Patty's Gamble

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  “I hear he doesn’t think so.”

  “I can’t help it if he’s slow to realize it. Some men catch on right away. Others take longer.”

  He chuckled. “You might be waiting until you’re old and gray.”

  “Oh, it won’t be that long. I give it six months.”

  His eyebrows raised, he turned away from the cook stove and walked over to her. “You don’t say?”

  “I do. And you just watch. In six months or less, he’ll be very happy to be married to me.”

  A smile crossed his face. “I like you. You got spunk. So, what can I do for you? I’m guessing you’re not here because you want to be a ranch hand.”

  It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him she was fully capable of doing everything a ranch hand did, but she decided it wouldn’t be a smart move. She was Greg’s wife and wives stayed in the homes cleaning and cooking. “I was wondering what Greg’s favorite meal is.”

  “He’s a steak man. Likes to make it medium to medium well. Want a steak to fry up for him?”

  She nodded. “If you don’t mind.”

  “I’ll be right back.”

  As he left through the narrow doorway near the cook stove, she turned her attention to one of the small windows and saw that Greg hadn’t returned. Not that she expected him to, really, but it was nice to make sure. No doubt the ranch hands would be wondering why she was in here. Even now, a couple were gesturing in her direction and talking to each other.

  Well, she couldn’t stop them from wondering, and when they saw her carrying a steak back to the house, they would know she’d been out here to get something for Greg.

  The cook returned and gave her a steak wrapped up in brown paper. “It’s fresh. Just cut up a sheep today.”

  “Thank you. Is there anything else Greg likes?”

  “Fried apples, potatoes and pie. I don’t make much of those but remember some church folk bringing them over when his pa died and he liked it.”

  She bit her lower lip. “I don’t know how to make a pie.”

  “I’ll tell you what. I know how to make them, and I don’t do too bad of a job. I’ll get one ready for you by the time Greg eats supper. That’s six. I’ll bring it over thirty minutes to the hour, but I’ll leave it on the window ledge in the kitchen.”

  “You don’t mind going through all that work?”

  “Not for a woman who loves my boss so much she’ll do whatever it takes to be with him. He needs a woman like that.”

  “I couldn’t agree more,” she replied, glad she had an ally. “My name is Patty.”

  “Marv.”

  “Nice to meet you, Marv.” She lifted the steak. “Thank you for the food, and I will learn how to make pie soon enough.”

  “Greg’s partial to berries with plenty of cinnamon in it and sugar sprinkled on top.”

  “Thanks for the tip.”

  “Anytime.”

  Excited, she thanked him again and hurried out of the bunkhouse. Her pa loved steak and fried apples so that was no problem at all. Now, she just needed Heather’s help in making a pie. Then she’d be all set.

  ***

  Greg returned from checking the cattle, and he sensed the steed’s relief as he put the animal in the stall. Yes, he’d ridden the horse hard. Harder than he probably should have, but it was the only way he could work off his frustration.

  Why couldn’t Patty’s father just agree to take her with him when he went home? Greg assumed that by bailing Matthew Dixon out of a jam, he’d be more than happy to comply with Greg’s wish to get Patty off his property as soon as possible. But the man wouldn’t. He said that since Patty was his wife, her place was with him now. Greg grimaced. If it’d been anyone but John Meyer, Greg wouldn’t have intervened.

  He took the hat off his head and wiped the sweat from his brow. Who knew Matthew was so stubborn? Slamming the hat back on his head, he went to the bunkhouse. He ignored the surprised expressions on his seven ranch hands’ faces as he walked up to the counter where Marv had set their plates, utensils and cups of coffee. Being as hot as it was in here, no one was going to eat inside. They were all going to head out to the two tables.

  Greg wiped the back of his neck with his bandana then shoved it into his back pocket.

  “Why are you eating with us?” Herbert Allen asked as Greg got in line behind him.

  “I always eat with you all, Herb.”

  “You got a wife now,” Herb insisted. “You ought to have your meal with her. I’m sure she made you something and is waiting for you.”

  That was exactly why Greg refused to go in there. To prove a point. He was not going to go in there just because she expected him to.

  “If I had a pretty thing like Patty, I wouldn’t be out here,” Archie called out from behind him.

  “If I had a pretty thing like Patty, I’d have found an excuse to go into the house as soon as the preacher left,” another ranch hand said.

  “Good point,” Herb replied. “Greg, you ought to go in there and have supper with her. If you take a little longer than necessary to eat, we’ll understand.”

  A round of laughter erupted around him.

  Greg bit his tongue so he wouldn’t encourage more of their taunting. All afternoon, there’d been jests about how lucky he was to have such a pretty woman waiting for him, and he had no doubt if it’d been any of them who married Patty, she would have already gotten acquainted with the bed. But he had no such inclination to be with her that way.

  In fact, he had no inclination to be married at all. Women were too much trouble. Patty’s father obviously gave her everything she wanted since he refused to take her back. And who knew? Maybe he was secretly happy to get rid of her. She probably needed pampering all the time since she didn’t live in a big, fancy city back East.

  Greg grabbed a cup of coffee and one of the plates filled with beans and ribs.

  “Hold on there, Greg,” Marv called out before Greg could go outside.

  Greg turned back to him. “What is it?”

  “Patty’s making steak and a pie tonight,” Marv said.

  Greg shrugged. “So?”

  “Steak and pie are a whole lot better than what I made.”

  “Nice to know you only serve us the best,” Archie joked as he retrieved his plate and cup.

  “I have enough of you to cook for. She’s only got Greg,” Marv pointedly replied. “And you all eat like animals.”

  “We think highly of you too, Marv,” Herb said with a snicker. “Go on to your bride, Greg. If I had a wife, I’d be heading out this moment to go see her, even if these ribs are the best I ever tasted.”

  “Speaking of which, we need to get some ladies out here for a square dance or something,” Archie spoke up. “Herb, you got that fiddle.”

  “Maybe I don’t want to be the only one playing the music,” Herb argued. “I like dancing with women, too.”

  “These hands aren’t just good for frying up food,” Marv interjected, holding them up. “I can play a tune or two. You won’t have to go it alone.”

  “In that case, I’ll do it.” Herb gave a hopeful look in Greg’s direction. “Can we have one here?”

  “Yeah,” Archie and the others agreed. “We need some women out here. Maybe the rest of us want to get married like you did today. I’m sure Patty knows some available women who’d like to be with a ranch hand.”

  “Boaz Grady hasn’t had any luck getting a woman,” another ranch hand called out.

  “But that’s because he got the two kids. The rest of us don’t,” Archie argued.

  “And who says we got to marry them?” another ranch hand asked. “Sometimes it’s just nice to have a dance or two.”

  “And some of us are old enough to be with a widow. Come on, Greg. Give the rest of us a chance,” Randy pressed.

  Greg knew he’d never hear the end of it until he agreed. “Fine. But you all have to arrange it yourselves.”

  They let out a loud cheer, and he hurried out of the
bunkhouse. Now, maybe that they had a square dance to think about, they would leave him alone.

  He found a quiet place far away from everyone else and sat down to eat. Marv was a good cook. At times, Greg thought he enjoyed making the meals more than he liked taking care of the horses. And that was fine with Greg. He had enough ranch hands to take care of the animals.

  But from time to time he wondered what he’d do if Marv ever did find someone. He’d hate to lose the best cook he’d ever had. Even his mother didn’t make meals as tasty. He shook his head. No. He didn’t want to think of her. Ever. She thought so little of him and his pa that she left them and never looked back.

  He turned his attention back to the meal. As he ate, he thought of the many ways he could persuade Patty to go running on back to her pa’s ranch.

  Chapter Four

  Patty had the steak and fried apples ready for Greg when he came in at six. She’d set the pie on the table and placed the spatula next to it so he could grab however big a slice he wanted. She even went through the trouble of fixing her hair so that her dark curls fell around her shoulders, and she had pinched her cheeks to make them pink.

  But when he showed up, it wasn’t only half past six, but he also refused to look at her as he stumped into the parlor.

  She followed him into the room and gestured to the kitchen as he plopped in his chair. “I made you supper.”

  With a shrug, he extended his legs in front of him and settled into a comfortable position. Then he tipped the hat over his eyes and crossed his arms. “Marv made supper. A mighty good one, too. I couldn’t eat another bite.” He patted his stomach and let out a contented sigh. “I’m only resting before I head back out. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be in here at all.”

  She stared at him, hardly believing her ears. Why would he eat Marv’s meal when he could eat what she made?

  Focusing on Greg, she said, “Surely, you have room for dessert. I got a pie that’s still warm.”

  “Nope. Afraid not.” He rubbed his stomach again. “I’m so full I’ll burst if I eat anything else.”

  She stood in front of him, watching him as he relaxed in his chair, looking as content as a boy fishing at a pond on a summer day. What was the best thing to do? She’d gone through a lot of work. Her first inclination was to remind him that he was married to her now. He should have come to the house to get his meal. But that was silly because he didn’t want to be married to her and this was his way of trying to make her run off to her pa.

  Well, if he thought she was giving up that easy, he had another thing coming. She’d lassoed the most rebellious of cows and had even tamed the most stubborn of horses. She could do this. Besides, it was for his own good, whether he was smart enough to figure that out or not.

  Someone knocked on the kitchen door, and she glanced over at it.

  “Someone’s at the door,” Greg said, still reclining in his chair, his hat still over his eyes.

  With a sigh, she went over to the door and answered it. When she saw it was her pa, she stepped onto the porch and closed the door so Greg wouldn’t overhear them.

  “I brought your things over,” her pa said, holding out a valise to her. He pointed to the large trunk by his feet. “I took everything I saw, but if I missed something, then you can come home and get it.”

  She accepted the valise. “Thank you.” She hesitated to ask him anything else but needed to know a man’s opinion, even if it was her father’s. “I would like some advice.”

  “Oh?”

  “I just made Greg a steak and fried apples. I even gave him a pie,” she added, though she decided not to tell him how she got the pie. “I made sure I was all pretty when he came in for supper, too, but he went straight to the parlor and sat down. He didn’t want to eat anything I made, and he didn’t even look at me.”

  “Are you really surprised, Patty?”

  She thought about it for a minute and shook her head. “I suppose not.” Even though she did believe he’d eat in his house, she didn’t expect him to look over at her. Not really. “But what I want your help with,” she lowered her voice, “is how can I get his attention? How can I best get him to look at me?”

  After a moment, he sighed. “I hate to mention this because you’re my daughter, but the best way to get a man’s attention is to go to his bed.”

  “Is that the kind of thing a proper young lady does?” She could just hear those horrible church ladies right now admonishing her for doing something so bold.

  “A proper lady who wants to get her husband’s attention does. It’s hard to ignore a woman who’s in his bed. Just take your clothes off and he’ll do the rest. After that, I suspect he won’t be so resistant to you.”

  “Are you sure?”

  He shot her a pointed look. “I’m a man, aren’t I?”

  “Of course you are.” She thought over the plan and steeled her resolve. She could do it. She didn’t go through all the trouble of marrying Greg Wilson just to lie down and play dead. She was going to fight for this marriage with everything she had. “Alright. I’ll do it.” She gave him a hug. “Thanks, Pa.”

  “Where do you want this?” he asked as he lifted the trunk.

  “Up in Greg’s room,” she decided.

  “Do you even know where that is?” he asked as she opened the door.

  “I checked the whole place over. I know where all the rooms are.”

  She led him up the stairs, wondering if Greg would try to stop them, but fortunately, he remained in the parlor, still in the chair. Well, that suited her just fine. It was better than if he demanded she go to her pa’s ranch.

  When they reached the top of the steps, she motioned to the bedroom on the left. “That’s his room.”

  With a nod, he carried the trunk to the room and set it down. He glanced around. “This room isn’t very big.” Before she could answer, he went to another bedroom and shook his head. “I don’t get it. This one is bigger.”

  She followed him to the bedroom that only had a bed and a dresser in it. “Maybe his pa had this room, and he didn’t want to move in here after he died.”

  “Could be, but something’s not quite right.”

  “What do you think is wrong?”

  “Don’t know. Guess I just thought he’d want the big bedroom, that’s all. I would if it was me living here by myself. Anyway, I better be heading back. You got everything you need?”

  Turning away from the large bedroom, she nodded. “I think so, Pa.”

  “If you need to return home at any time, you can.”

  “I know, but I won’t. This is going to work out.”

  Rubbing his eyes, he shook his head and went down the stairs. “I don’t know how I let you talk me into these things,” he muttered under his breath.

  “Because you love me, Pa, and you know this is best for me,” she answered as she followed him.

  He stopped at the door and gave her a hug. With a glance over his shoulder, he called out, “Have a good one, Greg.”

  From where he sat in the chair, Greg waved but didn’t bother looking over at them.

  “Bye, Pa,” she said as he left. Glancing at Greg, she called out, “He wishes us the best for our marriage.”

  Greg groaned and she blinked. She hadn’t expected him to actually respond. But that was no matter because now she had a plan! She was going to go to bed with Greg tonight, and everything would be different tomorrow.

  Excited, she ran back up the stairs to put her things away. She was finally Mrs. Greg Wilson. If life could get any better than that, she didn’t know how.

  She heard the door slam and went to the window to see where Greg was going. She opened it and searched for him. She finally saw that he was going to the barn, his shoulders slouched as if the weight of the world had come crashing down on him. She shook her head. He was being much too dramatic about the whole thing. Why, he had all the advantages every married man enjoyed. And considering this was his wedding night, the best was yet to come.

>   One of the ranch hands called out to him, and he paused. She wished she could hear what they were saying, but over the mooing of the cows and bleating of the sheep, she couldn’t make out anything but the disgruntled tone in Greg’s voice. She sighed. She already knew what he was saying. He was probably telling his ranch hand how much he wanted her off his property. Or maybe not. Did men even discuss their personal feelings with each other?

  Probably not. At least her pa and the ranch hands she’d known hadn’t. With a shrug, she got ready to shut the window when a movement by the bunkhouse caught her attention. Squinting, she focused in on the ranch hand who was drinking something from a flask—or at least what looked like a flask. It was hard to tell from this distance. He shoved the thing in his pocket then headed off toward the barn.

  She frowned. He hadn’t done anything wrong. Not that she could see anyway. But there was something about him that bothered her. She took note of his blond hair, skinny frame, and tall height. It wouldn’t hurt to keep an eye on him.

  Her gaze went back to Greg who entered the barn, leaving the other ranch hand he’d been talking to. With a shrug, she shut the window and turned her attention back to putting all of her things away.

  ***

  After the sun set for the day, Patty removed her clothes, ignoring the frantic beating of her heart. She’d never done anything so bold before, except for going to the saloon to get John Meyer to help her. That had been pretty daring. But she hadn’t undressed in that situation. Nor would she have. There was no way she’d ever be in bed with the likes of him. Just enduring his horrid kissing was enough.

  With a shiver, she peeled back the covers and climbed into Greg’s bed. Good. There was enough room for the two of them to sleep comfortably. Now he couldn’t claim the bed was too small for them. She released her breath. Soon, Greg would be in here, and he’d hold her in his arms. Then he’d finally kiss her and touch her and… She couldn’t bring herself to go that far with her thoughts yet.