The Inheritance

The Garden

Mae's POV:

I yawn, briefly closing my eyes. Papa's hand passes over my head and I tilt my chin up to look at him.

He gently pets me, not pulling his eyes away from his book.

Mama shifts on the floor beside me, drawing Papa's attention back to her. She nuzzles into his knee and I do the same, relaxing against him.

With a book in one hand and the other on Mama's head, he doesn't have enough hands to pet me too.

Me and Ma remain quiet as Pa reads, enjoying his night. The fire crackles quietly, filling the silence. It was a hot day, but the temperature dropped tonight, making the fire necessary.

Me and Ma cling closely to Pa's legs, huddled under the blanket he dropped over us.

Pa flips another page of his book, content to continue reading late into the night. I am tired, but I have to give Pa his medications still.

I'd practice my sewing or needlework to keep myself busy, but Papa does not like to be interrupted during his reading and I haven't been dismissed.

Heavy footsteps on the front porch make me and Mama snap our attention to the door. Papa gently sets his book down, hearing the knock on the front door.

He doesn't have to say anything, me and Mama know better than to move. We remain on the floor, watching Pa move towards the door.

"Mr. Mallory." Pa steps aside, letting one of the ranch hands in. "Thought some wood might be nice, figure you'd be keeping the fire going tonight," one of the ranch hands says, his eyes falling from Mama to me.

His smile widens and he further invites himself inside, moving past me and Ma to set the wood blocks by the side of the fireplace.

I blush, looking away from the ranch hand. "Sorry to interrupt your night, Mr. Mallory." My head jumps back towards the door, realizing the ranch hand didn't come alone.

"It's no problem, Ryan. What are you and Liam doing out tonight beyond gathering wood?" Pa isn't mad, but I don't miss him poking at the ranch hands kissing up to Pa more and more as of late.

"Liam had a sudden inspiration to bring you wood. I came to inquire about one of the new mares. She's getting rowdy tonight. Do you want me to take her out to the bullpen to let her run it out for a bit?"

Pa's expression becomes more serious at the mentioning of one of his new mares. He seems surprised his ranch foreman came on account of business at such an hour.

"You warm enough, Mae? I can throw another log on the fire." I turn back towards the other ranch hand Pa had called Liam.

I timidly nod, leaning closer to Pa's chair. I don't like the ranch hands, I know I shouldn't linger around the horses or go near the barn, but they take too much pleasure dragging me to Pa when they find me outside the house, seeking Pa's approval and gratitude for keeping me away.

I know I deserve to be punished when I go around the stable. Pa has made it clear I am not to be near the horses or animals, but it is maddening when the ranch hands arbitrarily decide I'm too far from the house when I walk around the garden and get dragged to Pa with the pretense that I was lingering around the barn too much.

They seek to gain Pa's approval so badly, they don't care that they get me falsely punished.

I suspect Pa knows the ranch hands exaggerate my activity about the stable and with the animals. Pa of course still has to punish me, knowing the message he would be sending if he took my word over another dominants, but he is never too harsh.