The Rancher's Girl

by Dina Chapel

  “You stop right there, young lady!”

  A familiar voice, strong and commanding—and bossy—broke through the fog of Rose’s despair as she froze in instinctive obedience on that staircase.

  “Just what do you think you’re doing?”

  The voice was closer. The man next to her started answering him, but she still only clearly heard the one voice.

  “Now just…I’ll have you know that…” Her customer was drunk and angry. “You’ll wait for her just like…I’ve already paid and…”

  Rose hadn’t moved a muscle up to that point, but as she turned to see him ascend the stairs behind her, she was just in time to watch Cal Monroe haul off and land his fist right square into the man’s face, breaking his nose.

  Rose screamed and all hell broke loose, or so it seemed. The drunken cowboy, her first customer, went tumbling down the stairs, blood flowing from his broken nose and getting everywhere. Miss Lorelei started yelling, mostly for her girls to take cover or get to the back rooms where they’d be safe. Two of the broken-nose cowboy’s friends came barreling up the stairs after Cal, who met them head on with fists flying. When the three landed at the bottom of the stairs they upset the biggest card game happening in the place, with the game, chips and cards and all, sailing through the air and the gamblers diving right into the fight, already desperate for retribution. Tables were overturned and chairs splintered. Glasses and bottles broke, the sound filling the air in the saloon. The barkeep pulled his rifle from behind the bar and fired two shots into the ceiling to try to quell the chaos. It didn’t work.

  Rose sat on the stairs watching Cal punch and be punched and she cried. One of the other girls, Amelia, who had been with a customer upstairs, sneaked down to where Rose sat and tapped her on the shoulder.

  “Rose, honey, come with me,” she urged, slipping her arm under Rose’s shoulder and helping her to her feet. “You’ll be safer upstairs until this is all over.” She led Rose up the staircase. “Who’s the handsome cowboy?” she whispered.

  The question just made Rose cry harder.

  When the fighting spilled out into the street, that’s when the law showed up. The sheriff and a few of his men managed to put a stop to the fighting and shortly after that things calmed down. The sheriff had his men take everyone involved in the fight back to the jail while he sorted things out.

  When Rose and Amelia were fetched by Lorelei and finally came back downstairs, Cal was gone.

  * * *

  Rose stood outside the jailhouse, beside herself with apprehension.

  What would he do? Rose had liked to entertain the thought that one day she could be his wife. She had liked to imagine him—even though she scolded herself for doing so—as her knight in shining armor. Before she had approached Miss Lorelei for a job, Rose had let her imagination get the better of her. She had pictured Cal coming back for her and Travis. She had let herself imagine him asking for her hand.

  Now all that had changed. Even though Rose hadn’t actually gone upstairs, not once, she was soiled. He would look at her differently now. And he wouldn’t want her for his wife, Rose was sure of it. What man proposes marriage to a saloon girl? With a child? Whatever hope she had for her and Travis’ future took flight in that moment, leaving only sadness in its place.

  Her life suddenly seemed overwhelmingly bleak and Rose fought back the tears that came with that realization. She need to get home—or at least what she called home right now—her Aunt Viv’s boarding house, where she could cry in private. If Cal had been looking for her (and the thought occurred to Rose that he may not have been looking for her at all; he may have been looking for a drink when he entered the saloon), he could come calling at Aunt Viv’s tomorrow. And if he hadn’t had any intention of seeing her while in town, she would be saving them both a heap of embarrassment. Yes, Rose thought, maybe he was only here on ranch business. It was foolish of her to think he came here to see her.

  But before she even turned to take her leave, the door to the jailhouse flew wide open. Cal, exiting, stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of her.

  “Rose.” His voice held equal parts surprise, pleasure and relief.

  Rose met his eyes for only a second, then she looked down. She had no desire whatsoever to see how he would look at her now, and she didn’t want him to view the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes and run down her cheeks at any moment.

  “Cal.” Rose’s voice was barely above a whisper as she stared at the boardwalk.

  “Are you alright?”

  Rose’s head snapped up at the sound of Cal’s voice—not a trace of anger, or judgment or disappointment. Just concern, pure and simple. Softly spoken. It was entirely unexpected and Rose’s teary eyes searched his for confirmation of the emotion his voice conveyed. It was there.

  Rose nodded slowly. “Yes, I’m—”

  “Hooo-ey!”

  The door to the jail was still wide open, with Cal standing in the doorway.

  “Looks like Miss Lorelei done sent me a refund.” The broken-nose cowboy was grinning ear-to-ear at Rose. “Hot damn!”

  The sheriff took the two necessary steps over to the open door just as Cal seemed to come to his full senses and stepped out of the doorway and onto the boardwalk. He threw an annoyed look at Cal.

  “Unless you care to stay for the night, I suggest you and the young lady move along now, son.” He paused. “Come see me tomorrow morning. If there’s charges filed, we’ll deal with it then.” With that, he closed the door on the whistles and catcalls still coming from the two cells.

  Cal immediately took Rose’s arm and led her to a bench two storefronts down. He motioned for her to sit, then took a place beside her.

  * * *

  Rose reached up to gently touch Cal’s brow. It was split and bleeding. He winced slightly, then turned to her.

  “On my way out of town a few weeks back, I stopped in here at the jailhouse and hired a Pinkerton agent to search for your missing husband.”

  Rose’s mouth fell open. More than one thought and emotion ran through her at Cal’s admission. But the overriding thought was curiosity. She had not seen nor heard from Luke in over a year. She watched as Cal pulled a folded and sealed envelope from his back pocket and proceeded to open it.

  “Well? What does it say? Where is he?”

  Cal was unfolding the paper as Rose spoke. “I just received it now from the sheriff. I don’t know myself.”

  Rose took a deep breath. “Please read it, Cal. Tell me what it says.”

  He nodded.

  It was obvious to Rose that Cal was reading first and then would relay the contents to her. Perhaps he wanted to protect her from the news? She wasn’t sure but thought the waiting would just about do her in.

  Cal glanced up after just a minute, his expression unreadable.

  “He’s dead, Rose.” Cal reached for her hand. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

  Rose let out the shaky breath that she hadn’t even known she was holding and squeezed Cal’s warm hand. Lost for words, she only nodded her understanding. Then she stared off into the black of night trying to come to grips with how she felt about Luke’s passing.

  Rose couldn’t find any sorrow for him from a personal standpoint, try as she might. Having been abandoned by him along with their son had banished any tender feelings or care she may have had for him at one time. But she did hurt. She hurt for Travis. He had no father now. She turned back to Cal.

  “How?”

  Cal glanced back down at the letter for a minute. “Botched stagecoach robbery. He and his accomplice were acting alone apparently and were both shot dead. A lawman had been on the coach. Well-armed and a good shot.” Cal shook his head slightly. “They picked the wrong coach to rob.”

  They sat silently for a spell, Cal holding Rose’s hand tenderly and Rose deep in thought. Suddenly a thought occurred to Rose.

  “Is that why you’re here? To get the Pinkerton man’s report?” She had believed that s
he’d never see him again.

  Cal smiled slightly. “Yes, and I wanted to see you, too. I’ve missed you, Rose.” Then his face clouded over. “I just didn’t expect to see you in the saloon.” Cal reached out to turn Rose’s face toward his; a simple finger on her chin was all that was required.

  “Little lady, I’ve a good mind to paddle your bottom right here on the boardwalk. What on earth were you thinking, going to work in that saloon?”

  “I needed a job, Cal. It’s as simple as that.” Rose knew she sounded petulant, but he had left. He had no claim on her and no right to say what she could or couldn’t do. He had never offered to help.

  “And now after this evening, I suppose I still do.” Rose looked away from him. “I don’t imagine Miss Lorelei will want me back after all the trouble I’ve caused.”

  “Well, that’s just as well, because I don’t want you working there.” He paused. “And the next time we’re alone, I aim to take you over my knee and warm your backside but good for having put yourself in a situation like that in the first place.”

  Rose saw red at his statement. She turned to him fully then.

  “Cal Monroe, you’ve absolutely no right to tell me what I can and cannot do. You’ve been doing that since I first met you. You’re not my boss, or my kin or my husband.” Rose turned forward in her seat again and folded her arms defiantly across her chest. “I’ve just about had enough of your bossy ways.” She looked sideways at him and saw he had his hand deep in his trouser pocket. “And if you think that I’ll accept money from you, you’d better think again.” He was smiling. What could there be to smile about?

  “No money, huh?” He continued grinning. Then he pulled his hand out of his pocket and swiftly, before Rose knew what was happening, dropped from his seat on the bench down to bended knee directly in front of her.

  “How about this, then?” Cal held up a beautiful ring, a diamond shining brightly from the center of its setting.

  “Oh, Cal.” Rose’s hand went to her mouth, her shock getting the better of her. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Marry me, Rose.” Cal wasn’t taking his eyes off her for a second. “I’ve wanted you for my own from the very first.”

  Rose felt completely and unexpectedly overwhelmed.

  “I love you and I will love you from this day forward, always.”

  She was too overcome to answer.

  “And I promise to love and care for Travis, too. I’d like to be his Pa, if you’ll let me.”

  Rose sniffled.

  “What do you say, Rose?”

  Rose couldn’t think of any reason why she shouldn’t marry Cal Monroe…except for one. She narrowed her eyes at him.

  “When we’re married, are you still going to spank me?”

  Cal tapped her nose with his finger. “You give me cause, and I won’t ever hesitate to take you over my knee. When you’re my wife, you’ll need to mind me.”

  Rose sighed. “You’ve been treating me that way since the day that I met you, Calvin Monroe.”

  Cal chuckled and scratched his chin. “Well, yes, come to think of it, I suppose I have, at that.” He took Rose’s hand in his own. “That’s my way, Rose. That’s my way of taking care of what’s mine, and you’ve been mine since that day. Ever since that first day that I met you. ” He smiled at Rose as he slipped the beautiful ring onto her finger.

  “Do you think you can live with me?” Cal’s eyebrows raised in question.

  Rose smiled and nodded, her eyes glistening with tears of happiness. “I can’t live without you.”

  The End