He held his breath, sure he was going to hear a rifle shot any second, doing his best to protect Sadie with his body. Moving fast, counting off the steps, the yards . . .
“Who’s up there?” Sadie didn’t seem to be asking a question so much as wondering out loud.
“And why?” Heath added. “Isn’t that mesa part of Boden land?”
“Yep. It’s always just been a big stretch of wasted space, but it’s ours for sure.”
Finally they were out of range. “Let’s mount up and make tracks back to the ranch. We need to ask around, see if any of the men have knowledge of someone climbing that mesa.”
“You can ask, but I’m sure we’d have heard if someone climbed it.” Sadie swung up with such lithe grace, Heath couldn’t help but admire her western skills. She reminded him a lot of his sister-in-law Callie, his brother Seth’s wife. One tough cowgirl.
Of course, Sadie was twice as beautiful.
“I’ve heard of mountain-climbing equipment.” Sadie urged her horse into a trot. “I’m sure if someone came in with the right kind of tools, they could make the climb, but there’d be no point in hiding it. In fact, most folks would boast about it.”
“There’s gold on Mount Kebbel. I’ve heard that often enough.”
Sadie nodded. “Cole manages the mines and he’s mentioned that more than once.”
“Has anyone ever considered there might be gold on Skull Mesa?”
Sadie whipped her head around to stare at the mountain. “If there were gold, it’d be well worth the effort . . . and it’d be kept secret, too.”
“Wouldn’t scaling a mountain stop someone?”
“I was six years old when they first found gold on Mount Kebbel,” Sadie said. “You wouldn’t credit the madness. Nothing stops them, Heath. Nothing.”
“The only other reason I can think of to climb up there is that it offers a person a good spot to watch over the Cimarron Ranch.”
Heath then thought of one other thing: Skull Mesa would also give a man a real clear view of the narrow canyon where Chance had nearly been killed. Was it possible Chance’s accident wasn’t at all accidental?
But he didn’t speak of that suspicion with Sadie. He wanted to talk to Justin first.
7
As they rode into the ranch yard, Sadie was more aware of Heath beside her than she’d ever been of any man.
Everything that was male in him seemed to awaken all that was female in her. As if she’d been in a deep sleep her whole life . . . until now.
She saw lantern light coming from John’s small cabin where it stood just a bit behind the bunkhouse. It had helped enough to talk to Heath that she no longer felt any powerful need to talk to John and decided to leave it until morning.
“Look, every light in your ma and pa’s house is lit as if it’s welcoming you home.”
“Yep,” she said dryly. “Whether I like it or not.”
“Go on in, let me put up your horse.”
Because she was near collapse from the day, and because she didn’t think it was wise to spend any more time alone with Heath, she swung down and handed him her reins.
“The doctor told me about how well you tended Pa’s leg. Thank you, Heath. Thank you very much.”
He nodded. “It was a wonder that I had just the right knowledge in my head.”
“How did you learn to deal with a wound like that?”
“I rode with the cavalry for a year, and while it’s mostly peaceable on the frontier these days, accidents still happen and there have been a few skirmishes with outlaws. With that many men riding and working, I got to see a lot of ugly things. One of them was working over a broken limb with the bone cutting through the skin. The doctors taught me how to handle it until they could get there. That’s what I did for your pa.”
“Doc Garner said the man in Denver can sometimes save a leg, even injured that badly.”
“I hope he’s right. We practiced mighty rough medicine at the fort. I sure hope there are men who can do it better.”
“Whether they can save his leg or not”—Sadie shuddered to think of amputation—“the doctor said your treatment was what gives him even a small chance to keep the leg, and you may very well have saved his life. Getting a terrible infection is less likely now.”
She reached forward with halting, clumsy motions and took his hand. Not a handshake; she just needed to touch him. “I’m sorry I fired you, and I appreciate you being accepting of my apology. Thank you for coming back. After all you did for us today, you didn’t deserve to be treated like that.”
“It’s all right, Sadie. I understand.”
For some reason she really thought he did. She wanted to ask what had made him furious at them for not appreciating their father’s love. For offering to ride away rather than stay and be a source of painful memories.
The darkness had fallen and the wind picked up. She needed to go inside, especially because she found herself wanting so badly to stay with him. Their gazes had locked for too long.
He tugged on his hand to get free and even that wasn’t hurtful because she saw the reluctance in his eyes. “Good night, Sadie. I’ll keep you and your whole family, especially Chance, in my prayers.”
“Good night, Heath. God bless you for everything.” She strode quickly toward the house before she did something stupid like offer to put up the horses as an excuse to stay with him, an excuse to walk with him right into the privacy of the barn.
Sadie woke up in her childhood bed. It all rushed in. Pa. The wild trip to Denver. The threat Pa had made to cut off the money to Safe Haven and give away the ranch. Her decision, firmly made, that she was home to stay.
Then she thought of one more thing. The glint of light on top of a mesa that had no way up.
Throwing her blankets off, she rushed through dressing. She’d forgotten to tell Justin and Cole. She hurried downstairs to find she’d slept so late her brothers were both gone. Justin, she expected him to work the ranch. But Cole was supposed to work here at home.
Rosita was stirring something at the stove that smelled wonderful, meaty—stew maybe.
“Where’s Cole? Isn’t he here working?” Fear welled up. Had Cole gotten fed up and left?
“He headed for the mine this morning. He had things to do yesterday that he put off because of your pa.”
The Bodens had extensive mining interests on Mount Kebbel, all Cole’s to handle.
“And to tell the men at the mine that from now on, they will have to come to the CR if they need to talk to him.”
Biting back her worry, she asked, “What can I do to help? What would Ma be doing right now?” Her mother would be sorely missed, and Sadie would do her best to fill Ma’s shoes until she got back.
“Before you get to work, you need to eat something.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Eat!” Rosita set a plate with two lightly browned biscuits on the kitchen table with a very deliberate slap of ceramic on wood. She added two small dishes, one with a ball of butter and the other with jelly. “You missed both supper and breakfast. I don’t want you collapsing.”
Sadie took one of the fluffy biscuits because Rosita had that stern tone in her voice that wasn’t to be disobeyed. She took one bite and realized she was starving. She’d started on the second one when her hunger eased enough that she had energy to worry.
“Has Ma sent a telegram? Has anyone gone to town to check?” After she asked about her parents, her mouth went bone dry with fear and she thought the biscuit might just choke her to death. “They should be in Denver by now. Surely Ma would send a wire to tell of their arrival. Maybe I should ride to town and check.”
Sadie rose.
“Stay there and eat.” Rosita jabbed one of her stout, competent fingers at the table, and Sadie rested back on the chair.
“Justin sent one of the men in. He said there’d be more trips in today if there wasn’t a telegram first thing. I haven’t heard any news, and I’m certain they’d
come to the house to let us know what they’d heard.”
Sadie caught herself wondering if Heath had gone in. Why not? They’d made the poor man do everything else yesterday. He’d saved Pa, come for her in town, sent the doctor out, rushed a message to Cole. He’d read Pa’s wishes and learned about the odd conditions he’d set for his children. Then he’d possibly saved her life a second time by putting himself between her and Skull Mesa—if there’d really been someone up there with a rifle. Honestly, the man had been involved in every moment of yesterday’s madness, and all for the good. He was practically part of the family by now.
“Ma would have wired immediately. She’d know we’re anxious for news.” How were they? Had Pa survived the trip? Her mind stumbled over the awful thought.
“Yes, she would have, mi niña, unless they were in a tearing hurry to get your pa to the doctor and she needed to leave his side to send the wire—and refused to. Or she was so worried, she forgot everything except taking care of her husband. Or she thought of it, but it was a long walk to the telegraph office and she didn’t want to be away so long.”
Wearily, Sadie nodded. “Those are mighty good reasons.”
“You may well not hear from her until she’s got something to say. So don’t twist yourself up fretting when it serves no purpose. God does not want us to waste our time and energy with such things.”
As she thought of all the reasons Ma might not have wired, Sadie realized she should have gone along with Ma. One of her brothers would have been fine too, only they weren’t on hand when Ma and Pa rushed to the train. If the unthinkable happened, Ma, tough as she was, might have to deal with Pa’s death alone in Denver.
Rosita set a cup of milk down in front of her, and it was fortunate because thinking of Ma and even more of Pa had made it near impossible for her to swallow.
Sadie didn’t share her thoughts with Rosita, for that would surely earn her another lecture on worrying.
As she struggled to get the biscuit down, she thought of the tales she’d heard of Pa’s life before he came to this land. He’d grown up in Indiana when that was the far western reaches of the nation. Sadie knew enough about maps and how far east Indiana was to smile over that.
Then Pa had gone even farther east, interested in a more civilized country. Cole was born there, and Pa’s first wife died there.
He’d headed west to start a new life.
Her Ma’s life was all intertwined in the stories about Pa. She’d been born out here. She’d married Pa in a ceremony performed on Grandfather Chastain’s deathbed.
Sadie’s parents were strong, honorable people. They’d torn a living out of a wild land that had been only partly settled by Grandfather Chastain. They’d worked hard and faced danger. It took a rock-solid will to survive such a rugged life. And now Pa and Ma were gone, fighting for Pa’s life far away from home.
A hard rap at the back door drew Sadie out of her dark thoughts, and she was grateful for that. It was Melanie Blake, one of Sadie’s closest friends, the daughter of a neighboring rancher.
Mel caught her eye through the window in the door and opened it a second before Sadie waved her in. They were close enough friends to barge into each other’s houses and know they’d be welcome.
Sadie rose to meet Mel and was pulled into a tight hug.
“We were told your pa was bad injured and your folks left for Denver. I’m so sorry.” Mel held her a long time as Sadie felt tears threaten to fall. Her neighbor was a bit older than Sadie—Mel had been in the same grade in school as Justin. But since they’d been grown up, Sadie and Mel had gotten to be good friends. The Bodens and the Blakes had known one another all their lives, so Sadie appreciated Mel coming over to check on her.
They settled at the table together while Rosita set a coffee cup in front of them both along with a slice of warm gingerbread. Rosita checked the cup of milk and saw it was empty. Sadie was glad she’d finished it to spare her being scolded like a child in front of her neighbor. But surely Rosita wouldn’t do that?
Oh, who was she kidding? Rosita would scold her and Mel, too. She’d known them both when they were in diapers.
“Have you gotten any news?” Mel asked.
Sadie shook her head. “Justin sent someone to town to check for a wire, but I’ve heard nothing yet.”
“Can you tell me what happened?” Resting her work-roughened hand on Sadie’s clenched fists, Mel fell silent. And into the silence Sadie couldn’t help but tell her friend everything.
Mel was a much tougher woman than Sadie would ever be. Sadie always felt a twinge of jealousy over that. While Mel rode out with the cattle and was fast with a rope or a gun, went hunting and fishing with her pa—with Justin and Cole too—Sadie had kept to the house. Oh, she’d done a lot of riding and had even gone along on the roundup a few times when she pitched a fit and refused to stay home. But Sadie had been sheltered by Pa and pressured into ladylike ways by Ma. And mostly that was a wonderful thing. But now, when Pa couldn’t stand for her to live away from home, she realized all those years of sheltering had led to this. It chafed, and she saw Mel and all her freedom and had to fight that jealous twinge to keep it from blooming into sinful envy.
Justin came into the kitchen. Mel rose and hugged him. It was a short hug, which ended with Mel sharing her kind concern for Pa.
“Justin, do you need me to ride to town and check for a telegraph?”
“Nope. I sent a man in early, and just a few minutes ago I sent another and told him to wait in Skull Gulch even if it takes all day. He’ll find me the minute he’s back. I’m staying around the ranch today, and I’ll bring any news directly to the house.”
Sadie frowned. “It’s hard to be patient.”
“Yep. I’m half mad from waiting.”
Mel seemed to realize it was time to change the subject. “Did you get a good price on your cattle in Santa Fe?”
Justin got himself a cup of coffee and a slice of gingerbread and settled in for a visit. He and Mel launched into a long talk about the fall cattle drive. The talk drifted to a busted-up dam on the stream that ran into the Cimarron, dividing their two properties. The dam would be needing repairs while the water was low during the winter months.
Sadie watched the two as they talked. Though she always thought they were a likely match, she’d never seen the smallest spark of attraction between them. She wondered if maybe something could be done about that.
A carriage pulled up to the back door, bearing the elderly maiden ladies who ran the orphanage in town. Sadie went to meet them, thinking it might be a good idea to leave Justin and Mel alone together, though they’d been alone together plenty of times and they usually ended up roping something.
The ladies, Sister Margaret, Sister Louisa, and Miss Maria surrounded her with hugs and kindness, distracting her from thoughts of matchmaking. After their kind greeting, Sadie had to tell them her bad news.
“Sister Margaret, I am sorry to have to tell you, I won’t be able to come in and teach anymore. I’m needed here.” The three ladies who worked at the orphanage were so gentle and friendly. Sadie knew she would miss their kindly ways.
“We’ve come to depend on you, Sadie. How will we survive with this burden landed fully on our backs, heavier than ever?” Miss Maria was a melancholy woman, given to dark worries and always predicting a terrible future.
Sadie was used to that and prayed for the woman, but this time it stung that the first words from Maria were about her own woes.
“You are needed by your family now,” Sister Margaret whispered, patting Sadie’s hand. “We will get along. God will take care of us. Though of course we’ll miss you.”
Sister Margaret’s words helped Sadie to get over her annoyance with Miss Maria. Yet Sadie had done a lot of the heavier work for the three much older ladies who managed the orphanage, so Maria was right to worry.
“There will be money provided to hire another worker to take my place—Pa already arranged it—but you’ll be left on
your own until you can find someone.”
Sister Margaret nodded solemnly. “That’s very generous of you and your family, dear.”
There was alarm on the faces of the other ladies, but Sister Margaret remained her usual serene self. “I have a niece in Omaha who’s recently widowed. Reading between the lines of her last letter, I believe Angelique has been left in rather difficult straits. She’s the last family I have. I was thinking of asking her to come live with me. I’ll write her and send her money for a train ticket. I think she would welcome a new start.”
With a sigh of relief, Sadie said, “I hope she agrees to come. And please, let me give you enough money to send a telegraph, and if she agrees, we can send money to a bank in Omaha so that she gets word quickly and can be on her way soon.”
“That would be wonderful, thank you. I’ll send the telegraph right away.”
If Angelique was anything like Sister Margaret, she’d be a perfect fit with the other ladies at Safe Haven. But what to do in the meantime? Maybe Sadie could go in and work for just a short time once a week, do the heavy cleaning and such things. Pa would probably allow it if he understood that she’d left them all shorthanded. Or maybe she could do it and he’d never know. But that wasn’t honoring his wishes, and right now she couldn’t bring herself to defy her pa.
The back door swung open. “Thanks for the coffee and gingerbread, Rosita,” Mel said. “Bye, Justin.” She started to leave, then turned and smiled at the group before her. “Sister Margaret, Miss Maria, Sister Louisa, it’s nice to see you again.” Mel knew the ladies well. It was a small town, so everyone knew everyone who wasn’t a newcomer.
And that’s when Sadie had an idea.
“Mel, you asked if there was anything you could do to help, and with all that’s . . . that’s happened—” Sadie stumbled over what to say, not wanting to go into the particulars—“I have to stay out here at the ranch. I can’t work at Safe Haven anymore. Do you think you could go there once or twice a week and help the ladies with the heavy lifting and—?”
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