“It got so bad, that no one could leave the villages unless they brought at least thirty armed men with them. Finally, the government of Mexico started offering 50 pesos for every Indian head the ranchers or anyone else brought them. The price went up to 200 pesos a head, which was a whole year’s wage for most people back then.
“When the owner of the ranch was killed, and all his cattle taken, my grandfather ended up with the ranch, because he had hidden inside a large wooden barrel, and was the only one to survive. At first, he merely stayed on the ranch, and managed to grow enough food, and raise a few stray cattle, to feed himself. Eventually, the Comanche were pushed back, and then when Texas became part of the United States, there was a lot more help to try to rid the area of the heathens.
“They are still trying to raid the ranches in this area, from time to time. That is why all the ranchers stick together, and all go out to get rid of any raiding Indian party, we discover. We want to put an end to it!
“For a while, the government managed to make peace with the Kiowa and Comanche, by sending in Kit Carson to take care of the problem, but now they seem to be rebelling again.
“Here we are,” Mr. Prichard said suddenly, as he pulled the buggy to a halt. “That’s the property line, between your ranch and mine. It’s always been my dream to reclaim the part my granddaddy gave to Chet. I offered to buy it from him once, but he turned me down. I can see you have your mind set on building up the ranch, and I admire you for that, so I don’t suppose you would be willing to sell it back either.”
Callie shook her head and gave Mr. Prichard a sad smile.
“The truth is, I wasn’t going to offer to buy it from you,” he continued. “In fact, I admire you immensely, and am so impressed by your gumption, in raising Chet’s children, and then making sure the ranch is improved, that I was hoping for something else.”
Mr. Prichard paused, and took Callie’s hands in his, looking deeply into her eyes, before he continued speaking.
“You are the kind of woman any rancher would be proud to have as a wife. I am sure Chet felt the same way about you. I never became close friends with him or your sister. He had turned down my offer to buy the land back, so he pretty much kept to himself as well, thinking I was angry that he wouldn’t sell.
“To be honest, I was, but I got over it, after a while. Then when we had to rescue you from those heathens, I realized what a strong woman you actually were. Although I can’t stomach those Comanche, it impressed me that you were willing to take on that Comanche papoose. Like you said, the father was dead, so what else could you do?
“Now I am thinking I could do well with a woman like you. I never married, after my wife died, so I don’t have any children to leave my ranch to when I die. I know Cooper has eyes for you. He scowls at me, every time I even look at you, but he’s young and hotheaded. He’s part Comanche himself, so I hear. His mother was captured by the Comanche on one of their raids. He hates those heathens more than anyone in these parts. Only, you need a stable man in your life, and I was hoping you would look in my direction.”
Mr. Prichard gave her a hopeful look.
“Goodness,” Callie said, trying to stall for time to collect her thoughts. “I appreciate your offer, Hank, but I have no intention of getting married to anyone. Cooper is my foreman, and that is all he will ever be to me. You are a fine man and an excellent neighbor. I am truly honored that you would consider me the kind of woman you would want for a wife. It’s just that I don’t think I am decent wife material. I hated being a wife to Chet. I was forced into it by my parents. Only now the children need me, and that is the reason I plan to make something of Chet’s ranch.
“Connor will inherit it someday, so there is no way I would combine it back with your land, even if I did marry you. I’m too much of an independent woman to bow to a husband’s wishes. Chet hated my independent nature, and I hated that he didn’t allow me to be as independent as I wished to be. His definition of a wife was someone who would give him sons. He wasn’t a very nice man. My sister gave him, mostly girls, and he ended up beating her over it. I am thankful I was not put in a position to discover what he may have done to me, when I gave him yet, another daughter.”
“He beat your sister to death?” Mr. Prichard exclaimed.
“He didn’t actually kill her. He merely beat her, and it wasn’t the first time, so Connor tells me; after that, she refused to eat. She wanted to die, and I don’t blame her.
“So you can see how adverse I have become to marriage, and must refuse your offer.”
“I’m not getting any younger, Callie. I’ll probably die long before you do, and your son could still inherit that part of the ranch if it came to it. You know I would never lay a hand on you,” Mr. Prichard insisted.
“I am certain you wouldn’t. Nevertheless, I’m beginning to sprout my wings. I just finished my house. If I married someone like you, I would not wish to leave my house to live at your ranch, and you certainly would not want to leave your ranch to live with me. You see how hopeless it would all be.”
“Keep it in mind, just the same. No telling what the future will bring, and after all, we are neighbors.”
“You are very kind to offer the opportunity,” Callie said demurely. “I still wish to remain your friend, if it does not upset you.”
“Of course, it doesn’t upset me. In fact, it makes me happy that you wish to remain my friend,” Mr. Prichard assured her.
“Good. I’m sorry about the Comanche raiding your ranch, along with others out here. However, because of them, your granddaddy ended up with your ranch, the same way I ended up with mine when the Comanche killed Chet.”
“That’s a strange way of looking at things, but I suppose you are right,” Mr. Prichard conceded.
“I should be getting back, though,” Callie insisted, and Mr. Prichard turned the buggy around, and headed towards her ranch.
When they arrived, Mr. Prichard hugged Callie and kissed her on the cheek.
“If you ever decide to marry, I hope you keep me in mind,” he whispered in her ear.
“Despite your age, I find you a truly handsome man, and you would be an extremely good choice if I ever desired a husband.”
Only Callie knew she could never love anyone else but Chayton, so she probably would never wish to marry another.
Cooper leaned against the wall of the bunkhouse, watching as Mr. Pritchard, hugged Callie, and then kissed her on the cheek. It was the first time he had ever seen Mr. Prichard exhibit any affection towards Callie, and Callie was not pulling away like Cooper expected her to do. In fact, she remained talking with him for a bit before he helped her down.
“What was that all about?” Cooper asked Callie, as she passed.
“What?” she asked.
“That kiss on your cheek.”
“Oh, that. Mr. Prichard just asked me to marry him, while we were out. Wasn’t that sweet of him?”
Cooper gave her an astonished glare.
“I thought you said you were never going to marry anyone,” he reminded her.
“A woman can always change her mind,” she smiled coyly, knowing how much Cooper would hate it if she decided to marry Mr. Prichard.
“Like you said, he’s old enough to be your father,” Cooper almost growled.
“But you have to admit. He is very handsome, in spite of his age. Did you know this used to be part of his grandfather’s ranch? His grandfather willed it to Chet. If I married Hank, it would revert back to the original boundaries it had been before, when Hank’s grandfather ended up with it.”
“Are you telling me you agreed to marry that old man?” Cooper bellowed.
“I told him I would think about it,” she half-lied.
After all, Hank had told her to keep it in mind, she justified.
“He has a pretty successful spread. I suppose you would marry him for his money, if not for anything else.”
“That’s a horrible thing to say. I would never marry someone
merely for their money! You may not know it, but when my parents die, I will have my own inheritance. Since my sister died, I will receive her portion as well.”
“That’s right. You have all those fancy clothes you insist on wearing.”
“If I marry anyone, it will be out of love, regardless of who he is, or how much money he may have, or not have, for that matter. I don’t need to marry for money. In fact, I don’t need to marry at all. If I choose to do so, it will be my decision, and no one else’s.”
Callie thought about how her parents had made the decision that she should marry Chet, and how she hated the helpless feeling it gave her, at the time. She remembered how her mother told her it gave her parents the occasion to help her direct her life to be more productive by marrying Chet. Although the decision had not been her own, in the end, she had to admit her mother may have been right, about her now having a more productive life. However, if Chet had not been killed, she would have hated her situation.
She thought it strange how life could bring about good for some, through violent actions, the same way Hank’s grandfather gained by the fact the Comanche had attacked his employer’s ranch, and she had gained by the Comanche attacking Chet’s ranch.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Cooper was beginning to fear that his future dream was going to be usurped by Mr. Prichard. It angered him, because the man had a successful cattle ranch, and adding Callie’s ranch to his spread, seemed excessive. Since Callie claimed she would never marry someone for money, Cooper could not see any reason Callie would agree to marry the man. After all, she, herself, claimed he was old enough to be her father, and while he was a nice-looking man, Cooper did not believe he was so good looking that Callie would swoon over him. However, what Mr. Prichard did have, was the ability to woo Callie, and do things for her, that he, himself, was not in the position to do.
Cooper thought fleetingly of how Callie had impressed upon him that she would never marry him, but she was upset at the time. He had interrupted her intimate exchanges with that redskin, and had it been the other way around, he probably would have been a little put out as well. Only that was almost a year ago, and she had to be over it by now since he was nearly positive, her lover had not been coming around since then. If Callie was eager to be in the arms of a wild Indian, she must have a particular need for such pleasures. Perhaps by now, her need would have strengthened in the absence of that kind of activity.
It was time he started getting a little more serious about his desires, and made a few advances of his own, before Mr. Prichard swooped Callie away, right under his nose.
Callie had just put the babies down to sleep and was looking forward to a comfortable night’s rest. She had barely put her lace nightgown over her head when she heard a tap on her door. Thinking it was Connor wanting her for some reason, she pulled her wrapper on, opened the door, but instead, she found Cooper standing there, with a lantern in his hand.
“What do you need Cooper?” she asked, almost abruptly.
“I need you to come to the new house. I have something to show you there,” Cooper smiled.
“Can’t it wait until morning?” she asked, wanting nothing more than to climb into her bed.
“Well, no, it can’t. You’re gonna like it. It is sort of a surprise,” he informed her.
“I just got dressed for bed,” she complained.
“That won’t be a problem. I’ll carry you up the path if you don’t want to put on your boots,” he offered.
“Cooper, this had better be important,” she grumbled, giving him a doubtful look.
“Don’t worry. Once you see what I have to show you, you will thank me for bringing you out there.”
“Very well,” she conceded, “if you insist.”
Callie followed Cooper out to the front porch, where he left the lamp on a table.
“We won’t need a light to see how to get to the house, since the moon is out, and I lighted some candles for when we get there,” Cooper told her, as he swept her up in his arms.
He couldn’t believe how light she felt in his arms, and her perfume was filling his senses like it often did whenever he was near her.
“So just what is this surprise?” Callie asked, as Cooper carried her along the path, which led to the house.
“You’ll see. I am certain you will thank me, once you discover it,” he promised.
When they reached the porch, Cooper set Callie down upon her slipper-clad feet, then took her hand and led her through the front door.
Callie loved that front door because it had an oval, decorative glass window in it, and lovely carvings, around the window. Once the door closed, Callie took in her breath and gave a light laugh.
“Where do all the candles lead?” she asked, when she beheld a trail of candles, placed on the floor at intervals, disappearing down the hall.
“Just follow them and find out,” Cooper suggested.
Callie gave him an inquisitive grin and did as he suggested, following the candles, until they came to the door of the bathroom. Callie looked through the open door.
“I decided to try out the water system, and heat some water for a bath,” Cooper told her, as he stood at her shoulder looking into the room from behind her. “I figured you would be tired, and I bet you can’t remember the last time you ever had a relaxing bath.”
“Cooper! How thoughtful,” Callie cried happily.
Cooper had placed candles all around the tub, which cast a wavering glow about them, reflecting in a mirror at one end of the room.
“I brought you some wine, as well,” he told her as he picked up a wine glass and handed it to her.
Cooper popped the cork on the bottle, and poured some of the sweet, red wine, into the glass.
“It will relax you. I’ll keep the fire going in the cook-stove, so if you need more hot water, it will be available,” Cooper offered.
“That is extremely sweet of you, Cooper,” Callie said, softly.
“Go ahead and enjoy yourself, then,” Cooper told her, as he removed himself from the room, and closed the door.
Only he did not close the door completely, as he stood to watch on, while Callie slowly sipped at the wine. Finally, he was rewarded, when she eventually let her wrapper drop from her shoulders, standing gracefully in her sheer lace nightgown, the lace top allowing the vision of her breasts to peek through.
Callie filled her glass again, after letting the nightgown join her wrapper, and Cooper savored the shape of her body with his eyes, before she slowly stepped into the tub, and then sank down into the warm water with a sigh.
At the angle from the door, Cooper could see into the tub, and boldly watches as Callie smoothed her hands over her body, using the cloth and soap, Cooper had furnished for her, in the wire tray which rested across one end of the tub.
Callie sat her glass of wine on the tray, as she bathed herself, letting her head dip down into the water, and then pushing up again. The way the water washed over Callie’s body, made Cooper catch his breath. It had been a long time since he had been in the presence of a naked lady, and already he was more excited than he had expected.
Cooper watched, contentedly, as Callie drank the wine, her body immersed in the water, with her head resting on the back of the tub. Cooper left momentarily, to stoke the fire, and then returned, pushing the door open a little wider, so he could get a better view.
What he wouldn’t give to touch those upturned breasts, he thought to himself. She was no longer washing herself, or drinking the wine, as she lay with her eyes closed. After a while, Cooper came to the conclusion that Callie had fallen asleep.
“Callie?” he called, softly, but she didn’t answer him.
Slowly, Cooper entered the room, and he could see that Callie had drunk a good portion of the wine, and he wondered if she had passed out?
“Callie?” he called again, as he stood beside the tub, looking down on her beautiful body.
Callie gave a little murmur but didn’t open he
r eyes.
“Are you awake?” Cooper asked, only she didn’t answer.
“You okay?” he murmured, as he knelt down beside the tub and stroked his hand over her forehead, pushing the wet hair out of her eyes.
“Chayton, is that you?” Callie asked softly.
It made Cooper jump back, thinking she was waking up, but instead, Callie reached up and grabbed his hand.
“You’ve come back,” she whispered, and then was quiet again, as though she had fallen asleep.
Her hand had brought Cooper’s hand, down against her breast, where he gently cupped the curve of it, with his palm.
“God, Callie, you are beautiful,” Cooper, almost groaned, as his own body began to respond to the feel of her skin beneath his fingers.
He found his fingers stroking over her skin, timidly testing to see if she would suddenly wake up and slap him in the face. Instead, she settled down lower in the tub, letting a pleasant murmur escape her lips.
She enjoyed his touch, he decided. She probably had too much wine and wasn’t aware of what was happening. This thought emboldened him, so he let his hand slide over her breast, and travel down over her until he found his desired destination. At first, he tested her response, slowly and cautiously, until he came to the conclusion, she was going to remain in her accepting attitude.
Now Cooper threw caution to the wind, as he removed his shirt, so the sleeve wouldn’t get wet and went back to explore her body more aggressively, daring to lean his head closer, until he had captured one of those pert pink tips between his lips.
The faint taste of milk, caused his senses to go wild, and the very feel of her beneath his hand, prodded him on until it wasn’t just enough to merely touch her with his fingers. He wanted to experience more of her.
“You need to get out of the tub,” Cooper told Callie, in case she woke up suddenly. “You are going to get cold,” he insisted, as he began spreading towels over the floor.
Then he was lifting her up out of the tub and laying her relaxed body upon the towels. The sight of her lovely body caused his loins to strain in anticipation.
Beyond the Heart Page 19