“Do you like my ma?”
“Of course I like your ma.” Rusty ran his finger along the inside of his neckerchief. He glanced up at the sky. The sun was strong, July heat in Oklahoma could dry a man up.
“Why don’t you marry her?”
“Marry?” Lord, his voice squeaked worse than when he was still wet behind the ears.
“Yeah, then we could all live in the same house. Me, you, Amelia and my mom. Wouldn’t that be great?”
“Ah, people don’t marry just so they can live in the same house.”
“Why do they marry?”
Damnation. Why was he the one answering these questions? Why wasn’t Rachel here, raising her kid?
Rusty pulled himself up in the saddle and gave Will what he hoped was a serious-business look. “That is something you need to talk to your ma about.”
“Oh. Do you think she’ll ever let me get a puppy?”
***
Rachel waved goodbye to Mr. Wells and headed out of town. Gathering supplies had taken more time than usual this trip. Her list had been longer, some of
the items needed were still packed in shipping boxes in the Wells’ back room, and she had to wait for them to be opened. She glanced up at the sky, glad to see clear blue, and no problems with coming storms. She pulled the brim of her bonnet down to block as much of the setting sun from her eyes as she could.
The wagon was loaded down with the usual supplies, with the addition of some bright pink calico and blue and white gingham, so she could sew a couple of dresses for Amelia. She was a pretty little thing, but her clothes were too small and well-worn. Her grandparents had not taken very good care of the girl.
She sighed when she thought about Amelia and Rusty. They still dealt with each other as strangers. Which, of course they were. Just because someone had been presented as your blood relation didn’t mean you had to feel any love for them. Particularly when you’d been dumped in their lap at fourteen years of age.
Rusty deserved quite a bit of credit, however. He did try to reach the girl, but she was cold and aloof, rejecting all his efforts. Instead, she turned to Rachel and clung to her as if she were her lifeline, which she supposed made sense. It wasn’t necessary for Amelia to feel anything for Rachel, and there was no pressure to accept her as a parent. So they had developed a friendship.
While Amelia was turning to Rachel, her son was becoming much too attached to Rusty. Will had begun to walk like Rusty, imitating his loose-limbed stride. He cocked his hat in the same way as his idol, and yesterday she’d caught him casting Rusty’s lazy grin at her.
For a minute there, when she was about to leave for town, it appeared Rusty would grab her and kiss her again. The look in his eyes had her stomach fluttering and her palms damp. When he abruptly turned to Will to mount up, the bond had been broken, and she wasn’t sure if she felt disappointment or relief.
She couldn’t afford to allow this attraction. Will was her priority, and raising him properly was what she needed to concentrate on. Romance was for young lovers. She was past that stage. Marriage had not been so overwhelmingly wonderful that she was ready for a repeat.
Rambling along the familiar path, her thoughts full of the people in her life, she didn’t notice the sound of approaching horses until they were right behind her. In a matter of minutes, three riders surrounded her wagon. She glanced briefly in their direction, didn’t recognize any of the men. Nodding politely, she stared straight ahead, aware of the shotgun under her seat, wishing it were on her lap.
“Hey, missy, can you tell us how far to Guthrie?”
She turned to the man who asked the question. He hadn’t seen the inside of a bathtub for quite some time. He grinned at her with his two front teeth missing. She really wished her shotgun was on her lap.
“If you’re going to Guthrie, you’re headed in the wrong direction. It’s behind you.”
“Is that right?” He grinned again, and looked across her to the man on her other side. “Did you hear that, Sam? It seems we’re heading in the wrong direction.”
The other man laughed as though that was the funniest thing he’d heard all day. Rachel’s heart pumped double time, but she took a deep breath and told herself not to panic. They were probably just being friendly.
“Maybe we don’t want to go to Guthrie after all. Maybe we just want to ride along with you.”
Oh, God. She was in trouble. Dusk had settled in, and she was still a good three miles from the ranch. There never was a whole lot of traffic on this road, but she prayed for someone to come along.
“What do you say, missy? Can we all just ride along with you?”
The man named Sam guffawed again at the first man’s question.
“Suit yourself.” She barely got the words out of her dry mouth. Why had she been so sure that she would be all right? Getting a wheel sunk in the mud was bad enough. This time she could be in a worse mess. She kept her face forward, plodding along, hoping the men were just teasing her and would soon be on their way.