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But meanwhile, he’d promised to spend the summer here. It was like serving a sentence in hell. He hated the noise and odors of the animals and the crude manners of the hands who took care of them. He hated the sweat, the dust, and the hot sun. But most of all, he hated the boredom.
Maybe that was why he’d devised small rebellions, little acts of mischief that would have driven his father apoplectic had he known about them. This morning he’d relished giving Ferg the news about the transfer of the creek property. He knew his father had been expecting Rose to fall into his hands—to lend her money for legal fees and demand repayment as soon as she won her case. Now he was out of luck.
It had done Garn’s heart good to see his old man squirm. But boredom was already setting in again, and the thought of Rose roused fresh notions in his mind. As he’d told his father, she wasn’t wife material, but she was one sexy little package. He wouldn’t mind getting to know her better.
Garn whistled a tune as he walked down the steps. He would think on that and come up with a plan.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THE NEXT MORNING, ROSE PULLED ON HER OLDEST WORK CLOTHES, breakfasted on the last of the cheese and crackers, and went outside to organize her day.
The storm had passed in the night, leaving behind the freshness of rain-scented earth. Rose took deep breaths, filling her lungs with the scented air. Petrichor, that was what her grandfather had called the wonderful smell she’d always loved. Maybe it was a good omen for a day that held so much promise.
The canvas tarpaulin had kept her gear dry. Rose studied the heap of tools, wondering what to start first. She’d planned to dig a latrine back in the trees, but last night’s visit from the wandering cow had brought home the need for a secure fence. Enclosing the entire thirty acres would take more time and materials than she could spare right now. But at least she could fence off the area around her planned house and garden.
Crouching beside the creek, she splashed her hands and face and slicked back her hair. Unbidden, her eyes scanned the willows on the opposite bank and the trees beyond. She couldn’t help hoping that Tanner might show up, but she saw no sign of him. Tanner had his own work to do, she reminded herself. And it wasn’t as if she needed his protection. She had her pistol in the truck in case she needed it. But so far, her most dangerous intruder had been that silly cow.
Since she’d already made some progress on digging up the old fence, she took up the task again. The rusty barbed wire from her grandfather’s fence line had long since been trampled into the ground. But much of it came free as she dug under it with her shovel. Unfortunately, she was going to need new fence posts. Either she would have to cut them from the small trees that were growing on the property or she would have to dig into her precious cash reserves and buy some in town.
She would need to buy other things as well—lumber, hardware, pipe fittings, windows and doors for her cabin . . . and she couldn’t work without food.
How did one go about building a cabin, anyway? To start with, she would need to draw up some kind of plan and make some decisions about materials. She’d always loved the idea of logs. But where would she get logs around here? And how would she move them by herself? Logs were heavy. Maybe she should think about something easier to move. Bricks were at least small. Or rocks—at least rocks were free if she could find enough. Or maybe adobes. She’d learned how to make adobe bricks out of mud and straw in Mexico. But would adobe hold up in heavy rain?
Once she had her materials, she would have to start by laying a foundation. That would mean digging a trench and filling it with cement to anchor the supports for the walls. And after that . . .
Rose sighed. What had she been thinking?
She gazed at her rig in dismay. She had no idea how to build a cabin. She hadn’t even figured out how to get the camper off the bed of the pickup so she could haul her supplies. Even living in the camper was harder than she’d imagined,
with no plumbing, no electricity, and barely room inside to stand up and turn around.
But never mind, she’d work it out as she went along. Maybe Jasper could give her some advice.
As if the thought could conjure him up, she heard the familiar growl of Jasper’s truck coming around the bend in the rough road. Leaning on her shovel, she gave him a wave of greeting.
He pulled up beside Rose and climbed out of his truck. One hand carried a covered metal baking pan. “Figured you might be hungry, so I brought you some breakfast,” he said.
Out of pride, Rose was about to protest that she’d already eaten breakfast. But when he raised the cover, the aromas wafting from beneath almost made her knees melt. French toast with maple syrup, sausages, and fried potatoes.
“Eat up,” he said, handing her a fork and pouring coffee from a thermos.
“You just saved my life.” Stripping off her gloves, Rose sank onto a stump and began eating. She was ravenous.
Jasper chuckled. “A friend of yours stopped by to see us this morning.”
“A friend?”
“Nice fellow named Tanner McCade. He seemed pretty worried about you, roughing it out here on your own.”
“No need for that.” Rose spoke between bites. “As you see, I’m doing just fine. Somebody should tell Tanner to mind his own business.”
“Blast it, Rose, look at you! You’re half starved, living like a homeless tramp in a box with no electricity, no bathroom, and nobody here if you get sick or hurt. Come to your senses, girl. How long do you think you can hold out here without help?”
“Things will get better. You’ll see.” Rose drained her coffee cup and held it out for more. “Actually, I could use some help with getting the camper off the pickup so I can haul supplies. Do I need a hoist or something?”
Jasper mouthed a curse. “What you need is a dose of common sense! Bull and I have talked it over. We care too much about you to let you live like this. Bull’s gone to check out an ad for a nice used travel trailer that we found in the paper. If it looks good, he’s going to buy it, have it towed here, and set up with water, propane, waste tanks, and a generator. Once you learn to do the maintenance, you’ll be fine, and we won’t lie awake nights worrying about you.”
Rose sighed. She’d wanted to manage without Bull’s interference. But for all her pride, she had to concede that Jasper was making sense.
