Not the Marrying Kind (16 page)

She stood a few feet away, her hand pressed
to her mouth. She drew it away and stared up at him. “What did you
do that for?”

“What?” Like an idiot, he shrugged.

“You kissed me.”

He grabbed for the first plausible thought.
“You said you didn’t think you were much of a woman. I just thought
I’d show you otherwise.”

She rubbed a hand over her forehead, then
rolled her eyes at him. For a moment, Joshua thought she might say
something else, but she shook her head, muttered something he
didn’t quite catch, and turned away.

“Look, Kat, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking,
and don’t worry, I won’t let it happen again.”

“We came here to do a job,” she said. Her
voice shook, and Joshua knew the kiss had affected her deeply. “I
trust you’ll keep your mind on work now.”

She was wrong to trust him. For her sake,
they’d better put an end to their stake-out. “I think we’d better
pack up our gear, Kat. Let’s get out of here.”

“We just got here,” she protested. “We
haven’t been out here more than an hour.”

He nodded. It would be a hell of a long
night, and a hell of a hard one, too.

* * * *

Toward dawn, a soft, spring breeze rose up
around them, ruffling Kat’s hair and carrying strange scraping
noises with it.

“Joshua, what’s that?” she asked, gripping
his arm. She cocked her head to better listen to the eerie
shuffling noises. Not footsteps. Not the sound of cattle moving
about.

He must have heard it, too.

“Stay back, Kat,” he ordered.

“Like hell I will.” She drew away and pulled
out her Colt. Quickly, she checked the chamber.

“Put that damned thing away before you hurt
yourself. Or somebody else,” he warned.

She swung up onto Sadie’s back and turned
the horse toward the ravine. “Those noises are coming from just
beyond that ridge.”

“Kat! Get back here.”

She paid no attention to his shouts. Behind
her, she heard him cursing as he mounted up to come after her.
Thank God! She didn’t know what she’d find down in that ravine, but
she suspected she’d need Joshua’s help.

As she drew closer, the sounds became more
distinct. Kat’s heart lurched. Somebody was in trouble. Reaching
the ravine, she jumped from her horse and bolted toward the steep
edge of the cliff. Joshua, still on horseback, thundered after her,
shouting for her to stop. She paid him no mind.

Drawn instinctively by the whimpers and
cries, she scrambled down, ducking beneath the thick underbrush
with no concern for her own safety.

“Be careful, damn it!” Joshua now stood at
the top of the cliff, peering down. “Probably a wild animal. If
it’s trapped or hurt, it could be vicious.”

“It’s not an animal,” she called back. She
could be wrong, of course, but to her ears, the cries sounded
chillingly human. She knew the sounds of children. Her thoughts
went to the the precious little ones she taught at church. She’d
heard them laugh, she’d heard them sing, and she’d heard them
cry.

Instinctively, long before she could see
what lay beneath her on the face of the cliff, she began making
soothing noises, reassuring sounds to whatever—or whomever—awaited
her. “I’m coming down to help you,” she said in a steady, quiet
voice. “My name is Kat. I have a friend with me. His name is
Joshua.”

As she drew closer, she made out a very
human shape. Small. Huddled. Clinging to roots at the ledge.

“Can you…he-he-help me?” A lanky
boy—probably in his early teens—clung perilously to the rocky
ledge. He shifted his gaze slightly upward, enough to catch Kat’s
eyes. The whimpering stopped. “Please, help me.”

“Good gravy, how in the name of…” She sucked
in a breath. “Don’t move,” she warned, fearful that if he shifted
his weight he might lose his balance or his grip. But he needed to
talk, needed to feel that he had a secure connection to life. “What
happened?” she asked, doing her best to keep her voice casual and
light. The calmer the boy remained, the easier it would be to
extricate him from his delicate position and hoist him up to the
flat top of the plateau.

“It was dark. I couldn’t see where I was
going, and I slipped. I got myself wedged in down here.”

In the early morning light, Kat saw the ugly
bruises and welts that covered his forearms. Her heart went out to
him. This kid was lucky to be alive. “You’ve been there all night?
Don’t worry, you’re going to be all right,” she assured him. “Keep
still. I’ll be right back.” She climbed upward again just enough to
peer over the edge. “Throw down a rope, Joshua.”

He leaned toward her, studying the
situation. “Just tell me what I need to do.”

“I’ll knot the rope around him, make sure
it’s secure. You’ll need to tie your end to the pommel on Sadie’s
saddle. She’s a worker. She’s trained for jobs like this. She’ll
know what to do.”

When the rope dangled down before her, Kat
grasped hold of it. Thankful for her experience roping and
wrangling, she quickly and expertly drew it around the boy,
tightening it around his chest and fastening it under his
armpits.

“It might hurt a bit, but just grit your
teeth, grin, and bear it. You got it?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Pull him up, Joshua,” she called, working
his legs free. As his slender form moved up the craggy hillside,
knocking rocks and roots loose, Kat scrambled along behind him,
guiding the rescue mission. “All right, grab hold of that tree,”
she instructed as they drew near the top. “Hold on, you’re almost
there.”

Several tense moments passed, but finally
the boy’s ordeal ended with his feet on solid ground. For a few
seconds, at least. Weak and shaken, he collapsed in a heap.

While Kat worked to unfasten the knotted
rope, Joshua brought a blanket. He threw it over the boy’s shaking
shoulders.

“The morning’s still cool. I’ll get us a
fire going,” he said.

* * * *

His name, the boy told them, was Benjamin.
He kept the blanket pulled tight around his shoulders and stared
into the fire. The firelight reflected in his eyes, oddly-colored
eyes, Joshua noted, nearly the same color as the golden flames.

“Benjamin, you say.” He scratched at his
beard. “You got a second name, Benjamin?”

To Joshua’s surprise, the boy shook his
head. “No, sir. I’m just Benjamin, that’s all.”

Joshua saw the frown on Kat’s face, but he
chose to let the matter drop. This wasn’t an interrogation. No need
to push the boy. “So, what’s a fine young fellow like you doing out
here? You wouldn’t be running away from something, would you?”

Benjamin continued to stare at the fire and
for a moment he said nothing. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down
as he swallowed.

“It’s all right,” Kat assured him, coming
over to sit beside him. “You can tell us what’s going on. We’re not
trying to pry into your business. We want to help, that’s all.”

He nodded. “I know. I’m just scared right
now.”

“Rightly so. You were in a bit of a
precarious position when we found you,” Joshua commented. “But
you’re safe now. No need to be scared.”

“Ain’t scared about that. Scared you’ll send
me back.”

“Back?” Joshua stretched his leg out. “Where
is it you’re coming from that you’re so reluctant to go back
to?”

“Orphanage.” He spat out the word then
turned away, apparently ashamed to admit it.

Joshua nodded. “Yeah, I’ve heard those
places can be mighty lonely, even with a lot of people around. I
guess usually folks are so busy running the place, trying to take
care of all those kids, there’s not much time for getting to know
each other.”

“I suppose that’s a good way to put it.”
Benjamin wrapped his arms around himself and drew the blanket
closer.

“How long were you hanging on there before
we found you?” Kat asked.

“Couple hours, I guess. Maybe more. I’m sure
glad you folks came along.”

“You’ve got some grit and gumption, don’t
you, Benjamin?” Joshua took out a canteen and passed it to the
boy.

“Yes, sir. Grit and gumption,” he repeated.
For the first time since they’d pulled him to safety, a grin showed
on his face.

“How’d you come to be in an orphanage,
Benjamin? Your folks take you there?”

Again, he studied the boy’s eyes. Not quite
brown, but not really golden, just some curious in-between color.
Joshua had seen eyes that color once before. A mess of bad feelings
stirred inside of him. He shook away the memories. John Brooks
belonged to another time, another place.

“If I had any folks, I wouldn’t be an orphan
now, would I?” Something defiant in the boy’s voice caught and
tugged at Joshua’s heart. The kid was a scrapper. Grit and
gumption, for sure.

“Well, usually that would be the case,”
Joshua explained, “but times are hard for families, especially for
women who lost their husbands in that unpleasantness the country
had a while back.”

“You mean the war, right?”

“Right.”

Benjamin eyed the man—and his leg. “That how
you hurt yourself, mister?”

Now Joshua turned away. “War’s an ugly
thing. It hurts everybody.”

Kat came and sat down. “So, Benjamin, I hate
to put it so blunt-like, but you’re telling us your folks are
gone?” The boy nodded, and Kat turned to Joshua. “What do you
think?”

“About what?” Joshua didn’t follow.

“I’m thinking probably the best thing would
be to take him into Sunset. Much as I hate the idea of calling on
Reverend Kendrick, he does seem to be the proper person to handle a
situation like this. Benjamin needs help, and the church preaches
compassion and kindness. Most likely Reverend Kendrick can find a
family who’s willing to take the boy in.”

“He’ll be a good worker.” Joshua nodded.
“What about the cattle?”

“Forget the cattle, Joshua. Benjamin comes
first.”

* * * *

Taking the boy to Reverend Kendrick proved a
mistake, Kat quickly realized. The minister paid little mind to
Benjamin and offered no compassion. His advice, plain and simple,
was to send the boy back to wherever he’d come from.

All the while, he kept his eyes upon
Joshua.

“Sorry we bothered you.” Kat got up,
motioned for Joshua and Benjamin to follow her, and headed for the
door. Kendrick came after her.

“Let them go on.” He gestured toward the
others. “I’d like a word with you, Katherine, in private.”

“That wouldn’t be proper, and you know it.”
She refused to be alone in the room with the man.

“Mrs. Wilkes will join us. I’ll call her
now.” He directed Kat back toward the settee and quickly summoned
the housekeeper. She appeared, wiping her hands on a dish towel,
and showing her usual disapproval at being disturbed. The woman
took a seat in the corner where her watchful eyes could view the
entire scene.

Kat refused to sit. She had better things to
do—much better—than listen to anything Reverend Virgil Kendrick
might want to say to her.

“Who is that man?” he asked, jerking his
head toward the door. “Why is he with you? And why are you dressed
that way?” He shuddered as he looked her up and down.

She blew out a breath. This was the first
time he’d ever seen her in her work clothes. “This is the way I
always dress,” she explained, “with the exceptions of Sunday
mornings and Thursday evenings. I dress this way because I’m
comfortable in these trousers, and also because it’s practical for
working, which is what I should be doing now.”

“Katherine, I hardly think it’s
appropriate—”

“As for your other questions, the man with
me is the new foreman at the Rocking P. His name is Joshua
Barron.”

“Your father’s selling the ranch, Katherine.
Why would he hire a new foreman?”

“There’s been a slight change in our plans.”
She took a step toward the door. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, my
foreman and I need to head back to the ranch.”

“What about the boy? What are you going to
do with him?”

Kat bristled at the harsh tone in Kendrick’s
voice.

“I plan to keep him.”

Kendrick blocked the doorway. “You don’t
have any right to do that. It’s not like taking in a stray dog that
shows up at your door. We’re talking about a child.”

“You’re right. He’s not a stray dog. His
name is Benjamin, and for now, he’ll be staying at the Rocking P.
I’m putting him to work, and I’ll personally be responsible for
him.”

“You don’t know him, Kat. He might be
dangerous.” Kendrick glanced again toward the door. “And what about
Barron? Who is he? What do you know about him?”

“I know my father hired him. That’s all I
need to know. I trust his judgment.”

* * * *

Most of the bunks at the Rocking P were in
deplorable shape. Nothing had been cleaned and scrubbed since Pa
had let the last of the hands go. The old foreman, Mike Morrissey,
had stayed on longer, only packing up his belongings and moving to
Denver about two weeks earlier. His bunk was larger and altogether
more habitable. Kat quickly got Benjamin settled in, grateful to
have another worker to help out on the ranch.

At first, her father seemed reluctant to let
the boy stay, but a few reminders of the need for good works and
Christian charity were sufficient to change his mind. Benjamin
could stay at the Rocking P, he decreed.

“At least, for now. We’ll need to find out
who he is and where he came from. Once we have all the information,
we’ll be in a better position to decide what we should do.”

It was the best Kat could hope for,
really.

For now, Benjamin had a place to call home.
He’d have regular meals, honest work to keep him busy, and a pillow
for his head. Kat read him the ranch rules, same as she’d do for
any new hand hired on at the Rocking P, the same rules she’d read
to Joshua Barron not too long before. Simple rules, guidelines not
only for work, but for life itself.