Aundy (Pendleton Petticoats #1)(8)
Author: Shanna Hatfield

“No, Nora. I just couldn’t,” Aundy said, noticing Dent walking toward the house through the kitchen window. “Thank you for the invitation though.”

“You just be ready about four this afternoon and I’ll send one of the boys to get you. Bye, honey.”

“Bye,” Aundy said, hanging up the phone and opening the kitchen door before Dent had a chance to knock.

“Ready for your lesson, Missy?” Dent asked, tipping his hat as Aundy walked out the door and down the back porch steps.

“Yes, sir,” Aundy said, hoping he wouldn’t notice how afraid she was of the big animals. Following the foreman in the barn, Aundy listened as he discussed different types of horses and what purpose each served. Eric had the draft horses, Hans and Henry, that ran away with the wagon, as well as another big team Dent called Nut and Bolt.

“Nut is a little on the wild side, so be sure you give him plenty of room,” Dent said, watching as Aundy stepped further away from the horse when he snorted her direction. Pointing out several of the stock horses in the pasture behind the barn, Dent explained Erik kept the horses for his men to ride. Asking questions about the different breeds and coloring, Dent was impressed with her ability to quickly absorb the information he was sharing.

Standing at the stall of a pretty mare, Dent dug a piece of dried apple from his pocket and held it out to the horse. She took it from his hand and looked at him with big, sad eyes.

“This is Bell, she belonged to Erik’s mother. Although she’s getting on in years, Bell is a good, solid mustang who’ll take you where you need to go,” Dent said, scratching the horse on her neck and behind her ears. “When you get that cast off your arm, I’ll teach you how to ride her.”

“I will do my best to look forward to that experience,” Aundy said, holding a cautious hand out to the horse. Deciding she liked the new female in the barn, Bell turned liquid eyes to Aundy and offered a soft whicker.

“I think she likes you,” Dent said, motioning for Aundy to continue. “Go on and pet her, she won’t bite you.” He refrained from mentioning that she not only bit but refused to let any of the men ride her.

Aundy rubbed Bell on her nose and patted her neck. The horse moved forward in her stall and leaned her head against Aundy before releasing a sigh.

“Well, I’ll be. It looks like she decided you’re friends,” Dent said, breaking into a broad grin. “She hasn’t taken too well to any of the fellers. Guess she just missed having a woman around.”

“As soon as I’m able, we’ll have to rectify that situation,” Aundy said, scratching Bell’s neck before she and Dent moved through the rest of the barn.

By the time Dent returned her to the house, Aundy discovered she owned milk cows, several pigs, and a hen house full of chickens.

“Thank you for that introduction to the livestock, Dent. I very much appreciate it,” Aundy said as they walked across the barnyard toward the house. “I think I could gather the eggs from now on. I feel like I’ve been such a burden since I arrived, instead of a help.”

“You haven’t been a burden to anyone, Missy. Not at all. If you’re sure you want to gather the eggs, just go in there of a morning, toss out their feed then snatch the eggs before the chickens are any the wiser. Watch out for that little rooster. If he gives you any trouble, let me know. He’s got a pretty big attitude for such a little chicken.”

Aundy laughed, which made Dent smile, and she nodded her head. “I’ll keep my eye on him. I’ll be going over to the Nash’s for dinner, so don’t worry if you don’t see me around for an hour or two.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Dent said, tipping his hat and walking back to the barn. He’d wait until after supper tonight to let the guys know Aundy was keeping the farm and staying. He figured a few of the hands wouldn’t like that news, but they better get used to it. If he read her intentions correctly, Aundy would be right in the thick of things once her arm healed, if not before.

Hastening into the house, Aundy decided she smelled like the barnyard and wanted to take a bath before going to the Nash’s. Filling the tub, she took a quick bath and washed her hair, finding it a challenge to accomplish with only one arm.

Getting out of the tub, she towel dried her hair and shook it with her good hand, trying to get out most of the water before working her way into her clothes. Everything took twice as long when she only had one usable arm.

Unable to put up her hair, she had become adept at pulling it back in combs and letting it hang loose. It seemed to always be in her way, but she didn’t know what else to do. Incapable of braiding it one handed or pinning it up, she managed the best she could. She was adjusting the second comb in her hair when she heard a knock on the front door. Leaving her bedroom, she grabbed her coat from a peg by the kitchen door and hurried to the front room.

Opening the door, she was surprised to see Garrett standing on the front porch, holding his hat in his hand.

“Mrs. Erickson,” Garrett said, smiling broadly as he took in Aundy’s fresh scent and glowing cheeks. Although he knew it was highly improper to think it, he wanted to pull the combs out of her still damp hair and bury his hands in the waving golden mass.

For a fleeting moment, he was glad the cast on her arm kept her from putting up all that glorious hair. Trying to regain his focus, he looked into her face and felt himself drawn into the depths of her sky-blue eyes.

Diverting his attention from her face and hair seemed the best course of action, so he looked down, admiring the fancy stitching on the hem of Aundy’s skirt.

Surprised by the beautiful clothes she wore, he wouldn’t have expected someone who worked in a factory and traveled out west as a mail-order bride to be so well dressed. His mother mentioned something about Aundy’s sister being a talented seamstress. Maybe she’d added the elaborate embellishments to the woman’s wardrobe. “Ma said you were coming for dinner and asked me to fetch you.”

“I’m fairly certain you have better things to do than escort me, Mr. Nash,” Aundy said, realizing Garrett spent a lot of time helping her since Erik’s accident. She knew he had his own ranch to run.

Garrett’s silvery gaze met her blue eyes with a playful grin. “I reckon I might, but when Ma barks an order, we all jump to carry it out.”

He refused to admit he would have volunteered for the job if his mother had asked someone else to get Aundy.

For reasons he didn’t want to examine, he looked forward to time spent with the plucky widow. Garrett could spend all day listening to her lyrical voice and never grow tired of the sound, although she wasn’t one given to idle chatter.

“So it would seem,” Aundy said, as her neighbor’s light-hearted comment made her lips turn up in a smile.

“You ready to go?” Garrett asked, taking Aundy’s coat from her hand and helping her slip it on.

“I believe so,” Aundy said, stepping outside while Garrett pulled the front door closed behind her. Not seeing a wagon or buggy outside, just Garrett’s saddle horse, she looked around, wondering how he planned to take her to the ranch.

“Before you get too excited,” Garrett said, trying not to grin at Aundy’s confused look, “I thought I’d show you how to hitch a horse to the buggy and take it to the ranch then I’ll bring you home after dinner and reclaim Jester.”

“Okay,” Aundy said, following Garrett as he took Jester’s reins and led the animal toward the barn.

Aundy watched, taking mental notes as Garrett described each step in the process of hitching the horse. The animal stood quietly during the entire process.

“Erik’s horses are well trained. You always need to be watchful of any animal, but Erik’s won’t intentionally cause you harm. Even ol’ Nut will behave as long as Bolt is close by.”

“Okay,” Aundy said, standing so close to Garrett, she could smell his unique, manly scent. Combined with the warmth radiating from him and the way he kept looking at her with those silvery eyes, she found it impossible to pay attention to his detailed instruction. Taking a sudden step back, she would have tripped over a feed bucket if Garrett hadn’t grabbed her good arm and pulled her forward against his chest.

Overwhelmed with strange emotions and sensations, Aundy kept her gaze down when Garrett dropped his hand and stepped away.

“Thank you,” she said, embarrassed. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

“It’s quite alright,” Garrett said, trying to gather his thoughts. They’d scattered every direction the moment he touched Aundy. He felt sparks work their way from his fingers all the way up his arm. “Shall we head over to Nash’s Folly?”

“Nash’s Folly?” Aundy asked as Garrett assisted her onto the buggy seat.

“That’s the official name of the ranch,” Garrett said as he directed the horse out of the barnyard and down the lane toward the road. “You mean Ma hasn’t told you that story?”

“No, she hasn’t,” Aundy said, her curiosity piqued by Garrett’s statement. “Why don’t you tell me?”

“When Ma and Pops arrived in Pendleton, they came out here and saw this land and Ma was humming the hymn My Jesus, I love Thee. Do you know it?”

When Aundy shook her head, Garrett began singing the hymn in a deep baritone that made Aundy blink in surprise as his rich voice filled the afternoon air with perfect pitched notes.

My Jesus, I love Thee

I know Thou art mine;

For Thee all the follies of sin I resign…

“She and Pops thought God’s grace led them here to Pendleton and they were going to make the best of it. They declared they were ‘resigning their follies’ and starting a new life. Pops decided to call the ranch Nash’s Folly so none of us would forget their promise. We’re still human and make mistakes, but that story helps keep us on the straight and narrow,” Garrett said, turning to look at Aundy with a devilish grin. “That, and the threat of Ma taking a switch to us.”

“I can’t imagine Nora taking a switch to anyone,” Aundy said, smiling at Garrett. “But I do like that story and the name Nash’s Folly. ”

They rode along in silence for a few minutes before Aundy gave Garrett a thoughtful look. “Did Erik have a name for his farm?”

“No. Everyone round these parts refers to it as the Erickson farm. His folks settled there a long time ago. Guess no one felt the need to give it any other name,” Garrett said, wondering what Aundy was thinking. Her eyes had narrowed and she pinched her lips together. He noticed she did that anytime she was in pain or contemplating something. Since he was certain she was not suffering at the moment, he decided she must be thinking about something.

When she continued to appear lost in her thoughts, Garrett talked about some of the neighboring ranches, who owned them and if any of them had names. He cautioned her to stay away from Mr. Tooley, much in the same way as Erik.

“Why does everyone tell me to stay away from Mr. Tooley? Is he really that mean?” Aundy asked as Garrett stopped the buggy at the end of the front walk and waved at Nora where she stood in the door.

“Even more so,” Garrett said solemnly, although Aundy thought she detected the merest hint of a grin working at the corners of his mouth.

“Aundy,” Nora called, hurrying down the walk, barely waiting for Garrett to help her out of the buggy before pulling her into a welcoming hug. “Don’t you look pretty today? My goodness, but you have some beautiful clothes. And your hair is so thick and long and lovely.”

“I…” Aundy spluttered, not accustomed to being paid compliments. She knew she wasn’t beautiful like her younger sister and had long ago resigned herself to just being who she was – sturdy, strong and hardworking.

“Doesn’t she Garrett?” Nora said, looking around Aundy to her son. “Isn’t she one of the most striking girls you’ve ever seen?”

At Nora’s nod and glare, Garrett was quick to agree. “Yes, Ma,” he said, tipping his hat to the women before hurrying toward the barn with the horse and buggy. Glancing over his shoulder, he watched Nora herd Aundy up the steps and in the house, her fancy-stitched skirt swishing around her long legs while her blond hair rippled down her back with each step.

He wasn’t just paying lip service because his mother wanted him to. Erik’s widow had turned more than a few heads since her arrival in Pendleton.

Aundy wasn’t what anyone would call beautiful, but she was very attractive. His mother summed it up well when she said the girl was striking. With that golden hair, her blue eyes, creamy skin and tall height, she was hard to miss. Getting to know her since she arrived on their doorstep covered in mud, he knew she was a caring and gentle, yet determined person. Although Garrett thought inner beauty was much more important than outward, it was hard not to admire how she carried herself, or the way her city clothes accented her becoming curves.

Releasing a sigh of irritation for his wayward thoughts, Garrett unhooked the horse and gave him a portion of feed before starting on the evening chores. Finishing an hour later, he walked in the back door of the house, after reminding himself a dozen times it was inappropriate to be thinking any thoughts of Erik’s widow. Even if the marriage had been in name only and Erik spent nearly all of the few days he and Aundy were together unconscious, Garrett knew his thoughts were still way out of line.

Missing his friend, Garrett let grief and guilt chase away any lingering interest he had in Aundy. Waiting until she and his mother took their seats at the dining table, Garrett pulled out the chair across from Aundy and sat down, bowing his head. His father asked the blessing on the meal then his mother started a lively discussion about upcoming events at church and things happening in town.