Two Cowboy Promises (Returning to

Rocky Ridge, Book 2) April Murdock

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TWO COWBOY PROMISES
RETURNING TO ROCKY RIDGE - BOOK 2
APRIL MURDOCK
 CONTENTS

Two Cowboy Promises

April Murdock
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Epilogue
Copyright © 2023 April Murdock and Sweet River Publishing

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and
retrieval systems. Publisher expressly prohibits any form of reproduction.

This is a work of fiction. Any references to names, characters, organizations, places, events, or incidents are either products of the
author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
TWO COWBOY PROMISES
RETURNING TO ROCKY RIDGE - BOOK 2

APRIL MURDOCK
 CHAPTER ONE

KELSEY

“ROCKY RIDGE, Montana. Come for the cowboys, stay for the Black Forest Brownies.”
I wrinkled my nose and shook my head. That sounded so fake. My followers wouldn’t buy in at all. I
had to do better. First, I took a sip of water, then I checked my lipstick from the screen on my phone.
And finally I adjusted the red cowboy hat that matched the color of my lips perfectly. The smile I’d
worn on that first take didn’t look right for some reason. I didn’t look as comfortable as I normally
do.
So I tried again.
“Rocky Ridge, Montana. Where the cowboys are sweet, and the Black Forest Brownies are sweeter.”
Dang it, that was even worse. Was I losing my touch? No, of course not. I was still the same, bright,
loveable online presence as ever. I just needed to find something that felt more real. Taking a deep
breath, I clicked the button hidden in my other hand and smiled wide. “Rocky Ridge—”
Out of nowhere, a small boy materialized at my side. His large brown eyes locked onto the brownie I
held then he looked up at me. His denim overalls had a hole in the knee, and he wore a bright red pair
of Converse shoes. Legs swinging back and forth, he gave me a shy smile. “Hi.”
Who was this kid? Where were his parents? I glanced around quickly but found no one anywhere
nearby. “Hello,” I drawled.
“I like brownies. A whole lot.” He looked up at me with big, round eyes.
And just like that, my heart melted. “You do?”
He nodded. “That’s a big brownie.”
“It sure is. And you know what? It’s the best brownie in the whole world.”
His brown eyes rounded as they landed on the chocolate dessert I held. “Really?”
“Yep. Because not only does it have the most delicious chocolate chunks, it has cherries in it, too.”
I didn’t think this kid could get any cuter, but boy was I wrong. His small pink tongue slipped from
between his lips and licked back and forth.
“I like cherries.”
Tossing my head back, I let out a laugh. “You’re a kid after my own heart. Here, you want this one? I
can get another.”
His eyes flitted up to meet mine then bounced down to the dessert. There was hesitation, but more
than that, I could see just how much he wanted the treat.
I tore off a corner of the brownie and popped it in my mouth. “See? It’s good. You can have it.” I held
out the brownie, napkin and all.
Just as his small hands reached out for my offering, the little boy was scooped up off the bench and
placed on his feet with one tall adult between us. The man crouched down and pointed an angry finger
at his poor unsuspecting boy. “What have I said about running off? Don’t you know it’s dangerous?
Something could have happened to you and then what?”
The small boy dropped his gaze to the ground but didn’t say anything. My heart practically broke for
this kid. It wasn’t his fault his father wasn’t paying attention.
I scooted closer to the edge of the bench. “Hey, it’s fine. He wasn’t bothering me.”
Angry man whirled around, redirecting his frustration at me. “What did you just say?”
Blinking, my voice died in my throat.
“This is not fine. He’s a child. And this isn’t about you, anyway; this is about his safety.” His dark
brown eyes swept over me and my impractical white and red polka-dotted summer dress and my
stylish cowboy boots. His lip curled as he folded his arms. “I would have thought you knew better.”
“What?” I stammered.
“Don’t you know that it’s not okay for a child to talk to strangers, much less accept food from one?
What do you think you were doing? You’re training him to think that he can trust someone he doesn’t
know.”
My head reared back, and I let out a sharp gasp. “Excuse me? Are you accusing me of—”
“Nope, not accusing you at all. Just annoyed that someone like you would so flagrantly disregard one
of the biggest rules when it comes to children.” He let out a long breath and frowned even deeper.
“Then again, maybe I’m judging you too quickly.”
For a split second I thought he might have seen reason. He wasn’t the jerk he was making himself out
to be. There were still people out in the world who had common sense. My shoulders relaxed, and I
smiled at him. “That’s—”
“Someone like you obviously must not have a single clue what to do with children.”
My mouth dropped open. “Someone like me?”
“It’s not your fault. Women like you are more concerned about people behind screens than those who
are right in front of you.”
“You’re joking, right?” I looked around, searching for any signs I might be getting pranked. I’d seen
some real doozies before, but not one to this extent. My eyes flew back to meet his when he continued
his tirade.
“Unfortunately, I’m not. People like you don’t live in the real world with the rest of us. So go back to
your video and leave the parenting to me.” He didn’t even give me a chance to defend myself before
he snatched his child’s hand and stomped away like the coward he was.
I gaped after the two of them, tempted to chase that man down and give him a piece of my mind. He
didn’t know me. He clearly didn’t have a single clue who I was, or he would have been much nicer to
me.
Tearing the hat from my head, I suddenly felt far sillier than I had moments ago. I tossed it onto the
bench beside me with a huff and crossed my arms. I wasn’t some airheaded dimwit. I was a content
creator, and that persona was for the public’s benefit. If I were to show my real side on social media,
I wouldn’t have near the number of followers I do now. All of that reach helped us get Twisted Rivers
on the map. If it weren’t for me and my silly insistence on staying relevant, we wouldn’t even be here
in Montana in the first place.
That guy was a total jerk, and I felt sorry for whoever he was married to.
Eying that brownie, I frowned. My appetite was completely shot now. Maybe Paige or Brooke might
want it. A perfectly good day had been ruined by one person. I’ve told myself not to let trolls get to
me, but this was different. This wasn’t some stranger behind a profile picture telling me I wasn’t
worth anything. This was someone who had said it to my face. And it stung.
I gathered up my things and headed in the last direction I’d seen my sister and her fiancé go. They
were my ride back to the ranch. Hopefully, Paige was done having her little date with Jake because
the last thing I wanted to do right now was have another run-in with that jerk.

“DO you guys think I’m a good person?” I couldn’t bring myself to look at the faces of my family as
we sat at the kitchen table. It probably would have been better to wait until Jake had left, but ever
since my run-in with that guy, I couldn’t shake the cloud hanging over my head.
“Of course, you’re a good person.” Paige laughed. “Why are you asking such a ridiculous thing?”
The fork in my hand felt heavy as I pushed around the corn on my plate. “Nothing. Just something
someone said.”
Chairs creaked, but other than that, the room remained quiet.
I let out a sigh and sat back in my seat, not surprised at all to find all three of them looking at me.
Brooke’s brows were creased together, and her lips were pressed so thin they were almost invisible.
“Who said you weren’t a good person? Was it on one of your videos? Because you’ve been doing this
a long time. You know not to—”
“It wasn’t online,” I huffed. “It was today when we went to Rocky Ridge.”
Paige and Jake exchanged a quick look, but they weren’t so fast I didn’t catch it.
“What happened?” Brooke demanded.
I lifted a shoulder and looked down at my hands. “I was talking to a little boy, and his father just came
up and yelled at me.”
“What? How rude.”
“Not really,” I mumbled. “Okay the yelling part was definitely rude. But in all fairness, he was scared
about his son. I shouldn’t have offered him my brownie.”
“Wait, was this that guy we saw at the bakery?” Paige and Jake locked eyes again.
“Yeah. Why?”
Paige shook her head. “Just curious.” It was clear she wasn’t going to elaborate on where her
curiosity stemmed from. And based on the tight-lipped look Jake wore, neither would he.
My eyes bounced between them like my own little game of tennis or ping-pong. Then I heaved a sigh
that made me feel even more empty inside. “Anyway, what started out as him lecturing his kid, turned
into a lecture for me, which then morphed into him saying I wasn’t mother material or something like
that.”
“He didn’t say that,” Paige butted in again.
“No. But he implied it. He basically said I don’t live in the real world, and it makes sense that I have
no idea what I was doing when I offered his kid my brownie. I guess he’s right on that one, but I can’t
shake this feeling that maybe I’m doing something wrong.”
Brooke reached for my hand and squeezed it. “You’re just fine. Don’t let what some jerk said mess
with you. We know you’re smarter than what you show on your social media. Even your fans know
you’re a wonderful person. That’s all that matters.”
Her words were probably supposed to make me feel better, but in fact, they did the opposite. Once
again, I was left with one truth to grasp onto. I didn’t have friends; I had fans. The only people who
cared about me were in this room. Oh, and those who still lived in California. But right now, the way
I was feeling, they seemed so far away.
I pushed away from the table and picked up my plate. I couldn’t sit in this room with these people
trying to convince me of something when they were the most biased people on the topic. “I think I’m
just going to head to bed early.”
“Kelsey—”
“I’ll be fine. Promise.”
“Aren’t you going to—” Jake grunted.
I glanced over my shoulder in time to see Paige shake her head vehemently. Brooke looked from
Paige to me then shrugged. Then, as if by a light switch, her face brightened, and she spun to face me
fully. “You know what we should do tomorrow? We should go for a ride. You can take some pictures
and post about the ranch…”
“Actually, that’s not gonna work out,” Paige cut in. Once again, my gaze shifted to the oldest triplet.
“Why?”
Paige hesitated. That was never good. She was hiding something, and she didn’t want me to know
about it. Finally she glanced at Jake when she murmured, “We’re hiring a new interim manager, and
we offered Jake’s cabin for housing. Tomorrow we need to help move stuff over here.”
“Well, it’s not gonna take all day. We can still go for a ride sometime. And if you don’t want to, it will
just be Kelsey and me.” Brooke grinned as she met my gaze.
The last thing I wanted to do was spend more time with someone who would want to talk about what
happened today. But I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, either. Besides, maybe some fresh air would
help clear my head a bit. “Yeah, sure. Let’s do it.”
 CHAPTER TWO

T ANNER

A DANGEROUS MIXTURE of fury and embarrassment combined to make me feel like I had morphed into
some kind of monster. The horror stories and the superhero movies had gotten it completely right.
I scooped Jackson up and plopped him in a wrought iron chair inside the bakery. If this kid had
listened to me, he would have had his chance to get something sweet.
“No running off,” I said it evenly, not a drop of malice, but the second the words tumbled from my
tongue, I regretted it. Jackson had this way of making his eyes turn round and almost cartoony. How
on earth could a three-year-old make me feel so evil with just one look? I opened my mouth to assure
him he’s not in a lot of trouble, but Max pulled out a chair to sit and interrupted me.
My friend let out a low, rumbling chuckle. “You know, I’ve always thought kids were harder to herd
than the cows themselves.”
A slice of apple pie slid across the table and stopped in front of me. Allison placed a hand on her hip
with a huff. “You don’t herd children, dear. You raise them.”
Her husband shrugged. “Sounds about the same to me.”
Allison whacked his shoulder with the back of her fingers. “When we have children, you will not be
herding them.” She turned to Jackson and crouched down. “Hey, kiddo. You want something?”
Jackson glanced at me then down at his hands.
I sighed, recalling the way his mouth practically watered when he was talking to that woman earlier.
“He probably wants the brownie that girl out front was eating.”
And just like that, Jackson perked up. “I like brownies.”
“Yeah. I know, kid.”
Allison stood and peered out the window. “I don’t see anyone. We’ve sold a lot of brownies today.
Do you know what kind it was?”
Before I had the chance to describe it, Jackson scooted to the edge of his chair. “It has cherries.”
Her face broke into a wide grin. “Of course. That’s the Black Forest Brownies. Good choice.” She
headed behind the counter, and I turned toward Max again.
“I have a question for you.”
“Shoot.”
This was harder than I thought it would be. Max had seen me though my rodeo years, and this was the
first time I’d sat down with him since Nate died. He had no idea what I’d finally decided to do with
my life. I just hoped he would understand.
Allison returned with the brownie. She ruffled Jackson’s hair and glanced toward me expectantly.
Both of them had me pinned against the wall where I didn’t want to be stuck. Well, it was now or
never. If I accepted this job at Twisted Rivers, then they’d find out eventually anyway.
“I’m dropping out of the rodeo.”
I had expected shock and maybe a little disappointment. But I didn’t get any of that. My friends didn’t
move, and I almost thought they might not have heard me.
“I said—”
“Oh, honey, we figured you would step down when you started taking care of Jackson.” Allison
reached out and touched my upper arm. “We just didn’t know when you would make it official.”
Max’s expression seemed to suggest he was on the same page as Allison. He nodded then shifted in
his seat. “I mean, I’d love for you to stick around, but no one can blame you for choosing a different
path. What are your plans then?” Once more, he and Allison exchanged looks. “Because you know
we’d be happy to host you while you figure everything out, right?”
Allison nodded. “Absolutely.” Her warm smile tugged at my heart a little. Jackson’s own mother had
zero interest in raising him. What must it be like for him to be so distinctly aware of that? Then again,
maybe Nate had kept that part of Jackson’s life from him.
My focus landed on Max, the apple pie forgotten. “I wanted to ask your advice on a few things. Since
I’m not going to be in the rodeo circuit anymore…”
“What do you want advice about?”
I shrugged. Where to start? I didn’t know anything about raising a kid besides knowing that I couldn’t
go traveling to different events when he needed something stable. Max had found a life here with
Allison, maybe he’d be able to help me transition. But saying all of that sounded so ridiculous. Before
I could say anything, though, Max jumped in.
“Look, there’s nothing to it. You find a job, settle down, and you do it because there’s someone who
needs you.” He smiled lovingly at his wife, and for a split second, I couldn’t help but feel a little
jealous. To have someone to share a life with was something I’d never wanted, not until I had a little
boy to look after. But I wasn’t about to go find someone just to fill a void. That whole being in a
stable situation was the most important thing right now. That’s why this job was going to be so
important.
I rubbed the back of my neck. Until I bumped into who could only be someone related to Paige, I was
ready to jump at the opportunity she’d offered. But now, I wasn’t so sure. I needed to know what I
was getting into and if it would be good for Jackson. “That girl I mentioned. She looks an awful lot
like Paige Holt.”
As one, my friends stiffened. “Why do you want to know about the Holts?”
“What? Is there something wrong with them?” It was clear they didn’t want to talk about Paige Holt,
but at the same time, there was something they yearned to tell me. “They offered me a job as their
interim manager. I haven’t accepted the job formally, but it was the best offer I’ve had so far.”
Allison squirmed in her seat and exchanged one final look with Max. “Paige Holt is a sweet girl.
She’s got a lot on her plate, and the poor thing doesn’t have a clue what she’s doing.”
“Allison—”
“He needs to know, Max.” She turned her gaze toward me. “That ranch was barely holding on when
they showed up, and from what I hear, it might be getting a little better. But it’s a long way off from
what it was in its heyday. If you take that job, it’s going to be a lot of hard work, and that’s if they
don’t fire you.”
I chuckled, though the sound was almost foreign to me. “Why would they fire me? They were actively
looking for someone to replace the last one.”
She gave me a pointed stare. “And why did they need a new guy to begin with? The one who worked
that ranch before those girls arrived, he shouldn’t have even been fired. He’d been working that ranch
for years.”
I glanced at Max who had remained silent for the most part. He shrugged but didn’t add any
comments. It made me wonder if he knew something she wasn’t saying.
Allison reached across the table and touched my forearm. She gave him a soft smile. “Just be careful.
If you take that job, just make sure it’s the best fit for you and Jackson.”
A frown creased my brow. “You’re saying they’re bad people?” I finally picked up the fork that sat
beside the piece of pie Allison had given me before taking the tip off the slice and taking a bite.
“Oh, heaven’s no. Paige seems sweet enough. Her sisters…they’re a little…” Allison glanced
sideways at Max. “Odd.”
Max let out a laugh. “A little odd? That one that came in today, didn’t she ask for a different brownie
three times? She said she wanted the perfect cut, right?”
Allison laughed with him. “Yeah. She wanted it for her Instagram channel. And her other sister, boy, I
don’t even know why she’s staying in Montana. She’s a vegetarian or a vegan. I don’t remember.”
I nearly choked on my dessert. “She doesn’t eat meat?”
Max shook his head. “You should have seen the looks she gets when she’s trying to buy that tofu stuff
at Cliff’s market or when she goes out to eat at the steak house. Tanner, if you end up taking that job,
it’s gonna be tough. But maybe you can be just the thing to turn it around. Just remember, they’re as
clueless about running that ranch as they are rich. And while they might not be rich, they have a
wealthy family.”
One thing stuck out from his comments, and I couldn’t get it out of my head. “Turn it around? From
what I understood, they were finally turning a profit.”
Max shrugged again. “I heard that, too, but like Allison said, that place is a disaster. It needs a lot of
TLC.”
I wasn’t afraid of a little hard work; it was Paige’s sisters I wasn’t so sure about. I hadn’t missed just
how similar they looked, but then, I hadn’t interacted with either of them long enough to find any
differences. I shot a quick look at Jackson who was now covered in chocolate. Allison followed my
focus and let out a laugh.
“Oh, buddy, let’s get you cleaned up.” She held out her hand toward him, and he hopped off the chair,
leaving me alone with Max.
I raked a hand through my hair. There was only one reason I wasn’t walking away at this moment.
And it was that little boy. He’d lost enough in his life. He deserved some stability and that was me. “I
can handle the Holt sisters.”
Max chuckled again. “Don’t make any promises you can’t keep.”
“Oh, I can take ’em. I was a rodeo star. Who’s gonna be better to cut through their bull than a bull
rider?” I stabbed the slice of pie with my fork again and took a bigger bite. “Your wife sure can
bake.”
“Yeah, I know.”
I glanced in the direction where Allison had left, then peeked at Max. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“What are your thoughts on all of this?”
“Like Allison said—”
I shook my head. “I want to know what you’ve heard behind the scenes. Allison’s great, but she lives
in town, and we both know that folks in town have a different understanding of how things work.
What happened with Jeremy?”
Max sighed. “Honestly? I don’t really know. That ranch has been struggling to pay their bills for the
last decade. And then the girls showed up and started making waves. Then they all went to California,
and when they came back, Paige and that guy—”
“Jake.”
“Yeah. Jake. They became partners. Jeremy stepped down—though we don’t know if it was because
he wanted to or not.”
I put my fork down. “But Allison said—”
Max nodded. “That’s the consensus. They all think he was fired because no guy in their right mind
would walk away from that job. And we haven’t seen his mom around town, either. It’s been a year
since all that happened, Tanner. A lot of what we know could just be rumors. But that’s just it. We
don’t know. The only thing I can tell you is that Paige and Jake are decent folks. Can they run that
ranch?” He shrugged. “You’ll have to decide for yourself it it’s worth the risk to work for them.”
 CHAPTER THREE

KELSEY

MY THUMB TAPPED the screen on my phone. Even though it wasn’t my first choice, I had to use the
video I’d gotten before being interrupted by that little boy. I could have done better if that dumb guy
hadn’t messed with my confidence. But today was a new day, and I probably would never see that guy
again.
I placed my phone on the table and stared at the brownie I hadn’t had a chance to eat. Black Forest
Brownies were my favorite, or at least they used to be before yesterday’s experience left a bad taste
in my mouth.
Crossing my arms, I rested them on the table and stared at the brownie, unable to bring myself to eat
it.
“Ooh. Is that a Black Forest Brownie?” Brooke wandered past where I sat at the kitchen table and
headed for the cupboards.
“Yeah. It’s from yesterday,” I mumbled.
She glanced at me over her shoulder before pulling out a glass. “You still thinking about that guy?”
I wasn’t going to answer that question. Obviously, I was thinking about the guy who made me question
my career choice. What was it about that guy that got under my skin so easily? Even after I promised
myself that I wasn’t going to let it affect me, his face still filled my thoughts.
Brook opened the fridge and poured herself a glass of milk. “You gonna eat it?”
“Yes,” I muttered. Just because it was still on the table didn’t mean I was going to throw it away.
“You sure about that?” Brooke hovered near the edge of the table. She rested her hip against the wood
and took a sip of her drink. “Because if you aren’t—”
“I’m going to eat it, okay? I just wish I could get that guy out of my head. Who says that kind of stuff to
someone’s face? I mean, seriously. He had to be some special kind of stupid, right?”
Brooke shrugged. “Maybe he was just stressed out about his son. You know how parents can be.”
“Apparently not,” I muttered.
“Come on. No more moping. Didn’t you agree to go for a ride with me today?”
Without lifting my head, I glanced at her. “I don’t feel like it.”
Brooke let out an exaggerated groan. “You’re bringing down the whole vibe of this place, and it was
already dismal to start with, so that’s saying something.”
“Go on a ride without me.”
Without warning, Brooke grabbed the plate that sat in front of me. Then she darted out of the kitchen.
I lunged to my feet with a yelp and charged after her. “Hey! Give that back. It’s mine. I bought it.” My
ankles wobbled due to the high heels I’d foolishly decided to wear today. Maybe I needed to
reconsider some of my wardrobe along with my career.
Brooke’s maniacal laughter was the only thing that helped me know where she went off to. And she
was headed straight for the front door.
“If you don’t give that back to me, so help—”
The front door swung open wide, and light flooded into the dimly lit entryway. I burst onto the porch
to find Brooke sitting casually in the porch swing, her stocking feet crossed and stretched out onto the
porch railing. She tilted her face toward me and grinned. “It’s a beautiful day, don’t you think?”
My mouth hung open, and my shoulders rose and fell with the effort it had taken to chase her down. I
could feel the heat in my cheeks continue to spread down my neck, and I placed my hands on my hips.
“What is your problem?”
Brooke grinned. “Don’t you mean what is your problem?”
“My problem is sitting in front of me,” I huffed. “And she stole my brownie, and she won’t leave me
alone.”
Brooke snickered.
“And how did you manage to escape me without falling all over the place? You’re the accident prone
one out of the three of us.”
“I know, right?” Brooke tossed her head back and laughed. “Must have been fate.”
“Well, I want my brownie back.”
Brooke’s eyes dipped down to the plate beside her. “If you want it so bad, come and get it.”
I rolled my eyes. The second I reach for it, she’d move it. She had set us both on a path, and she
wasn’t willing to back down. I might as well agree to going for a ride because I’d already lost.
My sister picked up the plate and waved it in front of me with a teasing grin. “Or we could split it.”
“No.”
Brooke pouted. “Why are you letting this bother you so much? Whoever this guy is, he doesn’t know
who you are. Who is he to judge you based on one interaction? I can’t say I understand exactly what
you went through, but I can say you need to pull yourself out of it. There are so many more important
things we need you for. If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t have made such a quick turnaround.”
It was nice hearing her say that. I already knew it deep down, but sometimes I needed those words of
affirmation to remind me why I was needed.
A smile tugged at my lips, and my arms dropped to my sides. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“See? That guy was an idiot. If he really got to know you, he wouldn’t have said any of that stuff.”
I settled onto the porch swing, letting the brownie stay where it was between us. “Who do you think
that guy even was? I don’t think I’ve ever met him before, and I’m pretty sure we’ve met everyone in
Rocky Ridge.”
Brooke shrugged, taking another sip of her milk as she peered out at the property. “Who knows and
who cares? He’s probably just some tourist who came here for the brownies.” She nudged me.
“Maybe he saw one of your earlier videos, huh?” She snickered. “And he’s jealous or something.”
“Yeah. Cuz middle-aged, cranky men with children are my prime demographic.” My voice dripped
with sarcasm.
We swayed back and forth on the swing. My thoughts turned once again to the one person I needed to
forget. I had no idea what Brooke’s thoughts entailed, but as long as I didn’t look like I was dwelling
on the bad, maybe she’d leave me alone. I’d bounce back; I always did.
Dust kicked up in the distance, and I straightened, my eyes narrowing as I attempted to see who was
coming up the long dirt road leading to the house. A flash of hunter green was all I saw until an SUV
came up over the ridge and turned toward the barn.
Brooke and I glanced at one another. She didn’t know who the visitor was either. Jeremy trudged from
the barn toward the visitor. His hat shaded his features, but my focus only landed on him for mere
moments. The driver of the green SUV was where my interest stayed.
A gasp tore from my throat, and I whacked Brooke.
She yelped and gave me a dark look. “What was that for?”
“Do you think that’s the new interim manager?”
Brooke’s eyes shot toward the SUV. “I think you’re right.” She dropped her feet to the porch and
stood. “Do you think it’s someone we know?”
“Has to be, right?” I rose and stood beside her then leaned against the railing. “Probably someone that
Jake knows from the ranches around here. I bet he found someone real good to help out while he and
Paige plan their wedding.”
The SUV door opened, and that was when everything inside me went hot and cold all at once. My
body felt stiff like I’d turned to stone. Even from this distance, I knew who that was.
He strode toward Jeremy, and they shook hands. Jeremy nodded and gestured toward the barn then out
at the surrounding property. When his hand motioned toward the house, I grabbed Brooke’s hand and
yanked her down to crouch behind the railing.
She flailed and a weak-sounding argument was uttered from her lips. “Kelsey! What are you doing?”
“That’s him,” I spoke through gritted teeth.
“Who?”
“The guy. The one who said all those horrible things to me. That’s the jerk. Do you think they hired
him?”
Brooke shifted to get a better look. “How can you tell from here?”
“Oh, it’s him. I’d recognize that guy from a hundred yards away.” My head warred with the
information I now had at my fingertips. Everything Brooke had said earlier about pulling myself out of
this funk was right. But there was a small part of me that wanted to be spiteful. He deserved to get a
little payback. I whacked Brooke again, getting another dirty look from her. “How do you feel about
helping me with something?”
Her eyes narrowed. “What do you want help with?”
“Are you up for some revenge?” If there was anyone who would be willing to dish up some well-
deserved payback, it would be Brooke. Paige was a no-go seeing as she probably hired the guy. My
only shot at getting some closure would be if Brooke joined in on the fun.
She frowned, glancing once more in that jerk’s direction. “Paige will kill us. You know how she’s
been lately. We can’t make waves.”
I nibbled on my lower lip. They were just going to have a little fun—toy with him until he realized
he’d been in the wrong. Then the perfect idea came to me. “You can have half of the brownie.”
Brooke snorted. “That’s not worth it, and you know it.”
I groaned. “All of it, then. You can have the whole brownie.”
“Deal.” She got to her feet and picked up a pair of boots that had been discarded nearby. “Just so you
know, I would have done it for half of the brownie. I just wanted to see how much you wanted this.”
My mouth fell open, and a soft laugh bubbled up from my chest.
“I’ll go distract him. We’re doing the mistaken identity one, right?”
“Right.”
Brooke skipped down a few steps then stopped and faced me. “Don’t touch my brownie. And for the
love of Pete, go change into something more Paige-like. If he’s met her before, he’s not gonna believe
you’re her dressed like that.” She waved her finger at my halter top and shredded jeans. “Maybe raid
Paige’s closet. If you can’t find anything, you can get into mine.”
“Got it.” I remained hidden as Brooke closed the distance between us and our target. This was going
to be fun.
 CHAPTER FOUR

T ANNER

J EREMY WANDERED off somewhere to find Paige, and all I could do was wait by my SUV and take in
how the place looked. There was one bright spot. Jeremy didn’t seem at all put off over me replacing
him. In fact, he seemed like a pretty decent guy. That meant Allison could be right over him losing his
job for reasons that didn’t make sense.
I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and turned my head just in time to see a woman
approaching. She wore a flannel shirt over a T-shirt, a pair of tattered jeans, and a pair of dusty
cowboy boots.
And she looked exactly like the woman from the bakery. I’d been so caught up in my frustration with
Jackson, I really must not have paid enough attention to the fact that these women were twins.
Straightening from my relaxed position, I moved toward her. Good impression. That’s what I’m
supposed to be doing right now. Because if they take back their job offer, then my wondering if this
place is a good fit is a moot point.
I smiled widely and held out my hand toward her. “Miss Holt, this place is amazing.” Hopefully, she
wouldn’t realize that I was lying through my teeth. Allison was right about more than just Jeremy. This
place was run down. It was clear that the house had a fresh coat of paint, but there was still so much
more to do to get the ranch up and running the way it ought to be.
My hand remained outstretched, and Paige just stared at it. I stood there for what felt like an eternity,
feeling like an idiot until I finally dropped my hand to my side. Maybe she didn’t like handshakes.
“Glad you could make it.” Her voice was flat, almost bored-sounding. She crossed her arms and
finally smiled at him. “What did you say your background was again?”
All of that information was on my resume. But then again, maybe Paige hadn’t seen it. Up until
yesterday, I had only spoken with Jake. “I was in the rodeo circuit for several years.” I couldn’t tell,
but I could have sworn she let out a laugh.
“And you think that qualified you to be the manager of a ranch?”
What was I supposed to say to that? Yesterday, she’d practically shoved the job down my throat. Was
she pulling my leg? Or maybe she’d changed her mind? I opened my mouth, but words failed me. I
should chuckle or smile to let her know I caught on to this hazing.
But then movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. Another blonde woman
approached dressed so similarly, there was no denying they were twins. Wait, wasn’t there another
sister?
This one had an easier smile on her face. She held out her hand. “Nice to see you again.”
My gaze bounced from this woman to the first and back. “I’m sorry?” One of these women had to be
Paige, and the other was the girl from in front of the bakery. My jaw tightened out of habit, and my
eyes narrowed. I didn’t appreciate being teased. The professionalism left much to be desired. Allison
was right after all. These girls didn’t know the first thing about running a business, and if this was
how they treated all of their applicants, it wasn’t any wonder why they hadn’t found a replacement.
The second woman laughed. “I’m sorry. I forgot to mention I have a sister who looks just like me.”
“We’ve met,” I murmured. My irritation started building. When I said I’d come by for a tour of the
property before making my decision, I hadn’t been told I’d be the wrong side of someone’s joke.
“Oh?” Number two exchanged looks with number one. “Wonderful. I think we’re all going to be best
friends.”
It all started to make sense. Number one had been so cold. She must have been the woman who’d
offered the brownie to Jackson. We glanced at one another, and I considered apologizing for losing
my cool when yet another woman materialized.
“Come on,” I groaned.
Number three glanced first at her sisters then at me. She released a heavy sigh. “Seriously? What have
I told you two about pretending to be me?”
Number two placed her hands on her hips. “It helped when Aunt Alice—”
The third arrival shook her head sharply, and the sister who was speaking immediately cut herself off.
She met my gaze, and that’s when it clicked. This was the bakery girl. Number one must have been the
third sister. And the one who’d saved me from both of them was, in fact, Paige.
Paige flicked her hands toward her sisters. “Don’t you guys have something more important to do than
to pester our newest hire?”
I nearly reminded her that I hadn’t accepted her offer officially yet, though the more I thought about it,
the more I wasn’t sure. Paige might actually believe I’d taken the job. Paige stared down her sisters
until they finally left without so much as an apology.
When she turned back to face me, her cheeks were flushed. “I’m so sorry about that. Kelsey and
Brooke have this nasty habit of confusing people. I assure you it won’t happen again.”
Somehow, I didn’t think I could believe her. But I was stubborn, and if they tried it again, I’d be able
to catch on better this time. There were some slight differences between Paige and her other sisters.
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
die jong kaptein, wat aanstap met sy ma, haar arm in syne. En,
dinkend aan Alida, laat Paula op haar vraag volg, so by haarself:
—Alte ryk, en te min moed.
Marcel sien die rytuig wat vir hulle wag, en roep:
—Daar is ons ou rytuig!
—Die enigste wat ons oorgehou het, sê mevrou Kibert, net of sy
om verskoning vra daarvoor.
By sy vrolike uitroep het die jonkman so ’n antwoord nie voorsien
nie. Die ou rytuig het hom laat dink aan sy kinderjare, en kyk, nou is
dit die teken van die agteruitgang van die famielie. Sy gesig betrek:
hy begryp meteens hoe moeilikhede van stoflike aard nog die rou en
ellende in Maupas vererger het. Sonder self persoonlike behoeftes
te gevoel, want hy is gewend om met min klaar te kom, voel hy vir sy
moeder en sy suster om die agteruitsetting, wat hy nou begryp. En
mevrou Kibert sê by haarself:
—Ons moes ’n rytuig by die stasie geneem het om hom eer aan te
doen.
Marcel asem met genot die lug weer in van sy geboorteplek. ’n
Swerm herinneringe kom hom weer te binne, terwyl hulle deur die
dorp ry. Die veld is weer ontwaak in ’n gelukkige hartstogtelike jeug.
Half teen die hoogte op, sag genestel in die groen bome, lê die
kerkie, soos ’n skaap in ’n vet weiland. Die fris, vreedsame groen op
die hang versag die ruwe en strenge indruk van die dreiende
rotskranse bo. As hulle naby Maupas kom, sien Marcel dat die
landelike huis nog soos vroeër half begrawe lê in rose en ander
blomme; dat nog soos altyd die aandskemering aan die bome in die
laan ’n aansien gee van stille afgeslotenheid. Hy spring die eerste af
van die rytuig. Die sand maak onder sy voete die welbekende
geluidjie. By die stoep help hy sy ma die treedjies op. En as hulle
eers binne is, druk hy die wenende ou moeder aan sy hart.
En eindelik gee Paula, wat sterker is, haar ook oor aan haar
ontroering. Die hoof van die huis makeer, en op die drumpel van die
deur het sy seun hulle weer sy kragtige persoonlikheid te binne
gebring, sy vriendelike glimlag, sy vertroue.
 En noudat hulle mekaar weer gevind het, smaak die drie, in ’n
mengeling van vreugde en smart, die hele inhoud van die menslike
lewe. . . .

In een en dieselfde eersteklas rytuig het plaas geneem die

famielie Delourens, mevrou Orlandi met haar dogter, en luitenant
Marthenay. Isabella sit in ’n hoekie en kon met moeite ’n plekkie
oophou vir haar „flirt,” Jan Berlier. Hy stap op die laaste oomblik in,
as die trein al in beweging is, en Isabella ontvang hom bra
onvriendelik:
—Bly maar liewers daar buite om al die mans hand te gee wat
verbykom.
Jan glimlag:
—Ek gee die dames ook hand.
Isabella bly op haar perdjie:
—Wat ’n vertoning het jy gemaak met al daardie Kiberts—dit was
belaglik.
Alida Delourens, wat ’n beskaafde inbors het, kry ’n rooi kleur,
maar sy durf nie teen Isabella opkom nie. Die jonkman laat hom nie
so gou uit die veld slaan nie. Hy het ’n manier om by sy flirtery ’n
spotagtige toon aan te neem, wat die meisie kwaad maak, maar
darem ook aantreklik is vir haar—so ’n mooi en vreeslik verwende
kind.
—Ja, dis waar, sê hy nadat die Kiberts drie jaar lank geskeie
gewees het in rou, en nou weer mekaar kry, het hulle so skoon
vergeet om te probeer of hulle nie vir jou aangenaam kan wees nie.
En selfs die mooi kaptein het jou nie eens aangekyk nie!
—Loop met jou mooi kaptein!
—Hy is kaalkop, sê luitenant Marthenay, wat ’n digte haarbos het,
net soos ’n borsel.
 —Ja, sê Jan, hy het kaalkop geword in die kolonies; het hy liewers
tuisgebly en hier vredesoldaatjie gespeel, dan het hy vandag seker
nog baie hare gehad.
Isabella hou nog maar aan. Al sê sy dit nie, sy voel ’n afkeer teen
die vriende van Jan en val hulle aan—ja, sy weet nou nie meer waar
sy moet ophou nie:
—Maar hoor, daardie offisier het ’n spektakel van ’n ou moeder. Sy
was nog nooit in ’n komedie nie. Watter soort lewe moet sy dan wel
gely het?
Jan Berlier het eerbied vir mevrou Kibert, en word nou bitter:
—Sy het gedaan, juffertjie, wat jy nooit sal regkry nie: sy het vir
ander gelewe.
—Dis geen lewe nie.
—So, dink jy so? Ek glo dat sy meer gelewe het dan vir jou ooit
moontlik sal wees, al sou jy honderd jaar oud word.
—Verbeel jou! Ek daag enigeen uit om meer lewe te verlewe as
ek.
—Ja, jy is altyd in opwinding, maar dis nie dieselfde nie. Maar wat
is jy in staat om te doen?
En om nou ’n end te maak aan die prekery, laat die jonkman daar
met ’n lag op volg:
—Is jy selfs in staat om ’n huwelik te sluit uit liefde?
—Welseker nie! En sonder geld, nè? Nee, dankie, hoor! Om in
trane ’n stukkie droë brood te eet en linneklere te dra!
En sy laat haar mooi blinkende tande sien, skerp en vraatsugtig.
—Kom, sê Jan, troos jou nou maar en gee my jou hand.
Sy gee hom haar fyn hand, waarvan sy die handskoen uitgetrek
het. Hy maak of hy die hand met aandag beskou.
—Ek sien in die lyne van jou hand dat jy met ’n lelike veertigjarige
ou rykaard sal trou. Maar ná die huwelik sal sy ware geaardheid
uitkom, vrekkerige skraapsug. ’n Mens word altyd gestraf volgens
jou oortreding.
Op ’n grapperig-nadruklike preektoon het hy dit gesê, tot vermaak
van almal in die rytuig.
Die gesprek begin weer algemeen te word, en Isabella sê op
lughartige toon aan iemand wat regoor haar sit:
—Dit sal die ryk ou vrek dan wel berou, want ek sal hom fop!
—Deur met my te „flirt,” nè? sê Jan, laggend.
—Miskien met jou, ja. En sy bars daarby weer in ’n skaterlag uit en
laat haar mooi wit tande sien, wat so sterk is as dié van ’n jong hond;
en brutaalweg kyk sy daarby die jonkman aan, omdat hy haar geval.
Alida is heeltemal ontdaan deur die onbeskaamde woorde en
bloos vir haar metgesel. Dit duur nie lank of sy praat nie meer met
die ander nie; sy sit half in slaap en droom van die huwelik uit liefde,
waar Isabella nie van wil hoor nie, en waarvan sy die beeld aanskou
in verband met ’n seker ontmoeting van dié dag.
Mevrou Delourens dink en praat van die partytjies wat sy wil gee,
en sê aan iemand naas haar:
—Dit lyk of hy ’n held is. Ons sal hom dus vra om te kom.
En haar man knik mevrou Orlandi toe dat hy dit heeltemal goed
vind.
—Maar veral moet ’n mens sorg dat jou rus versekerd bly. Daarin
lê tog maar die hele geheim van die lewe. . . .
 II.
BROER EN SUSTER.

Die vriendskap tussen broer en suster het iets sag-gemakliks en

eenvoudigs, wat dit heeltemal laat verskil van enige ander gevoel.
Vanself is so ’n vriendskap gevrywaar van die heftige
liefdesopwindinge en van die hartstogtelike opwellinge wat te
bedwelmend is om lank te duur. Maar dis tog onderskeie van
gewone vriendskap (soos tussen man en man of vrou en vrou) deur
iets bedeks, deur ’n beskeidenheid en teerheid wat uitgaan van die
vrou. Wat aan so ’n vriendskap nog meer iets aparts bysit, is die
wonderlike gemak waarmee die twee gelykdinkend en gelykvoelend
kan wees, deurdat hulle ’n gemeenskaplike oorsprong en kindsheid
gehad het; dit stel hulle in staat om reeds deur ’n halwe woord te
verstaan, op dieselfde oomblik aan iets terug te dink, en altyd weer,
by elke asemhaling die ou tuisplek se lug gewaar te word, ook uit die
verlede.
Die liefde selfs mis hierdie eienskap, en mag daar wel spyt van hê.
...
Soos hulle daar sit in die tuin van Maupas, in die tuinstoele, merk
Marcel en Paula met vreugde op—sonder te veel onnodige gepraat
—dat, solank as hulle so vér was van mekaar, hulle tog op dieselfde
manier deur die lewe geryp en gevorm was. Hulle voel wel anders as
eers, maar hulle voel tog nog eners.
—Ek voel so lekker hier, sê die jonkman, dat ek vandag niks wil
doen nie
Hy is maer. Hy het rus nodig.
Al is hy so gesond, hy het iets oorgehou van die oorlog in die
kolonies. Nou en dan kry hy nog koors, maar die aanvalle word
minder. Hy reken daarop om hier weer heeltemal te herstel.
Dis een van die kalm someragtermiddae dat ’n mens hom kan
verbeel die trilling van die lug te hoor. Geen windjie stryk daar langs
hul gesigte nie. Net die dun toppies van die lindebome word nou en
dan geroer deur ’n lui windjie wat die blaartjies laat fladder, sodat
beurtelings die donkergroen bokante en die liggroen onderkante
gesien word.
Op die ronde klip-tuintafel lê koerante en briewe deurmekaar.
Paula maak dié oop, want haar broer laat hulle maar lê:
—Die koerante praat nog maar altyd oor jou. Wil jy nie lees nie?
—Nee tog, asseblief nie! sê die kaptein.
—Hier is uitnodiginge, sê Paula weer; daar word ’n eetmaal gegee
tot jou eer. ’n Kaartjie vir die konsert in die stad. Barones Vittos
ontvang Dinsdags geselskap . . .
—Dit gaan my alles niks aan nie. Ek wil niemand sien, glad geen
een nie!
—Ja, jy is nou in die mode. Jy moet daar maar jou deel van neem.
Daar word inbreuk gemaak op jou vrye tyd. So wil die mense in jou
roem deel.
—Kyk, sussie, nou praat ons daar nie meer oor nie, hoor.
—Maar almal maak so. Roem is teenswoordig in die mode. Een
van die dae sal die famielie Delourens ons kom opsoek en nog
ander mense ook, wat ons tot nou toe nie gesien het nie van dat ons
die geld verloor het!
Haar gladde voorhoof, oorskadu deur haar swart hare, het van die
beproewingstyd af ’n plooitjie van bitterheid oorgehou.
In dié tyd is die geld ook verloor wat sy sou kry as sy sou trou, en
so is haar kanse op ’n huwelik ook verminder. Haar broers reken op
haar toewyding aan hul moeder op haar ou dag, net of sy maar altyd
haar eie lewe moet vergeet en tevergeefs die teer verlange na liefde
in haar hart moet voel opkom.
Marcel kyk haar lank aan. Met liefderyke eerbied bewonder hy
haar rank liggaamsbou, wat lenigheid aandui, en toekomstige krag,
haar gelaatskleur, waarvan die suiwerheid nog beter uitkom deur
haar swart klere, haar diepsinnig-sombere en tog sagte oë—oë van
’n vrou wat die lewe ken, wat daar stryd mee gevoer het en nie bang
is daarvoor nie—Hy sien haar in haar geheel soos sy is: ’n
bekoorlike maag, fier en deugsaam. Hoe sou dit kan wees dat
iemand haar nie eendag sal lief kry nie!
Langsaam, vashoudend aan die tralies en elke keer met albei
voete op ’n treedjie stappend, kom mevrou Kibert die stoep af na
haar kinders toe. Soos ’n najaarsblom wat ’n verlate tuin versier, so
verhelder ’n flou glimlaggie mevrou Kibert haar gesig vandat Marcel
terug is. Hy loop haar tegemoet en bring haar op ’n plekkie waar sy
in die koelte kan sit.
—Sit ma nou lekker so?
Die glimlag versprei hom oor haar hele gesig:
—My groot seun! Jy lyk tog so baie na hom.
Die jonkman se gelaat word ernstig toe hy sê:
—Dis nou al agtien maande dat hy ons verlaat het. O, die aand
daar vér in Madagaskar! Ek sal dit nooit vergeet nie. Ek het
rondgeloop om die kamp, ek het hom geroep, en het jul almal se
name genoem, ek het die dood naby my gevoel . . .
Ná ’n oomblik van diepe stilte sê mevrou Kibert weer:
—Agtien maande! Is dit moontlik! . . . . Ek het die maande tog
darem deurleef. En dit het ek aan hierdie een te danke. My liewe
kinders, so lank as ek nog leef, sal ek God dank vir die man wat Hy
my gegee het, en vir seuns en dogters soos myne!
Sy droog haar oë af en begin die droewige verhaal te doen wat
haar seun al lank verwag het:
—Die ongeluk van jul oom Markus was die begin van al ons
ellende. Ons was alte gelukkig, Marcel. Jou vader was die krag, die
vertroue, die arbeidsaamheid in persoon. Ná sy swaarste dae het hy
nog altyd vrolik tuisgekom. En julle het almal goed geslaag in jul
lewenswerk.
—Almal was jaloers op julle, sê Paula.
En haar broer, fier soos sy, voeg daarby:
 —Dis beter om beny as bejammer te word.
Die ou vrou gaan aan:
—Dit het baie goed gegaan met jou oom se bank. Iemand wat àl
sy vertroue gehad het, het toe weggeloop met die papiere en die
geld. Die storm wat daarop gevolg het, kon hy in die eerste
oomblikke van verslaendheid nie weerstaan nie. Hy het homself van
sy lewe beroof. God gewe dat hy nog tyd gehad het vir berou! Jou
pa het dadelik daarnatoe gegaan, het alles oombliklik begryp. Alles
het hy toe betaal—kapitaal en rente—maar ons moes self die
grootste deel van ons fortuin afstaan. Maar Maupas het ons darem
tog gehou—dis famieliegoed.
—Ja, sê Marcel, Maupas is vir ons almal die lewende beeld van
ons kinderjare.
—Maar voor hy sy besittinge afgestaan het, sê mevrou Kibert
verder, het hy julle almal gevra om toe te stem.
—Ja, dit onthou ek nog goed, sê Marcel, die veldtog sou net
begin. Ek het in dié versoek van pa niks meer gesien as
oorbeleefdheid nie. Geldsake is my so vreemd en onverskillig.
—Ons het Paula ook gevra.
—Ons naam moes gered word en ons eer, sê Paula.
—Jou huweliksgeld moes ook afgegee word, my kind . . . . . Die
droewige lot van jou pa se broer was vir hom ’n sware slag. Sy
opgewektheid was weg vir altyd; maar sy ywer en werkkrag het hy
verdubbel. By die uitbreek van die koorssiekte het hy homself nie
genoeg gespaar nie. Laaste van almal, toe hy uitgeput was van
vermoeienis, het die siekte hom aangepak. Van die begin af het hy
gevoel dat hy verlore was, maar hy het daar niks van laat blyk nie.
Naderhand het ek hom begryp; Hy het self die gang van sy siekte
gevolg. Eendag sê hy aan my: Moenie ongerus wees nie: God sal
jou help. En het ek geantwoord: Ja, Hy sal ons help. Hy het toe geen
antwoord meer gegee nie. Sonder vrees het hy die dood afgewag.
Nog heeltemal by sy verstand het hy in ons arms gesterwe.
—Net ek was nie hier nie, sê Marcel.
 —Etienne was by hom—hy was terug van Tonkin—, Frans, Paula,
en Louise Saudet, die verloofde van Etienne.
—En Margreta?
—Sy kon nie kom nie, sê mevrou Kibert sonder bitterheid, maar
nie sonder droefheid nie. Sy is te vér. Sy behoort aan God. Vandat
sy sendelinge is, het ons haar nie meer gesien nie.
Hulle is stil, en dink al drie aan die verlede. Rondom hulle, wat so
aan die dode dink, is alles lewe en lig. ’n Blaartjie, reeds deur die
son verskroeid, vroeë voorloper van die verre najaar, val langsaam
af van een van die bome, as gedra op die loue lug. Paula wys haar
broer daarop, en sê:
—Alreeds verlep!
In sy droefgeestige stemming sien Marcel daar ’n teken in.
—Hy het gewag vir die somer, ander vergaan al in die voorjaar.
Hy dink aan sy vroeg-gestorwe suster, Thérèse; hy dink aan
homself, wat al meer as eenkeer deur die dood genader is. Maar die
somber gedagte aan ’n voorteken skud hy van hom af, en sê:
—Of dit nou kort duur of lank, ons moet ons lewenstaak dapper ter
hand neem. So het pa gedoen. In plaas van my af te skrik, moedig
sy nagedagtenis my aan.
Mevrou Kibert vertel hom hoe Etienne toe weer terug is na Tonkin,
om sy werk daar weer aan te vat.
Marcel vra:
—En is Louise gewillig met hom meegegaan na die verre land?
—Louise is net so dapper as wat sy kalm is. Ag dae na hul huwelik
is hulle weg. Nou het hulle ’n seuntjie, wat ek nie ken nie, maar wat
ek liefhet.
Paula voeg daarby:
—Dit was ’n hele opskudding in Chamberie toe Louise getrou het.
Al die vrouens het Louise haar ma bekla: hoe kon sy tog haar dogter
so vér weg laat gaan? Hulle het haar beskuldig van onvergeeflike
koudhartigheid. Maar mevrou Saudet het gesien dat Louise gelukkig
was, en dit was vir haar genoeg. Al dié wat so baie gepraat het, dink
net aan hulself en aan hul eie gemoedsrus. Meneer Delourens sê
ook altyd: Voor alles moet ’n mens rustig wees.
Dit lyk somtyds of ’n losweg uitgesproke naam diegene aanbring
wat die naam dra. Sulke heeltemal toevallige gebeurtenisse het selfs
’n spreekwoord laat ontstaan. Voor die ope hek, in die laning van
kastaiingbome, hou ’n rytuig stil, en Paula sien dat dit die rytuig is
van die famielie Delourens.
—Hulle het al heeltemal nie meer na ons toe gekom nie, sê
mevrou Kibert, en haar gesig word rooi. Sy is ’n heldin in die lewe,
maar bangerig voor die mense.
—A, dis omdat ons ’n held hier het, sê Paula, om haar broer te
pla. Hul staan aldrie op en gaan die besoekers tegemoet. Mevrou
Delourens het die eerste afgeklim, en haar eerste woorde doel al op
die kaptein, want die eerste wat sy aan mevrou Kibert sê is:
—O, mevrou, hoe trots moet u tog wees op so ’n seun!
Mevrou Delourens is van adellike geboorte en vergeet dit nooit
nie; daardeur dink sy dat al sulke bemoeiinge, van haar kant, uit hoë
genade geskied, en selfs ’n soort van welwillende beskerming is van
alle verdienste en heldedade, wat eintlik alleen die voorreg van die
adel behoort te wees, maar waarvan die adel darem die eer kan
bemagtig deur daar maar baie lawaai oor te maak.
Heeltemal agter sy vrou verdwene, maak meneer Delourens ’n
bevestigende buiging sonder opgemerk te word. Van kop tot teen,
van hoed tot skoene, is hy in ’n grys pak gekleed. Instinkmatig het hy
ontdek dat so ’n kleur by iemand pas wat op die agtergrond staan.
Hy het ’n vreesagtige bewondering vir sy vrou, wat met hom getroud
is ondanks sy burgerlike afkoms, omdat hy ryk was; maar deur haar
houding teenoor hom laat sy hom altyddeur voel wat ’n opoffering dit
van haar kant was. Hy dank sy ydelheid en sy politieke opienies aan
hierdie huwelik, wat hom met diepe eerbied vervul vir die adellike
stand, waarvan hy ’n persoonlike voorstelling sien in sy mooi vrou,
groot en swaar van liggaam, met ferm, gebiedende gelaatstrekke en
’n gesagvoerende, selfs knorrige stem.
Alida is die laaste van almal van die rytuig afgestap. Sy dra ’n
ligblou rok, bekoorlik soos die fyn kleur wat die see smôrens vertoon;
die tint pas goed by haar gelaatskleur en verhoog nog die sagte
skoonheid daarvan. Sy kom nader met ’n bangerige bevalligheid,
wat aan haar skoonheid ’n aansien van swakkerigheid gee. Dadelik
kyk Marcel na niemand meer as na die jongnooi. Sonder dat dit hom
plesier doen, bedank hy vir die komplimentjies wat almal hom maak;
sy nederigheid en militêre eergevoel maak dit vir hom ondraaglik.
Sonder enige twyfel is hierdie besoek op hom gemunt—hy is
daarvan die beweegrede en doel. Die adellike mevrou Delourens
betoon wel enige beleefdheid, en selfs lieftalligheid, aan mevrou
Kibert en Paula, maar dis ’n hooghartige beleefdheid en ’n
neerbuigende lieftalligheid, wat deur die moeder nie raak gesien
word nie, dog wat nie ontsnap aan haar dogter nie, wat fyner sien en
die ou wêreld beter ken. Maar onophoudelik draai mevrou Delourens
haar na Marcel se kant toe, net of sy die jonge beroemdheid somaar
wil steel en wegneem in haar rytuig.
—Nou wel, jonkman, sê sy aan die end brutaalweg, u is nou al ’n
paar dae terug, maar ’n mens sien u nêrens nie. ’n Mens sou sê u
kruip weg. Dis tog nie u gewoonte nie. Die vyande weet dit wel goed.
Meneer Delourens het baie bewondering vir mense wat werkkrag
en moed besit, en wil die woorde van sy vrou krag bysit:
—O, maar dit was ’n swaar veldtog . . . . U het seker nie dikwels
rus gehad nie?
Paula bars amper uit van die lag. Almal is al so gewend aan
meneer Delourens se praatjie oor rus, dat hy al die bynaam het van
die Rustige Ridder—’n gelukkig gekose naam wat sy adellike
neiginge en sy liefde vir vreedsaamheid mooi saamvat.
Mevrou Delourens neem nou weer die woord:
—Al ons vriende wil graag met u kennis maak. My huis is vir u
oop, as u maar net wil kom.
 En, net of sy meteens vir Paula sien, sê sy daarby:
—Natuurlik, met u suster.
Die suster moet ook maar by, omdat dit nie anders kan nie—dis
duidelik.
En dis Paula wat antwoord gee:
—Dank u, mevrou; maar ons is nog in die rou.
—Halwe rou. Na agtien maande mag jongmense al uitgaan, veral
agtermiddags.
En sy sê aan die jong offisier:
—Ons gaan Maandag na die stad om deel te neem aan die
blommefees. Gaan nou met ons saam. In die aand eet ons almal
saam. U sal daar vriende ontmoet: graaf Marthenay, luitenant Berlier,
u vriend van lank al. U weet sy huwelik met die mooie Isabella
Orlandi word nou bekend gemaak.
Sy vertel die leuen, so op die oomblik bedag, om die trotse Paula
te tref, wat haar planne so dwarsboom. Vrouens het ’n voorgevoel
(niemand weet hoe nie), wat ingegee word deur ’n begeerte om te
behaag sowel as om seer te maak—’n voorgevoel van die
geneëntheid wat daar bestaan tussen geeste en harte wat mekaar
soek en uitkies. Is daar nie vrouens wat tog so goed weet hoe om ’n
sukses te maak van ’n eetmaal, deur mense naas mekaar te plaas
aan tafel van wie hul veronderstel dat hul goed met mekaar sal
klaarkom nie? So gee hul selfs dikwels aanleiding tot toenadering.
Paula laat niks merk nie, dit sy dat sy betyds klaar was om haar te
beheers, dit sy dat die nuus haar heeltemal onverskillig is.
—Ons kan dus op u reken, nie waar nie? hou mevrou Delourens
aan, net of sy van Marcel self antwoord wil hê.
Alida kyk die jong offisier vriendelik aan met haar ligblou oë. Paula
het ook haar oog op hom. Hy lyk somber. Hy het goed gevat dat
mevrou Delourens hom wil aftrek van sy suster, en, gelei deur die
famieliegees wat dr. Kibert aan al sy kinders ingeprent het, weier
Marcel:
 —Dank u, mevrou, my terugkoms lê nog te na aan ons droewige
herinneringe; ek wil liewer op Maupas bly.
Daar straal blydskap uit Paula haar swart oë, terwyl die lang
oogwimpers neerval oor die half geslote blou oë van Alida.
—Hy moet rus hê, sê mevrou Kibert.
Alida, nog altyd met haar oë op die grond gerig, bloos ’n bietjie,
terwyl sy sê:
—Dis u vader, meneer, wat my gesond gemaak het. Vroeër het u
ons dikwels opgesoek. Paula was my beste vriendin. Ons moenie
van mekaar vervreem nie.
As sy eindelik haar hemelblou oë opslaan, ontmoet sy die blik van
Marcel, en sy glimlag. Dan bloos sy weer: haar bloed volg die
geheime roeringe van haar hart.
—Seker sal hulle u kom sien, juffrou, sê mevrou Kibert, ’n bietjie
verwonderd oor Paula se teenstribbeling.
—Waarom juffrou gesê? U het my vroeër altyd Alida genoem.
—Dis lank gelede: u was toe nog klein.
—Ag, ek is nog maar ’n bietjie klein.
Mevrou Delourens kan dit nie reg verkrop dat sy so uit die veld
geslaan is nie. Sy dink aan die naam wat sy met haar partytjies sal
maak. As sy hierdie held van Madagaskar kan beetkry, dan kan sy
haar teenstander, barones Vittos, ’n mooi vlieg afvang, want
laasgenoemde spog nou met ’n ontdekkingsreisiger wat sy in die
hande gekry het.
Ja, sy het Jan Berlier goed verstaan; die jong kaptein het ’n
skitterende verlede. Aan sy vasberadenheid en moed is dit
grotendeels te danke dat die oorlog in Madagaskar ’n sukses was.
Aldag word nog van hom gepraat. Hy het die erekruis ontvang en
nog meer erkenningstekens van sy verdienste. Hy is dus net
uitgeknip om tot pronk van die ydelheid te dien. En ’n strydlustige
vrou soos mevrou Delourens het aan so ’n held meer as aan ’n
letterkundige of wetenskaplike beroemdheid. En daarby is die
teenwoordigheid van die jong kaptein by haar huis nodig om graaf
Marthenay ’n bietjie bang te maak, want hy is tog alte stadig om
Alida ten huwelik te vra.
—Ek glo nog nie dat u weier nie, sê sy aan die jonkman, terwyl sy
klaarmaak om te vertrek, ons verwag u in die stad by die
blommefees. Sy verander werktuiglik haar manier van praat toe sy
mevrou Kibert groet, en sê, op ’n soet-salwende toon wat heeltemal
in stryd is met haar aard:
—Ag, al die moeders beny u, mevrou!
Alida is oordadig vriendelik by haar afskeid van Paula, wat haar
nog maar ewe koel hou. Die rytuig is al lank die hek uit toe Marcel
nog altyd na die ope hek staan en kyk. Hy is so in gedagtes verlore
dat hy nie merk hoe sy suster hom staan en aankyk met liefderyke
droefgeestigheid nie.
—Waaraan dink jy tog? vra sy.
Hy keer hom na haar kant toe met ’n half swaarmoedige
glimlaggie, net of hy hom skuldig voel aan ’n swakheid.
—Ons gaan tog eendag by hulle kuier, nie waar nie?
Hy is ’n bietjie verwonderd oor die uitwerking van sy vraag, want
Paula haar gesig betrek en haar oë is neergeslae:
—Jy het alreeds nie genoeg aan ons nie, sê sy saggies.
Oombliklik oorwin sy haar, en sê met vaster stem:
—Wat my betref, ek gaan nie. Hulle het my nie gevra nie.
—Maar seker, sê Marcel.
—Ja, ja, soos ’n handjievol op die koop toe! Mevrou Delourens het
my dit goed laat voel.
—Paula, ou sus, jy weet ek gaan nie sonder jou nie.
—Nou kom, ons gaan glad nie. Laat ons hier bly. Ma en ek is so
bly dat jy hier is by ons; ons wil jou vir ons hou. Die huis was so lank
stil en onder ’n wolk. Maar jou aankoms het ’n sonnetjie daarin
gebring.
 —Ja, my kind, sê mevrou Kibert, bly tog maar by ons.
Marcel se voorhoof lyk somber. Hy hou daar nie van dat sy vryheid
aan bande gelê word nie, en hy verdra dit sleg selfs van dié wat hy
die liefste het. Bowenal is hy ontevrede met homself. Hy het
teruggekom met die vaste besluit om hom in Maupas af te sonder,
om die lug van sy ou tuis in te asem tot hy daar genoeg van sou hê,
om te lewe in die herinnering van dié wat oorlede is, en om ook sy
moeder en suster ’n bietjie op te vrolik—en kyk, die besoek van
daardie noointjie was genoeg om al sy planne te bederwe, om sy
trots en sy wil te breek.
Ondanks hul mooi-praat bly hy stil. Paula kan die somber
stemming van haar broer nie lank verdra nie:
—Nou kyk, sê sy, jy gaan alleen daarnatoe; ek kan nie gaan nie;
ek het nie klere nie.
Sy antwoord is maar alte gou klaar en toon aan hoe erg hy op die
besoek gesteld is:
—Ek sal vir jou ’n rok bestel, ou sus: ek het nog geld.
—Jy het ons reeds gehelp, sê mevrou Kibert, en liefderyk kyk sy
haar seun aan, net of sy nog nie heeltemal gewend is om hom so
naby haar te sien nie.
Laat in die aand, terwyl mevrou Kibert met stadige stappies
rondgaan om, soos al dae, te kyk of die huis goed toe is, sien Paula
vir Marcel weer in gedagtes verlore staan, in die voorkamer; sy
nader hom en lê haar hand saggies op sy skouer:
—Jy staan nou te dink aan mooi Alida? Sy sê dit op so ’n
vriendelike manier, dat hy glimlag:
—Nee, sê hy, en verloën so sy swakheid. Maar dadelik erken hy
dit deur te sê:
—Maar sy is darem regtig mooi. Hou jy van haar?
—Ons het saam skoolgegaan, soos jy weet. Sy is ’n bietjie ouer as
ek; sy het my altyd liefgehad soos ’n ouer suster, want sy is
sagaardig, onderdanig, bangerig: sy laat liewer iemand anders
voorgaan as dat sy dit self doen.
—Vir ’n vrou is dit mooi, sê hy.
Paula lê haar hand op haar broer se voorhoof en sê:
—Alida is nie ’n vrou vir jou nie.
Sy antwoord is vinnig:
—Ek het daar nog nooit aan gedink om met haar te trou nie.
Maar Paula ken sy gedagtes:
—Sy het geen moed nie. En dan, sy behoort nie tot ons kring nie.
—Nie tot ons kring nie? Omdat die famielie Delourens meer geld
het as ons? Gelukkig bepaal die rykdom hier nog nie ’n mens se
maatskaplike standpunt nie!
Paula het spyt dat sy hom ’n bietjie kwaad gemaak het.
—Dit wou ek ook nie sê nie. Dié mense neem die lewe anders op
as ons. Hulle maak daar ’n vertoning van en verwar bogterige dinge
met sake van belang. Ek kan my nie duidelik maak nie, maar dit was
nie my plan om jou kwaad te maak nie.
—Jy wil vir my preek oor die wêreld; voordat jy dit self ken, wil jy
daaroor oordeel!
Geraak deur die kwetsende toon van sy stem, draai Paula haar
om, en stort nou al die bitterheid uit wat in haar jong hart is.
—Dink jy waarlik dat ek nie onderskeid kan sien tussen ’n gryns
en ’n glimlag, en leuentaal nie kan onderskei nie? Daardie mense
verafsku ons en sou ons éénkant wil laat lê. Maar hulle haal jou aan
om hul ydelheid te voed; en vir ma en my stoot hul opsy, omdat ons
maar arme vroumense is. Alida is toegewys aan ’n seker graaf
Marthenay en is nie vir jou bestemd nie.
As die laaste woorde nie gespreek was nie, sou Paula se
uitstorting, so vol verontwaardiging, seker uitwerking gehad het. Wat
Paula so ronduit gesê het, voel Marcel self al, hoewel minder
duidelik. Sy trots en die liefde wat hy voel vir sy moeder en suster,
sou hom teruggehou het. Maar Paula se laaste woorde het alles
oorstem wat sy die eerste gesê het. Die gedagte alleen dat hierdie
voorkamer-offisiertjie in sy pad gegooi word as ’n teenstander, seker
van oorwinning, wakker meteens sy veglus aan, sy behoefte om
baas te wees en te heers. Hy is al jaloers voordat hy bemin.
 III.
DIE BLOMMEFEES.

—Daar kom hulle! Daar kom hulle! sê Jan Berlier, en hy wys na

die bo-end van die baan.
—Daar kom hulle, sê ook Isabella Orlandi, en sy klap haar hande.
Die rytuie, met blomme opgemaak, kom aan om verby te gaan
voor die tribunes wat beset is met ’n skaar van mooi aangeklede
mense. Die toeskouers trappel van geesdrif toe hul die rytuie sien
aankom en maak meteen allerhande beweginge soos ’n klomp
gekke of ’n werksame bye-swerm, neem die mandjies vol blomme
aan van die blommeverkopers wat verbygaan en sit dit voor hulle
neer; dis hul ammuniesie; en as inleiding op die komende slag, laat
hul uitroepe van opgewondenheid hoor, soos soldate maak voor ’n
aanval.
In die helder sonlig, van vér, lyk die naderende rytuie net soos
opmekaarvolgende helder lig-vlekke, met oral tussenin uitskietende
blitsies van die blinkende tuie en wiele. Hulle kom nader. Dit lyk soos
’n skitterend-ryke oosterse optog.
Voor op die groot tribune het die famielie Delourens en hul
uitgenooide vriende plaasgeneem: Jan Berlier naas Isabella, Marcel
Kibert tussen mevrou Delourens en Alida. Paula wou nie met haar
broer meegekom het nie, en Marcel staan swygend voor die
kleurryke skouspel en sien in sy verbeelding twee bedroefde
vrouegesigte; hy verlang na die stille vrede van Maupas en begin die
inwendige vernederinge te voel wat die liefde meebring.
Die musikante begin dansmusiek te speel. Op die ligte tone,
verlore in uitroepe en gelag, begin die blommeslag.
Op die grasperke oorkant hardloop die mense toe wat wil
deelneem en nie te laat wil kom nie, en dis daar ’n lewendige
geharwar van kleurige rokke en sambreeltjies.
 Die voorste van die optog is kinders, en die eerste bossies
blomme word na hulle gegooi. Hulle is self bekoorlike blommetjies
van die menslike lewe.
Met sierlik bedwonge gang volg die rytuie mekaar op, en
langsaam verbygaande kry ieder sy beurt om deel te neem aan die
aangename stryd. Die bevalligste wat die aarde besit, is in die rytuie
aanwesig; vroueskoonheid en blommegeur. Die siel van die
beroofde blomtuine leef nog in hierdie bewegende tuine. Rytuie van
allerhande soort en fatsoen verdwyn onder ’n blommereën van
duisende helder kleure. En die jongnooiens in die rytuie glimlag vol
vertroue, wetende dat hulle die skoonste en verleidelikste blomme
van almal is.
—Ere aan die blomme! Ere aan die blomme! roep al die mense vol
geesdrif.
Isabella Orlandi en Jan Berlier het in uitgelate vrolikheid met hul
blomme gegooi tot hul mandjies leeg is.
Alida Delourens het ’n pers rok aan, opgemaak met wit kant—dit
verhoog nog haar dromerige bevalligheid. Naas haar voel Marcel
Kibert hoe sy standvastigheid langsamerhand padgee en sy
droefgeestigheid verdwyn. So baie kleure en geure oorrompel en
bedwelm hom. Hy sien nog net blomme op sy toekomstige
lewensweg. Nou en dan kom daar herinneringe in hom op aan
skooltonele uit sy kindsheid, en tot sy spyt moet hy ondervind dat sy
gehegtheid daaraan hom ontval, hoe hy ook al teenstribbel. Maar
hoe kan hy nog by die verlede stilstaan as die teenwoordige so veel
aantrekliks het? Met die gevoel van triestigheid wat die ontluikende
liefde kenmerk, kyk hy na die blanke hals van die jongmeisie, wat
vooroor buie om te kan sien of haar sleggemikte blombossies hul
doel tref.
Alida kyk nou om na hom: sy spraakloosheid druk haar; en net
een opslag van haar hemelblou oë is genoeg om sy gedagtes te
verhelder. Sy wys hom, met haar fyn handjie, op die mandjie wat al
leeg begin te word.
—Daar is nog blomme. Waarom gooi jy nie?
 Sy bloos by die eenvoudige woorde, en die oordrewe verleëntheid
maak haar nog mooier.
Daar kom ’n rytuig aan met offisiere in uniform. Luitenant
Marthenay—’n bietjie dikkerig van postuur, omdat sy eerste jeug al
verby is—is die enigste wat regop staan in die rytuig. In sy hand hou
hy ’n bossie duur en seldsame blomme. Dit lyk of hy na iemand soek
op die tribunes. Hy sien nou vir Alida, en glimlaggend en langsaam
mik hy sy gooi na haar toe. Die brutale manier om die aandag van
almal op die jongnooi te vestig, is vir Marcel te veel: hy buk skielik na
Alida haar mandjie, en met snelle beraad val hy die eerste aan op sy
teenstander. Die doel was mooi berekend, maar nie die krag van die
gooi nie. Hy raak die offisiertjie hard in die middel van sy
glimlaggende gesig. Heeltemal uit die veld geslaan laat
laasgenoemde die kosbare blomme somar op die grond val.
Kwaadaardig kyk hy rond tussen die mense op die tribune, en sien
net vir Isabella Orlandi, wat haar hande klap en uitroep:
—Goed geraak! Die skerpskutters bo!
Jan Berlier juig haar toe: die uitbundige vrolikheid is vir hom mooi.
Luitenant Marthenay steur hom nie aan hulle spotterny nie. Naas
Alida, ’n bietjie na agter toe, sien hy eindelik die baasagtige en
minagtende gesig van Marcel Kibert. Hy is nog vol kwaadaardigheid
en nyd as die rytuig met hom en die ander offisiere weer aanry en
weggaan.
Elke keer as hy weer verbykom voor die famielie Delourens en hul
geselskap, sien hy hoe Alida heeltemal vergeet om deel te neem
aan die slag, en net staan en gesels met sy teenstander; en sy lyk
heeltemal van gedaante verander, vol aandag, opgefleur. En elke
keer het Isabella en haar vryer ’n ondeunde plesier daarin om hom in
sy waarneming te steur deur hom aanhoudend met blomme te
bombardeer.
Die mense begin nou genoeg van die fees te kry, en die geveg
verflou.
Die aand begin al te daal op die vlakte. Tere tinte, ’n mengeling
van rose kleur, violet, pers en goud, verdof die gesigseinder soos ’n