Callie's Heart (2 page)

           
“What
does it say?”

           
He
crumbled up the piece of paper and stuck it in his pocket.
 
“Just that you’re a good girl and to take
care of you.”

           
“I
can take care of myself.
 
I miss Uncle
Ned so much, though.
 
He’s been my ma
and pa for a long time.”
 

           
Clint
watched her turn around and look at the room.
  
Old Ned had seen his days and was now gone.
 
He loved the old coot too and it made him sad, but he’d take care
of Callie as best he could.
 
“You like
it?”

“Yes.
 
What a big bed with iron posts, a mattress,
and springs.
 
It’s purty too with the
Indian blanket on it.”

“Well, it’s your room now,
so you do what you want with it.
 
Move
the bed and dresser whichever way you want.
 
I want you to feel at home.”

“Won’t we be getting
married?”

“Not right now.
 
I want to get to know you first.”

“That’s good, but what
happens if you don’t like me?”

“I can’t see that
happening,” Clint grinned.
 
“You’re as
pretty as a filly and all that gold hair is downright tempting to touch.”

“Won’t be no touching before
we get married.
 
Uncle Ned brought me up
to be a good girl and I ain’t going to become no loose woman!”

He laughed.
 
“No need to worry, Callie.
 
Are you hungry?”

“Sure am.
 
I lived on beans and jerky all the way
here.
 
What do you got for me to cook?”

“You cook too?”

“Uncle Ned said I was the
best cook in the entire west.”

“Well, then I’ll show you
where things are and while you’re cooking, I’ll go out and tend to a few things
in the barn.”

***

Clint forked fresh straw in
the stalls for his horses, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Ned.
 
He’d been like a father to him when they
rode with the gang and always watched his back.
 
When he took his last share of the last robbery, Clint has missed
him something terrible.
 
When he got
away from the gang, he stopped by and saw him.
 
At that time, Callie had been just a young girl.
 
Ned had taken her in when her Pa had
died.
 
Ned was as good as they came and
he’d do right by him.

He wasn’t looking forward to
getting’ married, and didn’t plan to, unless he took a liking to Callie, but
he’d make sure she was taken care of just like Ned had taken care of him.
 
He forked the last of the straw in, gave the
horses some grain and went back to the house.
 

He stepped inside to see his
table full of food.
 
“Lordy, Callie, did
you cook everything?”

Just some corn pone, ham,
and potatoes.
 
Do you know how long it’s
been since I’ve had something to fix this grand?”

He couldn’t help but smile
when her little pink tongue licked her lips as she stared at the food on the
table.
 
She was a little slip of a
thing, but filled out in all the right places.
 
“Let me wash up.
 
Smells so good
and I’m hungry!”

“Me too!”

He shook his head as she sat
down at the table and waited patiently for him to join her.
 
Her hand was grasping the fork like she
couldn’t wait to stab a slice of ham and put it on her plate.
 
He went over and sat down.
 
“Well dig in!”

“Not before we thank the
Lord for our food and blessings,” she said, and proceeded to say a prayer.
 
“Ok, now we can eat!”

He laughed as she took a
thick slice of ham, and some fried potatoes.
 
When she put a bite of ham in her mouth, she closed her eyes, and
flicked her tongue over her lips.
 
Clint
about dropped the piece of cornbread he’d picked up and felt his manhood stand
to attention.
 
Damn, but she was
savoring that piece of meat a little too long.
 
“Chew and swallow,” he told her, shaking his head when her eyes popped
open to stare at him.

“This is the most delicious
ham I’ve ever tasted!”

“You make good corn bread
too.”
 
He took a bite and it melted in
his mouth.

“I made a skillet full, so
there will plenty for a couple days.
 
Tomorrow I can make some bread too.”

“Sounds mighty fine.
 
I haven’t eaten like this in a long time
either.”

“Uncle Ned didn’t eat only
rabbit stew.
 
He said if he ate anything
else, his stomach hurt somethin’ fierce.
 
I’m worried about him and didn’t want to leave, but he said I had to
go.
 
He said he had me a fine man who
would take care of me and I could take care of him.
 
I argued, but he wouldn’t have any of it and here I am.
 
He promised to write me.”

Clint finished his cornbread
and ate his ham and potatoes.
 
He
couldn’t tell Callie Ned wouldn’t be writing her.
 
He knew she loved him so much that she would be devastated and he
didn’t need a bawling female on his hands.
 
Besides that, he wanted to give her time to get used to being away from
Ned and her home.
 
Homesickness could
eat a person alive.
 
He picked up his
coffee cup and took a big drink, then spewed in out at the side of the table.
 
“What the hell!”
 
He jumped up, pumped some water in the tin cup sitting on the
sink and rinsed his mouth out.

“Oh, I forgot to tell ya, I
don’t make very good coffee.
 
Uncle Ned
always made it.”

Clint shook his head and
swallowed.
 
No wonder Ned died from a
stomachache!
 
“That is the worse cup of
coffee I’ve ever had!
 
From now on, I’ll
make the coffee, you do the cooking.”
 
He took the pot of coffee off the stove and dumped it out and put on a
fresh pot.

“That’s okay with me. I
don’t like drinkin’ my own coffee either.”

Clint shook his head.
 
“As soon as you’re done cleaning up the
kitchen, come out to the barn.
 
I got a
surprise for you.”

“A surprise?
 
I’ll hurry up then!”

Clint laughed when she
jumped up and started clearing the table.
 
She was still so young.
 
Too
young in his estimation to be getting wed.”
 
He grabbed his hat and went back out to the barn.
 
He couldn’t wait to see her face when she
saw what he was going to give her.

Chapter
Two

Callie quickly did up the
dishes and put things away.
 
As she
wiped the table clean, she couldn’t believe her good fortune.
 
Clint was nice and she liked him.
 
He was easy to get along with and provided
well if her first supper was any indication.
 
He had a fine house and she couldn’t wait to see what her surprise was,
so she grabbed her hat and ran out to the barn.

When she went inside, she
gasped.
 
There was stalls full of
horses.
 
Beautiful Palominos.
 
She walked over to where he led one by the
reins over to her.
 

“Callie, this here is
Goldie.
 
She’s a find horse and she
yours.”

Callie’s eyes grew
wide.
 
“Mine?”

“That’s what I said.
 
Come here and get to know her a little.”

Callie walked over and
reached out to pet the horse.
 
Goldie
shook her head and nudged her away.
 
“I
don’t think she likes me.”

“She just doesn’t know you
yet, but she’ll take a liking to you.
 
Why don’t you hop up on her back and take her for a little ride around
the house and barn.
 
I bet she’ll like
that.”

Callie’s heart pounded in
her chest.
 
She knew how to ride, but
she’d never had a horse this beautiful.
 
Goldie’s coat was sleek and shiny.
 
Almost the color of Callie’s hair.
 
So very beautiful.
 
She slipped
her foot in the stirrup and swung up into the saddle.
 
“Oh my, she’s big!”

“That she is and one of my
best horses.
 
Go ahead and ride her.”

Callie nudged Goldie in the
sides and she rode outside the barn.
 
She learned the horse was well trained and quickly got used to the
commands she responded to.
 
When they
rode past the water trough at the corral, Goldie ignored her commands and
turned to the trough and proceeded to drink.
 
She heard Clint laugh behind her and turned in the saddle to see him
walking up to them.

“I forgot to tell you that
Goldie has a mind of her own sometimes.
 
She can spot a rattler a mile away and she can run as fast as the wind
when need be.
 
She’ll be a good horse
for you.”

“Thank you so much, Clint,
but I don’t have anything to give you.
 
I take it this is my wedding present?”

“Nope.
 
Just a present.
 
You got to have a horse, don’t you?”

“Yeah, but not one this
fine.
 
She’s so beautiful!”

“She’s about the color of
your hair.
 
You two match.”

Callie smiled when Goldie
finished drinking, then turned of her own accord and walked towards Clint.
 
Goldie nudged Clint in the shoulder with her
head and pushed him backwards.
 
Callie
laughed when Clint glared at the horse.
 
“I think Goldie likes you more than anyone.
 
I think she’s jealous I’m the one on her back and not you.”

“Well, she’ll just have to
get over it,” he laughed, reaching out and petting the horse.

“Come on, Goldie; let’s go
for a little ride around the barn and back.”
 
She reined the horse around Clint and kicked Goldie in the sides.
 
The horse leapt forward and Callie lost her
hat as Goldie ran hell bent for leather past the barn to the other side of the
corral.
 
“Hold on, girl!
 
I don’t want to enter a race,” she laughed,
but Goldie ran past the coral and around the house to stop in front of Clint
again.
 
She slid from the saddle and
handed Clint the reins, but he held up his hands.
 

“She’s your horse. You rub
her down and take care of her.”

“Okay, but I hope I don’t
get kicked for my trouble.”

“She won’t, but you’re gonna
have to win her over.
 
She’s so used to
me, that she needs to learn that she has a new master that will be kind to her
and show her she’s loved and treasured.”

Callie walked to the barn,
thinking of Clint’s words, as she led the horse into the barn.
 
If Goldie’s devotion to Clint was any
indication, the man had a gentle hand and heart.
 
Horses sensed a person’s goodness, and she was bound and
determined to make Goldie love her as much as Clint.

As she unsaddled Goldie,
rubbed her down, and settled her in her stall, she heard Clint yell for her at
the back of the barn.
 
She closed the
stall gate and ran to him to see a new born colt trying to stand on spindly
legs as the mother horse licked it.
 
“Oh, Clint, she’s beautiful!”

“Sure is and healthy
too.
 
I was sort of worried about Dancer
today when I came to fetch you from the stage.
 
I wanted to be here when she birthed.”

“I’m glad you were.
 
Did she have any trouble?”

“Nope and it looks like all
is well, so we’ll just leave them alone,” he said, as the colt stood on wobbly
legs and made it to her mamma to nurse.
 

Callie followed Clint out of
the barn and waited for him to close the barn doors.
 
Night was falling fast and she found she was tired.
 
“If’n you don’t mind, I’d like to heat up
some water for a bath and go to bed.
 
I’m so tired and it will be nice to be able to sleep in a bed for a
change.”