A Quiet Life Page 12

  “I believe you. But I’m more sorry about the young’uns.”

  “It seems I was not meant to be a mother.” She looked up at him again. “Tell me more about you. Did you leave a wife in Texas?”

  “No.” Sam thought he needed to settle matters with his sisters before he tried to add to his family. In the town nearest his ranch, the men outnumbered the women at least two to one so he hadn’t had much chance to try anyway.

  “Do you still have a place on the ranch after your friend’s death?”

  “He left half of it to me as a matter of fact. And half to his foreman. He… Jack… is the one who sent me home. He said that now that we were partners I needed to confront my past so I’d be able to focus on not running the place into the ground. He tried to make it sound like he was protecting his own interests but he… he’s a good man.”

  Caroline gave a small laugh. “Confront? That makes me sound intimidating.”

  “You always were kinda bossy.” He felt a smile trying to show itself and realized he’d almost relaxed.

  “How long will you be in town?”

  “I’m not sure yet. How long will you need to pack?”

  “What!?”

  “I intend to take you back with me. And Lucy if she needs a home.”

  “I have a home,” Caroline said. She didn’t sound entirely convinced of that.

  Sam looked at their drafty surroundings. It wasn’t so bad in June but come winter it would be difficult to keep the place warm. “You can’t stay here without a man to fix it up for you.”

  “I’ll manage.”

  “I can’t leave you again, not when it’s clear you could use my help. We’ll figure out a way to pack up anything you want to take with you so you’ll be comfortable.”

  “Anything?”

  “Yes, anything.”

  She didn’t say more right away and Sam decided to let her think on it while they talked about something else. “Tell me what you know about Lucy,” he said. “I heard some wild stories in town.”

  “What you heard might be true.” Caroline’s face lit up and she leaned in for an animated story. “Pa showed up here one day, fighting mad. I remember it was a Saturday. He was looking for Lucy and was sure I was hiding her somewhere. Of course I had no idea where she was but he didn’t believe me. It was one of the few times I was thankful George was around. He convinced Pa that Lucy wasn’t here, mostly by saying there was no way he’d allow me to hide her and that was the truth.

  “We went to town for church the next day and everyone was talking about Lucy. It turned out that Pa had arranged a marriage between her and a really awful man in order to settle one of his debts.”

  Sam gasped. He didn’t want to believe his father would stoop so low.

  “But she disappeared,” Caroline continued. “Apparently ran off the morning of the wedding and no one knew where she went. The speculation was that she’d gotten on the stage but no one would admit to giving her the money for it. The Reverend pulled me aside after the service to tell me that Lucy was safe. He wouldn’t tell me what he knew though or how he knew it. That was probably for the best because it saved me from having to lie to Pa. He lost his land when he no longer had a bride to bargain with. No one knows what happened to him after that. But Lucy came back.”

  Caroline paused in her story with a very satisfied grin. “She came to town about a year later with a good-looking husband and a baby on the way to boot. She’d been living on his farm a couple days out and they came for supplies. They stayed several days and she told me the whole story, how he’d found her in tears on the church steps and offered to marry her on the spot so she couldn’t be forced to marry anyone else. Sounds like he takes good care of her.”

  “I’m happy to hear that, though I intend to see for myself that she’s looked after. I got directions to the Baker place and am going to ride out there tomorrow.”

  “Lucy should have had the baby by now. You’ll have to tell me if…” She stopped and swallowed hard. “I’ve been praying for her and the little one every day.”

  “I’ll bring as much news as I can. I’ll stay out there a few days if she’ll have me.” Sam hoped his younger sister would eventually be as forgiving as Caroline. “And while I’m gone, you’ll maybe start packing up your things?”

  “I’ll give it serious consideration,” she said. “First tell me more about your ranch. I can’t believe my brother grew up to be a cowboy.”

  Sam leaned back in his chair and thought about what to tell her. Perhaps if he could make his place sound like a good home, he wouldn’t have to drag her back to it. Because she was coming back with him no matter what it took.

  ~~ ~~

  There was an old tree between the properties where they usually met. Caroline was already sitting on a low branch, her legs swinging excitedly. Ruth slowed her pace. She wasn’t sure she was in the mood for one of Caroline’s stories. Her friend’s escapism was more fun when Ruth could believe something might happen. But she had spent the morning receiving comments on reality and how she needed to face it.

  Caroline waited for Ruth to pull herself onto the branch. She seemed to make an effort to calm herself before she said, “You look troubled today.”

  “Laura is more determined to get me out of the house than ever.” Ruth sighed and looked back towards her house. “She’s bugging Pa to give me a deadline for choosing a husband.”

  “You two have another fight today?”

  “No. But only because I managed to hold my tongue. She won’t let me help with anything. When I tried to do some washing this morning, she went on and on about the washing that would need to be done over at Adam Blake’s place.”

  Caroline made no comment. She only nodded understandingly.

  “Adam Blake seems nice I guess and I know he could use some help with those boys but… They’ve gotten so wild. I know they wouldn’t mind me. I don’t… Daniel Weller is closer to my age but he’s… harsh and… Is it terrible to want to be able to have a conversation with my husband about something other than trapping?”

  Ruth’s question was met with a tiny shrug. Caroline never said it out loud but they both knew she regretted her own choice of husband. She never offered opinions on the men courting Ruth. This may have been because she felt unqualified to give advice and it may have been because she didn’t want to be responsible for anyone else’s regret. It was enough for Ruth that she was listening.

  “I know I should be happy that I even have a choice at all,” Ruth said. “I do want to move out to have my own family and I don’t have to be in love. I only want to like him. I wish Laura would give me more time for someone else to come along.” Laura was her father’s second wife. They wed when Ruth was fifteen, three years after her mother died. The two of them had gotten on fairly well at first. But Laura was now expecting her third child and had begun to resent having an extra woman in the house.

  Caroline smiled sympathetically before her expression turned giddy. “I know who you’re going to choose,” she said.

  “All right, do tell.” Ruth was more relaxed now that she’d shared her frustrations – again – and she closed her eyes to let her imagination take over. “Will it be the injured passerby or the neighbor I didn’t know I had?”

  “He’s sort of both. Although he’s not injured. He’s sort of passing by but he used to be a neighbor. Now that he’s back he’s going to be instantly smitten with you and want to take you home with him.”

  “And what does this man look like? You know I like blue eyes.”

  “You’re in luck,” Caroline said. “His are light blue with lashes that make me jealous and a strong chin that he rubs when he’s thinking. His hair is brown but it was lighter when he was a boy so you might have fair-haired babies. Oh, and it’s a bit too long. I’m sure you’ll want to take care of that for him once you’re settled.”

  Ruth laughed. “We’re going to run off and get married before he has time for a haircut?”

 
; “You only think you don’t need love because you haven’t found it. You won’t want to wait once you have.”

  “All right. So where is this home he’ll take me to?”

  “Texas.”

  “Texas? Sounds like an adventure.”

  “Yes. He’ll take you to a big house on his cattle ranch.”

  “I don’t know much about cattle but I suppose a rancher needs to eat same as a farmer. Do you think I’ll have much trouble adjusting?”

  “No. I’ll be there to help you.”

  “Really? He got a brother for you to marry or something?”

  “Oh, heavens, no,” Caroline said. “I’m not getting married again. But you’d still be my sister.”

  Ruth pondered this statement for a moment. “You don’t mean…? Are you suggesting I’m going to marry Sam?”

  Caroline seemed pleased that she’d guessed correctly and Ruth was too surprised to continue the fantasy. Caroline had never imagined her brother coming home before, at least not out loud. In fact, she very rarely talked about him at all. “You’ve never tried to pair me up with Sam.”

  “He never came home before,” Caroline said as she clapped her hands together. Her enthusiasm nearly caused her to topple off the tree branch.

  Ruth hadn’t seen her friend so happy since she’d talked about meeting Lucy’s husband. “He’s really back?”

  Caroline nodded eagerly. “And he really wants me to come to Texas with him.”

  “That’s wonderful.” Ruth said the words but couldn’t quite believe them. She would miss her friend terribly.

  “You’d like to come, wouldn’t you? Sam said he’d find a way for me to pack anything I want to take with me.”

  “I wouldn’t fit in your sack.” Ruth let out a giggle at the thought.

  “But you would come with me?”

  “Of course I would.” Caroline was her dearest friend and life had been cruel to her. Ruth would love to see Caroline get the fresh start a move might provide, even if she didn’t long to get away herself. “I would love to see a new state.”

  “Good,” Caroline said, “because I aim to tell Sam that I won’t go without you.”

  “Oh, dear. Wouldn’t I be a burden? I don’t want either of you to resent me.”

  “You would be a great help.” Caroline looked completely solemn. “He lives in a big house with a housekeeper. She has a grown son who’s invited her to live with him back East. I’ll be slower with the new chores but if I had help, she could go to her son sooner. And Sam said that they have a big meal for all the hands every Sunday that he usually helps with. We could do it together and then he wouldn’t be stuck with housework.” She took one of Ruth’s hands between both of her own. “And I’m afraid to face a new home by myself. Please say you’ll come.”

  Ruth nodded. “If you can convince Sam, then I’ll come.”

  A mischievous glimmer sparked in Caroline’s eyes. “I won’t need to convince him. He’s going to take one look at you and be glad I suggested bringing you along.”

  “Make sure you explain how useful I’ll be, just in case,” Ruth said.

  Caroline waved off the idea as unnecessary and they spent nearly an hour making plans, some real and some imaginary. Ruth wasn’t sure at times which was which. She felt like skipping as she walked home afterwards. Moving to Texas would be a wonderful adventure.

  And she was curious about seeing Sam again. Ruth remembered him from school. Mostly she remembered the way he let her play kickball when some of the other boys wouldn’t and that he was the reason she liked blue eyes. A schoolgirl crush wasn’t much different than a fantasy but the part of her heart that remembered being ten years old wanted Caroline’s predictions to come true.

  ~~ ~~

  Caroline was plucking weeds from her tomatoes when Sam approached her house a second time. Weeds wouldn’t matter if she planned to abandon the garden in the next few days. He hoped she only couldn’t stand to be idle.

  She squinted against the sun as she stood, wiping her hands on her apron. “I expected you two days ago,” she said.

  “I’m sorry I stayed longer than expected. I didn’t mean to worry you.” What if she’d thought he’d left her again? It was careless to let himself lose track of the days with Lucy.

  “It’s no matter,” Caroline said. “You’re back just in time.”

  “In time for what?”

  “Come inside and tell me about Lucy first.”

  He followed her into the house, though he still thought shack was a better word for it. It could not have deteriorated all that much since her husband died. How had the man thought it was acceptable for a family? Caroline offered Sam some water as he hung up his hat and she took a drink herself. Then she sat and said, “How is Lucy? Did she faint at the sight of you?”

  “No. Her husband’s brother greeted me at the end of a rifle so I expect she’s well-enough protected. Then she came running out of the house and pulled me off the horse so fast I almost fell over.” He laughed at the memory, concealing the more serious emotion. He felt that no man had ever been so blessed with forgiveness. Even the prodigal son received only a single warm welcome. “Their place is real nice and Lucy seems happy there. Those men are hard workers. They’ll take care of her. And Caroline… she’s gone and named her baby girl after you.”

  “She’s healthy?”

  Sam nodded. “Round, pink cheeks. I never held a baby before but I still know a beautiful one when I see her.”

  Caroline stood suddenly and pulled her apron over her head. She draped it over a hook near the door and took a moment to smooth it. She wiped the back of her hand across her eyes before she returned to her chair. “I’ll want more details later but first we need to talk about…” She paused to squelch a suspicious smile. “We need to talk about dinner. We’re invited to the Modells’ place.”

  “Both of us?”

  “Yes. Mr. Modell wants to talk to you about… I’ve been making some plans.”

  Sam thought he understood. The Modell farm was nearby. The man probably wanted to talk about using Caroline’s land after she was gone, or even buying it. And that meant Caroline had decided to come home with Sam. “You’re going to let me take care of you?” he asked.

  “I think we’ll take care of each other,” Caroline said, a hint of indignation in her voice that reminded him of the teenage girl he used to know. “And Ruth Modell will help.”

  “Ruth Modell?” Sam searched his memory. The name was familiar. “Isn’t she about Lucy’s age?”

  “Nearly. She’s been my closest friend these four years. And I want her to come with us.”

  “You want her to come with us?” Sam simply repeated the request because he didn’t know how to respond to it. He wasn’t immediately sure that she wasn’t joking.

  “She’ll be so much help to me adjusting to a new place. She cooks and her sewing is better than mine.”

  “She’s not married?”

  Caroline shook her head. “She hasn’t found anyone around here she wants to marry. That’s how I was able to talk her into it.”

  “And you’ll be happy in Texas if Ruth is there?”

  “I believe I will,” Caroline said. Her smile made Sam believe it, too. There was nothing more to it. Ruth Modell would have to come along.

  Caroline sliced some apples and made a dessert to take to dinner while Sam shared more particulars and stories about their sister. The Modell house was not quite two miles away and the weather was pleasant for a walk.

  Two young girls, about two and four years old, were playing with a rag doll in front of the house. The older girl was making the doll dance while the younger one tried to copy the movements. They appeared thoroughly unaware that Sam and Caroline were approaching.

  But someone in the house must have noticed because the front door flew open. A noticeably pregnant woman with red hair trying desperately to escape its bun smiled broadly and invited them inside.

  A man with leathery skin and da
rk gray hair was waiting to greet them. “Caroline,” he said, “it’s nice to see you.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Modell. Do you remember my brother, Sam Haid?”

  The man laughed. “I remember a boy named Sam Haid. I’m pleased to meet the man.” He extended his hand and Sam shook it. “Where has Ruthy got to?” he asked his wife.

  “I’m right here.”

  Sam turned as the voice had come from behind him and a young woman emerged from a separate room. Her golden brown hair was pinned neatly at the nape of her neck and she appeared to be the only one in the room wearing store-bought clothes, a blue dress with a lace collar that fit her well. This was not the girl Sam had been trying to remember.

  “Hello, Mr. Haid… and Caroline.” There was a tiny tremor in her voice. “I’m sorry I wasn’t ready when you arrived.”

  Caroline rushed over and hugged Ruth. She whispered something in her ear that made Ruth look more nervous.

  Sam realized that he was a bit tense as well. He turned back to Mrs. Modell, who had taken the dish from Caroline and set it aside for later. “Let’s eat,” she said. She motioned Sam to a place at the table. “I fed my little ones already. It’ll be nice to have an adult meal.”

  Fried chicken with beans and biscuits began to fill plates as the larger dishes were passed around the table. The wonderful scents increased Sam’s appetite. Mr. Modell offered a blessing and then said, “Ruthy made everything,” with a pointed look at Sam.

  Sam turned to Ruth to compliment the food because that was proper and because the food tasted as delicious as it smelled. She smiled shyly and her thank you was barely audible. Sam wanted her to relax so that he could. According to Caroline, Ruth was excited about going to Texas. Her father knew they were there to discuss her going away and he was showing off her cooking skills. It seemed he would not be difficult to convince.

  It occurred to Sam that Ruth might be nervous about convincing him of the value in taking her. There was something about the idea of this pretty young woman seeking his approval that stoked his pride, something he’d felt little of since running out on his family.