No One But You by Leigh Greenwood Read Free Book Online Page A

on the shoes he would wear up to the house.
    â€œShe’s looking to hire someone to help her on her ranch.”
    â€œThis is cow country.”
    â€œI expect she has cows, too.”
    â€œWhy has she come here instead of Austin or San Antonio?”
    â€œYou’d better let her tell you that. I just met her myself.”
    â€œI’ll look forward to meeting her. Maybe she’ll have some news.”
    Walter didn’t ask if the widow was young or pretty. That’s why he would be perfect for her.
    * * *
    Sarah had remained in her chair after Salty left, more shaken than she cared to admit. She had never had any trouble telling a potential hand that he didn’t fit her needs. Nor had she had any trouble replacing them when they failed to do their job. So why did she feel bad about telling Salty he wasn’t what she was looking for?
    Okay, so she found him attractive. It wasn’t like he was so handsome she’d dream about him tonight. She probably found him attractive because he seemed very nice, had a sense of humor, and had been kind to Jared and Ellen. She was, however, annoyed at him for thinking she’d treated Jared like an invalid while forcing Ellen to do the work usually expected of a boy. She’d done everything she could to treat her children normally, but her situation wasn’t normal. There was no sense in taking herself to task over Salty’s disappointment. If he was as hardworking and dependable as Rose said, he’d find a way to own his own land.
    Rather than give herself an opportunity to continue to think about Salty, she left the parlor and headed for the kitchen. The voices coming through the open doorway made it easy to find. She paused in the doorway. Jared was sitting on a stool next to Rose. Ellen was on her other side, as interested as her brother in what Rose was doing.
    â€œI don’t usually do this,” Rose was saying, “but you’re company so I have an excuse.”
    â€œDon’t people like them?” Jared asked.
    â€œThey like them too much. If Zac had his way, I’d never cook anything else.”
    â€œIt sounds fascinating,” Sarah said, entering the kitchen. “Who’s Zac, and why wouldn’t he want you to cook anything else?”
    â€œShe’s making doughnuts,” Ellen said, turning to her mother with a big smile. “She said she’d teach me how if I wanted.”
    â€œZac is my husband’s youngest brother,” Rose told Sarah. “He’s the same age as your children and spoiled beyond redemption.”
    Ellen and Jared were cutting the holes out of doughnuts and handing the dough back to Rose.
    â€œYou can see why I don’t do this often,” Rose said. “George has five brothers and we have three hands just now. With the three of you, that makes twelve. At two doughnuts each, that’s two dozen.”
    â€œYou have that many already,” Sarah pointed out.
    â€œThey’ll want a couple more before they go to bed. They’d eat a dozen apiece if I’d let them.”
    Sarah felt a pang that she’d never made doughnuts with her children, but there had been no time or money for anything as frivolous as that. Over the next half hour, Sarah helped Rose cook the doughnuts in a pot of boiling fat. As soon as the doughnuts were laid out to cool, Jared and Ellen sprinkled them with sugar. When they were done, the children counted forty-two.
    â€œI think that’s enough for one day,” Rose said, surveying their work. “Now we have to put them in a tin before Zac and Tyler come in to help me with supper. Jared, I’m going to put you in charge of the tin. You’re not to let Zac or any of the others have a doughnut until after supper. Would you do that for me?”
    â€œHow am I supposed to stop them?”
    Rose handed over a large wooden spoon. “Give them a whack with this. That ought to slow them down.”
    Jared