When Tess had first suggested Callie as his helper, Chip questioned the idea. After only one week, he could see the wisdom behind Tess’s plan. Callie worked as hard as he did, and she knew a great deal. He recalled the day he’d asked her for his jack plane, prepared to describe it so she could choose the right plane from the three different ones he’d brought with him. Before he could get the words out, she’d reached in his toolbox and pulled out the jack plane.
Callie looked up from her sanding to check on the children. Ruby, looking as sorrowful as ever, sat off by herself playing with her doll. Despite their attempts to draw her out, the little girl had retreated inside herself. Even exuberant Jasper could rarely bring about a smile.
Chip could relate. Once he’d recovered from the cholera enough to walk instead of bouncing around in the back of a wagon, he’d trudged along, keeping to himself and speaking only when spoken to. Not that anyone noticed. The disease had robbed nearly every family in the wagon train of at least one member, so a sullen boy was the least of their concerns.
He hefted another board onto his workbench, grabbed his crosscut saw and drew it across the grain of the pine with practiced ease. A breeze through the open windows sent the sawdust that coated the plank floor swirling. Memories of a windy spring day from his boyhood rushed in—his parents watching as their sons took turns trying to get a kite to soar, laughter as it swooped to earth, knocking his father’s hat off, and joyful shouts as Jeremiah, the youngest, finally got the fickle thing airborne.
As he completed the cut, an idea formed. He had some wood that would make a suitable spine and cross spar. He had plenty of string, and Tess was sure to have some tissue paper that would make a kite sail. He put his saw away and went outside to his scrap pile behind the woodshop, where he located a small, thin board.
Jasper joined him. “What are you doing, Mr. Chip?”
He straightened, holding the strip of wood. “I’m going to build a kite. Have you ever flown one before?”
“No, but I seen one. A big boy made it go way high up. Can we do that?”
“We’ll try.”
Jasper raced inside ahead of Chip, his boots pounding on the wooden floor as he made straight for Callie. “Mr. Chip’s gonna make a kite, and I’m gonna fly it.”
Callie ceased her sanding. “A kite? That sounds like fun. Don’t you think so, Ruby?”
The little girl sat cross-legged as she leaned against the wall several feet away, absorbed in her doll. She didn’t even look up.
“Ruby!” Jasper clomped over to his sister, his fists jammed against his waist. “Didn’t you hear us talking to you?”
Ever so slowly, she lifted her head, revealing tear-streaked cheeks. “Go ’way, Jaspy.”
The boy’s irritation evaporated. He dropped to the floor beside her and draped an arm across her shoulders and held her close. “I’m sorry you’re sad, Ruby. Are you missing Papa?”
She nodded and mumbled something indiscernible.
Jasper glanced at Chip and returned his attention to his sister. “But he’s a nice man.”
A vise clamped down on Chip’s chest. Ruby had accepted Callie, but apparently she hadn’t warmed to him as much as he’d thought. He didn’t have experience with little girls, but he had to try to overcome her hesitation.
He crossed the room and dropped to one knee. Ruby’s eyes widened, and she drew even closer to Jasper. “I won’t hurt you, princess. I’d like to help. What do you need?”
Her chin trembled. “I need my papa, but you didn’t bwing him back.”
The vise tightened. “I wanted to, believe me. I know how much it hurts to lose a papa. I lost mine when I wasn’t much older than Jasper.”
Her brow furrowed, and she studied him with narrowed eyes. “Did it make you cwy?”
“No.”
Jasper tilted his head, one eyebrow raised. “Never? Not even one time?”
Since Chip couldn’t squeeze any words past the lump lodged in his throat, he shook his head. He hadn’t shed a single tear, but he had spent many a night reliving that agonizing week when he’d lost every member of his family. Once he woke from the heart-rending dreams, he would lay in the dark begging God to rid him of the tortuous memories. At first, the all-too-vivid images had invaded his sleep every night, but as the years passed, the nightmares had become less frequent. He hadn’t been plagued by one in several months.
The inquisitive boy persisted. “What if you was to think about your papa and what happened to him? Would you cry then?”
“I don’t think so.” He didn’t have any desire to find out.
A swish of skirts was followed by the gentle pressure of Callie’s hand as she rested it on his shoulder. Her silent show of support helped chase away the shadows of the past.
“Some people don’t cry when they lose a loved one, but some do,” she said. “I lost my mama and papa when I was about Luke’s age, and I soaked my pillow every night for two whole weeks. But I started feeling better after a while, and you will, too.”
Jasper jutted out his chin. “I’m not crying. I’m being good and taking care of Ruby.” He patted his sister’s arm.
Callie’s voice was soft and soothing. “You’re a wonderful brother, but Ruby can still be sad. She might even feel like crying sometimes, and that’s all right. Mr. Chip and I are here for you. If the sad feelings come and you’d like a grown-up to hold you, you can come to us.”
Chip was quick to agree. “Miss Callie’s right. You might need a hug every now and then, but sometimes you might want to have fun. Jasper wants to fly a kite. Would you like to do that, too, princess?”
Ruby peered at him through damp lashes. “I’m not a pwincess. I’m just a girl.”
“A very special girl. And I think you would be a big help with the kite building. I’ll need someone with small fingers to spread the glue, and I think yours are just the right size.”
She held up her hand and looked from her splayed fingers to him. “Weally?”
“Sure. I’ll show you.” He grabbed a pair of his calipers and took turns measuring his fingers, Callie’s, Jasper’s and Ruby’s.
His task complete, he turned to Ruby. “I have the proof now. Yours are the best fingers for the job.”
Ruby produced the barest hint of a smile. The vise squeezing Chip’s chest opened a little, and he drew in a deep breath scented with Callie’s floral cologne, sawdust and hope.
A good hour later, Chip slipped his watch into his waistcoat pocket. Although he was falling behind schedule, the time had been well spent. Not only did they have a brightly colored kite completed, but Ruby had also actually helped build it. Better yet, she’d said a few words.
Jasper surveyed their creation. “Can we fly it now?”
“Not just yet. The glue has to dry first.”
The impatient boy folded his arms and stuck out his lower lip in a pronounced pout. “I don’t wanna wait.”
Callie came to Chip’s aid. “But waiting will give us time to do something else that’s fun.” Trust her to look for the positive.
Jasper was quick to challenge her. “What?”
“Well—” she looked around the room “—we could sweep. You like doing that, don’t you?”
He shook his head. “Not now. There aren’t any curls.”
Chip smiled. He’d called shavings the same thing when he was young. “You’re right, but we can fix that. I’ll teach Miss Callie how to use my jack plane, and then there will be plenty of curls.”
Callie spun to face him, her pretty pink lips parted. “Really? I thought you wanted me to continue with the sanding.”
“You can do that, too, but you’ve been at it for days. I figured you’d welcome a change.” And he’d welcome the opportunity to teach her.
Chip placed a board from the scrap pile on one of the two student workbenches and stuck a steel bench dog into a hole at each end to hold the board in place. Callie stood close by, listening intently as he explained how to make sure the plane was properly adjusted, while Jasper watched from a safe distance. Ruby plunked herself down several feet away, absorbed in her doll.
Once Callie had mastered setting the steel edge of the plane iron so just the right amount of blade protruded for the job, Chip demonstrated how to use the tool. “It’s important to keep the plane level. If it’s not, you could remove more at the ends of the stroke than you do in the middle.”
He held out the plane to her. “Go ahead and give it a try.”
“I’ll do my best.” With tool in hand, she approached the board—at an angle. The plane skipped and stuttered as she guided it along the face of the board, leaving the surface rippled. She extended her lower lip and blew out a puff of air, fluttering the stray hairs that framed her lovely face, a cute gesture that had him hiding his smile. “You make it look so easy, but it’s harder than I thought. Oh, well. I’ll get it soon enough. You’ll see.”
“What you’re experiencing is called chatter. It’s common with beginners, but with practice, you’ll smooth out your strokes.” He’d give her the opportunity to make some corrections herself, and then he’d offer some suggestions.
She made two more attempts, her efforts yielding the same result, and turned to him. Her sigh of resignation was followed by a chuckle. “Evidently, I’m doing something wrong. Would you please tell me what it is?”
Her eagerness to learn was impressive, as was her willingness to admit when she needed help. “You’re holding the plane level from side to side, which is important, but you have to keep it level front to back, too. I could show you, if you’d like.”
“By all means.” She held out the plane.
“You keep it, and I’ll guide your hands. If that’s all right with you,” he quickly added.
Several seconds passed before she sent him one of her warm smiles, enabling him to breathe again.
“Please show me.” She took her place beside the workbench, rested the plane on the board’s face and awaited instruction.
“Go ahead and grip the knob and tote, er, rear handle.”
She did so. “Like this?”
“Actually, I find it helps to hold the tote with three fingers and extend the index finger alongside the frog, like so.”
Jasper scoffed. “That’s not a frog.”
“Not a real frog, no, but this angled part of the plane the blade rests against—” Chip pointed to it “—is called that.”
“Why?” Jasper asked.
“I don’t know. It just is.”
Callie chuckled. “Probably because a man named it. A frog-loving man. Or boy.” She smiled at Jasper.
Chip whispered in her ear. “I gather you’re not fond of them yourself.”
She smirked and whispered back, “Whatever gave you that idea?”
“Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me.” He proceeded with the lesson, preventing a retort. “Two more things that will help are to put more pressure on the knob and to skew the plane so your hands are in a more natural position. Go ahead and hold it, and I’ll show you.”
She faced the workbench and grasped the tool in her hands. He adjusted her grip on the tote and the angle of the plane on the board. “That feels more natural, doesn’t it?”
She nodded. “I suppose so.”
“I’m going to place my hands over yours now and guide them so you can feel what it’s like to make a smooth pass over the surface.” He stepped close and reached around her. Unlike his callused hands, hers were soft and smooth and delightfully feminine. And she smelled nice, like spring. Focus, Evans, or you’ll make a mess of the cut.
Although three or four passes would have sufficed, he stretched the lesson as long as he could. It had been ages since he’d enjoyed having a woman so close. He relished the feel of Callie’s hands beneath his and her hair tickling his cheek as they moved the plane.
She glanced over her shoulder. “I think I have it now. If you don’t mind, I’d like to try it on my own again.”
He forced himself to step away and watched her work. She was a quick learner, producing gossamer-thin shavings the full width of the blade. Jasper crept closer, his eyes on the growing pile of them. Chip scooped up some and dropped them in the boy’s outstretched hands.
“Thanks, Mr. Chip. I’m gonna see which one is the longest, and then I’ll crunch them up. I love that sound.”
So did he, along with the steady zvish zvish of the plane as Callie scraped it over the face of the board. But it was time to move her from practice to actual planing.
Chip positioned a seventy-four-inch-long piece of pine on his workbench between two iron bench dogs, holding it snuggly in place. If only his feet were as securely planted, but after being so close to Callie, his world was a bit off-kilter. Not that he minded.
She set to work, and he returned to his sawing. He’d be glad to have that task behind him so he could assemble the bed frames and get started on the wardrobes.
They’d been at it some time when Ruby padded over to him, standing well away from the work area, as he’d taught her. “I think the gwue is dry, Mr. Chip.”
No doubt she’d learn to say all her words correctly before long, but he’d enjoy her cute way of talking while it lasted. “Is it now? Well, that’s a good thing, because I could use a break. What about you, Miss Callie?”
“Just a minute. I’ve almost got this board done. I’d like to finish.”
“Let’s watch, shall we, princess?” Ruby didn’t shy away from him, so he picked her up and moved to where they could see Callie in action.
Callie’s confidence had grown. She moved the plane over the board with impressive skill for one who’d only been doing so for such a short time. Seeing her engrossed in a job that brought him such satisfaction filled him with pride. He’d learned when he met her during her days working at the Blair brothers’ lumberyard that she shared his love of wood. That contented smile as she ran a hand over the smooth surface showed she enjoyed woodworking, too.
She turned to him, her eyes alight. “I think it’s nearly done. Do you want to check?”
“Sure.” He set Ruby down, got his straight edge and moved it over the board. “It looks good, all except for this one high spot. I’ll mark it, and you can take it off.” He pulled a pencil out of his apron, outlined the raised area and filled it in with some scribbles.
Callie set to work and, in no time, completed the task. “I can see why you like working with wood. It’s such fun.”
He chuckled. “You might not say that when you’ve been standing over a workbench for hours, but I agree. Just wait until we assemble that first piece and you can see it all come together.”
“I look forward to that.”
Jasper left his pile of shavings, joined them and gazed up at Chip, wearing a scowl. “I been waiting and waiting. Can we fly the kite now?”
“Yes.”
“Yee-haw!” The boy galloped around the shop on a make-believe horse.
“I’ll get the kite.” Callie picked it up from the third workbench and grinned. “I’ve never flown one before, so this will be fun. Let’s go.” She took hold of Jasper’s hand, dashed out of the room and skipped down the path toward the field with childlike glee.
Chip followed with Ruby in his arms, eagerness putting a spring in his step. Callie wasn’t the woman for him, having come into his life a full three years before he was ready to establish a courtship, and Jasper and Ruby weren’t his children, but when he was with the three of them, he could envision the future he’d had in mind when created The Plan. If the family God gave him brought him even half as much joy, he’d be a happy man.
Before that could happen, though, he had to finish his house and increase his savings. Unlike his father, he wouldn’t start a family before he could adequately provide for them. If his pa had waited, he would have been better able to provide for his wife and sons and wouldn’t have been as likely to fall prey to the promises of a better life out in California. And Chip wouldn’t have lost them all.
The Plan was there for a reason. He couldn’t forget that, no matter how much he enjoyed Callie’s company.
* * *
Callie’s first week at the Double T hadn’t gone the way she’d expected, but it had turned out to be a blessing. The Lord had entrusted her with the care of two precious children, given her the job of her dreams and arranged for her to work alongside a talented carpenter with a heart of gold.
She stood next to Chip in a field well away from the buildings and trees as he squatted in front of the children and explained what was involved in flying a kite. He dealt patiently with Jasper’s endless questions and managed to coax a few words out of reticent Ruby.
Since Chip hadn’t grabbed his hat, the wind riffled his thick brown hair. She fought the urge to run her fingers through it. As she’d anticipated, working alongside the handsome man was a distraction. The plane had stuttered over the board on her first pass, echoing the stuttering of her heart.
As if him watching her work wasn’t challenging enough, he’d reached around her, placing his large, work-roughened hands over hers and sending a shiver shimmying up her spine. Since he hadn’t mentioned her reaction, she hoped he hadn’t noticed. As hard as she tried to fight her attraction, she couldn’t.
Chip straightened and continued his instructions to the children. “Before we try to get the kite in the air, we have to find out which direction the wind’s coming from. The first one to figure it out gets to hold the kite as we attempt to send it sailing.”
Jasper piped up with a question posthaste. “How can we tell?”
“Like this.” Chip wet the tip of a finger and held it up. “The side that feels cool is the one the wind’s coming from.”
Jasper stuck a finger in his mouth, pulled it out with a pop and stuck it in the air. He turned it this way and that, frowned and folded his arms. “That don’t work.”
“I have another idea.” Chip plucked a few blades of California bunch grass from a clump nearby. “If you let the pieces of grass go, they should fly off in the opposite direction that the wind’s coming from. Why don’t you try it with me?”
Both children yanked generous handfuls of grass. Ruby flung hers in the air, and they drifted to the ground.
Jasper held out his hand at his side as Chip did and released the grass slowly. The pieces fluttered toward the hills at the eastern edge of the field. The eager boy smiled and pointed to the west. “The wind is coming from there.”
Chip nodded. “Sure is. Since you guessed correctly, you can stand with your back to the wind, hold the kite by its bridle the way I showed you, let out a little line and see if it will take off.”
The eager boy grabbed the kite as instructed, promptly let it go and grimaced when it fell to the ground. “It don’t work.”
“Not that way, it doesn’t.” Chip lips twitched, but he didn’t laugh. Callie admired his restraint. “I have an idea. You hold it here at the bottom, like this.” He positioned Jasper’s hand at the lowest point of the diamond. “I’ll take the spool of string and walk a few feet back, and we’ll try again.”
Once Chip was in position, he instructed Jasper to hold the kite as high as he could. “Now we have to wait for a gust to come along. When it does, I’ll tell you to let go, so listen carefully.”
A stiff breeze buffeted Callie.
“Let go!”
Jasper obliged, and Chip managed to get the kite aloft. It swooped wildly and came crashing to the ground.
Ruby rushed over. “It’s not broke, is it?”
Chip grabbed the colorful kite and inspected it. “That was a close call, but it appears to be fine. We’ll try again, but it’s your turn to hold it, princess.”
Moments later, the two of them were in place. The wind picked up, Ruby released the kite, Chip fed out line and the kite rose into the cloudless sky.
Jasper thumped his sister on the back, his eyes shining with brotherly pride. “You done it, Ruby! It’s flying.”
The little girl shielded her eyes from the sun and watched the kite ascend. “It’s high up.”
“And getting higher.” Callie scooped Ruby into her arms, balanced the girl on one hip and watched as Chip let out the line, causing the kite to climb rapidly.
Jasper gazed at Chip with admiration. “You’re a real good kite flyer, Mr. Chip. Could you show me how to get it up higher?”
“Sure.” Chip dropped to one knee. “Stand in front of me and hold on to the line.”
Ruby whispered in Callie’s ear.
“Of course you can have a turn, sweetheart, right after Jasper.”
Chip invited Ruby over a few minutes later. Callie sat on a knoll and watched. He took his time with each of the children, patiently answering Jasper’s many questions and offering softly spoken reassurances to Ruby. She said little, but she did look at him with glowing eyes when he paid her compliments, which he often did. What a wonderful father he would be.
Callie smiled at the memory of the pride shining from Chip’s deep blue eyes when he’d handed her the well-worn sheet with his yearly goals written on it in his bold script. The Plan had served him well, but he could be setting himself up for disappointment.
Love and children didn’t come along according to schedule, at least not from what her two friends she’d come west with had told her. Becky hadn’t expected to fall in love with James O’Brien when she’d begun caring for his ailing mother, and yet she had. Now she had a home of her own, two adorable children and a thriving bakery business. Jessie certainly hadn’t thought that her boss and make-believe beau, Flynt Kavanaugh, would become her real-life husband, but they were married now and busy establishing their own engineering firm.
Chip left the children gripping the string together and sauntered over to Callie. “It’s your turn to fly the kite.”
She took the hand he offered, and he pulled her to her feet. They stood inches apart, their hands still linked. His was warm and strong, his grip firm but gentle. She glanced up at him, hoping for a smile. Instead, his serious side had reappeared. His gaze swept over her face, coming to rest on…her mouth?
Was it possible Chip wanted to kiss her? What would she do if he tried? Part of her wondered what it would feel like to have his lips pressed to hers, but the more sensible part—
“Don’t you wanna fly it, Miss Callie?”
Jasper’s question shattered the moment, which was for the best. Chip wasn’t ready to court anyone. The trouble was that the more time she spent with him, the more she found herself drawn to him.
She slipped her hand from Chip’s and produced what she hoped resembled a carefree smile. “Of course I do, Jasper.”
In no time, she held the string in one hand and the reel in the other. The smooth cotton line passed easily between her fingers as she let out more. The kite bobbed high above.
“Careful that you don’t feed too much too fast, or it could begin to loop.”
No sooner had Chip finished speaking than the kite spun and began to dive. “It’s going to crash! What do I do?”
“Let go of the line and take a few steps toward the kite.” He grasped her elbow and ushered her forward. “There. That should do it.”
“It is pretty high. Maybe I should reel it in a bit.”
“I think it will be fine now.”
The kite might, but being so close to Chip made concentration difficult. “Then perhaps I should turn it back over to the children. You’d like that, wouldn’t you, Jasper?”
“Yep!” He relieved her of the spool and string.
The dinner bell rang twice, signaling the end of the school day. Children poured out of the schoolhouse, which Spencer and Tess had built to accommodate all the children at the Double T. Boys and girls descended on the playground. A lone figure ran toward them.
Freddie arrived breathless but beaming. He pushed out his request between gulps of air. “I saw…your kite. Can I…fly it?”
Chip’s serious side took over. “Do you have permission to be here?”
The boy nodded. “Mama Tess said to come over and ask if I could help in the woodshop when you’re done flying the kite. I’ve been hankering to help ever since you carved that Humpty Dumpty. Can I?”
A smile replaced Chip’s stern expression. “If Mama Tess said it’s all right, then it’s fine with me. But first, Jasper, you’ll give Freddie a turn, won’t you?”
“Yep. Me and him will have fun.”
Ruby had grown bored and found a spot nearby to hold an imaginary tea party with her beloved doll as her guest. Callie sat in the grass, close enough to watch the children, but far enough away to give the children a feeling of freedom. After their week spent indoors with constant supervision, they deserved some time to themselves.
Chip dropped down beside Callie. “I can’t believe you’d never flown a kite before.”
“Isaac and I didn’t have a lot of freedom as children.” That was an understatement.
“Strict parents?”
“Strict governess.” She mentally kicked herself. The words had come out before she could stop them.
“I see.”
How could he? She’d kept that part of her life to herself. “It’s not what you think.”
He gave her one of those lopsided smiles she found irresistible. “And what do I think?”
“I’m not a spoiled little rich girl. My father did well for himself, but he worked hard for his money.” Too hard. He was consumed with expanding his business.
“Why the frown?”
She drew in a deep breath and forced herself to relax on the exhale. “I have a good life.”
“But it wasn’t always that way, was it?”
My, but he was perceptive. “Perhaps not, but the Lord provided. After our parents were ki—” No, she refused to dwell on that dark day. “After we lost our parents, a kindly couple took me in. Mom and Pop Marshall hadn’t been able to have children of their own, and they doted on me. Isaac had already headed off to fight, but I spent six years with them. They were the best years of my life.”
“Why did you leave?”
“I lost them both shortly after I turned eighteen. They left their cottage to the church so the congregation could make a parsonage out of it. I received enough to pay for my train fare to California and tide me over until I could find a job, so that’s when I came in search of Isaac.”
Chip scanned the area, checking on the children. Satisfied that they were all right, he continued. “And now you’re working here with your brother. I’m glad you two have each other.”
The wistfulness in his voice tugged at her heart. “I’m sorry you don’t have anyone left, but you do have friends.”
She reached for his hand, intending to give it a squeeze, but pulled hers back. Such a gesture could be seen as forward, and she didn’t want give him the impression that she was harboring notions of anything more than friendship. Which she wasn’t.
The thought of having a man like Chip in her life was appealing, but he’d made it clear he wasn’t ready to welcome a woman into his heart. And there was the pesky matter of his desire to have children of his own that would keep him from considering her as someone he could court anyhow.
Chip studied her. “You have a way of finding something positive in even the bleakest of circumstances. I don’t know how you do it.”
She shrugged. “I suppose it’s become a habit.”
“You weren’t always this way?”
“Dealing with the loss of one’s parents has a way of changing a person. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Something behind her drew his attention. He cupped his hands around his mouth. “Boys, come back this way.”
Callie spun around. Jasper and Freddie were in plain sight. “They’re fine. You worry too much.”
“I’m being careful, and you should, too. George Tate’s murderers are still out there.”
“I know that, but it’s been a week, and we’ve seen no sign on them. They’ve probably moved on.”
Chip released a drawn-out sigh. “I didn’t want to tell you, but one of Spencer’s men spotted a stranger on the property. He went to investigate, but the fellow jumped on a horse and got away before the ranch hand reached him.”
“How does he know the man was a stranger if he didn’t get a good look at him? It could have been a neighboring rancher looking for a lost cow or something.”
“The man was in the trees at the edge of the clearing over yonder.” Chip pointed to the stand of oaks beyond the boys.
“Oh. Then I can see why you called them back, but I still don’t think it’s wise to let the children know your suspicions. Jasper might be able to handle that information, but poor Ruby is upset enough as it is.”
“We’ll keep the concerns to ourselves for the time being, but we must be vigilant, Callie, for the children’s sake. If anything were to happen to them, I’d never forgive myself.”
Concern creased his brow. She reached up and ran her fingertips over the furrows. “Please, don’t torment yourself. I’m sure they’ll be fine.”
He caught her hand in his and looked so deeply into her eyes that he was likely to see the effect he had on her. “I hope you’re right, but promise me you’ll be careful.”
With him gazing at her like that, the danger she faced wasn’t from nonexistent villains. It was from Chip himself. How was she to remain immune to his charms? And did she even want to?