Matt (The Cowboys) Read online

  “I have to welcome Mrs. Maxwell. She’ll think it’s rude if I don’t go outside.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s polite to meet visitors at the door. We can come back inside after that.”

  Tess seemed relieved enough to stay with Ellen when she opened the door and stepped out into pandemonium. What seemed a herd of at least a hundred horses filled the space in front of the house. They milled about, neighing, throwing their heads in excitement, striking out with their hooves at anything that came within reach. Ellen pulled Noah out of the way of a piebald mare who appeared ready to take her anger out on him.

  “Stay on the porch or go inside,” Ellen ordered.

  “I’ve got to see them,” Noah said, trying to pull away. “Matt said I could have one if it was good enough.”

  “Then let Matt decide,” Ellen said, keeping her hold on the squirming boy.

  She saw Toby and Orin astride their mounts, moving in and out of the herd. She held her breath, but they kept the horses moving toward the corrals beyond the barns. In a few minutes the animals had moved past, and quiet was restored.

  “Can I go now?” Noah asked.

  “Not until Matt gets the horses in the corral,” Ellen said. “I don’t trust you to keep your distance from their hooves.”

  “Ellen!” he wailed.

  “You’ve got to be careful of danger if you expect me to let you out of the house. This isn’t Bandera, and those aren’t chickens or pigs.”

  “He’s just like every boy I ever knew. He can’t wait to put himself in the path of danger.”

  Ellen had been so worried about Noah that she hadn’t noticed a woman had ridden up to the porch. Isabelle Maxwell.

  “He doesn’t understand about wild horses,” Ellen said, frantically trying to collect her thoughts.

  “Boys never do,” Isabelle said as she threw her leg over the saddle horn and slid to the ground. She advanced toward the porch with a grace at variance with the wilderness setting. “I’m Isabelle Maxwell, Matt’s mama.” She took off her riding gloves, pulled a startled Ellen to her, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “And this must be Noah.”

  Noah’s attention had been distracted from the horses long enough to realize he was facing a strange woman. He took a step backward.

  “I’m your grandmama,” Isabelle said.

  Noah nodded and accepted a kiss with what Ellen thought was surprising presence of mind for a five-year-old.

  “And this beautiful little girl must be Tess,” Isabelle said. She knelt down and held out her hands. “Come here and let me give you a big kiss. I’m especially fond of little girls.”

  Ellen expected Tess to bury her face in her skirts, but she walked into Isabelle’s embrace without hesitation.

  “I brought something for each of you,” Isabelle said.

  She reached into a large bag and took out a bandana, which she handed to Noah. “You’ll have to wear this when you help Matt with the horses. They stir up a lot of dust.”

  “Tie it on me,” Noah said excitedly, turning to Ellen. “Can I go show Matt?”

  “The horses are in the corral,” Isabelle said. “Jake will look out for him.”

  Noah practically danced with impatience until Ellen tied the handkerchief around his neck, then he was off like a shot.

  “Remember to stay away from the horses,” Ellen called.

  “This is for you,” Isabelle said to Tess as she reached inside her bag once more and brought out a doll wearing a bright red dress with lace at the collar and sleeves. She had red bows in her hair and black buckled shoes. Her white cotton drawers showed beneath the hem of her dress. Isabelle held it out to Tess.

  Tess stared at the doll, afraid to touch it.

  “Go ahead,” Isabelle coaxed. “It’s yours.”

  Tess took the doll, held it away from her for a moment, then hugged it almost fiercely.

  Isabelle reached into the bag and brought out another package. “Here are some extra clothes,” she said to Tess. “No woman can survive with only one dress.

  “Now, my dear,” she said, standing and turning to Ellen, “you can take me inside and give me a cup of coffee. My throat is parched. I understand horses are necessary creatures, but it would be so much better if they had fewer feet to stir up the dust.”

  Momentarily nonplussed, Ellen led her mother-in-law into the kitchen. Tess stayed on the porch, happily playing with her new doll. “I’m afraid we don’t have anything very fancy.”

  “Don’t apologize,” Isabelle said. “Matt has defied my best efforts to make the place tolerable. I’m depending on you to turn it into a home I won’t be ashamed of.”

  “I can’t do that,” Ellen said. “It’s his house.”

  “It’s your house, too, unless you’ve some peculiar notion of taking up quarters in the barn.”

  “No, but I don’t think Matt would take kindly to my changing everything.”

  “Has he told you that?” Isabelle asked as she sat down at the table.

  “No. He told me I may change things. I only have to tell him.”

  “But you’ve been strictly forbidden to say anything to me.”

  Ellen could tell from Isabelle’s gaze that she knew Matt far too well for Ellen to try to pretend. “He says you’ve done more than enough for him, that you and Jake have your own children.”

  “We only have one child, but it wouldn’t matter if we had a dozen. I don’t consider Matt any less my son for not having been born of my body.”

  “I believe he—”

  “You don’t have to tell me what he thinks. I’ve heard it often enough. I’ve tried to talk sense into him, but you know how men are. They think they know everything when half the time they’re stumbling in the dark. I’m depending on you to talk some sense into him.”

  “I don’t think Matt will listen to me.”

  “Of course he will. You’re his wife.”

  Ellen didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know how much Isabelle knew.

  “You don’t have to stand there tongue-tied. I know all about this silly business arrangement. That’s a lot of nonsense. Matt is my most difficult son. I worried I’d never find the right woman for him. He needs someone strong to bring him out of himself, and you’re the perfect woman to do that.”

  “I’m not. I couldn’t.”

  “Nonsense. You not only survived that Lowell family lying about you, you grew stronger because of it. That’s the kind of woman I wanted for Matt. I want you to be a real wife to him. It’ll be the best thing for both of you.”

  Chapter Six

  Surprise held Ellen speechless. It had never occurred to her that Isabelle would see her as Matt’s savior.

  “But we’re strangers. We don’t know anything about each other.”

  “I can tell you all you need to know about Matt.”

  “What do you want in your coffee?” Ellen asked, hoping for time to gather her scattered wits so she could convince Isabelle that she and Matt would never be truly husband and wife.

  “I like it black, but if you make it the way Matt likes it, put cream in it. I’ve been married to Jake Maxwell for seventeen years and I still can’t force myself to drink coffee the way he and the boys like it. I gave up trying to get them to drink tea.”

  The sudden image of what would happen if a cowhand had ever entered the saloon and asked for tea nearly caused Ellen to burst out laughing. “I don’t imagine that went down well.”

  “It’s a very civilized drink, but I know when to stop wasting my time. Just like I knew when to stop bringing things over for this house. We’ve got five families besides you living in these hills—Chet, Ward, Buck, Sean, and Drew. There’s a whole barn full of discarded furnishings back at our ranch. You can have anything you want.”

  “All we need right now are beds for Orin and Toby. Noah and Tess have taken their room.”

  She handed a cup of coffee to Isabelle, who looked askance at the pale brown liquid. “I see you drink it stro
ng, too.”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  “I guess that means I couldn’t talk you into switching to tea.”

  “I’m willing to try it,” Ellen said, hoping she wouldn’t be forced to honor her promise.

  Isabelle took a sip of her coffee. “There’s no point in fighting what can’t be changed. You can have plenty of beds and wardrobes. You’ll need one for Will, too. He and Matt are about as different as two boys can be, but they’re real close. You’ll have him underfoot more often than you like. Which will be a relief to me, though I admit I’ll miss the brat. You’re not to tell him that,” Isabelle said in a severe tone. “He takes far too much advantage of me as it is.”

  Ellen couldn’t imagine anybody taking advantage of Isabelle. Then she remembered the bandana and the doll. This woman might rule her men with an iron hand, but it was clear she did it out of love. Ellen had never met anybody quite like Isabelle. That made it all the harder for her to say what she had to say. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but Matt and I can’t have the kind of marriage you want.”

  “Why?” There was nothing belligerent or aggressive in her tone.

  “Getting married was the only way we could keep these children. As for ourselves”—she felt the heat rise in the cheeks—“we agreed to keep to ourselves.”

  Isabelle took a sip of her coffee, frowned slightly and set down her cup. “I don’t see why that should prevent you from staying married.”

  “Matt isn’t interested in a wife,” Ellen said, feeling a bit like a cornered animal. “And I’m not interested in a husband, just in making sure April’s children don’t end up in an orphanage.”

  “Why?”

  “I know what it’s like to be unwanted. I’m determined it’ll never happen to them.”

  “Good. I knew Matt had had the good fortune to stumble onto the perfect woman for him. He deserves some luck for a change.”

  Every word out of Isabelle’s mouth pushed Ellen farther into a corner.

  “Matt has promised to help me open a hat shop in San Antonio.”

  “Do you know anything about hats?” Isabelle took another sip, frowned, and pushed her coffee away.

  “Quite a lot, actually.” Ellen hesitated, then decided she would have to trust her mother-in-law. “I make hats for Susan.”

  She was pleased to see that she’d succeeded in surprising Isabelle.

  “I thought she made her own hats.”

  “She makes most of them, but she buys everything I make.” Ellen hesitated. “She says that Mabel Jackson won’t wear anybody’s hats but mine.”

  Amusement danced in Isabella’s eyes. “Does she know?”

  “No, and you can’t tell her. She’d never buy another one.”

  “I wouldn’t think of telling her,” Isabelle said, smiling broadly. “It will be too much fun watching her parade around, oblivious to the fact that she is wearing a hat made by you. You have quite a talent. I didn’t buy any of my hats from Susan until a year ago. Is that when you started making hats for her?”

  “Yes.”

  Isabelle looked more pleased than ever. Ellen didn’t know what was going through her mind, but she had a feeling she wasn’t going to like it.

  “You don’t like Toby, do you?”

  The question jolted Ellen. She stared at Isabelle, unsure of how to answer.

  “You don’t have to look like you’ve been caught with your hand in the till. I’d be surprised if you did.”

  “He doesn’t like me or the children very much.”

  “It’s not a question of his liking you. He’s afraid your being here will change things.”

  “I wouldn’t have pushed him out of his room if the sheriff hadn’t insisted Matt and I had to sleep in the same bed.”

  “When you’ve been unwanted all your life, it’s hard to believe it will ever be any different. Toby didn’t mind when Orin came. You’re different.”

  “Nobody wants us, either.”

  “Matt does.”

  “He just needs somebody.”

  “True, but it was you he wanted.”

  “Only because he knew I was in the same situation.”

  “No. I mentioned several women, but I knew as soon as your name came up that Matt liked you.”

  Ellen decided Isabelle saw what she wanted to see.

  “Matt is the most sensitive of all my boys,” Isabelle said, “but certain things in his life caused him to repress his feelings. I never thought any woman could bring them out until I saw how he reacted when I mentioned your name.”

  “What did he do?”

  “He blushed.”

  “Are you sure it wasn’t shock?” She couldn’t imagine him feeling any strong emotion for her.

  “He wouldn’t have married you if he hadn’t liked you. He would have taken the boys and headed west. I couldn’t stand that. I’ve already lost too many boys to that awful place.”

  Ellen hardly knew whether to believe Isabelle or not. She didn’t seem like a woman given to fooling herself, nor one willing to lie. How could she believe Matt liked her?

  “You like him a little, don’t you?”

  Ellen didn’t know how such a simple question could make her feel so trapped. Isabelle sat quietly, her gaze steady. It was impossible to lie to this woman, to try to mislead her. She loved Matt and wanted the best for him. The fact that she was mistaken in thinking Ellen was best for him didn’t negate her good intentions.

  “It’s hard not to like Matt. As you said, he’s sweet, thoughtful, sensitive, and he’d do anything, including marrying me, to give those boys the kind of security they’ve never had. Since I’m trying to do the same thing for Noah and Tess, I’ve got to like him for that.”

  The humor was back in Isabelle’s eyes. “And that’s all you like about him, his humanity?”

  Ellen felt herself blush. “You know better,” she said, experiencing a tiny spurt of temper at being forced to admit what she didn’t want anyone to know. “There’s not a woman in this world who could look at Matt and not feel weak in the knees. He looks like every woman’s Prince Charming come to rescue her from danger.”

  Isabelle laughed. “I can’t wait to see his face when you tell him that.”

  “I never would. He’s not that kind of man. Last night he hit Wilbur Sears when he came here, threatening the children. I was surprised, but Wilbur is about the only man in Bandera who wouldn’t hit him back. Matt’s not a …” Ellen didn’t know what to say without belittling Matt to his own mother.

  “He’s not a man’s man,” Isabelle said for her. “He’s not the kind of man to fight for what he wants, to stand up to a real bully. You believe if things ever really got tough, you’d have to defend him.”

  “Not that bad, but—”

  “Of course it’s that bad,” Isabelle said, her own temper beginning to show. “You think that deep inside Matt’s a coward. You disappoint me,” Isabelle said, getting to her feet. “I thought that after your experience you’d be able to see what most women are too silly to see.” Isabelle fixed her with an angry glare. “I hope you never have occasion to discover just how much courage Matt does have. No matter what the situation requires, Matt will do it. And without hesitation.”

  Ellen felt like she’d been slapped in the face. “I like Matt,” she protested, “I really do. He’s a kind and gentle man. He’s probably a good rancher, too.”

  “Come with me,” Isabelle said, heading to the door. “I think you ought to see how Matt breaks a horse.”

  Ellen didn’t want to see Matt break horses. “Tess is afraid of horses. I don’t want to leave her alone.”

  “I’m not fond of horses either, but if she plans to stay in Texas, she’s got to get used to them. I was twenty-three when Jake forced me to make my peace with horses. Believe me, it’s a lot easier to do when you’re young.”

  Ellen wanted to argue, but she had enough sense to know Tess couldn’t avoid horses. She followed Isabelle outside and collected Tess from t
he porch. “I don’t really think Matt’s a coward,” she said as she struggled to keep up with Isabelle’s suddenly very unfeminine stride. “He’s just not the kind of man to catch my fancy.”

  Isabelle’s laugh was harsh. “Do you think I thought Jake was the kind of man to catch my fancy?” she asked, looking back at Ellen without slowing her stride one iota. “I thought he was a crude barbarian, and I told him so. It’s no fun swallowing your words, even when you’re crazy in love with the maddening, frustrating man who caused you to say them in the first place.”

  “But Matt said you loved Jake.”

  “I was raised by a wealthy aunt in Savannah, but the money vanished and I was sent to an orphanage. I got a job with an aristocratic family. My kind of people, I thought, until the husband tried to rape me. I ended up in Texas, trying to help some boys nobody else wanted. I couldn’t think of enough words to express my disgust at everything I saw, including the men. I finally learned to look beneath the lack of manners and harsh attitudes to see inside Jake to the man he really was, not the one who’d built a hard shell to enable him to live in this world. Matt’s like that, only worse. You’ve got to learn to see inside him, or you aren’t fit to be his wife.”

  A second slap. Isabelle had more than lived up to Ellen’s expectations, just not in the way she’d anticipated.

  “If things had been different—”

  “Things will never be different.”

  They would be different when she moved to San Antonio and opened her own shop. No one would know she had been accused of trying to seduce a boy, had worked in a saloon, had adopted the fatherless children of a saloon dancer.

  “I do like Matt. I’ve been trying to figure out why ever since he asked me to marry him, but it wouldn’t make any difference if I loved him. He’s the one who suggested the business arrangement.”

  Isabelle stopped and turned to face Ellen, her face wreathed in smiles. “You do truly like him? I know he’s so handsome he makes women act silly, but I’m not talking about that.”

  “Neither am I, but it doesn’t make any difference.”

  “Yes it does,” Isabelle said as she took Ellen’s hand and pulled her toward the corrals. “It makes all the difference in the world.”