Mary grinned. “Some of the men eat enough for two, and unlike you and Da, they are all very appreciative of my skills.”
Maggie frowned. “Da and I were never unappreciative of your cooking.” She shook her head, and her voice grew small as she said, “We both knew neither of us would have had anything to eat if not for you.”
A touch of chagrin made her stomach bubble. “I’m sorry,” Mary said. “I was teasing you. I just wanted you to know I’m appreciated here, and well, enjoying it. However,” she whispered since they were near Rex’s doorway and she’d have to introduce Maggie within moments. “I have a plan. This is the perfect place to bottle up the tonic, and to make a second batch. Steve has an entire crock of honey in the root cellar. By the time I’m done working here, we’ll have more than enough money to leave town with enough tonic to sell in order to get us wherever we chose to go.”
Chapter Eight
The young woman’s squeaky voice made Steve’s spine quiver. Whatever she was talking about, something to do with the buggy ride to the ranch, was so jumbled he looked at Jackson Miller, hoping the man would interrupt. Instead, Jackson shook his head and rubbed one temple.
As soon as the woman took a breath, Steve asked, “Wouldn’t you like to join the women in the house?”
“No,” the woman said. “I told Maggie I’d stay out here so she and her sister can visit in private.”
“Isn’t that kind of you,” he muttered.
“Yes, it is,” she said.
Over the top of her head, Steve met Jackson’s apologetic gaze and his shrug. As the woman started talking again, and while Jackson rubbed at his other temple, Steve sent up a silent prayer concerning how thankful he was that Mary was nothing like this woman. If that had been the case, he couldn’t have endured her for an hour let alone thirty days. That also made him concede he’d have to put up with this woman for a bit longer. Mary deserved a few minutes alone with her sister.
Less than an hour later, he concluded the sisters had had all the alone time they were going to get. Both he and Jackson were squeezing their temples, and it didn’t help. The shrill-voiced woman didn’t shut up, which made him sincerely regret not riding out with the other men this morning. He’d chosen to stay close to the house because of last night and when he’d heard a wagon rolling in, he’d been ninety percent sure it would be Nelson Graham.
Then he’d been ready to tell the man to leave.
Now he wished it had been Nelson.
“Let’s get some coffee,” he said when the woman took another breath.
“Sounds good to me,” Jackson said.
Steve led the others through the back door, but found no reprieve when he saw the kitchen was empty. “Wait here,” he said, hurrying across the room. He paused at Rex’s doorway.
Rex pointed to the ceiling.
Steve nodded and hurried to the base of the stairway. “Miss McCary?”
“Coming,” she shouted. “Be right there.”
When she appeared at the top of the steps, he’d never been so glad to see someone.
She frowned slightly as she stared down the steps. “Is something wrong?”
“Why?”
Eyeing him closely, she said, “Because you’re smiling.”
“Because I’m happy to see you,” he said, and then caught her arm as she stumbled forward having missed a step. He grabbed her other arm to stop her wobbles and then lifted her down the last two steps.
Her eyes were wide and startled. “You’re happy to see me?”
“Yes,” he whispered honestly. “That Anna woman is driving me batty. She doesn’t shut up. I can’t take it any longer.”
She took a step back, her feet now on the floor, but he didn’t release her arms, afraid she might run back up the steps.
“I’m serious. I can’t—” He shook his head, not sure how to explain how annoyed his nerves were. “I just can’t.”
She giggled slightly. “I know what you mean. I was stuck on a train with her.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, meaning it.
The twinkle in her eyes made him smile again. She smiled, too. “I have coffee and cookies ready. That will help.”
“Thank you.” Suddenly remembering why he’d been stuck with Anna, he asked, “Where’s your sister?”
“She’ll be down in a minute,” Mary said. “Come, I’ll make a tray for you to take outside.”
Steve had a sudden urge to hug her. Instead he said, “I knew I could count on you.”
True to her word, within minutes, she shooed him and Jackson outside with cups full of coffee and a tray of ginger cookies. Once they’d eaten a few cookies and emptied their coffee cups, they headed for the barn. He needed a couple of cabinets built for the tack room, and having Jackson here was a great opportunity to have the area measured and to explain exactly what he wanted.
They were still there when the women appeared. Mary introduced him to her sister, who did look a lot like her, but different at the same time. He couldn’t put his finger on it, for their features were virtually identical, including their long wavy black hair and glistening blue eyes, but... That was it. It was the eyes. Mary’s were brighter, bolder and prettier. Much prettier.
“Mr. Miller,” the sister, Maggie, said, “I believe it’s time for us to return to town.”
Jackson nodded. “Whenever you’re ready.”
The squeaky-voiced Anna pronounced she was ready to leave, too, claiming she’d seen enough cows. Steve hoped she’d seen enough for a lifetime. Every ounce of his body thanked the heavens above that he didn’t have to ride in that buggy all the way back to town, but at the same time, he noticed how sadness clouded Mary’s eyes. He stepped closer to her side. “You’re welcome to visit any time, Maggie.”
“Thank you, Mr. Putnam, I will be back, and in the meantime I do expect you to take very good care of my sister.”
He grinned. They were alike in many ways besides looks. “I promise I will.” He then slapped Jackson on the back. “I’ll help you hitch up the horse.”
Once the buggy was ready, he talked to Jackson about his order for a moment longer while the sisters embraced. When they parted, he helped Anna into her seat, Jackson assisted Maggie onto the bench next to her and Steve moved to stand next to Mary again. Noting the moisture on her lashes, he couldn’t stop his arm from wrapping around her shoulder.
“She can visit any time,” he said.
“I know,” Mary whispered while slightly leaning against him. “I just miss her. We’ve never been parted before.”
He held his breath at how right it felt to have his arm around her. Then, while questioning that, he asked, “Do you want to go with her?”
“To Oak Grove?” Mary asked.
“Yes.”
“What for?”
“To live. So you aren’t parted.”
She tilted her head upwards. “Who would cook for the men?”
He shrugged. “Me.”
She laughed. Then slapped his chest playfully and laughed harder.
“I can cook,” he said.
Lifting a hand, she waved at her sister as the buggy started down the road. “Probably about as well as I can milk a cow,” she said dryly.
He couldn’t stop a chuckle. Or the silent acknowledgment of how much he’d come to like this woman. “Probably.”
As she turned and glanced at the house, a serene smile covered her face before she looked at him. “Thank you, though, for offering. I appreciate that.”
Meeting her gaze, eye for eye, smile for smile, he concluded how lucky he was that she’d come along when she had. “Thank you for staying,” he said. “I appreciate that.”
“Then we’re even,” she said.
“I guess we are.”
�
�Good.” She frowned slightly. “That is good, isn’t it?”
“I hope so, because we’re stuck with each other for a few weeks yet.”
She turned slightly, looking toward the buggy that was growing smaller. “It could be worse.”
A shiver rippled his shoulders at the memory of Anna’s voice. “You don’t have to tell me that.”
* * *
Mary wasn’t exactly sure what made her so happy. It could have been Maggie’s visit, but the warmth filling her hadn’t appeared until Steve had put his arm around her. That wasn’t completely true. It had started when she’d seen him at the bottom of the staircase, staring up at her and smiling. For a man, he was very likeable when he wanted to be. Extremely handsome, too. Even Maggie, and of course Anna, had said so.
Actually, after the men had gone out to the barn, Anna had barely stopped talking. As ususal. She’d even had the nerve to suggest it wasn’t proper for Mary to be staying out here, living with so many men all by herself. Anna had claimed Rebecca would say it was highly improper. That there should be a chaperone out here. Mary had pointed out that Oak Grove didn’t have enough women for the men to marry, let alone act as chaperones, hence the reason they’d all been shipped out here, and that she was far more chaperoned with all the men living here than any of them in town were.
Anna didn’t have a response to that, or if she had, Mary simply hadn’t listened. She hadn’t cared what the girl had to say on the train, and certainly didn’t now.
“Well,” she said, “I have potatoes to peel. The boys will be in to eat soon.”
“Do you need any help?”
Holding in a giggle, she shook her head. From what Rex had said, Steve’s cooking skills were worse than Walter’s. “No, but Rex is awfully bored. Do you think we could fashion a crutch so he can get out of bed and join the rest of you at the table for meals?”
“I’m not the carpenter that Jackson Miller is, but I probably could come up with something.”
“That would be wonderful,” she said. “I know he’d like that.”
“And you would, too.”
The shine in his eyes made her heart skip. “Yes, I would.”
“Then consider it done. I’ll have it ready by the time you have the potatoes cooked.”
As they parted, Mary released a sigh. A heartfelt one. She’d told Maggie that landing in Steve’s lap—no she hadn’t mentioned that specifically, but had said acquiring a job at Steve’s ranch—had been the luckiest thing that had ever happened to her. And it was.
Chapter Nine
Mary couldn’t put her finger on exactly what or why, but ever since Maggie’s visit, something had changed between her and Steve. Something that made her feel, well, content. Happy. Working for him hadn’t been difficult before, and now with a new crutch, Rex was helping out more and more, which gave her spare time. She wasn’t used to that. Scrounging for money and food took up far more time and effort than working for Steve ever would. The past few days she’d almost resorted to twiddling her thumbs. She hadn’t, of course. The house, despite being neat and tidy on the surface, had needed a deep cleaning and a bit of organization. It was by far the most beautiful home she’d ever lived in, and she liked making it shine and sparkle.
Her efforts had unearthed a treasure. Another full pot of honey and a crock perfect for mixing up a second batch of tonic. The first batch wasn’t quite ready to bottle up, but the next time Jess went to town, she planned on sending a message with him asking Maggie how the bottles she’d taken to town were being received. With two further batches to sell, she and Maggie would be practically rich by the time they left Oak Grove.
The honey she’d found had separated from sitting in the cellar for so long, but that hadn’t mattered since she had to heat it up to make the tonic, and she’d covered up what she was doing by making several batches of honey taffy. Her arms had ached that night from pulling the taffy and the tedious work of wrapping each piece in buttered paper, but the cowboys had appreciated her labor. Every day they each had pocketed a few pieces to tide them between meals.
Even Steve.
A tinge of heat tickled her cheeks at the thought of him. She ignored it as she stuck the hoe in the ground again, but couldn’t ignore how other parts of her body reacted to thinking about him. Somewhere along the way, she’d started to like him. A lot. It may be because Maggie’s visit had given her a glimpse of what she’d be dealing with back in town. She’d have gone crazy having to live with all the other girls. Although she missed Maggie tremendously, she was enjoying the peacefulness of living on the ranch. Crowds, people in general, got on her nerves at times.
No matter where they’d lived, she’d always enjoyed the times when both Da and Maggie were off selling the tonic or doing some other task. It gave her time to think and she most certainly got more done without interruptions.
An inner sense had her lifting her head, peering into the vastness of the wide open space. Little more than a dark silhouette of a rider could be seen, but the skip of her heart told her who it was. Lunch had only been an hour ago, so there was no reason she could think of for Steve to return so soon. Rex had said the roundup and branding would continue for several weeks yet.
She carried the hoe to the garden gate. After stepping through the opening, she leaned the hoe against the fence while hooking the gate closed. The sight of him made her smile. He was not only handsome, he was kind and, well, fun. At the end of the working day, he’d taken to inviting her to sit on the porch with him and tell her about something funny that had happened that day.
“Forget something?” she asked as he brought his horse to a stop.
“No. Found something.” He climbed off the horse, holding the kerchief he usually wore around his neck in one hand.
Curious, she stepped closer. “What is it?”
He folded back one corner of the kerchief and the cutest little faces she’d ever seen appeared.
“Oh, my. Two baby raccoons.”
* * *
“Careful,” Steve warned as she reached a hand out to stroke the little heads. Normally he’d have left the coons alone. Walter had been the one to find them, and the one who suggested bringing them home to Mary. Said that all women liked babies and that she’d enjoy seeing these two. Steve wasn’t completely convinced bringing the coons home was a good idea, but the shine in her eyes said Walter had been right about her joy in seeing them.
“Where’s their mother? They’ll die without her,” she said sadly.
“A coyote got her. I thought you might like to feed these two for the next few days.”
Her eyes shone brighter than stars as she looked up at him. “Really?”
“Yes, really.” Even with his insides beaming over her joy, he felt inclined to warn, “Only for a short time. They are wild animals.”
“Oh, I know,” she said, gently taking the kerchief. “I know coons can be a menace, but these two won’t be. I promise.”
Satisfied she understood, and pleased she liked his surprise, he nodded. “There’s an old crate in the barn. I’ll put some straw in it for them.”
Cradling the coons in the crook of one arm while stroking their heads with her other hand, she walked beside him toward the barn. “Could they stay in the house, just for today? I have bread to bake and don’t want them to feel abandoned again so soon.”
The pleading in her eyes made saying no impossible. “I expect so.”
She gave a little squeal of delight. “Thank you, Steve. I’ve never had a pet before.” Quickly, she continued, “Not that these two will be pets. I understand that. They are just so adorable.”
“My granddad had a pet skunk,” he said as they walked. “It lived under the outhouse.”
“He did?”
As her gaze wandered toward the outhouse between the house and the
woodshed, he chuckled. “Not here. Back in Georgia.”
“Weren’t you afraid of getting sprayed?”
“I was too little to remember, but my father talked about it, and how afraid my mother was to go to the outhouse by herself.”
“I don’t blame her.”
They entered the barn, and as he opened the door to the tack room, she asked, “Was it hard for you to move out here? Leaving your family behind?”
“Didn’t have much family to leave behind. Just a few cousins. Most of the rest had been killed during the war, and I was excited to move West.” He wasn’t one to talk much about his life, but he’d found her easy to talk to, and had started to share more than usual with her.
“Has it been all you dreamed it would be?”
He paused momentarily, remembering the hardships and losses, but then nodded. “Yes, it has been. Not at first, but nothing is in the beginning.”
“That’s an interesting way to look at things.”
He carried the crate out the doorway and toward a pile of straw. “What is?”
“Well, it seems to me that people expect the most in the beginning.”
“I suspect that is why most people are disappointed, then, isn’t it?”
Her gaze was thoughtful as she glanced down to the baby raccoons.
A twinge of guilt at stealing away her excitement had him saying, “You don’t have to take care of them. I’m sure one of the boys—”
“No. I want to take care of them.” She shrugged. “I was just thinking about what you said, about being disappointed because things didn’t work out in the beginning.”
“Are you referring to leaving Ohio?”
She shrugged.
“Why did you agree to leave if you never intended on becoming a bride?”
She looked around the barn and then at the raccoons again before saying, “Because there was nothing there for us. No family. No friends.”
Her despondent tone had him wanting to squeeze her hand, or her shoulder, or all of her. Give her a big solid hug. He couldn’t do any of those things, so he held up the crate now full of straw. “Put those little guys in here and I’ll carry them into the house for you.”
Mail-Order Brides of Oak Grove Page 8