Chapter Twelve

Ellen May was cleaning out her horse's stall when she heard the sound of a wagon approaching coming through the slightly open stable doors. Stepping out of the stall and putting the pitchfork up against the wall, she walked out of the stable to see if they had company, or if her parents had returned from town. She saw Nick and Heath pulling up; they had four barrels of water in the back of the wagon.

"Your father said your well was having problems." Nick said as he and Heath climbed down from the wagon. "I told him we'd bring him some water."

"So he told me," Ellen May smiled as she watched the two brothers cipher the water from two of their barrels into two of her father's empty barrels that stood underneath the stable's awning. "He asked me to have you put the water from the other two barrels into the barrels next to the back door."

"No problem," Nick smiled and asked her if she wanted a lift to the house. It stood five hundred yards from the stable, and he figured it was a good excuse to good her into the wagon.

Normally she would have told him no thanks and that the walk would do her good only it was almost noon and she'd been working hard all morning. So, feeling rather tired, she accepted the ride. Though, as Nick helped her up onto the buckboard, she felt slightly guilty as Heath climbed into the back of the wagon. He seemed to have read her thoughts and gave her a crooked smile. "Don't worry about me," he said as he stretched out his legs in the back, "I've ridden in the back of a wagon more than once in my day." He wasn't about to tell her Nick had asked him to ride in the back if she said yes.

As the wagon began moving Nick asked her how she'd liked the fall social.

"It was great. Thanks for playing interference for me." She answered as she thought on Scott Hanks and the fact that he had actually tried a number of times to get her to dance with him only to find Nick making sure he backed off when Ellen May had adamantly refused the man.

. "No problem," Nick smiled.

Once they were at the house, and had the water transferred from one set of barrels to the other, Ellen May invited them in for a cup of hot chocolate or coffee, whichever they preferred. She only dared invite them in because not only were there two of them, but her siblings were all home. Heath would have preferred to simply climb in the wagon and go home only, knowing that Ellen May had actually turned Nick's head, he wasn't about to turn down the offer…even if he was still concerned about the huge age difference between the two. "I've got a few minutes to spare, how about you brother?"

"I could use something." Nick answered as he then began visiting Ellen May on the way into the house. None of them were surprised when her brothers Jacob and Josiah and sister Mariah, who were in the living room, looked up from their activities.

"Mother and father aren't home yet." Josiah spoke up once he saw who was with Ellen May.

"I know that." Ellen May explained what the Barkleys had brought and what she was giving them. "You don't have to stop what you're doing. I can take care of our guests." She wasn't surprised when Mariah went back to the needle work she was working on while her brothers went back to their game of checkers, though it didn't pass her by that Josiah's gaze lasted a few seconds longer than Jacob's. She silently swore to make his life a living nightmare if he said one word to embarrass her. She was more than grateful when the young boy turned his attention back to the game.

Once inside the dining room, Nick and Heath sat down while she went to get the coffee they both said they wanted.

"Thanks," Heath said as he took his cup while Nick took his and did the same. The 'few minutes' they'd intended to stay turned into almost thirty minutes, and then it was Heath who brought the visit to a stop. Thanking their hostess, the two men stood up and went on their way. And while it would take her a few years to admit it, Ellen May then took their empty cups into the kitchen, stood next to the kitchen window and watched as the two men drove away… the whole time keeping her eyes on the dark haired rancher.

~oOo~

"Gee," William again found himself unable to keep from interrupting as he exclaimed. "And people talk as if my being stubborn is a new thing? It runs through this whole blasted family!" Again, his arm found his sister's hand giving him a swat, only this time it was just hard enough to leave a sting behind.

"What was that for? I was only speaking the truth!" William turned on his sister only to find his great grandmother reprimanding them both.

"There is no need for either of you to yell at, or hit, the other one." She spoke sternly and threatened to quit telling the story only this time she used much more force in her voice. Ellen May had to hide the amusement she got at the horror that appeared on both of the children's faces as they quickly apologized to each other and to her.

"I'm sorry, Grandma Ellen," William folded his arms and shrugged his shoulders, "Only you have to admit, people acting like I'm the only stubborn one in my family does seem rather stupid."

"It's a Barkley trait," Ellen May looked at him in feigned resignation and rolled her eyes as she added, "probably made worse when they marry other stubborn people." The statement served to give the two great grandchildren a laugh, before Ester started begging her great grandmother to get back to the story. She was thoroughly enjoying, and resented her brother's action. Of course, she did not say that as she feared her brother would start yelling and the old woman would stop the story as she said she would.

"Please, William will be quiet, won't you?" She asked as she turned to her brother and sent him a very loud message with her eyes, 'shut up or I'll do more than slap you when Grandma Ellen's not around'. It was a message he got loud and clear.

"I'll be quiet, I promise!" William scooted away from his sister while keeping his eye on his great grandmother. Naturally, his sister got a triumphant look on her face as she turned her attention back to Ellen May.

"See you do that," Ellen May managed to keep her composure as she answered him and started the story once more, even if she was dying from laughter on the inside. The two great grandchildren reminded her so much of her and her siblings, she couldn't help it.