Chapter Seventeen
Satisfaction roiled through Garrett’s veins as he worked the calf free from its restraints.
The little thing let out a low bellow as it got back up to its feet, and clomped awkwardly but quickly over the fence that separated it from its mother.
Garrett wiped the sweat from his brow with his camel brown suede glove and walked over to let the baby back into the pen with its mother; ignoring the way the old injury in his left shoulder was starting to twinge in pain.
He’d breathe through it, just like he always had.
“There you go, you’re fine. See?” He said, patting the calf on its rump as it loped over toward one of the big Texas Longhorns.
As he looked over his herd, he felt a moment of hope.
Dean had brought over his bull, as promised, and the beast was currently in the far east field with Garrett’s other, larger herd of heifers, hopefully doing what bulls do best when left alone with their female counterparts.
With luck, in another nine to nine and a half months, he would have a fresh new herd to make up for the one he would be sending to the slaughterhouse, and soon, steady money would be able to come in.
He could then expand the corn crop and save money on buying feed and hire a few more hands to deal with the farming and herding. Maybe even by then the whole mess with the deed would be solved too, and he, Hannah, and her siblings would finally be able to live in the land of milk and honey.
For a moment he let himself daydream about it.
About the time he’d be able to spend with Hannah.
About the smiles she would give him. About the talks they could have and the jokes they could share.
How they could maybe even sit on the porch after a great, large meal neither of them had to feel stressed about, and watch the children play.
Maybe… maybe even they would have a child of their own by then.
The conflict between his friend and his wife would be over, too.
No more swipes at Hannah, no more hurt feelings.
Just love and acceptance of one another.
Maybe Hannah and Grace could be as close as sisters.
Maybe Grace would get the chance to marry a man that she actually loved, and who in return truly loved her as well and not see her as just some pawn for financial or social gain.
“God please make it so,” he whispered aloud.
Around him, he heard the voices and friendly chatter of the other cowhands as they finished up with their calves as well and he pulled himself out of the daydream.
The strenuous work on his ranch was nearly done, but now, there was another task at hand.
As a thank you to Dean for lending a hand, they would soon be riding over to his ranch next to brand and castrate his herd of calves.
A much bigger feat since Dean had so many more, but it was a task he was happy to help with.
Still, despite feeling satisfied with the work that was being done, Garrett frowned as he jerked off his gloves and walked to the water bucket.
He was thankful that Dean and Grace had still agreed to come help him with the calves- but the way they’d poked fun at Hannah didn’t sit right with him.
He knew with one glance at her face that she’d been embarrassed by the porridge story.
She was trying hard. Not only to be a good wife to him and a big sister to her siblings, but she was also trying to acclimate to life on the ranch.
It couldn’t be easy on her, and his friends had clearly made her feel like she was failing at all of it.
“What do you look somber for?” Dean asked, clapping Garrett on the back. “We got good work done today.”
“Yeah,” Garrett agreed, “Yeah, we did. But did you and Grace have to tease Hannah like that?”
Dean clucked his tongue and rolled his eyes.
“This again?” Dean asked. “Come on, you know how we ranchers are. We poke fun at everyone! She’s got to learn to thicken her skin if she wants to survive out here like the rest of us.”
Garrett shook his head in disappointment.
He didn’t want Hannah to become like the rest of them.
That’s why he chose her. While everyone in Twin Rivers had a rough and callous side, even most of the women, Hannah was all soft and gentle.
Even after her troubling childhood, she still wasn’t afraid to be kind. He admired that about her.
“Oh, speak of the Devil,” Dean muttered, nodding toward the house. “Here comes your missus now. Oh, and look, it seems like she’s bringing you a little treat! Isn’t she just as sweet as sugar? I guess I’ll grab Grace and take her back to my ranch. Don’t want her majesty to get upset again.”
“Dean!” Garrett snarled, but Dean only threw his head back and laughed as he walked over to Grace.
Garrett shook his head, disappointed, and walked toward Hannah.
“Hannah, these look great. Thank you—”
He stopped talking as Hannah shoved the basket of muffins hard into his chest. He backpedaled with an ‘oomph’, and looked up at her, shocked.
“I thought you and the others would be hungry,” she said stiffly, nodding toward the basket in his arms as she crossed her own.
“We are,” he said, glancing from the basket to her, “This was really nice of you. I’m sure we’ll all enjoy them.”
“Yeah, well. I was going to make coffee for everyone too, but I thought a hot drink on a hot day wouldn’t make much sense, and it’s not as if we have enough to make sure everyone got a cup anyway,” she answered in that same stiff tone.
Garrett frowned, ashamed and aware that there wasn’t all that much in their pantry.
“Listen, we’re about to head over to Dean’s ranch to take care of his calves next. His herd is much larger, so he’s going to pay me a little for the help.”
“Good,” Hannah replied, pulling a piece of paper from her apron, “Because we need to visit the grocer and get a few things.”
She held out the list at arm’s length, as if she didn’t want to risk getting close to him.
Garrett’s heart sank as he shifted the basket of muffins to one arm and reached for the list. Last night it seemed as if they were finally getting closer, now, though, it was as if she couldn’t get far enough away.
Disappointed about how their relationship seemed to be rife with so few ups and so many downs, Garrett instead pulled his focus to the list and paled at how long it was.
He’d severely underestimated how expensive it was going to be to feed the six new members of his family, and the list was a glaring reminder of how little money he had.
What was more was that he understood the necessity of most of it.
The chickens he’d butchered were now gone, and the pig he’d slaughtered had been small and young because the others were still of breeding stock.
It would provide them with fresh meat for maybe two more days, and then that would be gone too.
The new chickens he’d purchased were laying at least, but he’d only been able to afford half a dozen, and there were so many mouths to feed that they ran out by the end of each day. He hadn’t looked in the pantry lately, but judging by how long the list was, he imagined that it was all but bare.
“I… you’re sure we need all of this?” He asked, glancing up at her.
Hannah looked at him suspiciously.
“Is there a reason you would be worried about that?” She asked, taking a step closer to him.
“Are you… is there something you’re not telling me, Garrett?” She asked in a quieter tone.
Garrett quickly shook his head as his blood ran cold. He didn’t want her to know how much he was struggling. Not while they were all still finding their way.
“No,” he lied, “I was just curious.”
“Well, I certainly can’t feed you porridge again,” Hannah coldly replied, “Or anything else you might try to secretly throw away. I need better food to cook so I can cook you proper meals. I don’t want your friends thinking I’m not doing my part.”
Garrett winced at the multiple barbs she’d just thrown at him. Not that he didn’t deserve it. It was clear he hadn’t done enough to defend her efforts, and she had every right to be mad.
“I have to help Dean today,” he said, handing the list back to her, “But I have a line of credit at the grocer. You can take the buggy into town and do the shopping. Just tell the clerk who it’s for and you shouldn’t have any problems.”
Hannah’s gaze fell to the ground, her stiff shoulders sagging as she bowed her head.
“You don’t have to go alone,” he quickly offered, “I’m sure the children would love the ride, and it’s impossible to get lost. All you have to do is take a left on the road at the end of the drive, and it’ll take you straight into town.”
“It’s not that,” Hannah answered, her tone quiet, “I don’t… I don’t know how to drive a buggy. Or a wagon. I don’t even know how to ride a horse. We walked everywhere in Michigan. We lived in town and never had to learn how to do any of those things.”
Garrett’s heart sank into his stomach. He hadn’t even realized that would be an issue, but of course Hannah needed to be taught how to do those things. Many things, in fact, that he hadn’t made time for.
He took a tentative step toward her, and when she didn’t move away, he reached out and gently lifted her chin until she met his eyes. He hated how insecure she looked. What was more, he hated that he was the reason why she looked so downtrodden.
“First thing tomorrow morning, I’ll teach you how to rig up and drive the buggy,” he promised.
Hannah’s brows furrowed.
“But your chores—”
“My chores can wait,” he gently interrupted, “This is more important.”
Finally, Hannah smiled. It was small, and still hinted at the sadness she felt, but it was still a smile.
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
“Of course,” he replied, giving her chin a gentle squeeze before letting go. “For tonight, I’ll have supper with the other ranch hands in Dean’s bunkhouse. Is there enough in the pantry to feed your brothers and sisters?”
“We have a good bit of pork left,” Hannah said with a nod, “And a couple jars of dried corn. Amanda wrote down her recipe for hominy. I think I can figure it out.”
Garrett nodded. Hominy was only one step above porridge in his opinion, but it wasn’t as if he was going to be there to suffer through it.
“Things will get easier for us, Hannah,” he said, doing his best to sound optimistic despite his rising doubts.
“And I am so, so sorry for the way Dean and Grace teased you this morning. I talked to them about it, and it’s not going to happen again.
You don’t deserve to feel hurt. I know how hard you’re trying to make things work around here. ”
Hannah swallowed, but said nothing as she simply nodded.
“Garrett, come on! We gotta go!” Dean hollered. “Hand out those muffins and get on the saddle, we’re losin’ daylight!”
Garrett grimaced. It always seemed like they were running out of time, but he’d been a fool to think the clock would slow down just because he got married.
“Don’t wait up for me, alright?” He gently insisted, taking a step back, “You deserve your rest, too.”
“Sure,” Hannah said softly.
Even though he knew he had to keep moving, Garrett hesitated for another moment, wishing there was something he could do or say to lift Hannah’s spirits.
“Hannah,” he sighed, “I—”
“Go,” she whispered, turning her back to him. Over her shoulder she called, “Your friends are waiting. We’ll be fine here.”
Garrett sucked his teeth and ground his jaw, frustrated that they were once again parting on tense terms. Still, Hannah was right, and if he didn’t hurry up, he knew Dean and Grace would no doubt do something to cause another scene.
Feeling as if he had no choice, he walked away, handed out the muffins to other ranch hands, and then saddled his horse.
“She gonna be alright?” Dean asked as he rode his horse up to Garrett’s.
“Not now, Dean, I’m beggin’ ya,” Garrett pled as he swung up onto his own horse. “Let’s just get this work done, alright? Like you said, we’re losing daylight.”
Dean’s smirk dropped into a frown as he swung up onto his horse.
“I was asking sincerely,” Dean replied, “You were right. Grace and I took our teasing a little too far.”
In his saddle, Garrett relaxed and sent up a silent thanks to God.
“Thank you, brother, for saying that,” he said with relief.
“Yeah, well,” Dean said, looking over to the now empty basket that had carried the muffins, “It’s obvious that she’s trying to help.”
“She really is,” Garrett earnestly replied, grateful that Dean could not only see the truth, but that his distrust for Hannah was starting to fade.
Dean nodded as he wrapped his reins around his knuckles.
“Well, I apologize,” he said, “And I’ll make sure Grace apologizes too.”
Garrett shook his head as his gaze found Grace.
“Let her make her own apology in her own time,” Garrett insisted.
Dean chortled.
“You think she will?”
“I do,” Garrett answered, turning his gaze to Dean with a small smile, “She’s a good person. Just like you.”
Dean rolled his eyes even as his smile widened.
“Alright, you big softie,” he chuckled, “This heart-to-heart is over. Come on, let’s get back to work.”
Garrett chuckled, relieved that despite everything that happened, their friendship was healing, and sent his horse into a gallop as Dean led the way back to his ranch.