his black wagon
around, and headed out through the gate. The others returned to their
discussion without a word to her, but Kate didn’t miss the smile that briefly
touched Noah’s lips.
Mr. Stiles emerged from the barn a few moments
later in a small, uncovered carriage pulled by a single Appaloosa.
Of course.
Kate watched him until he reached the peak of
the hill that would take him down into town. A larger, black carriage crossed
his path, which Kate recognized immediately as Reverend Jones’s. It wasn’t long
before she could make out that it was not the good Reverend in the carriage,
but his wife, Cindy, Nate’s wife, Mary, and Ingrid Fulgrum, the doctor’s wife.
She could only imagine what the women would think of her allowing perfect
strangers to bunk at the ranch along with the hired hands with only Fannie as a
chaperone.
As the ladies pulled in through the wooden
archway at the front of the yard, Nate and Dell went to greet them, while Noah
and Levi joined her on the porch.
“Looks like you’ve got company,” Levi stated
the obvious.
Kate was grateful she’d chosen to wear a dress
today instead of the work trousers and button down shirt she usually donned on
a work day. The last thing she needed was for the three most respected ladies
in town to think she was a heathen. While all of the women were near her age,
they were already married. Mary and Ingrid both had little girls and the latter
was expecting.
“Kathryn,” Ingrid greeted her as if she were
the wise matron of the group, though she was the youngest of all of them.
“It’s Kate,” she reminded her politely through
the smile hiding the grit of her teeth.
“Oh, yes. Of course. Kate,” Ingrid corrected as
she held out a basket covered in red and white checked gingham and leaned down
to give her a sort of half hug.
“Thank you.”
“What is Mr. Dixon doing here? Is everything
all right?”
“No. There’s been an accident.”
“Who is it?” Ingrid asked, bringing her white glove-covered
fingers up to her mouth.
“Clifford Thomas,” Kate responded
matter-of-factly.
“Who?” Ingrid asked again.
“A man from Abilene, here on…business.” How
else could she describe his purpose here? She glanced at Cindy who had been the
only person she’d confided in when she’d placed the ad.
“Hi, Kate.” Cindy nodded, waving from the step
below as she handed Kate a slender white paper bag around Ingrid. “Are you all
right? He wasn’t…” Cindy’s question trailed, but Kate understood.
Kate shook her head.
Cindy was the oldest of them at twenty-four and
had been the closest thing Kate’d had to a real friend in town. It had only
been a few months since the girl had married the preacher and their friendship
just hadn’t been the same since. She looked happy, though. That was all that
mattered. The reverend had just been offered a job with a small parish in Montana
and they would be moving soon. Kate had been saddened to hear the news.
She lifted the bag and
sniffed the delicious scent rising from its contents.
“Is this what I think it is?” Her tongue
touched her lips in anticipation as she opened the top of the petite package.
The sweet, buttery aroma that arose from the bag in a wave tickled Kate’s nose
with its surprising warmth.
Cindy was a wonderful cook and had recently
discovered the art of candy-making. Several large pieces of warm golden toffee
had been wrapped and placed carefully inside the bag.
“Why, Mrs. Jones,” Kate said excitedly,
deliberately using the woman’s married name, “they look simply delightful.”
Cindy beamed at her, obviously pleased by her
appraisal.
Mary finally joined them, her arms held out
with what Kate guessed was a sweet potato pie covered in a blue and green
striped cloth. By what Nate had said, Kate thought the woman was going to stop
by sometime later in the week or even the next, but Mary had always had a keen
intuition for knowing the precise moment to
around, and headed out through the gate. The others returned to their
discussion without a word to her, but Kate didn’t miss the smile that briefly
touched Noah’s lips.
Mr. Stiles emerged from the barn a few moments
later in a small, uncovered carriage pulled by a single Appaloosa.
Of course.
Kate watched him until he reached the peak of
the hill that would take him down into town. A larger, black carriage crossed
his path, which Kate recognized immediately as Reverend Jones’s. It wasn’t long
before she could make out that it was not the good Reverend in the carriage,
but his wife, Cindy, Nate’s wife, Mary, and Ingrid Fulgrum, the doctor’s wife.
She could only imagine what the women would think of her allowing perfect
strangers to bunk at the ranch along with the hired hands with only Fannie as a
chaperone.
As the ladies pulled in through the wooden
archway at the front of the yard, Nate and Dell went to greet them, while Noah
and Levi joined her on the porch.
“Looks like you’ve got company,” Levi stated
the obvious.
Kate was grateful she’d chosen to wear a dress
today instead of the work trousers and button down shirt she usually donned on
a work day. The last thing she needed was for the three most respected ladies
in town to think she was a heathen. While all of the women were near her age,
they were already married. Mary and Ingrid both had little girls and the latter
was expecting.
“Kathryn,” Ingrid greeted her as if she were
the wise matron of the group, though she was the youngest of all of them.
“It’s Kate,” she reminded her politely through
the smile hiding the grit of her teeth.
“Oh, yes. Of course. Kate,” Ingrid corrected as
she held out a basket covered in red and white checked gingham and leaned down
to give her a sort of half hug.
“Thank you.”
“What is Mr. Dixon doing here? Is everything
all right?”
“No. There’s been an accident.”
“Who is it?” Ingrid asked, bringing her white glove-covered
fingers up to her mouth.
“Clifford Thomas,” Kate responded
matter-of-factly.
“Who?” Ingrid asked again.
“A man from Abilene, here on…business.” How
else could she describe his purpose here? She glanced at Cindy who had been the
only person she’d confided in when she’d placed the ad.
“Hi, Kate.” Cindy nodded, waving from the step
below as she handed Kate a slender white paper bag around Ingrid. “Are you all
right? He wasn’t…” Cindy’s question trailed, but Kate understood.
Kate shook her head.
Cindy was the oldest of them at twenty-four and
had been the closest thing Kate’d had to a real friend in town. It had only
been a few months since the girl had married the preacher and their friendship
just hadn’t been the same since. She looked happy, though. That was all that
mattered. The reverend had just been offered a job with a small parish in Montana
and they would be moving soon. Kate had been saddened to hear the news.
She lifted the bag and
sniffed the delicious scent rising from its contents.
“Is this what I think it is?” Her tongue
touched her lips in anticipation as she opened the top of the petite package.
The sweet, buttery aroma that arose from the bag in a wave tickled Kate’s nose
with its surprising warmth.
Cindy was a wonderful cook and had recently
discovered the art of candy-making. Several large pieces of warm golden toffee
had been wrapped and placed carefully inside the bag.
“Why, Mrs. Jones,” Kate said excitedly,
deliberately using the woman’s married name, “they look simply delightful.”
Cindy beamed at her, obviously pleased by her
appraisal.
Mary finally joined them, her arms held out
with what Kate guessed was a sweet potato pie covered in a blue and green
striped cloth. By what Nate had said, Kate thought the woman was going to stop
by sometime later in the week or even the next, but Mary had always had a keen
intuition for knowing the precise moment to
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