Loving a Rebel, page 6
part #1 of Glory, Montana Series
He beat the batter, spread it in the pan, and gingerly placed it in the oven. He handed her a spoon. “Want to help me lick out the bowl?”
Their heads almost touched as they scraped the remnants of the batter from the bowl.
“It tastes good,” he said.
“It will taste even better when you take it out of the oven.”
The bowl was licked so clean it almost didn’t have to be washed.
“Can you write the recipe down for me?” He brought her a piece of paper and a pencil.
She wrote it down, complete with step-by-step instructions.
“Ma always iced the cake,” he said, hope clinging to his words.
“So should you then.”
“Me?”
“Of course. You want to be able to do this on your own, don’t you?”
“Yes, but I thought I was pushing my luck by trying to make a cake.”
“Trying? Ho. I think you did it. You just have to wait for it to bake.” He reached for the oven handle. “And no peeking yet.”
Again, she talked him through the process of making fudge frosting. He beat it to creaminess and tasted it. He closed his eyes and sighed. “I do believe that’s even better than Ma made.”
“And you did it yourself. While we wait for the cake to bake, what’s for supper?”
“What do you want?”
“Hmm.” She tapped her finger on her chin and pretended to give it serious consideration. “How about thick steaks, baked potatoes, and fresh peas and carrots.”
He stared and then guffawed. “Dream on, lady. How about salt pork and baked potatoes?”
“No peas and carrots?”
He dug into the cupboard and pulled out a tin. “Here you go.”
“Canned peas? How lovely.” She let out a longsuffering sigh. “However, it is far short of what you offered me.”
“I offered you? When did I do that?”
“Didn’t you ask what I wanted? I assumed that meant you would provide it. I am sorely disappointed.” They grinned at each other.
“Salt pork and canned peas, it is,” she said with a flourish.
“Don’t forget the baked potatoes.” He pulled two nicely shaped potatoes from the sack in the corner cupboard and scrubbed them. He paused as he reached for the oven door. “Can I open it now?”
She sniffed. “Smells like it’s done. Open the door carefully and check it.” She showed him how to touch the surface and judge if it bounced back. “It’s done. Set it to cool.”
He did so then stuck the potatoes in to bake.
An hour later, the square of white at the window had darkened to black as they sat at the table and enjoyed the meal.
“Excellent cake,” she said after tasting it. “Couldn’t have done better myself.”
He paused with a forkful of his baking. “I can’t believe I did this. Here’s hoping I can do it again in the future.”
They lingered over seconds of the cake. As they ate, they talked about favorite foods, food disasters, both of their attempts at learning to cook, and various other things.
Flora couldn’t believe how comfortable she had grown with this man. In fact, he didn’t seem the least bit like the Kade Thomas she had pictured just a few days ago.
The reality of that truth struck her with such a force that she gasped.
How would she react to Kade the next time she saw him in town? Wouldn’t Pa notice a difference? How would she explain her change of attitude? If she didn’t have a reasonable answer for it, wouldn’t Pa become suspicious?
“What’s wrong?” Kade asked. “Did you hear something?” He glanced at the door, but the bar was firmly in place. No intruders would be getting in.
“Just a passing thought,” she murmured. “Nothing of any interest.” She jumped from the table and grabbed the used dishes.
He rose more slowly, wondering at this sudden flurry of action.
“Another night stranded,” she said.
Ah, that explained it. Of course, she was anxious about being out another night. “Sorry. I can’t make the storm stop.”
“My family will be so worried.” She held up a hand. “And don’t tell me I should have thought of that before I rode out.”
“It didn’t cross my mind.” And it hadn’t. He had learned a new appreciation of her free spirit. “We are only doing the best we can under the circumstances.” “I know.”
She grew thoughtful. “I hate to make the others worry, especially Ma. I think I have always been a trial to her. I remember being taken to the preacher’s house after my mama died. Eve cried and was comforted. I kept trying to run away. I suppose I wanted to find my mama. I don’t recall. I only remember the need to run. I can’t really explain it, but I had the feeling I was missing something and I had to find it. Ma held me and sang to me for a long time. She says it was three days and three nights before I calmed down. Or maybe I was overcome with exhaustion. Ma’s words started to sink into my heart. ‘You’re safe here. You will always be safe with us. This is your home now. You don’t need to run’. I know I am loved and am safe. But sometimes I feel like there is something I have to find.”
“What are you looking for?”
“I don’t know. Maybe if I did, I could find it.” She turned her face toward him. “Do you think it has anything to do with the dreams that waken me?”
“Do you?”
She shrugged. “Maybe I’m just crazy and my mind is unstable.”
He laughed outright. “You might be a little wild.”
Her eyebrows went up.
“And a little unconventional.”
She planted her hands on her hips, silently daring him to say anything more.
He eased back a few inches. “And someone who kicks against the rules of society.”
Every bit of warning and displeasure fled from her stance. “I don’t mind rules that make sense, but some just don’t.”
“I’d have to agree.” Like forcing a man and woman to marry just because they’d found shelter together against a storm.
They did the dishes and put away the food.
“We can have chocolate cake for breakfast,” he said.
She stared at him. “Why Kade Thomas, I never expected to hear such rash words from you.”
“How is that rash?”
“It’s not what a person has for breakfast. I mean, what would people say?” She pressed her fingers to her mouth and widened her eyes as if shocked.
He chuckled. “I think they would say I was fortunate to have the choice.” Even as he spoke, he knew he had voiced a truth that applied to her as well. “I know what you’re doing with this conversation.”
“Good. A person should have a few choices.”
He wasn’t going to argue, because they both knew that some things like eating cake were harmless choices while others carried risks not worth taking. All it took to reinforce that fact was a glance at the bookshelf with the reminders.
She followed his gaze. “Seems a shame not to use your new Bible.” She went and picked it up. “Why don’t you sit here and read it aloud?” She indicated the soft reading chair.
Before he could argue, she drew a kitchen chair close and sat down, waiting for him to take his place.
He sat and took the Bible. “What should I read?”
“Do you have a favorite passage?”
“Can’t say as I do. Do you?”
“Genesis chapter twenty-four,” she said without hesitation.
He turned the pages and read aloud the story of Abraham’s servant going to find a wife for Isaac. He finished and looked at her. “A love story.”
“Don’t sound surprised. It’s a good love story.”
“How’s that?”
“Because Rebekah was taking care of the camels. That’s how the servant knew she was the right woman for Isaac. She wasn’t sitting around the house doing needlework. And Isaac loved her.”
Kade watched Flora’s cheeks grow rosy and knew that this story had deep significance for her. He understood she wanted to be accepted as she was and loved as Isaac loved Rebekah.
“Have you never had a beau?” he asked, imagining a steady line up of admirers.
“I’m seventeen years old. There’s plenty of time for that.”
“Lots of women are married by your age.”
“I suppose that’s true. I did have a fondness for a boy back in Ohio. Baron was his name. But when he heard we were moving he lost interest. He was courting another gal before we left. It’s of little matter to me. If he could so easily forget me, I can just as easily forget him. Besides…” She ducked her head as if interested in the way her trousers folded at her knees.
“Besides, what?”
Her head came up. “I have this red hair.” She tugged at her untidy braid.
Kade studied her hair, his gaze sweeping up one side of her face and down the other. “It’s very eye catching.”
She narrowed her eyes. “But then, so is a fire.”
“Fires keep us warm and cook our food.”
“My hair doesn’t.”
He heard the longing in her voice. “You remember how good the chocolate cake tasted?”
She blinked. “Sure.”
He couldn’t remember how he meant to turn that into a compliment about her hair. “All I’m saying is that some things are meant to be enjoyed.”
Her mouth opened and closed. She pulled her braid forward and looked at it. “I’m afraid this isn’t chocolate cake.” But she sounded less annoyed at her hair color.
Before he could comment she flipped the braid to her back and fired a question at him. “What about the girl you meant to marry? What happened to her?”
“Well, I was young and idealistic—”
“How young?”
“Nineteen. She was the same age.”
“How long ago was that?”
“Three years.”
“Oh.” She sat back. “So tell me about her.”
“There’s not much to say. I left to work at a ranch, and when I returned, she had run off with another man.”
“You mean she eloped?”
“I don’t know if she married him or not. I left the area with my pride in tatters.”
“Your pride.” She spat the words out. “I’d think if you cared a fig about her you would have gone after her. At least made sure she went of her own accord.”
“She left me a note saying adventure called and that she wasn’t interested in the dull life I had planned.”
“Humph. Didn’t she know you were going to go ranching in Montana Territory? Seems that would be enough adventure for her.”
He had never thought to hear such words from her. He realized his mouth hung open and he closed it. “A Montana ranch would be enough adventure for you?”
“Well sure, if I was allowed to help with the horses and calves and not be expected to stay in the house all the time.” Her eyes grew dreamy. “I’d like to train young colts and help herd cows. I love riding.”
“What about babies? Wouldn’t you want some of those?”
“I never thought I would until I held Adele’s baby. Now I think I’d like to have my own.” Her cheeks blossomed again.
“You figure to ride with your babies?” He could almost picture it and grinned.
“A person might have to take turns doing them.” Her gaze returned to his, full of challenge.
In spite of himself, he nodded. “A person could do that, I suppose.”
She studied him a full minute. He held her gaze, somehow knowing she was assessing him. When she finally nodded, he understood he had passed some sort of test and grinned, his heart releasing a burst of energy.
“Do you go to church regularly?” she asked.
It kept him alert to follow her sudden switches of conversation. “Pretty hard to go when you’re on the Santa Fe Trail or riding herd on cows moving north, but if I’m near a town with a church, I try and go. I remember one trip on the Santa Fe Trail when a preacher traveled with us. I liked how he talked about God and His care and guidance. It made me feel good. Safe. One thing I decided was, when I settled down in my own home, I was going to make it a Christian home. I bought a Bible in New Mexico when I courted Pearl. Thought it was time to start living my plans.” His voice trailed off.
“You have the Bible and you have your home.”
“But I don’t have a family.”
“Kade, that is so sad.” She brightened. “Tell you what. You can share my family.”
He stared at her. “I’m a little too old to be adopted,” he said after a bit.
She laughed. “If Ma hears you can bake and ice a chocolate cake, she’ll adopt you on the spot.” She put her hand over his. “You’d always be welcome.”
He looked at their hands. It would be nice to be part of their warmhearted family. He’d already been offered a sincere invitation to come back anytime.
Hearing it from Flora made it more appealing.
But that wasn’t what he wanted.
He wanted his own family. Someone to greet him when he came through the door each day. Maybe even someone who shared his interest in ranching.
Not being one to dwell on dreams, he pushed the thoughts aside.
Chapter 7
Flora stiffened as she wakened. What had disturbed her sleep? Had she called out from another dream? Or had someone rattled the door? She strained into the silent darkness to hear the sound repeated.
“The wind has gone down,” she whispered.
Kade’s voice came from the other room. “The storm is over but it’s several hours until light. Go back to sleep.”
“Yes, sir.”
Her briskness earned her a chuckle and she grinned as she turned over. She wakened some time later to the sound of wood being put into the stove. It was still dark though she detected a grayness at the window that indicated dawn.
Kade lit a lamp and Flora hurried to the stove to get warm.
“It’s clear out.” He smiled down at her.
“I’ll be able to get back home today.” It wasn’t unbridled joy that filled her. “Today I will face Pa and have to explain where I spent the last two days.” They looked at each other, silently acknowledging their lives were about to change drastically if she couldn’t make her father believe something other than that she had spent two nights with a man she wasn’t married to.
With a mixture of sober thought and joyful anticipation, she pulled a saucepan from the cupboard. “You want oatmeal porridge for breakfast?”
“I’m having chocolate cake.” He took the pot from her and returned it to the cupboard. “And so are you.”
She grinned at him. “I fear I have been a bad influence on you.”
He gave a playful jab of his fist to her chin. “It’s been an unforgettable couple of days. First, a feisty redheaded woman bangs on my door. Then I beat her at checkers—”
She crossed her arms and pretended to be dismayed. “Don’t rub it in.”
“Then a crazy man barges into the house.”
A shudder crossed her shoulders. “He called himself Eagle Pete and said he could track anything.”
“Let’s hope he’s made tracks so far south we never hear from him again.” Kade caught her shoulder. “Please don’t give him an opportunity to catch you unawares.” His eyes were dark, full of concern, and she was almost ready to promise him anything he asked.
But he laughed. “And I learned to make a chocolate cake. I’d say it’s been a good two days.”
He said it with a hefty dose of approval that made Flora’s insides glow.
The coffee she’d put to brew, boiled, and she grabbed it with her hand wrapped in a towel. She filled two cups as Kade served generous portions of cake, accompanied her to the table, and sat across from her.
“Breakfast is served.” The idea of this being breakfast struck her as so odd that she laughed.
He leaned back. “I have to say, cake and coffee make a fine breakfast.”
She quirked her eyebrows. “Even if unconventional?”
“Yup. And don’t point out how some rules—like cake isn’t for breakfast—are silly.”
Did he agree that many other man-made rules were unnecessary?
He must have read her mind, for he sat forward and tapped her fingers. “You’ve taught me a lot.”
She didn’t ask him to elaborate. It was enough that he’d learned from her.
Pink filled the window and they stood to watch the sunrise.
“The snow is deep,” Kade observed.
“I’ll take my time.” She might have to lead Dollar if his foot was still tender.
They lingered at the window a few more minutes and then turned their attention to cleaning the kitchen.
“I’ll take that,” he said, when she looked for a place to put the little bit of cake that was left. “I’ll have it with coffee later.”
“You’ll have your house back to yourself.” She wondered if he would miss her company.
“It will be quiet.” A beat of silence in which she tried to decide if he meant that was a good thing or not. “Too quiet.” His voice was so low she wondered if she imagined his words. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes.
At the way he studied her, she faced him full on. “You saying you’ll miss my company?”
“Guess I am.” He grinned. “I enjoyed playing checkers and talking.”
“Maybe I’ll visit again.” She meant to be teasing, but a huge part of her wished she could. Seeing the protest building in his eyes, she held up her hand. “I know. It wouldn’t be proper, and goodness knows, we should be proper.” She gave a little sniff. “Though I have to ask, how proper is it to eat cake for breakfast?”
When he laughed, she relaxed. No need for him to think she was serious about wanting to visit again.
The dishes were washed and put away. He pulled on his heavy outerwear. She did the same, stopping for one last look around the room before she stepped out into the snow and followed him as he shoveled a path to the barn.
It gave her plenty of time to study her surroundings. The barn was medium-sized and solid red except for white trim at the windows and door. Several smaller buildings created a chain from the house to the barn. Like he said, he’d planned the layout for maximum safety and security through all sorts of weather.
