Authors: Grace Warren
A soft murmur of
musical tone drew Lucy from her slumbering state. It was a familiar child’s
tune that filled her room with sweetness. She turned to her side and viewed the
back of a small girl. Her golden kissed locks fell in loose, glossy strands
that curled into spirals at the ends. Lucy lay still, not wanting to startle
the child. She assumed it must be Olivia, though with the hair color that
matched Vanessa’s it was possible this could be her daughter, if she had one.
The girl took her time looking through Lucy’s suitcase that now lay open on the
floor. She had pulled out shoes and laid them neatly on the multi-colored,
braided rug. Beside the shoes were a pair of jeans and next to those were a
multitude of colored camisoles.
The girl was
turning over various makeup paraphernalia as she looked through a quilted bag.
She pulled off tops of lipsticks, testing them on her pouty mouth and dabbed
her cheeks with a blush brush while she continued to hum. A compact mirror
opened in her gentle fingertips and she looked at her reflection with a weighty
frown. Lucy’s heart splintered. She turned away trying to make as little noise
as possible but still bring awareness to the child that she was there. The
compact shut with an audible snap and the shuffling of items being hastily
placed back in the suitcase was evident.
Lucy turned back
and smiled before the girl could exit the room. “Hello, you must be Olivia?”
Lucy had expected her to turn and run, but that was not the case.
Olivia crossed to
the bed and scrambled up on the foot of the ruffled bed covers, her smile a
mixture of pinks and red hues “Are you my new mother?”
Lucy was caught
off guard for the third time that day. “Umm, I’m Lucy.”
Olivia reached
out and stroked Lucy’s cheek and lifted a length of her hair twirling it in her
fingertips. “You are pretty and you have the same color hair as Jasper.”
“Do I? Is Jasper
one of your friends at school?”
Olivia fell back
on the bed giggling. Her laughter was contagious and Lucy laughed with her. It
felt natural to be there with this little girl enjoying the moment. Olivia sat
up, still giggling, “No silly, Jasper is my pony.”
Lucy made a
surprised expression. “You have a pony?”
The young girl
nodded, her green eyes dancing with pride.
“I would love to
meet him.”
Olivia jumped
from the bed and grabbed Lucy’s hand yanking her towards the edge of the bed.
“Come on, I’ll show you.” Her voice was filled with excitement. Lucy picked up
her shoes on her way out of the room, and let Olivia lead her down the front
staircase and out the door into the afternoon sun.
The joyful duo
made their way to the barn with Lucy wobbling on her wedges over the uneven
ground. With strength beyond her eight years, Olivia pushed open the heavy barn
door leaving it wide open so that Lucy could see the full layout of the first
floor of the barn.
“This is where
Jasper lives. Daddy says he can be in this barn because he is a pet and not for
working.” She pulled out a small red apple from a bucket and handed it to Lucy.
“Here, these are his favorite.”
Lucy stood
outside the split door of a stall that was labeled with Japer’s name on an
ornate wooden plaque, each letter and swirling design had been painstaking
carved and sanded, the craftsmanship was outstanding. Lucy traced each letter
wondering who had made it. She held the apple out and waited for the chestnut
colored pony to turn around and acknowledge her presence. “Here Jasper, come
here boy” she cajoled.
Olivia laughed.
“Not like that. Watch me?” she directed. She took the apple in her hand and
climbed up on the door balancing on the edge as she sat and clicked her tongue.
Jasper turned and walked over to Olivia. He whinnied and took the apple with a
gentle bite of his teeth. Lucy watched in amazement as the pony ate the juicy
fruit and Olivia stroked the length of his nose. How could a girl so young be
so confident with an animal that was triple her size? At eight years of age
Lucy had been playing with dolls and coloring books.
Olivia was
humming the same tune again. Lucy listened, running the song through her head
until all the words came back to her. She began to sing at a muted volume. Come
follow, follow, follow, follow, follow, follow me.”
It was Olivia’s
turn to look surprised. She started to sing with Lucy. “To the greenwood, to
the greenwood, to the greenwood follow me.”
They fed the pony
another apple and continued their song out of the barn and back to the house.
By the time they entered the kitchen they were singing in a round and at the
top of their lungs. Each one’s face lit up with delight.
“Olivia Ashley
McCain!” a stern voice shot out from a back room off the kitchen. “How many
times have I told you not to sing that?” Vanessa emerged from the pantry, her
features so tense she looked hard as stone. Her hands were filled with canned
goods and her eyes shot daggers when she saw Lucy standing behind Olivia with a
protective hand on her shoulder. “Oh, I didn’t realize…” Vanessa trailed off.
“I’m sorry
Vanessa; we didn’t mean to disturb you.” Lucy apologized, although she was
confused as to why Olivia was being admonished.
“Olivia, run down
to the stables and tell your father and brother lunch is served and wipe that
stuff off your mouth” Vanessa directed.
“Yes Ma’am.” The
girl ran off without another word.
Vanessa stirred a
pot of soup that was simmering on the stove top. “That one there has a stubborn
streak a mile long. Mind you, give her an inch and she’ll take a mile.”
“Oh she was sweet
as can be. I’m sure she didn’t mean any harm.” Lucy tried to help by arranging
the stack of bowls and silverware that sat on the kitchen table.
“You’re sure are
you? You come in here less than a day, let a child make her face up like a
harlot and you want to tell me about raising children you have just met?”
Vanessa restacked the bowls and carried them out of the kitchen to a separate
dining room. “We eat as a family in the dining room here, or would you like to
change that as well?”
Lucy stood there
speechless, her jaw slack and her eyes wide with wonderment. How could she feel
so guilty for something she hadn’t done?
After a week had
passed, Lucy had met the ranch hands, the dog Rufus, Orange Kitty and the local
Post Master. She had spent every afternoon with Olivia and Galen, playing
games, reading and singing outside or in the barn, anywhere but near Vanessa.
Nash had kept his distance. He was up before the sun rose and went to his own
bedroom early every evening leaving Lucy to her own devices. Lucy had used her
time to unpack, text her few friends back east and learn the layout of the
house and ranch.
Vanessa still
arrived early every morning, made breakfast, lunch and dinner. She continued to
do laundry and care for the children by making certain they bathed, cleaned up
after themselves and went to bed at a “proper” time. She had a knack for making
Lucy feel less than adequate and took every opportunity to condemn her just for
being in her presence. Nash never witnessed this, he was either out in the
fields or conveniently unavailable.
If Lucy were
being honest, she had enjoyed her time on the McCain ranch so far, but she was
beginning to feel antsy and a little bit like a “moocher”. She wanted to feel
useful, and more than anything she wanted Nash to see that she wanted to be a
part of his family. In the seven days she had spent here she had fallen head
over heels in love with his children, they were polite, funny and pure joy to
be around, even when they were arguing about who’s turn it was to sit next to
her at meal times. Her only negative emotion, beyond Vanessa’s unexplained
loathing of her, was that she had not spent any real time getting to know Nash.
She understood their set up was one of convenience. She had agreed to take care
of the house and the children and he had agreed to support her, but in the back
of her mind Lucy had hoped for more.
When Nash came in
for breakfast, Lucy decided to loosen her tongue and take the bull by the
horns. “I think it’s about time I started doing more around here. I’m not on a
vacation, nor am I guest by our arrangement.”
Vanessa’s spoon
of oatmeal clattered into her bowl, splattering warmed oats over the
tablecloth. Nash set his coffee cup down, rested his elbows on the table and
steepled his fingers under his chin. He looked from Lucy to an annoyed Vanessa.
“I think that is a mighty fine idea. Don’t you Van?”
Vanessa grumbled
and stood up, collecting up empty dishes to bring back to the kitchen.
“What do you
think you’d like to start with?” he asked, ignoring the rudeness of his sister
in law.
“Well,” Lucy started
off slow; she wanted to choose the right words. “Perhaps I could go out with
you this morning and learn some of the ranch chores and then this afternoon,”
she paused and swallowed back the anxiety as she spoke her next statement.
“This afternoon I could consult with Vanessa and begin taking on some of the
housework or the evening meal.”
There was a huge
shattering noise that resounded from within the confines of the kitchen. And
the party of four froze for a brief moment at the dining room table.
“I’d better
attend to that.” Nash excused himself without making comment to her suggestion.
Lucy looked to
each of the children and gave them a reassuring smile. “You two finish up, I’m
going to go with your father this morning and we will play a game together
after lunch, okay?”
Olivia and Galen
agreed and Lucy ran upstairs to change her clothing and prepare to head out
with Nash.
Dressed in pink,
primrose printed Wellies, jeans and a tank top; Lucy tied her hair up off her
neck and walked down to the kitchen to find Nash. Vanessa was chopping
vegetables for their noon time meal. “Vanessa, did you see which way Nash
went?”
“I am not his
keeper. Isn’t that your new position?” She slammed the knife down on the
cutting board and walked away at a swift pace. Lucy stood there dumbfounded.
The truck was
gone from the driveway. Lucy turned a slow circle, shielding her eyes from the
bright sunlight. Had he really left without her? Her heart sank. Maybe this was
not the right choice. As much as she adored the kids she was beginning to feel
they were the only ones that truly wanted her around. She took a deep breath of
air, set her jaw in determination and headed off along the running fence to
find Nash. If he wasn’t going to take her seriously then they had a lot to discuss
regarding the future of this agreement.
An hour and a
half later Lucy was windblown, dusty and her tank top was damp with
perspiration. She needed a drink and a bit of shade. Off in the distance she could
see the blue Ford truck and several men on horseback corralling a herd of cows.
She hoped Nash was with them. The closer she got the more she was able to tell
that none of the riders were Nash. Squinting she saw a ranch hand working to
repair a fence. His back was to her and she admired his shirtless form,
following the glistening line of his muscular torso to the waist band of his
faded jeans. His muscles rippled as he swung a hammer against the new wooden
post that had replaced a broken one, which now lay at his feet.
Lucy walked up,
drinking in the fine visual specimen. She felt a small twinge of guilt, but she
was a woman after all. “Excuse me, can you tell me where I might find Mr.
McCain?’ she managed to squeak out over her parched tongue.
The man took of
his hat and wiped his forehead on his bare arm before turning around. His chest
was tanned dark and silky smooth, and his abdomen hard form long hours of
strenuous work. “How can I help…”
Both Lucy and
Nash stood there stunned, starring at one another until Lucy had to grab the
fence to stop from falling over with a sudden wave of light headedness. Nash
lunged forward to steady her.
“What are you
doing out here? Did you walk?” he asked, holding her up by her shoulders.
“Wow, it’s hot.”
She shook the dizziness from her senses. The action made her head swim more and
she toppled backward. Nash caught her and scooped her up in his arms with no
effort at all. He carried her to the truck and set her down on the front seat,
reaching in a cooler and popping the top of a chilled bottle of water from
behind the seat.
“Drink this.” He
ordered.
Lucy took a sip
and went to speak. He tipped the bottle towards her lips again. “Drink all of
it, please.”
She didn’t
question him and downed the entire contents of the bottle. Her eyes never left
his face. She saw him smile when she pulled the empty bottle away with a
satisfied sigh.
“Better?”
Lucy nodded.
“Now tell me why
in the blue blazes are you out here?” his brow furrowed with concern and a
small hint of annoyance. “Didn’t Van tell you it was better for you to stay
close to the house and work? It’s too hot for you out here.”
Lucy was caught
between being angry at Vanessa for not saying anything and offended that Nash
thought she was too fragile to handle the Texas heat. She jumped from the truck
and crumpled to the ground, her ankle twisted in a dip in the ground beneath
her. Nash reached for her and she swatted his hand away. “I’m fine.” she
snapped.
Nash took a step
back and watched her struggle to get up. She limped several feet away from him
before the tears of frustration fell from her eyes. A gentle hand grasped her
upper arm and turned her around. Nash towered above her, his green eyes soft.
He wiped at the tears that had stained her flushed cheeks. “Come on, Dusty.
I’ll drive you back to the house.”
The two arrived
back at the drive way, the few minutes it had taken were bathed in silence.
Nash helped her from the truck and held her arm guiding her up the stairs and
putting her in a rocking chair on the porch. “Stay put.”
He disappeared
into the house, a moment later Olivia appeared with a bag of ice wrapped in a
towel. She assisted Lucy with pulling off her Wellies and then rested her foot
on a stool placing the ice on her ankle. Galen walked gingerly with a tall
plastic up of lemonade through the front door, handing it to her at a snail’s
pace so as not to spill any.
“Daddy says drink
this.” Galen gave her a strict look. “I gotta make you.”
“You have to make
me.” Lucy corrected.
Galen picked up
the cup an extended it up to her lips, tipping it so she had to quickly take a
drink before it spilled in her lap. She took the lemonade from him and ruffled
his hair, laughing. “Good job, Galen.”
He beamed with
pride. There were shouts and slamming of doors in the house and the children
looked at each other with surprise. Lucy rocked forward to look though the
screen door. Vanessa shoved the door open with force, stopped long enough to
drop her apron in Lucy’s lap and stormed down the stairs. Nash came out after her.
“Van, don’t be so
pig headed.” He called after her as she opened her car door. “Van, please.”
Vanessa slammed
the door and drove away, leaving a cloud of dust in her wake.