Rekindled (29 page)

Larson tried to sound convincing despite his doubt. “I do believe you, ma’am.”

She wiped her tears and the tension eased from her expression. “Thank you,” she whispered, then tilted her head to one side. “I just realized . . . you never gave me your name.”

“Jacob.”

The edges of her mouth twitched. “A biblical name. It suits you.”

“I’m not sure that’s a compliment. Jacob deceived and cheated his brother out of his birthright, then lied to his father.”

Her brow rose. “You’re familiar with the Bible?”

Larson shrugged and reached for a shovel, needing something to occupy his hands. “I’ve read certain parts.” It unsettled him how much he enjoyed talking with her again, especially when nothing could ever come of it.

She took a small step closer to him. “While Jacob had his faults, he was also a very determined man. A man willing to work long and hard for what he wanted.”

“But his methods weren’t always respectable.”

“No, they weren’t. But, then, whose are?” She smiled as though enjoying the exchange as well. “Well, I need to get back to work. It was good to meet you, Jacob.”

“Same to you.”

Larson stood at the door for several minutes, watching her walk back to the main house. She’d looked so sincere. Had she been telling him the truth? And if so, then what about the brothel? And Matthew Taylor? None of it made any sense. He sighed and went back into the stable.

But over the next few days, he decided that a trip back to the brothel was in order. If only to find out once and for all what Kathryn had been doing there.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

J
ACOB’S A NICE MAN,” Gabe said, holding the other end of the brocaded wool panel.

“Yes, he is a nice man. Now, sling it up and over. On the count of three. Ready?”

At Gabe’s nod, Kathryn counted to three and they both swung the heavy drapery over the line. The thick rope strung between her cottage and a cottonwood held, but it dipped under the weight. “Thank you, Gabe.” She grabbed the broom and began sweeping the cobwebs and dust from the pleated folds. No easy task with her growing belly.

“I saw you talking to him in the barn the other day.”

“Yes,” she said, feeling the child move inside her. “I needed to talk to him about something.” Kathryn wondered if Gabe had heard the rumors about her yet. She didn’t like bringing it up, but if he had heard them, she didn’t want him to think they held any truth. “Gabe, now that you’re working here at Casaroja, if you ever hear anything about me and wonder if it’s true or not, would you please ask me directly?”

“Yes, Miss Kathryn. I will. And you’ll always tell me the truth.”

He said it with such conviction, Kathryn looked back at him. His blue eyes sparkled in the morning sun. “Yes, Gabe, I would. No matter what.”

“Do you like being here at Casaroja, Miss Kathryn?”

She smiled.
Testing my honesty already, Lord?
She set the broom aside and started beating the drapery lightly with a cushioned paddle. “No, Gabe, not really.” Dust plumed from the rich burgundy fabric, and she turned her face away. “I wish I were back at the cabin with my husband, but that’s not possible anymore. My life has changed in ways I wouldn’t have chosen, but I’m trusting that God sees all these changes and that somehow He’ll help me accept them, in time. He’s given me a safe place to live and good friends.” She placed a hand on her midsection. “And He’s given me this precious child.”

Gabe’s look turned quizzical. “How do you trust so much in someone you’ve never seen, Miss Kathryn?”

She stilled at the question. “The same way you do. The same way anyone does—by faith. And besides,” she added with a wink, “I
have
seen Him.” The boyish crinkle of Gabe’s forehead made her chuckle. “I’ve seen Him in you, Gabe. Now you’d better hurry up and eat your lunch and get back to work, or Jacob will come looking for you again.”

Gabe grinned. “Do you know what Jacob did last night?” He stuffed his mouth with a piece of bread and cheese.

“No, what did he do this time?” Kathryn played along, turning her face away from the dust. She could easily tell who Gabe’s new hero was.

“Last night there was a mama cow trying to have a baby, except that baby was comin’ out all wrong. Jacob talked to her, right up in that mama’s ear where she could hear him. Then he reached up inside her and helped that calf come out the right way. You should come down and see it tonight.”

“I’ll try and do that,” she said, wondering if Jacob would mind her being there. He seemed friendly enough last time, after he’d gotten past her seeing his scars. She wondered again how he’d gotten them. Despite the summer heat, he always wore a long-sleeved shirt and that same knit cap, and she couldn’t help but wonder what lay beneath.

Jacob took his meals alone, so she didn’t see him unless Miss Maudie asked him to do something at the main house. Kathryn hadn’t been able to come up with a reason to visit the stables again, plus she was being extra careful not to be alone with any of the men. But thanks to Gabe, she had a proper chaperone now and a reason to visit. She looked at the big man sitting beneath the cottonwood tree eating his lunch. Thanks to Gabe, she had a lot of things.

Physically, he was all man, but he possessed the heart of a child. She remembered when he’d appeared at her cabin door all those months ago. He’d scared her to death at first. But he’d been a good friend to her, and she owed him so much.

“Gabe,” she said, laying her paddle aside, “I don’t think I’ve ever thanked you for all the things you did for me back at my ranch. I’m glad Matthew Taylor hired you and that you came to work for me when you did. I thought then that you were a gift straight from God, and I still do.”

He smiled, shrugging as though he’d done nothing.

“No, really, Gabe. If there’s ever anything I can do for you, please tell me.”

He stopped chewing. “Does tomorrow count?”

“Does tomorrow count for what?”

“Would you do a favor for me tomorrow?”

Kathryn picked up the broom and brushed away the lingering dust from the curtain panel. “Why don’t you tell me the favor first?” she said, smiling. She arched her back and rolled her shoulders to loosen the tight muscles.

Gabe laughed. “I promise it’s something you’ll like, Miss Kathryn.”

“Mm-hmm . . . I’ve heard that before.” She threw him a wink.

“Beggin’ your pardon, Mrs. Jennings.”

Kathryn turned at the high-pitched voice. “Oh . . . hello, Molly.”

The kitchen maid curtsied and held out an envelope. “Mr. MacGregor asked me to deliver this to you, ma’am. Said for you to read it right away. I’m supposed to wait for your response.”

As Kathryn took the note, she noticed Molly steal a quick look in Gabe’s direction. Oblivious, Gabe took another bite of cheese and then happened to look up. He smiled at Molly, who immediately dipped her head in response. But Kathryn could see the sudden color rising to her cheeks.

Smiling to herself, Kathryn lifted the unsealed flap of the envelope and read the letter. Her face heated.

Though she was glad to finally get a chance to meet with him about his offer, Donlyn MacGregor certainly wasn’t helping her situation any by asking her this way. She had little doubt the maid had already read the contents of the letter. Kathryn had quickly learned that Molly held a confidence like a sieve. Apparently Mr. MacGregor lacked that knowledge of this particular employee.

“Molly, please tell Mr. MacGregor that I must decline having dinner with him as he requested, but that I’ll look forward to meeting with him later that evening.”

The girl nodded, cast one last glance in Gabe’s direction, then turned and hurried back inside the house.

Kathryn tossed a look back at Gabe and winked. “I see you’ve caught someone’s eye, Gabe.”

He stood up and brushed the crumbs from his shirt. “The same could be said of you, Miss Kathryn.”

But for once, he wasn’t smiling.

Kathryn woke early the next morning to get ready for Gabe’s surprise. He wouldn’t tell her what it was, but thanks to Miss Maudie’s help the night before, she had everything ready. Plus, thanks to the woman’s generosity, she had four more black dresses from which to choose, each sensible enough for every day and with room enough to last her until the baby was born.

Like she did every morning upon rising, Kathryn gave the music box key three full twists and set it on the side table. She sang along softly, pulling back the curtain from the open bedroom window to gain a view of the stables and eastern prairie. The sun crested the horizon and the last of the stars were quickly fading. Despite being July, a cool morning breeze blew in, carrying with it the scent of prairie grass and cattle.

Kathryn closed her eyes and, for a moment, was back on their ranch. She could picture the cabin, the barn, the towering blue spruce and quivering aspen; she could hear the creek that ran behind the cabin and could even smell the pungent pine. A gentle wind lifted the hair from her shoulders, and she let herself imagine it was the soft brush of angel’s wings. Angels from on high, like the words of the song.

She opened her eyes and spotted a rider coming in off the range. In dawn’s pinkish light, the horse’s hooves barely seemed to touch the ground as it flew across the open plains. The rider and mount moved as one. Kathryn remembered that feeling—freedom. Larson had taught her to ride like that, many years ago.

The rider slowed the buckskin to a canter, then reined in while still a ways out. Dismounting, he stretched and rubbed his right thigh, then stroked the horse’s forehead. He loosely took the reins, and the horse followed. He wasn’t close enough yet for Kathryn to make out his face, but even at this distance she saw Jacob wasn’t wearing his glasses or his cap. His head was completely bald except for darker patches where it looked as if the hair had been shaved.

Kathryn stepped back from the window as Jacob got closer. The tune from the music box slowed, as though struggling to reach the last few notes. As Jacob passed by, she heard the horse whinny, then Jacob’s soft whisper of a voice as he answered back. Curiosity begged her to take a closer look, but somehow she knew Jacob didn’t want her to see him like this, and respect for him outweighed the temptation.

Half an hour later, a wagon pulled up outside the cottage. Kathryn laid aside the blanket she was knitting for the baby and looked out to see Gabe climbing down dressed in a crisp white shirt and brown trousers. She’d never seen him look so handsome.

“Where on earth are we going this early in the morning?” she asked minutes later as they pulled onto the main road leading to town. “Miss Maudie and I fixed enough food for a small army, so I hope you’re hungry.”

Gabe’s grin said he still wasn’t going to tell her their destination. He started to sing a hymn Kathryn knew, so she joined in. She hadn’t sung with anyone in years and found comfort in singing the hymns with Gabe now.

“Okay, you pick one next,” he said a while later.

“There’s one I know from my childhood. It’s not as fast paced, but let’s see if I can remember it.” She began singing, but Gabe didn’t join in. Kathryn stopped and elbowed him good-naturedly.

He shook his head. “I don’t know the words. But I like hearing you sing, Miss Kathryn.”

She smiled, then started again. “ ‘Father and friend, thy light, thy love, beaming through all thy works we see. Thy glory gilds the heavens above, and all the earth is full of thee.’ ”

When Gabe turned to look at her, his eyes held a sheen. “Are there more words to that one?”

Touched by his response, Kathryn closed her eyes. “‘Thy voice we hear, thy presence feel, while thou, too pure for mortal sight, enwrapt in clouds, invisible, reignest the Lord of life and light.’ ”

She sang another verse and then let the silence settle around them. Gabe looked deep in thought, so Kathryn sat back, enjoying the sunshine on her face and the hint of secret on the breeze. Whatever Gabe had planned for her today couldn’t be more special than what he’d already given her. This was the lightest her heart had felt in—

A spasm of pain gripped her midsection. She doubled over, clutching the buckboard for support. A cold sweat broke out over her body, and she squeezed her eyes tight, gasping.

Gabe slowed the wagon and put a hand on her back. “Miss Kathryn, what’s wrong?”

“I don’t know,” she finally managed, cautiously drawing in a deep breath. As swiftly as it came, the pain left. She leaned back and spread her hands on her belly, caressing her unborn child. “I think maybe it’s too much singing.” She forced a laugh and saw the seriousness in Gabe’s face.

“Do you want to go back?”

She laid a hand to his arm. “No, please, Gabe. Let’s go on, I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?”

She blew her breath out slowly. “As long as you don’t have me running any three-legged races, I think I’ll make it.” But she decided to take it easy that day and not to overdo. It wasn’t worth risking the health of her child.

When they reached the edge of town, Gabe guided the wagon to the road leading to the white church. “This is your surprise.”

She looked at the seemingly empty building. “But it’s not even Sunday.”