Luke shook his head. “Jack’s been reading law in Tom Kirkpatrick’s office. He’s convinced he wants to become an attorney. Pa’s offered to send him to Harvard when he passes the last of his courses at the town school.”
Laney spun back around. “Then you’ll just have to wait until Will grows up. That’s only seven or eight more years. You wouldn’t even be thirty years old yet.”
“By then all the land will be gone! Besides, my pa has plenty of hired hands, just like he did before Sam and I were old enough to help out around the ranch. Just like we will in Oregon.”
“It’s not the same. It’s going to break his heart to see you go.”
Luke took her hands in his once more. “Laney honey, families move off from each other all the time. It’s the way of the world. They’ll miss us, of course, just like we’ll miss them; but we can come back for a visit every two or three years, and Pa and Ma can visit us.”
With grim determination, Laney pulled her hands away and planted them firmly on her hips. She shook her head decisively. “Not ‘us,’ Luke. I’m sorry to go back on my word about marrying you, but I’d rather swallow a live tadpole than move off to Oregon. I like it right here in Harper. Besides, now that my brother is marrying Josie Raney, he’ll be moving to Virginia as pastor of his own church.”
A sickened expression covered Luke’s face. “What does Ben have to do with whether or not you marry me?”
So disappointed was she at the unexpected turn of events, Laney didn’t even attempt to be patient. “Don’t you know anything? Every preacher alive has a passel of young’uns, and they never have enough money to feed themselves, let alone enough to pack them all onto a train to go off visiting a long-lost sister. I’d never see him again.”
“We’ll work it out. Won’t you at least consider it?”
Squaring her shoulders, Laney forced back the tears tickling her throat. “No, I won’t. Ben’s all I have in the world, and I won’t take a chance on never seeing him again. Besides, ten ladies ordered gowns tonight that have to be ready in time for the Christmas ball. After they pay me, I’ll have enough for a down payment on the old soddy.”
Luke’s mouth dropped open. “You mean you aim to buy the soddy you lived in when you and your pa and Ben first came to Harper?”
“That’s right. I’ve been saving every penny from sewing and working your pa’s ranch for the last two years.” Laney lifted her chin stubbornly. “Mr. Garner is selling for a right fair price, and he’s willing to carry the note himself if I come up with a big enough down payment to prove I’m serious about it. He’s selling me five acres to boot, and I can buy more as my own herd grows.” She gasped as a wonderful idea flooded her mind. “Luke!”
Luke shook his head. “Don’t even suggest it, Laney.”
“But why? We’d still be starting our own herd. Only it would be here and not off somewhere away from the family. This is perfect.” Laney beamed up at him, then, as emotions got the better of her, there didn’t seem anything to do but throw her arms around his neck. So that’s what she did. “Tarah was right, as usual,” she said over his shoulder. “I don’t mind sharing my money with the right man. But don’t take to getting liquored up, Luke, or I’ll have to hide every cent from you, and I’d never give it up even if you beat me to a bloody pulp.”
He gave an exasperated sigh. “You know I’d never take a drink or hit you.”
Laney clasped him more tightly around the neck. “Then it’s all settled.”
Luke’s large, steady hands encircled her wrists and pulled her away from him. “I don’t want to stay in Harper. I’d always be the ‘St. John boy following in his father’s footsteps.’ Out West I can be my own man. Can’t you understand how important that is to me?”
“So you just ask a girl to marry you and then take it back?” Anger burned inside Laney as realization struck her.
“I’m not taking anything back. I’m just saying if you want to marry me, you’ll have to go west, because that’s where I’m headed next spring.”
“Who says I want to marry you, anyway? I wouldn’t marry you even if you was stayin’ in Harper.” Disappointment loosened her tongue and caused her to revert to her childhood speech. “I’d rather marry red-faced ol’ Clyde and raise all five of his poor, motherless children—even if he ain’t much of a dancer—than have to marry you.”
“That suits me just fine.”
“Fine!”
“We might as well head back inside, then,” Luke said, taking her by the elbow.
Laney jerked away. “Turn your back so I can get out of this skirt.”
“What?”
“The skirt. I can’t ride home with it on, now, can I?”
Luke shook his head and turned his back. “I don’t know why you bother putting it on over britches, anyway. Everyone knows what you’re wearing underneath.”
Staring at Luke’s back, Laney slipped off the skirt and wadded it into a ball. She tucked it under her arm. “All right. You can look now. Tarah and Anthony take too much criticism over me wearing britches, though it seems more indecent to me for everyone to be thinking about what I’m wearing under my skirt than for me to just wear the britches out in the first place.”
“When you put it that way…”
She shrugged. “Doesn’t make much sense, but I guess to some people, as long as they don’t have to see what’s underneath, it doesn’t make them uncomfortable knowing what’s there.”
“I guess.”
Still smarting from the disappointing evening, Laney stepped toward the hitching post to get Colby. “Anyway, tell Tarah I rode on home,” she said over her shoulder.
Luke grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. “You’re not going by yourself.”
“You don’t tell me what to do! If I want to ride home by myself, I will!”
“Fine, you stubborn-headed mule. See if I care.” Too angry to speak, Laney spun around and headed for her horse. Tears of disappointment forced their way down her cheeks despite her best efforts to keep them at bay.
Who wanted to marry that big, dumb…dumb…Well, who wanted to, anyway?
Luke quickly stepped inside the barn, knowing it would take Laney no time at all to get saddled and hightail it to the edge of town. Normally the short ride wouldn’t cause concern, but after seeing the WANTED poster the sheriff hung up in Tucker’s Mercantile just that afternoon, Luke worried for Laney’s safety. Her no-account pa had not been seen anywhere near Harper for years, but according to the poster, he and a couple of men he rode with had robbed the home of a wealthy businessman in Topeka not two weeks ago. Topeka was too close to Harper for Luke’s comfort. He’d feel better if the man were clear across the country. If Mr. Jenkins decided to head this direction and look up his children, he’d be able to spot Laney like a red barn in a green field. She hadn’t changed all that much in eight years. She still wore britches except for in public places, and her hair hung in a thick, dark blond braid down the center of her back. No bigger than a twelve-year-old boy, she would be an easy target if someone wanted to grab her. She’d put up a good fight, but her size would be a disadvantage.
“Where’s Laney?” Tarah’s eyes twinkled with teasing. “Little D is completely disgusted that you’ve joined the ranks of the kissing men, Uncle Luke. I don’t believe he will ever trust you again.”
Luke felt his ears heat up. “He can lay his fears to rest. I just came back over to the other side.”
She chuckled and rubbed her protruding stomach. “That didn’t take long.”
“That’s what I came to tell you. Laney and I had words, and she took off for home. I’m going to make sure she makes it all right.”
“You two are hopeless.” In spite of her words, Tarah’s lips twitched. “It’s not that far, Luke. I’m sure she’ll be fine. Why don’t you stay and enjoy the dance?”
“I’ll explain it to you some other time. I have to go.”
Without waiting for a reply, Luke left. He quickly
mounted his horse and headed toward the parsonage. To his relief, a soft glow came from inside the stable. He dismounted and tethered Rusty to the hitching post outside the church. Striding purposefully toward the stable, Luke determined not to be dissuaded from his mission to see her safely inside the house. As he approached, the sound of wrenching sobs stopped him in his tracks.
Laney! He had never heard her cry before—hadn’t really thought her capable of shedding tears. Compassion mingled with his own disappointment. He longed to hold her…to comfort them both. Without thinking, Luke stepped inside the musty stable. Pungent odors of manure and fresh hay assailed his senses. “Laney?”
She glanced up sharply, swiping her gingham sleeve across her face. “What are you doing here? I thought I told you I didn’t need you following me home.”
“I just wanted to be sure you were safe.”
“I’m just fine. And don’t think I’m crying because of you, because I’m not. I—I just…Well, I’m just…” She kicked at the wood stall where her horse munched on hay. “It’s none of your business why I’m crying, so just go home and don’t you dare tell anyone, or I’ll flat out deny it.”
“I wouldn’t dream of telling.”
“Make sure you don’t,” she warned, obviously unappeased by his smile.
“I need to tell you something.”
Laney sniffed. “Please, Luke,” she said wearily. “I don’t think I can take any more of your news tonight.”
“It’s important.”
Her chest heaved with a long-suffering sigh. “All right, but make it fast so I can be in bed before the family gets back from the dance. I don’t feel like dealing with Little D.”
Luke told her about the poster. Her expression changed from sadness to horror as she listened, her eyes widening in fright.
“Do you think he’ll try to come back here and get me to help him hide from the law?”
“I don’t know, honey. But you need to be on the lookout for him, just in case. I’ll be watching, too. Try not to go off riding by yourself.”
“I can’t stay locked up like a prisoner.” Determinedly Laney grabbed the lantern from its nail. She walked with purpose to the doors and glanced expectantly at Luke. He followed, wishing the events of the night had not unfolded as they had. They should be celebrating their betrothal with family and friends right now—not standing outside in the cold autumn night, about to get into another argument because of Laney’s stubbornness.
“You have to be more careful. No other woman in this town would gallivant the way you do without a chaperone.”
A snicker escaped her. “Tarah rides out to the ranch all the time by herself, and Anthony doesn’t mind.”
“All right. I should clarify that only the women in my family would ride around alone.”
“If Pa wants to find me, he will—whether I’m hiding out or riding alone on the prairie. I’m not going to hole up like some coward. I just can’t.” They reached the parsonage steps, and Laney turned. “Thank you for the concern, Luke. I appreciate it. But I’ve always looked after myself. I’ll be all right. Good night.”
Luke watched her step inside and close the door, knowing there was nothing he could say. He wished he could go back and relive the past couple of hours. He had added to Laney’s hurt tonight by asking her to marry him before he shared his plans to move west. He had been too caught up in her large doelike eyes and her soft, rosy lips and wasn’t thinking clearly.
Still, if a woman loved a man enough, wouldn’t she be willing to go with him? Luke pondered the question as he rode the few miles out to the St. John ranch. The thought tightened his stomach. He wished for all he was worth he had never teased her on the way home from Abilene. Then she wouldn’t have kissed him, and their friendship would never have been distorted. But it was too late for regrets. No matter how many miles separated them, Luke would never forget the joy of holding her in his arms or the sweetness of her kiss.
Chapter 3
Laney stared at the wanted poster on the wall in Tucker’s Mercantile. The man in the sketch looked older and thinner than she remembered, but there was no denying the cold eyes staring back at her. Memories she’d thought were long buried assaulted her. Laney shivered. Pa was back.
“Afternoon, Laney.”
She jumped as Mr. Tucker entered from the back room. Dragging her gaze from the poster, Laney stepped up to the counter, trying to pretend nonchalance.
Tucker nodded toward the wall. “Thought he looked an awful lot like yer pa, even if he is goin’ by the name Hiram Jones.”
“Yeah, it’s him.” Laney lifted her shoulders in an it-don’t-bother-me-none shrug.
Tucker raised his gray, bushy brows. “You just mind yerself and be careful. Ya hear?”
“I can take care of myself.” Laney lifted her chin. Why did everyone think she needed to be protected?
Tucker let out an unpleasant snort. “Yer barely big enough to look over this counter without standing on your tippy toes, gal. What makes you think you can hold yer own against someone as big and mean as yer pa?”
Laney pulled back her sheepskin coat and revealed the gun belt hanging from her boyishly small hips, over her new wool skirt. “I’d say this just about evens the odds, wouldn’t you?”
The old man’s eyes narrowed. “Now see here. Does yer family know yer totin’ a Colt?”
Letting the coat drop back into place, Laney met Tucker’s gaze head-on. “No. And don’t you go blabbing either. You’ll just make Tarah worry, and she doesn’t need to be doing that in her condition.”
“I ain’t makin’ no promises, missy, so don’t try to bully me. If I feel the need to spill yer little secret, I will.”
Laney glared at the old codger. Tucker wasn’t one to back down from a fight. Even though he’d become a Christian years ago, he was still as formidable as ever.
“Have it your way, then.” She rose up on her toes and leaned her elbows on the tall counter. “Anthony said you wanted to see me.”
Tucker nodded. “That’s right. I got a proposition fer you.”
Laney’s eyes widened, and she inwardly retreated. Was Mr. Tucker losing his mind? “Mr. Tucker, maybe you should think about this some more before you—”
The storekeeper shook his head. “Nope. Got my mind made up. Yer just what I been lookin’ fer.”
Stepping away from the counter, Laney glowered. “I like you fine, Tucker. You’re a real hard worker and nice enough when you take a notion to be, but I ain’t marrying up with a man old enough to be my pa’s uncle!”
Brows knit together, Mr. Tucker turned red beneath his scraggly whiskers. “Are you goin’ soft in the head? I ain’t askin’ you to marry up with me, gal!”
Mortified, Laney lowered her gaze as heat suffused her cheeks. “What other proposition did you have in mind?”
“What are you two yelling at each other about?”
Neither Mr. Tucker nor Laney had heard the bell above the door signaling Luke’s entrance into the mercantile.
Laney stared at the floor. “Nothing,” she muttered.
“Just a misunderstanding,” Mr. Tucker confirmed.
Laney could have kissed the old coot for sparing her more humiliation in front of Luke.
“I was just telling Laney here that I got a proposition fer her.”
“What proposition?” Luke asked. His eyes narrowed, and Laney knew instinctively he had made the same assumption she had. The thought warmed her.
“A business proposition.”
Laney’s ears perked up. “What’d you have in mind?”
“How’d you like to work for me, sewing dresses for the store?”
“And split my profit?”
“’Course.”
Laney’s brow furrowed. “Why would I want to do that? I get to keep all my money when I drum up my own business.”
“Yeah, but how much business do you drum up?”
Laney drew herself up to her full height. “I got myself ten orders
at the dance last week.”
“Party dresses?”
“That’s right.”
“Well, that ain’t what I’m talkin’ about, missy. So how’s about you closin’ yer trap and hearin’ me out?”
Smarting under the reprimand, Laney sized him up for a minute. Mr. Tucker wouldn’t suggest something that wouldn’t benefit her. He was like a grand old uncle. “I’m listening.”
Luke shifted his weight and leaned against the counter. Laney felt his nearness as keenly as if he had embraced her. She cleared her throat and tried to concentrate on Mr. Tucker’s voice.
“Now them hoity-toity ladies movin’ to Harper from the cities come in here all the time lookin’ fer ready-made dresses. I’m losin’ business if they order from them books.” He leaned forward and pointed a gnarled finger toward her face. “If you and me was to partner up, we’d both stand to make a profit.”
“I understand that, Mr. Tucker, but why shouldn’t I just get my business straight from them?”
He sent her a scowl fierce enough to intimidate a grizzly. Laney’s eyes grew wide, and she stepped back. “It ain’t right for you to take my idea and go lookin’ fer business after I’m the one that brought it up in the first place. Ain’t living with that preacher all these years taught you nothin’, gal?”
Luke chuckled. “He has a point.”
Laney turned the full force of her glare upon him, then focused her attention once more on Mr. Tucker.
Luke was right; Tucker did have a point. Still, she could have kicked herself for not thinking of advertising for her own business in the first place. “All right. Let’s hear your terms.”
She listened carefully and had to admit she would save the funds to buy her soddy and start a herd much quicker if she accepted the proposal.
“Throw in the dress goods and I might consider it.”
Brides of Kansas Page 36