A Feisty Gracious Bride For the Rancher: A Christian Historical Romance Novel (Lawson Legacy Book 1)

by Chloe Carley

  God, please let Carl be okay. Give me strength and wisdom to do what needs to be done. Protect the town and this ranch and everyone and everything on it. Amen.

  He opened the door and stepped inside, relieved when he saw Carl sitting at the dining table, shirtless, in obvious pain, but alive and likely to stay that way if infection didn’t set it.

  “Ma?”

  “He’s going to be fine. The cat scratched him good, but she only got down to the bone in a few places. I’ll need to stitch those up, but everything else should heal just fine.”

  “Carl, what happened out there?”

  “We saw her trying to drag a yearling away that she’d killed. I fired at her and we gave chase. We saw her go up in the tree and I thought we had her trapped. I didn’t expect her to leap out of the tree right on top of me.”

  “Did anyone get a shot at her?” Gideon asked.

  “No. She got away, but she’ll be back!” Shawn exclaimed, coming into the house and standing behind Riley as he observed the damage done to the ranch hand. “We’re going to have to take care of her, Gideon. She’s not acting right. I could see her from across the pasture and she’s not acting like a cat with little ones close by.”

  “Did she look sick?” James asked from the side. He’d been sitting and holding Carl’s arms while his wife bathed the wounds the cat’s claws had left behind.

  “She’s pretty emaciated and her fur looks matted and missing in places.”

  “Okay, so we have a sick, crazy mountain lion stalking the cattle. We need to make sure we end her suffering and soon,” James said.

  “With the new ranch hand we could increase the patrols …”

  James shook his head. “I don’t want anyone out there by themselves. Everyone goes out, even to check the fences, in pairs until this cat is caught.”

  Gideon gestured for Shawn to follow him outside. Riley stayed inside to help his ma prepare hot water and to hold a light while she stitched the deeper wounds on Carl’s side and chest. He waited until Shawn and he were on the porch, away from being overheard.

  “What is this going to do to our plans for Wednesday? Jace was going to stay here and Carl was going to back you up,” Gideon told his brother.

  “I’ll get one of the men in town to back me up. Everything will still be fine.”

  “Did you talk to Sara Jane?” Gideon asked. Their sister had come to them late yesterday, demanding she be allowed to join them in town. She was an excellent shot and would definitely be an asset, but neither of them could stand the thought of her being put in harm’s way like that. They’d both declined her offer and Shawn had taken it upon himself to try and get her to see reason.

  “I haven’t been able to find her all day long. She’s been busy or hiding in her rooms.”

  Gideon frowned. “That doesn’t sound like Sara Jane.”

  “Oh, yes it does. It sounds just like Sara Jane when she’s planning to disobey a directive. Be prepared, brother. Our little sister has no intention of remaining at home Wednesday. I’m thinking we might be better off just to take her with us. At least we won’t have to wonder what she’s up to. We can put her with the sheriff and have her help him protect the money in his jail.”

  Gideon shook his head. “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard of. You’d place our sister in the one place the outlaws are sure to go?”

  “Why not?” Shawn asked. “There’s only one way into the jail and brick walls on the other three sides. It will be like a game to Sara Jane as she picks them off one by one as they come through the door.”

  “What makes you so sure our sweet little sister is even capable of killing a man?” Gideon asked.

  “Because she believes in justice and will be protecting the town. Besides, it won’t be the first time she’s shot someone. You were already gone, but we had some rustlers a little over a year ago. We caught them trying to take some more cattle and gave chase. Sara Jane shot three of them.”

  “She kill them?” Gideon asked, looking back toward the door to the house and wondering where his sweet little sister had gone.

  “No, she wounded them all, but they all survived to face the hangman’s noose. Sara Jane never even batted an eye before firing on them. This situation won’t be any different.”

  “Did you discuss this with Pa?” Gideon asked.

  “No. I’ll let you do that. Convince him that knowing what Sara Jane’s up to is better than being kept in the dark until it’s too late to do anything to help her.”

  “I’ll do that. I should probably go take care of our horses …”

  “I’ll get them,” Shawn offered. “You always were better at healing and things. I’ll see you at supper.”

  Gideon stood on the porch, making plans in his head and coming up with a way to tell his pa that his only daughter was going to a gunfight.

  Sara Jane would be ecstatic, while everyone else who knew where she was would be terrified of her getting injured or worse. His ma would be furious when she found out, but she’d get over it. He hoped.

  With Carl down, they needed the extra set of eyes and ears, and they definitely needed Sara Jane’s ability to shoot anything that moved.

  Gideon bit the corner of his lip, smiling slightly. It would be fun to see the looks on those outlaws faces when they stepped into the jail, expecting to find themselves rich beyond their wildest dreams, only to find they were staring down the barrel of a gun held by a girl. He chuckled softly. He’d love to see Roy’s face when he realized a girl had taken part in foiling his plans and ending his reign of terror. That would most definitely be something worth seeing.

  Chapter 17

  Wednesday morning, just before sunrise …

  Riley used the spatula to flip another hotcake from the cast iron skillet onto the waiting plate. Gideon, his father, brother, and sister were all up and getting ready to ride into town. The same scenario was playing out in ranches around Rio Arriba as men prepared to defend their town from the Johnston gang.

  Riley was slightly envious that Sara Jane was getting to go to the fight, and she’d argued for her own right to do so, promising to stay hidden and out of the way.

  She only wanted a chance to talk to her brother and try to get him to do the right thing. When talking to Gideon had proven fruitless, she’d tried talking to his father and even Shawn, but not a one of them had been willing to budge.

  She was to stay at the ranch with their mother and help her look after Carl.

  His wounds would take time to heal and it was important that they were checked often for signs of infection. Jace was supposed to have stayed at the ranch, to watch over things and offer protection for the women who were staying behind, including his young bride. With Carl unable to go to the fight, plans had changed.

  The new ranch hand, Slim, had offered to stay at the ranch so that Jace could go and keep the other ranch hands organized once they reached town. That plan had met with everyone’s approval, even Gideon’s.

  “Sit down and eat,” Pearl told the men as they wandered into the kitchen. There was still plenty of time to get to town before the sun came up, and Riley hid a yawn behind her hand. Her body was suggesting she go back to bed and get some more rest after the group heading for town left the ranch, but her mind was awash with worry for her brother and everyone else involved.

  Once breakfast was finished, everyone left the kitchen to get their horses ready to ride. Everyone except for Riley and Gideon. She busied herself at the sink, scraping dishes and trying to keep her emotions intact.

  “Riley?” Gideon said her name softly.

  She turned and saw him standing just a few feet away from her. His eyes were filled with worry. For her. “I’m okay, truly I am. I’m just worried …”

  “I know. If there was any other way to stop your brother, you know I would do it.”

  “I’m … I’m trying to face reality.”

  “And what is that?”

  Riley swallowed back her tears. “My bro
ther is probably going to die today. Then I really won’t have anyone …”

  She lost her battle with her tears and before she could sob twice, she found herself wrapped in Gideon’s arms, his deep baritone voice murmuring words in her ear meant to calm her fears and dry her tears.

  His compassion and kindness broke the dam she’d been holding onto for so long and she began to openly sob. She tried to control herself, but everything came rushing out in a torrent of sorrow and grief too much to bear on her own any longer.

  She barely registered the sound of footsteps entering the kitchen and the rumble of Gideon’s chest as he quietly spoke with whomever had come in to witness her weakness.

  She didn’t know how long she cried, but it must have only been a few minutes because when she finally lifted her head, it was still dark outside. Gideon’s shirt was soaked with her tears, but when she tried to apologize for losing her composure, he simply hugged her close once more.

  “Shush. You’ve been through a lot these last several months and weeks.”

  “I cried …”

  “You did. You needed a good cry. I would like nothing better than to spend the day with you, letting you get all of your sorrow out, but I can’t. I have to go and do what I can to save the town.”

  “And Roy?” she asked, tears still dampening her cheeks.

  “And your brother if he can be saved. He may be so set on this path that nothing will deter him.”

  Riley nodded solemnly. “I know.” She pushed out of Gideon’s arms and used her fingers to dry her tears. “I’m sorry. You need to go and there are chores …”

  “That will wait a few hours. Go back to bed and when you awaken, maybe this will all be over.”

  “What time is the stagecoach due to arrive?”

  “We don’t know for sure, but it will be around the noon hour. I will come and get you as soon as it’s over.”

  Riley put on a brave face. “Please be careful.”

  “I will.” Gideon kissed her on the forehead and whispered in her ear before letting her go, “That does not count as a kiss. Just in case you were wondering.” He smiled and stepped back and headed for the front door.

  Riley stood in the kitchen, her arms wrapped around her torso, listening to the sounds of the men getting ready to leave. When she was sure she had her control back, she joined Pearl on the front porch to see them off.

  Sara Jane rode close and winked at her. “I’ll make sure to keep them safe.”

  Pearl waved her off. “I’m sure you will. Keep yourself safe while you’re at it.”

  “I plan to.”

  Riley and Pearl stood on the porch; the older woman’s arm wrapped around Riley’s shoulders until the last of the dust had settled. “I think we could both use some hot tea.”

  Riley followed Pearl back inside. “I’m going to see about starting the bread. I haven’t seen Carl this morning. I wonder, would you mind walking over to the bunkhouse and just checking to see if he’s awake yet? I saved some hotcakes for him.”

  “I thought Slim was going to watch over Carl today?” Riley asked.

  “He will, but I heard him tell Shawn he was going to take a quick ride out to the first pasture and make sure they didn’t have any more cattle down.”

  “They think the cat might have come back again?”

  “She’s sick. She won’t stop until someone puts her down.”

  Riley nodded. “I’ll go over and see if he’s awake. If so, I’ll come back and get his breakfast.”

  “That sounds like a good plan, child.”

  Riley let herself out the kitchen door. The sun was just beginning to crest over the top of the mountains in the distance and the sky had a strange orange glow to it. She heard birds in the trees and the horses in the barn. This would all be here tomorrow, no matter what happened in town today.

  God … please …

  She paused. She wasn’t even sure what she should be praying for. She wanted to ask for mercy for her brother, but he really didn’t deserve it. She wanted to ask for Gideon’s safety, but what if Gideon and her brother found themselves fighting against one another? What then?

  “It’s probably a very good thing that I didn’t get to go with them,” she muttered as she opened the door to the bunkhouse. It was one great big long building, with a smaller area in the front that the men used for their meals and just to unwind after a long day out on the range and in the pastures. The bunks were in the second room, and she carefully opened the connecting door, spying Carl lying on the bed, his eyes closed and his chest moving slowly and steadily as he slept.

  She didn’t want to wake him, so she backed up and tiptoed her way back outside. “I’ll come check on him in a little bit.” She made a detour to the barn and spent a few minutes with the horses which had been selected to stay behind today. By the time she returned to the house, she was feeling much more at peace, having decided that there was nothing she could do, and that God was in control. Whatever the outcome, she just needed to trust that God had designed it to be so and she would handle whatever it was.

  Pearl had just set the bread to rise when she entered the kitchen. “Carl is still sleeping. I’ll go back over and check on him in a little bit. What can I do this morning to help you?” Riley asked.

  “I plan on doing laundry, but first, I’m going to indulge myself in a bath. It’s not every day the ranch is almost empty, and Slim won’t be back for several hours by the time he checks the pastures.”

  Riley smiled. “Enjoy yourself. I think I’ll take a book and go read in the loft. Anything to take my mind off what’s happening in town.”

  “Well, it’s not happened yet. Remember, Riley, God is in control.”

  “I just got done telling myself that, but it helps to be reminded. I’ll check on Carl until Slim gets back.”

  “Thank you, dear. In case I haven’t said it, I’m so happy you came to stay with us. And I think I can safely say that Gideon is of a like mind.”

  Riley blushed. “He’s been very kind to me.”

  Pearl gave her a knowing look. “Gideon is sweet on you.”

  “I don’t …”

  “You don’t have to.” Pearl gave her a wise look. “The heart knows when it finds its other half. Sometimes it just takes the mind a little longer to come around. You and Gideon will do well together when the time is right.”

  Pearl walked out of the kitchen to retrieve a book, and then headed for the barn. It was very early yet. She entered the barn, and stopped when she saw Slim’s horse standing in the aisle, still saddled up.

  She paused for a moment to admire the saddle; unlike those most men used, this one was more like a small horse blanket, intricate in its Indian designs, without a pommel or a cantle. It was very much like the one Gideon favored, his explanation being that he’d befriended an Indian on his way up to Rio Arriba and the saddle had been a gift.

  It was the saddle Laredo had been wearing the first time she’d met Gideon and she’d noticed he had continued to use it on the other horses he rode.

  “It must be more comfortable,” she murmured to herself. “I wonder where Slim got his?”

  “Slim?” she called out, looking around the lower level of the barn for signs of the ranch hand. When he didn’t answer, she shrugged and headed for the ladder leading up to the loft. “He must have gone to check on Carl.” She assumed he’d left his horse saddled up because he planned to head back out in the near future.