Page 162 of Conveniently Wed
Gideon stopped chewing and his head came up. She couldn’t quite read the expression in his eyes, but it was guarded.
“Leading.”
This man was impossible.
She kept her voice pleasant. “Walking on the lead line? Is he learning quickly?”
“Some. He’s a stubborn colt, though.”
At last. She tried not to let the victory show on her face, but her heartbeat raced with delight. “Yes, I would imagine most little boys are stubborn, even the four-legged variety, but his eyes had an intelligent look.”
The shield in Gideon’s eyes lowered for a split second and she caught a sparkle before he replaced it. His only response was “Yep” as he reached to spoon a second helping of beef onto his plate.
Watching him enjoy the food made all the hard work worth the effort and weariness. He even pushed his empty dessert plate toward Miriam saying, “Pie was good. Prob’ly the best I’ve tasted.”
Miriam’s face took on a coy expression as she rose and scooped more of the sweet stuff from the pan on the back of the stove. “It was wonderful, wasn’t it? Leah made the pie.”
She missed Gideon’s response because she kept her face focused on the berries in her own plate. The best blackberry pie he’d tasted? Her cheeks were probably flaming.
It took her a few minutes to regain composure, but when Gideon mentioned that he was headed to the barn, she jerked her gaze up. He’d already stood and moved to the door.
“Gideon.” She stood and reached for her crutches. He was putting on his hat, but turned to face her. “Do you think I could follow along and learn how to milk the cow? Now that I can move around more, I’d like to help with more of the barn chores.” His stance was reluctant, so she used a tact that would surely work. “I know it would take some of the load off Miriam in the mornings.”
He hesitated for a moment, his gaze drifting down to her splinted leg. “As long as you do what you’re told.”
She grinned. “Agreed.”
He was patient as she hobbled across the uneven ground toward the barn. He ambled along beside her, picking at the stem of a weed and acting as if it always took him five minutes to walk from one building to the other.
Drifter, on the other hand, dashed toward their destination. When he’d almost reached the barn, he stopped and looked back as if to say,What’s taking you so long?He trotted back to them and began weaving back and forth behind them, making sure they made steady forward progress.
Leah smiled. “I’ll bet he’s good at keeping the cows in line.”
“Yep, he’s a big help when I move ‘em from one pasture to another. It used to drive him crazy that I wouldn’t keep my horse inside the herd with the cows.” He gave a short chuckle. “Now he’s mellowed out some.”
She’d never seen this side of Gideon. And she’d rarely heard him speak so many words in a full day, much less in one conversation. What else could she ask to keep him talking? “He seems like a great ranch dog. Where did you get him?”
Gideon tossed the stem he’d been picking at. “Found him when he was a puppy on another ranch near Butte. A good dog’s almost as good as an extra man, especially on a small ranch like ours.”
They reached the barn, and he held the door open for her. After they entered, he stepped forward and strode toward the huge mound of hay in the left corner. “I just need to fork hay to the outside horses, then I’ll bring in Bethany.”
True to his word, he returned soon with a spotted cow in tow. She wore a rope halter and plodded steadily, her heavy udder swinging with each step. On his way into the cow’s stall, Gideongrabbed a three-legged stool, then tied off the cow near the pile of hay and placed the stool next to her side.
Leah picked up the empty tin pail from beside the barn door and hobbled along after them. Gideon met her at the stall door and took the pail from her hand. “It’s probably best you watch for now. It would be hard to sit on the low stool with your leg splinted. If she starts to move around, you won’t be able to get back fast enough without getting hurt.”
Leah opened her mouth in protest, but swallowed the words before they made it out. She’d promised to obey orders. She closed her mouth, nodded, and moved to lean against the wall. She would watch for now, but couldn’t promise she’d be happy about it.
As Gideon settled into the rhythm of milking, it seemed her viewpoint really wasn’t so bad. She had the perfect angle to watch the muscles in his arms and shoulders flex as he moved. The thin cotton of his faded blue shirt hid little of his strength, sending a warm tingle in her midsection. Around him she felt…safe.
18
Ayawn stretched Leah’s jaw as she fastened the last button at her neck. It was nice to have her bed back in her private room, across the hall from Miriam’s. She could almost hear the coffee calling from the kitchen, and for once she wished she’d not requested to take over breakfast duties. It would be nice to walk into the kitchen and smell the coffee already brewing, ham sizzling on the stove, and buttermilk biscuits rising in the oven. Well, the least she could do was have all those good smells ready when Miriam and Gideon came in from their chores.
She reached for the crutch and thumped her way into the main room of the cabin. Her right arm was thankful she only needed a single crutch these days.
By the time she had the biscuits in the oven and her first pan of ham sizzling on the stove, Miriam fluttered through the front door.
“G’morning.” Miriam set the bucket of milk and a basket on the table. “I think one of the hens is setting now, so we’ll have some biddies in a few weeks.”
