Read Online Blackstone's Bride by Teresa Southwick - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Teresa Southwick
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see.” Bea’s heart went out to the children. She wanted to see them get what they wanted for a change. “Why did Abby turn down the job?”
“She said she already has one and her life is in town. I think she and Uncle Jarrod don’t like each other.”
“Is that so?” Bea asked, making her own assessment of what Jarrod and Abby felt. “So you plan to play this little game with everyone Abby brings to meet your uncle. Why? What if I decide to accept the job in spite of your shenanigans?”
“Uncle Jarrod said he wouldn’t hire anyone we didn’t like.”
Bea nodded in understanding. “So the plan is to scare everyone off. That’s not fair to Jarrod.”
“We figure Abby will feel sorry for him and be our housekeeper.” Lily hung her head. “Are you gonna tell Uncle Jarrod what we did? He’ll probably send us away to an orphan home.”
Bea snorted. “I doubt that. Jarrod Blackstone takes his responsibilities seriously.” She studied the girls for a moment, then said, “Let’s discuss this with the boys when they come back and we’ll see what we can do.”
Abby sat on a swing hanging from the sturdy branches of two huge oak trees. It was early afternoon, but the foliagewas so thick, only dappled sunlight penetrated. A warm breeze blew the hair around her face as she gently moved back and forth. Abby didn’t remember seeing the swing the last time she’d been at Blackstone Ranch.
She looked up at Jarrod, who leaned one broad shoulder against the thick tree trunk as he watched her with an unreadable expression on his face.
“Did you make this?” she asked, indicating the thick, sturdy hemp ropes holding her up.
“Yes.”
“For the children?”
“Why would you think that?”
“It looks new. Just seems to me you would have made it for them.”
“I did. When Sally and I were young, we had one. The ropes and seat rotted a long time ago. I just thought the kids might like it.”
Abby felt a glow close to her heart. It couldn’t be easy taking on four children. He had never been around any, yet he was trying to do his best for them.
A sudden yearning for her own father sliced through her. Sam Miller had gone away when Abby was a bit younger than Lily. To find a better life for the family, he had explained. Abby had been inconsolable. She had missed him terribly but hadn’t seen him since. Every year or so he sent a letter. One day soon, she planned to find him. From the moment he’d left, she’d dreamed of uniting the family again.
Mama was dead, but she and Clint still needed their father. Abby closed her eyes as she swung gently and promised herself that she would make it happen. Right now she was too busy working. All the money she could spare went to put Clint through college. Come hell or high water, she would make her mother’s dream for Clint come true. Afterward, she would find her father and go live with him. As soon as her brother came around to her way of thinking, they would all be together again.
“There’s not much for kids to do here,” Jarrod said, breaking into her thoughts. “No one to play with.”
Abby looked at him. “It was thoughtful of you to make them the swing.”
“I had to do something to keep them occupied.”
There was an edge to his voice that made her wonder. “Has there been a problem?”
“Nothing big. Tom’s been getting into mischief.”
“He hasn’t hit Katie again, has he?”
He smiled. “No. Just teasing the animals, stuff like that. I’d ignore it, but I have the feeling it’s getting worse.”
“Have you talked to him?”
“Of course. So has Gib. But so far it hasn’t stopped him.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
He shrugged, bent over to pluck a blade of grass, and twirled it through his fingers. A stray dark curl blew across his forehead. The lines around his eyes seemed deeper, whether from worry or lack of sleep, she didn’t know.
“When I talked to Tom that first day, I told him we needed time to
“She said she already has one and her life is in town. I think she and Uncle Jarrod don’t like each other.”
“Is that so?” Bea asked, making her own assessment of what Jarrod and Abby felt. “So you plan to play this little game with everyone Abby brings to meet your uncle. Why? What if I decide to accept the job in spite of your shenanigans?”
“Uncle Jarrod said he wouldn’t hire anyone we didn’t like.”
Bea nodded in understanding. “So the plan is to scare everyone off. That’s not fair to Jarrod.”
“We figure Abby will feel sorry for him and be our housekeeper.” Lily hung her head. “Are you gonna tell Uncle Jarrod what we did? He’ll probably send us away to an orphan home.”
Bea snorted. “I doubt that. Jarrod Blackstone takes his responsibilities seriously.” She studied the girls for a moment, then said, “Let’s discuss this with the boys when they come back and we’ll see what we can do.”
Abby sat on a swing hanging from the sturdy branches of two huge oak trees. It was early afternoon, but the foliagewas so thick, only dappled sunlight penetrated. A warm breeze blew the hair around her face as she gently moved back and forth. Abby didn’t remember seeing the swing the last time she’d been at Blackstone Ranch.
She looked up at Jarrod, who leaned one broad shoulder against the thick tree trunk as he watched her with an unreadable expression on his face.
“Did you make this?” she asked, indicating the thick, sturdy hemp ropes holding her up.
“Yes.”
“For the children?”
“Why would you think that?”
“It looks new. Just seems to me you would have made it for them.”
“I did. When Sally and I were young, we had one. The ropes and seat rotted a long time ago. I just thought the kids might like it.”
Abby felt a glow close to her heart. It couldn’t be easy taking on four children. He had never been around any, yet he was trying to do his best for them.
A sudden yearning for her own father sliced through her. Sam Miller had gone away when Abby was a bit younger than Lily. To find a better life for the family, he had explained. Abby had been inconsolable. She had missed him terribly but hadn’t seen him since. Every year or so he sent a letter. One day soon, she planned to find him. From the moment he’d left, she’d dreamed of uniting the family again.
Mama was dead, but she and Clint still needed their father. Abby closed her eyes as she swung gently and promised herself that she would make it happen. Right now she was too busy working. All the money she could spare went to put Clint through college. Come hell or high water, she would make her mother’s dream for Clint come true. Afterward, she would find her father and go live with him. As soon as her brother came around to her way of thinking, they would all be together again.
“There’s not much for kids to do here,” Jarrod said, breaking into her thoughts. “No one to play with.”
Abby looked at him. “It was thoughtful of you to make them the swing.”
“I had to do something to keep them occupied.”
There was an edge to his voice that made her wonder. “Has there been a problem?”
“Nothing big. Tom’s been getting into mischief.”
“He hasn’t hit Katie again, has he?”
He smiled. “No. Just teasing the animals, stuff like that. I’d ignore it, but I have the feeling it’s getting worse.”
“Have you talked to him?”
“Of course. So has Gib. But so far it hasn’t stopped him.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
He shrugged, bent over to pluck a blade of grass, and twirled it through his fingers. A stray dark curl blew across his forehead. The lines around his eyes seemed deeper, whether from worry or lack of sleep, she didn’t know.
“When I talked to Tom that first day, I told him we needed time to
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