Authors: Jae
Steps thumped across the veranda, and Amy
let go of Rika's hand.
When Rika lifted her head, she came face to
face with Phin, who froze in the middle of the veranda. "Hendrika."
Belatedly, he tipped his hat.
Oh, Lord, this is awkward.
This was the first time Rika had seen him after refusing his
marriage proposal, and she knew she needed to clear the air between them.
"Can you give us a minute?" she asked Amy.
Amy hesitated.
"Please?" While she appreciated
Amy's protectiveness, it was better if Amy wasn't involved. She didn't want to
destroy the friendship between Amy and Phin, and she certainly didn't want Phin
to start suspecting Amy was why she'd refused to marry him. Some day, they
might need to figure out a way to tell him, but not now, when it was still so
new.
"All right. I'll take care of Old
Jack." Amy slid from the wagon and freed the gelding of his harness. After
one last glance at Rika, she walked away.
"So..." Phin shoved his hands
into his pant pockets. "You're really back? Must have changed your mind at
the very last second."
"Yes." It was hard, but she
forced herself to look him in the eye. "I know it must be awkward for you.
I'm sure people are talking."
"Any particular reason for your change
of mind?" Phin asked as if Rika hadn't spoken.
A lump formed in Rika's throat. Did he
suspect that she was staying because of Amy? She swallowed. "I like it
here."
"You just don't like me," Phin
said. He sounded almost calm, but Rika knew if nothing else, his pride had to
be hurt.
Sighing, she climbed from the wagon seat
and approached him. "I like you just fine, Phin." She touched his
arm, then retreated. "But I don't love you. I'm sorry it took me so long
to figure out I don't want to keep living my life making compromises. You
deserve better than that too."
Phin took one hand out of his pocket. He
rubbed the back of his neck and tilted his head, studying her for long moments.
Then his shoulders settled into a more relaxed stance. "I still don't
understand why you changed your mind all of a sudden," he said. "But
in the end, you did me a favor. My heart wasn't really in it either." A
hesitant smile replaced his frowning expression.
The tightness in Rika's throat eased. She
breathed in deeply. "Are you gonna have supper with us?"
"No. I'm on my way to town." He
pointed to the dotted Appaloosa tied to the hitching rail. "The boys want
to celebrate the Fourth of July, and once I leave next week, I won't get as
many chances to beat their sorry asses at the poker table."
"Good luck, then," Rika said, not
knowing what else she could say.
"You too."
When he walked away, Rika stared after him.
And maybe I'll need it. Now that Nora and Luke know I'm not just Amy's
friend, this is a bit like having supper with my future parents-in-law.
The
thought startled her.
Oh, Lord.
* * *
Luke placed the tin cups back on their shelf and lingered
against the wall, watching Hendrika dry another plate. She rubbed the back of
her neck, a bit self-conscious about doing female chores in front of Hendrika.
But Hendrika smiled whenever she handed
Luke a dried plate, apparently not thinking anything of it.
At the copper sink, Amy washed the dishes and glanced
sidelong at Hendrika. "Is your shoulder all right to dry?"
"Stop worrying." Hendrika bumped her with her left
elbow. "It's been two weeks. The shoulder is fine."
Luke bit back a smile.
Seems Amy is a mother hen too.
A little later, Amy washed the last plate. When she handed
it to Hendrika, their fingers touched and they met each other's gaze.
Then, as if becoming aware that someone was watching, Amy
pulled away and turned back toward the sink.
Luke threw a glance over her shoulder, making sure Nattie
had left to check on the horses. "It's all right to show affection in this
house, you know?"
As if demonstrating, Nora entered and wrapped her arm around
Luke's hip.
"You better be careful around other people," Luke
said, "but you don't need to keep your feelings a secret from your own
family."
"And you should tell your sister," Nora added.
Blushing, Amy busied herself drying her hands. "I will.
But not yet. Speaking of not keeping secrets..." She looked up and gnawed
on her lip. "Rika knows."
Luke tilted her head and watched Hendrika step closer to
Amy. "Knows what?"
"About you."
A feeling of danger rushed through Luke, but she forced back
her instinctive reaction. Her gaze darted back between Amy and Hendrika.
Grateful, she felt Nora lean against her. "You told her?"
"I told Rika a bit and she guessed the rest."
Guessed?
Luke's muscles tightened. Had she become so
careless that people were able to guess now?
"Please don't be angry with Amy," Hendrika said.
"She didn't intend to betray you in any way, but she was upset and needed
someone to talk to."
"I'm not angry," Luke said, more for Amy's benefit
than Hendrika's. "I'm just..." She felt exposed, as if her skin had
been stripped away, leaving her defenseless, but she wasn't ready to admit it
and make herself even more vulnerable.
"I want you to know that I would never, ever give away
your secret." Hendrika pressed one hand to her chest and earnestly stared
up at Luke. "I respect you so much for telling Amy." Her glance slid
over to Nora. "Both of you."
Nora slipped her hand beneath Luke's vest and drew soothing
circles across Luke's back. "We told Amy so that she would have someone to
talk to, someone who understands how she feels. Now I want to extend the same
offer to you, Hendrika. If you ever need someone to talk to or have any
questions, please don't hesitate to come to us."
Luke's chest expanded with love.
Here I am, acting like a
scared rabbit, while Nora willingly opens up to Hendrika. Between the two of
us, she's always been the brave one.
She leaned forward and pressed a kiss
to Nora's cheek.
"Thank you." Hendrika smiled — a close-mouthed
smile that only reluctantly spread across her face.
She's a bit guarded, not as at ease as she wants us to
think.
Getting used to the changes in her family would take some time for
all of them.
"Actually, I do have a question, if you don't
mind." Hendrika glanced at Amy, then back to Nora. "How did you
decide to spend your life," she lowered her voice, "with a
woman?"
"When I married Amy's father —" Nora stopped and
pressed a hand to her mouth. "Lord, I keep saying that, don't I? Some
days, I forget that you girls know now." She sent Amy an apologetic
glance, then smiled and rubbed Luke's back. "Some days, I even forget that
Luke and I... that Amy is not physically a product of our love."
"Maybe I am," Amy said. "Having you and Papa
in my life made me what I am today."
Luke sucked in a breath. Was she to blame for Amy looking
for love with women, not men?
But Amy smiled, not looking accusing at all. "I learned
early on to recognize love when I see it."
Do you see it when you look at Rika?
Luke wondered as
her tense muscles relaxed. She didn't ask, though. Time would tell.
"It was different for me," Nora said, answering
the question that Luke had almost forgotten by now. "As far as people are
concerned, I'm not sharing my life with a woman. I'm sharing it with Lucas
Hamilton, my husband. If you and Amy want to share your lives, you need to find
your own way."
"We can't tell people we're cousins either," Amy
said, her shoulders slumping. "Not if we want to stay at the ranch."
Luke thought hard. There had to be a way. "Nattie will
leave soon to study back East."
"Yes," Hendrika said, "people in town are
already talking about that."
"I can just imagine what they say about that strange
Mr. Hamilton who lets his daughter go east unchaperoned." Luke snorted.
"And even worse, he lets the girl study veterinary surgery, as if it
wasn't enough to have one daughter riding around in pants."
When Hendrika looked stunned, then hid a smile behind her
hand, Luke knew that it was exactly what the townsfolk were saying. Not that
she cared. "So, with Nattie gone, Nora back to teaching in the fall, and
Amy and me out on the range all the time, the ranch needs a woman to look after
it."
A squeeze from Nora let her know that she understood where Luke
was going. "Yes. We might have to hire someone."
A smile spread over Amy's face. "You mean...?"
"It makes sense," Luke said. "We already know
Hendrika and know she's a hard worker and a good cook. Of course, to take
proper care of her duties as a housekeeper, Hendrika would have to live on the
ranch. Would you want to do that, Hendrika?"
"I—" Hendrika took Amy's hand and squeezed.
"Yes, yes, of course! I'd love to live here."
Luke nodded. "Then it's settled."
Amy rushed forward and engulfed both Luke and Nora in an
enthusiastic embrace. "Thank you, Mama and Papa."
Luke pressed a kiss to the reddish locks. Over Amy's head,
she smiled at Hendrika. "You're welcome."
R
IKA'S
SUNDAY-POLISHED boots squeaked over the church floor as she fidgeted. She
wanted to slip past Reverend Rhodes and out of the church, hoping to escape
before he could ask about her canceled wedding plans — again.
But the pastor stood in front of the church portal and
exchanged pleasantries with Tess and Frankie, and Rika knew she couldn't leave
before it was her turn to say good-bye to him.
"You should come by one morning," Tess said.
"We're planning on offering breakfast at the hotel too, and my cousin is a
wonderful cook."
When Rika had hired on as a maid in the hotel, she had
assumed that Tess would rule the kitchen, while Frankie would take care of
their guests' horses. Instead, she found that Frankie and Tess shared tasks
equally.
Tess patted Frankie's hand and smiled at her, not hiding her
affection.
Without thought, Rika straightened her shoulders too.
Frankie
and Tess hold their heads up high, even though they had to listen to the
reverend going on and on about every sin in the Good Book.
They thanked the
pastor for his sermon as if he hadn't just promised them eternal hell.
It's
almost as if they know better and are just humoring him.
She watched them say good-bye to the pastor and wander away,
arm in arm.
They're at peace with this,
Rika realized.
With
themselves and each other.
Rika wished the same for her and Amy.
Finally, it was her turn to say good-bye. She shook the
pastor's hand, mumbled a few pleasantries, and then hurried outside, closely
followed by Amy and the rest of the Hamilton family.
Tess and Frankie waved them over.
Amy ducked her head and looked left and right before she
walked toward them, as if to make sure no one was watching her talk to the two
companions. Then she sent Rika an apologetic glance.
"Come over to the hotel and pick up a basket before you
leave," Tess said. "We've been testing out a menu for the hotel, and
now we have too much food."
"If you have any apple pie, I won't say no to
that," Luke said. "You know I always had a bit of a sweet
tooth."
"What about you young folks?" Frankie nodded at
Amy, Nattie, and Rika. "Hendrika worked hard this week, and I bet the rest
of you did too. Maybe you could go on a picnic?"
"Oh, could we?" Rika clapped her hands. "I've
never gone on a picnic." Back in Boston, Sundays had been spent mending
clothes, writing letters, and fighting over the magazines in Mrs. Gillespie's
parlor.
Nattie looked over to the hitching rail, where Phin was now
mounting his horse. "I promised Phin a reading lesson later, so I'd rather
go home."
No picnic, then.
Rika fought not to let her
disappointment show. Still, she couldn't help glancing at Amy, waiting for her
answer. Maybe just the two of them could go. She longed for a moment alone with
Amy.
"Sure," Amy said. Now that they had confessed
their feelings to each other, she was no longer hesitant to spend time with
Rika. "If you want to have a picnic, I know the perfect place."
* * *
With the basket of food in one hand, Amy wandered along the
river. They passed a few nice spots, but Amy kept going and Rika followed.
Soon, the river meandered through the forest.
"You want to have a picnic in the forest?" Rika
asked.
"Just wait and see. I promise it'll be perfect — and
secluded," Amy added with a slight blush.
They wandered through the forest, padding over a carpet of
pine needles and ducking beneath low-hanging branches.
"There." Amy pointed.
Rika stopped to take it all in.
The river twisted south, flowing in a wide arch. In that
bend of the river, the trees parted, and they stepped onto a meadow dotted with
wildflowers. A willow growing along the bank dipped its branches into the
river. Colorful ducks bobbed up and down on the water, paddling against the
gentle current.
"Oh, Amy. It's beautiful." The Hamiltons had taken
her to almost every part of their land, but she'd never seen the hidden meadow
before.
"Papa brought me and Nattie here after Measles died.
It's a special place."
Their gazes met and held.
Rika touched Amy's forearm and let her hand linger.
"Thank you for sharing it with me."
Amy ran the back of her index finger along Rika's cheek in a
gesture so tender that it made Rika shiver. "You're welcome."
Wrinkling her nose, Amy spread a blanket she'd taken from
the wagon over a flat part of the meadow. "Sorry. It's a saddle blanket
and might be a bit smelly. I should have remembered to bring a clean blanket."