Devils on Horseback: Lee, Book 4 (9 page)

Twenty minutes later, he walked into the kitchen and knew he was scowling. What the hell kind of idiot was Henry Blanchard? The fool could not have made a bigger mess of the accounts for the farm. Not only was his handwriting terrible, but it seemed he took out money he never recorded. The credits and debits added up to crazy numbers that didn’t make a lick of sense.

Genny sat at the table, sewing the sleeve of a brown shirt, no doubt meant for him. He tried not to think about that and instead shook the ledger book in her general direction.

“What the hell is this?”

She looked at the book. “It was Henry’s. Where did you find it?”

“I know it was Henry’s. It was under the bed gathering dust for the last six months. Although I’m not sure anything you could have entered in here would make the numbers work.” He paced around the table, trying to focus on how to fix the mess Blanchard had left.

“Numbers? I don’t understand.” Genny pointed at the book. “Is this for numbers?”

Lee stared at her. “It’s an accounting ledger, meant for keeping track of money going in and out. Each time you spend money, you write it in, each time you add money, you write it in. Your husband apparently did it when he felt like it because nothing balances in here at all.”

“I’m sorry, Lee, I don’t know anything about it. It’s important, right?” She looked so earnest he couldn’t help but believe she didn’t know what was supposed to be done. Most women were not privy to the financial workings of a business, but Genny was so smart, he’d thought she might have taken over after Henry died.

“Yes, it’s very important. This is what tells you how much money you have so you can make sure you can buy things you need for the farm, for yourselves, as well as any food you need. Without knowing how much you have, there’s no way to know when it will simply run out.”

All color leached from her face, making the cinnamon freckles stand out. “Are you saying we have no money?”

“I don’t know to be honest. It’s such a mess, it will likely take me several days to figure out what he did.” Lee set the book on the table. “I’ll be happy to do what I can, and then maybe show you how to do it.”

She bit her lip and looked at the book with a frown. “I don’t know. Arithmetic isn’t something I can do.”

“A child can do simple arithmetic, Genny. You just have to take the time to sit down and do it.”

“I’ve never learned how.” She turned away and nearly put the shirt up to her nose as she stitched it.

Lee knew he’d been lucky in getting a good education, mostly due to Gideon’s father paying for a tutor. He didn’t know much about her childhood, but it apparently didn’t involve learning basic math skills.

“I can teach you.”

Her shoulders sagged a bit. “No, I don’t think you can.”

Lee picked up a chair and sat beside her. “If I can learn to do farm chores with one hand, you can learn to keep a ledger.” He opened the book on the table and pointed to a page of entries. “See here? He writes down some things like flour, sugar and coffee from Marchison’s, but then there’s nothing here as to what this money was spent on.”

Genny backed away from the table, shaking her head. “I don’t know what he used money for, but it was probably booze and whores.”

“Booze and whores?” Lee turned the ledger so he could look at it again. Maybe she was right. If he put together the missing entries, he might figure out exactly how much Henry Blanchard pumped into Aphrodite’s. “Can you look at the dates and tell me if he, uh, wasn’t here at the farm?”

She stood up and walked toward the kitchen. “No, I can’t. I won’t.”

Lee picked up the book, frustrated with her refusals. Genny knew her husband frequented whores, that much was apparent, she didn’t need to act as if she was unable to see her husband’s infidelity in black and white. She was tougher than that. He brought the book toward her.

“Just look. It won’t take but a few minutes.” He held the book in front of her.

She slapped it down so hard, his hand stung. The book landed with a bang on the wood floor and echoed in the quiet cabin. “I said no.”

“Why the hell not?” He picked up the book and wondered if she had really gotten over her husband’s death. Maybe Genny had loved him too much to even contemplate his stepping out on her.

“Why not? My husband was a pig, a barely human man who spent his time whoring and drinking. I know where the money went. It doesn’t take a smart person to know. I’ve got a farm that’s falling apart, a crop to be brought in by one man, me and a little girl, I don’t know how much money I have or if we’ll survive the winter.” She took a breath and Lee realized she was trembling. “Oh, and I can’t read or write either, much less do simple arithmetic like a child.”

With that she walked out the door, leaving Lee to stand there feeling like he’d kicked her. She couldn’t read or write? He’d had no idea. Judging by the way she spoke, she had a vocabulary better than most farm wives. Didn’t he feel like a complete ass. Again.

Lee set the ledger on the table and went in search of Genny. She was in the back garden pulling up weeds with a vengeance, and he was glad not to be a weed in her chokehold.

“I’m sorry.” He didn’t apologize often and here he was doing it twice in a matter of a few days. “I didn’t mean to push you too hard, Genny. I just wanted to help. I’m not good with words or people and tend to annoy even when I’m not trying to. One thing I can do is arithmetic, and keeping books. The numbers, they just make sense to me.”

She continued yanking up weeds, ignoring him and his apology. Lee wished Jake could whisper in his ear what to say. The redheaded devil had been the most suave of them, charming ladies right and left until Gabby had charmed him. Lee couldn’t charm a rock.

“Please, Genny.”

She stopped pulling up weeds and let out a sigh that made his heart twitch. “My mother never took me to school or taught me any of that kind of thing. She thought it only important I talked like a lady.” Genny sat back on her heels. “Truth is I’m as ignorant as these weeds.”

Lee squatted next to her, realizing there was much more bubbling inside Genny than anger over a cheating husband. She had a lot of secrets and they weighed her down. He cupped her cheek, the soft skin fitting perfectly in his palm.

“I’ll teach you to read and write. Sophie too if you like. We had a tutor growing up so we had all of that crammed down our throats. It’d be nice if it did someone else some good too.” He swallowed, trying to find the right words. “I want to help, Genny. Please let me.”

Lee didn’t realize how hard it would be to offer help to this proud woman. She nuzzled his hand, then landed a kiss on the base of his thumb. Skitters of desire replaced the discomfort of his clumsy attempt at an apology.

“All right, I’d be pleased if you’d teach me and Sophie. She hasn’t been to school and I couldn’t teach her.” Genny offered him a tremulous smile. “Seems like you coming here to work on the farm was exactly what we needed.”

Lee stood quickly and offered her his hand. He wasn’t exactly what anyone needed, but he could try and help the widow Blanchard in any way he could.

* * * * *

The next week passed by quickly. Lee spent an hour or two each night teaching Sophie and Genny the alphabet and numbers. They practiced writing their names and sounding them out. Genny admitted to being a bit embarrassed to be learning her letters at her age, but Sophie was excited to have her as a fellow student.

Lee sat beside Genny at the table, watching as she sounded out the letters in the McGuffey’s Reader. The “b” was especially difficult to watch because she moved her lips as if she were kissing. He wanted her to be kissing him instead of him teaching her to read.

Why had he ever agreed to it? She was capable of finding someone else to teach her and Sophie. Yet he continued each night, torturing himself and knowing what he wanted was to taste those lips again even as they sounded out the word ball.

It was the “l” that made his dick roar to life. Her mouth, oh God, and that tongue. Sheer torture, absolutely sheer torture. If only he hadn’t tasted that mouth or known exactly how that tongue felt pressed against his own.

Genny looked at him expectantly and he realized she’d asked him a question. Yet he’d been lost in a fantasy of how deep she could take his dick into her mouth. Jesus Christ.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?”

She raised her brows as if to let him know she wasn’t unaware of the nature of his woolgathering. “I said how am I doing?”

“Oh, you’re doing great.” He managed a smile even as he tried to tell his wayward stiffness to calm down. Being next to her was bad enough, but he had to go and watch her mouth for an hour.

“Hmm, well good.” She gestured to Sophie, who was currently writing her letters on an old slate Genny had found in Henry’s trunk. “And how is she doing?”

The girl was so bright, it was almost impossible to keep up with her. As an adult, Genny was more difficult to teach because she was pretty much set in her ways. Stepping back into a learning mode was hard for anyone over the age of sixteen. But Sophie was a marvel. She already knew all her letters and numbers, even took time out each afternoon to practice them again and again.

“She’s brilliant.”

Genny closed the book and peered at him, a frown marring her face. “Are you saying that because you are distracted by me or do you really mean it?”

“I mean it. She’s smarter than both of us put together. Pretty soon she’s going to pass me and we’ll have to put her in a real school.”

He must’ve said something wrong because Genny’s expression shuttered closed against him.

“She’s not going to a real school. Ever.” She picked up the book, but her eyes moved too rapidly across the page. Obviously she was only trying to avoid the conversation.

“Why not? What are you afraid of?” He pushed the book back to the table until she let go of it.

“I don’t want her to suffer for being who she is.”

“I don’t understand what that means.” Lee looked at Sophie. “She’s perfectly normal and very smart. Do you think the children at school will tease her or something? That’s normal, you know.”

Genny shook her head. “No, that’s not what I’m worried about. Sophie is, well, different than other kids. She’s outspoken and stubborn, and she curses like a cowboy.”

“I’ve noticed that.” Lee wondered how the hell the brat had picked up such a colorful vocabulary.

“Henry didn’t care who was around when he cussed. She grew up using cuss words the way ordinary folks say hello or good morning.” Genny glanced at her daughter. “I tried to teach her right but Henry, well, he didn’t like me spoiling her. Said it was good enough for a bastard like Sophie.”

Lee realized what she’d said and it rang like a bell in his head. “What do you mean a bastard like Sophie?”

Genny’s cheeks colored. “It was just the way he talked. He didn’t mean nothing by it except that she was just a farm girl, didn’t need pretty speech or fancy clothes.”

It was the first time Lee knew for certain Genny had lied to him. She sucked at it. As much as he wanted to find out why she lied, he didn’t want to push the topic. He could tell she was done talking about it when she stood up and ushered Sophie to get ready for bed.

A bastard? How could Sophie be a bastard if Genny and Henry had been married?

* * * * *

Lee was surprisingly good and patient as a teacher. Genny found her heart slipping farther and farther into his pocket with each passing day. He was a good man and he had so much to offer, if only he’d realize it.

The biggest problem Genny faced was that they were never alone, and that was Lee’s doing.

He started each day before her, leaving the cabin so early the moon was still in the sky, even took his meals in the evenings after their lessons. It was ridiculous and it was beginning to annoy her. They were good for each other. So she took it upon herself to make him understand that instead of waiting for him to come to his senses.

She had made biscuits and put the milk jug in the stream behind the house to cool it. The day Genny had asked Gabby for help, her friend had confided to her Lee liked cold milk almost as much as she did. In fact, Gabby had been surprised Lee was drinking coffee instead of milk. At first, Genny thought it was odd a man liked milk, but the more she got to know him, the more endearing it was. A sharp contrast to his rough exterior. Genny wanted to surprise him with a glass of it and warm biscuits with honey.

Carrying a basket with a milk bottle, honey jar and biscuits, she crept into the barn and closed the door behind her. Sophie had been following Lee around all week and was exhausted enough to take a nap every day. For the most part, Genny was alone with Lee during those precious nap times.

Newly clean, the barn looked wonderful and actually smelled like a barn instead of an outhouse. Ned seemed happier, if that were possible, and Lee’s horse was amenable to the stall he called home too.

Lee had been sorting through the tools Henry had accumulated. There were a bunch of hand tools, some equipment for the fields and a tangled pile of tack that may or may not actually be useful. Most of it was in the tack room or on the bench at the back wall of the barn. The shadowed interior was cool in the warm, late-summer afternoon.

She heard him mumbling to himself, or rather cursing under his breath, as she approached the back of the barn. She had to hide a smile when she heard him sigh almost as dramatically as Sophie did. Although he called her “brat” and seemed to barely tolerate her, Genny knew he’d taken a liking to Sophie. She was a wonderful girl even if she tested everyone’s limits sometimes.

Genny came around the corner and saw Lee peering at the cradle, the tool used to harvest the wheat. Henry had been too cheap to buy a mechanical reaper so he usually hired a couple of farmhands to harvest the wheat with the cradles he stocked in the barn.

“It’s called a cradle.”

He started at the sound of her voice and scowled mightily. “You need to wear a bell, woman. Stop sneaking up on me.”

She smiled at his grumpy response. “I brought you an afternoon treat.” Holding up the basket, she headed for the workbench. “Sophie’s taking a nap and I just made these biscuits. They smelled so good I thought you might want one.”