Rhonda Gibson - Taming the Texas Rancher

Weariness tugged at her. She slipped her shoes off and placed them with the others. Opening the second suitcase, she pulled out her nightgown and then proceeded to get ready for bed. Hannah decided she’d worry about the rest of her unpacking tomorrow. Carefully, she folded her dress and laid it on one of the many empty shelves.

Before climbing between the fresh clean sheets, she knelt beside her bed and prayed. She thanked the Lord for her safe travel from Cottonwood Springs, New Mexico, to Granite, Texas. She asked Him to help her and Daniel work through their new relationship, and she prayed that Bonnie Westland would learn to accept her as a potential daughter-in-law. Once her prayers were complete, she pulled back the covers and climbed into bed.

The sound of hammering woke Hannah the next morning. She quickly rose and pulled on a simple dress. The noise was coming from the back of the building, and with the room’s one window facing west instead of south, she had no idea who was making the racket.

Running her fingers through the tangles in her hair, she rushed to see what was going on. Hannah took a deep breath before opening the back door. Daniel and the man who had been with him the day before were working on a small building. The rancher turned with a soft smile. “Good morning, Hannah.”

“Uh, good morning.” For the life of her, she couldn’t figure out what they were building. It was too large for a wood box and too small for an extended room to the building.

“I see that we woke you. Sorry about that.” Daniel was looking at the ground in front of her. A frown replaced the smile that had seemed so warm.

Hannah looked down, too, and realized her bare feet were showing. The scars on her right foot were pale but visible. She felt heat flood her face. “I’ll be right back.” As quick as her feet would carry her, she hurried inside.

The horror that he and his hired man had seen the scars filled her with a sense of illness. No one had seen them since she was a child. Hannah had always been careful to keep them covered. She even had special socks she wore at all time, except when she was sleeping.

Now that he’d seen the scars, what must Daniel think of her? She hurried to her suitcase and pulled out a pair of stockings, then proceeded to put on her shoes.

The sound of hammering resumed.

Taking a steadying breath, Hannah decided he’d have had to seen them sooner or later. She would have preferred later, but the damage was done and she’d have to deal with whatever results it brought.

She sank down on the edge of the bed. The thought had come to her in the middle of the night that she would need supplies if she was going to live in the schoolhouse. And as soon as she could get up her courage, she’d go back outside and ask if Daniel would escort her to town. She wondered again what they were making as she combed her hair and pulled it into a braid.

The hammering stopped, and Hannah stood up. She inhaled deeply to soothe her nerves. Be brave, Hannah Young, she silently told herself as she walked to the door once more. He’s just a man and you need him to take you to town. You can do this.

Even if he is as handsome as sin and has now seen your worst flaw.

* * *

Daniel turned toward the sound of the door opening. He saw that Hannah had donned shoes and fixed her hair. Color still rode high on her cheeks, but her blue eyes held his. “I thought you might need a storage shed.”

Hannah smiled. Even white teeth flashed in the morning sun. “So that’s what you are making. I wondered.”

“Ma sent over a washtub and a small armoire. I thought you might like to have a place to store the tub and any supplies.” He took his hat off and wiped sweat from his forehead. Hannah looked as pretty as the flowers Levi had given her the day before.

“That was very considerate of both you and your mother.” She played with a ribbon on her dress. “Speaking of supplies, do you think we could go back into town today so I can pick a few things up?”

Daniel thought of all the jobs he still had to do. They needed to finish the shed, a stall in the barn needed to be mended and he wanted to check his fence line in the north pasture. The thought came to him that he could send one of his men. He turned to Cole.

The man was grinning at Hannah as if she was a slice of his favorite pie. He tipped his hat to her and said in a husky voice, “Good morning, ma’am.”

No, sending her with one of the ranch hands was out of the question.

“Sure. Let me talk to Cole here and then we’ll be on our way.” He enjoyed the sweetness of her smile, which brightened her eyes and face. Strands of black hair had escaped the braid and curled about her rosy cheeks. She almost looked like a porcelain doll he’d once seen in a city shop.

“Thank you. I’ll go start a list.” Her skirt swished as she turned and reentered the school.

Daniel glanced back at Cole, who had picked up another board and was about to resume working. “I need you to take care of a few things while I’m in town.”

“Sure, boss, you name it,” he said, hammering the board into place.

He was a great worker, but at some point Daniel knew he’d have to talk to him about Hannah. She was going to be Daniel’s wife, so Cole was going to have to stop looking at her like a lovesick schoolboy.

“Go to the house and get Levi to finish this shed. Tell Tucker and Sam to check the fence on the north pasture. Miguel and Rowdy can do the feeding today. Once you get all the men working, come back here and help Levi.” Daniel put his hat back on his head and tried to decide if there was anything else that needed doing.

Cole laid his hammer down. “Sure, boss. You’d mentioned earlier that you might set up a spot for Hannah to have a garden. Would you still like us to start her a plot?”

Daniel didn’t like him using Hannah’s name as if he had a right to do so. “That’s Miss Young to you, Cole. And while we’re on the subject, I suggest that any interest you have in her, you put to rest.”

The ranch hand coughed. “Uh, sorry. I don’t really have an interest in her, but she reminds me of someone. I’ll try to control my reactions when I’m around Miss Young.”

Daniel walked over and clapped him on the shoulder. “That’s all I’m asking.” Cole was a hard worker and probably his best friend; Daniel didn’t want Hannah to come between them.

He looked about the backyard. “How about we put the garden over there?” He pointed at a spot off to the right of the door, between the stream and the schoolhouse.

“How close do you want the garden to the tree?” Cole asked, surveying the land.

Daniel grinned. He could see Hannah sitting in the shade of the tree on a swing, sipping tea and enjoying the breeze. When he realized where his thoughts were headed, he squashed them. Yes, he wanted her happy, but he didn’t want to be thinking of her in a warm way. He didn’t want any feelings of love to cloud his better judgment. Daniel reminded himself that when he loved, others got hurt. They depended on him too much, and he couldn’t allow either to happen again. “I’ll leave that up to you.”

“Would it be all right with you if young Adam had a look? He’s good at planting things. He’ll know better than I do where it should go.” Cole piled the wood, hammers and nails together.

“I’d forgotten Adam. Yes, give him that job. I’ll leave what you do up to you. I know you’ll take care of whatever else needs to be done.” Daniel wanted Cole to know he bore no hard feelings over Hannah.

Cole acknowledged the praise with a nod. “I’ll get started, then.” He walked to his horse and mounted. As he came even with Daniel, he stopped, leaned on his saddle horn and advised, “Daniel, enjoy your day in town today. You work too hard and don’t play enough.” He didn’t give him a chance to respond, simply turned his horse and sent her into a gallop toward the ranch house.