The Cowboy’s Bride Collection: 9 Historical Romances Form on Old West Ranches

by Susan Page Davis, Vickie McDonough, Susanne Dietze, Nancy J. Farrier, Miralee Ferrell, Darlene Franklin, Davalynn Spencer, Becca Whitham

  Cait’s laughter sparkled refreshment on his soul. “Let me know when you get to the boss part. Seems all I see is the horse winning.”

  Jonas leaned close, only the fence rail between them. He could see that Cait wanted to back off. He also knew she was too proud to let him know she wanted to.

  “Did you just come here to mock me, or is there a reason I’m graced with your presence.” He tipped his head to the side. “Maybe you want to give me a kiss to make me feel better.” Her face flamed. She stepped back.

  “My father is home. He’d like to see us in the house as soon as you’re presentable.” With that, she turned and stalked off. Jonas couldn’t stop a chuckle.

  After he washed the worst of the dust away and slipped on a shirt that didn’t have dirt ground into it, Jonas headed for the house. He found Angus and Cait together in the kitchen. Angus sat at the table. Cait paced like a caged cat.

  Jonas pulled out a chair. “Have a seat, Cait. You’re wearing a hole in the floor.” He smiled to soften the words. She glared at him, but plopped down with such force, he could almost hear his mother’s reprimand about treating the furniture right.

  He eased down on the chair next to Cait. He figured she’d like to move hers farther from him but wouldn’t. The set of her jaw told him he was right. The scent of coffee and something sweet baking made his stomach growl.

  Martha patted his shoulder as she set a steaming mug in front of him. “I have a pie in the oven for supper.”

  Jonas thanked her and then turned to Angus. “Did you find the missing horses?”

  Angus wrapped his big hands around his coffee cup and shook his head. “We looked all over north of here. I thought they might go that way, but with the drought, the feed is mostly dead and the creek up that way dried up.”

  “Do you think someone drove them off?” Cait drummed her fingers on the table. Jonas didn’t understand how she could have such patience with horses but not with anything else in life.

  “I think they’re off searching for food.” Angus slurped his coffee. He frowned across at them. “I’ll be plenty glad when Lawson shows up to buy the horses we have ready. There isn’t enough feed for all the stock we have.” He shook his head. The lines in his face seemed to have deepened in the past few weeks. Jonas knew the strain of the tight times and drought was tough on Angus.

  “Tomorrow, the boys and I will go out again. In case there is someone out there taking livestock, I don’t want to go alone. I’d like the two of you to take a day off from your work and search, too. We’ll head east, and you can look to the west.”

  “I thought you wanted us to finish up as many horses as possible before Colonel Lawson gets here.” Cait glanced toward Jonas so fast he couldn’t read her expression. “We can’t get the horses ready if we’re off running around looking for lost animals.”

  “I know that, Cait.” Angus reached over to cover her jittery hand with his. “I need you to do this. Some of the missing horses are ones you’ve already trained for the cavalry. We need them back.”

  Cait’s sharp nod spoke for itself. She wasn’t happy, but she would do as her father wanted. Jonas did his best to keep his glee from showing. Had God answered his prayer by giving him this extra time alone with Cait? He couldn’t wait to see what tomorrow would bring.

  Chapter 5

  The first rays of the sun were peeking over the horizon when Jonas and Cait rode away from the ranch. Grasslands stretched before them looking deceptively flat. In the distance mountains rose, blue with the morning haze.

  “Any suggestions where we should start to look?” Jonas asked. Cait gave him a startled look as if she never thought he would want to hear her opinion.

  “I figure you know the land better than I do. I may have lived here for years, but not on this ranch. Where would the horses go to search out food?”

  Cait bit her lower lip. Jonas couldn’t stop himself from watching her. More thoughts of kisses distracted him. He shook his head and forced his gaze back to the ground in front of them. Dried grass, brittle with lack of moisture, coated the landscape in pale tan.

  “There are a few draws off this way. A couple of them had watering holes. I think they may have dried up, but we should check them. If the horses scented water, that’s where they would go.”

  “Lead the way. I’ll follow you.” Jonas settled into the saddle and drew up beside Cait. A strand of her hair had escaped her braid. The bright red stood out stark against the white of her throat. His mouth dried. He tore his gaze away and began to whistle. He had to do something to distract himself from thoughts of Cait.

  “If you don’t stop that off-key noise, we’re going to be bombarded by birds getting revenge.” Cait shook her head at him, but he could see the humor in her eyes.

  “I’ve never once had a bird dive at me when I was whistling.” Jonas tried for an offended tone.

  “They were probably hiding in the bushes laughing.” Cait huffed out a laugh as if she couldn’t help herself.

  “If you don’t want me to whistle, we can talk.” Jonas cleared his throat. “We could talk about how to combine our training to finish more horses.”

  “We’ve said all that can be said in that area.” Cait’s mouth thinned. She turned so that he could see only her profile. A very fine profile.

  “We haven’t said anything yet.” Jonas knew what was coming next.

  “That’s right.” Cait smirked at him. Jonas almost laughed.

  “Well, what would you like to talk about then? How you can trust me now that I’ve changed?” Jonas waited, hoping she would concede to say something.

  “I think we should enjoy the silence.” Cait’s gaze turned thoughtful before she kneed her mount and cantered away from him. Jonas chuckled aloud.

  They searched two of the draws Cait knew about with no success in finding the missing horses. Cait drew to a stop on a rise and leaned forward, resting her arm on the pommel.

  “Why don’t we stretch our legs and give the horses a break.” Jonas swung down as he made the suggestion. He knew better than to offer to help Cait down. He would do that for other women, but she would have his hide if he tried with her.

  They walked along together, the horses moseying behind them. Jonas found his hand swinging in rhythm with Cait’s. What would she think if he took her hand in his? He figured he knew the answer. Too soon. Too pushy. Tempting, though.

  “So, why haven’t you prayed about finding the livestock?” Cait cocked a glance at him. “If you say God is interested in all parts of our lives, wouldn’t He be willing to help with this?”

  Joy lightened Jonas’s step. “I have been praying.”

  “I haven’t heard you.” Cait frowned. “I didn’t see you kneel down or anything.”

  “Cait, you can talk to God anywhere, anytime. Just like I talk to you.”

  “But, does He really hear you then?” Cait’s brow wrinkled. She bit her lip again, making him lose his thought.

  “As long as your prayer is sincere, God loves to hear from you.” Please, God, give me the right words to help Cait have a relationship with You.

  “I don’t know. The reverend at church and the men who pray there always sound so serious, and they have a certain look to them.” Cait halted, her hand stroking her mount’s neck. “I don’t pray because I figure I’ll say the wrong thing and God will strike me dead.”

  “Cait.” Jonas started to reach for her then stopped. “God would love to hear from you. He loves you. If you’ve been thinking about talking with Him, that is the work of the Holy Spirit urging you to have a relationship with God.”

  For a long moment, Cait seemed to ponder his words. “Okay, you pray right now and ask God to help us find the horses. Then we’ll mount up and head for that last draw.”

  “God, please help us. You know right where the livestock is that we’re searching for. Lead us to them. Help them to be safe. Amen.” Jonas opened his eyes to find Cait studying him. He couldn’t tell what she was thinking.


  “Okay, let’s go.” Cait swung into the saddle and urged her horse into a slow lope. Jonas followed suit, praying his words were the ones Cait needed to hear. As much as he wanted Cait to love him, he wanted her to fall in love with God even more.

  They reached the small canyon. Water runoff had carved this place. Jonas couldn’t see any sign of tracks in the ground. Maybe the horses had come in by a back way.

  Cait pulled her mount to a halt ahead of him. Jonas came up beside her. The canyon was a dead end. No sign of life, water, or graze greeted them. The missing animals had never been here.

  “So much for answered prayer.” Cait reined her horse around. “I guess we’ll have to do this without God’s help.”

  Cait could feel Jonas’s disapproval at her statement. She had her reasons not to rely on God. He hadn’t ever helped her with anything. Her sister, Keira, used to berate her for her lack of faith, but Cait knew God had better things to do than pay attention to her needs. He’d ignored her over and over. She refused to trust an untrustworthy God.

  They rode home in silence. The sun dipped below the horizon. The blue of the sky faded to dull gray. Not a single cloud with the promise of rain. Their ranch was desperate. They needed feed to put up for the winter months.

  “Cait, I’d like to talk about what happened with Keira. I made a mistake. I know I hurt you, but that wasn’t my intention.” Jonas’s words startled Cait.

  “I don’t want to talk about it, Jonas. I have nothing to say, and I’m not interested in anything you have to say.” Cait’s anger at the remembered offense burned anew. She urged her horse to a faster pace. If the gelding wasn’t so tired, she’d run all the way home, but she wasn’t so callous she would kill her animal.

  “Cait, I cared about you a lot back then.”

  “Cared about me so much that you got engaged to my sister?” Cait’s horse danced as she turned to face Jonas. “Cared so much that you left her with no reason? Cared so much you broke her heart?” If she’d had something in her hand, Cait would have thrown it at Jonas.

  “You don’t understand.” Jonas held out his hand toward her.

  “I understand enough.” Cait fought the emotion closing her throat. “I know I had feelings for you, but was willing to give those up when you chose Keira. Then you broke her heart, and the only feelings I have for you are ones that aren’t to your benefit. So, just leave me alone, Jonas Hall.”

  Despite the lateness of the day, Cait kneed her mount and raced for home. Tears dampened her cheeks. She swiped at them with the back of her hand. Why had her father insisted she work with Jonas? He knew what had happened with Keira. He knew how Cait’s heart had been broken by the scoundrel. If he only knew how her heart was breaking again.

  “What’s wrong, Caitie.” Angus hurried to her side as she pulled her winded mount to a halt. “Is Jonas all right?”

  “He’s fine.” Cait swung down, regret eating at her as she loosened the cinch and noted the lather covering her horse’s hide. “He’ll be along soon.”

  “What made you ride in like this?” Angus lifted the saddle off. “It’s not like you to treat a horse this way.”

  Cait took the blanket and began to rub the gelding’s back.

  “Caitie, what happened to upset you? Did Jonas try something he shouldn’t?” Outrage put some roar in his voice. “I thought he was trustworthy.”

  “He didn’t try anything.” Cait didn’t want to talk to her dad about what had been said. She didn’t want to say she was beginning to believe Jonas might be trustworthy. “He said something that upset me. I guess I lost my temper.” She felt her cheeks warm and turned to work on the horse’s flanks.

  “Give me that before you rub the hide off this poor thing.” Angus took the blanket from her. “I’ll have one of the boys cool him down and feed him. You go to the house and clean up.”

  In the distance, Cait could hear pounding hooves. Jonas must be close. She didn’t look around but kept on toward the house. She didn’t want to see Jonas. Ever again. She knew that wasn’t going to happen since they had to work together, but she hoped to avoid him for the rest of the evening.

  The door banged closed behind her. She leaned back against it and closed her eyes, trying to steady her breathing. She thought she’d come to terms with what Jonas had done to her and her sister. Now, she realized she had only suppressed those feelings. At that time, she’d done a lot of praying. Now, she knew talking with God wouldn’t solve anything.

  “Supper will be ready soon, Miss Cait.” Martha stood in the doorway, her lips pursed. “You smell like a horse. Go clean up before your father gets inside.”

  Cait opened her mouth to argue, but the words didn’t come. She went through the motions—cleaning up, eating food, listening to her father—but she felt like a hollowed-out shell instead of a young woman.

  “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going up to write a letter to Keira.” Cait waited for her father to nod. They’d both received letters from Keira while they were out today. He was reading his over again. She wanted to pour out her misery to the only person who might understand.

  “Good night to you, then.” Angus didn’t look up as she left the room.

  Cait sat at her writing desk. She chewed her fingernail as she thought about what to say to her sister. She bent over and began to write, pouring out all that had happened since her father hired Jonas to help with the horses. The frustration. The anger. The hurt. Only Keira would understand.

  As Cait folded the missive to put in the envelope, she hoped her sister would write back soon. She’d asked her to in the letter. What she wanted most was to see her sister, but that couldn’t happen. They lived too far apart now that Keira had married.

  She stood and stretched. Her muscles had stiffened from the long riding today and then from being hunched over the desk writing. Weariness tugged at her. She needed to sleep, but thoughts of Jonas kept her on edge. Even putting the words on paper hadn’t helped.

  The full moon glowed through the curtains. Cait crossed the room to look outside. The yard was a contrast of shadow and light. Something moved across the way, close to the bunkhouse. Her heart thumped as she realized Jonas stood there watching her.

  Chapter 6

  Cait tugged the cinch with more vigor than her horse liked. He swung around to nip at her. She sidestepped his attempt and patted his neck. “Sorry, Patch. I’m frustrated, but I don’t mean to take it out on you.” She pulled the cinch tight with steady pressure. Patch grunted and stomped a foot.

  “Frustrated about what?”

  Cait jumped. She gritted her teeth knowing Jonas couldn’t see. “Jonas Hall, you shouldn’t sneak up on a person like that.”

  “I didn’t sneak.”

  She could hear the laughter in his voice. Cait frowned over her shoulder at him. Why did he have to look so good this early in the morning? She probably looked like a dead body pulled from the grave.

  “So, frustrated about what?” Jonas repeated his question. She knew he wouldn’t give up until she answered him. The man was worse than a buzzard after dead meat.

  “We have too much to do to go off looking for horses again. We still have several head to get ready, and time is growing short.” She tucked in the end of the strap and let the stirrup down.

  “But today has more promise. Your dad spotted those hoofprints near the wash east of here. It shouldn’t take all day to track them down, and that will get our already trained stock back here in time for Lawson to show up.” Jonas kept pace with her as they exited the barn.

  Cait swung up on Patch. “I know. If Dad and his men hadn’t all gotten sick last night, they would be going instead of us.” She urged her mount into a trot to get ahead of Jonas.

  “Hopefully they’ll be better by tonight.” Jonas edged up beside her.

  Her teeth ached as she gritted them, but she let him stay. She didn’t want to tire her horse, but she also didn’t want to be so close to Jonas. No matter how she fought her feelings an
d remembered all he’d done in the past, Jonas still made her heart jump when he came near. When she saw him through the window last night, she had to fight the desire to go to him. For some reason her heart still longed to be near Jonas, even though her head understood that shouldn’t happen.

  They kept to a slow trot as much as possible to cover ground. Cait knew Jonas wanted to round up the horses and return to the ranch early. She wanted to bemoan the fact that her father had to let so many of their hands go due to the severity of the drought. Now they had to do all the chores the ranch hands would have done in the past.

  “I don’t know that the livestock will still be here.” Jonas slowed his horse to a walk as the ground grew rockier. “There isn’t much graze at all. Why would they stay here?”

  “The only thing growing is locoweed.” Cait pointed out a patch of the hated plant. “Hopefully the horses are smart enough to stay away from it.”

  At the top of the next rise, the land opened up in front of them. The vista drifted down in a series of rises and dips. Cait shook her head as she studied the dry ground ahead. “I remember coming here with my dad in one of the wet years. This place reminded me of a sea of green with the way the terrain flows. Now look at it. Not enough here to feed one horse, let alone a herd.”

  “That may be true, but your horses seem to disagree.” Jonas pointed off to the left. “Looks like the herd over there.”

  Cait squinted. In the distance she could make out one or two horses standing. The movements of the horses in motion appeared odd to her. “What is wrong with them? What are they doing?” She leaned forward wishing she could see better, but the distance was too great.

  “My guess is this isn’t good.” Jonas’s grim tone shot trepidation through her. He didn’t glance her direction but lifted his horse’s reins and nudged it forward. “We’d better get over there, Cait, but don’t expect this to be easy.”