The Rancher Takes a Cook (26 page)

Jacob shook his head then rubbed circles in
her back again. “My Anna. Something tells me I’m going to have my
hands full keeping up with you.”

She flashed him a bright smile and snuggled
back against his chest. “Don’t you worry, Mr. O’Brien. I’ll do my
best to behave.”

The O’Brien men had been gone for two days.
As Anna washed breakfast dishes the second morning, she forced
herself to go through the motions. Jacob and his pa had gone to San
Antonio to take care of ranch business, taking the wagon to bring
back a load of wood from the sawmill and a few other things they
needed for the barn. It was business, and Jacob wouldn’t have gone
unless he needed to, but the selfish part of her hated that he was
away just one week before their wedding. Didn’t he have things to
do here? Maybe he didn’t want the wedding to happen yet.

She was being ridiculous. This had to be
pre-wedding jitters getting the best of her. What she needed was
something special to do. Over the past two days she’d given the
house a thorough cleaning and scrubbed all the laundry. The garden
was picked and everything that needed canning had been prepared,
pickled, and sealed in glass jars. She’d planned to wear her yellow
gown for the wedding, so there wasn’t a dress to make. She couldn’t
do any of the wedding baking yet, as it was still seven days until
the ceremony. She could take Bandita for a ride to the river but
really didn’t have any desire to be alone with her thoughts right
now. They might eat her alive. Maybe she should find Aunt Lola and
ask if there was anything with which the older woman needed
help.

Anna peeked into the front parlor. Aunt Lola
nestled in the petite chair that fit the small Irish woman like it
had been built around her. Aunt Lola was reading her Bible, but
looked up with a pleased smile when Anna entered the room.

“And what might ye be up to this fine
mornin’, Anna dear?” She studied Anna and the wrinkles above her
eyes scrunched together in concern. “Ye look like yer mind’s about
to torture yer poor heart.” She patted the sofa next to her chair.
“Come sit down and tell me what’s botherin’ ya.”

Anna sank onto the couch and released a
sigh. “I guess I’m not sure what to do with myself. I was hoping I
could help you with something.”

Aunt Lola chuckled. “I’d be more than happy
to let ya read to me from the Good Book and save my poor eyes, but
I think what ya need is to move around a bit. Why don’t ya head
into town? I have a letter to mail and you could visit with your
aunt and uncle a bit.”

That appealed to Anna more than anything
else she’d come up with. Maybe she could pick up lace to add to her
gown while she was there. It’d be nice to have a little something
special for her special day.

“I suppose that might be a good idea. Is
there anything I can pick up for you in town? I can borrow a wagon
from the livery and get supplies while I’m there.”

“Nay, I sent my list with Marty and Jacob.
They’ll be bringin’ everything I need. You take that mare you like
to ride so much and make a day of it. I’ll cook supper for the boys
tonight, so you don’t need to be back until dark time. And I
promise I won’t make stew…this time.” The twinkle reappeared in the
older woman’s eyes and the skin above her cheeks bunched into the
usual smile lines.

Anna couldn’t stop the impulse to hug the
sweet lady and plant a kiss on her cheek.

Aunt Lola only laughed and returned the
embrace then made a shooing motion. “Off with ye then.”

* * *

“You’re not going to make a wedding dress?”
Aunt Laura’s gaping mouth and raised eyebrows evidenced her shock.
She looked almost as appalled as if Anna had said she was going to
dance down Live Oak street in nothing but a corset and petticoat.
Now
that
would be true cause for the expression Aunt Laura
was now aiming in her direction.

“But there’s no time,” Anna defended. “And I
don’t want to delay the ceremony. And my yellow gown is lovely. I
thought I could add lace to the white ribbon on the edges and it
will look brand new.” She gave her aunt a cheery smile, but it
ricocheted off the woman like a pebble off a coat of armor.

“My dear, no Stewart woman has ever been
married without a wedding gown as far back as I can remember. Not
one who was born a Stewart. And not one who married a Stewart. Your
mother would turn over in her grave if she knew you were
considering such a thing.” Aunt Laura shivered.

Anna forced her face not to reveal her
amusement at Aunt Laura’s ranting. It didn’t seem the situation
required such dramatics. Maybe in the ‘old days’ women always wore
a bridal gown for a church wedding, but much had changed with the
war. Many brides didn’t have money for a new dress, especially one
that couldn’t be worn many times after the wedding.

Aunt Laura stood in her kitchen, frowning,
hands on her hips. Her toe tapped the floor and the lines on her
forehead were scrunched into deep grooves, evidence of her mind
working. “I suppose if we start right now, we could most likely
have it ready before the wedding. I could work on the top half and
you could take the…Wait!” Her face lit and she spun around,
striding down the hall toward the bedrooms. On a mission.

Anna wasn’t sure whether she should follow
or stay but sat quietly in her ladder-back chair at the kitchen
table. The whole episode was a little funny, but maybe she should
put more effort toward decorum. It honestly hadn’t seemed like a
bad idea to wear the yellow gown. She wanted to focus more on
making sure
she
was ready for the marriage than spending
unnecessary time preparing her wardrobe for the ceremony.

Within two minutes, Aunt Laura strode back
into the room, carrying a large fluff of white material. “I think I
have the perfect thing.” Her eyes shone as she gently laid her load
on the table.

Anna’s jaw dropped. Her gaze roved the yards
of material then trailed back up to her aunt’s face. “Your wedding
dress?” Anna’s voice squeaked.

Aunt Laura nodded, a smile budding on her
face. “We’ll need to add a flounce at the bottom to reach over your
crinoline, and maybe tweak a couple of seams, but I think it will
be perfect.”

* * *

Anna rode home later that afternoon with a
full heart and a spring in her step. Aunt Laura had been just the
right medicine to settle her jitters and help Anna focus on what
needed to be done before Saturday. Now it was time to get down to
the doing.

As she made her way down the long lane
leading from the main road to the ranch, a brown object stopped in
front of the barn. A wagon? Her heartbeat picked up its pace. She
hadn’t expected Jacob and Mr. O’Brien back until tomorrow or
possibly Monday. Since it was a day’s ride each direction to San
Antonio that would have left only one day to take care of all their
business and pick up supplies. Still, it did look like their
wagon.

She pushed Bandita into a jog. They were too
close to home to canter, since the mare wouldn’t have time to cool
down afterward, but a jog wouldn’t hurt anything. As she neared the
yard, half a dozen of their cowpunchers unloaded long, mill-cut
boards from the wagon and carried them into the barn. She scanned
the faces for Jacob’s. Edward. Bo. Donato. Miguel. No Jacob in
sight.

She sat back in the saddle, easing Bandita
to a stop in front of the wagon, then slipped off the mare.

Edward stepped forward to take her reins.
“Jacob’s inside, sis. I’ll take care of this girl if you wanna go
on in.”

Anna’s pulse leaped but she glanced at
Edward’s face. “Are you sure?”

“Yep.” He gave her an impish grin but didn’t
say anything more.

She almost kissed his cheek but stopped
herself in time and settled for a hand on his arm. He might be her
little brother, but he was doing his best to grow into a man and
didn’t need a mother hen to coddle him just now. “You’re the
best.”

She scurried toward the house as quickly as
she could while trying to appear somewhat ladylike. As she climbed
the steps, the front door opened and Mr. O’Brien stepped out,
settling a wide-brimmed hat on his head.

“Mr. O’Brien.” She offered him a wide smile.
“Welcome home.”

“Why, thank you, Anna. It’s awfully good to
be back.”

“We didn’t expect you both back for a couple
of days yet.”

He chuckled softly. “I’ve never seen Jacob
get so much done in twenty-four hours. I think even if we hadn’t
taken care of all our business, he still would have left out of San
Antonio this mornin’.” He patted Anna’s shoulder. “You’re good for
him, my dear. Now get on in there. Unless I miss my guess, he’s
hangin’ around the kitchen somewhere.”

Anna’s cheeks flamed, but she forced a
mumbled, “Thank you, sir,” as she made her way past him.

As Anna’s eyes adjusted to the dimmer light
in the house, she met Aunt Lola at the base of the stairs. The
older woman carried a small parcel wrapped in brown paper. The
older woman’s shoulders seemed even more hunched these days than
when Anna had first met her.

“Can I help you carry that upstairs?”

“Nay, lassie. It’s just a couple o’ books
the boys brought back for me. These ol’ bones need a little work
ever now and then to keep ’em strong. I think you might be needed
elsewhere, though. Why don’t ya head on in to tha kitchen an’ see.”
Her blue eyes twinkled.

Anna shrugged and shook her head as she
headed down the hall. Everyone seemed eager to send her to the
kitchen this afternoon. Stepping into the room that was her special
domain, she stopped short at the sight of Jacob seated at the table
in his usual chair, coffee in hand. Jacob rose when he saw her. A
squeal escaped as she catapulted into his arms.

“There she is.” He chuckled, wrapping her
tight in his long, muscular arms. “I figured if I waited here long
enough, you’d show up.”

After a few short moments, he gently
disentangled himself and held Anna at arm’s length. “What do you
say we head outside for a bit? Maybe you can help me find a place
for the rest of the things we brought back.”

“Sure.” Hesitation echoed in her own voice,
but it was odd for him to ask her to help with the unloading. Maybe
there were supplies for the kitchen? Aunt Lola had promised to take
care of the evening meal and the aromas wafting from the cookstove
smelled like she had things well under control.

Jacob hooked Anna’s hand in his and led her
to the back door. At the top step, she froze.

Her head swiveled from one side of the
stairs to the other as she took in the four sprawling green plants.
“What are these?” she breathed. Each bush sat in its own
sand-colored earthen pot. Golden blossoms dotted the plants like
little suns emitting bright rays of life to everything around.

“Yellow roses.” Anna answered her own
question, her eyes coming up to search Jacob’s face. “You brought
us roses?”

“I brought
you
roses,” he corrected.
“And they were harder to come by than ice in the desert.”

Anna skipped down the last two stairs and
stooped to caress one of the delicate blooms, inhaling its light
aroma. “They’re amazing.” She infused her tone with the reverence
due the gesture and stood to bestow a smile on her future husband.
How much trouble had he gone through to get four perfectly-formed
yellow rose bushes?

His hands slipped into his trouser pockets
and he ambled down the steps to join her. “The storekeeper I
ordered them from said they’re considered the flower of friendship
and joy. I figured that was pretty appropriate for a wedding gift,
since I’ll be marryin’ my best friend.” His words warmed Anna’s
chest like nothing else he could have said. She planted a kiss on
Jacob’s cheek. A princess rewarding her knight in shining
armor.

Anna stared at her reflection in the mirror
of Aunt Laura’s little apartment above the mercantile.

“You’re the most beautiful bride I’ve ever
seen.” Aunt Laura fastened the last two buttons on Anna’s stunning
white gown.

“Oh, Aunt Laura, it’s the dress that’s so
beautiful. Thank you so much for letting me wear it.”

“Darlin’, I’m not just letting you wear it.
It’s yours to keep and pass down to your own daughter. I’m sure not
planning to use it again.” She chuckled.

The gown was made of light muslin with a
close-fitting bodice and a full skirt, layered with three
lace-trimmed flounces. Aunt Laura had expertly added the bottom
layer for Anna, to accommodate the extra fullness of the current
crinoline styles. The entire gown was covered with a sheer ecru
organdy jacket with a lace ruffle around its edging. The effect was
stunning, and the wreath of daisies crowning the veil in her hair
created the perfect finishing touch.

Examining herself in the mirror, a little
shiver ran down her arms. It had only been two weeks since the
special ride to the river, but it seemed like a lifetime had
passed. Today was the day she would become Mrs. Jacob O’Brien.
Today she would marry the most wonderful man she’d ever met, her
best friend.

A knock sounded on the bedroom door, and
Aunt Laura opened it. Edward poked his head inside. “How’s it
comin’, sis?”

“Good, I’m almost ready.” She grabbed
Edward’s arm and pulled him into the room.

“Wow, you look beautiful.” His voice held a
mixture of surprise and awe.

Anna giggled. “You don’t have to sound so
shocked.”

He pulled a hand from behind his back and
pushed a bouquet of yellow roses toward Anna. “These are from
Jacob.”

Anna held them to her nose, inhaling deeply.
Tears pricked her eyes at the beauty of the simple gesture, and she
remembered the sweet words Jacob had said when he gave her the rose
bushes.
I’ll be marrying my best friend.

She blinked to clear her eyes and turned
back to her brother. He stood with his hands in his pockets,
looking down at his boots as they scuffed the floor. He looked
awfully handsome in his borrowed white cotton shirt with high
neckline, vest and matching trousers, and long black cutaway coat.
His cowboy boots, cleaned and polished, peeked out from underneath
the pants.