BECCA Season of Willows (2 page)

I am not what I would consider beautiful. I have dishwater blonde hair and blue eyes. My Pa used to say I had bluebonnet eyes.

I love horses, the outdoors and I love to read. I have also been instructed from my early years on how to cook, sew and keep a house. I love to cook and enjoy baking very much. I love children and would love to have children just like you and your sister.
You might be interested in me for a Ma but your Pa may have different ideas though.
You know for a fact honey, your Pa is going to be madder than a wet hen with you when he finds out what you have done. I just want you to know I understand you wanting to do something for your family but be prepared for his anger.

So when your Pa finds out what you have done, and you know he will; go ahead and take your punishment like the brave boy I know you are. For sometimes, we must forfeit our own happiness for the sake of others.

I hope you will respond to my letter. And even if you don’t, please tell your father what you have done. He loves you even though he will be a bit miffed.
Truly yours,

Becca Hutchins
CHAPTER TWO

Mr. Jeb Greer of Greer’s Mercantile stuffed the letter into his pocket as he yanked Mac into the back room.
“Did your Pa send you by yourself today?”

Mac shook his head.
“He’s at the lumber place yellin’ at Sam Miller. Still River is with him. There’s sure to be a fight.”
Jeb sighed sadly and shook his head. The more Harrison McGann came to town the more fights he would start. Harrison McGann was a angry man now a days and it wasn’t getting any better since his wife up and ran off with the bank manager five years ago. Even after he got the divorce, Harrison had been a angry man ever since.

When little Mac McGann had told Still River, their neighbor about writing for a new Ma, River laughed and patted the boy’s back.

“Good! Very good! I should write myself. I would like a good woman to care for me too. It will make your father happy to have new woman. I will take you to Jeb at mercantile and keep Harrison busy while you mail letter.”
Still River had been Harrison McGann’s friend for years now and he was the only man Harrison really trusted. It didn’t matter to Harrison that he was a Sioux Indian. The two men were very close and treated each other as trusted brothers. Little Mac sighed with relief that his pa’s friend, Uncle Still River approved of the idea.
Jeb stood outside Greer’s’ Mercantile and swept the porch. He spotted Still River and Harrison and then waved at them as they pulled to his storefront. Still River whistled and waved at Mac to pick him up heading for the ranch. River winked as saw Mac jump at them being there so soon.

Mac ran to the store counter pulling on Jeb’s hand. He started explaining what he was doing writing for a Ma, and Jeb reluctantly agreed to help the eight year old boy. After all, what could it hurt?
Little Mac just might get lucky and find a new Ma for himself and a new wife for his friend Harrison McGann. Stranger things have happened. Little Mac just might find one that would be perfect for his Pa. Maybe a woman would urge Harrison to scratch his ‘mad’ place and get ‘glad’. He prayed that he would.

Harrison McGann needed some loving kindness in his life and a new wife just might do the trick. They dropped the ad in the letter bag and the wait was on.

“How long will it take, Mr. Jeb?”

Jeb scratched his salt and pepper head and sucked a tooth.
“Maybe a few weeks, Mac. That is if she writes back right away. She may not so yuh need to remember that and not get your hopes up.”

Mac grinned.

“I have all the hope in the world Mr. Jeb. I have too.”

Jeb winked and Mac ran for the wagon.
 

It only took till the end of the month for the letters to start coming in but they weren’t what Mac was expecting. Most of the women were madder than a hornet in a Sunday bonnet and they had plenty to say how they didn’t want his Pa, bein’ he was such a horrible father and he was a horrible child. Mac didn’t let anyone know except River that he cried about that. River hugged Mac and pointed his finger at the boy.

“You and Mazie will be happy Mac. I know this! The hoop you have started has strong medicine and has already begun to show the right woman she is the one. You must have faith in the Great Spirit to show her. It will happen. You will see…it will be the best thing.”
Mac nodded and hugged River.
“Thanks Uncle River.”

The handsome Indian man grinned and watched the boy jump on his horse taking off to the ranch. He always got a chuckle out of the boy calling him ‘uncle’.

He grunted and spoke to himself.

“One day I shall have a good woman…I shall have sons just like him.”
It was just coming on early Winter as Jeb sorted the mail just in from the train station and got a serious look on his face. Someone new had written back. There it was…in black ink and a feminine hand. Jeb pulled out the letter out of the stack with a whoosh of a breath, stuffing it in his apron pocket.
Two days later that little Mac came pushing into the Mercantile with an expectant face and a list for goods. Jeb grinned and pulled out the letter.
“It’s for you, Mac. Yuh got a letter.”
Mac’s gray eyes almost popped out of his head reaching for it.
“I sure hope this is the one, Mr. Jeb. The other ones just wanted to tan my hide. Let’s hope this one is serious.” Jeb snorted and chuckled.
“Those other women WERE serious Mac! They were mad and thought you were pulling a prank. They wanted to whup yuh good!”

Mac scowled, scrunching up his nose.
“Why would I waste good money doing a thing like that?”

Jeb chuckled as the boy excitedly tore into the envelope.
 

Jeb sat down next to Mac and they read the letter together. Mr. Jeb whistled and scratched his head grinning. Mac’s eyes twinkled like stars in the sky as he squirmed on the bench.

“She didn’t want to whup me, Mr. Jeb! She was real nice about my writin’. But she was right. Pa is goin’ ta be madder than a wet hen. But Mr. Jeb, we sure do need a Ma. We need one bad. Not just for Mazie and me but for Pa too. I can tell he is awful lonely. Most times he don’t even sleep in his bed.”
Jeb sighed and patted Mac’s knee.

“You had best pray about it then Mac. If she’s the one, you’ll feel it in your heart.”
Mac folded the letter stuffing it in his pants pocket feeling he had just met his fate.

“She’s the one. I just know it. I need to write her back. I’ll be back after school to write her. Tomorrow okay?”
Mr. Jeb grinned and nodded. “Tomorrow.”

Mac grinned and ran to the door hearing a whistle. Mac turned and shyly grinned.

He ran back and picked up the crate of goods he was specifically sent to get. Jeb shoved some sticks of peppermint in with the staples and winked at the boy.

“Thanks Mr. Jeb.”
Mac was so excited he wanted to write her back immediately but knew he couldn’t. He sat through another supper of silence in the bunkhouse chomping at the bit to get to his room to think about what to say.
He shoveled the stew down and ate the cornbread that Big John cooked for the cow hands. He gulped down his milk and wiped his mouth on his sleeve.
“That sure was good Big John. Can I leave the table Pa?”
His Pa looked at his bowl and lifted a brow wondering what the boy was up to.

“Sure Mac. I’ll bring Mazie in with me when we’re done here.”

Mac took off running to the big house and ran to his room. He had some serious thinking to do. He sat and pondered while writing out his letter hoping and praying he had everything down right. She just HAD to understand how much she was needed.

Mac rattled his tin of money he’d saved. He opened the lid and counted it.
It should be enough after all that money Grandma sends to Pa for Mazie and me.
Back in the bunkhouse Harrison McGann wondered what bur had got under his son’s saddle. He was as jumpy as a jackrabbit during mating season and spending a lot of time in his room.
He looked around the bunkhouse table for any sign that someone knew and found none on the faces there. He snorted and ate the rest of his stew. He was getting angry from the silence during these meals. No one talked anymore.
He set down his spoon and looked around the table.

“Don’t anybody have something to say tonight?”
The other ten cowboys who had worked on the McGann ranch all shook their heads. Harrison McGann narrowed his eyes and zeroed in on Tuck Connors.
“Tuck! You always got some funny shit to say? What’s goin’ on? Ain’t got nothin’ to say?” Tuck stopped eating and paled a bit.
“No boss. Nothin’ funny to say.”

He started to eat again.

McGann looked at all their faces as they avoided his eyes.
“Why not?”
Tuck almost choked and hesitated as he wiped his mouth.
“I guess because I want to keep my damn teeth in my mouth and my job.”
The other cowboy’s eyes got wide and looked at Tuck and then back at their bowls.
Harrison stood and kicked his chair away feeling rage rise in him like a dust devil.

“So that’s how it is, is it? What the hell? Has everybody around here gone crazy?”

He looked around the table and no one answered.

“Fine then. I guess I should just fire everybody huh?”

Tuck had enough and stood throwing down his napkin.
“Boss? We do a hard days work for you. We work real hard and you pay us good. But we don’t deserve your constant butt kickin’. You can fire us…sure. But good luck in finding any other cowboys to work for yuh. Your reputation has traveled and it is no longer a good one.”

Harrison saw red.

“You been talkin’ about me behind my back?”
Tuck snorted and almost laughed.
“We don’t have to say nothin’ Boss. All you have to do is go to town and you advertise yourself. You never leave town now without beatin’ some poor soul half to death.”
Harrison glared at Tuck but knew deep down he was right. Even his sweet old Aunt Ada who lived in town told him that now days he would try to start a fist fight with Jesus if his arms were longer.

Harrison sighed and glared at his five year old feeling old and defeated. Mazie sat in her chair stiff as a board and looking at her hands in her little lap.
“Get up Mazie. We’re goin’ to the big house.”
Mazie sat and looked down hanging her head and hunkered her shoulders due to the tension in the air.

Harrison spoke louder. His voice made her jump.

“I said get up damn it!”

Mazie jumped down off the bench and her father yanked her hand in his. Mazie started to cry.

Tuck almost growled.

“Boss! She’s just a little bitty filly…”

Harrison glared at Tuck and looked down seeing fear all over her five year old face as pee started running down her legs. Harrison felt his heart stop.
God damn it! I’m scaring everybody! Even my little girl is afraid of me! What the hell has happened to me?
He
was going to say something but let out a growl instead. Big John the cook ran to them.
“Don’t you worry none lass. Old Big John will clean it up. I think even Fes has pissed there on that very spot, eh Fes?”
The other cowboys kind of laughed and Mazie sniffed.

“I sorry, Pa. I sorry Big John…”

Harrison stood there feeling tears begin to well up in his eyes.

“Never you mind, Mazie girl. Big John will clean it up honey.”

Harrison choked out a word to the cook.

“Thanks John.”

Big John nodded looking worried.
“Sure ‘nuff Boss.”
Harrison McGann rushed out the door with his child in tow. As he and Mazie walked past the horse trough Harrison heard Fes throw down his spoon inside the bunkhouse yelling.
“That God damned Jackass!”
 

CHAPTER THREE

Harrison cleaned up Mazie and tucked her into bed. Kissing her he whispered a good night.

He tramped into the kitchen and poured some coffee and sugared it up good. Stretching out his six foot plus frame at the table, he felt old. Old and tired. He was thirty years old and already tired of life. He shook out his aching muscles and took a deep breath.
This horrible feeling in his heart was killing him and now he could see he was making enemies of every friend he ever had. Even his children were starting to hate him.
He sat at the empty table and shook his head.
I’ve got to get over this. She has been gone for years now. Mazie was not even a year old when she finally left after the divorce. Mazie. Little Mazie. His little sprite.
Harrison McGann closed his eyes squeezing them together and held back a sob.

I’m scarin’ the piss right out of my baby girl. I’m such a shit! How could he have been so cruel as to scare her like that!
I’ve got to get a hold of myself and find someone to put up with me. The children are suffering. I have to find a new wife. Carla Stevens is the only woman who pays any attention except maybe for one night and she scares the hell out of me.
Harrison shook himself like someone had just danced over his grave. He’d think about this tomorrow right now he should go to bed.