by Rita Hestand
Her mind clamored for answers to her problems. What was she going to do? How could she support Frankie if she lost this place? Where would they go? Her folks were dead, long ago, she had no family. And being Jewish only complicated things.
The only thing she knew how to do was sew and she had already taken in more than she could handle.
Oh Mark, how I miss you! You always had an answer.
But even her marriage to Mark had been one of agreement, not love. She'd probably never know love. And why was she even worried about something like that at a time like this?
It all seemed so hopeless.
As she went back inside she went into the kitchen and found Les sitting at the table. His expression was unreadable. He was able to walk now with a limp, but able nonetheless.
He'd be gone soon too. So why had he bothered to try to protect her? She knew she should thank him. But it was hard. She didn't like relying on someone else to fight her battles.
"Want some coffee?" He offered her as he glanced at her.
She moved her chair toward the stove and picked up the pot. "I'll get it myself."
Her voice belied her depression.
"I'm sorry I interfered. It's not like me. But I hate land grabbers. I've seen too many of them."
"Apology noted, Mr. Harper." She said blandly.
Her shoulders slumped her head bent, she didn't bother looking at Les. The hopelessness she felt crawled all over her. She had to harden herself to life.
"Frankie at school?" Les asked as he sipped his coffee.
"Yes…"
"Good thing he wasn't here." Les remarked.
She turned her head and studied the coffee cup. "He knows what is going to happen as well as I do." Her voice was tight with constraint. "He wants to be a man, and stand up for what he knows is his, but he's too young and no one would listen."
"Maybe, maybe not…"
She whirled her chair so she could look him in the eye, now. "What are you talking about? Why are you here, giving me hope, when there is none." She cried.
"Your not a defeatist. You said this land was in your husband's name."
"That's right."
"And he didn't leave a will?"
"That's right too."
"But Frankie is his son, a direct heir."
"So?"
"So, the land would go to him. Automatically as his only living relative."
"Yes, but he's under age…" She began.
"Yes ma'am, but you are his guardian, aren't you?"
"Well, yes, yes I am." Something in her lit a spark of hope. This man lit that spark. "Mark made that part legal when we married. Actually, before we married. In case something happened to him. He didn't want Frankie being sent off to an orphanage. Me not being his birth mother, they might have tried to get rid of him to get the land. So Mark had his lawyer draw up a paper so that couldn't happen. What are you getting at?"
Les took his hat off, and sipped his coffee. "Then the land would legally go to him, and since you are his legal guardian, you would manage that land until he reached a certain age. They couldn't take it away from him or you."
"Do you know this for a fact?" She asked, a thread of hope softening her voice.
"I'm pretty sure how it works. But only a judge could tell us. Tell you what, I'll find out for you."
"How can you do that?" Her eyes held shock, and hope.
"Judge Martindale over in Sweet Water would know. I'll ride over there and find out. He'd know what to do." Les offered.
"You know a judge?"
She stared at him now, trying to understand him. "Why do you care one way or another, Mr. Harper?"
His eyes sought hers now, and something deep within her stirred to life. She knew why, instinctively now and it shocked and scared her all at once. He couldn't possibly care about her. It had to be pity.
"I have always been for the underdog ma'am. Don't like nice folks being taken advantage of. You need somebody on your side, Mrs. Prescott. You took a bullet out of me. You probably saved my life. I guess I owe you one."
"You don't owe me anything…" She began.
"Let's don't quibble over that…" he said, his voice was low, like a whisper. "I'll be back." He nodded to her as he put his hat on and got up to leave.
"Aren't you afraid of being captured yourself?" She asked bluntly. "And you didn't answer me, how do you know a judge?"
He turned to look at her, "I told you, I'm a Ranger, we know a lot of people. Sorry I gave you a wrong impression, ma'am, but I'm not wanted anywhere. You have no problems with me."
She looked startled that he knew what she'd been thinking.
"Are you well enough to travel?" Concern laced her voice.
"I'll be fine…" He winked at her. "Oh, before I go, do you happen to have the paper of guardianship?"
"Well…yes, I do. Just a minute, I'll go get it."
She went into her bedroom and went through a drawer, then pulled out a cigar box she kept important papers in. She found it and wheeled herself into the kitchen once more.
"Here it is…"
"Great." He took it and stuffed into his pocket. He tipped his hat and left.
"How do you know so much about the law?"
"That's kind of a strange story, but I wanted to be a lawyer when I was younger. But that was a long time ago."
"Did you go to college?"
"No ma'am. It was just a dream, but I read law books and such. So I know a lot of the laws that have been passed."
"You speak Latin?"
"Sort of. I speak Spanish, and I made out fair with that. What I couldn't figure out, I'd ask someone that did."
She stared after him a long time. He was such a force, and her heartbeat quickened wondering why he seemed so bent on helping her.
He was nothing like Mark. Mark had been a quiet and gentle man. He worked hard and spoke little and always made sure that what he did was legal. Owning land was a responsibility he had told her. Now she believed it.
But Les was a man of action. Did he see her as an underdog, or something more. His smoldering glances said it was more than that. She hadn't had a man look at her quite like that in all her life. It stirred something primitive in her. She suddenly wished her own circumstance were different. However, she doused those thoughts quickly. It would do nothing but hurt her in the end. She had no way of maintaining a relationship with a man.
To even think such a thing, made her question herself. She had long ago resigned herself to this chair and her capabilities were limited. There was no reason to think differently now.
Chapter Seven
"Ma, Ma, where's Les?" Frankie called to her from outside as he came running in with a string of catfish dangling from his hand.
"He's gone over to the Sweet Water, he'll be back. Why?" His mother looked at the fish and laughed. "Wonderful, I'll clean them and we'll have a fish fry."
She moved toward him and got stuck by a rut in the floor. The flooring was in shambles and needed some work, but Anna hadn't had the time lately.
"Frankie, can you help me?"
"Sure, hold on Ma." Frankie lifted a corner up of the chair and pushed it until it was away from the rut. He was getting stronger every day and she was thankful. It was hard to ask anyone to help her, but at least she had Frankie. So many times he had come to her rescue. She shouldn't be relying on him all the time either.
"We need to fix that…want me to go over to Mr. Harvey's and see if he can come over and fix it?"
"No…" She shook her head. "He's done enough around here. I'm sure he's busy. We don't want to impose any more than we have to, Frankie. We'll get around to it, soon enough. Besides, we just have to answer questions about Les Harper being here. And I wouldn't know what to tell him. Let's wait…" She didn't want Mr. Harvey getting any more ideas about her and him getting married. .
The sad part was, Mr. Harvey would be a more suitable suitor for her, because at his age, surely he wouldn't demand anything from her. But she just didn't care fo
r him like that. Besides, she couldn't humble herself enough to let a man help her.
Mark had been close to her own age, and quite handsome, but still very much in love with his dead wife. However, he was a good man and he didn't demand anything of her. They never had relations. Fact was, she was still a virgin.
Except Les. Why hadn't she stopped him from helping her?
But this…what he offered to do, could settle things between her and Ledbetter. She could not turn down this kind of help.
"Me and Corky stopped by after school at the creek."
"Did you share the fish with Corky?" His mother asked.
"Yes ma'am." Frankie replied. "I wanted to show Les how many I got."
"Did you catch all these by yourself?"
"Yes sum."
"He'll see that when I fry this up." She smiled as she put the fish in the basin.
She stirred her beans and made a pan of cornbread, then began cleaning the fish.
Frankie had chores so he went outside. He had to clean out the stalls and feed and water the stock. Frankie worked more than most his age. He not only did most of the chores, but he helped her in every way. He was such a good boy. He never complained about what he had to do, he knew, and he did them. She couldn't ask for better. She loved him, and if she had nothing else, that would be enough.
Worrying all day over her troubles though, she felt a tear run down her cheek and swiped it away before Frankie saw it.
He was so happy today, she didn't want to spoil it.
She was about to put the fish in the iron skillet, when Les walked in. She hadn't heard him ride up.
She accidently burned her hand on the frying pan when she turned to look at him.
"Oh," she jerked away quickly.
Les came to her side. "Here, let me look at it?"
He turned her hand over and saw the raw burn.
"Let's get some cold water on it, then some butter." He directed.
He poured some water from the wash bowl on her hand, then he got the butter and after she wheeled over to the table, he took her hand and smeared the butter on it.
It was an intimate act and brought all her senses to the front. If she didn't know better she would have sworn he was doing it slowly on purpose. She looked up at him with startled eyes. She couldn't allow this and she knew it, but the mere touch from someone, in such a long time had her senses overloading.
She smelled the saddle leather on him, she recognized his slight limp of a walk now. And something at the base of her neck, told her he was too near. Funny how he seemed to affect her.
"Frankie was looking for you," She said when she saw him staring at her.
After smearing the butter slowly, over her hand, he moved away, but not without a glance into her eyes.
He leaned on one of the chairs. He nodded, his gaze seemed to go over her before he spoke. "I saw him. He said he had a mess of catfish for supper."
"Yes, he was so proud…" Anna put a pan full of fish in the skillet and then moved her hand away from the heat. "He wanted to show them to you. He thinks a lot of you."
"Let me watch these for you. Heat can be painful on a burn."
"Yes, thank you…"
"He's a good kid. You raised him well." Les commented giving her a backward glance.
"I don't know what I would do without him…" She chuckled. "I've become self sufficient with his help, and a neighbor."
"Mr. Harvey no doubt. The way you keep mentioning him, I wonder if he might be a little more important than you're letting on. Is he important in your life?" Les asked as though it were his business to know. "I mean, I guess he is if he comes and helps you out but is there more…"
Anna thought on that a minute, her expression said she was mulling that over.
"He's helped me." She sat at the table once more and watched him turn the fish. "He's the one that made the counters and cabinets low for me, and fixed the porch so I could get around. I'm ever so grateful, even though I never asked him to do anything. But not like you are thinking. Or how he's thinking either. He's older and besides, I'm a cripple. I'm not looking for a man, Mr. Harper. I gave that up four years ago."
"Call me Les. And you might be a cripple, but you are also a woman. You can't give that up. Are you in love with him?" Les's voice lowered.
Anna couldn't stop the blush that pinked her cheeks and made her smile. "Mr. Harper you certainly ask a lot of fool questions."
He turned around and frowned instantly and wheeled her around to face him. He obviously hadn't meant to get so close, but he was here and he wasn't backing off. "You can't change what's in the heart ma'am. Your heart isn't crippled."
No one had talked to her so boldly before. It shocked her.
She looked at him and what she saw in his eyes, or thought she saw shocked her even more.
She swallowed hard. "Some things are out of reach Mr. Harper, and you know that instinctively. But…no I'm not in love with him. He'd like that, but it won't happen. With him or anyone else."
"I'd say that would depend on the man, ma'am." Les murmured and turned back to the fish. He dipped them out of the pan and laid them on a plate. Then he put the rest in the pan to cook.
She watched in silence. This conversation was going nowhere. He leaned against a chair.
"I talked to the judge…" Les's words drifted over her, and she braced herself for the conversation.
"And…" She waited eagerly meeting his gaze head on.
"I was right, as the only living heir to the place, Frankie automatically inherits this land, and since you can prove you are a legal guardian, then you should have no trouble keeping the place. He's written a formal letter to Mr. Ledbetter stating such. He looked your paper work over and said everything looked in order."
"You have been busy…" She looked at him now, and her heart did a flip in her chest, he looked so virile standing there in her kitchen.
Funny she hadn't thought of that word in a very long time. Virile!
However, her joy was squashed quickly when she realized that Ledbetter wouldn't take the news lightly and could still cause her trouble.
Instead she frowned now. There was a new worry. What would Ledbetter do now. He wouldn't take this news without some kind of fight, and she knew it.
"You don't seem too pleased…" Les stared at her when she was silent too long. "I somehow thought you'd be flashing that beautiful smile of yours."
Why did he have to say that. No one ever called her beautiful. Why did her heart have to flutter at every nice word Les uttered. Why were his compliments better than anyone else's?
Perhaps because she rarely heard any unless they came from Frankie.
She rolled herself to the table, but the chair threatened to topple over as she hit the rut again, and Les sprang forward, putting his hand on it to steady her. His hand was on top of hers now, and the look on his face said he knew it. "You alright?"
She almost fell out of the chair and into his arms. She righted herself with a slight struggle. "I'm fine," she responded breathlessly as she repositioned herself.
His hand rested on hers still and she felt him squeeze it, and instinctively he reached to touch her face. It was a brief touch, but she felt it and drew breath.
"I'm fine. Just a rut in the boards. Frankie tried to fix it, but I guess it needs more work."
"Maybe I can fix that for you."
"It's nice of you to want to fix it, but it isn't necessary. We can mend it later." Him fixing things for her brought Mr. Harvey to mind. Only, there was an attraction she hadn't expected with Les.
He looked at their hands, then at her.
"You let Mr. Harvey fix things, why not me?"
"You've done enough…" She sounded breathless and frustrated at the same time.
Now that he had most of the fish done, she started to turn them, but he reached to stay her hand. "I think I can manage to turn the fish." He said in a husky voice.
He sounded as frustrated as she felt.
&nbs
p; She poured coffee for them both. As she set the coffee pot down on a stone platter, she glanced at him. "I appreciate your looking into this for me. And it is a relief to know that the law will stand behind me, but it doesn't solve the problem. This land has a natural spring on it. A spring that Ledbetter has used every year to water his cattle that he moves north every summer. I charge him a fee for it. Mainly because he has so many cattle and it is a real disruption around here when he brings them. But…he wants this land, and law or no law, he intends to get it. He's been after it ever since Mark died. If Frankie is the owner, then Frankie could be in danger. How do I send him to school knowing this? How do I protect him? Tell me Mr. Harper, I'd like to know. Up until now everything has just been a threat, now the real war begins. Killing Frankie would solve it all. Don't you see that?" She cried. "I don't like being afraid. But I am afraid for my son. Ledbetter has an army of men, and sometimes they act on their own."
He reached over and put his hand on top of hers again. He saw her expression. "I see. I didn't think you would so quickly. You’re a smart woman…"
"You didn't answer my question. How do I keep my son safe, Mr. Harper?" She ignored his hand on hers. She had to. She looked away, not wanting to look into his eyes or see his face.
He sighed heavily, and moved away. "You don't. I do!" He said so finally, and shuffled his feet, she looked up at him with shocked eyes.
"This isn't your fight…" She protested. "You said yourself, you'd be leaving soon."
"It wasn't my fight, but it is now…" He affirmed. "I really don't think Ledbetter is the kind to mess with kids. He does things according to the law. But while I'm here, I'll do what I can to help you."
"I don't want your pity…Mr. Harper." She nearly shouted with tears in her eyes. "I've had enough of that to last a lifetime."
He stared hard into her eyes now. And a slight grin made him look less stern. "You don't have my pity, ma'am. You have my respect. If you think I’m going to let that kid get killed over this, then you don't know as much about me, as I suspect you do."
A slow burning flush spread over her face. "I don't have the money to hire you, Mr. Harper."
"The name is Les, ma'am. And I don't want your money." He winked at her again and started to leave out the door.