“Howdy, Mr. Sharp.” Will stepped over to Pa to shake hands. He tipped his hat to everyone else. “Mrs. Sharp. Ladies. Brothers.” Emma didn’t think his pleasant smile held near the charm as Jared’s. “Let me introduce Xavier and Angelique Elizondo. They’d like to take care of your sheep for you. Here are their references.” He handed a sheaf of papers to Pa.
Her own mind reeling in amazement, Emma watched Pa’s jaw drop and hang loose for a full five seconds. At last he shook himself and took the papers, scanning them briefly. Then he reached out to the young man.
“Señor Elizondo, you got yourself a job.” He shook the man’s hand as if it was a pump handle and nodded to the young woman. “Señora Elizondo.”
“Gracias, Patron.” Xavier grinned broadly, while Angelique offered a shy smile. “We are grateful for the work.”
“Now, none of that patron stuff. I’m just a humble rancher.” Pa turned to Will. “Young man, I don’t know how to thank you for finding these folks.”
Will shuffled his feet. “It wasn’t me, sir. Jared had the idea. Said you couldn’t go looking for yourself ’cause of your… Say, how’s your leg?”
While they jawed briefly about Pa’s health improvements, Emma stole a glance at Jared. His face beamed with some fine feeling. Not pride, just honest happiness. And he’d arranged all of this. She wanted to think he’d done it for her, but in truth he would have done it for anybody in need. All the more reason to admire him. All the more reason not to take it personal.
He looked her way, catching her before she could turn away. His grin made her heart skip.
She couldn’t keep from grinning back. “Thanks.”
He reached up as if he meant to tip his hat, but he wasn’t wearing one. He pantomimed the gesture, and they both laughed. The moment further warmed her heart, and she had a hard time stamping out the little thread of hope trying to weave through her chest.
By nightfall they had the Elizondos settled in the small adobe house near the sheepfold. Ma had provided food, a few kitchen utensils and some bedding. Jared and Cal brought wood for the small cast-iron cookstove and the fireplace that would heat their new home.
Xavier introduced himself and his sheepdogs to the guard dogs and then waited patiently while the critters sniffed each other and decided who was top dog. At that point, Xavier quickly let them know he was in charge simply by his straightened, commanding posture and a few firm Basque words. The guard dogs crouched down in a submissive but not cowering posture. The sheepdogs lay down and watched him expectantly. With a simple gesture and a few more words, Xavier ordered his dogs to enter the sheepfold and get acquainted with their new charges. The two took off and did as they were told, circling the sheep and herding them around as if they were showing off their talents.
“How does he do that?” Emma glanced at Jared.
“Beats me.” Jared grinned and waggled his dark eyebrows at her. “There’s a few folks I’d like to see mind me like that.”
Emma gaped at him, and that cute grin of his no longer touched her heart. Did he mean her? Did he really mean she should mind him? A wife might do well to be submissive to her husband in obedience to the Lord’s command. But Jared Mattson would never boss Emma around. And she couldn’t wait till tomorrow to show him.
*
This time Jared knew exactly why Emma turned prickly. He’d tried to tease her, tried to hint that he really liked her and wanted to see where their renewed friendship might take them. He’d thought they’d gone beyond easy hurt feelings because of the laugh they’d shared back at the barnyard, but his awkward attempt at humor had failed.
Now that he thought on it, he recalled his plans of last week to tease her for the very purpose of keeping her riled so they would not renew that friendship. Why did he think he could tease her now and hope for a better result? Before he could figure out how to make it right, she said goodbye to Xavier and Angelique, mounted her horse and rode away. He had no choice but to mount up and follow her back to the ranch house.
The Sharp family always turned in early on Sunday to get a good night’s sleep before the new week. As usual, Jared sat up for a while to whittle. He sanded between the teeth of Emma’s comb to smooth out any edges that might snag her hair. He didn’t want to give her a gift that would cause her pain. Didn’t want to cause her any pain at all. Once was enough between any two people.
At last barn-raising day arrived, and Jared anticipated success, at least on the barn. The weather was crisp and cold, with a hazy sun overhead and dark clouds covering the Sangre de Cristos’ highest peaks. By midmorning, some thirty men had arrived, along with a few women who came to help with the cooking.
While it was good for the community to come together, Jared hoped everybody would continue to get along, that nobody would want to refight the Mexican-American War or the War Between the States. Even though that last conflict had ended over twenty years ago, some Southerners carried a heavy dose of bitterness against any Yankee who crossed their paths.
Pop had fought for the Confederacy, but he never talked about it. Seven years ago when the family sold their small farm outside Charleston and packed up to come West, Jared saw Pop all misty-eyed as he briefly held his gray uniform and then firmly set it aside to be left behind. In spite of his taciturn ways, he was the first to shake hands with Mr. Sharp of Ohio’s Seventh Volunteer Infantry Regiment when the Sharp family moved here shortly after the Mattsons. For these two men, the war had ended on April 9, 1865, when Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Courthouse.
If only Jared’s “war” with Emma could end so peacefully.
One thing was sure. They needed to finish the barn so the community could gather here in four days for Las Posadas and establish that kind of unity.
“’Morning, Jared.” His oldest brother, Rob, strode over from the building site wearing an all too familiar expression. “You need to put a few more studs in those frames before you try to raise them.”
“That so?” Jared tried to keep his anger down. After Mama left, Rob had gotten even bossier than any oldest brother had a right to be. It only got worse when his wife left him. Jared couldn’t wait to move out and be his own boss for a change.
“Yep.” Rob crossed his arms over his chest. “You don’t want the walls to cave in on Mr. Sharp, do you? Take a look at the two sides Emma and Paco built. Studs shouldn’t be more than twelve inches apart.”
Jared frowned, aching to tell Rob he could go build his own barn if he was so smart. But concern about the success of the project outweighed his pride. “That’ll set back the raising, but best to do it right in the first place.”
Jared informed the workers about the need to brace up his two sides of the structure, setting into motion a flurry of activity. Rob suggested they leave the studs in place and brace them with horizontal supports. Everyone agreed that would sufficiently reinforce the two walls. Over near the corral he saw that Emma was sitting on a stump knitting, a big grin on her face, while her team of workers kept themselves busy tending livestock and other helpful ranch work to stay occupied until time to raise the sides.
“We need to keep score on each part of the building,” she said. “No fair for us to have to wait while you catch up. We could have the whole barn finished before you get your part done.” She tossed a long lock of that pretty black hair over her shoulder, an unconscious gesture unlike the obviously flirty way the girls at church did it. Yet the movement stirred a bit of excitement in Jared’s chest. Would she like the comb? Would she—
“Hey, watch out!” His brother Will shoved him out of the way before another man with a board on his shoulder knocked into his head. “You’d better quit gathering wool and start working. This is your competition, ain’t it?”
Heat rushed to Jared’s face, and it intensified when he looked at Emma. Instead of the smirk he expected, her eyes were wide and her mouth open, almost as if she was scared for him. He shrugged and offered her a crooked grin. She raised her chin, gave a little
sniff and then went back to her knitting. Which made him grin even more. She did like him, did care what happened to him. She was just too proud to admit it.
*
Emma almost had fallen off the stump she was sitting on when one of the men had come near to hitting Jared in the head with that board. The fella had been moving fast, so it would have hurt Jared pretty bad. To her chagrin, he’d caught her gaping at him. Just like any man, he’d shrugged it off and had given her one of those cute grins. Also to her chagrin, her heart had once again taken over and jumped clear up to her throat. Thankfully, she’d managed to hide her concern and return to her knitting.
These gloves were coming together nicely. Too bad she didn’t have enough time before Christmas to knit pairs of socks for Jared and Cal, as well. With no woman in their home, and only Old Fuzzy to cook and clean for them, they must have a hard time with such necessities. She supposed they kept the Riverton mercantile in business with the clothing needs of six men and a growing boy. Maybe she could manage to knit some socks for Robby. That wouldn’t take much time.
Thinking about the Mattsons, she chuckled to herself as she recalled how Rob had given Jared that set-down. If she’d been the one to tell Jared about the studs being too far apart, he would have laughed. She’d noticed that first day that Rob had an eye for such things, so she’d waited for him to step in. Of course, she’d also prayed. Although she didn’t think it was right to ask the Lord for His favor in the competition, she did pray the barn would be built strong and sturdy and would be finished before the snows came. Those were the most important things.
Another thought edged its way into her mind. Jared had looked a bit peeved as Rob spoke to him like a scolding father, yet he hadn’t argued. She respected that. Seemed Jared got along with everybody—except her. That insight downright depressed her.
Ma, Julia and the other women set out a fine spread of sandwiches, potato salad and coffee. The Mexican ladies had brought a stew they called chili, which wasn’t the least bit chilly. Emma’s tongue burned for quite some time after she ate a bowlful, but she had to admit it was mighty tasty. Always on the lookout for warm winter dishes, she wondered whether she could make it with a milder pepper, maybe add some beans and a few tomatoes, and serve it with corn bread. Made her hungry all over again just thinking about it.
With nine men working on Jared’s team, they’d finished repairing his two sides by dinner. Now that everyone had eaten, both teams went into action. Heavy ropes were brought out and attached to the top beams of the frames. Two adjacent sides were pulled upright and secured to their shared corner post. A third side was raised and secured, and then the fourth. Finally, they raised the frame for the roof and set it in place above the sides. After the last nails were driven into the boards, Emma and Jared inspected all of the joints and agreed they were sound. A loud cheer went up from the workers, with each man turning to his neighbor to shake hands over a job well done.
While daylight lasted, the teams added siding, each finishing a good portion of their two sides. When the men began to drift away to return to their own homes and chores, Emma felt great satisfaction over all they’d accomplished. From Jared’s wide-open smile, she could see he shared her joy.
Pa limped out of the house, pain evident on his weathered face, but he shook hands with each man who’d helped. As everyone said their goodbyes, Emma prayed that the weather would hold off for another few days. The barn was close to finished, but they still had the rest of the siding, the roof, interior, doors and windows to complete and only four days to do it.
After all the noise of the work, supper was a quiet affair, with everyone too tired to talk. Once Jared and Cal tended to evening chores and Pa read a Bible passage, another early bedtime seemed like a good idea. Having wielded a hammer for several hours, Emma couldn’t even make her fingers hold on to her knitting needles.
Late in the night, she awakened to shuffling sounds coming from the kitchen. Determined to let Julia and their parents get much-needed rest, she considered waking Jared but decided not to waste time. She slipped on her bathrobe and shoes, picked up the poker from beside her fireplace and quietly tiptoed from the room. Light from the banked stove fire sent ominous shadows dancing across the kitchen wall, while one large black shape wavered menacingly across the wooden floor.
Emma raised the poker, prepared to strike the intruder. She peered around the doorjamb to see that dark figure hunched down by the still warm stove.
“There you go, little mama.” Jared’s voice!
Emma lowered the poker and laid it on the table. “What are you doing?” she asked in an urgent whisper.
He jerked around and almost lost his balance. “Emma. Sorry to wake you.” He gave her a sweet smile very unlike his cute grin. “Come see what we got here.”
She moved closer and saw what held his attention. The expectant barn cat lay on a burlap potato sack panting, clearly preparing to give birth. Her own heart melted at Jared’s gentle care for the kitty. He scratched under her chin and cooed soothing words.
“Ma’s not going to like this,” she whispered.
“Aw, she won’t mind, ’specially when she sees what’s outside.” He jutted his chin toward the back door.
Fearing the worst, Emma moved the curtain aside and peered out through the door window. Sure enough, snow drifted down and covered the barnyard with a dreamy blue-white blanket.
“At least it’s not a blizzard.” She let the calico curtain fall back into place over the icy window.
“At least not yet.” Jared gave her a rueful smile.
Emma sighed. No sense in jawing about what they couldn’t control. She pulled over a chair and sat near the stove to warm herself. “How come you like cats? I never met a man who likes cats.”
He gave her an uncertain glance, as if he was deciding what to say. Finally, he stood, pulled a chair over beside her and sat. He held out his hands toward the stove. “Guess I should heat this up a bit if we’re gonna be here a while.”
After he added a log and stirred the fire, he sat back down and stared at the flames as if he was deep in thought. Emma had a mind to ask if he’d forgotten her question but decided to keep quiet. It was none of her business why he liked cats. For now it just felt good, felt right to be sitting here beside him while Kitty brought her babies into the world.
*
Jared felt that itch in his brain that warned him not to say too much. He’d never dared to tell his brothers about the cat that had consoled him after Mama left. They wouldn’t only have laughed at him. They never would have let him forget it. In a family of men where sentimental feelings were considered the domain of the weaker gender, a man had to be strong, tough. Even little Robby was learning not to bellyache about anything, not even his mama leaving.
Sitting here beside Emma in this cozy kitchen, though, Jared felt a softening in his heart that outranked his brain. He bent down to pet the cat and then gave Emma a sidelong glance. The open curiosity in her pretty blue eyes seemed to say she wouldn’t judge him or think him unmanly if he confessed all. He’d give it a try and pray he didn’t live to regret it.
“Back when my mama left us, shortly after we came out here, I was just fifteen. Not too grown-up, I suppose.” He gave her a self-conscious grin, and she returned a warm smile. “It hurts to admit it, but I broke down and cried.” He chuckled. “Not a very manly thing to do, so I hid in the barn loft so none of my brothers could see me.”
Just talking about it stirred up that old grief about Mama, so he swallowed hard and stared at the blazing stove. “This little gray barn cat came over and crawled up in my lap, purring like nobody’s business. She reached up with her paw and touched the tears…” He choked a bit and cleared his throat. Funny how talking about it brought back such bittersweet pangs even after all these years. “She seemed to understand I was a just kid and I was hurting.” He risked a glance at Emma.
Tears streamed down her sun-kissed cheeks, and he wanted real bad to add a ki
ss of his own. Instead, he turned back to the stove. “We were friends till the day she passed on. I’ve had a fondness for cats since then.” More unruly emotions threatened to undo him, so he sniffed dramatically and chuckled. “’Course, she only made friends with me so’s I’d favor her at milking time. She was always the first one lined up for a squirt of milk.”
Emma’s laugh was more of a sob. She dabbed her tears with her bathrobe sleeve. “Jared, that’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard.”
Another warning tickled his brain. He sat up and gave her a stern look. “Now, don’t you go telling Julia, ’cause she’ll tell Cal, and he’ll tell our other brothers and—”
She set her small hand on his forearm and squeezed. “Your secret is safe with me.”
He gave her a curt nod but added a smile so she’d know he trusted her. That was one of the many fine things he was beginning to understand about Emma: she could be trusted.
They looked down to see the mama kitty had delivered one tiny black kitten, with more sure to come. The little mama licked her baby and purred and then looked up at Jared as if to say, “See what a fine baby I have?”
“We should call her Mrs. Cat,” he said. “What do you think?”
“I like it.” Emma gave him one of her sweet smiles. “Say, I’ll sit with her if you want to get some rest.” She tilted her head toward the hallway. “If the snow lets up, we’ll need to get as much work done as possible tomorrow.”
“Aw, I suppose she’ll do all right by herself. Barn cats have kittens alone all the time.” Without thinking, he took Emma’s hand. To his surprise, she let him. He stood and gently tugged her to her feet, staring into those sky blue eyes and barely able to breathe for her closeness. He did manage to whisper, “We could both use the rest.”
She nodded, and her pretty black hair tumbled around her shoulders. He couldn’t wait to see it secured in place with the comb he’d made. To keep from reaching out to brush it back, he let go of her hand and banked the fire in the stove to be sure no sparks would escape.
Love Inspired Historical October 2015 Box Set Page 63