Before the Larkspur Blooms (14 page)

“In the north pasture mending fence,” Gabe said. He looked in that direction with a perplexed expression, and Jessie reminded herself to ask him about it later. Jake had been so quiet for the past few weeks. Had hardly visited up at the house at all. She knew Sarah was missing him as much as she was.

“What about that Irishman, Donovan?” Blake asked. “He served time for rustlin’. Maybe his gang has been waitin’ for him to get out of prison.”

Jessie sat Shane in the rocking chair, staying close so he couldn’t fall out. “I don’t think he has anything to do with it,” she said. “He was little more than a boy when that happened.”

Chase cocked an eyebrow. “So?”

“Well, for one, it would be too obvious. Hannah was just here and had only complimentary things to say about him. He’s working at the livery and trying his best to get his life back in order. From what she says, folks aren’t making it easy for him to come home.”

Chase rubbed his chin. “I’ve been thinking about him, actually. The day of the town meeting, Hannah asked me to stop by the Red Rooster and introduce myself. You know, befriend him. Things just keep getting in the way. I haven’t done it yet.”

“Chase, that’s not like you,” Jessie said. She kept a firm grip on Shane’s shirt as he tried to rock the big chair forward and back. “I think you should ride over there this evening and invite him to supper this week sometime. Invite Mrs. Hollyhock, too.”

Chase looked at her for a long moment, raising his eyebrows wryly.

“Pa!” the two-year-old said. “Ride Cody!”

Chase smiled, the tension dissipated. He lifted Shane from the rocking chair and bounced him around roughly, extracting a delighted gurgle-laugh. “Cody,” Shane called. “Ride Cody.”

“That’s a fine idea, Jessie,” he said, leaning over Shane to kiss her on the cheek. “I’ll do it. It’s about time we met Thom Donovan.”

Jessie shook her head. “Never you mind. You had your chance. I’m going into town on Tuesday afternoon to do some errands and visit Mrs. Hollyhock. I’ll take care of the matter myself.”
And check to see if any more letters have arrived.

Hannah took the opportunity to drink in the sight of Thom as he worked on the roof. He’d stripped naked to the waist and had a
bandanna tied around his head to keep the sweat from dripping into his eyes. He was beautiful. Imposing. His skin fairly glistened, a result of the sun and hard work. Her heart took off at a gallop, and she once again felt twelve. She smiled, remembering how she and Anne Marie used to hide in the bushes and watch Thom and Caleb skinny-dipping in the creek. Of course, they’d always covered their eyes when the boys entered or exited the water.

Thom dragged his arm across his brow, spotting the approaching buggy. His brows shot up in surprise, and Hannah pulled up on the reins.

“Hello,” she called quickly and waved. She tried to act startled, like she’d just seen him, too, and she willed the blush on her face not to give away the fact that she’d been gawking.

She followed his gaze down to his shirt draped across the porch rail. He set the hammer down and started for the ladder. “Guess it’s time for a break.” He looked from her to Markus, and she remembered the two had yet to be introduced.

“Fancy meeting you here today,” she said, standing in the buggy to straighten her dress. She wanted to keep things light. The vivid memory of his angry, battered face, the result of his last meeting with Dwight and the others, was one she couldn’t shake. She’d wanted to visit him at the inn afterward, to make sure he was OK, but she knew he wouldn’t like it.

He climbed down the ladder and went straight to the three-foot-high rain barrel at the edge of the porch. Taking a bucket, he doused himself, letting the water splash over his body and flood the ground. “God bless the man who invented barrels,” he said and smiled. He shook the water from his hair, then ran a small towel over his upper body. He pulled his shirt over his still-damp chest and arms, buttoning up from the bottom as he crossed the street toward them.

Lands above!
She tried to look anywhere but at him. Her cheeks scorched hot, and she was sure he saw her embarrassment because his eyes fairly twinkled.

“Something wrong, Hannah?”

“Of course not!” Needing a distraction, she looked down at Markus.

“You have an uncanny talent for seeing me at my worst.” His smile was warm. “I think you do it on purpose.”

The cotton fabric of his shirt stretched across his chest and forearms. He stood tall, bracing his hands on his lean hips, boots planted a foot apart. He looked dashing. Almost roguish. There was still a shadow of a bruise on his left cheek from the fight Saturday afternoon, which made him look even more dangerous. His eyes narrowed an infinitesimal amount as if wondering what she was doing there. “H-how come,” she stuttered, “you’re not working at the livery today?”

“Win, good man that he is, gave me the day off so I could get this job done for Maude. He knows she’s paying me plenty.” He braced one of his boots on the buggy step. “And because the place is small, I’ll have it done in a day.”

Hannah nodded. The home was tiny but cute. The new shingles stood out easily next to the old, showing his progress.

“Actually, I’m almost finished now. Another couple of hours is all.”

“Oh, I almost forgot.” Hannah quickly went through her cloth handbag and handed Thom a small piece of paper. “Anne Marie’s address. I wrote it down so I’d have it handy the next time we met.”

“Thank you.” He glanced at it and put it in his pocket. “I appreciate it very much.”

Markus stood quietly beside her, but he quickly ducked behind the yards of her pink-flowered dress when Thom looked his way.

“Markus, come here.” She reached around and pulled him into view. His eyes were wide. “What is it? Don’t be afraid. This is Thom, Nana Katherine’s boy,” she added in a soft tone. “We’ve been waiting for him to come home for a very long time.” She couldn’t stop a quick sideward glance. Their gazes touched. “You’ve heard us talk about him, right?”

She was proud of her little man. When Markus started to make a fuss, rocking the buggy, she turned back to Thom. “I’m sorry. He’s being shy. Let’s do proper introductions on the ground, where I won’t lose my balance and fall on my head.”

She reached out and placed her hands on Thom’s wide shoulders, and he easily swung her to the ground. His hands branded her waist, making her insides do a soft flip-flop, and a breathless sensation filled her. Before he had a chance to let go, she went up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. She was tired of wasting time. She could tell herself she was done with him until she was blue in the face, but it wasn’t true. Only one person made her feel this way, and that was Thom. He was in such a good mood, she didn’t want to throw away this chance of opening his eyes to what they could have together.

“Hope you don’t mind,” she said playfully, trying to gauge his reaction.

“You’re as light as a feather, why would I?” His face was unreadable, but she thought she saw pleasure in his gaze.

She laughed. “I meant the kiss.”

“Oh,
that
.” He blushed, then stepped back, out of her reach, and tucked in the tails of his shirt with a sweep of his hand. “What brings you to this side of town?”

“I come almost every week. Brenna Lane’s my friend.” She motioned to the modest little house that stood a few yards away. “Doesn’t look like anyone is home, though.” She took the basket of food from behind the buggy seat. “I’ll lock this safely away in her kitchen.”

Markus hopped down and stood by her side.

“So you must be Markus,” Thom said softly, looking at the boy, a sweet yearning written on his face.

“I’ve wanted to introduce the two of you for the longest time. Since your first day home, actually. You’ll see so much of Caleb in his eyes and expressions.”

Markus just stood there, his eyes downcast.

“Markus? What’s wrong? Have you forgotten your manners?”

Markus heaved a big sigh and shook his head. “No, ma’am.”

Thom was struck by how much, up close, Markus looked like Caleb had at that age. The boy had Hannah’s eyes, but his mouth and the way it tilted in a cross of contemplation and doubt reminded him so much of his childhood friend that his heart ached. The expression was all Caleb.

It didn’t take a genius to see that Markus was upset about something, though, and that
something
, Thom was sure, had to do with him. He grasped the back of his neck, working out the kinks that had been building all morning to a dull ache. He’d wanted to meet Hannah’s son, but when she knelt down in front of Markus, a heap of worry on her face, he wasn’t so sure it was a good idea.

“Markus?” she said in a soft voice, rubbing his small back.

“Leave the boy. We can meet another time, after I’ve bathed.” He flicked a damp clump of something from his pants. “I’m not fit company at the moment. He’s probably scared.” Thom laughed, and even to his own ears it sounded strained, harsh.

Hannah glanced over her shoulder and tried to smile. “You’re not that dirty, Thom. Something else is wrong. He’s never acted like this before. I’d like to get to the bottom of it now.” She turned back to Markus. “Son, is there a reason for your behavior? Come on—you can tell me.”

Markus kept his gaze trained at his feet. He scuffed them for a moment, and then all was quiet. Thom’s pulse pumped in his ears.

“Grammy said not to talk to him.” He pointed but didn’t look up. “He killed a boy wif a knife. He might hurt me.”

Hannah’s sharp intake of breath echoed in the silence of the day.

Heat scorched Thom’s neck and worked up into his face, hotter than the noontime sun in July. He took a step back. Hannah must have been at a loss for words because she just looked at Markus, not saying anything. What could she say?

“I need to get back to work, Hannah,” Thom said gently. “We’ll get acquainted another time.”

A farm wagon rounded the corner of the dirt road just then, headed for Main Street. Even from this distance, Thom recognized Win driving Bertie and Ned, the draft horse team he took care of. He shook his head and a bit of his humor returned.
I can’t believe those horses are my business partners, so to speak. I know their habits and moods better than anyone else I’ve met in town.
His frame of mind improved even more when Albert gave a friendly wave from the passenger seat. A loud cry of some sort resonated from deep inside the wagon bed.

Thom walked out to meet them as they pulled up in the street. The mournful cries of whatever they were carrying never let up. Hannah and Markus followed.

“What do you have back there?” Thom asked, ignoring the fact that both men were covered in dirt and grime. Looking over the slats he saw a tiny baby buffalo, all ribs and eyes.

Thom’s brows shot up in surprise. “Another?” On reflex, Thom reached down, lifted Markus, and set him in the front of the tall wagon so he could see. The boy had been searching for a toehold on the worn steel wheel, trying to climb up. Markus sucked in a breath at the sight of the tiny creature.

“I know what you’re thinking, Thom, but I couldn’t help it,” Win replied. “Last night in the saloon I heard a man talking about a small herd getting decimated. I knew the place he mentioned and recruited my brother’s help. It’s more than a shame how the United States government, and General Philip Sheridan in particular, is ordering the slaughter just to bring the few Indian buck resisters to their knees. It’s downright disgusting.”

Albert nodded in agreement. “Just not right.”

The nervous calf quivered in the corner, eyeing them fearfully. A half smile warmed Win’s face. “It was only a matter of time before some wolf came along.”

“Well,” Thom said, smiling at Hannah, who stood by his side alight with excitement as she looked at the tiny creature. “I guess Max will have some company now besides me. He follows me around like a lovesick puppy. Bull calf or heifer?” he asked, looking back up at the Preston brothers.

Win beamed. “Heifer. And a real nice one.”

Thom cocked a brow. “Oh, boy. I can see where this is going.”

Win put up a hand to stop him. “It’d only be natural if—”

Despite her small size, the calf let out an earsplitting bellow, cutting Win off. Win rubbed his ear, and Markus laughed.