Faye Favors a Foreman: A Historical Western Romance (Brides with Grit Book 11), Page 4

  Rusty’s mind left the kid’s amusement with Dagmar when Isaac asked the men at their table for advice about his proposal and ring predicament.

  “Buy one like it?” Rusty asked, looking across the table at Isaac.

  Isaac was on his knee to propose to Cate when Faye’s arrival threw the ranch into an upheaval. In frustration later that night, Isaac had flung the ring into the horse pasture. Now that things had settled down, of course, he deeply regretted his rash action and needed to finish his proposal to Cate.

  “I had the ring custom made thirty years ago, so it would be hard to duplicate it, especially since I couldn’t describe it in detail now,” Isaac mused.

  “No, you can’t just buy a new one and try to pass it off as the original. Ma will know if it’s not the same one. You can’t fool women like that. They see details better than a flying hawk looking for lunch,” Noah said, shaking his head. Rusty knew Cate’s son spoke from experience, both with his mother, and his wife, Hilda.

  “I’ve walked around where I thought I threw it, but I can’t find it.”

  “So that’s why you said to keep the horses out of the front pasture?” Marcus was wondering why Isaac was issuing orders, but now it made sense.

  “Yes. I didn’t want anybody, especially Cate, catching on I was hunting for the ring. But now I’m starting to panic, and I need help searching for it,” Isaac eyed the men around the table.

  “What’s it look like, just a gold band?”

  “It’s got a cut swirly design on the thick gold band and a large diamond standing up on the top, center of the band.”

  “Just tell her what happened, and she’ll be okay with you buying another one,” Rusty argued. “What?” he said when Cate’s three sons and Dagmar turned to stare at him like he was a dunce.

  “As a married man, I can tell you it does not work that way,” Adam said, shaking his head. “She’s seen the ring, so she expects that ring to be on her finger for the rest of her life. And believe me, you don’t want to disappoint your woman, or you’ll be sleeping in the barn and eating cold sandwiches you have to make yourself.”

  “Got experience with that, huh Adam? How’d you disappoint your sweet Millie?” Rusty razzed Adam.

  “Let’s just say I didn’t buy the gift she’d hinted at, pointed to in the store, mentioned it would be a nice present for her birthday….”

  Rusty looked at Jacob, who was laughing at Adam. “Not only did he forget to buy the present, he forgot the day of her birthday. And typical woman, she didn’t say a thing, just gave him the cold shoulder.”

  “So how did you get in Millie’s good graces again?” Rusty asked looking around the table at the smiling, married men.

  “Who says he has?” Noah chimed in.

  “Yes, my wife forgave me, after buying the china tea set she’d pointed to…” Adam confessed.

  “Plus?” Noah pushed Adam.

  “Plus, a necklace with a diamond in the pendant…” Rusty glanced back at the women’s table, afraid the wives would hear the men’s conversation. Then Adam would really be in the doghouse.

  “Don’t worry, I’d rather have Millie in my life than a jailhouse full of blocks of gold—so I won’t forget a birthday, anniversary, or holiday ever again,” Adam declared, grinning like a man in love.

  “I need that ring, and I need help. Instead of looking during the day, I think we need to search at night because lantern light might shine on the diamond and gold band. Rusty, tonight after the household is in bed, we’ll start looking for Cate’s ring. Tell the hands to meet behind the barn at midnight with lanterns.”

  Rusty nodded to his boss. They’d find the ring for Cate, but it might take them all night. And what if they didn’t find it? Then what would Isaac do?

  Rusty was glad he wasn’t in a predicament like Isaac was with Cate. Rusty liked his life free and simple, although he couldn’t help looking over at Faye holding Violet. What would it be like to have a wife and baby share his home? What would it feel like to provide, protect, and commit to a wife and family? Maybe for the first time in his life, Rusty felt the tug to have a family like he’d had growing up.

  But with Faye and Violet? Rusty didn’t know if that’s a combination he wanted to take on.

  Chapter 6

  “Are you sure I look all right in this dress, Cate?” Faye wasn’t used to wearing a dress with a high collar around her neck, and she couldn’t help tugging at the neckline.

  Faye didn’t want to admit it, but she was a little scared by the time they climbed out of the wagon by the church.

  Marcus had driven the wagon, carrying Cate, Sarah, Faye, and the children. Isaac and Rusty had ridden their horses beside the wagon.

  Now Isaac and Rusty helped the women and children out of the wagon while Marcus held the team steady. The team and saddle horses would be moved to the side of the church to rest while they were in the service.

  “Your dress looks nice, Faye,” Cate reassured her. Cate had altered Sarah’s dress to make it look different than when Sarah wore it, which was for Sarah’s canceled wedding with Ethan Paulson. Cate added white lacy material to the bodice, so Faye’s bony collarbone wasn’t so noticeable, and a short overlay skirt of the same fabric. The side seams of the bodice were basted in to make the dress fit better on Faye’s tiny frame. Cate told Faye that once she gained weight, the basted seams could be changed or taken out.

  “Ya…you…think so? I’m so nervous to be walking into a church. I haven’t been in one since I lived with Grandma, and then it was such a stuffy old place filled with uppity women. I didn’t like going.”

  “You’ve already met Pastor Reagan, so I think you’ll like his service,” Cate told Faye. “There will be lots of people to meet, but all of our extended family will be there around you, to help make introductions.”

  “But they’re going to make cracks about my being Sarah’s sister, with a baby and no husband. I still wish we could’ve said we’re cousins instead of sisters,” Faye whispered.

  “You did nothing wrong, Faye, so please keep your shoulders straight and a smile on your face. You and Sarah talked to the pastor about it, and it is best to tell the truth from the beginning.

  “A person can never keep all their lies straight for very long. There will always be nosy people in the world, but we rehearsed what you felt most comfortable saying.”

  “I know, but, it’s hard to say it and look people in the eye at the same time.”

  “Pastor Reagan will introduce you and Violet to the congregation. He said his sermon today will be about not judging others for the circumstances they faced, as a way to signal others not to do that to you and Violet.”

  Faye wasn’t looking forward to the stares and questions she was going to get, but she’d been told what to expect and how to respond...if she could only remember to engage her brain before her mouth.

  “Brace yourself,” Isaac said as he walked behind her, Cate, and Sarah. “Mrs. Paulson just saw Faye and is heading this way.”

  “Here, take Micah,” Sarah pushed the baby into Isaac’s arms. “I get the privilege of introducing my sister to the battleax…”

  Faye gasped as Sarah took her arm and started pulling her toward the woman.

  “Don’t worry, Faye, your big sister will take care of you today,” Cate called to Faye.

  Sarah’s introduction drifted loud and clear to all nearby. “Mrs. Paulson, I’d like to introduce you to my long-lost sister, Faye. Don’t we look identical?” Sarah said excitedly.

  Mrs. Paulson was speechless for a change, looking back and forth between Sarah and Faye.

  “Um, nice to meet you, Mrs. Paulson, I’ve heard so much about you,” Faye said while holding out her hand for Mrs. Paulson to shake, but the woman ignored Faye’s gesture.

  “Doesn’t Faye look lovely today?” Sarah continued brightly. “I finally found a use for the green dress you insisted I buy for your arranged marriage between Ethan and me.”

  “It is the sam
e dress, but you’ve altered it,” Mrs. Paulson said while putting a finger to her cheek and studying the dress. “You know it does look better on your sister than it did on you,” Mrs. Paulson smugly answered, knowing she’d come back with a good retort to Sarah’s remark.

  Sarah pinched her lips a moment, and then answered back sweetly. “Well, I’m glad you approve of Faye. My sister and her baby need a home and a husband. Since Ethan liked my looks, I’m sure he’ll be in love with Faye soon and move her and her baby into his hotel suite.”

  Mrs. Paulson’s eyes flashed back and forth between Sarah and Faye again, widening with the realization Ethan could very easily be drawn to Faye.

  “I’ll be sure that will never happen. Ethan always listens to me,” Mrs. Paulson spat out before turning on her heels to walk into church.

  Sarah introduced Faye to the first person in the congregation, and it did not go well. Now Faye wondered how it would go with the next fifty or more curious people.

  Faye was grateful for Cate’s family sat around her and Sarah in church, giving moral support to both of them. The secret of Sarah’s parentage would be out, and the gossip would start. No one knew what happened two decades ago, but as Cate had told Faye, secrets, and lies, usually have a way of coming out sometime in the future.

  Pastor introduced Faye and Violet and told a short version of why they were living at the Cross C Ranch now. There were murmurs in the congregation, and some looked back to get a glance of the newcomers. Faye was surprised and relieved when Sarah set her arm on the pew back and around her shoulders in a show of support. Even Sarah’s brothers were acting as if they were protecting Faye, giving her confidence she could get through the first meeting with the townspeople.

  The organist started playing the opening to the last hymn, and everyone rose from their seats to sing. It was about time to “face the music,” so to speak, because she, Cate, and Sarah would be bombarded with questions.

  For the umpteenth time this morning Faye wondered why didn’t they just introduce her as Sarah’s widowed cousin? It would have made all their lives so much easier.

  ***

  Unless it was bad weather, people stood outside the church and talked longer than the service lasted. Often, it may be the only time a family came to town, so this was when news was passed around. Too bad the sky hadn’t opened up and given the earth a good downpour after church.

  “Boss, is it okay if I go stand by Faye? I don’t like how some of these young yahoos are looking at her,” Rusty growled low from behind Isaac’s back.

  Every woman in their group had a Wilerson, Hamner, or Brenner man standing behind them, except Faye.

  “Fine by me, Rusty, but be sure you ask Faye, or better yet Sarah if it’s okay. Both know how to knock a man down, so to speak,” Isaac said over his shoulder.

  Rusty moved through the crowd, arriving beside Sarah to bend down and speak to her. She nodded, and Rusty walked over to Faye’s side, touching her arm, and smiling when Faye looked up at him.

  “I thought you might like a, uh, man to stand with you,” Rusty stated, more than ready to protect Faye and Violet from nosy people.

  “Thank you, Rusty. I was feeling a little alone since I noticed there was a circle of men around the rest of the family,” Faye whispered.

  “Then you should relax because I’m standing with you,” Rusty wanted to prove his support.

  As an afterthought, Rusty reached for Violet. “Let me hold your baby so you can shake hands with all the people crowding around to meet you.”

  “I’d rather hold Violet, so I didn’t have to shake hands,” Faye said, although she relaxed her hold on Violet as Rusty transferred the baby to his shoulder.

  “Better to get it over with. Then you don’t have to go through it again next Sunday,” Rusty urged Faye as he relished the baby snuggling into the crook of his neck.

  Rusty relaxed with a sigh, content to sway back and forth to soothe the baby. He could get used to this. Rusty had always loved babies, even though as a boy, he’d been saddled with helping with his young sisters.

  Rusty turned his head when he felt Violet look up at him. Her bright-blue glaze seemed to study and memorize his face, even though Rusty didn’t think she could actually focus her eyes yet.

  “Hey there, Violet. You doing okay? You’re safe with me,” Rusty whispered as the baby attempted to smile, or pass gas.

  “If you’re interested, you better stake your claim,” Marcus nudged Rusty’s shoulder, then nodded his head to the young men standing to the side of the group, gawking at Faye.

  Rusty glanced at Faye again. Even though Faye was on the thin side, her sister’s emerald dress and matching hat made Faye’s natural beauty shine, at least in Rusty’s eyes. And apparently in several other men’s eyes too as three men walked forward, intent to meet Faye.

  “Hello, Miss Longoria, I’m Raymond Miller. I work at the Bar E Ranch for the Hamners,” Miller said as he held his hand out for Faye to shake.

  “Nice to meet you, Mr. Miller,” Faye said politely, where Rusty wanted to growl at the man. What was wrong with him? Faye should meet the area’s residents.

  “Are you available to be courted? I wouldn’t mind a woman with a baby,” Miller asked.

  Was that an innocent question, or did Miller want to take advantage of an experienced woman? Rusty released a hand on Violet to give Faye’s elbow a squeeze…to warn Faye of Miller’s intentions, or to let Miller know he shouldn’t be asking?

  “Thank you, Mr. Miller, for your offer, but I’m busy helping my sister with her family right now,” Faye politely rejected him.

  Miller nodded but stared at Rusty’s hand a second before giving Rusty a challenging look.

  The other two men introduced themselves to Faye but then backed away without any more conversation, much to Rusty’s relief.

  “Rusty,” Faye said while looking over her shoulder at him, “if I didn’t know better, I’d think you’re warning men away from me.”

  Faye’s sly smile caught Rusty off guard. “I wouldn’t mind marrying and having my own home. Which of those men should I let court me, since you didn’t like Mr. Miller?”

  Rusty tightened his grip on Violet, not wanting her to leave the ranch. And Faye? Well, Rusty had problems thinking of what Faye knew to do with men and thinking of her doing it with the men eying her like a thick juicy steak.

  Not on his watch, would any of these men get Faye in a courting buggy.

  “I think you need to concentrate on Violet and your sister’s family first,” Rusty stated, probably a little too forcibly.

  Faye cocked her head and studied Rusty until he rolled his shoulders and looked away first.

  For starting out as a cool day it sure warmed up, Rusty thought as he tugged his shirt collar. He couldn’t wait to get home and get out of his Sunday suit.

  But first, he had to eat Sunday dinner with the family. Could he excuse himself from this meal? But then he’d miss Cate and Sarah’s delicious meal. And miss holding one of the triplets or Maisie while the meal was being prepared.

  Maybe he should offer to hold Violet while Faye helped her sister with food preparation. Rusty hated to admit it, but he liked holding the tiny replica of her mother.

  Chapter 7

  “Rusty, do you have time, or could one of the ranch hands take me to Clear Creek now?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Rusty answered, but he was confused as to why Cate was standing there with a carpet bag. “Where you headed? Isaac didn’t mention you going on a trip.”

  “Let’s just say I’m…taking a little time away from the family,” Cate said, patting his arm. “Ready to help me escape?”

  “The buggy will be ready in a few minutes, and I’ll drive you into town. Isaac and Marcus are out with the herd. Do they know you’re leaving?”

  Cate’s smile had a twist to it. “No, but I left Isaac a note, and the girls know I’m leaving.”

  Rusty helped Cate into the buggy, walked around to the oth
er side, and crawled up to take his seat. It was a beautiful day to take a drive into town, although he’d had other plans for the day. With a ranch this size there was always work to do between the cattle, horses, and building upkeep.

  “How’s the family today? Did Micah get over his croup?” Rusty asked as they started down the drive.

  Cate looked back at the porch, and Rusty pulled back on the reins.

  “Did you need to go back for something?”

  Cate laughed. “No, go on. I was just wondering if the girls were running after me.”

  “Excuse me? Maggie and Molly?” Rusty said as he flipped the reins for the horse to continue down the drive. Why would the little girls be running after Cate?

  “No, Sarah and Faye,” Cate laughed. “I was, excuse me for saying this, but I was fed up with their bickering and decided I was in their way of settling their disputes. I moved in to help Sarah with the children, and my help was sorely needed at first. But she hasn’t taken over the care as she should because she defers to me. Then add Faye to the mix, and I was playing the role of mother to eleven children.”

  “Eleven? Last time I counted there were nine kids…oh, you’re counting Sarah and Faye,” Rusty chuckled, catching on to what Cate meant.

  “And that’s why I’m going into town for a while. An overnight stay with Adam and Millie will be a welcome relief.”

  “You have been a saint to move in and help out, Cate. Sarah will catch on to motherhood because she had a wonderful mother herself.”

  “Thank you, Rusty. Yes, but the situation with Moses and Felix has made Sarah question my loyalty to her father.”

  “It was a big shock, but Sarah is working through it. And Faye…”