It had become increasingly obvious to Victoria, when she remembered that no words of love had passed Mason’s lips, that his strategy was to marry her to ensure his possession of the ranch. The outcome of the legal proceedings she had started would make no difference if they were wed. Trying desperately not to let her heart rule her head, Victoria had considered her options. She could stay, knowing she had been merely an obstacle Mason had overcome to get what he wanted. Or she could leave and make a place for herself as her father had done. The decision wasn’t a hard one to make. It had been in the back of her mind since the night Sage had come to supper.
The weather had turned bitter cold. There was something fiercely insensate about a cold Wyoming wind, something malevolent and shocking in its brutality. It ripped at Victoria as she crossed the yard, smashing her with heavy gusts. Whenever she lifted her head the wind whipped her face, sucking the air from her lungs. She ran the last few steps to Ruby’s door.
“My land! Ain’t that wind a sight? I was just a tellin’ Stonewall that thar ain’t nothin’ but a barbed wire fence atween us and the North Pole and it’s gotta be down. Get yoreself on in here, Victory, and let me get the door shut. I swear Stonewall’ll be glad to see ya. I think he’s tired of my company. He wanted to go over to the bunkhouse and play cards, ’cause thar ain’t nothin’ fer the men to be doin’ now in this here wind, but I said you ain’t goin’ and that’s the last of it. I ain’t takin’ no chances my man a gettin’ a case of croup.”
“Humph! A man ain’t got no say in his own house!” The rest and the care Ruby had given him had done wonders for Stonewall. He had lost weight, but he had regained his strength, and even his voice sounded stronger. “She’s a fussin’ and a flittin’ all day long, Victory. Won’t let me hardly lift a finger. I’m a gettin’ soft!”
“Ya ain’t had the strength to lift no finger, honeybunch. Remember all the times ya took care of me? Well, I’m a takin’ care of ya, if’n ya like it or not!” Ruby placed a kiss on the top of his head. “Hush up, now, ’n’ visit with Victory, and I’ll make ya a nice cuppa coffee. If’n yore good I’ll put a drop of whiskey in it.”
“Wal, I ’spect the drive is ’bout to the pens by now,” Stonewall said when Victoria sat down and held her hands and feet out to the fire. “Hit’s goin’ to be a big un. Might be the biggest we ever had. The Double M’ll be settin’ good fer a couple years.”
“Yes, I guess it will.” There was no enthusiasm in her voice. “I come over to tell you something and I might as well plunge right in. I’m moving into town.”
The room went icy cold again, as if the wind had pushed open the door. Icy drafts seemed to sweep the room. Ruby moved over to stand beside Stonewall and put her hand on his shoulder.
“I thought you’d kinda come to terms with Mason,” Stonewall said slowly.
“Terms? It’s either his ranch or mine, Stonewall. And it seems that it’s going to be his. Mr. Schoeller didn’t old out much hope that it was mine. When I was in town last I met a woman who’s started an eating place and I’m sure she’ll give me a job. She said there were rooms upstairs to live in. I wanted you and Ruby to be the first to know that I’m going. Nellie will look after my things and when spring comes and I’m settled I’ll send for them.” It seemed unreal to Victoria that she could be sitting here talking calmly about leaving the place where she was born and where she had expected to live her entire life.
“Mason don’t want you to go, Victory.” Ruby looked as if she would cry.
“Mason doesn’t have any say in what I do, Ruby. You and Stonewall will have a place here. He’ll need Stonewall.” Victoria tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice.
“We won’t stay without ya, Victory,” Stonewall said gruffly.
“Of course you will!”
“But ya can’t be sure yet if’n your pa’s will wasn’t right. Don’t be a jumpin’ the gun till ya know.” Ruby’s hand was squeezing Stonewall’s shoulder tightly.
“I can’t be grabbing at straws, Ruby. Mr. Schoeller said that Mason’s papers seemed to be in order, and there’s the matter of the mortgage. We both knew Papa paid it, but if there’s no record of the payments and Mason bought up the papers he still has a say here regardless of whether Papa’s will is valid or not.”
“He won’t stand still for ya goin’ to town. He told us ya was stayin’ here. I kind of took it that maybe you’d wed.”
Victoria got to her feet. “You took it wrong, Ruby. I’ve got more pride than to marry in order to have a roof over my head.”
“Well, it ain’t jist any old roof, Victory. It’s yore home. Don’t ya like him? Me ’n’ Stonewall’s kinda got fond of ’im. He ain’t been nothin’ but good ’n’ fair to us.”
The hurt that sliced through Victoria went deep.
“Of course he has! He needs you. You’re his insurance. He wouldn’t have lasted a week in this valley without you and me.” Her eyes snapped angrily.
“Sit, girl,” Stonewall said calmly. “We ain’t ought to jump in and do nothin’ rash. Mason thinks those fellers what shot at you all were sent out by somebody—most likely land grabbers.”
“There won’t be any need to shoot me when they find out it isn’t my land they want to grab,” Victoria said bitterly as she sat back down. “I still don’t believe that. After all the time we’ve lived here, why now? I think it was robbery on their minds.”
“When Mason gets back we’ll talk it all out.”
Victoria got to her feet again. “You and Mason can talk it out. I won’t be here.”
“What d’ya mean? You ain’t goin’ off now?”
“That’s exactly what I’m going to do, Ruby.”
“But ya can’t!” Big tears rolled down Ruby’s plump cheeks.
“Don’t you start bawlin’ on me, Ruby Perry!” Victoria said. The tears were very near her own eyes and she had to do something to stop them from spilling over.
There was a brisk pounding on the door. Ruby wiped her eyes on her apron and went to open it. Victoria turned back to the fire, blinking the tears from her own eyes.
“What d’ya want, Ike?”
“The gal over ta the house said Miss Victory was here.”
“C’mon in. Ain’t no sense in tryin’ to heat the whole outdoors.”
Victoria had seen Ike from time to time when he wandered in for a meal, but never up close. She looked at him now and decided she didn’t much like what she saw. He had several days’ growth of beard on his face and his coat was ragged and dirty. It was the leering grin that she liked the least of all.
“Got a letter fer ya, ma’am. Feller said fer me ta put it in yore hands.” He drew an envelope from his pocket but made no move to bring it to her. “How ya be, Stonewall Heard ya got bunged up a bit.”
“I’m doin’ fine, Ike. You?”
“I’m a fixin’ ta ride on. Had this here letter.” He grinned at Victoria.
She moved over and held out her hand. He held the envelope as close to his chest as possible and she reached out and angrily snatched it from his hand.
“Thank you for bringing the letter,” she said stiffly and went back to the fireplace. She knew he was watching her. and so she tucked the letter in her pocket without looking at it.
Ruby opened the door. “There’s some grub in the cookshack if’n ya want to stay a spell afore ya ride on.”
“Thanky. So long, Stonewall, ma’am.” He put his hand to the brim of his hat. “And you too, Ruby.” His tone was insolent.
He went through the door and Ruby slammed it.
“Damned cur!” Stonewall cursed.
“Now, now,” Ruby said soothingly. “He ain’t worth gettin’ in a sweat fer, honeybunch.”
Victoria took the letter from her pocket and read her name written in small, neat scroll: Miss Victoria McKenna. She moved her finger along the flap, broke the seal, took out a single sheet of paper, and read the brief note.
The color drained from her face. She read it
again until her eyes were no longer seeing the words on the page. “It can’t be…” she whispered.
“Victory, what is it?” Ruby’s voice sounded strange and distant.
Victoria looked up dully, her face wooden with shock. “Robert’s in South Pass City. He wants to talk to me about the man who claims to have bought the ranch. He says he’s a thief, a swindler. He says I’m not to tell anyone that he’s in town because his life and mine would be in danger.” She pressed her knuckles to her mouth. “Oh…” She let out a pathetic cry and dropped her hand from her mouth. Her heart ached with a physical pain almost beyond bearing. She trembled violently, both inside and out.
Ruby was the first to speak. “What in the world!”
“Are ya sure it’s from him?” Stonewall asked.
“Oh, yes!” Victoria said bitterly. Anger and grief were tearing her apart. “I recognize his handwriting. It’s all curlicues and flourishes.”
“Stonewall! What could it mean?” A horrified note had crept into Ruby’s voice. “Mason ain’t…he wouldn’t…”
Thoughts crowded into Victoria’s mind. Mason had set out to make her fall in love with him; he had seduced her, taken her virginity to bind her to him so she would marry him and the ranch would be his! Since Clay’s words had jarred her from her dreamworld an inner voice had cried continually, telling her it might not be true, that maybe Mason did love her and it was a coincidence he would gain control of the ranch when they married.
“What ya goin’ ta do?” Ruby was beside her, her arm circling Victoria’s waist.
“I’ll go in to see Robert. He says to go to the hotel—he’ll find me there.” Victoria stared into the fire as if her eyelids were paralyzed. “We’ll have to decide what to do about getting him out of here.” The thought alone was incredible, but voicing it gave a permanence that terrified her. “Oh, Ruby! Everything’s so mixed up!” Tears swamped her throat, almost smothering her words. She clutched at Ruby’s arm. “Don’t tell anyone that Robert is here. I’ll go to town in the morning and I’ll take some of my things with me. I’ll stay there until he’s gone.”
Stonewall’s face was troubled. “I don’t want ya to go off by yoreself, Victory.”
“I’ll be all right, don’t worry. Think of how many times I’ve gone to town and back by myself.”
“This ain’t the same. Don’t go!” Ruby’s voice was full of anxiety.
“I’ve got to go. I’m just glad he isn’t here to try and stop me.” From some unexpected source Victoria had summoned the strength to think clearly. “I’ve never asked anything of the men who have used this ranch for a haven from time to time, but if Mason Mahaffey has tried to pull. a land-grab scheme and refuses to leave, I’ll use every man I can get to get him out of here!”
Victoria looked at her two friends with hostile eyes, letting them know there was no way they could change her mind. She held herself away from them, forcing herself to be cold, willing them to understand the depth of her hurt. They would have had to be blind not to notice how her eyes had followed Mason during the past month and how she brightened when he was around. But now the dream that she would marry him had floated away. She was alone once more. With the letter folded and thrust deep in her pocket, Victoria draped her shawl over her head and wrapped it around her shoulders. The wind almost took the door from her hand when she opened it, and she squinted her eyes against its icy blast. Wind whined through the trees, branches creaked in the cold. Victoria kept her head down and hurried across the yard to the house.
Ruby watched her with tear-filled eyes and when she saw Victoria had gone inside the house she put on Stonewall’s old sheepskin coat and went out to find Sage.
* * *
Just after daybreak, Sage brought the buggy to the back door, tied the reins to the fence and came into the house. Nellie waited in the kitchen, her heavy coat and several lap robes on the chair beside the door. Sage smiled. He couldn’t help but smile when he looked at Nellie.
“Ready?”
She nodded, but her face wore a worried look. “She isn’t going to like it when she finds out we’re going, Sage.”
“Maybe. But this is the only way she’ll let anybody go with her. Ruby’ll be in to get Dora soon’s we’re gone.”
They heard the door to Victoria’s room close and then her footsteps coming down the hall. Nellie’s heart began a nervous pounding and when Victoria appeared in the doorway and looked at them with solemn, puzzled eyes, Nellie felt weak and faintly ill.
“Ruby said ya was going to town.” Sage said smoothly. “Nellie and I want to go with ya.”
Victoria’s heart raced even though it felt heavy as lead. “Ruby had no right to tell you I was going.”
“She did it for Nellie and me. She knew we wanted to go.”
“Nellie ain’t goin’ nowhere!” Clay’s voice came from behind Victoria. He shoved past her and into the kitchen to face Sage. “Nellie ain’t goin’ nowhere,” he repeated.
“Clay, please!” Nellie pleaded.
Her brother’s anger had carried him beyond the sound of her voice. “I know yore game! Nellie ain’t goin’ nowhere till Mason comes back and says she can.”
Nellie started to say something and Sage’s look silenced her. He picked up her coat and held it out to her.
“Go on out to the buggy.”
“Think ’bout what yore doin’, Nellie! She’s in cahoots with him to get ya away. You stay here, now!” Clay made a move toward Nellie.
Sage gently pushed Nellie and Victoria out the door and then stood in it blocking the way. As soon as he heard the door close behind the women he grabbed Clay by the shirtfront and shook him.
“I’ve put up with ya ’cause yore Nellie’s brother, but I’ve had a bellyful of yore sulks and mouthy talk.”
The words were barely out of his mouth when Clay’s fist lashed out. The blow grazed his cheek and Sage closed one huge hand over Clay’s wrist.
“Count yoreself lucky yore Nellie’s brother or I’d break yore arm.” He shoved Clay who staggered back against the table. “I’m tellin’ ya to stay outta it, or you’ll start somethin’ ya can’t handle.” Sage picked up the robes, stood for a minute, his eyes daring Clay to follow. “Temper’s a mighty fine thing, boy, but it can get ya killed. First thing ya gotta learn is to hang back, size up the situation, and think. That’s what makes man different from a varmint.”
“Mason’ll kill you!”
Sage shrugged. “We’ll see.”
“I’m going to ride out and tell him you’ve gone off with Nellie so if you’ve got a mind to stop me you’d better get at it.”
“I figured ya would, but why show me yore hand? Learn to play ’em close to your chest, boy.” He turned to go and then said over his shoulder, “Do what ya got to do.”
Forever, Victoria Page 26