Love Inspired Historical June 2014 Bundle: Lone Star Heiress\The Lawman's Oklahoma Sweetheart\The Gentleman's Bride Search\Family on the Range (15 page)

Chapter Fifteen

I
vy gave Rufus a quick pat when she arrived the next morning, but then moved briskly toward Mitch's back door. She was determined to be businesslike today. She would focus on doing a good job and earning her pay—nothing more.

She smelled the coffee as soon as she opened the door.

“Good morning,” Mitch said, sitting at the table with a cup, giving her that smile that she was quickly getting addicted to despite herself. He stood and crossed the room to take the basket from her. Those gentlemanly gestures were quite addictive, as well.

“Good morning,” she said briskly. “That coffee smells good.”

“Help yourself. The stove is already stoked and ready for you.”

She grinned. “Hungry?”

He shrugged. “I wouldn't turn down a good meal.”

She'd have to make sure she got here a little earlier tomorrow. Those were chores she should be doing herself if she was going to be earning her pay.

Ivy hung her bonnet on a peg by the door, then paused. There, on one of the other pegs, was a nicely starched apron. When in the world had he gotten it?

She lifted it from the peg and put it on, then spun around to face him. “Very nice. Thanks.”

He gave a casual wave. “You can thank Daisy—it's one of her extras,” he said casually, though she thought she detected a note of pleasure.

“But you're the one who got it for me, so again, thank you.”

“You're welcome.” Then he gave her a stern look. “You're planning to have breakfast with me, right?”

It was time to establish limits. “I don't think that's appropriate. It's important that we maintain a businesslike relationship.” She was fast coming to hate that word.

He leaned back in his chair. “Now who's being overly concerned with propriety?”

She was determined to stand her ground. “I want to make certain we do this right. Remember—no special treatment.”

He raised a brow at that. “You remember that first night when we ate at Reggie and Adam's home?”

She nodded, wondering where he was going.

“Didn't Mrs. Peavy, Reggie's housekeeper, sit down to eat with the family? Are you saying that was inappropriate?”

“Well, no, but—”

“No buts. If it's appropriate for the Barr household, it's appropriate for this one.”

Now she was confused. She couldn't find a hole in his argument, but she was sure there was one somewhere.

When she didn't answer right away, he smiled. “I'll take that as agreement, so the matter is settled.” He moved to the hall door. “I'll be in the study if you need me for anything.”

Unable to come up with a response, Ivy clamped her mouth shut and went to work preparing the meal.

He sure wasn't making it easy for her to maintain her distance.

Then again, if she insisted on maintaining a strict working relationship with him, it would make it harder for her to fulfill her goal of helping him learn to let down his guard a bit and take joy in what life had to offer.

Somehow she'd have to figure out how to strike a proper balance.

And protect her own all-too-vulnerable heart in the process.

* * *

Mitch felt quite pleased with himself as he sat in his study, listening to the sounds of Ivy in his kitchen, preparing his breakfast. She'd liked the apron and he'd convinced her to share his meals. Two victories in her first ten minutes officially on the job. Perhaps he'd be able to maintain control of the situation after all.

When she called him in to eat, he tried to ignore the fact that it wasn't just hunger that hurried his steps toward the kitchen.

As with the other meals she'd prepared for him, it was simple but hearty fare. They passed the time in easy conversation, with him allowing her to do most of the talking. He found the personal glimpses of her life and character that slipped into her conversation absolutely fascinating. Her ability to laugh at herself, and to find blessings in the darkest of situations was both admirable and charming.

But there was one thing missing from her stories, something that he thought might give him a further insight as to what her life at home was like. During a rare pause, he decided to touch on it.

“It sounds like you and Miss Jacobs lead an interesting life on that farm of yours.”

She nodded. “I wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world.”

He ignored the little twinge he felt at that and moved on. “I assume you don't spend all your time there, though. What's life like in Nettles Gap itself?”

She shifted in her seat, as if suddenly uncomfortable. “Nettles Gap is a lot like Turnabout, only smaller. We have a church, a school, a livery and so on. The railroad bypassed us, but the stage still comes through every Tuesday, and Mr. O'Hara runs a freight wagon from the train station at Bluehawk a couple of times a month.”

Was she deliberately avoiding his question? “I wasn't asking about the town's commerce, I was asking what sort of social life you have there. What do you do for fun?”

She'd forked up the last bit of egg from her plate, and now she slowly chewed her food. He had the feeling there was something here she really didn't want to talk about. Should he change the subject?

Before he could decide, a knock sounded at the front door.

Ivy quickly stood, something like relief on her face. “I thought you said you never have visitors.”

“I usually don't.” He stood and moved toward the hall, but Ivy stopped him with a raised hand.

“Hold on. I'm the housekeeper, remember? I should be answering the door.”

He frowned, letting his exasperation show. “Nonsense. Whoever is at the door is no doubt here to see me, not you.”

She fisted her hands on her hips. “That's neither here nor there. You hired me to be your housekeeper, and I intend to do my job.”

He tried another tack. “You wouldn't be trying to put off doing the dishes, would you?”

His teasing had the desired effect. She relaxed and grinned. “Maybe.” Then she waved a hand in surrender. “All right, you answer the door and I'll get started on the dishes.”

As Mitch headed down the hall, his thoughts returned to the strange way she'd reacted to his question. What was she hiding?

He opened the door to see Ira Peavy standing there. Behind him, at the foot of the porch steps, was Jack with a wagon crammed full of plants.

“Reggie said you'd be expecting these,” Ira said with a grin. “Where do you want them?”

“By the back door, if you don't mind. I'll let Miss Feagan know you're here.” He glanced down at Jack. “I think there may be a few extra buttermilk biscuits and some honey if anyone is hungry.”

Jack's eyes lit up. “Yes, sir!”

When Mitch returned to the kitchen, he found Ivy energetically scrubbing a plate.

“I was wrong,” he said when she looked up. “It
was
for you. Jack and Ira are here with your cuttings. They're bringing them around back.”

A dazzling smile lit her face. “Oh, I'd almost forgotten! If you'll have them unload everything next to the porch I'll tend to the planting as soon as I'm done cleaning up in here.”

With a nod, Mitch stepped outside, hiding a grin at the way Ivy seemed to suddenly be moving at double speed. She was obviously eager to finish her chores so she could tend to the plants. He'd tell her to let the dishes wait, but he knew she wouldn't welcome anything that hinted at special treatment.

Besides, he needed a few more moments to figure out how he was going to get her talking about her life in Nettles Gap again.

* * *

Ivy flew through her chores, listening to Mitch, Mr. Peavy and Jack chat as they unloaded the wagon. Of course it was mostly Mr. Peavy and Jack doing the talking. Good to know Mitch wasn't quiet just with her.

Then again, she sure wished he'd been less chatty when he started asking about her life in Nettles Gap. She wasn't going to lie to him, but she'd rather not be too forthcoming about certain aspects of her life there.

Better to focus on something more positive. Like the wagonload of cuttings. She was already picturing where she'd place each plant, and she couldn't wait to get started.

As soon as she'd put away the last plate, she stepped outside. The wagon had already been unloaded. Mr. Peavy and Mitch stood nearby talking and Jack was across the yard, playing with Rufus.

Ivy looked over the plants and frowned. “There must be some mistake. There's more here than Reggie and I agreed on.”

“No mistake,” Mr. Peavy said. “Reggie loaded this wagon herself.”

Her new friend had been more than generous. There were the peppers, peas, snaps and cucumbers they'd discussed. And sage, rosemary and lavender. But there was also squash, okra, parsley, thyme, mint and a few other things she'd have to take a closer look at to identify.

“Make sure you tell her how much I appreciate this. And, if you don't mind, also let her know I plan to stop by and thank her in person as soon as I can.”

“By the way,” Mitch said, “I told Jack there might be some biscuits and honey left from breakfast.”

“Of course.” She refrained from casting a longing look at the plants and waved for the boy to follow her. “Come on inside and I'll fix you right up.”

Fifteen minutes later, Ira clapped Jack on the shoulder and said it was time to go, and the two took their leave.

With a happy sigh, Ivy turned to her garden-in-the-making. She knelt, ignoring Mitch's amused expression, to look through the bounty Ira and Jack had delivered.

“Oh, look,” she exclaimed. “There's even cuttings from her rosebush. We'll have to plant these near your front porch.”

“If you like.” There was a decided lack of enthusiasm in his voice.

She glanced up curiously. “Don't you like roses?”

“I don't
dislike
them.”

Was he not certain how to care for them? “They're not really hard to nurture and they'll definitely brighten up your front yard.”

Again that disinterested shrug. “I've managed just fine with a not-so-bright front yard.”

Was he being deliberately contrary? She refused to let it deter her. “Wait and see. You're going to like the difference it makes.”

He straightened. “I'll get the garden tools while you finish sorting the plants.”

He was offering to help her again. “Please don't feel you need to join me if you've got something else to tend to. After all, this
is
part of my job now.” She grinned. “The fun part.”

“There's nothing else requiring my attention at the moment.” He gave her a searching look. “Unless you'd rather do this alone.”

Was it her imagination or was there a hint of vulnerability behind his polite question? She smiled. “Not at all. I'll be glad of the company. I just didn't want to keep you from anything important.”

“You're not.” He rolled up his sleeves and went to get their tools. And for the next few hours, Ivy was blissfully happy playing in the dirt. She started with the herb garden, arranging and planting the sprigs of sage, rosemary, lavender, mint, basil, parsley and thyme. Mitch worked beside her but, to her surprise, deferred to her direction on how she wanted things done.

When at last she had the final herb planted, she leaned back and admired their work. “We did a good job if I do say so myself.”

“It looks like more than what I'll ever use.” He gave her a dry smile. “I don't bother with herbs when I do my own cooking.”

“That's because you didn't have a handy source before. You just wait—once you get used to flavoring your foods with fresh-picked herbs, you'll never want to go back to bland food again.”

He shot her a skeptical look that made her laugh. “I'll get scrap timbers from the lumber mill to edge the garden with,” he said.

“That'll look nice. And it's good to see you taking pride in the garden.”

He raised a brow. “You made it clear you expected me to take ownership.”

She grinned. “Good to know you were paying attention.”

He glanced toward Rufus, who was sniffing around the edges of their plot. “What's to keep your mutt from digging all this up as soon as we go inside?”

“Rufus knows better than to dig in any garden of mine. Don't worry. He'll let it be.” Then she grimaced. “Unless a squirrel scampers through it. Then it's a whole nother story.”

She stood and stretched the kinks out of her back. “Time to tackle the vegetable garden.”

“Are you sure you don't want to take a short break first?” he asked.

She glanced skyward, shading her eyes with her hand. The sun had climbed higher and the day had heated up accordingly. She was a bit stiff, but not ready to quit just yet.

“The sooner those cuttings get planted, the better.” She gave him a challenging look. “But if you're tired, by all means take a break. I can finish this up.”

He shook his head as he reached for a carefully wrapped tomato cutting. “You, Miss Feagan, are an unrelenting taskmaster. Lead on.”

Ivy loved the way he treated her as if her opinions mattered. He deferred to her judgment in this particular task, but when she asked for his opinion he didn't hesitate to give it, and his thoughts were sound. It was as though he thought of them as equals.

And he seemed to be a bit of a mind reader, as well. He brought the water bucket and dipper around periodically without being asked, as if he could sense when she was ready for a refresher, sometimes even before she'd realized she needed it herself.

A girl could get spoiled being around a man who showed that kind of consideration.

* * *

Mitch once again fetched the bucket and ladle. Looking at Ivy's flushed face, he decided she needed more than a quick water break. “Time to get out of the sun for a few minutes.”