“I’ll take him out somewhere and let him loose.”
She smiled, and it was like the sun burst through the storm clouds. “Thank you, Mr. Stanton,” she whispered. A shadow darkened her eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
“Um, there’re other spiders in the loft. Could you get rid of them too?”
He grinned. “Those I can kill.” He released her and went inside.
“I’ll just stay out here until the spiders are gone.”
Nate stepped inside the room and stopped short. Was this the same place? It was spotless. He whistled softly through his teeth. He hadn’t even noticed all the dust and cobwebs until they were gone.
He strode through the house until he found Zeke crouched in a corner of the pantry. “Sorry, old friend, you have to go out into the cold.” He held out his hand, and the tarantula crawled onto his sleeve. He carried the spider out the back door and walked out into the field until he couldn’t see the cabin anymore, then shook Zeke off into the melting snow. The spider seemed to look at him reproachfully, then scurried off toward a stand of cottonwood trees by the river.
Now for the rest of the spiders. Nate went back to the cabin. He grabbed the broom and climbed the ladder to the loft. He swatted and squashed spiders until all that was left were dead remains, then swept them all up onto a piece of tin he found. He carried them out the back door so Lucy wouldn’t see them and tossed them into the field.
He was still smiling when he went looking for Lucy. She was in the barn with the children, and she jumped when he stepped through the door. Her face was still pale, but she met his gaze bravely.
“It’s gone. So are the ones in the loft.”
Relief flooded her face, and she gave him a tremulous smile. “Thank you, Mr. Stanton. Are you hungry? I’ll start supper.”
“Starved. Let me show you where the root cellar is. I have smoked meat down there as well as some vegetables.” Taking the shovel, Nate led the way to the back of the cabin and shoveled away the snow to reveal a cellar door. He tugged it up. “Get me the broom, and I’ll make sure you don’t have to deal with any unwanted guests down there either.”
“I wanted to be a blessing, but I’m afraid I’ve been more bother than I’m worth,” she said.
She gave him a grateful smile, and he felt as tall as the Texas oak in his backyard.
THE SUN WAS low on the horizon when Lucy glanced around with a sense of contentment. Nate had taken the children out to help with chores. This was her kitchen now. Now that the spiders were gone, she could enjoy her new home. Everything sparkled, even the windows. It had felt good to hear Nate’s praise.
She put the potatoes on to fry in bacon grease, then cut slabs of beef for supper and put them on the stove as well. Canned green beans would round out the evening meal. While the bacon sizzled, she opened her trunk and emptied its contents onto the cot. She unpacked Eileen’s belongings and laid them on the cot by the fireplace. There was a bureau by the fireplace that contained Nate’s clothing: jeans, shirts, and underwear. She carried the contents upstairs and left them on a small table until she talked to Nate.
She went back to the kitchen and turned the bacon before realizing she needed more water. Surely the pump was working well, now that Nate had used it several times. With her coat buttoned to her neck, she carried the bucket out the back door to the pump. Water poured from the spout with the first pump.
She heard a man’s voice call out, so she left the bucket and went around to the front of the house. A horse moved closer until she could make out the rider. Roger. When he reached the yard, she stepped off the low porch to greet him. “I’ll get Nate. He’s in the barn with the children.”
“I didn’t come to see him.” He leaned back in the saddle. “Got any coffee?”
She nodded. “Come inside.” What would he want with her? More insinuations that she should never have come? She led him to the tiny kitchen, then poured him a cup of coffee.
He took the cup she offered. “Sit down and quit looking like a spooked calf. I’m not going to hurt you.”
She eased onto a chair and laced her fingers together. “I’m sorry we seem to have gotten off on the wrong foot.”
He grimaced, then took a swig of coffee as if he needed time before speaking. He set his cup on the stained table. “I’m here to warn you.”
“Warn me? Against your brother?”
He lifted a brow. “Nate is a good man. You couldn’t have done better than him. No, I’m talking about our father. You’re going to have to stand up to him or he’ll run your life for you.”
“Look, Mr. Stanton, I don’t want to be drawn into your quarrel with your pa.” She shuddered, imagining a quarrel with Henry. He wasn’t a man to put up with much resistance to his will.
“Please call me Roger. Mr. Stanton is my pa. I see you’re skeptical, but you’ll find out all too soon. Pa holds everything in his fists. He never lets up. You have a chance since you just got here. If you start out as you mean to go on, you might be able to convince him to let you be your own woman.”
“I am my own woman.” His words touched a fear she didn’t know she had. She’d always been the one in control. Her father had looked to her for so many things, and even Catherine had been glad to let her run the household.
“See that you stay that way. Pa will push as hard as you let him.”
“I want to be part of the family. I don’t want to cause turmoil.”
“You’ll have to cause some or you’ll be sorry.” He gulped the last of his coffee and stood. “I think I’m wasting my time. You’re going to sit back and let him dictate what you do.”
“I’ll be careful.” She was thankful he cared enough to warn her. “I can see Henry is a strong-willed man. Thank you most kindly for pointing out the dangers.”
His smile was sardonic. “I’ll let you get back to your cleaning. The cabin looks nice. Pa will pat himself on the back for picking out the right woman for Nate.”
His words were more of an insult than a compliment. Lucy walked him to the door, waving until he was out of sight, then went out back to finish filling her bucket. Once it was full, she grabbed it then started toward the house.
A low growl made the hair rise on the back of her neck. A dark shape slunk from the side of the house. The gray animal had its teeth bared in her direction. Though it looked like a dog, no dog Lucy had ever seen was that threatening.
She stopped and smiled. “Hello, boy,” she said in a coaxing tone. “I won’t hurt you.”
The animal took another step closer and snarled, showing even more of its teeth. Lucy’s smile fled. She eyed the door, still twenty feet away. The beast would be on her before she could reach safety. She slowly backed up to the pump and put down the bucket. The dog or whatever it was stepped closer too.
She reached down and picked up the bucket of water. It was her only weapon, but maybe she could fling it at the animal and drive him off long enough to get to safety. She also had to warn Nate and the children.
She glanced around the yard. The privy was closer than the house. If she could get inside and shut the door, the mangy beast couldn’t get to her. She took a sideways step, but the animal did too. Pace for pace, the dog kept step with her. She reached the side of the outhouse, but the door was around the corner. The animal was snarling more now, and the way its back was twitching, she suspected it was about to charge her.
She hefted the bucket in her hand and spoke to it again in a friendly voice, but it just snarled all the more. Though she hated to show such weakness, she would have to call for help.
ELEVEN
The aroma of beef and potatoes wafted across the yard. Nate’s mouth watered. Usually all he managed was a meager supper, maybe slabs of bacon on bread. He rarely bothered with more than that. They were nearly done with cleaning the calf’s stall.
He tossed the pitchfork into the pile of straw. “That’s it, kids. Let’s go get some grub.” He lifted Eileen in his arms and they troop
ed toward the house. As they neared the house, Lucy screamed his name. “Must be another spider,” he told Jed. Grinning, he set Eileen down at the front door and grabbed the broom. It sounded like it came from the backyard. Maybe Zeke had found his way back.
As he rounded the corner of the house, he heard snarling. The hair on the back of his neck rose. That was no spider. It sounded like a wolf or a dog, and he’d left his rifle in the barn. Lucy whimpered and he broke into a run.
A large mongrel, half wolf and half dog, blocked Lucy’s way to the house. A bucket clutched in her hands, she stood with her back pressed to the outhouse. Nate raised the broom like a club, but before he could swing it, the animal launched itself at Lucy’s throat.
Nate let out an involuntary cry, then a shape came hurtling across the yard and crashed into the mongrel in midair. Mongrel and dog rolled over together, both snarling and growling. Fur flew like blowing snow. The ruckus brought the two children to the back door.
“Get inside!” Lucy shouted to the children. She bolted away from the outhouse and ran to Nate. “Do something,” she panted. “It will kill the dog.”
Nate saw the children standing paralyzed by the side of the house. “Jed, get my rifle!”
The boy nodded and vanished around the side of the house. Nate propelled Lucy toward the door. “I’ll handle this. You get inside.”
The snarling between the dog and the wolf-dog had intensified. The two animals rolled over and over, but the wolf-dog seemed to be winning.
Lucy grabbed his arm. “That dog saved my life. You can’t let that—that wolf or whatever it is—kill him.”
She was right. He nodded and turned with the broom. The mongrel was atop the collie. When he whacked the wolf-dog across the head, it turned toward him, its jaws open in a snarl. It lunged at him, but the dog renewed the attack and seized the animal by its back leg. They rolled together again, snarling and spitting.
Nate brought the broom down on the wolf-dog’s head with all his might, and the broom handle broke. The mongrel yelped and shook the dog off, then launched itself at Nate.
A gun boomed, and the mongrel fell at his feet. Stunned by both the suddenness of the attack and the loud crack of the rifle, he stood there a moment with the snow turning to crimson at his feet. The air was acrid with the scent of gunpowder. Turning his head, he found Lucy holding the smoking rifle. She must have run to the barn after it.
Lucy dropped the rifle and ran into the yard to the collie. The dog’s ribs showed through its mangy, bloodied coat, and it licked her hand when she knelt beside it.
Lucy turned a pleading gaze to Nate. “Can you help the poor thing?”
Nate knelt beside her and ran gentle hands over the dog. It whimpered when he touched its wounds but made no move to bite him. “Good girl,” he soothed. He scooped the dog up in his arms and stood. “Let’s get her inside.”
Lucy held the door open, and he carried the dog inside and laid her down by the fire. “I need some hot water and old rags. There should be some in the pantry.”
Lucy hurried to find what he needed while he opened his toolbox and found some scissors. He cut away as much of the fur as he could and winced at the deep bites and lacerations on the dog. He washed the wounds with the water and rags Lucy provided, then bandaged the worst of the bites on the dog’s leg.
“How’d you learn to shoot like that?” He felt a peculiar mixture of pride and curiosity.
“Lucy can shoot a walnut out of a tree,” Jed said with obvious admiration. “Dad said she took to hunting and shooting like most women take to meddling.”
Nate’s mouth lifted in a smile. “Sounds like your pa had some bad experience with women.”
Lucy flushed. “I never knew my mother, but he didn’t have much luck with his second wife.”
“I was only two when my mother died, and all I remember is the scent of her hair and her soft lap.” He regretted the words as soon as he saw Lucy’s face soften. He didn’t want pity. He stood. “She should be all right. We’ll keep her inside until she’s well enough to turn outside again.”
“Can I keep her?” Eileen’s small hands patted the dog’s head, and the dog feebly licked the little girl’s fingers.
Nate hesitated. “I reckon so. I don’t have a dog here since Rocky died last year. This lady doesn’t look like she belongs to anyone. She’s too skinny. But we should put out in Larson that we’ve got her. She looks to be a valuable animal.”
Eileen’s face clouded. “But then somebody might take her!”
Lucy hugged her sister. “I doubt anyone will claim her. What are you going to name her?”
Eileen kept patting the dog’s head. “What would be a good name for such a brave doggy?”
“How about Bridget? It’s Irish for ‘strong.’” Lucy put a bowl of water near the dog.
“Good girl, Bridget,” Eileen crooned, patting the dog again. Bridget thumped her tail on the floor, and Eileen flung her arms around Bridget’s neck.
“Looks like she approves,” Nate said. “Now if we’re all finished with the dog, can we eat? My stomach is gnawing on my backbone.”
Lucy’s lips curved in a smile, and he found himself fascinated with the way her teeth gleamed and the smooth pink of her cheeks. He shook himself out of his reverie. A lucky shot with the rifle wasn’t enough to get past his guard.
After supper Nate took Jed and went outside to bury the wolf-dog and to knock together some beds in the barn. He had Jed take some feed sacks in to Lucy to stitch together for mattress covers. They built two beds, one for Lucy and Eileen and one for Jed. Lucy was beautiful, but it was much too soon for her to share a bed with him, even if he wished it. And he didn’t. Not yet.
As if the thought had brought her, Lucy stepped into the barn with the feed bags over her arm. “Eileen is down for the night. Could I get some straw to stuff the mattresses?”
Nate pointed to the stack of clean straw at the back of the barn. “Help yourself. You look tired. Let me help you get the mattresses stuffed so we can all get to bed.”
She turned to face him. “There are many things we need to set up a home. Would your pa have extra he could share?”
Nate stiffened. “I’m no pauper, Lucy. Give me a list of what you need, and I’ll get it in town.”
She inclined her neck. “I would like to go with you, if I might.”
Great. Now the whole town would gawk at her like she was his prize filly. He shrugged. “Suit yourself. In the morning we’ll go see Pa, then take a quick run to town.” He hefted an end of the bed and nodded for Jed to pick up the other end. Carrying the bed to the house, he reflected on how the day had turned out nothing like he expected.
THE NEXT MORNING, discouragement slowed Lucy’s steps as she trudged after Nate to the barn. She’d gotten little sleep after reflecting on her failures the day before. Not only had she gone into hysterics over a spider, but she’d let a wolf corner her. Why hadn’t she faced the animal down and forced it to back off? Instead, she acted like a damsel in distress. What would Nate think?
Climbing into the buckboard, she glanced at Nate from the corner of her eye. He didn’t seem to be upset by her failure. But he had to be wondering if she was entirely too frightened and sissified to be of much use on the ranch. The Stars Above Ranch would never take its place with the big cattle empires with her slowing him down.
Nate was a fine man, and he deserved a strong wife, one who faced up to the challenges of this wild land instead of screaming for help over a spider a fraction of her size. She wished she could get over her fear of spiders, but it had dogged her ever since she could remember.
She studied her new husband as he handed Eileen up to her and waited for Jed to climb into the back. Nate’s sandy hair blew in the wind, and his gray eyes looked luminous in the sun. He’d surprised her by agreeing to kill the spiders in the loft. He hadn’t made her feel inadequate by asking for help either. A warm feeling enveloped her when she remembered the way he’d rushed to help when
the wolf-dog was threatening her.
No other man had ever offered to protect her before. Nate’s gesture baffled Lucy. She’d always prided herself on taking care of everyone else, yet her deepest longing was for someone like Nate to nurture and protect her. How could she earn his love if she wasn’t all he wanted in a wife? She would have to work harder.
Eileen cuddled against Lucy’s side. “Will Bridget be all right?” Her blue eyes were enormous in her pale face as she peered up at Lucy.
Lucy hugged her close. “The dog will be fine, Eileen. I left her water and some food. We’ll be back in a few hours.”
In a few hours it would be bedtime. Lucy’s mouth went dry at the thought of the coming night. She’d fixed Nate’s bed in the loft, but what would she do if he expected her to join him there? Things had been fine last night because they were all exhausted. But what if his expectations tonight were different?
She would just have to tell him the children needed her close for a while. And it was the truth. But he seemed too aloof to expect her company in bed. And he had built a bed for her and Eileen.
They rounded the bend in the road, and the ranch house came into view. It felt like home to Lucy already. The two-story house sprawled in several directions, and the front porch beckoned her like an old friend. Over the crest of the hill, she could see several riders rounding up cattle, and Lucy straightened in her seat. Craning her neck, she wished she could go watch them, but there was no time today. But someday she would learn just what cowboys did.
Nate stopped at the barn and got down. He tossed the buckboard reins to a ranch hand, then stepped over to help Lucy and Eileen.
Eileen planted a kiss on his cheek when he lifted her down. “I like you for a brother.”
He grinned. “I think you make a pretty nice sister too.”
Warmth spread up Lucy’s neck. She stood to get down, then lost her balance when she started to step out. He caught her before she could tumble to the ground. Pressed against his hard chest, she caught the aroma of the soap he’d used to wash his hair. The pleasant, masculine scent, combined with his proximity, made her swallow hard.