Distraction (9 page)

Libby walked inside and rolled an avalanche of
potatoes from her apron onto the kitchen table. Two of the
vegetables rolled across the table and bounced onto the floor. I
chased after them.

“I’ll have to put a big pot of water on to boil,” she
said, as I returned the runaway potatoes to the pile.

“I’d be happy to get the water for you,” I said.
“Just point me to the well.”

Libby’s blues eyes were round. “The well? That’s been
filled in for a good fifteen years.” She walked over to the large
basin under the window and lifted a lever. There was a rumble
beneath the floor boards of the kitchen and the walls vibrated.
Moments later, a thin stream of water flowed into the basin. “We’ve
got all the modern conveniences of the wealthy folk’s houses over
in Billings. Our pipes just work a little slower.”

She handed me a large, deep pot, and I maneuvered it
beneath the steady stream of cool water. I stared out the window as
I waited for the pot to fill enough to accommodate the mound of
potatoes. That is when I saw him riding across the field. He sat
astride a large horse. The animal had a coat so black it looked
almost blue in the crystal sunlight. A smaller brown horse attached
to a rope trotted behind.

Cade’s long, dark hair was pushed behind his ears,
and his black hat was pushed low on his forehead. The blue scarf he
wore loosely around his neck partially concealed his strong chin.
There was a long weapon strapped to the side of the saddle. His
long legs were covered with a layer of some type of soft leather.
It was as if Nonni had sprinkled my sketch with magic and the
knight in my picture had turned in his armor and helmet for a black
hat and cow hide.

He lifted his face toward the house and the light
caught his handsome features. I sucked in a breath.

“That boy has grown into such a fine young man, I
sometimes find it hard to believe he’s the same trouble making boy
I raised. I always knew he’d be handsome but . . .” She laughed and
turned off the water before the basin spilled over. “There isn’t an
unmarried girl within a twenty mile radius of this ranch who
doesn’t have her sights set on Cade Tanner.”

I watched as he rode the horse all the way into the
yard. He caught a glimpse of me staring at him, and I could see a
slight smile over the blue neck scarf.

“Does he always carry a musket?” I asked.

“A musket? That’s his hunting rifle. As you witnessed
yourself, there’s plenty of dangerous wildlife out there. You can’t
be too careful.”

Libby looked out the window again. “That’s a fine new
horse. Cade has always had a good eye for picking horse flesh.” The
horse lifted off its two front legs for a moment before dropping
back to all fours. “I just hope he doesn’t break his neck riding
that filly.” She turned back to me. “I just remembered, I found you
a pair of denim waist overalls that belonged to Cade when he was a
boy. I think they’ll fit you fine.” She glanced back at the mound
of potatoes and sighed. “You can try them on once we put a dent in
peeling those spuds.”

Libby’s kitchen was large and sparsely appointed, but
it felt cozy sitting at the long, scarred table with the green
smell of freshly peeled potatoes and the rich steam of black tea
surrounding us. My shoulders were suddenly heavy with homesickness.
I wasn’t completely sure how Nonni would set about finding me, but
she was so clever and powerful, I was certain it would not be long.
I wondered how distraught poor Mari was over my absence.

“You’d better watch what you’re doing there, Poppy,
or the doctor will have to come back here and stitch on one of your
fingers.”

I smiled. “I guess I was just thinking about home.
Nonni and I would sit at our small work table sipping tea and
peeling vegetables just like this.”

“I’m sure your Nonni will be here soon to fetch you.
It sounds as if you love your grandmother very much.”

“I do. She’s raised me since I was a young girl, just
like you’ve done with Samuel and Cade.” I pushed aside a pile of
wet peels and picked up another potato. “If you don’t mind me
asking, what happened to their parents?”
“Don’t mind at all. Rick Tanner, their daddy, and my brother, died
two days after Cade’s sixteenth birthday.” She shook her head.
“Cade took it harder than Samuel. They were real close.” Her gaze
lifted and her eyes seemed to sparkle. “Cade is just like Rick,
tough as nails, a real fighter, but with a big heart. Their mother,
Caroline, was a beautiful girl. Cade has her eyes and dark hair.
Rick met her when he was traveling to New York to buy stock for the
ranch. She was a wealthy, fine young woman who sadly had no chance
out here in the wilds of Montana.” Libby resumed her task of
peeling. “Ten years ago, we had a terrible winter— worse than any
other I’d endured. Snow was piled up to the roof top. It hurt just
to take a breath.” Libby’s face softened as she drifted off in
thought again. “Didn’t think it would ever end. Caroline was always
frail, and the winter was just too brutal. She passed away three
days after the New Year. The boys were heartbroken.”

“Well, they were lucky they had you to take care of
them. I don’t know where I would have ended up if Nonni had not
been there for me after my mother died.” I definitely did not need
to go into the unusual details of my mother’s death and
fortunately, Libby did not ask.

“I love them as if they were my own. My husband died
just a year after we were married, and I never married again. I
came here to Tanner Ranch to teach Caroline some of the ways of
ranch living and I never left.”

My fingers tips were raw and we’d hardly made a
difference in the pile. “I have to say, Libby, this seems like an
enormous amount of potatoes. Are you expecting company?”

“Oh, these aren’t all for supper,” she laughed. “Not
that I haven’t seen Cade and Jackson shovel in mounds of mashed
potatoes after a long day of chores. I’m in charge of bringing
potatoes for the town social tomorrow night. In fact, you’ll have
to come along. Samuel and Charlotte will be there, and there’s
always good music and food.”

“Does Cade not attend social events?” I asked.

“He occasionally makes an appearance.” She smiled at
me over the mound. “And when he does show, there is always a big
commotion among the single females. And that, of course, causes a
commotion among the single males.” She sipped her tea loudly and
placed the cup down. “I just wish that boy would settle down with
one girl before he gets into troub—” She stopped short. “Never mind
about that. Let’s try those waist overalls on you and see if we can
get you up on a horse.” She stood, removed her apron, and dropped
it over the back of the chair. “I don’t know about you, but my
hands need a rest.”

The waist overalls were a pair of trousers made out
of the same faded blue fabric the men on the ranch wore. It seemed
both durable and soft. Or, at least it had been worn soft by wear.
I rubbed my hand over the pants. Flat silver buttons that had no
button holes held together the thick seams running along the waist.
The knees had been patched more than once.

“These belonged to Cade when he was a boy. Even the
strong denim fabric couldn’t keep that boy from wearing a hole in
the knees. If I had back every hour I spent patching that boy’s
pants, I’d be a young woman.”

I ran my fingers over the sturdy blue fabric and
smiled. Her complaints about Cade were always edged with pure
admiration. I glanced up at her. “You don’t think he’ll mind if I
wear them?”

She laughed. “Of course not. It’s not like he could
wear them anymore. Go ahead and try ‘em on. I found this shirt
too.” She held up a white, long sleeved shirt that was simply cut
with three buttons on a small opening at the neckline. “Not very
flattering, I’m afraid, but it’s warm, and you don’t want to ride
in those pretty dresses of yours.” She glanced down at my black
lace-up boots. I’d taken them off to pull on the trousers. They
were the only item of my own clothing that remained. “Those will be
fine to wear. I was going to see if Charlotte had an old pair, but
I think her feet are much bigger than yours.”

I undressed and slid the waist overalls up over my
legs. They felt completely foreign as the fabric hugged my legs.
They were a bit constricting, snug in the bottom, and seemed
slightly immoral, but Libby looked on so enthusiastically, I held
my tongue.

As I rolled the shirt down over my skin, Libby’s hand
reached out and stopped the hem from being lowered. “Those stitches
are ready to come out, and you don’t want to have those pulling on
you while you are riding a horse. I’ll get out my sewing kit. I
have a tiny pair of scissors I can use to cut them out.” Her eyes
lifted. “Unless you want to wait for the doctor. I’m so pushy
sometimes I even surprise myself.”

“No, I wouldn’t mind at all if you cut them out. It
would save the doctor a trip.”

Libby took my hand and led me to a rectangular piece
of glass hanging over the wardrobe of drawers in her room. “Come
look in the mirror. You look like a real cowgirl.”

I gasped as I stood in front of the glass and
realized it was my face staring back at me. I’d read of the fancy,
silver looking glasses used by the wealthy nobles of Europe, but
there was nothing like it in Salem. Mari and I had polished one of
Nonni’s large silver spoons to a high enough sheen that we could
see our reflections. But it was always distorted. Or sometimes,
when the sunlight had been just right on the cow’s water trough, it
was possible to see a reasonable reflection.

I was astounded by the clarity of Libby’s mirror, and
I was equally astounded by how absurdly small and thin I looked in
the waist overalls. I turned and awkwardly looked back over my
shoulder to see the trousers from the rear, but it was not
possible. Not thinking about how odd it might seem to Libby, I
reached up and touched the skin on my cheeks. They looked creamy
and smooth and reminded me of my mother’s. In fact, I looked a
great deal like her, and while Nonni had mentioned the similarity
often, I had never really seen it for myself.

Libby walked up behind me and gazed at my reflection.
“I admit the clothes look a bit out of the ordinary, but I think
they’ll do just fine. And they’re very practical.” She squeezed my
shoulders. “Although, if that grandmother of yours shows up any
time soon, you’d better roll those denims off fast. She would
probably not take too kindly to you wearing boy’s clothing.” She
walked to the door. “Put your boots on and I’ll meet you in the
kitchen. The light is best down there.”

Downstairs, Libby greeted me with a wide grin and
small pair of scissors. She’d drawn back the checkered drapes from
the two kitchen windows, and sunlight poured into the room. She
seemed to sense my apprehension. “Don’t worry, Samuel and Charlotte
took the wagon into town, and Cade and Jackson never show up
between meal times.” She waved me over. “Stand here in the center
where the light is best and lift the shirt up.”

I stood in front of her. She placed her hands on my
shoulder and turned me sideways. I reached down and slid the hem of
the shirt up to expose the stitches. She bent over and studied them
for a moment. Her fingertips were cold as she pressed against my
skin and I startled.

“Now hold still, or I’m liable to cut something
that’s not supposed to be cut.” I dropped the shirt. She chuckled.
“I’m only teasing. I’m just as skilled with these scissors as any
doctor. I’m only amazed at how well your skin has healed. Now,
let’s have at it.”

Having at it
didn’t sound terribly reassuring,
but I was happy to rid my side of the stitches.

Libby took her time and proceeded so gently I felt
nothing more than a tug on my skin as she removed the doctor’s
threads. I was standing there with the hem of the shirt dragged up
to the top of my rib cage, the naked skin of my back and side
completely exposed when the back door to the kitchen creaked open.
The cool outside air swirled around the kitchen. Boot heels pounded
the wood floor.

I dropped the hem of the shirt, but Libby’s hand kept
it from falling down. “Hold it,” she said, “last one.” There was a
slight tug and the shirt dropped down.

Heat rose in my cheeks as I turned around.

Cade was standing in the center of the kitchen. His
light green gaze did not leave me as he spoke, and it seemed he
swallowed several times before the words came out. “Christ, Libby,
what are you up to now?”

“Well, who knows when Doc Walker’s going to get out
here again, and she was all healed up.”

His gaze drifted down to my lower half, and suddenly,
I had an urge to run from the room. “Why is she dressed like
that?”

“Your aunt thought I could learn to ride a horse,” I
said hastily.

“I was hoping you’d have some time this afternoon to
saddle up Red and take Poppy out for a trot around the yard.”

His gaze still did not leave me as he spoke to his
aunt. “I’ve got too much to do. Where’s Samuel anyhow?” He finally
looked away, and I realized I’d been standing as rigid as a stone
statue.

“Samuel took Charlotte into town. They’re picking up
Virginia. Charlotte and Virginia are sewing table linens for
tomorrow’s social. Virginia will be staying with us a few days.”
There was some hesitation in her voice.

Cade slammed his hat down over his head. “That’s just
great,” he said angrily. “Well, I came in to let you know that the
crows are going to get your tomatoes if you don’t put up something
to scare them off.” He glanced at me once before his boot heels
smacked the floor again. The screen door flew shut behind him.

The night before, he’d danced with me on the porch.
Today, it seemed he wanted more than anything for me to be gone.
And I wanted desperately to
be
gone— to be back in our small
cottage, laughing and arguing with Mari. And now I wanted it more
than ever. “I think I should go upstairs and change,” I said
quietly. “He seemed terribly angry. The whole thing was a silly
notion anyhow.”
“Don’t worry about, Cade. He gets that way sometimes. He’s not mad
about the clothing. He’s upset about Charlotte’s friend, Virginia,
coming to stay.” Libby leaned closer and lowered her voice. “She’s
been after Cade since they were fifteen. He liked her too, for a
bit, but he lost interest eventually. Unfortunately, Virginia
hasn’t let go of the idea that they might still marry someday.” She
took my hand and led me to the table to sit. “He wasn’t upset about
what you were wearing.” She winked at me across the table. “The way
that boy looked at you, I could swear he was anything but upset.”
Libby picked up a potato and I did the same. “Jackson will be happy
to teach you to ride. Don’t give up on the idea just yet.”