Five hours later they pulled up in front of the little house that Rachel had occupied when she worked as the ranch cook. They both alighted, then Rusty carried Will into the house. Rachel appeared ready to drop, and he didn’t feel much better. Right now he wanted to get them settled and then take a bath, eat, and sleep—in that order.
Rachel hurried ahead of him. “Put him in the room Amelia used.”
Mrs. Clemmons had cleaned the boy up and fed him while they waited for Rusty and Rachel to return. After taking a dose of pain medicine, he’d slept for the entire trip home.
Rachel pulled the cover up over Will and sat on the edge of his bed. She trailed her fingers over his face and he grimaced at the light touch. “I love him so much. I can’t believe I almost lost him.”
Rusty placed his hand on her shoulder. “I’ll fill the bathtub for you. I think a long soak will help.”
She nodded and yawned loudly. “Oh, sorry.”
He d
ragged the copper tub from the back porch into the kitchen. Once the tub was filled, Rachel must have been too tired to either realize or care that Rusty was helping her out of her clothes and into the tub, for she never protested.
Despite his overwhelming fatigue, his lower parts came alive at the sight of her body. Forcing himself to leave, he returned to the ranch house and made a couple of sandwiches for them. Loaded down with the sandwiches, a jar of lemonade and two apples, he barely got the door to the small house open.
He placed the food on the table and smiled at the sight of Rachel sound asleep in the tub. She’d managed to get her hair and body washed before she’d dozed off. This was a sight he could get used to. Although he’d blurted the words out, he intended for Rachel to be his wife. Instead of forcing her down the aisle as her brother had suggested, he would talk to her, explain his shortcomings and hope she could see the love in his heart enough to forgive him.
“Sweetheart? You need to wake up, the water is cold. You’re going to catch a chill.”
Rachel opened her eyes and smiled softly at him. In that one instant he knew she would be his. Whatever it took, she would be his wife and lifelong partner.
He held out the towel. “Come on, up you go.”
Apparently now aware of her nakedness, she blushed crimson and snatched the towel from his hand, wrapping it around herself. “I’m fine, now. You can leave.”
He motioned with his head toward the table. “I brought us some food. After we eat, I’ll go home and take a bath. You need to sleep.”
She stepped out of the tub, the cloth securely around her body, emphasizing the curves he wanted to get his hands around. Her chin raised, she walked past him toward the bedroom where he’d placed her bag when they arrived.
He found plates on a shelf and laid out the food. With dark circles under her eyes and lines of fatigue on her face, Rachel entered the room. She’d braided her wet hair, which hung down behind her, almost to her waist.
“I think I’m too tired to eat.”
“You have to eat, you’ve had nothing since yesterday. This will ensure a good sleep.”
“I can’t sleep too long, I have to take care of Will.”
“He’s sleeping, the doctor has him all fixed up, and there isn’t anything you can do for him except wipe his brow. That can wait.”
They finished their meal in silence. “You go on into bed. I’m going to take a bath here and camp out on the sofa in the parlor. I’m a light sleeper, so if Will calls out for anything I can hear him.”
She looked for a moment as if she would argue, but then shrugged and left the table, stumbling to the bedroom. After cleaning up, he checked on Rachel, fast asleep. He took another blanket from the closet and covered her. Being that tired, she needed the extra warmth.
He sat alongside her on the bed for a while, just watching her in slumber. He smoothed the hair back from her forehead, then leaned down and kissed her lightly.
Watch out, Mrs. Stevens. I’m about to begin the campaign to make you mine.
Chapter Fifteen
Since Big Bob’s housekeeper had moved with them to Arizona Territory, Rusty had never replaced the woman as a measure to cut expenses. Now that Rachel was adamant about working at the ranch while Will recuperated, she took on the task of housekeeper. A position Rusty planned to make a permanent one, but with the title of ‘wife’ attached to it.
So far they’d gotten along quite well. While he wouldn’t say she had forgiven him, they were pleasant to each other, and the two of them, along with Will and Amelia, sat down in the evening to a meal like a real family.
Amelia had cut back working in the cookhouse so she could concentrate on her schoolwork. Rusty was happy to discover Amelia was not illiterate, which, given her upbringing, he had suspected. She brought homework each day for Will to complete, so he was keeping up with his class.
Taking up the slack in the cookhouse was a logical expansion of Rachel’s duties. Pretty soon she was so busy with taking care of Will, checking his schoolwork, keeping up with the housekeeper tasks, and cooking for the men, that Rusty rarely saw her outside of their family meal. That had to stop. Every time he told her he wanted to talk to her, she was either racing into the house, or out the door.