Love on the Ranch

by Ciara Knight

  When they finally managed to return to the river, Elizabeth was covered in river muck and coaxing cattle out of various predicaments from crossing over muddy banks and rocky terrain. All while managing to keep the other half of the herd cornered between the river, herself, and a makeshift fence she’d constructed out of crates and what was left of the wagon.

  The woman was smart, adventurous, and even in her current state of soggy, filthy clothes and wild, wet hair he could still see the beauty of her skin, eyes, hair…body.

  “Food’s gone,” Samuel said as Jeb pulled his horse to a stop.

  Elizabeth nudged a cow into the herd from the embankment, then wiped her hands down her skirt and headed toward them. “I’m afraid in my haste to save the cattle, the wagon was lost.”

  “It’s not your fault,” Teddy said in a light, reassuring tone.

  “No, you saved the herd,” Samuel said. “I wouldn’t have been brave enough to ride toward that thing. I thinks you’re the bravest person I’ve ever met.” He got down on one knee. “I am willing to risk my job and ask you to marry me right now. Even tho’ I knows you’re too good for me.”

  Elizabeth smiled.

  Jeb’s skin heated to a visible shade of red despite the night air and wet breeches.

  “That is the kindest offer I’ve ever received.” She knelt in front of him. “And even though you are a woman’s dream, with your sweet dimples and hard work ethic, I’m afraid I’m not meant to marry. If there is one thing your boss has taught me, it’s that marriage is only a contract that puts someone else in charge of my future.”

  All the men snapped their attention at Jeb.

  “That’s not what I…listen…” He rubbed the back of his neck but couldn’t’ find the words. "Stop all this nonsense. Get the horses taken care of and give me a count of the remaining cattle. Now get.”

  Samuel hopped up and offered his hand to Elizabeth, who took it with a nod. “You’ll make a woman happy someday.”

  He blushed so hard that Jeb could see it through the layers of dirt. The men scattered while Jeb unbuckled his saddle, nudging his horse a little closer to where Elizabeth was scavenging through the debris. “You know, I think you misunderstood what I was saying about marriage. It’s not a contract that makes a wife submissive to all that the husband wants. There are conversations and negotiations.”

  “But in the end, the man has the say, right?”

  “Yes—I mean, no.” He swallowed a lump of what he had to assume was mud or debris, because it lodged tight when he tried to speak. “I’m saying that if I had a wife, I would treat her with respect. Provide her with every need and want.”

  “In exchange, she produces sons for you.”

  “Well, yes. That’s what women do, provide children.” Not even a second after the words left his lips, he saw on her face that he’d said something wrong.

  Elizabeth’s chest heaved with a massive breath, but she didn’t fist her hands or lunge at him this time. Instead, she spoke with a cold, spine-tingling tone. “And what happens if she gives you girls? What do you do then? Send her away? Beat her until she gives you a son, because it’s your right as a husband?”

  “It wouldn’t be that way,” he said, and he meant it.

  She picked up a wheel spoke and tossed it out of the way. “It would be exactly that way. And I’m done with men ruling me, taking things from me. I’ll build my own life, and I won’t let anyone take it from me ever again.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Night had never been so long and soggy. Grunts, moans, and snorts pierced the darkness like a disorganized, bad song with horses clopping for added beats. When the men roused, arguments and shoving matches punctuated their exhaustive state.

  Elizabeth rummaged through the rest of the crates to find some food or her saddle, but neither were found. Nothing was left of their supplies.

  “Let’s get going before we’re too starved to move. We can eat once we reach the camp,” Jeb announced. “With the five missing, we’ll have the exact amount requested. We can’t afford to waste one for food or let anything happen to them. We don’t want to give the commanding officer reason to reject our proposed deal.”

  Elizabeth knew better than to ask if they were union soldiers. No need when they were the only kind left even out here in the territories. Still, the idea didn’t sit well with her. “Sorry boys, I can’t even make coffee for you, but I’ll promise you one thing. The minute we get home, I’ll make all your favorite dishes.”

  The men all recovered from their grouchy state at her promise, at least enough to ready their horses. “I like that you said home,” Samuel said before lifting his saddle blanket and heading to his horse.

  A heat flushed her skin when she realized what she’d said. Jeb abandoned her at the mention of the word and saddled his horse. “Elizabeth will ride with me since there isn’t another saddle.”

  “What?” she screeched more than asked. It had been too distracting when he’d held her tight last night while they raced from the storm. Not that she’d realized her heart was racing from his touch until the funnel cloud had disappeared in the sky, and yet her pulse had still beaten faster than the stampede.

  Jeb chuckled. “I’d let you ride with Samuel, but he might figure out how to get you hitched to him by the time we reach camp. And since I know how you feel about marriage, I wouldn’t want to subject you to such a thing.”

  The men mounted their horses, and Elizabeth was left with no other choice than to ride with Jeb. She thought about walking, but she hadn’t been this tired since the morning after Sherman’s men had burned through their land.

  Once the saddle was secure, Jeb held out a hand for her to join him on the saddle. The horse neighed as if to urge her to get moving before they wasted any more time.

  “Fine,” she huffed, but when Jeb’s fingers wrapped around her waist, she wanted to bolt. Not because it made her angry, but because it made her happy. The last thing she needed was to be attracted to Jeb Clayton.

  They meandered around the wagon bits to the front of the pack. Teddy dropped back, but not before Elizabeth caught his tight lips and bowed head. The man liked being in the lead, proving himself. And he had proven himself so far on the trip.

  Elizabeth cleared her throat and her mind of the way Jeb’s strong chest made her feel safe, safer than she had since before the war. Before she’d realized there were so many real monsters in the world. “You should let Teddy be point. You’re stuck with me, so it might be easier for him.”

  “Nonsense. Besides, I’m not stuck with you. I could’ve put you with one of the other men.”

  “No, you couldn’t. You’re worried that they might try to marry me, and then you’d have to deal with me longer at your ranch.”

  He tsked like an old school teacher.

  “What?”

  “I just can’t see a woman like you with a ranch hand.” Jeb shifted in the saddle, making her edge a little to the right. Her legs protested, but she didn’t want to say anything, not when he was tempting her with what he really thought of her.

  “Why not? If the man is honest, hardworking, values and respects me, I would be pleased to be his wife.”

  “Honest?” Jeb tipped his hat and readjusted himself again.

  “Yes, honest. Why wouldn’t I want an honest man?”

  “Never mind, just hold tight.” Jeb guided his horse down the embankment and into the river.

  “No, I want to know…” They bounced hard, and she grabbed tight to the saddle horn. Icy water shot like thousands of needles into her ankle, as if she was material for cross-stitch.

  “River is mighty awake today,” Teddy yelled. “Maybe we should go up river a ways and see if there’s a safer place to cross.”

  “No time,” Jeb announced, and the men fell into directing the first of the cattle across. “Must be the rains from yesterday, probably no better up or down the river at this point.”

  “There’s always time to avoid danger,” E
lizabeth grumbled, perhaps feeling the effects of no sleep and no food. Every possession they’d brought was scattered across the land.

  “You don’t understand,” Jeb said with a hint of growl to his voice.

  “Why? Because I’m a woman? Well, let me tell you something, Jeb Clayton. I get it. Deadline is everything. If we’re late, I can assume that we risk renegotiation, or worse, a wasted trip, but if we lose more cattle, the same could happen. And if you lose one of your men? Then you have to live with that forever. And from a woman who lost every material thing in her life, I can assure you it doesn’t compare to losing a brother or a parent, friends, or neighbors. At the end of an adventure, you can replace supplies, but you can’t replace the ones you love.”

  Jeb whistled so loud next to her ear, all she could hear was ringing. “Hold up.” He backed out of the river to the grass at the top of the embankment. “Wait here.”

  “Wait? I get that I should try to hold my tongue, but I was just trying to—”

  “Get down, please. I’m not going to leave you here. What kind of man do you think I am?”

  Samuel dismounted, ran over, and assisted her down from her horse.

  “What’s going on, boss? Decided to move the herd upriver?”

  “Nope, but I’m not going to risk anyone else. I’ll cross first to make sure it’s safe.” Jeb clucked and kicked his heels into his horse before anyone could stop him.

  They all remained on the banks of the river, watching him ease his horse into the water once again, hoof-deep, knee-deep, flank-deep. Elizabeth held her breath, waiting to see if he would be swept away.

  The horse went deeper, and Jeb eased her back, then went downstream where one cow had settled into the water. He managed to navigate to the other side, then turned to Elizabeth and the men. “Cross here. It’s less deep than up there.”

  Elizabeth let out a long breath, but it was only long enough to inhale another one as she watched the men guide protesting cattle into the river. Teddy helped her onto his horse and eased into the water near the cattle.

  Two of the cows tried to back out of the river, but they were pushed in from the cows behind them. The river swelled higher, and Teddy backed away from the drive to allow a little room, but the horse slipped. Elizabeth clawed at the saddle horn, but it was slick, and she slid off the side before Teddy could grab her.

  Elizabeth fought to find her footing in the water, but she only slipped, slid, and soared downriver. She slammed into a rock, but she couldn’t hold on, only slipped around it and was pulled under the rapids.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Jeb could only see one hand above the surface. He abandoned the cattle and guided his horse at a gallop along the river but didn’t spot her.

  “There,” Samuel yelled.

  Thank the dear Lord in Heaven for giving Elizabeth red hair, because without it, they would’ve never spotted her in the raging rapids. Men raced down the other side ahead of her, where they’d try to save her as she passed. Jeb couldn’t take that chance. He jumped from his horse and dove into the ravenous water that swallowed him whole.

  With his feet ahead of him, he was able to raise his chin above the water enough to spot Elizabeth flailing ahead. He angled himself so that he would catch her as he passed, but the power of the water fought his arm, and his shoulder wouldn’t let him fight back. He grazed the edge of her skirt with his fingertips, but he couldn’t get a hold and shot ahead.

  “Jeb!” One of the men yelled, but through the pounding water rushing into his ears he couldn’t tell which one it was.

  He managed to lift his head high enough to see the men making a human chain ahead. He choked and coughed, expelling the water from his mouth. There wasn’t anything to cling to that he didn’t slide off of, so he aimed for the men and only hoped he could catch Elizabeth if he joined them.

  With all the strength he could manage, he rolled and twisted toward the embankment. Hands grabbed his shirt, pulling his shoulder back.

  “Ahhhh!” He kicked and slid and tumbled until someone held him long enough for him to lodge his boot between two rocks.

  A flash of red shot by him.

  He lept and snagged a piece of dress. There was no way they’d be able to pull them both in so with his left arm, he managed to reel her into his side. The only way to save her was to release the man’s grip who had him secured from the rapids. He went under and passed her over to the man at his side. Jeb shot down the rapids once again. He only hoped they managed to secure Elizabeth to the shore.

  A sharp turn in the bend of the river caught him in the crook of the land. He managed to grab hold of a chunk of solid ground and anchored himself there long enough to catch his breath, but soon the icy water beat him into submission until he could hold on no longer.

  His muscles burned, his legs and arms went numb.

  “Jeb!” Before he managed to see who was calling, his ribs smashed into something solid.

  “Hold on!” Teddy’s voice rose above the pounding water, and Jeb did what he was told.

  Inch by inch, he scooted until he managed to lodge his boot into something solid. His legs shook, but he managed to stand in the shallower water. “Elizabeth,” he managed between heaving breaths.

  Teddy grabbed hold of his shirt and hoisted him up the embankment. “I raced past, but I saw them haul her ashore.”

  The weight of his body was too much, and he collapsed onto the ground at the edge of the river. “Thank God.”

  The stinging in his chest rose, and he coughed and coughed until he dislodged the water from his lungs. Once he managed to catch his breath again, he took two deep breaths and managed to roll onto his hands and knees. “We need to get back to the cattle. If we don’t, we’ll never make it to the camp on time.”

  “I know, but you need a minute.” Teddy clapped him on the back.

  Jeb shook his head, the only thing he thought still worked after the beating in the river. “No, let’s go. You ride back ahead. Don’t wait for me. Go. Now.”

  With his first and the only objection he ever allowed himself raised, Teddy didn’t need to be told again. Jeb realized at that moment that Teddy truly was a cattle boss, but Jeb still couldn’t turn the reins over yet, not with so much at stake. Someday, though, he’d be willing to sit back on his ranch and let other men like Teddy do their job.

  After several minutes, Jeb managed to stand, but not without considerable effort. If he was this beat up and exhausted, he was sure Elizabeth had suffered far greater. He only hoped she was safely on land. This wasn’t the time to surrender to his pain. He needed to find out if she was hurt or not.

  The sun rose viciously into the sky like a fireball of warning that time ran short. After a long, staggering walk, he finally caught sight of the cattle, but where was Elizabeth?

  He stumbled to Samuel, who wrangled the last few strays to the edge of the river that had calmed since morning. “Where’s Elizabeth? Is she hurt?”

  “No. She wouldn’t even rest, she’s up on your horse over there. She tried to ride out for you, but then Teddy came with the news you weren’t swallowed up by the river.”

  He caught a glimpse of the Fire Lady wrangling cattle and thought he’d seen it all. How could she still be sitting on a horse, let alone be moving after her ordeal?

  “I wouldn’t try to make her get down off your horse just yet. Let’s just say she’s a might scarier than she was when she took on those bandits. Keeps saying something about ‘she can make it in a man’s world.’”

  Jeb held his arm close to his body, trying to relieve some of the pain, but he realized it wasn’t as much his shoulder as it was his heart. His stupid, broken, mangled heart that hadn’t started to pump enough to provide blood to his brain. Not until now. Now he realized that Elizabeth was trying to prove to everyone how tough she was, and he knew why.

  When you are born with nothing and starve most of your life, you don’t realize what it feels like to lose everything. In that moment, watching her hai
r bounce, her gaze transfixed on the cow she saw moving across the river, he saw it. The loss in her eyes. It was a darker, bigger pool of despair than he’d ever thought a woman could bear.

  At that moment, he vowed to make sure she was going to have an easier life. It might not be right for them to marry, but he’d make sure she was set up as a teacher, or a store clerk, or some sort of respectable, more gentle profession that would let her live a long and happy life.

  Elizabeth rode up to him with grace and expertise, handling his horse as if it were her own. “You gonna stand there all day, or are you going to get up on this horse and drive these cattle to camp?”

  “I’m going to get up on my horse, and we are going to drive that cattle.”

  Elizabeth nodded and scooched forward in the saddle to give him room. It took two tries, but he managed the strength to get back on his horse and ride toward a future. He only hoped when they arrived it wouldn’t be too late.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The long trail continued for miles and miles and miles. Elizabeth wanted to fall off the horse and beg this adventure to end. Her backside hurt so bad that she wasn’t sure she’d be able to sit for a month. Never mind the fact that her arms, legs, back, neck, and places she couldn’t name ached as if that tornado had sucked her up in its belly and spit her out a hundred miles away.

  As the sun lowered in the sky, her head began to bob. She fought hard to keep her eyes open. Jeb cradled her against him so she could rest, but she didn’t want to sleep, not yet. She wanted to make it all the way to the camp the same way the men would make it.

  “Tell me about Mary? How was she when you were younger?” Elizabeth asked.

  “She wasn’t the woman she is now. Ma married at such a young age, only a child herself. My pa was older and convinced her that he was there to save her when she faced being an orphan. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the man he claimed to be. Ma was young and weak. It wasn’t until she lost my sister that she realized she could fight back.”