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She picked up her plate and carried it to the sink. The sound of chair legs scraping across the floor filled the silence.
“I’ll take care of the dishes, Morning Dove.”
“I do not mind doing them.”
“I know you don’t.” Betsey bumped her hip with hers and gently pushed her out of the way. “But you cooked most of it. The least I can do is clean the mess.” She looked back over her shoulder at the table. “Besides, Aaron is going to help me.”
He lifted his head. “I am?”
Betsey smirked before nodding to Samuel where he sat in his chair. “After you change your son, you are.”
Aaron blew out a breath and leaned down to be eye level with Samuel. “Don’t let a woman manipulate you like I let your ma do to me.”
Betsey laughed. “And don’t grow into the type of man so easily manipulated by a woman, Samuel.”
Morning Dove eased out the side door as they bantered back and forth. When she shut the screen behind her and looked back inside, Ben was still watching her.
The morning sun was bright when Ben stepped out of the house. He’d left Aaron and Betsey to clean up the dishes, insisting he had to go. It wasn’t a complete lie. He did need to show up for work. He wasn’t sure how much he could do with his ribs aching the way they did but Holden didn’t appreciate being left wondering where any of them were when they were supposed to be working, so he was going even though he knew he had to look like hell. His face hurt this morning, and all the smiling and laughing he’d done over breakfast hadn’t helped. He’d do it all again, though.
Most mornings, he woke and sat in the dark, drinking his coffee while staring across the room at nothing. The silence brought home the fact that he was alone and had been his entire adult life, which is probably why he found himself in the saloon so often. There, he had someone to talk to and occasionally—when he was too drunk to care—had a woman’s soft lips to kiss away his troubles.
The barn was lit in streaks of light when he walked inside to saddle his horse. Cash greeted him at the stall door, his head bobbing up and down when he saw him. “Eager to run this morning?”
Cash snorted. He’d take that as a yes. Getting him saddled was harder than it should have been. Every move pulled some muscle he wasn’t aware he had the day before and he was sweating by the time he led Cash out of the barn.
He grabbed the pommel and was about to pull up when he heard soft humming. He looked around the yard and guided Cash to the edge of the barn. Morning Dove was near the chicken coop, tossing down feed.
“Morning.” She startled. That’s the second time today he’d scared her.
She gave him a quick glance before tossing out more feed for the chickens. “Leaving?”
“Yeah. I need to get to work.”
Upending the near empty pan she held, she stared across the valley toward the mountains. “I did not say it yesterday but I am grateful for what you did.” She turned and looked at him. Her gaze darted across his face, stopping on the bruises he knew were there. She sighed and shook her head. “I am sorry for that.” She nodded toward him, referring to his bruises if he had to guess. “But had you not intervened…”
She left the sentence hanging. He knew what she wasn’t saying. Had he not been there, things would have turned out differently. He was still mad as hell no one had stepped in to help her. That he’d had to cross the road to get to her while others watched those bastards herd her into the alley, knowing full well they weren’t doing so to have a polite conversation with her.
He gathered Cash’s reins and wrapped them around the pommel. “You didn’t answer me yesterday when I asked, but does that sort of thing happen often?”
“What? Being pushed around and threatened?” She gave him the saddest smile he’d ever seen. “No. That was a first but…”
“But what?” he prompted when she stopped talking.
She looked toward the mountains again. “But at times, people are cruel.”
“How so?”
“Nothing harmful. Just harsh words.”
“Words can be harmful, Morning Dove. I know from experience. My father flung them around like a weapon most days, so I know the impact they have. They burrow in deep and stay with you every second of the day.”
She nodded and stared across the valley for long moments before crossing the distance between them. “They are nothing I have not heard before nor anything I will not hear again in the future.” She rubbed Cash’s head before softly saying, “Thank you for saving me, Ben.”
He watched her as she ran her hand over Cash’s head. So many emotions crossed her face, but it was her eyes that told of her sadness. “You don’t have to thank me, Morning Dove. I’ll be your hero anytime you wish me to be.”
Her cheeks darkened and the tiniest smile curved her lips. “I am not sure my life is exciting enough to need a full time hero.”
“A man can dream, can’t he?” Lord knew he dreamed plenty about her. He wondered what she’d say if she knew half the things that went through his mind.
