The Barn Raising Read online

  The Barn Raising

  Belles of Wyoming #30

  Christine Sterling

  Table of Contents

  License Note

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  The Belles of Wyoming

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

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  License Note

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  -- Christine Sterling

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  The Belles of Wyoming

  You can see all The Belles of Wyoming Books on our Amazon Series page.

  Our beautiful covers were designed by Virginia McKevitt of Black Widow Books.

  Christmas 2018 (Theme: Holiday)

  Book 1, Christine Sterling, Wynter’s Bride

  Book 2, Marianne Spitzer, Holly's Christmas Wish

  Book 3, Cyndi Raye, A Tin Star for Christmas

  Book 4, P. Creeden, A Pony for Christmas

  Book 5, Julia Ridgmont, Natalie's Surprise Engagement

  Spring 2019 (Theme: Renewal/Redemption)

  Book 6, Christine Sterling, The Homecoming

  Book 7, Ginny Sterling, Blessings of Love

  Book 8, Cyndi Raye, Mercy’s Gift

  Book 9, P. Creeden, Moments of Grace

  Book 10, Julia Ridgmont, Emeline's Redemption

  Summer 2019 (Theme: Summer Love /Barn raising)

  Book 11, Ginny Sterling, Lightning Strikes Twice

  Book 12, Julia Ridgmont, In the Nick of Time

  Book 13, Jenna Brandt, June’s Remedy

  Book 14, Lynn Donovan, The Wrong Bride

  Book 15, Marisa Masterson, Grace for a Drifter

  Book 16, Rose Castro, Lucy’s Luck

  Book 17, P. Creeden, Steel Blue Bride

  Book 18, Cyndi Raye, Stealing Her Heart

  Book 19, Cheryl Wright, Eleanor’s Dilemma

  Book 20, Jo Grafford, Wild Rose Summer

  Book 21, Patricia PacJac Carroll, Summer’s Love

  Book 22, Lisa M. Prysock, The Prairie Princess

  Book 23, Marie Higgins, Whispers of Yesterday

  Book 24, Amelia Adams, Butterfly Kisses

  Book 25, Margaret Tanner, Flynn's Debt

  Book 26, Mimi Milan, September’s Switch

  Book 27, Julia Ridgmont, Daring to Love Again

  Book 28, Christine Sterling, A Matter of Marriage

  Book 29, Ginny Sterling, Change of Heart

  Book 30, Christine Sterling, The Barn Raising

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you, Jesus, for allowing me to come closer to you as I wrote this book. You know my struggles and you are so faithful in giving me the words. I love you.

  My husband Daniel, even when we argue I still love you.

  My daughters Rebecca, Nora and Elizabeth you are incredible young women.

  The Writing Wonder Women for supporting me on this crazy writing journey. Rebecca, Jenna & Jennifer you are remarkable!

  #Editorsrock. Carolyn and Amy, I love you!

  Chapter 1

  Spring 1861, Belle, Wyoming

  Rosalie watched as Martin Davis walked the horse around the paddock several times. She had never understood what it took to break a horse.

  Dumb broke. That is what Martin called this particular horse. Rosalie learned that it simply meant the horse had never been trained.

  The horse stopped and Martin gently pulled the halter to urge the horse forward. The horse hesitated for a moment before resuming its walk around the corral. Rosalie could hear Martin softly speaking to the horse from where she stood on the rails.

  “He’s one of the best trainers I’ve ever had. Knows his way around horses. It’s so natural with him.”

  Rosalie turned and saw her father, stepping up onto the rail next to her.

  Patrick “Paps” Johnson was her father, but she didn’t know him until her mother, Katie, dropped her off at the ranch and left her without a word. She was fourteen at the time.

  Difficult to believe that was three years ago.

  Rosalie spent the first two years mourning over a momma she knew she would never see again. Her mother met up with a merchant who promised to take her to the Orient, but she couldn’t have a child with her.

  Katie found it very easy to drop her off on the front porch of the house with a letter and leave before anyone could find her. Rosalie had heard of such things being done with an infant, but never for an older child.

  Rosalie was overwhelmed by the ranch when she first arrived. It was so much nicer than the small shack she grew up in. Momma did the best she could and made a living in one of the saloons. There were plenty of nights were Rosalie went to bed hungry and alone while her momma was entertaining.

  Rosalie didn’t think about how her mother made a living until a gentleman made some inappropriate comments to Katie about her. She was getting older and starting to draw unwanted attention from the men in town.

  The next day they left Kansas City and headed towards Belle. Katie must have met Paps when they were much younger, as she had never mentioned him before the day that they pulled up to the large house surrounded by fields and horses.

  Katie told Rosalie to pull the string attached to a bell at the door when she couldn’t see the wagon anymore. With a kiss Katie left and Rosalie watched until she couldn’t see the wagon anymore. Then she rang the bell just as Katie instructed and gave the man answering the letter.

  If Paps was surprised he didn’t say anything. He just opened his arms and welcomed Rosalie into his life. Her life at the ranch was vastly different than her life back in Kansas City.

  Here, she didn’t have to continuously patch her threadbare clothes. Instead she had beautiful dresses that fit her. She didn’t have to worry about where her next meal would be coming from. Instead, there was plenty to go around. After a year she even took Paps’ last name. She went from Rosalie White to Rosalie Johnson. That was the point she let the past go and looked towards the future.

  “How long has he been here?” Rosalie asked, turning back to watch Martin go around the ring once more.

  “Nearly eight years. Came from somewhere in the Dakota territory. Had a hard life, that one.” Paps looked at Rosalie. “Eva is coming over tonight to help prepare dinner for tomorrow. Care to help?” Paps insisted that all his ranch hands and anyone who worked for him, including their wives and children all sit down for a home cooked meal every Sunday afternoon. He loved being surrounded by people. This is his family, he told her. Now she was part of that as well.
<
br />   “Of course,” she said, hopping off the rail. She snuck a glance over her shoulder. Martin was now rubbing the horse’s neck and she could tell he was whispering to the massive animal.

  Rosalie wished he would whisper to her like that. Mortified at her train of thought, she picked up her skirt and quickly ran into the house. Eva Beck was already there, pulling pies from the oven. Eva’s daughter Clementine was peeling potatoes.

  Rosalie grabbed a knife and wiped it on the towel laying on the table. She plopped in a chair and picked up a potato. “There are a lot of eyes on this one.”

  “Put it in the bucket for seed, then,” Eva said. “We are almost at the end of what was in the root cellar.”

  Rosalie cut the potato into four pieces and tossed it into a bucket. They would be dried out and planted with the week.

  “How’s Mr. Beck?” Rosalie asked. Stanley Beck was the head trainer at Paps’s ranch. Unfortunately, his horse had been spooked and Stanley fell off, shattering his lower back and pelvis. He hadn’t walked since. Eva and Clementine now performed jobs around the ranch – mostly cooking and sewing, to earn money. Paps wouldn’t allow them to suffer.

  “Good. I moved him to the living room today,” Eva said. “He likes to look at the flowers blooming in the meadow.”

  “The daffodils are just blooming,” Rosalie replied. “What are we having for dinner tomorrow?”

  “We are in for a treat,” Clementine said. “The boys are smoking a hog. They started it a few hours ago and it should be ready after church tomorrow.”

  “Are these for potato salad or mashed potatoes?” Rosalie asked.

  “Salad,” Eva said. So, Rosalie knew to cut them smaller.

  “He’s very lucky to have you.”

  “Who?” Eva asked.

  “Mr. Beck.”

  Eva laughed. “We are the lucky ones.” She slid two more pies in the oven. “Every day I have with him is a blessing. He is still the same, kind, loving man I married.”

  “Even after the accident?”

  Eva nodded. “Yes, even after that. Granted he went through a dark period. I’m sure any man would if he found out he couldn’t walk again. But eventually, and with a lot of prayer and love, my husband came back.” Eva looked at Rosalie. “What’s on your mind, child?”

  Rosalie shrugged. “I was just wondering how someone can recover from something so devastating. How can you give up your entire life to be a nurse to him?”

  “I took a vow before God. In sickness and in health. For better or for worse. I don’t want to have to stand in front of God and explain why I didn’t honor my vows.”

  Rosalie thought about what Eva said as she peeled potatoes. She was on the last one when there was a knock on the kitchen door. Eva went to answer.

  “Martin. What are you doing up here?”

  “Paps sent me to the house with this bucket of beans,” he said, handing her a bucket. “I guess he got them from the Lawson farm.”

  Hunter Lawson owned a hay and vegetable farm up the road and over a small hill. He probably still had a lot of vegetables in his root cellar that folks weren’t buying. Most thought he had killed his wife. Now he was raising three children alone.

  “Put them in on the table, Martin.”

  Rosalie’s breath hitched. Martin walked in the room and placed the bucket of beans on the table.

  He was a full head taller than Rosalie. His light brown hair was cut around his shoulders. He had a tan complexion from being outside in the sun year-round and his arms bulged under his cotton shirt from years of hard ranch work. He smiled at her and Rosalie felt all the breath leave her body.

  “It smells awful good in here, Miss Eva,” he said, his eyes never leaving Rosalie. She shifted under his gaze.

  “That is the apple pies for tomorrow. Last of the cellar apples too.”

  “Would you like a piece of cake, Martin?” Eva offered.

  Martin’s smile grew even bigger. “Yes ma’am,” he said, giving Rosalie a wink. Eva muttered under her breath and fetched a piece of cake from the counter along with a glass of milk.

  Eva gave Rosalie a hard look before looking back at Martin, then to Rosalie again. “Would you like a piece of cake, too?”

  Rosalie smiled. “No ma’am, I’m fine.”

  “Might as well get those beans done, since you finished the potatoes.” Eva took the bucket of cut potatoes and ran cold water over them from the pump sink.

  “I heard that Lilly had her kids last night,” Clementine said. Lilly was one of the resident goats on the farm.

  “She did?” Rosalie said, pulling the bucket of beans closer to where she was sitting.

  “Middle of the night,” Martin nodded. “Two little girls, sweet as can be.”

  “Awww. I wonder why Paps didn’t tell me?”

  Martin shrugged and put a big forkful of cake in his mouth before scraping the icing from the plate. “Thank you, Miss Eva. That was a real treat.” He took the plate to the wash basin before sitting back down. “Would you like to see them?”

  “I need to finish these beans first. Is that alright?”

  Martin gave her a grin “Only if I can help.”

  “Oh, Martin,” she said. “You work all day; you don’t need to be doing this.”

  Martin looked directly at her. Rosalie felt his gaze all the way down her to toes, which were curling in her boots. “I don’t mind at all,” he said reaching for a handful of beans.

  Rosalie had never finished trimming beans so fast in her life. She collected the bean ends from the table and carried them to a bucket by the door. “Anything else, Miss Eva?” Rosalie asked.

  “Not right now. Thank you for helping.” She waved a wooden spoon in the air. “You go have fun.”

  Martin grabbed his hat as he headed out the door. “You comin’, Clem?” he asked.

  Clementine shook her head. “No. I’ll see them later.” Rosie gave her friend a wave and headed out towards the barn with Martin.

  They walked in silence; Martin staying very close to her side. They garnered several stares from some of the workers in the pen, but most turned back to what they were doing.

  They arrived at the barn where all the ranch animals were kept. The other livestock was housed away from Paps’s horses. Martin pulled the door open and Rosalie took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of straw and manure.

  “It never gets old,” she said smiling at him.

  “What? Cow dung?” Martin scratched his head.

  “I grew up in a dirty city. All I smelled were unwashed bodies and liquor. Here…”

  “Sweaty cowboys and horse manure?”

  Rosalie laughed. “Maybe, but in a good way.” She walked into the barn. “Show me these babies.” He pointed to a pen on the end. Rosalie looked over and her heart melted. Two tiny kids were jumping in the straw with Lilly standing close by watching them.

  “Meh-eh-eh.”

  “Oh, it’s calling to me,” Rosalie said, stepping onto the rail.

  “Be careful,” Martin said, placing his hand on her back. Rosalie froze. His hand was warm through the fabric of her dress.

  He has very large hands, she thought. She could be safe in hands like that.

  “Look,” he whispered. His lips were right next to her ear. She thought she might faint from the nearness of him. “See how you can tell them apart? That little girl has a heart shaped spot on top of her head. The other has more of a triangle.” Rosalie nodded. She was afraid to speak. Her voice might fail her. “Would you like to hold one?”

  Rosalie turned and looked at him. He was inches from her face. If she was bolder, she might lean forward and kiss him. Instead, she swallowed deeply. “I’d like that.”

  Martin gave her a wink and moved back. “You gotta get off the rail.” Rosie hopped down and Martin opened the pen for her. “Sit on the straw over there.” He pointed to a bale in the corner of the pen.”

  Rosalie went over and sat, adjusting her skirt around her. Martin came over with
the kid that had a heart shape on its head. Rosalie held out her arms. “Oh, it is so precious.” She brought the baby up to her face and nuzzled it with her cheek. “I’ve never held anything so small.”

  Martin put his hand on her shoulder. “We’ve not named them. Would you like to?”

  “May I?” Martin nodded. “I want to call this one Lovey, because of the heart on her head.”

  Martin laughed. “That is a perfect name. How about the other?”

  Rosie looked at the small kid who was now nursing from his mother. “Darling. She’s going to be called Darling.” Lovey started to wiggle in her arms. She let the kid down and it hopped happily over to get a drink from Lilly.

  “Lovey and Darling. Those are perfect names for them.”

  “Oh, look at me,” Rosalie said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands. “Weeping over baby goats.” She laughed.

  Her eyes flew up and met Martin’s who was staring at her with a look she couldn’t describe. His eyes were soft, a light brown with flecks of green in them. Rosalie knew she could get lost in those eyes. She gave an awkward laugh and stood, brushing her dress to get the straw off it.

  “Davis!” a voice called from the barn door.

  “Did I get it all?” Rosalie asked, swishing her skirt from side to side. Martin put his hand on her waist to hold her still.

  “You did.” He moved closer. He smelled like hay, horses and leather. She wanted to bury her head in his neck and not let go. He started to lean down towards her. “Rosie?” She was about to close her eyes when the voice intruded again.

  “Davis! You in there?”

  She could see Martin’s neck bob as he swallowed. He gave a little cough to clear his throat. “Yeah?” he answered back, his eyes not leaving Rosalie.

  “Looks like that brown mare might be foaling. We are gonna need you.”

  Martin took Rosalie’s hand. “I’ll be right there, Paps.” He turned his attention to Rosalie. “Where was I?” With his free hand he pushed back a curl that had fallen from her ribbon. Rosie leaned forward a bit, hoping that he would kiss her.