“The animals won’t bother Eleanor,” Cole assured everyone. “Relax, will you? I’m having my break. Adam, did Travis tell you he spotted those five missing steers up on the short ridge? I’m thinking about going after them in a little while. Travis can go with me.”
“I’ll go with you,” Harrison volunteered. He wanted to keep as busy as possible so he wouldn’t have to think about the meeting tonight.
“What for? You can’t help,” Cole told him.
“Of course I can help,” Harrison argued. “Show me what you want me to do, and I’ll do it.”
“Where have I heard that before?” Cole said dryly.
“What have you done with Eleanor?” Adam demanded once again. He came up the stairs and sat down next to Harrison. The oldest brother must not have been overly concerned about their houseguest, however. His gaze was centered on MacHugh now. The stallion was prancing around inside the corral.
“Harrison, would you mind if I rode MacHugh?” he asked.
“I don’t mind. MacHugh might. You’re welcome to give him a try.”
“Cole, are you about ready to answer me?” Adam asked. He kept his attention on MacHugh while he waited for his brother to answer.
“Dooley’s looking out for her. I ran into him on my way past the creek. I gave him a dollar to keep his eye on her until I feel like going back.”
Harrison grinned. “Exactly when will you feel like going after her?” he asked.
“In a spell,” Cole promised. “It’s real peaceful now, isn’t it?”
Travis came outside with bottles of beer for all of them. He handed one to Douglas and then gave Harrison one.
“Isn’t that Dooley coming down the hill?” Douglas asked the question. He squinted against the sunlight in an attempt to get a better look. “Yes, I do believe it is Dooley.”
Adam leaned forward. “By God, it is Dooley, and he’s alone. Cole, if anything happens to Eleanor, you’re responsible.”
“Adam, do you want a beer?” Travis asked.
The worry about Eleanor was temporarily put on hold. He accepted the bottle and took a long swallow.
“It goes down real smooth, doesn’t it?”
Travis nodded. “I bartered for a dozen bottles. Sure tastes good.”
“I hope Mary Rose doesn’t come outside. She’s bound to notice Eleanor’s missing,” Douglas said.
“If she asks, we won’t tell her anything,” Travis said. He leaned against the post and let out a yawn. “She thinks Eleanor’s in her room. Let her go on thinking it.”
“I don’t think she’ll want to talk to Eleanor for a long time,” Douglas predicted.
“Why not?” Adam asked.
“She’s still mad at her,” Douglas said. “Eleanor called Mrs. Morrison a fat cow.”
“Dear Lord. I hope Mrs. Morrison didn’t hear her,” Adam said. He shuddered over the mere possibility.
“I don’t see how she couldn’t have heard,” Douglas said. “She was talking to the woman and said it to her face.”
Adam shook his head. “Looks like we’re going to have to go to Hammond to get our necessaries.”
“Eleanor will apologize,” Cole predicted. “I’ll bet she’s almost ready to change her ways.”
“What was she doing when you took off?” Travis asked.
“Throwing rocks and screaming. The woman’s got quite a colorful vocabulary.”
“Afternoon, Dooley,” Douglas called out. “Do you want a beer?”
“I sure could use me one,” Dooley replied. He climbed down from his mount and strutted over to the stairs. Harrison had never noticed how bowlegged the man was before. Dooley walked like he was carrying a pickle barrel between his knees.
The old man sat down on the steps between Adam and Harrison. He took his hat off, wiped his brow with the back of his arm, and then said, “It surely is warm for winter, ain’t it?”
“It’s June, Dooley,” Cole informed him.
Harrison patiently waited for one of the brothers to find out what had happened to Eleanor. No one said a word. They were still busy appreciating their beverages. Harrison assumed the drink was a rarity for them because of the scarcity.
Dooley was licking his lips in anticipation of the treat he was going to get. Harrison finally broke down and asked the question for the others.
“Dooley, weren’t you supposed to be watching out for Eleanor?”
“Yes, sir, I surely was.”
“Then why are you here?”
“I couldn’t take it no more. She was making so much noise my head started in pounding. She didn’t spot me watching out for her though. I can hide real tight when I set my mind to it. I couldn’t hide from the screaming, even when I covered my ears with my hands. Then Ghost happened along. I gave him two whole dollars to sit a spell and watch over her.”
“Was Ghost drinking his brew?” Cole asked.
“He ran out three days ago. He’s pretty straight now,” Dooley assured him.
Harrison turned to Cole. “I’m not going after her.”
“I didn’t ask you to.”
“I’m still going to get blamed for this, aren’t I?”
“Yes, sir, you surely are.” Cole laughed after he answered in just the same way Dooley would have. “If Mary Rose finds out before I bring Eleanor back, it’s got to be your fault.”
“How do you figure that?” Harrison asked.
“It was your plan.”
“Mary Rose might not find out,” Travis suggested from the doorway.
“I acted in good faith,” Harrison argued.
“She’ll find out all right,” Douglas predicted. “She’ll get real suspicious in a couple of days if Eleanor doesn’t come downstairs. I figure Mary Rose will stay mad at her until around Friday. Then she’ll start asking questions.”
“Are you going to leave Eleanor up on the mountain that long?” Harrison asked Cole.
“I don’t believe Ghost could take it that long. I might have to add another dollar to keep him from balking. You willing to lend me one, Cole?”
“Sure, Dooley,” Cole agreed.
“Here’s your beer, Dooley,” Travis said. He handed the bottle to the man. “Say, isn’t that Ghost coming down the trail?”
Harrison stood up. He accepted the inevitable. He was going to have to fetch Eleanor.
Mary Rose appeared in the doorway. “Hello, Dooley,” she called out.
“Howdy, Miss Mary,” he called back.
She walked out onto the porch and looked around. “Has anyone seen Eleanor? I want to have a talk with her.”
Everyone looked at Harrison. He didn’t say a word. He sat down again and stared off into the distance.
Travis decided to lie for him. “She’s up in her room. Let her stew for a while.”
“What would she be stewing about?”
Travis couldn’t think of anything. Douglas came to his assistance. “She must know you’re angry with her, Mary Rose. She’s mean, not stupid. She called Mrs. Morrison a fat cow, and she’s got to know you’re unhappy about that,” he reasoned.
Harrison turned to look at Mary Rose. She gave him a hard frown.
“Adam, have you had your talk with Harrison yet?” she asked.
“Not yet, Mary Rose.”
“Please see to it. The sooner the better.”
“Talk about what?” Harrison asked her.
She didn’t answer him. She turned around and went back inside. She let the screen door slam shut behind her.
Harrison turned to Adam. “What was that all about?”
“She told on you,” Cole said.
“What?”
“She told Adam about the gunfight,” he explained.
“Don’t take offense, Harrison. She’s only trying to look out for you,” Douglas said.
Cole stood up. He stretched his shoulders, put the beer bottle down on the railing, and then went down the steps.
“I guess I’ll go get Eleanor now. Ghost, why aren’t you
watching Eleanor?” he called out.
The white-haired man reached the walkway in front of the house and shook his head. “I couldn’t stand it no more. It weren’t worth the money. Henry heard all the racket and came looking. I gave him three dollars to sit on her for a while. I ain’t never doing you no more favors again, Dooley.”
Cole headed for the barn. “Harrison, have you ever used a rope before?” he called over his shoulder.
“I showed him how,” Douglas shouted back. “He’s been practicing.”
“We’ll go and rope those steers as soon as I get back with Eleanor,” Cole yelled.
Harrison stood up. “Douglas, you didn’t need to lie for me.”
“Go and practice now,” the brother suggested. “Then it won’t be a lie. Come on. I’ll show you how it’s done.”
“Harrison, you’d better eat something first,” Adam suggested.
He agreed. While Douglas went to get a couple of ropes, he accompanied Adam into the kitchen. They ate at the kitchen table and talked about mundane matters all the while. Mary Rose walked into the kitchen, spotted the two men at the table, and promptly turned around and walked back out.
“Aren’t you supposed to talk to me about the gunfight?” Harrison asked. “I understand Mary Rose told on me.”
He was looking at the doorway and smiling.
“Yes,” Adam agreed. “My sister thinks you might have deliberately provoked the man into a draw.”
“I did,” Harrison admitted.
He waited for Adam’s lecture. The brother didn’t say another word. After several minutes of silence passed, Harrison prodded him.
“And?”
“And what?”
“Aren’t you going to talk to me about it?”
“I just did.”
Harrison laughed.
Cole, on the other hand, certainly wasn’t laughing. Eleanor wasn’t cooperating with his plan. The second she spotted him coming toward her, she picked up a good-size rock and threw it at him.
Cole didn’t think that was any way for her to treat her savior. She should have been appreciative, not furious.
She sure was a sight to behold. Her cheeks were all flushed and rosy, and her eyes fairly blazed with anger.
“Haven’t you figured anything out yet?” he asked her. “Quit throwing things, damn it.”
He dodged another pebble and nudged his horse closer. Eleanor stood in the center of the trail. She’d walked a good distance. He looked down at her shoes and thought her feet had to be getting blisters.
She didn’t seem to care. She limped right past him and continued on toward the rise.
“Where are you going?”
“Back to the ranch to pack my things. I’m going to shoot Harrison because he left me stranded up here, and then I’m going to leave. I’ll walk back into town.”
“Mary Rose won’t let you shoot Harrison. She’s sweet on him.”
“I don’t care.”
“No, I guess you don’t. You don’t care about anyone but yourself.”
He sounded resigned. She turned around and looked up at his face to see if he was just trying to make her angry or if he really believed what he’d just said.
He looked sincere to her. She straightened her shoulders. “That isn’t true. Mary Rose has four strong brothers to look out for her. I don’t have anyone. I have to watch out for myself.”
“You’re the most self-consumed creature I’ve ever met.”
She burst into tears. They weren’t forced. She hurt everywhere, and now he was deliberately injuring her pride. It was all she had left. She couldn’t cling to it any longer though.
“I’ve had a difficult life,” she cried out.
“Who hasn’t?”
“Harrison left me out here alone.”
“You were never alone.”
Her shoulders slumped. “I know.”
She turned to the bushes. “You may leave now, Henry. Cole’s here.”
“Thank you, Miss Eleanor,” Henry called back.
She took a deep breath. “I ... appreciated your company.”
“I didn’t mind yours neither, except when you were screaming. You made my head hurt, Miss Eleanor.”
“I’m sorry.”
She turned back to the trail and started walking again. Cole rode by her side.
“That wasn’t so difficult, was it?”
“What wasn’t difficult?” She kept her attention on the ground so she wouldn’t step on anything sharp. Her feet were sticky and hot.
She felt miserable and knew she looked worse. She ran her fingers through her hair in an attempt to give the curls some order and kept walking. She didn’t care what Cole thought she looked like. No, she certainly didn’t. She realized her top three buttons were undone and quickly latched them up.
“Being nice wasn’t difficult,” he said.
“Yes, it was.”
He smiled because he felt the same way. “Why is it difficult?”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“Try me.”
“It makes me feel vulnerable.”
He almost nodded agreement. The two of them were more alike than he’d realized.
“You’re supposed to treat others the way you wish to be treated,” he recited from memory. Lord, how many times had Adam suggested that golden rule to him?
“Now, why would I want to do that?”
He really didn’t have any idea. She volunteered her own theory. “Do you think they’ll then treat me nice?”
“Some will.”
“What about the ones who don’t?”
“You get to be mean to them.”
She burst into laughter. She was amazed she could find joy in anything, given her dire circumstances.
His words made sense, but she wasn’t quite ready to admit it. She decided to try once more for sympathy.
“Everyone leaves me,” she said. “Even my father ran away from me. I was abandoned.”
“So?”
“I got scared.”
“Who doesn’t get scared every now and then?”
She gave it one last try. “I’m completely without funds.”
“Too bad. Try earning some money.”
“How? I’m not trained to do anything. Maybe I should just find a man and get married.”
“No man would have you, even desperate ones who haven’t seen a fine-looking woman like you in years.”
Her eyes widened over the casually given praise. Did he really believe she was a fine-looking woman?
“Mary Rose doesn’t like me. She only pities me.”
“So you treat her like . . .”
“I don’t want her pity,” she shouted.
“Then tell her how you feel, but be nice about it. Mary Rose could be a good friend if you don’t drive her away.”
“It’s too late. I’ve ruined everything. Everyone voted. I have to leave. Harrison said so. Do you really think I’m a fine-looking woman?”
“Sure. I’ll bet you’re real pretty when you smile.”
“Travis hates me. Smiling isn’t going to change that.”
“You might stop calling him boy.”
“I forgot his name.”
“No, you didn’t. You wanted to irritate him. You succeeded. Now stop it.”
She nodded. He wasn’t finished giving advice, however. “Say my name,” he ordered.
“Cole.”
“That’s right. My name’s Cole, not You There or Boy.”
“Do I have to be nice to everyone?”
Only Eleanor would ask that question. “Yes.”
She laughed again. “I was just teasing.”
“I was right.”
“Right about what?”
“You’re very pretty when you smile.”
She turned away. “Thank you. I was nice to Adam. Harrison said he didn’t vote against me. Of course he couldn’t.”
“Why couldn’t he?”
“Because he’s head of th
e household. He had to abstain . . . didn’t he?”
“I forgot.”
“Do you think Adam would have voted to throw me out?”
“No.”
“I didn’t think so either. He’s a very kind man. He can tolerate almost anything, even me.”
“I’m kind.”
“No, you’re not.”
He smiled. She was right. He wasn’t kind.
“Are you going to keep on walking?”
“What other choice do I have?”
He leaned down, put his arm around her waist, and lifted her up onto his lap. She felt as light as a pillow. She was hot and sweaty, yet she still smelled like she’d just taken a bath.
She was all tuckered out from her strenuous walk. The mountain air had made her feel light-headed too. She was glad Cole was letting her ride with him and knew she should thank him. She tried to come up with the appropriate words. It shouldn’t have been difficult, but it was. Lord, she’d really been acting like a tyrant all these past years, ordering people around . . . and never showing any sort of gratitude.
They rode along for several minutes without any conversation. Cole was comfortable with the silence. Eleanor wasn’t. She wiggled around in his lap, pressing her backside against his groin every time she moved. He gritted his teeth together to keep himself from shouting at her.
Finally, he couldn’t stand any more provocation. “Quit hopping around like that.”
“I’m not hopping. Thank you.”
There, she’d said the words. She immediately relaxed. It hadn’t been difficult after all.
Unless he mocked her, of course. She tensed in anticipation.
“Why did you call Mrs. Morrison a fat cow?”
“I was helping Mary Rose.”
“How?”
“Mrs. Morrison had the nerve to tell me Harrison was going to court her daughter. I informed her she was wrong. She continued to disagree with me, and one word led to another.”
He changed the subject. “Didn’t you learn anything useful at school?”
“I could teach.”
“Why don’t you?”
“Children dislike me.”
He wasn’t at all surprised. “Do you like children?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never been around any.”
“Then how would you know if they liked you or not?”
“No one else does.”