The Rancher

by Lily Graison

  Chapter Two

  He wouldn't court that woman if she was the last available one in all of Montana.

  Holden barely refrained from yelling, biting his tongue instead as Laurel gave him a disapproving look and talked down to him as if he was one of her unruly pupils.

  He'd thought showing up early to pick up Alex, and have a chance to talk with Laurel was a good idea until she began berating him for disturbing her class, giving Alex ample excuse to act up and get away with it. Having to agree to allow Alex to be detained after school for her behavior was nearly too much, especially when his daughter glared at him nonstop.

  "She can't hit people the way she does, regardless of what is said."

  He blinked when he realized she was still talking. "What?"

  She sighed and crossed her arms under her breasts. "Have you not heard a word I've said?"

  In truth, he hadn't. Well, not much, anyway. He was too busy admiring her small waist and the way the yellow fabric of her dress made her whiskey colored eyes shine more brightly. The way her dark hair curled around her face, drawing his attention to lips so plump they just begged to be kissed.

  And how much she apparently loathed the sight of him regardless of the way she'd acted back in Missoula. The look in her eyes told him that much. She wasn't happy to see him at all. "I heard most of it," he lied. He glanced over her shoulder, peering into the schoolhouse and watched Alex wash the blackboard, fury evident on her face. He locked eyes with Laurel again, saw the disregard she had for him, and the anger he felt chased all thoughts of wanting her away and told him to just leave. To let her be and his desire for her would diminish. "I've got a few things to take care of in town. I'll be back for Alex in a little bit."

  He turned and left Laurel standing there, gape-mouthed. She wasn't through berating him, apparently. He ignored her exasperated gasp and the repeated use of his name and walked downs the steps, exited the schoolyard and was headed toward the saloon at a fast clip. He needed a drink.

  The Diamond Back Saloon was fairly active for a Monday. The noise inside was filled with men cussing and the occasional hoot of laughter. Holden wondered why there were so many people milling about so early in the day. He didn't have to guess long. The words, Laurel and pretty little thing, reached him before he'd made it to the bar.

  "Afternoon, Holden. What's it going to be?"

  He nodded his head at Vern, the bartender, and ordered whiskey. The glass was sat in front of him and he stood there staring at the amber liquid debating on drinking it. The stuff Vern sold was bad on the worst of days and downing the stuff was done with courage and puffed up pride. None of which he had today. Laurel had taken that from him the moment she set eyes on him.

  "She got to you too, didn't she?"

  Turning to look down the bar, Holden watched the men as they laughed. "She who?"

  "The new schoolmarm. Laurel Montgomery."

  He tried not to react but something on his face must have given him away. The men laughed again, raised their glasses before hooting and hollering and swilled their liquor before asking for another.

  "She's a piece of work, I hear," Vern said as he refilled their glasses. "Mean and spiteful." He turned to look at him once he'd finished. "One would think a woman that fetching would have a sweet sort of disposition but I'm not sure she has it in her. She's just plain mean."

  He smiled. "So it wasn't just me?"

  The laughter returned. "No. She's a right ornery woman from what I've heard. Doesn’t take too kindly to men, either." Vern grinned and nodded toward Ben Atwater. "What was it she said to you, Ben?"

  Ben belched and tossed back his drink before turning to look down the bar. "She said I was a foul smelling sot and I should go drink off my stupor." He scowled and banged his glass on the top of the bar. "Wouldn't even take the flowers I found on the side of the road." He snorted. "As if I'd want to court a woman who was offended I drink. Why, she's too opinionated to ever get a husband, let alone keep one. It's probably why she's here! She's just a bitter old spinster no one wanted."

  The gaggle of men inside the bar comforted Ben, telling him how wrong the schoolmarm was and Holden smiled as he listened to them. He wasn't about to agree. For all Laurel's faults, she was at least honest. Ben Atwater was the biggest drunk from here to Missoula.

  His confrontation with Laurel was still fresh on his mind. He wasn't sure where he'd gone wrong, or what caused her to be so cross with him. He'd waited until the children were dismissed and were gathering their things before approaching her and the flower he'd picked up by the fence hadn't made her eyes sparkle like he thought it would. It had infuriated her. She'd torn into him immediately, giving the kids ample time to start misbehaving, Alex being the one to instigate it all, and within minutes, he'd been scolded and put in his place, all his hopes of courting, and then making Laurel his wife, dashed in an instant.

  She apparently hated him.

  It took him near half an hour to finish his drink, the laughter and the rude comments about Laurel remained the topic of conversation. Holden checked the time and said his goodbyes, laughing as the men continued to debate Laurel's less than appealing attributes and he almost wished he didn't have to face her again. As much as she heated his blood and made him think things he shouldn't about her, the venom she spouted was disheartening.

  As badly as he wanted a wife, and a mother for Alex, he wasn't about to be saddled with a hateful woman, regardless of how pretty she was. There was only so much a man could put up with and even though bedding Laurel had been the single most exciting night he could remember in years, the moment she opened her mouth to berate him for something, what little desire he had for her would be gone.

  He readjusted his hat, looked toward the school and felt a bit of hope stir in his chest when he saw Alex. He wouldn't have to face Laurel after all.

  Alex ran across the street and was near breathless when she stopped in front of him. "Pa, I swear, I'll run away from home if I have to go back to class tomorrow."

  Holden laughed and laid his hand on her shoulder as they walked down the street. "It wasn't that bad, was it?"

  Her face twisted into a grimace. "She made us all switch seats and she sat me right in front of Jesse Samuels! That boy is a pest from the other side of the room. Now, he's right behind me."

  "That doesn't sound too bad. Just don't turn around and you'll never even know he's there."

  "That's what you think." Alex huffed out a breath and shook her head. "She also told everyone in class my name was Alexandra and from this day on, they had to call me that. Jesse spent the rest of the day pulling my hair and saying Alexandra every other sentence."

  Holden bit his lip to keep from grinning. They walked all the way to the brand new hotel before he stopped and looked down at his daughter. "Well, it is the name your mamma gave ya."

  The fury shining in her eyes dimmed a bit. "I didn't ever say I hated the name. I just prefer Alex better."

  He smiled and tossed her pigtails over her shoulder. "Well, why don't we just let Miss Montgomery have her way at school and we'll keep calling you Alex when you're not there. How's that?"

  She sighed, tilted her head a bit as if thinking and finally nodded. "As long as everyone knows that outside of school, I'm Alex."

  They entered the newly built hotel, greeted Joseph Brighton, the owner, as he said hello before they turned, heading to the restaurant. They'd made it a regular Monday ritual of having an early supper when the new hotel was built and so far, Alex had enjoyed her time alone with him.

  They were seated, handed menus with the days special and had ordered before Alex sighed. Holden looked up, noticed the look on her face and knew, there was something she wasn't telling him. He crossed his arms on the top of the table and just waited.

  "Nobody likes her."

  Holden didn't comment. It was pointless to debate the issue when he knew his daughter was probably right, especially after hearing what the men at the saloon had to say about Laurel.


  She looked up at him before lowering her gaze. "Benjamin Atwater called her a shrew today. He said that's what his pa said she was. A hateful, dried out old shrew with no heart and she heard him. And you know what she did, pa?"

  He shook his head. "No."

  Alex looked almost remorseful as she sat back in her seat. "She looked like he'd thrown a rock at her head. Her eyes got all glassy like she was about to cry and then she just smiled and pretended he'd never said it, even though everyone was laughing at her."

  Holden stared at his daughter as heat crawled up his neck. The conversation he'd heard earlier in the saloon came back to mind and he wondered how many others would be so bold as to tell Laurel what they thought of her. His own anger at her diminished, remorse filling him as he thought of her and how she'd feel knowing she was disliked. Knowing that he'd had ill thoughts about her, too.

  If what Alex said was true, then it just proved Laurel did have a heart. It might have been black and shriveled to the size of a prune for some unknown reason but she did get her feelings hurt.

  He sat back and thought of the conversations he'd had with her. She'd been very straight forward at the ranch and here in town, hadn't cracked a smile and had looked very stern, but he didn't miss the pink tint her cheeks took on when she first saw him. Or the way she avoided looking at him if she could. How straight her spine was, as if facing him was the hardest thing she'd ever had to do.

  No one really knew her. Hell, he didn't for that matter. Their night together was about pleasure. They hadn't talked much once he entered her hotel room and he had no inkling of what circumstance brought her to Willow Creek. She may act like a spiteful woman who wanted nothing to do with him, but was she really?

  Their food arrived and he watched Alex dig into her fried chicken while he sat there wondering what it was exactly that made Laurel act so bitter. It had to be something. Women didn't snap like she did without cause and he'd done nothing to offend her which made him think that someone, somewhere, knew why she had such a sour disposition. He knew just who to ask about it, too. His brother, Morgan, would be able to find out. There wasn't a person alive who could escape his scrutiny.

  Making a mental note to talk to Morgan, he looked down at his plate, the meatloaf still slightly sizzling while his thoughts whirled. Laurel Montgomery was an enigma to everyone in town but one way or another, he'd find out what caused her to be so surly.

  * * * *

  She'd survived another day of class but still felt the cold rush of fear skating down her spine. The kids, and the people in town, seemed to dislike her more than she'd hoped they would. She bolted the front door of the school house and walked back across the space, entering the small room behind it that was now her new home. It was sparsely furnished. A bed, a table with two chairs, a stove for cooking and a wardrobe for her belongings.

  As rooms went, it was better than most boarding houses she'd found herself in. It was private, it didn't smell and the colorful rag rug on the wood floor gave it a cheery feel.

  So why did she feel so much misery while in it?

  Filling the teapot with water, she checked the stove, adding more wood to the burning embers and waited for the fire to grow enough to boil her water. She looked at the foodstuff she had, debated on going to the hotel for supper and felt her stomach clench just thinking about it. She wasn't prepared to suffer through that humiliation again. Not yet. Being served by people who obviously didn't like her was embarrassing, especially when the other diners stared at her. No, she'd make due with what she had and not step back into that restaurant until she had no choice.

  When her water had boiled, she poured it into her teapot, added the tea leaves and waited for it to steep while grabbing one of the three china cups she owned. Sitting at the small table, her thoughts a jumble of what ifs, she waited until the tea had turned dark and rich and the aroma filled her a bit with tranquility. Tea didn't cure all the troubles she had but at the moment, it chased away the most depressing.

  Being in a town where no one liked her was soul crushing but she'd made her choice. She'd have to see it through. She just wished Holden Avery hadn't graced her door. For the first time in over a year she had thoughts she never dreamed of having about a man again. Thoughts that caused her face to heat, her stomach to clench delightfully and made her pulse beat so fast, she could hear the blood racing in her ears.

  She sighed, added a bit of sugar to her tea and took a sip while trying to clear her head. Regardless of her feelings where Holden Avery was concerned, she'd stick to the plan. No man was worth the pain they brought, especially one as handsome as Holden Avery. If being hateful to every person she came into contact with, even him, was what it took to protect her heart, then so be it. Living out her life alone was a lonely proposition but it was one she could live it. She hoped.

  Chapter Three

  Greeting her students as they ran up the steps of the schoolhouse was done with as stern a look as possible. It almost killed her not to smile at them and say how happy she was for them to be back. Truth was, she adored kids and teaching was probably as close as she'd ever get to having children of her own.

  She sighed, the noise from the school bell ringing inside her head incessantly as Jesse continue to ring it without fail. Seeing no one else running toward the school, she was just about to turn when she saw the horse, and the small rider seated in front of her father. Laurel's pulse leaped when she recognized Holden and Alexandra coming down the road.

  Of all the people she hadn't wanted to see, it was him. Her heart nearly beat out of control whenever she looked at the man and she hated the effect he had on her.

  She'd sworn off men after being lied to and played for a fool, and knew the only way to be happy in life was to make her own decisions. And she had. Life would have worked out fine had she not made the grave mistake of falling for a handsome face back in Missoula. Now, she was stuck in a town with that same man. A man who heated her blood beyond reason and brought to mind images of them together she couldn't seem to forget.

  Sighing, she waited for Alexandra to dismount and prayed Holden wouldn't follow his daughter to the building. Her prayers weren't usually answered and today was no different. She tried to ignore him as he walked toward her. Tried to be indifferent to his chiseled features, the whiskers on his chin where he'd not bothered to shave or the sparkling blue eyes that were firmly latched on her.

  She lowered her arms when he climbed the steps, looked only at Alexandra and hoped he'd just go away.

  He didn't.

  "I think we got off on the wrong foot, Miss Montgomery." He smiled, and lifted his hand, the largest red apple she'd ever seen resting on his palm.

  Her pulse leaped and she cursed her traitorous heart for even noticing the man. "An apple for the teacher." She looked up, gave him a blank look and sighed. "How very… typical."

  She turned, walked into the classroom and shut the door behind her, leaving Holden on the front stoop while her heart stammered away in her chest. She crossed the room, stepped behind her desk and inhaled deeply, telling herself it was okay to be so rude to Holden, that if she wasn't, he'd never leave her alone.

  Picking up her lesson book, she flipped to today's lesson's, scanning what she'd written for each age group and lifted her head to look at her class just as the door to the classroom opened. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw Holden framed in the doorway, looking as handsome and strong as he always did, that blasted smirk on his face. This man would be the death of her.

  He crossed the room, his gaze locked on her, and stopped in front of her desk. "Your fancy words and hateful attitude won't make me go away, Laurel." He leaned toward her, his words a bare whisper. "If nothing else, they amuse me." He sat the apple in front of her, grinning up at her as he leaned back. "Have a good day. I'll see you this afternoon."