Two

Peter scrambled to think of a way to steer the conversation so April wouldn’t be embarrassed. “Kate, c’mon in.”

“I can’t. I’ve got stain all over my hands. Come open the door.”

April started to rise.

“You jist sit yoreself back down.” Peter strode to the screen and bumped it open with his elbow.

Kate’s eyes grew enormous, and she started to giggle. “And I thought my hands were a mess! What are you doing covered in flour? Wait—first tell me what we’re not going to tell anybody.”

April turned redder than Ma’s pickled beets.

Peter held his hands aloft. “I’m holpin’ April make biscuits on account of she burned herself.”

“You burned yourself?” Kate’s nose crinkled. “What else did you burn?”

“You’re a smart one, Katie Chance. You done figgered it out for yoreself.” Peter gave April a look, then shrugged. “Couldn’t keep it a secret.”

“Couldn’t keep what secret?” someone asked from the back door. That screen opened, and April’s oldest brother, Caleb, tromped in. “And why are you feeding the birds and squirrels outta the dishes?”

April shot Peter a wry look. “And you thought it was quiet and peaceful around here?”

He grinned back at her. It hadn’t taken much time for her to pull herself together. “I might have to reconsider that opinion.”

Kate heaved a theatrical sigh. “Oh, well. Caleb knows now. Yes, April’s decided to feed the birds and squirrels. With all of the younger kids gone, not as much food’s been falling from the tables when we eat outside.”

Peter chimed in, “And you know what a soft heart April has.”

Her brother groaned. “I’ve heard everything now. It’s not like it’s the dead of winter and the animals are snowed in without a single scrap to eat.” He scowled at the pans of unbaked biscuits on the table. “And why are you feeding them before you make our lunch?”

“Believe me, you’d never eat what I fed them,” April said. “It’ll only take twelve minutes for the biscuits to bake. During that time, you can both wash up.”

“Now wait a minute,” Kate said as Peter quickly shoved the biscuits into the oven. “I’m trying to decide which color to stain everything. Which sample do you like the best?”

Caleb walked over to scrutinize the scrap of leather she held out. Peter gave April a sly wink as he passed her and went to give his opinion.

“The darkest brown is best for the men’s belts,” Caleb said.

“I agree.” Still staring at the leather, Peter asked Kate, “What else are you making?”

“Knife sheaths for the boys and leather cases to hold the women’s hair pins and jewelry.”

“You’ve got five colors there,” Peter observed. “Why don’t you stain each of the cases a different color?”

“Do all the knife sheaths in this shade.” Caleb jabbed the middle color. He then stared at Peter’s chest. “What happened to your shirt?”

“I was holping April feed the birds and squirrels.” Peter shrugged and said in a bland tone, “I stopped her from tossing the food too far away.”

❧

Kate lit the lantern and set it on her workbench. Since April had burned her hands, she couldn’t very well wash dishes or cook today. Already feeling pressed for time, Kate had still stopped working on the gifts and pitched in. She’d never been one to wake up early, so staying up late to work suited her fine.

Frowning at the table, she tried to position the lantern so the leather pieces wouldn’t be in shadow. Staining leather evenly took concentration and a careful touch. Attempting to do it in poor lighting guaranteed spots and streaks.

“Need another lamp?” Tobias asked.

Kate didn’t even turn around at the sound of her oldest brother’s question. “Yes, thank you. I want to get these done. I’m afraid everyone will come home before I do.”

Tobias lit another lantern and hung it on a bent nail. He sat and whittled as she started to stain a box. “How badly burned are April’s fingers?”

“Not horrible, but not good. In about a week, she’ll be back to the stove.”

“Good thing,” he chuckled. “If us boys have to start taking a turn at cooking, the chow’s liable to turn out as tough as that leather you’re working on.”

Capturing her lower lip between her teeth, Kate concentrated on keeping the stain even. She’d started on the lightest one first, then would work her way clear down to the darkest color. That meant if she stayed up late, she might get three boxes and all of the sheaths stained tonight. That would leave two boxes and five belts for tomorrow.

“I’ve lost track of what day it is,” she said.

“Wednesday. No, Thursday.”

She laughed. “You don’t sound any more sure than I am.”

“Well, I’m trying to figure it out. We had church Sunday. Monday, we took delivery on the stallion. Tuesday, Tanner nearly got himself trampled by that horse. Yesterday, I had supper at Lucinda’s.”

“You’re pretty sweet on her. Are you getting serious?”

“Can’t say.” He set down the clothespin he’d whittled on the edge of her workbench and started on another.

“Can’t, or won’t?”

“Don’t be so pushy, Kate. It’s none of your business unless I announce I’m planning to marry.”

She shot him a saucy grin. “By then, it’ll be too late for me to register any objections.”

“Nothing objectionable about Lucinda.” He shaved off a corner of the rectangular block of wood.

“It all depends on where you stand as to what you see.” Kate rubbed one last spot on the box, then set it aside.

“Just what was that supposed to mean?”

Capping the lid on one can of stain and opening another, Kate mused, “Ever notice how Lucinda won’t say much to any of our aunts or me?”

“Can’t say as I have.” He glowered at her. “She’s polite as can be to Mom.”

“Exactly. But only to Mama. If Lucinda were shy, I’d understand, but she’s not. At first, I thought maybe it was me—that she thought my stained hands were dirty or something. And when she’s been here for meals, it’s cute how the two of you manage to sit side by side. But Tobias, she doesn’t ever come in to help in the kitchen. She hasn’t offered to clear the table or do dishes.” Kate shot her brother a quick glance.

His brows were furrowed, but he continued to whittle. “When she’s here, she’s a guest.”

“Maybe the first time or two. But the newness wears off.”

“There are seven women in the kitchen. You don’t need Lucinda.”

“Aunt Lovejoy’s back pains her too much to do any appreciable work, but she still sits there and enjoys our company and conversation.” Kate knew she was treading on sensitive ground, but someone had to say something. Her brother needed to face the fact that Lucinda wasn’t a good match for him. “Since everyone left, and April and I are doing all the women’s work, a little help is in order.”

“Is that what this is all about? You’re feeling put upon, so Lucinda is to take the blame?”

Laughter bubbled out of her. “When have I ever been afraid of pitching in and working?”

“You’re a Chance. Not a one of us could be lazy if we tried.” His eyes narrowed as he rounded the end of the clothespin. “As for Lucinda spending time in the kitchen when everyone else is in Yosemite—she doesn’t have all that much in common with either April or you.”

“No, she doesn’t.” Kate dipped the corner of a fresh rag into the stain and started on the next box. “You might want to think about that. We’re the same age, but Lucinda hasn’t ever done a single chore. Maybe you need to start watching her. She’s got a lively way about her and quick wit. Those qualities and being pretty make it easy for her to turn a man’s head. I’m saying you might look at her from a different perspective.”

“You wouldn’t have brought it up unless something was weighing on your mind.” His hands continued to move the knife across the wood in steady, sure strokes. “So why don’t you go ahead and say what you intend to, instead of sidestepping all over the place?”

Kate took a steadying breath, then said, “Lucinda’s mother orders her expensive gowns from back East. Their family has a cook, and servants do her laundry. Would someone like that survive on Chance Ranch?”

“She could learn how to cook and such.”

“Yes, she could. But does she want to?”

Tobias snorted. “If we do marry, she’d have to.”

“Not necessarily. I mean, you’re right—she would. But I don’t think she believes that.”

“Why wouldn’t she? Lucinda’s been here a lot. She knows Chance women pitch in and do whatever needs doing.”

Kate shook her head. “Everyone in Reliable knows Mama received a sizable inheritance. Don’t get me wrong, Tobias. I think you’re quite a catch, but I wonder if Lucinda thinks that if you and she get married, there’s plenty of money to hire a housekeeper and cook so she won’t have to work.”

“You’re reading far too much into this.”

“You could be right.” Carefully rubbing the leather so the stain worked its way into the floral pattern she’d impressed into it, Kate couldn’t hold back one last comment. “When the time comes for any of us to marry, I’m hoping and praying we’ll all be blessed like our parents. Regardless of how much or how little money they had, they’ve given their hearts to this family and been true helpmeets. A woman who worries more about keeping her hands soft than about standing by her man isn’t cut out for ranch living.”

“Sis, you’re not exactly the person to dish out advice. You’re only a year younger, but you have yet to even think about the future.”

His words cut her deeply. “Who says I haven’t?”

“Look at yourself.” He waved his hand at her from head to toe. “Half of the time, I’m not sure you even bothered to brush your hair that day, and you’re still tromping around in men’s boots.”

“Are you ashamed of me?”

“Don’t go putting words in my mouth.”

Not fooled by his evasive answer, Kate rubbed the stain in harder and faster. She dipped the cloth into the stain again and spread it with every scrap of concentration she could muster. Even then, she couldn’t wipe away the painful knowledge that her big brother considered her a disgrace.

She finished that box and the next, then set to staining the knife sheaths. Six of them to do. . .five. . .four. . .three. Suddenly, each sheath represented how males dominated Chance Ranch. In her own generation alone, fourteen boys still lived here; with just her and Kate left, the girls were vastly outnumbered.

Two. Two sheaths for the very youngest Chance boys. Those boys would be allowed to run wild, get filthy, and holler to their hearts’ content. No one would bat an eye at such behavior. No one would comment if a man’s hair was a mess or inspect what he had on his feet.

“You’re riled,” Tobias said as he set his third clothespin on the worktable.

Kate bowed her head over the sheath and rubbed more furiously.

Tobias whistled. “Hoo-ooo-ey. You’re so hot, it’s a marvel there’s not steam rising from the table.”

Never in all of her hours of doing intricate leatherwork had she toiled so intently. One more. I only have to stain this last one. Then I can walk away.

“Sis.” Tobias had the unmitigated gall to sound concerned. “Listen—”

Kate shook her head. “You’ve already said plenty tonight. I don’t want to hear another thing from you.”

“Aw, for cryin’ in a bucket. How is it that you work leather like a man, gallop around like a hoyden, and suddenly get your nose out of joint because someone points out that you’re not the picture of femininity?”

“My being a woman didn’t stop you from asking me to repair your saddle last week.”

“I knew it. I knew when you got all silent that I’d tweaked your pride.”

She finished the last knife sheath, capped the stain, and tried to get the worst of the brown splotches off her hands with turpentine. Why bother? I’ll get them even darker when I finish staining the rest of the stuff tomorrow.

Avoiding looking at her brother, Kate mumbled, “I’ll see you in the morning.”

Tobias reached out and grabbed her wrist. “You’re not walking away yet. Ephesians 4:26.”

“Be ye angry and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath,” she quoted. The verse had been drilled into all of them. There were times when two or three family members sat up a good portion of the night before settling an issue, but they didn’t climb into bed until the matter was resolved.

He jerked his chin toward a stool, then turned loose of her.

Kate backed up a step. “I’m not angry. I’m hurt.”

“Leave it to you to start acting like a woman about this. Everything else, you behave like a—”

“Like a what?” She folded her arms across her chest.

Tobias compressed his lips.

“I know what I am. I’m a woman. You might not think leatherwork is feminine, but it’s what I do. It helps our ranch. It’s never kept me away from doing my share of gardening, minding the younger kids, or washing piles of laundry. I mended that shirt you’re wearing, and I made the supper you ate tonight. Tomorrow, I’ll milk the cow, gather the eggs, and make your breakfast. Doing those things makes me happy because I love our family. Knowing you’re ashamed of me—it hurts. A lot. I have hopes and dreams for the future. Know this, though: Any man who can’t see past some stain on my hands isn’t the type I want to marry.”