Linda Ford (7 page)

“Ma, Pa, I brought company.” He stepped to a doorway leading from the kitchen.

Rebecca saw the tension in Colton’s back, making the muscles across his shoulders bunch. That couldn’t be a good sign.

“Company?” A woman’s voice quivered. “How can I deal with company?”

Colton moved out of sight.

“Where did you get a baby?” asked a deeper voice. Colton’s pa.

“A baby!” Mrs. Hayes sounded positively alarmed.

“I’ll explain everything after you meet the company.” Colton sounded guarded.

He returned to the doorway and waved them forward.

Clinging to the rigid lessons in proper deportment that had been drummed into her head all her life, Rebecca stepped forward, her head high, no fear on her face. Heidi clung to her like a burr.

A cot stood against one wall of the room with a woman perched on its side. Seemed she had been resting there until Colton made his surprise announcement. She was thin except for her protruding stomach, with gray hair that needed brushing and green eyes like Colton’s. A table stood before the cot, covered with a huge assortment of dishes. From where she stood, Rebecca saw dried food scraps on many of them. Every space not covered with dishes held assorted papers and books, like a hodgepodge of life laid out for display.

She couldn’t say what she’d expected, but not this. Not a house littered from wall to wall. Rebecca steeled her expression to reveal none of her distress.

“Ma, Pa, this is Rebecca Sterling and Heidi... Sorry, I don’t know your last name.” He directed the latter statement at Heidi.

“Strauss,” she whispered.

“Heidi, Rebecca, my father, Louis Hayes.”

Mr. Hayes sat in a wooden rocker next to the table. He was a big, handsome man with features Colton obviously inherited. Deep lines on his face hinted at the pain Colton had told them about. He tried to get to his feet and the lines deepened.

Colton sprang forward. “Pa, what are you doing?”

“I have to stand to shake hands.”

Colton tucked the baby into his left arm and helped his father to his feet.

Mr. Hayes offered his hand to Rebecca. “I’m pleased to meet you.”

She shook his hand gingerly, suspecting that every movement increased his pain, and withdrew as quickly as she could and still be polite.

Mr. Hayes turned to Heidi. “Pleased to meet you, too, little lady.” He held out his hand.

Heidi brushed her palm to his without lifting her head and Colton helped the man back to his chair. He sat in a way that signaled pain.

Colton waited until he was settled, then indicated his mother. “Mrs. Estelle Hayes.”

The woman didn’t stand, didn’t offer her hand, extended no welcome.

Rebecca smiled. “Pleased to meet you and thank you for your hospitality.”

Mrs. Hayes’s expression didn’t soften. “You’re the woman who brought the orphans to town.” She shifted her gaze to Colton. “Think you’d better explain about the baby.”

Rebecca clung to Heidi as hard as the child clung to her, wondering if Mrs. Hayes disapproved of her on principle or because she was an agent for the Orphan Salvation Society.

Colton told them about finding the baby at the orphanage. “Look at this quilt.” He showed it to his parents.

“It’s grandmother’s design. How did this baby end up with one of her quilts? They aren’t given outside the family.” Mrs. Hayes sounded more concerned with the quilt than the baby.

But Colton seemed unaware of it. “Which leads me to think this baby is somehow related to us. So I decided to bring him home and look after him.”

Mrs. Hayes shook her head. “I don’t see how he can be related. I’m unaware of any female relatives in the family way. Besides, no Hayes would abandon her baby. No, I’m certain you’re wrong.”

Mrs. Hayes turned toward Rebecca. Her gaze burned a path up and down Rebecca’s length, but Rebecca would not flinch. She would not allow the woman to intimidate her. She had been taught not to react to such slights.
Hold your head high and never reveal a hint of dismay.
She thanked her mother’s voice for enabling her to stand straight and tall.

Colton followed the direction of his mother’s stare. “Miss Sterling insisted that, as the supervisor of the orphanage project, she be in charge of the baby, since the basket was left on the orphanage’s grounds. Rather than fight about it, we struck an agreement. We’ll share responsibility. A hotel is no place for a tiny baby, so I brought them here.”

His father nodded. “Rightly so.”

“Who is going to look after him?” Mrs. Hayes pointed to her feet. She wore slippers—men’s slippers—and Rebecca saw why. Her swollen ankles made any other kind of footwear impossible.

“I intend to care for him,” Rebecca said. “I would have preferred to keep him in town so I could tend to my other responsibilities as well, but Colton insisted.”

Mr. Hayes chuckled. “He can be quite persuasive. Maybe even argumentative.”

“Pa, don’t you be spreading gossip about me.” The men smiled at each other.

“Babies are a lot of work.” Mrs. Hayes’s words seemed to warn them all that they would regret this decision.

Rebecca’s spine stiffened at the suggestion. “I can handle it.”

Again, the older woman studied Rebecca from head to toe. “No doubt you’ve had a fine education, but I don’t suppose it’s included learning to care for a baby.” Before Rebecca could defend herself, the woman addressed Heidi. “Why are you hiding? Step out so I can see you.”

Heidi obeyed with much fear and trembling.

Mrs. Hayes studied her openly. To her credit she did not flinch. “How old are you, child?”

“I’m ten.”

“Is that a scar on your face?”

Heidi hung her head and squeezed Rebecca’s hand so tightly Rebecca’s fingers grew numb.

“Yes,” Heidi mumbled.

“What happened?”

Rebecca answered for her. “She was burned in a fire that killed her parents.”

“Come here, child,” Mr. Hayes said.

Heidi shuddered.

Rebecca glanced at the door. For half a copper coin, she would take Heidi and walk back to town. She slid her gaze toward Colton. He smiled and nodded.

Rebecca took courage from his look and drew Heidi forward.

Mr. Hayes sat on eye level with the child. He flipped her hair away from her face, paying no attention to the way she flinched from his touch. He looked at the scars, revealing no disgust in his expression.

“Heidi, tell me one thing. Does it hurt?”

Heidi jerked her head up and faced him full-on. “No, sir. Not anymore.”

Mr. Hayes nodded and smiled. “Then it’s of no consequence, is it?”

Heidi studied him a full moment. Then a sigh the size of the great outdoors escaped her lungs. “No, sir.” Her voice rang with more confidence than Rebecca had ever heard.

Heidi touched the older man’s gnarled hand. “Does it hurt?”

“Only when I think about it, and I try not to.”

“I wish it didn’t hurt at all.”

He rested his hand on Heidi’s shoulder. “Me, too.”

Tears stung Rebecca’s eyes. She dare not look toward Colton, afraid her emotion would spill down her cheeks, but right then and there she vowed she would tolerate Mrs. Hayes for the sole purpose of allowing Heidi to enjoy a place where she found acceptance.

“I can’t look after anyone,” Mrs. Hayes said. “I certainly hope you can look after yourselves.”

“Of course we can.” Rebecca didn’t feel nearly as certain of that as she sounded. Exactly what did looking after oneself in this environment include?

“She’ll do better’n that,” Colton added. “She’s going to run the house while I take care of supervising building the orphanage.”

Rebecca thanked her upbringing for enabling her to smile as if she had every confidence that she could handle the challenge.

But this was beyond anything she had imagined and inside she was screaming,
I don’t even know where to start.

Chapter Six

C
olton noticed how Rebecca’s gaze slid toward the door after Ma’s comments. Ma could be blunt to the point of rudeness and honest to a hurtful degree. But he could have hugged his pa for his words. Of course, he made no move to do so. The old man didn’t care for such signs of affection, and even if he did, Colton knew a hug would cause his pa a great deal of pain.

Pa’s gentleness with Heidi had erased all regret from Rebecca’s face.

And from his own heart.

He sprang into action. “I’ll bring in your things and show you to your room.” He handed Rebecca the baby and dashed outside to hurriedly untie the trunk, hoisting it to his shoulder.

He’d arranged for someone to ride his horse out to the farm and take the buggy back. The man rode up at that moment and offered to put the horse in the barn. Normally, Colton would have taken care of his mount, but this time he thanked the man and let him do it.

He trotted back with the luggage, admitting to himself that he feared leaving the pair alone with his parents until Ma decided to be charitable.

“I’ll take them to the north room.” It was the farthest from Ma and Pa’s room. The baby would disturb his parents less at that distance.

Ma nodded.

“Come on, girls.” He indicated that Rebecca and Heidi should follow him through the mostly unused parlor. The curtains were kept shut, which hid most of the dust. One doorway opened to a short hall. He and his parents had bedrooms there. A second doorway opened to a matching hall with two more bedrooms. He went to the larger of the two. “I hope you’ll be comfortable here.”

The room held a big brass bed, covered with a quilt his mother had made many years ago. There was a washstand, a highboy dresser and a wardrobe. There was even a tiny table with two chairs that guests could use as a reading and writing desk.

He’d always thought his mother had dolled it up nicely for company, even though they’d had little of that for years. But now he viewed it through Rebecca’s eyes and saw its flaws. It wasn’t overly large. The furniture suddenly seemed merely adequate, not special, as he’d once believed. “I’m afraid it’s the best we have to offer.”

“It’s fine,” Rebecca said.

“Lots better than the hotel room.” Heidi slipped away to look out the window, making certain to tip her head so her hair hid her face. The view to the north allowed them to see the rolling fields, the sheltering trees and, if he wasn’t mistaken, they should be able to see a patch of wildflowers—bright yellow black-eyed Susans and, early in the morning, blue wild flax. Like Rebecca’s eyes.

In her arms little Gabriel started to fuss.

“Feeding time again?” he asked.

“How often does he need to eat?”

He didn’t know. “I guess whenever he’s hungry.”

“If you’d show me the kitchen?”

“I’ll get his things first.” He dashed outside for the basket. As he returned, Ma spoke.

“Don’t you get your heart set on that young lady or that baby. You’ll just end up getting hurt.” She shook her head. “She’s a city girl.”

She didn’t need to say it so dismissively. “Ma, I’m only doing this because the baby’s family. I feel an obligation to take care of him until his parents are found.”

“You pause to consider that they might not want to be discovered?”

He nodded. “If that’s the case, there must be a reason.”

“Let the boy do it,” Pa said. “Might be nice to have a little life around this place.”

I’m alive. I do everything I can to make your lives happy.
But Colton bit back the words. He understood what Pa meant because he shared the feeling. Having a baby, a little girl and a beautiful woman in the house would indeed infuse every activity with new joy and purpose.

Ma sighed heavily. “I’m not up to it. And I guarantee that young woman isn’t used to any sort of real work.”

“I’ll do the work,” Colton said. “You won’t have to do anything.”

“Didn’t I understand you to say you meant to see to the building of the orphanage?” Ma’s voice sharpened. “Hardly think you can be in two places at once.”

He couldn’t. Misery curled up his bones and tangled in his head.

Ma’s forehead furrowed so deeply he worried it would cut off the blood supply to her brain. “You are far too gullible.”

“So Miss Ward said.”

That jerked Ma’s furrow into a question mark. “Beatrice? Is she still up to her troublemaking ways?”

“Ma, Miss Ward has not grown mellow with the passing of time, and she takes objection to all the orphans coming to the community.”

Ma made a dismissive noise.

Gabriel wailed in the background.

Colton nodded toward the sound. “I gotta take this stuff to Rebecca.” He dashed to the bedroom before Ma could raise any more objections.

As soon as he appeared, Heidi dug out a dry diaper and handed it to Rebecca, who gingerly changed the baby. As far as he could tell, she didn’t do a bad job for someone who obviously had never done it before. He certainly couldn’t do any better.

Colton thought of his ma’s misgivings. But he dismissed them as unworthy. Even a city girl knew how to do the simple things required to run a house. After all, it wasn’t as if he had high standards. The basics were good enough for him and his parents.

Rebecca wrapped the baby up again and touched his quivering chin. “Now let’s get you a bottle.” She turned toward Colton, her expression expectant.

“Right. The kitchen.”

He led them back to the kitchen. “Help yourself to whatever you need.”

She didn’t quite manage to hide her distress as she glanced around.

He noticed the dirty dishes, the soup thickening in the pot. He stuck a lid on the pot.

One look at the floor would convince everyone that it hadn’t been scrubbed in longer than he could remember. What must Rebecca think of the signs of neglect?

Anxious to cover up the inadequacies of his home, he stirred the embers in the stove, added wood and then set a kettle of water to boil.

He scrubbed the bottle and scalded it with hot water as Rebecca instructed. Then he filled it with milk and warmed it before handing the bottle to Rebecca. She sat on a chair by the grimy kitchen table and fed the baby.

He watched Gabriel suck contentedly, but he could not ignore the dirty kitchen. “I’ll clean up.”

“I thought we’d agreed that I would look after the house.”

He fought an internal battle. Ma’s words filled him with doubt about Rebecca’s abilities. But Rebecca’s flax-blue eyes challenged him to trust her.

She ducked her head as if concentrating on the baby. “I know everyone thinks a city girl is useless in a farming community, but I could prove you wrong if you gave me a chance.”

What choice did he have? “I don’t think you’re useless. If you’re sure about all this—” He vaguely indicated the kitchen that he now realized would take more than a little tidying. A lot more. “Then I’ll tend to my horse.” And some of the other chores that he’d neglected of late. Seemed that between caring for his folks and the ranch, attending town meetings and a hundred other things, he never quite caught up. Only the essentials got done.

He ducked out the door before Ma or Pa could call him and loped across to the barn. His horse needed brushing. The stalls needed cleaning. The mangers needed to be filled.

Having Rebecca taking care of the household chores might prove to be a real advantage for him.

* * *

Heidi hung over Rebecca’s shoulder, watching the baby. He finished his bottle and made little noises with his mouth, waving his fists as Rebecca talked to him. She held him as he snuggled contentedly, keeping her attention on the sleeping infant, rather than confronting the room. She’d offered to clean up out of determination to prove herself, not out of any confidence about how to do it.

How did one tackle such a mess?

I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.

She repeated the words over and over. Christ might give her strength, but despite her desperate need, He wasn’t giving her instructions.

One thing seemed obvious. She couldn’t accomplish anything if she sat cradling the baby. “Heidi, would you get Gabriel’s basket, please?”

As Heidi ran to do her bidding, Rebecca glanced around the room. She could wash dishes—she knew how to do that. A smile tugged at her mouth. That task would occupy what was left of the morning, so she’d have all that time to figure out what to do next.

Heidi returned and they settled the baby in his basket, covering him with the quilt. It was beautiful. Rebecca wondered briefly if she could learn to sew something like that. She knew how to do fancy stitchwork. Had learned how on a sampler that hung in the nursery in her home back in New York, beside one her mother had made at an early age. But she yearned to create something practical.

In the room beyond, she heard the murmured voices of Colton’s parents. His pa’s voice rumbled in a way that convinced Rebecca he was trying to calm his wife. Mrs. Hayes’s voice carried a sharp edge. Clearly, she did not welcome the intruders. Twice Rebecca overheard the word
useless
and knew they were talking about her.

She wasn’t useless.

She straightened and confronted the room. “Looks like we have our job cut out for us.”

Heidi jammed her little hands on her hips. “I’d say they should be glad we came along to help.”

Rebecca shared the thought, but kept her opinion to herself. She poured the rest of the hot water into a big basin, refilled the kettle from the bucket on the shelf and started on the dishes. She scraped and scrubbed, and Heidi dried and arranged the dishes on a shelf she’d wiped clean.

The water was soon too dirty to continue, but the water bucket was empty. She looked about for a pump and saw nothing but more dirty dishes.

She lifted the lid on a pot on the back of the stove, but found only a thick, gelatinous substance. She choked back a gag and returned the lid. She’d deal with that later.

“Heidi, where do we get more water?”

“Must be a pump outside. Let’s go see.” She grabbed the bucket and headed for the door, but drew to a halt before she passed the sitting room where Colton’s parents sat.

Rebecca grabbed her free hand and they fled outside.

Heidi pointed out the well and pumped the handle up and down until the pail was full of water. A dipper hung nearby and they both drank.

“Ohh, cold.” Rebecca grinned. The water at the hotel had been tepid. This was a real treat.

She looked around. The odor she’d objected to lingered, but she forced herself to ignore it. She and Heidi laughed as a little calf frolicked in front of the barn.

Rebecca tipped her head and listened. “Do you hear that?”

Heidi listened, then pressed her fingers to her mouth to hide a giggle.

Rebecca signaled Heidi to follow her and they tiptoed toward the barn.

The calf bolted away to the far corner of the pen to watch them. When Heidi wiggled her fingers, he bounced over to butt at her hand.

Rebecca smiled. She’d never seen a baby calf before.

But it was the voice coming from the barn that held her attention.

“Wait for the wagon, wait for the wagon.” Colton belted out the song with gusto.

Oh, to feel so free. So uncaring about what others thought.

“Hey there, mama cat. How’re your babies doing?”

She imagined him stooping over to pet a cat, and her throat tightened. Then the singing began again.

Without warning, he appeared in the doorway. Thankfully, he wasn’t looking in their direction, but it was only a matter of time before he turned his head.

She grabbed Heidi’s hand and dashed back to the pump. She caught up the pail, intending to race back to the house before he noticed them. Before he thought they’d been spying on him. But the bucket weighed more than she expected, and if she hurried, the water slopped over the edge, so she was forced to walk slowly and cautiously.

From behind her came a deep-throated chuckle, then he sang softly, “Oh, where have you been, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?” He paused. “Guess I should say, ‘Oh, where have you been, Rebecca girl, Rebecca girl?’”

She ground to a halt and turned about to face him. She meant to scold him for mocking her, but his wide grin and the flash of green in his eyes dried up every protest. “Just getting more water,” she managed to choke out.

“Yup.”

She had a suspicion he knew they’d gone farther than the pump.

He leaned on the fence and continued to grin. “Are you taking the water to the house?”

Of course she was. She swung about, careful not to slop too much water, and hurried as fast as possible back to the house.

Certain he had watched them the whole way, she glanced over her shoulder when she reached the doorway.

He touched the brim of his hat in a goodbye gesture, then sauntered back to the barn, singing loudly and confidently. It would be nice to be so certain one’s place in life, she thought.

Not long ago, she had been equally certain, following the route mapped out for her from birth. Oliver was part of that plan.

Pain stabbed her in the breastbone. Tears filled her heart, but she had learned to keep them there. Would she ever get over being so unceremoniously dismissed? In such a public, humiliating way? Without explanation? There had been unkind gossip. But none had more questions, more accusations than she flung at herself. Why wasn’t she good enough? Why had he pretended he cared?

Why had she believed him?

She’d learned her lesson. She’d guard her heart with rock-solid fences and learn to be an asset in practical ways. She’d make herself invaluable. This was a very good place to start.

She and Heidi hurried back to the kitchen, heated more water and resumed washing dishes. The songs she’d heard Colton sing ran through her head. It was so much more cheerful than the parlor music she had grown up listening to.

She jerked her head up as Mrs. Hayes limped into the kitchen.

“Don’t suppose it occurred to anyone to think of dinner.”

Heidi ducked behind Rebecca, and Rebecca froze with her hands in the wash water. Dinner? She hadn’t even given it a thought.