The heck with it. He threw his hammer down and red dust puffed into the air, coating his already grimy boots. Squaring his shoulders, he saunt
ered over.
“Ma’am, it seems we never did introduce ourselves.” He took his dusty hat off and slapped it against his thigh. “I’m Jesse Cochran.” He stuck his hand out.
Tori stood and took his hand, giving it a firm shake. “Tori Henderson.” She yanked her hand back, like it had burned.
He hesitated for a moment, then looked down at his hand. “So Tori Henderson, seems we’re neighbors.” He ran his fingers through his hair and put his hat back on.
“That’s right.”
Not very talkative. Strange for a woman. “What brings you to Indian Territory?”
“I’m a teacher.” Her lips compressed into a thin line as if she expected him to challenge her profession.
This conversation reminded him of the last time a dentist had pulled his back tooth. Slow and painful. He cleared his throat. “I’m sure there will be a school soon.” Nothing. She just stood there staring at him. Never in his life did he have this much trouble conversing with a woman. Of course in the past, he merely had to say a few words to get the conversation going, and the woman took over.
“Can I watch your lot while you get it registered?” He stuck his palms into his back pockets and nodded toward her tent.
Tori shook her head. “My nieces and nephews should be here soon, and I’ll go then. But thank you anyway.” She turned away.
She’d dismissed him! Something obstinate in him wanted to thwart her. “Ah, yes, the children. Not here yet?”
Her brow furrowed. “No.” She chewed her lower lip.
Before he could respond, young voices called Tori’s name. A rickety wagon came into view. That’s the wagon she planned to make the run in? And I thought teachers were smart.
Tori ran to the wagon. She hugged a little girl who jumped down and threw herself into her arms. Another boy and young lady joined them after the oldest boy pulled up on the horses and set the brake. He grinned. At least she no longer had a worry about finding firewood. She could just burn the damn wagon.
Jesse wandered over to the group. The young lady shook out her skirts and gave him a sideways glance he usually got from older women. He hadn’t lost his touch after all.
Tori turned to him, her eyes crinkling in the corners. “Mr. Cochran, I would like you to meet Michael, Rachel, Hunter, and Ellie.” She enveloped the four of them in a hug. “And this is Mr. Cochran, our new neighbor.”
“I’m pleased to meet you, and glad to see you made it here safe. I think you had your aunt worried.”
The children all started chattering at the same time. He didn’t understand how Tori could keep track of all the different conversations, but she seemed to manage. All with a smile. Jesse nodded in their direction, but nobody seemed to pay him much attention. “I’ll be getting back to work.” He walked the short distance to his lot and resumed his hammering.
Tori refused to acknowledge his masculine stride, or how his muscles rippled against his plaid flannel shirt when he picked up the hammer and continued to pound nails, but she did. His sleeves were rolled up past his elbow and the sinewy muscles in his forearms pulled with each movement. She closed her eyes, but just the bang of the hammer on wood brought the picture of his strong body behind her eyelids.
She forced herself to turn away, then walked with the children to her tent. She couldn’t get enough of them, and hugged each one, burying her face in their sun-kissed hair. The anxiety that tightened her chest eased. They were all together; they had their own land. She and Rachel would have to start baking right away to earn money until the town established a school.
“Michael, I need to go over to the Federal Land Office and get registered. Get the large tent out of the wagon and have Hunter help you set it up.” Tori turned toward her older niece.
“Rachel, get the supplies we bought in Arkansas City and start organizing the tent when they’re done.” Her mind raced in every direction.
“What can I do?” Ellie’s eyes sparkled. The poor child must have been a nervous wreck until they arrived.
“You know what you can do?” She tapped her finger against her mouth. “Fetch the bucket from the wagon and have Hunter go with you to the river to fill it while Michael drags the tent out. Then get a cup from the wagon, and you can come with me to the Land Office. People talked about how hot it was standing in line. I’ll bet we can make money selling water.”
“I don’t think Ellie should sell water by herself.”
Tori hid her smile at Michael’s protective attitude. “No, she’ll be with me. I’ll keep an eye on her.” She turned her back on the other children and patted the gun resting in her belt, smiling at Michael.
He groaned and headed to the wagon to get the tent.
“Rachel, you know what else you can do?” Ideas were flowing like a river after a rainstorm. “Mrs. Bonner is our neighbor on the other side, and said she may want to buy our baked goods for her restaurant. Why don’t you find my recipe for oatmeal cookies? We can make a few over the campfire for her to sample while we wait for our oven to arrive from Arkansas City.”
“We? You said you were going to the Land Office. I just got here. Why do I have to start working right away?” Rachel crossed her arms and plopped on the edge of the wagon in a huff.