“This isn’t Virginia,” she said, laughing. “Texas ranch houses don’t have parlors and dining rooms.”
“We will, even if nobody else in Texas does.”
Rose smiled indulgently. “And what else do you want?”
“I don’t know. It’s hard to say how long the boys might be here. If some of them decide to live here with their families, well, it’s hard to say.”
It would depend on how many children they had. George wouldn’t say that because he knew it would hurt her, but Rose knew what he meant.
“They might prefer their own homes,” Rose said.
“We could build them on the ridge along the creek,” George said, pointing to a small rise that extended for several hundred yards.
“In that case, you won’t have to enlarge the house.”
“We’ll see.”
Rose’s body tensed, and she looked up quickly. There was something different about George’s tone of voice. Something different about his expression, too. He turned to the corrals.
“I think we ought to build a barn, too. The bull is too valuable to leave out as long as there are wolves and panthers about.”
Was he talking about barns because he wanted to or because he wanted to keep her from asking what he really meant about enlarging the house? It was on the tip of her tongue to ask when Zac came running up. He was so out of breath it was several seconds before he could utter a sound.
“The McClendons are coming,” he gasped at last. “They’ve already crossed the creek.”
Chapter Twenty-one
“How far are they from the house?” George asked. He instinctively looked down the lane as though he expected to see them come riding up.
“I don’t know. We saw them at the oaks where Monty hunts turkeys. Salty was showing me what to do when we heard them,” Zac explained.
“At two o’clock in the morning?”
“I couldn’t sleep. Neither could Salty.”
“Not with you peppering him with questions, I’ll bet. Where is he now?”
“He’s watching them.”
“What are you going to do?” Rose asked.
“Try to talk them into leaving. Zac, you stay here and help Rose.”
“That’s not fair. I want—”
“This has nothing to do with fair,” George cut him off. “Rose needs your help.” You didn’t question George when he used that tone of voice, and Zac knew it.
George hurried to their bedroom. He took down a jacket and filled the pockets with shells. He also took down an extra rifle.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can, but don’t expect me before dawn.”
“You will be careful, won’t you?” Rose asked.
“Very careful. There’s a great deal I’m looking forward to, and I don’t mean to let the McClendons cause me to miss it.”
George decided to go on foot, but he soon regretted his decision. His boots weren’t made for walking, much less running. But he couldn’t afford the time to saddle a horse or the sound of its hooves.
He didn’t have to go very far. The McClendons were hardly a half mile from the house.
“Pssst!” Salty hissed from the midst of a thicket along the creek.
George darted into the shadows.
“How many are there?”
“Six. The old man’s leading. They’re coming slowly. They’ve even wrapped their horses’ hooves. They’re trying to get close enough to surprise us.”
“Good. I’ve got a surprise for them.”
“Something else you ought to know. Silas is with them.”
“Silas! But he left on the drive to Corpus Christi.”
“He must have sneaked off and come back.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I figured you might.”
“How would I know? I never talked with him more than in the ordinary way.”
“He must have a reason.”
“I know, and that worries me.”
“What do you mean to do?”
“Ask them what they’re doing here.”
“Wh—” Salty started to chuckle. “I’ll bet you didn’t learn that tactic in the army.”
“No, but this is one battle I don’t want to fight. This might be only a decoy. I’m hoping the main group isn’t coming up behind the house right now.”
“I don’t think so. They wouldn’t have gone to so much trouble to muffle their approach if they were trying to divert your attention.”
“That’s what I’m betting. Let’s hope we’re both right. Now let’s head back toward the house. They’ve got to take this path through the brush. When they reach the bottleneck, we’ll stop them. You on one side, me on the other.”