Heart Of Texas (Historical Romance) (8 page)

Sam had nailed down the loose steps, removed
the front door so he could repair the broken
hinges, then hung it back in place. After he had
repaired the fence that enclosed the chicken
coop, he and a delighted jenny herded the wayward chickens into the enclosure and locked the
gate.

Jenny had objected when Casey informed her
that the chickens would not be coming back into
the house.

After the kitchen was cleaned to Casey's satisfaction, she turned her attention to the front
room. She and Sam made many trips to the well
for clean water so she could scrub the walls and
floors. Sam had insisted on cleaning the loft, since
he intended to take it for his bedroom. It was
almost dark when Casey swished her drying cloth
over the last window, satisfied that it was clean
enough for her to see her reflection.

The house had been scrubbed and aired, and
it now had the fresh smell of lemon oil. It occurred to her that she had been so busy she had
not yet asked Kate about Gabe.

Sam stood in the doorway with a wide grin on
his face, amazed at the change. "We have a home,
now that we've wrestled it away from the chickens."

Casey slid her arm around his waist, and he
lifted jenny in his arms. The floors were quite
beautiful since the grime had been scrubbed away
and the wood had been polished. The three of
them stared at what they had accomplished, and
it was a poignant moment for them all. If only
their father could have been there to share the
triumph with them.

Casey smiled, feeling hope for the first time
since their father had died. "We don't have a stick
of furniture, and I'm not sure where our next
meal is coming from, but we have a home."

"Your next meal is gonna be with me," Kate
said, coming up behind them and staring about
her. "This looks good-you did a lot of work."

"Thank you," Casey said, smiling at the older
woman. "I don't believe I could lift a pan to cook
tonight."

"Did I forget to mention that I did all the
cookin' for your uncle's cowhands? There used to
be anywhere from twelve to twenty wranglers at
any given time. Nary a one of them complained
of my cookie'."

"I wanted to ask you about someone I hired.
He calls himself Gabe, and he said you knew
him." She searched Kate's eyes when she asked,
"Did I do right in giving him a job?"

Kate was happy Gabe had agreed to help them.
"Shoot, yes, I know Gabe real well. If you have
him on your side, you don't need much else. You
can't do better than to have him riding for you."
Kate felt a prickle of guilt because she knew more
than she was telling. "He'll make you a good
hand."

Casey felt relief. "I wasn't sure."

Kate walked through the three rooms and came
back smiling. "Tomorrow I'll take you to the shed
so you can see what furniture is left for you to
use." She lifted jenny out of Sam's arms and
started off in the direction of her house. "You'd
better come on if you want to eat dinner while
it's hot. Gabe just rode in, and he's washing up."

They were all seated around Kate's table when
Gabe entered. Casey hadn't realized how tall he
was until she saw him standing in Kate's kitchen
doorway. He was clean shaven, and his black hair
glistened in the lamplight as if he had just washed
it and it was still wet. He had rolled his shirtsleeves
up to his elbows, and she could see the black hair
on his tanned arms.

Casey had always noticed people's hands. Her
father's hands had been those of a gentleman,
easy to blister when doing the work required on the wagon train. Kate's were work-worn and callused, showing signs of age. There was strength in
Gabe's hands; his fingers were long and tapered,
beautiful but masculine at the same time. She
wondered what it would feel like to have them
brush against her skin.

She quickly glanced down at her plate, her
cheeks flushed. Why did she always have to think
about him in that way? It was disturbing to have
him look at her with those beautiful, wolfish silver
eyes.

"Looks like you've gone and got yourself hired
here at the Spanish Spur," Kate said to Gabe.

"I wish you would tell Miss Hamilton that I'm
respectable," he said, smiling at Casey. "I wouldn't
be surprised if she's afraid I'll run off with her
cattle. I didn't make a very good first impression
on her, did I, Miss Hamilton?"

"You did help us get our wagon out of the
river," she reminded him.

Kate saw the blush on Casey's cheeks and
smiled to herself. No female was immune to that
handsome devil's charms. "I never knowed him to
steal cattle, but there's many a young lady whose
hearts he's stole."

Gabe made no comment as he took the empty
chair beside Kate, but he gave her a sharp glance.
"Something smells mighty good," he said, chang
ing the subject.

"Tastes good, too," Kate remarked without
modesty. She looked at Sam. "Your uncle Bob used to say I was the best cook in Texas, and that's
saying a lot."

Sam was staring with hungry eyes at the bowl
of mashed potatoes heaped high and fluffy. "My
sister's a good cook," he said loyally. "She can
cook about anything."

Casey met Gabe's gaze. "Did you have a productive day, sir?"

He liked the sound of her soft Southern accent.
He liked the way her red-gold hair curled about
her face. He liked the blue of her eyes; he was
certain that he could spend hours looking into
them. This was the first time he had seen her in
good light, and he was particularly fond of the
soft sprinkle of freckles across 'her nose. If there
was a more beautiful female in this world, he had
never met her. Her lips were pink and full, just
right for a man to kiss.

"Yes, ma'am, I did," he said, turning away from
dangerous thoughts. "I rounded up about twenty
strays and herded them into the east pasture.
There may be about a hundred head yet to round
up. I'm going to have to have help with them."

Casey shook her head. "I can't hire anyone else.
You know that."

Kate passed Gabe the platter of meat. "There
ain't no one going to work for the Spanish Spur,
and you know it."

He met Casey's blue-eyed gaze. "I know of two
men who would be willing to work for you with the understanding that they wouldn't be paid until you sell the cattle."

"How much is cattle going for now, Gabe?" Kate
wanted to know.

"Four dollars a head if we sell them here in
Texas-thirty dollars a head if we drive them to
the railhead. Of course, we would have to have at
least five hundred head to make a drive pay, and
you don't have near that many." He looked at
Casey. "I can't very well round them up alone.
And Sam is too inexperienced to be much help
until I can teach him what to do."

"You mentioned two men who would be willing
to work for us," she said, feeling overwhelmed by
their situation. "Will you ask them to come to the
Spanish Spur so I can talk to them?"

"Miss Hamilton, there is one fact I forgot to
mention. You may not want to hire them when I
tell you that they are Comanche."

She stared at him in disbelief and uncertainty.
"Indians!"

Sam grinned. "I've never been close to an Indian before. When we were on the trail, I caught
a glimpse of some on a hill, but they never came
where I could see them up close."

Casey laid her fork aside and placed her hands
in her lap so no one would see them tremble.
"Aren't they dangerous?"

Gabe's gaze dropped to his plate so she could
not see his expression. "If they were, I wouldn't
be recommending them to you."

Casey glanced at her brother. The thought of
having Indians on the ranch frightened her, but
she decided to let her brother make the decision,
since he was trying so hard to be a man. "What
do you think, Sam?"

His brow furrowed. "Papa always said the only
yardstick to measure a man's worth was integrity."
He spoke directly to Gabe. "Do these men have
integrity?"

"I would have to say they do." He looked as if
he would have said more, but he shook his head.
"I would, and have, trusted them with my life. Yes,
I would say they have integrity."

"It's your decision, Sam," Casey told him.

"We need help, and if Gabe says they are all
right, then that's good enough for me."

Gabe saw the uncertainty in Casey's eyes, and
he expected her to object. "And what about you,
Miss Hamilton?"

"My brother has already made the decision. He
is head of our family."

Gabe's lips met in a firm line. He knew she
made all the important decisions, but she was trying to give Sam confidence, and he admired her
for that. "I'll send word to them in the morning.
It'll take a couple of weeks for them to get here."

Casey looked into Gabe's eyes, and then hurriedly lowered her gaze. He was the most disturbing man she had ever been around. "My family
would like to thank you... for everything."

"You are welcome, Miss Hamilton," he said, tak ing the platter of meat Kate had been holding for
him. "Sam, how would you like to ride out with
me tomorrow?"

"I would, sir. I really would." His voice deepened with excitement, and he glanced at Casey
for permission. "Is it all right with you if I go?"

"Yes. Of course." She frowned thoughtfully.
"We have only the team horses, and they have
never had a saddle on them."

"When I was rounding up strays, I found three
horses with the Spanish Spur brand on them. I
would imagine they are workhorses. But Sam can
ride my horse, and I'll ride one of the others,
since they may be a bit wild from running free for
so long."

Excitement flushed Sam's face as Gabe handed
him the platter of meat. "I love fried chicken, Miss
Kate. It's my favorite!"

A sudden whimper came from jenny, and she
scooted off her chair and threw herself into
Casey's arms. "My chicken, she cooked my
chicken!" the child cried, burying her face against
her sister's chest.

Casey looked apologetically at Kate as she
hugged the child to her. "Chickens are raised for
their eggs and to eat, jenny-they can't be pets."

The child only sobbed harder. Casey stood up
with her sister in her arms and moved back from
the table. "I am so sorry, but she's really upset. If
you will excuse me, I need to explain this to her
so she will understand. Please eat without us."

Kate nodded, looking distressed. "I should have
knowed that child was attached to those chickens.
I'm real sorry."

Gabe watched Casey walk away, speaking quietly
to her sister. Something caught in his throat and
twisted in his belly. It was clear to him that Casey
was the one who kept the family together and
kept their spirits up. But in the dark of night,
when Casey was alone, who was there to comfort
her? He had realized last night when he found
her at the house that she was deeply distressed
about their situation. And she had reason to be.
It wouldn't be long before Cyrus came calling,
and then she would know what real trouble was.

Although Sam wanted to eat the chicken, it
seemed to stick in his throat. "I'd better go help
my sister. Jenny can be a problem sometimes."

Gabe stood up, suddenly losing his appetite.
"Excuse me, Kate. I think I may know how to settle this."

Kate blinked her eyes and shook her head. "I
can't eat that fried chicken, either."

Casey sat on Kate's porch step and pushed the
hair out of jenny's face. "Chickens don't make
good pets, sweetheart. They can't love you back.
Remember how you and Sam had to chase them
this afternoon, and how they tried to avoid you?
They don't want to be your friend."

The child laid her head against her sister's
shoulder and wiped her eyes. "I wanted them to
like me."

Sam stood on the step, feeling helpless but
wanting to help Casey. "She's right about them,
Jenny. They don't make good pets. They're raised
for food."

His comment brought a fresh burst of tears
from jenny.

Gabe moved off the porch and knelt down beside them. "Do you like dogs, jenny?"

The child raised her head, her little face
creased in a frown. "I never had one. But Mr. Fletcher back in Virginia had one, and he'd let
me pet it sometimes. And Letty Marton had one
on the wagon train, but she wouldn't let me pet
it at all."

"Let's ask your sister if you can have a dog. And
if you can, I'll see if I can find one for you. Would
you like that?"

Gabe was taken totally .by surprise when the
child propelled herself into his arms. "I want a
puppy of my very own. Can you get it now?"

Casey smiled at Gabe, who looked like he didn't
know quite what to do with the bundle of energy
that hung around his neck. He smiled when she
planted a kiss on his cheek. Casey wished at that
moment that she were in jenny's place. She would
love to - She dipped her head and blushed.