own chair and taking a seat.
She shrugged. “I just didn’t want you passing out on me if you insisted on tagging along.” She dumped half the eggs on his plate. “And don’t get any ideas that I’m waiting on you in here. You’re doing the dishes.”
“You got it, boss. What do we do today?”
Em watched him slice off two thick pieces of bread and drop one on her plate. This guy must come from the strangest rich family in the world. They did no work, they stayed out of the sun, and they ate breakfast like field hands.
“I thought I’d go into town and pick up some supplies.” She shoveled in her eggs, fearing he’d eat her share if she didn’t. “If you come along, you could pick up clothes that fit your taste better.”
He looked up and smiled. “We taking the buggy?”
“No, there’s a back path through the hills. It’ll take half the time.”
Glancing out the window, he said the obvious. “It’s raining, you know.”
“I know. Work on a ranch doesn’t stop no matter what the weather. You afraid you’ll shrink if you get wet? You can back out. I’m sure there’ll be plenty going on here to keep you busy.”
“No,” he said. “This place seems to have a tendency to break into song. I’m going with you.”
His comment made her wonder how bad a job her sisters were doing at entertaining him if he’d rather climb back on a horse in the rain with her.
Before she could ask, the bedroom door, off the kitchen, opened and little Mrs. Allender waddled out. She was in her robe and had funny little rag bows tied all over her head. “I didn’t mean to interrupt, but I thought I smelled coffee.”
Em and Lewt both stood as she came closer. Lewt pulled out her chair as Em got her a cup of coffee.
“Thank you, dear,” Mrs. Allender said. “You must be Em. The girls told me yesterday that there was a woman running the ranch while the McMurray men were away. I must say, I admire a woman who makes her own way. When my Jessie was alive he used to say that he couldn’t manage the house and I couldn’t run the farm, but together we could do anything. He must have been right, because he bought more land every year and I had another baby. After thirty years we owned a good-sized corner of Mississippi.”
“And you had a house full of children?” Em asked.
Mrs. Allender sipped her coffee, then shook her head. “For a while we did, but then my three oldest boys died in Andersonville prison during the war. Davis only has one brother left, but I’m blessed with five daughters. During the war, they dressed like you are now and did what had to be done.”
“You must be very proud of them,” Em said as she put her hand on the old woman’s arm.
“Oh, I am. My children are my true wealth in this world. They all want to take up farming like their parents and grandparents, but my Davis, he wants to be an architect. He’s says Austin is growing. It’s the place he belongs. It’s his chance to leave a mark.”
Em found the sweet little woman interesting, but the first hint of dawn shone through the windows. “We have to go,” she said. “The rain seems to be letting up and I’ve a full day of work planned. It was a pleasure to meet you.”
Mrs. Allender bid them good-bye as Em almost pulled Lewt out of the warm kitchen and into the rain.
“It’s not letting up,” he grumbled as he pulled on the dirty slicker she handed him. “If anything, it’s worse.”
She stepped off the porch and yelled back at him, “Then stay here and sing.”
“Not a chance,” he said as he followed her, splashing mud with each step.
In the shadowy light of the barn, he saddled his own horse. Sumner showed up about the time he finished and offered his hand. “Morning, stranger. Glad you’re up for another day. Thought Miss Em might have killed you yesterday.”
Lewt took the man’s hand, then felt something slimy spread from the old man’s palm to his.
When he frowned the old man laughed. “Don’t blame me, son. Miss Em said you’d need some of that for your hands. Rub it in good and it’ll help keep those blisters from getting infected.”
Lewt wondered how she’d even noticed, but he didn’t say anything when he met her at the door. A