Her mother had stopped working on her tapestry and gazed at Rainee. She wove her needle through the fabric and rested her hands in her lap. “Trust me, Rainelle, you will know.”
“But how?”
Mother rang the bell and asked for tea. “The day I met your father, I knew he was the one for me.”
“How did you know?” Rainee had asked again.
With a smile, she looked at Rainee. “The truth is, the moment I laid eyes on him, I knew.”
“You knew that fast?” That idea completely astonished Rainee.
“Yes.” Her mother straightened and gave Rainee a stern look. “It does not happen that way for everyone,” Mother had cautioned her, then relaxed her austere facial expression. “But it did for me.”
“Did Father return your affection?”
Mother’s sweet laughter had filled the room. “No. He told me he did not even notice me as more than a businessman’s daughter until one day when I was gathering roses for the table. I was so engrossed in their beauty and lovely scent I did not hear your father approach. When he said my name, I whirled so fast, I tripped over my flower basket and landed on my backside. Your father said when he offered me a hand to help me up, the second our hands made contact he felt a strange, unexplainable attachment to me.
“When I stood, he kept hold of my hand. Our eyes connected and held. And it was as if we were the only two people in the world.” When she looked at Rainee, her eyes had sparkled with love for her husband. Rainee hoped and prayed she would someday know the special kind of love her parents had for each other.
“Before I knew what was happening, he had taken me in his arms and kissed me. That very same day he asked Daddy if he could marry me.” Stars had filled her mother’s eyes.
They had silently finished their tea, each lost in their own thoughts. She and her mother shared many precious moments like that. How she longed to hear even just one more tale of her mother’s life.
After reliving that memory, Rainee opened her eyes and sucked in a sharp breath. There, standing with his arms and ankles crossed, resting against the porch post was Haydon, staring at her. “When—when did you get here?”
“A few minutes ago. Sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you or disrupt your thoughts. You looked like you were a million miles away.” He uncrossed his ankles and arms and walked toward her. “May I?” He pointed at the swing.
Rainee could not find her voice, so she nodded and moved over as close to her side of the swing as possible. But even that was not far enough because his broad shoulders covered a major portion of the swing. Rainee found the open space and endless sky did not appear so vast anymore. In fact, it seemed to be crowding in on her closer and closer.
Soap and peppermint filled her senses.
“Would you like a piece?”
“What?” She blinked. “A piece of what?”
“Of peppermint.” He reached inside his leather vest pocket and pulled out a small pouch and opened it.
It had been a long time since Rainee had enjoyed any peppermint. She reached inside the bag and removed one stick. “Thank you.” She bit off a piece.
Eyes closed, she savored the feel of the hard candy in her mouth and the clean fresh sensation. She opened her eyes and found Haydon watching her. Embarrassment flooded into her cheeks. “I—I am sorry. It has been years since I have had peppermint. Mother used to buy it all the time.”
Haydon broke off a section of candy before he closed the bag and slipped it back into his vest pocket. “Did your mother give you candy often?”
Rainee wrapped her hand around the rope holding the swing. She planted her feet firmly and gave the swing a shove, repeating the process until Haydon finally slowed it down. “Mother always made sure we had special treats. And my father often had candy shipped over from England. He wanted us to know the delicacies and delights of his country, too. I sure miss them.”
“I miss my father, too.”
Rainee swung her gaze his way. Astonishment trickled through her. She could not believe once again Haydon was opening up to her. She only prayed he would continue.
Haydon stared into the darkness, amazed he was sitting out here on the porch with Rainee. For a man who was trying to avoid her, he wasn’t doing a very good job of it.
“Tell me about your father. What was he like?”
He barely heard her request. He glanced over at her silhouette. She wasn’t looking at him but straight ahead. An air of serenity radiated from her, a serenity he had never felt around a woman before.
“My father was a kind, caring, generous man. He loved us all so much. It was my father’s dream to move out West. He said he might have been born a city boy, but he belonged out here. I feel the same way. He was never comfortable with city life, and neither was I.
“My father detested all the hypocrisy of his acquaintances and how they flaunted their wealth with extravagant parties instead of helping those less fortunate. Out here, he loved the freedom to be himself. Loved the outdoors.
“He and I used to go for long rides and talk about what we could do to build up the ranch. To make it a better place to raise a family. This place has so much lumber, and the volcanic ash soil is so rich you can grow just about anything.
“He had such great plans for this place, but he didn’t get to enjoy it for very long. Two and a half years after we moved here, a tree fell on him and crushed his chest.” Haydon pressed his eyes shut to blot out the horrific memory.
“I am so sorry.” She gently laid her hand on his arm.
He glanced down where her gloved hand rested, then up at her.
She plucked her hand from his arm, and he immediately felt a sense of loss.
“Thank you,” Haydon whispered.
Rainee nodded. From what little he could see in the dark, compassion was the only thing he noticed on her sweet face.
“How did your parents die?”
In the shadow he saw her chest rise and fall. “My family and I attended a neighborhood ball. Mother, Father and a few other guests were standing under a second-story balcony. No one knew it would not hold the weight of so many guests.” Her voice hitched. “It collapsed, killing six people, including my parents.”
Losing a parent was a terrible thing to endure. And she had lost both of hers at the same time. In that instant, his heart softened toward her another notch. “I’m sorry for your loss, Rainee.”
Though darkness surrounded them, he saw the stars reflecting from her glistening eyes. He couldn’t turn away from them, and as he looked into those eyes, he didn’t want to. Rainee surrendered all fears in a soft gentle glance that begged him to do the same thing. For one tingly moment, he did, and they shared a breath. He broke eye contact, blinked to regain control and asked, “Do you have any other family?”
Rainee stopped rocking. She knew she could not avoid his questions forever, but she could control what information he did receive. “Yes.”
“And they wouldn’t let you stay with them?”
“My aunt Lena died three months back.”
“I see. I’m sorry, Rainee.”
She picked her gaze up and studied his profile. Boldness overtook her. It was not her place, but she wanted to know just the same. “Jesse sure looked miserable today. He and Hannah went home early.”
Haydon pushed with his feet, setting the swing into a rocking motion. “Well, that’s not my problem. He should’ve left well enough alone.”
“With me.” Her gaze slipped out into the darkness. His silence gave her the answer she already knew. “I understand how you feel, but Jesse meant well even if he did not go about it the right way.”
“I don’t recall asking for your opinion.” At his bluntness, she whirled her head toward him and squared her shoulders.
“No, you did not, but I am going to give it anyway. Family is extremely important. And even when they do vexing things to us, things that are hard to forgive, refusing to forgive hurts not just them, but us also. I am truly sorry
my being here has caused a rift between you two,” she said with a softer tone. Their eyes, shadowed by the darkness, locked. “Will you at least consider forgiving Jesse?”
“You don’t give up easily, do you?”
“No. I do not.”
When he nodded, there was almost a laugh attached to it. “I’ll think about it.”
For a long moment, that seemed to be the end of the conversation, and Rainee would not have been surprised to see him stand up and leave.
“Rainee?”
She swallowed back the apprehension that rose in her throat at the soft hopefulness in his voice. “Yes?”
“Would you like to go for a horseback ride tomorrow and see the rest of the ranch?”
Rainee’s mouth fell open. It was a very unladylike thing to do, but she could not help it. Of all the things she thought he might ask, that was not one of them.
Through the darkness, she tilted her head and tried to study his face but could not see it well enough to judge his expression.
Why would a man who made it clear he wanted her to go back home protect her from his neighbors, sit and visit with her and then invite her to go for a ride? Whatever his reasons were, they did not matter. She wanted to spend more time with him, to get to know him better. And this was her chance to do so. “I would love to.”
Haydon rose and faced her. “I’ll have Mother pack us a picnic lunch then.”
“No need to bother her. I can do that.” She stood. “When would you like to leave?”
“After I finish my chores.”
Rainee tilted her head and placed her finger against her lips, then smiled sassily. “Kitty will not be there, will she?”
Haydon laughed. Rainee loved the deep rumbling sound.
“Only if you want her to be.” The teasing in his voice caused Rainee’s lips to tip upward.
He walked down the porch steps. “See you tomorrow, Rainee. Good night.” Off into the darkness he went, heading toward his house.
In the secret garden of her soul, hope sent up a new shoot. She could scarcely contain her excitement at the idea of spending more time with Haydon. Tomorrow seemed as far away as the stars.
Chapter Thirteen
No matter how hard Rainee tried, sleep eluded her. Thoughts of spending the day with Haydon kept her tossing and turning. Finally, she gave up, got dressed and went downstairs.
She grabbed a couple of oil lanterns and lit them and then put on a pot of coffee. She could do this. Katherine had taught her well. “Let me see. Katherine said she wanted to have ham steaks, fried potatoes and Swedish pancakes. I think she called them plättar or something like that,” she whispered to the empty room.
Arranging wood and kindling into the stove, she got the fire started and decided she would make the pancakes first.
She grabbed a bowl, the lingonberry sauce and several of the ingredients she needed from off the shelf. She cracked three eggs into the bowl and whipped them until they were nice and thick. Just like Katherine had shown her. Next, she stirred in the milk, flour, sugar and salt, and mixed until it was smooth before covering the bowl with a towel.
Humming while she added a small amount of batter onto the hot buttered pan, she spread the batter until it was thin. When it turned a light brown on the bottom, she turned it over. Moisture beaded her forehead, so she used her apron to blot it away.
She retrieved a baking sheet and placed a clean towel on it, then added the finished plättar on top of the towel. She repeated this process until the batter disappeared. The last one, however, did not make it onto the towel or into the oven to stay warm.
Rainee looked around, smiling, feeling like a child sneaking a licorice stick. She laid it on a plate, spooned melted butter over it, sprinkled it with sugar and rolled it up. Then she added a dollop of lingonberry sauce on the side, dipped the pancake into the sauce and bit into the thin, sweet pastry. The first bite melted in her mouth. Sugar and butter ran down her chin. The texture of the treat reminded her of the crepes their French cook used to make back home.
“Couldn’t wait, huh?”
Rainee whirled at the sound of Haydon’s humor-filled voice.
Her cheeks, already hot from the stove, heated even more. She swallowed the last bite. It was so large she had a hard time getting it to go down. “What are you doing here so early?”
“I could ask you the same thing.” He walked over to where she stood by the stove.
Rainee put her head down. “I could not sleep.” She looked up at him. “You?”
He shrugged. “I have a lot of chores to do before our ride, so I thought I’d get an early start.”
Rainee tilted her head. “So what are you doing here?”
“I came to see if there was anything to eat before heading down to the barn.”
“I just finished a batch of crepes. Well, Frenchie, our cook called them crepes anyway.” Realizing the blunder she made about mentioning her life back home, she rushed on, “Katherine says y’all call them ‘plättar.’ She taught me how to make them, so I thought I would get an early start on breakfast.”
She pivoted her back on him and reached for a coffee cup before filling him a cup of the hot brew and handing it to him. “Would you like some crepes? I mean, plättars?”
“Looks like you’ve already had some.” He pointed to her mouth and humor curled his lips and sniggered through his words.
At this rate, if her cheeks got any hotter, they were certain to burst into flames. “I did.” A twitter of a giggle followed. She sighed and wiped her mouth off with her apron. “Caught in the act again. I never was very good at being sneaky.” She turned and retrieved a cup of coffee for herself. “I always told on myself when I did something wrong. Well, most of the time anyway. Mother called it ‘bearing harmful witness.’”
“What do you mean, ‘most of the time’?”
“On occasion I opted not to tell Mother.”
“Why’s that?”
Merciful heavens, the man has beautiful eyes. “Because I knew if I did, a certain hour-long lecture would follow.” Rainee took a sip of her coffee. The bitter taste slid down her throat. Truth be known, she preferred tea, even at breakfast.
“Ah, I see. I know that only too well. At one time, my father was a stickler like that also. I sat down to many a lecture when I was younger. I used to dread them. And now, I would give anything to hear one of them.” Sadness crossed his face.
“I, too, would give anything to hear one. To hear my mother’s voice again. To see her face just one more time.” Not liking the uncomfortable gloominess that had rested upon them, she wanted to lighten the mood. “Mother always said she lectured me because she loved me. Said if she did not love me, she would not even bother. I must have been the most loved person in the entire universe.”
“Me, too.”
They both laughed.
“Now, how about some breakfast?” She set her cup down and reached for the potatoes.
“No time for potatoes. The plättars will do just fine.”
“At least allow me to fry you a slice of ham.” She motioned for him to be seated before she sliced off two thick chunks of ham and tossed them into the castiron skillet. While they cooked, she placed in front of him dishes, silverware, plättars, bread, a small bowl of melted butter and the lingonberry sauce, then added the fried ham onto his mounding plate.
“These are delicious, Rainee,” he said around the large bite in his mouth.
Rainee’s heart skipped with happiness. She watched as he devoured one crepe after another. If he kept this up, she would have to make another batch, and she would do it with pleasure.
“Aren’t you going to have any?” He sliced off a massive chunk of ham and shoved it into his mouth.
Rainee marveled, wondering where he put all of that food. “No. I am going to start tending to the potatoes. It will not be long before everyone else arrives. I want to surprise your mother and have breakfast all ready.”
His eyes sparkled as
if she had pleased him with her comment. Rainee turned to the task of peeling and dicing the potatoes. Minutes later, she heard the chair scrape against the floor. She glanced in his direction.
Haydon headed toward her, carrying his empty dishes. She wiped her hands off on the apron and hurried over to him. “Here. Give them to me.”
He handed them to her. “Thank you, Rainee, for breakfast.”
She glanced up at him. “You are most welcome.”
He stood there for a moment, looking as if he wanted to say something, but instead he turned on his heel and headed out the door, taking a portion of Rainee’s heart with him. She could hardly wait for their ride.
After everyone had their breakfast and the dishes were finished and put away, Rainee packed a light lunch. The thought of spending more time with Haydon sent excitement coursing through every inch of her. Rainee raised her skirt and ran up the stairs.
She scurried inside Leah’s room and donned her brown riding habit. She stepped in front of the looking glass and tucked in the wayward strands of her flaxen hair, grabbed her hat with the feather plume and tied the ribbon under her chin. It would have to do. If she had her way, she would put on a pair of man’s breeches and a cowboy hat, but it was not to be.
With a smile on her face and her heart feeling lighter than it had in so very long, she floated down the stairs, grabbed their picnic lunch and headed outside.
Haydon scanned the barnyard and saw Jesse out by the woodshed. Rainee’s words about forgiveness swam through his head. He started to head toward his brother, but when he glanced toward his mother’s house, he stopped.
The sight of Rainee in her fancy riding habit brought back painful memories of the last time he’d watched Melanie leave on horseback wearing a similar outfit. At the time Haydon didn’t know his wife was heading out to meet her lover. When he discovered her affair, the man fled the county. Melanie blamed Haydon for her actions, saying if he wasn’t such a horrible husband, she would have never been tempted. Even now his blood boiled thinking about how innocent she had always acted, when all the while she was a vixen.
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