“I need to thank you both for coming to my rescue and for taking care of me. My husband, Abner, had left to go hunting for several days.” She stifled a yawn.
“Glad we could help,” Jim said. And she drifted off again into a dreamless sleep.
When the clock on the mantel struck five, Laura woke and saw two forms wrapped in bedrolls lying before the fire. At first she was surprised they had slept in the cabin, but they had been taking care of her—where else were they to sleep? She was feeling much better today and would straighten out the sleeping arrangements.
When she tried to ease from the bed, she gasped at a sharp pain in her chest. She probably had cracked ribs as well as other injuries. Slipping behind the privacy screen to dress, she realized she was wearing a nightgown! She had not been dressed for bed when she left the cabin four days ago. How could she face them, knowing they had undressed her? Not even Abner had seen her in the altogether. These men removed her dress and long johns and dressed her in a nightgown. What an embarrassing situation!
She considered several ideas before deciding the best way was to ignore it. They would be on their way soon, and all would be forgotten. As she unbuttoned the front of her gown, she discovered an ugly hoof-shaped bruise above each of her breasts. Betsy had kicked her hard. Thankfully, it had not been her head or she would be dead now. And, she was also thankful to the Lord for sending help. She would think pleasant thoughts about the angel men and Silver for guiding them here.
She had the coffee boiling when they began to stir. They were pleased to see she was up and moving around. In fact, the heavenly smell of biscuits baking filled the cabin. They hurried to help her, insisting she not overdo it. With their help, she soon had a breakfast of bacon, eggs, and hot biscuits with fresh churned butter.
“Thank you for doing the milking and other chores. I was able to make a delicious breakfast this morning with the butter you churned and eggs you gathered.”
“It was our pleasure, Laura. Are the biscuits ready yet?”
When they sat down at the table, Laura extended her hand to each man and asked if one of them would offer a blessing for her continued recovery and for the food. Their eyes widened, but Jim spoke a few words of gratitude and they all said amen.
“Thank you, Jim, I appreciate it. I thank you both for helping me. If you hadn’t come along, I would have laid there until I could get back to the cabin or was eaten by a wild animal.” Jim and Rowdy exchanged glances but remained silent.
After she refilled their coffee cups, Jim asked, “So where is your husband? We know he has not gone hunting. His guns are still on the rack. Aren’t you concerned he has not returned?” He searched her face. “Laura, is that a fresh grave behind the cabin?”
Laura swallowed hard before replying. “He died suddenly almost four weeks ago. I did not know he was ill. Or why he died. I didn’t want anyone to know I was alone here. I thought if anyone knew they would try to take my ranch. I couldn’t understand how you found me until you told me about the wolf.”
“You know about the wolf?” Jim asked with disbelief.
“Yes, after we moved in, he began to appear on the edge of the forest to watch me. I feel he has come to be my protector.”
They looked at her unable to accept her explanation.
“Wolves, and what other protectors are around here?” Rowdy asked.
Thinking of her forest friends sent a warm glow through her. “Oh, there have been lots of lost or injured animals and birds I’ve cared for, but Silver is the one I have a strong connection to. He will come to me when I am afraid or lonely and let me touch him. Then he licks my cheek before he goes back into the forest. But even when he’s gone, I sense his presence.”
She was amused at the expressions on the men’s faces of total disbelief. “Don’t you believe me?”
“Of course, we saw him ourselves, but we find it hard to believe that a wild wolf has become your companion.”
“Well, believe it or not, it happened. How soon will you be moving on?” Laura inquired wanting to change the subject.
“Well, we wanted to talk to you about that.” Jim exchanged glances with Rowdy. “We would like jobs here helping you with chores you cannot do by yourself. We need a safe place to stay for a while because the law is looking for us.”
These men could be killers sitting here with her. A cold chill ran up her spine. She’d revealed she was alone and unprotected.
They started to talk at the same time in a mixed bag of male voices each trying to outdo the other. It grew louder and louder until...
“Stop, please!” Laura yelled. “One at a time,” she said in a quieter tone.
Jim began, “We rode into Denver and stopped at one of the saloons for a drink. Right after we walked in, a man we hadn’t seen since the war recognized us and began calling us deserters. He knew it wasn’t true, but it was his way of causing trouble. He had been under my command and was a drunkard and troublemaker. His problems were someone else’s fault. He grew angrier and pulled a gun on us. We both shot him.” He lowered his head, ashamed of his actions.
“We don’t like killing. We had enough of it in the war. And we had to do it again. His friends told the marshal we started the trouble and pulled on him first, so we lit out for the mountains. We will give you an honest day’s work, and please don’t be frightened of us. We would never harm you,” added Rowdy in his deep, southern drawl.
Laura did not know how to say what she wanted to say. The silence dragged out and finally the men stood up.
“We’ll go saddle up and be gone soon,” stated Jim.
“Please sit back down. We aren’t through talking. I have a problem, and I’ve been trying to decide how to say it. However, it seems you have a problem, too. We need to come to an understanding of what each of us needs out of this deal.” Laura took a deep breath. “I discovered after the death of my husband that he had mortgaged the ranch to Tuffy. We had been buying our supplies, and whatever else we needed on borrowed money and my husband didn’t pay it back with any of the gold he found. Now the payment comes due on the first of June, and I have nothing of value except the horses and the ranch. I need help with chores I cannot do, and, in exchange, I can offer you three meals a day and let you bed down in the barn.” If they didn’t accept her offer, she’d never be able to keep up the ranch, but she couldn’t sacrifice her reputation either.
“The barn!” they chorused.
“Yes, the barn,” Laura crossed her arms and looked her sternest. “I will not be sleeping with two strange men in my house. What will the neighbors say?”
“What neighbors?” Rowdy hooted.
“I do have neighbors who drop by to check on us when they can. Although they have not come by in a while, it is about time for them to show up. I don’t want them to see me here alone with two men.
“Also, as I told you, no one but the two of you knows that Abner died, and I want to keep it that way for the time being. If anyone comes to visit, please fade into the woods until they are gone. Do you understand?” she asked.
They both nodded.
“Are you still going to make us sleep in the barn?” asked Rowdy with a big grin.
Laura thought for a moment then said, “I will compromise. There is a lean-to on the back of the cabin. It was built for the livestock in the winter when the snows became too high to get down to the barn. There is also a fireplace with the chimney connected to mine. It will be very comfortable once we clean it out. I have quilts to help make a bed of hay more comfortable. How does that sound?”
“Like heaven.” Jim winked at her.
What did the gesture mean? Whatever it meant, it made her feel special. No one had ever made her feel special before.
With a happy heart, she gathered the quilts to help them settle into the lean-to. Maybe they were angels.
Chapter Seven
First thing after breakfast, Jim and Rowdy began repairing the barn and corral because no maintenance had been performed o
n either since Abner and Laura moved in. The barn leaked badly in places and the corral timbers were rotten and needed to be replaced. Laura felt strong enough to work a little in the garden. As the day grew warmer, she decided to take the men some fresh spring water.
The shock of seeing two sweaty, muscular male bodies rippling as they glistened in the sunlight and clad only in pants and knee-high boots almost made her drop the bucket of water. When they turned to greet Laura, she discovered she was eye-level with their beautiful muscular hairy chests. And with each breath, their tawny muscles moved under suntanned skin. The vision reminded her of the paintings at Cora’s. Cheeks flaming, she couldn’t look away.
Jim took the dipper and said, “Thanks. We were getting hot and thirsty.” He took a sip then poured the rest over his head. She watched as the water slid through his black hair, down his tanned face, glided over his neck muscles, and entered the forest of black curly hair on his muscular chest. The little streams of cold water encircled his rigid nipples and flowed down his flat abdomen to the waistband of his pants. The bulge at the juncture of his legs grew larger as Laura continued to stare hotly at it.
Rowdy, wanting Laura’s attention, grabbed the dipper from Jim and poured water over his head as well. Laura watched the same sexual glide of the spring water down Rowdy’s muscular body and she grew warmer not from the sunshine, but with improper thoughts of where the water was going. When it soaked into his trouser band, it highlighted his enlarged maleness.
Her body betrayed her as she watched the half-nude men; she breathed deeply smelling their male scent. She felt a desire to touch each one and fought the urge to do so. She had been married long enough to know what the meaning of the bulges in their pants meant. Frightened at her own responses and thoughts, she dropped the bucket, as she fled toward the cabin, yelling over her shoulder, “I have to check on the beans before they burn!”
Shutting the door, she held her palms to her heated cheeks. “Oh my goodness, they’re beautiful! My angels are like gods. My curiosity will get me into trouble if I’m not careful when I’m around them.” She put a pot of beans on to cook so they would not know she lied to get away from them.
They arrived for the noon meal with their shirts on, relaxed and ready to tell Laura about some of their adventures or misadventures growing up in the South. She giggled happily at their tales. They asked her about her family in Missouri.
Laura blinked back unshed tears. “I miss them so much. It hurts to think of them. I am so lonesome for my sister, Jane, who was my best friend growing up. She’s the smart one. She has glorious plans for her life.” Tears spilled over as she thought of what her life might have been if she had been able to remain with her family. As the tears trailed down her cheeks, she brushed them away saying, “I do get occasional letters from my mother who keeps me up on the family news. I try to write, but we don’t go to town often. So when I go, I post all my letters at one time. That way they can keep up with what I am doing here.”
Rowdy asked her, “Why did you come West?”
Laura hesitated for a moment. “I didn’t have a choice about marrying or coming here. Abner offered to marry me to provide the family with a salary until my father could recover from an injury at work. About three years ago, he announced we were moving West. We’ve been here ever since.”
Laura poured more coffee then cleared the table. When they had rested, Jim and Rowdy went back to work. Thankfully, they said nothing about the water business because she was not sure what had really happened. Wiping the event from her mind, she began to plan the evening meal.
After Laura finished the dishes, she rested most of the afternoon. Later she walked down to the barn to gather the eggs and pen the chickens for the night. Hurrying back to the cabin, she put the final touches on the evening meal. She rang the dinner bell then finished setting the table.
When they entered the cabin, she was placing a huge bowl of milk gravy next to a large plate of elk steak, fried potatoes, and beans. They sat down at the table. Laura joined them and she extended her hands to each man. “Rowdy, will you say the blessing this time?”
Rowdy bowed his head.
The supplies Cora had sent with her and the supplies the men brought were proving to be a big help now that she had extra mouths to feed. She enjoyed cooking a large breakfast and an even larger supper knowing the hardworking men needed more food. One day a week she baked bread. She had to limit the men to one loaf of hot bread as soon as she removed it from the oven or they would try to eat as much as they could. The smell of baking bread whetted everyone’s appetite.
Two weeks later, the barn roof and fences were complete. Laura had asked them to enlarge a small existing corral on the front of the barn. Now it was possible for her to see the animals from the cabin without having to go down to check on them. At the upper back ridge of the hidden valley, they built a gate extending it to each side of the steep ridge to prevent the horses from wandering off.
When all the work was completed, Laura felt wonderful. Excited by the new repairs, she grabbed Jim around the middle, hugging him.
Jim had been smiling until Laura hugged him. He gave her the strangest expression. Setting her back from him, he walked toward the river without a word. Rowdy emerged from the storeroom. “Where is Jim going? I thought he was hungry.”
“I don’t know where he’s going.” She turned toward the cabin because she could feel her cheeks flaming red. Uncertain what she had done to cause Jim’s strange reaction, she wanted to put it behind her until she could find out.
During supper, there was little conversation. After they finished eating, Laura asked, “When will you be able to go hunting? The meat supply is beginning to run low.”
They agreed to go after breakfast in two days because they wanted to finish what they had been working on before setting out.
After the evening meals, they usually played poker, trying to teach Laura to keep a straight face if she had a winning hand. But tonight, neither seemed interested in staying in the cabin, not even long enough to help with the dishes like they usually did. She could not put her finger on what she had done wrong by hugging Jim, but she felt she had offended him. She planned to find out the next time she was alone with him, and apologize. She wanted both men to be as happy as she was.
When she finished, she took her cup of coffee out to the porch to sit a spell before retiring. She loved watching the sun sink behind the mountains, casting its final brilliant rays on her world. Her hidden valley glowed warm and alive back at her. From the highest point of the ranch, she could see the trail across the valley edge and know if anyone was coming. The valley had a way of echoing the sound back to her, making her aware of horses and riders. She sat in her rocking chair, enjoying the bliss, when a sound nearby startled her.
Jim came around the corner of the cabin from the lean-to. When she lifted a hand to wave, he turned to go.
Where was he going? Had he come to talk with me and changed his mind?
“Please don’t leave,” Laura called. “Will you join me? I need to talk with you.”
Jim walked up to the porch and sat on the top step, stretching his long legs out in front of him as he leaned back on the post.
When he did not ask her what she wanted, she became annoyed. In frustration, she asked, “What did I do to upset you? Please tell me so I can make it right.”
“Being a widowed woman, you don’t know? Is this an act? Are you trying to fool us with your innocence?” he barked.
What have I done? “Please, tell me how I am fooling you.”
“Are you so dumb you don’t know what your touch can do to a man?” he blurted out.
She stood up, gazing down at him, “If I knew why you were acting like this, I wouldn’t have asked you what was wrong. You continue to accuse me of something, but I have no idea what you’re talking about. So, if you want to play games, then play by yourself because I’m going to bed.” She spun toward the door but Jim jumped up, grabbing her b
efore she got halfway there.
He pulled her roughly to his hard body and nuzzled her hair. “When a woman allows a man to hold her like this, it makes it hard for him to control himself. Don’t you know? Didn’t your husband ever hold you and love you like this?” he whispered between ragged breaths as he rubbed his body against hers. She melted into him.
“There were two times he swung me around when he was happy,” she murmured. “Is that what you mean?”
He held her face tenderly in his hands, as he gazed into her eyes. “Are you still a virgin?” She tried to push away from him but he was ready for her reaction and did not let her go. “Laura, I am not asking you to make you scared of me. I am asking because you may not know the effect you have on a man. You are young and beautiful with your sky-blue eyes, honey-colored hair, and a body a man could lose himself in. Don’t you understand I desire you?” He lowered his head to kiss her.
His lips were soft and pleasant on hers. She swore she heard harp music all around her. She smelled his clean scent of leather and wood. The demanding kiss and his body pushing into her heating body overwhelmed her senses. She felt wetness between her legs and a yearning that needed immediate relief. She floated on air. The sensations were unlike anything she had ever felt before.
Frightened by these new unfamiliar feelings racing wildly through her head and body, she pushed him away. “I don’t need you or any man to turn my head with your sweet words. Now get off my porch!” She stormed into the cabin, shut the door with a loud thud, and barred it.
Chapter Eight
When the men came to breakfast the next morning, Laura greeted them happily. “Sit down and eat.”
They prayed as usual. This time, before releasing her hand, Rowdy looked at it. “How do you keep them so soft and smooth? I know you work just as hard as we do, but ours are so calloused and rough.”
She pulled away. “A woman I met on the wagon train was a healer who taught me about herbs and remedies and how to take care of dry skin. If you would like some of the mixture, I’ll be happy to give you a small jar of the salve. It would work well for you to apply it before you put your leather gloves on so it can soak into the leather, making it soft, too. Your hands won’t crack and bleed anymore.”
Laura's Secrets Page 4