Change of Heart (8 page)

“I got both ears, inside and out.” Zack
twisted his head so Jase could see. “I washed all the way up to my
elbows, and I got my feet clear up to my knees.” He took Jase’s
face in his hands. “I can be a good boy, Jase. If you’ll let me
stay here until I go on the stage with Aunt Marietta, I’ll be the
best boy you ever saw in your life. I’ll do anything you ask.” He
threw his arms around Jase’s neck. “Please, please let me stay,
Jase. I love you so much. I just want to be with you a little while
longer before I have to go.”

Jase wrapped his arms around him. He wanted
Zack with him as much as the boy wanted to stay, but what could he
do? Zack belonged with Marietta. The boy needed to form an
attachment to her, and he couldn’t do that if he stayed with
Jase.

“Zack,” Jase whispered into the child’s ear,
“I have to take you back to Fort Kearney in the morning. There’s
nothing else I can do.”

Zack let go and pushed himself out of Jase’s
arms. He snuggled on his side under his quilt with his knees curled
up. “I’m sorry, Jase. I want to go to sleep now.”

Jase stood and stared down at the child he
loved more than his own life. Why did doing the right thing have to
be so blasted hard? He went down the hall to his own bedroom and
thought about Zack’s proposal. The boy’s request really wasn’t
unreasonable. The Carson house was crowded with two extra people.
Maybe Zack could stay with him until the stage came.

But, if Zack stayed with him for another few
weeks, would he be any more ready to leave when the stage came? As
much as Jase wished he could give Zack what he wanted--what Jase
wanted himself--he knew the boy needed to be with Marietta. He
needed to gain the sense of family with her that would give him
some security.

The next morning, as soon as Mabel had fed
them a hearty breakfast, Jase and Zack left for the fort in predawn
obscurity. Jase held Zack close in front of him as they cantered
over the prairie, savoring what would probably be the last moments
of closeness they’d ever have.

Zack was so innocent, a victim of injustice.
Evil men with hearts dedicated to greed, selfishness, and violence,
with hands that did the Devil’s work, had murdered the boy’s
parents and caused him unbearable pain. Now, a woman as beautiful
as a summer sky, with a heart warmed by love, would hurt Zack again
by taking him away from the only land he’d ever called home--and
Jase was helping her do it. Whatever the intentions of those
concerned, Zack was suffering injustice from everyone around
him.

A few miles from the fort, they were met by
several soldiers who were looking for the missing boy. Once they
discovered that Zack was well, the group of military men rode back
to the fort in haste to report to Marietta that her nephew was in
good hands and would be in her arms shortly.

Jase decided as long as Marietta knew Zack
was safe, there was no need to jostle the boy with a hard gallop
like the soldiers had been willing to make to give her the happy
report. He thought of Marietta the rest of the way to the fort. The
idea of seeing her again quickened his pulse. He wished he had an
opportunity to pursue a relationship with her, but he knew it was
pointless. Her life was in Chicago; his was on his ranch. She’d
never fit in with his way of living, and he’d choke in a city.

He’d have done anything to win Marietta’s
love if he’d thought he had a chance at enticing her to stay, but
he knew such efforts would be wasted. He’d have to be content for
all his life with the memories of the gazes she’d given him, the
words they’d exchanged, and the quiet magic of their moments
together.

He guided Beaumont into the fort and urged
him toward the Carson home. Marietta was on the porch sitting next
to a soldier, smiling at him. The image ripped Jase through the gut
like a knife through a vital organ.

His reaction to seeing her with another man
surprised him. He tried to toss the nasty feeling aside, but it
wouldn’t leave. His head told him he had no right to feel the way
he did, but his heart made it clear that Marietta was special to
him, and there wasn’t a thing he could do about that.

The instant Marietta caught sight of the
approaching riders, she hastened to her feet and lit the entire
fort with her smile. Jase’s heart beat even faster when his eyes
locked on the most beautiful sight in five hundred miles. She was
absolutely breathtaking.

The soldier next to Marietta stuck something
in his pocket and came toward Jase when Beaumont reached the
hitching post. “Let me take the boy,” he said, reaching for
Zack.

Jase handed Zack to the soldier, who promptly
placed the child in Marietta’s arms.

“There you go, right back where you belong,”
the soldier said to Zack. “Thank you, Miss Randolf. I’ll be leaving
now.” He tipped his hat and strode off.

Jase dismounted and climbed the steps to the
porch. “Hello, Miss Randolf.”

“Hello, Mr. Kent.”

Jase couldn’t help but wonder if the delight
in her eyes was solely a reaction to having her nephew back, or if
some of her happiness was the result of seeing him again. He
removed his hat and fidgeted his fingers around its brim.

“The boy stowed away on James Richards’
buckboard.”

“I was so worried.” Marietta continued to
hold Zack closely as she lifted her emerald gaze to meet Jase’s. “I
didn’t know what happened to him. I thought maybe someone had...”
She pulled Zack away from her and looked at him. “Don’t ever do
anything like that again, darling. I couldn’t stand it if anything
happened to you.”

Zack looked down. “I’m sorry, ma’am. I missed
Jase so much I couldn’t stand it.” He lifted his eyes and stared
into Marietta’s loving gaze. “Can’t I please stay at Jase’s until
we leave for the city. I’ll be good, I promise.” Tears slid from
the child’s gloomy blue eyes. “I just want to be on the ranch.
Please.
”

She kissed Zack and squeezed him hard. “I’ll
talk to Mr. Kent about it.”

The breeze from the wing of a gnat could have
knocked Jase over when he heard her response to Zack’s request.
He’d have been less surprised to see his bull grow an udder than to
hear her say she’d consider letting the boy stay on the ranch. In
just a few words, she’d undone all the convincing Jase had done to
make Zack understand that he had to stay with her.

Zack pushed away from her and jumped down to
the porch. “Talk to Jase now. I’ll go inside and see if Miss Amy
has any gingerbread men.” He looked up at Jase. “You listen to her
when she tells you how much I need to be at the ranch, Jase. She’s
my aunt, and I got to do what she says, so listen to her.” He sped
into the house before either Marietta or Jase could say another
word.

Jase stretched to his full six-foot-two-inch
height and folded his arms. “You’ll talk to me about it?” he asked,
lifting a brow. “What does that mean? The boy belongs with you. The
two of you need to build family ties.”

“I know.”

“Then why did you speak as though you’d
consider letting him come back to the ranch with me?”

“Because I can’t turn down such a reasonable
request. Zack has lost so much, and he doesn’t want to lose you. He
loves you, Mr. Kent, why shouldn’t he spend time with you? He’s so
happy when you’re around, and he’s glum as a beggar when you’re not
with him.” She took a deep breath and wiped her hands over her
face. “Why can’t we give the boy a little happiness?”

Jase stared down at her a long moment.
Refusing Zack’s request had been difficult enough. He’d never have
the strength to turn down Marietta if she flat-out insisted on his
taking Zack home to the ranch.

“He belongs with you, Miss Randolf.” His
words were firm but gentle.

“He’ll have his whole life with me.”

“He needs you now. Even he understands
that.”

“Mr. Kent, the boy deserves some happiness. I
know it’s impossible to give him both what he needs and what he
wants, so we have to choose. He needs to be with me, but he wants
to be with you. I say let him be with you now and me later.”

“You’re only delaying the inevitable,” Jase
said, shaking his head. “The boy has to be with you.” He looked out
on the compound as he searched his mind for a solution to this
latest dilemma. “There’s a way, I suppose, to do what you’re
asking.” He gazed at Marietta and wondered if what he was about to
suggest was more for Zack or for himself. “I’d consider having Zack
come to the ranch with me if you came too.”

“What?”

The shock on her face mirrored Jase’s own
astonishment at what he’d been audacious enough to say. Then, the
solution began to pour from his lips without his having any idea
where the answer had come from.

“I’ll move into the bunkhouse with my ranch
hands. You can live in my house with Zack and my housekeeper, Mrs.
Whipple.”

No matter where the idea had come from, Jase
liked it. And not only because it would make Zack happy. He’d be
pleased to have Marietta nearby too.

“But, to put you out of your own house... Mr.
Kent, that wouldn’t be fair.”

He placed his hand on her shoulder. “I’d
sleep on the ground in a blizzard if it would help make Zack happy
and keep the two of you together.” He held both her shoulders and
gazed down at her. “I don’t know whatever put such an idea into my
head, Miss Randolf, but I’m glad I came up with it. I truly believe
this is the best solution for this situation. What do you say?”

Her eyes turned softer than Jase had ever
seen them. “Let’s go tell Zack the good news.”

It took only a couple of hours for Jase,
Marietta, and Zack to load the things they needed onto the borrowed
buckboard they took to Jase’s ranch. As he sat next to Marietta
driving over the beautiful open prairie on a warm December day,
Jase’s heart filled with gratitude that he’d found the right
solution to his problems.

While it was true he could end up with a
broken heart when Marietta ultimately left him, he’d gladly take
the pain in order to give Zack a few weeks of happiness. The
happiness he’d receive himself with Zack and Marietta nearby would
be enough to sustain him the rest of his life. It had to be.

Matters of the heart always surprised Jase.
He’d actually been jealous when he’d seen the young soldier with
Marietta on the Carson porch. He had no right to jealousy. He and
Marietta weren’t even close enough to speak to each other on a
first-name basis, yet he couldn’t help how he felt.

He’d grinned at his foolish feelings when
he’d learned the reason Marietta had been sitting with the soldier:
she’d been helping the private write a letter to his sweetheart
back home. And Jase had been jealous.

No need to ponder that now. Marietta was next
to him for the moment, and he couldn’t have been happier.

~ * ~

Marietta remembered Zack’s directions to
Jase’s ranch home as they passed each of the landmarks the boy had
described. The house was visible from a great distance away, and
when they pulled up to the white clapboard building at sunset, she
knew for sure it was indeed as large as it had appeared from miles
away. She’d had no idea a rancher would live in such a fine
home.

Jase helped her down from the buggy. “Let’s
go inside. I’m sure Mabel has our supper ready. I’ll bring your
things in later.”

“And I’ll help,” Zack said, jumping down from
the buggy.

“Yes, you’ll help.” Jase pulled the boy’s
knitted hat from his head and fluffed the blonde curls.

Marietta turned to Jase. “Do you mind if we
look around before we eat? Your house is far more intriguing than
anything I’d imagined. I expected to see something much more
humble.”

A light of pride shone in Jase’s coffee-brown
eyes. “We’ll look around while Zack washes up. Right, Zack?”

“Yup, Jase. I’ll wash up while you two look
around, and I’ll help Mrs. Whipple set the table or wash dishes or
take out ashes or fill the cistern or anything else she wants.”
Zack was clearly intent on living up to his promises to be
helpful.

Jase grasped Marietta’s arm and urged her up
the front steps. “I’m glad to hear you being so cooperative, Zack.
Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” The boy rushed past them
and ran inside, leaving the door open. “I’m back, Mrs. Whipple. And
I brought my aunt!”

Jase chuckled. “I guess the news is
broken.”

He led Marietta inside, took her coat, and
hung it in the front closet next to his own. They stepped into the
kitchen where he introduced the two ladies.

Marietta was aghast at the modern kitchen
Mrs. Whipple had to work in. A bright yellow warmed the walls, the
latest in cook stoves heated the room as well as their supper, and
the whitewashed cabinets looked more like they belonged in a
Chicago mansion than in a home in the middle of a prairie. What a
luxury it must be on baking day to have so much workspace on top of
the lower cabinets.

After the introductions, Jase led Marietta to
a smaller room across from the kitchen. “This is my library.”

“A library! Mr. Kent, look at all the books!”
Marietta scanned the wooden shelves filled with books. “It’s a
little piece of Heaven right here in this house.” She stepped close
to Jase and turned her beaming face up to meet his gaze. “We’ll
have to read to each other as we did in the cabin.”

The instant the suggestion crossed her lips
she knew she’d gone beyond her bounds to suggest such an intimate
activity. It was one thing to pass the time reading to each other
in the cabin when they’d been held captive by the storm, but here
in Jase’s home... She’d been much too bold to suggest it.

Jase touched her shoulder lightly. “I can’t
think of anything I’d rather do, Miss Randolf.”

Marietta felt her cheeks burning. Did Mr.
Jason Kent have feelings for her? His eyes said he did. His quick
acceptance of her daring suggestion punctuated the gleam in his
eyes. She’d found the cowboy attractive the moment she’d laid eyes
on him. When they’d been in the cabin, she’d understood during a
few special moments with him how Kathy must have felt about Clint,
and how Amy must feel about Lt. Carson. But could she and Jase ever
be more than acquaintances? She’d be leaving in a few weeks, and
she’d never see him again.