The Texan

by Bobbi Smith

  “Tomorrow you’re going to start learning how to shoot.”

  Millie was quiet for a moment as she considered the prospect of actually learning how to use a gun. “Do you think I can do it?”

  “I guess we’ll find out. We’ll have to get you some different clothes to wear if I’m going to transform you into a cowgirl.”

  “I’ve never worn pants like you’ve got on,” Millie said. “Are they comfortable?”

  “Yes, but if you don’t want to wear pants, I have a split riding skirt you can have.”

  “I’ll try anything once,” Millie declared. “Has Miss Harriet seen you dressed this way yet?”

  “No, not yet.”

  “It’ll be interesting to hear what she has to say.”

  “Maybe we can convince her to dress for ranch work, too,” Emmie said with a grin, trying to imagine the older woman out working stock dressed like a ranch hand.

  They both laughed at the idea.

  “I don’t think that will go over very well with her,” Millie responded.

  “You’re probably right.”

  They lingered there a little longer before returning to the house for the evening.

  Chapter Eight

  It was long after dark when Josh finally finished working in the stable and started up to the main house. He wanted to check the books and make sure all the paperwork was caught up. The house was dark, so he let himself in, not wanting to disturb anyone. He went straight to the study and closed the door. He lit the lamp and settled in at the desk. Tired as he was, he hoped he could finish quickly and call it a night.

  For Emmie, the day had been long and exhausting, both emotionally and physically, but she was finding comfort in being home at the ranch. She had spent the evening at the house with Millie and Miss Harriet, enjoying the delicious dinner Kate had made for them, and then they had all retired early.

  Emmie had fallen asleep as soon as she’d gone to bed, and it was much later that night when she was jarred awake by the sound of someone moving about downstairs. She got out of bed and quickly opened her bedroom door to check. She thought Millie or Miss Harriet might need something. She was surprised when she found the house was completely dark.

  Uneasy, she quickly donned her robe and silently went into her father’s bedroom to get his gun. She didn’t know who was downstairs, but she intended to find out.

  Gun in hand, Emmie carefully made her way down the steps and looked around. She was surprised to see light coming from beneath her father’s closed office door, and her first thought was that someone was trying to steal the cash kept there. Her father had always locked what cash he had on hand in a small safe hidden in the office. She was frightened, but knew she had no time to go for help. Yelling would do her no good, since there was no one within earshot who could come to her aid in time.

  Taking a deep breath, Emmie tightened her grip on the gun and in one smooth move threw the door open and rushed in to confront the thief.

  “Hold it right where you are!” she ordered.

  Josh had been hard at work when the door flew open. Startled, he looked up to find himself staring down the barrel of Hank’s revolver—but Hank definitely wasn’t the one holding it.

  Shocked to find Josh sitting at her father’s desk, Emmie just stood there staring at him.

  Josh tried to stay calm, but, in truth, he was furious. He was usually on the other end of a loaded gun. “I hope you know how to use that gun.”

  “Oh!” Completely embarrassed, Emmie lowered the revolver. “It’s you.”

  “And just who did you think it would be?” he demanded, glaring up at her. It was then that he noticed her robe had come untied and was gaping open, giving him a clear view of the pale blue silk nightgown clinging to her womanly curves. With her dark hair down and loose about her shoulders, she looked more like a seductress than Hank’s little girl. Josh immediately grew irritated with himself over the direction of his thoughts.

  Completely unaware of her state of undress, Emmie heard the anger in his voice and returned it, challenging, “I heard a noise down here and came to check on it. When I saw the light coming from under the door, I thought someone was robbing us.”

  Josh deliberately glanced down at the books spread out before him on the desktop before looking up at her again. It was then that he spotted Millie rushing down the steps out in the hall.

  “The only thing anyone’s getting robbed of to night is sleep,” he growled, nodding toward the door.

  Emmie turned to see Millie hurrying toward her, wide-eyed with fear.

  “What is it? What’s wrong?” Millie demanded as she entered the study. She was shocked to find that Emmie was holding a gun.

  “Nothing’s wrong,” Emmie quickly assured her. “I didn’t know Josh was here working, so when a noise downstairs woke me up, I came down to see what was going on.”

  “Did you really need to carry a gun?” Millie asked, unnerved.

  “You never know.”

  “Well, thank heaven it was only Josh,” Millie said, relieved, giving him a quick smile. Then she realized Emmie’s state of undress. “Emmie! Fasten your robe!”

  Emmie glanced down at herself and was mortified. She quickly turned away, setting the gun aside so she could retie the belt to her robe.

  “Ladies?” Miss Harriet’s call from the top of the staircase drew their attention. “Is everything all right?”

  Millie stepped out into the hallway to reassure her.

  “Very well,” the chaperone said, sounding calmer once she’d heard the explanation. “Good night, then.” She turned away from the railing and went back to her room, murmuring, “I suppose this kind of thing goes on often around here.”

  “Well, now that I know you’re all right, I’m going back to bed, too,” Millie declared. “Good night, Josh.”

  “Good night,” he told her.

  “Are you coming?” she asked Emmie as she started from the study.

  “I’ll be along.”

  Millie could sense the tension between Josh and Emmie, but she said nothing more as she left them alone.

  Once Millie had disappeared upstairs, Emmie glanced back at Josh to find him still watching her, his expression unreadable. She felt more than a little awkward. They hadn’t gotten off to the best start. First she’d discovered he was the partner she never knew she had, and just now, in her haste to be vigilant, she could have taken a shot at him.

  It was all very hard for her, and finding him at her father’s desk—working on the books, a job that her father always spent so much time on—just made it that much more difficult. This room had always been Hank’s sanctuary. His presence there reminded her once again that her father truly was gone.

  “I’m sorry I came barging in on you the way I did,” Emmie said, swallowing her pride.

  For the first time, Josh managed a wry half smile at her. “You’re definitely Hank’s daughter.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “You’re not afraid of a fight—and I’d say you know how to handle a gun.”

  “He thought it was important I learn how in case I needed to defend myself.”

  “He was right. You never know what you’re going to run into in these parts.”

  “Yeah—like you in the study in the middle of the night,” she said, finally relaxing a bit and managing a smile. “Do you do this often?”

  “Work on the books this late?” he asked. At her nod, he explained, “I’ve been trying to get caught up, but it’s been so busy, I haven’t had a lot of time to devote to the paperwork. From now on, I’ll let you know before I come up to the house. I didn’t mean to scare you to night.” He was glad she’d covered herself again. He didn’t need such a potent distraction.

  “I know, and I appreciate what you’re doing. When you get time, I want to learn how to handle the book-work, too. I think it’s important I learn everything there is to know about the ranch.”

  “Your father never went over any of this
with you?”

  “No. I’m sure he thought we had plenty of time to worry about that later.” Pain flared within her. “And he did like to be in control of all the finances.”

  “I understand,” he said sympathetically. “As soon as things calm down around here, I’ll start showing you how he kept the books.”

  “That’ll be good. We’ve got a ranch to run.”

  “Yes, we do.”

  “I’ll see you in the morning.” She started from the room.

  “Good night.”

  Josh watched as she picked up her father’s gun and left the study, closing the door behind her. He gave a shake of his head and pushed the image of her with her robe unfastened from his mind as he turned back to the books. It had been a very interesting day—and he wondered if Hank had known what he was doing when he’d insisted Emmie had to live at the ranch to gain her inheritance. Working together wasn’t going to be easy.

  Emmie was more than a little embarrassed as she went back to bed. She’d thought she was being brave when she’d grabbed the gun to confront the intruder. She’d thought she was protecting the ranch, but all she’d done was make a fool of herself. And then to have her robe fall open…She was so embarrassed. Closing her eyes, she sought sleep. If today was any example of what her life was going to be like on the Rocking R, she was going to need all the rest she could get.

  Millie was up early, eagerly looking forward to the day to come. Emmie’s promise to take her for a ride and teach her how to shoot excited her. She knew her parents would frown on such unladylike behavior, but she had no intention of telling them.

  Adventurous spirit that she was, Millie couldn’t wait to ride out and get a real look at the ranch. The carriage ride from town had given her an idea of just how big the Rocking R really was, but actually covering the miles on horse back would be even more exciting.

  Last night had given her a whole new perspective on learning how to use a gun, too. When Emmie had first offered, she’d found the thought of learning to shoot entertaining, but after seeing Emmie in the study with a gun in her hand, she had changed her opinion. Her friend had thought someone was robbing them, and she had done what she’d needed to do to protect her home. That wasn’t entertainment; that was survival.

  Millie wondered if Emmie was up yet. She was just about to dress and go knock on her friend’s bedroom door when a knock came at her own door.

  “Who is it?”

  “It’s me,” Emmie announced. “I’ve got something for you.”

  “What?” Millie hurried to open the door and found her friend standing there with an armload of clothes and a pair of riding boots.

  “Here—see what fits and meet me downstairs. We’ll have breakfast and go for our ride before it gets too hot.”

  “I’ll be right down.”

  Millie took the clothes from her and quickly set about sorting through them. She found a pair of pants just like the ones Emmie had on and decided to wear them, along with one of the simple shirts. It didn’t take her long to change, and after pulling on the boots, she turned to study herself in the mirror over the dresser.

  Millie had to smile as she stared at her own reflection. She’d always considered herself a bit of a tomboy, and today she was going to be really adventurous. She grinned mischievously and grabbed a ribbon to tie her blond hair back out of the way before hurrying down to find Emmie.

  “Don’t you look like you belong here,” Emmie teased when Millie entered the dining room.

  “Do you really think so?” she asked, joining her friend at the table.

  “Absolutely. How do you like wearing pants?”

  “It’s rather liberating, don’t you think?”

  “Very.”

  They grinned at each other, knowing how the girls back East would talk if they ever saw them dressed this way.

  “Well, eat your breakfast. We’ve got a lot to do today” Emmie told her.

  Millie was surprised by the amount of food Kate had made for them. There were eggs and biscuits and bacon. “Is breakfast like this every day?”

  “No, sometimes she makes hotcakes, and they’re wonderful!”

  “If she feeds us this way all the time, we’re going to need bigger pants.” Millie laughed.

  “We’re going to need all the breakfast we can eat to get us through the day. You’ll see.”

  They dug in, enjoying every bite of the delicious, homemade fare.

  “Emmie…I wanted to ask you…did you and Josh get everything settled last night?” Millie had recognized that there was tension between them when she’d left the study, and she’d been wondering how the confrontation had turned out.

  Emmie looked over at her. “Yes. I don’t think I’ll be breaking down the study door in the middle of the night anymore.”

  “Is it safe for us to ride out alone?” Millie had heard the story of why Emmie’s mother had gone back East to live.

  “We’ll be fine. There hasn’t been any trouble around here for some time now.”

  “Good. Where are we going?”

  “I want to take you out to one of my favorite places on the ranch.”

  “Where is it?”

  “You’ll see. I want to surprise you.”

  “I love surprises.”

  “I know.”

  They finished eating and went out to get their horses.

  Chapter Nine

  Josh had been working hard out on the range checking stock since just after sunup. He rode back in to find Steve in the stable telling one of the other hands that Emmie and Millie had gone for a ride.

  “How long ago did they leave?” Josh demanded, breaking into their conversation.

  “A couple of hours,” Steve answered.

  “Did they say where they were going?”

  “Emmie just wanted to show her friend around the ranch.”

  “And you haven’t heard from them since?” Josh was growing worried.

  “No. Emmie knows her way around.”

  Josh was irritated. When he’d become a partner in the ranch, he’d never dreamed he’d end up running it with Hank’s young daughter. He had enough to worry about on the Rocking R without having to keep track of females from back East. Emmie might know her way around, but this was a hard country, and there was no telling what kind of trouble two women out there riding all alone might run into.

  “I’ll be back,” he snarled, mounting up again.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I’m going hunting.”

  “Hunting?” Steve was confused and didn’t understand why the boss seemed so angry. “What are you hunting?”

  “Lost females,” he growled, not the least bit happy about having to waste time looking for Emmie.

  “You want some help?”

  “No. Keep working. I’ll find them.”

  With that, he rode out.

  Steve watched Josh go and knew that the foreman would find the women, for Josh was one of the best trackers he’d ever known.

  Emmie and Millie had been riding for quite a while as Emmie showed her friend around the Rocking R. When it neared midday and the sun was blazing down, Emmie could tell Millie was getting hot and tired.

  “Warm enough for you?” Emmie asked.

  “Yes,” Millie answered without hesitation. “I’m glad you loaned me a hat.” She definitely appreciated the Stetson she was wearing.

  “Next trip into town, we’ll get you one of your own.”

  “Good. I’m going to need it.”

  “Come on,” Emmie encouraged, urging her horse forward. “There’s one more place I want to show you—and I think you’re really going to like it.”

  Millie followed her lead, wondering how sore she was going to be the following day after sitting in the saddle so long. They rode on for another mile or two before Emmie turned down an overgrown path. Millie followed after her, but wondered where in the world they were going.

  And then she found out.

  “This is my fav
orite place on the ranch.”

  “No wonder you wanted to come here!” Millie said excitedly as they reined in on the bank of a small lake. “It’s heavenly!”

  “I thought you might like it,” Emmie said as they dismounted. “I used to swim here when I was little.”

  “It’s so hot today, I wouldn’t mind jumping in there right now,” Millie said as she walked down to the water’s edge.

  Emmie shot her friend a mischievous look. “We are all alone.”

  Millie looked back at her, a twinkle in her eye. “Really? Are you sure? You think we could—”

  “Come on! Let’s cool off!”

  Millie glanced around a bit nervously. She’d never undressed in such an open place before. “How much should I take off?”

  “Nobody’s going to see us. It’s safe.” Emmie set about removing her pants, shirt, and boots, and then she ran into the cool, welcoming water wearing only her underclothes.

  Millie couldn’t believe her friend was being so bold, but when Emmie started splashing around like a little child, she couldn’t resist. She shed her riding clothes, too, and charged into the lake to join her, squealing in delight at the chill of the water.

  * * *

  Josh hadn’t had any idea where to look for Emmie and Millie as he’d started out. There was no telling where they might have gone, and that was what worried him.

  He’d been riding, trying to track them down, for almost half an hour when he heard what he thought was the sound of a woman screaming off in the distance. It sounded like trouble, and he grew even more worried. Josh drew his gun as he urged his horse to a gallop, heading in that direction, fearing the worst. He charged through the brush as he heard more shouts coming from ahead of him, and then abruptly reined in as he reached the water’s edge. It was Emmie and Millie, but they weren’t in trouble. They were almost completely stripped of their clothing, and they were frolicking in the water.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded, unable to look away from the sight of the two women standing waist-deep in the water, completely soaked.

  Their hair was unbound and down around their shoulders, and they were wearing only their dripping wet, clinging undergarments. If ever there were two women out looking for trouble, it was these two. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do with them.