No Place for a Lady (15 page)

Crystal decided that night to stay and fight. She had already
lost one home. But this was the home she wanted to keep. Having
made the decision, she felt some of the tension leave her shoulders.
She felt a little peace and slipped into a dreamless sleep.

Mornings were getting cooler since the rain had stopped, and
Crystal stood listening to the stillness. It was so quiet, and she was
acutely aware of Kate's absence. How she missed her laughter and
warm hugs. She felt like she was just going through the motions
of living in order to have something to do.

With Carmen gone, she knew she must now cook for the
boys, so she had risen early. After a strong cup of coffee to get
her going, she had poked the cold ashes in the stove to start a
fire to make biscuits. Now she stepped back into the kitchen to
place sausages in the heavy cast-iron skillet on a low, simmering
fire. She picked up the egg basket and made her way out to the
chicken coop to gather eggs. She had meant to do that yesterday
afternoon but had gotten busy and had forgotten. Rarely had
she ever been near a chicken house, much less fried an egg, but
it all looked rather simple. She remembered how Fanny, her
cook in Georgia, gathered the eggs every day. Crystal's specialty
had always been pies. That and biscuits were the cooking she
had mastered. Well, she'd just have to start learning something
new.

It was a fine, beautiful morning, and the sun just peeked over
the dark purple ridges, bathing the valley with a golden hue.
Crystal, an obstinate set to her straight shoulders, stepped up the
pathway to the henhouse as a sharp breeze tugged at her skirts.
With caution she entered the henhouse. She was glad she had on
her sturdy brogans as she tried to sidestep the droppings on the
floor. She thought how quiet the chickens were as thirty-six pair
of beady eyes stared at her.

"Nice, sweet chickens .. " Crystal tried to hide the tremor in
her voice as she took a step farther, reached into the nest, and scooped up four eggs at once. Feeling more confident, she tried to
be casual and reached inside the next nest, when she felt a sharp
stab on her ankle and shrieked in surprise. Several chickens were
pecking away at her new brogans and the stockings on her legs.
She kicked at them and cried, "Shoo! Shoo!"

To her horror, a big white hen staring from her perch swooped
down on her head and began pecking about her forehead as she
helplessly flayed her arms to defend herself. The entire chicken
coop was now in an uproar, with chickens flying about, squawking, and clucking, and Crystal yelling. Sure that they were out
to peck her to death, Crystal frantically made her way to the
door. In her haste, she tripped out the henhouse door on her
untied laces. The egg basket went one way, and she went sliding
on her knees onto the wet, squishy droppings. She groaned as
she dragged herself up and looked at her once-clean apron, now
covered with filth.

"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes!" Luke leaned on the fence
post as Crystal wiped her hands on the soiled apron. She could
feel her hair sticking out of its braid, and her chest heaved in and
out under the housedress as she gasped to control her dignity.

"Just a mere altercation with a cantankerous old hen!" She
could feel her face turning red. Angry that he saw her like this
and made her feel foolish, she pushed her hair back from her
brow with a shaking hand. That was the last time she'd set foot in
that stinky chicken coop.

"What's the matter? They didn't like your perfume?" he joked
as he plucked a chicken feather from her hair. She watched as he
retrieved her basket, strolled through the henhouse, and gingerly
picked up the eggs until he had a basketful.

She snatched the basket from his outstretched hand and
glared up at him. Standing this close to him, Crystal felt very
small. He smelled of shaving tonic, and she noticed the sharp
angle of his nose just above the moustache twitching with
amusement. Her heart was pounding, whether from the pecking chickens or what, she wasn't sure. She shook the dirt from
her hem, averted her eyes from his, and smoothed the folds of
her serviceable housedress. "I thought chickens were gentle
creatures:'

He thought she looked beautiful, even early in the morning
with her green eyes clear and bright, snapping with anger. "As
a rule they are, but there's always an ornery one in the bunch.
Guess you found her:" He chuckled. "Hey, a little dirt never hurt
anyone.

"Breakfast will be ready in thirty minutes" She whirled and
headed back to the kitchen, shoelaces trailing in the dust, and
slammed the screen door behind her.

Luke watched her go and wondered why she always seemed
irritated with him. Thank goodness all women weren't that way.
He wondered if she had ever been kissed by that Drew fellow, the
one she had mentioned when she had been unconscious. Well,
Drew could have her. Couldn't even gather eggs. No doubt Drew
would have servants to do such as that for her. A helpless female
didn't fit into Luke's plan at all.

Since Kate had died, Crystal had said nothing about leaving,
but he felt sure it would be forthcoming. He seemed to grate on
her nerves, and she didn't exactly cotton to him either. Too bad
he and Rusty couldn't buy the ranch. He sighed.

He missed Kate and her strength and exuberance for life. He missed their daily routine on the ranch and her easygoing ways.
But he didn't have time for daydreaming. There was plenty to do
before breakfast.

The cowpokes shuffled into the kitchen. Crystal wondered if
they expected termination of employment. Most of them had
worked wrangling and punching cattle for Kate for several years.
Unlike many cowpunchers who roamed from spread to spread,
Kate kept most of them on through the winter.

"Mornin'." Crystal nodded to them as she placed fluffy biscuits
in the center of the table alongside the almost-burnt, rock-hard
sausages.

Curly, always the optimist, smiled back, took a biscuit, and
started talking nonstop about how they'd lost almost fifty head
of cattle. "If them steers hadn't sought shelter in a coulee during
the storm, it would have been over for more of them:"

Luke agreed. Crystal felt that Luke was keeping a watchful eye
on her. She did have a lot on her mind.

Crystal served something that resembled runny scrambled
eggs, trying not to notice their raised eyebrows when she plopped
them on their plates.

Rusty was unusually quiet this morning. Without his normal
banter among them, the cowhands kept a wide berth. Crystal
reached for the coffeepot, filling their cups with the thick, black
liquid.

Kurt took one big gulp and remarked, "Strong stuff, your Southern coffee:" He winked at Crystal.

"Strong. You can't even cut it with a knife;" Luke muttered under his breath. But when he split open a biscuit, Crystal saw
surprise register on his face.

Luke ignored the runny eggs and burned sausages and was
on his third biscuit when Crystal broke the silence. She stood up
and stretched her form to its full five foot two inches, hoping she
had a look of authority. She leaned down and placed her palms
on the table. Her face took on a serious look. "I've done a lot of
thinking about what to do about the ranch, and I've come to a
conclusion"

Forkfuls of food stopped midair as all eyes were riveted to the
head of the table.

"Before Kate's unfortunate death ..." Crystal took a deep breath
to keep from getting emotional and continued, "She expressed
her desire to hold on to Aspengold, despite the hardships of the
last few years. For the time being, I will stay in order to ensure
that we go ahead with the trail drive and ship the cattle to market. Your jobs are secure for now, but I can't tell what the future
will hold for this ranch. I realize that I have much to learn, and
I'd appreciate your assistance in any way that seems fit. We will
have to be hopeful and try to secure the best possible price for
our beef once it's shipped"

"Who's to be in charge here, Miss Crystal?" Jube asked.

Crystal looked in Luke's direction. "I'd like Luke to stay on as
foreman but report directly to me."

Rusty stood up. "We're behind you, Miss Crystal, all the way.
Kate was a mighty fine woman and trusted us like her equal. I
think that's what Kate would want, huh, boys?" They nodded and
voiced agreement. Luke said nothing. He pushed back his chair,
a deep furrow between his brows.

"Oh, another thing;' Crystal said. "I hope you've hired a cook
for the roundup, Rusty, because I don't intend to cook for this
outfit and ride too"

There was laughter all around, along with apparent relief.

"You intending on riding the trail drive?" Jube looked incredulously at Crystal.

"That is my intention" Crystal steeled herself for an argument,
and when none was forthcoming she turned to Luke, who was
muttering under his breath.

"Luke, may I have a word with you before you leave?" Crystal
asked as they started to file out to their various duties.

"At your service, ma'am"

"Once I've gone over the books, I'll know better where we stand.
I'd appreciate your willingness to work for me."

"Do I have a choice? Just what in thunder do you know about
ranching? Maybe you'd be better off in Georgia"

"Are you questioning my capabilities?"

"Yes, I am, in fact:"

"Please don't raise your voice at me, Mr. Weber. Save it for your
saloon friends:" The dishes made a loud clatter as Crystal began
stacking them in the sink.

"I don't have any saloon friends. You don't know me at all.
And there's a lot more to running a ranch than scrambling a few
runny eggs.

She drew in a sharp breath and blushed. Try to stay calm. He
must have been good at his job, or Kate never would have kept
him. His blue eyes penetrated her green ones, and she couldn't
help but notice an odd pull whenever she looked at him.

"I said I was willing to learn, and believe me, I catch on fast:'

"Let's hope so, because winters here can be hard, not to mention lonely. There are dust storms so thick you can't breathe, and
hail that can wipe out a crop as fast as lightning flashes. Taking
care of livestock in the dead of winter can be a dreaded chore.
Are you prepared for that? Only the tough survive:"

"Meaning I need to be made of stronger stuff? I don't swoon
at the first sight of trouble:"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh ... I was thinking of April. Let's see ... she can brand cattle
and have a hot meal simmering, all in a day's work:"

He chuckled. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you're jealous:" He
took a step closer to her. "There's nothing wrong with a woman
doing all those things and more."

Crystal took a step backward. "Don't flatter yourself. As to
April, just because a cat has kittens in the oven, they're not necessarily biscuits!"

Luke roared with laughter, slammed his hat on his head, and
strode through the door.

Crystal clattered and banged the pans and dishes into the sudsy
water and attacked them with fresh fury. Who does he think he
is! According to Emily Johnson, half the female population of
Steamboat was after him. Let them fall for his charms; she wasn't
about to. She would have to prove to Luke that she was a lot
stronger than he thought.

She was more determined than ever to make this ranch pay for
itself. She'd do it or die trying. Dear Lord, please help me control
my temper. He rattles me so ... Help me figure out how to handle
this situation with the ranch. Amen.

Luke was glad of the cool, fresh air outside. Imagine her warning him about April. Luke somehow felt he'd been put
in his place when he lost his temper around her. What was it
about her that made him shoot off his mouth like a cocked gun?
She really didn't deserve being spoken to that way, he mused.
Besides, she made the best biscuits this side of the Rockies.