Matt (The Cowboys) (36 page)

She loved him. He loved her. Everything had changed, and he didn’t know what to do about it.

“Are you going to answer my question?” the judge asked. “You look shocked.”

“I expect he is,” Ellen said. “I haven’t had a chance to tell him that my feelings have changed.”

“You mean …” The judge looked from one to the other. “Damnation!” he exclaimed, breaking into a huge grin. “I never have been a witness to the first declaration of love. Even missed my own. My wife told me she loved me after I got myself knocked unconscious rescuing her from a frightened horse.”

Matt felt his tongue flap uselessly in his mouth. No matter what he started to say, it didn’t seem right. It was either too much or too little. Or untrue. But this was no time to deal in untruths, even for the judge’s benefit.

“Ellen isn’t the only one who’s undergone a change of sentiment,” Matt said, looking at Ellen rather than the judge. “I always liked her, but it’s hard for an unsociable man to know how to court a beautiful woman, especially when he’s already saddled with two boys.”

“And she has a reputation for seducing her employer’s son,” Ellen said, her gaze riveted on Matt.

“I never believed that.”

“I know.”

“It looks like if Wilbur Sears weren’t so pigheaded you two would never have gotten together.” The judge put his glass down and started to heave himself out of his chair. “I imagine you two have a lot to say to each other. I’d better get on to Hollender if I’m ever to have my supper. I’ll arrange for the examination and do my best to make certain the results remain a secret. In the meantime, I’ll leave the boy with the Maxwells. I think even Wilbur Sears will agree that’s a reasonable arrangement.”

Matt was certain Wilbur wouldn’t agree to anything short of Hank’s being handed over to his uncle immediately. Even if Matt told him the uncle had been abusing the boy, he wouldn’t believe it. He would be certain Matt had some ulterior motive for spreading such a slander.

Matt had just gotten to his feet when a series of imperative knocks sounded on the door to the judge’s room.

“Come in,” he called impatiently.

The door opened to admit Mabel Jackson, dragging Orin by the ear. She was closely followed by a woman Matt didn’t know, who seemed to be equally irate.

“I demand you arrest this boy as a thief,” Mabel announced, looking in triumph at Matt. “I caught him in my house trying to steal my jewelry box.”

Matt’s gaze had gone straight to Orin the minute Mabel pulled the boy into the room. It was clear from Orin’s expression that he wasn’t innocent, but Matt knew he wasn’t a thief. He’d never shown any desire for personal possessions. He certainly couldn’t have any use for a jewelry box.

“I’m certain he’s the one who stole my husband’s gold watch the day of the church picnic,” the woman with Mabel said. “My neighbor saw him sneaking around my house about an hour before my husband and I returned.”

Orin ran straight to Matt and threw his arms around his waist. He didn’t protest his innocence when Matt put his hand on his head. He didn’t even look up.

“That’s all the proof you need that Matt Haskins isn’t fit to raise that boy,” Mabel announced. “Look at him, coddling the little thief like he’d done nothing wrong.”

“Regardless of what he’s done, he’s a child and he’s frightened,” Matt said. “He needs to know I love him and mean to take care of him. You’d do the same for one of your children.”

“We’re not talking about my children,” Mabel said, for all the world as though her children were of a superior race. “My children would never steal.”

“No, your son only got his friends to help him jump Toby because your daughter continues to wink at him,” Ellen said.

Mabel turned white, then red. “I insist you arrest that child immediately.”

“I think this is more the province of your sheriff,” the judge said.

“He’s just as bad as you,” Mabel exclaimed. “He can’t see anything wrong with Matt and that woman, either.”

“I think we ought to hear what Orin has to say,” Matt said.

“I don’t see why,” Mabel said. “I caught him in my room. I know he’s guilty.”

“Why did you do it?” Matt asked Orin, loosening the boy’s grasp and holding him at arm’s length. “Look at me,” Matt said when Orin continued to stare at the floor. “Why were you trying to take Mrs. Jackson’s jewelry box?” He put his hand under Orin’s chin and lifted his head until he could look into the boy’s eyes.

“I wasn’t trying to steal her stupid old box,” Orin told Matt. “I wanted my mama’s picture. She asked me to give it to my daughter some day so she’d know what her grandmother looked like.”

“Is there a picture of Orin’s mother in that box?” Matt asked Mabel.

She looked flustered. “I don’t know. I bought the box because I thought it was pretty. I never bothered to look inside.”

“Do you want the picture of his mother?”

“Of course not. Why would I want such a thing?”

Matt turned back to Orin. “Did you take the watch?”

Orin nodded his head. “It was my pa’s. He got it from his pa. It was supposed to be mine, but they wouldn’t give it to me.”

“Who wouldn’t give it to you?”

“Ermajean. She said I couldn’t have it or anything else. She said they would need all the money they could get to pay for her taking care of such a troublesome boy as me.”

“Where is the watch?” Matt asked.

Orin hung his head. “It’s at the ranch. I hid it in a crack in the loft.”

“You know you have to return it, don’t you?”

Orin nodded.

“I don’t want the watch,” the woman said. “I never knew it was promised to the boy. I bought it for my husband, but he doesn’t use it. Please, let him keep it.”

“Thank you, ma’am, but I don’t allow my boys to steal, regardless of the reason. You’ll get it back.”

“I couldn’t keep it now, not knowing how much he wants it.”

“Then we’ll buy it back,” Matt said. “Do you remember how much you paid for it?”

“No, and I don’t care. Let the boy have it.”

“We’ll pay for it. Please put a value on it.”

“How about two dollars?”

“Surely you paid more.”

“Maybe, but it’s only worth two dollars to me now.”

Matt turned to Mabel. “Would you let us buy the jewelry box?” he asked. He could tell she was furious the situation had turned out so differently from what she’d expected, but she actually looked a little chagrined.

“He can have it,” she said.

“I insist we buy it. How much do you think it’s worth?”

She took a deep, agitated breath. “Oh, make it twenty-five cents. It’s only a trumpery piece of nothing.”

“I don’t have any money on me right now,” Matt said, “but—”

“I do,” Ellen said, opening her purse. She counted out two dollars. “Thank you, ma’am, for being so understanding.”

“I wish I’d known,” the woman said. “I’d have given the poor boy his father’s watch the minute I paid for it. I can’t imagine Ermajean being so mean.”

Matt marveled that people could live in a small town for years and know so little about their neighbors.

“Here’s your money,” Ellen said, handing Mabel two bits. “If you don’t mind, Orin and I will accompany you home, so we can get the jewelry box and picture now.”

“Sit down and have a drink,” the judge said to Matt after everyone else had left. “You deserve it. Do you always manage to extricate your boys from trouble that neatly?”

Matt felt so relieved he allowed himself a smile. “No, but Mabel and Wilbur are so determined to take Orin from me, they pounce on any opportunity they find.”

Matt was never to learn what the judge would have said next. The door burst open and Toby practically fell into the room.

“Where is Orin?” he asked, breathless. “They said the sheriff was going to put him in jail for stealing. The sheriff doesn’t have him. I asked.”

“You can begin by apologizing to the judge for bursting into his room without knocking,” Matt said.

“Sorry, sir,” Toby said to the judge, “but they said Mrs. Jackson brought Orin here.”

“She did, but the trouble is all worked out,” the judge replied. “Why don’t you come in and have a seat?”

Toby entered, looking somewhat sheepish. “I’m Toby, sir. I—”

“I remember. You’re the one Mrs. Jackson’s daughter likes to wink at.”

Toby had the good grace to blush before he turned back to Matt. “I know I swore I wouldn’t let Orin out of my sight for a minute. I didn’t mean to lose him.”

“I hope she was very pretty,” Matt said.

“We can’t have any of you getting into any more trouble,” Matt told the four children gathered around the table. “Everything is hanging in the balance for us as well as Hank.”

“When can he come home?” Noah asked.

“I don’t know. Soon, I hope.”

It warmed Ellen’s heart to hear Noah call the ranch home. That was how she felt about it.

“If we want to be a family, we’ve got to start thinking like one,” Ellen said. “I’ve been just as bad as anybody else about letting Matt do all the thinking for us, but this is our family, too. We all have to take responsibility for it.”

“I don’t mind being part of the family,” Toby said. “I ain’t going to be adopted, but I’ll help you adopt the little ones.”

“That’s sweet of you,” Ellen said.

“I’m a sweet guy,” Toby said. “All the girls say so.”

There was no way to keep Toby down for long. He knew he should have kept his eye on Orin, but it was hard to blame him too much after Orin confessed he’d steered Toby toward a girl so he could sneak away. As far as Toby was concerned, if things ended well, they were forgotten. Ellen supposed that was best. It would certainly make for less strain, but she couldn’t forget. They were close to being able to adopt the children, but they weren’t out of the woods yet. She knew Matt would do anything he thought necessary to protect Hank. She just hoped nothing more would happen. Surely once Hank had been examined, there wouldn’t be any question of returning him to his uncle’s custody.

“Just see if you can stay away from girls for a few more weeks,” Matt said to Toby as he stood. “It’s time for everybody to get to bed. We’ve had a long day. Unfortunately, we didn’t get much work done on the garden. Tomorrow it’s up at dawn and no stopping until we get everything planted.”

The children trooped off to bed with a chorus of groans.

“You keep that up and I’ll plant a row of brussel sprouts.”

With assorted “Yucks!” and “Ughs!” the kids ran to their rooms, leaving Matt and Ellen facing each other across the room.

“We have a lot to talk about,” he said. “I’ll make Tess’s story really short.”

Ellen couldn’t keep her mind on the routine of putting the children to bed. She forgot to check behind Noah’s ears, tucked Mrs. Ogden in on the wrong side of the bed, and didn’t remember a word of Matt’s story. She undressed, pulled her nightgown over her head, and jumped into bed, her body stiff with apprehension. She didn’t know what Matt would say, but if he didn’t say he loved her, she was certain she would die.

It seemed like she waited twice as long as usual, but she knew that was nerves. Matt wasn’t one to avoid an issue. Yet when he came into the room, he didn’t say a word. He undressed without blowing out the light. She was so nervous, she couldn’t even enjoy looking at his body. She held her breath when he got into bed. Still, he didn’t put out the light.

He turned over to face her.

“What did you mean when you said you loved me?” Matt asked. His mind had been in a ferment since Ellen told the judge she loved him. He had a thousand questions, none of which he could answer himself. He had to have her answer, her explanation. He braced himself for the admission that she’d only said it to convince the judge to let them adopt the children.

“Just what I said. I love you. I didn’t mean to fall in love with you. I didn’t even know I had until today.”

There was no other way to interpret what she’d said. She had to mean she loved him. He remembered how she’d looked in the judge’s room, saw how she looked now. Still, he couldn’t quite believe it. “It’s not going to change anything if you don’t love me. You can still stay here.”

The covers rustled and the bed lurched as Ellen propped herself up on her elbow, took him by the shoulder, and shook him. “I said I loved you, Matt Haskins. I don’t know why it took me so long to figure it out. You’re exactly the kind of man I was certain I’d never find.”

He wanted to believe her, but it was hard. “What kind of man were you looking for?”

“One who was kind, gentle, thoughtful—”

“Weak.”

“No. It takes a strong man to be kind and thoughtful, a man so sure of himself, he isn’t afraid to show gentleness.”

She had it all wrong. He hadn’t done anything like that.

“You’re the strongest man I know. You’ve stood up to Wilbur, Mabel, the sheriff, this town, anybody who threatened one of your boys. You did it regardless of the cost to yourself. Then you added me and the kids to your burden.”

“You’re not a burden.”