When All My Dreams Come True (8 page)

“Boulders, Dew! Get out. We’ll be crushed!”

The bellowing around her drowned her words. Dew’s horse reared, almost unseating him. He looked at her, eyes wide. His mouth moved, but she couldn’t hear him. No matter. They raced for the opening.

A loud thud followed by a scream made Bobbie look back. One of the rocks had scuffed the haunches of Dew’s horse. Dew leapt off to one side and scrambled to get away from flailing hooves. Bobbie stopped and turned back only to have Dew wave her on.

“Get out! I’m fine.”

Bobbie forced Mack forward while keeping an eye upward. A large rock crashed mere feet to her left, but there was no turning back. Mack danced and whinnied but obeyed. She waved to Dew. He ran and jumped up behind her. Without any urging, Mack spun and sped out of the gully.

Once in the open, Dew dropped to the ground, his chest heaving. Bobbie dismounted and knelt beside him.

“Are you all right? You’re not hurt, are you?” Though she didn’t see any blood, his shirt had tiny tears where it’d been scraped.

“A little sore, but I’m fine. The rock only brushed down my back before hitting my horse.”

Dew looked up at the top of the bluff. Bobbie did the same. A brief glimpse of an unknown horse and rider stood in silhouette against the sun before they vanished from sight. Bobbie jumped to her feet and ran for Mack.

Dew stood and reached for her arm. “Stay here, Bobbie.”

She hesitated. “But I might be able to catch him.”

“No. I won’t let you go alone.”

Bobbie pulled her arm from his grasp. “Then come on. Hurry!”

Dew grabbed the reins. “Listen to me, Bobbie. Do you really think your horse is strong enough not only to get us both to the top of the bluff but also to overtake someone who’s probably riding off as fast as he can? Mack may be strong, but trust me, he can’t do it.”

Frustrated and angry, Bobbie slapped her palm on the saddle.

Dew retraced their steps into the gully. “Let’s go back in and see how many cows those rocks killed. Then we’ll find Sonny and Adam before heading to the ranch to report more bad news.” He slowed and waited for her to catch up. “Jace is strong, but I don’t know how much more he can take.”

Who would do such a horrific thing? And why? Careful of her steps and mindful to keep checking above, Bobbie counted the cattle. A cow and her calf were wounded. Miraculously, the rest had survived.

Dew stood eyeing his horse. Bobbie moved to his side. “She doesn’t look too bad.”

Dew pulled the kerchief from around his neck and wiped at some of the blood. “Nope. With proper care, she ought to be fine in a week.”

Dew’s voice sounded upbeat, but by his expression, Bobbie figured the misery Jace and his wranglers faced had just begun.

Jace sat low in one of Annie’s plump armchairs situated next to the living room window. His head rested against its back while he jiggled his bootless feet on the matching footstool. Any attempt to focus on the bank papers Pete handed him earlier met with failure.

Failure
. The word defined his life since his parents’ deaths. If he didn’t find the person stealing his cattle and attempting to kill his wranglers, his efforts to run the ranch would be described the same way.

After ordering Dew to stay at the ranch, Jace and Sonny returned to the bluff to do some exploring. The two sets of tracks they found proved his suspicion that he fought more than one man.

He could have lost Dew and Bobbie today. Every time he thought about it, his mind went into chaos. Anger and fear mixed with helplessness and resentment. In the end, dropping to his knees and praying for help was the only thing that calmed him. The pleas were frequent since he couldn’t stop thinking about how close he came to losing friends. Dew had scrapes and bruises down his back to prove how near he came to death. Since they didn’t work on Sunday, at least he’d have time to recover.

Then there was Bobbie. The memory of her in his arms haunted his dreams…when he managed to get a bit of sleep. With very little rest, he woke up moody and with a headache gnawing at his temples. When he got to Annie’s for breakfast and found Bobbie looking good and bright-eyed, he took out his irritation on her by sending her away and putting her in danger, not to mention removing any chance to invite her to church. After the way he’d treated her this morning, her refusal would serve him right. He could tell by her eyes that she didn’t understand why he had barked orders at her, and he wasn’t about to explain. Besides, if she planned to work with men, she needed a thicker skin. His other hands wouldn’t think a thing of a bad mood.

But she’s a woman
.

The soft feel of her in his arms served as a vivid reminder. He set the financial papers aside giving up on any pretense of getting some work done. Bobbie entered the room, pricking his self-conviction even further. She sent him a glance, then looked away. She walked over to Annie’s porcelain doll collection and fingered the frilly dress
on one. He figured her fascination with the dolls was an act to avoid him, but when Annie entered the room, she asked about them.

“My mother started the collection when my father gave her one the day they married,” Annie said as she moved to Bobbie’s side. “I fell in love with them and continued the collection.”

“Which one did your father give her?”

“This one right here.” Annie picked up a doll from the highest shelf. It stood about eight inches tall and sported a dainty white face with black curls molded into the head.

“It’s beautiful. So this was her wedding gift?”

“Yes. They’d been looking in a catalog for things to put in their new house, and Dad noticed how Mom stopped and stared at this doll. He went back to the store the next day and ordered it.”

Bobbie fingered the dress. “That’s sweet.”

Jace had heard that story so many times, he usually quit listening whenever it was retold. He watched Bobbie’s face and thought it odd she would be interested in something so feminine, doubting she even played with dolls as a child.

Annie replaced the doll and moved to sit beside Pete. Bobbie plopped herself on the floor and leaned against one of the chairs, which didn’t surprise Jace. He’d seen her do it once before. The action drew the attention of the two children. Ben walked right over and dropped himself onto her lap with a book.

“Read this, please.” Ben craned his neck to look up into Bobbie’s face.

Ben’s long dark lashes made him irresistible to everyone, Bobbie included. She wrapped her arms around the boy before she took the book from his grasp.

Bobbie read with animation, waving her arm in the air. Her voice changed pitch and depth to match the characters. Everyone listened as her storytelling brought the book to life. Little Sara was drawn to her side and looked over her shoulder at the pictures. Sara fiddled
with Bobbie’s braid with one hand while she found her mouth with the thumb of her other hand.

Bobbie finished the story with a flourish and snapped the book closed—breaking the spell with a move that startled them all. Ben laughed and clapped his hands in approval, and Sara followed suit.

Pete pushed himself out of the chair. “That’s the perfect note to put them to bed on, Bobbie. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She moved aside to allow Pete to scoop Sara up in his arms. Annie stood and called Ben to her. The boy obeyed, but turned and hugged Bobbie’s neck and planted a kiss on her cheek. She returned the hug. “Good night, Ben.”

“Night.” He ran to take his mother’s hand.

In the next few moments while they were alone, Bobbie managed to look everywhere but at Jace.

“You’ve captured the hearts of my niece and nephew.” He held his breath when she smiled and rose from the floor, but instead of retiring for the night, Bobbie sat in the chair she’d been leaning against. He watched her pull her long legs under her and snuggle down into the softness of the chair.

“I ain’t—” She pursed her lips before starting again. “I haven’t stolen their hearts. I’ve just placed myself inside of them.”

“You’ve definitely done that. You’ve got a kind heart, Bobbie.” She didn’t respond, but a pink tinge spread over her face. “And you blush rather easily.”

Pete and Annie chose that moment to return. “What did you say to cause that blush, Jace Kincaid?” Annie grinned as she sat down.

“I just told her that she has a kind heart and that she blushes easily.”

Annie shook her finger at him, then looked at Bobbie. “Don’t mind him. He’s a terrible tease. Always has been.” Annie cast a look at Jace but then turned back to Bobbie. “We’re all going to church in the morning. Would you like to join us?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I haven’t been to church in years.”

Pete wrapped his arm around his wife and pulled her close. “Why did you stop?”

“My mother died.” Bobbie shrugged and gazed at each of them. “Mama used to attend church, and she always brought me along. My father never joined us because he was always busy working. So when Mama died, I just stayed home with my father.”

Pete picked up his newspaper and set it in his lap. “Did you ever miss it?”

“No, not really. I still went to school and saw my friends, so I didn’t feel the need for church.”

“We’d love for you to join us tomorrow,” Annie said.

Bobbie rubbed her hand back and forth on the leg of her trousers. “I think I’ll just laze around tomorrow.”

Jace swallowed his disappointment. “That’s fine. But if you don’t mind, we’ll continue to invite you.”

She smiled, but it didn’t seem to reach her eyes. “That’ll be fine. Thank you.” She stood and stretched. “I think the pillow is calling my name. Good night, everyone.”

The men stood. “Good night.”

Annie sat for a moment, then followed Bobbie out of the room.

Bobbie shut the door and dropped onto her bed, glad to escape their inquisition. At the light tapping on the door, she took a deep breath. When would the questions end? “Come in.”

Annie poked her head inside with a smile and entered. She closed the door and moved to sit on the side of the bed. “You told me you had two old dresses. If you had a nice one, would you be more willing to attend church?”

Bobbie rubbed her thumb along the seam of her denims. Being rough and tumble never bothered her until the last few years when the comments from other women about her lack of decorum left scars.

“Something nicer would probably go a long way in making me feel more comfortable around other people.”

Annie reached over and covered her hand. “Were people really that rude to you?”

She gave a small nod. “If they didn’t say something rude, they either snubbed me or treated me badly.”

Annie looked into her eyes. The compassionate smile warmed Bobbie’s heart.

“Would you be willing to wear one of my mom’s dresses? I’d have to make a few adjustments to the bodice, but you’re about the same height. I’d love to let you have one.”

She didn’t answer but stared at the hand covering her own.

“Bobbie?”

When she looked up again, tears pooled in Annie’s eyes. Try as she might, she couldn’t stop moisture from blurring her own vision. Annie moved closer and pulled her into a tight embrace. Bobbie hesitated and then lifted her arms to return the hug.

“I’m sorry if my questions hurt you, Bobbie.”

“Oh no!” She pulled back enough to see Annie’s face. “That ain’t it at all. It’s just…”

“Just what?”

Annie sat waiting for an answer.

“It’s a mixture of many things,” she said finally. “I’ve felt a bit alone since Daddy died, but I guess it’s mostly the fact that you’ve been so kind. It’s nice to have someone around who tries to understand me. Female companionship has been scarce.” She wished she’d bit her tongue long before she’d finished.

“Bobbie, do you know that you’re an answer to my prayers? I’ve been praying every day for more female friends in my life, and in you rode, near my age and sweet to boot.” Annie squeezed her hand. “God may have sent you just to shut me up, but I’m thankful all the same. Not only have you found a place in my children’s hearts, but you’ve wrangled your way into mine as well.”

Tears trailed down Annie’s smooth skin, marred only by a freckle here and there.

“Thank you, Annie.” They both mopped up the tears and laughed.

“Now back to my original question. Would you accept one of the dresses?”

“I don’t know, Annie. That sounds like an awful lot of work. I’d hate to be a bother.”

“It’s not a bother. It’ll only take me a few hours to have one ready for you.”

“Are you sure?”

“Definitely. Come on, Bobbie. Just one dress.”

She sighed. “All right.”

“Great!” Annie embraced her again, then jumped up and spun around, her hands clasped in front of her. “I’m thrilled.”

Bobbie laughed. “I can tell.”

Annie smiled and shook her finger. “You’re as bad as Jace with your teasing.” With a shake of her head she strode to the door. “Good night, Bobbie.”

“Annie?”

Annie turned, her hand resting on the doorknob.

Bobbie fought the lump in her throat. “Thank you.”