by Jodi Thomas
The walls glowed honey colored with each lightning flash as she ran from room to room loving the open feel to it. Space was a luxury she’d never known.
A hundred yards from the house, Hank realized he’d almost run out of the kitchen. He’d known that if he looked at her a moment longer he wouldn’t be able to leave. As he lowered his hat and rode into the rain, he wondered at what point his mind had turned to oatmeal. How could a woman he hadn’t even known twenty-four hours matter to him? When had she crawled under his skin and become a part of him?
Within an hour, he and Blue were riding the fence line looking for breaks. Compared to most of the ranches, his herd was small. Hank couldn’t afford to lose any cattle. The cows he’d saved back from the last sale were all good breeding stock and he’d need them come spring. Last year he’d finally made it to the black after ten years of scraping by. He’d bought more land when the Duncan ranch next to him failed, and still managed to put some in the bank for a rainy day.
His plan had been to build enough to finally sell this spread and buy another, bigger one, farther from town. But, now, with Aggie in his life, he might have to rethink that plan. If she wanted to work, they’d need to live close to town, and the way Amarillo was growing it would overtake his ranch one day. The thought of being so close to town didn’t interest him, but he couldn’t see himself moving so far away that he made Aggie unhappy.
Smiling, he remembered the way she’d twirled around, her blue skirts flying.
Hank was so deep in thought he almost missed the downed fence. If Blue hadn’t yelled at him, they might have ridden passed a hole so big his entire herd could have moved through by morning.
As they worked, the storm played itself out. The wind settled to a breeze and the rain to a drizzle. The red Texas mud clung to their hands and boots. By the time they finished, both men were covered in caked dirt. The watery sun blinked its way between clouds, baking the earth to their clothes like shingles on a roof. Hank pushed hard, trying to keep his mind on his job and not on the woman who waited for him at home.
Blue, as always, worked beside him. For a man with little use of his right hand, he managed to earn his wages. Over the years the two men had learned to work as a team, but they rarely talked.
Late in the afternoon when they headed home, Blue turned off along the breaks with a wave and Hank followed the stream. He was bone tired after not sleeping the night before on the train, but he pushed his horse, wanting to reach the house long before sundown.
While he washed and put on his good white shirt in the mudroom, Hank noticed the bandage on his arm was spotted with blood. Sometime during the afternoon one of the stitches must have pulled loose. He wrapped it with a towel so he wouldn’t get blood on his clean clothes, then entered the house as quietly as possible.
He found Aggie curled up in the middle of his big bed, which he had moved into her room when he brought her boxes in. The guard dog, Ulysses, slept on the rug beside her. The moment he sensed Hank, he raised his head and growled.
Hank chuckled. “Protecting the lady, Ulysses?”
Aggie awoke with a smile and touched the dog’s head. “We had a long talk on the porch. Ulysses promised to be good if I let him come in for a while.”
The old dog lowered his head, but continued a grumble as Hank walked to the bed. “How about we see if together we can’t find something to eat.” He offered his hand to Aggie. “I’m starving and Ulysses is always in a better mood when he’s eaten.”
Aggie’s feet slipped to the floor as she accepted his hand. “First,” she said, staring at the towel, “I’ll check that wound and put a fresh bandage on it. I may not be able to cook, but I’m a fair nurse. My father was a walking accident looking for a place to pause. I hope Widow Forbes keeps her medicine kit handy.”
“We’ll send them one as a wedding gift.” Hank laughed as he accompanied her to the kitchen.
To his surprise, she raised her hand to his shoulder and pushed. For a second he didn’t understand what she was trying to do, then he realized she was attempting to push him into a chair.
He sat.
“I found the medicine box when I went through the cabinets.” She pulled the box forward and stood in front of him. “I also found a full stock of beans and peaches.” She hesitated, then added, “and nothing more.”
Hank watched her clean the wound. “Most nights I come in too tired to fix anything else. Lizzy brings over a good meal every Monday when she comes to do the laundry and clean.” He watched Aggie closely. “I pay her twice a year in beef. If it’s all right with you I’d like her to still come. They depend on the meat.”
Aggie nodded, but Hank wasn’t sure she really listened. She worried over the cut.
“You’re lucky this isn’t showing signs of infection.” She poked at the skin around his cut. “I think if we wrap it correctly the wound will stay closed, but I’ll want to clean it and put medicine on it twice a day.”
“It’ll be all right.” He shrugged, thinking he’d had far worse cuts.
She let out a huff of impatience and worry. “I’ll clean this twice a day if I have to tie you to the chair.”
Hank smiled. “Yes, ma’am. I had no idea I was marrying such a bossy wife.”
She raised her gaze to his and wrinkled her forehead. “I never thought I would be, but it seems so. You’ll just have to put up with it, I’m afraid.”
Loving the way she’d lost any fear of him, Hank put his hand at her waist, steadying his arm as she bandaged his wound. His gun belt was missing from around her hips and he wondered if she simply removed it while she slept, or if she felt safe enough with him not to bother with even the pretense of the Colt.
“How are we doing?” He repeated the same question he’d asked on the train steps twenty-four hours ago. “Any complaints, so far?”
She worked silently, her nearness affecting him more than any poking she was doing. Taking a deep breath, he let the scent of her fill his lungs. He’d smelled perfumed women in the saloons, and a few proper ladies who bore the scent of starch and talcum, but Aggie was like neither. She reminded him of spring water just when the land turns green, all fresh and new.
When she didn’t answer, Hank waited, figuring out that something bothered her. If he were guessing, he could think of several things—he’d left her their first day, the storm, no furnishings in the house to speak of, no curtains on the windows, none of her family close.
“There is one thing,” she finally said as she tied off the bandage.
“What?” He wouldn’t have been surprised if she said she changed her mind and wanted to go back to Fort Worth. Maybe the banker or the hotheaded Potter Stockton weren’t looking so bad after she’d spent the day here alone. He remained still, his hand at her waist.
“When you left, you kissed me on the forehead.”
If she was waiting for him to say he was sorry for that, she’d wait a long time. Finally, he managed to mumble, “You’d rather I hadn’t been so informal?”
She shrugged. “No, actually, I was thinking that if you are going to kiss me good-bye, I’d rather you didn’t do it on the forehead. It makes me feel like a child. I may be over a foot shorter than you, but I’m not a child. I wish never to be treated as such again.”
Now he said, “I’m sorry,” and meant it. “That was not my intent.” He watched her closely, unsure where the conversation was going. “Where would you like me to kiss you when we part?” He thought of mentioning that couples do kiss one another politely when saying good-bye, but in truth he could never really remember seeing any husband do so except at the train station.
She placed her hand on his shoulder and leaned slightly toward him. “The cheek would be all right, I guess, or even the lips would seem appropriate. After all, we are married.”
Hank had that feeling of walking on ice. One misstep and he’d disappear. He wondered if he’d ever be able to read this woman. She’d made it plain she wanted a partnership marriage and noth
ing more, and now she was telling him where to kiss her. It crossed his mind that if all women were as hard to read as Aggie, no wonder the saloons were packed with married men.
He dove into deep water. “Like this,” he whispered as he tugged her near and brushed his lips lightly along her cheek.
She leaned away, considering. “That would be acceptable, I think.” She smiled. “Your whiskers tickle.”
His arm slid around her waist once more but this time when he pulled her, she stumbled, landing on his knee. Before he could change his mind, Hank kissed her soundly on the lips.
When he raised his head, her eyes were open wide.
“Is that acceptable, Aggie?” he said, preparing himself for any answer.
Standing, she whispered, “Yes, dear.” She turned, suddenly giving all her attention to putting up the supplies.
Chapter 8
They ate their dinner of beans and peaches at the kitchen table without saying much. Hank would have thought he’d upset her, only her last words still sounded in his mind. She’d said the kiss had been acceptable.
He was thinking of when he should do the acceptable again when she asked, “Where’d you get your dishes?”
Glancing down, Hank noticed the mismatch of china. “I bought them in the discount bin a few months after I came here. When my dad died, I sold the farm and packed up what I could in a wagon. Somewhere between East Texas and here, the box of his china fell off the wagon.” He lifted one bowl. “This was the only piece that survived.”
Aggie smiled. “This makes me feel right at home. When my first sister married, she took Mother’s good china with her. The second packed away the everyday set. Papa bought more, but they left after the third wedding. After that he just bought odd pieces.” She lifted the china teacup she’d been drinking coffee out of. “As near as I can remember, my mother’s best set looked like this one with the tiny blue flowers around the rim.”
Hank had never noticed the flowers, but he was glad he’d chosen the tea set. He bought them because he thought the pieces somehow made his place appear more like a home. Now he thought the cup looked right in her tiny hand.
“After dinner,” he said when he realized he’d been staring at her for a while, “we could walk over to the barn. I’ll need to measure how high you want your bench. I’m guessing you’ll want to do some of the gunsmithing in the barn.”
“It’s late,” she said, glancing out at the night, “and it looks like it might rain again.”
“I know, but I want to get started on it at first light tomorrow morning.” He grinned and added, “While you’re cooking breakfast.”
She finally looked at him. “Let’s hope I’m better at it than you are at supper.”
Hank didn’t argue. She’d only eaten half the beans he’d served her. “Blue, before he got married, used to come over for meals from time to time. He said I made a good stew and in the summer I can fry up fish and potatoes regularly.” He’d already decided that if the mud wasn’t too bad he’d take her in for dinner at the hotel tomorrow night, but he wanted her to know he wasn’t going back on his offer to cook. “I plant a garden in the spring. For half the vegetables and a case of jars, Lizzy will can all we can eat next winter.”
“What about this winter?”
“I told her all I’d need were potatoes and carrots. They’re in a root cellar. I’m not real fond of the green stuff, even floating in stew, but if you like them, I’ll barter for black-eyed peas and green beans. Soon as it dries out, we can pick up all the canned goods we need at the Diggs’ place.”
She pulled a small tablet from her pocket. “I’ve been making a list of things I need. If you’ll loan me the money, I’ll pay you back.” She looked down at her new clothes. “I’d also like to buy a few more sets of clothes like these. I don’t think I want to wear my old dresses. They don’t seem to belong here.”
He couldn’t agree more.
Hank stood and pulled a coffee can from the top shelf. “I have some money in the bank, but this is what I planned for winter expenses. There’s a little over five hundred dollars here. You’re welcome to however much you need.” He started to return the can to the top shelf, then reconsidered and shoved it between the spices so it would be within her reach.
“I’ll pay you back. Once we’re square, I’d like it if we both put the same amount into the can each year. Then whatever else you make on the ranch or I make working will be for each to decide.”
He wanted to argue that it wasn’t necessary, but she’d said each year like there would be many. Figuring he’d have time to talk out expenses later, Hank asked, “Did you decide if you want to use the room upstairs?”
“I thought I’d make it my indoor workroom, that way the kitchen won’t get cluttered. The light’s good up there and on cold days the kitchen fire will keep it warm.”
“I could frame you up furniture tomorrow. The good thing about winter on a ranch is there’s time to do all the chores I couldn’t get to in the spring and summer. The bad thing is I never seem to finish the list before calving.” He stood and lifted a lantern from the peg by the back door. “You want to walk with me to the barn and tell me where to put that bench?”
She nodded and followed him out of the house and along a path of smooth stones. Ulysses tagged along as far as the barn door. He growled and barked at the shadows, but before Hank could tell him to quiet, Aggie touched his head and he moved to her side, standing guard as if something were just beyond the light waiting to hurt her.
They spent ten minutes walking around the barn, determining where would be the best place for a bench, and finally decided on a spot near the door. There she’d get the breeze, the morning sun, and anything left on the bench overnight would remain protected from the weather once the door was closed.
“I’d like to start tonight.” Hank knew it was late, but he wouldn’t sleep anyway. Too much had happened today, and Aggie would be too close, even three rooms away. “I’ll turn in before midnight.”
She looked up at him. “All right. I think I’ll turn in now. I feel bad taking your bed though.”
“Don’t worry about it. Somehow it wouldn’t be right if you were the one on the floor. I’ll talk Blue into helping me string another frame this week, but for now a bedroll will be nothing unusual for me to sleep on.”
She hesitated. “Well…”
They stood in the circle of light staring at each other. As he guessed she would, she broke the silence first. With her fingers laced together in front of her, she said suddenly, “It’s not fair.”
Hank fought down a smile. She fired up fast when something bothered her. “What’s not fair?”
She fisted her hands on her hips and looked up at him. “If I want to kiss you good night, I have to ask you to bend down first.”
A slow smile spread across his face. He grabbed a milking stool from the first stall and set it firmly in the center of the light, then he lifted her atop it.
They were equals. He stared straight into the devil dancing in her blue-green eyes.
He waited as she leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the cheek. When she straightened she said, “Good night, dear.” Her hand rested on his shoulder. She made no effort to remove it.
“Good night,” he said as his mouth touched hers. This time his lips were soft and slow. He fought the urge to pull her against him. He knew where a kiss could lead, but she was innocent. If he moved too fast, she might be frightened.
Too fast! his mind shouted. When had he crossed some invisible line from accepting her as a partner and nothing more to thinking of what came after the kiss?
Gently pulling away, he smiled when she pouted. “I’ll put a stool in every room so all will be fair,” he whispered, so near he could feel her quick breaths on his cheek.
He couldn’t resist; his lips found hers once more. The kiss remained gentle, but his hands at her waist tugged her slightly so that their bodies touched. He felt her soft breasts press into his ches
t each time she inhaled, and the feeling was so right.
His fingers relaxed. Aggie could have stepped back if she’d wanted to. But she didn’t break the contact. Feather light, she placed her other hand on his shoulder and continued the kiss.
She was learning, exploring, he realized, and he had every intention of being her guide.
Ulysses barked at a shadow somewhere beyond the barn and Aggie lifted her head. For a second their eyes met and Hank didn’t miss the fire in her shy gaze a moment before she looked down.
“Aggie,” he whispered, ignoring the dog’s barking. “Aggie, look at me.”
Slowly she raised her head.
“There’s no need to ever be embarrassed or shy with me. I’m your husband.”
She nodded. “I know, dear. I’m not.”
“Then what is it?” Even in the shadowed light he saw the blush in her cheek and felt her fingers moving nervously over his shoulders.
“I…” She looked down again, then forced herself to face him. “I just didn’t expect it to feel so good.”
“The kiss?”
“Yes, that, but also the nearness of you. Even last night on the train I liked you holding me close. And the kissing part, I always thought it was something a man did to a woman. I guess I never considered it as something they did together.”
Hank had no idea how to answer. He should have stayed with talking about the weather. He’d never be able to explain what was happening to her. Hell, he couldn’t put his own emotions into words most of the time. “Would it help any if I told you I feel the same?”
She smiled. “Not much.” He saw it then, that twinkle in her eye. That warning that one day soon she’d understand him better than he did himself.
“Good night, Aggie.” Hank decided he’d be wise to stop this conversation while he could still form reasonable thoughts.