Chapter Ten
On Runa’s fourth night at Bluestone Ranch, Bucky watched as she carried plates from the dining room into the kitchen, getting ready for the cleanup. Everyone was filing out of the dining room, and there was talk of a card game in the bunkhouse. Bucky was invited, but he shook his head. He didn’t say it, but he needed to have a talk with Steve.
Bucky followed Steve as Steve headed into the sitting room and retrieved his sketchbook and charcoal from the small shelf that hung on the wall where he kept his few supplies. Steve settled into his chair and Bucky settled into his, pulling his old knife from his pocket, and picking up a scrap of wood from the basket Runa had started keeping by his chair for that express purpose, instead of leaving his scraps and lengths of wood scattered all over the floor. Bucky had been annoyed by that at first; she had touched his things without his permission. Once the initial annoyance had faded, he felt a little touched that she had thought of him like that. Sure, he reasoned, she was just trying to keep everything tidy after scrubbing the house from the shingles to the foundations the past few days, but still. She had noticed that he had needed something to keep his wood scraps in, and had made certain he kept them at hand next to his chair without a word.
Her second night on the ranch, when she had seen him whittling and dropping shavings onto the floor, she hadn’t said a word either, and he had noticed the shavings were swept clean the following night. Bucky had felt a bit guilty at that, not expecting her to sweep every day, but had decided not to give her more work. Now, after he was done whittling in the evenings, he swept up the shavings himself and put them in the kindling bin next to the fireplace.
She hadn’t said anything about it, but that morning she had given him a smile and slightly larger stack of flapjacks than the others had received.
Against his better judgement, Bucky was starting to like her. Steve had done a good job picking out a wife, even if she had been the only one to respond to the ad. Steve just… Needed a little help realizing that.
As he hefted the scrap of wood in his hand, thinking about what he would make next, his eyes fell on the plain wooden chair by the window, a lamp on a small table next to it, Runa’s sewing kit and a basket of mending on the other side of the chair. She had managed to salvage a few things he and Steve had thought were worn beyond repair, explaining that she had gotten very good at mending while working for that family in D.C. Apparently Brock, whoever the hell he was, couldn’t keep a shirt or jacket in one piece for more than a few days.
“She’s always working, isn’t she?” Bucky asked Steve quietly.
Steve looked up from his sketchbook, frowning. “What?”
“Runa. I don’t think I’ve seen her taking a minute to herself since she got here.”
Steve was still frowning slightly. “I didn’t think of that. She sits and sews after doing the supper dishes. I know your Ma and sisters did that after dinner too. Isn’t that taking time for herself?”
“Not when she’s fixing clothes for other people.” Bucky countered. “Ma and the girls worked on other things when they could. Stuff for themselves. For their dolls or to put away in their hope chests.” Not that the chests had been much more than old pasteboard boxes under the bed, but they were hope chests all the same. Things his sisters made for their eventual marriages. “Runa is doing our mending.”
“I didn’t think of it like that. I just thought she liked sewing.” Steve frowned.
“Stevie, you need to pull your head out of your ass and pay attention to what’s around you at home a bit more, not just around the ranch. Sure, she might like sewing, but she’s been working harder than a mule since she got here. The two of you spend barely any time together except for meals and when you’re asleep.”
Steve flushed, “We-”
“-And I know all you’re doing is sleeping because the walls in this place aren’t exactly thick, and even though I’m across the hall I can still hear you snoring at night. I also know that you aren’t exactly quiet when it comes to things of a more intimate nature.”
Steve looked down at his sketchbook at that. “Buck, we can’t talk about that.”
Bucky sighed. “Shit. I know. I’m sorry.” Steve had made it clear that he didn’t want Runa to know that he and Bucky had shared a bed before her arrival, or that they had done a lot more than just sleep in that shared bed. “It’s just… You brought her here for a reason. You married her. You need to act like it. Spend more time talking to her in the evenings instead of all of us just sitting around quietly.”
“Right.” Steve agreed, though there was nervousness there that Bucky didn’t like.
“She’s your wife, Steve. Not some girl at a dance you’re trying to work up the courage to talk to. Your. Wife.”
“Right.”
“Right, she’s your wife? Or right, you’re going to talk to her?”
“Little bit of both?” Steve smiled weakly at Bucky, before his smile faded and he sighed. “I’m sorry, Bucky. I know this has to be awkward as hell for you about now.”
“Nah.” Bucky lied. “She’s growing on me. Fits in good here so far.” At least he wasn’t lying about that part. He really hadn’t thought she would work out when he first saw her, but it hadn’t been a week and she was more than pulling her weight.
Steve looked rather relieved at that, and Bucky looked down at the wood in his hand and his pocket knife so he didn’t have to see it and be reminded that Steve was glad their private partnership was no more. At least he wasn’t shunning Bucky’s friendship, Bucky thought as he made a cut in the wood, revealing the clean, untouched wood beneath the surface. “Just… Start talking to her. Compliment the house or something. I don’t know.” He muttered, feeling conflicted. He didn’t want Steve to get attached to Runa, but he wanted the marriage to succeed. There had to be attachment for that, though.
Don’t be the dog in the manger, Bucky reminded himself. That particular shade of green isn’t your color.
They lapsed into silence until Runa entered the sitting room, not looking quite as worn as she had the past few nights. She sat in the chair she had silently taken as her own.
“The house looks really nice.” Steve ventured as Runa reached to select something from her mending basket. Bucky watched from beneath his lashes as she paused, looking a bit startled, but then she smiled.
“Thank you. It… Was a lot of work, but I think I’ve got a handle on it. Upkeep should be easy from here on out.” She promised. “The stone floors are nice. Scrubbing them is easier than scrubbing wood flooring.”
“The previous owner wanted his ranch to stand out a bit, I guess. I have to admit, on hot summer days thinking about lying down on the stone floor is tempting.”
She laughed softly. “I can just see the two of you doing that, too.”
Bucky looked up, “The two of us?” He asked, a little startled by his inclusion.
“Well, yes. You two seem to do almost everything together.” Runa reasoned. “And I’m not about to lie down on the floor any time soon, so it would have to be you joining him.”
Bucky smiled slightly. “Yeah. Can’t exactly see you doing that.”
She was threading a needle now, “We still have some supplies left from what you ordered before my arrival, but we should go to town and get more soon. And I’m going to need canning supplies. I’ve only found a few jars, nothing like what must have been needed before you purchased the ranch.”
“When Mister Ducain sold us the ranch, he took all the food his wife had put up with him. Only stuff left must be what was empty when he moved on.” Steve frowned.
“If I don’t start canning soon, we’re going to lose a lot of produce.” Runa warned them. “I want to put up spiced peaches, plum preserves, jams, pie fillings, and can things from the garden before they go bad. It’s going to require a lot more than what we have, but we’ll be able to live off what I preserve all winter long.” She assured them. “It also means I’m going to need a bit of help harvesting some of the fruit before it all goes bad.”
“Steve can take you to town tomorrow.” Bucky said. “And you just name a day, we’ll pull a couple men off the range and pick all the fruit you want. Right now the only thing to we’re doing is maintenance on the pastures and fences.”
“We do that all year round, but it’s more important in the summer.” Steve explained.
“I thought you were looking after cattle all day.” Runa confessed. “I don’t exactly know much of what goes on on a ranch, or what needs to be done…”
“You don’t really need to-” Steve started, and Bucky wanted to wring his neck when he saw the hurt in Runa’s eyes at Steve’s careless words.
“-Unless you’re curious, in which case we would be happy to tell you.” Bucky told her, earning a faint smile.
“Thank you. I’m certain I’ll have questions for you both later.” She looked back down at her mending. “If it’s all right, I have a couple of letters I’d like to mail while we’re in town as well.”
“Mister Lang is our postmaster. He owns the mercantile, so mailing your letters will be no problem.” Steve promised her. “I take it you’re going to get fabric for new curtains while we’re there, too.” Steve looked to the window, which no longer had curtains hanging there.
Bucky frowned, only noticing the lack for the first time. “I thought we had curtains.”
“They were so old and sun bleached that they fell apart when I scrubbed them.” Runa sighed. “I think the dirt was all that was keeping them together.”
Steve chuckled at that, and Bucky was hard pressed not to grin.
“Once you’re done with curtains, you might want to make pants.” Bucky looked down at his carving.
“I’ll need to get your measurements-”
“Not for me. For you. A skirt on the ranch isn’t always practical.”
“Bucky-” Steve started, frowning, but Bucky shook his head.
“You know I’m right. Missus Barton wears pants all the time when she’s working on the farm, you know that. And she isn’t the only one. You also need to teach Runa to drive the wagon and ride a horse, and we don’t have a side saddle for her to practice on. She’s going to have to learn to ride a horse the same as the rest of us. Astride.”
“Why do I need to learn to drive the wagon and ride a horse?” She ventured.
“This ain’t like back East.” Bucky pointed out, turning his attention back to his carving. This carving would be a duck, he decided as he scrutinized the shape he was revealing in the wood. “The nearest doctor is an hour away. What if there’s an emergency and none of us are here, or you’re the only one who can go get help? Hell, what if we can’t spare anyone to go get supplies and you need to go on your own? Better to know these things and never need them than not know them and need them.”
“I was thinking about waiting a bit before talking to her about all of that.” Steve was frowning at Bucky, who sighed.
“Then forget-”
“Bucky’s right.” Runa interrupted. “Better to know how to do those things and never need the skills than it is not know them and need to. I’ll get some fabric for pants when we’re in town as well. And… The Bartons are our nearest neighbors, aren’t they?” She looked to Steve for confirmation, and he nodded. “Maybe you could introduce me to Missus Barton?”
Steve smiled slightly. “I can do that.” He agreed. “I’ll point out their farm to you when we pass it tomorrow.”
Runa smiled. “Thank you.” She said softly, before looking down at the shirt in her hands. “Bucky, I don’t know that I can save this one.”
“That’s all right. I’ll just get another one.”
“Or you could tell me what color shirt you want and I could make one. It would be no trouble, I promise. I don’t mind sewing.” She suggested as she folded the shirt that was beyond repair. “Do you mind if I add this to my rag bag?”
Steve gave Bucky a look that made Bucky roll his eyes. “I don’t mind.” Bucky was glad that Runa was there so he didn’t have to actually hear Steve say ‘I told you so.’ “And it’s fine. I’ve been buying my clothes since we left the Army.”
“Buying them from the mercantile or a catalogue is more expensive than just letting me have my way and make your shirts.” She reasoned.
“Christ, you’re as stubborn as Steve.”
“Language.” Steve said firmly. Bucky did roll his eyes this time. Right, right, no swearing in front of a lady. “Sorry, Runa.”
She smiled at him. “It’s all right.” She assured. “Just… Try not to make a habit of it?”
“I won’t.”
“And to repay me for offending my delicate sensibilities, you’re going to let me make you new clothes when I make Steve’s.”
Steve laughed. “I don’t think you’re going to win this one, Buck.”
“Fine.” Bucky groaned. “You want more work, you can have more work. I don’t care about colors, just make sure I don’t match Steve.”
“Pink and yellow calico it is, then.” She was trying to suppress a smile, Steve not even bothering to hide his grin.
“You wouldn’t dare.” Bucky looked over at Runa, who just blinked innocently at him with those big almost impossibly blue eyes.
“Do you really want to wait and find out?” Steve asked Bucky before Runa could.
“I like dark colors.” Bucky finally grumped.
“See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Runa asked with a smile, “Now I just need to get both of your measurements.”
Bucky stifled a groan. So much for a relaxing evening.