Two
Suzanne took a step back, her mouth gaping open. Was the man crazy? “What?”
“You heard me. Those women are always trying to match people up, but I’m not that desperate!”
Her cheeks flamed and her temper boiled. “Neither am I!” she snapped.
“Why do you look so surprised? Didn’t they suggest it?”
She started to say that no one in their right mind would suggest such a thing, but then she remembered Mabel’s comment. “Mabel mentioned something about marriage, but I assumed she was joking.”
“Well, now you know she wasn’t. And I’m not interested. Okay? Doug and Hinney will be over in the morning.” He started to close the door and Suzanne stopped him.
“What Mabel and Florence suggested was that we barter.”
“Barter? I don’t think you have anything I want.”
His words were insulting, and she almost gave up. But she needed help. Clenching her teeth, she muttered one word. “Baby-sitting.”
“Daddy?” Beth asked as she pushed past his legs to stand in front of him, looking at the woman.
“Beth, go back to the kitchen. You can go ahead and start eating, okay?”
Suzanne noted that his voice gentled when he spoke to his child. She squatted down. “Hello, Beth. My name is Suzanne. How are you?”
“Fine,” Beth said with a big smile.
“Beth, go to the kitchen at once!” This time his voice wasn’t gentle. It was harsh and threatening. His daughter looked at him in surprise and then scurried back down the long hall.
“I wasn’t going to hurt her,” she protested.
“You don’t know anything about her, and I’d like to keep it that way. Even for baby-sitting, I’m not going to take over your ranch. That’s what you wanted, wasn’t it?”
She drew herself up straight, throwing back her shoulders. “They also mentioned water rights.” She waited for his reaction.
“Yeah. You’ve got good water and I don’t. Congratulations. My two men will be there in the morning. Figure out something before the week is up.” Then he closed the door in her face.
Suzanne was furious at his rudeness. But she didn’t dare bang on the door again. He might cancel the two men coming over tomorrow for a week. They were better than nothing. Maybe with Al to help them, they could take care of things for a week. Surely by then she’d find some cowboys who were looking for work. She had to. One way or another she would preserve Josh and Mandy’s heritage.
SUZANNE WAS UP before daylight the next morning, wanting to greet the two cowboys Ryan Walker had said he would send over. She’d told Al the night before of Ryan Walker’s offer of temporary help.
“I’m going to do the cooking today for the three of you. I’d like you to do what you can to help them.” She knew such work would be hard on the old man, but he readily agreed.
Just as the sun first peeped over the skyline in the east, she heard a truck pull in to their place. She looked out the window and saw the horse trailer behind it. This had to be Doug and “Hinney.” What an odd name.
She hurried out and welcomed them. “Have you had breakfast? I can cook something quickly.”
“Yes, ma’am, we had breakfast.”
“All right. I’ll have lunch ready at one.”
They both seemed embarrassed, but she gave them a bright smile and went back inside. She wanted Mr. Know-It-All Walker to know that she could provide for the men as well as he could. She spent the morning baking a cake for lunch, mixing up a special beef casserole, and calling every person she could think of who might be able to help her find some cowboys.
Unfortunately, she heard the same thing over and over again. “Call Ryan Walker. He’d know if there are any good ones available.”
After the fifth such response, she quit trying. She’d had the children coloring some pictures at the kitchen table while she worked, but she wanted them to eat before the men came in. She had them clear the table and go wash their hands.
Once they had eaten their lunch, she put Mandy down for her nap and reminded Josh that it was quiet time. He was supposed to remain in his room, preferably on his bed, reading or looking at picture books.
Then she cleared the table and set it again for the three men. Even though it was early spring, it was warm outside during the day, so she had tall glasses of sweetened tea, ice cubes floating in them, waiting for the workmen.
“Wow, Miz McCoy, this looks good,” Doug told her as they came in.
She took the casserole out of the oven and the salad out of the refrigerator. She also had a bowl of corn, because she’d been told by her cousin that hearty food was important for hard-working cowboys. Hot rolls completed the lunch menu. When she served them big chunks of chocolate cake after they’d finished off the casserole, they groaned with pleasure.
“I just want you to know I appreciate your work.”
“Yes, ma’am,” they agreed enthusiastically.
She repeated the process that night for dinner.
“But, ma’am, we’re expected at the supper table over at Ryan’s,” Hinney protested.
“As hard as you’ve worked, you probably deserve two dinners. Besides, I’ve got too much cake left over.”
The men fell into their chairs.
Suzanne felt a surge of triumph, knowing Ryan Walker would know she’d treated his men well.
RYAN WORRIED all day about his two men working on the Howe place. The new owner, Rodger Howe, hadn’t been a bad man. Just unknowledgeable. He’d visited Ryan several times to ask for advice. Ryan hadn’t minded. That was how a man learned. The fact that he’d learned at his grandfather’s and father’s knees from the time he was old enough to walk made him grateful and willing to share his knowledge.
But not with a city lady. He hoped she fed his men. She probably had only served them salads. That seemed to be the only thing city women knew to fix. He left word for the men to check in with him after they got back.
He ran into town to pick up Beth. He’d told his cousin he’d have someone to take care of Beth by the end of the week. He didn’t want her to lose a job opportunity that would pay her more money than he was paying her. Millie had used the excuse of her baby-sitting options to urge him to consider Florence and Mabel’s marriage suggestion.
All the way home he worried about how he was going to find someone to take care of Beth. When she started school, most of her day would be covered. Except for holidays and summer vacations. Damn. He might as well figure on a permanent housekeeper. A nice meal ready in the evenings would be a bonus. He occasionally even took Beth to the bunkhouse to eat. But, though they
