Broken Trails Read online

  “She is strong, okay?” But she was a petite thing and she thought she was as strong as a giant man. Nate closed his eyes a moment and heaved a sigh. Stefanie. So danged determined to be anything other than what she was. “Is she fine? Do I need to go get her?”

  “Nah, she’s inside. Hannah and your guest are taking care of her. Nice guest, too.” He winked and resettled his hat. Lifting his chin black-stubbled chin, he bit out. “I need you.”

  “What do you mean?” Nate ignored his comment about Emma. The last time Jareth showed up at Bella Acres, he’d left with Stefanie and brought her back damaged. Things didn’t look good when Jareth showed up.

  Pacing, Jareth continued. “Look, I know Stefanie only came with us because you couldn’t get away, but she’s injured and we still need our numbers. There’s another group chomping at the bit to come in and replace us, the Caracus brothers, and I’m not sure they won’t get the job. I need you to come take Stefanie’s place.”

  The Caracus brothers. Nathan had heard of the ranching group and how they traveled from town to town, job to job. They weren’t known for being nice or even hardworking, but they had the numbers and many townspeople were nervous with them around. They made problems until they got a job.

  If Stefanie wasn’t working, Nate and the Darby brothers would be missing out on a huge chunk of money which Nate had grown used to relying on. He’d already decided to stop wasting his time on the fields and save up enough money to purchase new range animals for the ranch again. But the animals and the upkeep took more time than he’d ever imagined.

  His blacksmithing work was growing, enough – for now. “What’s the work schedule look like?” If he could still get a couple days a week to return and do the jobs he had, he might be able to swing it. He needed that money coming in more than the Darbys did.

  “Tuesdays and Wednesdays we have off. Not a weekend, but we get it off for personal days. Some of us still work because the ranch pays us extra.” He shrugged, pausing his pacing. “You comin’?”

  Why not? He needed the money and he could do more blacksmithing work on Tuesdays and Wednesdays when he was off at the ranch. Emma was there and so was Stefanie. “I need to talk to my sisters and Emma, but I can make that happen. How soon do we need to be there?”

  “About three hours ago.” Jareth’s expression turned grim.

  “Put the fire out and leave everything as it is. I’ll go tell the girls and grab my things. We need to get down there. If rumor has it right, those Caracus men won’t give you the courtesy of taking care of family or your crew. They left one of theirs for dead a few months back in Libby over a card game.” Nate dropped his gloves and mask on the table by the door.

  He wasn’t going to lose that income. Especially not to some overbearing, old cowboys who rabble-roused worse than anyone else Nate’s dad had ever mentioned.

  Hanging his apron on the hook, he lengthened his stride to eat the distance to the house, skipping steps to get inside faster. He barely noticed the fresh smell after a rain or the brilliant green of the new hostas’ growth in the front yard. He tromped inside. “Stefanie? Hannah?” He stopped when he saw them all sitting in the living room.

  Lying on the couch with her arm in a splint, Stefanie watched Nate walk in. He moved to sit beside her carefully. “Broke your arm, huh? You alright?” Everything else about her looked okay. She’d somehow managed to get a tan while she was gone. Leave it to Stefanie to get a tan in sparse May sunshine when it leaked through rain clouds ninety percent of the time.

  She shrugged, and then winced at the movement. “I’m fine. Can you take me to Colby on Monday for a cast?” Asking Nate for anything visibly cost her notches in her pride.

  He hated saying no. “I can’t. I have to leave with Jareth.” He took in the dismay on Hannah and Emma’s faces and then Stefanie’s. “You’re leaving a hole in the group by being injured. I didn’t realize you were still working normal shifts while you were being trained by the ranch owner down there. I’m going to go and take your spot until the job’s up. I’ll be back on my days off to work the forge and take more orders.”

  He tried not to focus on Emma and gauge her reaction, but her wide brown eyes drew his gaze more than once. He wanted to tell her he was sorry and that he didn’t want to leave her like that, but he had to.

  Instead he tilted his head slightly toward her. “Can I leave my sisters with you, Emma? I’ll be back, but if this is too much for you, or not what you were hoping for, please, say now so I can figure something out.” He wanted her to stay because she wanted to, not because she had to and certainly not because he needed her to.

  Leaving to make more money for the ranch and his family would be a whole lot easier with someone he trusted there with his sisters. Plus, Emma would be in sensible hands with his sisters in case anything happened.

  Sudden concern flooded him. He leaned forward, intent. “If you don’t think it’s a good idea with your health…” Would she understand he couldn’t be more serious about putting her and his sisters first? The money… well, the money was going to have to be replaceable. They could make do.

  She smiled sweetly at him and shook her head. “No, it’s fine. We’ll all be great. I’ll take Stefanie to the clinic Monday. Maybe they can double check me to make sure everything’s going okay. You go. We’ll be good here, right girls?” Emma glanced at each of Nate’s sisters and then beamed at him.

  Leaving her would be hard. Not being around her was one of the hardest things he had to do. Just when he had her securely staying with him, he had to leave. True, he’d get to see her a couple days out of the week, but that wasn’t enough when his whole plan was to convince her she loved him as much as he loved her.

  That would be hard to do from Colby on a ranch full of men.

  He took her graceful assurances and stood. “Okay, then I better go. I’ll see you guys Tuesday – Monday night, if I can swing it.”

  Emma held up her hand, shooting a glance between Stefanie and Nate. “Wait, Stefanie is back and I’m in her room. Can I stay on the couch or something?”

  Nate glanced at Stefanie and the set to her jaw made it clear she wasn’t going to be easy to work with. He didn’t know how to make her share with Hannah when she was injured and she’d been working so hard for the family. He snapped his fingers. “I’m going to be gone. You can use my room until I get back and can attack this issue with a little more time and thought.”

  Good thing she couldn’t read his mind. He didn’t need her knowing what the thought of her in his bed every night while he wasn’t there would do to him. How was he going to sleep without her by his side?

  “Okay, thank you.” She smiled and then winked.

  And Nate’s heart soared. Was Emma flirting with him? He’d take it and pretend she was. At least that would carry him through the next couple days.

  ~~~

  Jareth turned the steering wheel and powered the truck down a long drive marked with a boulder the size of a small car. Carved with laser precision, “Peekaboo Place” blackened the flatter face of the gray rock. As far as Nate could see white vinyl split railing bordered the land.

  “Wow, this is where y’all have been working?” Most of the ranches they’d passed on the drive had been in some state of disrepair from the long winter. Sun damage and wind bleaching had faded many wooden rails.

  Not Peekaboo Place.

  The green grass could’ve been carpet and not a thing looked out of order. Even the barn had a fresh coat of red paint with white trim.

  “Yeah, Mr. Jacobsen is great. This is one of the hardest places to get on. He’s demanding and has high expectations, but he makes everything worth it. He pays well and he doesn’t jerk you around. He took a real liking to Stefanie, which helped when I asked for this morning off to take her home and bring back a replacement.” Jareth parked his rig behind the barn in a slightly organized dirt lot.

  Climbing from the cab, Nate grabbed his duffel bag from the back and settled his h
at with the brim wide on his head. He couldn’t bring Missy and the discomfort at not having his horse with him was sharp. “You sure they have horses for use?”

  Scrunching his lips to the side, Jareth nodded. “Man, they’re cool. They raise them here. They have more than they can ride every day. That’s one of the jobs you’ll have. We have to head out at the end of August for a three week ride to round up along the fences, but that should be nothing for you by then.”

  Nate nodded, studying the building as they got closer. The doors didn’t squeak and the lighting from the open windows brightened up the interior. They climbed wooden steps to a large loft area set up with bunks and lockers.

  “Stefanie stayed at the guesthouse because Jacobsen said absolutely no to her staying out here. You’ll take the bed she would’ve had over there.” Jareth pointed to the bed on the end. “Drop your stuff. We need to get out to the far paddock. There’s a large order going out in a few hours and we need to make sure the mares are ready.”

  Working for someone else who raised horses and cattle might be what Nate needed to learn more and make contacts. He wanted Bella Acres to be like Peekaboo Place. He’d never seen such well-maintained land in the spring, when everything was either dead or working hard to recover from the winters and the mud and rain.

  Judging from the thirty bunkbeds lined up, Jacobsen had himself a pretty nice setup.

  Nate would get there one day.

  He had to.

  Tossing his bag on the floor, he wrapped his bandana around his throat and grabbed his work gloves from the side pocket of the duffel. If he wanted to make a good impression, he’d have to do that from the beginning. “Let’s go.”

  Looking back wasn’t an option. Regretting that he had to leave Emma at the house wasn’t either.

  Move forward, because he couldn’t take care of her or his family, if he didn’t have land or a way to feed them.

  Providing was the one thing his dad had made sure Nathan knew how to do.

  Chapter 18

  Emma

  No one wanted to say how empty the house seemed with Nate gone. Emma hadn’t known how the home was before when Stefanie was there. She hadn’t felt the loss of the sister’s presence like the other two most likely had. There was a distinct hole in the home and somberness in the women as they went about their daily activities.

  Even Stefanie wasn’t as snappish when Emma and Hannah tried to help feed her and get her to the bathroom.

  Over lunch of macaroni and cheese and salads, Emma had a thought. “Hey, Hannah, were you serious when you said my syrup was delicious or were you being nice?” She hoped Hannah would be honest. She desperately needed honest right then.

  Hannah’s eyes widened. “Are you kidding? Hold on.” She pushed the TV tray stand out and jumped from her seat on the couch at Stefanie’s feet. In seconds she returned from the kitchen with a small Mason jar filled with dark purplish viscous liquid. “Stefanie, try this.” She unscrewed the lid and thrust the jar at her sister.

  Eyebrow lifted, Stefanie stuck her finger inside and pulled out a small amount. She stared at Hannah as she placed the purple mass carefully on her tongue. Then her eyes widened. “You made this?” She plunged her spoon in to the top and pulled out a bite which she didn’t waste time putting in her mouth. She closed her eyes. “Oh, yeah, that’s really good.”

  “See? I told you. Stefanie wouldn’t lie.” Hannah sat and scooped out a bit for herself, as well. “Why?”

  Emma tapped her fork on the pile of orange creamy noodles. “I think we should try selling the syrups and teas in Colby. If they’re big enough to have a free clinic, maybe they’re big enough to have places that sell that kind of thing?”

  Stefanie laughed, covering her mouth to keep the food in. She swallowed and pointed her spoon. “No, you don’t understand. Colby is about the same size as Taylor Falls. The physician there, um, I think it’s Doctor Roylance, he gets money back or something for doing the clinic. I heard he’s going to start looking for someone to sell the practice to. They might keep the clinic or might not. But trust me, that clinic isn’t there because Colby is big or anything.” She chortled, then continued. “Seriously, they don’t even have a movie theatre.”

  “That’s okay. We’ll still check. If they don’t have any place that would be interested, maybe we could go north to White Fish. They have a huge tourist area and they might like something like that.” Emma was determined to sell something, do something to help with the money. Hannah let her use the huckleberries they stored in the freezer. The blueberry and raspberry bushes outback in the garden would be useful as well. If Emma put her head to work, she could do something.

  She knew she could.

  They fell silent and then Stefanie lifted her head. “This may be the pain talking, but I think they have a general store there in Colby that sells local stuff. You should start there. It’s not far from the clinic either.” She chuckled, pointing her fork. “Nothing’s far from anything.”

  Without really trying to, Stefanie had lifted Emma’s discouragement enough that she felt hopeful again. “Let’s see if we can help Nate with some bills. We can bring some money in. I bet a few of the neighbors around here would like fresh homemade food, too, Hannah. I bet we could make a trade or sell them. It can’t be hard to make money.” Other people did, why shouldn’t they? Her parents didn’t have a good track record. That didn’t mean Emma couldn’t change that legacy for herself.

  ~~~

  The last bump on the highway jolted a groan from Stefanie. “I don’t care if it sets wrong, this isn’t worth it. Oh my gosh, I’m going to die.” She closed her eyes and rested her head on the seat behind her.

  Emma grimaced, but gripped the steering wheel with more determination. “I’m sorry. We’re almost there.” If she slowed down, the bumps were worse, so she took them at the speed limit and tried swerving around the potholes when they came into view. Emma worried nothing she did helped Stefanie’s pain.

  Hannah pushed at Stefanie’s hair and held her tight around the chest, staying away from the injured arm. “It’s okay, Stef, we’re almost there. Hang on.”

  The clinic couldn’t be far.

  They hit town and Stefanie hadn’t been joking. They passed the first building and already the last store could be seen less than two blocks away.

  Stefanie lifted her uninjured arm and pointed at the building on the end with a red cross in a white square hanging from the door plat. “There. That’s the clinic and there’s no line. Park in front.” She clenched her bared teeth at another jolt.

  Emma did as instructed. She needed to get Stefanie inside and get a cast. She’d been hard to deal with since Saturday with the pain making everything bad. They were all ready for her to get a cast and hopefully some pain meds. Maybe they could do that at the clinic. Stefanie needed them to.

  Emma and Hannah needed her to have them, too.

  Hannah helped Stefanie from the truck. She looked back at Emma as they slid from the seat. “You drove this like my mom used to.” And she smiled, tears glistening in her eyes.

  Her silence for most of the drive down made sense. Emma thought she’d been upset with her or something, but she’d been remembering.

  Nobody understood that more than Emma.

  Emma joined them at the clinic doors and opened the glass panel. A bell tingled above their heads.

  The waiting room didn’t feel sterile and cold like the hospitals Emma pretty much grew up in. Pink and yellow flowers filled clear vases on the counter and a coffee table overladen with past issues of Hunting and Women’s magazines manned the center of the room.

  An older woman smiled at them from behind a thin counter. “How can I help you, ladies?”

  “I broke my arm Saturday at the Peekaboo Place.” Stefanie gritted her teeth with each step, parting her lips. The strain from the last couple nights showed in the shadows under her eyes and the white pinched look around her lips.

  The woman shuffled around the c
ounter and took Hannah’s place, holding Stefanie’s good arm and pointing toward the back. “Well, let’s get some medical history on you and see if Doc can check you out fast. You poor thing.” She glanced over her shoulder at Emma and Hannah. “I’m Nurse Shelley. I’ll be back with you ladies in a moment.”

  Emma nodded, moving to claim a seat on one of the long sofas set up around the coffee table.

  Hannah stared out the window. “There’s the general store, Emma. You could ask over there.” She tried to smile, but worry for her sister pinched between her eyebrows.

  Reaching across the short distance between them, Emma patted her leg. “It’s okay. Stefanie is going to be fine. I pretty much grew up around all this stuff. They can fix a lot.” Just not osteosarcoma and not a heart damaged by prolonged radiation and chemotherapy. She wouldn’t be bitter. Medicine had kept her alive as long as it had. She’d hang on for more at this point. “I don’t want to go far. I’d like to get a check out, too.”

  “I can’t sit here and wait. Do you mind, if I ask across the street?” Hannah stood, fidgeting her fingers and shifting on her feet.

  “Of course. Good luck.” Emma smiled but she watched as Hannah left and crossed the empty street. The poor girl had more going on in her heart and head than anyone else Emma knew. She deserved to have things a little easy and worry free for once.

  Emma’s turn with the doctor came soon enough.

  Nurse Shelley walked Stefanie to the front and let her sit beside Emma. “She’ll be fine now. The cast should come off in six to eight weeks. You can bring her back in and we’ll remove it. We gave her some pain medicine and she can get the prescription filled at the pharmacy at the general store. Shouldn’t be more than five dollars or so.”