by Stacy Henrie
Miss Spencer took the blanket from him and unfolded it, setting it across his knees along with her own.
“Tell me about your ranch,” she said.
Caleb felt himself relax. This was a subject he was happy to discuss.
“Once you get me started, I may not stop,” he warned.
“I won’t be bored, I promise,” she said.
Caleb hid a smile. He was coming to like the way Katie Spencer spoke her mind.
“Very well,” he said. “I’ll hold you to that.”
Chapter Three
Twilight melted into darkness, and Caleb loosened the reins, giving Titus his head. The sure-footed horse pressed forward despite the lack of visibility and the steep, uneven terrain.
“Once daylight’s gone, I reckon he can find his way home better without my help,” Caleb said.
“How much farther is it?” Katie asked.
“Another two or three miles,” he said. “The mouth of the canyon narrows quickly and becomes the Wilson Pass. It’s a steep climb, but, once we’re through, the canyon opens up with wide meadows on either side of the river. It’s not the best land for growing crops, like the potatoes and wheat they plant in the Teton basin, but it’s perfect cattle country. The grazing’s good, and the mountains are rugged enough to make cattle thieves think twice.”
“You have cattle thieves here?” Stories Katie had heard of the lawlessness out West came flooding back, and she shifted nervously.
“Rustlers come through every once in a while,” Caleb said. “But they usually head over to Wyoming Territory, where the really big outfits make for easier pickin’s.”
“How many cows do you have?” she asked.
“One,” Caleb said.
There was a long pause while Katie processed this information. She was glad that the darkness hid her shock. What kind of ranch had only one cow?
“Her name’s Daisy,” Caleb continued. “Mother looks after the milking and such, so Jake and I don’t have much to do with her.”
“Do you have any other animals?”
“Half a dozen chickens,” he said. “Enough to keep us in eggs. Then there’s a couple of pigs. One of them had piglets not long ago, and Mother’s already working on fattening them up. We lost our old dog a while back,” he added, “so we’re looking to get a new one as soon as our neighbor’s pups are ready to leave their mother.”
The life she’d left in New York suddenly felt like it belonged to another world. “Do you have any other horses?” she asked, desperate to know there would be something familiar when she reached her final destination.
“Yep. Jake took his horse with him, but, along with Titus, we have my mother’s mare, Echo, and my stallion, Mica. Echo’s due to deliver a foal here in the next couple of weeks.”
“Really?” she said. Even though Caleb’s silhouette was all that was visible in the moonlight, Katie turned to face him, her excitement over the horse’s birth temporarily eclipsing her dismay over Jake’s family’s unfortunate circumstances.
She saw the outline of his head nod. “Should be,” he said. “And, if prices at the auction in Jackson Hole are good, we plan to add fifty young steers to our herd next month.”
“Your herd?”
“We have about two hundred and fifty head right now,” he said. “I’d like to get it up as close to three hundred as I can.”
“But you said…” Katie stopped as Caleb began to chuckle for the second time in the last hour.
“Miss Spencer,” he said, and she could hear the humor in his voice. “If you’re going to be a rancher’s wife, the first thing you need to do is learn the difference between a cow and a steer. A dairy farmer raises milk cows; a rancher raises beef cattle.”
Katie was glad that it was too dark for Caleb to see her cheeks redden.
“You purposely misled me,” she said with as much indignation as she could muster.
“I did nothing of the sort,” he said. “You came to your own conclusions.”
The wagon jolted over something on the road, and Katie clung to the edge of the seat as they lurched one way and then the other. To her frustration, it was remarkably difficult to stay in a huff when so much of her attention was needed to simply stay upright on her seat.
“Well, it’s good to know that Jake’s prospects aren’t quite as bleak as I had first thought,” she said, opting for honesty instead.
“So I imagine,” he said drily. “And, who knows, perhaps he’ll come back from the silver mine a rich man.”
Caleb’s words were an unhappy reminder of her untenable position. She honestly didn’t care whether Jake came back wealthier. When she’d answered his advertisement, she’d set aside her lifelong dream of finding love. Her only hope had been that she could claim a relationship built on mutual trust and respect. But now, she had to face the fact that, unless Jake returned, even this might be out of reach.
She listened to the sound of the nearby river, wishing she could see the water, meadows, and mountains that Caleb had described. Instead, she focused on the majesty of the night sky above. Like a velvet backdrop, peppered with brilliant specks of light, the sight was both breathtaking and humbling.
They followed the river for a little longer before Titus veered left and took a path that led uphill again.
“The cabin’s that way, just past the tree line,” Caleb said. He raised his arm and pointed into the distance. For the first time, Katie spotted two lights, twinkling far below the stars in the sky. “Mother always puts candles in the windows to guide us home at night,” he said.
Katie tightened her grip on the seat as a fresh wave of nervousness washed over her. How was a mother who obviously cared about her sons going to react to a mail order bride appearing on her doorstep? Would she treat Katie with indifference or disdain? With tolerance or acceptance? Suddenly, the answers really mattered. Katie had never known a mother’s love, but she’d often longed for it. And now, as she faced her first night in this far away place, she prayed for it.
Titus shook his head and neighed as they rolled past the shadowy outline of a building to the right. An answering neigh told Katie that it was the barn. An owl hooted, and she watched it glide from a tall pine tree beside the barn across the open space before them. Up ahead, a door opened. In the flickering light, Katie saw someone step out onto the doorstep of a small log cabin. Caleb pulled the wagon a little closer before reining Titus to a stop. He jumped off the seat and walked over to the woman in the doorway.
“Sorry we’re so late,” he said, bending over to give her a brief hug. “I’ve never seen the road so bad. The spring runoff did some real damage.”
“Well, you’re home safely now,” she said. “Did everything go all right?”
Instead of answering, Caleb walked back to the wagon and extended his arm to Katie. Hesitantly, she climbed down, and he led her over to his mother.
“Mother, this is Miss Katie Spencer. Miss Spencer, Jake’s and my mother, Eliza Walker.”
“Please call me Katie,” Katie said. She looked over at the man at her side. “You too, Caleb.”
Caleb gave her an accepting nod, but his mother reached out to grasp Katie’s hands.
“Welcome, Katie,” she said. “You must be awful weary after that long journey. Caleb will take care of the horse and bring in your luggage. So come on inside, and we’ll have you settled in no time.”
Katie blinked back her tears. It had been so long since anyone had offered her such kindness that she’d almost forgotten it existed.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Of course, dear.” Eliza turned to her son. “As soon as you’re done, Caleb,” she said, “I’ll have some stew ready for you.” Then she ushered Katie into the cabin.
Katie had never seen such a rustic home. The entire cabin was about the size of her former house’s dining room and was divided into two sections. On one side, there was a kitchen area with a wooden cupboard and table, four simple wooden chairs, a rocking chair,
and a large stove. Pans hung from the ceiling, and something that smelled divine was bubbling in a large pot on top of the stove. Two windows were cut into the log walls and were currently covered with blankets to block out the chill.
A log wall separated this area from what Katie could only assume were the bedrooms. There were two doors, hung with rawhide hinges, and Eliza led her to the closest one.
“We’ll put you in here,” she said. “It’s the boys’ room. But, seeing as how Jake’s gone and how Caleb’s just as happy sleeping in the barn, it should do just fine for the time being.”
“That’s very good of you,” Katie said. “I’m sorry that Caleb will lose his bed because of me.”
Eliza waved off Katie’s apology. “With a new foal due any day, he’d be sleeping in the barn anyway.” She moved back to the stove, took the lid off the pot, and gave the contents a stir. “Now, come get something to eat.”
Katie couldn’t remember when she’d eaten last, and her stomach had been growling from the moment the aroma of Eliza’s stew had reached her.
“It smells wonderful,” she said.
Eliza smiled. “Let’s hope it tastes good too.”
She handed Katie a bowl and was filling a second one when Caleb walked in with Katie’s trunk on his shoulder.
“That was fast,” Eliza said approvingly. “Go ahead and put Katie’s things in your room.”
Caleb raised one eyebrow and gave his mother a roguish look. “In my room?”
“Caleb Walker!” Eliza said, shaking her wooden spoon at him. “Watch yourself! You put that trunk in there, then take your stuff out to the barn.”
Caleb laughed, and Katie was struck by how laughter lit up his handsome features. She studied the bowl of stew in front of her until he came out of the bedroom.
“Thank you, Caleb,” she said, forcing herself to face him.
“You’re welcome,” he said. He raised the small bundle in his hand. “I’ll take this out to the barn and be right back. Save me some stew!”
Chapter Four
Katie woke the next morning to the sounds of whistling and the creak of the cabin’s front door opening and closing.
“Hush, Caleb.” Eliza’s loud whisper reached Katie from the other side of the log wall. “You’ll wake Katie.”
“Shouldn’t she be up already?” he replied.
Katie threaded an arm free from the wool blanket that surrounded her and pulled up the animal pelt that lay across the window above her head. Bright sunlight streamed into the room.
“She must’ve been worn out,” Eliza said.
“Wish I could use that excuse to stay in bed,” Caleb grumbled.
Katie stifled a groan. How had she let this happen? Remaining in bed while others got up to do early morning chores was definitely not an auspicious beginning to her time at the ranch. She tossed the blanket aside and stood up, her breath catching as her bare feet touched the cold floor. Her trunk was right beside the bed. Within seconds, she’d dug out her light blue dress and her shawl.
Dressing as quickly as she could, Katie wove her long hair into a single braid and tied up her boots. Then, after glancing back once to make sure she’d left everything tidy, she opened the bedroom door and entered the kitchen area. Eliza and Caleb were sitting at the table, talking softly. They both looked up as Katie walked in.
“Good morning, Katie,” Eliza said cheerfully.
“Good morning,” Katie replied.
Caleb got to his feet and gave her a nod. Then he placed his empty bowl in a large metal tub and reached for his cowboy hat.
“I’ll be down in the south pasture today,” he said. “The fence needs fixing before we move the cattle in.”
“All right,” Eliza said, handing him a pail. “Here’s your lunch.”
“Thanks,” he said. He opened the door and stepped outside. “I’ll be back by sundown.”
Then, with a click of the latch, he was gone.
“Come sit and have breakfast,” Eliza said, turning to Katie again.
Glad to move closer to the warm stove, Katie took the seat Caleb had vacated. “I’m sorry I didn’t get up earlier,” she said. “I had no idea how late it was.”
“Give yourself some time,” Eliza said, passing her a bowl of oatmeal. “Every new place takes getting used to.”
Katie accepted the oatmeal gratefully. “Can I help you with any chores today?” she asked.
“Well, I’m not one to turn down an offer like that,” Eliza said. “As soon as you’ve eaten, I’ll show you ‘round. Then, if you’re still of a mind to help out, I’ll put you to work.”
Two hours later, Eliza had given Katie a tour of the chicken coop, the pigpen, and the barn. She’d shown her how to sneak up on the chickens to find their eggs and how to feed the pigs without being attacked by a dozen squealing piglets. She’d introduced her to Daisy, who was grazing peacefully not far from the barn, and had shown her where the milking was done. Then she’d taken her to the other side of the barn, where Katie had given Titus an affectionate pat before meeting Echo for the first time.
Echo was a beautiful chestnut mare with liquid brown eyes. Her round girth and labored movements all pointed to how close she was to her foal’s arrival, but she ambled toward Katie and raised her nose to greet her.
“Oh, you are beautiful,” Katie said, running her hand softly down the mare’s long neck. Echo nickered and nuzzled Katie’s cheek.
“She likes you,” Eliza said.
“The feeling’s mutual,” Katie said with a smile.
They lingered a little longer with the horses before Eliza led Katie to a small clearing among the pines where a spring bubbled up through some craggy rocks and flowed in a small stream to join the river below.
“This is where we collect our water,” Eliza explained. “Jake dug out a space between the rocks that we use as a cooler in the summer. The cold spring water helps keeps our milk, butter, eggs, and cheese fresh when the daytime temperatures go up.” Eliza pushed a large slab of stone to one side to reveal a two-foot wide hollow. “It goes back about three feet,” she said.
Katie was glad that Eliza had shown her something Jake had worked on. It made him seem more real.
“What does Jake enjoy most about the ranch?” she asked.
Eliza thought about that for a few minutes. “That’s an interesting question,” she finally said. “I don’t know that he really enjoys working with the cattle. Not the way Caleb does, anyway. Caleb loves the land and thrives on working it. Jake works hard but more because he knows the jobs need to be done,” she explained. “Jake’s joy comes more from trying new things. He got a lot of pleasure out of making this cooler. It was his own idea, and it works great.”
Katie studied Jake’s cooler again, feeling pleased that the man she was to marry could be so innovative.
Caleb lowered his shovel and tipped his hat back so that he could wipe the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve. Replacing fence posts was a brutal job. Even on a cool spring day, it was hot, dirty work. He looked down the fence line. Ten posts stood tall where, only a few hours before, a broken fence had rested on the ground. He had another six to go.
With resignation, Caleb pressed the shovel into the heavy, water-saturated soil again. He was pushing himself hard even though he’d gotten very little sleep the night before. It wasn’t that he’d been uncomfortable in the barn. He enjoyed sleeping in a bed of hay. It was more that he couldn’t get a certain young woman with deep blue eyes out of his head. Even today, no amount of work had taken his mind off her for long— and that was beyond frustrating.
He was used to treading carefully whenever he conversed with a young lady. He’d learned through painful experience that he needed to carefully navigate the treacherous waters of female subtleties and flirtation. So, he’d been on his guard when he’d picked up Katie at the train depot, not knowing what to expect. But she’d taken him by surprise. She’d been frank with her opinions and genuine in her interest. In short, sh
e’d been easy to talk to. And, even though the canyon road had been rough and the potholes deep, the journey home had been one of the most pleasant he’d had in a long time.
He was filled with questions, and he’d spent all night telling himself that none of them mattered. After all, it wasn’t his business why a pretty, young woman like Katie Spencer would feel it necessary to respond to a mail order bride advertisement. Was she running from something or someone? How did she really feel about her current situation? And, why should he care whether or not she appreciated this canyon the way he did? Those things should be Jake’s problems, not his.
When he’d arrived at the cabin that morning to learn that Katie was still in bed, it had almost been a relief to believe he’d found a flaw in her. Laziness was not a trait he tolerated well. But, when she’d walked out of his bedroom with creases from the bedding marking her cheeks and her blue eyes still adjusting to daylight, he’d known that his mother had been right. Katie had been deeply asleep right up until her entry into the kitchen.
With a groan, Caleb tossed a shovelful of dirt onto a nearby pile. Perhaps, if he found out more about her, he could put his questions to rest. He’d done almost all the talking on their journey through the canyon. It was time he did some listening. For he was more than ready to sleep through the night again.
Chapter Five
By the end of her second week at the ranch, Katie’s days had fallen into a fairly predictable routine. She rose at the same time as Eliza, and, while Eliza went to milk Daisy, she collected the eggs and fed the chickens and the pigs. When those chores were done, the two women returned to the cabin to make breakfast. Caleb joined them there after he’d finished taking care of the horses.
Katie listened for Caleb’s whistle each morning. As soon as she heard him coming around the corner of the small cabin, she’d plate up his breakfast so that, by the time he entered and hung up his hat, it was ready for him. Caleb always left soon after he’d eaten, and that was when Eliza and Katie got to work on the more time-intensive chores. Some of these jobs were simple things like sweeping and dusting, but, more often than not, they were things that Katie had never done before.