Not the Marrying Kind (17 page)

No foul language.

Tell the truth.

Do your best.

Wash up before meals.

Treat others with respect.

Speaking of respect, Kat thought, she’d do
well to be on her best behavior that evening when Reverend Kendrick
came for supper.

When, at last, the night ended and she said
her bedtime prayers, she gave thanks that no arguments had erupted,
no accusations had been bandied about, and no questions had been
asked about Benjamin, about Joshua Barron, or about her interest in
either one.

Kat blew out the light and drifted off to
dreams.

The next few days passed quickly. Benjamin
proved to be a strong, capable hand, and Kat’s confidence soared.
She enjoyed the time she spent with Joshua, too. More and more she
caught him watching her when he thought she wasn’t looking. Of
course, more and more, she found herself looking.

And she found herself dreaming of him more
and more.

She had always been an early riser, but on
Sunday morning, Kat climbed out of bed even before the first
streaks of dawn appeared. At her request, Mama had written out the
recipe for apple pie, quite pleased to see her daughter actually
taking an interest in baking.

“Just follow it step by step, honey, and
you’ll do fine,” Mama had assured her.

Grabbing an apron from a peg on the wall,
Kat read over the instructions then set to work. Precisely one hour
and thirty minutes later, she opened the oven door and took out an
almost-perfect pie. The crust was only slightly burned, but other
than that slight miscalculation on the heat, the resulting pie
looked every bit as good as the ones Mama made.

Kat intended to take a few slices along with
her the next day when she and Joshua rode out to round up the last
of the cattle for the contract. If they could find enough to fill
the contract, that is. She still refused to believe anyone would be
rustling cattle from the Rocking P, but the evidence said
otherwise.

So far, her relationship with Joshua had
been all business—well, except for that kiss. Her face flushed at
the memory. Ever since that kiss had happened, she’d been looking
at herself in a new light. She wanted Joshua to look at her
differently, too, not merely as a tough as nails rancher with a bit
of a bossy streak. Crazy or not, she wanted him to think of her as
a woman.

Setting the pie in the safe, she hurried
upstairs to dress.

Later that morning, when Kat and her family
arrived for Sunday services, she immediately caught sight of
Joshua, and a huge smile came to her face. It pleased her to no end
to learn he was a church-going man; that fact would go a long way
toward earning her father’s respect. Hers, too, although Kat
figured what a man did wasn’t always as important as what he
believed, at least, not where church attendance was concerned.
She’d known a lot of men—like Mr. Hubbard—who never missed a Sunday
service, but then went home, grabbed a bottle of whiskey, got good
and drunk, and beat up on his wife and their eight children. Of
course, he was always mightily sorry about it, did the necessary
weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth, and gained everyone’s
forgiveness just in time for Sunday to roll around, at which point
he’d do it all over again.

Like her father said, going to church on
Sunday didn’t make a man a Christian any more than sleeping in a
stable made him a horse.

All the same, Kat was pleased to see Joshua
at the early morning service.

Or maybe it was just that she was pleased to
see him. Period. Anywhere. Anytime.

And who was the man beside him? Kat shielded
her eyes and squinted. “Why, that’s Cody!” She laughed, catching
her mother’s attention.

“What are you mumbling about, Katherine?
I’ve told you, it’s important you speak up, enunciate properly,
make your voice clear.”

“Cody Bradford,” she said again, enunciating
each syllable. She pointed, but her mother pushed her hand
away.

“You know it’s impolite to point.” Yet
Amanda was staring at the man, too, amusement in her expression.
“He looks right nice, doesn’t he? Never saw him cleaned up
before.”

As they talked, Joshua and his cousin had
noticed them and were now walking in their direction, both of them
limping, both of them moving slowly. Cody supported his slender
frame with a pair of wooden crutches, obviously hand-made.

“Good morning,” Joshua called out, tipping
his hat. He looked mighty fine in his Sunday best, his boots
polished, and his shirt pressed. The two men must have taken great
pains on their appearance. Now, just who might they be trying to
impress?

Kat noticed how Joshua kept an arm at his
cousin’s waist, pushing and prodding him to step forward. Poor
Cody. The reclusive fellow wasn’t accustomed to the rigors of
Sunday morning—getting up at dawn, drawing water for a bath,
getting into fancy clothes, slicking down his hair. He did look
nice, Kat had to admit, yet she had eyes only for Joshua.

“You’re staring,” Emily whispered, nudging
Kat with an elbow.

Kat cleared her throat and turned away.
“Let’s get inside and find our seats.”

She saw Maddie Marlowe step into the church
and noticed how people moved away from her. It made her think a bit
of the parting of the Red Sea, only she knew folks weren’t stepping
aside to make the woman’s way easier for her. Truth was, people
felt uncomfortable around Miss Marlowe, almost as if they were
afraid if they got too close, her scars might jump off of her face
and land right on them. It was wrong the way people shunned
her.

Kat was surprised when Joshua and Cody sat
in the same pew with Maddie. Guess they felt a bit like outsiders,
too.

After the service, Kat hurried off to teach
her children’s Sunday class. She loved spending time with the
little ones, reciting simple scriptures with them, and singing
“Jesus Loves Me” and other hymns. But on that morning, her thoughts
often wandered away like sheep straying from the good shepherd.

At last, classes were over. Kat reunited
children and parents, then hurried outside to gather in the
churchyard where other members of the congregation were milling
about in what was called the fellowship hour.

She peered through the crowd, searching for
her family. Pa would still be in the church building, meeting with
the budget committee to count the morning’s offering. She saw Emily
coming her way, the little girl’s long skirts swishing as she
walked. Emily had worn her finest dress, a new, bright-yellow frock
Mrs. McIntyre had made. Kat thought perhaps she should remind her
sister that pride and vanity were still considered sins. Before
Emily reached her, someone tapped Kat’s shoulder.

“May I have a word with you, Katherine?”

At the sound of Virgil Kendrick’s voice, she
whirled around.

“What is it, Reverend Kendrick?” She fought
to keep the irritation from her voice. She disliked the man, and
she’d sooner die a horrible death by any means than to contemplate
the idea of marrying him, but he was a clergyman and that called
for a show of respect. She clenched her hands into fists behind her
back.

He gestured her to step aside. “I’m worried
about you. You’re walking into a troublesome valley, I fear.”

“‘Yea though I walk, the Lord is with me.’”
She could quote a few scriptures when needed, in her own fashion,
at least.

“Please, don’t make light of the
situation.”

“What, pray tell,
is
the
situation
, as you call it? What harm, exactly, are you
afraid might befall me?” Kat felt a slight sense of relief as Emily
joined them.

The minister didn’t acknowledge Emily,
however. He threw a sharp look over his shoulder and jerked his
head toward Joshua Barron. “That man could be dangerous. You know
nothing about him. He shows up in Sunset, worms his way into a job
at the ranch, and he’s putting on quite a show of righteousness.
It’s all an act, Katherine.”

“How would you know that? You don’t know
anything more about him than I do. He’s a hard worker, despite his
injured leg, and obviously he’s a decent, God-fearing sort or he
wouldn’t bother coming to church on Sunday.”

“It’s all for show, Katherine. I may not
know Joshua Barron personally, but trust me, I know his kind.
Barron is trouble. You can see it in his face, in his eyes. You’ve
probably not read Shakespeare,” he said, his voice taking on a
supercilious tone, “but there’s an oft-quoted line from
Julius
Caesar
, describing Cassius. It was said he had ‘a lean and
hungry look.’ And I see that look on Joshua Barron’s face.”

“Well, then, I suppose I should do my
Christian duty and feed the poor soul, don’t you think?” She spun
around. “Come along, Emily.”

Kendrick came after her. “That’s not what I
meant, and you know it.”

“Good day, Reverend. I enjoyed your sermon
at church, but I don’t need you preaching at me now. Excuse us, we
need to join the rest of our family.”

She spotted their mother moving through the
crowd and hurried toward her.

Mama loved to fellowship, which was really
nothing more than a nice Christian word for socializing. The woman
now seemed to have Joshua and his cousin in her sights. She homed
in on them. Dragging Emily with her, Kat tagged along. It seemed
the polite thing to do.

“I’ll be honest,” Mama said, reaching out to
shake Joshua’s hand. “I never expected to see Cody Bradford in the
house of the Lord.” She laughed and turned toward the reclusive
woodcarver.

“Figured I ought to civilize the critter,
you know.” Joshua grinned and poked at his cousin. “A little
church-going and a bit of preaching never hurt any man.”

Mama turned to Cody. “Glad to see you’re
doing better. Any problems with that leg?”

“Nah, it’s almost good as new.”

Maddie Marlowe stood nearby. She watched in
silence, and then a look passed between her and Joshua. A knowing
look. A look Kat couldn’t describe and couldn’t understand. Maddie
turned and walked away.

What was that all about? Kat knew it was
none of her business, but for some reason she didn’t like what
she’d just seen. What connection did Miss Marlowe have with Joshua?
Suddenly Kat felt as though
she
were the outsider and that
she’d been excluded from something deeply significant between
them.

Glancing over, she saw Pa come out of the
church building. “It’s time to go,” she said, gesturing toward the
wagon. “Pa,” she called, “do you need any help?”

Emily tugged at her sleeve. “Are you going
to ask him to dinner like you said? What about his crazy cousin?
And what about Benjamin?”

Embarrassed by her little sister’s
tugging—and her all-too-audible whisper—Kat knew her face had
already turned several shades of red and was probably getting
redder by the moment. Joshua kept staring at her, obviously waiting
for her to say something, and finally she managed a shaky
smile.

“Well, Mr. Barron is welcome to come to
dinner any time, Emily.” She looked away, wishing the tall,
dark-haired man didn’t always leave her so nervous and discomfited.
Worse, she couldn’t figure out what it was about him that made her
suddenly stammer and turned every bone in her body to jelly. He was
just a man, that’s all!

But, damn it all, what a handsome one.

Emily tugged again. “What about Benjamin?
And Mr. Bradford?” she asked, her whisper as loud as before.

“Yes, Emily, they’re both welcome, of
course. You know how it is at our home. Everyone is welcome to sit
at our table and take a meal with us. We’re always pleased to share
our bounty.” She lifted her chin and turned her gaze on Joshua
Barron as she spoke, finally retrieving a bit of her lost
composure. More relaxed now, Kat smiled warmly and extended a hand.
“Truly, it would be a pleasure to have you at our table. Will you
accept our invitation? You too, Mr. Bradford.”

Cody shook his head. “I’ve got some grits
and gravy out at the cabin. I’ll be heading on home now.” He patted
Joshua’s arm. “Go on, enjoy a decent meal while you’ve got the
chance.”

Joshua grinned, making Kat feel all giddy
inside like a thousand butterflies had suddenly taken wing.

“I can’t begin to tell you how much I’d
enjoy that, Kat. It’s been so long since I’ve had a real,
home-cooked meal, I honestly can’t even remember when or where it
was, or what it was, for that matter.”

Emily giggled. “Our Mama’s the best cook in
the whole Colorado Territory. Of course, Kat can-”

“That’s enough.” Kat grabbed her sister, all
the while keeping a smile on her face. “There will be time enough
for chat at the dinner table. For now, let’s get home.”

As soon as they’d climbed into the wagon,
she fixed Emily with a no-nonsense scowl. “You need to just keep
your big mouth shut, Miss Emily Sue. I know what you were fixing to
tell Mr. Barron, and he doesn’t need to know the particulars of my
cooking skills.”

“What cooking skills? You haven’t got any,
and maybe he ought to know. I mean, really, Kat, if you’re thinking
about marrying the man, you ought to tell him the truth.”

“Marry him? Now, where on God’s green earth
did you come up with an idea like that?”

Emily’s smile spoke volumes.

Kat’s fury nearly exploded. “Emily Sue
Phillips, have you been snooping in my dresser drawers again? Did
you read my diary? I swear, I’m going to tell Mama, and she’ll whip
you so hard you won’t be able to sit down for a week. And if she
doesn’t, I will!”

“I only read a couple of pages. And I won’t
say anything about it to Mr. Barron.”

Kat eyed her with suspicion. “Oh,
really?”

“Really.” Emily nodded. “Some things are
meant to be private, and you are my sister. I do respect your right
to keep your thoughts to yourself. But still,” she went on, her
smile growing, “other things should be public knowledge, or at
least should be known by prospective husbands. I won’t tell Mr.
Barron about your lousy cooking, either, but that one’s going to
cost you.”