Blue Moon Promise (22 page)

With a shock, he realized she was right. He’d always had his father around, but there weren’t many moments when he’d felt connected on more than a work level. “I didn’t realize I was lonely until you said it. How did you know?”

“I saw it in your eyes the first time Eileen took your hand,” she said softly.

“She’s too sweet to ignore.”

“You haven’t been around children much, have you?”

He shook his head and glanced toward the little girl, sleeping peacefully on her cot. One small fist was curled under her cheek. His heart contracted. “Only in the most casual way at church or the neighbors’.”

“You’re older than Roger?”

“By a year. We grew up together and were rounding up stray calves by the time we were eight.”

“I was cooking and cleaning like an adult by about that age myself.” She leaned a little closer. “Have you ever seen a real family in action? Both parents, children around the dinner table, everyone supportive of each other?”

It was difficult to think with her so close. He couldn’t look away from the intent expression in her blue eyes. “I don’t believe I have.”

“I saw a touch of it at my aunt’s house today. Though her husband is gone, his presence was felt. And my cousin is so close to her mother. I didn’t want to leave them.”

The O’Briens were his closest neighbors, and Margaret hardly had an ideal relationship with her father. On the other side were the Larsons, and he vaguely remembered going to dinner there when he was a youngster. The table had been full, but conversation had been stilted. The children were expected to keep silent, and they’d eaten quietly, then were shooed outside to play.

“Do you think we can do a better job?” she asked, her voice wistful. “I read
Little Women
a few years ago, and I realized I wanted a family like that. One that laughed and played together.”

“
Little Women
? Is that a novel?”

She nodded eagerly. “I brought my copy with me if you’d like to read it. It’s about four sisters during the Civil War. I wanted to be part of that family. Even though they were as poor as me, they were rich in family. And their last name was March. That was close enough to Marsh to make them feel like my own sisters.”

“I’m not much of a reader. Other than the Bible.” He cleared his throat. “Though I’d read it if you’d like me to.”

“We’re going to do this, aren’t we, Nate? Become a family?”

“We are. It won’t be easy though. We’re still strangers. But I want to remedy that.” He glanced toward the table beside her chair. “I’d like us to start by reading the Bible together as a family in the evening.”

Her eyes went wide. “Oh, I’d like that! Where shall we start? Proverbs 31?”

He smiled. “I think the Bible has things to teach both of us, not just you. Let’s start in Ephesians.”

“I don’t quite remember what all is there. It’s about families?”

He nodded. “Husbands are told to love their wives. I’d like to learn to love you, Lucy. I don’t think it will be hard to do.”

Her face was only inches away. Her lips parted, and he caught a whiff of her sweet breath. A strong urge to kiss her overtook him. He didn’t realize his arms were on her shoulders until he felt the fabric of her dress under his palms.

He pulled her closer and bent his head. His lips touched hers and he inhaled the scent of lavender that surrounded her. She was soft and warm in his arms, and he drank in the sweetness of her kiss.

TWENTY
 
 

Pa didn’t look as bad as Nate had feared. He was sitting in the rocker on the porch with the cat on his lap when Nate helped Lucy down from the buggy. Cowboys stared as the sun lit her face. Nate moved to block their view. How long would it take to get used to the way other men stared at his wife? She sure was a pretty little thing.

“Take your sister to see the kittens in the barn,” he told Jed. “I’ll have Percy call when chow is ready.” The boy nodded and led Eileen off toward the barn. Several puppies with round bellies rolled together in the grass by the porch as he offered his arm to Lucy and escorted her to the house.

“You kids are a sight for sore eyes.” Henry pushed the cat to the porch. “Sit down and tell me what you’ve been up to.”

Nate noticed he didn’t get up. His dad’s color was still a little off too. He pulled two other chairs close to his father’s. “How you feeling, Pa?”

His father waved a big hand in the air. “Better than I can convince Percy. He’s about to drive me crazy. I’m not an invalid. He’s been fussing over me like I’m a newborn calf.” He stared at Lucy. “My boy treating you okay, Lucy?”

She arranged her skirts and looked up with a smile. “Of course. We’re getting settled in. I have the cabin cleaned and organized.”

His pa stared at her with an intent expression. “Good, good.”

Nate stretched his legs out in front of him. “Listen, Pa, we have a problem and we need your advice.”

“You haven’t had a fight already, have you?”

Nate grinned. “We’re fine. At least for now. But we had a break-in yesterday. Luckily, Lucy wasn’t home. I think we need to find a good private investigator.”

His father straightened. “Investigator?”

“Lucy, you want to explain?” he asked. She nodded, and Nate sat quietly as she went over how she came to be in possession of the coins.

His father didn’t speak until she was done. “I don’t see what the problem is, girl. Your pa bought them fair and square. The coins are part of his estate now. They belong to you.”

She shook her head. “They might not, though. What if the man who sold them to Dad got them illegally?” She glanced at Nate. “I was thinking about what you said, Nate. About how if they’d been stolen the true owner would have shown up with the police. But what if the man who sold them to my father was part of a gang and sold them by himself? His partners might be the ones trying to get them back.”

“If that were true, he wouldn’t have taken such a paltry sum for them. He would have known their worth.”

She chewed her lip. “I hadn’t thought of that. Perhaps you’re right.”

His father leaned over and patted her hand. “It’s admirable that you don’t want to possess illegal goods, Lucy, but don’t worry about it. I’m sure the law is on your side. Think what we could do to expand our holdings with that kind of money.”

“It’s Lucy’s property, Pa. She can do what she wants with it.”

His father’s expression turned thunderous. “Ridiculous,” he muttered. “A man knows what’s best for his family.”

Nate stared at his father. He’d never seen him take such a contemptuous tone toward women. But then, they hadn’t been around women much. “It’s Lucy’s say.”

“Is it the
right
thing to do?” Lucy asked. “I’m more concerned with what’s right than what’s legal.”

His father’s scowl deepened. “What will satisfy you? We will get this settled, then you can spend that money without qualms.”

Lucy glanced at Nate then back to his father. “To find out if anyone has reported them missing. That would help. And to see if the Indiana police know anything about the man who was killed.”

His father glanced at Nate, and Nate nodded. “That’s why I need a good investigator.”

“Or the police,” Lucy put in.

“You sure don’t want to talk to the sheriff here,” his pa said. “I’ll see what I can find out. An investigator might want to see the coins and take imprints so they can be identified. Can you bring them to me?”

Lucy tensed and Nate realized she didn’t want to unearth the coins. “Let’s see what the investigator has to say first. He might just need to know what they are. Jed said their father said they were 1804 Dexter dollars. That might be enough to track them.”

His pa’s lips tightened. “It might take a few days to hear back.”

His father was used to having his every command obeyed. He and Lucy were sure to tangle at some point. Nate wanted to be around when that happened. Two such strong-willed people couldn’t get along forever. “Thanks, Pa. Let us know what you hear.” He glanced at Lucy, who sat with her hands folded in her lap.

She held his gaze, then turned hers to his father. “I met my aunt and cousin yesterday.”

His father bristled. “I hope you didn’t allow them to smear your new name.”

“Of course not. They are much too genteel to air their grievances.”

“They have no grievances. Not against me or any other Stanton. I bought that land fair and square.”

Nate decided to change the subject before his father had another heart attack. “Any news on our bull?”

The older man shook his head. “I reckon we won’t get him back. Best be looking for a replacement. I hear Zeller has a strong bull with good lines he might be convinced to sell.”

“I’ll check it out. How much do you want to spend?”

His father shrugged. “Use your own judgment. We want our brand to mean something. If that means we have to pay big bucks for a proper bull, we will.”

Sure as the world, Nate would buy a bull, and his father would find fault with either the bull or the price. “When you’re feeling better, we’ll look at him together. I might go to Dallas and look at some at auction next month.”

“We need a replacement sooner than that.”

Nate started to argue, then decided against it. His father was determined to be obstinate today. Was it because he saw his strength slipping away and wanted to exercise his control to compensate? Sympathy stirred in Nate’s chest. Someday he would be older and weaker too.

HENRY FOUND AN investigator but had said nothing more about needing to see the coins. Lucy tried not to think about them in the cellar for a few days. The men were out in the fields today but close by, so Lucy decided she would fix a nice noonday dinner for them. They were going to be cutting calves so they’d be tired and hungry when they came in. She set a chicken on to boil at eight, then cut noodles to dry.

Dinner was ready by one. Lucy kept glancing worriedly through the window but saw no sign of her menfolk. By one thirty she was becoming angry, and by two she was downright livid. In fact, if the men didn’t come in soon, the noodles would be overcooked and the chicken would be dry as chalk. It was the height of inconsideration to let this fine food go to waste.

“We might as well eat without them, Eileen.”

Lucy lifted her sister onto the chair, then ladled up rubbery noodles and stringy chicken. It tasted as bad as it looked. Eileen picked at her plate, and Lucy finally gave her a piece of warm bread spread with butter and jam. By the time she put Eileen down for her nap, Lucy’s anger was white-hot. She rehearsed all the things she would say to Nate when he got in. And Jed. He knew better.

She started to dump the remains of the meal into a dish to give Bridget when she got back with the men, then stopped and stared at the food. They would just have to eat it. Where she came from, food was a precious commodity. If it was not the best now, maybe that would teach Mr. Nate Stanton to be on time for a meal next time.

Lucy put the pan back on the stove to stay warm, then felt the clothes hanging around the cabin. They were dry, so she took them down and folded them. She carried Nate’s up the ladder to his room. His bed had not been made, and she clicked her tongue at her forgetfulness. She would have to remember tomorrow.

She threw the covers up over the bed, and her foot hit something under the bed. Curious, she knelt and peered in the darkness. A battered metal box, about six inches by eight inches, was the only thing under there. She laid a hand on the cool surface and pulled it to her. For a moment she hesitated. Maybe it was something private. But she was his wife, and they should have no secrets from one another.

She inched open the lid. Inside were a journal and a daguerreotype. Lucy picked up the photo. It was of a young woman holding a baby. She had a look about her that reminded her of Nate. Lucy was looking at Nate’s mother. She was lovely, with a cloud of thick, dark hair and Nate’s stubborn mouth and expressive eyes.

A lump in her throat, Lucy dropped the picture back into the box and picked up the journal. It looked old, too old to be Nate’s personal journal. The battered leather cover felt loved and worn in her hand, and the pages smelled old and stale.

She opened the first page. Mary Elizabeth Stanton. His mother’s journal. Tears stung Lucy’s eyes. Poor motherless boy. This was all he had of his mother, all the experience he had of women as well, just some brief memories of a long-dead mother. No wonder his father was determined to find him a wife.