Pony Express Courtship (12 page)

Chapter Thirteen

S
eth hit the ground with a swoosh. Jacob had nailed him with the flour bag. Cold mud seeped into his pants and made a sucking noise as he attempted to push out of it. His boots slipped and there was another whooshing sound.

With his thoughts on Rebecca and Joy, Seth had forgotten that Jacob had the sack. He frowned up at Jacob.

The twenty-year-old had the gall to grin down at him. “Looks like I'm not the only one who needs practice.” He reached down a hand to pull up Seth.

Seth had the satisfaction of slapping cold mud into the other man's hand. He grinned when Jacob didn't flinch. With the strength of youth, Jacob pulled him to his feet.

“Don't forget our mud-covered saddlebag,” Jacob said, whirling his mount around and waving cheekily to his mother and sister as he passed them.

Shaking the mud off his hands, Seth bent over and collected the sack. He looked to Sam, who stood to the right of him, seemingly ashamed of his master. He hung the bag on the horse's saddle horn and murmured into his ear, “You would have fallen off, too, if we had been in different positions.”

The horse snorted and shook his massive head.

For the next hour, they practiced passing the saddlebag. Soon all of them were spending more time in the saddle and less in the mire. In a way, Seth was glad that the rain had created them a nice soft spot to land, but now they were all covered in mud. He didn't relish the idea of washing in the cold stream, but the idea of hauling water to the house and heating it appealed even less.

“Dinner will be in an hour,” Rebecca called from the sidelines. She lifted Joy off the fence rail, where the little girl had been perched, laughing at her brothers.

“You heard her, men. Let's get some clean clothes and head to the stream.” Seth didn't have to tell them twice. The boys dashed away on their horses straight toward the bunkhouse.

Jacob called after them, “Whatever mess you carry into the bunkhouse, you have to clean up.” He continued on to the barn and his tack room.

Sometimes Seth envied Jacob. The boy had a building all to himself. Peace reigned in the barn. Not so in the bunkhouse. Brotherly rivalry and boyish jostling seemed to be the norm.

Noah trailed behind his brothers. Seth rode up beside him. “Why aren't you in a hurry to get to the bunkhouse?”

“You heard Jacob.”

Seth looked to the retreating back of Jacob. “Yes.”

A sly grin crossed Noah's lips. “If I'm the last one there, I can't be accused of making the mess.”

Seth felt a laugh grow in his gut and then burst forth. Once he'd gotten his mirth under control, he said, “Noah, you are wiser than your years.”

“Not really—they are just foolish for their advanced ages.” He gently touched his boots to his mount's sides, leaving Seth to ponder the boy's words.

* * *

Long after everyone else was supposed to be in bed, Rebecca felt as if a pot full of water rested between her shoulder blades. She finished wiping down the counter and looked to Fay. The older woman leaned a mop against the wall and pushed the hair away from her face.

“Is it just me or was this the longest day of the year?” Fay slipped into one of the kitchen chairs.

Rebecca joined her at the table. “I don't know about it being the longest, but it was one of the hardest.”

“Next time you send the men out for fresh meat, make sure they bring it in a little at a time.” Fay yawned, proving she was exhausted beyond her normal tiredness.

“Why don't you head on to bed, Fay? I can take care of this.” Rebecca indicated the piles of meat that filled trays on the kitchen table.

Fay shook her head. “No, four hands are better than two. I'll help you. I know you're tired, too.”

Seth came into the kitchen through the back door. When he saw them staring at him, he grinned. “I thought I might help you put this meat away.” Andrew, Clayton, Thomas and Philip followed him inside. “And I brought help.”

Fay chuckled. “You are a blessing. We dreaded hauling all this out to the icehouse.”

“Then dread no more,” Philip said, grabbing a large tray and heading back out the door.

“Ladies, we'll take care of this. You can call it a day, if you want to.” Seth picked another tray of meat and headed back outside.

Fay took off her apron and hung it on the nail beside the door. “Thank you, boys. I'm going to retire.” She smiled at Rebecca. “You might as well let them take care of it and get some rest yourself.” Then she walked out of the kitchen, barely hiding her yawn.

Rebecca couldn't let them do all of it. She knew they were tired, too. She'd seen the boys as they'd done their day of work and it hadn't been easy on them, either. Besides, she wanted it put away where she'd know what was what. She grabbed one of the smaller trays and hurried after Andrew and Clayton.

The icehouse wasn't far from the back door. Rebecca loved the small building and enjoyed going out. John's mother had taught her how to place the meat so that she'd never have to search for the part she wanted. Roasts, steaks, ground meats and delicacy meats all had their places in the small structure. She wasn't about to let the men simply toss it inside.

“I told you she'd follow us,” Philip said, still holding his tray of meat. “Ma likes things put away orderly.” He smiled broadly at Rebecca, assumably to take the sting out of his words.

Rebecca continued into the building. She set down her load on the small table to the right of the door. “Just set it here and I'll put it where it belongs,” she instructed needlessly as Philip and Seth had already joined her by the table.

The boys continued going back and forth between the icehouse and the kitchen, until they'd delivered all the meat. “That's the last of it, Ma,” Jacob said as he set down the last tray.

“Thank you, son.” She looked up to see the retreating back of Andrew. Jacob stood smiling at her. His eyes looked tired. “Go on to bed and tell the other boys thank you, too. It would have taken Fay and us forever to get all that meat out here.”

He nodded and left. Rebecca wondered if Seth had, like the boys, already returned to the bunkhouse. They hadn't had time to discuss tomorrow, but she was beginning to trust Seth, so didn't feel the need to fuss about it. Although she did miss him. She pushed the thought away and went back to her work.

Rebecca took her time placing everything where she wanted it. A sense of satisfaction filled her as she pushed straw about the last few packages of meat, even though her shoulders ached and her fingers felt frozen to the bone.

Thinking herself alone, Rebecca jumped when she straightened up and saw Seth leaning against the frame studying her.

She gasped and placed a hand over her heart. “You scared the life out of me,” she protested. “I thought you'd gone to the bunkhouse with the boys.”

Seth pushed away from the frame and held the door open for her to exit. “I thought about it but realized you'd be half-frozen by the time you finished up in here.” He followed her out. “So I took the liberty of making a fresh pot of tea in the kitchen to warm you up. I hope you don't mind.”

He'd made tea for her? She knew he favored strong coffee. Rebecca turned to look at him. “That was very thoughtful of you. Thanks.” It had been a long time since someone other than Fay had done something so nice for her.

“It was no trouble.”

Rebecca realized that he'd not followed her. She stopped and turned to look at him. He stood by the icehouse with his hands tucked into his coat pockets. “You must be cold, too. Would you like to join me for a cup of that tea?”

He looked as if he might refuse. The notion hit Rebecca hard and she realized that she truly would enjoy his company if he accepted her invitation. To sweeten the idea for him she added, “I have apple pie warming on the back of the stove.”

“Who am I to refuse apple pie?” He walked toward her with a teasing grin. A tingling she tried her best to ignore started in the pit of Rebecca's stomach.

She opened the kitchen door and slipped inside, the warmth enveloping her like a blanket. She'd reserved two slices of the pie for herself and Fay as a special treat after all the hard work they'd done that day. But since Fay was unaware of the gesture and Seth had been thoughtful in both getting the boys to help her and making the tea, she felt it only fair to share it with him.

“Please, have a seat at the table and I'll get the pie,” she said, indicating that he should sit down at the small table.

He ignored her and walked to the coffeepot. “That's very kind, but I think I'll pour the tea. The sooner we have both on the table, the sooner I'll get to savor the pie.” Seth carried the pot to the cabinet that housed the dishes and set it down, then reached for the cups.

How long had it been since a man had considered her feelings and overrode them for her benefit? Rebecca's emotions took a nosedive. Or maybe they soared out the top of her head. She couldn't be quite sure, but tears burned the backs of her eyelids and she fought a strong impulse to give in to them. She felt uncertain if her melancholy stemmed from his kindness or her overly tired body.

Taking a deep breath, she carried the pie plate to the table and grabbed two forks from the ceramic crock.

Seth set down the two steaming cups and together they slipped into chairs and sighed. He laughed. “Long day for the both of us, I'd wager.”

“I hadn't considered the amount of work it takes to cure meat for storage.” She offered him a tired smile.

He nodded. “Next time, we'll space out how much we bring back and the boys and I will do more of the work.” Seth forked a bite of apple pie from his slice and slipped it into his mouth.

Rebecca followed the fork's action and realized that his top lip was thin, but the bottom one was full. His tongue snaked out and cleaned up the syrup left behind by the pie. She looked away, realizing that she'd been staring at his mouth.

Heat filled her face. She looked down at the pie plate, realizing she should probably say something. “Thank you. That would be nice.”

“Your apple pie tastes like my grandmother's,” Seth said, closing his eyes and savoring the sweetness.

She took a tiny bite and let the cinnamon flavor coat her tongue. Apple pie was something else John's mother had taught her to make. Her own mother had left her and her brother at the orphanage when Rebecca was eight years old and her brother ten. Meals in the orphanage weren't fancy and the children were kept out of the kitchen. It wasn't until she came to help John's mother that she learned how to cook.

He chuckled. “That was a compliment. No need to look so sad.”

Rebecca smiled. “I'm sorry. I was just remembering John's mother. She taught me how to cook. I miss her.” It was all true, just not the complete reason for her look of sorrow.

“I imagine you do miss her,” Seth said, taking a sip of the fresh tea.

She nodded. “Yes, like you miss your grandmother.”

He set down his fork and cupped the mug in his hands. “I do miss her.”

They sat in silence for several moments, each lost in their thoughts.

Rebecca glanced at him. Had he suffered a lot of loss in his life? She wondered what had happened to his parents and other family members. Had Seth had a brother or sister at some point in his life?

Her brother, Daniel, had been made to leave the orphanage at age twelve. Without a parent who truly loved him and prepared him for the world, he'd been totally clueless as to how to fend for himself. He should never have been on the streets trying to survive during winter. He'd failed, and she blamed the orphanage for his loss of life.

It was the next summer before Rebecca found out her brother had died. Grief such as she'd never known had cracked the fragile shell she'd built around herself when Daniel left the orphanage. Unaware even that she'd formed a wall of protection, when it came crashing down, despair became her daily companion. She'd had nightmares, and the staff had her treated for depression. Later, she'd suffered from a sense of hopelessness. If she couldn't help Daniel, the outcome of her own life appeared bleak.

But God had a plan. She learned early on to trust in Him and He had become her mainstay. Her life had taken a series of turns quite different from the ones Daniel had suffered.

Rebecca had vowed she would never pass up a chance to help those less fortunate. Thankfully, John had understood her need to keep as many boys off the streets as she could and had allowed her to adopt her boys. Those boys were her life now and she loved them all deeply.

“You have a very pretty smile,” Seth said, pulling her back to the present.

Unaware she'd been smiling, Rebecca ducked her head in embarrassment. “Thank you.” He must think her insane—in the past few minutes he'd seen her go from exhausted to tired and then to smiling.

“Does it bother you when I compliment you?” She glanced up to find him regarding her inquisitively.

Rebecca thought about it for a moment before answering. “No, it doesn't bother me. It just feels surprising to know that someone even considers my smile.” She shrugged. “It's been a long time.”

“You're a great lady, Rebecca. Someone should compliment you every day of your life.” He pushed back his chair. “I'll see what I can do about that.”

A tumble of confused thoughts and feelings assailed her. She let out a long, audible breath, but her voice deserted her. She could only stare at him. Crimson color slipped up the sides of his face and ears.

Seth walked to the door. “Umm, thanks for the tea and pie. I really should turn in now.”

She picked up the pie plate and cups as she followed him. “Me, too.”

“Right after breakfast, I'm taking the boys on a long ride. We'll cover the trail they'll be riding in a few weeks.” He ran his hand over the back of his neck. “Just thought you'd like to know.”