The Rancher Takes a Cook (9 page)

Jacob kept the team at a steady trot after
they left town, which made the wagon jump and jostle until Anna
thought she would be jolted right off the seat. She kept a
white-knuckled grip on the wooden bench, determined to stay in
place, but Jacob never slowed his pace. His blue eyes kept roaming
to the dark, menacing clouds rolling into position overhead. The
wind grew stronger as the road passed through open pasture land,
and the temperature dropped by the minute.

About half an hour after they left Seguin,
the rain started falling in huge drops. Still holding on to the
seat, Anna squinted against the moisture blowing in her face.

“I think there’s a small blanket under the
seat.” Jacob called over the noises of the wind and raindrops on
the wagon.

Anna reached down between her legs and ran
her hand along the wood until her fingers touched soft cotton.
Without warning, one of the front wheels hit a deep rut, thrusting
Anna head first over the footboard. A strong arm tightened around
her waist, dragging her back up on the seat. She blinked and looked
around to get her bearings, finding herself tucked next to Jacob’s
side.

“Are you okay?” He turned his face toward
her ear so his words would be heard over the storm. The warmth of
his breath on her face made Anna’s skin tingle, and she wasn’t sure
if her rapidly beating heart was due to her near tumble over the
edge of the wagon or from being tucked under Jacob’s arm.

He was still looking at her with concern on
his face. Anna nodded and yelled above the din, “I’m fine.” Before
she could disentangle herself from his protective grip, the sky
opened up and chunks of ice the size of silver dollars began
falling. Anna gasped and burrowed deeper into Jacob’s side to
escape the sting of ice pelting her skin through the thin cotton of
her dress. The wagon lurched as the horses moved faster to get away
from the cold assault. Jacob’s arm tightened around her as he moved
the reins into both hands for a better grip.

“What can I do?” she yelled, lifting her
face toward his ear to be heard through the racket.

“Hold on,” he called back. “There’s no cover
for a couple of miles, so we have to push on. And
pray
.”

Anna obeyed on both counts. She clutched
Jacob’s side with both hands as she curled into his warm
protection.
Lord, please guide the horses and keep them from
bolting. Give Jacob strength and wisdom to get us home
safely.

The hail lasted for about ten minutes, but
it seemed an eternity. Jacob’s shoulders tensed in preparation for
the horses to bolt against the frightening phenomenon. Even after
the sky stopped showering large masses of ice, the rain continued
in torrents. Jacob was thoroughly soaked except for the side where
Anna’s warm body pressed against him. He tilted his head to rest on
top of hers so the rain flowing from his hat brim didn’t soak her
hair. Anna’s bonnet had been pushed off her head when she’d almost
catapulted over the front of the wagon, and her hair still smelled
a bit like honeysuckle. This ride should have been miserable in the
ice and rain, but the warm bundle tucked under his arm made it
almost comfortable.

As they finally entered the ranch yard, Anna
shivered under his touch. She was such a slender thing and didn’t
have enough meat on her bones to serve as insulation. Three men
bolted from the bunkhouse, pulling their coats on as they came. One
grabbed the horses’ bridles while the other two began unloading the
supplies.

Anna had pulled away from Jacob when the
wagon stopped and now sat huddled on the seat, arms wrapped around
herself. He wasted no time in jumping from the wagon, then reached
up to lift Anna down. “Can you walk?”

“Yes, of c-course.” Anna’s teeth chattered
so hard, it was difficult to make out her words. Her face was
white, and she wobbled like she would collapse any second. Jacob
kept a hand under her arm and called instructions to the men to
care for the horses. Turning back to Anna, he led her toward the
porch. She stumbled on the first step and he wrapped an arm around
her waist to help her regain balance.

Aunt Lola met them at the door, her wrinkled
brow creased in concern. “Bring the lass into the parlor. I have
hot water on the stove for tea and a fire built to warm your bones.
I’ll go get towels for the both of ye.”

Jacob did as his aunt instructed and settled
Anna into the overstuffed chair closest to the fire, grabbing a
quilt to wrap around her.

Anna sat with her arms hugging her body,
shivers visibly convulsing her shoulders. Jacob kneeled to stoke
the fire then turned back to her. What else could be done to make
her more comfortable? Where was Aunt Lola with that hot tea? Anna
needed to get warm from the inside out. And she needed to get out
of these wet clothes.

“Aren’t you c-c-cold?” Anna asked in a weak
voice, her teeth chattering faster than the rattle on a snake’s
tail.

Jacob knelt in front of her, both to hear
better and to see her at eye level. “I’m okay, but we need to get
you warm so you don’t catch a chill. Do you think you could make it
upstairs to get out of these wet clothes?”

Anna nodded, biting her bottom lip. It
didn’t stop her teeth from chattering.

“Okay, then. Let’s get you up.” Jacob gently
pulled Anna to her feet. He stayed right next to her as she took
tentative steps.

“I’m f-fine,” she said, as if trying to
convince herself. “Just a little d-dizzy.”

By the time she reached the stairway, Anna
seemed to gain a little strength. On the third stair she started to
sway. “Oh...” she breathed, and then she collapsed.

Jacob had kept his arms hovering nearby, so
he was able to scoop her up before she fell. He carried her the
rest of the way up the stairs.

Aunt Lola waited at the top for him and led
the way to Anna’s room. “You lay her on the bed there and then
skedaddle. I’ll take it from here.” The older woman shooed him.

Jacob laid Anna down and gazed at her pale
face. She looked so fragile, with dark circles under her long black
lashes.

Aunt Lola patted a gnarled hand on his arm.
“She’ll be fine now. She’s probably just overtired from everything
she does around here then getting soaked through was the final
straw. Why don’t you go get yourself changed into dry clothes and
get some hot coffee. Ya might as well bring Anna a cup of warm tea,
too.”

Aunt Lola seemed to understand he needed to
feel useful. Jacob gave a quick nod and headed out the doorway.

When he ran back upstairs about fifteen
minutes later carrying a mug of hot tea, Anna was sitting up in
bed, propped on pillows. Aunt Lola was pulling quilts out of a
trunk in the corner and stopped to wave him in. “Come on in. She’s
ready to drink something warm.”

Anna’s cheeks tinged pink as he approached
the bed, and she dipped her chin, looking up at him through those
beautiful black lashes.

“How’re you feeling?” It was all Jacob could
get out. Seeing Anna lying there in her dressing robe with skin
still pale and her long brown hair flowing to her shoulders caused
a strange lump to clog his throat. He swallowed, trying to clear
the obstruction.

“I’m much better now.” Anna’s sweet voice
sounded like an angel. “I don’t know what happened to me. Getting a
little wet shouldn’t have done all that.”

Aunt Lola’s “Hmmph” came from the trunk in
the corner as she raised herself up to glare at Anna, wrinkled
hands settled on her hips. “Missie, you’ve done more than get a
little wet. I’ve been telling you for days now yer workin’ too hard
and yer gonna make yourself sick if you don’t get some rest. Well
now, I’m gonna see you get that rest, and that’s all there is to
it. You’re to stay in that bed all day tomorrow. I’ll bring your
meals up to you and you can sleep or read the day away.”

The feisty woman nodded as if the matter was
settled, but Anna spoke up. “But I can’t stay in bed tomorrow. The
men need to eat, and it’s the day to make bread again, not to
mention the garden vegetables need to be canned. I won’t work too
hard, I promise, but I can’t stay in bed.” Anna spoke the last few
words with finality and a stubborn set to her chin. The weak little
angel who had lain in bed two minutes ago was gone, replaced with a
fighter.

Jacob almost grinned, but one glance at Aunt
Lola showed her Irish roots were kicking in, and she was looking
forward to a good battle. He’d better step in before the boxers
squared off. He hated to gang up against Anna, but it looked like
she wasn’t going to take care of herself, so someone else had
better see to it.

“If Aunt Lola says you need to stay in bed,
then that’s exactly what you’re going to do.” He spoke in a stern
voice, but he wasn’t talking to an ornery cow. “Please.” He added
the last word with a touch of gentleness as Anna’s eyes met his. A
parade of emotions passed through them—first anger, then
frustration, and finally resignation.

“Just for tomorrow then.” Turning to Aunt
Lola, she added, “And can you please bring me the mending stack so
I can work on that while I sit here?”

Jacob did smile then. She was a bit
hard-headed, to be sure.

* * *

Anna awoke several hours later to a gentle
rap of knuckles on her bedroom door.

“It be me, lassie, bringin’ stew to warm up
yer bones.” The strong Irish brogue came from the other side of the
door as it creaked open. Aunt Lola’s petite frame backed into the
room, shoulders hunched under the weight of the tray.

“Thank you.” Anna cleared her throat, trying
to rid herself of the sleep-induced tickle. “I’m sorry you have to
wait on me. I could get up and come to the table, at least.”

“Nonsense. I told you ta stay in bed and I
expect ya to mind me.”

Anna gave a weak smile at the woman’s
mothering. She suspected Aunt Lola enjoyed the opportunity to play
mother hen, but it irked Anna more than a bit to be sitting around
while everyone else was working.

After the tray was arranged just right on
the bed next to Anna, Aunt Lola stepped back to examine the scene.
“There now. You just call down the stairs if ya need anything. I’ll
be cleanin’ up a bit, so I won’t mind the interruption.”

Anna’s “Thank you” was heartfelt, and she
confirmed the words with an appreciative smile.

“And your brother was askin’ about ye, of
course. I told him I’d check and see if you were up ta havin’
visitors tonight.”

“Of course. I’d love to see Edward. Please
tell him to come up anytime.”

Aunt Lola nodded in confirmation. “I’ll send
him on up to sit with ya while ya eat.” She turned toward the door
but stopped, as if forgetting something. “Oh, I almost forgot. I
put your fabric and trimmings on your dresser over there.”

Anna’s eyes followed the direction of Aunt
Lola’s finger and she glimpsed two packages wrapped in brown
paper—one about the size of a hat-box and the other much smaller.
“Those are mine? Where did they come from?”

Aunt Lola looked at her, curiosity clouding
her eyes. “Ya brought them back with the supplies today. That’s the
prettiest dark green muslin I’ve seen in a long time. Will make a
right lovely dress, it will.”

Anna sank back against the pillows, warmth
flowing through her. Aunt Laura must have cut and packed the dress
supplies while they were loading the wagon. What a wonderfully
thoughtful thing to do. Despite her exhaustion, Anna’s heart soared
at the thought of a new dress. She’d made do with so little for so
long, but things were finally getting better.

True to her word, Aunt Lola sent Edward
straight up to visit while Anna ate. He caught her up on the day’s
activities, and it appeared the storm had been the highlight.

“You shoulda’ seen how nervous the longhorns
got when the hail started coming down, Anna. Monty thought they
would stampede for sure, but we were awful glad they stayed put.”
Anna smiled at the boy’s excitement. He was even starting to sound
like a Texan.

* * *

The next day, Anna slept in and enjoyed a
leisurely breakfast in bed and began work on her dress straight
away. She drew out several patterns before settling on one she
liked, then started cutting the material. It seemed just short of
criminal to slice through the soft muslin, but one glance at her
sketch brought the end result back into focus.

After a couple of hours working on the
dress, the pain across her forehead forced her to take a break from
the exacting focus of the tiny stitches. Setting the fabric aside,
she reached for her Bible on the bedside table and opened to the
Old Testament. After flipping through several pages, she landed in
the book of Judges and her eyes caught sight of Gideon’s name. She
began reading, enthralled with his victory over the Midianites. She
had forgotten how exciting the Old Testament stories were, and
Gideon had always been a special favorite. She marveled again at
the way he put so much trust into God’s plan, even when it sounded
like the craziest thing in the world to do. But God had kept His
word, like He always did.

Her mind drifted to her own life. Things had
seemed impossible after Papa died and she and Edward had to move
from one neighbor to another. They hadn’t really had a choice when
they moved to Texas to stay with their Aunt and Uncle, but God had
used that situation to bring them to a wonderful new home. On a
cattle ranch, no less. And who knew what was in store for them
next?
Father, please forgive me for not trusting You to guide us
in the best path. Thank You for bringing us to this new home, and
help me to keep my eyes focused on You.

Just then, a knock sounded on the door. Time
for lunch.

“Come in,” she called. Placing her Bible on
the bedside table, she looked up with a smile to greet Aunt Lola.
But it wasn’t the aged Irish woman in the doorway. It was Jacob. He
was looking at her with those sky blue eyes and one brow
quirked.