A Walk In Heaven (Volume 1) (The Grayson Brothers) Page 6

  Free at last, he rushed out of the jail.

  Virginia City, here I come!

  * * * *

  Joshua and his brother Peter worked side by side in the sun. The calves needed branding today in preparation of the cattle drive in a few short weeks. Joshua knelt on the ground and held the tied feet of the animal while Peter placed the heated-tipped iron mark upon the calves’ hide. Gage knelt at the other end of the animal, expertly keeping it still.

  Beads of sweat dripped down the side of Joshua’s face as the sun beat upon him. Although still early spring, the sun made the nippy air a little warmer during this time of the day, and wearing his coat didn’t help matters.

  Joshua kept busy in hopes of getting his sister-in-law off his mind. It hadn’t worked as he’d expected. Apparently, riding and roping weren’t mind-consuming enough. He couldn’t joke with his brothers like he usually did. They were all still in shock of hearing about Matthew’s death – and seeing the casket that still waited to be buried. In two days, Pa had said, since he didn’t feel right about having the funeral on the Sabbath. Yet the longer Matthew’s body remained in the stable, the more restless Joshua became.

  His mind turned back to Careen. What was she doing? How long would she stay before going back home to Iowa? Matthew had told him the Southern Belle lived with her aunt and cousin. Surely, they would welcome her back after what happened.

  Surprisingly enough, his behavior this morning hadn’t frightened her away. Then again, how could it when his parents treated her like royalty? As if having her there they could reclaim a piece of Matthew. Shoot, even the opinions of his brothers took a drastic turn and they mentioned several times already how delightful and lovely Careen was. Joshua shook his head. Because his brothers never used those words, Joshua knew that woman had certainly beguiled Peter and Gage just as she’d done Matthew. Somehow they must have forgotten how they’d sided with him at the dinner table the day they’d received Careen’s telegram.

  The calf squirmed beneath Joshua’s hands and he clamped tighter to the animal’s legs. Once Peter branded him, squeals from the animal rented the air. Joshua released the animal, and the calf darted toward the herd.

  Overhead a golden eagle soared, momentarily casting a shadow upon Joshua’s face. He lifted his gaze to the bird. They were amazingly beautiful creatures. This whole land was a testament of God’s blessings. Joshua would never get tired of seeing such beauty, which the Lord had created.

  The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away. Joshua only wished the Lord hadn’t taken his brother.

  “I think we’re ahead of schedule, don’t you?” Gage asked.

  Joshua turned his head and focused on his brother. “What schedule?”

  Gage rolled his hazel eyes. “Preparing the steer for the cattle drive.”

  Peter pulled another animal over, so Joshua held the calf tightly. He nodded to Gage. “Oh, that. Yes, we are ahead of schedule.”

  “I’ve been thinking about what we could do different this year to bring excitement to the drive,” Peter said.

  “And what have you decided?” Gage asked.

  Peter grinned. “Well, because of our new houseguest, I’ve been thinking of inviting her to go with us. I’m sure she doesn’t know what goes into a cattle drive and she might be interested in learning. Not only that, Jackson hurt his hand the other day. He’ll need assistance in cooking the meals, and I’m sure Careen will be very helpful. Do you think Ma will let us take Careen with us?”

  “What in tarnation are you talking about?” Joshua scowled. “Why would anyone in their right mind take a female on a cattle drive?”

  Peter shrugged. “For her company, of course.”

  “Let’s remember,” Joshua continued, pretending he didn’t hear his brother’s comment, “that she was not raised around cattle like we were, and she has always lived in a big city. I don’t even know how skilled she is on a horse.” He straightened and took off his hat, swiping his gloved hand across his sweated brow. “Knowing all of this, why would you think she’d want to come with us?”

  “I was just voicing my thoughts,” Peter snapped. “I was thinking of poor Jackson and how he’ll need help. I also happen to think Careen is enchanting and would probably like to see the way we live.”

  “Well, I suggest we don’t even ask.” Joshua placed his hat on his head and reached for the next calf. “If Careen goes with us, we’ll for sure have to pull the privy in the wagon along with us.” Gage snorted a laugh. “Don’t think for one second,” Joshua continued, “that she’s going to squat behind a bush when she feels the urge. And I don’t even want to be around when she gets dirt underneath her nails or if her hair is windblown.” He stopped and took in the scowls of his brothers. “And what would happen if a bug crawled in her bedroll during the night? I’m certain she’d rain curses on us all until the end of time.”

  Peter slugged Joshua’s shoulder. “Quit being so crude. I’m sure she won’t complain and she definitely won’t do what you’re thinking. She can ride with Jackson in the cook’s wagon. I know old-man Jackson will love to have someone to chat with during the drive.”

  “Are you kidding?” Gage finally spoke up. “Why would she want to ride in a wagon? All the fun of a cattle drive is being on a horse, controlling the cattle as we move them.”

  Peter shook his head. “I doubt she’s been trained to ride horses like we have.”

  “And I doubt,” Joshua cut in, “that the two of you are thinking clearly about this. Have you forgotten what she looked like yesterday when I brought her from the train station? That dress she wore was something women wear when they’re going to a ball, for goodness sake! Her servant even dresses like she was living in high-cotton. That right there tells me Careen isn’t used to getting her hands dirty. She isn’t used to dirt at all. She’s used to having tea and biscuits three or four times a day, and stitching those things that women do, and walking through the flower gardens for entertainment. I highly doubt she has even smelled a steer, let alone touched one.”

  Peter clenched his fist. “There’s no reason for you to talk that way about her. She’s more of a lady than we’ve ever met around these parts, so she deserves more respect from you.”

  “Exactly.” Joshua nodded. “She’s a lady, which means she won’t be going with us on the cattle drive.”

  Silence took over the group; only the grunts of the cattle disturbed the hush. He glanced at Peter, who didn’t appear as angry now. Gage knelt on the ground with a rope as he softly whistled. Joshua couldn’t believe how the arrival of their sister-in-law had turned his brothers into love-struck fools. That girl was more trouble than she was worth.

  The problem was…she wasn’t a girl. Joshua figured her to be in her early twenties. And he still couldn’t figure out why such a pretty woman would advertise herself as a mail-order bride when she could have married easily.

  “We got another runaway,” Peter said, pointing to the calf running in the opposite direction.

  “I got him.” Joshua sprinted to his bay gelding and slung his right leg over the saddle. “Ha!” He urged the animal into a run even before his feet found the stirrups. A good fifty feet ahead, the calf kicked out little clouds of dust, weaving back and forth along the trail. Joshua quickly snatched his lariat from the pommel, readying it as he closed in on the animal. On instinct born of years of practice, he raised the rope, expertly flicked his arm and sent the line sailing through the air. Despite the calf’s erratic movements, the loop settled easily around it’s head. Joshua immediately tightened the loop, drew alongside and drove onto the angry beast. Struggling to subdue the animal’s flailing limbs, he pinned the calf to the ground, quickly tying off his front and back legs. Now to get him back to the herd.

  As his horse trotted back and he struggled carrying the insistent calf, Joshua realized how mundane his life had become. He pretty much did the same thing every day from sunup to sundown, from the first of May through the end of October. Even the month
s in between were the same as he spent them with his daughters. Perhaps that’s why he felt like he’d been in a rut lately. If given the chance, would he break and run for freedom for a new life like this calf had done? Like Matthew had done?

  Joshua dismissed the thought. He was not his brother. He wasn’t restless. He didn’t need to do anything else. Ranching was in his blood and what he loved. Sometimes he just wished something else would come along and make things a little different. Perhaps it was time to search for a wife. Chuckling to himself, he shook his head. That would definitely shake up his world. Regardless, his daughters needed a mother. Joshua’s own mother couldn’t raise them, although he knew she would if circumstances came down to it.

  When he’d been in town picking up his sister-in-law the other day, Joshua noticed an announcement for a barn raising. It had been a while since he’d attended one of those. It was a good way to meet the single ladies in the area as well as giving good Christian community service. He would definitely have to think about going.

  He brought the calf back to be branded, which Peter and Gage did quickly. Just as Joshua moved to pull in another calf, a scent drifted through the air. Both of his brothers stopped, lifted their noses and sniffed.

  Smoke.

  Joshua spun toward the house. A cloud of black smoke billowed from the chimney and out a window. My daughters! Panic coursed through him and set him into action, his brothers following.

  Chapter Four

  Careen stood back, coughing, gasping for air, as she stumbled to the bed. She’d tried to start the fire in her hearth, but for some reason, the smoke decided to come into the room instead of going out the chimney. Betsy dashed down the hall, calling for the Graysons. Careen hurried to the window, threw back the curtains and pushed the pains wide open.

  Within seconds, William rushed in with a bucket of dirt and poured it on the fire. Taking the poker, he moved the logs around, trying to break them up. Elizabeth ran in the room, holding two plates. She hurried to the window and helped circulate the smoke using the objects in her hands.

  “Oh, Mr. Grayson,” Careen said then coughed as she moved back to the bed. “Please forgive me. I thought –” She coughed again. “I thought I knew how to start a fire.”

  “You did a good job, so I wonder why…” William reached inside the chimney, then a second later the screech of metal grinding ripped through her ears. “The flue wasn’t open properly.”

  Groaning, Careen covered her face as embarrassment filled her. She hadn’t even been at the ranch a full day and already she had caused mayhem. Because of her mistake, she could have burned the house down. Or at least her bedroom.

  She should have realized she needed help, but building a fire shouldn’t have been hard since she’d watched her parents’ servants – then her aunt’s servants – start them all the time.

  Elizabeth turned from the window and smiled. “Are you all right, dear?”

  Careen nodded. “I’m not hurt, except for my pride.”

  “Now, now,” William said. “There’s nothing to worry about. Things like this happen.”

  “Thank you for trying to make me feel better, but things like this don’t usually happen.” She shrugged. “Then again, Betsy usually starts the fire for me in the hearth. Today I didn’t want to trouble her. I definitely learned my lesson, didn’t I?”

  Both Mr. and Mrs. Grayson chuckled.

  From down the hallway, heavy boot steps clamored up the staircase and within seconds all three of Matthew’s brothers were inside her room. Careen’s face grew hotter than the fire she’d tried to start.

  “What’s wrong?” Joshua asked, his gaze moving from one person to the other before ending at the fireplace.

  “Nothing to worry about, son.” William nodded toward the hearth. “The chimney flue wasn’t opened.”

  Peter rushed to Careen’s side and touched her arm. “How are you? Did you get burned in any way?”

  She smiled at him for this thoughtfulness. “Thank you, I’m fine now that your parents are here, and no, I didn’t get burned.”

  “Boys, there is no need to worry,” Elizabeth said. “We have this under control.”

  Careen chuckled. “And you don’t know how much I appreciate that.”

  “Is there anything I can get you?” Peter asked her.

  She stared at Peter. Matthew’s face flashed through her mind. She shook her head, vowing not to get too close to this particular brother. It felt too strange. Since she had arrived at the Grayson Ranch, Peter had watched her closely, and he always had to stand by her. Joshua, on the other hand, kept himself as far as he could get, it seemed. That suited her just fine!

  “No, thank you, Peter.” She moved away from him and to the window beside Elizabeth, taking one of the plates from her hands. “Here, let me do that.”

  “We can both do it.” Mrs. Grayson winked.

  “Well, if everything is under control here, then we’ll be getting back to our branding,” Joshua said, turned and followed his brothers out of her room.

  “Joshua, hold up a minute, please.” William stopped his son with a hand on his shoulder.

  “Yes, Pa?” Joshua leaned against her bedroom door, hooking his thumbs in the belt loops of his jeans.

  “Son, I’ll need your help with moving Careen’s trunks to the bedroom next to yours.”

  Joshua’s eyes widened and his jaw hardened. “Why?”

  “We need to air this room out.”

  “But why there?” Joshua ended in a whisper.

  “Joshua –” William’s voice was stern.

  “Oh no, Mr. Grayson.” Careen quickly hurried to his side. She didn’t need Joshua to hate her even more than he already did. “You don’t need to do that. I’ll be fine right here.”

  The older man gave her a smile and lovingly patted her cheek. “My dear, until we’ve washed the curtains and carpet, and scrubbed the walls from all this smoke damage, this room isn’t fit for anyone.”

  Releasing a deep sigh, Joshua straightened and stepped back into the room. “Which trunks are ready to move, Careen?”

  His tone of voice made her cringe. Could the others hear it as well? If so, they didn’t act like it. “They all are ready to move. I haven’t quite unpacked, and the clothes I have unpacked, I can take to the other room myself.”

  Joshua nodded, effortlessly lifted one of her trunks, and walked out and down the hall. She snatched her satchel and followed. With each step, irritation boiled inside her. What could she do to make him like her? Even though she tried to convince herself it didn’t matter, it did.

  In silence, she followed him up the hallway, turned and climbed another set of stairs, then down another long corridor. It still surprised her how large this house really was. Joshua led her past several doors and finally stopped at the last one. He opened it and strode in, setting her trunk in the center of the room before moving to open the curtains.

  As soon as she stepped inside, her heart sank. Now she understood why Joshua was so upset.

  * * * *

  Joshua grumbled under his breath. Why would his parents want her in Matthew’s room? True, she married his brother, but the man wasn’t yet in the grave! The pain…the memories…it was all too fresh for anyone – much less some mail-order bride – to be invading Matthew’s room. To Joshua’s knowledge, no one in the family had ventured into the room until this very moment. She should not be the first.

  He gazed about the pleasant clutter. Not a single thing out of place. Everything exactly as Matthew had left it. A combination of sadness and anger roiled in his gut. He grasped hold of the anger – an emotion much easier to deal with than grief. Anger gave him the strength to hold his head up and go through the motions of his day.

  He faced Careen, the source and subsequent target for his frustration. He opened his mouth to say…say… Well, to the devil if he could remember, but the moment he caught sight of her crestfallen face, words fizzled on his tongue. It was obvious Careen realized exactly w
here they were, and it was more obvious she had mixed feelings about it.

  Joshua shifted uncomfortably. He didn’t know what exactly he’d expected to feel when he confronted her… Satisfaction? Righteousness? But as his gaze wandered over Careen, he felt… bad.

  The rosy pink drained from her cheeks as she moved to the bed and ran trembling fingertips along the brown quilt. Her wide eyes wandered through the room, nostalgic and wistful, taking in Matthew’s essence, and Joshua acutely sensed she’d forgotten his presence altogether.

  Suddenly, he was the intruder in this room.

  He didn’t particularly enjoy the sensation. Restlessly, he shuffled, stared down at the floor, and finally strode toward the door. He’d fetch her other trunk and whatever else she’d left in the guest bedroom. That would give him a few moments to collect his thoughts and breathe.

  “Joshua,” Careen called softly.

  By the powers… He’d almost escaped! He momentarily contemplated continuing on his way, but ground to a halt in the end.

  “I’m…sorry,” she murmured, voice tight.

  Wordlessly, he turned back to face her, meeting her serious gaze.

  “You were right when you said I couldn’t possibly love your brother as much as you did. I didn’t know him that well, but in the time I did know him, I can honestly say I loved him,” she said the word simply as though offering up her part, but not in a way meant to be convincing or false. “I’m sorry you didn’t approve of Matthew marrying me, but he’d been my hero, and he always will be.” She gave a hard swallow, still maintaining direct eye contact. “I don’t want to feud with Matthew’s brother. I want to honor all he did for me, and I want to know the people who raised such a kind and giving man.”

  Joshua stood before her at a total loss. Words…emotions…tender moments…he’d never been good at any of those things, and the longer Careen stared at him with those huge, pleading eyes, the more helplessness grew inside him.

  He averted his gaze, knowing he should say something. But what? He’d despised Careen from the moment he’d learned his brother would marry, because Joshua knew the folly of marriage to a stranger all too well. The prospect of Matthew being sucked into a similar trap – of binding himself to a woman like Joshua’s own wife – had left him physically sick.