Mail-Order Christmas Brides Boxed Set (22 page)

The older ranch hand was more like a brother than an employee to Noah so he was surprised to learn something new about him. “I never knew you liked Allison so well.”

“Allison?” The grin left Dakota’s face. “What’s she got to do with it?”

“Well, it’s her baby,” Noah said.

“It can’t be,” Dakota maintained firmly.

“That’s what she says,” Noah told him, more than a little curious at the bleak expression on the older man’s face. Having everyone’s beard shaved off meant Noah was able to tell the emotions of his ranch hands more easily. And they could probably sense more of his feelings, too. This wasn’t necessarily good, he told himself.

“Allison always was a liar,” Dakota said as he stood up. “I’m going for a walk.”

The man put on his hat, took his coat off its peg and left the bunkhouse.

“I hope he’s not going over to the house to get another cookie,” Bobby said as he sat up on his bed. “They’re supposed to be shared. Maeve said.”

“I doubt that’s what he’s doing.” Noah stood, too. “But a walk sounds good.”

Noah put on his coat and hat and then opened the door. It was cold outside and a gust of wind blew in before he walked through and closed the door behind him. The moon lit the path from the barn to the house, and Noah could see Dakota knocking on the back door of the kitchen. A light shone in the dining area so Noah figured one or both of the women were there, maybe sitting at the table talking.

That’s when it hit him. The only thing those two women had in common was him. They were likely sitting as Allison went over a list of his faults. Surely, it couldn’t take two full days to go through his many failings, but he suspected that was the reason Allison wanted to stay. She was going to warn Maeve off.

Even though, as he reminded himself, he was the one who wanted to give Maeve time to decide if she wanted to stay with him, he still didn’t feel as if someone else should be speaking against him.

When he followed the path past the windows of the house, he looked over and saw that he’d been right. The frost stopped him from seeing things clearly, but he could make out Maeve and Allison sitting at the table, a lantern in the middle. They were holding sewing needles. Maeve had a pile of socks in front of her and Allison had an old shirt he kept in the downstairs closet and a pile of buttons.

He’d never thought to see Allison mending one of his cast-off shirts.

When he took a step forward, he saw that neither woman was paying attention to her needle. They were both looking up at Dakota.

Noah decided he better get inside. He didn’t bother with knocking since, as he reminded himself, it was his house.

Noah took his boots off in the entry to spare the clean floors.

He walked quietly in his socks, but when he got near the table, he saw that Allison was the only one there. She was bent over that shirt of his and appeared to be intent on pulling the threaded needle through a stitch of some kind.

“Where’s Maeve?” he demanded as he stood behind her.

“Ooooh!” she screeched a little as she let the shirt drop to the table and put a hand up to her chest before turning around to face him. “You scared me.”

“I’m sorry, but Maeve was just here,” he continued. “I want to know where she is, that’s all.”

Allison cocked her head and looked at him for a minute before starting to smile.

“You like her,” she said then with what appeared to be satisfaction in her voice.

Noah didn’t answer. He was never surprised any longer when Allison pretended to have feelings she didn’t have. “I just want to talk to her for a minute.”

At that moment, he heard a door open in the hallway to his left and turned. Maeve was coming out of the parlor and Dakota was following right behind her.

“He wants to talk to you,” Allison said to Maeve with the smile still on her face. “So if you will excuse me, I think I’ll go up to bed.”

With that, Allison stood up, stuck her needle in the old shirt and folded it up.

Noah noticed then that there were a dozen buttons sewn onto that shirt. He’d worn the shirt one year for branding and there were already several burned holes in the cloth. It was puzzling, but he was too intent on talking to Maeve to worry about an old shirt.

Dakota lingered a little longer than Allison, but he finally gave Noah an abrupt nod and started walking to the door. When he stood in the doorway, he turned.

“Remember the reverend,” he warned.

He closed the door behind him before Noah could respond.

By that time, Maeve had sat back down at the table and taken up her needle again.

“I don’t recognize those socks,” Noah said as he sat down. He figured he should talk with her for a while before he demanded to know what Allison had told her about him. He was growing more curious though. There were white socks, brown ones and a couple of green ones.

“They belonged to my husband,” Maeve said as she picked up a white sock.

“And you’re mending them?”

She shook her head. “I’m making a sock doll for Violet for Christmas. At least, I hope it’s done by then.”

She held up the stocking. “They all have holes in them, though. I didn’t realize how bad my husband’s socks were until he died. I’m going to cut out the best parts of each one and sew them together. That’s what’s going to take so long.”

“You’re welcome to use some of my socks,” Noah offered.

“I couldn’t,” Maeve said as she shook her head.

They were both silent for a moment.

“I’m sure Violet will appreciate her doll,” Noah finally said.

Maeve set down the sock she was working on.

“I hope she does,” she said and then smiled at him. “You know how children are. She’ll appreciate the sentiment of the doll when she’s older, but right now she has her heart set on something fancier.”

“Ah,” Noah said sympathetically.

He didn’t bother to admit that he had no idea what children were like. But he did remember the conversation Maeve and her daughter had had in front of the mercantile. He’d originally thought it was the teapot that interested them, but it was the doll.

“I hope it’s not too much for you to have Allison here,” Noah said. “I know you’re probably feeling like you have to help her because of the baby, but you don’t need to.”

“I’m not worried about her baby,” Maeve said.

Noah nodded. “I just want you to be happy. There’s not much time until Christmas and I’m sure you want to do some things for Violet.”

“She doesn’t expect much,” Maeve said softly. “But she has wanted to have a decorated tree. I don’t see any pine trees around here, though.”

“I know where there’s a scrub tree in a ravine near here that would look like a pine if I trimmed it a little,” Noah said. “I could ride out and get it, if you want. I’m planning to ride into Miles City tomorrow, but I could get the tree on the next day.”

“The twenty-third?”

Noah nodded. “Unless you need it sooner.”

“That would be a fine day to have the tree,” Maeve said, looking pleased.

“We never did decorate a tree,” Noah said. “So we don’t have any decorations. I could buy some in Miles City if you want, though.”

“Oh, no,” Maeve said. “We can make our own. String some popcorn. Make some cutout cookies to hang. If we have some white paper, we can cut out some shapes of angels to hang. Even pieces of red ribbon will do.”

“I have paper in my office upstairs. You’re welcome to take what you need.”

Maeve was silent for a moment, worrying her lips.

“Do you think the ranch hands would want to help with the decorating?” she asked. “That would make it seem more like a party for Violet.”

Noah grinned. “I can’t think of anything they would like better unless it would be for you to do the inviting so they know they are truly welcome.”

He could not remember one time when Allison had invited his men into their home for anything like a party. They were never the kind of society folks that she wanted to entertain.

“Maybe we should have an early dinner on the twenty-fourth instead of the twenty-third,” Maeve said. “Then we can decorate the tree and eat cookies. That will give me a couple of days to get everything else ready.”

“I don’t want you to go to too much trouble now,” Noah cautioned her as he stood to leave. “And, I want you to know that if you have any questions about me, you can ask me.”

Maeve nodded, but he didn’t think she understood.

Still, as he stood there in the lantern light and looked over at Maeve as she sat there with her copper hair tamed into waves around her face and her eyes looking at him kindly, he wanted her to do more than just think well of him.

He stepped closer and put his hand on her shoulder.

“I didn’t thank you enough for dinner,” he said.

“It was my pleasure,” she whispered as she looked up at him, her face shining with joy at his compliment.

“You’re a genuinely good woman,” he said then as he bent down and kissed her forehead. “I want you to know I—ah—think highly of you.”

Noah realized he should have thought about what to say before he stepped into the kitchen. He had never been good with talking about his emotions, though.

Just then a thin cry came from the bedroom. “Mommy.”

“I have to go,” Maeve said as she stood up.

“I know.”

Noah watched her hurry out of the room. Then he turned to leave. For the first time he could remember, he was looking forward to Christmas.

* * *

The next morning, Maeve was standing at the cookstove before Dakota came into the kitchen. She had pancake batter stirred and bacon sizzling on the stove. The rest of the eggs in the basin were sitting nearby, ready to be cracked.

“You don’t really mean the ranch hands can’t have any more eggs, do you?” she asked the older man as she spooned pancake batter onto a flat skillet. “Because, if you did, I’m only going to fry one a piece.”

He shook his head. “No, I was just trying to make a point to Noah.”

“I figured as much,” she said, reaching for the platter she was going to keep the pancakes on while she waited for all the ranch hands to get to the table.

“That man has a hard head,” Dakota added.

Maeve smiled. She liked hearing the affection in the men’s voices when they talked about Noah. “I noticed as much.”

“He’s a good man,” the ranch hand continued and then stopped in thought for a minute. “He just— Well, he worries about disappointing people. Like when he was married to Allison. He was bringing cattle onto this land, but he wasn’t making much money. Any fool could see he was going to come out all right, but Allison didn’t have time to wait.”

“She didn’t love him enough,” Maeve said as she flipped the pancakes and took the bacon out of the skillets.

Dakota grunted. “That’s the truth.”

“I think he might like me, but I don’t know,” Maeve said, turning her face toward the stove so she didn’t have to see the expression on the older man’s face.

“I’d say he does,” Dakota said thoughtfully. “It would help if Allison wasn’t here, though.”

“If he wants to be with her, I’d rather know it,” Maeve said as she started cracking eggs. “She’s a beautiful woman.”

“I don’t think that’s it,” Dakota said as he absentmindedly stepped closer to her and helped crack the eggs. “Allison just reminds him of his failures. Makes him reluctant to try again.”

They were busy cracking the eggs and putting them in one of the skillets to fry so they didn’t talk for a few minutes.

“I haven’t told him about the baby yet,” Maeve finally confessed when all the food was cooking. “And he’s going to Miles City today so he’ll be gone. In fact, I think he already left. I heard a horse walk past the window earlier.”

“His room is empty at the bunkhouse,” Dakota said, agreeing. “Leaving as early as he did, though, he’ll be home for supper.”

“I hope so,” Maeve said. “I plan to make an announcement—”

Dakota looked up.

“Not about the baby,” she assured him. “I want to invite all of the ranch hands for a Christmas Eve party to decorate the tree.”

“We’re going to have a tree?” Dakota asked, his eyes wide with wonder.

Maeve nodded her head. “With popcorn strings and gingerbread men. Red ribbon and pinecones, if we can find any. I’ll start making the cookies tomorrow.”

“Well, I’ll be...” Dakota’s voice trailed off. “We’re going to have a regular Christmas.”

Maeve nodded. “But don’t tell anyone until supper.”

Breakfast was subdued, the men all eating solemnly like they couldn’t quite get used to everything. The pancakes were golden, the bacon crisp and brown, and the eggs were cooked to perfection.

The ranch hands left with a thankful chorus, leaving Maeve and Allison at the table.

“You haven’t told me what Noah wanted last night,” Allison said as she pushed her chair closer to Maeve.

“Not much,” Maeve said and then hesitated. “I think he might like me, but I’m not sure.”

Allison leaned back and examined Maeve critically.

“Maybe it’s the servant’s uniform,” she said. “You need to make a man sit up and take notice. They like their women to dress pretty.”

“But I don’t have anything else, except my church dress and that’s gray.”

“I can help you with that,” Allison said as she smiled. “I can spare one of my dresses for you to wear to the Christmas Eve party.”

“I’m taller than you,” Maeve reminded the woman.

“We can make some adjustments,” Allison said.

Maeve wasn’t sure what the other woman had in mind, but she was willing to find out. After all, the two of them had an agreement. Maeve was teaching her how to be a useful wife with all the cooking and sewing lessons. Allison was in charge of getting Noah’s attention.

Chapter Eight

I
t took two days for Maeve and Allison to get everything ready for the party on Christmas Eve, but the time was finally almost there. The two of them were sitting at the table, each with a cup of hot tea in front of them. Breakfast had been over for hours and they had been making the final arrangements for the party since them.

Maeve couldn’t have done everything alone and she was grateful for Allison’s help.