Dusty Britches (61 page)

“
W
ell, now, Miss Raynetta McCarthy.”
Hank
’
s voice was clearly audi
ble in the sewing room.
“W
hat have you and my girls been up to all mornin
’
?
”

“
Um…um…just bakin
’
and all for tomorrow,
”
the sweet woman stammered in nervous response.

Hank chuckled.
“
You
’
re an angel to come out here and spend your time with us a
-
helpin
’
out.
”
There was silence for a moment
,
and then he continued,
“
Been a mite longer than I
’
d like to admit since I sat out here on any porch swing a
-
jabberin
’
on to a girl.
”
Becca and Dusty both looked at each other delighted by their father
’
s calling Miss Raynetta a girl.

“
Been a mite longer than I
’
d like to admit since I was a girl, Hank Hunter,
”
Miss Raynetta sighed.

“
Ah, now go on! You look as fresh and sweet as the day I left your daddy
’
s ranch.
”

“
Hm. Good thing you
’
re good with cattle, Hank…
’
cause you sure are a rotten liar!
”

Dusty motioned for Becca to follow her back out of the room, satisfied the conversation between her father and Miss Raynetta was going to continue.

Once they were both back in the kitchen, Becca whispered,
“
Do y
a
think we can get them two married, Dust?
”

Dusty s
hrugged but smiled hopefully. Suddenly, e
verything seemed brighter
—filled with possibility
. Perhaps her father and Miss Raynetta would find happiness. Perhaps Feller would somehow find whatever he needed to make Becca
’
s life pe
rfect. And maybe she and Ryder—n
o. She wouldn
’
t push her luck. She
’
d overcome a great deal of her fear, o
f her emotional trauma that day. S
he wouldn
’
t jinx it all by hoping for something that, though more possibly tangible than it had been before, was still a dream too good to be true.

Everyone arrived on time for the bunkhouse frame
-
raising the next morning. Dusty and Becca and Miss Raynetta too kept busy carrying water to the men and
making sure lunch was ready—and
then supper. The frame was up
, as well as
some of the side boards
,
by the time the sun began to set. Hank Hunter had asked several of the men who fiddled to bring their instruments and invited the wives and children of the men who had helped out to the ranch for pie and dancing.

It had been a long, hot day filled with hard work. Dusty hardly had a chance to say more than a few words to anyone in passing
—
especially Ryder.
Still,
she and Becca had enjoyed a nice chat or two with Miss Raynetta. Dusty was even more determined that no more time should be wasted where her father and the woman who loved him were concerned.

The setting sun left the fire in the pit, the moonlight, and lanterns to warm the dark of the night for the
gathering of
county folk. Even though the men were tired
, everyone was enjoying the get-
together. Summer would be gone too soon
,
and the warm nights were to be savored.

Ryder had gone out behind the house to the rain barrel to scrub his face and arms and change his shirt. Dusty
watched
him go. Though her heart pounded in anxious desire for him to return so she could
capture his attention somehow,
her own attention was drawn to the corral fence. Her father stood leaning against a post
,
smiling contentedly as he watched the gathering.

“
You tired, Daddy?
”
Dusty asked him, giving him a warm hug and then joining him in observing their friends and acquaintances.

“
Done in, honey! Just about done in,
”
he admitted with a wink and a tired sigh.

“
The men got a whole lot more done than I thought they would,
”
she commented. Without giving him even a chance to respond, she barreled ahead.
“
Daddy…you ever think about gettin
’
married again?
”

“
Good grief, girl!
”
he grumbled.
“
What kind of a question is that?
”

“
What about Miss Raynetta? You seem very fond of her. She
’
s a good lady and
—”

“
Stop it
.
Stop it, right now, Dus
ty,”
he growled. His cheerful m
anner instantly disappeared. H
e seemed angry.
Dusty followed the direction of his gaze and found his eyes did indeed follow Miss Raynetta as she walked from her seat toward the pie table.
“
I loved your mother so muc
h.
You know I still love her. I
’
ll always love her.
”

“
I know that, Daddy,
”
Dusty said softly.
“
And I know you
’
ll never stop. But…but there
’
s room in your heart for
—”

“
I couldn
’
t go through that again,
”
he mumbled.
“
I couldn
’
t love somebody and lose
’
em. I couldn
’
t stand it.
”

“
But wouldn
’
t it be better to love her all up close and right there…than from far away, wishin
’
you could have her close to you?
”
she ventured.
“
Wouldn
’
t you rather have somebody in your arms and lose
’
em one day…than to have watched her for so long and lose her somehow…never havin
’—”

“
What
’
re you gettin
’
at?
”
he asked suddenly.
“
You tryin
’
to hitch me up with Raynetta McCarthy? What an idea, Dusty. Really!
”
But his e
yes had an odd twinkle to them—
though guilt was written there as well.

“
Daddy,
”
she said softly, taking his hand,
“
Mama would want you to be with somebody. You
’
re still so young with so much to give someone. She wouldn
’
t want y
a
to be alone and sad and wastin
’
what y
a
have to give. And Miss Raynetta is so
completely
different from Mama that nothin
’
would be the same! It wouldn
’
t make y
a
feel guilty to love her, Daddy. If you
’
d just
—”

“
You
’
re talkin
’
hogwash, Dusty.
”
He
shook his head. “Look at her…h
appy as a puppy in a mud puddle. All fresh and pretty. Don
’
t look a day older than she did as a girl. And look at me…a forty-two year old man…an old man…with two grown daughters and
—”

“
And no sons,
”
Dusty interrupted.

Hank chuckled, looking back toward Raynetta.
“
What would Raynetta McCarthy ever see worth havin
’
in me?
”

Dusty swallowed hard and wondered if she w
ere
about to do the right thing.
“
Miss Raynetta loved someone once. Did y
a
know that, Daddy?
”

“
I heard the gossip in town. Folks say it was some hand of her daddy
’
s. But I was there up until she was fourteen or fifteen. I don
’
t remember her bein
’
sweet on nobody. I figure…nobody ever had the guts to go afte
r her. She’s quite the pistol…a
nd a beauty at that.
”

“
It
’
s true, the gossip. It was a cowboy she loved,
”
Dusty blurted.

“
Really? And how is it that you know so much?
”
he asked.

“
She told me,
”
Dusty answered plainly.

“
Is that so?
”
Hank chuckled and returned his attent
ion to Raynetta. “Well, he must
a been a horse
’
s hind end not to snatch her up without a second thought.
”

“
He was a very, very wonderful young man, Daddy. You see…he didn
’
t know she loved him. She never told him.
”

“
Why the heck not? She ain
’
t the type not to tell somebody what she
’
s a
-
thinkin
’
about
’
em.
”

“
Well,
”
Dusty ventured,
“
he…he was a mite older than her. Not too, too much older…but she was young.
”
Dusty had her father
’
s undivided attention now. No doubt he sensed the similarity between the story she was telling of Miss Raynetta and her ow
n. “And he loved someone else…t
ruly loved someone else. Someone Miss Raynetta thought the world of. Someone she thought deserved such a fine man.
”

“Hm,” he mused, “must
a been quite the woman he loved to keep his attention from Miss Raynetta McCarthy.
”

“
Oh, she was. A marvelous woman.
”
Dusty stroked the back of her father
’
s hand and said softly,
“
Daddy, who do you think that cowboy was
who
didn
’
t notice Miss Raynetta when she was fifteen and he was workin
’
for her daddy?
”

“
I can
’
t imagine.
”
His eyes widened as he asked,
“
You mean you know? You mean to tell me that she told y
a
?
”
He shook his head again.
“
I was there when she was about that age, sure enough. Did I know him
,
do y
a
think?
”

Dusty smiled lovingly at her father. He was truly naive as to who the cowboy was who had unwittingly broken Raynetta McCarthy
’
s tender heart.
“
I think y
a
did, Daddy,
”
was all she said.

She
wonde
red if she should’ve told him—
for an expression of understanding captured his face, and with it came disbelief, guilt, regret.

“
No, sir,
”
he argued, his voice
breaking with emotion. “I woulda known that. I never would
a been blind to somethin
’
like that,
”
he assured himself, looking away. He looked sickened, pale
—s
o much so that Dusty was sincerely concerned.