“You’ll take my part, won’t you, beautiful lady?”
“I think Tess is a little young,” Ellen said.
“I’m talking about you.”
“I’m not beautiful.”
“Not the fairest of flowers could dull your beauty, nor the brightest of suns. You’re—”
“She’s probably sickened by your drivel,” Matt said.
“Not sickened,” Ellen assured Will, “but finding it difficult to take seriously.”
“Don’t tell me no man has sung the praises of your beauty,” Will said, disbelieving.
“Surely the men who frequented your place of business were lavish in their praises.”
“The men who frequented the saloon were often too drunk to know what they were saying.”
“Intoxicated by your beauty,” Will said. He acted as though Toby’s hoot of derision caused him great pain. “I would be satisfied with a single smile.”
“Then why haven’t you been in the saloon to get one?”
He looked hurt. “I can’t tell. It’s too embarrassing.”
“I can’t imagine anything embarrassing you.”
“Watch it, Will,” Matt said. “I think she’s got you figured out.”
“It’s a weakness,” Will said mournfully. “I can’t drink, not even beer. One drink and I’m an idiot.”
“A short journey,” Toby muttered.
“Out,” Matt said to the boys. “We’re done.” Matt grabbed his brother by the shoulder. “You’re coming with us. I’m sure Ellen’s had about all she can take.”
“Your brother’s charming,” Ellen said, then felt herself blush. “A woman likes compliments.”
“Isabelle likes them, too,” Matt said, “but even she can stand only so much of Will’s palaver.”
“Defend me,” Will pleaded. “Tell him ladies prefer sweet talk to tongue-tied silence.”
“They certainly do,” Ellen said.
“You’re still coming with me,” Matt said. “I’ve got a temperamental mare about to foal. She gets savage when labor starts. Let’s see if a little of your sweet talk works on her.”
Ellen had to laugh as Matt pushed his protesting brother through the door ahead of him. “I’ll make him sleep in the barn if you want,” Matt said.
“It’s okay. I’m sure having to share the loft with Toby will calm him.”
“Toby’s a good kid. You’ve just got to give him a chance.”
The door closed behind Matt and on Ellen’s smiling good humor. She hadn’t meant it as a criticism of Toby though she guessed Matt couldn’t take it any other way.
“Why can’t I go?” Noah asked. “I’ve never seen a horse have a baby.”
“I don’t think she’s having it tonight,” Ellen said. “Anyway, it’s time to go to bed. We got up very early this morning.”
“I’m not tired,” Toby said.
“Well, I am, and I can’t go to bed until you do. Now run along and get dressed.”
“It’s not fair,” Noah said as he left the kitchen. “When I get big, I’m never going to bed.”
“I’ll be in in a minute,” Ellen said to Tess. “I just have to make sure everything’s finished.”
She said that before she remembered Matt kept house better than she did. She couldn’t understand why that should upset her. She didn’t want to spend all her time keeping house. She intended to use it making hats.
She smiled, remembering some of Will’s silliness. He was charming, but she couldn’t help thinking of him as a boy. Still, she wished Matt had some of his brother’s buoyant personality, his charm, his ability to enjoy life. She sympathized with Isabelle’s desire to find Matt a wife who could teach him to smile, but she didn’t want the job. She might have considered it if things had been different. He was so handsome it made her head spin, and he surely did not lack courage. She admired the way he had taken in two unwanted boys and made them feel like they belonged, but a woman didn’t marry a man because he was great with kids and willing to do his half of the household chores. She married him because he made her feel like the most desirable, most beautiful, most wonderful woman in the world.
As far as she could see, Matt barely knew she was alive. She was shocked to discover that she cared. She tried to deny it, but it was too late.
She cared.
“You sure this is just a marriage of convenience?” Will asked his brother.
“What did you think it was?”
“Exactly that. I’ve never seen you do anything a woman could interpret as admiration.”
“Then why did you ask?”
“Isabelle has got it into her head Ellen’s the one to save you from yourself. I told her she was wrong, but you know Isabelle. She never gives up hope.”
Matt heard the disgust in his brother’s voice. Will couldn’t understand why Matt still clammed up around women. “I know what Isabelle thinks, but we made a business arrangement. Considering the fact that we hardly knew each other, I couldn’t have asked her to consider it on any other basis.”
“Okay, but there’s no reason it has to stay that way. She likes kids, and you like kids.”
“And that’s about all we have in common.”
“You’re a great cook.”
Matt swore. “That’s not a recommendation for a husband, at least not in Texas.”
“I think she likes you. She watches you all the time.”
“That’s fear. She wants to keep an eye on me to make sure I don’t do anything strange.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. Her employer tried to rape her, her customers couldn’t keep their hands off her, and now she’s stuck by herself on a ranch with a man she doesn’t know.”
“Surely she doesn’t think you’d try to rape her.”
“She doesn’t trust any man.”
“Hell, if she doesn’t know she can trust you, she doesn’t have any sense at all.”
“Once your faith has been destroyed, it’s hard to rebuild it.”
Will stopped and faced his brother. “Will you ever get over what he did to you?”
“I don’t know.”
“You thought Ellen might be able to help?”
“We got married because of the children,” Matt said. “If I hoped for anything else, it was just a dream.”
“You’ve got to admit she’s a pretty woman.”
“Prettier than I thought. I’d never seen her without makeup before.”
“A woman’s got to wear war paint if she expects to make enough money in a saloon to support two kids.”
Matt wondered if Ellen missed all the male attention she had gotten at the saloon. He’d found himself jealous of the way she laughed at Will’s foolishness, the way she enjoyed his company.
“She loves those kids,” Will said.
“Yeah. She was willing to marry me and live with Toby to keep them. There’s nothing fake about that.”
“I wouldn’t give up without trying a little harder.”
He’d have plenty of time for that, but how did you start when all the cards were stacked against you? Was Ellen the right woman for him? He didn’t really know anything about her except that she was willing to marry a man she barely knew to keep Noah and Tess. Though that was a big plus in her favor, she’d given no indication she wanted to be married. Instead, she wanted to have her own hat shop in San Antonio, live in a rooming house, and probably have someone like Mrs. Ogden take care of Noah and Tess. It didn’t sound like a good life for the kids. They’d be better off staying with him after she left.
She’d only been there a night and a day, but already he found it hard to think of the ranch without Ellen. “She doesn’t want to be a rancher’s wife,” Matt said. “She wants me to set her up in her own hat shop in San Antonio.”
“Does Isabelle know that?”
“No.”
“She won’t like it.”
“This is something not even Isabelle can fix. Let’s talk about something else
. You sure you don’t mind staying for a while to help with the horses?”
“Naw. I can always hope one of them will send you flying.”
“You’ll have to sleep in the loft with Toby and Orin.”
“I don’t care.”
“And be shadowed by Noah.”
Will chuckled.
“And don’t start telling him any of your stories,” Matt warned. “He’s young enough to believe them.”
“You take all the fun out of it.”
“Being responsible for these kids is serious business.”
“There’s fun in everything, Matt, even children. If you don’t stop letting the past control your life, you’ll die without ever having had a good belly laugh.”
Matt thought of what lay ahead and couldn’t find any reason to laugh.
“I’m not a baby,” Noah protested. “I’m big enough to sleep in the loft with Will.”
“It’s ridiculous to sleep on a blanket in the straw when you have a perfectly good bed,” Ellen said.
“They sleep in a bedroll,” Noah informed Ellen.
“You can’t leave Tess by herself,” Ellen argued.
“You can sleep with her.”
At the sound of the front door opening, Noah ran from the bedroom. “Can I sleep in the loft with Will?” she heard him asking. “Please. I promise I won’t do anything bad.”
“Have you asked Ellen?” she heard Matt say.
“She says I’m too little, but I’m not, am I, Will?”
“Certainly not,” Will replied. “I’m depending on you to protect me from the bogeyman.”
“There ain’t no bogeyman,” Noah said.
“There sure is,” Will insisted. “I’ve seen him lots of times. Big old fella, ugly and mean. Drools a lot and has arms like a bull.”
Ellen got to her feet. She had enjoyed most of Will’s foolishness, but she couldn’t have him filling Noah’s head with the bogeyman.
“Stop talking nonsense,” she said as she came into the hallway.
“It’s not nonsense,” Will assured her, giving what she could only suppose was his version of how a bogeyman would stalk its victim. “Big old hairy thing. Gave me nightmares for weeks.”
Noah looked like he was caught between believing and not believing. “Will says he wants me to sleep with him in the loft,” he said to Matt. “Can I, please?”
“That’s up to Ellen,” Matt said.
Noah turned to her. “I am not too little.”
“I also said you couldn’t leave Tess in a room by herself.”
“You don’t mind, do you?” Noah asked his sister.
Tess shook her head, but Tess would say anything her brother wanted.
“If Ellen lets you sleep with us tonight, do you promise not to plague her about it tomorrow?” Will asked.
“I promise,” Noah assured Ellen.
“What do you think?” she asked Matt.
“I don’t think Tess wants to be left alone,” he said, “but it won’t hurt for him to do it one night. But you’ve got to remember, Noah, this is a treat. You’ve promised you won’t plague Ellen to let you do it again. If you do, you’ll have to do Tess’s chores for the day.”
Ellen wasn’t sure Noah was old enough to understand the responsibility of sticking to a promise. He was a little boy who saw only what he wanted.
“Do you promise no fussing and complaining tomorrow?” Matt asked Noah again.
“I promise,” Noah said, so excited Ellen knew he would have agreed to anything.
“Go with Will to get a bedroll,” Matt said. “There’s an extra one in the barn.”
Noah grabbed hold of Will’s hand and practically pulled him out the door.
“You know he’ll forget all about his promise by tomorrow,” she said, irritated that Matt had given in, and even more irritated at herself for asking his opinion.
“He needs to learn there are consequences to his actions,” Matt said. “This is a better way than punishing him for letting chickens out of their pen.”
“He’s only five.”
“That’s old enough.”
Ellen noticed Matt’s gaze shift. She turned to see Tess still standing in the bedroom doorway, her doll clutched in her arms.
“Let’s get you in bed.” Ellen said as she moved toward the little girl.
“Will you tell me another story?” Tess asked Matt as Ellen led her into the bedroom.
“Sure,” Matt said.
“About a birthday party.”
“If that’s what you want.”
Tess made room for Matt to sit down beside her. “Mrs. Ogden wants to hear a story, too.”
“You named your doll Mrs. Ogden?” Ellen asked, surprised.
Tess hugged her doll against her chest. “Mrs. Ogden said I didn’t have to be afraid of the dark. She would let me sleep with her until you got home.”
Ellen felt a rush of guilt that she hadn’t been there to comfort Tess. She felt even more guilty that she hadn’t known the child needed comforting.
“You won’t be alone anymore,” Matt said. “Ellen and I will be here.”
“Always?”
“You won’t want us to be here always,” Matt said, settling down next to her. “One of these days, when you’re a grown woman, you’ll meet a nice man, get married, and want to start your own family.”
“Like you and Ellen?”
“You can even adopt boys and girls if you like.”
Ellen didn’t know how he managed to reassure Tess without making promises he couldn’t keep.
“I don’t want to go away ever again.” Tess threw her arms around Matt and hugged him.
If the light from the single lantern hadn’t been so weak, Ellen would have sworn Matt looked terrified. He took Tess’s arms from around him and placed them around the doll she’d dropped.
“Crawl down under the covers and I’ll tell you a story.”
Tess snuggled beneath the blankets. The sheer adoration in her eyes as she looked up at Matt was like a knife in Ellen’s heart. Tess’ never forgive Ellen for taking her away from Matt.
Ellen settled on Noah’s bed while she listened to Matt’s story. Who would ever have expected a man who could break two dozen wild horses in one day to come up with a story that would enchant a three-year-old girl?
“Jessica lined up her old dolls. We’re going to have a party, she said. I have a new dolly named Mrs. Ogden.”
“That’s my dolly’s name,” Tess said.
“Jessica thought it was a very good name,” Matt said.
Ellen didn’t know what he’d done to earn Toby and Orin’s devotion, but she was certain it wasn’t bedtime stories. There had to be something more, something inside him that the children sensed. She remembered how upset Orin had been when Wilbur Sears threatened to take him away. All Matt did was put his hand on his shoulder and the boy calmed down. All Tess needed was a story. Or was it the sound of his voice?
But even though it was a nice voice—warm and resonant—there had to be more than that. Even Noah responded to him, and Noah never responded to anyone without threats of punishment. She heard Noah and Will come in the front door. They went straight to the stairs and climbed to the loft, Noah chattering excitedly the whole time. Enthralled by Matt’s story, Tess didn’t appear to have heard her brother.
“All the other dolls liked Mrs. Ogden,” Matt was saying. “She promised to help Jessica take good care of all of them.”
That’s it! He made the children feel that no matter what happened, he would take care of them. They were safe. Nothing could hurt them as long as Matt was here. She knew that wasn’t characteristic of a weak or indecisive man. He might be unlike any other Texas cowboy she’d ever met, but he had a strength that had deep roots, roots, so strong and unmistakable that Tess felt it almost immediately.
“Jessica put all the dolls in their beds,” Matt said, “but she let Mrs. Ogden sleep in her bed. I’ll never be afraid again as long as I have you, Jessi
ca said to Mrs. Ogden, and they went to sleep holding each other very tight.”
Matt tucked the covers around Tess. Her big brown eyes followed his every move. Ellen stood, leaned over, and kissed Tess on the forehead.
“Sleep tight,” she said. “I’ll be in the next room. If you need anything, just call.”
They hadn’t gotten to the door when a small, quavering voice said, “I’m scared.”
Not surprised, Ellen moved back toward Tess. Matt shouldn’t have let Noah sleep in the loft. He should have known any three-year-old child would be afraid to sleep alone in a strange house.
“I guess I’ll have to sleep in here with her,” Ellen said, looking over her shoulder at Matt.
“I want Matt,” Tess said.
“What?” Ellen asked, turning back to Tess.
“I want Matt to stay with me.”
Chapter Eight
Matt didn’t appear as surprised as Ellen felt. Tess was her child; she ought to want her to stay.
“Don’t you want Ellen to stay with you?” Matt asked. “She’s—”
“I want you.”
There could be no doubt of Tess’s decision. Ellen longed to ask why, but she didn’t wish to upset the frightened child. “I’m not sure Matt knows how to take care of little girls.”
“I don’t mind,” Tess said.
She looked at Ellen, but her gaze returned almost immediately to Matt.
“Then it’s Matt you will have,” Ellen said as cheerfully as she could. “Go change,” she said to Matt. “I’ll stay here.”
After Matt had left the room Ellen sat down next to Tess. “You like Matt a lot, don’t you?”
Tess nodded her head.
“He’s a very nice man,” Ellen said.
“Can we live here always?” Tess asked.
“We’ll stay here a while,” Ellen said. “But one day we’ll go to San Antonio. It’s a big city with lots of people. You’ll soon have lots of friends to play with.”
“I don’t want to go to ’tonio,” Tess said. “I want to stay here.”
“Noah and I wouldn’t want to leave you.”
“You and Noah can stay here, too. Matt will let you.”
“We’ll have to talk to him about that,” Ellen said, “but now it’s time to go to sleep. I don’t want you to keep Matt awake asking questions. He has a lot of work to do tomorrow, so he needs his sleep. You do, too. We have to take care of the chickens and milk the cow.”
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