Blowing on Dandelions (2 page)

Chapter Two

That boy was late again. Micah Jacobs hefted a bag of grain onto his left shoulder and stepped out of the feed store facing the main street of Baker City, Oregon. He squinted against the harsh glare of the late-spring sun and tugged the brim of his hat with his free hand. School had been out for at least thirty minutes, more than enough time for his son to arrive at the store and help load the grain for the livery.

Micah had hoped that moving here from the city and buying a business would interest Zachary. At nearly fifteen, the boy only had two more years of schooling. He should be planning how to make his way in the world, not mooning over books. Their family had a history of working with their hands—his father and grandfather before him had carved out a living in a smithy—but Zachary hadn’t shown an interest in shoeing, working as a wheelwright,
or
helping at the livery.

Micah slammed another bag of grain onto the pile and shook his head. Zachary’s sight would be damaged if he continued to pore over those schoolbooks hours on end. Books had never done Micah any good, and they wouldn’t earn a living for his son. Maybe things would’ve been different if his wife, Emma, had lived, but regret wouldn’t pay the bills.

He stepped onto the wheel of the buckboard and swung onto the seat, settling down and unwinding the reins from the brake handle. “Let’s go, Charlie. Get along there, Mable.” Cracking the reins against the black rumps of his mules, he turned them toward the livery. After three weeks, he’d hoped profits would’ve been better. The mining boom had seemed to promise prosperity to any who ventured to this town, which was situated not far from the Oregon Trail, but so far it hadn’t happened.

A flash of gold registered on the edge of his vision. Micah swiveled just in time to see a little girl with blond curls escape her mother’s hold and dash across the dusty road—right into the path of his mules.

Katherine stopped in front of Connors’ Mercantile and gazed at a lace-edged tablecloth. Did she have enough money for something so extravagant? Mama probably wouldn’t approve.

Amanda tugged her hand free, and Katherine pivoted to call her back, then froze. Mandy had bounded off the boardwalk and right into the path of an oncoming wagon.

Katherine’s heart stuck in her throat. With handfuls of her skirt clutched in her fists, she finally managed to gasp, “Amanda. Stop!”

The driver of the team hauled back on his reins the instant Amanda appeared to register Katherine’s words and halted her flight. The black-bay mules slowed to a stop, snorting their displeasure and pawing the ground.

Katherine reached her daughter and scooped her into her arms, wanting to shake her and hug her at the same time. “What were you thinking? That wagon almost ran over you.”

The driver jumped down and strode to where they stood. “Is your little girl all right?” Concern laced the gruff edge of his voice.

“Yes, I think so.” She raised her eyes, and a jolt hit her heart. Beneath a wide forehead, brows were drawn over intense green eyes, and a hat was pushed down over his dark brown hair. A firm jawline gave him a no-nonsense look, but his kind gaze belied the frown tugging at his mouth.

“I’m sorry, ma’am. Guess I had my mind on something other than my driving.”

Gratitude swelled in her chest. This stranger could have easily berated her for allowing Amanda to escape her care, but he’d chosen to take responsibility for the near mishap. “Thank you, but I should’ve kept a tighter grip on her hand. She was anxious to visit the store across the street, and I was distracted due to my older daughter not returning home.” Realizing she was rambling, Katherine set Amanda back on the ground and leaned over to the child’s level. “You need to apologize to Mister …” She gazed up at the man.

He tipped his hat, and a smile broke the serious plane of his face. “Jacobs, ma’am. Micah Jacobs, late of Seattle, Washington.”

“That’s a long way to travel, Mr. Jacobs. What brought you to our fair city?”

“The need for a change. I purchased the livery and smithy three weeks ago.”

“Ah, a fellow businessman. I wondered what would happen to the livery when Mr. Sykes decided to pull up stakes and leave.”

“
Fellow
businessman? Do you and your husband run an establishment in Baker City?”

She extended her hand while keeping a firm hold on Amanda with the other. “I apologize. I’m Katherine Galloway. My husband passed away nearly three years ago, but I own the boardinghouse on the far edge of town.” She tipped her head to the south. “My older daughter, Lucy, helps me when she’s not in school, and Amanda here keeps me on my toes when she’s home.”

“I see. Well, I won’t keep you, Mrs. Galloway. I’ll walk you to the boardwalk, then I’d best get this grain to the livery and unloaded. I need to track down my son.”

“You and your wife have children as well? I imagine they must attend school with my girls.”

A cloud passed across his handsome features, leaving them cold and withdrawn. “My son and I are here alone. Good day to you, ma’am, and again, I’m sorry for the scare to you and your daughter.” He settled his hat down further on his head, climbed up onto the buckboard seat, and picked up the reins.

As the team surged forward, Katherine stared after them. What in the world had she said that soured him all of a sudden? She watched for a full minute, but the man didn’t look back.

Micah slapped the reins against the mules’ haunches and suppressed a shudder. He’d come so close to running down that little girl—Amanda, her mother called her. Why hadn’t he been more alert and noticed that she’d dashed into the road? One tragedy in the past two years was enough for a lifetime. He certainly didn’t need his poor fortune to spill over onto someone else’s life.

Mrs. Galloway had handled the scare well, not shrieking or threatening to faint like some city women he’d known. Even his dear Emma would’ve been swooning and unable to function after such a scare.
Emma.
His heart lurched as memories of his beloved wife washed over him. He had been unbearably lonely since her passing eighteen months earlier, and only the needs of their son, Zachary, had kept him from sliding into a dark place. The past couple months had been easier, but pain still rammed its fist into his gut at unexpected times.

Admiration for Mrs. Galloway once more tickled his imagination, but he shoved it away, irritated at the unfair comparison he’d made to his Emma. He started to swivel his head to get one more glimpse of the woman but steeled himself and stared straight ahead instead. She’d been perfectly safe on the far side of the road the last time he’d looked.

He clucked to his mules again.

Women had no place in his life anymore. Not at the present nor any time in the future. Zachary was his entire world now, and Micah would do well to remember that fact.

Katherine had almost hustled her daughter home without the promised treat until she realized that’s exactly what her mother would’ve done to her as a child. Mandy hadn’t exactly disobeyed her, as she hadn’t instructed her daughter to keep hold of her hand; the girl had only acted out of excitement at the promised treat. Becoming a replica of her mother by constantly chiding her children was not something Katherine intended to do, so Katherine had purchased Amanda a peppermint stick at the nearby hardware store.

A memory of Micah Jacobs’s deep green eyes now swam to the fore of her thoughts as she opened the front door of her house and stepped inside. She exhaled. No time to think of anything right now except preparing for Mama’s arrival.

As soon as they entered, Mandy darted off. Katherine raised her voice. “You need to wash that sticky candy off your hands before you touch anything, Amanda Lee.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The fairy-like voice drifted back on the quiet air. Light footsteps broke the stillness behind her.

Katherine whirled. “Lucy! Where have you been?”

Her tawny-haired daughter stood inside the open door, avoiding her gaze. “Nowhere special.”

Katherine crossed her arms. “You were supposed to come straight home from school.”

Lucy wrinkled her nose. “Sorry, Ma.”

“So where were you?”

“I walked to the general store. I guess I forgot.”

“Shut the door, please.” Katherine waited until Lucy did as she asked, then beckoned the girl into the parlor. “Take a seat.”

Lucy bit her lower lip and glanced at the stairway leading to her room. “I need to do my schoolwork. Could we talk later?”

“No.” Katherine pointed to an upright horsehair chair. “Sit.”

Her elder daughter sank onto the stiff seat but didn’t settle back. “Am I in trouble?”

“I’m not sure yet, but you might be. Where did you go? More importantly, who were you with?”

Lucy bristled, her back straightening. “I suppose Mandy tattled on me?”

“This has nothing to do with your sister, young lady. You disobeyed me
and
asked your sister to lie. Now out with it.”

Lucy slumped in her chair, the rebellion melting from her expression. “I’m sorry, Ma. I met a new friend, and well, he wanted to pick up something at the store, that’s all.”

“A new friend. Does this friend have a name?”

Her daughter ducked her head. “Zachary.”

“A boy.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“How old is this Zachary?”

Lucy raised her head. “Fourteen. We’re in the same reader at school. He’s really nice.”

“Why haven’t you mentioned him before?”

“There wasn’t anything to say. He’s new to town.” She clasped her hands in her lap. “I can talk to him. Really talk to him. He’s not like some of the other kids. He listens to me, and I listen to him.”

Katherine drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, working to control her emotions. “You’re too young to be courted, Lucy.”

“Courted!” Pink spots blossomed in Lucy’s cheeks. “He’s not
courting
me. I told you, he’s a friend. That’s all.”

Katherine stared at her daughter for a full minute, trying to read the truth in her clear gaze. She saw no hint of deception there, and the girl never wavered. “All right, I believe you. But from now on, when I tell you to come straight home, you’re to do so. Understand?”

“Yes, Ma.”

“Good. Now we need to get to work. Your grandmother is coming tomorrow, and her room isn’t ready.”

Lucy blew out an exasperated breath. “I forgot. How long is she staying?”

“I’m not sure, but it’s possible she’ll be here for several weeks, if not longer. Grandma has no one to take care of her, and she’s alone.”

“I wish Aunt June hadn’t died.” Lucy pouted. “It’s not that I don’t love Grandma. I do. But sometimes she’s mean to you, and I don’t like it.”

“We must forgive and love her in spite of herself, honey, even when it’s difficult.”

“I know, but it’s not right God made her that way.”

“Lucy! God didn’t make her that way. She’s a grown woman and makes her own choices.”

“But He could change her if He wanted to, and He hasn’t.”

Katherine struggled to find the words to comfort and reassure her daughter, but what could she say? She’d had the same thoughts most of her life and had shoved them aside time after time, trying to believe it wasn’t God’s fault the way she was raised. She couldn’t blame Lucy for her feelings, although she hated that her daughter might grow up with the same resentments and doubts that had plagued her for so many years. “God knows what He’s doing, sweetie. Grandma is … different, that’s all.”