Chapter Thirteen
Dinner was an interesting affair with Morgan, Granny, and Rose conversing pleasantly, and Stevie sitting like a sullen child, not uttering a word. Even though Stevie hadn’t seen Rose in years, he’d had very little to say to her. Morgan was relieved when Stevie finished his dinner and left the table.
“Granny, thank you for dinner. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so much,” Morgan said.
“It’s a pleasure to have you here,” Granny said. His pleasant company aside, Granny planned to make sure Rose and Morgan were together as much as possible until they figured out a way to work out their differences regarding Frank. “I know how much you like fried chicken. I hope you saved room for some of Rose’s cobbler. You were always partial to her blackberry cobblers, and she made one especially for you tonight.”
Morgan looked at Rose and smiled. “Thank you. I always did like blackberry the best. But if it is okay with you, Rose, I’ll have a piece after I’ve done some work. I want to get some things done before it gets dark.”
“Of course, but it’s not necessary that you do any work. I’m sure you’ve already had a full day. I’ll be able to help out in a few days.” Rose planned to speak with Stevie tonight to insist he do some work around the farm. She’d already made a list of things that needed to be done.
“Rose is right, Morgan. You are our guest. I didn’t invite you here to make you work.”
Morgan winked at Granny. “Granny, if I don’t work off some of this dinner, Faithful will refuse to carry me home. Besides, I want to be able to do justice to that cobbler.” He excused himself from the table and walked out the back door.
The first thing he did was check on Faithful to make sure he was still grazing. Seeing his horse was enjoying himself, he headed to the stable to get some tools to repair the fence around Granny’s garden. After that, he planned to repair some boards on the stable that were barely hanging on. If he had time tonight, he planned to build Granny a handrail on her porch stairs. He’d noticed she had difficulty negotiating the steps without a rail.
As soon as he entered the stable he saw Stevie’s horse. He hadn’t removed his saddle when he rode in. Morgan was tempted to go in the house and drag Stevie to the stable to care for his animal properly. The only reason he didn’t was because of Granny and Rose. Morgan removed the saddle and blanket from the horse, and grabbed a brush. The horse hadn’t been groomed in days, maybe even weeks. The poor animal had sores on his back from lack of care. Once Morgan brushed off the grime, he washed and applied ointment on his sores. Seeing the condition of the filthy stalls, Morgan led the horse outside, gave him some fresh water and let him graze with Faithful. He went back inside the stable and mucked out the four stalls. Since Frank was no longer at the farm, Morgan figured they only had the one horse, but at least all of the stalls would be clean. After spreading hay, and pumping fresh water for the stalls, he searched for some grain. The longer he worked, the angrier he became. Stevie was just like his big brother. He didn’t have a care for anyone or anything but himself. Morgan didn’t like the way Stevie spoke to Granny and Rose during dinner, but he didn’t think it was his place to say anything. If Stevie had been as rude at his dinner table, he’d set him straight in a second. And he couldn’t tolerate any man who would abuse an animal.
Morgan was leaving the stable with a hammer and some nails to work on the fence when Stevie walked toward him. Stevie passed him without saying a word, so Morgan turned around and followed him back inside the stable.
Stevie reached for his saddle, but Morgan slammed the hammer down so close to his hand that Stevie jerked away. “You’re not taking that horse out tonight.”
“This ain’t your ranch, you don’t give orders around here,” Stevie said.
“Maybe not, but you’re still not saddling that animal.” Morgan glared at him, almost hoping Stevie would take a swing at him, or draw that fancy pistol. “You’ve abused that animal and he needs rest.”
“What I do with my horse ain’t none of your business,” Stevie snarled. With his sore arm, he was in no condition to fight Morgan. And even if he was, Morgan was a big man, and Stevie was smart enough to know he couldn’t take him in a fair fight. He’d never seen Morgan draw, but he’d heard he was fast. Still, Stevie was proud of his quick draw, and he told himself he could take Morgan.
Morgan could see in Stevie’s eyes he was calculating his next move. Morgan correctly assumed Stevie was trying to figure out if he was faster. “If you are looking for something to do, there’s plenty of work that needs to be done around here. If you’re determined to leave, you can walk wherever you are going. Your choice.” It came as no surprise to Morgan that Stevie decided to walk away. He walked toward the pine trees on the boundary of his ranch. Morgan didn’t think Stevie had a destination in mind, he was just trying to put some distance between them. When Stevie veered away from the pines, Morgan chuckled. Most people avoided the area, either because of firsthand experience with strange incidents they’d encountered, or because of the stories they’d heard. He wondered what Stevie heard in the pines.
While Rose was washing the dishes, she saw Morgan lead Stevie’s horse from the stable. She’d noticed how good he was with animals, but she didn’t know why he was caring for Stevie’s horse. Then she saw Stevie walking toward the stable. “Do you think Stevie is going to help Morgan?”
Granny looked out the window. “I hope so.”
“He shouldn’t have let the place get so run-down.” Rose had been looking forward to seeing her brother, but he’d given her a cool reception tonight. She thought it may have been because Granny invited Morgan to dinner. Stevie knew his brother hated Morgan, so it was possible he felt disloyal, the same way she had felt initially. Judging by the few comments Stevie made tonight, he seemed to resent her for being gone for so many years. She felt as though she no longer knew her two brothers. “Stevie wasn’t happy to see me. He certainly didn’t like having Morgan to dinner, but that doesn’t give him the right to be rude.”
“I know he didn’t want Morgan here. Don’t let it trouble you, honey. I don’t think anything makes Stevie happy.” Granny had tolerated his surly attitude for a long time. “Frank has filled Stevie’s head with lies about Morgan, but it is still my home, and I invite whom I please.” As soon as Morgan left tonight, Granny planned to have another talk with Stevie. No matter how much she loved him, she wouldn’t allow him to be rude to guests in their home.
“Do you think Stevie will go to church tomorrow?”
Granny shook her head. “He has no interest. I don’t even think he’s read his Bible in years.”
Rose and Granny exchanged a look when they saw Stevie walk away from the stable. They continued to stare out the window until Stevie was out of sight. They saw Morgan walk to the garden and start working on the fence.
The women finished cleaning the kitchen, and decided to sit on the porch and chat while they waited for Morgan, who had finished the garden fence and moved on to work on the stable. Rose couldn’t keep her eyes off of him as he worked, and she was disappointed when he walked inside the stable. They could hear him sawing wood, and about thirty minutes later, he exited the barn and walked toward the porch carrying some wood and tools. “Ladies,” he said as he started digging a hole in the dirt by the front porch.
“Morgan, it’s going to be dark soon. What in the world are you doing?” Granny asked.
“Putting up a handrail.”
Granny was so moved by his thoughtfulness that she found herself near tears.
Rose couldn’t believe Morgan had been so considerate. “Thank you. I was thinking this morning that Granny needed a railing for those stairs.”
“I really appreciate this, Morgan. It will make climbing those stairs a lot easier,” Granny said as she stood. “I’ll put on some fresh coffee to go with that cobbler. If you two young people don’t mind, I’m a bit tired and I think I’ll go to bed. The new pastor was kind enough to say he would come out early to pick me up for his first sermon. Are you going to church in the morning, Morgan?”
“No, ma’am, I have a lot of work to catch up on tomorrow.” Morgan wondered if Rose was going to church with Clay and Granny.
“Remember, tomorrow is the day of rest, Morgan. Your work will wait until Monday. But I told Rose she should stay home tomorrow and rest instead of riding in the buckboard. She’ll probably be feeling more like herself next week.” She stood and kissed Rose’s cheek. “Keep an eye on the coffee.”
Morgan stopped digging long enough to say, “Thank you for dinner.”
Granny surprised him when she walked to the edge of the step, leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “You’ve earned enough dinners for a month. Good night.”
“Night.” Morgan watched her walk in the house. Granny made him feel like a little boy who had done something good. He saw Rose watching him, and he said, “She’s some lady.”
“Yes, she is.” She waited for him to say more, but when he didn’t, she asked, “Where did Stevie go?”
Morgan scooped up another shovelful of soil. “I don’t know. But I wouldn’t let him take that horse out tonight. He’s in bad shape. And if you have any say over Stevie, don’t let him take that animal out for a few days. Stevie doesn’t need to be on a horse until he learns how to respect them.”
Rose never expected her brother would abuse an animal. But she didn’t doubt Morgan’s word. “I’ll speak to him.”
It was dark by the time Morgan finished his work. Rose had kept the coffee warm, and when he came inside, she placed a huge piece of cobbler in a bowl.
“Does coffee keep you awake at night?”
“No, ma’am. After a full day on the ranch, nothing could keep me awake.”
She placed a steaming cup in front of him. “You must be tired.” After spending time on the road with him, she’d noticed he was up before dawn each morning and went to bed late.
“I won’t have trouble sleeping tonight.” He took a bite of cobbler. “This is really good.”
“Thank you.” She sat across from him.
He noticed she wasn’t eating. “Aren’t you going to have a piece?”
“No, I get tired of eating my cobblers.”
Morgan raised his brows at her. “Really?” He didn’t know how anyone could get tired of eating something so good.
Once Morgan finished his dessert, he stood and reached for his hat. He hated to leave, but it was late and he needed to get home.
Rose walked outside with him, hoping he might kiss her again. “Thank you for everything, especially for the rail.”
“Thank you for the cobbler.” Morgan told himself to step off the porch and put some distance between them because he really wanted a taste of her for dessert. He didn’t listen to his little voice; instead he turned to face her. “How are the ribs feeling?”
“I’m already moving much better.”
“Good.” He took a step closer. She looked so pretty in the moonlight. Why couldn’t he listen to himself and stay away from her? He stepped back and settled his Stetson on his head. He removed his Stetson again. “Rose.”
She looked up at him. “Yes?”
He stopped thinking about why he shouldn’t do what he wanted to do, and took her in his arms and kissed her. He purposefully kissed her in a way that let her know she was his, in a way he didn’t think the wonderful pastor would kiss her. It wasn’t a first-kiss kind of kiss, and her response to him numbed his mind. Just like that day at the way station, she threaded her fingers in his hair, and held him to her as tightly as he was holding her. They were so caught up in the sensations of their bodies melded together that they were oblivious to the world around them. With some difficulty, and fighting against his own desire to continue, Morgan forced his lips from hers. He needed to put a halt to what was happening before he couldn’t stop.
His mind was struggling against his desire, but a sound behind him brought him to his senses. He heard someone walking near the porch. In one quick motion, he pushed Rose behind him and pulled his gun. His pistol was aimed directly at Stevie’s nose.
Stevie smirked. “Looks like I interrupted something.”
“Yes, you did,” Morgan said, holstering his gun. “That’s a good way to get shot.”
Stevie didn’t move. He stopped on the step and stared at them with undisguised hostility.
Morgan saw the hate in his eyes. Ignoring Stevie, Morgan turned back to Rose. “Thank you for dinner, Rose. I especially liked dessert.”
“Thank you for all of your hard work,” Rose said. She was sorry Stevie walked up when he did. Not only did she want more of Morgan’s kisses, but she felt things were left unsaid between them.
Morgan started to step off the porch, but Stevie didn’t move. Morgan brushed against Stevie’s left arm and saw he noticeably winced. He’d just taken a few steps from the house when he heard Stevie say to Rose, “What are you cozying up to him for? You better be doing it to keep the rope off Frankie’s neck. Aren’t you smart enough to know he’s just hanging around to get what he can off you, and to get to Frankie? Or don’t you care about Frankie anymore?”
Morgan turned around and stalked back to Stevie. “Whatever happens between us is our business, not yours. If you have any questions or comments, you can say them to me. But I better never hear you speak disrespectfully to your sister again.”
“You like to give orders, don’t you?” Stevie said.
“If that’s how you want to take it, that’s fine. Just remember what I said.” Morgan turned around and walked away. He heard the door open and close, but he knew it was Rose who had walked inside. There was no doubt in his mind that Stevie was still watching him. He didn’t like leaving Rose alone with Stevie, but he couldn’t exactly pick her up and cart her off to his ranch. He didn’t know Stevie well, and that was what troubled him. Rose had been away so long that she didn’t know him either. Morgan had a feeling Stevie could be every bit as dangerous as Frank, but not as overt in his actions. He wondered if Granny was afraid of her grandsons.
Granny said she was going to church in the morning, and Morgan figured Stevie wouldn’t be going with her. That meant he’d be in the house alone with Rose if he didn’t take off to look for Frank. Morgan didn’t like the thought of Rose being alone with him.
* * *
Pulling aside the lace curtain on her bedroom window, Rose saw Morgan light the lantern by the stable door. He led Stevie’s horse inside before he saddled his horse. She’d been so shocked by Stevie’s outburst that she didn’t remember if she’d even said good-bye to Morgan. She could see Stevie standing on the step, so she wouldn’t go back outside. She didn’t understand what was wrong with Stevie, but tomorrow morning she planned to have a talk with him. If his attitude today was an indication of what she would face come morning, he probably wouldn’t stand for her butting into his business. But one thing was certain: She was going to demand he help Granny on the farm, whether he liked it or not. He wasn’t going to come and go without a by-your-leave, not offering a fair day’s work. He was a man, and it was time he started acting like one and assume some responsibilities. Obviously, Frankie would never be around again to lend a hand. Granny had cared for all of them in their time of need when she could have easily sent them to an orphanage. Now Granny was the one needing help, and Rose was going to see to it that her life was easier now. She deserved to enjoy her waning years. It was difficult for Rose to believe her brothers cared so little for Granny and didn’t respect the sacrifices she’d made for them.
The light by the stable was extinguished, and Rose saw Morgan ride in the direction of the pines. It didn’t surprise her that he wasn’t afraid to ride through there even in the dark. It occurred to her she’d never asked him what he heard when he rode through the trees.
Thinking of the many hours she’d searched for the people who sang the songs she’d heard as a child brought a smile to her lips. She wondered if she would still hear the songs these many years later.
Rose dropped the curtain, walked to her bureau, and picked up her Bible. Granny said Stevie no longer read his Bible and that troubled her. Hopefully, she could find a way to get through to him. She prayed it wasn’t too late to keep him from following in Frankie’s footsteps.