Cowboy Homecoming
Silence filled the room. His brother-in-law, Garrick, joined Rosamond and took her hand. “Sweetheart, let’s have Tolley stay at the hotel until everything returns to normal.” His English accent no longer irritated Tolley, but his suggestion needled him. Moving to the hotel would be another way to separate him from his family during this terrible crisis.
“Maybe Mrs. Foster has an empty room.” Marybeth spoke up. She’d lived in the widow’s boardinghouse before she married Rand. “It’ll be much homier than the hotel.” The pretty Irish lady gave Tolley a warm, sisterly smile, and the red curls around her ivory face momentarily reminded him of Laurie Eberly. Right now, he’d appreciate having Laurie around. At least she’d welcomed him home.
Because Marybeth meant well with her suggestion, Tolley couldn’t fault her. Yet he remembered both she and Susanna actually employed deceit with the entire family when each one first came to Esperanza. Of course, after considerable turmoil in both cases, they’d ended up marrying his brothers, but not until after each one asked for forgiveness. Why could they be forgiven for their wrongdoing, but he couldn’t? Why was he always the one on the outside?
“Sure.” He infused his voice with as much energy as he could. “I’ll go into town right now and see if Mrs. Foster has a room.” He headed for the back door, where he’d dropped his carpetbag. He’d saddle Thor to ride to town and leave his trunks for the cowhands to bring later. For now, he couldn’t wait to get away. No matter how his heart ached over his family’s rejection, he’d do what was best for everyone.
He strode across the barnyard toward the weathered barn. A tiny figure in a blue gingham dress stood outside the main corral. Little Lizzie peered through the slats at the horses milling about. At least Lizzie had given Tolley a heartfelt welcome when he arrived.
“Hey, sprout, what’s up?” He started to tousle her hair, but that would mess up her perfect blond braid. Instead, he patted her head.
She looked up at him, her face streaked with tears. “Uncle Tolley, is Grampa going to die?”
Tolley swallowed hard. “Naw. He’s too tough. Say, have you learned to ride yet?” He grabbed her waist and lifted her up to sit on the top rail, which brought on a bout of giggles, just as he’d hoped.
“No, sir.” Lizzie’s blue eyes turned sad again. “Mama says I’m too young.”
“Too young?” Tolley stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Aren’t you about twenty-five?”
“Uncle Tolleeeee!” She giggled again, as he’d hoped she would. “I’m seven.”
“My, my. All grown up.”
“Besides, nobody has time to teach me.” She sighed and looked at him with those big blue eyes.
“You little rascal.” Tolley laughed for the first time since he’d gotten off the train, a true belly laugh. “Maybe I’ll have time to teach you.” Especially since his family didn’t seem to need him for anything else.
“Would you please?” Lizzie launched herself off the rail and flung her arms around his neck, almost knocking him to the ground.
He laughed again and managed to catch her up in a firm hug without falling down.
“Hey, what’s going on here?” An angry male voice accompanied the thump of boots on the hard-packed yard.
Still holding on to Lizzie, Tolley turned to see Seamus O’Brien, Marybeth’s brother and the Northams’ ranch foreman, stalking toward him, fists bunched at his sides. As Tolley set Lizzie down, Seamus stopped and blinked.
“Tolley? Well, of all things. I’m glad to see it’s you. I was worried somebody was about to carry off our little Lizzie.” He reached out and shook Tolley’s hand.
“Uncle Seamus, you’re so silly.” Lizzie spied one of the barn cats and danced away to catch it. “Here, kitty.”
“How’re you doing, Tolley?” Seamus gave him a respectful smile, no longer looking at him as if he were a troublemaking youngster. Which, of course, he had been, driving all the cowhands crazy with his pranks and dragging a few of them into trouble with him.
“Not bad.” He couldn’t exactly tell this man his family had just the same as run him off. Being Rand’s brother-in-law, he’d deny it...or make excuses for them. “I thought I’d saddle Thor and ride him into town.”
“Um, I see.” Seamus’s face crinkled up with perplexity.
“What’s going on? Has something happened to my horse?” Tolley’s stomach turned. He doubted he could stand any more bad news.
“Nothing like that.” Seamus shrugged. “Last month the Colonel sent him over to the Eberly place for stud purposes. George wants some of that Thoroughbred blood in his herd.”
Tolley sagged with relief. The Colonel and George Eberly had settled here at the same time with plans to help each other build their large spreads. The Colonel made it no secret he wanted Nate or Rand to marry one of the five Eberly girls. When they’d married other ladies, all such talk ceased, of course. Once again, the idea that he should marry Laurie crept into his thoughts. Of course, he could only offer her a marriage of convenience, but—No, he must stop such foolish thinking, even if it would give him one more way to impress the Colonel when...if...he recovered.
Tolley forced his thoughts in another direction. “Seamus, if my old saddle is still in the barn, I’d like to ride over and visit Thor.” And Laurie. But he wouldn’t say that out loud. “You tell me which horse I should take.”
“How about Gypsy?”
Tolley winced. He owed the bay mare a big apology. Maybe he could make amends to her today. Did Seamus remember what Tolley did to her? “Gypsy’s fine.”
The Irishman grinned. “You remember how to saddle a horse?”
“I think I can manage.” If Gypsy would even let him near her after the last time he put a saddle on her.
* * *
Laurie tried to peel the potatoes, but the dull kitchen knife sliced too deeply. She dried her left hand and reached for the whetstone on the shelf beside the table.
“Now, now.” Ma grabbed the slender stone and gently took the knife from Laurie. “You gotta take care of those hands, darlin’. I can peel the vegetables.”
Laurie hid her quiet sigh of frustration. In the two weeks since she’d returned home, if she worked here in the kitchen or dusted the parlor or washed her laundry, either Ma or Georgia moved her aside and took over. Why did they pamper her as though she were a delicate doll who needed protection?
At least she’d been allowed to drive into town and fetch poor Tolley from the train, but only because she and Pa were the only ones around when Nate arrived with the sad news about the Colonel. Pa hurried over to Four Stones Ranch to see his friend while Nate helped her hitch up the team. She’d had no trouble driving. True, her hands still ached from wearing cotton gloves instead of leather, but they weren’t really hurt.
How could she keep from boredom for the entire summer on this busy ranch if she wasn’t permitted to lift a finger to work? In Denver, the ladies with whom she’d socialized did charity work when not engaged in teas or parties. At the least, they sewed for the poor, another thing Ma wouldn’t permit. “Why don’t you go practice piano?”
The perfect diversion. Laurie loved to play and looked forward to giving concerts when she returned to Denver. Seated at the piano by the parlor’s front window, she found the simple act of practicing her scales helped to work some of the ache from her fingers. Then she thumbed through her hymnal and practiced her favorite hymns to refresh her memory in case Mrs. Foster asked her to play for church.
A movement outside the window caught her eye. To her surprise, Tolley rode down the lane toward the barnyard. What could he be doing here?
Her heart skipped, then dropped. Did he bring bad news about his father? But wouldn’t they send a cowhand instead of a family member if Pa’s dear friend had died? Wouldn’t the family want to gather together and comfort one another?
Laurie dashed through the house to the back door, seeing through the glass that Tolley had dismounted and tied his horse to the back hitching rail. Her heart pounded, no doubt from the short run. After all, in Denver she’d never run. Ladies didn’t, after all. And of course her haste accounted for her inability to breathe as Tolley approached the house.
She flung open the back door. “Tolley! Is everything all right?”
He gave her that dangerous smile, which surely gave other girls palpitations. Not her, of course, because she knew him too well. As he came closer, she saw the pain in his eyes, and all thoughts of his good looks disappeared, replaced by the compassion she’d felt for him on the ride from town.
“Tolley, what is it?”
“Aw, nothing. Just wanted to get reacquainted with my horse. Is he in the barn or out in a pasture?” His false good humor didn’t fool her.
She touched his arm. “Is everything all right at home?”
His smile slipped. “If you call having to find someplace to live because there’s no room at the ranch for me ‘all right,’ then yes, everything’s fine.”
“No place to live in your family’s home?” She couldn’t keep the indignation from her voice. “Why on earth?”
There was that smile again. “Aw, it’s all right. Doc says the Colonel is likely to recover, so I don’t need to stay close in case he—” He cleared his throat. “My brothers and their wives need to be close by to help our folks, so it takes up all the bedrooms. Besides, I need to live in town so I can set up my law practice.”
He didn’t fool her. His hurt feelings were obvious. But she wouldn’t contradict him. “So, your sister’s hotel or Mrs. Foster’s boardinghouse?” She punctuated her words with raised eyebrows and a silly grin, something she never would’ve offered any Denver acquaintance, either gentleman or lady.
He responded with a genuine laugh. “You know our town.” And offered a charming shrug. “I’ll try Mrs. Foster’s first. More homey. Better cooking.”
Laurie returned a gentle laugh. “So true. Although you may want to try Chef Henrique’s French cuisine at the hotel.”
“No, just give me a juicy steak or chicken and dumplings any day.” He closed his eyes. “Mmm-mmm.”
A hint? The aroma of cooking chicken wafted through the open window. “You can stay for dinner.”
“Naw, I’d better head into town and find out where I’ll be staying tonight. But thanks.”
“Well, then, let’s find Thor.”
The stallion grazed in a near pasture, and she sent a cowhand to fetch him. The horse pranced majestically on his lead rope, but when he spied Tolley, he whinnied and broke away, cantering toward them. Lowering his head and rubbing against Tolley’s chest, the magnificent beast acknowledged his master and friend. Eyes closed, Tolley pressed his head against Thor’s.
The meeting between horse and man moved Laurie to tears. Maybe Tolley’s family had no room for him, but his faithful horse gave him a welcome any cowboy would envy.
He needed a friend, so she’d be that person. Only she mustn’t revive her foolish childhood affections for him. She’d noticed romances couldn’t be successful if built on sympathy. Besides, she’d found her place in Denver and would return there in the fall, so she must keep her heart reined in.
That bothersome, undefined reservation about Denver crept into her mind, but as always, she dismissed it. It was her dream, after all.
Chapter Two
Tolley led Thor and Gypsy to the barn to curry both horses and move his saddle from the mare to his stallion. Laurie tagged along just as she used to as a pesky little tomboy wearing braids and trousers. Only this time, instead of finding her presence annoying, he found it comforting. And helpful. She brought him a currying brush and pointed to stalls where he could work on the horses, but her being there helped most of all.
Thor needed a good brushing, and he leaned into the stiff-bristled brush, whickering his appreciation. While working on the magnificent beast, Tolley felt his heart lighten in an unexpected way. This is where he longed to be, working with horses and raising prime beef. Not sitting behind a desk in a dull law office pushing papers around and making sure his clients filed the right land forms or got their fair share in business deals. He certainly wasn’t interested in defending outlaws.
“You missed a spot.” Laurie, who’d climbed up to sit on the stall’s top rail, pointed to Thor’s left side. Her impudent grin sent a warm feeling through his chest.
He walked around Thor and saw the thick patch of hair. “Why don’t you grab a brush and help me out?” He nodded toward the wall where brushes and tack hung on pegs.
To his surprise, she sighed. “Ma made me promise not to work with the horses.” She held up her hands. “She’s afraid I’ll ruin these for playing the piano.”
“Huh. That’s odd.” He shrugged. “I never figured any of the Eberly girls would turn out to be—” Dainty came to mind, not a word usually associated with these cowgirls.
“Useless?”
“Not at all.” He swiped the brush over Thor’s side. “Do you miss it?”
“Not so much the work, but I do miss feeling useful.”
I know how you feel. But he wouldn’t say that. Instead, he gave her a sympathetic smile as he brushed out the last of Thor’s coat and cleaned the clump of hair from the currying brush. “There you go, boy.” He patted the stallion’s rump and moved over to the next stall.
Was it his imagination, or did Gypsy eye him nervously? He wouldn’t blame her if she did. She’d been fairly docile when he saddled and rode her here, no longer a lively horse. Was that his fault?
“Here you go, beauty. Let’s make you comfortable.” He threw the left stirrup over the saddle, loosened the cinch and let the girth fall, then lifted the saddle and blanket off her back.
“You need a fresh blanket?” Laurie waved toward the tack room where multitiered racks held blankets and saddles.
“Yeah, I guess that’s a good idea. This one’s damp and needs airing.” Another homey feeling swept through him. Their families always helped each other, knowing they’d get their own things back in due time.
He grabbed a fresh brush and worked on Gypsy’s coat. His fingers swept over a dark, shallow dip on her back where the saddle had sat, and a chill plunged clear down to his belly. This was where he’d wounded her two years ago by slipping a large burr between blanket and horse to keep Garrick from winning the Independence Day horse race. He’d expected Gypsy to throw Garrick. Instead, the mare raced her heart out, every stride digging the burr deeper into her flesh. She and Garrick finished only a half-length behind Tolley and Thor.
Later, during the dance, Tolley picked a fight with Garrick, earning himself the Colonel’s sentence of banishment to Boston. And all because the Colonel had shown favor to the Englishman such as he’d never shown Tolley. Even now, shame vied with jealous anger. While he’d made friends with Garrick when he and Rosamond came through Boston on their honeymoon and had been forgiven by the man, now his brother-in-law, he’d never understand why his own father seemed to despise him. Or worse, never gave him a second thought, as though he didn’t even exist unless he got into trouble. And now maybe the Colonel would never know all Tolley had done to try to earn his favor.
“Tolley?” Laurie’s bright blue eyes shone with kindness.
Could she see his inner turmoil? He dipped his head to hide his face.
“Yeah?” He moved away from Gypsy and fetched a fresh blanket from the tack room, then smoothed it over Thor’s back.
“You sure you don’t want something to eat before you go to town?”
He placed his saddle on the stallion and reached under his belly to grab the girth. “No, thanks. I’ll grab a bite at Miss Pam’s.” After cinching the girth, he looked over Thor’s back at Laurie. “She still runs the café, right?”
“Yes. And still makes the best pies and cakes.”
“I seem to recall all of you Eberly ladies are mighty fine cooks, too.”
“We try.” Laurie moved forward as if about to jump down from the rail.
Tolley hurried around his horse and grabbed her waist to lift her down. Once her feet touched the barn floor, he didn’t want to let go. Marrying this pretty little gal would have all kinds of benefits, not simply gaining the Colonel’s approval. That selfish thought, so like his old way of thinking, broke his grip like a bee sting. He stepped back. “Those city shoes might turn your ankle if you jump. They’ll sure as anything get messed up if you tromp around these stalls.”
“I suppose so.” She sounded a bit breathless as she blinked those big blue eyes at him. “You sure you won’t stay for dinner?” she repeated.
“Still no, but thanks.” He started to chuck her under the chin like he used to but resisted the urge. Such a gesture might offend her.
“One of our cowhands can take Gypsy back to Four Stones.”
“Thanks.” He secured his carpetbag to the back of the saddle and mounted up. “See you later, Laurie.”
She reached up and squeezed his hand. “Welcome home, Tolley.”
How did she know those were the exact words he’d needed to hear?
* * *
As Tolley rode away, Laurie shook her head. No matter how fond of him she used to be, she also remembered his boyhood mischief and the way he’d hurt many people. Besides, despite how attractive he was, she refused to fall for a San Luis Valley man, especially one who wanted to settle here. Her future lay in Denver.
After picking at her noon meal, she tried practicing piano again. But she kept looking out the window to see if Tolley would ride by. A silly idea, of course, because he’d be in town at Mrs. Foster’s boardinghouse or Rosamond’s hotel.
Maybe she could spend time with Maisie and help with baby Johnny. One day Laurie hoped to have children, too. Oddly, all she could picture were pint-sized cowboys learning to ride on one of the tamer old cow ponies on the ranch. Another silly idea, because her children would live in a Denver mansion and attend boarding schools.
“Ma, if I promise not to work too hard, may I visit Maisie for a few days?”
“Why, what a wonderful idea.” Ma plunged the dinner dishes into the hot soapy water and began to wash them.
“I’ll dry the dishes first.” Laurie grabbed a tea towel.
“Oh, no, you don’t.” Ma tugged the towel away from her. “You go on and pack a bag. I’m sure Maisie will welcome the visit. George, you be sure to saddle Laurie’s horse, you hear?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Seated at the kitchen table, Pa grinned and winked at Laurie. At least he didn’t treat her like a fragile flower. “I’ll take care of it, sunshine.”
By the time she’d changed clothes and packed, Pa had Little Bit saddled and waiting by the back door. He’d also put her rifle in the saddle holster as protection against possible encounters with coyotes or rattlesnakes.
She took her time riding the nearly five miles to Esperanza. The warm, sunny day had just the right amount of breeze wafting over the landscape. Birds sang or chirped in the shallow marshes along the road, and in the distance she saw rabbits out for an afternoon stroll. Or so her Denver friends might think. Laurie itched to shoot the critters to take to Maisie for supper. But that would involve skinning and gutting them. Maisie might not have time, and Ma would throw a fit if Laurie used a hunting knife to do the job.
At Maisie and Doc’s two-story house, she tied Little Bit’s reins to the front hitching rail beside another horse and the undertaker’s hearse. One of Doc’s patients must have died, and others needed his care. He must have returned from Four Stones Ranch after tending the Colonel.
Seated on settees and chairs along the wall in the front hallway, folks awaited Doc’s help.
“So glad you came, sis.” Maisie handed her infant son to Laurie and whispered, “If you can tend Johnny for a bit while Doc finishes up with the dead fella, I’d appreciate it.”
“I’d love to.” Laurie adored the chubby little rascal who’d thrown his tiny arms around her neck. She and her sisters looked enough alike that Johnny seemed to accept her without reservations. “Who died?” Like Maisie, Laurie kept her voice to a whisper.
“Dathan Hardison.” Maisie sounded sad, as though that varmint’s death wasn’t a relief, since he’d lingered near death since before Christmas. All that time, she and Doc tended him, valuing his life as much as any upright citizen’s.
Laurie had her own feelings about Hardison. He’d shot their sister Beryl during a bank robbery attempt. According to their sister Grace, the other outlaw, Deke Smith, repented and came to the Lord...right before he shot Hardison to keep him from killing Grace, Reverend Thomas and Marybeth Northam. Then poor old Deke died, too.
“Did Hardison ever...?” She let the question hang in the air.
Tears eased down Maisie’s cheeks as she shook her head. “Don’t think so. Doc and I did try to persuade him.”
Laurie sighed and hugged Johnny closer. In spite of all the evil Hardison had done, she couldn’t shrug off the dreadful thought of his eternal destination, one of his own choosing.
The surgery’s pocket doors slid open, and Doc appeared in the hallway carrying one end of a stretcher. Deputy Gareau, whose first name, Justice, was appropriate for his work, held up the back end. Mr. Macy, the undertaker, trailed behind. A white sheet covered a body so thin it seemed nearly flat. A murmur went through the waiting area, some saying, “Good riddance.”
Maisie faced the group. “Folks, as soon as I can clean the surgery and Doc finishes up with Mr. Macy, we’ll take care of you.” She entered the room and slid the pocket doors shut.
Dismissing her dismal thoughts about the lost outlaw, Laurie gave Johnny another hug. Maisie needed help, so she’d make herself useful. In Denver, she’d missed the sisterly camaraderie the five of them shared. Had missed lifelong friends, even a rascal like Tolley Northam. Would miss them again when she moved back to the city for good. Of course, she only felt sad about leaving because she loved them all so much. Once back in the city teaching at the conservatory and giving concerts, she’d be happy again. Of course she would.
* * *
Mrs. Foster welcomed Tolley like a long-lost son but asked for time to prepare his room, so he spent the night at the hotel. When he returned the next morning, she showed him to his room.
“I have only two other boarders,” Mrs. Foster said, “but other than mealtimes, they mostly keep to themselves. Mrs. Runyan is the milliner, and Mr. Parsley is a watchmaker. Their shops are over at the hotel.”
“Thank you for the room, ma’am.” Tolley glanced around the spacious, modestly furnished chamber. “You let me know if I can help with anything.”
“Why, I’ll do that, Tolley. Such a kind offer. Adam Starling does a bit of work for me, but he has other jobs around town, so he’s not always available. He’s supporting his family, you know.”
“Yes, ma’am. I know.” Yesterday had been the hardest day of Tolley’s life, but at least money wasn’t a problem. With a sick father, seventeen-year-old Adam bore a heavy load as the man of his family. Tolley’s own father lay ill, too, but nobody needed him to step in and take charge. Nobody needed him at all.
That afternoon, boots off and jacket hanging over the back of a desk chair, he lay on his bed. A warm, pleasant breeze blew in through the open window, fluttering the frilly white curtains and making him drowsy. He’d never realized how tiring travel could be. He’d spent five days and nights on various trains as he crossed the country. With the added emotional shock of the Colonel’s illness and his own exile from home, he felt as beaten down as if he’d walked all the way from Boston. Sleep beckoned, and he relaxed into the comfortable feather mattress. After all, no one needed him. No one even wanted him. Maybe when he set up his law office...
A hard thump, followed by a scream, woke him with a start.
A weak voice called out, “Lord, help me.”
“Mrs. Foster!”
Tolley shook off sleep and dashed from the room. At the bottom of the back staircase, Mrs. Foster lay in a heap, a tin bucket beside her and water covering the stairs and the lady’s skirt. She groaned softly. Taking care not to slip, Tolley descended, soaking his socks in the process.