Lone Star Bride, page 27
“Just think how wonderful I’ll be in a couple of years, when those two get finished with me,” she told him.
He bent to her and planted a kiss on her cheek. “I love you just the way you are. You don’t need to improve any to suit me, sweetheart.”
The meal was enjoyed by the adults but the twins turned up their nose at the scent of sauerkraut and settled for more soup. Alexis laughed. “I think this is an acquired taste,” she said easily. “The soup’s better for them, anyway.”
Kitchen duty was handled quickly, and the little ones were prepared for bed by lamplight. “I think I’m going to join them,” Alexis said with a yawn. “I’m tired out, and I haven’t even done anything today but sit there and rock.” She looked at the rocking chair, a spot Sarah had claimed as her own after supper was over. The bundle in her arms was nestled against her, and her soft voice hummed a lullaby.
In Alexis’s considered opinion it might not be too long before Sarah found herself well on her way to motherhood again. Some women were born to have children, and it was Alexis’s thought that Sarah was one of them. Her obvious love for her own two and her ability to take her sister’s child as her own were ample proof of that. She went to where Sarah sat and knelt by her side.
“If you want me to take him now, I’ll go on up with him and settle us both down for the night.”
But before Alexis could take the baby from Sarah’s arms, a sound from the backyard caught her attention, and she rose to her feet.
“Won’t any of us be going to bed anytime soon,” Jamie said, standing quickly and striding to the back door. “Unless I miss my guess there’s some sort of a hullabaloo going on out by the back of the barn. I heard voices.”
“Is it the boys?” Sarah asked in a hushed tone, as though she feared getting her hopes up. She rose with Jay in her arms and silent tears fell from her eyes.
“Can’t tell for sure, but it sounds like a bunch of them are back,” Jamie said. “Too dark to see what’s going on, but I’ll fix that in a hurry.”
He was out the door and across the yard in mere seconds, and the women went out to the porch, the better to see. The big barn door slid open as Jamie neared it and he went on inside.
“I’m about prayed out,” Minna said quietly. “If I don’t see that boy of mine in the next few minutes, I’m about done for.” Her shoulders slumped as she spoke, and then, as Alexis wrapped her arms around Minna’s shoulders, a shout rang out from the barn.
“Both of them?” It was Jamie’s voice and Slim who answered.
“Hell, yes. Did you think we’d bring back one without the other?” He laughed and the sound brought tears to the eyes of the women who listened intently. “They’re comin’ in from the corral now,” Slim shouted.
Jamie added his voice to the sudden rumble of men’s and boy’s voices as he greeted them, the sound carrying easily to the back porch. “Get yourselves up to the house, the both of you. You’ve about scared the dickens out of your mothers and everyone else, too.”
He came out the wide door, shooing the two boys ahead of him, and both ran pell-mell toward the house.
“We’re back,” Jonas called. “And boy did we have a time.”
Minna was down the steps, running at full tilt, and then her arms were full of Jonas, even as one hand reached out to snag Stephen’s arm, hauling him into her wide embrace. Beside Alexis, Sarah sobbed quietly.
“I knew they’d be all right,” she whispered between wiping her eyes and digging for her hankie.
“Give me that baby,” Alexis said with a laugh, “and go to your son, Sarah.”
Chapter Seventeen
Stephen tried valiantly to subdue the tears that surfaced as Sarah caught him in an embrace. Taller now than she, he shuddered visibly as he clasped her tightly. And then laughed aloud as she scolded him roundly, dragging him with her toward the house.
“Didn’t you know how worried we’d be?” She asked the question, and then failed to await an answer, as if she realized that she stood little chance of receiving one from the boy. “You boys have had four women crying and praying for you, not knowing where you were, or if you were even alive.”
Stephen swiped his fist against his eyes and stood tall beside her as they reached the porch. “We didn’t mean to worry anyone. Things just happened. There was a cougar and he wouldn’t go away, no matter how big our fire was. So when he finally did, we decided to hide in the woods.”
The faulty logic made Alexis smile—unwillingly, to be sure, but hiding in the woods had made the boys a perfect target for the big cat, had they but known it.
“When Slim came riding through the woods all hell had broken loose, we hollered at him to let him know where we were,” Stephen continued. He looked chagrined for a moment. “He told us we were crazy to leave the fire and hide out in the dark. Said the cougar had a better chance at us, because they can see in the dark so good.”
“So then what did you do?” Sarah asked.
“Slim said we’d wait till daylight and then see if the big cat had gone. So we went back to our camp and built up the fire again. And when it got light enough, we saw the cougar south of us, and Slim said we’d better find a better spot, someplace where the cougar couldn’t get to us so easy. He said there’d probably be someone out looking for us right shortly anyway. So we went north a ways to the first box canyon and climbed the side of the cliff to a cave he knew about.”
Relief swept through Alexis at Stephen’s explanation and she let out a breath. She waved Minna and Jonas toward the porch, and included Sarah in her command. “These boys need some food in their bellies, unless I miss my guess.”
“So do that bunch out in the barn,” Ellen said. “We’d better get the food on the table for them.” She bustled back into the kitchen and began heating up the big pot of leftovers for the hungry men. Slim and Woody stopped at the horse trough and washed, splashing water on their faces and laughing. Their relief was evident, their triumph at finding the lost boys was a visible bond between them and they entered the kitchen with enthusiasm, sniffing the air and finding their seats at the table.
“Smells like kraut to me,” Slim said. “Haven’t had anything to eat since early on this morning. I feel like I could eat you out of house and home, Jamie.”
“Well, sit down and have a shot at it,” Jamie said, laughing at Slim’s vote of appreciation for the meal. Stephen and Jonas had already scooped food onto their plates, and were halted, forks halfway to their mouths, when Minna announced that somebody better say some words over the food and the boys’ safe recovery.
“I can do that,” Hank said, watching from the doorway. He’d been in his office, and done his own share of worrying, if the circles under his eyes were anything to go by, Alexis decided. He walked to the table and placed a big hand on each of the boys’ shoulders, then spoke a brief prayer of thanksgiving. At his final word, Stephen and Jonas began eating, and Slim laughed aloud.
“You young’uns act like you haven’t seen hide nor hair of anything fit to eat in a cow’s age,” he said, “and I saw you both gnawin’ on a biscuit early this morning.”
“It didn’t last long,” Stephen said, scooting over as Brace came in the door and looked for a seat at the table.
“Sit here, Pa,” the boy told him, making room on the bench for his father.
“Reckon I will,” Brace told him. “I’ve missed having you at our dinner table back home, son.” His hand clasped the boy’s shoulder as he sat beside him, and Alexis thought she saw a tear in Brace’s eye. Stephen was his pride and joy, if she knew anything about it. His baby girls were precious, but his son…now that was another story.
The food disappeared rapidly, and the bowls were scraped clean. “When y’all get done eating, bring your plates to the sink,” Minna directed them. “We already cleaned up once, and you can all pitch in to help.”
Chet stood, holding his plate and looking over at Ellen, who was busy pouring hot water into the big metal dishpan. “I’ll give Ellen a hand here. You just go sit and listen to your boy, Minna.”
Ellen glanced at him and then smiled. “We’ll get these washed up in no time,” she said. “And then everyone can get themselves off to bed.”
Chet went to where she stood and whispered in her ear and she elbowed him in the ribs, muttering a muffled word that made him laugh aloud.
“Well, I’m ready to go upstairs,” Alexis said, gathering up her son and holding him close against her breast.
“I’ll take him, sweetheart,” Jamie said. “Do you want his basket along? Or should we leave it here for morning?”
“I’ll just put a quilt in a dresser drawer for tonight,” she said, covering a yawn with one hand as Jamie took the child from her arms. “He can sleep next to the bed so I can reach him when he wakes up.” Then, remembering her duties, she searched out Sarah and smiled. “You’ll find your rooms ready for you. Same place you slept at Christmastime.”
Sarah waved her thanks and shooed Jamie up the stairs behind Alexis.
They made their way up, calling back a good-night to those below and Alexis almost stumbled as she reached the bedroom door. Jamie reached his free hand to grasp her arm.
“Are you all right? I think this day has been too much for you, sweetheart.”
“Probably,” she agreed. “But it ended up well, didn’t it?”
“You can’t imagine how happy we were to find Slim with the boys in that cave. He’d built a big fire on a flat spot in front of it and we saw the smoke before we got there. He wasn’t taking any chances with any more wildlife sniffing them out.” Jamie paused for a moment, and then cleared his throat.
“There’s something else, Alex,” he said quietly.
She turned to him, noting the frown on his face, the tightening of his lips as he spoke. He placed the baby on their bed and turned to her.
“There was more than a cougar out there,” he said harshly.
“What are you saying, Jamie? Another animal?”
“You could say that,” he allowed. “Mick Jenson was in the canyon, too. He rode out while we were getting the boys and Slim. I followed him.” His eyes were flat, the brilliant blue faded and chilled as he faced her, as if he hesitated at completing his story.
“Are you all right?” she asked, her instincts on alert, sensing already that his words would tell a tale she dreaded for his sake, for he seemed haunted and distraught.
“Better off than Mick is. I chased him down and made him face me.”
“He’s dead?” She felt a shiver run down her spine, and opened her arms to Jamie, wanting to comfort him.
He stepped into her embrace and shuddered. “He’s dead, sweetheart. I’ll send someone out to bury him tomorrow.” He squared his shoulders and his eyes were dark as the midnight sky as he stepped back to face her. “He won’t ever bother any of us again.”
“You killed him because of me, didn’t you?”
“I shot him down without thinking twice. It was like executing a lobo wolf or a madman set on destruction.” His love for her gleamed from his gaze. “Yeah, I killed him, without a moment’s hesitation. Because he touched my wife and caused her pain and because his gun was aimed at me and I had no choice.”
She went to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and holding him tightly. His heartbeat was strong against her ear and she whispered a quick word of thanksgiving that he was safe and sound and in her arms. As mean as he’d been, Mick had been someone’s son and Alexis felt remorse that his life had been so futile. And perhaps his death might bring pain to his family.
“Where will we put the baby to sleep?” James said, happy to change the subject. “What dresser drawer were you talking about?”
Alexis released him from her grip and smothered a yawn. “This one. Ellen got it out and emptied it earlier today for me.” Pulling it close to her side of the bed, she fluffed a quilt, placing it in the enclosed space. A clean towel from the wash-stand followed, tucked over the quilt, and the baby’s bed was ready. Jamie placed him there gently, then retrieved a small blanket from a stack on a table. With tender touches, he covered his son, tucking him in for the night.
“Now, to take care of you, sweetheart,” he said in a low tone. “Crawl into bed and I’ll put you to sleep.”
“And how are you planning to do that?” Alexis lifted an eyebrow and shot him a teasing look.
He showed her, curling up behind her and rubbing her shoulders with his strong fingers. “How’s that?” Amusement touched his words as he worked out the stiffness from sore muscles.
“You know it’s wonderful,” she whispered. “I’m half asleep already.” And then she yawned again and shut her eyes.
“It’s gonna be awful quiet around here,” Jamie said several days later. It was hard to acknowledge the fact that Stephen would be traveling home with Brace and Sarah. Even though Jamie had expected this farewell for weeks, he found it more difficult than he’d imagined.
“I’ll bet you’ll miss him, won’t you?” Brace stood by his side as they watched Stephen roping a horse in the pasture, then drawing the animal closer, his arm reaching to encircle the young colt’s neck.
“Yeah, and so will that colt out there. Stephen has spent more time than you can imagine with that animal, and he’s mighty smitten with him.”
“Don’t sell him,” Brace said, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he watched his son. “I have a notion he’ll want that colt for his own in a couple of years.”
“They’re all his, Brace,” Jamie reminded him. “And I wouldn’t think of selling that one. It would break Stephen’s heart. He’s already planning on coming back next summer to work with him.”
Brace looked questioningly at his friend. “What are you and Alexis going to do now?”
“Stay on here for a few years, probably, at least until Stephen is old enough to learn the ropes and take over the place. Alexis and I have talked about a place of our own and I’ve been considering a piece of land about fifteen miles from here. Good pasture and a nice house on it. I may make an offer and then Alexis and I can work on it in our spare time, get it ready for us to move our family in later on.”
“Will Hank stay on here?” Brace sounded mildly curious, but Jamie wasn’t fooled by the casual query.
“As long as you need him. Or, I should say, as long as Stephen needs him. He’s a valuable asset to the ranch.”
“It sounds like things are right on track, then,” Brace said. He grimaced as he looked once more toward his son and the horse he appeared to be talking to in the pasture. “Now, how do I get him out of here?”
“You call his name and he’ll come running,” Jamie said with a smile. “Don’t you know you’re the most important person in his life?”
“More likely it’s Sarah,” Brace said quietly. “He dotes on her.”
Jamie laughed aloud. “Yeah, well so do you, big fella.”
“We’re a lucky pair, aren’t we, Jamie? Alexis is the woman for you, and Sarah is just right for me, even if she is a spunky little outfit.”
“You love it. And seeing you with her for the years before I left Benning gave me a good example to follow when I married Alexis. I’ve tried to be the kind of husband you are, Brace.”
Brace coughed, clearing his throat and looking aside. “Didn’t know I had that much influence on you, son.”
“More than you’ll ever know. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for this chance to put my life together and find the woman I love.”
“It will all work out, you’ll see,” Brace said. “Wish I could look ahead a few years and see how things go.”
Epilogue
Spring 1914
“Excited?” Jamie’s grin revealed his own thoughts as he looked down at his wife. After years of hard work, their new home was ready.
“You bet,” she said quickly. A shout from the rear of the wagon caught her ear and she turned on the wide board seat, the better to see the three children who tussled on the quilt their father had placed them on.
“Y’all behave, you hear?” she said, her voice just loud enough to be heard by the small girl and her two brothers. They subsided, giggling softly as they untangled themselves and sat upright. “We’re going to be home in just a few minutes,” Alexis said. “You can be good for that long.”
“We will, Mama,” Jay said, shooting a warning glance at his brother and sister. Used to his leadership, they sat quietly, even though their whispers carried to the wagon seat where Alexis held her newest child, a tiny girl with eyes like new leaves in the spring, as her father was fond of saying. He doted on this child, her golden curls and delicate features so like her mother’s.
“Will Stephen be all right?” she asked Jamie, her mind on the young man they’d left to run the ranch.
“He’s a man, full grown,” Jamie told her. “You just can’t imagine that he’s over twenty years old, can you?”
Alexis smiled ruefully. “You’re right. I still think of him as a young boy.”
“Well, with Jonas there, working alongside him, he’ll do just fine. Between them, and with the older men to back them up, they make quite a pair.”
“I worry about him, though, with that newfangled automobile he bought.” She was silent for a minute and then leaned closer to Jamie. “Did you know he’s courting one of the girls from town? Took her out motoring twice last week.”
“Who do you think gave him instructions on how to behave himself?” Jamie’s smile lit his face.
“A fine example you are,” Alexis spouted. “You had me in the tack room that first time, with the door locked, before I knew what was happening.”
“Well, I didn’t tell Stephen about that sort of thing.” With a glint of mischief in his eye, Jamie slid his arm around Alexis’s shoulder. “Some things he’ll have to find out for himself.”
“I’m sure he will.”
Ahead of them, a well-worn lane led off to the right, and at its end sat a white farmhouse, with assorted buildings scattered beyond it. A large barn, wearing two coats of red paint, sat at the far side of the wide yard, and Jay pointed at it, moving to lean on his father’s shoulder.
