This time, instead of carrying firewood, his hands were propped at his waist. How had she not heard him enter? Her stomach tightened. There was something about Jericho Coulter that made her uneasy, something she couldn't quite put her finger on. He seemed like a decent man, but he was…mysterious.
"Morning, big brother." Jude broke the awkward silence. "You're just in time to eat. Fill a plate and come sit down."
Jericho flicked his gaze toward the cookstove. "Need to head out." His focus moved back to the table, scanning from one end to the other.
Then without another word, he turned and strode to the cookstove. He scooped up food in both hands, then turned and headed to the door. "Sean, you're riding with me to the cattle today. Get a move on."
As he disappeared outside, the boy shoveled in the last of his Johnnycake and scooted his chair back. "Thank you." Except with his mouth full, it sounded like "Ain u."
Jude and Miles also rose, and she accepted their thanks with a nod. Both men carried their plates to the work counter, leaving her and Lillian alone with the remainder of their meals.
She worked up a smile for the girl.
Expectations. She needed to adjust her expectations for how much she could civilize these men. Especially in one week. Now that she knew what they were accustomed to, she could work on one thing at a time.
As soon as she fed Naomi and Jonah and changed his bandage, she and Lillian would set to cleaning. That one thing would make a significant difference in the place.
Surely.
* * *
This was a sight he would never tire of.
As Pinto picked his way down the slope, Jericho stared out at the cattle grazing in the valley below. Peaks rose up beyond the animals, and the morning sun cast pink and orange hues across the sky. His chest swelled, and he breathed in a crisp breath.
The mares and foals must have moved to the other end of the valley where he couldn't see them yet. He scanned the cattle, doing his mental count of cows and calves. Twelve mamas and ten babies, plus the bull. They'd had thirteen calves born that spring, but the set of twins didn't make it, and another calf was brought down by wolves.
He glanced at the trees beyond the clearing. Thankfully, they'd not heard any howling recently.
He'd rest easier, though, once they added a donkey to the herd. He'd asked Two Stones to find one for him. Surely a trapper or miner would have an animal he'd be eager to sell for the amount of gold Jericho had sent with Two Stones.
But his Salish friend hadn't returned yet. Maybe Jericho should head to Missoula Mills this week and find a donkey himself.
Except he couldn't leave the ranch with women here. And Jonah was injured. The trip would take a solid two days. Longer if he couldn't find a donkey the first night he arrived.
He'd have to rely on Two Stones.
When they reached the valley floor, Sean pushed his horse into a lope, leaving Jericho behind. Thankfully, he remembered to give the cattle a wide berth so he didn't spook and scatter them. The lad was eager to reach his colt, no doubt. Assigning that boy a foal had been the best thing for him. If only Jericho could find a way to reach Lillian too.
He'd tried to get her to pick one of the horses to work with. Or even a calf. But she didn't seem to care about the animals at all. Nor did she do work around the house like cooking or sewing. She did what she was told and nothing more.
This mail-order bride advertisement was a whole new debacle. Would more women come riding up the creek, thinking God had told them they werethe one?
His belly tightened. What a preposterous way to request a response. The whole thing was an infuriating mess. Lucy clearly hadn't been as involved with the children's activities as she should have been. The stories they'd told of the miners they considered friends…
Yet he couldn't be angry with his dead sister. She'd made a string of poor choices, but she must have been doing the best she could by the end.
If only she had let him help more.
An angry screech sounded from the sky, somewhere in the distance.
Jericho jerked his focus upward, searching for the bird. He couldn't see Crowley yet, but that was definitely their unique guardian sounding his warning call. And probably coming from the creek that led to the Mullan Road. That was the way everyone approached the ranch. Unfortunately, it was far too close to the mine.
He spun back to where his nephew had disappeared around the curve in the valley. "Sean."
"Yeah?" the boy called back.
"Stay here while I see what Crowley's found. Don't work with the horses until I come back. All right?"
