“Yes, you are.” She turned and faced him, her heart sprinting. She didn’t like the feelings racing through her, making her antsy as a calf just separated from its mother. She winced at the thought. “Are you ever going to give the ranch back to me?”
Brooks’s smile faded and he pursed his lips. “No. I’ve come to believe it’s God’s will for me to be here.” He looked away, staring at the pond, as if he could no longer face her.
She would have to make some plans, sooner or later. She could not continue to live here knowing that. With no money, Carl was her only option.
Brooks cleared his throat. “If you want to share ownership of the ranch, you can marry me.”
Keri jerked her gaze back to his, to see if he looked as serious as he sounded, but Brooks seemed more stunned than she was at the proposal he’d blurted out. “You can’t be serious—you sure didn’t sound like it.”
“Well, I surprised myself, but the idea is growing on me.”
“Growing on you! That sounds like a rash or something contagious.” She stomped back up the hill, hurt that he didn’t want her because he loved her or cared. The idea of marrying Brooks didn’t sound all that bad, but the fact that he made it more of a joke than a real proposal annoyed her. It wasn’t any better than Carl’s had been. She couldn’t deny that she was attracted to Brooks, but she was afraid. Afraid that if she gave him her heart, he would leave—or die—and she couldn’t bear that, so the only other alternative was to keep him at arm’s length. “I’d rather leave the ranch than marry a sidewinder like you.”
She mounted Bob and urged him to gallop, giving the horse his head. Why did things always have to change? She’d halfway gotten into a routine and used to sharing the ranch with Brooks; then he brought her mother home and now he halfheartedly proposed. It wasn’t fair to take her frustration out on Bob, so she reined him back to a walk. Glancing up at the sky, she wished she could trust in God—that there was Someone—Something—bigger than her. Someone she could lean on for once. Being strong and independent could be exhausting. Bob stopped, and Keri stared out across the land she loved. Marrying Brooks might not be so bad. At least she wouldn’t have to leave.
She rode Bob toward the fence line that bordered Raven Creek and the Double D—Saul Dengler’s land. The fence looked intact, so there was no fear that their cattle had wandered onto Dengler’s property. She guided the horse along the fence line, then rode into the valley the creek used to run through. The zigzagging brown section that marked the empty creek bed marred the landscape. The grass along the dry bed had already started turning yellow. If Brooks hadn’t been successful with the windmill, they’d be forced to sell some of their cattle by now.
A small herd of steers grazed quietly, making a serene scene. The girls at the school never understood her love of horses and cattle. They’d wrinkle noses and turn up their lips in disdain.
Across the valley, near a line of shrubs, several steers bolted away from the shrubs and back toward the herd. A loud bawling erupted. Keri nudged Bob forward, curious as to what had caused such a ruckus. She drew near the frightened calf, whose leg had gotten lodged in a bush. “You poor thing.”
Keri lifted her leg over Bob’s back and heard a snarling growl. Bob squealed and bolted, throwing her off balance and spiraling through the air. She hit hard, pain ratcheting through her. Glancing up, she spied a coyote less than six feet away. She sucked in a breath. The creature growled again, its eyes half-closed, foaming slobber drooling from his mouth. Keri’s mouth went dry and she froze; the only thing moving was her racing pulse.
The animal snapped at her, then sidestepped, as if having trouble keeping its balance. The calf bawled. Keri’s heart pounded. Coyotes were generally scared of humans and avoided them. Only one thing she knew would cause one to be so aggressive—rabies.
She was in trouble.
Her rifle was with her horse.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Brooks followed Keri as she rode toward the edge of their property. He didn’t like the thought of her riding alone so close to Dengler land.
He also didn’t understand her reaction to his proposal—a proposal that had stunned him as much as it had her.
Still, he was an affable enough guy; at least most folks he encountered seemed to like him. He was doing a decent job running the ranch, even though he still leaned on Nate a lot. And most women found him good looking, although Keri sure seemed immune to his charm.
But marrying her just makes sense. That way they could share ownership of the ranch and he could finally live in his house. A smile tugged at his lips at the thought of him and Keri married. She was beautiful, spirited, stubborn, could shoot the seed out of an apple at fifty paces, and would make the perfect rancher’s wife. Somehow he had to make her see reason. He muttered a prayer for God’s help.
He heard a rustling noise and turned. Bob nickered, trotting through a cluster of tall bushes toward him. Brooks’s heart lurched. Keri was an excellent rider and not one to be unseated easily. Had she fallen or had Bob wandered off after she dismounted? He reined Jester to the left, guiding him through the bushes and into a wide valley he’d ridden through a few times.
Brooks’s gaze darted around the clearing, searching for any sign of her. A calf bellowed nearby. “Keri! Where are you?”
Jester pulled at the bit and sidestepped, and Brooks saw the calf, jerking and yanking, frantically trying to free his hoof, which had gotten caught in a bush. A snarling growl just to his right made Brooks jump. He jerked out his rifle and turned in the saddle, and his heart lurched. On the far side of a downed tree entangled with honeysuckle, Keri lay on the ground staring down a coyote with its teeth bared, only a half dozen feet separating them. Ever so slowly, she turned her gaze on him, terror etched in her eyes. Brooks aimed and fired. The coyote leaped sideways and fell. Keri shot to her feet and limped toward him, and he bolted out of the saddle and wrapped her in his arms, his hand pressing her head against his chest. He could have lost her. Thank You, God, for getting me here in time.
In that moment, the depth of his love became real. He honestly, truly loved Keri. His heart would have been ripped in two if something had happened to her. For the first time since they’d met, she seemed truly vulnerable. Needy. He tightened his embrace and wished he could kiss away her fear and trembling, but she’d probably scalp him before she’d kiss him back.
“Are you all right?”
She nodded against his shirt. “I was so scared—and so mad that I’d fallen off Bob and didn’t have my rifle.”
Brooks chuckled, allowing the last of his panic release. Reluctantly, he lowered his arms. “I’d better get you back; then I need to get a shovel and bury the carcass before other critters start eating on it.”
She nodded and glanced back at the coyote. Brooks turned her face back to his and brushed some dirt off her cheek. “I don’t know what I’d have done if something happened to you.”
Keri held his gaze. “If you hadn’t shown up when you did, I’d have been coyote bait.” She leaned up and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”
Brooks smiled. “Happy to oblige.” He took her hand, led her to Jester, and lifted her up into the saddle. He freed the poor, half-crazed calf and smiled as it limped back to its mother across the field. He walked over and poked the coyote with the muzzle of his rifle to make sure it was dead, then he swung up behind Keri and headed home.
His marriage proposal may have been impetuous, but it was sounding better and better all the time.
She had nearly died—and what a horrible death that would have been. Keri shuddered and sipped a cup of tea that her mother had made for her. In that moment when her life hung in the balance, she realized two things: she wasn’t ready to meet her Maker, and she wanted to live and spend her days with Brooks.
Grace pulled out a chair and stared at her with concerned blue eyes. “Are you certain you’re all right?”
“Just a bit rattled. I’ve always been careful to make su
re I was armed whenever I went out riding, and I felt so … impotent staring down that coyote without my rifle.”
“Thank the Good Lord that Mr. Morgan came along when he did.”
Keri nodded. “His timing couldn’t have been better. I thought for sure that coyote would jump me any second.” She stared into her cup for a long moment then looked up. “Do you believe in God?”
All manner of expressions crossed her mother’s face. “There was a time I didn’t—no, that’s not true. I was angry and often railed at Him for the life I was forced to live.”
Keri felt the skin on her face tighten and she closed her eyes, unable to consider the dreadful things her mother had endured. Why hadn’t she left that place and come to Raven Creek? Surely Uncle Will would have welcomed her.
Grace reached out and touched her arm. “I’m sorry, sweetie, I shouldn’t have mentioned my former life.”
“How did you get out of it?” And why didn’t you sooner? she wanted to ask but didn’t.
Her mother’s lips pressed tight together, and pain creased her brow. She was still a pretty woman though she looked older than Keri knew her to be. “I got pregnant again.”
Keri blinked, stunned by her mother’s revelation. And yet, why shouldn’t she have expected that, all things considered. “I have a sibling?”
“No. He was born too soon and didn’t survive. The doctor didn’t expect me to live either, so Mel, the owner of the … place where I worked, allowed a woman who lived in town to take me in.”
Keri couldn’t believe that she’d nearly had a brother. All her life she’d wanted siblings—a family.
“Emma Perkins was the woman, and she was the most kind-hearted, God-fearing person you’d ever met. She didn’t give a hoot as to what I’d done in the past, but only cared about me and my future. A month later, after I recovered, she helped me slip away in the night and sent me to her sister’s home.”
“And how long were you there?”
“A year and a half.”
Her statement stabbed Keri. “Why did you wait so long to come here? If you’d come sooner, Uncle Will would have still been alive.”
Her mother looked toward the open door. “For one, a few of the people I had lived with knew about you and where you were. I was afraid if I came here, they’d find me and force me to go back.”
Keri’s stomach swirled. “How could anyone force you to go back to such a life?”
Her mother shook her head. “You don’t understand. They’re cruel people, and they have their ways.”
Grace was right. She didn’t understand. She would have run away from such a place the first chance she got. “Did you ever try to get away?”
“No.”
“Why not, for heaven’s sake? How could you stay in such a place?”
Grace winced, but then her expression grew stoic. “At first, I was carrying you and had nowhere else to go. Once you were born, I needed a place for you.”
Her gut clenched. “So, it’s all my fault.” Keri pushed her chair back and started to stand, but Grace grabbed her arm.
“No, of course not, but I had you to consider. They threatened to steal you away, and I couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to you.” Her mother’s eyes pleaded with her to understand.
“Why didn’t you come to Uncle Will’s?”
Grace ducked her head. “He’s the one who sent me away—because I wasn’t married and got pregnant. He was trying to protect me from the gossipers, but his plan went horribly wrong. The home for young women, whose advertisement he answered, turned out to be a brothel, but I didn’t know that until it was too late.”
Keri gaped at her mother, struggling to digest all she’d said. “Did you write Uncle Will and tell him?”
Pursing her lips, Grace shook her head. “I couldn’t bear to tell him—not until years later, when the manager started pressuring me to—” Tears swam in her eyes. “That’s when I knew I had to send you away.”
For so many years she’d pined for her ma—railed at her for abandoning her. But now she knew the truth. Her mother had been the victim of a horrible scheme. Yes, she’d done wrong by getting pregnant in the first place, but she’d paid a dreadful price. Keri felt the wall she’d built around her heart crumbling. “Poor Uncle Will. He must have felt awful when he learned the truth.”
Grace nodded. “He was heartbroken.”
“I’m sorry … Mother—Ma. It’s been so long since I’ve called you that.”
A sweet smile lifted Grace’s lips, and tears pooled in her eyes. “It’s all right, sweetheart. I’m just glad to be here now—to be with you.”
Keri laid her hand on her mother’s. “Me too.” And she really meant it.
Grace clung to Keri. “Emma is the one who told me about God. I listened, but I didn’t really believe that there could be a God who loved us when He’d allowed me to endure such awful things. But once I got away and to her sister Betty’s house, I saw that things in my life could change. Now that I’ve gotten back with you, I feel hope in my life again.”
Keri smiled. “You can stay here. You don’t ever have to worry about going back to that place.”
Instead of smiling, her mother stood and walked back to the teapot and poured some more hot water into her cup, then added some fresh tea leaves. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve dreamed about you saying that … but I don’t know as it’s the best thing for you.”
“Why?” She stood and crossed the room, standing in front of her mother. “This is your home now. Stay.” Keri took the teacup and set it down, then grasped her mother’s hands. “I don’t want to lose you again.”
Tears coursed down Grace’s cheeks. “I don’t either, but there are so many things to consider.”
“Like what?”
A tiny smile tugged at her mother’s lips. “For one, this is no longer your house. Mr. Morgan might have something to say about me staying permanently.”
She didn’t honestly think that would be much of an issue, especially not after Brooks’s rash proposal, but she wasn’t ready to share that news with anyone yet. “What other reasons?”
Grace pursed her lips and exhaled a deep breath out her nose. “There’s always the chance someone from my past will recognize me.”
Keri stiffened. Her reputation was already in question because folks frowned on her desire to wear pants, but what would they think if they learned her mother was a …
“I can see how the thought disturbs you. I should probably leave soon.”
“No! It doesn’t matter what others say.”
Her mother cocked her head and gave her a wistful smile. “You know it does. A good reputation is important to a woman.”
“Well, just don’t go running off yet. We’ll think of something.”
“Thank you for listening and being so gracious.” Grace cupped her cheek. “I want you to know that I never stopped loving or missing you. My life was empty not having your sweet hugs and warm smiles. I know a person can’t go back and redo things, but if I could, I would have. Emma told me that God can wash a person clean and make them new—pure. I’ve been reading the Bible she gave me for a long while and am starting to believe what she said is true. Maybe we can both start over.”
Keri didn’t know about the God part, but she was more than willing to forgive her mother and begin again. “I’d like that.”
“Good.” Grace smiled. “Now I’d better get those clothes off the line before they get covered in fly specks.” She moved away from Keri and reached for the door.
“Ma. There is one thing I’d like to know.”
Grace turned and lifted her brows. “Yes?”
Emotion tightened her throat, so she cleared it. “Who was my father?”
Brooks strode into the barn, his thoughts still on his impulsive proposal. “I’m an idiot.”
Jess popped his head out of the tack room. “You just now finding that out?”
“Look who’s talking,” Brooks muttere
d under his breath. Jess’s horse was tied up outside its stall even though it was midday. “What are you doing back already? I thought you and Nate were out riding herd.”
Jess carried a spare saddle out of the tack room. “Girth strap broke. I liked to crack my neck when I fell off Beans.”
Brooks certainly knew what that felt like. “I’m glad you weren’t hurt bad. Everything all right out there?”
Jess nodded and fastened the cinch strap. “Yep.”
“Had an incident over near our border with Dengler. I shot a coyote—a rabid one.”
Peering over his saddle, Jess’s eyes widened. “You sure?”
He nodded. “You and Nate keep a watch out for critters acting odd. Cattle too. Shoot them if they show signs of the rabies.”
Jess swallowed and nodded. He mounted, then pulled out his rifle and checked its ammunition. “That’s a bad thing. We’ll keep an eye out.” He nudged his horse forward.
Brooks grabbed a shovel and headed back to where he left the coyote. Ten minutes later, he arrived at the spot and gazed at the carcass. A shudder raced through him and goose bumps rose on his arms. Keri had a close call—a very close one. She was normally so in control that he hadn’t known how to react to her trembling, and he’d been half scared to death himself upon finding her in such a predicament. He hoped she never came that close to death again.
He leaned his rifle against a tree trunk, keeping it close at hand just in case it was needed, and then rammed the shovel into the ground. It was stupid of him to hope that Keri wouldn’t encounter death. Everyone died—he ought to know, being as he came just about as close to dying as one could without it actually happening.
But God had spared him.
That much he knew for sure.
He tossed a load of dirt to the side and scooped up another. A passage of verses from the Psalms that he had memorized after hearing the pastor share them last Sunday popped into his mind.
The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. The Lord pre-serveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.
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