The Ranger And The Widow Woman by Bagwell Stella

Author:Bagwell, Stella
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2011-06-07T04:00:00+00:00

“Mommy, we saw cows and a big windmill. It was going round and round in the wind, and it made water pour into a big tank so the cows and horses could drink. And we saw cactus called cho—choya. It had yellow flowers all over it, and I wanted to bring one home to you, but Charlie said if I did I’d get stickers in my hand and that would be painful.”

Violet watched her son cram forkfuls of meat loaf into his mouth. “Sounds like you had a good time.”

“It was lots of fun. And Joe is nice and really smart. Charlie doesn’t even have to tell him where to go. He says that Joe’s nose tells him where the cattle are, and he goes right to them.”

“Is that so?” She glanced across the pine table at Charlie. He seemed to be concentrating entirely on his food and had said little more than five words since the three of them had sat down to supper. “What about coyotes? Did you see any of them?” she asked Sam.

“Naw,” he answered. “Charlie says they’re crafty and don’t let humans see them too much.”

Sounded like Charlie had said lots of things, Violet mused. Although it was hard for her to imagine. She got the impression it pained him to say anything to her unless it was something crass, a reprimand or a lecture.

Even though he hadn’t acknowledged her gaze, Violet continued to look at Charlie. “Uh—what about rattlesnakes, did you see any of those?”

“No,” Sam said with great disappointment. “Charlie says they don’t let people see them, either. He said I needed to watch and be careful not to get too close to one because when they bite you it can make you very sick and even die.”

Sam was only four, nearing five years old. Too young to have to understand what the severity of “to die” meant. But he did. He knew his father had died when his plane had crashed to the earth, and he knew it meant Brent would never come back.

“Charlie is right,” she told Sam.

This brought Charlie’s head up, and his blue eyes looked straight into hers. She felt jolted at the contact.

“Can I go outside and play now, Mommy? I’ve ate all my food.”

Violet forced herself to break his gaze and look at her son’s plate. Seeing it was empty, she nodded her head at him. “Yes. But don’t go any further than the tree in the backyard.”

Sam scurried out of the room and left the two adults in strained silence. Violet finished her meat loaf and creamed spinach, then left the table to pour herself a cup of coffee.

She was standing at the cabinet counter, stirring cream into her coffee when he spoke, and her frayed nerves jerked at the unexpected sound.

“Sam is an obedient boy. He doesn’t test the rules given to him.”

“I’m glad you didn’t have any problem with him,” she said stiffly. “Are you ready for coffee?”

“Yes.”

She poured him a cupful. As she

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