Dusty Britches (47 page)

“
What
’
s goin
’
on?
”
Dusty asked again, suddenly very unsettled.

Frowning, Ryder put an index finger to his lips
,
silently shushing her
. H
e took hold of her arm and led her out onto the back porch.
“
Danged if I even know! I was out saddlin
’
up that new
stallion
’
cause your daddy wanted me to start breakin
’
him in…and all of sudden
,
here comes
Alice
a
-
cryin
’
like anything. She hands me the two babies and says,
‘
Watch my children for me, Ryder! Where
’
s Mr. Hunter?
’
I started to ask her what was wrong, but she goes off a
-
screamin
’
at me askin
’
where your daddy is. I told her he was in the house to rest a spell, and next thing I know, your daddy, Becca, and Feller are in the wagon with Miss Alice headin
’
off somewhere! Your daddy
’
s a
-
hollerin
’
at Ruff and Guthrie to run in town and get the sheriff and the doctor
,
Titch is a
-
headin
’
on out to fetch Miss Raynetta…and here I am with two squallin
’
children and a saddled-up
stallion
in the barn!
”

“
What in the world?
”
Dusty
exclaimed. “Well, what
happened?
”

“
I don
’
t know,
”
Ryder assured her, shrugging his shoulders.
“
They
didn’t give me the time a day…j
ust headed off like hell was nippin
’
at their heels!
”

“
Well, did y
a
try askin
’
Kenna?
”

“
Heck no! She was a
-
bawlin
’
like she
’
d had her leg cut off when I got her!
I wasn’t gonna upset her again.
Took me danged near half
an hour to settle ’em both down.”

“
Well, somethin
’
s goin
’
on! They might ne
ed you over at Alice and Alex’s.
We
’
ve got to ask Kenna.
”

Going back inside, Ryder at her heels, Dusty smiled warmly and reassuringly at Makenna
when the little girl
looked up from her book.
“
Hey, sweetheart,
”
Dusty cooed, crouching down beside the rocking chair and smoothing Makenna
’
s hair from her forehead.
“
Did your mama decide you needed a good long visit with Ryder today? Or is somebody sick at your house?
”

Immediately Makenna
’
s lower lip
pursed and
began to quiver as big
tears filled her eyes.

“
Now, there you go, Dusty. Gettin
’
her all upset,
” Ryder grumbled from behind her—
though he made no move to interfere.

“
Daddy was…bringin
’
in the cattles
. S
ome men came
. T
here was shootin
’,
and them cattles started runnin
’,
and Daddy falled off his horse
,
and they runned over him
,
and he got hurted
,
and the bad men left,
”
Makenna told them through
her
sobs.

Dusty turned to look up at Ryder and was even further frightened when
she saw how pale his face was—
how utterly horrified his expression.
“
Where
’
d them cows kick him, Kenna honey?
”
Ryder asked.

Makenna shook her head, crying again, and Jakie followed suit. Dusty gathered them both in her arms as she crouched before the rocking chair.
“
Rustlers,
”
she whispered to Ryder.

He nodded in agreement.
“
I
’
m more worried about where that boy got kicked,
”
Ryder mumbled.

“
Let
’
s get these babies settled down, Ryder,
”
Dusty said. She watched as he bent down, picking up Makenna and heading toward the back of the house.
“
Then maybe you oughta get over to Alex
’
s and see
—”

“
No,
”
he stated.
“
It ain
’
t safe to leave you here alone.
”

He was right. Dusty knew her daddy
’
s ranch was the closest to the Jones
es’
. If there were rustlers in the county, they might come there next.
Still
, she could see t
hat Ryder was itching to leave,
unsettled and uncharacteristically nervous.

“
You all right, Kenna honey?
”
he asked as he pushed Dusty
’
s bedroom door open and carried her inside.

Makenna nodded.
“
Mama said them men was after the cattles.
”
Ryder nodded, seemingly unconvinced, and something in Dusty was frightened. Hi
s expression was oddly worried—
too intensely worried for Ryder Maddox.

“
Let
’
s lay you and little Jake down here. This is my bed, Kenna,
”
Dusty said in a soothing, maternal voice.
“
Don
’
t y
a
think it
’
s soft?
”

Makenna sniffled and nodded.

Ryder glanced nervously
at the bedroom
window. Dusty tried to keep the panic welling in her bosom from escaping its tight restraints. Jakie would not let go of Dusty
,
and she finally had to lie next to him to calm him down.

“
Do y
a
want me to tell y
a
a story, Kenna?
”
she asked. Ryder stood looking around the room as if he didn
’
t know what to do next.

Then Makenna begged,
“
I want Ryder Magics to sing me a song.
”
Ryder started to shake his head, but when his eyes met Dusty
’
s concerned ones and then the pleading blue pools belonging to Makenna, a slight smile and a heavy sigh escaped his lips
,
and he nodded.

“
Sit here with me,
”
Makenna told him, motioning to the bed next to her. Instead, he knelt down beside the bed, took one of her small hands in his own
,
and brushed a lock of hair from her forehead.

“
What do you want me to sing to y
a
, honey?
”
he as
ked. Dusty could only watch him—
mesmerized at the little girl
’
s power over the man.

“
The one about pretendin
’
, Mr. Magics,
”
came her answer.

He chuckled.
“
Why is it little girls like that son
g so much?” he asked the child. He was
looking at Dusty
, however
.

Dusty couldn
’
t help but smile. She remembered too being so sick with the fever when she was eleven and Ryder coming in t
hrough her window one night
.
He
’
d sung the same song to her—kneeling by her bed just as he did now and holding her hand
while he smoothed the fever from her brow with his callused fingers.

“’
Cause it
’
s pretty,
”
Makenna answered.
“
It makes me dream.
”

Ryder bent, kissing her tenderly on the forehead
,
and began:

Are you pretendin
’
tonight, little darlin
’
,

Pretendin
’
I
’
m your Prince Charmin
’,

Though I
’
m nothin
’
but a cowboy…a
-
ridin
’
for the brand
?

Are you pretendin
’
I
’
m a gentleman…a
-
askin
’
for your hand?

Well, I
’
ll kiss you tonight, little darlin
’
.

And I
’
ll hold you real tight, in my arms.

And if you
’
re thinkin
’
that my kisses
…
aren
’
t really who I am
,

I
’
m not pretendin
’
, little girl
,

A dream unendin
’
, little girl
,

No more pretendin
’
, little girl…

I
’
m your man.

“
Again,
”
the girl demanded sleepily when he
’
d finished.

Ryder looked to Dusty and smiled. Jakie was already asleep, middle slobber
-
drenched
fingers relaxed at his side.

“
All right then,
”
he agreed.
“
But do y
a
promise to go to sleep when I
’
m done?
”

Makenna nodded and smiled. H
er little heart-shaped mouth plac
ed
a kiss in her chubby little hand and h
eld
it out to Ryder. He smiled and kissed her palm before starting his song again.

This time, by the time Ryder finished the final chorus
,
Makenna slept soundly. He stood and stretched as Dusty maneuvered her way off the bed.

Shutting the door behind them as they left the sleeping children, Dusty asked,
“
Now what?
”

“
Hurry up and wait, I guess,
”
he answered.

“
What
’
s goin
’ on here, Ryder?” Dusty asked. H
e still seemed unusually unsettled.

“
Couldn
’
t tell y
a
,
”
he answered.
“
I can say it
’
s a whole heck of a lot harder sittin
’
here with the women and children than it is a
-
goin
’
along to help.
”

“
Now y
a
know how the women and children always feel,
”
Dusty teased. He nodded.
“
Come into the kitchen,
”
Dusty said.
“
You can help me get some supper on in case anyone ever comes home.
”