abandoningthe regiment.”
“There’s no regiment to abandon, Sergeant Major. I’m going to release them all and tell them to go home and try and put their lives together again.”
“What about you, Captain? What are you going to do?”
“I have no idea what I’m going to do, Ian,” he said. “I have no life to put together.”
Chapter 7
CYNTHIA WAS COOKING SUPPER WHEN IAN rolled himself into the kitchen.
“Something smells awfully good,” he said, sniffing.
“I’m baking a hen,” she replied. “And I’m making dressing and dumplings.”
“Whoa, a hen? Dressing and dumplings? That’s a lot of food for three of us, isn’t it?”
“There will be five.”
“Five?”
“Mr. Booker will be here with Mason Hawke by suppertime.”
“Captain Hawke is coming here? How about that? I haven’t seen him since the war. It’ll be good seeing him again. How did you find out he was here?”
“I sent him a letter, Ian. He is here because I asked him to come,” Cynthia said as she put a pan of biscuits in the oven.
“You asked him to come? Why?”
“I thought he might be able to help us.”
“Help us do what? Tomas and the others are doing a good job of running the ranch right now.”
“I asked him to help us fight the cattlemen,” Cynthia said.
Ian was quiet for a long moment before he spoke. “Cynthia, don’t you think you should have asked me about this?” he said.
“Would you have agreed to it?”
“Definitely not,” Ian said emphatically.
“That’s why I didn’t ask you.”
“Cynthia, I can’t believe that you would just do something like that without first talking to me about it.”
“I’m sorry, Ian, perhaps I should have. But at any rate it’s too late to talk about it now,” she said. “I see them coming up the lane now.”
Shaking his head in quiet anger, Ian turned his chair around and rolled out of the kitchen.
“Ian,” Cynthia called to him. “Please, understand that I did this for you.”
“I’ll try to understand, Cynthia,” Ian said. “I’ll try.”
“Would you go on the porch and meet them? I want Mason to know that he is welcome.”
“Ah, good,” Emerson said as he drove the team into the front yard. “I see that Ian is out on the front porch. She must’ve told him about you.”
“I’m glad,” Hawke said. “I hope he took it all right.”
“He must have,” Emerson replied with a chuckle. “He’s not holding a shotgun.”
Hawke laughed with him.
“Hello, Emerson,” Ian greeted.
“Ian,” Emerson replied.
“And, Captain Hawke. It is good to see you again after all these years.”
“You too, Sergeant Major,” Hawke said.
Ian laughed. “I suppose we can drop the ‘Sergeant Major’ and ‘Captain’ now, can’t we?”
“Lord, I hope so. I’d hate to think I was going back into the army.”
“Me too,” Ian replied with a chuckle. “Well, climb down, the two of you, and come on in. The wife has fixed us a big supper and I’ve been smellin’ it all afternoon. It’s got me so hungry I could eat a horse.”
“Best invitation I’ve had all day,” Emerson said, climbing down from the buckboard and tying off the team.
“Cynthia,” Ian called when they went into the house. “Come into the parlor and greet our guests.”
Cynthia came at Ian’s bidding, and when she reached the parlor she stopped. For a long moment she said nothing. She just stared at Hawke. He looked so much like she remembered Gordon that it took her breath away.
“Well, are you just going to stand there and gawk, or are you going to speak to him?” Ian asked.
“Hello, Mason,” Cynthia said. “I can call you Mason, can’t I?”
“Of course you can,” Hawke replied.
Hawke hadn’t noticed her staring at him, because he had been staring back. Cynthia and Tamara had always looked alike, and it didn’t take much imagination for him to think that he could be looking at Tamara now, had Tamara lived.
“It is so good to see you again
“There’s no regiment to abandon, Sergeant Major. I’m going to release them all and tell them to go home and try and put their lives together again.”
“What about you, Captain? What are you going to do?”
“I have no idea what I’m going to do, Ian,” he said. “I have no life to put together.”
Chapter 7
CYNTHIA WAS COOKING SUPPER WHEN IAN rolled himself into the kitchen.
“Something smells awfully good,” he said, sniffing.
“I’m baking a hen,” she replied. “And I’m making dressing and dumplings.”
“Whoa, a hen? Dressing and dumplings? That’s a lot of food for three of us, isn’t it?”
“There will be five.”
“Five?”
“Mr. Booker will be here with Mason Hawke by suppertime.”
“Captain Hawke is coming here? How about that? I haven’t seen him since the war. It’ll be good seeing him again. How did you find out he was here?”
“I sent him a letter, Ian. He is here because I asked him to come,” Cynthia said as she put a pan of biscuits in the oven.
“You asked him to come? Why?”
“I thought he might be able to help us.”
“Help us do what? Tomas and the others are doing a good job of running the ranch right now.”
“I asked him to help us fight the cattlemen,” Cynthia said.
Ian was quiet for a long moment before he spoke. “Cynthia, don’t you think you should have asked me about this?” he said.
“Would you have agreed to it?”
“Definitely not,” Ian said emphatically.
“That’s why I didn’t ask you.”
“Cynthia, I can’t believe that you would just do something like that without first talking to me about it.”
“I’m sorry, Ian, perhaps I should have. But at any rate it’s too late to talk about it now,” she said. “I see them coming up the lane now.”
Shaking his head in quiet anger, Ian turned his chair around and rolled out of the kitchen.
“Ian,” Cynthia called to him. “Please, understand that I did this for you.”
“I’ll try to understand, Cynthia,” Ian said. “I’ll try.”
“Would you go on the porch and meet them? I want Mason to know that he is welcome.”
“Ah, good,” Emerson said as he drove the team into the front yard. “I see that Ian is out on the front porch. She must’ve told him about you.”
“I’m glad,” Hawke said. “I hope he took it all right.”
“He must have,” Emerson replied with a chuckle. “He’s not holding a shotgun.”
Hawke laughed with him.
“Hello, Emerson,” Ian greeted.
“Ian,” Emerson replied.
“And, Captain Hawke. It is good to see you again after all these years.”
“You too, Sergeant Major,” Hawke said.
Ian laughed. “I suppose we can drop the ‘Sergeant Major’ and ‘Captain’ now, can’t we?”
“Lord, I hope so. I’d hate to think I was going back into the army.”
“Me too,” Ian replied with a chuckle. “Well, climb down, the two of you, and come on in. The wife has fixed us a big supper and I’ve been smellin’ it all afternoon. It’s got me so hungry I could eat a horse.”
“Best invitation I’ve had all day,” Emerson said, climbing down from the buckboard and tying off the team.
“Cynthia,” Ian called when they went into the house. “Come into the parlor and greet our guests.”
Cynthia came at Ian’s bidding, and when she reached the parlor she stopped. For a long moment she said nothing. She just stared at Hawke. He looked so much like she remembered Gordon that it took her breath away.
“Well, are you just going to stand there and gawk, or are you going to speak to him?” Ian asked.
“Hello, Mason,” Cynthia said. “I can call you Mason, can’t I?”
“Of course you can,” Hawke replied.
Hawke hadn’t noticed her staring at him, because he had been staring back. Cynthia and Tamara had always looked alike, and it didn’t take much imagination for him to think that he could be looking at Tamara now, had Tamara lived.
“It is so good to see you again
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