Calico Brides Read online

  “I’ll be back in a minute.” Beau motioned for Dru to join them. “I bet Miss Fairfield will be happy to tell you whatever you missed today.” He didn’t look back as he ducked into the soddy.

  Ruth stared at Beau’s departing back. He had dismissed her, but at least he had taken the bag of clothes with him. She wouldn’t allow her disappointment over his attitude to interfere with what Dru needed. She headed in Dru’s direction and began taking down Levis hanging on the line.

  “I can tell you’ve been busy today with the laundry.”

  “Someone had to.” Dru had internalized a lot of her emotions since her parents died, acting like the little mother of her two brothers—not that they always appreciated her interference. Ruth had hoped that the arrival of an adult relative would allow Dru to once again become a twelve-year-old enjoying her girlhood, but it appeared that hadn’t happened.

  When Dru stirred something in the kettle over a campfire, Ruth knew her fears were well grounded. No wonder the girl had almost fallen asleep in class a couple of times already.

  Ruth spied a flat iron heating in the campfire and the pile of clothing needing attention. On top sat Dru’s blue dress, which she had hardly removed since she received it. “I’ll finish this for you while you take care of the Levis.” She made a mental note to find someone to help with household tasks if Beau would accept the help.

  “Can you stay and eat with us?” Dru sounded wistful. “It’s just beans with some salt pork.”

  Ruth made an on-the-spot decision. This early in September, she could join them for an early supper and get home before full dark. “I would love that, as long as I leave before evening falls.”

  Dru’s step sped up at Ruth’s words. She whisked up a batch of corn bread in the iron skillet. Last of all, she started coffee boiling.

  The cow stuck her head over the fence and lowed softly. Ruth fed her a handful of grass and glanced at her udder. It was shudderingly full. She glanced around for a milk pail. Guy ran up. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of her.”

  Allan followed at a slower pace. He leaned next to Ruth against the fence. Dark circles she hadn’t seen before marred his face, and his shoulders slumped over. When he removed his gloves, Ruth could see the angry red on his blistered hands. He tried to hide a grimace, but she could read him as easily as her Bible.

  “I’ve missed you in school.” With only a year to go before he finished his public school education and hopefully headed to college, every day of school missed was a tragedy.

  He shrugged, his silence saying volumes.

  “I have a new book you might like.” Although Allan especially liked mathematics—even at times exceeding Ruth’s understanding of advanced geometry—he also won spelling contests and poetry recitation contests on a regular basis. He wouldn’t stay away from school of his own accord. She was as sure of that as she was of anything.

  She couldn’t, she wouldn’t, disrupt his uncle’s authority with his new family. Oh Lord, give me strength to hold my tongue. “If you like, I can send it home with Guy tomorrow.”

  “Please.” Much youthful angst and despair came through in that single word.

  Ruth wished she could hug him to take the pain away, but she couldn’t do that with the lad who was more man than boy. “I’m praying for all of you as you make this transition. But for now…I’ll make sure you have books to read.”

  Ruth set up an ironing stand and finished the dress and one shirt before Beau came back outside. The bag hung limp from his hand. Good, he had accepted the clothing.

  Supper passed pleasantly, and soon Ruth had started gathering dishes. Beau carried the last remaining platter to the sink. “I’d like to speak with you before you leave.”

  She nodded. “This won’t take much longer. What is it about?”

  He reached for his back pocket.

  Beau watched Dru and Ruth at work while he waited in the doorway. Dru looked livelier than she had since his arrival. Ruth had dived right into ironing. He grunted. Maybe taking on whatever task needed doing came naturally to a pastor’s daughter. For Dru’s sake, he was glad. All of them were working as hard as they could. Except maybe Allan. He was always a step behind. Beau had to work twice as hard to make up for his slack.

  He needed to find a way to make life easier for Dru. Ruth might know of a woman willing to take on some of the household duties. Which would take more money. Beau’s new responsibilities ate into what he had saved to sink into a ranch of his own someday. Finishing his contract for the current season and collecting his full pay was the reason he had arrived so long after the fire.

  The fire was the latest, and most severe, time he had had to rescue Charlotte and her family. Percy was a good-hearted sort who worked hard, but first he ran his father’s business into the ground. Next, the small printing press he started didn’t succeed. Beau had made it his mission to make sure Allan was better prepared for life than his father had been.

  Ruth looked his way, the enthusiasm she must bring to her class every day evident in her face. If he’d had a teacher like her, he might not have disliked school so much. Maybe that explained the silly look that appeared on Allan’s face when he mentioned school. Perhaps he liked the teacher more than the learning.

  Ruth said something to Dru that Beau couldn’t hear. Putting her fingers to her mouth, Ruth whistled—a shrieking sound worthy of a boy catching his first snake—or a teacher aiming to gain control in the classroom. Guy raised his head, then Allan, and she waved her arms, inviting them to dinner. Beau glanced overhead. Good sunshine would last for at least another hour. Beau kept an eye on the horizon, gauging when Ruth must leave to reach town before dark. Guy milked the cows while Allan talked with Ruth.

  Supper ended on the right note, with a final bite of corn bread and butter and a deep draw of cold water. By the time Beau’s glass touched the table, Ruth was on her feet. She prepared dishwater while Dru shuffled their plates into a pile, added their forks and knives, and dropped them in the soapy water.

  Beau moved into action before Ruth finished the last glass and rode off into the sunset. “I’d like to speak with you before you leave.”

  Her eyes brightened with curiosity, and she nodded. “This won’t take much longer. What is it about?”

  Beau wished he could stay and watch her work, but duty called. Last night’s rainstorm had exposed a chink in the soddy walls, which he intended to fix before it grew bigger. “I’ll be at the back of the soddy.” His fingers brushed the seat of his Levis, against the comfortable bunch of his wallet.

  Her eyes narrowed at the movement. Ruth’s students might adore her, but any man interested in her would be subject to her strong opinions.

  Why did the thought cause him worry?

  Chapter 4

  Beau didn’t leave the ranch until Saturday, when he took the family into town. Allan disappeared in the direction of the diner, where Beau suspected he had his eye on a pretty young waitress. Dru hovered at his side, as if she didn’t want to let him out of her sight. Guy had chosen to stay back at the ranch, offering to work on the fence. His willingness to undertake the task Allan hadn’t finished impressed Beau.

  First stop, the newspaper office. In the short time since his arrival, Beau had discovered the Calico Chronicle as a primary source for local happenings. One of Charlotte’s last letters had mentioned the start of the paper and the romance blossoming between the editor and a local young girl as well as between the editor’s once-reclusive grandfather and Miss Kate. Charlotte had used the outbreak of romance around town as an excuse to inquire after Beau’s love life.

  “That’s the school.” Dru pointed at the proverbial red schoolhouse that sat down the street from the newspaper office. The front door hung open, revealing a glimpse of Ruth at the blackboard, and he wondered at her working on her day off. Dru’s expression said she’d love to say hello.

  “Would you like to check on Miss Fairfield?”

  “May I?” Dru pleaded, as she drop
ped her hold on his hand.

  “Yes, but don’t bother her too much.” Dru disappeared so fast that he didn’t know if she heard him. He almost wanted to call her back. He had parted with Ruth on a harsh note, his insistence that he pay her for the new clothes angering her.

  Ruth came to the door at Dru’s approach. Surprise mixed with genuine pleasure lit her face, and she embraced the girl. She waved at Beau, and he returned the gesture. At least she hadn’t stayed angry with him. His steps trended in her direction until he remembered his purpose for coming to town today. In his new life as mother, father, and provider for three adolescent children, he found he had to make every minute count. If the sight of one pretty face distracted him from his goal, he had spent too much time with cattle.

  Increasing his speed, Beau headed toward the newspaper, a small office crowded with a printing press and typesetting equipment. Peering through the window, he saw a man in the back sweeping the floor. A knock on the glass got his attention.

  The lanky man with light brown hair opened the door. “Welcome to the Calico Chronicle. Mr. Blanton, is that it?”

  Beau nodded. “Call me Beau. I wanted to place an ad in next week’s paper.”

  “Come right this way.” He gestured for Beau to enter the office and grabbed a yellow-lined pad of paper and a pencil. “The name’s Haydn, by the way. How can I help you?”

  “I have it right here.” Beau unfolded the paper he had written out the night before. He wouldn’t let Dru or Guy suffer the same fate he had, missing so much school he sometimes found it difficult to compose a letter. “Do you know of any woman who is looking for work as a cook or housekeeper?” The man sitting in front of him would know the pulse of the community better than anyone. “We need some help now that school’s back in session.”

  Haydn made a note. “One of Birdie Landry’s friends might be available. Or you could inquire over at the parsonage.”

  A trip to the parsonage would probably involve crossing paths with Ruth again. Dru would like that. For that matter, Beau would like that.

  “If you find someone before next Thursday, let me know, and I’ll yank the ad from the paper.”

  “How do I get in touch with Miss Landry? Does she live in town?”

  “She lives at Aunt Kate’s boardinghouse, but she’ll be at the parsonage later today. The sewing circle is meeting there this afternoon.”

  “I’ll head over there later.” If he could get an answer before next week, it would solve a lot of his problems. He paid for the advertisement and headed for Finnegan’s Mercantile.

  Business was brisk at the store, so Beau browsed around the shelves. He noticed a sign advertising the services of a seamstress. Good, he’d found a solution to the clothing problem. Ruth wouldn’t leave him alone until he took care of it.

  The crowd thinned out, and Beau approached the pretty young woman at the counter. He handed her the shopping list he had written down. “I need these items. And are you the one I ask for seamstress services?”

  “No.” She flashed a shy smile in his direction. “Mr. Finnegan takes care of those orders.”

  “Shannon, did I hear my name?” A thin man, the perfect image of a shopkeeper with his glasses and pale skin, slipped behind the counter.

  “Mr. Finnegan, this gentleman…” She looked at Beau.

  “Beau Blanton.”

  “Mr. Blanton was asking about seamstress services. I told him you could help him.”

  “Miss Landry does beautiful work.” Finnegan motioned him forward. “Did you see the ready-to-wear dresses on the table? If nothing there suits your needs, or if you’re looking for men’s trousers and shirts, I can arrange a meeting between you.” He led Beau to the table. “What are you looking for?”

  “A couple of dresses for my niece.” Beau stared helplessly at the stacks. “But I don’t know what will fit.”

  “My fiancée may be able to help you with that.”

  Perhaps she was a member of the sewing circle Mr. Keller had mentioned. “How old is your niece?” Ned asked. “Most of these clothes are for adult women.”

  “She’s twelve. Not too tall.” Beau indicated a height that didn’t quite reach his shoulders. “She’s in town with me today. Is it possible to meet with Miss Landry?”

  “I believe she’s hard at work this morning. She will be heading over to the parsonage this afternoon for the sewing circle.”

  “Will I be welcome at the meeting?”

  “The Fairfields never turn anyone away. Tell Birdie I sent you, and she’ll take extra good care of you.”

  The clerk, Shannon, prepared his sack. Beau raised his eyebrows at the price but dug in his pocket and counted out the money.

  Finnegan pulled his ledger out and entered numbers. When Beau handed the money to Shannon, Finnegan interrupted. “There’s no need to pay right now. You can settle the account later.”

  “I’d rather take care of it now.” Beau counted out his money. He’d find a way to cut costs. Maybe Guy or Dru could find a job after school. God could provide for them in a dozen different ways.

  Finnegan maintained a neutral expression on his face. “I mean no offense. Most of the farmers around here keep an account, including your brother-in-law. Just offering to make things easier for you, with all the difficulties your family has been through.”

  “You’ll soon find out I’m not my brother-in-law. I won’t take things I can’t pay for.” Beau knew he was being less than gracious. He carried the sack out to the waiting wagon. Time to round up Dru and eat before dropping by the parsonage.

  Where he would face the biggest challenge of the day so far: paying Miss Landry for work Ruth was willing to do for free.

  “I’ll see you on Monday.” Ruth ached as she watched Dru walk away from the parsonage, where they had gone from the schoolhouse. Her new dress was wearing already, she wore it so much. Unfortunately, Charlotte’s brother wasn’t like his sister. She wouldn’t have let pride stand in the way of her children’s needs.

  Standing in the doorway, she watched Gladys approach with Haydn. At the corner, he turned in the direction of the newspaper office, and Gladys walked toward the parsonage. Ruth opened the door for her first guest.

  “Haydn says Mr. Blanton came into the office today.” Gladys’s sewing bag bulged with the squares for her wedding quilt. She greeted Ruth’s mother with a kiss. While Gladys kept up the chatter with Ruth’s parents, Ruth’s mind wandered. In spite of weekly church attendance and Dru and Guy’s regular presence at school, she hadn’t spoken to Beau Blanton since the debacle of her visit to the soddy.

  The gall of the man, insisting on paying her for clothes she had given to him. He’d held it out to her. When he tried to drop the money into her hand, she brushed it away and it landed on the ground. “You’re welcome,” she had said before she backed away from the embarrassing moment.

  She later learned he’d given the money to her father. Papa had bragged on Beau’s generosity and dropped the money into the box for missions. “He said he appreciated everything we’d done and to use the money wherever there was the most need.”

  Perhaps that was what God wanted after all. Even though she assumed God wanted her to help someone in Calico, maybe she was meant to help with overseas ministry, along with her mother and the other women of the larger group. Maybe she was getting too old for such girlish dreams.

  She should accept her position as resident spinster of Calico, Kansas.

  Chapter 5

  Someone knocked at the door. Ruth’s mother asked, “Ruth, will you get it, please?” She had her arms in dishwater up to her elbows.

  A glance out the window revealed the guest: Beau Blanton. Dru and Allan accompanied him, and Ruth’s heart lifted. If only Guy had come along. He needed tutoring in basic math skills, and she’d have squeezed in a few minutes before the sewing circle started. From what Dru said, all of them jumped into farm chores as soon as they arrived home and didn’t stop until bedtime except for dinner and a chapt
er from the Bible.

  Think happy thoughts. That would help Ruth keep a pleasant expression on her face, instead of imagining the impossible with Beau. Some might expect a pastor’s daughter to want to marry another man of the cloth, but she didn’t want that either. She couldn’t keep the kinds of secrets her mother had to carry. As soon as her parents figured that out, they had done as much as possible to shield her from the more unsavory aspects of their ministry.

  If the worst Beau Blanton had done was to value independence over offers of help and to fail to understand three young people, when he’d never had children himself, she had no reason, not to mention no right, to be upset with him.

  After the scolding Ruth gave herself, she opened the door with a smile. “Gladys—Miss Polson—told us you might be stopping by. How can we help you?”

  Beau removed his hat as soon as he entered the door, and Allan followed his example. Dru hung her cape on the coat tree. Beau shrugged. “I’m looking for someone willing to help us with the housework a few hours a day.” He draped an arm around Dru’s shoulders and hugged her. “Dru has been doing a yeoman’s job, but it’s too much for her, what with school and all.”

  At least he hadn’t been blind to the dark circles under Dru’s eyes. “Are you looking for live-in help?”

  He frowned. “Perhaps. I’d offer room and board in exchange for a few hours’ work, but…you’ve seen the soddy. It would be a tight fit. I know we’re at a distance from town.” His shoulders sagged. “Will that cause problems?”

  “Not necessarily. I have some ideas, and my mother will probably know of more.”

  “Know what?” Mama came to the door, drying her hands on her apron. “Mr. Blanton, how lovely to see you again.” The smile she offered their guest was wholehearted. “Since the sewing circle is meeting in the parlor, why don’t you join me in the kitchen? If you need my husband, he’ll be back eventually. He’s over in the church praying over tomorrow’s sermon.”