While she was upstairs, he found plates, cutlery, and mugs, setting the table for three. When he finished, he stood at the window by the table and stared out into the early morning darkness. He could see a light on in a building that looked like a cabin and assumed it must be the bunkhouse. A lone figure trudged through the snow to the barn. The door squeaked in protest as the cowboy opened it and disappeared inside. Soon light shone from the barn windows, too.
It appeared everyone at Sage Hills Ranch rose early. Since it was barely five, Klayne assumed he could sneak out of the house without disturbing anyone. Evidently, he needed a refresher course on rural life. It had been years since he’d milked a cow or gathered eggs, but he was tempted to go outside and ask if he could help. Delaney was right, though, when she said he wasn’t dressed to traipse around in the snow, and that meant doing chores, too.
A stair creaked, drawing his gaze to the doorway as Dill walked into the room.
“Morning, Sergeant Campbell. Sleep okay?” Dill asked, pulling a suspender up over one brawny shoulder.
“I did, sir. Thank you for allowing me to spend the night.”
Dill grinned. “I’m the one who should thank you for making sure my daughter arrived home safely, son. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but that girl can be a little headstrong.”
Klayne chuckled. “I have made note of that, sir. That’s part of what makes her different, special.”
The rancher raised a bushy eyebrow and gave Klayne a studying glance as he tugged on a heavy sheepskin-lined chore coat. “I need to see to a few chores before breakfast. Just make yourself at home. Sis will be down in a minute.”
“Thank you, sir.” Klayne took a step toward the doorway. “May I offer my assistance, sir?”
Dill shook his head. “No. It won’t take long to do this morning’s chores. Besides, you’d ruin your snappy clothes out in the barn.” The man yanked on a pair of boots, lit a lantern, and headed outside through the laundry room. Cold air whipped into the kitchen, making Klayne glad he could stay inside. He’d spent so much time in warmer winter climates, he hadn’t yet adjusted to being somewhere it snowed and the temperatures hadn’t topped the freezing point in days.
A shiver passed over him as he again glanced outside and watched a big dog playfully romp through the snow around Dill as he made his way to the barn.
“That’s Moose,” a soft voice said from behind him, startling him. He spun around and looked at Delaney as she tied a dark blue ribbon around the end of her braid. She dropped the heavy, gleaming rope and it slid down her back, reaching halfway to her waist. He took note of the jeans she wore with a thick blue and white flannel shirt. She looked ready for work on a busy ranch, which is exactly where they were.
“Moose?” he asked, forcing himself to take a step back before he kissed her rosy lips that turned up slightly at the corners. That slight upturn made her look like she was always ready to burst into a smile.
“Our dog’s name is Moose.” She pointed out the window to where the canine buried his face in the snow then lifted his head and shook it, as though he played a grand game.
“Moose, huh? What kind of dog is he?”
“A Rhodesian Ridgeback.”
At his shocked look, she grinned. “One day a few years back, Dad went into town to meet the train. He’d ordered some parts for the tractor and they shipped them via railcar. Anyway, he’d loaded the parts and stopped to talk to some friends who were also picking up items at the depot. After the train pulled out, Dad started to leave but noticed a puppy wandering around the platform. The poor thing had feet that seemed twice as big as they should be, floppy ears, and his ribs poked out from being starved. Dad asked around, but no one claimed him, so he left word in the depot if someone came looking for a puppy to send them our way. But no one ever came looking for him. Dad thinks someone may have stowed him on the train to get rid of him or something along those lines. At any rate, we’ve got a big, gangly beast who loves to play and is an excellent guard dog. He can be a little stubborn, but he makes up for it with friendly affection. When my nephew comes to visit, Ry and Moose have the best time playing together.”
“He looks like quite a dog.” Klayne watched the dog romping in the snow in the light spilling from the house. “Do you have any problem with him treating the animals on the place like prey?”
She nodded. “Hunting is such a big part of that breed of dog. We worked with him a lot to ingrain what was okay for him to hunt and what was not. You’d be hard pressed to find a rabbit on the place, but he leaves the cattle, horses, pigs, chickens, and ducks alone.” A grin brought out an intense sparkle in her eyes. “For the most part.”
Klayne volunteered to cook eggs while Delaney fried crispy bacon. His mouth watered as she piled a plate full of the salty pieces and set it on the table.
Dill returned with a red nose and chilled hands, ready for a cup of hot coffee. He tucked something into the oven, washed his hands, and then motioned toward the table. After he asked a blessing, the three of them ate breakfast then Klayne helped wash and dry the dishes.
“Give me about ten minutes and I’ll be ready to take you to town,” Dill said, bundling up before he headed back outdoors.
“Are you coming, too?” Klayne asked, glancing to Delaney as she hung the damp dishtowel up to dry.
“Would you like me to go along?” She took an empty tin down from a pantry shelf and packed it full of butter cookies, giving him a coy glance from beneath her long, dark eyelashes.
“Nah. Why would a nice boy like me want to be seen with a wild girl like you?”
Her head snapped up and she glared at him a moment before she noticed the grin tugging at his full lips as he bit back a smile.
“Why, indeed, Sergeant? If you’re going to be ornery, I won’t give you these cookies.” She held the tin to her chest, as though she protected a great treasure.
“Please, Delaney? I promise I’ll behave. And to answer your question, I’d very much like you to go with us to Pendleton. But if you have responsibilities you need to see to this morning, I understand.”
“I don’t have anything to do that can’t wait until I get back. It’ll be fun to ride in freezing temperatures through the deep drifts of snow.” She shot him a saucy smile. “I couldn’t miss out on an opportunity like that.”
Klayne shook his head. “You are crazy, Delaney Danvers.”
She set the tin of cookies on the counter then wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head against his chest. “I am crazy, about you.”
Stunned by her words, Klayne didn’t know what to say. Unable to form a response, he folded his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.
They remained that way for a minute or two until Delaney pulled back. “Will you be warm enough on the way to town? If you need extra socks or warmer clothes to wear, you can borrow something of Dad’s.”
“I’ll be fine,” Klayne said. The warm car would keep him from freezing in his dress slacks and shirt with a nice jacket. At least he’d worn his heavy coat and had gloves and a scarf.
“Suit yourself.” She shrugged and disappeared down the hall. Quickly returning with two thick bath towels, she removed bricks from the oven and wrapped them in the towels, leaving them on the counter. Hastily, she pulled on a dark blue sweater, and a heavy chore coat similar to the one Dill wore. A bulky navy blue scarf encircled her neck and she pulled on a white stocking cap that covered her ears. After yanking on a pair of leather gloves, she pulled bright red mittens over the top of them then pointed to the towel-wrapped bricks. “Let’s take those out to Dad.”
He lifted the bricks and followed her outside to where her father hitched a team of draft horses to a black sleigh decorated with gold and burgundy trim. It looked like something out of a Currier and Ives painting he’d once seen in a store window.
A grin split his face and he felt as giddy as a boy with two bits to spend on candy at the drugstore. “We’re riding in this? All the way to t
own?”
Dill smiled at him as he adjusted a shiny silver buckle. “We sure are, son. There’s more than a foot of new snow and with it drifted, the sleigh should be the easiest, fastest way to get to town. You two ready to go?”
“Yes, sir,” Klayne said, handing Delaney the bricks as she tucked them onto the floor of the sleigh and covered them with a thick blanket to stay warm.
“I forgot your cookies,” Delaney said, running back inside the house.
“And I forgot the bells,” Dill said, heading to the barn.
Slowly, Klayne ran a hand along the high back of the horse nearest him. He’d almost reached the animal’s pale yellow mane when Moose bounded over and stopped a few feet away, head tilted to the side as he studied him.
The dog had such deep, soulful eyes, Klayne felt drawn to them. With unhurried movements, he hunkered down, removed his glove, and held out his hand for the dog to sniff.
Moose took his time leaning forward and inhaling Klayne’s scent. He took a second whiff before he inched closer and licked the back of Klayne’s hand. “Hey, boy. Do I pass muster? What do you think?”
As though the canine understood him, Moose gave a soft woof and moved until he leaned against Klayne’s side. Klayne rubbed the dog along his back and scratched behind his ears.
“See you made a new friend,” Delaney said, walking over to him.
He smiled and continued rubbing the canine. “He’s a great dog, Delaney.”
“He is pretty great.” She rubbed a mitten over the dog’s face. “Normally, he doesn’t take to strangers, so you really must be a good guy.”
Klayne patted the dog’s side. “What can I say? He’s got great taste. Don’t you boy?”
The dog woofed and raised his backend, wagging his tail, ready to play. Before Klayne could find something to toss for the dog to fetch, the tinkle of bells rang through the crisp morning air. Dill walked out of the barn carrying a leather strap with sleigh bells attached to it.
He fastened it to the harness of the horses then motioned to the sleigh. “Shall we get going?”
“Yep! We need to be sure Klayne is there before nine, Dad.”
“Even with the drifts, it shouldn’t take more than an hour and a half. We’ll be there in plenty of time,” Dill said, sliding onto the seat of the sleigh.
Delaney tucked the tin of cookies and a thermos beneath the seat then grinned at Klayne. He offered her a hand as she climbed onto the sleigh and sat down next to her dad. With effort, he folded his long legs into the limited space on the end of the seat. She pulled up a thick blanket then Dill reached behind him and settled a buffalo robe over the top of them.
“Where in the heck did you get this?” Klayne asked as he tucked the heavy robe in around his side.
The rancher wrapped the reins around his hands, released the brake, and clucked to the horses. The two draft horses leaned into the harness and the sleigh moved forward, gliding across the snow. “The sleigh or the old robe?” he asked.
“Both.” Klayne couldn’t stop his smile. He’d always wanted to ride in a sleigh and now he’d get to, all the way into Pendleton. The bricks kept his feet toasty warm, and he was grateful Delaney had placed them on the floor.
“My father purchased the sleigh the first winter he spent here in Pendleton. He was courting a lovely girl and thought this might help woo her.”
“Did it?” Klayne asked Dill.
The man nodded. “Sure did. He married her that spring and they had forty happy years of marriage. My mother’s family had this old buffalo robe. Her grandfather shot the buffalo and tanned the hide. We only use it when we take the sleigh out for a run, which is why it smells a little musty.”
“But you don’t notice it when you’re outside,” Delaney said, nestling into the warm covers between the two men.
Klayne wanted to reach out and adjust the robe around her, make sure she was warm enough, but he didn’t. Not with Dill sitting on the other side of her.
On the way into town, Dill pointed out various farms and ranches, talked about families who had been in the area for a long time and those who were newcomers. “That’s the Second Chance Ranch,” he said, pointing to a pretty place as the sleigh whooshed past it. “Back in the early years of the century, Gideon McBride was the owner of a popular saloon in town. He met his wife when she led a temperance committee that was determined to shut down every saloon in town. Pendleton, and the county, voted in prohibition back in 1908. Gideon married Millie and together they converted his saloon into a restaurant. One of their boys runs it now. If you have a chance, stop by McBride’s Café. The family also owns several properties in town.”
“A saloon owner and a temperance worker? That’s quite a story,” Klayne mused as they traveled closer to Pendleton. The watery light of predawn had given way to approaching daylight. From the lemony yellow streamers poking over the horizon, it looked as though it would be a beautiful day.
“Where did you grow up, Sergeant?” Dill asked, waving at a neighbor as he drove a feed wagon out to a pasture full of fat cattle. The red and black hides of the bovines stood out in stark contrast to the white landscape.
“Here and there,” Klayne said, watching the cattle follow the feed wagon, eager for breakfast. “I was born in Oklahoma, but I’ve lived everywhere from California to Florida. I’ve spent some time in South America, too.”
“Where in Oklahoma were you born?” Delaney gave him an odd look.
Klayne shrugged. “When I was eleven, I was in an orphanage in Kansas. Late one night, I snuck into the office, pried open the cabinet with files and found mine. No one would tell me about my past and I needed to know. From the few forms I found, I was left at an orphanage in the Oklahoma panhandle in 1912. I vaguely recall flat land and dirt, lots of dirt, but I don’t remember how long I remained there. Through the years, I was in and out of various orphanages in several states.” Klayne wouldn’t share the rest of the details he’d discovered in that midnight raid of his personal files. No one needed to know the details surrounding his birth.
“Oh, that’s terrible.” Delaney slid her hand onto his thigh beneath the blankets and gave it a gentle pat before pulling it back.
Unsettled by her touch and sincerity, Klayne hid his reaction beneath a nonchalant shrug. “It wasn’t so bad. I got to see a lot of this great nation of ours. Eventually, I made a good friend. He and I decided it would be smart to enlist and here I am.”
Dill looked around Delaney to Klayne. “Have you been in Pendleton long?”
“I was here for the Round-Up, but left right after. We returned in late November.” Klayne held back the fact he figured they’d soon leave Pendleton. America was desperate for a win, be it against the Japanese or the Germans. To accomplish that feat, more soldiers needed to be in the action.
“What do you think of Pendleton?” Dill asked as they glided along at a good clip. The bells chimed a pleasing melody with each step of the horses while the sleigh runners whooshed over the newly fallen snow. So far, they hadn’t encountered a single vehicle. In fact, it appeared no one had dared attempt travel on the snow-covered road.
Klayne cocked his head to the side and smirked. “You’ve got a reservation full of Indians on one end of town and an insane asylum on the other. I can honestly say I’ve never been in a town quite like Pendleton.”
Delaney scowled while Dill snickered. “It is unique, but it’s home.”
“Despite the town’s Wild West reputation, I’ve found most of the residents to be quite friendly and welcoming. If I could pick a place to settle down in the future, I wouldn’t mind staying here,” Klayne said, waving a hand around them. “Well, at least when it isn’t so cold and snowy.”
“Shoot, son, this ain’t nothing. You should have been here the winter of…” Dill kept them entertained with stories the remainder of the trip. As he guided the sleigh onto Pendleton Field, the sun turned the snow around them into glistening diamonds that made them all squint against the shimmering
brightness.
Klayne glanced at his watch as Dill tugged on the reins, pulling the horses to a stop. He had a full hour before he had to report. With quick movements, he jumped down from the sleigh and tucked the blanket and robe around Delaney to keep any warmth from escaping. She gave him a look that heated him from the inside out.
“Thank you both for getting me back here with time to spare. I appreciate your help and kindness. Would you like to warm up before you head back?” Klayne reached out and shook Dill’s hand then stepped back, wishing he could kiss Delaney. The cold had brightened the roses in her cheeks. Her fascinating hazel eyes sparked with a zest for life that held a magnetic pull. At least they did for him.
“Our pleasure, Sergeant, and thank you for offering to let us warm up. I think we’re fine,” Dill said. “Come out to the ranch anytime you like. You’re always welcome.”
Klayne dipped his head in appreciation and took another step back. “Thank you, sir. I might just do that.” He glanced at Delaney. “Have a safe trip back to the ranch and thanks again.”
Before he gave in to the urge to kiss her, he hustled toward his barracks so he could shower and change.
Dill snapped the lines and the horses leaned into the harness again. Delaney watched Klayne’s departing form until her father nudged her with his elbow.
“You like him, don’t you, Sis.” He didn’t ask it as a question, but rather offered it as a plain statement of fact.
“I do, Dad.” Heavily, she sighed. “Heaven help me, but I do.”
Dill hid a grin. “Well, I hate to say it, but I like him, too. He seems like a respectable, responsible young man. I won’t say anything if you want to spend time with him while he’s stationed here, but just keep in mind that boy will have to leave, most likely sooner than you’d like. Make sure he doesn’t break your heart when he goes.”
Mutely, Delaney nodded. Her heart was already too far gone after the handsome soldier to be anything but shattered when he left. But she couldn’t and wouldn’t think about that today. There’d be plenty enough time to worry about that later.
Home of Her Heart (Hearts of the War Book 2) Page 7