by Danni Roan
“Hey,” he called to the other man, but when he looked up he could see why his partner for the day had let go. Headed toward them on a golden horse, its mane and tail streaming, galloped Katie.
Hank smiled, and couldn’t begrudge the man his lack of attention. Then in the distance he saw another horse, moving at a more sedate pace, come into sight. He was sure it was Fiona and before her rode his son. A huge smile covered his face in anticipation of seeing not just one but both of the people coming his way.
Fiona pulled up in front of where Hank had been working. The mountain of a man was grinning from ear to ear and for one fleeting moment she wished that smile was for her as much as it was for Eric.
Hank leapt over the log and in two strides stood by her mount. He lifted his arms to his son who threw himself off of the horse into his father’s embrace.
With barely a nod, he swung the boy up and around, settling him on his broad shoulders then he reached up and taking Fiona around her slim waist, lifted her right out of the saddle and onto the ground. The motion was so sudden, so unexpected that Fiona lost her footing and staggered into his solid form.
His hands on her waist steadied her, and a deep rumbling chuckle vibrated through his chest where her hands had landed as she tried to catch her balance. She sighed with the feeling of it, then remembering, herself stood up straight.
“Thank you,” she said primly, at the same time noticing her sister being soundly kissed by Will, while the men all looked on laughing.
Fiona blushed at the sight but secretly wished someone would someday kiss her that way.
“Pa.” Eric’s little voice floated down from his lofty perch. “What ya been doing out here?”
Hank’s keen eyes looked around him, seeing the steadily dwindling stack of logs, and the growing pile of wood planking.
“I’ll show you around and you can see.” Hank extended his elbow to Fiona, who accepted the polite offer.
Hank walked and talked, showing Fiona the work they’d accomplished. His large red wagon standing nearby was already half full of cross cut planking.
“We brought the timber down out of the hills from there,” Hank said, pointing toward a hill where a large swatch of pines had been felled.
“Jack and Scott weren’t sure what to think about pulling logs behind them but once they understood what they were to do they settled down to it.”
He turned to where the big horses stood now cropping the sun dried grass. “Will and I’ve been cutting the logs into sections and then Iss and the others have been splitting and cutting them into planks.” Pride was evident in his voice.
“I’m hoping that maybe once Will and Katie’s place is done I might be allowed to start on my own.” He looked closely at Fiona to measure her reaction.
A sudden sorrow seemed to settle over the young woman and Hank stopped his feet in their tracks. “Fiona?” he asked softly, boldly using her first name. Fiona halted next to him and looked up into his eyes.
“I’m sure it will be wonderful for you and Eric to have your own place,” she said, her voice wistful, but then she seemed to remember something and her smile returned. Hank walked her the rest of the way around the camp finally coming to a stop by the green chuck wagon.
“We just finished lunch,” Hank offered, feeling awkward. “I’m sure there’s something left if you’re hungry.” He didn’t ever remember offering to get food for a woman before and wondered if she thought him simple.
“No, that’s alright, we had sandwiches on the way.”
“They was from the leftover turkey,” Eric put in, “and they sure tasted nice.” Hank chuckled.
“I bet they were. Now tell me what you’ve been doing since I left.” And with the words he swung the boy down off of his shoulders and settled him on a crate by the wagon. It seemed that the boy had been very busy with Fiona.
They’d done mending, and Hank was pleased to hear that the boy could sew a button on now without pricking his finger even once. They were also busy playing with the rapidly growing colt, teaching him to lead alongside his mother so that he’d be gentle when it was time for him to take a saddle and bridle.
Hank listened to his son rattling on about all of the things he had been doing while his father was away, all the time trying to sneak glances at Fiona without her noticing.
He studied the curve of her cheek, and the soft slope of her small nose. Her eyes danced as the boy continued to talk. Hank licked his lips as his mouth went dry when his eyes came to her smiling mouth.
“There you two are,” Joshua said, approaching the now cold fire pit. “How was your ride out?” he asked Fiona, smiling at her fondly. “I’m surprised Meg didn’t come out,” he added, eyeing Hank.
“She said she wasn’t up to it yet,” Fiona replied to her father, rising and giving him a kiss on the cheek. “I’m sure she’ll be pleased to see everyone home again soon though.” She cast a glance at Hank.
Katie and Fiona could only stay about an hour. The winter nights came early now and they needed to be home before dark. Will, being the gentleman he was offered to escort them home but was laughed down by the other men.
“We’ll be home tomorrow,” Isadoro told everyone, “but not if we don’t get back to work.” And with that there was a mad scrabble back to saws and axes.
Will walked Katie back to her horse and Hank lifted Eric up on to his shoulders again as he walked beside Fiona.
“It was sure nice of you to bring Eric out to see me,” he said, as they both determinedly ignored the soft smooching noises coming from behind Hank’s back as the recently wed couple said goodbye.
“Be careful going home,” he added in a slightly louder voice then once again wrapped his large hands around Fiona’s waist and lifted her up onto her horse.
“Oh!” She gasped in surprise but turned her attention to adjusting her divided riding skirt around her ankles. Once she was settled Hank whirled Eric off of his shoulders and sat him firmly in front of the young woman who was quickly stealing his heart.
“You be a good boy, now,” he reminded Eric then ruffled the boy’s hair. Fiona took one more look at the handsome man who stood tall and straight next to her horse, and wishing to do anything but, she turned her mount and heeled her horse into a walk.
The sound of thundering hooves a half a mile later told her that Katie had finally been able to drag herself away from Will.
That night after a late supper Fiona was tired so when she tucked Eric in for the night in her own bed she snuggled down with him ready for sleep. The little boy tossed about at first but then settled into the big pillows and sighed. A chill moon peeped through a crack in the curtains, casting a ghostly light into the room. Slowly her eyes closed and she began to drift off to sleep.
“Fona.” A little voice called softly to her.
“Hm?” she replied wishing the boy had already dozed off.
“Can I marry you when I grow up?” His sweet words touched her heart and she smiled, all disappointment in not being allowed to sleep whisked away by the question.
They lay there silent together for a moment then she replied as honestly as she could.
“I’m afraid I’m probably a little too old for you.” She told him.
“That’s what my pa said too.” He yawned loudly, “I guess Pa’lljust have to marry you like I told him then,” the boy offered, his voice so matter of fact it was almost a proclamation.
Fiona lay eyes wide, body stiff as a post, in the warm bed staring at the ceiling. What in the world had he been talking to his father about? She wondered.
Didn’t the boy understand that his father had feelings for Meg? It was so obvious especially after he’d heard her sing. What was she supposed to do if the boy believed she and her father would be wed?
With her sorrow now compounded Fiona lay awake staring at the all too familiar planking of the ceiling. What could she do to fix this situation? How could she help the boy understand that his father had not chosen her but h
er sister?
Her rebellious heart stirred in her breast, protesting as her mind strained to work out how to set things right. She'd have to make the boy love Meg. It was the best she could do. Squeezing her eyes shut against the pain in her chest, she set her jaw with determination. Eric's happiness was more important than hers and she would see that she did all she could to make his life happy.
Chapter 10
The house was abuzz with activity as everyone prepared for the men's return. While Deeks and Walt prepared a lean-to for storage of the fresh wood, Nona and Katie argued over what to prepare for lunch, each wanting to make something special.
They finally agreed that they'd make one dish for lunch and another for supper. Katie was determined to make a cake for dessert and her anxious fluttering about in the kitchen kept the other girls smiling behind her back.
Fiona watched as the twins passed through the parlor, heads together, whispering conspiratorially as usual. Taking a moment to truly looked at her younger sisters she thanked the good Lord that both of them had a sweet nature to go along with their inquisitive attitudes, if either of them had even a bit of the devil in them... she shivered to think of the mayhem that might have been wrought on the Broken J. Mae was enough to deal with.
"Fona?" Eric asked as he looked up from where he'd been stacking blocks into a structure.
"Yes?"
"When will Pa be back?" his big blue eyes looked at her imploringly.
"They should all be back very soon," she answered kindly. "I'm sure they'll be here by lunch time."
The boy smiled and went back to his construction.
Fiona continued her knitting, this time working on a scarf. She'd been steadily working on making Christmas gifts for everyone and the men would all be getting new scarves.
This one was a little different though. It was the last one she needed to make and was multi-colored as she'd worked her way down to the last bits of her yarn. The scarf pattern consisted of a wide horizontal stripe of burgundy, then gold, followed by brown and then blue. Each color swatch nearly four inches wide. Fiona smiled at the pattern. Perhaps it was a bit over the top but the mish-mash of colors were cheerful, and creating a pleasing design delighted her.
The clatter of hooves on the hard packed earth outside, alerted everyone to the arrival of the men. Eric lifted his head with a smile, jumped to his feet and without coat or hat dashed out onto the front porch.
The women were only a few steps behind, as they paused to snatch warm shawls from their pegs.
Katie, like Eric, dashed out into the brisk air beaming at Will who jumped from his saddle and grabbed her in a warm embrace.
Eric hesitated on the front step as his father set the brake on the big wagon then clambered down to lift the boy in a bear hug. He smiled brightly at Fiona in appreciation for her care of his son.
Hank smiled as his son dashed out onto the wide front porch of the big ranch house and stopped. He was proud that his son remembered not to race up to the horses. His eyes fell on Fiona where she stood, a dark gray woolen shawl pulled around her slim figure. He smiled at her, noting the wistful expression on her pretty face.
She offered a smile to her father, and the other men who were dismounting. He wished she'd offer a smile to him. Behind him he could hear Will and Katie's reunion and his heart lurched in his barrel chest.
Would he ever be allowed to draw the beautiful woman on the porch into his arms and hold her as his own? He needed to talk to Meg. Surely she would know what to do to win the affections of Fiona. His eyes cast around the porch to find the copper haired woman, and he nodded, hoping to somehow make her understand he needed to talk. Meg smiled up at him, comprehension in her eyes.
Fiona, couldn't help but see the exchange between Hank and her sister, and despite her efforts to put on a brave face, her heart plummeted. For the first time in a long time she felt lonely while completely surrounded by all of the people she loved.
Still plucking up her courage she determined to be strong. She would get over this heart ache; after all it had only been a few weeks. She'd simply found someone attractive; it was only infatuation and would pass. It was silly of her to think she could fall in love in only a handful of weeks.
Walt and Deeks came around the house, grinning and chatting to the other men.
“We made a shelter for the wood,” Deeks told Isadoro and Josh. “Just out back of the soddy.” He waved his hands to clarify.
“Hank, you drive your wagon on around there and park it. We’ll unload everything after lunch,” Josh said.
“Sure, boss,” Hank said with a wicked gleam in his eye. He’d found that most of the hands teased Joshua James with the term. Swinging Eric up on the high wagon seat he scrabbled up after him then released the brake and shook out the reins. Jack and Scott stepped out, red coats gleaming in the afternoon sun.
“I sure am glad you’re home now Pa,” Eric said as they set off along the beaten path. “I been real good for Fona, just like you said.”
Hank smiled at the boy, noting his bright eyes and childish glee.
“I’m real proud of you for being so good,” Hank said. “I know it was different with me being away.”
The boy was quiet while the wheels of the big wagon turned over and over. Then he spoke.
“It was OK Pa. I had Fona and I know she loves me so I wasn’t sad or worried or anything.”
A warm feeling suddenly came over Hank, as the boy’s words tugged at his heart. It was a strange comfort to know that even when he wasn’t around his boy was safe and loved. He cast a glance over his shoulder trying to catch a glimpse of the woman who had captured his heart, but she’d already retreated into the house with the others.
While Will took Katie off for a stroll the rest of the woman headed back into the house to lay the table for lunch. Nona had cooked up another traditional Italian dinner with long fresh loaves of bread and all of the favorite things her husband liked to eat, but even with the excitement of the mens’ safe return she didn’t miss the down cast look on her granddaughter’s face.
No sooner had they all arrived back in the hub of the house when she called all of the girls to her with a determined scowl on her softly aging features. Once all the young women were assembled she very calmly took down a large bottle full of a pail orange liquid. In unison the girls moaned.
“I do not want to hear one complaint.” Their grandmother glared at each one of them. Obediently they lined up and one by one were fed a tablespoon of cod liver oil. Gagging and chocking on the vile substance, they quickly snatched up a small cube of bread to rid themselves of the taste.
“Too many of you are not looking well,” Nona pronounced. “I’m not having a house full of sick girls.” Her stern eyes rested for just a moment longer on Fiona, who mustered a bright smile, trying to convince Nona that she was indeed the picture of health.
Mae felt no such compunction as she grimaced and contorted her face to make her feelings plainly evident.
Lunch was the usual noisy affair, with everyone talking and laughing together. The men raved about the meal, while Billy grumbled about not being appreciated.
“Can feed their-selves next time…” he could be heard to mumble between second helpings of everything.
After the meal had finished, Hank asked to be excused to tend his horses. He’d put them up but had not taken the harness off of them earlier. His dark gray eyes stole a significant look at Meg.
“Oh, I’ll go with you,” the free spirited girl said, “in case you can’t find something.” All around the table sly smiles were hidden behind hasty sips of coffee or feigned frowns.
“Can I come too Pa?” Eric asked. Hank looked across the table at Meg, who nodded ever so slightly.
“That sounds like a great idea.” Meg replied to the boy’s question. “Maybe we’ll even go for a walk after wards.”
Together the trio, rose from the table and made their way to the front door.
Fiona pushed her food a
round on her plate a little longer then excused herself. She forced a smile for her grandmother as she walked by, hoping to prevent another dosing.
Silently pulling her shawl from a peg by the door she slipped it around her shoulders then stepped into the chill air. For a moment she didn’t know where she intended to go.
She looked longingly across the yard to the big barn, its heavy plank doors closed against the brisk breeze. With a sigh she turned right, walking along the length of the wrap around porch and down the back stairs toward a small grove of tall black cottonwood trees on the edge of the property.
To her left she caught a glimpse of the huge red wagon parked behind the little sod shack. Sorrow wormed its way into her heart.
Beneath the now bare branches of the dark trees three large gray headstones rose, like petrified flowers in a fallow field.
Fiona walked among the graves, her small white hands tracing their edges. She walked passed Sue Lynn’s grave first. She remembered the tiny black haired woman who had, for all to brief a time, been her step mother. Moving on she circled Cammy’s resting place.
This was the face she associated with mother as it was the first one she had known.
Then she stepped up to the oldest stone and rested her hands on its curved top. MARY BRIDGETTE JAMES, the inscription read. Fiona sighed realizing that a name was almost all she had from her birth mother.
Silently she knelt on the soft earth, trying to find some bond, some closeness with the woman who had borne her.
“Mother,” she finally whispered, her words soft, reverent. “I wish I knew how to deal with this pain in my heart.” She let the silence of the day engulf her. “Perhaps if you were here you would have known what to do.”
Raising her head she looked at the next stone over. “Or maybe Cammy…” she let the words taper away on the wind.