This Loving Land - Dorothy Garlock [46]
For some reason, she thought of her mother as she climbed into bed, and the words she had murmured as she lay dying . . . “Such a wonderful summer . . . so wonderful.”
When morning came, Summer had no time to prepare herself for Slater’s arrival. He came in through the back door while they were having breakfast.
“Mornin’.”
Summer’s tongue froze to the roof of her mouth and a rosy flush came up from her neck to flood her face. Sadie’s quick glance took in her confusion and she jumped to her feet.
“Mornin’, Slater. Had yore breakfast yet? You did? You got room for coffee and a cake, I reckon.” She took her cup from the table. “Sit right here, where I was a sittin’, cause I m done, anyhow. That John Austin has been a rarin’ at the bit a waitin for you to get here. I’ll swear to goodness, I don’t know what we’ll do with that youngun. He’s a corker, he is.” Sadie knew she was talking too much, but she was desperately trying to make time for Summer to gather her wits about her. She sat looking down at her plate. “Did those big galoots up there at the bunkhouse eat up all those doughnuts? In all my life, I never did see men what could get rid of so many doughnuts. Filling them up is like pouring sand down a prairie-dog hole.”
Slater’s sharp eyes had caught the blush on Summer’s cheeks, and he understood her friend’s unnecessary chatter. He smiled at the pert red-headed girl.
“You’re right about that, Sadie. They think it’s Christmas and the Fourth of July all rolled into one.”
“Well, I guess I’ll just have to stir up another batch. If’n there isn’t anything else I ort to be doin’.”
Summer looked up. Slater’s eyes on her face brought her color up again. She looked away from him and despised the blush that flooded her cheeks.
“I don’t know of anything we have to do that can’t wait, Sadie. It’s a hot day, though, for you to be standing over a stove.”
“Summer is right, Sadie. If you’re going to be the doughnut-maker for McLean’s Keep, the least we can do is build you a fireplace in the yard.”
Sadie looked disbelievingly from Summer to Slater, then her green eyes sparkled.
“An outside fireplace. Why, that’d just be heaven!” She grinned impishly at him, and Summer envied her her easy manner. “You make me a cook-place, Slater, and I’ll make doughnuts . . . till the cows come home!”
Slater laughed and Summer couldn’t help noticing that when he did, it spread a warm light into his eyes. She found herself beaming with pleasure.
“I’ll get Jack on it. He’s real handy with that sort of thing.” He looked directly at Summer and met her smiling eyes. “Where’s John?”
Summer’s eyes were fastened on his dark blue ones, and her pulses leaped in stupid excitement. Her slightly-flushed cheeks made her violet eyes seem all the brighter, clearer Her mind groped like some wild creature caught in a bed of quicksand.
The voice from the doorway saved her from answering.
“Here I am, Slater. I already got the saddle on Georgianna Pud didn’t help me, I did it all by myself, and I left her in the corral like you told me.”
“Georgianna?”
“She’s a girl, ain’t she? You told me I could put my own name on her, and I like Georgianna.”
Summer got to her feet, filled with remorse for being so wrapped up in her own affairs that she had failed to know what her brother was about. He could have been stepped on . . . trampled.
Slater intercepted the worried look and got his hat from the peg. “Well, we’d better go take a look and see what kind of a job you’ve done on . . . Georgianna.” ~e followed the boy out the door.
“He’s gonna do just fine, Summer.” Sadie came to stand beside her. “Don’t worry, Slater’ll make a man out of him “
Summer turned and caught the look of yearning on Sadie’s face, which quickly changed to a saucy grin.
“Why, if’n I ever do find me a man like that, and if’n he would take to my baby, I’d just about lick his boots every day of the week.” The green