The Wrangler's Mail Order Bride

by Cindy Caldwell

  Her head spun as all of this happened so quickly. When she heard Sadie say her name, she blinked and realized that it wasn’t the first time she’d said it.

  Feeling the heat of all eyes still on her, she turned to Hank and said, “I’m sorry, Hank. I can’t do this so soon. I’m just not ready.”

  Chapter 9

  They’d gathered their things quickly and ridden home in silence after the scene between Hank and Beau—and Clara, too, she supposed. Clara’s heart tugged as she thought of the look on Hank’s sisters’ faces when she’d said she wasn’t ready to be married. And why wasn’t she? She’d known that this was the reason she’d come.

  Tripp and James had excused themselves to the parlor when they arrived back home, but not before adding their opinions.

  “That was pretty bold, even for Beau,” Tripp had said, shaking his head. “That tops just about everything else I’ve seen.”

  James nodded as they headed out of the kitchen. “I don’t know him as well as Tripp does, but that was unusually bold for the man I know.”

  Clara sat down on the chair next to her. “Does he do these things frequently? Totally disregard others’ opinions or feelings?”

  Tripp sighed. “Beau is a very successful rancher, and has been since the beginning. He’s used to getting his way—and also used to getting things done. He and Katie butted heads quite a bit about things like that. She would want him to be patient, let people come to things on their own. He always wanted things to happen right then. To his mind, why not if the solution was obvious. Or at least to him, anyway.”

  “That isn’t exactly what I’m used to. I wasn’t raised that way,” Clara said, thinking of the respect she had for her parents and brother and that they had for her. Any decisions had been made as a family, and when they did not agree, accommodations were made for each one to be happy.

  “No, neither were we,” Sadie said. “Maybe why we were all such good friends.”

  “Ah, that explains a lot,” Tripp said as he smiled at his wife. “Hard-headed, but respectful, too.” His smile turned to a laugh as she blushed and nudged him with her elbow.

  “Is Hank like that, too? I know you were raised in that house and you don’t strike me that way.” Clara turned to Tripp as she rubbed her eyes.

  “I don’t think Hank and I are that way. We always take into consideration how other people feel.” Tripp put his arm around Sadie as he spoke.

  Sadie let out an exaggerated cough as her eyes grew wide and she looked at her husband. “Tripp Morgan, I had to practically beat you over the head with a copper pot to get your attention.”

  “Oh, right.” Tripp looked down sheepishly. “Well, if Hank and I are alike in that way, then I can assure you that it is not malicious.”

  “Dunderheaded, maybe, but not malicious,” Suzanne added as she glanced at James. “Either way, it appears that Clara needs a little more time to find out for herself.”

  “There is nothing at all wrong with waiting a while, Clara. You have nothing to feel bad about. That was truly poor form, what Mr. Archer did.” Sadie poured boiling water into the teapot as they sat at her kitchen table.

  “I agree, Clara. We will support whatever you decide, and you are welcome to stay here as long as you like,” James said as he ushered Tripp out the door.

  “No question about it. And to not even tell Hank? Who could imagine?” Suzanne said as she came through the door after putting the twins to bed.

  “Honestly, we all knew this was coming. And it appears that there’s a timeline on the inheritance.” Clara picked up the spoon on the table and turned it over and over in her hand.

  “Well, it was thoughtless, at best. He should know any decent girl would want to at least have a say in her wedding. I mean, he has six daughters. If he doesn’t know that, he needs to.” Suzanne pushed herself away from the table, sending her chair scooting behind her. Pouring the tea into mugs, she set one down in front of Sadie and Clara.

  Sadie poured some cream into her cup, gently taking the spoon from Clara and stirring her tea. “Clara, what is it that you want. This is your wedding. How do you want it to be?”

  Clara propped her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hands. She sighed, shaking her head, and said, “I don’t exactly know. But I just felt that it wasn’t right. Not for me. Not for Hank. I’ve felt since I met him, and even more so when I met his family, that there are some things that are unhappy at that house.”

  Sadie blew on her tea and took a sip. “Do you mean bad things? Tripp and James think the world of the Archers. And I have known Hank to be very kind and cordial. And he obviously loves his sisters.”

  “Yes, he does. He was rapt with attention during their song, and it was a nice gift. At least they thought it was a wedding gift.” Clara warmed her hands on her tea, wishing she had a clear answer to her dilemma.

  Suzanne stood and put the cream back into the icebox, taking a piece of apple pie out and setting it on the table with three forks.

  Sadie wiggled her eyebrows at her sister and took a bite of the pie. “This will make everything better,” she said, laughing.

  “As always,” Suzanne said, sitting down and grabbing a fork. “So, Clara, we know that we think Hank is a nice man. Are you having second thoughts?”

  Clara had lost her appetite and fiddled with the fork in her hands. “No, I don’t think so. I have to say, I think he’s very handsome. He seems to smile a lot—at least when he’s not around his dad— and I love his laugh lines. And those eyes…”

  Sadie slapped her hand on the table. “I knew it. You like him,” she said as she and Suzanne both laughed and Clara’s cheeks flushed.

  “So then what’s the problem?” Suzanne took another bite of the pie that was rapidly disappearing.

  Clara breathed deeply and sighed. “I think I need to just be there a little more. Understand what is there that is unspoken. It’s something, and once I know what it is, I’ll know what to do.”

  “Well, you always have been one to go with your instincts, Clara.” Sadie picked up the empty plate and set it next to the sink. She turned around and leaned against the counter, folding her arms. “So, how are you going to do this? To get to know better what’s going on?”

  Suzanne snapped her fingers. “I know. We all left in such a hurry—and I’m sure glad we did—but you were already in the buggy when the twins said goodbye to Hank. He looked so upset, it was awful.”

  “I know. With all the ruckus, I didn’t even get to say goodbye,” Clara said, rubbing her forehead. “That’s not what I wanted to happen.”

  Suzanne reached over and patted Clara’s hand. “There is no way to have done things differently with that big surprise he pulled. But as I was saying, Hank told the girls that since everything went south today, they could come back tomorrow and take a short ride. I say you come with us.”

  “Hey,” Sadie said. “Not fair. Tripp and I have to work tomorrow at the restaurant. We’ll miss all the good stuff.” Her bottom lip stuck out and she pulled an exaggerated frown.

  Clara laughed. “I hope there’s not a lot that would be worth missing. At least not a big show.”

  “Like today.” Suzanne folded the dishtowel and laid it on the counter.

  “Yes, like today.” Clara stood and hugged Suzanne and then Sadie. “Thanks for helping me think this through. I can’t even imagine being in this situation without you two.”

  Suzanne and Sadie squeezed her hands. “You don’t ever have to be without us again,” Sadie said. “We’ll figure this out together.”

  Clara’s eyelids drooped and Suzanne took her by the elbow, turning her toward the door. “I think this has been a pretty big day for you, Clara. Why don’t you get some sleep and I’ll tell Tripp and James the plan?”

  “Yes, we can explain. And we’ll make arrangements for you to go with the twins for a riding lesson tomorrow, too,” Sadie said as she followed them through the door.

  “I think you’re right. It�
��s the only plan that makes any sense, and I am just exhausted.” Clara rubbed her eyes and for the second day in a row, exhaustion swept over her.

  “Please, just get a good night’s sleep. We can talk more in the morning. And Clara, I’m sorry about today. I had no idea…”

  Clara smiled at her friends as she started up the stairs. “I don’t think anybody did but Mr. Archer and the few people he did tell. It will be interesting to see what he does next.”

  Chapter 10

  A fitful night’s sleep had resulted in Clara feeling anxious all morning, and when the time came for them to go to the ranch, she’d almost changed her mind and stayed back.

  But there was something about Hank—something about that house, that family—that drew her to it. Suzanne had been right. She did like Hank and wanted to know more about him. The only way to do that would be to spend time with him, so she got in the buggy behind Suzanne and they headed toward the ranch, the twins sitting between them.

  Beau Archer had gone into Tucson to see his attorney, Rosemary informed them when they arrived at Archer Ranch, and Clara breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Hank’s at the barn and said for you to go on down when you got here,” she said as she eyed Clara warily.

  Clara had made it a point to smile and be as unthreatening as she could, but it wasn’t working so far.

  Suzanne raised her eyebrows at Clara and nodded toward the door, grabbing the twins’ hands. “Thank you, Rosemary. We’ll just head that way,”

  “Goodness, what did I do to her?” Clara asked as she shut the door behind her. “You’d think I’d stolen her boyfriend…oh. They don’t want to lose him.”

  “They sure do look up to their big brother. That may be a part of it, if they think you’re taking him away. I guess that’s not too unusual.”

  Suzanne laughed as the twins broke away from her, running at full speed as they spotted Hank down by the barn.

  “Be careful, girls. I’ll be right there.” Suzanne looped her arm through Clara’s and tugged at her bonnet. “This should be interesting. The last time, I think Hank was exhausted after his experience with them. Maybe this time will be a little less…frantic.”

  “Frantic?” Clara tugged at her own bonnet, wondering if her unruly, red hair was behaving and staying tucked underneath.

  “Well, you know the girls are lively, and they really kept him on his toes. I must say, though, he was great with them. He made sure they were safe and followed his directions. Just watch and see what you think.”

  Hank had each girl by the hand and walked through the barn, horses on each side of him in their stalls. Clara stopped for a moment, listening as each horse gave a soft neigh as he passed. She shook her head, thinking of the horses in Chicago and how she’d heard the same from them.

  “Uncle Hank, I want to ride this horse,” Lucy said, breaking away and trying to reach the nose of a very large, brown horse who intently watched Hank’s movements.

  Hank picked her up so she could stroke the horse’s nose and said, “Lucy, this is Tracker. He’s bigger than ten of you put together. He’s very nice, but I think we need to find somebody a little smaller.”

  “Here’s one smaller,” Lucy said as he put her down, sending her running to the opposite of the barn.

  Lily stood in the middle of the barn, looking from one row of stalls to the other. “Uncle Hank, can I ride one of these over here?” She pointed to the bank of stalls on the side that Tracker was on.

  Hank raised his eyebrows and bent down to Lily. “And why would that be, Lily?”

  “I…I don’t know. I just like these better.”

  Lucy came over and said, “Yeah. They’re prettier.”

  “Ah, prettier. Well, on this side of the barn are horses I broke. The other side—those horses I don’t know so well.”

  Lucy’s eyes flew wide open. “You broke horses? Why, Uncle Hank? That’s not nice,” she said as she folded her arms over her small chest.

  Hank’s laugh sent a warmth through Clara that surprised her. He reached down and tugged on Lucy’s braid as he walked further along. “Not that kind of broke, Lucy. Breaking a horse means something different. And different things to different people,” he said as he stroked the nose of each horse he passed by. “It really means teaching them how to do what they need to do.”

  “Oh, good. I wouldn’t want the horses to be hurt,” Lily said, putting her hand in Hank’s.

  “Neither would I, Lily,” he said, squeezing the little one’s hand.

  Clara and Suzanne followed behind along the bank of stalls that Lily had chosen and stroked the noses of several of the horses as she passed by.

  “Don’t horses frighten you, Clara? I mean, I can handle horses that I know, but some of them are pretty unpredictable, and sometimes they make me nervous.

  They both jumped as one of the horses behind them, on the opposite side of the barn, kicked the door holding him in and reared his head, neighing loudly.

  “Like that?” Clara said, reflexively taking a step backward, away from the horse.

  “Yes, like that. They’re so very big and could really hurt somebody.”

  “I have to say I haven’t been around too many, but no, I’ve not felt afraid. Somehow, I feel very calm around them.”

  Hank looked up and smiled as Suzanne and Clara made it to where he was with the girls. He stood, wiping his hands on his pants and tipping his hat. “Hello, Clara, Suzanne. Nice to see you.”

  Hank replaced his hat quickly, but not before Clara could see his ears flush, and she smiled behind her hand.

  “I’m mighty sorry about yesterday, Clara. I had no idea that was going to happen, and Pa and I had some pretty strong words after you left.” Hank passed the twins back to Suzanne as he opened one of the stall doors, his head down.

  Suzanne’s gaze caught Clara’s and she batted her eyelashes, making Clara laugh. “Hank, how about I take the girls out to the arena and we wait for you to saddle up?”

  “Huh?” he said, turning back to Suzanne. “Oh, that would be great. I’ll have the horse saddled up in a minute and I’ll meet you out there.”

  He looked quickly at Clara and then turned back to the horse, a beautiful white one, brushing it in long strokes. As he set the brush down and reached for the saddle blanket, Clara said, “Hank, I’d like to apologize, too, for our abrupt departure. I’m afraid I was just so surprised that I didn’t know what to do. I’d been looking forward to talking with you later, and that just took me completely by surprise.”

  Hank chuckled grimly, shaking his head. “You and me both. I had no idea that was going to happen. I would have stopped it if I had.”

  “I can see why he would be in a rush—I think. It is your property, isn’t it?”

  Hank shook his head slowly. “Yes, it’s supposed to be. And yes, there is a timeline, but it’s another couple of weeks out, so there’s a bit of time to let you make sure this is what you want. I’m mighty grateful you’re even considering it.”

  He nodded at her as he threw the saddle on the horse and tightened the leather straps beneath its belly.

  “I’d like to get to know you better, Hank, but I’m more than willing to consider it.”

  He threw his head back and his deep, rich laugh made her skin tingle. She wondered if he could sing, too, like his sisters.

  “Well, if you’re still interested after that fiasco, you’re pretty courageous.”

  “I don’t scare easily, Mr. Archer, but I do have my limits.”

  He leaned over the back of the horse, his eyes intent on hers. “All joking aside, Clara, I really would like to get to know you, too. Would you join me for dinner tonight? I’d like to take you out.”

  “Oh,” she said, the butterflies returning after a lengthy absence when they’d been replaced by worry. “That would be lovely, Hank.”

  He smiled broadly, his white teeth flashing in his tanned face. “Thank you, Clara. We’ll have a chance to talk, then. Can I fetch you at si
x o’clock?”

  “Yes, thank you. That’s perfect,” she said as she left the stall.

  Hank finished saddling the horse, the bridle in place. “By the way, this here is Regalo.”

  “Regalo?” she asked, running her hand down its smooth nose. “He’s beautiful.”

  “Yes, he is.”

  She thought she saw his face cloud yet again as he pulled his hat further down his forehead. He led the young horse in the direction Suzanne and the girls had gone.

  She followed him, stopping short as she rounded the corner behind him. In front of her stood a large, fenced arena with benches placed on one side under a stand of trees. Suzanne and the girls sat in the shade, Lucy and Lily jumping up as soon as they saw Hank heading in their direction.

  Clara sat down beside Suzanne as Hank lifted Lily into the saddle and placed her hands tightly on the saddle horn. He walked beside her as he guided Regalo into the arena, slowly leading him around the fence line in a big circle.

  “Lily doesn’t look too sure about this,” Clara said, squinting to see Lily on the other side of the arena.

  Suzanne pulled at her sleeve and bounced her knee as she watched Lily round the final curve. “No, she’s not near as wild about it as Lucy. She always thinks it’s a great idea until it’s time to actually get on the horse. Probably what I would do, too.”

  Lucy’s had her nose up to the fence and was hooting and hollering her sister’s name as she rounded the arena and came closer.

  Hank stopped, holding the reins to his side and wrapping his arm around Lily’s back, her knuckles white as she clung to the saddle. He bent and whispered something in her ear, and Clara’s heart warmed to see her smile and lighten her grip on the saddle just a little.

  “Lucy, remember what I told you about yelling so much when Regalo comes by? He’s just new to this and we don’t want to scare him.”