The Enchanted Land Read online

“I’d rather stay with him myself.”

  “Of course, you stay with Adam if you want. That way I’ll have Lupita all to myself.” He winked at the large woman. As he kissed his wife’s cheek, Seth was vaguely aware that Morgan wasn’t even looking at him. He frowned slightly when she turned away quickly.

  Seth and Lupita sat at the breakfast table. “There really is nothing wrong, is there?”

  “No, nothing. I am just an old mother hen and I wanted to be safe. I am sorry I did not clean up the mess before Morgan saw it. It is good to eat with you again, to see you again.”

  “Lupita, I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for Morgan, and Adam, and for me. I knew you’d come when we needed you.”

  “Of course, I come. Is everything all right now, between you and the señora?”

  “It’s coming along. It isn’t easy to forgive what I did to her.”

  “She must see how much you love her.”

  “No, I don’t think she does. Sometimes I think she does. Maybe she doesn’t trust me. I just try to wait and be patient.”

  “Wait! You do not need to wait. You should not wait. She is your wife. Take her.”

  Seth smiled indulgently. “It’s not like that. I’ve lost rights…”

  “Rights! She is a woman and you are a man. And besides, you love each other.”

  “I want Morgan to make up her own mind when she wants to come to me.”

  “She can’t make up her own mind. I know Morgan very well. All her life she has had people tell her what to do. She has never had a chance to be her own self. At first, she spoke the words of her mother, and then she had an uncle to control her, and then she had you. Even in California, she was pushed and pulled by others.”

  For some reason, Seth felt a need to defend his wife. “She made up her own mind when she asked me to marry her. That took courage.”

  “Yes, I know all about that. Even then she bought someone to control her. I am sure she sensed that you were a strong man. Another woman might have told her problem to everyone. Then she would have had her choice of many men. But Morgan has always been too sheltered to make choices.”

  Seth sipped his coffee. Lupita was right.

  “Now she needs someone to help her.” She nodded her head toward the stairs. “She loves that little boy. But if someone does not help her, she will let him rule her life. She is a little girl herself.”

  Seth sat silently for a moment. He had always been too involved with Morgan to look at her clearly, like Lupita did. Seth had always blamed Morgan’s mother, but he’d never realized that he filled the same place Mrs. Wakefield once had.

  “I thought I might go home tomorrow.”

  “So soon?”

  “Yes. The boy is fine. He does not need me, but Jake and Paul do.”

  “Lupita, I wish you’d stay. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, and you know what you’ve always meant to me.”

  “I must go home. Soon, I hope the three of you will come home, too.”

  “Yes,” Seth grinned. “I’d like that. It would be nice to be on my own place again. I hope we will go. Maybe when Gordon gets back, I can leave. I’ll bring my wife and son with me. Morgan hasn’t really … accepted me as a husband, yet.”

  “Accepted! These modern men! In my day, women did not choose their husbands; their parents told them who their husbands would be. That is what should have happened here.”

  “What if Morgan had gotten Jake instead of me? Then where would I be?”

  She turned to snap at him and then saw his teasing eyes. “We are too long at this meal. We both have work to do. Let’s get started.”

  Seth kissed her on the cheek as he left for a long day on the ranch.

  Lupita again spent her day with Adam and Morgan, talking and quietly laughing together. Lupita didn’t like the worried look Morgan’s eyes always held when she looked at her little son. The older woman could not convince her that he was out of danger.

  At dinner, Morgan again refused to leave Adam. Seth saw the alarm and fear in her eyes and he agreed. He, too, was not completely satisfied that Adam was really well.

  Seth and Lupita ate dinner alone and enjoyed talking about the Colter ranch. Seth was entertained by the stories of Morgan’s pregnancy.

  As Seth led Lupita to her room, they stopped to look in on Adam. Morgan lay curled up on the cot.

  “No, don’t wake her.” Seth put a restraining hand on Lupita’s arm. “Let her sleep.”

  “She should sleep in her own bed. There is no need for her to stay in here all night. Her son is fine.”

  “Let her stay. She needs the reassurance that he’s well. When she wakes, she’ll see him. Then she won’t worry.”

  “Someday you will remember my words.”

  “Lupita, did I ever tell you how pretty you are when your eyes flash like that?”

  “You!” She couldn’t stop her giggle. How easy it was for this big handsome man to reduce her to an eighteen-year-old señorita!

  Lupita fell asleep quickly, but Seth tossed about in his big empty bed for a long time.

  The sun was barely up when Seth awoke. He pulled on some pants and padded towards Adam’s room. Morgan was asleep, one arm hanging off the side of the cot. He kissed her mouth. Her eyes fluttered open. Seeing Seth so close to her, she put her arms up to him, pulling him closer. As his lips fastened onto hers, she heard Adam’s plaintive voice: “Mama. Mama.”

  Instantly, she was wide awake. She rolled quickly away from Seth to the other side of the cot and went to comfort her son.

  Seth laughed. “I never thought my own son would become my enemy.”

  Morgan’s face was serious. “He’s still a very sick child. He needs me.”

  Seth turned away. “I need you, too,” he whispered. He looked back, chiding himself for his selfishness. “I’m going to take Lupita home. It’ll be a slower trip than before, so I’ll probably be gone for at least a week.”

  Morgan was hardly listening. “You want something to eat, Adam? Lupita made some apple juice for you.”

  “Morgan, did you hear what I said?”

  “Something about a week?”

  “I’m going to be gone a week, to take Lupita back to the ranch.”

  “Yes. Well, don’t leave before I say goodbye to Lupita. I owe her a great deal.” She turned back to Adam.

  Seth left the room angrily. Just when I thought things were going well, she doesn’t even seem to know I’m alive. I liked it better when my presence made her throw things.

  Morgan ate breakfast with Adam while Lupita and Seth ate downstairs. Seth avoided all discussions about Morgan. One of the hands hitched a wagon while Lupita said her goodbyes. Morgan wanted the older woman to stay in case Adam’s fever returned, but this time Lupita didn’t even argue with her. She shrugged. Let the young ones solve their own problems, she thought.

  “I am glad I do not have to ride a horse again.” She frowned, as though in pain.

  “After two days on this thing, you’ll wish you had a soft saddle to sit on.”

  They traveled for two days in the springless wagon, over hole-riddled roads. When they reached the ranch, at sunset on the second day, they were hot and dirty and tired.

  Jake and Paul ran to meet them. Seth picked up the little man and whirled him around. His grip nearly crushed Jake’s frail body. “Just as skinny as he always was. When’s he gonna get some muscles? He looks like a girl.”

  Paul shook the big man’s hand. “I reckon the boy’s all right.”

  Seth beamed. “Thanks to Lupita here.” He put his arm around her ample shoulders.

  Embarrassed, Lupita pushed his hand away. “You be careful or you might hurt yourself, trying to get your arms around me.”

  “Hurt myself! Why, Lupita, you’re no bigger than a tadpole.”

  She looked at him as if he were crazy.

  Seth winked at Jake and then swooped Lupita into his arms and ran with her to the house.

  Jake’s chest