Читать книгу The Cowboy's City Girl - Linda Ford - Страница 12

Chapter Four

Beatrice blinked, wondering if her eyes deceived her. But no, there was a child huddled against a boulder. She could see clearly enough to make out a little girl. “Is she lost?” She turned to Levi as she asked the question and saw how bottomless his dark eyes had grown. His black shirt made his features more angular.

“I don’t see anyone else around.”

They eased closer as they spoke.

Levi’s hand caught Beatrice’s elbow. “Go slow. We don’t want to frighten her.”

They were close enough to see the child’s almost white-blond hair had once been braided, but now hung in tangles about her tear-streaked face. Her purple dress was blotched with mud. Her bony knees stuck out from under the skirt in matching V’s. A half-grown kitten was clutched to her chest.

The kitten meowed plaintively.

“Honey, are you lost?” Beatrice asked gently. “If so, we can help you.”

The child’s eyes widened. She sprang to her feet. Levi reached out to stop her but the child fled into the trees.

The dark shadows swallowed her up.

“Come on, we have to make sure she’s okay.” Levi grabbed Beatrice’s hand and they chased after the little girl.

“There she is.” He ran faster, tugging Beatrice after him.

She flung out her arm to protect her face against the flailing branches.

Then he stopped, her hand still gripped firmly in his.

She might have pulled free but the woods were dark and filled with all sorts of terrors.

“I can’t tell which way she went. You go that way and I’ll go this. We’ll meet at the far side of these bushes.” He dropped her hand and was gone before she could protest.

For a moment she stood immobile. The evening air had a damp coolness to it and the light from the west gave the air a golden glow. She couldn’t hear Levi. Behind her came the murmur of the river. Courage returned. She couldn’t get lost if she could hear the river. All she had to do was follow the sound and find the trail that would take her to the house.

That poor child had no such assurance of safety. Careful of where she stepped, she eased through the branches that would allow her to skirt the thick bushes. She stopped after a few feet to listen.

At first all she heard was her own rapid breathing, then her breathing returned to normal and she heard a faint “meow.” The kitten. Unless the cat had escaped that meant the child was nearby.

Afraid she might frighten the little girl away, Beatrice stood very still and studied her surroundings. There in the shadows. The child tried to hide.

“I won’t hurt you.” She didn’t move, feeling the little one’s fear as clearly as if it was her own. She knew how overwhelming it was to find oneself in a strange place, with no parents to help and protect. “I just want to help you.” She waited, letting the child take her measure of Beatrice. “Would you like me to help you find your parents?”

The child didn’t move but her eyes seemed to consume less of her face.

Beatrice held out her hand. “Do you want to come to me?”

The little girl looked at her kitten as if consulting it. She shook her head.

“Oh, little dolly, I know what’s it’s like to feel all alone and frightened. Let me help you.”

The frightened little girl took a step forward, then stopped, shuddered and took another.

Beatrice didn’t move until she could reach one of the little hands and she caught it and pulled the child close. Her tiny hand clung to Beatrice’s fingers.

Beatrice knelt to face the little girl. She was so fair, with contrasting dark brown eyes. A true beauty. “What’s your name?”

“Dolly,” the child whispered.

“As in Dorothy?”

A nod yes.

Beatrice thanked God for letting her use an endearment that made the child trust her. “How old are you?”

“Five,” she whispered again.

“Where are your parents?”

Dolly rocked her head back and forth.

“When did you last see them?”

“I don’t know,” she again whispered. Then her eyes widened and she would have escaped if Beatrice didn’t have a good hold on her.

She followed the child’s frightened gaze and saw Levi a few feet away. “Stay there. She’s afraid.” She turned back to Dolly. “This is Levi Harding. He can help us find your parents. Will you let him do that?”

Dolly nodded.

Levi edged closer, cautiously, making sure he didn’t alarm the child. He knelt by Beatrice’s side. “Were you lost last night?”

Dolly shuddered and clutched the kitten tighter. “I was scared,” she whispered.

Levi waited for her to calm. “Were you with your mama and papa?”

An affirmative nod.

“Were you with anyone else?”

A shake of her head to indicate no.

“Were you in a wagon?”

Again, yes.

Levi rose to his full height. “Then I will find them for you.” He indicated Beatrice should stand and when she did so, he whispered close to her ear, his breath fanning her hair. “They must be frantic with worry. I’ll do my best to follow her tracks back and if that fails, I’ll search the trails. The child can’t have wandered too far.”

Beatrice nodded. “I’ll stay here with her.”

He glanced past her. “You could take her to the house.”

She considered it. “I get the feeling she would be uncomfortable with that. I’ll wait.” The woods were growing darker by the moment. “I’ll wait by the river right at the foot of the path. If you haven’t returned by the time the sun drops below the horizon, I’ll go to the house.” That would give her enough time to get back before darkness descended. She turned to Dolly. “Did you hear? Does that meet with your approval?”

Dolly nodded.

“Pray I find them quickly.” He squeezed her shoulder and slipped into the shadows.

“I will,” she called, not knowing if he heard her or not. She was alone with a child in the darkening woods. Fear edged her thoughts but she clung to the courage his touch had given. She took Dolly’s hand. “Let’s go.” She followed the sound of running water back to the river and returned to where the path led to the house. “Let’s sit here to wait.” She sat on a fallen tree and pulled Dolly up beside her.

The little girl had the pungent odor of having wet her pants. Should Beatrice suggest she wash in the river?

“This is Smokey.” The whisper introduced Beatrice to the kitten. “Do you want to hold her?”

“I’d love to.” She took the kitten and let it sprawl in her lap. “It’s so soft.” She’d never had a pet. Never been allowed one. It took her about thirty seconds to realize she might have missed a source of comfort. There was something soothing about stroking the kitten, who purred loudly.

“She’s my friend,” Dolly whispered.

“Honey, why are you whispering? It’s okay if you talk out loud.”

“Mama told me I had to be quiet ’cause Papa was sick. He needed me to be quiet so he could get better.”

“I see.” Only she didn’t. How long had the father been ill that the child thought she must continue to whisper? Hopefully Levi would return with some answers.

“It’s getting cold,” Dolly whispered.

“It is, isn’t it?” She’d hoped Levi would return with the parents but the reunion would have to take place at the ranch. “Let’s go to the house.”

Dolly shrank back. “Maybe I’m bad.”

Beatrice wondered if she had heard the agonized whisper correctly. “What makes you think you’re bad?”

But Dolly didn’t answer as tears pooled in her eyes and she gathered Smokey into her arms.

Beatrice waited but when it became obvious she wasn’t going to get any answers, she rose, took Dolly’s hand and turned them toward the trail.

Dolly stood rooted to the spot.

“It’s okay. It’s a very nice place.”

“Is it your place?”

She wished the child would stop whispering. “No, I’m just helping, but they are very nice people. Levi has helped me several times.” It was hard to believe she’d been there less than a day and found herself perilously close to trusting him. Remember Henry, she reminded herself. Remember what your father was prepared to do. Never give a man any right or opportunity to again hurt you.

Dolly let out a long sigh. “Okay.”

Hand in hand, they walked the trail back to the house. Dolly drew to a stop in the clearing.

“It’s okay, little Dolly.”

Dolly nodded and allowed Beatrice to lead her inside and there they ground to a halt. Beatrice was every bit as uncertain of what to do next as Dolly.

“Would you like a bath so you’ll be nice and clean when your mama and papa get here?”

The child had very expressive eyes that at the moment revealed a whole bunch of emotions—fear, hope, sadness and embarrassment. “I had an accident.”

“That happens sometimes.” When Levi returned with the parents they would have clean clothes. In the meantime, a bath, a good hair brushing and scrubbing of the current outfit seemed in order.

She listened for any sound from Maisie’s room but heard nothing. Perhaps she’d slept through the noise of them entering the kitchen. She didn’t have to worry about Dolly, who was so quiet it made Beatrice wonder what had happened to her.

Moving as softly as possible, she put water on to heat and found a big laundry tub. As the water heated, she thought of what to feed the child. Like Levi said, there was always bread and jam and fresh milk.

Dolly ate neatly but with enough vigor that Beatrice knew she was extremely hungry and wondered how long the child had been lost and alone.

Her heart went out to the child. As an adult, being alone and lost in her new world was frightening enough. She couldn’t imagine what it felt like as a child.

By the time Dolly had eaten enough that she refused any more, the water was ready and Dolly allowed Beatrice to help her out of her soiled clothes and into the tub of water. Beatrice scrubbed her from top to bottom.

Dolly giggled as Beatrice cleaned between her toes. “That tickles,” she whispered.

“It does, does it? You mean this?” She tickled the little girl’s feet, enjoying the muted giggles as Dolly pressed her hands to her mouth as if to drown out the sound.

“There, you are all clean.” She lifted the child from the water and dried her off. With no clothes to wear, she wrapped her in a dry towel. “Now let’s get your hair pretty for when your mama and papa come.”

Again a look of fear and sadness and guilt crossed through Dolly’s eyes.

Beatrice turned Dolly to face her. “Why does doing your hair make you afraid?”

“Not my hair,” she whispered.

“Then what?”

“He’ll never find them.”

Beatrice understood that she meant she didn’t think Levi would find her parents. “Why do you say that?” She brushed Dolly’s hair as they talked. Long, baby-fine and so fair.

“’Cause they’s gone.”

Gone? Had they abandoned the child? She rebraided the hair and hung the long braids in loops on either side of Dolly’s head. The child was beautiful. Why would anyone want to abandon her? “Where are they gone?”

Tears filled her eyes but Dolly blinked them away and didn’t answer.

Smokey, who had watched the entire proceedings from beside the stove, where she enjoyed a dish of milk, had turned to grooming herself. Dolly scooped her up and held her close. “Smoky is all I got now.”

A shiver crossed Beatrice’s shoulders at the finality of Dolly’s words. Lord God, the One who sees and knows, please guide Levi to this child’s parents that they might be reunited.

The minutes ticked away. Several times Beatrice went to look out the window but there was no sign of Levi returning. Darkness descended. She found a lamp and lit it. She washed the little garments in the bathwater and hung them behind the stove to dry, then carried the water out to Maisie’s plants, though with the rain of earlier and the dishwater later, it seemed they might have had enough to drink. Instead, she poured the water around the pink rosebush and paused to smell the evening scent of the flowers before she returned inside.

Poor little Dolly’s head fell to her chest and she jerked awake just in time to avoid falling off the chair.

“Do you want to go to sleep in my bed?”

Again, that look of fear.

“Maybe in this nice big armchair.” She indicated the one Maisie had Levi bring from the other room.

“You’re going to stay here?”

“Until Levi gets back.”

“Okay.” Wrapped in a big towel, Dolly curled up in the chair and fell asleep.

Giving up any attempt to be calm about Levi’s absence, she stood at the window watching and praying.

* * *

Levi rode up to the barn. It was late. Likely past midnight.

He’d found Dolly’s parents. He only wished he could have found them alive.

He unsaddled Buck but before he tended to feeding him, he examined every corner of the barn. The troublemakers would have had plenty of time to do their mischief with Levi gone long past dark. He discovered nothing amiss. Charlie’s horse stood in the stall where Levi had left him. His cousin must be sleeping in the bunkhouse. Perhaps his presence had been a deterrent to those responsible for so many things in the last few days. He’d have a good look around outside before he went to the house.

His throat tightened at the news he had to relay to Dolly. The poor child. She’d likely been with her parents when they passed on. What an awful thing for such a young one to deal with.

He lit a lantern and circled the ranch buildings. The gates were all up, the breeding stock content in the pen. He could find nothing to cause him concern so returned to the barn and finished taking care of Buck before he made his weary way to the house.

A lamp still glowed in the kitchen window. Had Beatrice stayed up or had she left the lamp burning to welcome him home?

He paused at the door, hating to take this information to the child. A surge of gratitude filled him knowing Beatrice would be there when he did.

As quietly as possible he opened the door and slipped in. At the sight before him, he paused and smiled. Dolly curled up like an overgrown kitten in the chair Maisie had previously occupied, her little kitten beside her.

Beatrice sat at the table, her head cradled in her arms on the well-worn wooden tabletop. All three of them—woman, child, cat—were sound asleep.

A sense of rightness stirred his senses. A feeling that this was the way his life should be. Coming home to a pretty young woman and a contented child.

His jaw muscles clenched. Helen had ruined that possibility for him with her judgmental ways. Not that she was entirely to blame. It’s just that he had allowed himself to think she saw him differently.

But for just one moment he let himself think of a wife and family. Then with a quiet sigh he pushed his thoughts back to where they belonged and tiptoed to the table. He touched Beatrice’s shoulder.

She jerked awake, looking confused, and then recognition dawned. “You’re back.” She smiled.

Her smile was not one of welcome for him. At least that’s what Levi told himself as he tamped down a matching response. “Shh.” He indicated the sleeping child. “Come outside. I’ll tell you everything.”

Together they tiptoed to the door. He snagged a jacket from the nearby hook and draped it over her shoulders as they stepped outside. The night was cool and damp and filled with the scent of roses. Or was that Beatrice’s unique scent? It must have been because he couldn’t remember ever being so aware of the roses filling the air with their perfume before.

She turned to him, her features barely visible in the dark. He shifted so the glow from the window allowed him to see her face.

“Did you find them?” Her question jolted him back to reality.

He sought to find the right words. But how else could he say it but just say it? “I found the wagon a few miles away.” He drew in a deep breath. “A man and a woman were dead inside.”

She gasped. Her eyes widened.

Fearing she would faint again, he caught her shoulders and steadied her.

“She’s an orphan? How awful. She tried to tell me.” The truth of the situation flooded her eyes with horror. “She was with them? How long have they been gone?”

He told her everything he knew. “It looks like they died of the influenza. The sheriff agreed. I took the wagon to town, where he arranged for a quick burial. He examined the contents of the wagon. Dolly is Dorothy Knott. The sheriff discovered information that she has an aunt Martha in Ohio and will send a telegram in the morning. The aunt will take care of Dolly once she can make arrangements.”

Beatrice shuddered. “The poor child. I keep thinking of her watching her parents die, being so alone and not knowing what to do. Oh, Levi, it’s too awful to think about.”

At her agonized wail, he gripped her arms and she squeezed his. They held each other. He found comfort in her arms and hoped she found the same in his. Two people who barely knew each other united in their concern for an orphaned child.

“What’s to become of her in the meantime?” Beatrice’s voice was muffled.

“The sheriff suggested someone in town could care for her until her aunt arrives, but it didn’t take him long to realize everyone was dealing with either illness or death. He asked if she could stay here for now.”

“You said yes?”

He inhaled the scent of roses, letting the smell soothe his senses. “I said it wasn’t up to me.”

She drew back and looked into his face. “Who is it up to?” Her eyes searched his for the answer.

He didn’t say anything but she must have read the answer in his face.

“Me? Why is it up to me?”

“You’ll be the one responsible for her. You already have Maisie to care for and the house to run.”

She stepped back. “And you don’t think I can manage Dolly, as well?”

The thought had crossed his mind. She admittedly lacked experience. “Are you familiar with caring for a child so young?”