Jenetta’s husband, Abram, left a covered bucket of water inside the woodshed, along with a few vegetables he had picked fresh from the garden and managed to sneak inside the shed.
Rainee closed the oven door. The scent of fresh, warm pie crust and sweet huckleberries satiated her nose. With any kind of luck, she would never go hungry or ever endure another vicious beating again—even if she had to move again to Mr. Bettes’s.
Katherine hung up her dish towel. “Leah, will you please ring the dinner bell?”
“I will get it.” Rainee wiped her hands on her apron and stepped outside.
The breeze penetrated her wine-colored dress, kissing her flesh with its coolness. She patted her damp face with her apron and took a brief moment to enjoy the sensation of freedom the lightweight dress and breezy outdoors created. It was heaven on earth.
She reached up and gave the rope several tugs and winced at the loud clanging noise. Hurrying back inside, she helped put the food onto the table.
The door creaked.
Rainee turned, only to find Haydon standing inside the door, gawking at her.
Her gaze dropped to the floor. After setting down the tray of food, she hugged her waist. All those years of wearing a corset, and she suddenly felt naked without it. Mother’s words started to run through her mind as they so often did, but this time she squelched them. Instead she dared a glance at Haydon. Was that approval she saw in his eyes?
Before she had a chance to figure it out, Abby came barreling through the door followed by Michael and Smokey.
Rainee waited for Katherine to reprimand Abby for charging into the house, but the scolding never came. Mother would have made Rainee go back outside and come back in like a suitable young lady, and then she would sit her down to a long lecture on how proper young ladies should act, followed by a tender hug that left no doubt in Rainee’s mind about her mother’s love.
Everyone sat down at the table and bowed their heads.
“Heavenly Father.” Haydon’s reverent voice filled the room. “Thank You for what You’re doing in our lives and for Your healing power that is at work in Jesse. We thank You for this food and for Your bountiful provision. And, Lord, help us to be a blessing to Rainee.”
Rainee kept one eye closed, but the other one snuck a peek at Haydon. Never had she heard such humility or kindness in his voice, especially where she was concerned. In the quietness of her mind, she offered up her own gratitude as everyone said amen. She moved her bowl in front of her. “How is your brother doing, Haydon?”
Sapphire eyes settled on hers. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen him.”
He made a quick glance around the table and then looked down at his soup. Rainee wondered what the sudden change in his disposition was about. Was he still upset with Jesse for bringing her here, or was something else bothering him? She kept her wonderings to herself.
She picked up her spoon, dipped it in her bowl and brought it to her mouth. The thick split-pea and ham soup tasted heavenly. A nice change from the beans and rice Ferrin fed her once a day. If she was lucky.
Smokey cleared his throat. “Jesse’s doing a little better today.”
“You mean Hannah let you see him?” Leah asked with raised brows. “She wouldn’t let me. She said he was sleeping and she would not disturb him. She sure has changed.” She laughed. “Hannah’s like a protective mama bear watching over her cubs.”
Smokey nodded. “Must have something to do with her being in the family way. I pert-near had to beg her to let me check him. And even then she made me promise I’d only stay a minute.”
Everyone but Haydon laughed.
Rainee watched as he picked up his spoon and dipped it into the split-pea soup.
“Who knew Hannah could be so feisty?” Smokey commented with a deep rumble in his chest. “Since Jesse’s accident, her shyness seems to have fled.”
“What happened to Jesse anyway?” Rainee asked.
With a pained expression, Haydon looked at her, then at the rest of his family, then down at his soup. His jaw muscles worked back and forth. Without saying a word, he spooned his soup and ate.
The air thickened with silence.
Rainee scanned the table. Everyone seemed engrossed in the food on their plates. Everyone except Abby. Her bright blue eyes gazed around the table. It was as if she were waiting for someone to say something.
When no one else spoke, Abby did. “Haydon’s horse reared and hurted him.”
Rainee watched with interest as Haydon’s scowling gaze swung toward Abby.
The little girl blinked. Then as fast as she could she wrapped her potato bread around her sausage and took a big bite. Her cheeks bulged like a chipmunk, and she nervously glanced up and down and around the room.
“I think Jesse’s just wanting to get out of clipping the newborn piglet’s teeth,” Leah piped in.
All eyes swerved toward Leah, but no one said anything.
Curiosity and horror got the best of Rainee. “You clip the baby pigs’ teeth?”
“Yes.” Her gaze transferred to Haydon. “If we don’t, when they grow, they can be very dangerous.”
“Dangerous.” She gulped and worked her tongue around to moisten her suddenly parched mouth. “How dangerous?” She picked up her water glass and took a drink, then rested her hands in her lap and fidgeted with her gloves.
Haydon set the glass he was holding down and locked gazes with her. “Don’t worry, Rainee. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Haydon broke eye contact and shoved a bite of Korv and Lefsa into his mouth. What he really wanted to do was to remove his boot and give himself a good swift kick in the behind. The last thing he wanted was for her and his family to get the notion he was interested in her.
Their eyes connected for a brief moment before he asked Michael. “Did you get that halter fixed?” He dipped his wrap into his soup and took a bite. When Michael didn’t answer, he looked over at him.
Like a lovelorn pup, his brother was staring across the table at Rainee. “Michael!”
His brother jerked his head in his direction, blinking. “What?”
Abby giggled. “Michael’s sweet on Rainee. Michael’s sweet on Rainee,” she singsonged.
Michael’s cheeks flamed like a bad sunburn. He dropped his chin.
“Abigail! Stop that!” His mother’s stern voice rescued poor Michael.
Haydon watched Rainee’s cheeks and neck turn crimson.
“Apologize this instant, Abby,” Mother demanded.
“But it’s true. Last night I seeded Michael staring at her the whole time we eated. And today, when Rainee was walking, I seeded him hiding in the bushes watching her.”
“I was not hiding in the bushes. I heard a scream and went to check it out. When I saw Haydon had it under control and that she was all right, I went back to gathering wood.” Michael glared at his sister with narrowed eyes.
“You always stare at her. And I hearded you tell Smokey you thought she was bootiful.” She tipped her head, pinched her lips and squinted her eyes. Haydon had seen that look before. Abby was daring Michael to challenge her.
Rainee’s cheeks brightened to an even deeper shade of red. Her eyes were downcast, and she shifted in her chair.
“Enough, you two!” Haydon barked.
Abby jumped, and Michael had the decency to look ashamed.
“Can’t you see you’ve made Rainee uncomfortable? You both need to apologize to her this instant.”
Abby’s lips puckered and tears welled in her in eyes. She dropped her gaze to her lap and sniffled. “Sorry, Rainee.”
Haydon glanced at Rainee in time to see her look over at Abby and nod. He glanced at Michael.
“I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable, Rainee.” Michael’s sheepish grin showed his remorse. “But—” he pressed his shoulders back and puffed his chest out “—I’m not sorry for saying you’re beautiful. Because you are.” Michael sent Rainee a flirtatious smile and then he shot his older brot
her a look of direct challenge before his gaze dropped to his soup.
So much for Michael having the decency to be ashamed.
At a complete loss for words, Haydon looked to his mother, who seemed to share his bewilderment.
To take the focus off of Rainee and this whole awkward situation, Haydon shifted his attention toward his sister. “Leah, is that your famous blue-ribbon apple pie I smell?”
“No.” She swallowed. “Rainee made it. And it’s not apple, it’s huckleberry.”
So much for getting the focus off of Rainee. His gaze slid her direction.
Her cheeks were as pink as a warm-weather sunset, giving her a wholesome, fresh look. His heart noticed it all.
“You made it?” He didn’t mean for his shock to leak through his voice but it did.
“Yes, I did,” she answered softly.
Taken aback, Haydon mentally shook his head. At the stagecoach stop when he first laid eyes on Rainee, wearing all the rich city-girl frippery, he instantly thought of Melanie, who thought cooking and cleaning were beneath her. He just assumed the same about Rainee. Had he misjudged her?
Don’t let that summer dress and great-smelling pie fool you, Haydon. The Idaho Territory isn’t any place for a woman like her. You learned that the hard way.
His gaze slid in his mother’s direction. Back home in New York, Mother had been a leader in society. So when Father decided to move out West, Haydon had waited for his mother to protest, but instead, she had readily agreed.
It hadn’t taken long for her to adapt to her new surroundings. She was a brave woman with a strong constitution who had survived several harsh winters. Respect and pride for her swelled his chest. He snuck a glance at their guest. Aside from her fainting spells, which he knew happened to the strongest of women, could Rainee be a stronger woman than he gave her credit for?
Not liking where his thoughts were leading, he picked up his spoon and filled his mouth with more of the delicious dinner. “You’ve outdone yourself on the soup, Mother. This is your best batch ever.”
“Mother didn’t make it. Rainee did,” Leah informed him.
He snapped his head in her direction. “You made this?”
Rainee sat up straight and jutted her chin. “Yes. Yes, I did.”
“Rainee can do lots of things,” his mother stated, sending Haydon a silent message.
His gaze veered toward Michael, whose admiring gaze clung to Rainee.
Haydon rubbed his neck in frustration. The whole world seemed to have gone crazy with her arrival. What to do about his mother and her not-so-subtle hints was bad enough, but Michael was even worse.
What was he going to do about his little brother and his infatuation with Rainee? As the oldest, Father had left Haydon in charge, so it was up to him to come up with a plan of action to stop his sixteen-year-old brother’s boyish passion. And he needed to do it quickly. Not just for Michael’s sake. But for hers, and maybe even his.
When Rainee finished helping with the dishes, the Bowens invited her to join in on their family Bible reading.
They all retired into the living room and sat near the fireplace. After Haydon finished reading and praying, Rainee excused herself and stepped outside and off of the porch. The cool air had a penetrating, earthy freshness to it. She headed toward the barn but stopped several yards away from the door and gazed up at the sky. Stars sparkled like sequins on the ballroom gown she had worn at her coming-out party. Just like that dress, they were too numerous to even try to count. But count she would. “One,” she whispered. “Two. Three. Four.”
“Forget it.”
She whirled at the sound of Haydon’s voice.
He stood behind her, gazing upward, arms crossed. “You’ll never count them all. I’ve already tried.” His gaze alighted on hers. Night shadows fell across his face. And what a handsome face it was.
“There’s a bit of nip in the air. I thought you might need this.” He draped her wrap securely around her shoulders.
What a sweet man he was to think of her comfort.
A tug on each end of her shawl, and she managed to pull it closer to her. She had not noticed the chill until his warm hands had touched her. “Thank you.” Her heart melted at his thoughtfulness.
“You’re welcome.”
Rainee waited for him to leave, but he did not. He stood there, staring up at the stars.
What an enigma this man had turned out to be. There were times when he was kind to her, times when he barely spoke to her, times when his gaze was soft and others when he looked at her as if he were deathly afraid of her or even outright angry with her.
She could not blame him for his actions or even for his behavior. Though they saddened her, she must not allow the sadness to work its way into her heart. She must accept the fact she had to find another suitable husband. That was best for all involved. Still, this moment, standing here under the stars was not to be wasted, even though it could not last. “Is it always this beautiful out here?”
“Nope. Sometimes it’s even better.”
“Better than this?”
“Doesn’t seem possible, does it?”
“No.”
A comfortable silence stretched between them as they continued to gaze at the sky. This place might be in the middle of nowhere, but it was truly extraordinary.
“Is it always this peaceful?” She had not experienced this kind of serenity in a very long time.
He looked down at her. Their eyes connected, searching and probing and her heart responded with a flip.
He turned his head upward again. “Most of the time.”
Most of the time, as in, before she arrived?
“I never tire of the night sky.” Reverence floated through his voice.
“Nor do I.”
“I can’t believe God took the trouble to place the stars into various shapes. Like the Big Dipper.” He pointed to it, and she followed the direction of his finger until it landed on the pattern of those stars.
“And the Little Dipper,” she said. “Slaves used the Little Dipper and the Big Dipper to point to the North Star. They even sang a song about them…‘Follow the Drinking Gourd.’”
“I’ve never heard that before. Did your family have slaves?”
Rainee tensed. If only she could avoid answering everyone’s questions about her family until she wed, then she would be free from her brother’s controlling clutches. “Before the war my parents had slaves, but they did not treat them cruelly. And after the war ended, they gave them the option to leave or to stay on with a small wage and room and board. How about you? Did you have slaves?”
“No, my parents did not believe in slavery. We had hired servants.”
“Is it hard not having servants here?”
“No. Not at all.”
“Does your mother mind not having servants to help her?”
“Nope. She loves to cook and clean. She said it’s better than sitting around all day doing nothing.”
Rainee agreed.
“I’ve offered to hire her some help many times, but she won’t hear of it. It really bothers me watching her work as hard as she does. But she keeps telling me she loves it, and says that if she ever feels it’s becoming too much for her she’ll let me know so I can hire someone to help her. Speaking of help…” He glanced over at Rainee. “I really appreciate you helping my mother with the baking and cooking. Thank you.”
“You are most welcome. I was delighted to do it.”
Haydon looked away and the only sounds to be heard were a chorus of frogs and insects. Moments later, Haydon heaved a heavy sigh. “Well, it’s getting late and I have to get up early. Let me walk you to the house.”
They turned and headed back to the main house.
He opened the door for her.
She slipped past him and then turned. “Good night, Haydon.”
“Good night, Rainee.”
She closed the door and watched his retreating form until he faded into the darkness beyo
nd, like the moon and stars on a cloud-covered evening. Men were complex creatures. And he was the most complex of all. She had no idea what to expect next with him. In a way that was pleasant and in another way, frightening. Too bad she could not stay long enough to sort it all out.
Chapter Nine
“Now, where is he?” Since his father’s death, brother problems seemed to follow Haydon around the ranch like persistent yapping dogs. Between Jess and Micheal, Haydon wondered if he would ever have a moment’s peace again.
Haydon checked inside the barn and the woodshed. Chickens flapped their wings, squawking and scattering as he trudged his way through the coop. Inside the filthy pen, the stench assaulted his nose. Frustrated and aggravated the hens and rooster hadn’t been fed yet and the eggs hadn’t been gathered either, he stomped out of the pen and panned the area for Rainee, knowing Michael would most likely be found in close proximity to her.
Since that night under the stars, he had made it a point to be polite to her, but he had also done his best to avoid her whenever possible. Those few moments felt far too good to him. She radiated a quiet softness by starlight that drew him to her.
Haydon continued looking for his brother and Rainee but didn’t see either of them anywhere. He jerked his hat off and raked his fingers through his hair, then slammed his hat back in place. Ever since Rainee’s arrival three weeks ago, Michael had slacked on his chores, and the animals were suffering because of it.
Haydon’s boots collided with the hard-packed ground as he made his way across the yard. Hearing voices, he thundered around the backside of the house.
Just like he knew it would be, there stood Michael, handing clothespins to Rainee as she hung sheets up on the line strung from one tree to another. His brother could help her, but he couldn’t manage to get his own chores finished.
“Michael.” He didn’t care if anger rolled out of him.
Their laughter and chatter stopped.
“What?” Michael turned disgusted eyes onto Haydon.
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