Chapter Thirteen
Hannah chuckled softly, feeling light and happy for the first time in quite a while as Rebecca sat on her lap.
They were in the chicken coop trying to feed some of the new hens by hand.
As the hens started to come closer though, Rebecca began to whimper and squirm, clearly afraid of the little black and white birds and their sharp beaks.
“It’s alright,” Hannah assured her, helping Rebecca keep her hand still, “They just want to eat. All you have to do is keep your hand flat, and they’ll do the rest.”
Rebecca turned her head to look up at Hannah worriedly, her little head covered by the white bonnet Hannah had made her from one of her old dresses.
Though Hannah had been ashamed at first that none of her dresses were designed in the latest fashions, she had been happy to discover that fashion didn’t matter on the ranch.
It was more about comfort and practicality than style.
She’d made some alterations for her and the girls; shortening the sleeves and lowering the collars and such so they weren’t so tight around the neck.
It had caused a tan to settle into their pale skin as they worked, but the alterations kept them cooler in the dry heat, and that was what truly mattered.
“What if they peck me?” Rebecca whimpered.
“Oh, they won’t,” Hannah soothed, “You just have to show them you’re kind. Then they will be kind to you.”
Although still a little reluctant, Rebecca turned her head back toward the approaching chickens and steadied her small hand. A moment later one of the hens pecked tentatively at the feed she was holding, then let out a cluck, then began to eat with gusto. In Hannah’s lap, Rebecca giggled.
“It tickles!” She whispered excitedly.
Hannah’s smile grew wider as a sense of satisfaction washed over her, and she hugged her little sister around the waist.
“See?” She said softly, “I told you they wouldn’t hurt you.”
For the next few minutes they stayed that way, feeding the new chickens by hand as Rebecca began talking to them in soothing tones.
“Pretty birds,” Rebecca cooed, “Such good, pretty birds.”
This, Hannah thought as she watched her youngest sister grow used to the animals, this is what I pictured for us. Happy. Helping. Not afraid. This is wonderful.
Then a call for help sounded loudly outside the chicken coop, startling the chickens and Rebecca, and at once chaos erupted.
Rebecca screamed as the chickens began to crow and flutter their wings as they scattered to the corners of the coop.
Hurriedly, Hannah picked up her little sister and rushed out, trying to soothe her as she tried to make sure none of the new chickens tried to escape.
“Hannah! Isaac! Help!” Jacob’s desperate call came again.
“What’s wrong with Jacob?” Maria asked, out of breath as she ran up to them from the house. She had volunteered to take care of the washing while Hannah and Rebecca were feeding the chickens, but she’d clearly heard Jacob’s shouting and came running to see what was wrong.
“I don’t know,” Hannah said, lowering Rebecca’s feet to the ground. “But I’m going to find out. Take Rebecca back into the house.”
With a nod, Maria took Rebecca’s hand, and both girls hurried back to the house as Hannah ran toward the barn; her heart pounding as she filled with worry.
She skidded to a quick stop and stifled a scream when she turned the corner and nearly ran right into one of the gargantuan Texas Longhorns.
Raised in a town in Michigan, she’d never seen such animals up close.
She knew they only ate grass and other green-type things, but that didn’t make the creatures any less intimidating.
Especially since they had large horns that could grow as wide as her arm span.
The loose cow before her bellowed angrily at her, its large hooves pawing at the ground as it swung its head and backed up.
Her heart beginning to race even faster, Hannah backed up as well and looked around for help.
That was when she realized, not one of the cows had gotten loose from the paddock by the barn.
All of them had. Nearly a dozen were walking out of the paddock’s open gate and into the front yard that spanned between the barn and the house, and another six or so were trotting quickly for the treeline farther away.
“Hannah!” Jacob exclaimed.
She turned to his voice just in time to open her arms. The young man who had refused hugs for the better part of two years was now flinging his arms around her waist and holding her tight, sobbing.
“I didn’t mean to!” He cried loudly, “It was an accident!”
Hannah gripped her little brother’s shoulders and gently pulled him away so she could clean the tears from his face with her apron.
“What was an accident, Jacob? How did this happen?” She asked him.
“I was- I- one of the cows had a calf with her. I wanted to pet her,” Jacob stuttered through his sobs.
“She looked so pretty and soft! So I opened the gate, but as soon as I did, one of them started coming toward me, and I backed away before I could put the latch back! Th-then th-they all came rushing out!”
Hannah’s heart sank as Jacob told her what happened.
She felt for him, as she understood how intimidating the large animals could be up close, but his lack of thinking had let them loose.
Her worry spiked as she thought of how disappointed or even angry Garrett was to be when he came home to such a mess.
She was supposed to be helping him, not making things worse!
She had to figure out a plan to make things right.
“It’s alright,” she told him, standing up straight with determination, “What matters now is that we get them back. Where’s Isaac?”
“Over here!” Isaac called.
Hannah turned just in time to see him coming out of the barn with a large bucket of feed.
“Where’s Louis?” She called back.
“Safe in the loft,” Isaac called back, sprinkling feed on the ground.
At once the two Longhorns closest to him came trotting closer, obviously intrigued by the feed. He took a few more steps back closer to the open gate and sprinkled another handful on the ground. Realizing Isaac’s plan, Hannah swallowed her fear and moved into action.
“Jacob, get over there to the gate,” Hannah ordered, “Every time Isaac or I lead them in, I want you to shut it right away, and open it only when we’re just about to get more back in.”
Sniffling, Jacob nodded and walked quickly toward the gate. Hannah lifted her apron to make a fabric bowl-like structure, and went to Isaac. He poured some of the feed into the apron, and just like him, she went to the nearest cows and started to lead them in.
They had been able to get four back into the paddock when the sound of hooves resounded off of the long drive. Sweat-slicked and taut with tension, Hannah looked up and saw Garrett riding toward them fast; a harsh sneer clear on his face.
“What happened?!” He shouted, riding up to her.
“There was an accident,” Hannah stammered, intimidated by the hard look on his face. “I- um—”
“It was my fault, Garrett,” Isaac stated, walking up to join them. He put his hand on his chest and gave the man an apologetic look.
“Isaac, no,” Hannah whispered, but her brother ignored her as he stepped between her and Garrett’s horse.
“I was trying to help,” Isaac went on, “And I must not have secured the gate when I went into the paddock. The wind swung it open and the cows just took off. I’m so sorry.”
Garrett hissed out a breath through his clenched teeth as his sneer deepened.
“As if I don’t have enough to deal with,” he grumbled, pulling the reins to make his horse walk backwards.
“We got four already in,” Isaac went on, “And I think we can lead these other six here back in, but the rest took off toward the tree line or the plain. Just tell me what to do and I’ll—”
“I don’t have time for this!” Garrett snapped, turning his angry gaze back to Hannah, “You were supposed to come here and help, not make more trouble for me! Do you have any idea what I’m dealing with?”
Hannah’s heart sank under the heat of Garrett’s sharp words and angry expression.
“I’m sorry,” she croaked, feeling a lump form in her throat as tears welled in her eyes. “We really were trying to help. It was an accident.”
“Well, your accident is going to cost me an entire day of work,” Garrett snapped. He let out a growl of frustration as he shook his head.
“Hey!” Isaac snapped back, “I understand you’re upset, but it really was an accident, and you don’t get to speak to her like that! Now give me your orders and I’ll follow them no matter how mad you are, but you will not talk to her like that.”
Something passed over Garrett’s face. A glimmer of remorse, perhaps, but as quickly as it came, it went, and his grim expression returned.
“Hannah, get back to the house and keep the younger ones inside with you,” Garrett commanded. “Last thing I need is to have them underfoot and get themselves hurt. Isaac, you keep leading the ones in the yard here back to the paddock. I’ll go out and try to round up the rest.”
Before Isaac or Hannah could say anything in return, Garrett yelled ‘hiyah!’ as he snapped his reins and took off in the direction the straying cows had gone.
“Isaac,” Hannah sighed once Garrett was gone, “You shouldn’t be making trouble like that!”
“I’m not making trouble, I’m making him understand,” Isaac quickly replied. “He can be mad. He’s got every right to be, but he can’t take it out on you. I won’t allow it.”
Hannah looked helplessly at her little brother, caught between gratitude and pity. He was far too young to be so grown.
“You don’t need to protect me,” she said softly.
“Maybe one day I won’t have to,” Isaac replied, walking away. “But until Garrett’s ready to take over the task, I’m going to, whether you like it or not.”
Hannah flinched as she heard the harshness in her brother’s voice, wishing there was something she could do to make everyone calm down. She looked to the sky, wondering why once again God was making things so difficult for her.
“I don’t understand,” She whispered, watching the large white clouds in the sky float lazily by, untouched by the hardship below them. “I’m just trying to make things better for everyone. Why is that so wrong?”
As usual, there was no answer. No explanation from above.
Just the silent drifting of clouds. Hannah dropped her gaze back to the ground, accepting it was she and she alone that had to find a way out of the mess.
There was much she couldn’t do, but she knew she could at least follow Garrett’s orders.
So she went to the hay loft, collected Louis, and walked back to the house.
“Hannah? Why do you look so sad?” Louis asked.
Hannah swiped at her tears and did her best to rein in her hurt and shame.
“I’m not,” she lied, forcing a smile, “I just have so much to do. Would you help me?”
Louis’s face lit up as he readily nodded his head.
“I like to help on the ranch!” he answered excitedly.
“You do?” Hannah asked, a small weight lifting from her heavy heart. “You like it here?”
“I didn’t at first,” Louis confessed, his little nose crinkling, “But now I think it’s nice. I like being in the country.”
“Good boy,” Hannah praised as they reached the porch.
“Why don’t you go around back and help Maria and Rebecca hang up the wash on the line?
But come into the house as soon as you’re all finished, alright?
We all need to stay away from the cows so that Isaac and Garrett can round them up. Tell the girls that, too.”
“I can do that!” Louis agreed happily.
Hannah kept her smile on her face until Louis disappeared around the corner of the house, and even then, didn’t let it waver until she was alone and inside.
In the kitchen though, after making sure no one was around to catch her, she sat down heavily at the table, cradled her head in her hands, and began to cry.
She gave herself a few minutes to feel the shame and hurt, then, as she always had in the past, she wiped it away along with her tears and got back up.
Garrett would be hungry when he returned.
She might not know much about the ranch yet, but she knew that.
He’d been missing at breakfast, another thing she was worried about but didn’t have time to ask him about it thanks to the cows being loose, which was also the reason they had missed lunch.
Hannah decided to make up for it all with a big meal.
There was still chicken left, and the loaves for the daily bread were already rising.
There was still a jar or two of dried beans on the shelf, and if she soaked them now they would be soft enough to stew for supper.
She could also do something with the rest of the carrots and potatoes Amanda had brought in her large basket.
Earlier she had looked to the clouds for an answer and found none, but now as she looked at the food, she felt a tingle move through her chest, and she wondered if it was the solution she had asked God for.
She would make it all better by providing what she could: a home-cooked meal and forgiveness.
Isaac and Garrett would get all the cows back in the paddock, and when Garrett got back, she would apologize for not keeping a better eye on her siblings.
Things would get better, she decided, as long as she kept trying.