Page 26 of The Rancher's Wedding

In the meantime, he went and grabbed the shovel and tossed it in the wheelbarrow, which he rolled over to Estelle.

“Now that you’ve gained her trust,” Michael said, “we can start our job.”

“Oh my,” Estelle said. “Do we have to fill that whole thing?”

Michael couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes, ma’am. Several times over. Horses produce a good deal of manure.” He saw her face drop. “And it’s a good thing, because the crops wouldn’t grow without it.”

He handed her the shovel and opened the stable door, leading Buttercup out so that Estelle could fit inside.

“What do I do?” Estelle asked.

“It’s simple,” Michael said. “Shovel the manure into the wheelbarrow until it’s full. Really, there’s no way to do it wrong. Just try to avoid getting any of it on you.”

With hesitance, Estelle gripped the shovel as far from the spade as possible, then stuck it deep in a pile of the horse’s waste, lifted it up, and, shaking, brought it to the wheelbarrow and dumped it in.

“May I suggest something?” Michael asked.

“Uh-huh,” Estelle said, keeping her face as far from the pile as possible.

“Grip the shovel lower down. It’ll give you better leverage. You’ll be able to go faster and won’t get as tired.”

“Lower?” Estelle asked. “Closer to the…?”

“That’s right.”

She inched her way down the shaft and stuck the shovel in, able to lift more this time, then dumped it into the wheelbarrow. Her form was markedly improved, the shovel’s movement much more stable.

“You’ve got it!” Michael said.

Estelle put down the shovel and ran out of the stables toward the fresh air. Michael went outside with her, holding Buttercup by her reins.

Estelle had taken off her handkerchief and bent over, coughing into the dust as Michael approached her.

“We can move on to something else,” he offered.

Estelle looked at him, her expression blank. She let him sit for a few seconds with the sound of her catching her breath after her coughing fit.

“No,” she said. “I don’t want your pity, and I don’t want you to treat me as a delicate flower. I’m here to work and that means doing all the jobs, even those that are less than glamorous. Allow me a minute or so in the fresh air and I’ll go back in there and finish the job, even if it takes me all day.”

Michael couldn’t believe it. This woman was full of surprises.

***

That night, something remarkable happened: At Estelle’s request, Jacob joined Michael and Estelle for dinner.

At first, it had bothered Michael that Estelle was spending nearly every evening with his brother, but he quickly made peace with the idea when he realized what was really going on. Estelle was working on bringing Jacob out of his shell and, in the process, mending the relationship between the two brothers.

And, while the conversation between the three of them was uncomfortable and mostly filled with silence, the action of Jacob even being there spoke more than words ever could.

It wasn’t until the end of the meal that Jacob said anything more than a mumble. He turned toward Estelle, handing her his dish, and said, “Thank you. It was delicious.” And then, he turned toward Michael and said, “G’night, you two,” before ascending to his cabin.

It hit Michael so hard he didn’t get a chance to respond. When he finally realized what was going on, he leapt out of the kitchen and shouted after his brother, “Goodnight, Jacob!”

Jacob, without turning around or stopping, waved his hand in acknowledgment. If the moon hadn’t been full, Michael may not have even been able to see it.

He walked back inside and helped Estelle in cleaning up the kitchen.

“That was… a bit uncomfortable,” she said.

---