Fate's Intervention (37 page)

“
She
’
s doing it now
, Mr. Matthew, sir.
”

“
Can you manage supper on your own tonight? Miss
Weatherman
suffered a
great deal and
will
need some rest,
”
he said, glancing over to Peter for acceptance of the request. No matter his feelings for Marcelle, nor despite his name on the deed to the property, he was still just a hired hand and it wasn
’
t up to him to make decisions regarding the household
–
yet. Not while Peter
Weatherman
was alive
, b
ut Peter merely stood there smiling at him, nodding approval. He nodded back, then turned back to
Nancy
.
“
Can you manage okay, then?
”

“
I
’
ll see to it, sir. Will you be back in time to join the family then?
”

“
Without a doubt,
”
he said.

“
Very good, sir.
”

“
Mr.
Weatherman
, before we go, I
’
d like to apologize on my family
’
s behalf for what my brother put your daughter and you through.
”

Mark huffed, but a look from Matthew kept any comment silenced.

“
You
’
re a good man, Matthew,
”
Peter said, and shot Mark a look that made it clear he wouldn
’
t say the same about him. He wasn
’
t cut from the same cloth as Matthew, brother or no.
“
A
nd
I
’
d like to thank you for taking care of my daughter the way you have.
”

Matthew nodded, then turned his horse toward the front gate,
“
I
’
ll be back as soon as I see to Mark
’
s travel arrangements,
”
he said.
“
I don
’
t want there to be any doubt that he
’
s leaving town.
”
He glared at his brother, tipped his hat toward Nancy and Peter,
and then
spurred his horse into a trot. The movement tightened the lead rope between White Star and Black Wind, the mare that
he´d given
Mark
to
mount. Black Wind started and reared slightly, startling Mark into dropping one of his cases.

“
My case!
”
He yelped, but Matthew ignored him and kept on going.
“
Hey! Stop! We need to get my case!
”
He yelled again, but the only response was the laughter that followed him out the front gate from Peter and Nancy.

“
We
’
ll see that it gets to New York. That is if the goats don
’
t eat it first,
”
Peter called, but made no effort to shoo away the curious
animals
that strutted toward the expensive piece of
l
uggage.

Matthew returned to the house just as the sun was lowering on the horizon. He was dusty and dirty and in sore need of a bath. He popped open his watch and nodded. He could squeeze one in if he hurried. He lifted his head and sniffed. The pungent aroma of spices drifted to his nostrils and his stomach growled in response. He leapt from the horse and retrieved his rucksack.

“
Joseph,
”
he called as he trotted past the tiny little cabin on the edge of the
Weatherman
’
s property,
“
S
ee to the horses for me, will ya
?
I need to clean up.
”

“
Yes, Mr. Matthew, sir.
”
The boy tossed down his wooden truck and ran toward the house. Matthew smiled and veered off toward the river.

He
’
d had a hard time getting Mark settled in at the hotel, especially since he was still fuming over his expensive case. He
’
d refused to dismount and register if Matthew didn
’
t return posthaste and retrieve his luggage before the goats made a meal of his underclothes.
Although
Matthew had calmed down considerably on the ride into town, he was still, in no way, up to dealing with petulant behavior.
A
fter
refusing to dismount after Matthew
’
s second request,
Matthew strode to the side of Black Wind, reached up, and yanked Mark
’
s remaining piece of luggage from his grasp
–
hurling it onto the dirt-packed street. That worked.

Mark leapt from the horse and laid siege to the luggage as if it were a valuable piece of jewelry, glaring at his brother all the while.
It took another threat of damage to his already swollen nose, for Mark to passively enter the hotel and retire to his room.
To make matters worse, they
’
d arrived at noontime and the depot had already closed for lunch, forcing Matthew to locate and interrupt the ticket master
’
s meal. He
’
d then had to pay the man a considerable bribe, as well as pay for his ruined meal, in order to procure the tickets required for the next morning
’
s
departure.

By the time he headed back to the ranch, his temper flare
d
again. It was only when he reached the house and smelled the food that his mind settled and he found himself smiling.
Fifteen minutes after turning the horses over to Joseph, hair still glistening from his bath, Matthew moved toward the stable to check on the horses. He smiled widely as he noticed the tack hanging neatly on their pegs, the saddles laid over the racks and the horses munching contentedly on straw inside their stalls
, the dust brushed from their coats
.
Joseph was definitely going to make a great ranch hand some day, he thought, making his way toward the house. He noticed the light on in Nancy
’
s little cabin and made his way over.

Nancy
answered at his knock.

“
Mr. Daragh, have you only just arrived home, sir?
”
Nancy
asked.

“
Just a short while ago.
”

“
Well, you best be getting on to the main house. I
’
ve already laid out supper for the
family.
”

“
I
’
m on my way now. I just wanted to stop by and give something to Joseph that I picked up in town,
”
he said, peering into the little room behind her.
“
He is in here, isn
’
t he?
”

“
Yes, sir. Just sitting down to his meal. Come on in for a moment, then.
”

“
I done take care of the horses for ya, like you asked me to, Mr. Matthew, sir,
”
Joseph said, shoveling another fork full of
potatoes
into his mouth.

“
I saw that, Joseph, and it was indeed a job well done. I wanted to stop by and thank you for your assistance.
”

“
Huh?
”

Matthew smiled,
“
I
’
ve brought you something from town as my way of thanking you for all the help you
’
ve given me with the horses.
”

“
A
gift! For me?
”
Joseph jumped from the table and skid to a halt in front of Matthew.
“
What is it?
”

“
Mind your manners, Joseph,
”
Nancy scolded lightly.
“
You can wait until it
’
s given and you best be thanking Mr. Matthew proper like or you won
’
t be keeping it.
”

“
Yes, mother,
”
Joseph answered dutifully, his eyes gleaming with delight.

Matthew opened his saddlebag and pulled the package, wrapped in brown paper, from inside. He carefully laid the package on the table, then stepped back and watched as Joseph tore it open with the enthusiasm that only a child of that age can muster.

“
Wow!
”
He exclaimed, as he eyed the exterior of the box. With a sudden care that belied his eagerness, he opened the box and slid the contents onto the table.

“
A
real fire engine and horses to pull it with! Mama, look! It
’
s a real fire engine and it comes with its own horses!
”

“
I see that,
”
Nancy
said in wonder.
“
It
’
s truly a special gift and now, what do you say?
”

“
Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, Mr. Matthew, sir.
”
The little boy threw his arms around Matthew
’
s legs and squeezed tight, then released him and turned back to his mother.
“
Is that enough thank you, mother? Can I play with my new toy now? Please, please, please, please
?
”

Matthew grinned at
Nancy
and quietly slipped out of the house, closing the door behind him. He was glad that the boy liked the new toy. He could tell that he got so little in his life.

Matthew trotted toward the house, a smile in his heart.

“
Hello.
A
ny
one about?
”
He yelled as he stepped into the foyer and laid his gear in the corner.

“
We
’
re in here, Matthew. Do hurry or your food will get cold,
”
Marcelle called and the smile in Matthew
’
s heart
beat quickened
. It felt good to return home and have a lovely voice greet him, he thought and then re-thought. He didn
’
t want another wife, he reminded himself. His Melody had been
the entire
world to him and no one would ever be able to replace her
, but
with Marcelle
,
he didn
’
t have to worry about marriage.
Peter had arranged the
ir
living
conditions
, so
he intended to
enjoy the warm welcome without worrying about unnecessary entanglements.

“
I
’
m sorry for being delayed,
”
he said, entering the dining room and taking his seat across
from Marcelle.

“
That
’
s
perfectly all right, son,
”
Peter said.
“
Did you see your brother off?
”

“
Not quite,
”
Matthew said, as Marcelle heaped a pile of food onto a plate and passed it over to him.
“
Thank
you, Miss
Weatherman
.
”

“
You are quite welcome. So, why
‘
not quite
’
?
”
Marcelle asked, taking a sip of wine. She
’
d hoped that Matthew
’
s brother was long gone and she
’
d never have to lay eyes on him again. The
‘
not quite
’
wasn
’
t what she wanted to hear. She took another sip of wine to help stabilize her jittery nerves.

“
The
train doesn
’
t pull out until tomorrow morning. I put him up in the hotel until then.
”