remembered from her childhood had been a mixture of dirt and sweat. Nothing for her to miss. Nothing for her ever to want again. She never had enough to eat in winter and worked from sunrise to sunset during the spring, summer, and harvest.
Casey craned her neck to see the magnificent show of land. In the distance, specks of grazing horses and cattle sprinkled the fields—so many she couldn’t count them. “Is this your ranch?”
“Yes, it is,” Jocelyn said. “We call it the Double H. My late husband’s name was Hayden, and when we first homesteaded the land, I referred to it as Hayden’s Heaven. He liked the name so well that he chose the Double H as our brand. Together with Morgan, we cleared it and built our first home.” Jocelyn pointed. “See the cabin far off in the western corner? That was our original home and where Bonnie and Grant were born. We have hundreds of acres for grazing and just as many in heavy timber. If you look to the east, you can see hills and forests, untouched except to hunt and fish. My husband left a legacy of the land he loved, many acres for his children to raise their own families.”
“You are truly blessed,” Casey said, using one of Sarah’s words.
“You wouldn’t say ‘blessed’ if you had to get up before sunrise and work until the sun went down,” Grant said, then shoved a grin her way.
“But it’s yours.” Casey watched a horse race across the valley. “You must be very proud of it.”
“Oh, I am.” Grant narrowed his eyes. “When I’m not dog-tired.”
Bonnie poked him in the ribs, and they both laughed. “Try cooking for all of you. Ranch hands eat like horses! It’s a good thing Sheriff Kahler couldn’t come today. There wouldn’t have been enough food.”
Sheriff Kahler. Casey clenched her fists. Was Bonnie sweet on the town’s sheriff? She knew keeping company with these people was a mistake, and this proved it. She must have heard God wrong. Staying now invited a noose around her neck.
Morgan rode up alongside them. “Grant does a better job running this ranch than most men twice his age.”
Shock registered on Grant’s face, but an even wider grin replaced it. “Thanks.”
Once they arrived at the two-story home, the three women busily prepared the midday meal. Casey marveled at the homey feeling. Jocelyn sliced thick pieces of fresh bread, and layered smoked turkey in between. A pot of beans laden with bacon and onions had simmered on the cookstove since before sunup. Newly made applesauce, spiced with sweet-smelling cinnamon, topped the meal. She needed to learn how to cook something besides beans and corn bread. Every time she stirred up a batch of either, memories of the past crowded out the present.
Bonnie rang the dinner bell. Its clang broke the silence like unexpected rifle fire. Casey shivered in its wake and shoved the old haunts to the furthermost part of her mind. She felt leery of the rough looks from the hands trailing in to eat, but the men were polite and undoubtedly hungry, proving Bonnie’s statement.
“I’m heading up to the old place,” Morgan said after lunch.
Casey wondered if he wanted her to go with him. She said nothing. Being alone with him brought on feelings she didn’t know how to handle.
“Soon as we clean up, if Mama doesn’t mind, I’m hoping Shawne and I can take a walk. We might go riding later on,” Bonnie said.
“Go ahead. I have some reading to do,” Jocelyn said. “You girls get acquainted.”
“Maybe I’ll join you for that ride later,” Morgan said, “unless Grant needs me.”
The younger man shook his head and waved his hand to the ranch hands. “We have a few things to tend to.”
Jocelyn frowned. “Son, the Sabbath is a day of rest.”
“It will be right after we take care of moving the herd to make room for your Caroliny bull.”
“That doesn’t have to happen today.”
He laughed. “Then when, Mama? In the middle of fence mending?”
Casey listened to the conversation, wishing that someday she might have a family of her own. These dear people had no idea of lawlessness, and she had no intention of informing them. At least not today.
Chapter 15
When the dishes were washed and the kitchen tidy, Bonnie and Casey walked toward the pasture where the horses grazed. The hot sun beat down on their sunbonnets, making Casey’s head much too warm. For a moment, she considered tossing it aside, but her face was already