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He grunts and comes in, suddenly making the kitchen feel very small. Then, we sit down to the table like we had the night before. Ranger eats breakfast just as he had consumed supper the night before: with good manners and polite banter. It puts me at ease, his carefree demeanor and easy conversation.
“Well, if you want, I can drive you to the next town, so you can catch the bus from there. Not sure where you’re headed next, but since your horse ran off, it’s the least I can do.” I try to conceal the fact that I don’t exactlywantthe handsome cowboy to leave by serving us both more coffee.
Ranger nods thoughtfully. “Not too many farms in these parts, you said, right?”
“Just me and the McLaughlins some ways over. But trust me, you don’t want anything to do with the Lazy M.” I shudder from the memory. “They’re just not the best of people, that’s all.” I stuff omelet into my mouth in order to deflect any additional questions about the larger farm that surrounds mine.
“Well.” Ranger pauses mid-bite, a thoughtful look on his chiseled face. “Look, Darcy. I don’t mean for this to come off as insulting, but it looks like you could use a lot more help on the farm than you’re letting on.”
I’m not exactly offended by Ranger’s observation, but Iamprideful. And I intend to let him know it, too.
“Now just a minute,” I begin. “I’ve been running this farm just fine for the last six months since Pa died and I am perfectly capable of doing so all by myself. I have a good garden, Miss Bethy gives me what I need for dairy, and the chickens are pretty content just going about their business laying eggs.”
Ranger holds up a hand to interrupt me but I’m on a roll now, feeling emboldened by the need to defend my livelihood.
“Now I acknowledge that harvesting is hard, but I’ve been doing it for the last twelve years of my life alongside my Pa so I will get on just fine when it comes time for that. Don’t try to say it’s a man’s work, either.”
I lock eyes with him, the words a challenge in the air.
“Darcy.” Ranger takes my hand into his. “I didn’t mean to offend you. All things considered, you’re doing okay on your own. But there’s a lot more you could use help with, and it’s not shameful to ask for help from time to time.”
Calmed by his gentle touch and his soothing voice, my anger starts to dissolve.
The cowboy continues. “You’re right in that you’ve got a real nice place, but it’s falling apart.” He lets go of my hand and gestures around the kitchen. “The faucet leaks, sure, but that’s just one of ten things not working in this room alone.” He stands up and pulls on the bottom of his chair, tugging one of the legs clear off.
“Hey, what are you doing?” I gasp. “These table and chairs belonged to my great grandma!”
He shrugs, blue eyes calm.
“Then they need to properly fixed-up, so they can belong to your great-granddaughter,” he tells me matter-of-factly. Outside from the yard, we hear Miss Bethy’s plaintive low to be milked.
Ranger shakes his head. “Darcy. I know it was kind of you to make us breakfast, but the cow hasn’t been milked yet and it’s nearing eight o’clock. And after you came out of the hen house, I went in to check on them, because they were making a fuss. You’re losing chickens.”
“How on earth would you know that?” I demand incredulously, even though I know he’s right.
“Because there’s a small hole in the back of the coop fence where three of them tried to escape while I was in there.”
I sigh.He’s right, chickens have been disappearing lately. I had been blaming an errant predator, but I couldn’t hide behind that fib anymore.There doesn’t seem to be anything that escapes this mysterious man’s vibrant blue eyes.
“And tell me. How on earth do you expect to harvest the crops when the tractor is clear broke? You’re only one person.”
Completely humiliated by my lack of resources, I lower my head and feel my eyes brimming up with tears. “I don’t know. I don’t know how to fix the tractor and I can’t afford to have someone come look at it. I was just going to deal with it when the time came.”
He lifts my chin gently so that I’m forced to look at him. “Darcy. We both know that’s not how farming works. You have to stay on top of things, otherwise the entire farm will collapse.”
“I’m trying. I’m doing my best.” I sniffle.
“I can help you. If you willletme help you.”
A single tear slides down my cheek as I nod ‘yes.’ Ranger nods along with me, and wipes my tear with his thumb.
“I can’t afford to pay you.” I’m mortified by the admission, but he has to know the truth. “But Icanlet you stay here, in one of the bedrooms. And I can feed you, since I eat most everything that grows on the farm anyway. Minus the meat,” I add.
Ranger nods, his azure gaze thoughtful. “That’s how it works at most ranches I work at, so I’m used to this kind of arrangement.” He shoots me a smile. “I usually do get paid a little, but you’ve been nothing but good to me, and I want to return the favor. I want to help you get this place back up and running properly.”
I hesitate.Is it fair to accept his assistance, if I can’t pay him?I don’t want to be a slave driver, or to take advantage of anyone.After all, I was forced into a type of indentured labor when I was traveling through Europe a couple years back, and I would never force that on anyone else.
But Ranger seems to sense my uncertainty. “Look, let’s just agree to a week. A week and I’ll do whatever odd jobs you need done. Help fix things up, put the tractor back in gear, make sure your sickles and axes are up to snuff, too. Whatever you know needs fixin’ and maybe whatever I might notice that looks like it needs some loving.”
