Dakota Father Read online

  Jenny watched, silently challenging him to admit defeat.

  He would not. He turned his back on her and held the child so they were face to face. “Meggie, look at me.”

  But Meggie tossed her head side to side, still screaming, tears washing her face. He sat her on the table hoping that would calm her. It didn’t and he struggled to keep her from throwing herself flat-out.

  Paquette shuffled over. “Boss man not know babies. Boss man need help, no?”

  Obviously he did. He nodded toward Paquette indicating she could help him.

  She shook her head. “Paquette not strong no more. Paquette not look after baby.” She waved toward Jenny. “Give baby to lady.”

  “No!” He shouted the word. Startled, Meggie gulped back a sob and stared at him, her eyes wide and filled with fear. It burned clear through that she should be afraid of him. But it was only because they were strangers. “I’ve lost everything, everyone. Meggie is all I have left.” Seems God was prepared to allow him this much and he wasn’t about to let it go.

  At the sound of her name, Meggie again shrieked.

  Paquette shook her head. “Boss man biting off big chunk of tough meat.” She retreated to the stove.

  Surely Meggie would soon run out of steam. But she showed no sign of relenting.

  He flung a look over his shoulder.

  Jenny and Zach stood at the doorway. Zach looked ready to fly away in a heartbeat. Jenny simply stood patiently, her arms crossed as if she knew he wouldn’t be able to handle the child and waited for him to admit it.

  At that moment he knew nothing in the world would induce him to let this child go. “She isn’t going to settle so long as you’re there. Please leave. Go back to town with Zach.”

  Meggie’s wails did not let him forget how powerless he was to deal with her.

  “Mr. Zach, you can go,” Jenny said. “I’m not going to leave Meggie like this.”

  The man nodded and strode away.

  Jenny knew her eyes flashed defiance. It was an attitude she’d tried hard to quell but Burke’s behavior undid all her carefully fought gains. How dare he tell her to leave? As if she were to blame for the fact Meggie was crying. As well she should. She’d never seen this man before and he had rudely wrenched her from Jenny’s grasp.

  Being her uncle gave him no right.

  As she boldly, defiantly met his startled look, she realized what she’d done. This was not what she’d planned. A few days. A week. Two if she pushed it, to allow Meggie time to get used to her new guardians, with a Mrs. Edwards taking over Meggie’s care. Then Jenny would return home to her promises. Now what?

  It wasn’t like she had a lot of choice. She glanced around. A crippled old woman who mumbled and fiddled with things on the cupboard and made it clear as the air outside the door that she wasn’t up to looking after a child. As if she needed to speak the words. Her first look had given Jenny the necessary information. Paquette was so crippled Jenny wondered if she could lift a pot of water which she did so right before Jenny’s eyes. Barely. The woman must be in constant pain.

  She shifted her attention back to Burke. He looked like he wanted to throw a brand on the baby.

  She could hardly leave Meggie here under these circumstances.

  “Where is your…fiancée?”

  Paquette grumbled loudly but Jenny couldn’t make out what she said.

  Burke scowled. “She’s gone. That’s all you need to know.”

  Well, fine. He was entitled to his secrets, as was she.

  Then the enormity of her situation hit her and she plunked to the hard bench. Here she was with a man who looked like he cared nothing what people thought and an old woman who—what would Ma and Pa think? What would they say? Pa had warned her to act wisely, speak carefully and live a life that gave people no cause to whisper about her. She knew her reputation was a precious thing and didn’t intend to compromise it. She shivered. Not after her narrow escape.

  Meggie thrust herself into Jenny’s arms and Jenny held her close, finding comfort in the way the baby clung to her. She had a responsibility to this little one. But would everyone understand her choice?

  She fired another look at Burke. “I intend to stay until suitable arrangements have been made for this child and she is settled.” Her decision raised all sorts of quandaries. “Where do you…will I—?” Heat crawled up her neck and stung the tips of her ears. She couldn’t even voice her concern. Where did he sleep? Where would she sleep?

  Burke leaned back on the heels of his dusty cowboy boots and grinned. “Got yourself into a predicament, did you? Didn’t check out the situation before you made your bold decision?”

  Bold. The word clawed through her mind. How often had Pa said she was too bold? How often had Ma said it would get her into trouble?

  Boots thudded on the wooden floor outside and Mr. Zach appeared, carrying her luggage. “Thought I’d carry your bags inside.”

  “Not too late to change your mind and go back with Zach.”

  Burke’s voice was low, insistent, as if he not only thought she should do so, but felt an urgency she should.

  Meggie in her arms, she pushed to her feet and faced him knowing her determination blared across her face. “If I can take Meggie.”

  “’Fraid I can’t let you do that.”

  Slowly she nodded. “Then I’m afraid I must stay with her until you get married.”

  Ignoring Burke’s sputter of protest, she thanked Mr. Zach, who hesitated then slowly retreated. As she listened to the buggy rattle from the yard she knew she was irrevocably committed to this decision.

  She stared hard at Burke, each of them taking stock of the other’s reserve of stubbornness. She narrowed her eyes, hoped he would see she would not back down. Not now. Not ever. Not until arrangements were up to what Lena would expect.

  The look he gave her might have made her shiver if she had been the quiet, refined lady her parents hoped for instead of one who acted first, thought later, afraid of nothing and no one. She remembered Ma’s admonition to moderate her boldness and lowered her gaze. “I hope we can arrange a suitable living arrangement.”

  Burke snorted. “And what do you intend to do if we can’t? Shouldn’t you have thought of that before you sent Zach away?” He sighed. “It’s too late to ride with him but I’ll take you back.”

  “Why are you so determined to get rid of me?”

  “Because you don’t belong. Better you accept it right now before you get in over your head.”

  Little did he know that she was already in that situation, but it would not cause her to abandon Meggie whose warm arms clung around Jenny’s neck, her face buried against Jenny’s shoulder.

  “It’s not too late to change your mind.”

  “I’ll let you know when I’m ready to leave. But I can assure you it won’t be until I’m satisfied Meggie will be properly taken care of.”

  His gaze darkened. “I don’t think that’s your call to make.”

  “I disagree. Lena and Mark trusted me with seeing Meggie properly settled. I intend to do just that. Now—” she glanced about “—if you would be kind enough to show me where we might clean up.”

  He didn’t move a muscle or give any indication he would help in any way.

  Jenny shot a glance toward Paquette who met her gaze with what Jenny could only take as a mixture of pity and compassion.

  “Boss, she and baby use room next mine. It be big ’nough.”

  Burke groaned. “This is a mistake we’ll all live to regret.”

  Jenny didn’t know if he addressed her or Paquette but she understood her decision to stay was the mistake he referred to, and it undid all her efforts at being reserved. “I fail to see why you should view this as a disaster in the making. I simply have a job to do—see Meggie is settled.” She refrained from adding she would insist on several other changes, too—but a glance around revealed a hundred things that would be dangerous to a toddler. And it didn’t require more than a fleet
ing acquaintance with the setup to realize there was no one in the present company who could care for Meggie. Until she solved that problem she would be staying. “I think if we all cooperate things should go swimmingly.”

  He looked at the roof as if hoping for divine help.

  Exactly what she needed. My Father in heaven, guide me and protect me as I help Meggie settle in. Help me be wise and cautious.

  “Paquette, show her the room.” He headed for the door then paused. “Miss Archibald, I will say it again. This is no place for a woman. You might do well to heed my warning.”

  Before he could escape, Jenny spoke. “I’ll leave when I deem it’s appropriate but I won’t be run off. I won’t be scared off. So don’t even try.”

  He turned slowly, his expression full of pity. “Don’t flatter yourself that I’d bother. You’ll find plenty of challenges without my interference.”

  What on earth did he mean? A trembling worm of warning skittered across her neck. Was there some sort of danger she should be aware of? But he was gone before she could ask. That left Paquette as her only source of information. “What was he talking about? Is there something I should know?”

  Paquette grinned, her black eyes snapping. “Boss be…” She fluttered her hands as if to indicate the man was unstable.

  The trembling in Jenny’s neck developed talons. Was the man dangerous? She’d heard tales of men losing their minds out in the vast empty prairie. Why, Pa had saved a newspaper story just to show her, warn her. “You need to be on your guard, Pepper. Strange things happen out there and you’ll be on your own.” For proof he’d allowed her to read the story of a bachelor who had gone out of his head from the loneliness and ran out into the cold clad only in his union suit, firing his rifle into the air. The report said it was a miracle no one had been shot.

  “He’s not given to doing strange things, is he?” She needed answers, needed to know what to expect so she could be ready.

  Paquette looked surprised then chortled. “He not the crazy one.”

  Somehow Jenny found that less than assuring. “Who is?”

  The older woman shook her head. “Lots people crazy. Lots people. Now come. I show you de room.”

  Jenny wanted more information. Who was crazy? Were they a threat to her? Or more importantly, Meggie? Then she followed Paquette into a room and her questions were forgotten.

  “Need cleaning, it.”

  Jenny almost laughed at Paquette’s understated words. From what she could see the room served as a catchall for both farm and home. Bits of wood were scattered on one side along with hammer, saw and nails. As if a building project had come to a halt at that very spot. As obviously it had. The walls were unfinished uprights. The window only roughly framed. It looked like the abandoned building materials had served as a magnet to other forgotten items—an overcoat, foot warmers, a bundle of canvas….

  She shuddered. She and Meggie were expected to sleep here?

  “Boss man sleep bunkhouse. Wit de men, him. For long time now. Since—” She didn’t finish.

  Another secret. “Since when, Paquette?”

  Paquette shook her head and backed from the room. “You be fixing room, no?”

  Jenny understood she would be getting no answers from Paquette. All she could do was keep her eyes open and be alert to anything out of the ordinary. In the meantime…

  She stared at the room. Only one way to get it ready for habitation…start hauling out stuff. She cleared a spot for Meggie in the center of the bed, retrieved her bags and found a little blanket for the baby to sit on. She pulled out the little rag doll Lena had so lovingly stitched and settled Meggie to play.

  As she worked, words raced through her head—crazy, warning, mistake. There were far too many unanswered questions for her to feel safe. She heard the sound of horse hooves and picked her way across the room to the window in time to see Burke ride away, his well-worn cowboy hat pushed low on his head, leaning forward as if anxious to be away from this place. She shivered. Should she be afraid of him?

  He turned, saw her at the window. His gaze drilled into her, dark, powerful, full of—

  She jerked back and pressed her palm to her throat.

  Promise? Hope? Or was it despair? Warning?

  Was she seeing things she wanted to or things that were real?

  In a flash she thought of the way he watched her on the train. Had he been kind or something sinister? No. He’d been kind and polite. Her imagination was simply getting out of control. He’d defended her before the others in the train. He’d helped her with her bags.

  And he’d warned her not once but twice that she didn’t belong here.

  Why? What lay behind his warning? Kindness or something else? What secret lay behind his not being married?

  Sufficient to the day is the trouble thereof.

  Pa’s oft-spoke words released her tensions and she laughed. None of those things mattered. She had a task to do and she would do it. She would keep her promise to Lena and Mark.

  Meggie had fallen asleep, the rag doll clutched in one hand.

  While she slept, Jenny quickly changed into a dark skirt and a wrinkled shirtwaist. It could do with ironing but at least it was clean and considerably cooler than her traveling outfit. Then she surveyed the room. There was nothing she enjoyed more than a task of significance and this was a big one. She tackled the job with vigor, singing softly as she worked.

  Burke rode for half an hour, a leisurely, enjoy-the-quiet type ride. Out here he found peace and solitude—something he feared he would not find at home in the future.

  He reached the spring Mac had expressed concern about, took his shovel and attacked it, tossing out heaps of dirt. The work did its job—releasing the tension that started at the first sight of Jenny in his house, and built steadily throughout her announcement that Lena and Mark had died until it peaked when she informed him she would stay. He should have insisted she leave. Before this country sent her screaming into the distance.

  He paused to suck in air. Lena was dead. Her husband, too. He let sorrow drench his pores, let it ease out in the sweaty drops beading his skin. He would miss her.

  The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.

  He would not finish the sentence…blessed be the name of the Lord. The taking held no blessing in his opinion. Only regret and sorrow. Deep sorrow.

  He returned to digging out the hole until water broke loose and flowed freely into the shallow pit he’d fashioned last year. At the scent and sound of water, a nearby cow bellowed and headed toward him. The call echoed across the short grass and was picked up and passed along by other cows until he could see them running like a living, shrinking circle.

  The first cow saw him and balked. A human on foot made her nervous.

  He obligingly swung into the saddle.

  The cow tossed her head and raced onward, her calf skipping at her side.

  The herd neared. As they crowded in for water, he smiled. A man could forget his troubles out here.

  And just like cows heading for water his thoughts headed for home. What was he going to do about Jenny? She didn’t belong out in this country. But he couldn’t seem to persuade her otherwise. And until he did, he was stuck with her.

  How could he best prove to her he didn’t need her?

  He thought of little Meggie crying and struggling in his arms and amended his question—he didn’t need her for long.

  He considered his options. First, he didn’t want any pretty young woman languishing out here in order to care for Meggie. He would manage her care. All he had to do was give her a few days to get used to him and then he would simply take her with him as he worked. She’d grow up as his sidekick.

  Someone to share his life with. The idea gave him a jolt of pleasure.

  Carefully, he laid out his plan. A few days for her to get to know him, and then they’d ride and work together.

  And Jenny could return to her safe home back east. Before it was too late.

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nbsp; That settled, he reined around and headed back to the ranch. Paquette would wonder at him returning before suppertime but he figured the sooner he got working on his plan, the sooner it would be fulfilled.

  A few minutes later, he strode toward the house, trying to think how he should start getting to know Meggie. Only two years old. No doubt shy. Certainly frightened. Like a barn kitten seeing a human up close for the first time. He’d tame Meggie the same way…slow, patient and with…he laughed. Doubted she would like milk straight from the cow in a warm stream. What did a child like? Perhaps Paquette would know.

  He slipped inside. The kitchen was empty but sounds came from the far side of the house. He followed the voices around the house and stopped short at what he saw.

  Jenny stood before a stack of boards and blankets, boots and saws all in a heap fifty feet from the house. She’d taken off the ridiculously impractical thing she wore on her arrival and wore an ordinary shirt and skirt. Not that he thought it changed who she really was.

  She spoke to Paquette. “I’m sure it can be arranged for someone to haul this stuff away where it will pose no threat to a small child.”

  Paquette stood on the veranda shaking her head and making disapproving noises. “Boss not like stuff throw out like dis.”

  “Meggie and I can’t sleep in the midst of debris and dirt. She’s a baby. She needs a safe, clean environment.”

  Burke sighed and filled in the other things Jenny no doubt figured Meggie needed—things like neighbors, church, town activities, pretty clothes. He’d heard it all. Tried to convince Flora those things weren’t necessary but it was the land itself that defeated him. Flora thought the prairies desolate; the wind haunting. She swore they would drive her mad.

  She was right in the end.

  But he would teach Meggie to be different.

  He could only do it without some city gal filling her mind with frivolities.

  He cleared his throat to announce his presence.

  “I finish de supper,” Paquette said and shuffled indoors.

  Jenny dusted her hands. “I’m cleaning out the room you’ve allotted me.”