The Traherns #1 (45 page)

“Then I don’t know. A tractor you say?”

“Yes.”

“Where’d you get it?”

“It belongs to Doctor Web.”

“Oh, that tractor. I’ll take you there.”

“Thanks.” I leaned against the back of the seat and relaxed.

“Hey, Mister. Here we are.”

“Huh?” I woke up with a start. We were stopped outside the
doctor’s home.

“You were powerful tired,” he said. “Good thing you weren’t
driving.”

The doctor’s car was in the parking area, so I knew they had
gotten home safely.

Sam came outside. She’d had a shower and changed into clean
clothes, making me aware of how dirty I was.

“What happened? Where’s the tractor?” she asked.

I held up the gas can.

“Oh. Where at?”

“Just past where the mountain road meets the main road.” I
climbed out of the buggy. “Thank you,” I told the old man.

“Always welcome,” he said, turning his team. As he drove away, I
followed Sam to where they had a large tank of diesel. I opened the can lid,
put in the nozzle, and worked the pump.

She looked puzzled. “Why did you come here today? Is Mickey
worse?”

I shook my head as I pumped away.

“Mickey’s doing fine,” I told her. “I, uh, didn’t pay you for
your doctoring services.”

“I didn’t ask for any.”

“Well, the regular doctor did, and he didn’t do as much as you
did. It struck me as unfair. So I’m here to pay you for taking care of Mickey
so quickly.”

And ask you to come back. And ask you to marry me.
How did I say that? This
young woman looked like she could rope a catamount and ride it.

“Then, thank you. I would refuse, but we need the money.”

“Do you still need a job? I was a mite hasty. With Mickey down,
I’m needing someone like you and Bear to get the cattle out on different pasture
while we build the barn and put up some fences.”

“I thought you didn’t want any women.”

“I thought I didn’t either. But…”

She waited, but when I just stood there with what must have been
a goofy look on my face, she frowned. “But what, Barnabas?”

“Well, Sam, I’ve been getting an earful from all my people that
I, uh…”

“Yes?”

“I, uh. I’ll give you your money now, while I’m thinking of it.”

Proposing to Becky had never been this hard. I finished pumping
the diesel, hung up the nozzle, and put the lid on the can. Then I pulled out
some money. A ten-dollar gold piece. The weight was good and I handed it to
her.

“That’s close to a week’s wages,” she said.

“That’s what the new doctor charged to look at what you did for
Mickey, and say you did a good job. He didn’t do anything.”

“Dad never charged that much.”

“How’s he doing?”

“His leg is really sore, but he doesn’t think he damaged it
any.”

“Well, when the folks around here find out how much the new
doctor charges, I’m thinking they will be more than happy to have your Dad come
again.”

We climbed into her car and she drove back to the tractor. She
was a careful driver, and very skillful. I poured the diesel into the tractor
while she checked on the cow. Then we drove back to the clinic.

The doctor came outside as I clanked to a stop. We unloaded the
cow and I put the wagon back and unhitched it.

“Come in and clean up, Barnabas,” he said. “Sam can get that cow
comfortable while you get a shower. I’ve got some clean overalls that should
fit you, and a work shirt. You’ll look like a farmer, but at least they’ll be
clean. Those have holes burned in them.”

I showered and dressed in the clothes he provided. I had to
adjust the straps, but overalls pretty much fit whomever you put in them.

Samantha was the kitchen, rattling pans.

The good doctor gave me a funny look. “What happened out there
at your place? She told me she had a job wrangling cattle, then she come back
three days later and said she didn’t.”

“It’s all men out at my ranch, Doctor. I didn’t feel it right
for her to be there, a young single woman—”

“Good looking.”

“Yes, that too.”

“So, what are you doing about it?” he asked.

“Huh.” I grinned. “Well, I’d like to. I mean…”

“You interested in her?”

“Well, yes. But—”

“She thinks she needs to take care of her old man.”

“You’re not old.”

“Thank you. I’m not. I want grandchildren. But I got me a
stubborn woman for a child who refuses to consider anyone, and puts aside her
own happiness, just because she worries about me. Now why don’t you give that
job back to her, and take her out there and show her how to feel like a woman?”

“Doctor. You don’t know me. Why would you—”

“You’re a Trahern, aren’t you?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Our families go way back. Unless you’ve gone rogue, I’d trust
you with my life. And with my daughter. You proved it by sending her home. Now
take her out there again.”

I stood and shook his hand. “Thank you, sir. I will.”

“Sam,” he yelled.

“Yes, Dad?” She ran into the room.

“Go get your things. Barnabas is taking you back to his ranch.
You’ve got your job back.”

“But…”

“I don’t need you here. Things were getting mighty busy, but
with that new doctor in town, we’ll be able to split up the work. Go pack. Barnabas
brought his wagon so that you can take all your things.”

She looked at me, and I nodded.

“All right,” she said, and ran out of the room.

The doctor looked me over. “I heard from my dad, Charlie Web,
that you got married, then lost your bride in an accident.”

“Yes, I did.”

“A terrible thing. I know it may seem heartless to suggest you
marry again, but a man without a woman has a mighty lonesome struggle. Life
just loses all its joy.”

“You’re right,” I agreed. “But how will you fare?”

“There’s a widow out the other side of town who’s been giving me
a smile. I think I’ll go see her now that my bones are all mended. I was making
sure the healing was done before I told people I could come see them again. I’m
just not ready to wrestle a steer yet.”

“If you need any help, let me know,” I said.

“You take care of my girl. I tried to get her to consider some
of the men in this here valley and she would have none of them. She’s stubborn,
but she is also a fighter. She won't give up, or give in. Once you got her on
your side, she'll stay. You just got to prove yourself worthy of her.”

“May I ask her to marry me?”

“You better.”

“Dad!” Sam came into the room, red-faced. She must have been on
her way into the room and overheard my last statement.

“Well, he does have a point there. You being the only female. I
think you should get married before you go.”

“But…”

“Don’t you like the idea?”

“Dad. We haven’t talked—”

“Who needs to talk? He needs a wife, you need a husband.”

She looked at me like she didn’t know what to do. I almost felt
sorry for her. Almost. He had managed to bring things out in the open. It was
up to me now.

“Sam. Would you marry me?”

“No,” she said.

I looked at the doctor. He was considering his daughter.

“Why not?” he asked. I dreaded hearing her answer.

“He just wants to marry me, so I can live out there and work. I
don’t think that’s reason enough.”

“That’s not the reason,” I said.

“Then what is it?” she demanded.

“You know I got married. You know it’s been just a short time
since I lost Becky.”

“Yes. Everyone knows.”

“I miss her. I loved her. But that’s not saying that I can’t
love you. I’m a lonely man, Samantha. I had the happiness of having a wife for
a short time. I want that happiness again.” I stopped to take a breath “She was
happy. I want that for you. Will you marry me?”

I held my breath again. If she refused me this time, I’d not
bother her any more.

“You won’t compare me to her?”

“No. Why should I? Actually, Becky and I were just off our
honeymoon, headed home. I didn’t get much chance to know a lot about her.”

“You want kids?”

She was as brash as her father. I hadn’t even talked about
children with Becky
.

“Certainly. At least a couple. More if you want them.” I wiped
my brow with my hand and realized my fingers were ice cold. It was the
strangest conversation I’d ever had. Her father just sat there and nodded his
head. She frowned at him.

“You think I should marry him?”

“Yes, I do. He’s a Trahern. They are honorable people. It will
be good for a Web to marry a Trahern. You couldn’t do better.”

“I remember Grandpa telling me about Trey and Mally’s wedding,” she
said.

“My grandparents,” I said. “I heard it from them. Charlie Web
played matchmaker.”

She still hadn’t given me an answer. I wondered if I should ask
her again. She looked at me and then at her father. Suddenly she jumped, spun
around and ran into the kitchen. I heard the sound of a pot banging on the
stove and ran in behind her.

“Drat and tarnation!” she said, taking off a pot of stew that
was almost cooked dry.

“Did you save it?” I asked.

“Barely. I remembered it before I smelled it.” She grabbed a
dipper and added water, stirred it, then put it back on the stove.

“Sam, I know this is sudden. I’ll go home and wait for your
answer. You don’t have to give it to me right this minute.”

“Don’t you want me?”

“Yes. But I don’t want you to feel forced into making a
decision.”

“I’d already made it. Up at the ranch. That first night when you
got all uppity and told me I had to sleep in the cabin.”

Uppity.
My spirits dropped lower than my boots.

“I realized you moved Joe in with you, so as I could have a
private place. You were taking care of me. Security. A woman needs security.”

I nodded. I didn’t know where she was going with this.

“I made up my mind about you then and there. Why do you think I
wanted to stay so badly?”

That threw me. “Why?”

“So as to make you like me. But I wasn’t doing very well.”

I did a quick reshuffle of my thoughts.
What was she
implying? That she had wanted to stay for my sake, as well as the job?

“Yes, you were doing well. Too well. I didn’t want to send you
away. I felt I had to.”

“To protect my honor?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I just don’t want to be married to someone who only wants a
wife to work for him.”

“But that’s what wives do. They’re a helpmeet. Someone to work
alongside a man, to help him, to love him, and to make his life a joy.” The
words were coming to me now. “I’d want you to share my work, but also my life.
Our children.”

She nodded. “Children.”

“I realized that I could put all my effort into building a
ranch, but if I didn’t have a wife and children to build for, then it would be
useless.”

The pot of stew was boiling again, and she moved it to a cooler
spot on the stove.

“Today? Tomorrow? When?” she asked.

Was that a yes?
“I’ll let you decide. Today is fine for me, but—”

“Dad! Get your boots on. We’re going to the preacher. Grab me a
couple of gunnysacks and put in some hens while you’re at it. I want eggs to
cook with. And phone Wylie. We’ll make him a witness. He started this.”

I could hear the doctor’s footsteps as he left the sitting room,
then the ring of the phone as he cranked the handle to get the operator. He
gave her the number, then waited to be connected.

“I’ll need to stop at the store and get me some clothes fit to
be married in,” I said.

“We’ll get married there,” she said. “It’s as good a place as
any.”

“You wanted me, the first day?” I asked, hardly believing it. I
had been pretty rough on her.

“Yes, sir. I want a man who’ll stand up to me. I know I’m
stubborn and I don’t want a ‘yes’ man. I love it when a man goes all strong and
protective.”

“Wylie said you turned down everyone who asked.”

“They didn’t measure up. So you were talking to Wylie about me?”

“Like your dad said, I brought the buckboard so I could take you
home.”

She laughed. “Eight. I want eight kids.”