Dusty Britches (16 page)

“
I think so, Dusty. He
’
s just fussier than any old half
-
dead
dog
,
and I
’
m about to lose my mind!
”
Alice
answered, sighing heavily as she climbed down from the wagon with baby Jake. Almost as if he understood what she was saying, the baby boy began whimpering and sucking on his two middle fingers.

“
Well,
”
Dusty began, starting for the house,
“
you just sit here on the porch with me
,
and let me take a turn at him.
”

“
You has to play with me first, Dusty,
”
Makenna reminded her.

“
I do want to play with you, Kenna. But what
’
s say w
e see if we can get this little-
bit to settle down awhile, huh?
”
Dusty pleaded in her
sweetest
voice.

“
Is you ever gonna get married, Dusty?
”
Makenna asked suddenly.

“
Well, I…
”
Dusty stammered.

“
You run on and let me and Dusty visit, Kenna,
”
the child
’
s mother told her firmly.

“
But I don
’
t got nobody to play with, Mama,
”
the little girl whined.

“
Why don
’
t you come on over to the henhouse with me, sugar
?
We
’
ll see if we can dig up an egg or two from under one of them old hens, huh?
”

Dusty whirled around
,
astonished
by the sound of
his
voice.
Yet
her ears had not deceived her. Ryder stood just behind her. As both Dusty and
Alice
stood looking at him, mouths gaping open, Makenna instantly stretched her arms out in a gesture for Ryder to take her.

“
Ryder Maddox, ma
’
am,
”
he said
as he gathered Makenna into his strong arms
.
“
Surely you
didn’t
forg
e
t me.
”

“
For Pete
’
s sake! Ryder Maddox!
”
Alice
exclaimed as she shook Ryder’s hand. She quirked one eyebrow and
look
ed at Dusty. “I’m Alice Jones. Alice Maxwell Jones.”

“
The longer I stay on here…the older I feel! Don
’
t tell m
e these young-uns are both yours,”
Ryder chuckled.
“
You can
’
t be old enough to
have
a family this far along. I remember when you was in short skirts
.”

“
Ryder rode in with Daddy from the drive,
Alice
,
”
Dusty explained, shifting uncomfortably as Ryder smiled down at her and Alice. He kept looking back and forth between them. She knew he was sizing them up and remembering
when they’d been
two silly schoolgirls in love with one of her father
’
s favorite
ranch
hands.

“
I
’
m good with li
ttle angels like this here one,”
he said, tweaking Makenna
’
s cheek.

Dusty w
atched,
mesmerized as
Makenna took
Ryder
’
s roughly shaven face between her hands and force
d
him to look at her. Makenna was usually averse to strangers and very stingy with her attention and affections.

“
You
’
re pretty!
”
Makenna giggled as she looked at him.

Ryder ch
uckled. “Well, thank you, sugar.
But ain
’
t nothin
’
in the world a
s pretty as you!
”

Makenna smiled. “I’m goin’
to the henhouse with Ryder Magics, Mommy. You can have Dusty now.
”

“
Well, thank you, Makenna. Um…
”
she paused, looking to Dusty for reassurance.

But it was Ryder who answered.
“
You know me
,
Miss Alice…um…Mrs. Jones. Trustworthy as time.
”

Makenna took his face in her hands again and forced him to look at her.
“
Look at me!
”
the child demanded of him.

Ryder chuckled
. Even though
Dusty
knew
there was no need to
further
reassure
Alice
where Ryder was concerned,
she
said,
“
She
’
ll be fine with him, Alice.
”

“I don’t doubt it,”
Alice
giggled, watching Makenna with Ryder.

“I’ll look after her, m
a
’
am. You stay and
visit with Miss Dusty. Maybe you a
ll can settle that boy down a
bit.”
Ryder turned a
nd started toward the henhouse,
Mak
enna’s hands still on his face,
a smile still revealing the dimples in her own chubby little cheeks.

When he was well out of earshot
,
Alice
exclaimed,
“
Good gravy, Dusty
.
Ryder Maddox! Of all people! I hadn
’
t heard he was back. Are y
a
just ready to d
rop dead
right on the spot?
I’ll be!
If he ain
’
t still the handsomest thing ever to walk the earth!
”

Dusty felt
a hot blush rising to her cheeks. I
t was plain
Alice
had forgotten
,
or at least was in awe of
,
how unusually attractive Ryder was.

“
I bet you
’
bout di
ed when he came ridin’ up again,”
Alice
said knowingly.
When they were young girls, i
t had been Alice
in whom Dusty had confided her feelings for the young cowboy.

“
Actually…I nearly did,
”
Dusty admitted.
“
It was a…surprise, to say the least of it.
”

Alice
smiled and shook her head,
“
Mmmm mmmmm mmmm! Look at the way he fills out his
blue jeans.
Ain
’
t nothin
’
like a good pair of
blue
jeans on a man like
that!”

“
Alice Jones!
”
Dus
ty exclaimed.
“
I can
’
t believe you!
”

“
Oh, Dusty
…r
elax! Many
’
s the time you and I sat on the porch in front of ol
’
lady Watson
’
s general store and watched the
cowboys walkin’ into the saloon,”
Alice
giggled.
“
And many
’
s the time we sat right where we
’
re sittin
’
now and watched Ryder at his chores for the same reason!
”

“Yes…but…b
ut…
”
Dusty stammered.

“
But nothin
’
, Dusty! You know I love my
Alex more’n I can even tell…b
ut it don
’
t mean I still don
’
t notice a good
-
lookin
’
man. Ain
’
t nothin
’
like one! And don
’
t pretend to me
that
man
hasn’t
turn
ed
your head…again!
”

“
I
’
da had to be blind,
”
Dusty admitted with quiet resentment.

“
Even then I think you could smell one that looks as good as he does!
”

A
s
Alice
burst into girlish giggles
,
Dusty began to laugh. It felt good to laugh so
unguarded
. Dusty was again reminded of how much fun she and
Alice had growing up—how much they had shared—
how much she missed seeing her friend now that Alice was married with a husband and family to care for.

“
Sakes alive!
”
Alice
began.
“
You remember that time we were up in the tree by the pond a
-
waitin
’
for Ryder to come along
? A
nd lo and behold
,
here he comes a
-
strippin
’
himself down to go swimmin
’
!
”

“
And we closed our eyes like a couple of silly Sallys,
”
Dusty grinned.

“
And when we looked up again
,
it was to see his britches and his drawers a
-
lyin
’
on the ground at the foot of the very tree we was hidin
’
in!
”
Alice
laughed.
“
I
’
bout got too big a
lesson in male anatomy that day.”

Dusty began to giggle wildly. She hadn
’
t giggled as much in years
. Furthermore,
once she started, she found she couldn
’
t stop! It was
as if
a sort of hysteria
were
overtaking her. Try as she might to talk plainly through her giggles, she couldn
’
t.
“
Remember…how we had to stay up there in that tree for near to an hour…because…because…
”

“
Because we couldn
’
ta gotten down without Ryder seein
’
us! And we couldn
’
t watch him for fear of bein
’
corrupted!
”
Alice
roared.
“
Land
’
s sakes, he had a build for such a young man!
”

“
Alice
!
”
Dusty exclaimed through her laughter. And they giggled for long, delightful moments.
“
I
’
ve mis
sed you,” Dusty told her friend. Sighing heavily, she led
her to sit on the porch swing.

“
You
’
ve missed a lot, Dusty,
”
Alice
sighed.

“
Don
’
t you start with me, Alice. I
—”
Dusty began to argue.

“
But…at least there
’
s hope for you. And he sure wears his
britches mighty fine
!
”

“You come to Aunt Dusty, little-
bit,
”
Dusty
said to Jakie. She held
her hands out
,
and
the baby gladly clung to her
.
“
So…he sure seems to be chewin
’
his fingers. I think he
’
s just cuttin
’
teeth, don
’
t you?
”