Teddy had barely stopped before she slipped from the saddle, taking only a moment to wrap the reins around a rail of the corral. Then she hurried into the house and into her bedroom.
Unlike the simple box that held her keepsakes, the money box was made of metal, had a lock and key, and was hidden from view. A real thief would find it easily enough, she supposed, but thieves weren’t her problem. Money was. Her taxes raised and possibly doubled!
After taking the money box from the drawer, she set it on the bed, unlocked it, and opened the lid. Inside was what little cash she had left. The sale of the cattle would bring enough to pay what she’d expected her taxes to be and to see her through the coming year. The only way to pay the higher taxes would be to sell more of the cattle. But a rancher could only cull a herd so much before they started losing ground, before the cows couldn’t produce enough calves to sell in future years. How long could she hang on? Until the next tax payment was due? Until the one after that? And what if her taxes were tripled next time?
Lord, what am I to do? I don’t know enough. I’m not smart enough. When will this end?
Hugh’s first instinct when he saw the sheriff was to throw his few belongings into his saddlebags, turn his horse west, and start riding. Fast. As with attorneys, he didn’t find much to like about most lawmen. But Sheriff Noonan’s bad news had been for Julia, not him, and the lawman hadn’t seemed much interested in the hired man. Which suited Hugh fine.
After the sheriff left and Julia returned to the house, Hugh dismounted and kicked dirt on the branding fire. He waited until the coals cooled before he too rode back to the house. In the barnyard, he found Teddy, still wearing saddle and bridle, tied to the corral. Very unlike Julia not to tend to her animals first thing.
Hugh’s unease grew as he walked to the front porch, stopping in the open doorway and calling, “Julia?”
It was a short wait before she appeared. A look of helplessness was stamped on her face, and it tugged at his chest. One more reason he should ride out of here, he supposed, and one more reason that he wouldn’t. He knew what it was like to be in trouble with no one to help him. He didn’t want her to experience more of the same.
“Is there anything I can do for you?” he asked.
“No. There’s nothing. Unless you know something more about cattle ranching than I do.” The attempt to laugh off what troubled her fell flat.
“‘Fraid not.”
“If you’ll put Teddy away for me, I’ll get something started for our supper. I fear it’ll be plain fare tonight.”
He wanted to do more for her than just take care of her horse, although for the life of him, he didn’t know what that could be. Might help if she would tell him exactly what bad news the sheriff had brought to her. She must have decided it was none of his business. And it wasn’t. He’d best try to remember that.
Hugh took his time with the horses, brushing and rubbing them down, holding the feed bucket and talking to them as they ate their serving of grain. Then he turned them into the paddock north of the barn to graze. Julia’s black gelding tossed his head, kicked up his heels, then raced to the end of the pasture where he trotted back and forth along the width of the fence. A short while later, Hugh’s horse mimicked Teddy’s actions.
There’s no place I’ve been that’s prettier than right here. Look at it. His eyes lifted from the paddock and horses to the majestic mountains and trees and a grand expanse of blue overhead. Lord, this world must’ve been something in Eden before Adam ate from that tree. Sure must’ve been something. Too bad we ruined it.
He turned his back to the fence, leaning against it, and his gaze fell upon the house.
After several weeks on Sage-hen Ranch, he felt comfortable with the chores he performed every day. To his surprise, the work appealed to him. It left him tired at the end of the day, and it gave him a sense of satisfaction, as if he’d accomplished something that mattered. For a man who’d found it nearly impossible to find honest employment after his release from prison, that was a good feeling. But would he feel that way if he was doing the same work for someone other than Julia Grace? He wasn’t comfortable with the question. He was even less comfortable with the answer.
Probably not.
Years ago, Hugh had learned to guard his emotions. Nothing good happened to him when someone else was able to see what he felt. But there was something about Julia that made him forget to be careful. It was more than just the desire to keep himself aloof. More even than the protectiveness he felt for her. More … but what exactly?
Whatever it was, he’d never felt it before, and he’d lay odds he shouldn’t feel it now.
He pushed off the fence and walked into the barn. When his eyes adjusted, he found Bandit lying on the hard-packed dirt floor, just outside of the stall where the cat and kittens resided.
“Bet you’re making her nervous, fella.”
Bandit sat up, as if to give Hugh a better way to stroke his head.
Another new experience, making friends with this spaniel. As a boy, he’d known other kids who owned dogs, but the Brennans had been too poor for a pet. Hard enough to feed the members of the family without adding an animal to the mix. And a man without a job or roof over his head, as he’d been since his release from prison, had no business owning one either. But it pleased Hugh, all the same, that Bandit had given him his approval. At the thought, he chuckled. He wasn’t sure what it said about him, that he was pleased by a dog’s acceptance. Maybe that he’d set his standards mighty low.
After a quick glance into the stall at the feline family, Hugh strode toward the house. Once again he paused at the open door. Once again, the mistress of the house was nowhere in sight. “Julia?”
Soft sounds came from the bedroom, then, “Just a moment.” He heard something close — a door to the wardrobe? a drawer of the dresser? — and a few moments later Julia came out of the bedroom. “Sorry,” she said, flipping the long blond braid over her shoulder. “I’ll get started on our supper right now.”
“Anything I can do to help?” He meant more than helping with the meal and hoped she might understand that.
“No. I’ll call you when it’s ready.”
There was no getting around it. He’d been dismissed. Again. All right. So be it. She didn’t have to clobber him over the head with a skillet to know she didn’t want to tell him what worried her.
So why did he have to fight the urge to enter the house, take her in his arms, and promise that everything would be all right?
It frightened Julia, how much she wanted to turn to Hugh for help. But she couldn’t. She mustn’t. She had to learn to do this on her own. She had to run this ranch without help, make the decisions, no matter how difficult they might be. If she turned to any man now … If she turned to this man now …
She went into the kitchen and put a skillet on the stove. When she looked up again, Hugh was no longer standing in the doorway. That was good. Lately, she didn’t seem able to think clearly when he was around. And perhaps that was a far greater danger than the raised taxes on this land.
The taxes.
Would it do any good if she went to the county land board and pleaded her case? No. Probably not. No, she would simply have to sell enough cattle to pay the higher taxes. And she would have to let next year take care of itself.
“Heaven help me.”
FIFTEEN
The more Julia thought about her money problems, the more confused she felt, and as much as she wanted to, she wouldn’t allow herself to discuss her concerns with Hugh. She was already counting on him in more ways than she’d intended when she hired him. But she had to get advice from someone, and as had been the case for many years, that someone would be Rose.
At the breakfast table two days later, Julia told Hugh she was going to ride over to see how Peter was doing.
“Mind if I come along? I’d like to get those last stumps removed before he tries to do it himself.”
A warm sensation squeezed her he
art. This was what one neighbor did for another. She wished … She wished … What did she wish?
Giving her head a quick shake, she said, “I’m sure Peter will be grateful.”
“I’ll get the horses saddled.” Hugh rose from his chair. “We’ll be ready to go when you are.”
With determination, Julia closed her mind to the strange, unwelcome feelings she had about Hugh.
I hired him to help take the cattle to market.
A good reminder. She’d best get the cattle sold and the taxes paid so Hugh Brennan could be on his way. Once he was gone from Sage-hen, she would be able to see things clearly again.
Peter sat in a chair on the front porch, enjoying the morning sunshine while listening to the sounds coming from inside the house where the Collins children were receiving their school instruction from their mother. It was a rare moment when he got to hear his daughters as they sat around the large kitchen table, completing their lessons. Usually he was in the fields or the barn, tending to crops or animals. But the doctor had ordered him not to exert himself for another few days, and Rose was making sure he obeyed.
His Rosie girl could be stubborn as all get out when she took a mind to it. Lord love her.
“Care for some company?” Roland asked from the doorway.
Peter looked at his brother-in-law. “Of course. Join me. I’m just woolgathering.”
“Not something you get to do very often.” Roland sat in another porch chair. “But there are better ways to get to do it, I surmise.”
Peter released a soft chuckle. “True enough.”
“I’m going to miss all of you when I return to Portland. Sorry I have to cut short my visit.”
“We’ll miss having you here. Rose especially. You know how she dotes on you.”
“Do you suppose she’ll forgive me for not sweeping the lovely Mrs. Grace off her feet?”
“You knew her intentions?”
“Peter, my sister has been playing matchmaker for me since I changed out of short pants. I knew before I came for this visit that she must have someone for me to meet, with the hopes of pairing us off. I just didn’t know her name until she arrived for Sunday dinner.”
Peter chuckled again. “Rose isn’t very subtle, I suppose.”
“No, not subtle.” Roland laughed with Peter. “And as attractive and nice as Mrs. Grace is, I don’t believe she would find pleasure in the kind of life I could give her. Political parties. Society events. Evenings debating the law with friends. She doesn’t strike me as the sort who would want any of that.”
Peter nodded his agreement.
His brother-in-law’s expression sobered. “About the news the sheriff brought yesterday. I want your word that you will let me know if you need help with the increase in taxes.”
“Roland, I can’t —”
“Your word, Peter. If for no other reason than to put my sister’s mind at rest.” He leaned forward on his chair. “You are a good provider for your family, and I know you told Rose that you have enough in the bank for the taxes even with the increase. But I have none of the obligations you have. God has blessed me financially. Allow me to be part of your family in this way. Please.”
“All right, Roland. You have my word. If the need arises, I will contact you.”
The sound of horses drew both men’s gazes toward the road.
“Looks like your friends have returned.” Roland stood as Julia and Hugh rode into the yard. “Good morning, Mrs. Grace. Mr. Brennan.”
“Good morning, Mr. March.” Julia dismounted and quickly came onto the porch. “How are you, Peter?”
“I’m doing fine. I don’t have a good reason to be sitting here, to tell you the truth, other than Rosie won’t let me do otherwise.”
Julia glanced over her shoulder. “Hugh’s come to clear the last of the stumps.”
“No need to do that,” Peter said. “It can wait until next week.”
“Glad to do it,” Hugh answered.
Roland took a step forward. “Perhaps I could be of some assistance.”
Peter thought the work might go faster for Hugh without his brother-in-law’s help, but he kept that opinion to himself.
Julia hadn’t been inside the house long before her friend excused the girls from their studies and sent them outside to play until lunch. Then she poured them each a cup of tea and they settled on chairs at the recently vacated table.
“What’s troubling you?” Rose asked in her best no-nonsense voice.
“Did the sheriff come to see you and Peter yesterday?”
“About the taxes? Yes, he came by.”
“He said some properties have seen the taxes doubled.”
“I know. Peter says we’ll be all right, but it’s hard not to worry. We have money in the bank, but if we were to have a drought or if Peter were to be injured again or …” Rose let her voice trail into silence, then added, “I’m awfully good at worrying, I’m afraid.”
Julia looked at her hands, wrapped tightly around the tea cup, as if she expected to choke an answer from it. “So am I.” She drew a deep breath and released it, relaxing her grip at the same time. “I have no extra funds in the bank to draw on. The only way to raise enough is to sell more cattle. But I’m afraid of what will happen if I do. Not this year, but next year.”
“You know what Peter would tell you.”
In unison, both women said, “Don’t borrow trouble from tomorrow.”
They smiled at each other, although Julia knew hers was a poor attempt.
“Maybe the ladies from the church in Pine Creek could hold a bake sale to help raise money for your taxes.”
“A bake sale?” Julia was horrified at the suggestion. “I’d rather not share my business with everyone. Besides, they couldn’t raise enough from selling pies and cakes, Rose. And I’m not the only person who must find more money because of the land board’s decision.”
Rose frowned. “You don’t suppose Charlie Prescott had anything to do with this, do you?”
“Charlie? Why would he? His taxes must have gone up too. Anyway, he has nothing to do with the land board.”
“He knows all the men on the board, and unlike the rest of us, he can afford an increase. Maybe he’s calling in favors.”
“You always think the worst of him.”
“And you are generous to a fault. He is more like his half-brother than you realize.”
Julia shook her head. “I mustn’t judge Charlie based upon Angus’s actions. Other than pestering me about selling Sage-hen, I have no reason to think ill of him.”
“Even demons can masquerade as angels of light,” Rose muttered.
A chill shuddered down Julia’s spine, her friend’s words reminding her of Angus when he’d come courting so long ago. She’d been fooled then. Could she be fooled in the same way again? Was Rose right to distrust Charlie?
A baby’s cry reached them from the bedroom. Rose stood. “Sounds like Jemima’s awake and hungry. I’d best go feed her. You think on what I said. Just be careful, that’s all.” She left the kitchen, disappearing into the back of the house.
Silence — an unusual condition in the Collins household — surrounded Julia. At Sage-hen, silence was familiar, comfortable. Here, it felt strange. She rose and went out to the porch.
Peter grinned when he saw her. “You two done jabbering already?”
“We weren’t jabbering.” She gave him a smile before she sat on the chair next to him. “We never jabber.”
“Ha!”
Julia turned her eyes toward the distant field. She could see Hugh and Roland, although from the porch she couldn’t tell who was who, not with both men bent over shovels.
“Did Rose tell you Roland’s going back to Portland tomorrow?”
“No, she didn’t mention it.” Maybe she could tell who was who. Even from a distance, there was something about the way Hugh moved.
“I guess you know she’s disappointed things didn’t work out the way she wanted.”
“I wonder.”
“Don’t.”
“Time has a way of changing us, Julia. And God has a way of healing our wounds, if we let Him.”
A part of her believed what Peter said. Another part found it impossible to believe. Of course she knew that God could heal her, but could time and healing change her enough that she would want to marry again?
Surely not.
Her gaze returned to Hugh as he worked in the distance.
Her heart fluttered, and she had the strange sense that God wanted to say something to her — if only she had ears to hear.
Hugh figured he could have accomplished just as much without the lawyer’s help as with him. Maybe more. Roland was a good sort, but it was obvious he wasn’t used to physical labor. He also wasn’t much of a talker. Except when he asked the occasional question, Roland didn’t speak, concentrating instead on shoveling dirt and cutting tree roots.
But the verbal silence was broken at long last by a young girl’s voice. “How ya doing?”
Hugh looked up. Two of the Collins girls stood a short distance away, holding hands. If he wasn’t mistaken, the older one was Dinah and the younger one Gomer. Although it was hard to be sure. The girls all had a strong resemblance to one another. “We’re almost ready to pull this stump out. Maybe you should go back to the house. Don’t want you getting hurt.”
“We won’t get too close.” Dinah shook her head. “Pa won’t care if we watch as long as we don’t get too close.” She looked toward the house and waved. “See? He knows we’re here.”
Sure enough, Peter raised an arm and waved in return.
“Pa says those taproots go down really deep,” Dinah continued.
Her younger sister tugged on her arm. “What’s a taproot?”
Dinah shrugged. “You don’t need to know. Just be quiet and watch and don’t make trouble.”
The girl’s comment sent Hugh’s thoughts speeding back to Chicago, to a time before his mum died. He could hear himself saying almost the same exact words to his younger sisters. Just be quiet. Just watch. Just stay out of trouble. Just don’t bother me. Sometimes he’d hated being Felicia’s and Diana’s older brother, having to look out for them. He’d been known to complain loudly to their mother.
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