Page 7 of A Steadfast Heart (Wind River Mail-Order Brides #2)

W ould this day ever end?

Drew banged the gate to the pen shut, then yanked his hands back as the cow inside slammed against the fence. She needed time for her injuries to heal, but if she didn’t settle down, she’d only make them worse.

He turned and led Solomon to the back of the barn, where his stall hid around the corner from the main doors.

He removed the horse’s saddle and rested it on the wall of the stall, ignoring the pull of muscles against the bruise he’d received from a calf’s hooves. It had taken hours to round up the cattle from the ravines. Hours that’d made him more behind on the spring planting.

The older orphan calves stirred in the big birthing pen, but they wouldn’t start bawling until they heard the kids headed this way. The animals knew who fed them.

David had put Curly’s heifer off by herself. It would take a while for her to learn to drink from a bucket.

Drew slipped off Solomon’s bridle. “Let me knock off the first layer of dirt, then I’ll get your dinner.” The stallion lipped Drew’s collar. Drew grinned. Rescuing the big lug had been one of the best decisions of his life. Once Drew had finally gained his trust, Solomon had been a faithful friend for years.

Longer than Amanda had stayed with him.

Would Kaitlyn have staying power?

Drew grabbed a currycomb and started running it over Solomon’s flanks. Kaitlyn. She had definitely surprised him so far. It had only been a few days, but already the house was cleaner. While her meals had mostly been simple stews, they had been more flavorful than anything he’d tasted since Ma got sick.

Ma should have recovered from the fever and cough. The rest of the family had. But somehow the sickness that had been a minor inconvenience to everyone else had settled into her lungs. She hadn’t been able to fight it off. Or perhaps hadn’t wanted to. He swallowed the bitterness that rose with the thought. With her husband gone, perhaps her children and grandchildren hadn’t been enough motivation for her to fight.

Or maybe it was simpler. Drew hadn’t been enough.

Solomon stamped a foot, and Drew’s thoughts slipped to Kaitlyn.

Tillie loved her. David didn’t like trading off kitchen work with Jo, but Kaitlyn was right. Cooking was a useful skill. The first few meals he and his brothers had attempted had proved that. But if she had implemented the change to win Jo over, it hadn’t worked. Jo remained suspicious and standoffish.

Drew finished Solomon’s hooves and crossed to the storeroom to measure his oats. One calf snorted, then gave a loud bellow. When the other four joined in, the cacophony was loud enough that Drew wanted to cover his ears.

Outside the open barn door, Tillie giggled. “It’s okay, babies, we’s bringing your dinner.”

“Don’t see you carrying no bucket, Tillie,” Jo grumbled.

Drew glanced out the storeroom door and watched as David slipped inside the barn, carrying a bucket in each hand. Kaitlyn had two as well, while Jo carried one. Tillie skipped alongside them. None of them noticed him in the shadowed back corner of the barn. They were too focused on the calves. He’d join them when he was done with Solomon, who still shied around Tillie’s energetic movements. Drew took his horse’s dinner back to the stall.

The children’s footsteps stopped outside the large calf pen, and the buckets thumped to the floor.

“Oh, they’re so cute.” Kaitlyn’s voice was warm and happy.

There was a soft slurping sound, and Drew glanced through the stall door in time to see Kaitlyn pull her fingers away from the calf and wipe them on her dress.

She laughed. “I guess she’s hungry. Do we pour the milk into bottles?”

David shook his head. “Pa says the buckets are easier to use ’cause you can clean ’em easier. Sure wish we didn’t have to use the separator to get the cream though. My arm hurts.”

Drew grinned, then moved to the front of the stall to pour Solomon’s oats.

“Could another cow nurse the calf?” Kaitlyn asked.

Jo snorted. “It don’t work that way. You can’t just give a beast a new mama.”

“That’s not true, Jo. At least, not always.” David’s voice was easy, calm. “Most of our breed don’t make milk enough for two, so we’d have to find a cow that’s lost her calf.”

Drew rubbed a hand along Solomon’s neck, swallowing a sigh. David would make a fine rancher someday, if only Drew could keep the land for him.

“Some mama cows won’t even feed their own calves.” Tillie’s voice held more sadness than a six-year-old should know about.

“I’m gonna feed the older calves,” David said. “Jo, you take that last bucket to the newest baby.”

Drew listened to his older children make their way to the different pens, but no gates opened.

“Let’s go see the baby, Kaitlyn,” Tillie said. Her footsteps pattered across the barn to the side that held the smaller calf pen. Kaitlyn’s followed.

“Do you want to feed the baby, Kaitlyn?” Jo asked. The calf bawled, knowing a meal was on the way.

Drew didn’t even need to see Jo’s expression to know the mischief that sparked there. He hurried from the stall toward the calf pen. Jo’s eyes widened when she spotted him, but it was too late.

He lifted a hand, trying to get Kaitlyn’s attention. “Kaitlyn, don’t?—”

But Kaitlyn had already stepped into the pen with the calf that weighed over half as much as she did. Crash! The calf butted the bucket, and at the unexpected force, Kaitlyn stumbled and fell backward.

Drew winced even as he strode toward the tableau. No telling what she’d landed in.

Jo doubled over laughing. She pointed at Kaitlyn. “You landed in manure.”

Tillie started crying. “Your dress. It’s all messy.”

Jo scoffed. “Stop being a baby.”

Kaitlyn scrambled to her feet, suspicious green smears on the yellow dress she’d finished hemming last night. Drew stepped into the enclosure and maneuvered the calf into a corner to prevent it from following Kaitlyn out of the pen. She still had the bucket, and the calf would follow the bucket. Once she was out, he followed her and closed the pen gate behind him.

From outside the stall, David’s eyes widened at the smears on Kaitlyn’s dress.

Kaitlyn stood stiffly, holding her messy hands away from her skirt.

Drew snagged a grooming towel and handed it to her.

She wiped her hands, her nose wrinkled in distaste. “Well, I suppose I’ll know better next time.”

The calf bawled her displeasure over her spilled dinner. Drew turned to Jo, but Kaitlyn tugged his sleeve to draw his attention back to her.

She shook her head slightly. Her voice was drowned out by the racket the calves were making, but he read the word no on her lips.

What did she mean no ? No child of his was going to get away with a trick this cruel. He tried to ask the question with his eyes, but Kaitlyn either didn’t or couldn’t reply.

Tillie was still crying, and Kaitlyn laid a hand on her shoulder. “It’s all right. The dress will wash.”

Next, Kaitlyn eyed Jo, and Drew’s throat tightened. His daughter deserved the tongue-lashing Kaitlyn probably had planned, but he was the parent.

But Kaitlyn didn’t waver. “That wasn’t very kind to the little calf. I’m afraid I spilled the poor baby’s dinner.”

Jo’s eyes widened, and her laughter disappeared.

Drew knew his expression must be showing the surprise he felt. How had Kaitlyn known Jo’s soft spot for animals would mean more than any anger she could show about her soiled dress?

Still, it wasn’t enough. Especially with David and Tillie watching. The last thing he needed was all three of them thinking it was okay to treat Kaitlyn this way. He glared at his daughter. “Josephine McGraw, I’m disappointed in you. You apologize to Kaitlyn.”

Jo’s shoulders slumped. “Sorry,” she mumbled.

“Get the dirty bucket.” Drew pointed into the pen. “You’ll have to scour it before we can feed the calf. And you will scrub every stain out of Kaitlyn’s dress before you go to bed tonight. Plus take extra chores tomorrow.”

Jo’s shoulders slumped farther at the thought of more work. Her mouth pressed into a thin line. “They won’t go to bed hungry, will they?” She gestured to the calves.

He made a show of examining the amount of milk in the remaining buckets, buying time to consider what the best answer would be. Jo had reacted to the idea of extra chores, but Kaitlyn’s comment about the calves had driven the point home. He didn’t want to waste this moment. “I think we’ll have enough if we don’t spill any more. But the longer it takes you to scrub that bucket, the longer the baby will wait for her dinner. And don’t cut through the pen. The cow I put in there is crazy.”

Jo grabbed the bucket and ran for the house.

“David, go get the rest of the milk and bring it here. Take Tillie with you.” Best if the kids weren’t here when Kaitlyn put away that fake smile. The kids trooped outside.

He turned to his wife. “I’m sorry.”

Kaitlyn shook her skirt. Bits of straw and manure fell off. Her smile disappeared. She blinked a few times, but no tears fell. At least, not yet. Would she save them for him tonight?

David came back carrying two buckets. Tillie trailed behind him. Jo trudged in with the bucket she had scrubbed. Drew divided the milk between the buckets, and David carried one bucket into the stall with Curly’s baby. The calf butted him, but he stood his ground.

“He’s better at it than I am.” Kaitlyn gave her skirt another shake, her knuckles white from her grip.

“He’s had practice.” Drew tried to keep his voice steady. Wasn’t sure he succeeded. He wished he was surprised that Jo could do something so mean, but he wasn’t.

Kaitlyn bit her lip, then released a long breath. She leaned against the pen. “What are their names?”

“Tillie named the first four. Freckles, Boo, Buddy, and Chip.” Drew pointed to the calves one after the other.

Tillie looked up to Kaitlyn. “I pick-ed good names for them.”

Kaitlyn nodded. “That you did.” Then she looked to David. “But the baby doesn’t have a name yet?”

David shook his head, eyes tight. The calf bumped the bucket again, and David pulled it back. “Don’t do that, little one, or you won’t have enough supper.”

Kaitlyn’s hand flexed. “Names take a while. You’ll have to tell me what you choose.”

Drew stepped into the pen beside David and laid a hand on his shoulder. Drew hadn’t named an animal for a long time after he’d lost Calico. David pulled away.

Kaitlyn leaned against the wall and watched as David patiently convinced the calf to drink when she wanted to suck. “How long will it take her to learn?”

David kept his head down. “Some take longer than others. You just keep working at it.”

“Who taught you how to feed them?”

Tillie looked up from the pebbles she was playing with, her tears gone but a streak of dirt across her cheek. “Pa did. He’s the smartest man in the world.”

Drew winced. The words hit hard. If he was so smart, why was the ranch failing? They’d go under if he didn’t hold on to the grazing from the other three homesteads. And Kaitlyn knew at least some of the problems he faced. She knew he needed to sell the bull. He stiffened. What would she answer?

Kaitlyn met his gaze for a long moment, then knelt down to face Tillie. “I think you’re right, Tillie.”

Drew shook his head. She couldn’t really think that.

Jo muttered, “You barely know us.”

“I know enough.”

Tillie tipped her head questioningly. “How do you know?”

“Well, your papa has a big ranch to run, right?”

Tillie nodded.

“But he still managed to teach you so much. David’s doing great with his math, you already know your alphabet…”

Drew glanced at his middle daughter. She had gone very still, was pretending not to listen. Would Kaitlyn even be able to find a genuine compliment for Jo? His middle daughter certainly didn’t deserve one today. He faced the other direction, not wanting to watch when Jo was hurt.

“And Jo doubled that biscuit recipe without even having to use paper to figure out the numbers.” Kaitlyn said the matter-of-fact words, and surprise turned his head.

Kaitlyn hadn’t even paused. When she had every reason to say something mean, she’d complimented instead. David stood a little straighter, and Tillie bounced on her toes.

Jo kicked at the dirt a couple of times, then left with the empty bucket. Kaitlyn bit her lip as she watched Jo leave, then focused on the other kids. Her smile was a bit tight, but David and Tillie didn’t seem to notice. They jabbered on about what they’d conquer next in schoolwork, as if the whole idea had been theirs all along.

Drew’s eyes caught on the huge stain on Kaitlyn’s skirt as she bent close to listen to something Tillie leaned up to whisper.

I know he is .

His stomach did a funny flip when he thought about the way Kaitlyn’s eyes had shifted to meet his for a millisecond as she’d uttered those words of agreement.

She’d complimented him…like a real wife might’ve. That wasn’t a part of their agreement.

As the kids cleared out and Drew went to wash up, the swirling thoughts itched like a burr under the collar of his shirt.

Did she expect him to compliment her? Amanda would’ve. And would’ve pouted if she hadn’t gotten what she wanted.

Determination stole through him. He’d told Kaitlyn that theirs would be a loveless marriage. It didn’t matter if she said nice things or treated his kids like they mattered.

A deal was a deal.

* * *

Fork, spoon, bowl.

Kaitlyn whirled from the table she was setting, wiping her forehead with the back of one arm. Her yellow dress was finally clean, though it had taken Jo three days of soaking and scrubbing to accomplish the feat.

Everyone would be in for dinner soon, and it wasn’t even close to ready. She stirred the stew simmering on the back of the stove. A large bubble popped, spitting hot broth on her arm. She jerked back, then wiped her arm with a damp rag she’d used to wipe down the preparation table. It was time to add the potatoes, and they weren’t even peeled yet.

She sank into a chair next to the worktable. It had been such a long day already. She should have asked one of the kids to peel the vegetables before they’d left the house, but she wasn’t up to one more power struggle.

David had grudgingly turned his attention to working with fractions but had eventually thrown his pencil down in frustration. Tillie had caught on to the idea that letters made sounds and spent the entire day pointing to things in the house and naming the letter they started with. At least one of the children was excited to be learning, but the constant chatter made Kaitlyn’s ears ring.

And Jo. Kaitlyn buried her face in her hands. Jo. The child who needed her the most seemed to hate her.

Today, Jo had split her lesson time between staring at the first arithmetic problem and glaring at Kaitlyn. She could have solved the simple word problem about how much feed a herd of cattle needed in minutes. Jo knew it. Kaitlyn knew it. Jo knew Kaitlyn knew it.

It was a power play, one that Kaitlyn would have to counter before they could move forward. She’d sent the girl outside a half hour ago just for some peace.

She pulled the bowl of potatoes next to her and picked up the knife. At least she knew what to do with these. She cut the potatoes smaller than usual so they’d cook faster. Then she picked up David’s math. She had to figure out where he had gotten stuck.

Thirty minutes later, a sharp whistle from the corral shattered the silence. Kaitlyn moved to the window in time to see David pointing to the front of the house. She caught the sound of hoofbeats approaching.

Company. Drew had told her there were a few women living on nearby ranches. She whipped off her apron and draped it over the chair, then ran her hands over her hair, finding a few tendrils that had escaped her hairpins. She quickly secured them by feel. She rushed through the front door and onto the porch.

Seconds later, a cowboy pulled his horse to a stop near the stoop, looking around carefully before tipping his hat to Kaitlyn. He must want to talk to one of the men.

Kaitlyn pushed aside her disappointment. A visit with a local woman would have been a blessing. “Are you here to see Drew? I can send David to find him.”

He studied the house with calculating eyes for a moment, then leaned down to hand her a sealed envelope. “I brought this for you. Mr. Quade was in town and thought you’d want it as soon as possible.”

She moved to the second step and took the packet. A telegram? Was it from Michael? Her heartbeat raced, and she took a deep breath to try to settle it. The telegram was probably from her lawyer.

She pressed trembling lips into a smile. “Can I offer you some tea?”

“Can’t stay.” He juggled his horse’s reins to adjust his leather gloves. “But if you want to send a reply, I can take it to Mr. Quade. He’ll be heading back to town tomorrow. You’ll have to give it to me quick though.”

The bushes beside the porch rustled. Probably Patch. That dog loved the kids, but he tended to hide when Tillie wanted to tie sunbonnets on him.

Sizzling came from the kitchen. “Oh no! My stew!” She waved at the cowboy. “I’ll have to reply later. I have to go!” She tucked her telegram into her skirt pocket and hurried through the parlor and into the kitchen.

Kaitlyn grabbed a rag to move the stew pot to a cooler part of the stove. Smoke tickled her nose from the places where the stew had cooked over. She tested the potatoes with a fork. Ready to serve. A glimpse into the oven confirmed that the cornbread was nicely golden on top. She pulled out the pan and placed it on the stovetop.

Someone was already ringing the bell hung on the back porch. Nick had told her they could hear it over the front half of the ranch, but everyone was working close to the house today. She’d only have a moment to read her unexpected telegram. From her lawyer. It had to be from her lawyer.

She stepped onto the porch in time to see Jo slip into the trees around the edge of the yard. She’d probably rung the bell. Probably moved the stew to the hottest part of the stovetop to make it overheat as well. Kaitlyn shook her head. Jo was an issue for another day. The telegram was all she could handle right now.

She moved to lean against the porch railing, the cool air a relief after cooking over the wood stove. Everything smelled so much fresher in the West. She enjoyed a couple of bracing lungfuls of mountain air before finally tearing open the envelope.

Her knees almost gave way at the signature. Her lawyer, not her brother. She scanned the slip of paper.

Received letter STOP Need further documentation to honor request STOP Send proof of marriage STOP Best wishes STOP

Proof of marriage? Her word wasn’t good enough?

Footsteps pounded from the corral to the front of the house.

“Wash up,” she called as the noise moved inside, and she pushed the telegram into her pocket.

In a matter of minutes, everyone had taken their seats and passed their bowls for Kaitlyn to fill. Drew said grace, and everyone dug into their dinner. The tightness in her chest relaxed. The silence said more than a thousand compliments could.

Jo’s spoon clanked against her bowl. “Our new ma got herself a visitor today.”

Nick’s eyebrows rose, but Kaitlyn thought it was more over the new ma comment than the visitor.

Drew spoke around a mouthful. “Mrs. Boutwell?”

Jo smirked. “Sure looked like one’a Quade’s hands.”

Drew’s gaze sharpened as he finished chewing. “Is that true?”

“Um, yes.” She paused, took in the sea of angry expressions that surrounded her. “He brought me a telegram from town.”

Drew’s features tightened. “How long was he here? What’d he ask about?”

“I don’t understand. Why does it matter?” Didn’t neighbors do favors for each other out here?

Drew took a drink, then set his glass down a little too hard. “I don’t want any of Quade’s men on the ranch.”

“Mr. Quade himself saved me from some ruffians on the boardwalk when I first arrived. He rode with me out here, delivered me to your doorstep.” Kaitlyn swallowed hard, memories clashing inside her heart. Memories of the men in town following her before Mr. Quade had taken over. Memories of her brother forbidding visitors.

Drew caught his youngest brother’s eye. “You didn’t tell me Quade brought her here.”

Nick added butter to a third piece of cornbread. “I didn’t know.” He scoffed, then turned toward Kaitlyn. “He probably sicced those cowboys on you in the first place.”

“Quade is a snake.” Drew’s voice was sharp. “Most of his hands are even worse.”

Kaitlyn searched his face for a long moment. He believed what he was saying.

That didn’t mean he was right. “Surely one visit can’t hurt.”

“Probably only took one visit for them to burn down the Robbinses’ barn.” Ed reached across the table to refill his bowl.

Tillie tugged on Kaitlyn’s sleeve. “Is theys gonna burn our barn?”

Kaitlyn looked around the table. All the expressions were stern. Except Jo’s. Her smirk had widened and her eyes gleamed. She had brought up this subject. How had she even known one of Quade’s hands had been here?

The rustle in the bushes. Jo must have been spying, gathering information to create this hornet’s nest for Kaitlyn to stumble into.

“Don’t worry, Tillie. Our barn will be fine,” Nick told the little girl.

Kaitlyn couldn’t force herself to meet any of their gazes. “He can’t be that bad.”

Drew snorted. “Yes, he can. He held a gun on our pa. Tried to bully us into selling after—” Drew glanced around the table, his gaze resting on Tillie’s pale face the longest. “Never mind.”

The rest of the meal was quiet. Kaitlyn thought through every moment of her time with Quade. The man Drew and his brothers had described sounded a lot like Michael. Was she really that bad a judge of character?

Or could Quade hide his motives as well as her brother?

Kaitlyn pushed the food around on her plate. Her face burned all the way to her ears. Would Drew raise his hand to her after everyone left them alone?

She didn’t know him well enough. Maybe she never should’ve entered this marriage. When everyone had finished eating, they left the table. Except Drew. Kaitlyn got up to clear the dishes.

Drew stacked some of the dishes and followed her to the kitchen. “The kids can handle the rest.”

She nodded and crossed the room to stand in front of him. Her throat seized and knotted. She pulled the telegram from her pocket and handed it to him. “Here. You can read it. I wasn’t keeping anything from you.”

She moved to the front porch. Here was another hurdle to receiving her money. Things weren’t going well with the kids. What she knew about cattle could be written on a postage stamp.

Did Drew regret the marriage? If things didn’t get better, would he make her leave? Her brother had never troubled himself for her, but she’d always had a roof over her head. Then again, he had needed her allowance. If she didn’t hold up her side of the deal, help with the children, Drew would have every reason to kick her out.

Where would she go? She’d be on her own in Wyoming, not knowing a soul or having a friend.

Easy pickings for her brother.