Chapter Eleven
The well water clungstubbornly to its brown shade, no matter how many times Lara strained it through the cheesecloth. Well, it would have to do. What she’d give to wash dishes—or drink!—water that looked and tasted clean and fresh.
But for now, it was mud-tinged water with minuscule pieces of dirt. As she scrubbed the breakfast dishes with it, she felt Josie’s eyes on her.
Her cousin sat at the kitchen table, the hem she was fighting on a gown for the baby forgotten in front of her as Noel whined for attention. Lara smiled at her as she dried her hands. “You ought to ask Belle to do that. She could have that hemmed in half the time that you or I could.”
Josie scowled at the tiny gown. She reached down and scratched Noel behind the ears. “Isabel already offered, but I insisted I should do it myself.”
“You ought to let her. I’m certain she’s grown exceedingly bored just sitting there and healing.” Lara set the towel down and pulled out the chair next to Josie.
“I wish I’d kept Hannah and Dot’s baby clothing.” Josie ran a finger over the cloth.
“Well, then you wouldn’t have had room for Belle and me.” Lara smiled at her cousin. This baby was a surprise, coming years after Dot, and years after Josie and Arlen had assumed there would be no more babies.
“I’m sorry your time here hasn’t been what you’d hoped.” Josie folded her hands over her stomach and eyed Lara.
Lara knew that look. There was more meaning to Josie’s words than she’d let on. “It’s been perfectly good. You know that,” she said carefully as she mentally ran through how she could be in trouble. She hadn’t asked any questions that were too nosy today, hadn’t rifled through the mail that Arlen had brought home yesterday, and hadn’t even taken the catalog Belle had brought home from town before anyone else could read it. “Is this about the man who grabbed me yesterday? Because I’m fine, Josie. I promise that I am.”
“I know. You’re a strong woman,” Josie said. “It isn’t that. Well, perhaps a little . . .” She shook her head. “I’m sorry. It isn’t like me not to be direct. You came here to find a good man to marry, and I know that hasn’t gone as planned. I just want you to know that I see the way you look at Mr. King—and how he watches you.”
Lara caught her breath. Belle wouldn’t have gone against her word, but Lara should have known that Josie would catch on. If she wanted to let Mitchell go—
“And I think it could be good for you both. I haven’t said anything to the men yet. Goodness knows they’d chase him off the ranch without so much as asking for an explanation. I’ll speak to them if it becomes necessary. In the meantime, I trust you to keep your head about you.”
Lara nodded, not daring to speak.
“He’s a man with sorrow in his past, Lara. I can see that in his eyes. So however this goes, be gentle with him.” Josie pushed herself up to standing and gathered the gown.
Lara rose to provide support to her cousin, but Josie waved her off.
Isabel’s laugh sounded from the girls’ bedroom, followed immediately by George’s. Lara raised her eyebrows as she looked at Josie.
“I may as well go take Isabel up on her offer.” Josie gave Lara a mischievous grin. “After all, we can’t expect George to entertain her all the time. And then I’d better lie down before I hear from Arlen about how I’m not letting myself get enough rest. You’d think sleeping all night would be enough, but not according to him.” She shook her head. “The girls took Joseph and the other two dogs out to watch the water drill. Would you mind checking in on them? I think Joseph and Dot together might be too much for Hannah sometimes.”
Lara promised she would. She made quick work of the rest of the dishes and left the water to use again later in the day. When George scurried out of Isabel’s room, he nodded to her, not stopping to answer the questions she was dying to ask of him as he escaped out the front door. Lara smiled at herself.
Outside, the sun promised another rainless day as Mr. Chapman and Mr. Young prepared to put the drill into motion again. The children sat quietly nearby, and Lara caught snippets of a story Hannah was telling that seemed to have both Dot and Joseph enraptured.
Out here, with the wind gently blowing through the trees and the voices of children, Lara felt Mitchell was right. Nothing could hurt her—or any of them here. That man on the road was a strange occurrence. Nothing that would happen again.
But still, she ran her hands over her arms when she thought of the way he’d pressed his hand over her mouth when she screamed. She’d never forget how his lank hair hung in his pale eyes, or how he’d growled at her to come with him.
She didn’t know what he wanted with her, and she didn’t care to think on it too long. It was best left alone. Nothing had happened. And she was fine.
Lara busied herself for the remainder of the morning, checking in on Josie and Isabel, penning a letter home to Mama and Papa with Belle, and ensuring the children stayed out of trouble.
Lunch was a quick affair, with Josie dutifully staying in bed and the men hard at work repairing the barn. Belle and Lara wrapped up bread and cheese and beef, and Lara set out to deliver it to the men.
But when she reached the barn, only Mitchell was there, fitting a new board into place where an old one had split and fallen loose.
“Are you hungry?” She held out one of the meals wrapped in brown paper.
He pulled off his gloves and climbed down from the ladder he’d stood upon. “Starving.”
