Big Sky Rancher (12 page)

“All right. We'll talk about it tomorrow.” It was the best he could do, torn between kissing her and turning her over his knee. And that was one thing he'd never do. He didn't have
it in himself to hurt her. What he wanted to do was to strip that stupid gown from her and make her his wife.

And that was God's own truth.

S
USAN DEFINITELY NEEDED
more clothing than Kyle had brought along for her, and the general store was the only place to find it. With the kitchen cleaned, Lucas on his way to the mine for the day and dinner simmering on the back of the stove, Jennifer made plans.

“I thought we'd go to the Emporium and then I've got a little side trip to make, if you'll keep the baby happy for a bit,” she told Ida.

“I can do that. And don't forget we need a couple of good heavy pads for this child to sleep on. We can't have her soaking through to the mattress.”

“I thought a piece of oilcloth might work.” Jennifer halted in her list making to look up at Ida for confirmation.

“That might work. And she needs more dresses. Two just ain't gonna be enough. We can't be washing every day. Honestly, how do you suppose her father managed to keep her in one piece? With just a handful of things to do with.”

“That's the problem. He didn't, at least not well,” Jennifer reminded her. “But I need to keep remembering not to make long-term plans for her. After all, we may not have her forever. Once her father gets out of jail, he'll be hot to trot, all
the way back to New York, and he'll take this baby with him, I'll bet. If the sheriff lets him.”

“Not if he can't find her, he won't.” Ida pulled a face, muttering a rebuttal. “Now, just forget I said that.”

Jennifer brightened. “That might not be a bad idea. I wonder where we could hide her.”

“We could move her into my place, and I could stay there with her till the fancy man is gone,” Ida suggested. “It's a big barn of a house, far too big for me to handle by myself, but he'd never find her there. That house was all right when I had a houseful of young'uns running around, but after the mister died, I rattled around in it like a loose walnut in a bushel basket. We'll just keep our heads down and not make a stir in town. Folks don't have to know we're there.”

“That might work,” Jennifer said. “But I was thinking…” She paused and aimed a long look at the other woman. “This is just between you and me, you understand. But I've been mulling over an idea.”

Ida was silent for a moment and then she nodded. “All right. I won't say a word. At least not to anyone else. But let me tell you, girl, you'd better watch your step with Lucas. He's been good to you, and more patient than most men would have been, waiting for you to put this marriage together. And don't look at me like that,” she said. “I live in that house with you, and if ever a man was hard up for some comfort from his wife, it's Lucas O'Reilly. You need to play fair with him. He brought you out here in good faith and he's got the short end of the stick, in my opinion. 'Course, you haven't had an easy ride of it, either, but a woman can put up with stuff better than a man. It's ingrained.” She paused for breath and went on.

“I don't want you mad at me, but I had to speak my piece,
girl. You could keep him happy with a little lovin' and he wouldn't be such a pain in the patoot. Now, I know you're champin' at the bit, thinking about making a move on your own, but think it over, long and hard before you make a decision. You're a woman, after all, and you need Lucas and the protection of marriage to keep you safe from that Kyle fella.”

Jennifer nodded, not that she agreed with everything Ida said, but she had to admit the woman had a point. Several, in fact. Coaxing her into the plan Jennifer had dreamed up might not be as easy as she'd hoped after all.

With four hands, they harnessed the horses readily, then headed for town. Mrs. Bronson drove, Jennifer holding Susan beside her. The general store was busy, buggies and farm wagons lining the street out front, but they found an empty spot at the hitching rail and went inside.

The assortment of baby clothes was limited but adequate. “I don't dare get too much,” she said in an aside to Ida. “I'm putting this on Lucas's bill, and I'll have to figure out how to pay for them myself.”

“You sound like you've an idea up your sleeve.” She spoke the words in an undertone and Jennifer nodded.

“Yes, but it all depends on you. Whether or not you're willing to go along with what I talked to you about and what I'd like to do.”

“You said you wanted to chance earning a living, and I suspect it has to do with moving out of Lucas's house, but beyond that, I'm still not sure of your idea. Let's have the whole plan, girl. I'm willing to listen.”

“After we leave here,” Jennifer said, and Ida seemed to be satisfied with that.

By the time they climbed back into the wagon, Lucas had
amassed a tidy amount on his running account. The bundles were stacked in one corner of the wagon and when Ida picked up the reins, Jennifer pointed to the far end of town.

“That's down near my place,” Ida said and, at Jennifer's nod, she grinned.

“Like I told you, I'm thinking about a business I can go into,” Jennifer told her. “There are a bunch of men who are sleeping in tents, and who'd probably give an arm and a leg for a decent bed and decent meals. What do you think?”

“You need a boardinghouse to make that happen.” And then as if she'd just caught a glimmer of where Jennifer's mind was going, she snapped the reins and the horses broke into a trot. “You want to use my house and set up business there.” She did not ask a question but made a statement.

“That's right. And I want to stop and see Sally Jo at the barbershop, too. She's made a success of her business and I thought she might have some ideas to offer.”

 

T
HE WOMAN
did indeed have ideas and her obvious delight at Jennifer's notions sent both of them searching for pencil and paper as they wrote down plans as fast as their pencils would fly.

“A cook is the first thing you'll need.”

“I hope to have one,” Jennifer said. “If Ida Bronson is willing, and I think she will be.”

“You can't ask for better than Mrs. Bronson,” Sally Jo announced. “And how about girls to clean and do laundry?”

Jennifer grimaced. “That's me, Sally Jo. We can't afford to hire help right off. And I'm a good hand at cleaning these days. Ida has been tutoring me for weeks. I swing a dandy dust cloth, let me tell you. And putting together beds is a snap.”

“I'd say you've got things pretty much under control,”
Sally Jo told her. “You need to go to the bank and open a business account. I can introduce you to the man in charge there. Mr. Walter Powers, by name. He gave me a loan, and I'll bet with Mrs. Bronson backing you and providing the house, he'd be willing to get you started in business.” She paused and looked at Jennifer. “What about Lucas?”

“What about him?”

“He's gonna be madder than a wet hen, you know. Or is he kicking you out and leaving you on your own?”

“Lucas wouldn't do that. He's too honorable.”

“And you? Will he think this is an honorable thing for you to be doing?”

Jennifer shook her head. “He's going to have a fit, but I can't help that. I guess I just need to prove myself capable of being a success at
something.
So far I've falled short in everything he's expected of me. So I'll be not only trying to prove a point as far as Lucas is concerned, but to myself.” She felt troubled suddenly by the things she'd set into motion, things involving Ida and leaving Lucas out of the picture. And then Sally Jo spoke again.

“Well, I'd say your plans sound solid thus far, and you're a smart lady. You should do well.”

“You think so? Really?” It seemed almost too easy, Jennifer thought, but she'd never been one to cause problems where there were none and she wasn't about to start now.

Jennifer climbed back up onto the wagon seat and the two women moved on down the road, Mrs. Bronson intent on the lists she held, offering suggestions as they went. Arriving at the big house, Jennifer was almost stunned by its size.

“I don't remember seeing your house the day I got married, and we were right next door at the parsonage. I must have been in a daze. And you didn't tell me it had three floors. Will
you look at that front porch? It's wrapped all the way around one side, and you've got two swings on it.”

Ida preened a bit. “My mister wanted me to have the best. A good, solid place, he always said, and with the gold he mined, we could afford it. I've still got a nice nest egg in the bank, and Lucas has paid me well for the weeks I've been at the farm. We'll do just fine, whether Walter Powers wants to make you a loan or not. Women aren't considered a good risk. Just remember one thing, Jennifer. I'm not dead certain this is a good idea, and if Lucas puts his foot down, I won't blame him a bit. But it sure would be nice to come back home. And even have all these rooms.”

“If he puts his foot down, it'll have to be a pretty heavy foot, Ida. I don't plan to give in to him on this. I want to try to do it on my own, so if I have to ask for a loan, I will, but if we can work it out without borrowing money, that's even better. For now, let's just see the house and go on from there. We'll have to stock up on food and get linens for the beds and then put up a sign and we'll be open for business.”

“A sign?” Ida looked dubious.

“Sally Jo said we needed a sign on the porch with our prices spelled out clearly. Or even in the front hallway, so there's no room for discussion. She even offered to paint it for us. Did you know she'd painted her own? And the front of her shop, too?”

“Can't say that I knew that. But it doesn't surprise me any. She's a smart woman. There were those in town who said she'd never make a go of it, and some of them whispered about the bathtubs in her back room, but once some of the husbands went by and got haircuts and shaves and saw what really goes on there, things quieted down and folks pretty much left her alone.”

“She
doesn't
bathe the men…does she?” The words were whispered and Jennifer looked around as if someone might be privy to this conversation that had suddenly tuned to private matters.

Mrs. Bronson hooted. “Of course not. Sally Jo has her hands full with the men who come courting every chance they get. She's the most popular woman in town. I suspect it's because some of these fellas like the idea of having their own personal barber.”

The two women clambered from the wagon, Ida passing the baby down to Jennifer. Susan looked around and her eyes were wide, with so much to see—so many bright flowers blooming and, most exciting of all, a dog in the front yard.

She pointed her tiny index finger. “Goo.” Plainly she had seen such a creature somewhere else, Jennifer decided, but hadn't yet figured out what they were called.

She laughed and Ida joined them, speaking to the mutt who had run to the gate to greet them. “Hey there, Buster,” she said cheerfully. “Are you glad to see me?” She turned to Jennifer then. “I really missed the mutt. My old neighbor feeds him for me. I knew it wouldn't do for me to be trotting back and forth just to take care of a dog, so Mr. Thomas calls Buster to the fence every day and puts a bowl of food over here for him, then dumps a bucket of water into the big basin we keep filled for him.”

“We're going to have a dog in our house?” Jennifer was delighted, the bonus of a pet cinching the bargain, so far as she was concerned.

“Well, I've never made much of a pet of him, but he sneaks indoors every chance he gets. It's nice to have him around, kinda fills the empty places. He kinda goes with place, if you don't mind.”

“Of course not. I'm taking over your house and placing myself and Susan in the midst of your life, Ida. I'll do whatever you think is right. I can't tell you how happy I am that you're willing to be my friend and help me in this.”

They walked together to the front porch and Jennifer climbed the steps slowly, wanting to make the excitement last. But the house awaited her and she was champing at the bit to make final plans for her new establishment.

“I've never been so excited over anything in my life,” she said, opening the front door and stepping into the wide foyer. Three doors opened from the entryway and a staircase soared upward to the second floor. The first room on the right was a parlor, large and welcoming, the furniture looking plush and comfortable. The room was shadowed, with the draperies pulled closed.

“I didn't want the carpet to fade, so I shut everything up when I moved out to the farm.” The filmy curtains beneath the heavy drapes were exposed as Ida pulled the layer of fabric back. Sunlight poured through the white lace and illuminated the flowered sofa and chairs that formed intimate groupings around the room.

“How beautiful.” Jennifer was in the middle of the floor, holding Susan in her arms, turning in a slow circle, the better to inspect everything. “This will be a lovely place for folks to sit in the evening. We might even add a table for chess or checkers.”

“Mr. Bronson had a chessboard. I think it's up in the attic. We can bring it down if you like.” As if she were revisiting a site precious to her memory, Ida traveled the perimeter of the room, touching small ornaments, adjusting the antimacassars to lie neatly, and then moving on to the mantel, where a row
of pictures gave Jennifer a view of the children born to this lady. They were portraits done in watercolors and oil, and someone had possessed an abundance of talent, for the faces seemed almost lit from behind, so sharply were the features drawn.

“Who did the paintings?” Jennifer suspected that an artist had been brought in for a family visit. Upon a closer look, she spotted the same assortment of faces in the large portrait that hung low over the fireplace. A younger version of Ida Bronson was the focal point of the painting, with a tall, handsome man by her side. Surrounding them were seven children, three of them almost grown, the others scattered in ages from a toddler to a gangly teen boy.