The Rancher’s Surprise Triplets. Linda Ford

Every man who wants a dance will have to pay a dime. Won’t that be fun?”

      She glanced toward the speaker who answered the young lady’s question.

      Bo Stillwater leaned back on the heels of his well-worn cowboy boots and pushed his equally well-worn cowboy hat back on his head, revealing sandy-brown hair and silvery eyes that seemed to be perpetually laughing at life. She’d met him shortly after her arrival in town and had barely been able to look directly at those eyes. He was a rancher and his twin brother was the preacher at the church next to the doctor’s house.

      The young ladies turned as one to cluster around the cowboy.

      “What about you, Mr. Stillwater? Are you going to pay a dime to dance with each of us?” The young miss blossomed rosy pink.

      Louisa felt sorry for her. Had she ever been so young and innocent? Oh, yes, there was a time she’d fancied herself in love. At eighteen she had been naive and full of dreams. She’d loved Wes and trusted that he loved her. But when things got serious enough for them to talk marriage, she had warned him they’d have to wait until Amy and Mother no longer needed her. He had responded that it sounded like she meant for him to wait most of his life. Said he wasn’t willing to wait. She wasn’t worth waiting for. Nine years later she sometimes wondered if she was finally worth waiting for or if she was meant to always be alone.

      Enough dwelling on the past. It offered nothing but painful memories. She glanced at her work-worn hands and the dusty skirts of her dress. She had no time for fussing about her looks. What mattered the most was helping her father with his doctoring and caring for her mother.

      In the three weeks they’d been in Little Horn, Texas, she’d helped Father clean the office area and examining room. He’d been seeing patients from the beginning but could now receive them in his office. Getting the rest of the house ready for Mother’s arrival was next.

      “I’ve come up with a better idea,” Bo said. “I’m going to sell dances with me for a dime. That way anyone who wants to be my partner can be and it’s a fine way to raise more money.” He held up a piece of paper. “I have slots to fill. Anyone interested?”

      The young ladies rivaled each other for the chance to pay money to dance with Mr. Bo Stillwater.

      The storekeeper finally turned his attention to Louisa and she ordered the supplies she needed. She wanted more cleaning compound to get the grime off the walls of the kitchen.

      “You must be scrubbing that house within an inch of its life,” he commented.

      “Simply doing what I can to make it ready for my mother.” The house Father purchased to set up his medical practice and a home for the family was adequate for the most part. But not for an invalid like her mother. Mother needed things to be extremely clean or she’d catch something and get ill. Her weak heart put her life in jeopardy. Besides utmost cleanliness, she needed the furniture arranged in such a way she could navigate the rooms in her wheelchair. Louisa was anxious to see her mother again and smiled as she thought of how welcoming she would make the house for her and how appreciative Mother would be.

      “She’ll be along soon, will she?”

      “I expect so. She’s traveling with my sister and her husband at a more leisurely pace than my father and I took.” Plus she’d be sleeping in the best accommodations available and eating in the best restaurants on their journey from Cleveland, Ohio. Father and Louisa had taken the cheapest and fastest transportation and eaten food they’d packed before leaving home. Not that she minded. It had been like a holiday to be traveling alone with her father.

      “The doc seems to be doing a brisk business.”

      “He’s been busy,” she agreed. “Busy enough that on occasion we’ve gotten young Annie Hill to help.” Annie had assisted Louisa on some of her calls to deliver babies—there’d been four since they’d come. Once the women of the community learned that Louisa was somewhat of a midwife, they had taken to calling her for help rather than bother the doctor. Annie was efficient as an assistant to Louisa when she attended a birthing. She was kind and helpful in other ways, too...such as helping to clean the house.

      “Bo’s doing a brisk business too.” The storekeeper nodded toward the rancher, who took a dime and jotted down a name. “He’s determined to bring in enough money to help all those in need, and by the looks of it, he could well succeed. Industrious young man. He’d make someone a good husband.” The man’s black-shoe-button eyes bored into Louisa. “Say, you aren’t married, are you?”

      Louisa chuckled. “I really don’t see how I’d fit a husband into my already busy life.”

      “That a fact?” He sounded less than convinced.

      “How much for the supplies?” Before she could withdraw the few coins for the storekeeper, the room grew silent and the walls sucked inward, like everyone drew in a deep breath at the same time. A footfall sounded behind her and her neck muscles twitched.

      She knew without looking that Bo moved closer and she quickly gathered together her purchases and turned. He stood squarely in front of her, blocking her escape. His odd-colored eyes sent shivers through her. Her gaze darted past his shoulder to the doorway.

      “What about you, Miss Clark?” His smile teased.

      Six young ladies stared at her. She would not look directly at them, certain she’d see resentment that the handsome bachelor would pay her attention.

      “I’m sorry.” Her tongue barely functioned. “I don’t understand your question.”

      His grin widened. “About the dance. Can I sign you up to offer dances? And would you care to pay a dime for the privilege of a dance with me?” He lifted his sheet of paper toward her. Already several lines were filled in.

      No doubt her cheeks were unattractively red. She felt everyone waiting. Knew she had to say something but his question left her speechless.

      She said the first thing that sprang to her mind. “I would not want to take a dance away from any of your admirers.” Her purchases pressed hard to her chest, she pushed past Bo and rushed out the door. Why had she said that? She understood the dance was not without its benefits as a way to raise funds. Her answer made her sound as though she didn’t care about helping the town. She did care. But between preparing for her mother’s arrival and helping her father with his work, there was no time in her life for anything else.

      Her life was satisfyingly full. She’d found joy in caring for her mother and making sure her younger sister, Amy, enjoyed a happy and full life despite being frail because of her too early birth. She knew it wasn’t her fault Amy was born early but still she carried a burden of guilt. She’d visited a friend and brought home an infection that made Mother ill, made her deliver Amy much too early and permanently damaged Mother’s already weak heart.

      Bo called after her. “Surely you are going to support the—”

      The door clicked shut, closing off the rest of his words.

      Of course she would support the county fair. She’d contribute what she could toward the fund-raising because her heart went out to those struggling through hard times.

      She would love to help the cause with just one dance with the silver-eyed Bo, but it wasn’t to be.

      * * *

      Bo adjusted his hat as the girls around him gasped or giggled as suited their personalities. What was wrong with Miss Clark that she refused to take part in the festivities? Yes, she was a newcomer so perhaps unaware of the needs in the community. The drought affected so many of the ranchers, leaving them near destitute. There were needy widows with children in the area. And orphans that needed care. He would like to see the young men who worked on the ranches be taught some basic schooling so they could handle their affairs better. Some could not even write their names or do more than basic counting, which left them vulnerable to being taken advantage of.

      His final words to Miss Clark died before he could spit them out. Surely you are going to