A Man for Glory Read online

  “In just a few minutes,” Glory answered. “Your clean nightgown is on the bed, Essie. Make sure you change your underwear, Buddy. I put the clothes basket in your room, so be sure you use it.”

  Cade smiled as she uttered the words she’d no doubt spoken numerous times before. From upstairs, he could hear the sound of two doors opening and Buddy speaking softly to his sister.

  “You’ve done a good job with those children,” Cade said quietly. “They love you, Glory. It shows in the way they pay attention to you and mind what you say.”

  “I made up my mind when I came here that I’d do the best I could to take the place of their mother. I’ve tried to teach them all the things my own mother taught me when I was comin’ up. Mr. Clark gave me a free hand with them and we’ve always gotten along together. They’re smart and willing to work hard to get their schooling.”

  She rose and went to the doorway, then turned back and met Cade’s gaze. “I’m pleased that you’ve decided to get a horse for Buddy. He’s excited about going to school in town and his eyes surely lit up when you said he could go along and help decide on which horse you’d buy for him.”

  “I’d like to see him on two or three of those geldings. Figure I’ll buy him a saddle in town and he can learn how to handle things on his own. He’s tall enough to lift a saddle and I’ll check into things at the school, see if the boys have a place to keep their tack during the day. I imagine they stake the horses around back of the schoolhouse, but I’ll want to see for myself how things are done. I spoke to a fella in town and he said that there’s near to a dozen students who ride in from the surrounding farms.”

  “Buddy knows how to ride pretty well,” Glory said. “Mr. Clark let him use the saddle horse, made sure he knew how to handle the animal.”

  “He’ll do well,” Cade said confidently. “He’s a smart boy and he’s old enough to accept responsibility.”

  Glory nodded her agreement and turned to climb the stairs. Her steps were light, and she rapped on the doorjamb of Buddy’s room, calling his name as she entered. Cade heard her voice, then Buddy’s as they spoke together for long minutes before she left his room, closing his door and heading to Essie’s room.

  She spent a bit longer with Essie, probably helping her with her nightgown, he suspected, and then listening to the girl as she said her prayers. Her voice was but a murmur in his ear, but he smiled, imagining Glory sitting on the bed, her hand on Essie’s head as she uttered her petitions aloud. And then Glory left Essie’s room, leaving her door open and pausing to call out soft words to the child.

  She came back downstairs and into the kitchen. “I’ll fry up some sliced ham for breakfast in the morning, I think. Maybe some corn bread instead of biscuits.” Glory retrieved the sack of cornmeal from the pantry and bent to lift her mixing bowl from the kitchen dresser, readying things for morning.

  She turned then, picking up the book she’d read from and carrying it into the parlor where she put it on the library table in front of the window. Pausing to straighten the pillows on the sofa, she moved a picture, placing it just so as if it must be properly displayed. Cade watched her from the doorway of the parlor, admiring the sway of her skirts, the deft movements of her hands and the easy way she moved about in the home she had established. With little obvious effort, Glory managed to keep things neatened up, creating a place of comfort for her family, a warm atmosphere in which they thrived. She looked up to where Cade stood, as if she had just sensed his presence there.

  “I think I’ll go up myself and get ready for bed,” she said. “It’s been a long day.”

  He leaned forward a bit, his lips touching her forehead in a soft unthreatening kiss. “Good night, Glory. I’ll lock up and take care of the lamp in the kitchen. Do you need a light to take with you?”

  “No, I’ve got a candle in my room and I can find it easily in the dark. It looks like it’s pretty bright out anyway. No clouds and a full moon. Good night, Cade,” she said softly, moving past him and up the stairs, then closing her door behind her.

  Chapter Five

  She’d done as she said, frying ham and baking corn bread for breakfast. Cade split open his helping of corn bread and buttered it generously.

  Settling down to eat, the children talked of plans for the day, Cade and Buddy speaking of the proposed visit to the neighbor once the chores were finished. Essie mentioned that her dolly was in dire need of a new dress, persuading Glory to find a piece of fabric that would be suitable. With the promise of the sewing project Glory had agreed upon, Essie cleared the table quickly and dried the dishes, chattering the whole time.

  “First, we’re going to wash our hair,” Glory said firmly. “The rain barrel is pretty near full and I’ll heat some of the water on the stove while we look up the material from the last dress I made for you. I think there’s enough left over for the dolly’s dress. You can help rinse my hair for me and we’ll sit in the sun for a bit and let it dry.” Essie was agreeable to the plan and together they carried in water from the barrel, careful to replace the lid so that the rainwater stayed clean.

  Cade thought he’d never seen a more beautiful sight. He stood just inside the barn door, his gaze fixed on the two females sitting on the porch drying their hair.

  Glory had made use of the rain barrel, water from the roof pouring down to fill it yesterday from an afternoon shower. He’d been in the kitchen, watching as Essie leaned over the washtub and Glory poured the liquid from her quart jar of soap. It quickly formed rich suds and lather in the child’s hair.

  Glory had declared that she was next and that Essie should pour water over her head on her command. And then she’d looked at Cade, a look that invited him to leave the kitchen. As he’d walked out the door, she was unbuttoning her dress so as not to get it wet, and he was sorely tempted to stay and peek but thought better of it.

  He’d seen the nearest neighbor, Earl Bradley by name, in his field yesterday and made arrangements with him regarding the horses he might be willing to sell. It hadn’t taken long to sum up their condition and conformation. Three of them were ready to deliver their foals, and it had cost Cade a pretty penny indeed, but worth every red cent, for they were healthy, rounded with the weight of unborn foals, and he had spent an enjoyable hour brushing their sleek coats and learning to know their diverse natures.

  Horses were a lot like people, he’d often thought, each with their own quirks and foibles, and these three were placid in their last days of pregnancy. Today he’d return with Buddy for the mount they needed for the boy’s transport to school.

  Earl had brought the mares by yesterday afternoon and they stood now in the stalls Cade had readied for them. He heard them nicker and whuffle softly behind him as he stood again in the doorway of the barn, watching the two females on the porch.

  Essie sat on the second step in the rays of the morning sun, Glory brushing her hair as if it gave them equal pleasure. He knew she would braid it up, keeping it clean and clear of the child’s face. But for now, it shone with a radiance that rivaled the sunlight that rained down on the golden locks. As radiant as the small face that turned to look up at Glory with confidence, those rosy lips parting in a wide smile, even as she spoke of some small thing that pleased her.

  Glory’s hair was still damp, hanging down her back, her dress protected by a towel around her shoulders. Her tresses curled around her face as they dried, catching the sun and gleaming in a cascade of rich, dark color. Even as he watched, Essie stood and then knelt behind Glory, holding the hairbrush, her small hands on the bone handle, sweeping through the dark length of hair in such a way that Cade knew it was not for the first time the child performed this ritual.

  As she bent over Glory’s head, her own golden locks blew in the breeze, blending with the darkness that she tamed with her brush. They were like night and day, both darkness and light sitting before him, and he was held immobile by the beauty of the woman he planned to marry.

  Even as he watched, a horseman
rode up from the town road, his mount in a rolling canter, the silver star on his shirt front glittering. The lawman had come to call, and Cade wondered briefly what had brought him back this way so soon.

  Cade stepped from the shadows of the barn, lifting a hand to the man who rode near. “Hey there, Sheriff. Good to see you.”

  “McAllister,” Joe Lawson’s greeting was crisp and to the point. His eyes were sharp, piercing as he measured the man before him, and Cade was happy that Glory had pressed his shirt with the set of sadirons she used. She’d warned that she folded, but didn’t iron, so finding it folded just so in his dresser drawer, still showing the marks of the iron, had pleased him. He stood tall before the lawman, feeling that he could speak with this man as he would a friend.

  “I’ve just been looking over my new mares. Want to see them?” It was a friendly gesture, one that would divert attention from the females on the porch, and Joe nodded, lifting himself easily from his saddle. As he led the visitor into the barn, Cade cast one last look over his shoulder to where Glory was hastily plaiting her hair, obviously embarrassed to be seen by the sheriff in such a state. Essie watched patiently as Glory quickly threaded the long strands, as if she knew that her turn would be next.

  “They sure are a pair, ain’t they,” Joe said quietly. “Old Harvey Clark got himself a gem when he took that girl in and gave her a home. Reckon he thought he’d struck gold when she married him.”

  “I reckon he did,” Cade replied, a small smile touching his lips. Once inside the barn, he faced the sheriff and spoke again. “I’m having a hard time, Sheriff. I don’t know how I can marry Glory without telling her the truth of my being here. It’s not fair to leave her in the dark, but I’m playing both ends against the middle.” He waved at a bale of hay and the sheriff settled on it, Cade squatting in front of him.

  “I’m thinking I’ll probably resign from Pinkerton’s once I’ve completed this assignment and found the gold. I find myself wanting Glory more than I want the career I’ve had for the past five or six years.

  “I’ve racked my brains trying to think of where a man might hide a stash like that, and so far haven’t been able to figure it out. I’ve searched the barn, but it’s not out here. I doubt Clark buried it anywhere—there’s too much chance of someone digging it up. He’d more likely have it under his control somewhere in the house. I’m figuring on some building projects that might be a good cover-up for my search, but I’ve got to lead up to them.

  “Right now, I’m just not sure what to tell Glory. I’ll have to come up with something right quick. I’m going to push for a wedding within the next week or so. I won’t have Glory spoken of without a degree of respect. She’s a good woman, and I’ve just about convinced her that we need to marry up. I’ll feel better when she’s wearing my ring. So if you’ll do me a favor, I’d appreciate it. Will you let the minister in town know that we’ll be in on Saturday and I’d like him to speak the words over us, and hear Glory repeat her vows? Will you do that? I’d go myself, but there’s a pile of work to be done, and if you can save me the trip, I’d surely appreciate it.”

  Joe laughed, more of a chuckle actually, Cade decided, as if he was pleased by the turn of events. “I’d be happy to act as your messenger, McAllister, but you have a tough job ahead of you. Are you sure enough of the woman to set the date?”

  “As sure as I can be. Glory is smart enough to know that she needs the protection of marriage, and unless some sort of emergency comes up, we’ll be in town come Saturday morning. She’ll be needing kitchen supplies and I’ll have me a few days to make my plans solid.”

  They stood in the wide aisle of the barn, Joe’s hand rising in an automatic gesture to pat the neck of the mare beside him. “This one sure is a beauty, ain’t she?” The mare turned her head and nuzzled at his shirt pocket, causing both men to laugh aloud.

  “She’s used to someone carrying treats for her, I’ll warrant,” Joe said. “Looks to me like she’s about to drop that foal. What do you think?”

  “They were all three bred just eleven months ago, and Bradley told me I’d better be ready with a birthing stall right quick.”

  “Earl Bradley raises good horseflesh, that’s for sure,” Joe said, admiring the blood bay who stood on three feet beside Cade. As if she would lean against his strength, she edged up to him, and Cade tangled his fingers in her mane, scrubbing his knuckles against her neck.

  “Buddy has his eye on this one. I’ll get her in shape for him to travel back and forth to school. The bottom line is I got a bargain, is what I did,” he told Joe. “When I came to town, I had a nest egg of my own, and with the money from my last job for Pinkerton, I had money enough to invest in this place. I couldn’t think of anything more valuable to this farm than new horseflesh. My pa always said horses were a good investment, so long as you fed ‘em and kept ‘em clean and happy. We always had a pasture full of colts and fillies when I was a boy. This place is exactly what I’ve always wanted. And Glory is the answer to every dream I’ve had.”

  There was a yearning in his voice that seemed to touch a chord in Joe, for he nodded. “I’d say you’ve got it bad, McAllister. I’m pulling for you.” The lawman walked around the black he’d been admiring, past the blood bay to the pinto, who was shorter but stockier. “This one is a good cow pony, I’ll bet you,” he said admiringly.

  “That’s what Bradley told me,” Cade answered. “We’ll see after she drops her foal.”

  “You gonna breed them back?” Joe asked.

  “Soon as they’re ready, and if things work out.” Cade’s hand rested on the pinto. “This is her first time, but the other two have dropped foals for the past two years. They bred well, had pretty little colts last year. Earl showed me what they were leaving behind. I think he hated to see them go, but I made it worth his while.”

  “Well, I’m going to walk up to the house and pay my respects to Mrs. Clark,” Joe said as Cade untied the mares and led them out the back of the barn. In moments, he’d taken the lead ropes from their halters and staked them out in the pasture, where lush grass grew in abundance. Once he’d set a couple dozen posts and strung fencing, he’d be able to turn them loose to graze. Thankfully, the fence line that was in place was secure now after his day-long work tightening the wire against the posts. He’d buy posts and enlarge the grazing area in the next week or so.

  He turned back to Joe and lifted a hand. “Thanks for your help, Sheriff. Tell Glory I’ll be up to the house in a minute or two.”

  Joe left the barn and looked at the two females who soaked up the sun’s rays, speaking in a low tone to Cade. “She’s a pretty little thing, the girl Clark left behind. How a grizzled man like Harvey Clark managed to father such beauty is beyond me,” he said. Cade laughed, his agreement apparent.

  Joe approached the house. “Mrs. Clark. Are you well? I thought to come out and see how things are going for you and the children.” Ever polite, Joe doffed his hat and held it before him.

  “I’m well, Sheriff,” Glory said politely, her hands full of Essie’s golden hair that she was braiding into a long tail. “Mr. McAllister is taking hold with the place. I surely appreciate his help.”

  “I hear from your hired hand out there that there’s to be a wedding come Saturday.”

  Essie looked up in surprise. “Who’s gonna get married, Mr. Sheriff?” Her eyes were wide with wonder as she looked at Glory. “Can we go to the wedding, Glory? I never been to one before.”

  Glory spoke sharply. “We’ll talk it over later, Essie.”

  From the kitchen a youthful voice spoke a greeting. “Have you seen the new mares, Sheriff? Ain’t they a bunch of beauties? My pa always said he wanted horses, but all we ever had was Pa’s riding mare and the plow horses. Cade just up and bought those three yesterday, and they’re all gonna …” As if he’d thought better of his words, Buddy halted, and the lawman laughed softly.

  “Yeah, they sure are, Buddy. Right soon, too.”

  The boy ste
pped out onto the porch and stood behind his sister. “We’re doing all right out here. You didn’t need to check up on us. Cade’s taking hold real good.”

  As if he was the man of the house, Glory thought. And at such a young age, to be put in a position of responsibility. And then the boy spoke again.

  “We sure are glad to have Cade here, sir. He’s a right good hand at most everything. Got the corral fence all shored up and he’s gonna cut hay today. Pa would have liked him.”

  “You’re right, Buddy. Your pa would have thought Cade was a good man.” Glory’s words were firm, giving support to the boy.

  “Glory says I can go to school this year, Sheriff,” Buddy announced proudly. “She thinks I’ll do just fine.”

  “He’s a good student. Reads well and knows his maths. I’ve taught him about all I can. It’s time for some real schooling,” Glory said. “He’s a whiz at geography, and he’s read all my old history books.” She realized she was bragging a bit then, and felt a flush creep up her face.

  “You’ve done well by these children, Mrs. Clark. They’re fine young’uns.”

  Cade appeared, apparently having overheard the last of the conversation, for he spoke quickly, his gaze resting on Buddy. “I think their father deserves a lot of credit for the way these two have dug in and helped Glory the way they do. Buddy will make a fine horseman and farmer one day, and Essie is already learning skills in the kitchen.”

  “Can we go to the wedding in town, Cade?” Essie showed no fear in asking, and Cade grinned at her.

  “Sure enough you can go, you and Buddy both.”

  “Is Glory going too?” Essie asked quickly.

  Cade’s eyes rested on the dark hair, his eyes admiring the sharp blue eyes that met his with anger in their depths, and his words were filled with import. “Glory is going to be the most important part of the wedding, Essie. We’ll talk about it at dinnertime.”

  Essie squirmed on the porch, then slid to the ground. “Can I go find the cat, Glory? She’s been hiding in the barn somewhere. I don’t know what’s wrong with her, but she didn’t come when I called her last night.”