The Rancher’s Bride Arrangement (Brides 0f Inspiration Book 1)

by Maya Stirling

  Johanna glanced into the saloon. She saw tables at which sat groups of men intently focused on the cards they held in their hands; brightly dressed women hung on the shoulders of some of the cowboys. The breeze pushed out an aroma Johanna couldn’t describe.

  Sophie curled an arm in Johanna’s and they all moved quickly on.

  For a while they moseyed up the boardwalk. Sophie and Johanna halted in front of the dress-shop. Johanna saw Zane frown as she and Sophie started up a discussion about the elegant blue dress on display in the window. Zane shifted on his heels as the conversation continued. Eventually they moved on when Sophie promised Johanna that they’d come back to the shop another day.

  They crossed the road and continued to saunter up the boardwalk. Eventually they came to the hotel and Sophie led them inside, past reception and into the restaurant. The interior of the restaurant was surprisingly lavish considering how modest was the hotel. They all took a table in the corner facing the window. There were another three couples in the restaurant. All three of them looked with obvious curiosity toward Zane and Johanna.

  Lunch was ordered, soup followed by a chicken dish. The conversation between the three of them was polite, with Sophie leading the way much of the time. But there was nothing unusual about that, Johanna told herself.

  For his part, Zane was quiet, commenting occasionally. Every once in a while Johanna saw him tugging at his collar. She concluded from that gesture that maybe Zane Buchanan wasn’t exactly the sociable type. He sat stiffly in his seat and looked like restaurants weren’t his natural habitat.

  After the main course, Sophie surprised Johanna by standing up. “I just remembered, I promised to take something to Nathan over at the jailhouse,” she said. “I need to get back to the house. You two stay here, though. You don’t need to come with me.”

  Right away, Johanna knew that couldn’t be true. She’d heard the way Nathan had spoken to Sophie the previous evening. The last place he’d want his wife to be anywhere near at lunchtime today would be the Sheriff’s jailhouse.

  Johanna didn’t get a chance to say anything, though. Sophie smiled at her and Zane and then she was gone, in a flash, leaving Johanna and Zane on their own and wondering what had just happened.

  There was a long, very awkward silence for a few minutes. Johanna kept her gaze from Zane and wondered how he would react to being left alone with her.

  Finally Zane quirked a brow. “I think she planned that all along, don’t you?” he said. The corner of his mouth creased with a mischievous smile. Johanna realized, to her surprise, that she found that expression of Zane’s quite pleasing.

  “I think you’re right,” Johanna replied. “She’s always at least two steps ahead of everyone.”

  “Only two?” Zane joked.

  They both laughed and coffee was brought. A silver cake stand laden with delicious looking cakes was placed in the middle of the table. They each took a cake and ate it with their coffee. They chatted as they ate. After that, Zane sat back in his chair. He seemed much more relaxed, now that Sophie was gone.

  “What do you think of Inspiration?” Zane asked.

  “Beautiful,” she said. And she meant it. The town was so much more than she could ever have imagined. “How long have your family lived here?”

  At first she wasn’t sure whether she should have asked him that. She almost expected him to freeze up again, as if she’d stepped over an undeclared boundary. But, to her surprise he didn’t react like that.

  “My parents came here over twenty years ago,” Zane said. “My pa established the ranch and then we built it up to what you saw yesterday.”

  “They must be so proud,” Johanna said. “It’s really impressive.”

  “You think so?” he asked.

  Johanna nodded. “It must have taken so much work to make it what it is,” she said.

  “Well, my parents did have five sons to help them,” he said.

  Instantly, she saw his eyes darken and he drew in a deep breath.

  “Five?”

  He frowned. “I mean, four,” he replied abruptly. But she could see the sudden darkness in his eyes as he said the words. She wondered how he could have made such a mistake. Johanna considered pressing him for more, but decided against it when she saw the impassive mask he’d quickly placed over his features.

  “And you?” he asked. “You mentioned you had a family in Pennsylvania? Is that where you grew up?”

  Johanna leaned back against her chair, feeling suddenly awkward. As if sensing her unease, he tried to backtrack. He waved a hand. “Sorry. I don’t have any right asking you that,” he said quickly.

  “No. It’s okay. There’s nothing to tell, really,” she replied. “My parents passed a few years back,” she said.

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” he murmured quietly and, to Johanna’s ears, quite sincerely.

  Feeling relieved that he hadn’t asked just how her parents had died, she continued: “No need to apologize. I’ve been living with my aunt for a while. But, she’s got a life of her own to live. So it was about time I left.”

  He frowned. “She threw you out?” He looked almost shocked at her revelation.

  Johanna gasped. “Nothing so dramatic. She and I didn’t get along. Two strong characters under the same roof, I guess. A nice roof in a good part of Philadelphia,” she said lightly. “But I wanted a change. Something new.”

  She expected him to ask her why she’d chosen Inspiration. Because that would have made sense, she told herself.

  Instead, Zane’s gaze softened and he surprised her with his next words. “I agree,” he said in a quiet voice.

  “With what?”

  “That you’ve got a pretty strong personality,” he said. “It takes a whole lot of courage to do what you’ve done.”

  She felt her face flush slightly with the compliment. “I don’t know about that. Seems like lots of women are getting to be mail order brides.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Is that how you see yourself?” he asked.

  She sighed. “Sophie’s setting something up. Bringing brides out to Inspiration. And I just happen to be the first.”

  Saying it like that, it all sounded so simple. And yet, so complicated, she told herself. She suddenly wondered what he thought of her, now that she’d admitted what she had become.

  A bride in waiting.

  “And you’re happy about that?” he asked.

  It was almost an intensely personal question. Possibly the first truly personal inquiry he’d made of her today. She wondered how many other questions he’d ask her. Especially about her past. The past she wanted to forget.

  “I don’t know,” she said, feeling slightly self-conscious. “Who knows. I’m here. That’s all I really know for sure.”

  Zane leaned his elbows on the table. “From what I saw yesterday, it seems you just might know what you want.”

  She tilted her head. “What do you mean?” she said with a hint of challenge in her voice.

  “I mean, coming all the way out here, you need a whole lot of faith.”

  She peered at him. “I do have faith. Otherwise I don’t think I could have made the journey. My mother was a believer. She always told me to look to the future and trust Him to lead me on the right path. Even if it doesn’t seem comfortable. Or easy.”

  “The hard path,” he said evenly.

  “We follow where He leads us, don’t we?” she replied.

  He thought about that a while, his gaze steady. Then he said: “Sounds familiar,” he murmured.

  “How so?”

  He sighed. “My ma and pa always told me and my brothers that we owed everything up there at the ranch to Him. That none of it would have come to pass without faith.”

  Johanna smiled. It felt good to have that connection with him. At least they had that. Something they could share.

  Johanna became aware that one of the other couples seemed unusually interested in the conversation. Johanna peered steadily at the couple fo
r a few moments. They quickly looked away, their faces coloring with embarrassment.

  Zane glanced at the couple and smiled. “Folks in this town like to gossip,” he explained.

  “Isn’t that wrong?” she said.

  “I guess so. But, you are a newcomer. They’re probably just curious.”

  Johanna sighed. “I’d prefer it if they’d keep their curiosity to themselves.”

  Zane took a sip of coffee and then glanced out the window. She saw him freeze for a moment, the coffee cup hovering in front of his mouth. Johanna turned and saw an unwelcome figure standing on the boardwalk outside the restaurant’s window.

  Brett Calhoun was looking straight at them.

  Zane placed his cup down on the saucer. Calhoun didn’t move. He was obviously fascinated by the sight of Zane and Johanna sitting at the table. Calhoun lifted a brow and glanced from Zane to Johanna. There was a cheroot hanging from one corner of his mouth.

  Zane pushed his chair back and made as if to stand, but Johanna stretched out a hand and touched Zane’s arm. “Please, Zane. There’s no need,” she pleaded.

  Zane froze and looked down at Johanna’s hand on his arm. Realizing what she’d just done, she quickly pulled her hand away. But, when she turned to look at Calhoun, she saw a dark look on the man’s face.

  What did Calhoun think of her gesture? Had she accidentally given the completely wrong impression? She wondered how that could even be important to Calhoun. Even if he was a troublemaker, surely it was none of his concern how she and Zane passed their time together.

  Johanna watched as Zane glared at Calhoun, making it pretty obvious that his presence outside the window wasn’t welcome. Calhoun finally got the point and moved on, shaking his head and puffing on his cheroot.

  “I can’t stand that man,” Zane admitted.

  “Why?” she asked.

  Zane shook his head. “I don’t want to spoil our time together by wasting my breath telling you all about Brett Calhoun.”

  Johanna told him about how she had met Calhoun the previous night when she and Sophie had returned to town. Zane’s features darkened the minute he heard her description of her encounter.

  “It’s a pity,” Zane said.

  “What is?”

  “You want to stay well away from that man. He’s bad through and through. And he isn’t the kind you’ll see in church on tomorrow.”

  “I didn’t expect I would,” she said.

  “You’re planning on going?” Zane asked.

  “Sophie and Nathan are taking me.”

  Zane thought for a while. “My family usually come down for the service.”

  “Then I’ll see you all there, then, won’t I?” she said brightly.

  Just the mention of church seemed to have cleared the air of the memory of Calhoun’s unwanted presence. She’d said she’d look forward to seeing the whole Buchanan family. But, what she’d really meant was that she’d enjoy seeing Zane there. She felt suddenly good about the time they’d passed together. They’d both shared something of their past. And the fact that they both shared a faith. Johanna wondered if he felt the same way.

  Johanna looked up and saw Sophie making her way into the restaurant. She was slightly out of breath as she halted at the table. “Did I just see Calhoun?”

  Zane nodded. “You sure did.”

  “He didn’t come inside the restaurant, did he?” Sophie asked.

  Zane smiled at Johanna. “I don’t think he dared consider doing that for one moment,” he declared emphatically.

  Sophie peered at the half empty cake stand. “You two look like you enjoyed the cakes.”

  “That wasn’t the only thing we enjoyed, was it Johanna?” Zane said and smiled across at her.

  Johanna glanced up at Sophie. “We got to chatting,” she explained.

  Sophie looked pleased. “That was the general idea,” she admitted with a nod of her head.

  “How was Nathan?” Johanna asked and quirked a brow.

  “Oh, he was fine,” Sophie said. “He sent me packing.”

  “He did?” Johanna said.

  Zane stood. “That reminds me,” he said. “I need to be getting back to the ranch.”

  Johanna felt disappointment as she stood and faced him. Zane bowed his head courteously. “Ladies,” he said. “It has been a definite pleasure having lunch with you today.”

  And then he flashed Johanna one last smile and left the restaurant.

  CHAPTER NINE

  As Zane rode back to the ranch, he thought about what had just happened. Sharing lunch with Johanna had been pleasant. Surprisingly so, he reflected. He’d seen another side to the woman today. In contrast to yesterday, when she’d seemed cold, today there had been more warmth in her demeanor. Especially toward him. And that had made the time fly by fast. He’d felt a tinge of regret at having to leave her so soon. He realized he could probably have spent the rest of the afternoon getting to know her better. Zane was more sure than ever that there were hidden depths to Johanna. Ones about which he’d relish the chance to discover more.

  He thought about the slip he’d nearly made. It had been an oversight, and he was sure she had noticed.

  Zane had almost mentioned his older brother, Cal. He never talked about Cal. Not to anyone. And certainly not with someone like Johanna whom he barely knew.

  Zane gazed out across the rising plain that eventually would lead up to the ranch. The bright afternoon sun shone down on the rolling landscape. The air was clean and fresh and cool. Zane sighed contentedly. His brother would have loved all of this, he reflected.

  If he had lived.

  Cal would have been as much a part of this amazing life as any of his other brothers.

  But, Cal had been taken. He’d been called to another place, dying tragically young, at the age of twelve. He had been a year older than Zane. If Cal had lived, it would have been him instead of Zane who would have been asked to shoulder most of the burden of seniority amongst the Buchanan brothers.

  Not for the first time, Zane told himself that Cal would have relished the responsibility. Even at the age of twelve, Cal had already been showing all the signs of growing into a tall, dutiful son. One that Zane’s parents had been so incredibly proud of. Just like they were proud of every one of their sons.

  But Cal had been special, and his absence had been keenly felt in the family for years after the tragedy that had taken him.

  So, why had Zane not shared that with Johanna? The truth was he was still getting to know her. He still wasn’t sure if that was the kind of thing he could share with her. Although that seemed to be changing by the day, if not the hour, so fast was he getting to know the newcomer to Inspiration.

  The other reason was that, because of Cal’s passing, all the responsibility had fallen on Zane’s shoulders. Of course, Zane took those obligations seriously. He did that out of respect to his lost brother. He knew that Cal would want Zane to lead the brothers, making sure that everything the family had built would be set on solid foundations. Something that would last. For all of them.

  But there was a truth of which Zane was ashamed. Even if he tried not to think about it too often.