Free Hidden Truths by Jae Page A

out tasks that required two people to work together, Adam made sure he
was already partnered with another ranch hand so he wouldn't need to work with
Amy. But now that she was the boss, he couldn't avoid her any longer.
    I need to show him that I won't allow him to question my
authority.
    Amy glanced at the dark sky. A curtain of clouds hid the
twinkling stars, offering no guidance.
    The door to Phin's cabin opened, and a ray of light danced
across the ranch yard. Hendrika stepped outside.
    Quickly, Amy took a step back, seeking refuge in the
darkness.
    Hendrika directed her gaze at the sky.
    Was she seeking guidance too? Or maybe she was just enjoying
the fresh air after being stuck in a stuffy stagecoach all day. Amy didn't
know. She often found she didn't understand other women at all.
    When Hendrika retreated into the cabin, Amy turned and
headed inside too. Tomorrow would be a long, hard day, and if she wanted to
prove herself to the ranch hands, she needed to get some sleep.
    *  *  *
    Rika trudged across the ranch yard in the gray light of
dawn. After a sleepless night, her eyes burned as if all the trail dust from
Boston to Oregon had accumulated in them, but she forced herself to keep
moving. Seeking out work instead of waiting for orders had served her well so
far. It had gotten her promoted from the dusty roving room to the weave room
with its tidy aisles and better light, and it would help her establish herself
as a hardworking, reliable woman — good wife material — before Phineas came
home.
    She rubbed some color into her cheeks and knocked on the
main house's door.
    It opened, and Nora stood in the doorway, drying her hands
on her apron. "Oh, good morning. Come on in." She held the door open
for Rika. "I hope you slept well."
    "Like a baby," Rika answered. Well, like a
colicky baby, she added, but she couldn't explain why she was so nervous
about the future. Besides, she found it hard to fall asleep in such a quiet
place, with no clatter from the street and no mill girls snoring and coughing.
    When Rika entered the kitchen, Nattie gave her a quick wave
before she turned back to the stove.
    Bacon sizzled in a frying pan, and the smell made Rika's
mouth water. "Can I help in any way?"
    Nora pulled a baking pan of golden-brown biscuits from the
oven and gestured to the china cabinet. "You could just sit and relax, but
if you want to, you could set the table."
    Rika took the stack of plates and set them on the table the
way she remembered from supper.
    "Oh, no, it's just us this morning," Nora said.
"One of our neighbors came over before sunrise to tell us that our fence
is down in the western pasture. Amy and the boys already left to mend it, and
they won't be back until later."
    Amy and the boys . Did Amy really do a man's work
around the ranch? Did the Hamiltons think nothing of letting their daughter
tame wild horses and mend fences?
    She had barely seen Amy since she had arrived, but it was
hard to tell whether it was ranch work that kept Amy so busy or if she was
avoiding Rika for some reason. While Nora was very welcoming, her daughters
seemed more ambivalent about her presence.
    "I have to pay a visit to our neighbors today,"
Nora said when they sat down for breakfast. "I promised Ruth to come see
the baby as soon as it was born, but I put it off yesterday because I didn't
want you to arrive to an empty house."
    A piece of egg almost lodged in Rika's throat. She stayed
home to make me feel welcome? No one had ever changed her plans because of
her. Maybe Nora was just being nice to make up for Phineas's absence.
    "I can't put it off again today," Nora said,
"but I thought you might like to come with me and meet the
neighbors."
    Rika clamped her hand around her fork. Meeting the neighbors
would mean answering more questions about her past and having to come up with
more lies. "Oh, I thought I'd clean the cabin today."
    "Are you sure you don't want to wait and have some help
with that?"
    "I could help her,