Page 4 of A Family With the Cowboy

With that stubborn pure Weston look, Luke glared at him. “My teacher says books are the most important thing in the world. They take you to places you can never otherwise go and I—”

“Your teacher?” Remembering Mrs. Denton, Hayden frowned. She was married to a rancher, so she should know how important ranch work was.

“Yes, she reads to us every day. It’s my favorite thing.” Just for a moment, something of the joy that had always been in his son’s eyes shone through, but then his shoulders dropped and he looked miserable again.

Hayden sighed. There was no getting through to the boy. “You remember what I always tell you about ranching?”

Luke nodded. “We are stewards of the land. It’s our ’sponsibility.”

“Exactly. And everyone must do their bit.”

“Yes, Dad,” he muttered, as he climbed down the stairs.

Hayden rubbed his face. Well, tomorrow first thing, he was going to see Mrs. Denton. He couldn’t remember her ever reading to them all those years ago, but maybe things had changed.

Muttering, he walked toward the homestead. He didn’t have time to go into town once, let alone twice in one day. Yes, it was winter and things were slower, but there was still a lot of work. With temperatures dropping, the cattle needed more feed to maintain their body heat. Then there was the problem they were having with elks, one that nobody seemed to be able to find a solution to. On top of that, they had to deal with the influx of people wanting to buy previously family-owned ranches because they’d watched a damn television show. They had money, but no idea what ranching meant. His blood started boiling at the mere thought.

But before he could solve other problems, he had to talk to Mrs. Denton.

Chapter Two

Laura inhaled thecrisp, cold air as she got out of her car. It was already Tuesday, her second week in Marietta, and she was excited to start the new day.

After only a week in town she’d met Carol Bingley, the town gossip, at the pharmacy and she’d heard about Carol’s friend, Betty, who was the police dispatcher. Even though she’d been warned, she had been quite taken aback by the way Carol questioned her about every single aspect of her life. Fortunately, the pharmacy had been busy and she’d managed to escape without answering the nosy woman.

She’d also met Janice O’Sullivan last week at Annie’s when Annie and Craig had invited their whole family so that she could meet them.

As Maria had predicted, Janice immediately wanted to know whether she had a boyfriend. Shaking her head, Laura grabbed her bag and the basket full of books from her car. It had been lovely to meet Vivian, Annie’s sister, her husband, Aiden, and also Riley, who was married to Mitch, Annie’s brother. She was, though, steering clear of Janice, however charming the older woman looked.

She liked men, yes, but the few relationships she’d tried had left her wary and weary. Men were either overbearing or clingy, neither of which she found particularly endearing or sexy. Dating would be okay, but getting involved with a man? Not so much.

And at least she now knew a few more people in Marietta.

The moving van with her furniture would be arriving tonight, she’d been told. Although she’d enjoyed her stay with Annie, she couldn’t wait to be in her own place. She’d only seen a picture of the house she would be renting before she’d arrived in Marietta, but when she saw the beautiful house, a traditional rustic style in stone and reclaimed wood, it was love at first sight.

According to the realtor, the owners were looking to sell, so one of the first things she wanted to do when she had time was to go to the bank.

She wouldn’t be able to do much unpacking before the weekend, but hopefully she’d be able to get at least one bedroom ready during the coming week.

Over the past weekend she’d picked up the key to the house the real estate agent had left with one of the neighbors…Arlene, if she remembered correctly. The older woman was very nice and friendly and had invited her to contact her at any time if she needed any help. If she couldn’t help, Arlene said, one of her four children should be able to. She’d probably meet the rest of the family in time.

The key had made it possible to move most of the things she had with her to the house the previous evening. The electricity and water had also been turned on and the house was ready for her.

This morning she’d had her last fabulous breakfast with Annie. Being served a hot breakfast before she had to go to work was definitely something she was going to miss dearly.

Hitching her bag over her shoulder, Laura walked toward her classroom. It was still early. She had about an hour before her second graders arrived, but she loved to get everything ready before they turned up. They were discussing multiple-meaning words this week and she had made several posters she wanted to put up.

After taking off her coat, she tookThe Lorax, one of Dr. Seuss’s books, from the pile in her tote bag and left it on her desk. She’d just finished reading it to the kids. They’d enjoyed the story, and she hoped some of them would realize how important it was to protect their beautiful environment. And maybe a few would also understand something about the consequences of mass production from the story.

Luke Weston, one of the kids in her class, especially seemed to love the stories she’d been reading to them at the end of each day. He always listened so intently, she’d asked if he would like to borrow the books. It was the first time she’d seen him smile. She’d told him he could have this one, too, when she’d finished reading it to the class.

Meeting the kids’ parents was important to her and she’d sent out letters last week, inviting them to come and see her after school. Most parents had responded, but she hadn’t heard anything from Luke’s mom or dad.

There hadn’t yet been time to sit down and read everything about the kids in her class. She’d been frantically trying to catch up on the work that still had to be done. As she’d discovered since her arrival, Mrs. Denton hadn’t been feeling well since before Christmas and it was clear the poor woman hadn’t been able to do much with the kids.

Hopefully, she’d soon know everything there was to know about all the children. Maybe then she’d be able to figure out why Luke Weston looked so unhappy.

Humming, she rummaged through her basket, looking for the book she wanted to read to the class this week. Frowning, she emptied the basket, but the book wasn’t there. It had probably fallen out on her way to school.

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