Pa didn’t look as bad as Nate had feared. He was sitting in the rocker on the porch with the cat on his lap when Nate helped Lucy down from the buggy. Cowboys stared as the sun lit her face. Nate moved to block their view. How long would it take to get used to the way other men stared at his wife? She sure was a pretty little thing.
“Take your sister to see the kittens in the barn,” he told Jed. “I’ll have Percy call when chow is ready.” The boy nodded and led Eileen off toward the barn. Several puppies with round bellies rolled together in the grass by the porch as he offered his arm to Lucy and escorted her to the house.
“You kids are a sight for sore eyes.” Henry pushed the cat to the porch. “Sit down and tell me what you’ve been up to.”
Nate noticed he didn’t get up. His dad’s color was still a little off too. He pulled two other chairs close to his father’s. “How you feeling, Pa?”
His father waved a big hand in the air. “Better than I can convince Percy. He’s about to drive me crazy. I’m not an invalid. He’s been fussing over me like I’m a newborn calf.” He stared at Lucy. “My boy treating you okay, Lucy?”
She arranged her skirts and looked up with a smile. “Of course. We’re getting settled in. I have the cabin cleaned and organized.”
His pa stared at her with an intent expression. “Good, good.”
Nate stretched his legs out in front of him. “Listen, Pa, we have a problem and we need your advice.”
“You haven’t had a fight already, have you?”
Nate grinned. “We’re fine. At least for now. But we had a break-in yesterday. Luckily, Lucy wasn’t home. I think we need to find a good private investigator.”
His father straightened. “Investigator?”
“Lucy, you want to explain?” he asked. She nodded, and Nate sat quietly as she went over how she came to be in possession of the coins.
His father didn’t speak until she was done. “I don’t see what the problem is, girl. Your pa bought them fair and square. The coins are part of his estate now. They belong to you.”
She shook her head. “They might not, though. What if the man who sold them to Dad got them illegally?” She glanced at Nate. “I was thinking about what you said, Nate. About how if they’d been stolen the true owner would have shown up with the police. But what if the man who sold them to my father was part of a gang and sold them by himself? His partners might be the ones trying to get them back.”
“If that were true, he wouldn’t have taken such a paltry sum for them. He would have known their worth.”
She chewed her lip. “I hadn’t thought of that. Perhaps you’re right.”
His father leaned over and patted her hand. “It’s admirable that you don’t want to possess illegal goods, Lucy, but don’t worry about it. I’m sure the law is on your side. Think what we could do to expand our holdings with that kind of money.”
“It’s Lucy’s property, Pa. She can do what she wants with it.”
His father’s expression turned thunderous. “Ridiculous,” he muttered. “A man knows what’s best for his family.”
Nate stared at his father. He’d never seen him take such a contemptuous tone toward women. But then, they hadn’t been around women much. “It’s Lucy’s say.”
“Is it the right thing to do?” Lucy asked. “I’m more concerned with what’s right than what’s legal.”
His father’s scowl deepened. “What will satisfy you? We will get this settled, then you can spend that money without qualms.”
Lucy glanced at Nate then back to his father. “To find out if anyone has reported them missing. That would help. And to see if the Indiana police know anything about the man who was killed.”
His father glanced at Nate, and Nate nodded. “That’s why I need a good investigator.”
“Or the police,” Lucy put in.
“You sure don’t want to talk to the sheriff here,” his pa said. “I’ll see what I can find out. An investigator might want to see the coins and take imprints so they can be identified. Can you bring them to me?”
Lucy tensed and Nate realized she didn’t want to unearth the coins. “Let’s see what the investigator has to say first. He might just need to know what they are. Jed said their father said they were 1804 Dexter dollars. That might be enough to track them.”
His pa’s lips tightened. “It might take a few days to hear back.”
His father was used to having his every command obeyed. He and Lucy were sure to tangle at some point. Nate wanted to be around when that happened. Two such strong-willed people couldn’t get along forever. “Thanks, Pa. Let us know what you hear.” He glanced at Lucy, who sat with her hands folded in her lap.
She held his gaze, then turned hers to his father. “I met my aunt and cousin yesterday.”
His father bristled. “I hope you didn’t allow them to smear your new name.”
“Of course not. They are much too genteel to air their grievances.”
“They have no grievances. Not against me or any other Stanton. I bought that land fair and square.”
Nate decided to change the subject before his father had another heart attack. “Any news on our bull?”
The older man shook his head. “I reckon we won’t get him back. Best be looking for a replacement. I hear Zeller has a strong bull with good lines he might be convinced to sell.”
“I’ll check it out. How much do you want to spend?”
His father shrugged. “Use your own judgment. We want our brand to mean something. If that means we have to pay big bucks for a proper bull, we will.”
Sure as the world, Nate would buy a bull, and his father would find fault with either the bull or the price. “When you’re feeling better, we’ll look at him together. I might go to Dallas and look at some at auction next month.”
“We need a replacement sooner than that.”
Nate started to argue, then decided against it. His father was determined to be obstinate today. Was it because he saw his strength slipping away and wanted to exercise his control to compensate? Sympathy stirred in Nate’s chest. Someday he would be older and weaker too.
HENRY FOUND AN investigator but had said nothing more about needing to see the coins. Lucy tried not to think about them in the cellar for a few days. The men were out in the fields today but close by, so Lucy decided she would fix a nice noonday dinner for them. They were going to be cutting calves so they’d be tired and hungry when they came in. She set a chicken on to boil at eight, then cut noodles to dry.
Dinner was ready by one. Lucy kept glancing worriedly through the window but saw no sign of her menfolk. By one thirty she was becoming angry, and by two she was downright livid. In fact, if the men didn’t come in soon, the noodles would be overcooked and the chicken would be dry as chalk. It was the height of inconsideration to let this fine food go to waste.
“We might as well eat without them, Eileen.”
Lucy lifted her sister onto the chair, then ladled up rubbery noodles and stringy chicken. It tasted as bad as it looked. Eileen picked at her plate, and Lucy finally gave her a piece of warm bread spread with butter and jam. By the time she put Eileen down for her nap, Lucy’s anger was white-hot. She rehearsed all the things she would say to Nate when he got in. And Jed. He knew better.
She started to dump the remains of the meal into a dish to give Bridget when she got back with the men, then stopped and stared at the food. They would just have to eat it. Where she came from, food was a precious commodity. If it was not the best now, maybe that would teach Mr. Nate Stanton to be on time for a meal next time.
Lucy put the pan back on the stove to stay warm, then felt the clothes hanging around the cabin. They were dry, so she took them down and folded them. She carried Nate’s up the ladder to his room. His bed had not been made, and she clicked her tongue at her forgetfulness. She would have to remember tomorrow.
She threw the covers up over the bed, and her foot hit something under the bed. Curious, she knelt and peered in the darkness. A battered metal box, about six inches by eight inches, was the only thing under there. She laid a hand on the cool surface and pulled it to her. For a moment she hesitated. Maybe it was something private. But she was his wife, and they should have no secrets from one another.
She inched open the lid. Inside were a journal and a daguerreotype. Lucy picked up the photo. It was of a young woman holding a baby. She had a look about her that reminded her of Nate. Lucy was looking at Nate’s mother. She was lovely, with a cloud of thick, dark hair and Nate’s stubborn mouth and expressive eyes.
A lump in her throat, Lucy dropped the picture back into the box and picked up the journal. It looked old, too old to be Nate’s personal journal. The battered leather cover felt loved and worn in her hand, and the pages smelled old and stale.
She opened the first page. Mary Elizabeth Stanton. His mother’s journal. Tears stung Lucy’s eyes. Poor motherless boy. This was all he had of his mother, all the experience he had of women as well, just some brief memories of a long-dead mother. No wonder his father was determined to find him a wife.
She read several pages. Mary had a gentle heart, and it appeared Henry had ruled the house tightly. There was a mention of his anger when she’d burned chicken one night. On another page Mary said he’d sold her favorite horse to pay for a new bull. She’d grieved that he’d done it without asking her. But in spite of having an autocratic husband, Mary had sprinkled her journal with bits of poetry, verses of Scripture, and hints of her sweet spirit.
Lucy wished she could have known the woman. Had Nate ever read this and seen his father through Mary’s eyes? Roger’s warning had begun to make a little more sense. Lucy would have to find the line between respect and keeping up necessary boundaries. It wouldn’t be easy without talking to Nate about it.
She put the journal back into the box. She shouldn’t have read it, not without Nate’s permission and knowledge. It was too private, almost sacred. Her anger mostly evaporated, she finished making the bed, then dropped the freshly folded clothes into a box that served as Nate’s chest.
She had just finished putting the clothes away when she heard a horse neigh in the yard. Compressing her lips, she glanced out the window. Jed was still mounted, but Nate jumped to the ground and was opening the barn door.
Lucy lifted the watch that hung around her neck. The watch had belonged to her mama and offered her some comfort as she checked the time. Four o’clock, almost time for supper, and the uneaten dinner sat congealing on the stove. Her anger raged again, and she went down to meet them.
NATE WAS BONE weary, and his stomach was gnawing on his backbone. Jed had made several pointed comments about dinner around one o’clock, but Nate had ignored him. The lad needed to grow up and realize that a man didn’t go running home when his belly got a little empty. He didn’t go home until the work was done, and there hadn’t been a good time to take a break, even though he’d told Lucy they would be home for lunch.
“Help me curry the horses, and we’ll see if Lucy can rustle us up some grub.”
The boy’s shoulders drooped, and Nate almost relented, then remembered he was supposed to be teaching Jed how to be a man. He was responsible for Jed now. He shoved open the sliding door to the barn and led his horse inside. They quickly curried the horses and turned them out into the stable. Nate tossed a pitchfork full of hay over the fence, then clapped Jed on the back.
“You did a man’s work today, Jed. I was mighty proud of you.”
Jed’s chest swelled, and if his grin were any bigger, it would have split his face. “Thank you, sir.”
“You as hungry as I am?”
Jed nodded. “Lucy is probably wondering where we are.”
“She knew we were working.” Nate started toward the house. “I’m sure she figured out we were busy when we didn’t make it back.”
A strange aroma wafted toward him when he opened the door. It smelled like something charred and a bit like glue. Whatever it was, it didn’t smell appetizing. Still, Nate would put a good face on it and force it down. He was hungry enough to eat whatever she threw at him.
He forced a smile. “Smells like something’s cooking.”
Lucy stood and put her fists on her hips. “Something was cooking. Now something is burned. But help yourself.” She made a sweeping gesture toward the cookstove. “If you dare.” Her eyebrows lifted in challenge.
Nate looked at Jed, and Jed looked at Nate. Nate knew he wore the same expression the boy did. A look of panic and dismay. He sidled over to the stove and glanced in the pan. It might have been chicken and noodles once, but now it more resembled a sticky gob of glue.
“Uh, looks good,” he said lamely. Lucy almost visibly swelled, and he was reminded of an outraged mother hen.
“It was good around one o’clock. Even at two it was still edible. Now it looks—it looks like porridge!” Lucy stalked toward the fireplace and sat beside Eileen. Even Lucy’s back and neck looked outraged.
Nate scratched his head. The boy’s eyes were round and pleading as he stared from the mess on the stove to Nate.
“Do we have to eat it?” he whispered.
“I heard that, and the answer is yes.” Lucy jumped to her feet again. “Maybe it will help you remember to come home in time to eat tomorrow.”
Nate frowned. This was not going the way he had pictured the evening. He’d planned to eat a hot, home-cooked meal, then take the buggy over to the main house and check on Pa.
“I see I need to explain the way a ranch works.”
“No, I need to explain the way a cook works,” Lucy said. “When food is ready to be eaten, the men come and eat it. Jed is a growing boy. He needs to eat three square meals a day. Look at him, Nate. He’s skinny as a pitchfork and needs fattening. Providing for my family is one reason I agreed to marry you. And you need to eat three meals a day yourself. If you can’t be bothered to come home for dinner, then you need to tell me, and I’ll pack you a lunch or bring it to you.”
She was right. His heart clenched at the boy’s thinness. He looked back at Lucy. Her cheeks were rosy and her blue eyes sparkled. He grinned. “A bit riled, aren’t you? You sure look pretty that way. Maybe we’ll have to try this again tomorrow, Jed.”
Her brother grinned, though his eyes were still anxious. He’d obviously been made to toe the line by his sister before.
For a moment the color in Lucy’s cheeks deepened. Then the corner of her mouth lifted and her dimple appeared. “Don’t think fake compliments will make me forgive you.” Though her tone was severe, her eyes smiled.
He held up his hands and turned to the boy. “She has me, Jed. I should have realized you would need to be fed. But we’ll take our punishment like men, what do you say?”
Jed gave a doubtful glare at the mess in the pan. “Do we have to?”
“Are you a man or a rabbit? Come on, this will taste better than it looks.” He grabbed the ladle and tried to scoop some out of the pan. It stuck to the spoon and refused to drop to the plate.
“I think I’ll be a rabbit today,” Jed said.
Lucy sighed. “Since you’re truly contrite, I’ll see if I can find something edible for you.”
Nate shook the spoon again. The glob clung steadfastly to the spoon. He dropped it back into the pan with a sigh of relief. “Jed and I will rise up and call you blessed, won’t we?”
“If I don’t have to eat that slop, I’ll even tell everyone she’s the prettiest woman in Indiana,” Jed said.
“Indiana, my foot! She’s the prettiest woman in the Red River Valley—in Texas even.” Nate caught Lucy by the waist as she sashayed past him. She smelled good, kind of like fresh-baked bread. “Do you forgive us?”
“I forgive Jed. I haven’t decided about you yet.” Her lashes lowered to her cheeks, then she raised them, and he was dazzled by the light in her eyes.
He wished the kids weren’t here. How was he supposed to woo his wife with a constant audience? It would be a challenge, but for the first time Nate realized he intended to do just that. Almost against his will, his hands tightened around her waist, and he pulled her against his chest and rested his chin on her head.
“You’re staying right here until you tell me I’m forgiven,” he said softly.
She struggled to get free for a moment, but then her arms circled his waist, and she stood content in his arms. “I’m not complaining,” she said too softly for the kids to hear. She pulled away. “I need to tell you something.”
He studied her troubled eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“I saw your mother’s journal in your room. I must confess I read a few pages. She was a lovely woman, Nate.”
His throat tightened. “You can read it all you like, Lucy. I’d like to think my mother is looking down and is happy I have a good wife.”
Her eyes filled with tears and she nestled her face against his chest.
His heart soared. She must find him attractive. Maybe even as attractive as he found her. The Bible admonished him to love his wife. He was beginning to realize that might not be too difficult.