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She nearly bumped into Brandon on the front steps. He caught her arm. “Easy. Everything all right?”
Elizabeth pasted on a smile as several of the departing ladies glanced their way. “Fine. Your sermon was very effective. Everyone is offering help.”
He smiled. “Glad to hear it. Let’s hope the members of the Lone Star Cowboy League are similarly accommodating when I tell them we have a house for the children’s home. Say a prayer. They’re meeting after service.”
She wanted to wish him well. It sounded as if a children’s home was badly needed. But if Brandon succeeded in giving one to Little Horn, she could well lose the boys, and her opportunity to get to know him again, forever.
* * *
Brandon stood on the steps, listening to praise for his sermon, commiserating about family concerns and generally bidding farewell to the last members of his congregation. All the while a part of him was aware of Elizabeth at the foot of the steps, settling the boys into the cart.
It had been the same way during service. While he’d made it a point to meet the gaze of every member in attendance at least once, he’d felt himself drawn to her. He’d seen those cinnamon brows rise in surprise, those peach-colored lips purse in concern. He generally spoke about what the Lord put on his heart. He shouldn’t crave her appreciation.
But he did. And he couldn’t help feeling that by championing the children’s home he’d somehow disappointed her.
He couldn’t afford such concerns now. He’d asked Lula May McKay to call a meeting of the Lone Star Cowboy League for right after service, and he knew he had some persuading to do.
Please give me the words, Lord.
It seemed he’d had to choose his words carefully his whole life, to keep from hurting his already-wounded mother, to prevent a blowup with his father. The trait naturally flowed into his work as a minister. Words chosen carefully built sermons, mended hearts and healed lives.
“Powerful sermon, Pastor,” Mrs. Hickey said, strutting out of the church and pausing to frown across the yard. Brandon thought she might be looking for her husband, a warmhearted man who called the community dances, but he knew the moment she spotted Elizabeth, because her gaze narrowed and one foot began tapping under her blue skirts.
“I’m glad you appreciated it, Mrs. Hickey,” he said, drawing her gaze back to him. “But then, I don’t have to tell you to care for widows and orphans. You were among the first to reach out to the triplets.”
She raised her head, the soft pink roses on her hat belying the sharpness of her gaze. “I believe charity starts at home. I expect you’ll be joining us for dinner, Reverend. I plan to eat at four.”
Was he now her charity? Something within him protested. “That’s very kind of you, I’m sure, but I fear I have other plans.”
Her brows came up. “Oh?”
“I was going to see if Miss Dumont and the triplets wanted some dinner,” he told her.
She sucked in a breath, no doubt ready to launch into a scold.
Brandon met her gaze. “After all, what use is a minister who doesn’t practice what he preaches?”
She deflated. “True, true. Well, next Sunday, then.” Head still high, she clomped down the steps. Brandon thought about following her, intervening in anything she might say to plague Elizabeth, but Lula May appeared in the doorway of the church just then and beckoned him inside. It was time to present his case. With one last look at Elizabeth, in a peach-colored dress that only made him think of her lips, he followed the lady into the quiet of the church.
The members of the Lone Star Cowboy League had wandered to the front of the chapel. With fewer people gathered in the pews, their voices echoed to the beams overhead. Every rustle of cotton against wood, every shift of a heavy body spoke volumes. He only hoped his proposal would speak as loudly.
His brother, Bo, gave him a grin of encouragement from the front row. Brandon knew all the other members. Dark-haired CJ Thorn, one of the founders, had once held himself aloof and somber. Now, thanks to his wife, Molly, infant son and twin nieces, he tended to smile more often than not. He curled his long body next to Edmund McKay, who somehow managed to make the pews seem small.
McKay too had stayed away from people until the widowed Lula May had taken him under her wing and shown him what family could mean. Caroline Murray had done the same for Edmund’s brother David, who sat forward on his seat now, hat turning in his hands, as he waited for the meeting to start. Leaner than his brother, David met Brandon’s gaze and nodded encouragement, green eyes bright in the shadows of the church.
Edmund, CJ and Bo had been amenable to David’s earlier proposal to build a children’s home, Brandon knew. According to David, it was the older cattlemen who had balked. They always seemed to count pennies rather than needs.
They clustered together now, as if uniting against whatever idea would be proposed: lean and cautious Abe Sawyer, stocky and cranky Clyde Parker, hard-as-nails Gabe Dooley and ruddy and cantankerous Casper Magnuson. The last scowled at Brandon as if he suspected the sermon earlier had been leading up to this.
He would not be wrong.
“Order,” Lula May called, and the men fell silent. There was a reason the cow pony breeder had been made league president. The only woman in the group, the petite blonde with red in her hair had a way of making her presence felt.
“We have one item of business today,” she announced, intelligent blue eyes pinning each man in his seat. “And that is the matter of the children’s home we agreed to fund.”
Sawyer, Parker and Dooley leaned back and crossed their arms over their chests. Magnuson did the same, even though his old friend Saul Hauser had recently passed on, leaving children behind. Nothing like having support.
At Lula May’s nod, Brandon stood and spread his hands. “Gentlemen, madam president, thank you for your concerns about the most vulnerable among us. The triplets, the Satler siblings and the other children scattered across the county need our support.”
“Something has to be done,” Magnuson allowed, lowering his arms.
His cronies cast him a look as if to accuse him of giving in too soon.
“Something has to be done,” Dooley agreed. “We said we’d help. But let’s not get carried away. There’s only so much money.”
“True,” Bo put in. “But there isn’t a civic fund, and the church fund already goes to pay for religious activities, community gatherings and the school.”
“We could always levy taxes,” Lula May suggested sweetly, a determined gleam in her eyes. “Say, on every head of cattle on the range and every acre of farmland.”
Edmund shook his head, a grin winning free. Brandon wouldn’t have been surprised to see him applaud his wife’s audacity.
Dooley, Sawyer and Parker shifted in their seats. Magnuson tugged at his collar. “Enough of that kind of talk now. Someone might get ideas.”
Brandon hid a smile. “Then the Lone Star Cowboy League is our best, least expensive option to fund a children’s home.”
Parker snorted. “Least expensive? You didn’t hear McKay’s proposal. Gardens, their own bedrooms, training for employment. Why give all that to orphans?”
“Why give those to any child?” David countered, gaze darkening. “Because we want them to grow up to become contributing members of society.”
Parker turned his scowl toward the young rancher.
Brandon held up his hand. “What if I told you I could give you everything David originally asked for, at less than half the cost you imagined?”
Sawyer and Dooley perked up. Magnuson leaned forward. Parker’s scowl eased just the tiniest.
CJ spoke up. “I’d say I’d like to hear more, Pastor.”
Brandon drew in a breath. They were ready to listen. He went on to explain about the Crenshaw house and his hopes for an easy renovation. He added that the Arundels and Mercy Green had agreed to help provide food for the home. By the time he had finished, they were all nodding.
“It just might work,” Sawyer said. “Several families in the area are having trouble caring for kin left orphaned. This could really help them.”
Bo winked at Brandon.
Lula May beamed at them all. “It seems we have an accord, gentlemen. We already agreed that David and Pastor would oversee the project. All in favor of funding Pastor Stillwater’s proposal?”
“Aye,” everyone but Parker chorused.
“Opposed?” She speared Parker with her blue gaze.
Parker clamped his mouth shut.
“Motion carries,” she declared. “Now, if there’s nothing else...”
Brandon held up his hand again. “One other concern, if I may.”
Parker groaned, but his friends silenced him. Lula May nodded for Brandon to continue.
“The league is currently funding Elizabeth Dumont to care for the triplets,” he told them. “When they move into the children’s home, she will need another position.”
“Don’t expect us to pay for that,” Sawyer ordered.
“There must be someone who needs a cook or nanny,” Dooley put in, glancing around as if he hoped to find one among them.
“Most folks hereabouts prefer family to help raise children,” Lula May replied thoughtfully.
“And most cooks have to travel with the herd,” Bo added.
Brandon had known it would be hard to find Elizabeth other work, but hearing their reluctance just steeled his resolve. She’d lost her place in society, her position as a governess and her potential husband to another woman. She deserved something of her own.
“You’re all worried for nothing,” Magnuson grumbled. “She’s a fine-looking woman who loves children. Someone’s going to marry her. You wait and see.”
Though Lula May looked unconvinced, most of the men were nodding again, even David, Bo, Edmund and CJ. Brandon knew he should protest. Elizabeth shouldn’t have to sell herself in marriage to support herself. Then again, what if she met a man she could love and who loved her in return? Wouldn’t that make life better for her again? His responsibility toward her would diminish to that of a pastor for his flock. Magnuson’s suggestion was logical.
He simply could not understand why the thought of Elizabeth marrying made him feel as if he’d failed.
Chapter Five (#u00a166ff-16ad-5726-8f7f-ccf03e558a42)
Caroline and Louisa accompanied Elizabeth back to the boardinghouse and helped her change the boys into fresh diapers. At just over five feet tall, with soft brown hair and warm brown eyes, Louisa gave off an air of competence and kindness no doubt earned from years helping her physician father and invalid mother. A good half foot taller, Caroline was more energetic; her light brown hair, sparkling hazel eyes and bright smile inspired confidences. Coming from a musical family, she had a natural presence. Each had spent time caring for the triplets before Elizabeth arrived, and both had gone out of their way to make her feel welcome in Little Horn, even though it was hard to get into town often from their ranches.
Today, they gathered on the floor, heedless of their pretty church dresses, and played with the boys as they chatted with Elizabeth.
“Look how big you’ve grown,” Caroline told Theo, who was crawling toward her with an eye to the sling that protected her healing arm. She carefully moved her arm aside as Louisa distracted him by clapping her hands.
“I can’t imagine a mother leaving them,” Louisa said as the boys converged on her. Jasper sat and began clapping along with her, off beat and grinning. “I pray for her every day.”
“That reminds me.” Elizabeth rose to fetch the drawings that Mrs. Hickey had found on the church piano. “These were left for the boys. Any idea who the artist might be?”
Louisa flipped through the pictures, then handed them to Caroline. As if determined to look as well, the boys headed back her way.
“Someone has an eye for detail,” Caroline said with a glance up to Elizabeth.
Had she noticed the picture with Elizabeth and Brandon holding hands? Elizabeth willed herself not to blush. “Is it possible the mother is still here?”
Caroline handed the pictures back to Elizabeth and frowned as if wondering the same thing, but Louisa shook her head. “She can’t be. Only a handful of people have moved to Little Horn in the last three months, my family among them. Everyone knows when there’s a stranger in town.”
“But no one is a stranger for long,” Caroline countered, giving Eli’s toe a tug as he scooted past her, following the pictures. “That’s one of the things I love about this town.”
“But if this is the work of the Good Samaritan,” Elizabeth protested, “why hide it? Why not come forward?”
Caroline and Louisa exchanged puzzled glances.
“Perhaps the person is shy,” Louisa suggested. “And doesn’t want the attention.”
“The Good Samaritan prefers to keep hidden,” Caroline agreed. “Someone even sneaked onto the Windy Diamond and folded the laundry when we had the triplets. Too bad the helper hasn’t returned since.” She let out a gusty sigh that had Louisa and Elizabeth giggling.
But Elizabeth kept wondering about the matter after her friends left. If the Good Samaritan could do kind acts for Louisa when she had been living in town and Caroline at the Windy Diamond, that meant the person had to have a horse and time to travel to and fro. Any member of the ranching families would likely be too busy, but how could anyone from the town families make it to the Windy Diamond and back without someone noticing?
And how had Jasper managed to get all the way to the bed and pull himself up on his chubby legs without her noticing? Now he balanced precariously, face alternating between a grin and a frown of concern. His brothers were positively bouncing as they waited their turn.
What would she do when the triplets went to the children’s home?
She shook the unwelcome thought away. They needed her now. That was what mattered.
She let them play awhile, taking a turn with each at holding their hands and letting them make halting steps around the room. But each step reminded her of others to come—the first time they walked alone, the day they started school, the year they rode a horse—steps she would miss. Oh, but she had to think of something!
She put the boys into the high chairs, fed them some of the canned fruit and vegetables she had been given and cleaned them up afterward. Normally, one of the ladies brought her dinner, but she hadn’t received a visitor since Caroline and Louisa had left.
She was just considering breaking into the canned peaches herself when a knock sounded on the door. She went to answer it eagerly, but instead of Mrs. Tyson or Stella, Brandon stood waiting on the landing. Gone were the brown frock coat and trousers, the starch-collared shirt. Now he wore a rough canvas coat, short-collared cotton shirt and dark Levi’s, making him look more like the easygoing cowboys and ranchers of his congregation than the proper minister.
“Miss Dumont,” he said with a charming smile, “I believe I have the honor of dining with you this afternoon. That is if the other gentlemen clamoring for your attention will allow it.” He peered around her at the babies, who gabbled a greeting.
The invitation reminded her of dinners with her aunt. Those seemed miles away and hundreds of years in the past now.
“It’s very kind of you,” Elizabeth assured him, “but you’ve seen what it’s like trying to take care of them, much less having a civilized dinner.”
He bent and picked up a wicker hamper she hadn’t noticed at his booted feet. “Mrs. Tyson anticipated as much. She made us a picnic. Would you like to eat in the field by the church?”
Would she! At times, the walls drew too close. Elizabeth shot him a grin. “If you’ll help me with the boys, we’d be delighted to join you.”
A short while later, they were spread out on the grass. All three boys were crawling about, exploring, while Brandon handed Elizabeth goodies from the hamper—sliced ham, corn rolls with fresh butter, newly picked apples and cider from the previous crop.
“Easy there, little fellow,” Brandon cautioned when Jasper showed every intention of climbing into the hamper after a bright red apple. “You probably need to wait a few months before you try one of those.”
“Less time than you might think,” Elizabeth said, reaching for the baby and pulling him back. Jasper wiggled in her arms, and she distracted him with a bit of ham. “He’s already grown four teeth, and two more are coming in.”
Brandon peered closer at Jasper’s brother who was also making for the hamper. “Eli’s sporting a mouthful as well. The ladies better start watching where they put their fingers.” He turned the baby in the opposite direction, and Eli headed toward Theo, who looked a bit alarmed.
With a cry of triumph, Jasper seized a black beetle and brought it toward his mouth. Elizabeth snatched it away. The baby pouted a moment, then set off hunting once more.
“Maybe a picnic wasn’t such a good idea,” Brandon ventured, tugging Eli off Theo, who promptly snuggled up against Elizabeth.
“It would have been the same at the boardinghouse,” Elizabeth reminded him, leaning over to detour Eli from a patch of daisies that didn’t deserve his tough love. “They’re at the age when they want to move, to try everything. I hope your plans for the children’s home take that into account.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” He popped a piece of ham into his mouth with one hand while tugging Jasper back onto the quilt with the other. “The Lone Star Cowboy League agreed to fund the endeavor, so I’ll be starting work on the project tomorrow.”
Elizabeth smiled at him. “Oh, Brandon, that’s wonderful. Congratulations.”
He shrugged, gaze on the baby attempting to scale his long legs. “The triplets convinced them more than any words from me.”
