The Rancher Takes a Cook (10 page)

“How’s our patient today?” He was wearing
his work clothes, complete with leather vest and bandanna, and
carrying her lunch tray.

Anna’s jaw had slackened so she quickly
closed it. “What are you doing here?”

A twinkle sparkled in his eyes. “This is
where I live, remember? You must still be pretty tuckered out. Do
ya think you should stay in bed another day?”

“No.” Anna responded before she stopped to
think. “I mean, what are you doing home in the middle of the day?
Why aren’t you out with the herd?”

Jacob shrugged. “Had some things to take
care of here. I’ll head back out in a bit.” He brought the tray in
and balanced it on the bed next to Anna. “In the meantime, Aunt
Lola tells me the thing that will help you regain your strength
besides resting, of course, is to eat everything on this
plate.”

Once he’d settled the food tray, Anna looked
at him expectantly. He’d be heading off now to finish whatever it
was that had brought him to the ranch during the middle of the
day.

Instead, Jacob pulled the side chair over
next to her bed and settled himself in it, long legs spread out in
front of him, crossed at the ankles, and arms settled across his
broad chest. The room seemed half as big with him in it.

When he looked up and caught her watching
him, an impish grin raised one corner of his mouth. “Well, go ahead
and eat.”

“Are you going to sit there and watch me?”
Anna asked, a touch of defiance in her voice to cover the
butterflies that flitted in her abdomen.

“Yep. Have to make sure you build up your
strength so you can come back to the kitchen. The boys are
threatening to mutiny if they miss out on your cookin’ another
day.”

Anna stared at Jacob for a second in
disbelief then released the giggle that would not be suppressed. It
wasn’t her most lady-like moment, but something about Jacob’s words
and the stoic expression on his features was more then she could
contain. Jacob’s face broke into a grin at her reaction, revealing
slight dimples when he smiled. Funny, she hadn’t seen that
before.

Regaining control of herself, she ate the
beef stew and biscuits Aunt Lola had prepared on the tray. After
two bites, though, she sat back and met Jacob’s gaze. “So Aunt
Lola’s not feeding you enough?”

His neck turned a couple of shades red.
“Well, she’s feedin’ us plenty. It’s just, well… I don’t think we
ever knew how good food could taste until you started cookin’ it.
And the cowpunchers, well, I think we could stop payin’ ’em and
they’d still stay on just to eat the food. It’s about all most of
’em talk about.”

Anna grinned at his embarrassment. “Well,
you can tell them I’ll fix something extra good for breakfast
tomorrow.”

Jacob’s face sobered. “How are you feeling?
Really.”

Anna’s heart lightened at his concern. “I’m
much better, I really am. I slept a couple of hours this morning
and have been able to catch up on my Bible reading.”

“What are you reading?” He leaned forward,
glancing at the Bible on the bedside table.

“I’m in Judges, studying one of my
favorites, Gideon.”

He nodded, picked up the Bible and started
thumbing through. “I always did like that story. Reminds me God can
use anyone to accomplish His plan, even a farmer’s son like Gideon
or a rancher’s son like me.”

Anna was surprised at his honesty, but
nodded. “It helps to remember He’s in control of things, although I
confess I still do my fair share of worrying.”

Jacob looked at her, his gaze drilling. “And
what do you worry about?”

His eyes were wide but intense. Anna’s
answer was easy. “Edward, mostly. I’m responsible for him now, and
he’s still just a boy. I worry about his safety, but I also want
him to grow into a strong man of God. He doesn’t have a father to
teach him the things he’ll need to know.”

Jacob nodded and sat back in his chair,
considering her words. At last he spoke. “Edward is a fine young
man. He has a good head on his shoulders and spends time every day
reading the Bible. With that foundation, he’s on the right track.
Monty and his family are Godly men, as well, so they’ll help keep
him out of trouble.” He leaned forward in his chair and caught her
gaze. “And I’ll teach him everything I can—about cattle and
ranching, about becoming a man, about learning from his Heavenly
Father.”

The familiar clamp tightened around Anna’s
chest, so much that she could only breathe a single word,
“Why?”

Jacob inhaled a deep breath and then let it
out. “I guess because I care.”

She let his sentence hang in the air as she
searched his eyes. Did he mean he cared about Edward or her?

Jacob’s eyes dipped to her still half-full
plate. “Now you’d better focus on your food.” Rising, he turned
toward the door. “Rest up, and I’ll check on you again tonight.” At
the doorway, he glanced back at Anna as if to assure himself she
was okay, then he was gone.

Over the next week, things settled back to
normal with just a few changes. One of the most interesting was a
difference in the start of Anna’s morning routine. From the first
morning she went back to cooking, a pail of milk and a basket of
eggs awaited her on the work counter when she entered the kitchen.
The first day, she assumed Aunt Lola had milked the cow and
gathered eggs to help her ease back into her daily chores.

But when she thanked the Irish woman, Aunt
Lola said, “Ye be getting’ your facts wrong, dearie. It wasn’t me.
Ya must have another little elf helpin’ ya.” That was all she would
say on the topic, but her dark blue eyes sparkled like she knew a
secret.

Could it be Edward trying to help out? There
was no way it could have been one of the other cowboys. She’d
learned early on these men would do almost anything necessary for
the longhorns, suffering all manner of hardships and long nights in
the line of duty. But it seemed they had a strong aversion to what
they called “footwork”—milking the cow, slopping the pigs, feeding
the chickens, and anything else they couldn’t do from the back of a
horse. Mr. O’Brien even hired a boy from a neighboring farm to cut
their firewood every fall.

The second morning that Anna came into the
kitchen to find her early morning chores completed, she couldn’t
believe it. After breakfast, she pulled Edward aside to ascertain
if he was her secret helper. The boy looked at her in confusion.
“Are you kiddin’? I’m tuckered out come time to hit the bunkhouse
every night. It’s all I can do to make it outta bed in time for
breakfast. I’m not tryin’ to get up any earlier.”

So the mystery continued. By the fourth day,
Anna was determined to find out who was doing her chores. Instead
of going through her normal washing and dressing routine that
morning, she slid on her grey dress, tied her hair back with a
ribbon, and wrapped a shawl around her shoulders. She hurried
downstairs to the quiet kitchen, lit a lamp, and headed outside in
the chilly morning air. As she stepped into the barn, a soft tenor
melody drifted from the milk cow’s stall.

From this valley they say you are
leaving,

I shall miss your bright eyes and sweet
smile.

For they say you are taking the sunshine

That has brightened my pathway awhile.

Come and sit by my side if you love me

Do not hasten to bid me adieu,

But remember the Red River Valley

And the cowboy that loves you so true.

The song had a haunting sound, and Anna
stood outside Stella’s stall until the last note drifted off in the
morning fog. The only noise that remained was the “ping, splash” of
the milk in the bucket. She finally dared to peek through the open
doorway. Jacob’s broad shoulders hunched next to the brown and
white cow. Warmth flooded her insides. Jacob had been the secret
helper doing her morning chores—the chores no respectable cowboy
would be caught doing. She couldn’t stop the smile on her face as
she stepped forward and murmured, “G’morning.”

Jacob’s shoulders straightened. “Morning.”
The flow of milk never slowed. His voice was husky and Anna’s
stomach did a little flip at the deep tambour.

She stepped forward and gingerly laid a hand
on Jacob’s shoulder, the muscles under his shirt tightening at her
touch. “Thank you for doing my morning chores. You didn’t have
to.”

Jacob’s hands stopped milking and he slowly
unfolded himself to a standing position. Without looking at Anna,
he carried the milk bucket to the corner of the stall, then brushed
his hands on his pants and turned around to face her. “It’s no
problem. You have plenty of work on your hands without doing the
outside chores, too.” He didn’t quite meet her gaze.

She grinned. “You’re one to talk about
working too hard. You’re up as early as I am and work most nights
until after dark.” Stepping toward him, she craned her neck forward
and up to meet his gaze. “But I appreciate your help.”

The way Jacob looked at her in that moment
made it hard for Anna to breathe. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he
reached out to finger one of the loose curls that lay on her
shoulder, his eyes never leaving hers. “It’s no trouble.” His voice
held an intimate tenor. “Now let’s get you inside where it’s
warm.”

* * *

After that morning, Jacob continued doing
the outside chores, and Anna always met him at the door with a cup
of warm coffee. Early morning became Jacob’s favorite part of the
day. Anna’s warm greeting was better than the coffee he drank,
sitting at the kitchen table while she cooked breakfast. They never
spoke many words during this time, but the silence was comfortable,
like a favorite shirt. She seemed to understand him without needing
to muddy the air with small talk.

As he sat sipping coffee one Monday morning,
Jacob couldn’t keep his mind off the conversation he’d had after
church with Jared Thomas from the Lazy T Ranch. It seemed several
of the area ranchers were missing cattle from their herds. Jared’s
best estimate was about five hundred head missing from the area,
but it was hard to tell, because most ranchers allowed their cattle
to free range. Five hundred cattle was a lot. Cattle rustlers were
pretty common in Texas, especially since so many soldiers, both
Yanks and Rebels, were coming back from the war. Most of the time,
the rustlers were just hungry men trying to catch a free meal or
ten. It had been several years since they’d seen a band of cattle
thieves that worked on a larger scale. He squinted, thinking back
to the last time he’d seen the full Double Rocking B herd. Had they
looked smaller recently? They hadn’t done a head count since the
fall round-up, but it sounded like it was high time to do just
that.

“Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?”
Anna’s soft southern accent came from the worktable where she had
stopped slicing tomatoes and stood watching him, expectation in her
eyes.

A small sigh escaped Jacob. He didn’t want
to burden Anna with his worries, yet she was so easy to talk to.
“Found out at church yesterday some of the ranchers are missing
cattle. Jared Thomas says they suspect rustlers, but it’s too early
to tell.”

Anna went back to cutting tomatoes, a line
forming on her forehead. “Do you think they’ve taken some of our
cattle?”

Interesting she called the animals
our
cattle. She considered herself to be a part of the
ranch, too.

“Not sure yet, but the boys and I will start
counting them today. It’s kinda hard to know for sure, though. We
only had about a thousand head of heifers left after we made the
drive to Kansas, but the boys have been branding the wild cattle
that come on our land, so we should be close to thirteen hundred by
now.”

“Wild cattle?”

“Yep. There’s always been a handful of loose
beef running in Texas. But with all the ranchers leaving for the
War these last few years, cattle got loose and owners died. The
wild stock are as common as jackrabbits. Nowadays, folks consider
them a natural resource if they come on your land.”

Anna nodded, her brows pinched as she met
his gaze. “Is there any way to find out who’s doing the
rustling?”

Jacob shook his head in frustration. “Jared
said they’ve reported the missing cattle to Sheriff Brown, but
there’s not much he can do until someone catches sight of the men.
Don’t know how many there are, but it sounds like a gang of ’em if
several ranches are being hit. They’re likely gathering up a herd
to drive north and sell.”

Rising, he carried his empty mug to the
bucket of water Anna kept in the sink for washing dishes. She
continued her work at the counter, assembling sandwiches for the
men’s lunch packs, but she never took her eyes off him as he
walked. He could feel her gaze piercing the back of his neck. He
turned around to face her and leaned back against the sink. She
wore a dark green dress this morning that drew out the same color
in her eyes. It was amazing how they could change like that,
wavering between brown and green.

His gaze met hers for a long moment and, for
a second, he had an overwhelming urge to wrap her in his arms and
kiss her soundly. The desire spooked him a bit, and Jacob gripped
the edge of the sink to steady himself. It was time to leave before
he did something he would regret. Finally, he offered his usual
parting words, “Thanks for the coffee,” and strode past Anna, not
waiting for her response.

* * *

Edward whistled the tune to
Sweet Betsey
from Pike
as his horse jogged through the brown grass. He’d
been assigned as line rider today, so he and his horse patrolled
the outer edge of the north pasture to make sure Double Rocking B
cattle weren’t drifting off the ranch’s property line. It had taken
a while before Monty let him ride line, since the job took him out
of sight of the rest of the cowpunchers, and he’d need to be able
to think on his feet if danger hit. The men all told him stories of
the wild animals that roamed the area, from cougars to wolves to
rattlesnakes. So far, Edward had only spotted tracks, but he would
be on the lookout.