Now he rode up to the small cabin Bill Stanley had allotted him as a part of his salary and looked at it in the moonlight with eyes that saw the sagging porch, the bare windows. He knew that the interior wasn’t much better than what anyone passing by could see. The front door swung open beneath his hand and he stood in the darkness, smelling the musty scent of field mice and the odor of wood smoke from the fireplace.
He’d might as well settle in for the night, he decided, ignoring his own empty stomach as he found his bed in the back room. The blankets that covered his bed were warm, the mattress was wide and the room was as clean as a broom and mop could make it under his hands. He wasn’t much of a housekeeper, but he’d quickly managed to clean it up enough to take possession of it as a resting place at night. Preferable to the bunkhouse where an assortment of cowhands slept and ate.
Now he thought of bringing a girl here, a woman really, for most females her age were either already married or planning a wedding. Marriage had probably not entered her head, for she had not likely seen much of an example of happiness between a man and wife out there on the Schrader farm.
Maybe, someday, when she had healed, both in body and soul, and felt ready to be on her own, he’d talk to her about the years to come, help her to face a future that would in all certainty be better than the past she’d left behind.
His eyes closed as he tugged the blanket over his shoulder, and he wondered if his little waif was asleep yet. He tried to imagine her in Molly’s bed, and laughed aloud as he visualized her in the cook’s nightgown. She’d swim in it, her slender form lost in the enveloping folds. He’d have to buy the child a nightgown of her own tomorrow, he thought sleepily as the weariness of hard work claimed him for the night.
“I’LL BE BRINGING BACK a woman today, Bill, and moving her into the cabin. I’m thinking I need a cook and housekeeper, and I’ve found a girl who needs a place to live and a warm spot to land for a while.” As news went, it was an eye-opener, he thought, as Bill Stanley shot him a look of doubt.
“What are you talking about, John? You can hire one of the men’s wives to keep your place clean. There’s always one or another looking for bit of income if that’s what you need. I can’t imagine you getting a woman to move into your place, doesn’t sound like something you’d do.”
John laughed shortly. “It’s not, come to think of it. But this girl is down on her luck, and she’s been abused by the folks she was living with. Once I get her something decent to wear, I’m gonna bring her back here and turn her into a housekeeper.”
“Who is she?” Bill asked, obviously dubious of the proposal John had made.
“Her name’s Katie. Don’t know if she has a last name or not, but she ran off from the Schrader place outside of town, to tell you the truth. From what I understand from Molly down at the saloon and what the girl herself told me, she was given to the Schraders a dozen or so years ago, and they’ve been using her as a servant ever since. She showed up at the Dogleg saloon last night. Molly, the cook there is taking care of her for me until I can get into town this morning and pick her up. I’m gonna bring her here to live in the cabin you gave me.”
His jaw firmed as he faced his employer, aware that Bill was a man of principle, and the plan for Katie’s welfare might not hit him well. As if he expected a harsh rebuttal, John stiffened his neck and waited for what Bill Stanley had to say. The man was fair, a good man with a prosperous ranch, and his choice of John as his new foreman had been a surprise. John was only thirty years old, but most men would have thought twice before taking a chance on a man so young to run his operation.
But Bill Stanley had a reputation for being smart, and apparently he’d found something in the man standing before him that merited his approval, for he’d not hesitated when the last foreman left to buy his own place and set up business in the next county. Now he tucked his hands into his trouser pockets.
“If you’re sure of your ground you’re welcome to bring her here, John. It’s time and past for you to settle down.”
John laughed and shook his head. “I’m not marrying the girl, Bill. I’m hiring her. Don’t get the wrong idea here. I’ve got no need for a wife, but having somebody to keep my place clean and cooking decent meals for me sounds like an idea I can handle.”
Bill nodded, but his look was still cautious. “Well, if you’re sure this is a good idea, we’ll just have to see how it works out. And it sounds to me like she’d be tickled to death to have a spot of her own to claim.”
John nodded his agreement. “I just wanted you to know what’s going on, Bill. I didn’t want you surprised when I show up later on today with a woman. This way you know right up front what my plans are. I hadn’t planned on moving anyone into the cabin with me right off, but maybe Katie can make it more of a home than it is now. I’ll have to think about adding on a room, though. I’ll need to give her a place of her own.”
“There’s plenty of lumber in the barn, and I’d think the men could lend a hand if you start with a building project. We’ll see how it goes,” Bill said. “I’ve never known you to be devious, John, so I’ll trust you on this.”
John turned and mounted his gelding, taking up the reins and swinging his mount in a half circle. “I need to be in town early on. Molly will be thinking I’ve abandoned the girl if I don’t move along.” he said, tipping his hat brim in a small salute as he rode from the ranch house.
He wondered at his own actions as he rode, thinking back to the night before, the sight of the small female who had burst through the saloon door with fear lighting her features. He knew that his intentions were at least aboveboard, and not those of the men who looked for a fast and furious joining with a woman there in the Dogleg Saloon.
As he thought of the young girl who awaited him in town this morning, John nudged his gelding into a faster pace. It was past breakfast time already, and Katie would begin to wonder if he was a man of his word, or perhaps she’d hope for the opposite. Maybe she’d changed her mind by this morning, and wouldn’t be willing to fulfill her part of the bargain they’d made.
John Roper had lived a lot of years with only his own company, and now he was about to change all that and take on the responsibility of a woman in his house. The thought was a bit daunting, he thought, but not without merit. It would be good to come in at night from the range and find a hot meal waiting for him.
He pushed aside the memory of big eyes, of long hair and a slender form. “I’m looking for a housekeeper,” he reminded himself. “I’ll treat her as I would my little sister.”
CHAPTER THREE
THE SALOON WAS QUIET when he approached the front door and he heard only the tinny sound of the piano as the man who tickled the ivories, as he called it, practiced for the night to come. John pushed his way into the barroom and nodded at the man behind the long bar.
“Tom.” It was a single word of greeting, and Tom’s brief nod was all the reply he had expected. His long strides brought him to the kitchen door and he pushed his way within the room, his nose pleased at the fresh aroma of coffee and of bacon frying on the stove.
“Morning, Molly,” he said by way of greeting, and was not surprised at the smile he was offered by the cook. “Is my new housekeeper up and ready to travel?”
“She’s washing up now. I gave her something else to wear. That dress she had on wasn’t fit for wearin’. It was clean, but that was about all you could say for it. And what she had on underneath it was pretty pathetic. Especially the bruises that had her all colors.” Her gaze was sad as she faced John. “She’s just a girl, John. She’s been abused and misused, and it hurts me to see such a thing. I’m hoping your good sense will recognize that she needs help, not the attentions of a man.”
His lips thinned and he clenched his hands as she spoke. Knowing that he had been right in his estimation