Herding the Hellions Read online

  She knew the pain her father had suffered on losing her mother, and something in her softened to the man’s plight. Perhaps he would be understanding and kind when it came to her need to find a home for both her father and herself. Surely he wouldn’t want to abandon a widower like himself.

  As she stepped up to Mr. Redburn with her partner the man’s eyes met hers from and a smile pulled at his lips. He was very handsome, and she was sure that he had little time to deal with his own slightly scruffy appearance with three boys to look after.

  Helena smiled and he returned the gesture, his eyes sparking to life at her welcoming grin. Placing “Hello,” Helena said looking up into those blue eyes, as her partner touched Chance on the arm.

  “Chance, I don’t know what’s going on,” Helena’s partner said, “but I don’t have room for another man on my place. This match ain’t right. I can’t have my bride’s father joinin’ us.”

  Agi’s eyes lit up at the young woman with the russet touched dark hair joined him.

  “Hello,” he greeted, “Did I hear that right, your pa will be joining you?” his heart thudded seeing a chance of finding a woman to care for his boys. If she needed a place for her father quickly perhaps this could work out.

  Helena nodded. “I have three boys who are surely in need of a Ma and to my reckoning an extra grandpa in the mix wouldn’t hurt none either.” He scratched his temple and a flake of sawdust drifted to his shoulder making Helena grin.

  “Chance it don’t look like me and Miss Hebert are compatible,” the other man was saying as Agi spoke quietly with the young woman.

  “I’m not much account on sparkin’ since I’m mighty busy with the sawmill, but I’ve got a good home and room for a wife and her father.” Agi continued “if you think that might do.”

  Again he scratched at his temple and more sawdust drifted to his shoulder. He smelled of pine sap, and wood dust, and the rolled cuffs of his flannel shirt bristled with wood shavings.

  “What I’m trying to say is that since you’re lookin’ for a home for you and your pa, and I’m lookin’ for someone to see to my boys, maybe we could make a match of it if you’re willing to try.”

  Helena looked into his lapis gaze and smiled. She like the practical aspect of his proposal and nodded. Helena was simply seeking security.

  “And how might I address you?” she finally spoke with a grin making the man shake his head in embarrassment. “I’m sorry, I’m a busy man and sometimes forget the niceties. I’m Augusta Pennington. I run the sawmill here in town and business is good,” he said bluntly.

  “Helena Hebert,” Helena said offering her hand which he took in his giving it a hearty shake. “I think what you are proposing might be just what I’m looking for,” she continued. “I would like at least a week or two to get to know you and your boys though if that works for you.”

  Mr. Pennington nodded. At least this girl was willing to think about what he was offering. Between the money he’d made prospecting as a young man, and the booming sawmill works in town, he could offer a woman security, comfort, and a fine home, if not love.

  “I’m amicable to that,” he said brushing his raven locks from his forehead. “I’ll set up a time to come courting with Chance. In the mean time shall we dance?” he finished.

  Together Agi and Helena stepped out onto the dance floor as Chance turned to match Helena once more with his original choice.

  “Where’d they go?” Chance asked looking out across the dance floor as his other friend walked toward one of the other girls a bright smile on his lips.

  Chapter 5

  “Violet,” Helena called the one time teacher to her immediately after breakfast the next morning. “I was wondering if I could speak to you?” she asked with a smile.

  “This isn’t about the coffee again is it?” Violet asked. “I think Mr. McGruder is doing a wonderful job now that he understands a woman’s pallet is more discerning than a ranch hand’s.”

  “No, it’s nothing like that,” Helena said with a laugh as the grizzled old cook shot them a hard look. He was really a very nice man, but he didn’t much like to share his kitchen, not even with the women who temporarily called this place home. “I wanted to talk to you about a Mr. Pennington and about him courting me. You know my father is coming out soon, and I need to have a place for him to call home.”

  Violet placed a hand on Helena’s arm. “I’m sure we’ll be able to do something,” she said offering a kind smile. “Now tell me, which one is Mr. Pennington? Is he the one that Chan… Mr. Redburn paired you with last night?”

  Helena shook her head giving a decided no. “I’m not sure that Mr. Redburn really knows what he’s doing,” she said in a hushed whisper so that others wouldn’t hear. “Frankly, I’m still quite perturbed at the man.”

  “Trust me,” Violet said. “You are not the only one.” She cast a glance in the direction of the office where Mr. Redburn had gone only minutes ago. “I’ll keep working on him though. For now tell me about your Mr. Pennington.”

  Helena shrugged. “He was dancing with Espe last night, and I could tell that she wasn’t drawn to him so to speak.”

  “You mean the man with all the sawdust in his hair?” Violet said. “You would have thought that he might have at least combed it or something before attending the dance. Most of the other men were dressed in their Sunday best and trying to make a good impression.”

  Helena nodded knowing that it was true, but for some reason the man’s wood shaving encrusted countenance only spoke to her of need. Surely if he would come to a meeting in that state, he must truly need a wife. The thought made her certain that he would have no issues with her father when he arrived.

  “I think he truly is in need of a wife,” Helena finally spoke. “And I am in need of a place for my father and me to live. It seems to me that it would be a likely match.”

  Violet bit her lip thinking about what to say next. “But what about love?” she finally asked. “Don’t you want to love the man you marry? This will be forever Helena.”

  “I know, but love isn’t that important to me. I would be useful. I’m very good at organizing a home,” she smiled her dark eyes filling with mirth. “I’ve been keeping my father’s house ever since mother died and have had no complaints.”

  Violet nodded understanding Helena’s reasoning but hoping that she might still get more than a home out of the bargain. “I’ll see what we can do,” she said. “When will Mr. Pennington be visiting?”

  “I don’t really know,” Helena said. “He told me that he would speak with Mr. Redburn last night, but when I saw them they appeared to be arguing. Please Violet you have to help. I can’t have father arriving without our situation being secured.”

  Violet patted Helena’s arm the way she might have consoled one of her former students after a particularly difficult math test. “I’ll do all I can. I promise.”

  “Thank you,” Helena said. “That’s all I can ask. For now I’m going to send a telegram to father telling him to stay with his friends for an extra week. Hopefully that will give us both time to ensure my future.”

  “Please don’t go alone,” Violet said distractedly. “You never know about a new place.”

  “Mr. McGruder?” Helena called stepping into the kitchen. “Might I bother you for a few minutes?”

  “Only if you’ll stop all this Mister nonsense and call me Beans like everyone else does,” the old man grumbled stirring a pot with a blackened wooden spoon.

  “All right,” Helena said with a grin. “Beans, I could really use some help. I’d like to send a wire to my father asking him to remain with his friends in Kansas for a bit longer. Just until I’m sure of my situation here.”

  “Your father?” Beans asked his eyes going wide. “You’re bringin’ your Pa here for your wedding?”

  “Not exactly,” Helena said accepting a cup of coffee from the old cook. “He’ll be living with me and my groom if Mr. Redburn can ever find one for me.�
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  Beans scratched his whiskery chin, squinting at the woman. “Why didn’t you just stay home with your pa if you were only gonna drag him out here anyway?”

  Helena took a seat at the empty table adding a cube of sugar to her coffee along with a dollop of cream. “I’m afraid my father can no longer work,” she said sadly. “He has a crippling disease in his joints, and his hands can barely hold onto a book now let alone a piece of baggage.”

  “That bad eh?” Beans said slurping a bit of coffee from his own cup with a grimace.

  “I’m afraid so. When he lost his job, we knew we wouldn’t have the savings to continue in our own home, so I wrote to Miss Viola, and on her assurance, we sold most everything we owned and traveled west. My Father, Henry, has old friends in Kansas and decided to stop and spend a week with them on the way.”

  “Now you’re worryin’ about if Chance can’t get you no groom and your Pa and you will be stuck.”

  Helena nodded.

  “Well don’t you worry none, one way or another Chance will wrangle you a man.” He scratched under his chin again and gulped a bit more coffee. “In the mean time you get that wire ready, and I’ll walk ya down to the depot where you can send it along.”

  Helena smiled grateful to the old cook. “Thank you Mr. I mean Beans,” she said jumping up and kissing him on the cheek. “This means the world to me. Now if Mr. Pennington will call tonight, I think we’ll be on the way to a good outcome,” she finished dashing out of the kitchen in a rush.

  “Mr. Pennington?” Beans bellowed, as the door swung shut. “Dadblamit!” Beans spluttered. “That boy seems to be missin’ the mark in more ways than one around here.”

  Chapter 6

  Helena took Beans’ arm as they walked along the boardwalk. It was a fine day, and with her note for her father tucked into her reticule, she was feeling more confident.

  “It seems like a rather nice town,” she mused as they neared their destination. “Is it always this busy?” She could see several cowboys drifting down the dusty street, and a few rather elderly women hurrying toward the church.

  “Been getting busier lately,” Beans said. “I hear Mr. Pennington’s busy as a beaver over at the mill what with folks wanting to build homes and such,” the old man chuckled.

  “Do most of the people in town buy their lumber from Mr. Pennington?” Helena asked.

  “On’y place to get it, and a lot of other supplies to boot. The man has a good head on his shoulders when it comes to business. Now if he’d just…” Beans pulled up short not finishing his sentence.

  “If he’d just what?” Helena asked. “Is there something I should know M. Beans?”

  “Nah, it’s just with all the time he spends working, I imagine he misses his kiddies and all,” Beans hedged.

  Helena looked at the old man, but when it became obvious that he wasn’t going to say anything else, she pushed thoughts of Mr. Pennington away and walked up to the depot window that indicated where to send a telegram.

  In the background, Helena could hear the sounds of the town she hoped to call home soon: the clop of horses, the sound of children playing, the steady distant buzz of some machinery.

  “What’s that noise?” she asked Beans as they turned back toward Miss Viola’s home.

  “Which one?” Beans asked lifting his chin as if he were testing the air.

  “That buzzing sound?”

  “Oh, that’d be the mill,” Beans offered with a grin. “The one Mr. Pennington owns. It’s down by the stream on the outskirts of town.”

  “And you can hear it all the way here?”

  “Well I reckon sound travels pretty good up stream,” Beans said. “No one seems to even notice no more.”

  Helena cringed, if the noise was audible in town what must it be like at the actual mill? If all went well perhaps she would soon find out.

  Helena busied herself about the house as best she could as she waited to hear if Mr. Pennington would call that night. She had placed her hope in Violet to set things straight.

  Dressing carefully she made her way to the parlor and chose a book to read. She was so engrossed in the story she barely noticed when Violet ushered Mr. Pennington into the room. The handsome man smiled as he pushed three dark-haired boys into the room before him.

  All three children were neatly dressed, and their chestnut locks were slicked flat over faces with great blue staring eyes.

  “Hello,” Helena said placing her book on a table and rising.

  “Boys, this is Miss Hebert, I’d like you to say hello,” Agi said pushing the boys further into the room.

  The smallest one a boy of no more than four flopped down on the floor tugging at his collar with a tiny hand.

  “These are my boys,” Augusta said. “The little one there is Timothy then there’s Albert,” he indicated the boy in the middle who stood stony faced before her. “And this is Ryan,” the man finished placing his hand on the eight-year old boy’s head.

  “I’m pleased to meet you boys,” Helena said offering each a smile as she gazed down at them her hands clasped before her to keep them from reaching out and pulling all three into a hug.

  “Ma’am,” the oldest boy who couldn’t be more than eight said softly.

  “I wanted you to meet the boys before we continued,” Agi said. “They were very excited about the possibility of a new mother. Weren’t you boys?”

  “Yes, sir,” the two older boys said in unison. “We’d be mighty happy to have a Ma again.” Ryan said with a grin. “We’ll do all our chores, and clean our plates and never be a problem,” he finished looking up at his pa who nodded at him.

  “If you don’t mind, I’ll take the boys home and get them settled then come back. I hope you don’t mind,” Agi said with a smile.

  Helena nodded, noting once more the sawdust in the man’s hair and the wood shavings on his heavy work boots.

  “I’m truly glad to meet you all,” Helena said. “Perhaps one evening your father will bring you back to the house, and I can cook you a nice meal.”

  The boys blinked up at their father not saying a word as the baby stuck his thumb in his mouth before being picked up by his father.

  “That sounds like a lovely idea,” Agi said with what looked like a forced smile, “perhaps we should spend some time getting to know each other better first.”

  “I’m here,” an old lady in a heavy shawl and gold spectacles called walking into the parlor, her eyes going wide at the sight of the three boys. “Heavens, didn’t you give me a start,” she said. “I came here to chaperone an outing. I didn’t sign on to watch the boys.”

  “We’re going home now,” Ryan said. “Pa will be back though. We’re ready now Pa,” he finished an angelic smile on his face.

  Helena watched the small family exit the room and her heart filled with affection for each of the poor motherless waifs. They had such sweet manners, and respectful tones she just knew that caring for them would be the simplest task in the world. Already she was sure she would love them all.

  Chapter 7

  Agi picked up Timmy as they headed home. Somehow he had managed to convince one of the widows in town to watch the three boys by promising her three times the going rate for babysitting.

  “Did we do good Pa?” Ryan asked looking up at his father as he kicked out of his restricting shoes and shuffled his feet in the dust of the street.

  “You did just fine son,” Agi said as Timothy wrapped chubby fingers into his hair making him grimace.

  “So you ain’t gonna sell us to the gypsies no more?”

  “No, I’m not going to sell you to the gypsies. You did what you promised, and I’ll even let you have a couple of those cookies I bought today before you go to bed.”

  “I want two,” Albert spoke up throwing a rock at his brother who dodged it then retaliated by punching his younger brother in the arm. In seconds the two well groomed boys were rolling in the dirt of the yard and Agi was forced to remove Tim’s finger
s from his dark locks, setting him on the ground as he pulled the older boys apart. “Stop your scrapping,” Agi growled. “I still have to convince that woman to marry me, so you can eat regular and have clean clothes.”

  Albert stuck his tongue out at Ryan who took a halfhearted swing at him.

  “You boys promise to be good for the sitter tonight,” Agi continued, giving them a hard look. “I have to get back to town.”

  “I’ll be good,” Albert said, “If’n Ryan is.”