Chase Wheeler's Woman

by Charlene Sands

  With great care, she cut the bird into pieces, wrinkling her nose at such a detestable chore. Good thing the ranch hands had plucked the feathers for her. She doubted she’d be able to do that by herself. Next, she coated one piece of chicken in flour and herbs and flung it into the pan. Grease splattered up, just missing her cheek. She jumped back and watched the grease settle.

  She was more careful after that, rolling two chicken legs around in the flour and setting them into the pan. So far, all she’d done was ruin meals, not injure herself. Of course, she had almost gone up in smoke the other day, along with the ranch house. She’d never be that careless again.

  Loud voices from outside startled her. She glanced out the kitchen window. The ranch hands had circled around two men, and were cheering them on. Curious, she dashed out the kitchen door and lingered on the steps, watching. In a friendly wood-chopping race, Chase Wheeler and another ranch hand were busy slashing their axes with precision, splitting logs in two.

  Letty Sue chuckled. The ritual, instituted by her mother, made a game of a chore most of the hands abhorred. The winner had the privilege of carving his name in the last bundle of firewood, and received a half dozen of Joellen’s fruit pies.

  They’re going to have to wait on those pies until Mama gets home, Letty Sue thought with a smile. She hadn’t mastered pie baking techniques as yet. Heavens, she hadn’t mastered much of anything, and she was running out of clean clothes.

  Soon she’d have to do the washing.

  Lordy.

  But her thoughts were interrupted when she saw Chase Wheeler stop his chopping for a moment, yank off his sweat-stained shirt and toss it onto the fence.

  Sunlight caressed his broad shoulders, coating his bronzed skin like dark honey. Finely honed muscles rippled and bunched with each swing of the ax.

  “Oh my,” she whispered, breathless. She’d never seen him like this, with the setting sun on his shoulders. His dark hair was tied back and his body flowed gracefully as he lifted and lowered his arms to make each cutting blow, his eyes keen on the target.

  Virile. Strong. Savage.

  Mesmerized, she watched the race continue. Her gaze rested solely on one man. Chase Wheeler.

  But then the scent of something all too familiar wafted to her nose. She sniffed once more and took off running. “Oh no!” She dashed inside the kitchen to the cookstove.

  Burned offerings awaited her.

  She wrapped several cloths around the handle and quickly pulled the fry pan off the burner, staring blankly at the shriveled pieces of chicken, singed and scarred beyond recognition.

  “Ruined,” Letty Sue said forlornly. She grimaced when her stomach grumbled. “I don’t believe my stomach can take another slab of stale bread and cheese.”

  Then a thought struck. She didn’t have to eat goat cheese and bread again. No, tonight she’d have herself a fine meal.

  After cleaning up the kitchen, she glanced out the window. The wood-chopping race had ended and the men had dispersed. Most importantly, Chase was nowhere to be seen.

  Good. She’d just wash herself up a bit and change her clothes. She did have a few clean dresses left.

  Tonight, Letty Sue would eat in style.

  Chase Wheeler bedded down the horses, giving his favorite, Tornado, one last handful of oats. He slapped the stallion affectionately on the back and closed the stall door.

  “I’m turning in early myself,” he said to the horse. Tornado snorted in reply and Chase smiled. He wasn’t sure winning the wood-chopping race was worth the trouble. He stretched out his stiff back and sighed. He’d probably not be around long enough to get a chance at the winnings—Joellen’s pies.

  The men had teased that he could always have Letty Sue bake them. Chase had scoffed at that, shaking his head. Letty Sue had been spending a good deal of time in the kitchen. He wondered if she was making progress with her cooking skills. He’d hadn’t heard or seen much of her in days.

  But in the evening, he’d made sure she was “tucked in.” It was a promise he’d made to himself—to see that all was well inside the house before he turned in for the night. She didn’t have to know about it. He stayed in the shadows and waited for lights out before checking on her.

  Only then could he sleep peacefully.

  Chase made his way to the house and climbed the porch steps. He tugged gently on the front door and was gratified to find the door bolted. He glanced into the windows he passed on his way to the back door and puzzled over why he couldn’t see any lantern light in any of the rooms. Had Letty Sue turned in especially early tonight?

  And a sense of dread washed over him like a bucketful of rainwater when he yanked open the back door. It, too, should have been bolted shut.

  “Letty Sue,” he called out to the darkened rooms.

  Silence.

  “I’m coming in,” he said, “so get yourself decent.”

  Silence.

  Chase made his way through the house, calling out for Letty Sue a dozen times. She didn’t answer. Chase pretty much knew from the moment he’d pulled open the back door that Letty Sue wasn’t home.

  So where the hell was she?

  With long strides, he rushed to the bunkhouse, and finding Sam sitting on his bunk, ready to turn in, Chase questioned him.

  “Nope, I haven’t seen her tonight. But if she took off, she’d be riding Starlight.”

  “Riding? Letty Sue rides?” Now, this was news. Chase hadn’t believed she possessed any ranching abilities.

  “Since she was big enough to peer over this here bunk. Yep, she rides. Darn good, too.”

  Chase scratched his head. “Wouldn’t have laid down a bet on that one.”

  Sam chuckled. “Surprisin’, I know. But Letty Sue’s real intelligent, and when she sets her mind to something, there’s usually no stopping her.”

  “Damn. I’d better see if her horse is missing.”

  “I’ll go along with you.”

  Chase and Sam made a quick inspection of the corral that housed the mares. It only took a minute to determine Starlight wasn’t among them.

  “Where would Letty Sue go at this hour?” Chase asked.

  Sam shrugged. “Don’t rightly know. But I do know Starlight’s got on special shoes. Seems one of Letty Sue’s beaus made them up, trying to impress her. Shod the horse right on the property just a few weeks back. And they leave a different mark on the ground. If you’re good, you can pick up on it. Here, I’ll show you.”

  Sam lifted a kerosene lamp off the post and turned up the flame. Searching the dirt near the corral, he called Chase over when he spotted what he was looking for. Pointing, he said, “This one here belongs to Starlight, all right.”

  Chase inspected the hoofprint on the ground. “I see it. Can’t be too hard to track.”

  “You going after her?”

  “Do I have a choice? She’s out there somewhere, alone, in the dark. She didn’t tell anyone where she was going, did she?”

  “Don’t suppose, but I’ll check with the men anyway while you’re saddling up.”

  A few minutes later, Sam met Chase just as he was mounting Tornado. “Earl thinks he saw her kick up some dust just before sunset, heading toward town.”

  “Well, that’s a start.”

  Sam handed the lantern up to Chase. “Want some help?”

  “No. It’d be best if you stayed here, just in case she comes back. Tie her up if you have to, but keep her locked inside the house until I get back.”

  Sam rubbed his jaw, contemplating. “Letty Sue don’t like taking orders, so I might just have to.”

  “Do you have any idea who’d she go visiting at night? Any special friend? ”

  Sam’s eyebrows lifted. He clearly didn’t like the implication Chase was making. He shook his head slowly, showing his displeasure with a frown. “Letty Sue’s not the type of woman—”

  “I wouldn’t be too sure. Women are full of surprises. That’s the one thing I do know about them.” Chase slapped
his hat on his head and rode out, leaving Sam to ponder that notion.

  Starlight’s tracks left no room for doubt; Letty Sue had headed for town. Chase had picked up her trail immediately. He kept wondering whom she was meeting. Why had she left the ranch so late, without telling anyone where she was going? Perhaps he’d misjudged her altogether. She might not be the innocent woman she claimed to be. Or she just might be heading for more trouble than she could handle. Chase pressed Tornado hard, riding with agility, hoping to stop a disaster before it happened.

  He made it to town in less than an hour. Except for the boisterous noise from the saloon, the main street of town was quiet. Chase rode along, his gaze darting from one building to another. He was past the middle of town when he spotted Letty Sue’s horse. Starlight was tethered to a hitching post outside the diner.

  Chase dismounted quickly and strode to the diner’s front window. Pressing his face to the glass, he was able to see into the dark dining area. The chairs were upended onto the tables and the whole place appeared deserted.

  Now that didn’t make sense.

  Where was Letty Sue? And who was she with?

  But then a flicker of light caught his eye. He heard laughter, female laughter. He pressed his face close again, noting shadows casting images against the back room wall.

  Faintly, he peered in, and what he saw twisted something in his gut. Two shapes in the shadows—one male, one female—were standing close, intimately close.

  “Letty Sue,” he whispered. Damn woman. What was she up to? And didn’t she know not to go meeting men in dark, deserted places in the dead of night?

  He’d warned her before.

  Hell, they’d had a truce.

  He had a mind to turn around, mount his horse and leave her there. Let her get out of this one on her own, he thought. Again he heard her laugh, the sweet sound grating in his ears.

  Hell. That’s just what he’d do. Turn around and head home. If she wanted to be treated like an adult, well, he’d oblige. “You’re on your own, darlin’.” He spun around quickly, ready to hit the road.

  Then he heard her shriek.

  The sound jolted him into action.

  He threw his weight against the door. It opened easily, since it wasn’t bolted, and he found himself off balance, halfway into the dining room. He righted himself, drew his gun and entered the back room.

  “Hold it right there,” he announced with authority.

  Both the guilty parties stopped what they were doing and froze. Stunned expressions greeted him.

  But no one was more startled than he was.

  Letty Sue stood over a pot of stew, with ladle in midair. A boy, no older than fifteen and wearing an apron, stopped cutting up vegetables.

  “What the—” Chase lowered his gun. A hundred muddied notions entered his head, but then one clear thought filtered through. The clandestine meeting he’d imagined in his mind had come to pass. Chase had caught them in the act, all right.

  He’d caught them, with guilt-ridden faces…cooking!

  Chapter Six

  Letty Sue’s mouth dropped open. Astonished, she gazed into the equally astonished, confounded face of Chase Wheeler. He stood there, eyes blinking rapidly, taking in the whole scene.

  With his gun drawn and those silver eyes narrowed, he’d looked like a man ready to pull the trigger, a man who’d likely down his opponent, a man who wouldn’t miss his target.

  But now, as he holstered his gun with a befuddled expression, he simply looked…foolish.

  Letty Sue set down her ladle. A full measure of anger swelled within her, matching the heat of the beef and vegetable stew bubbling over the flames.

  “Chase, what are you doing here?”

  His dark brows lifted. “A better question is what are you doing here?” He regained his composure quickly. Chase wasn’t one to let down his guard too long.

  “Isn’t it obvious?”

  “No,” he said stubbornly, “it isn’t obvious.” He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her.

  “Petey is giving me a cooking lesson.”

  Chase glanced at the boy, then returned his gaze to her. Out of respect to Petey, who’d been so obliging this evening, and to the Mayfields in general, Letty Sue offered introductions.

  “Petey Mayfield, I’d like you to meet Chase Wheeler, temporary foreman at the Double J.”

  Petey hesitated, setting aside a batch of carrots he’d been ready to dice up, then came forward and offered Chase his hand. Chase blew out a breath, then shook it.

  “Nice meetin’ ya,” Petey murmured.

  Chase nodded. “Same here.” He turned to her. “I heard a scream.”

  “Chase, were you spying on us?”

  Letty Sue’s initial anger dissolved when she noticed Chase shift his stance, clearly uncomfortable. Was that color rising on his cheeks?

  He had been spying on them. The fact not only amused her, but also gave her the upper hand for once.

  “Listen up, Letty Sue. You know darn well we had a truce. You didn’t tell a soul on the ranch where you were heading or who you planned on meeting.” His gaze rested on Petey, obviously sizing him up.

  “I didn’t want anyone knowing,” she said simply. The truth was, she didn’t want him knowing she’d ruined yet another meal. She didn’t want him to find out how inept she was at cooking, a task most women took to easily. For the first time in her life, Letty Sue felt inadequate as a female.

  And it was all Chase Wheeler’s doing.

  “I know my way to town, Chase. Besides, a woman’s got a right to a little privacy.”

  “Privacy?” Chase’s voice rose. “You want…privacy?” He looked fit to be tied. “Damn it, woman, I’m responsible for you.”

  “You keep saying that. But I can take care of myself.”

  “Is that so? So why’d you scream? And don’t deny it, because I heard it plain as day.”

  “You mean, when you were spying?”

  “Letty Sue,” he began and there was enough warning in his tone that she rushed to answer.

  “All right, it was the stew. I screamed when I tasted it.”

  Chase’s mouth twisted, hiding what she knew to be a smug grin. “That bad?”

  “That good!” Her joy wiped that all-knowing expression off his face. “I couldn’t believe it. It tastes just like Mama’s, even better. And I cooked it myself. Petey watched, but I did all the cooking. Isn’t that right, Petey?”

  Petey nodded. “She’s done real good for her first lesson, Mr. Wheeler.”

  Letty Sue smiled, feeling great pride at her first real accomplishment. Coming to the diner had been a smart notion. At first she’d thought she’d just pay for a good meal and be done with it, but on the ride to town she’d realized nothing would get settled that way. Asking Emma Mayfield or one of the other ladies working at the diner would have been humiliating, but then she noticed Petey in the back, cooking, and the idea struck. She’d waited until all the patrons left the diner and then approached him. Petey had been more than happy to help. “And not even seeing you here tonight is going to spoil my good mood, Chase.”

  “Well, then, your stew’s a success.” Chase scratched his head and angled his chin toward the door. “Now it’s time to head back.”

  “Oh, no you don’t, Chase. You’re not going to order me home, not now. Petey and I are going to dine on this delicious meal. And even though you’re most disagreeable, I’m happy to ask you to join us.”

  Chase glanced at her, then at the pot of stew simmering, lending off the most deliciously fragrant aroma. He shot Petey one quick look, then answered, “No, thank you kindly though. You two enjoy your meal. I’ll be waiting out front.”

  “But Chase, you don’t have to wait for me. Petey said he’d be glad to escort me home.”

  Chase turned and headed out the door. “Like I said, Letty Sue, I’ll be waiting out front.”

  Privacy? The woman wanted privacy and all else be damned. Just like a woman. Ju
st like Letty Sue. Nothing they’d agreed upon had sunk in. She’d deliberately taken off without telling him where she was going. She’d gone out at night, mindless of her own safety. She’d made him chase after her, nearly humiliate himself in that kitchen, and she’d gotten angry with him!

  It was clear now she planned on obeying the rules of the truce only when it was convenient for her.

  Only more reason for Chase to keep his eye on her.

  Chase let a solid oak post of the diner’s porch hold his weight as he leaned back and puffed on a cheroot. The night air was crisp, a gentle breeze blowing away the dust of the warm dry day.

  His mind still on Letty Sue, he found a smile surfacing. She was something, if not a handful of trouble. But her happiness tonight over cooking that simple meal took most of the starch out of his fight. He simply didn’t have the heart to argue much over her leaving the ranch, not when she positively beamed with joy over bits of browned meat mingling with a batch of vegetables. Hell, even he could conjure up son-of-a-gun stew.

  And he had to admit a wave of relief had swept over him when he’d barged into that kitchen, expecting the worst only to find Letty Sue innocent of any wrongdoing. There’d been no clandestine meeting, no private affair, no planned rendezvous.

  Still, he’d eyed the boy closely. Petey was clearly smitten with Letty Sue. There was no mistaking that puppy-dog look of longing in the boy’s clear brown eyes. Letty Sue had that affect on most men, young ones included. It made Chase itchy, nervous because it was completely out of his control. He liked to be in control. He hadn’t bent to temptation often, but when he had, back in Abilene, he’d been burned, badly.

  Giggles, soft and feminine, had him turning his head. Letty Sue and the boy sat at one of the tables in the far corner of the diner. One candle flickered over their meal and paraded over the walls, allowing him to view them sharing the meal.

  A knot of remorse niggled at him.

  He could be dining with her.

  Enjoying her company.

  Listening to her bursts of joyous laughter.

  Chase puffed on his cheroot one last time, dropped it to the ground and stomped it out.