Providence (23 page)

“Oh, thank you, Momma.” Jo ran to
the door. Pausing there she slowly turned back to her mother. “But, Momma, it
will be too dark for me to see the eggs!”

“Really?” Kate feigned surprise.
“In that case, why don’t you crawl in bed here with me, just until it gets a
little lighter.”

Laughing, Jo snuggled under the
covers with her mother while Candy flopped down beside the bed. Both were soon
dozing contentedly. Kate held her sleeping daughter and stroked the soft red
hair. Placing a feather light kiss on the tip of Jo’s nose, she sighed.
Thoughts of the day that lay ahead kept her from returning to the blissful
sleep she had been awakened from.

She rose from the warm comfort of
the feather bed, donned a light robe and wandered to the window. A faint light
in the bunkhouse window told her that Luke was already awake. She smiled to
herself as she thought of him. Her feelings for him were new and tender. She
was still unsure of herself and of his feelings, though he had told her in no
uncertain terms that he was falling in love with her. The memory of it sent a
warm tingling sensation coursing through her.

Jon knew. She had seen it in his
eyes there at the bee gum. He didn’t say anything, but the smile that lit his
face spoke volumes. How would Jake react? Or did he already suspect as well?
Was it obvious to everyone?

 Smiling softly, Kate turned
from the window. She dressed in a deep green linen skirt and a fresh white
shirtwaist. Running a brush through her thick brown hair, she braided it into a
knot, pinned at the nape of her neck. A final glance at Jo sleeping peacefully
in the big feather bed, and Kate let herself out of the house.

The warm air caressing her cheeks
carried the sweet scent of honeysuckle. Kate breathed deeply, letting the
fragrance work its calming effect within her. As her eyes adjusted to the dim
light of predawn, she made her way to the barn. Pausing just inside the large
doors, she let the familiar sounds and smells wash over her. Raven blew softly,
and doves in the rafters above cooed mournfully. The pungent odor of horse and
the rich scent of hay mingled together creating a heady perfume.

Kate reached for the pitchfork
resting atop the hay, and forked a pile into the stallion’s manger. Leaning
against the stall she watched Raven as he contentedly munched the hay.

“So, what do you say, old boy,
would you like to work today?” she asked.

A shake of his head and another
mouthful of hay was her answer.

 “Oh, you’d rather eat,
would you? Well, I thought perhaps Luke could give you a bit of cutting or
roping practice today. I mean, after all, everyone has to earn their keep
around here, and while you do make very nice babies, you haven’t had a lot of
time under saddle lately.”

The stallion picked his head up
and snorted. Kate turned to see Luke enter the barn from the bunkhouse.

“Good morning. You’re up early,”
he greeted her.

“I had help,” Kate said under her
breath. “We were just talking about you.”

“We?” Luke asked looking around.

“Raven and I,” she laughed. “How
would you like to use him today for cutting calves?”

“I hear he’s a pretty fair
cutter.”

“Oh, you might say that. Point him
at a calf and just hold on,” she replied with a mischievous grin.

“How long has it been since he’s
been ridden?” Luke asked warily.

“A while, but he could use the
work.”

“Well, maybe I’ll warm him a bit
before the men arrive, see how he does.”

“Oh that would be wonderful.”
Kate agreed enthusiastically. “I was just going up to the house to put some
coffee on, join me?”

“I’d love to.” Luke took her arm
to escort her back to the ranch house.

 His hand was warm through
the thin cotton of her blouse. She could smell his earthy scent. The sound of
their footfalls on the dry ground was loud in her ears. Everything seemed so
crisp and clear, were all her senses heightened by his mere presence? As they
neared the steps, she felt suddenly shy when he stopped and turned her to him.
He placed a finger beneath her chin and tilted her face until she was staring
into his clear green eyes. She trembled slightly at his intense gaze.

“Kate, I...” he hesitated.

“What?” she whispered.

His eyes clouded and he shook his
head slightly, placing a tender kiss on the top of her head. “Let’s get that
coffee. It’s going to be a very long day.”

***

Luke sat at the rough plank table
watching Kate’s efficient movements as she prepared the coffee. The kitchen was
dimly lit by the light of a single oil lamp. The faint glow of dawn on the
eastern horizon cast a rosy hue through the windows, painting the walls with
the soft tones of a new day.

Kate placed the mugs of steaming
coffee on the table, and took her seat across from him. “Now, what is it you
want to say?” she prodded gently.

He took a deep breath and stared
into the amber depths of her eyes. “I don’t even know where to begin.”

“I generally find the beginning
is a pretty good place.”

“I’ve been reading the Bible
-
and praying
-
since we talked
the other day.”

 Kate’s eyes began to glow
and a smile played at the corners of her mouth. Luke’s heart constricted at the
sight, knowing that what he was about to say would take away the joy he saw
there.

“Kate, I know you have a small sense
of what my relationship with my father has been like.”

“Yes,” she whispered, a shadow
briefly crossing her delicate features.

“There’s a passage in Jeremiah
B
“

“Then shall ye call upon me, and
go and pray unto me, and I will hear you. And you shall seek me, and find me,
when you search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, and I
will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and
from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the Lord; and I will bring
you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive,” Kate
sighed as she quoted the verse from memory.

“Yes,” Luke nodded slowly.

“When are you leaving?”

“How can I leave here?” his voice
was filled with anguish.

“You know you must,” Kate
replied, fighting to hold back the tears gathering in her eyes. “There are
things that we have to do in our lives that are not always easy. God sometimes
sets tasks before us that seem impossible. We try and try in our human frailty
to go around those things, or to climb over them somehow. But we always fail
-
until we give up, and let Him take us through them.”

 “You make it sound so
easy,” Luke retorted with bitterness filling his soul. “Just give up the things
I see here
-
the love I see in you, give up
Jolene and Jon, the thought of having a real family at last? Just walk away, is
that it?”

“Until you do, what you
think
you’ve found here will only be a shadow of what could be.”

Luke stared at Kate, anger and fear
filling him at the thought of losing her. He slammed the empty cup down and
strode out into the emerging dawn.

***

The first wagons began to arrive
only an hour after sun rise. Kate watched their approach from the porch. Mrs.
Insley bustled about the kitchen preparing biscuits, bacon and coffee. The
aromas drifting from the open door churned Kate’s stomach, as thoughts of
Luke’s impending departure tormented her.

A pair of high-stepping black
mules pulled a buckboard into the yard, driven by a strong young man. Children
tumbled from the back laughing. The oldest boy reached up to help their mother
from the soft nest of hay she had been riding in.

“Greta, how are you?” Kate called
warmly to the woman surrounded by children. “Come sit down. I heard you were
expecting another child, but I had no idea how far along you were.”

“Oh, I’m fine, Kate. Where’s Mrs.
Insley?”

 “In the kitchen, where
else?” Kate laughed, forgetting her own worries in the joy of seeing old
friends.

“Aaron, Ross, you carry that food
into the kitchen. Kathy, get your apron, and go help Mrs. Insley. I’ll be along
shortly, I just want to talk to Kate a bit.”

“Yes, Momma,” replied a shy girl
with soft blonde curls, as the boys carried brimming baskets from the wagon.

“Jeremy? Jeremy?” Greta called.
“Where is that boy?” she asked searching the yard.

“Greta, look,” Kate said,
pointing to the corral fence in the distance. Jeremy and Jo stood together on
the bottom rail, arms hanging over the top watching Luke ride Raven among the
cows.

“Oh, that boy,” Greta said
shaking her head, “he can get away faster than a greased piglet.”

“He’ll be fine. Jo will be
thrilled with the company.”

“I just hope they don’t get into
too much mischief,” Greta said with a sigh.

Two men on horseback approached
from the lane.

“Oh, good, Mike and Jeffery
weren’t far behind after all,” Greta said. “They stayed behind to tend our
stock, figuring they’d want their horses here anyway.”

“I was just about to ask you
where they were.”

“Kate! Your men up to the sorting
pens?” asked a dark man with an engaging smile.

 “Yes, Luke and Jonathan are
already up there,” she replied. “Would you like some biscuits and bacon or a
cup of coffee?” Kate couldn’t help smiling at the man. She had always liked
Mike and Greta Hall and all their children. Theirs was a home filled with love
and laughter and boundless energy.

“Yes, ma’am, a cup of coffee
would just about do me right,” he smiled.

“How about you, Jeffery?” Kate
asked the quiet young man riding beside his father.

“Yes, ma’am, and could I have a
splash of cream, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble to ya?” he asked
ingenuously.

“Of course you can,” Kate smiled.

Kate and Greta entered the
kitchen and returned with two steaming tin mugs, one with a splash of cream.
The men took their coffee and rode on to the pens, ready for the day’s work.

“He sure is growing into a fine
young man. How old is he now, thirteen?” Kate asked.

Greta nodded as she watched her
husband and their son ride off. “And Aaron is sixteen, and needs to be off to
work himself. Where did he get to?”

“I think he’s in the kitchen
eating a bite,” Kate replied. “Will he need a horse to use today?”

“I don’t think so. I believe they
plan to let Jeffery and Aaron switch off on that old brown mare.” Greta said as
they walked up the steps into the kitchen.

 Aaron and Ross sat at the
table devouring biscuits with jam and thick slices of bacon. The older son was
an image of his father with black hair and dark eyes in a clear, open face. The
younger boy, Ross, was more like his mother and sister, blond and soft spoken.
At only nine, he would be staying with the younger children and women today,
though he was pleading earnestly with his older brother to be allowed to help
with the branding.

Overhearing her son, Greta chided,
“Now, Ross, you know what your father said, perhaps next year. For now, I’ll
need your help down here. It’s just as important a job as any other.”

“Awww, but Ma!”

“Ross, I’ll bet Jake could use your
help with the roasting today. He thought he’d have to do it all himself, but
I’m sure he’d welcome a strong worker like you!” Kate offered.

“Really?” he asked, eyes shining.

“Really,” Kate replied. “Why
don’t you run out there now. He’s got the fire just started, I’m sure he’ll
have plenty to keep you busy.”

Ross jumped up and ran outside as
Greta shot a grateful smile at Kate.

“Are the Kellys here yet?” Aaron
asked.

“No, you’re the first to arrive,
but I expect they’ll be along soon.” Kate said, glancing out the window as a
buggy and two more riders appeared on the hill. “There’s Lars and Martha now,
and it looks like Bert Hanneman with them.”

 “You just get your hide on
up to work. The Kellys will be here soon enough.” Greta prodded her
recalcitrant son in the side.

“Yes’m, I’m going.”

“What’s that all about?” Kate
asked puzzled.

“Ruth Kelly, “ came the terse
reply.

“Oh,” Kate said with a knowing
smile. Ruth was the Kelly’s sixteen-year-old daughter, who as Kate recalled,
was blooming into a striking young woman.

“I’ve already got one grandchild
on the way, I’m not needin’ any more right now.”

“You do? You mean Michael
married?” The Hall’s eldest son had left the farm a few years earlier.

“Yes, and in a hurry, too, that
baby’ll be here ‘fore I know it.”

“Is he still running the store in
Kingfisher?”