porch swing tonight after you get the children to sleep. We need to talk.
That’s all Reuben had said before she left the bunkhouse this afternoon. He fed the hands supper in the bunkhouse tonight, and she made a special meal in the house kitchen for Cora and Dagmar’s reunion meal. Darcie and her children ate in the kitchen to leave the couple to themselves. Gabe opted to eat with the men, which she was glad he did. He and his father needed time together now that Reuben was back on the ranch.
The evening was hot, but Darcie could feel the heat lessening as the sun sank below the horizon. At least there was a nice breeze most evenings. So different from the muggy nights in Chicago. The tenement houses were too close together the get a breeze through them.
She used her foot to slowly rock the porch swing back and forth as she waited for Reuben.
Yipper laid on the porch near the steps, her tongue lolling out of her mouth as she kept watch on her world. Dagmar had said Yipper preferred to guard her people. Kipper tended to stay close to the barn and the stock instead. Kind of like women take care of the hearth and home and men protect and provide.
Reuben caught her daydreaming when he walked up the steps. She’d been facing the bunkhouse and hadn’t seen him walk across the yard. Darcie put her foot down on the floor to stop the motion of the swing, then scooted over so Reuben could sit on the other side of the swing. He did so, but started the swing again without saying a word.
Darcie finally had to break the silence. “You said you wanted to talk?” Darcie fished for information about why he asked to meet with her.
“Would you mind if we went for a walk so we can talk away from the buildings? I don’t want Gabe to overhear us,” Reuben softly asked and explained.
“Oh, of course, that’s fine.” Reuben stood and held out his hand, waiting for her to take his before walking down the steps and east, away from the buildings. She didn’t mind when he tucked her hand around his elbow while they strolled. It made her feel safe instead of uneasy.
“Gabe has adjusted better than I ever thought possible when we left Rochester, and it happe
ned when I was away on the cattle drive.”
“Well, you know when Cate and Flora plan something, it usually works out for the best. Having the boys spend time with my father and Flora seemed to help smooth over their jealousy a bit. They are dear women, but sometimes it worries me what they might do next,” Darcie chuckled.
“Well, Cate filled me in on their next plan—for us—when I was out on the drive with them.”
“And is it…good or bad?”
“It could be either way, depending on what you think, and how it would affect our children,” Reuben glanced her way, but the evening shadows were making it hard to see his facial expressions.
“How am I going to take care of Gabe has been constantly on my mind since we left Rochester. I have a secure job, and the wages are enough to get me by, but I live in a bunkhouse with other men instead of a house. Gabe should be continuing school in town instead of being isolated on the ranch. I could teach him at home, but he is already way past the simple schooling I have had.”
They continued to walk a distance before Reuben stopped and turned toward her. “I’ve been thinking about this, then Cate laid it out plain and simple to me. So, I’m going to do the same to you, so we can rationally talk about it.”
“What’s ‘it’?” Darcie wondered what he was leading up to. Reuben dropped her hand and wiped his hands down his face, then through his dark hair since he hadn’t worn his hat.
“We’ve both been married so we can talk frankly about this. I realize you may have reservations about marrying again because of your bad marriage.”
Darcie wrapped her arms around her middle, thinking of what she’d endured while married to Curtis. Why hadn’t she left him, rather than put up with it? Because he was a policeman, she had no money, she was in physical and mental pain… She squeezed her eyes to stop the memories.
When Darcie married Curtis Robbins over three years ago she thought he loved and cherished her and the children they’d have together. He was so attentive, always needed to be with her, made the decisions for their wedding and future, and Darcie thought it was wonderful to have a strong husband to provide for her.
Turns out he was an obsessive, abusive husband—verbally, then physically abusing her. She tried to be perfect so he couldn’t find any fault, but Curtis kept finding new things to belittle her for instead of complimenting her for doing her best, while often in pain from the last round he’d meted out to her.
Darcie was too embarrassed and ashamed to tell her father, a policeman, that her husband, also working for the Chicago police, was treating her in this manner. It didn’t help that Curtis was always wonderful to her father and sister Millie.
She realized Reuben was talking again so she concentrated on his voice to pull her out of her thoughts.
“No woman should go through what you did with a man; but marriage can be a good thing and I’d hope you’ll consider what I’m about to say.”
Then it stuck her, “Do you realize we’ve talked more since you returned from Rochester—even with you gone nine days—than we had in the past months?”
“Yes, and I apologize for it. I’ve been so bitter about life—until I went back to Rochester to face my past.”
“And now that you did, you’re wondering what to do next,” Darcie now had an inkling of where this was headed, but it didn’t scare her as much as she thought it might.
“I don’t want to say anything to anyone else, including our children, until we thoroughly talk this out.” Reuben took a deep breath. “People often marry for the sake of their families. A man marries the woman taking care of his children to save her reputation since they would be living in the same house. A widower marries his brother’s widow to combine households.
“Would you consider us getting married, for the sake of our children? Then they’d have two parents, and a much better future.”
She paused to collect her thoughts before answering his life-changing question. “It has crossed my mind my children would be better taken care of if I marry again.”
“Anyone, or possibly to me?”
“Our friends and family have been pushing us together for some time, so they must think we’re compatible.”
“Even though we’ve disagreed about tasks around the Bar E?” Reuben questioned.
“I believe that was because the man felt threatened—or jealous—of the woman stepping into his territory,” Darcie countered but didn’t say any more when Reuben stepped closer.
She froze a second, but then relaxed as Reuben slowly ran his big, calloused hands up and down her upper arms. “And I apologize for that.
“Would you want a real marriage, or just the ceremony to make it legal?”
“For now, I’d be more comfortable with convenience.” Darcie missed his touch as soon as he dropped his hands to his side.
“But, that could change if I felt safe and comfortable.”
“So, your answer is…” She heard him hold his breath.
And Darcie exhaled the breath she was holding. “I’ll think about it, for our children’s sakes.”
“Okay, let’s talk this out more,” Reuben sounded relieved she hadn’t flatly turned him down. He commenced to pace in front of her as he planned his next words.
Not quite the romantic scene she had when Curtis proposed. He was down on one knee, staring up at her in admiration, she romantically dreaming of the wonderful marriage they’d have. Yes, better to think of this marriage as practical instead of romantic.
“We’d be all right financially, as I have some money in the bank. I started from scratch eight years ago, but I’ve always had a job that included room and board. The trip to Rochester is the only thing I’ve spent money on.
“Next thing is where to live.” Reuben stopped walking to concentrate on her face.
Darcie pushed down the bad memories of living with Curtis in their home. “I’m sure we could keep our same quarters we each have now, but that would confuse the children if they weren’t living together as a family, with their parents in the same house.
“I’ll talk to Cora and Dagmar about it. I’m sure they’d prefer us to stay on the ranch or close by. I suppose we could rent a house in Clear Creek and I could ride back and forth. If we had bad weather or have problems on the ranch, I could stay in the bunkhouse.”
Darcie had to ask the question looming in her mind. “If we went through with your marriage idea, when would we marry?”
Reuben cleared his throat. “Cate suggested a month from last Sunday because she and Isaac would be back from their trip,” he replied in a teasing voice, “but she gave us permission to marry sooner if we preferred.”
Darcie watched the smile that spread over Reuben’s face, and she caught herself thinking she’d like to kiss it. Reuben wasn’t what you’d call a handsome man, but his emotions truthfully played across his features.
Darcie had learned Curtis’s handsome face masked the anger which was always ready to erupt. He might have had a smile on his lips but a slight narrowing of his left eye caused her spine to tremble.
“If we get married,” Reuben’s words pulled her out of her bad thoughts, “would you want the ceremony after church with the congregation present, or just us and Pastor?”
Visions of her wedding in the Cathedral in Chicago flashed through her mind and she involuntarily shivered from the memory. It was a happy event at the time, but the marriage soon became a distorted nightmare.
But she knew exactly what kind of man she’d be marrying in Reuben. He was a decent, hardworking man, kind and gentle with her children. Darcie knew she could always trust him, and right now that meant more to her than love.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you what Tate told me right before we left on the drive,” Reuben chuckled. “After I gave you a kiss to satisfy Tate, he whispered we were then married since we kissed.”
“Oh, the little squirt. He never told me that!”
“So he’ll expect us to kiss, like the other newlywed couples aroun
d us.”
“But we’d marry for our children’s sakes, not love. I don’t want to mislead him in assuming it’s a real marriage.”
“If we marry, I’m forever committed to you and your children. In that way, it is—and always will be—a real marriage. Kissing is a way to show and teach children there is respect between partners and a family. Did Tate see that in your first marriage?”
Darcie looked down to the ground and sadly shook her head. “All he saw and felt was pain when Curtis touched us.” She took a deep breath to wash away those memories. “Millie and Adam taught Tate love through cookies and kisses.”
“So…supporting and teaching our children how to love would be the priority in our marriage, and maybe we’d learn to love each other along the way, too.”
Darcie took in a deep breath, then exhaled it. She touched Reuben’s arm to have him turn toward her.
She had been thinking about accepting his marriage proposal, and Reuben’s last words helped to make up her mind. He sounded sincere and it would be so easy to fall in love with the man.
Chapter 8
Reuben couldn’t believe how much life had changed for all of them when Darcie accepted his proposal.
He was nervous walking into church as a family after they decided to marry. Gabe walked down the aisle first, then Darcie carrying Amelia and him holding Tate, claiming a section of pew for their newly-formed family. But Reuben shouldn’t have been worried what the congregation thought about their arrival. When Pastor Reagan announced their pending wedding in a month, people actually clapped for them, and congratulated him and Darcie after the service.
Gabe was genuinely happy with their decision, looking forward to being a family with him, along with Darcie’s brood. Sounded like the maid took care of him and his sister more than Mattie. They had talked about taking the family to Rochester to meet his sister in early spring, so Gabe freely talked about Mary now without pain in his eyes.
Darcie Desires a Drover: A Historical Western Romance (Brides with Grit Book 7) Page 7