The Magnificent Seven

“You owe me two,” his half brother replied with a wry grin.

Mitch agreed with a laugh, belted the girls into the borrowed ranch truck, and drove to his grandfather’s ranch.

“Daddy, we’re bored,” Ashley said, jumping out of the truck and bouncing on the balls of her feet.

“I have to take my truck to get it cleaned, and you two are grounded.”

“But you left us all day!” Taylor said, wide-eyed.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t have a good time with Uncle Cade.”

“But we want to go get some ice cream. It’s boring here.”

As usual, Mitch couldn’t bring himself to be harder, because he felt sorry for them. They had no mother. Somehow these incidents just never seemed important enough to disrupt life more, to make his girls even more unhappy.

Ashley pouted and plopped herself on the lawn, her grass-stained knees drawn up to her chin. Taylor took his hand and pumped it persistently. What had happened to those darling, angelic babies? When had they become manipulators?

“All right. Let’s go get some ice cream.”

“And rent a movie, Daddy?” Ashley begged.

He wasn’t doing the right thing, but he didn’t know what to do, and he didn’t know how to change this cycle of behavior. The twins were confused. This was another new situation, and they’d been faced with so many adjustments in their short lives.

He hoped that once the work started at the Bolton ranch, his girls wouldn’t make the days miserable for all of them. He just had no idea how to ensure that.

Arranging bids and hiring his helpers took most of the week, but by the following Monday, work was under way. Mitch had pulled a lot of strings and taken advantage of small-town kindness to hasten the progress, and Heather appreciated his efforts.

He and the three men he’d hired had been tearing off the back porch and the shingles most of the morning. Heather figured she’d better get used to the racket; this was only the first day.

She’d shopped in Billings and ordered via the Internet to acquire materials to teach and entertain five children for several weeks. Organization was the key to keeping things running smoothly, so she’d scheduled their days on a calendar with classes and crafts and playtime.

This morning, Taylor slumped in her chair and refused to participate. She glared at Heather. “You can’t make me.”

“You’re right, I guess. I can’t make you. You’ll just have to sit there and be bored.”

Taylor folded her arms over her chest and belligerently raised her chin. “I want to watch a video.”

“It’s not video time until after lunch.”

Taylor scowled and kicked the table leg with her swinging foot.

Heather took a deep breath and turned back to the table. A few minutes later, while showing Patrick how to connect the numbered dots on a page, she heard Taylor jump up from the table.

The child ran for the back door—the door they’d all been warned not to use—twisted the bolt and threw open the door. A scream ripped from her throat as she disappeared from sight.

Heather reached the opening and stared four feet down at the pile of boards and rubble where the girl had landed. “Taylor! Are you all right?”

Mitch scrambled down the ladder from where he’d been ripping off boards and bounded over the debris to his daughter. Crying indignantly, the child sat and raised her bleeding knee.

“Honey, didn’t you hear me tell all of you not to come out that door?” he asked.

Heather stared down at the top of his head. “She heard you, all right.”

He glanced up. “What happened?”

Taylor wiped hair away from her eyes and glared at Heather. “She’s mean. I don’t like her. I wanna go back to our grampa’s ranch.”

“Taylor, Heather is not mean. You can’t go back until we all go back together tonight. Heather is taking care of you during the day while I work. I explained that.”

She managed to make her chin quiver. “She tried to make me draw pictures I don’t want to color.”

Mitch propped a small ladder from the ground to the doorway above. He picked up Taylor. “Let’s get this cut cleaned and bandaged.”

Heather moved back and watched him enter the kitchen and sit his daughter on the chair she’d earlier occupied.

“Look what I made, Daddy.” Ashley held up the picture she’d drawn.

Mitch praised her artwork and accepted the plastic first-aid kit Heather supplied. He paused in cleaning his daughter’s knee to survey Heather’s expression.

Feeling helpless, she merely raised a brow. He must feel this way all the time.

Taylor immediately started to cry again. “My leg hurts!”

Mitch met Heather’s gaze, his confusion obvious. “Here, let me get a bandage on, and you can go rest for a while.”

“Can I watch a video?”

“Sure, as long as you’re sitting quietly.”

Over his shoulder, Taylor gave Heather a smug look and allowed her tears to subside.

Heather did a slow burn. “It’s still lesson time,” she said. “I planned videos for after lunch.”

Mitch straightened. “Couldn’t we bend the schedule just a little to accommodate today’s problems?”

“May I have a word with you alone?” she asked.

“Can I have a cookie, too?” Taylor asked.

Mitch glanced from his daughter to Heather.

“They haven’t had lunch yet,” she supplied.

“Excuse us for a minute,” Mitch said. “Girls, you sit here while I talk to Heather.”

Wondering all the while what she’d gotten herself into, Heather followed him into the living room. He led the way, as though he’d taken charge of this situation, and his assumption ruffled her.

“It seems to me that constantly bending the schedule—and the rules—is the main problem here,” she said in a low, controlled voice.

His expression darkened. “Don’t get me wrong,” he said. “I know they’re not angels. I haven’t known what to do with them most of the time. But I think they need a little flexibility.”

“Maybe it’s stability they need.”

His eyes seemed to soften. And his voice, when he spoke again, was laced with a combination of vulnerability and tenderness. “Can’t there be both?”

Four

H eather took a deep breath. She was a stickler for details, she knew that. She functioned best with order and discipline. Her children had always done fine under her leadership. But they had seemed to blossom more since they’d been at the ranch—since their days weren’t consumed with rigorous schedules. Perhaps there was a compromise.

She drew herself up and looked Mitch in the eye. “All right.”

She led the way back to the kitchen. “We’ll take a break and have some free time,” she said to the children. “You can watch a video or draw or anything you want until lunch.”

The kids looked at each other and grinned cheerfully.

Mitch gave her a grateful smile, then turned to have a few words with his girls. Within minutes he headed back outside.

By lunch Heather’s nerves were still on edge. She prepared sandwiches and sliced fruit and ushered the children out the front door for a picnic on the side lawn, where they could be entertained watching the workers.

“I don’t like tuna,” Taylor complained, peeling back her bread and wrinkling her nose.

“Me neither,” Ashley agreed. “I want skettios.”

“I’ll get some skettios for later in the week, but for now, we’re having tuna.”

“I don’t like it,” they chorused.

“Then don’t eat it.”

They looked at one another and blinked. Taylor looked back. “You’re not gonna make us eat it?”

“Nope.”

Taylor nestled onto the checkered tablecloth as though she’d won a battle. “What do we get, then?”

“There are chips on your plate and apple and orange slices.”

“That’s not a good lunch.”

“Everyone else is eating it.” Heather demonstrated by taking a bite of her sandwich. Patrick and Andrew were watching the exchange with interest while they chewed. Jessica already looked as tired of the girls’ complaints as Heather felt.

Ashley stared, agape. “But we’ll be hungry!”

“I guess you will.”

Taylor folded her arms over her chest and pouted.

The afternoon went a little more smoothly, because she’d purchased Veggie-Tales’ videos none of them had seen before. The kids watched and laughed, and at snack time, nobody complained about raisins, graham crackers, or juice.

“Now it’s time to pick everything up and put it away,” Heather announced.

“I’m not pickin’ stuff up. My leg hurts.” Taylor ensconced herself on the sofa.

Her leg had been fine all afternoon, Heather noted. “Everyone who helps, gets a treat,” she coaxed, thinking that would bring the girl around.

The others picked up puzzles and toys and rolled up the sleeping bags they liked to lounge upon, then Heather presented four of the five children with a heart-shaped treat from her private stash of Godiva chocolates.

Taylor scowled, pursed her lips into a pout, and glared at Heather. “You’re mean. I don’t like you.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way. You had the same chance as the others to help clean up.”

“I’m just a kid.”

“You’re not just a kid. You’re a very bright and capable young lady.” With a negative attitude.

“What’s ‘capable’?”

“It means you’re smart and good at doing things.”

Apparently the compliment from someone she considered mean confused her. She leaned back on the aged sofa, refusing to watch the others finish their candy. Probably planning a dramatic tale with which to regale her father, Heather thought. “My daddy will buy me a treat of my own.”

While Patrick and Andrew took naps upstairs, Heather gave the three girls a stack of books, put on a tape of relaxing rainforest sounds, and with one ear zeroed on the chatter, familiarized herself with the blueprint program Mitch had given her on disk.

It was as easy as he’d assured her, and she enjoyed experimenting with the different kitchen scenarios. Before long, she’d narrowed it down to two floor plans. She would show them to him for his input on cost-effectiveness.

Heather rearranged the room again, making space for the washer and dryer to be enclosed. She checked the clock, saved her work to a disk, and went to check on the kids.

Taylor sat on a worn chair and slid down until her chin reached her chest. “I don’t wanna be here.”

Her heart softened toward the troublesome child. She picked up a book from the floor and perched on the sofa. “I guess this is different from the way things used to be for you, isn’t it?”

Blue eyes assessed her skeptically.

“I’ll bet you miss your grandmas, huh?”

Taylor allowed a fractional nod.

“And our mama,” Ashley said from the other side of the room. “We miss our mama, don’t we, Taylor?”

One side of Taylor’s mouth moved up in what might have been agreement.

“Did your mother read to you?” Heather asked, hoping to find a way to connect with the little girl.

“Yes, she did. She read to us all the time. Every night. Good books, too, not dumb ones.”

“Would you like it if I read a story to you?”

Taylor’s expression remained unchanged.

“I would!” Immediately Ashley came and seated herself right beside Heather, delightedly worming her way until she was nearly in her lap.

Heather met Jessica’s look of amusement and they shared a grin. Obviously Jess recognized what Heather had been trying to do and sympathized.

Heather pulled the eager, loving child into her lap and opened the book. So easy. It was so easy for this twin to ingratiate herself, to show her need for closeness and a maternal touch.

Taylor watched from her position on the chair. She didn’t seem to resent her sister’s gregarious ability to tuck herself into an embrace and enjoy herself, but surely her thoughts were confused. Heather got confused just watching her.

Jess came to sit beside them and listen to the story, too. Taylor listened without expression.

When the boys awoke, Heather took the children outdoors for the rest of the afternoon. They sat for a while on the grassy bank of the pond, watching dragonflies and tossing sticks into the water. The pounding of hammers drew her gaze to the house where Mitch and his three-man crew, having removed the old roof and torn off the back porch, were framing the new one.

The house was located in an ideal spot, with a view of the Crazy Mountains off to the northwest. Years ago there had been a garden on that same side of the house; Heather remembered picking beans in the morning sun.

A cyclone fence would be ideal for a family home, she mused. Children could be left to play safely inside with a swing set and a sandbox. Mentally ticking off the remaining weeks, she wondered if a few playground toys wouldn’t be a good investment toward keeping her sanity.

The hired men worked until nearly eight, then headed toward Whitehorn. “You’re welcome to the shower,” she told Mitch. “And I have some supper saved if you’d like it.”

“I brought a change of clothes, so I’ll take you up on that.” Minutes later he returned with damp hair, his skin darkened from a day in the sun.

“I wanted to show you the plans I came up with today.” She pointed to the pages she’d printed and placed on the table. She filled a plate from the dishes in the oven.

Mitch studied her floor plans. “I like this one a lot. But you know, if we sort of combined the two and added on just a couple of feet out that way—” he gestured with a thumb “—we could include a shower in the laundry room. And a door from outside. That way Mr. Rancher could come in after his long dirty day and not even have to walk through the house.”

“That’s a practical suggestion,” she said after a moment’s thought. “I like it a lot, and it would really add to the appeal of the place. How much?”

He jotted a few columns on the back of the paper, tallied them and gave her a figure. “Ball park,” he said. “Nothing fancy—molded shower stall.”

She nodded. “Let’s do it.”

Mitch dug into the food she’d placed before him. It was an unaccustomed pleasure to have a lovely and attentive young woman serve him his supper. He’d missed this normal kind of life.

Heather moved around the kitchen, her motions graceful and efficient. He pictured her in a power suit, sitting in an office in a high-rise building. What a change this must be for her. “How did your day go?” he asked. “The rest of your day, anyway?”

She hung a dish towel to dry. “Fair, considering I have no idea how to get through to Taylor.”

She told him about the problems she had with her, and about Taylor’s reactions. “Don’t be surprised if she asks you to buy her a treat.”

He swallowed and pushed the plate aside. She was knocking herself out here, and as always, his kids weren’t cooperating. “Thanks for being understanding about the video today.”

Sitting across from him, she folded her hands on the tabletop and leaned forward slightly. “I’m trying to be understanding. But the girls need a sense of guidance and direction from you. I need to know that you’re going to back me up on my techniques.”

She was getting too close to identifying his dilemma and his feelings of inadequacy. He folded his napkin and got up to pour himself a cup of coffee. He sat back down, avoiding her eyes.

“Sugar?” she asked.

“What? Oh, yes, thank you.” He stirred a spoonful into his cup. There was nothing she could tell him about his kids’s acting out that he didn’t know. “I know their behavior is…embarrassing.”

“Is that what you call it?”

He set his lips in a firm line, feeling defensive. “I’ve done the best I’ve known how since their mother died. Children shouldn’t have to be without a mother. They were so small…”

Her lovely eyes were filled with compassion, not condemnation. “I’m sorry they lost their mother.”

Mitch shrugged, not knowing what to say, how to explain. His uncertainty and mismanagement was another embarrassment, and he didn’t particularly want to reveal his insecurities to this woman who seemed to have her life and her children so neatly pulled together. Life’s situations weren’t always black-and-white, cut-and-dried, and he’d already told her more about himself than he was certain she cared to know.

He understood her reasoning, he really did. He just didn’t want to lay down boundaries that he would once again end up moving. It was less stressful to give in immediately than to try to take a stand and have his determination broken down with cries and tears that made him feel guilty and rotten. And that was how it always ended.

“Children need limits, Mitch,” she said softly. “Neither parent nor child benefits from letting the child determine the rules.”

Her calm reasoning had begun to irritate him. She had no idea what their life had been like. It was not her place to sit in judgment over his parenting. “I can handle my kids,” he said a little too defensively.

She placed both hands flat on the table. “Not when you’re working, you can’t. If I’m going to be their caregiver, then you’ve got to trust me with some of their discipline.”

“As long as it’s reasonable,” he replied.

“Are you suggesting I’m being unreasonable?”

“I didn’t say that.”

Heather ran a slim hand through her hair in obvious frustration.

If she’d had the option of changing her mind about keeping the girls, she probably would have, he thought. He knew how exhausting they were, what a challenge. His own sense of failure was so great, his words were hollow even to his own ears.

“Just remember,” she said finally, “that your choices can make it harder for me—for all of us—day by day. And your girls have a whole lifetime ahead of them to try to get along with other people who won’t be catering to their every whim.”

“They’re only six,” was all he could think to say. There were years and years ahead for them to have to deal with the world.

She stood and waved a hand toward the other room where the kids played, as if dismissing him.

Mitch headed in that direction and returned with his troublesome daughter. “Taylor, tell Heather you’re sorry for being difficult today.”

“This isn’t necessary,” Heather said.

He studied Taylor patiently.

“Do I have to?”

“Yes.”

Taylor took him seriously for a change. Another scene was the last thing he needed or wanted, and Heather was trying.

“Sorry,” she said, stubbing the toe of her tennis shoe on the floor with a series of squeaks.

“Thank you for apologizing,” Heather replied. “Let’s just forget today and start over. Okay?”

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