"Your brothers must have loved it, too." Caroline lifted fine silver from a wooden chest and parceled it out to the two little girls, who eagerly began placing knives, forks and spoons beside each plate.
"Clan never got a chance to spend much time here. He headed east that same summer to begin his studies. And as for Thad, he spent nearly all his time down at the barns with the horses. Or chasing across the fields after mustangs. From the time he was born, he seemed a whole lot more comfortable with animals than with people. He's a loner like my father,"
Jessie said softly.
"I guess that's why he keeps his distance from the folks in town. He doesn't dislike them. He's just more comfortable with his own company."
When the table was set, Caroline followed Jessie to the kitchen, where Morning Light had just arranged several glasses of buttermilk on a tray.
"It will be another hour or two before the food is ready and the men return from their hunt." Jessie took the tray from her sister-in-law's hands and led the way to the front veranda.
"Let's just sit a spell and enjoy the quiet."
Morning Light laughed softly as they settled themselves in the rockers.
"When our men return, there won't be another minute of peace."
"Tell me, Caroline," Jessie asked conversationally, "did you find it difficult leaving a big city for a small town like Hope?"
"Not at all." Caroline glanced out at the vast expanse of rolling hills, empty except for an occasional knot of cattle.
"I was eager to come here."
"Did your family not try to persuade you to stay with them?" Morning Light studied the young woman, who seemed uncomfortable discussing herself.
Caroline's hand tightened perceptibly on the glass and she took a moment to drink.
"I have no family. My mother... my folks are dead."
"Have you no brothers or sisters?" Jessie asked with concern.
"No. There was only me."
"It must have been difficult, severing all ties with the past, disposing of all your belongings before beginning a journey of such a great distance."
Caroline merely nodded her head, then sipped again.
Morning Light, with her gift of sensitivity, studied the young woman a moment before tactfully changing the subject.
"Are you comfortable in the schoolhouse?"
"Oh, yes." Caroline's smile returned to light her eyes. "It's a lovely little cabin. I already feel as if I've come home."
"But it's so small," Jessie countered.
"And so far from everyone."
"Maybe that's why I like it." The moment the words were out of her mouth, Caroline regretted them. To cover up, she said quickly,
"In a big city, you never have any privacy."
"Did I hear someone mention a big city?" Cole Mat- thews poked his head around the corner, followed by six- year-old Frank and Clan Con way and his son, Danny.
Jessie looked up, surprised, then hurried across the room to press a kiss to her husband's cheek.
"I thought you went hunting with Thad and Jack."
"We've been out in the barn," Clan explained.
"Runs With The Wind was the only one who wanted to go along for the hunt.
They've been gone a couple of hours now. They should be back soon. Jack said even a chance for a ten-point buck wouldn't cause him to miss one of his mama's special Sunday suppers. "
At the sound of horses' hooves thundering toward the house, they all looked up expectantly, then gathered at the top of the steps. Young Jack led the horsemen. Over his saddle hung the carcass of a deer. The ear-to-ear grin told the story.
Before anyone could ask a single question, he slid from the saddle and rushed up the steps, followed by Runs With The Wind. Both boys began talking so fast, half the words were lost. But everyone understood that Jack had brought down the buck with a single shot.
Caroline noted that Thad stayed in the saddle, allowing the boys their moment of glory.
"Runs With The Wind spotted him," Jack said.
"But he told me it should be my kill. Uncle Thad gave me his rifle and let me shoot first. And I brought him down, Pa. With one shot."
Cole clamped a hand on his son's shoulder.
"Good job, Jack. Why don't you let Illinois take him to the barn. When supper's over, you and your uncle can skin him and portion out the meat."
The boy turned to where Thad still sat quietly on his mount.
"Will you help me skin it. Uncle Thad?"
"Sure will." Thad gave him a slow smile.
"And after this first time, you won't be needing my help anymore."
A short time later, their hands and faces washed, their hair slicked back, the men and boys trooped to the table, where the women and girls were waiting.
The meal was a festive affair, with everyone laughing and talking.
' "Next Sunday," Cole announced solemnly as he carved a whole roasted pig, "it'll be smoked venison, supplied by Jack."
The boy beamed and gazed adoringly at the uncle who had given him such a special gift this day.
Caroline glanced around at the happy, noisy band of dissimilar people who had somehow forged a bond of love. Family. She felt her throat constrict painfully.
Clan turned his attention to the new schoolteacher.
"You and I have something in common, Miss Adams."
"Oh?" She paused in the act of lifting the cup of coffee to her lips.
"What is that?" she asked eagerly.
"Sheriff Horn told me that you studied at Miss Tully's School for Ladies in Boston."
For a moment her eyes went wide before she slowly nodded her head.
"I took my medical studies in Boston at Harvard." Dan's voice lowered.
"I
must admit that I never quite fit into the big city, though I did meet a lot of good people. We may have some mutual friends." Caroline's hand jerked violently. She felt the coffee spill over the rim and set the cup down with a clatter.
"Oh dear," she moaned, "now look what I've done."
"No harm. Leave it," Jessie said absently.
"Wouldn't it be nice if you and Clan discover that you know the same people?
You'll have to get together later and compare names. "
"Yes. That... would be nice." Caroline made a great show of dabbing at the spilled coffee with her napkin.
Across the table, Thad noted the stricken look in her eyes. The color had drained from her cheeks. His eyes narrowed in thought. Something had caused the schoolmarm to become extremely uncomfortable.
Secrets. The mysterious Caroline Adams was brimming with them. And he had a sudden urge to uncover them. All of them.
The day had suddenly taken on an even greater glow. There was nothing Thad Con way enjoyed more than a challenge.
Chapter Eight
Caroline moved the food around her plate and struggled to swallow. The lovely afternoon had suddenly lost its festive feeling. The wonderful food tasted like ashes in her mouth.
She was a fraud and a liar. And sooner or later, through some foolish mistake on her part, she would be unmasked.
What had Thad said on the ride here? He'd rather be called a gunman than a fool or a liar. She was both. But there was nothing to be done about it.
She had no choices left now. She must live with the lie.
The dinner seemed to drag on forever. She should have been enjoying herself.
The children were polite, even though it was obvious that they were eager to be excused so they could admire Jack's trophy hanging in the barn.
The men were relaxed, having eaten their fill. The women, having been duly praised for their efforts, began to gather up the dishes.
Caroline was grateful for the chance to help. She sprang to her feet and moved around the table, stacking plates.
The conversation was easy, pleasant. Young Jack, in a burst of exuberance, said,
"Ma, I found out why Uncle Thad took so long to get home from Mexico.
He said he had to sp
end a couple of nights in jail." At the ripple of shock that seemed to pulse around the table, the boy added defensively,
"But he didn't do anything wrong. It wasn't his fault."
"It never is." Jessie shot her brother a look but said nothing more.
Thad was aware of Caroline standing just beside his chair, about to reach for his plate. He felt her hesitate; sensed her accusing stare.
Instead of defending himself, Thad merely scraped back his chair and said with a grin,
"Let's get at that deer, partner. I'd like to be on my way before dark."
He pushed past her without a word.
Caroline watched as the others followed suit, leaving the three women to clear the table.
Silence hung over the room for a few minutes as Jessie removed a kettle of water from the fireplace. Striding to the kitchen, she filled a pan with hot water and began to wash the dishes. While Morning Light returned to clear the table, Caroline picked up a linen towel and began to dry.
"Poor Jack," Jessie said with a sigh.
"He's in such a hurry to grow to manhood and experience all the adventures he's dreaming of. And the man he most admires is my brother."
"Jack seems like a son you can be proud of."
"I am proud of him." Jessie handed her a wet plate and reached for another stack of dirty dishes.
"But he's impatient with childhood. Like Thad," she said, more to herself than to Caroline. Then, looking up, she added,
"I
guess that was my fault. Thad never had time to be a little boy. He was only seven when I took him and Clan clear across Texas to Abilene, Kansas." " But that's" -- Caroline mentally calculated the map she had memorized " --hundreds of miles from here. Did you travel by stagecoach? "
"Horseback," Jessie said softly.
"All the way there and back."
' "With a seven-year-old? You must have had an awfully good reason for taking on something that tough."
Jessie's eyes took on a faraway look.
"The best reason in the world." She suddenly cleared her throat.
"That's where I met Cole."
"In Abilene?"
"Along the trail." Jessie laughed, and whatever lingering sadness she'd felt was brushed aside.
"He sure had his hands full with me and two little brothers. We gave him all kinds of trouble."
"From the looks of the two of you, I'd say it was worth it."
"Oh, it was worth it."
Jessie dried her hands on her apron and walked to the back door, where she tossed the contents of the dishpan on a single, scraggly rosebush.
For a moment she examined the stem, noting the beginnings of leaves and branches. Satisfied, she returned to the kitchen and removed her apron.
Beckoning to her sister-in-law, who had just entered carrying the soiled tablecloth and napkins, Jessie called, "Come on. Morning Light.
Let's take Caroline to the barn and see what our men are up to." The three women crossed a wide expanse of ground where chickens squawked and vied for the grain that had been freshly scattered.
The barn was a huge cavern, rich with the scent of hay and dung and earth.
In one corner the men and children stood in a semicircle, blocking the view of the boy and his deer. The deerskin had been tossed over the top rail of a stall.
As she drew closer, Caroline could make out two figures hunched over.
Thad and Jack had removed their shirts. Each of them wielded a knife with precision. Their chests were smeared with blood, as were their hands and arms and even their faces. But from the happy smile that split young Jack's lips, it was clear that he was enjoying this new responsibility.
Jack looked up as the women approached.
"Pa says the buck had to weigh a couple of hundred pounds. When the hide's tanned. Uncle Thad will show me how to make it into a winter coat. There's enough meat here to feed us for a month."
Jessie looked properly impressed.
"There's enough for you, too. Miss Adams."
"That's very generous of you. Jack."
He grinned, and she could see traces of Thad's smile in the boy's lips.
"It was my Uncle Thad's suggestion. You being new to town and all, he said you wouldn't have much food in your root cellar."
"Then I'm grateful to your uncle, as well."
She glanced at Thad and found him studying her. Heat touched her cheeks and she knew he could see that she was blushing.
"Will you help me take the meat to the smokehouse, Uncle Thad?"
"Sure will. Jack."
Caroline found her gaze riveted on Thad's muscular torso as he bent to his task. The wound in his shoulder had left a fresh scar, which, though jagged and puckered, showed no sign of infection. She was fascinated by the corded muscles of his arms and back as he folded a large square of leather around the chunks of meat. When he lifted the burden into a cart, his muscles bunched and tensed, then relaxed when he straightened.
Plunging his hands into a bucket of water, he washed the blood from his skin, then stood and pulled on his shirt. He was tucking in the ends of the shirt when he turned and caught Caroline staring at him.
"Ready to go home now. Teacher?"
She swallowed and found herself blushing even more. Dragging her gaze from him, she managed to nod her head.
"I'll just haul this to the smokehouse, and then I'll bring the rig around to the house."
While he and Jack leaned their weight against the cart, the others made their way to the house.
A short time later the creak of wheels signaled the arrival of the horse and rig.
Stepping out onto the veranda, Caroline extended her hand to Jessie and Cole.
"Thank you for a wonderful afternoon. It's been a long time since I've enjoyed such a fine meal."
"I hope we can do it often," Jessie said.
"And you can tell us how our children are doing in school."
Caroline then shook hands with Clan and Morning Light.
"Maybe next time we'll get to talk about Boston," Clan said, accepting her handshake.
She kept her smile in place.
"That would be nice."
To the children she called,
"I'll see you in the morning."
Amid the squeals of excitement she saw the dubious look that came into young Jack's eyes and reminded herself that not all of the children were looking forward to their first day of school. It would be hard to compete with the kinds of things Thad Con way could teach the boy.
But, she promised herself, she would find a way to capture Jack's interest in books and learning.
She accepted Thad's hand and was helped into the rig, Turning, she waved as they pulled away. And then, as they sped into the evening shadows, she draped her shawl around her shoulders. It wasn't the night air that had suddenly chilled her. It was the thought of being alone with Thad Con way.
"You're awfully quiet, Teacher."
She felt his gaze on her and kept her own averted.
"It's been a full day.
I'm just tired, I guess. But pleasantly so. Your family is lovely." " Yeah. They're pretty special. "
"Your sister told me that she dragged you across Texas to Abilene when you were only seven."
He gave a short laugh.
"Dragged isn't quite the word. She left us behind, so Clan and I followed her. When she found out, she had no choice but to take us along or give up the journey."
Caroline found herself wondering again at the land that bred such independent people.
"How old was Clan?"
"Fourteen, and already doctoring everyone in need of it. That's how he first met Morning Light. We found her along the trail. Badly wounded but still ready to carve up anyone who tried to touch her."
Caroline was intrigued.
"Was it love at first sight?"
"That'd be my guess." Thad flicked the reins as they crested a hill. ' "They never saw each other again for a dozen years or more, but when they met again,
the spark was still there between them."
"And Jessie and Cole?"
Thad gave a low chuckle.
"I don't think all their scrapping at first was exactly love. Cole's mission was as desperate as ours. He was the toughest gunslinger I'd ever met."
"A gunslinger? Cole Matthews?" She thought about the successful rancher she'd met. He didn't exactly fit the description of a hardened gunman.
"I guess you'd call him a gunslinger with a badge. Cole was a federal marshal on the trail of his father's killer. Lord, I wanted to be like him.
He was tough." He laughed again, low and deep in his throat.
"Only Jessie was tougher."
"You make that sound like a compliment."
"Out here it is." He flicked a glance over her.
"If you show a weak side to this land, Teacher, it'll bury you."
"Is that a warning?"
"I guess it is." He paused for the space of a heartbeat before saying,
"Do doctors make you uncomfortable?"
The question surprised her.
"Of course not. Why should they?"
He shrugged.
"Then I guess it's just Clan that makes you nervous."
He felt Caroline stiffen beside him.
"I don't know what you mean." In the gathering darkness, her voice sounded strained.
"Oh, I think you do, Teacher."
The rig rolled across a flat meadow, while its occupants remained tensely silent. When they pulled up to the tiny cabin, Thad leaped to the ground and offered his hand to help her down. When she alighted, he glanced at their hands, still joined.
Without thinking, he lifted his other hand to her cheek to brush aside a strand of hair. It was nearly his undoing. He felt the softness of her cheek, the silkiness of her hair, and he abruptly lowered his hand to his side, where he curled it into a fist.
"I'll say good-night now. Teacher."
She swallowed, and it sounded loud in her ears.
"Good night, Thad."
He took a step back.
"I'll unhitch your horse and saddle mine."
She nodded, grateful that he would soon be gone. Maybe then she could relax and let go of some of the tension that held her in its grip.
Tension that always surfaced when he was near.
He climbed to the rig and flicked the reins. A moment later she stepped inside the cabin. From the window she watched as he unhitched her horse and turned it into the small enclosure. When he lifted his saddle from the railing and walked toward his stallion, she turned away and busied herself in the room.