by Lily Graison
As Grace filled Jesse’s plate, then her own, Rafe had to fight the urge to look at her. He’d spent every minute of the day up on that roof stealing glances at the house in the off chance he’d see her without much luck. Now that he could look his fill, he couldn’t make himself do it. He had to remind himself every time he thought about her that she wasn’t there for him. She was his brother’s wife. Or would have been if Jesse were older. Surely the woman wasn’t going to marry the kid. Which really begged the question, what was she doing here?
He snuck a peek at her then, watching her take dainty little bites of her food, her free hand tucked into her skirts. She looked out of place in his kitchen. Too fancy to be in such shabby surroundings. He pictured her surrounded by fine china and white lace tablecloths.
She glanced at him and sat her fork on the edge of her plate before dabbing at her mouth with a cloth. He noticed another cloth sitting beside his own glass. He cleared his throat and nodded toward the table. “I have to say, Ms. Kingston, this sure beats the hell out of eggs.”
She smiled. “Well, Jesse said he wasn’t too fond of them.”
“It’s not a matter of being fond of them. It has to do with eating them for every meal.”
“Every meal?” she asked.
He nodded. “It’s about all Jesse’s been willing to fix.”
“I see.” She took a sip of her water before looking at him again. “You never bothered to cook your own meal?”
There was an accusation in her tone and Rafe felt his face heat as she sat staring at him. “I would have if I hadn’t been busting my ass trying to fix this place up. Seems to me, the one doing the least should do the cooking.”
“I do as much as you do!”
When Jesse yelled, Rafe knew a fight was brewing. They’d gone for hours now without an outburst. If Grace hadn’t been sitting there, he would have told Jesse exactly how little he did do, but refrained for her sake. He took another bite of his food and ignored them both.
When their plates were clean, and all the dishes on the table emptied, Grace stood and cleared them away. Rafe looked toward the stove, the smell of apples filling the room and as full as he was, his mouth watered just thinking about a warm apple pie. When Grace walked toward the stove, a towel in one hand, his heart nearly stopped when she opened the door and reached inside. It was pie. Lord, how long had it been since he’d eaten something as common as apple pie?
She placed it on the table and smiled when Jesse reached for it. “Not so fast. It has to cool first.” She slid it out of his reach before turning to the sink. “By the time I’m through with all these dishes, it should be cool enough to eat.”
Rafe stood then and looked her way. “Me and Jesse will do the dishes.”
“What?” Jesse yelled. “It’s what she’s here for, Rafe. Let her do ‘em.”
He shot Jesse a look before walking to the sink, motioning Grace away. “She cooked. The least we could do is clean up the mess.”
Grace looked between him and Jesse before grabbing the towel from the counter. “That’s not necessary, Rafe. I don’t mind.”
“I do.” He took the towel from her hands, his fingers brushing against her own as he did. She stared up at him for long moments before relenting. Rafe looked over his shoulder at Jesse when she walked away. “Get over here.”
Jesse grumbled all the way across the room, dragging his feet and mumbling under his breath. “I got a wife so I wouldn’t have to do this stuff no more, Rafe. Why I got to do it now?”
Rafe held back a smile. “Because I said so.” He glanced over his shoulder, watching as Grace wiped the top of the stove off. He leaned toward Jesse and lowered his voice. “Look, she’s been on a stagecoach for Lord knows how long and came in here, cleaned the kitchen then cooked all that food. Don’t you think she might be just a little bit tired?”
Jesse sighed. “Yeah. Guess she is.”
When the dishes were done and had been dried and put back on the shelf above the sink, Grace was nowhere to be found. Jesse helped himself to the pie without another thought and Rafe was tempted to do the same. “Don’t eat all of it. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Jesse shoved a piece of pie in his mouth and mumbled as Rafe walked into the other room. Grace wasn’t there. Climbing the stairs, he checked her room, peeking around the corner. He found her then, sitting in the rocker by the window, sound asleep.
Waking her would have been the right thing to do but seeing her sitting there with the glow of the moon shining down on her he didn’t have the heart to do it. He stood staring at her for long minutes, studying her features, memorizing the shape of her lips and the way her hair tumbled around her face.
Lord, how did a woman that fine looking end up in a mail-order bride catalogue? And how would he ever get anything done with her in his house? Just looking at her made his pulse race, caused his blood to heat and his groin to ache with need.
The tiny voice in the back of his head that warned him of impending danger spoke up loud and clear then. It reminded him of how dangerous the opposite sex was, the faces of two others swimming in his mind’s eye. His chest tightened as he thought of them and how manipulative they had been. He was sure Grace would be no different. The reminder was enough.
He glanced at the bed, noticing the blankets and sheets were missing. Turning to the hall, he retrieved clean ones from the spare room and remade the bed, turning down the blankets before looking back over at her.
He debated on waking her again before crossing the room, placing both hands on the arms of the chair so he was eye level with her. The moment he looked at her face, that voice was back, whispering words he wanted to refuse to hear. Words that told him she may be different. That she might be the one he’d been waiting for.
He lifted his hand, brushing a stray curl from her cheek. The moment he touched her hair, his fingers itched to thread their way through those golden strands. He slid the back of his fingers across her cheek, feeling the softness of her skin.
Looking away, he stared out the window into the darkness and wondered what he was doing. He’d seen plenty of beautiful women before and would probably see a dozen more before he died but this one…
He looked back down at her face, his gaze drinking her in. This one was different. He’d known it the moment he saw her sitting in front of the stagecoach station smiling up at him. The look she’d given him had nearly staggered him at the time. The joy on her face directed at him caused his chest to tighten. And it had been so long. So long since a woman had looked at him like that. Like she was happy to see him.
Memories of the past flooded his mind and he closed his eyes, forcing the images, and the heartache they brought with them, away.
He reached down, hooking an arm under her knees before reaching around her and lifting her from the chair. She mumbled something under her breath and tucked her head under his chin. He stilled the moment she snuggled in closer and savored the feel of her in his arms.
He took his time crossing the room to the bed. The scent of her filled the air around him and he lingered, lowering his head until his face brushed those golden curls framing her face. She smelled like roses warmed in the sun, her perfumed skin soft and smooth. She felt so delicate in his arms he loosened his hold on her for fear of hurting her.
Reaching the bed, he laid her down and stood staring at her for long minutes, brushing her cheek again with his fingertips before pulling off her boots and tugging the sheets up over her and leaving the room.
When he closed the door and turned toward the stairs, Jesse blocked his path, his features set in hard lines, his eyes narrowed.
“She’s mine, Rafe.”
Rafe wondered exactly what Jesse had seen and walked away from Grace’s door. When he reached the stairs he stopped and looked back at his brother. “I know she’s yours, Jesse. I just put her to bed. She’s had a long day. So have you. Let’s get some sleep. The sun will be up before we know it.”
The house was quiet as he turned out the
lamps and walked into the room off the kitchen. He’d been sleeping in there since he’d come back home. It was small but he didn’t have much in the way of possessions anyway. He closed the door and sat down on the bed to take his boots off.
As he undressed, thoughts of Grace filled his mind. He couldn’t seem to think of anything else for some reason and that had to stop. Like Jesse said, she was his and regardless of the fact Rafe knew a marriage between the two wouldn’t happen, it was clear, Jesse thought of her as his wife.
And so should he. If he wanted any peace, he’d have to. He’d have to push Grace as far away as he could get her and hoped she stayed there regardless of how much he wanted her for himself. He wasn’t the marrying kind. The proof of that lay buried in his memories and he fought to keep them there. If he was smart, he’d forget about Grace Kingston and keep his distance. He just hoped his heart would let him.
Chapter Six
Grace woke to the sound of banging. The incessant noise continued for long minutes before stopping. It started again moments later and she rose up on one elbow and looked out the window.
The sun was up, peeking over the mountains she could see in the distance and she wondered what time it was. She couldn’t hear any noise in the house and moved to the edge of the bed before sitting up. From this angle she could see Rafe and Jesse on the roof of the barn. They were already at work. She gasped when she realized she’d slept later than she should have.
Scrambling from the bed, she undressed, washed best she could with the cold water from the pitcher by the dresser, and slipped on a clean dress. Brushing her hair and repinning it, she took a quick glance at herself in the mirror before rushing out of the room.
Reaching the kitchen, Grace stared wide-eyed at the state of it. Dishes with the remains of breakfast still on them littered the table, the stovetop was again splattered with food and coffee and the sink was filled to the brim with pots and pans. She sighed, shaking her head before moving further into the room.
She’d slept longer than she thought if Rafe and Jesse had time to cook, eat, and start their day without her. She was almost embarrassed at doing so until she reminded herself of how hard she’d worked the evening before. Cleaning the kitchen just so she could fix supper for them had worn her out, not to mention actually cooking. She wasn’t trained in that particular area. Her father had seen no need in it. If she hadn’t spent so much time in the kitchens as a girl watching Gertrude, their family cook, and helping when she’d let her, she would have been in trouble. Thankfully the Samuels larder had been stocked with plenty of canned goods. It only took a little time to heat things and serve it all and thanks to Gertrude, making biscuits and apple pie was a task she could do blindfolded.
Walking to the counter, she found the flour sack she’d used the day before to make an apron and tied it around her waist. Pushing her sleeves up, she grabbed the pump handle beside the sink and gave it a few hard pushes. Nothing happened. A full five minutes later, it was apparent the water wasn’t coming into the house. Looking around the room, she spotted a bucket under the sink and grabbed it before heading for the back door.
The wind was brisk and cold as she stepped outside, chilling her skin instantly. She hurried back inside, found her cloak and hunched her shoulders as she ventured back into the crisp morning air, looking around the yard for a well. She spotted it near what she assumed had once been a garden.
As she crossed the dirt yard she gave the farm a thorough look. It was in as bad a shape as the house was. Everything looked neglected. The buildings were in ill repair, fences half fallen in places and dirt everywhere she looked.
Reaching the well, she lowered the bucket and glanced toward the barn, spotting Rafe. He was staring down at her. She smiled, threw her hand up and waved but frowned as he turned without acknowledging her. Jesse wasn’t so rude. He grinned and waved back.
When she pulled the bucket up and filled her own, the sound of horses running caught her attention. She turned toward the front of the house as three men on horseback came into the yard. She glanced up to the barn roof. Rafe leaned down and said something to Jesse before he started down the ladder. Jesse followed behind him and made his way to her. When he stopped, he grabbed her bucket of water and her arm. “Let’s go inside.”
“Who are those men?”
“Nobody you want to meet.”
Grace let him lead her into the house. When he shut the door behind her, she walked to the sink and looked out the window, watching Rafe and the men in the yard. “I assume you know who those men are?”
Jesse snorted. “Yeah. You could say that.”
The man in front was imposing even from a distance. He was tall, she could tell that even as he sat on his horse. His hair was the color of old wheat and hung to his shoulders in limp strands. A beard covered his face and the hat on his head shielded his eyes from her view. The two men behind him looked as if they hadn’t seen a bath in ages. Their clothes were dirty and coated in filth. They were both looking around the farm as if they were waiting for something. She had a bad feeling about them. “What are they doing here?”
“Came to threaten us again, I’d imagine.”
She turned to him. “Threaten you? About what?”
Jesse sighed and started clearing the table of the breakfast dishes. “That’s Ben Crowley and a couple of his foremen. He owns that big spread we passed yesterday, the one that borders our place. Well, for years, he’s claimed my pa stole most of his land from him, which is a bold faced lie. My pa would never do something like that.” He glanced up at her before shaking his head. “Anyway, when pa died, Ben came and said my pa had given him control of the ranch and all the grazing land and that I could stay in the house but he was going to take the cattle. I refused to let him have them, knowing he was lying. I did what I could around here, tried to keep everything running by myself, but then some of the cattle started disappearing.”
“Disappearing? How so?”
“Ben’s been stealing ‘em.” He looked up after stacking the dishes and crossed to the sink and laid them down. “Rafe says we lose about one a week now.”
Grace peered back out the window. It looked as if the men were arguing but she couldn’t hear any raised voices. Rafe’s posture alone told her he was agitated. His arms were folded across his chest, his head tilted to one side and even from this distance she could see his jaw was clenched. “Do you have proof he’s stealing your cattle?”
“No. And Marshal Avery says until we do, there ain’t nothin’ he can do about it.”
“Isn’t.”
Jesse raised an eyebrow at her. “Huh?”
“Isn’t. There isn’t anything he can do about it.” She turned to look at him and noticed the frown on his face. “What?”
He shook his head and said, “Nothing.”
She took one last glance out the window before grabbing her towel and wetting it. She had too much cleaning to do to worry about what Rafe and his surly neighbors were up to.
When Jesse moved to the back door and went outside, she put the men out of her mind. She’d have time later to ask questions about them. At the moment, she had other things to worry about.
Rafe listened to Ben with barely contained rage. The man had some nerve coming onto his property and demanding anything. Let alone trying to threaten him. He’d had about enough of the man’s hollow threats, too. He almost wished he would act on all those promises he made. Whether the marshal had legal rights to check Ben’s property for his stolen cattle or not, there wasn’t a doubt in Rafe’s mind that they were there.
And Ben knew there wasn’t anything he could do about it. Without proof, it was a lost cause.
Jesse came around the side of the house. Ben, and the men flanking him, smiled and sat up straighter on his horse. When Jesse reached them, Ben tipped his hat at him. “Morning, Jesse.”
“Ben.”
“I was just telling Rafe here that I thought some of my cattle might have wandered onto your property.
You wouldn’t know anything about that, now would you?”
Jesse straightened and narrowed his eyes at Ben. “No. Why would I?”
Ben chuckled. “No reason, I don’t guess. Just thought maybe you’d seen some strays around.”
Jesse looked at the other two men with Ben before smiling. “I seen some strays but they looked like nags to me, not cattle.”
Rafe rolled his eyes. His brother showed his age at the most inopportune times. He cleared his throat and gained Ben’s attention. “I’ll ride the fence line today, see if there’s a breach somewhere. If I find any of your cattle, I’ll steer them your way.”
“I’m obliged, Rafe. I’ll do the same.”
I’m sure you will. Rafe wasn’t a fool. He knew Ben had his cattle and one way or the other, he’d find a way to prove it. Just as Ben said his goodbyes and turned to leave, they were all distracted by the sound of the front door slamming against the side of the house.
Grace stepped out onto the porch, coughing and mumbling to herself while surrounded by a cloud of dust. She threw the rug she was carrying to the ground and waved her hands in front of her face while grumbling to herself. When she looked up and saw them, she straightened, raised a hand to tidy her hair and smiled. “Gentlemen.” She actually curtsied before turning around and reentering the house, shutting the door behind her. Rafe stared at the closed door for long moments before turning to face Ben. Just as he suspected, the man was still staring at the spot Grace had been standing.
Ben grinned at him when he turned his attention back to him. “She’s new. Finally decide to take another wife, Rafe?”
“She’s mine,” Jesse said. “As soon as the preacher comes back to town, we’ll be married.”
Ben and his two men stared at Jesse with wide eyes before they all three started laughing. Rafe watched Jesse’s face turn three shades of red before the kid started after Ben. Catching him by the back of his shirt, he threw him a warning look before shaking his head. “Let it go, little brother.”
If possible, Jesse’s entire face morphed then. “I told you to stop calling me little. I’m a man full grown!” He jerked away and stomped off to the laughter of Ben echoing across the yard.