“Besides,” Ben said, “you’ll probably want some more dresses if you’re going to be a housewife now. You can’t run around in those trousers all the time.”
“Well, I’ll still be doing ranch work,” Jane retorted. She gulped and looked at Crockett. “Won’t I?”
“Only if you want to,” he said.
“Where will you live?” Ben asked. His question seemed to startle her, and she hesitated.
“That depends,” Crockett said. “I can build a little house for us on my land, if you want.”
“Or you could live here,” Ben said. “It’s already built. And there’s room for all of us.”
“That’s if you stick around, Ben,” Crockett said.
Jane stared at him. “What do you mean?”
Crockett shrugged. “There’s a lot of ways we could do things. I had told Ben we could hire him on at the 7 Heart once your house was squared away. But I’ll have my own land now. Pa will give me my share as soon as I’m married. I wondered if you’d like to combine this ranch with it. Ben and I could work it together. Or we could keep your place separate and share work when we needed to.”
“It would be a good-sized ranch then,” Ben said.
“Yes, it would. And if you want to go to school, Ben, we could probably help you with that.” Ben opened his mouth, but Crockett continued quickly, “You’ve got the reward money. I asked Travis how much it would cost for you to go to college for medical training. He said you can pay as you go, and I think we could do it. I have a small herd of my own, and I could increase it if I had the use of this land, too. You think about it.”
“I don’t know what to say.” Ben looked anxiously at Jane.
She took a deep breath. “Me either. But that’s a fine offer, Crockett.”
“If it’s what you want, Ben,” he said.
Ben took a bite of ham and chewed. They all ate in silence for a few minutes. Then Ben took a sip of his coffee and set the mug down.
“I’ve always wished I could go to college. Never thought I’d have a chance.”
“You’ve got one now,” Crockett said. “We’d miss you, but I think Jane and I would both like to do that for you.”
“We would.” Jane smiled at him, and she realized it was the first thing they’d decided together, other than the wedding date.
“What about the ranch work?” Ben asked.
“Don’t worry about that,” Crockett said. “If I need extra help, I’ll hire a couple of men.”
“You make it sound so … simple.”
“I’m sorry.” He looked a little confused, as though he didn’t want to sweep in and take charge. Jane and Ben had never been in a position to think about hiring ranch hands, but for Crockett it seemed like an everyday thing. He went on, “It’s just something to think about. You two hash it over, and if you’re not comfortable with that … well, we’ll do things however you want, Janie. Truly.”
Jane looked at Ben. She knew what she wanted. Would Ben be able to let his future brother-in-law help plan his future, too?
Ben cracked a smile. “At least you know he’s not marrying you for your money.”
Crockett guffawed. “All for love, brother.”
Ben nodded, satisfied, and started eating again.
“All right.” Jane nodded. “We’ll talk it over.”
“Take all the time you need,” Crockett said. “But the date’s still firm, right?”
Jane didn’t think she had smiled this much in her life. “It better be.”
When they had finished eating, Ben slapped on his hat.
“I’ll saddle the horses so we can go to town.”
“And I’d best get home and put in some work today.” Crockett rose. Ben was out the door, and he walked around the table as Jane stood. “I’ll tell my pa first thing,” he said softly.
Jane nodded, not able to say a word. He reached for her, and she flowed into his arms.
“You tell me if there’s anything you need,” he said. “Anything at all.”
“I will.”
“Good. And expect some of the girls to pay a call real soon.”
She looked up at him archly. “What about you?”
“Oh, I’ll be back. If Pa doesn’t need me tomorrow, I’ll come over and help Ben with whatever he’s doing. Maybe Caro and Annie, or whoever’s available, will ride over with me.”
“I should help with the cattle, too.”
“No, that’s hard labor. I don’t want the future Mrs. Hart tuckering herself out with that kind of work.”
“You won’t make me stay inside all the time darning socks and baking pies, will you?”
“Of course not, although the pie part sounds pretty good.”
“I’ll help where needed.”
“Agreed. May I kiss you now?”
Jane flushed again, but she looked straight into his eyes. “I was hoping you would.”
Susan Page Davis is the author of more than sixty Christian novels and novellas, which have sold more than 1.5 million copies. Her historical novels have won numerous awards, including the Carol Award, the Will Rogers Medallion for Western Fiction, and the Inspirational Readers’ Choice Contest. She has also been a finalist in the More than Magic Contest and Willa Literary Awards. She lives in western Kentucky with her husband. She’s the mother of six and grandmother of ten. Visit her website at: www.susanpagedavis.com.
Mail-Order Mayhem
by Vickie McDonough
Chapter One