A tutor had been engaged for her when they discovered how sorely her education had been neglected. Now Hattie had John Fiske to hound with her endless questions, and she appeared to take full advantage of his services. She was already on book five of the six-volume series of McGuffey’s Readers, which pleased everyone. Hattie’s mother had given her a good start in reading and writing, but it had been only a start at Elvira Witherspoon Taylor’s death. Hattie had had limited access to books after that. Luckily, she was a quick learner with an inquiring mind.
Last night he’d brought the females back to Augusta’s house so Hattie could watch the town’s Fourth of July fireworks from Augusta’s bedroom window. He, his mom, and Mirabel had gotten a huge kick out of watching the kid’s enthrallment with the display. Less thrilling were the piano lessons Augusta insisted Hattie have. She hated being confined indoors doing repetitious scales and wasn’t shy about sharing her opinion. They had all come to dread those moments when her frustration got the best of her and she took it out on the piano keys, pounding up and down the scales, filling the house with discordant, earsplitting noise.
A rustle in the doorway and subtle drift of attar of roses alerted Jake that he was no longer alone. Looking up from the contemplation of his whiskey glass, he saw Jane-Ellen standing just inside the room. Thoughts of Hattie fled, along with his irritation at having been kept waiting. He set his glass on the nearest table and rose to his feet.
Jane-Ellen moved into the room. “I’m sorry I took so long,” she murmured.
“It was worth the delay,” Jake replied and smiled widely, eyeing her in appreciation.
Jane-Ellen blushed beneath his frank regard and decided it was worth having deliberately delayed coming downstairs in order to fuss with her hair and change her dress three different times. She peered up at him from under partially lowered lashes. Her friends simply swooned over Jake Murdock. He was fun, he was very nice to look at, and he had prospects beyond the already established wealth of his family. He was considered one of Mattawa’s finest catches, and Jane-Ellen loved being the envy of her friends. It made up in part for the fact that his virility sometimes frightened her to death. “Um, may I offer you some refreshments?”
“No, thanks,” Jake replied. “Actually, I hoped you’d ride out to the ranch with me.”
Jane-Ellen accepted immediately, excited at the invitation. She’d heard of the Murdock Ranch; everyone knew it was where their wealth originated. But she had never been there.
It was exhilarating to bowl along the country roads in the summer sunshine. Autumn’s approach was still in the future and it was beautifully warm but not yet ungodly hot. Jake raced the buggy along a straight stretch of road, and clamping her hat to her head with one hand, Jane-Ellen turned to study him. “I don’t believe I’ve ever known anyone who owns two residences,” she confessed, raising her voice a little to be heard over the pounding of the horse’s hoofs.
Jake laughed, enjoying the weather, the speed, the girl at his side. He turned his head to look at her. “We moved permanently into our town house just before my father died.”
At Jane-Ellen’s quizzical look, he said, “Dad knew he didn’t have long to live and he wanted Mom settled in town. Before he became ill, we rarely used the town house.”
“I’ve heard Luke Murdock was a wonderful man.” Jane-Ellen smiled at him.
“Yeah, he was.” Jake was surprised by the strength of the grief that could still sneak up and wrap him in its grip. It had been several years now since the funeral. “I still miss him.”
Jane-Ellen noted the veil of sadness flitting across his hazel eyes and felt a surge of tenderness for this usually easygoing man. “He was sweet to see your mother situated in town.”
Her remark made him laugh, dispelling his sadness. “Mom didn’t think so. She loved the ranch. My parents built it together from scratch and it was her home for all but the end of their married life.” He grinned. “But she loved Dad more and he wasn’t above fighting dirty, using his illness to make her promise to stay in town. He thought she needed people around her, and it bothered him to think of her way out here without his protection.”
Jake slowed the mare’s pace with a tug of the reins, then turned his attention back to Jane-Ellen. “Mother still comes here for extended periods. She and Mirabel brought Hattie here the day after she arrived to begin the civilizing process away from the town’s prying eyes. They went home last night so Hattie could see the fireworks from the house, but they’ll be back tomorrow.”
Jane-Ellen’s curiosity was piqued by Jake’s mention of Hattie’s name. Few people had yet to meet the Murdocks’ ward, but already there were whispers about the girl’s outspokenness, rumors she’d been allowed to run wild before her arrival in Mattawa and had arrived wearing boys’ clothing.
Firmly, Jane-Ellen suppressed her avid interest. Jake wouldn’t have said as much as he had if he didn’t believe she could be trusted not to carry tales. Instead, she asked, “What about you, Jake? Do you miss the ranch as well?”
“I do.” He slowed the rig to turn onto a private road. Clucking at the horse and dragging on the reins, he halted the buggy at a wrought iron gate.
Jake swung down from the buggy and walked the gate open. He guided the horse and buggy through, then closed and fastened the gate behind him. Slinging an arm over the mare’s rump, he thumbed back his hat to stare up at Jane-Ellen.
“I love this ranch, but Dad considered me too young to take over for him when he fell ill,” he said regretfully. “As long as I can remember, he wanted me to be a lawyer. Or at least to receive the education he never had. And I like being an attorney. But, it’s an odd thing, Jane-Ellen. I miss ranching more than I thought possible. Particularly working with the horses.”
Jake slapped the horse’s rump and swung back up into the buggy. “Maybe someday, when my practice is well established, I’ll move out here and have the best of both worlds. Part-time rancher and part-time lawyer.” Grinning at her, he shrugged. “Who knows?”
Jane-Ellen didn’t know what to think about that. She had only ever lived in towns and cities; she knew nothing of ranch life. Still, she found the afternoon exhilarating, enchanting. Jake left her in the ranch house, which was unexpectedly grand, while he attended to business on the spread. She was given tea and a brief tour of the house by the cook.
As the afternoon waned, she was served dinner. For just a while, as she ate in solitary splendor in the plush dining room, she pretended she was Mrs. Jake Murdock, mistress of all she surveyed. It was a daydream, but a harmless one. And it was exciting to pretend.
The sun was lowering in the western sky before Jake reappeared, noisily entering the parlor where Jane-Ellen sat. She glanced up at his arrival and gaped in surprised dismay. She had only seen him immaculately attired. Certainly, she’d never seen him all . . . sweaty.