“Sure.” He handed the fluffy ball of fur to her.
She held the cat close and stroked its fur. “What a sweet little thing you are.” She rubbed her nose against the cat’s.
Haydon couldn’t believe he was standing there wishing it was him she was lavishing her affection on and rubbing noses with.
After a couple of minutes, Miss Piggy squirmed. “You want down, sweet thing? Okay.” She lowered the pet to the ground. Her gaze followed the feline, who was strutting toward the barn door with her tail held high. “Goodbye, Miss Piggy.”
Rainee tugged on the horse’s lead rope and started walking away. “A cat named Miss Piggy, a pig named Kitty and a horse named after a snapping turtle. I suppose if you had a dog you would name it Fishy, or Moosey or Miss Cowey?” Dust swirled at her feet as she continued walking.
“Actually, we had a dog named Mule, but it died.”
Rainee stopped and her spine stiffened, but she did not look back at him. Seconds later, she led Raven toward the tack room. “I had to ask,” she muttered, but Haydon heard her.
Again she surprised him by refusing the side saddle and opted for a regular saddle instead. He glanced at her dress. Just how would she accomplish that feat?
From the corner of his eye, he watched with admiration as she brushed and saddled the mare.
A new respect for the tiny woman dusted over him. Maybe God knew what He was doing after all. He chuckled inwardly. Of course God knew exactly what He was doing.
“Do you not just love the smell of horses?” she asked, raising her pert nose in the air and sniffing.
Haydon drew in a long whiff. Horse, hay, dust, leather and a hint of manure filled his nostrils. “Sometimes.” He could do without the dung smell. But he wouldn’t tell her that. He’d never known a woman to admit liking the scent of horses.
Haydon tied the bag of food onto the back of his saddle, adding some string and a few homemade hooks. “Well, let’s go.” They headed out of the barn, leading the horses into the warm morning sunshine.
Before he had a chance to help Rainee onto her horse, she placed her left foot into the stirrup and swung her right leg over the saddle. Haydon’s eyes all but popped out of their sockets. This woman was something else.
What
yet he didn’t rightly know. But he was actually looking forward to finding out.
Atop the horse, Rainee glanced over at Haydon. The whites of his eyes were showing. She followed his gaze to her split skirt. What would Mother do if she could see her now? Rainee abhorred riding sidesaddle and hated straddling a horse in a dress. So, she had asked Jenetta to make this split skirt for her.
The first time she had put it on, her mother had come close to having a fit of apoplexy and made her take it off straightaway. She had not worn the dress since. Until today. She hoped out here it was okay to wear such a
garment. Judging from the shock trailing across Haydon’s face, perhaps it was not.
“I—I am sorry if my skirt offends you. I shall go and change.” She started to dismount.
“No, no. It’s fine.” He captured her gaze. “You’re really something. Ya know that?”
Rainee situated herself back onto the saddle. Was being something good or bad? She dared not ask.
He swung his bulky frame into the saddle and headed around the barn.
Nudging Raven forward, Rainee caught up to him. “Haydon?”
Leather creaked as he shifted in his saddle toward her. “Yes?”
“Are we going to be around any pigs today? I mean, you are not going to introduce me to any more animals with weird names, are you?”
His crooked grin sent a thousand tiny fingers tickling her insides.
“We will have to ride through some in order for you to see the whole ranch. But you’ll be on horseback, so don’t worry, okay?”
Not okay, but Rainee nodded anyway. She refused to let anything stop her from enjoying this outing or from getting to know him better. Not even the dreaded curly-tailed beasts.
As far as the eye could see, rolling hills of wheat decorated the landscape. They rode their horses up the mountain and wove their way through spruce trees, fir trees and several species of pine trees. But the most fascinating of them all was the huge grove of giant cedar trees. Rainee felt like a speck of volcanic ash next to them.
Along the way, Haydon waited while she stopped to gather wild strawberries to have with their lunch.
They continued riding around and down through the woods. Rainee heard the faint sound of running water.
Within minutes a small river came into view. It was not much of a river compared to those back home, but it mattered not because the surrounding area was exquisite. “Does this river have a name?” Rainee asked.
“The Palouse.”
“What an odd name for a river.”
“Don’t forget the horse you’re riding is a Palouse.”
Rainee reached down and patted the horse’s neck. “She sure is a nice mare. You did an amazing job breaking her. Raven is so calm and easy to handle.”
Raven?
“Wait.” She reined her horse to a stop, and he stopped alongside her. “I cannot believe it.”
“Believe what?”
“Raven is a bird.”
“No, she isn’t. She’s a horse.” The smirk on his face had humor written all over it.
“How did I not catch that before?” She shook her head, and he laughed. “I shudder to think what you will name your children.” Realizing what she had just said, she nudged her horse forward to hide her embarrassment.
Two hours later, Rainee was ready to take a break and eat their noon meal.
Haydon must have felt the same way because he followed the Palouse River until he came to a nice clearing.
Rainee swung her leg over to dismount, but sturdy hands circled her waist and lowered her to the ground. When Haydon let go, she turned and faced him. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” His gaze traveled over her face for a moment.
Under his intense scrutiny, she held her breath, watching, wondering what he was thinking. His eyes eased toward her mouth and stayed there. Hopes of him kissing her stayed hidden inside her heart.
All of a sudden he whirled and strode toward his horse.
Perhaps she had not hidden her desire so well after all and had frightened him off. With a one-shoulder hike, she hurried to remove her hat. By the time she finished and had it tied to the saddle horn, Haydon had their bag of food.
Rainee made haste toward him. “Here, let me get that.”
He glanced at her, then nodded. Gathering their horses’ reins, he led them to the river. Both horses dipped their heads and drank.
Rainee removed the tablecloth and spread it out in the shade of a cottonwood tree. She knelt down and placed the ham, rye bread slices, jam-filled shortbread cookies, strawberries and water on the cloth.
Something blue caught her eye. A gorgeous bluebird perched on a low branch descended on an insect, then flew off. Birds were such fascinating creatures. Always happy. Always flitting about. And free. Something she envied. She wondered if she would ever feel truly free as long as the threat of her brother finding her still lingered.
Haydon tied the horses to a tree and came and sat opposite her.
“Did you see that magnificent bird?” Rainee pointed toward the bush it had evacuated.
He followed her gaze. “No.”
“It was the prettiest color of blue I have ever seen.”
She pointed toward a bush. “That woody-looking plant with the red berries on it, what is it, please?”
“It’s a kinnikinnick bush.”
“Are the berries edible?”
“They are. Bears love them.”
“Bears?” She glanced all around, up into the trees, then back at him. “Do you have bears here?”
Broken shafts of light seeped through the trees and danced across his handsome profile. “Don’t worry, they won’t bother you.”
She took that as a yes and hoped he was right. Seeing a bear did not appeal to her. She placed a thick slice of ham between two slices of buttered rye bread and handed it to him before fixing one for herself.
They bowed their heads.
“Father, thank You for Your bountifulness, and for this beautiful land. Bless this food and bless this time Rainee and I spend together. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
“Amen,” she echoed.
As they ate their sandwiches, she listened to the water lapping over the rocks and the birds singing in the surrounding trees. Serenity rolled over her like the water rolling over the riverbed rocks. This place was delightful. A place she could stay at forever.
Oh, Lord, let it be so.
He picked up his canteen of water, unscrewed the lid and took a long drink.
Rainee watched his neck as he swallowed and marveled at the strength it possessed.
She reached for her own canteen and strained to loosen the lid.
“Here, let me get that.”
She handed it to him and watched as he opened it with ease before handing it back to her. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He popped the last of his sandwich into his mouth. “Rainelle is such a beautiful name. I’m curious.” He leaned forward. “Why do you prefer Rainee over Rainelle?”
“Because Rainelle sounds too stuffy. Too sophisticated. But Rainelle is better than Sissy.”
“Sissy? Who called you Sissy?”
“My brother. He used that name to taunt me. To dare me to do things he knew I was not supposed to do. And because I despised his teasing, I usually gave in to his dares. Which usually led to another lecture,” she twittered.
She tilted her canteen up to her lips, took a sip and dabbed her mouth with her riding gloves. Not very ladylike, but she did not care. “Sometimes his challenges were quite dangerous.”
“What kinds of dangerous things did he dare you to do?”
Rainee thought about it for a moment. “To ride Maggie, for one. I was not allowed to ride newly purchased horses. Father feared I would get hurt, so he had Jimmy, the stable boy, ride them until they were gentle enough for me to ride. The second day we had Maggie my brother dared me to ride the mare, but he failed to tell me no one had ridden her before and that she was only saddle-and bridle-broke.”
“So what happened?” He removed his hat and laid it beside him. His blond hair reminded her of the petals of Arkansas tickseed flowers or the color of the yellow-breasted chat bird she had seen back home. He leaned his back against a tree, crossed his ankles and joined his hands behind his head.
“After he saddled and bridled Maggie, he led her out of the stall and around the barn. My brother was
no dunce. That side of the barn was out of my parents’ view.” She picked up a twig and started snapping it into tiny pieces. “He held the mare while I put my foot in the stirrup and climbed aboard. The horse stayed still. It was when he let go of her that she took off at a dead run, bucking all the way.”
He removed his hands from the back of his head and sat up straight. “What did you do?”
“I was able to hang on until we got to the river. As soon as the horse got to the riverbank, she stopped and whirled sideways. I lost my grip and flew face-first into the river. I do not think I have ever seen my father so vexed.”
“Did you get hurt?”
“Only my pride.” She raised her canteen to her mouth and drank freely.
“How old were you then?”
“Sixteen.”
“Where’s your brother now?”
To avoid his question, she took another long pull of water and took her time replacing the cap.
Once the lid was secured on her canteen, she set it down and looked around, stalling for time. “I am so glad you found a spot without any pigs.” She looked back at him. “Thank you for that.”
“You’re welcome.”
Rainee handed him three cookies. He popped a whole one into his mouth. And what a well-formed mouth it was. Her gaze trailed up his face until it landed on his sapphire-blue eyes. Eyes that were staring at her. Eyes that had caught her studying his lips. She dropped her head and quickly snatched up a cookie and bit off a piece, looking everywhere but at him.
“You never answered me. Where is your brother now? Is he still alive?”
Cookie crumbs sucked down her windpipe. She covered her mouth as she struggled to free her lungs, but it was either cookies in or cookies out, and she was not sure which would be worse.
Haydon flew toward her, patted her back and handed her his open canteen. “Take this.” He knelt on one knee beside her.
Rainee put the canteen to her lips and took several sips before handing it back to him. “Thank you, Haydon,” she rasped.
She coughed again, her mind a swirling mess about how she would answer his question without giving anything of her past away.
His masculine nearness overpowered her senses. Sensations she never knew existed. Horse, leather, fresh air, male scent emanated from him.
Their eyes collided for the briefest of moments before Haydon turned his gaze away and shifted his body sideways.
“Rainee.”
Please do not ask me again about my brother. Please.
Her eyes followed him as he stood.
He leaned over, grabbed his hat and set it on his head before looking down at her. “I brought you out here today for a reason.” The serious look on his face caused her stomach to churn like a strong undercurrent in a rushing river. Was he going to send her home? She would not go. She would run away first. Her heart stopped beating as she waited for him to speak.
He raised his hat, raked his fingers through his damp hair and rubbed the back of his neck. Playing with the
brim of his hat, his gaze shifted from her to the hard ground beneath him.
Whatever he wanted to say was sure giving him a bad case of the nerves. And her, too. She brushed the crumbs off her skirt and stood. “What is it?” She braced herself for the answer.
He stepped closer.
Her breath caught.
“After Reverend James’ sermon Sunday, I’ve been doing some serious praying.”
Something moved behind him. She looked beyond him to see what had snagged her attention.
Her eyes widened.
“And I want to—”
“Oh, no. Not again,” Rainee screeched.
H
aydon’s heart kicked like a bucking horse and his ears ached from Rainee’s high-pitched scream. He whirled around to see what had caused her distress and turned her face as pale as his grandmother’s dusting powder.
Kitty was trotting toward them. Her pink ears flopped and her belly jiggled as Kitty called with her little throaty grunt.
Before Kitty had a chance to get any closer, Haydon hurried to the pig and stopped her.
Over his shoulder he said, “It’s okay, Rainee. Kitty won’t hurt you.” He knelt by the pig’s side. “Kitty, you naughty girl, are you following me?” He looked back at Rainee, who had climbed atop a fallen log and looked ready to bolt through the brush at the slightest move of his beloved pet.
He hated seeing her so frightened. Wanting to ease her fears, and knowing Kitty wouldn’t hurt a soul, he rubbed behind the sow’s ears with one hand and extended his other toward Rainee. “Come here, Rainee. I want to show you that Kitty won’t hurt you.”
Her mouth opened, but no words came forth. Her
head jerked back and forth, but her fear-stained eyes never left Kitty. Seeing her frightened face tore at his heartstrings.
Lord, please don’t let her faint again.
Haydon looked at Kitty, who leaned into him so hard she almost pushed him over.
You’re not making this easy, Kitty.
“Trust me, Rainee,” he coaxed, trying to keep his balance from the two-hundred-plus-pound pig bearing her full weight against him.
His gaze trailed to Rainee’s rigid body and pallid face. Softly and calmly he continued, “I promise you won’t get hurt.”
For a brief moment her gaze darted to him before landing back on the swine. “I—I cannot.” Her voice quavered.
“Yes, you can. I’ll help you.” He could tell she wanted to, but her fear kept her feet planted yards away from him. Like an infected splinter under the skin, it irritated Haydon what someone had done to her, making her so fearful of these playful creatures. Sure, they could be mean when it came to protecting their babies, but otherwise they were fun-loving animals. He waved her toward him. “C’mon on, Rainee. I know you don’t trust Kitty, but you can trust me, can’t you?”
Her eyes bounced back and forth between him and the pig. A battle was definitely going on inside that pretty little head of hers.
“I trust you. But I am not sure I trust her.” She pointed at Kitty. “Are—are you sure it is safe?”
“I’m sure. I wouldn’t ask you to come here otherwise.” Haydon shifted his weight onto his other leg and waved her forward.
Her chest expanded. She stepped off the log and took one tiny step forward and stopped.
“It’s okay,” he encouraged again.
She took another small step forward.
He nodded his approval.
Then another.
“That a girl. You’re doing great. Keep coming.”
Five more steps and she was standing beside him, on the opposite side of Kitty.
“Squat down here.”
She looked back and forth between him and Kitty, shaking her head. “I—I cannot do this.”
“Yes, you can. I’ll help you. Give me your hand.” He used the same gentle voice with her that he used while breaking a young filly. He stood and extended his free hand toward her while keeping his other hand on Kitty.
Inching her hand toward his, she laid her fingers in his palm. He gently tugged her forward, and with his hand on top of hers, he placed her hand behind Kitty’s ears.
With a muffled whimper, she jerked back.
Keeping his hand on hers, Haydon patiently and tenderly placed her hand there again and rubbed. Contented, Kitty stood still. After a few moments, Haydon eased his hand from Rainee’s and grinned when she continued the rubbing motion, never taking her eyes off of the pig.
Stepping back a foot he watched them.
Kitty sidestepped closer to Rainee and closed her eyes. Soft grunts emerged from the friendly sow. She leaned into Rainee.
Rainee gasped, jerked her hand back and fixed questioning eyes on Haydon.
“It’s okay,” he whispered. “You’re doing great.” He stepped next to her.
Her lips quivered as they edged upward in a tremulous smile. She nodded with short jerks. Her chest heaved, and then with trepidation in her eyes she placed her hand back on Kitty.
One minute turned into another, until finally Kitty opened her eyes and straightened.
Rainee’s hand fell away.
The pig glanced up at Rainee. Her snout moved in a sniffing motion, almost as if to say thanks. Kitty waddled off to a muddy spot where she scooped at the mud with her round nose before lying down.
“Oh, my.”
Haydon glanced toward the sound of Rainee’s soft voice. Seeing her wide eyes replaced with wonder caused his chest to swell with pride. She had taken her first step in casting down her fear of pigs. “Now that wasn’t so bad, was it?”
Rainee stopped watching Kitty and looked up at him. Gone was the fear, replaced with relief. “No. Not at all. I never knew pigs could be so friendly.”
“They can be. I think Kitty is friendlier than most because when she was born we had to bottle-feed her to keep her alive. Abby and I took on that chore together. After Kitty was able to eat on her own, she spent more time with us than with the rest of the herd. That silly little pig followed us everywhere.” He chuckled. “Still does. I’m surprised you’ve only seen her near the house one day since you’ve been here. Then again, knowing how afraid you are of pigs, maybe God kept her away.” He could feel the mirth dancing in his eyes.
Rainee laughed, then headed to the river and stood at the bank.
Haydon grabbed the string and hooks he’d brought with him and stood beside her. She looked so beautiful
and serene. His affections toward her were growing, along with the urge to pull her into his arms. It was getting harder and harder to not give into the desire to kiss her. He needed to get his mind off of that before he gave into his yearnings. “Do you mind if I do some fishing while we’re here? I’d like to take back a mess for dinner.”
“No, not at all.” She clasped her hands in front of her and dipped her chin. “Do you mind if I join you?”
One eyebrow hiked upward. The woman fished too? What else did she do?
“I know it is not proper for young ladies to fish, but I do so enjoy it.”
Again he wanted to kiss her. Just to be close to her. This woman was lovely inside and out. He realized how wrong he had been to compare her to Melanie. Melanie would have never saddled a horse, gone for a horseback ride, taken a picnic in the wilds as she called it, touched a pig, fished or anything else other than attend parties with high-society folks and complain about everything else.
Feeling lighter than he had in years, Haydon couldn’t wait to finish their talk. But right now it would have to wait. If this woman wanted to fish, then fish they would.
“You caught the fish?” The look of incredulity lit up Michael’s face as he stared at Rainee in awe. Rainee was glad Michael and she were friends. He had even apologized to her for his earlier behavior.
“She sure did.” Haydon’s smile contained his promise to her that he wouldn’t tell anyone she had taken the fish off the hooks and had cleaned them, too.
A silent thank-you passed between them.
Once again she was thankful her mother had not witnessed her not only going fishing but cleaning them, too. Mother would have fainted straightaway.
Haydon poked a piece of fried trout into his mouth and ate it. “You did an amazing job of frying them, too.” Admiration showed in his eyes.
“Thank you,” she said, feeling the blush clear to her toes. “But I had help. Leah and—”
“Me,” Abby cut in, pointing her thumb at herself.
Rainee shifted in her seat and faced Abby, sitting next to her.
“Me helped, too.” The little girl’s face beamed with pride as she pointed to herself again.
“I helped,” her mother corrected.
“Nuh-uh, Mother,” Abby said, shaking her head. “You didn’t help. Just me and Leah did.”
“I know I didn’t help. It isn’t ‘me helped.’ It’s ‘I helped.’”
“Huh?” Abby wrinkled her little pixie nose. “But you didn’t help.”
“Oh, never mind.” Katherine scooped a spoonful of fried potatoes into her mouth.
Rainee kept her laughter inside. She loved this wonderful family. She cut a glance at Haydon. She loved him, too. That thought scared her half to death.
While he had been very attentive to her today, he still had not given her any indication that his feelings toward her had changed. When she had first arrived at the ranch, she had overheard Katherine telling him to be nice to her. So she was not sure if that was all he was doing or if maybe he had begun to consider her as a bride.
Not liking how the uncertainty made her feel, she focused on Abby and smiled. “I do not know how we
would have finished frying all these fish if it were not for you, Abby.”
The little girl wiggled in her chair, sitting up taller.
After everyone finished eating, Rainee rose and put water on the stove. While it heated, she shooed everyone away and gathered the dishes from the table.
“I’m not leaving you to do the dishes by yourself.” Bags hung under Katherine’s eyes. And her face was devoid of its usual color. She was either unwell or in need of rest. Whatever the case, Rainee would not let her help. “I want to do them. Please.”
Katherine studied her face. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I am sure.”
“Well, okay. But Leah can stay and help you.”
Leah picked up her plate and leaned over to pick up another.
“Leah, you would not be offended if I want to be alone, would you? I love doing dishes.”
Leah looked at her as if she had gone daft. Rainee giggled. “I know, I know. I am quite strange. But truly, I enjoy doing them. It gives me time to think.”
Leah turned toward Katherine. “Mother?” Her blue eyes lit up with anticipation.
Katherine shrugged. “What can I say? If Rainee wants to do dishes, then we’ll let her. Besides, we have a basketful of mending that needs taking care of.”
Leah nodded. “I’d rather do mending than dishes any ole day.” Smiles flitted through her words. “Thank you, Rainee.” Leah’s face brightened. Her waist-long blond braid swished like a horse’s tail as she sashayed into the living room.
Katherine’s steps were slow as she too headed toward the living room. Rainee frowned. She quickly snatched up the dishes from the table. She wanted to hurry and
get the dishes done so she could help Katherine with the mending. Katherine’s pale face bothered Rainee.
“Lord,” Rainee whispered as she picked up a pot holder with her lacey-gloved hand and dumped the water into the sink. “I am worried about Katherine. She seems quite unwell. Either that, or something is really bothering her. Whatever it is, Lord, would you please tend to her needs and heal whatever is ailing her? Thank you, Jesus.”
“Amen.”
Rainee whirled at the sound of Haydon’s voice behind her. When he had walked up, she did not know, but his nearness stole her breath and caused her heart to beat faster.
“That’s so sweet of you to pray for my mother.”
Her eyes collided with his, and she found she could not pull her gaze away, and it appeared he could not either.
“I’ve never met a woman like you before, Rainee,” he whispered.
His eyelids lowered to her mouth. His lips parted and a cloud of peppermint circled the air. Neither moved.
Rainee’s eyelids lowered. She could feel his presence closing the distance between them.
A warm, calloused finger touched under her chin and tugged it upward. Lips, both soft and slightly dry touched hers.
She locked her knees to keep them from buckling. Delight swept through in shivering waves.
Haydon jerked back. “I’m sorry, Rainee. I—” He took a step back and ran his hand through his thick hair. “I don’t know what came over me. Forgive me.”
With that he whirled and fled, the screen door shutting behind him.
Rainee reached behind her, feeling and searching for something to grasp on to for support because her knees were too weak to hold her upright. She leaned against the sink. Closing her eyes, she touched her lips where the peppermint still lingered. That man could kiss. Of course, she had nothing to compare it to, but she did not need to or want to either.
“Are you okay?” Katherine asked softly.
Rainee’s eyes flew open. She pushed away from the sink, praying her legs would hold her. “I—I am fine.”
Katherine looked at her and then at the door Haydon had just exited. A knowing smile graced her lips. “I’m sure you are.” A twinkle lit the woman’s eyes.
Heat flooded through Rainee and onto her cheeks. She did not want to discuss that kiss with Katherine or anyone else. She just wanted to keep reliving it. Better yet, she wanted Haydon to keep kissing her so she did not have to relive the memory of it alone.
Katherine giggled. “That good, huh?”
What?
Rainee could not believe Katherine would comment about the kiss she and Haydon had shared. The woman was the man’s mother, after all. Reeling with shock, Rainee needed to distract the attention off of her, so she planted her hands on her hips. “And what pray tell are you doing in here? You are supposed to be sitting down and resting. I mean, mending.”
“I just came for a cup of tea. Is there any hot water left?”
Rainee grabbed a cup and saucer off the shelf and started to fix the tea.
“I can do that.”
Rainee stopped and faced Katherine. “Please. Let
me.” After the tea was fixed, she sat down beside her. “Are you unwell, Katherine?” Rainee searched her eyes.
Katherine drew in a deep breath, glanced into the living room, then back at Rainee. “Just lonely.” Katherine picked up her cup and took a sip. “I try not to dwell on it, but since my husband died, the isolation is almost unbearable. While Mr. Bowen was alive, I didn’t mind living out here. But now…” She shrugged.
Compassion and empathy for the woman drizzled over Rainee.
Rainee had been under the impression that Katherine was extremely happy living out West. That she loved living where she was free from the strict rules of etiquette and high-society snobbery. She also believed the two of them were a lot alike, but perhaps she had been mistaken because Rainee would rather be lonely and isolated then have to revert back to the rules she abhorred.