Page 30 of Heart of Stone

“Priss knew about your mama,” Luke reminded him. “She left the ranch to you anyway. She wantedyouto have it, and you’re doin’ good. You shouldn’t give it up just because some fools judge you for who begot you. They ain’t worth it, and there’s plenty of reasonable folks who’ll be glad to do business with you.”

He could feel the weight of Stone’s gaze on him. “I don’t know. Maybe, but maybe not. Maybe Priss chose the wrong man. She should’ve given the ranch to you.”

“I ain’t her kin.” Luke waved the thought away dismissively. “I got no claim to it, and I don’t want none. I know what I’m good at, and that’s bein’ the foreman. I ain’t got no desire to be the man in charge.”

Stone was silent for a long moment, as though weighing Luke’s words. “But you were her friend. That gives you a better claim than a stranger, blood kin or not.” Stone raked his hand through his hair. “You know what bugs me, though? Why now? I’ve been here almost six months, and ain’t no one said a word about my folks. So far as I know, the only person who knows about my ma is you.”

“Well, I reckon some folks have guessed,” Luke pointed out. “You don’t look all that white. But itisright odd that no one’s said anything about it before.”

“I’m startin’ to feel right put upon.” Stone grimaced and straightened his shoulders. “But I suppose there’s nothin’ to do for it except go back in there and keep my chin up. People’ll just talk more if I run off with my tail between my legs.”

“You’re right about that,” Luke acknowledged, nodding somberly. It might not be easy, but at least if Stone returned to the dance with his head held high, he would show everyone that he had nothing to hide or be ashamed of. “I’ll stay close by, if you want me to.”

Stone gave him a rather lopsided smile. “I’d be mighty grateful if you did. And thank you, for defendin’ me. Ain’t nobody ever stood up for me like that before.”

Luke shrugged awkwardly and looked away; he hadn’t thought twice before confronting Nelson, and he hoped he hadn’t given away more than he ought to about how he felt. “No need to thank me for doin’ what’s right. You don’t deserve that kind of disrespect, and I ain’t goin’ to listen to it if it comes from the president’s own mouth.”

“Well, I do appreciate it anyway,” Stone replied. “Come on, let’s get back inside.” He headed back toward the building with grim determination. No doubt Stone wasn’t going to enjoy the rest of the evening one bit, but having the toughness to stick it out was going to earn him respect from some people.

CHAPTER19

“That’ll be twelve dollars and fifty six cents, Mr. Harrison. You want me to put it on the ranch account?”

“I’d be obliged if you did, Mr. Stephens.” Stone nodded to the store keeper as he picked up two twenty-five pound sacks of flour from the counter, hefting them into his arms and giving a slight grimace. It had been nearly three weeks since Raider had thrown him, but he still got a twinge from time to time.

“You want me to take that, Stone?” Little Sam was looking at him a bit anxiously, but Stone shook his head.

“You get those bags of beans and potatoes and the spices Mary wanted.” He jerked his chin toward Mr. Stephens and headed out the door. The buckboard was tethered in front of Stephen’s Mercantile, and Stone put the flour sacks in the back, glad that the chore of shopping was nearly finished and that he and Little Sam could head back to the ranch.

Pushing his hat back on his head, he glanced down Serenity’s Main Street as Little Sam loaded up the rest of the supplies. One or two people pointedly ignored him as they passed by, but everyone else nodded to him politely. Despite his worries the night of the Spring Festival, only a few of the townsfolk seemed to find him socially unacceptable, and none of those were people he particularly liked anyway. They could snub him in church or in the street, but when it came right down to it, Stone realized he’d found more acceptance in Serenity than he’d ever imagined possible. Most folk didn’t seem to care who his mother had been; Priss had wanted him to have the ranch, and he was running it in a way she would have approved of, so that was good enough for them.

“That’s the last of it.” Little Sam grinned as he shut the gate on the back of the wagon. “We’ll be home in time for supper.”

“Always thinkin’ about your stomach.” Stone hauled himself up onto the seat and took the reins. Once Little Sam was seated next to him, Stone clucked to the horses and started them off on the journey home.

Little Sam pulled out piece of taffy wrapped in wax paper from his pocket, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth. Stone shook his head, and Little Sam chuckled, settling back on the seat and happily chewing his sweet.

Stone turned his attention to the road, although there really wasn’t much to see once they got out of town except for grass and the mountains they were headed towards. The horses knew the way, so Stone found himself thinking, as he often did, about Luke.

Luke’s defense of him in front of the whole town surprised him, and while he’d secretly been touched and pleased by it, he’d also been worried that anyone with two eyes in their head would see what was between him and Luke. After Luke had accused him of acting like a protective lover, the last thing Stone had expected was for Luke to turn around and do the same thing in front of the entire town.

Then the next day, he’d overheard Luke dressing down one of the hands. He hadn’t heard what the man had said, but he arrived at the stables just in time to catch Luke’s raised voice. "You'll do your job with a smile on your lips and a 'yes sir' on your tongue for him, or you'll be lookin' work somewhere else,” Luke had snapped at a hand named Hendry, a new man who’d only been at the ranch for a few months. Hendry had glared at Luke, but apparently he’d thought holding his tongue was easier than finding a new job, and Stone had slipped away before either of them knew he’d been there. Yet he’d had to wonder if tongues would be wagging in the bunkhouse that night, as the hands speculated on why their foreman seemed so determined to defend their boss, no matter what.

Fortunately, it seemed what Stone had revealed about his parents had generated far more talk than what Luke had said in his defense, so their secret was still safe, at least for now. He was relieved about that, although there was a small part of him that wondered what would have happened if everything had come out. If they’d been run out of town, could they actually be together, or would Luke end up hating him? For all that Luke protested that Copper Lake was just a place and not his home, he cared for every aspect of it as if it was his own, and he took pride its prosperity. The laws of society meant nothing compared to what a man felt like he owned in his heart.

Thoughts of Luke continued to occupy him until they arrived back at the ranch. As he pulled up, Little Sam jumped down and began unloading the supplies, and Stone left him to it, deciding to head to the stable to check on Raider. He’d not been up on the big stallion since he’d been thrown, and he decided it was past time to get back in the saddle. He hadn’t been leery of riding again; he’d just had an overprotective nanny named Luke who raised a fuss every time he mentioned it, claiming it was too soon and he risked hurting himself worse if Raider threw him again.

He entered the cool, dim stable and headed toward Raider’s stall. Raider was glad to see him, and Stone stroked his nose fondly. “‘Least there ain’t nothin’ complicated about you, is there?” he asked, and Raider snorted and nudged Stone in an obvious demand for a treat.

A few minutes later, Luke marched into the stables wearing a thunderous expression. He headed to Mist’s stall, not seeming to notice Stone at first, but when he did, he attempted to erase the signs of anger on his face, although not very successfully.

“Get everything you needed in town?” he asked, sounding more casual than he looked.

Stone raised a brow and crossed his arms over his chest. “Yeah, but I’m thinkin’ that whatever you got goin’ on here is a lot more interestin’. What happened?”

For a moment, Luke tried a ‘who, me?’ look, but then he grimaced, as if he realized he wouldn’t be let off the hook so easily. “I heard some of the hands talkin’ about this place bein’ cursed. They couldn’t even keep the story straight. One minute, Priss has come back to haunt the place because she don’t like how it’s bein’ run now, and the next, you cast some kind of Indian curse on it because you hate white men.”

“What?” Stone stared, wondering if Luke was joking, but the expression on his face told Stone he was serious. “Why in the hell would they think such a thing? Has somebody been seein’ ghosts?”

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