Page 102 of The Enchanted Land

The meal was delicious, as Gordon had promised. Martin served the meal expertly. Gordon raised a glass of chilled champagne to Morgan. “To your new home. To the hope that you find peace and happiness here and that you stay … forever.”

She smiled back at him. “I hope you’re right.”

By the time the meal was finished, Morgan felt her body drooping. Gordon put his arm around her and led her upstairs to her room. The room was feminine, a white lace bedspread on the bed. The covers were turned down to expose lace-edged pillows. Her nightgown was spread ready for her. Gordon left her and she quickly undressed and was asleep.

Gordon paused outside her door. “I love you, Morgan,” he whispered.

Morgan awoke to the sounds of Adam’s squeals of laughter outside her door. Hastily, she donned her dressing gown and went to investigate. Adam was perched on Martin’s shoulders, gleefully banging him on the head with a wooden horse, screaming, “Eat. Eat.”

Gordon followed closely behind Martin. “Morgan, we woke you. I’m sorry, but Adam was rather disturbed at waking and finding himself in a strange place.”

Morgan smiled up at her energetic son. “Thank you for caring for Adam, Martin.” She held up her arms and Adam tumbled into them, his weight nearly unbalancing her. Martin continued downstairs, rubbing his head.

“Now, where is this monster’s room?” She smiled affectionately at her son as he grinned up at her, showing two large dimples. “You know, I have a feeling he is going to be even more spoiled here than he was on the Colter ranch.”

Gordon smiled at her as he led her into Adam’s room. As she began to dress Adam, she looked around the room. It was filled with toys and pictures of children. When he was dressed, Gordon helped the child onto a large rocking horse.

Morgan went to investigate the pictures—they were all of one little girl. She looked questioningly at Gordon.

“Don’t you recognize her?”

“They’re … that’s me, isn’t it?”

“Every one of them. These were your toys. When my father and Uncle Charley built the house, he had the pictures put into the room. It’s been more or less a shrine. Your father spent hours in here. Sometimes, after a letter arrived, he’d lock himself in here for an entire day. I’m glad there’ll be a little more life in here now.”

Morgan laughed. “With Adam, you don’t have to worry about any place being dull—or quiet. Adam!” She tried to be heard over his shouts of happiness about the rocking horse. “Let’s go eat breakfast.” Adam stopped rocking immediately and quietly climbed off the horse. Seeing Gordon’s puzzled stare, Morgan explained: “Eat. That’s a magic word with Adam.”

Gordon took Adam to breakfast. Morgan dressed in a sturdy cotton gown, one that fit perfectly and accented her curves. Then she joined them. Both Adam and Morgan ate heartily of the food Roselle prepared.

After breakfast, Roselle asked to keep Adam in the kitchen with her. Morgan consented, and while Gordon attended to the business of the ranch, she explored the house and gardens.

At lunch, Martin watched Adam constantly, and anticipated his every need. Morgan sighed, knowing that all the attention was not good for her impressionable son. When Adam began rubbing his eyes, Morgan took him to his room for his afternoon nap.

Gordon returned to the house and asked Morgan to go riding with him, to see some of the ranch. They rode along the little river and Morgan found an ideal place for picnics under a grove of cottonwoods. When she dismounted the mare Gordon had given her, she tripped and grabbed at her saddle to catch herself.

Gordon caught her in his arms, holding her close to him. “I’m sure that this will be the highlight of my day.”

“Oh, Gordon,” she laughed, as she stepped away, “you’re always teasing, just like…” She left her sentence unfinished.

Gordon’s eyes were serious. “Believe me, Morgan, I am totally serious.” She turned away to hide the consternation that flooded her face. She wasn’t ready yet. Seth was too real to her. When his memory faded, then she’d be able to look at another man.

The candlelight dinner, alone with Gordon, was pleasant and Morgan relaxed with him. “To my beautiful little foster cousin, who changed into an even more beautiful woman,” he lifted his glass to her.

Early the next morning, she heard Adam in the hallway. She opened her bedroom door and her small son found his mother’s room. She crawled back into bed, watching him wander about the room, looking at rugs, touching jars on Morgan’s dressing table, and knocking on the door that connected Morgan’s bedroom to another room.

“There’s no one there, Adam.” Morgan rolled over and found herself looking into Gordon’s amused eyes. He was standing in her open doorway. “It used to be your grandpa’s room, but now it’s empty.”

Morgan moved down in the bed, bringing the sheets to her shoulders.

“Do you mind if I take Adam with me today? I’d like to show him the ranch and show him to the men.”

Morgan sat up, the covers falling away. Gordon was like an older brother. It was difficult to think of him in any other way, in spite of his protestations to the contrary. “Gordon, you don’t want to take Adam. You don’t know what he’s like. There are times when he’s more than I can handle. You’ll never get any work done.”

“Leave him to me. If it’s all right with you, I’ll take him.”

Gordon stepped out of the room and returned with a little sombrero. It had a beaded band on it. “I bought this in Santa Fe. I think it’ll fit.” Adam loved the hat, jumping up and down at the sight of himself in his mother’s mirror, the long nightshirt flying and looking very incongruous with the hat.

“Are you sure you’re ready to handle that all day?” Morgan laughed.

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