Authors: Karen Noland
Kate flushed bright red, “How did
you know?”
“A woman’s been around as long as
me knows these things. What’d you tell him?”
“I didn’t tell him anything,” she
cried, “I couldn’t! I was in shock, and now he thinks he can court me.” The
tears she had fought all day began to trickle down her cheeks. “Now Jake is mad
at me, I feel so lost. Oh, Nana, what am I going to do?” Kate didn’t often call
her Nana, it was always Mrs. Insley, until she needed her mother, only then did
she break down and call the woman by the childhood endearment.
The older woman sighed and sat down
near the fire. Patting the bench beside her, she whispered, “come here, dear.”
Kate walked over and sank to her
knees, putting her head in Nana’s lap. The feeling was safe and warm. She
thought of her own mother, and the comfort she always sought in her wisdom.
I
miss you, momma. I need you so much
. Nana stroked the girl’s soft hair for
a moment, letting her find the solace she needed before continuing. “Jake’s not
mad, you know. He’s just gonna let you find your way in this.”
Kate sniffed, staring into the
flickering flames, as the sun set and the shadows lengthened in the quiet room.
“Search your heart, girl,
God will place the answers there. Listen for His voice, you’ll hear it.” Saying
no more, she bent and placed a tender kiss on Kate’s cheek. Taking the girl’s
face in both of her small worn hands she searched her eyes. Seemingly
satisfied, she nodded. Rising, she packed her few things away in her basket and
headed toward the front door.
“What in the world?” came the
exclamation as Nana opened the living room door to the front porch. Jake,
heading over form the barn heard her cry and hurried around to the front, while
Kate came from the kitchen.
There on the front steps was a
haunch of venison, smoked and cured, laying on a length of clean muslin. Nearby
Kate noticed a small colorful bunch of wild flowers tied with a leather thong
and a hawk’s feather. She smiled tenderly picking up the bouquet. “Tochoway,”
she whispered, searching the gathering darkness for any trace of the tall dark
man.
“Tochoway? You mean that savage
was back here?” Nana sounded mortified. “I don’t like the idea of savages
sneakin’ around here when we’re not home!”
Jake looked at his dear little
wife, “Would you rather they were sneakin’ around here while we
were
home?” he asked, eyes twinkling.
Nana gave him baleful look.
***
Tochoway sat on his pony watching
the family return from Fallis. He saw the stranger on the gray horse. A strong
man, that was good. He watched as the women entered the house, and the men went
to the barn. Still he waited. His eyes riveted on Kate as she carried a large
bundle from the house. He smiled as she paused to watch the horses. Tochoway
believed the horse was a special spirit for Kate. The Great Father’s creation
was not limited to man. Did not the very rocks and trees echo His existence?
How much more so, then the living, breathing animals He gave life to? The Great
Father made all creatures, and to some He gave the gift of communion; Kate’s
was the horse, just as his was the hawk.
The evening stretched on, it was
nearly dark and he was growing weary when his token was finally discovered. He
saw Kate pick up the flowers. Would she know the healing properties of each? He
hoped the significance would not be lost on her. As her fingers ran lightly over
the hawk’s feather and her eyes scanned the horizon searching for him, he was
satisfied. Raising his hand in peace, he turned his pony and rode into the
night.
***
Kate sat on the edge of her bed,
her Bible clutched tightly in her hands. Emotions raged through her heart. So
many changes had occurred in just one day, she couldn’t grasp the significance
of any of them fully. Closing her eyes she tried to pray, but the voices in her
head would not be stilled. Standing, she drifted to the window, and looked out
over the land. She opened the curtains and raised the pane letting the cool
night air rush in. The sheer cotton nightgown she wore billowed gracefully
about her as the wind filled it like the sails of a great ship. Breathing
deeply of the cleansing breeze, she willed her mind to peaceful repose. Turning
her eyes upon the Lord, she finally managed to still the fears within her.
Returning to the bed she sat upon
it and let her Bible fall open. She smiled. It had been years since she had
chosen to read at random like this. She had tried to order her reading like she
managed the rest of her life. Strictly reading passages that she knew, or
finding the ones she believed applied to a certain situation. She remembered
how her mother had once shown her to open the Book, and blindly point to
scripture at random. So many times those verses held more meaning than those
she would laboriously track down.
Closing her eyes she placed her
hand upon a page, stopping midway down. She opened her eyes and began reading
from the Book of Psalms,
Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell
in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord;
and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
She smiled softly. What
a beautiful promise. The Bible was filled with God’s promises.
Trust in the Lord
.
She stared out the open window, the land stretched as far as she could see. She
did trust in the Lord, and the land was provided. Could she be the kind of
steward the Lord would have her to be? They continued to be fed and provided
for. Trust.
Delight thyself in the Lord
. But what
were
the
desires of her heart? Jo’s smiling face danced before her mind’s eye. She
smiled. Suddenly, an image of Luke appeared in her mind, but behind him were
dark and soulful eyes shimmering in the distance as though seen through a fog.
She frowned. What about Luke?
A hawk screeched in the night,
breaking the spell. The air flowing through the window was turning colder. She
rose and closed the window, turned out the lamp, and went to bed secure and
peaceful in God’s loving promises.
***
Luke unpacked his few belongings
from the saddlebags. He put the farrier tools in the chest at the foot of the
bunk he had chosen. There were hooks on the wall above the bed to hang his clothes
and his chaps. The straw filled tick already lay soft and inviting on the rough
frame, and he covered it with a muslin sheet and dark wool blanket. He threw a
couple of books on the bed The other cowboys he had worked with weren’t much
for reading, but he still enjoyed good literature, and he continued to carry a
book or two, trading them for new ones whenever he could. Not everything his
father had tried to instill in him had gone to waste, he thought ruefully.
Picking up his razor and a
few other personal items, he carried them to the washstand. Jonathan had filled
the pitcher with fresh water before leaving for the night. Opening the door on
the front of the stand he reached in to stash his belongings. As he dropped the
things, his hand bumped an object already there. Curious, he pulled out a book.
He turned it over and realized that it was a Bible. The word was intricately
scrolled across the front in fading gold leaf. The leather cover was worn, and
the pages fragile from use.
In his mind’s eye he saw his
father standing in his pulpit reading from just such a Bible every Sunday. The
stern commands and fiery words casting fear through Luke’s young mind. Later,
when Pa had sent him to seminary, the Bible had taken on different proportions
and meanings. He had dutifully studied the Word, finding in it an interesting
history, and useful narratives, but he never found the deep, abiding love that
others found there.
Rising, he glanced out the window
into the quiet moonlit night. Something caught his eye, looking again, he
realized that a light was on in the main house, and a figure stood silhouetted
at the window. He watched as she opened the pane and the breeze caught her
white gown, blowing it against her. Loose brown hair blew softly across her face
obscuring her features. He watched in stunned silence for a moment before
averting his eyes and closing the curtains.
Who was this woman he now
worked for? He knew only what Martha had told him. Kate Shaughnessey was
widowed a few months back, running the small ranch by herself, she needed
steady help, and hadn’t been able to find any. Martha said that Kate was too
proud to ask for much, and she had alluded to some trouble brewing with one of
the other ranchers in the area, but nothing specific.
The woman he met in Fallis today
was obviously strong and independent, not something he generally preferred in
women, but it seemed to suit her. He sensed a strong undercurrent of emotion
that was just below the surface, something she kept a tight rein on. After she
had returned from her meeting with Johnson, she had grown hard and cold. Was
Matt Johnson the man causing trouble?
Tossing the Bible onto the bed
with his other books, he vowed to see this woman and her wonderful family
safely through the fall market before he would leave Providence. He heard a
hawk calling in the night, a haunting sound as though its heart were breaking.
The sun was already peeking
through the lace curtains when Kate’s eyes opened. “Oh no!” she cried jumping
out of bed. She could already hear Nana banging pots around in the kitchen.
“How did it get so late?” She must have slept half way through morning chores.
Pulling on a pair of trousers and a clean cotton shirt, she tucked it in
quickly and cinched up the leather belt. She stuffed her feet quickly into wool
socks and a pair of old leather boots that had seen far better days, but were
oh so comfortable, and dashed out to the kitchen.
“Oh, Mrs. Insley, I’m so sorry. I
didn’t have the fire going or anything,” she apologized.
“No mind. I’ve done it myself.
Hurry off and get those horses tended to before the men have to do it all
themselves.”
“I’ll hurry!” Kate replied
slapping the old felt hat down over her loose curls and grabbing her jacket
from the peg by the door.
She reached the barn in
time to see Jake beginning to pitch the hay into Raven’s manger. A stab of
guilt shot through her. “Jake, I’m sorry I’m late. Give me that. I’ll finish
the horses.”
“You’re taking to sleeping in as
late as my Jon!” he grinned. “No need to worry. Between Luke and I we got ‘bout
all the chores done already.”
Luke! In her rush this morning,
she had nearly forgotten about the new hand. Looking around the dim barn, she
saw him watching one of her mares in the foaling stall. Pitching the hay to
Raven and giving him a quick pat, she walked over to the foaling stall.
Jake was busy hitching his mares
to the plow, while Jonathan milked the jersey cows they kept for milk and
butter. The rest of the morning’s chores had already been finished, leaving
Kate feeling quite guilty and almost useless for a moment.
***
Luke did a double take as Kate
entered the barn. It was the first time he had ever seen a woman dressed in
men’s clothing. He had to admit, with those curls floating around her face beneath
that old dusty hat, she was actually quite charming, but it would sure take
some getting used to.
“She’s due next week, but since
she started bagging early, I brought her up last Friday.” Kate offered quietly
coming to stand next to him.
“Has she waxed?”
“Haven’t checked yet today,
but she hadn’t yesterday morning.” Kate answered, opening the stall gate. She
ran a hand down the dun mare’s golden side. Feeling the life within moving
lazily, she smiled a radiant smile. Luke realized that it was the first time he
had seen her smile. It lit up her entire face, giving her a simple childlike
glow that he found hard to resist. He found himself wondering if she would ever
smile at him in just that way.
Reaching lower, she felt the
mare’s udder. It was full and swollen, dripping a creamy looking milk. “No wax,
but she’s milking, should be soon.”
“Do you want me to keep an eye on
her tonight?”
Kate looked up as though she had
forgotten that he was standing there. “You don’t mind?”
“Naw, I’m right next door,” he
laughed.
“You’ve foaled out a mare?”
“A few.”
“Well, it would set my mind to
ease some,” she agreed. “I’ve been a little worried about how big she is this
time. I can’t afford to lose one.”
“Has she had any problems in the
past?”
“No, and this is her third
foal, but I still worry. Next to Gypsy, this is my favorite mare.” She stroked
the horse’s nose as she spoke, and the mare placed her head on Kate’s shoulder.
Sighing, she opened the stall door and stepped out, closing it gently behind
her.
Luke watched her appreciatively.
She definitely had a way with horses, and spoke as naturally about them as any
man. She didn’t blush or use euphemisms when discussing the intimate details of
foaling, as most women would.
“I thought we could saddle up and
I’ll take you on a tour of the ranch after breakfast. That way we can discuss
your duties, and you’ll have a chance to see some of the operation here.” Kate
said as she walked to the tack room.