Should she say something to him? Pretend nothing had happened? She wrung her hands not knowing what to do.
He returned from the buckboard carrying the bread and cheese and the canvas bag containing her belongings. “I thought you might um, like to change your clothes or something. There’s a towel if you want to wash up.”
Under the stubble of his beard she detected a tinge of red to his cheeks.
“We’ll head off as soon as we’ve eaten, there’s still quite a way to go before we get home. He had obviously already washed as his hair was wet, plastered to his head yet still managing to curl.
With a blanket wrapped around her naked body she hurried down to the creek to wash. The water was refreshingly cold. She shouldn’t be, but somehow felt embarrassed about facing him in the light of day.
She brushed her hair and left it hanging loose around her shoulders. “Stop dithering, you have to face him sometime,” she muttered. Stiffening her spine, she walked briskly back to their campsite.
“You feel okay?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Good, I’m sorry if I was too impatient last night but I didn’t expect you….”
“You thought I’d been with another man?”
“Yeah, I guess so. You were betrothed to this Jake Sawyer.”
“It was all pretend.”
“You didn’t know that at the time. I thought he might have taken advantage of you.”
“Well, he didn’t, probably thought I was too ugly.” She grabbed a piece of bread and stuffed it in her mouth.
“You are not ugly; I keep telling you. Where did you get that idea from, anyway?”
“My parents.”
“Are they crazy? You’re a beautiful young woman, Katie.”
“I am?”
She had been so beaten down over the years it was hard to feel worthy.
“You are. I know you’ve had a hard life and been treated badly, but that ended the moment you became my wife. You’ll never have to worry about being used or abused ever again. Now, eat up so we can be off. I can’t wait for you to see your new home.”
****
Mid-morning, they arrived at Steve’s ranch. It was set in a pretty valley with tree covered hills on either side. Horses grazed in fenced paddocks.
She glimpsed a log cabin in the distance built against a high grass covered mound. A stone chimney stuck up from the shingle covered roof.
The several outbuildings, barn, stables maybe, and storage sheds were built from split logs. Neat and well cared for was her first impression.
“What do you think?”
“It looks lovely.”
He grinned. “It’s a good ranch. I could do with a few more acres, though.”
“Every rancher says that.”
“Yeah, I guess they do.” He pulled up in the front yard, jumped down and strode around to her side of the buckboard. He picked her up and instead of putting her on the ground, he kissed her on the mouth.
“Welcome to your new home, Mrs. Colby.” He placed her on the ground.
The front of the cabin was covered by a porch, a few scraggy plants grew around. It certainly wasn’t much of a garden. The place didn’t look very big. Nothing covered the two glass windows at the front.
“I’ll show you through the place then unload the buckboard while you light the fire.”
“Fire?”
“Yeah, well I have got a small cook stove only I rarely use it. I can’t cook, remember?”
With a hand at her waist he propelled her forward. The door was shut, not locked. She pushed it open and glanced around with interest.
The sitting room and kitchen were combined. It was sparsely furnished with a couple of old armchairs, a wooden dresser with glass doors and a bookshelf with neat rows of books in it. Cowhide mats covered the floor.
There was a large fireplace in the kitchen with an iron tripod with a pot dangling from it. The cook stove was a small one with two hot plates on the top, but it did have an oven. Where did they sleep? She glanced around.
“Where’s your bedroom?”
He laughed and pushed open a door at the back of the room, stepping back to let her enter first. She gasped with shock. The room was part of the grassy mound she had seen. It contained a large double bed, a dresser and matching closet and chest of drawers.
“Where are the windows?”
He grinned. “There’s a door which I keep propped open most of the time. It leads to the backyard.”
The walls were lined with wooden boards, the ceiling was canvas.
“It might take a bit of getting used to. It was originally a soddie and the previous owner built the front section later at a guess.”
He pushed the door open. “I was teasing you, there is a window. It’s above the door, but the shutters are closed. It’s cool in summer and snug in winter. There’s not much variation in temperature all year round.”
“Oh, it is different.”
“There’s a large loft area at the front of the cabin. I use it for storage now, although I plan to make it into a bedroom.” He hesitated for a moment. “A children’s bedroom.”
Her cheeks grew hot.
“I wish I had more time.” His gaze went to the bed which was covered by a patchwork quilt. “I’ve got things to catch up on. If you can get the fire going and whip up something to eat, I’d be grateful. Don’t go to much trouble. You can cook something more substantial for supper.”
“Maybe I can toast the bread. Do you have chickens?”
“Yes.”
“I could do eggs on toast.”
“Sounds fine.” He turned on his heel and marched out of the house. He might be out of the army, but he still had some of the soldier in him.
On the hearth was a box full of neatly cut logs, kindling and pieces of bark. She checked the cook stove, easy to see it hadn’t been used for some time as there were cobwebs inside of it. She brushed them away before laying the logs on top of the bark and kindling.
“Come on, you light up.” She blew gently on the flickering flame until the bark caught alight then the kindling.
She was good at lighting fires. It was one of only a few things she remembered from her time with the Indians. White Crow had been the chief of the group. An arrogant warrior who often slapped and kicked her, although his wives and children treated her well. He used to slap and kick them as well if they displeased him. She didn’t doubt for one moment that once she had been old enough, if she hadn’t been rescued, he wouldn’t have claimed her as his woman.
Why was she thinking about it now after all this time? She filled the coffee pot from a bucket of water on the table and placed it on the stove.
Steve’s return interrupted her musing. “You got the stove going I see. He handed over the bag containing her clothes. “There’s plenty of room in my closet,” he said, dumping the tin of molasses next to it. He made two more trips to bring in supplies. “I’ll see to the horse then show you where my food is kept.”
“Do you have a root cellar?”
“Yes. There’s a trapdoor under the mat near the back door. I suppose you could say it’s part of the original soddie.”
Katie couldn’t believe what an unusual house this was. She glanced out the back door. Maybe a quick trip to the chickens for a few eggs. Time enough to explore later. Steve was anxious to start on his chores. Over their food maybe they could discuss what he wanted her to do.
She stepped outside with a bowl. Thankfully he had a well which would make life much easier for her. The chickens lived in a large enclosure with a timber shelter built for them. He obviously locked them up at night.
She hurried to the back of the large cage where she guessed the nesting boxes would be. It stretched along the length of the structure. There were three quite large lift-up doors. She squatted down in front of the first one. There were six eggs, so she scooped them up and placed them in the bowl.
&n
bsp; Several fruit trees grew in the backyard, the only one she could recognize was an apple tree.
As she stepped into the house from the back, she collided with Steve who was obviously checking on where she was. He caught her by the shoulders.
“Eggs,” she said, giving a nervous breathy laugh.
He took the bowl and placed it on the table then lowered his head and kissed her on the mouth. Heat spiraled through her. She wrapped her arms around his waist as he deepened the kiss. They were both breathing heavily by the time he stepped back.
“I’m crazy for you, Katie. But I haven’t got the time right now.”
“Oh?” She couldn’t hide her disappointment. What was wrong with her? Acting in such a wanton fashion.
“Later,” he promised with a gleam in his eye. “Are you going to give your husband something to eat?” He gave her a gentle swat on the backside.
She laughed. “Yes, if you step out of my way so I can get to the stove. Fried eggs and fried bread with cheese.”
“Thanks, sounds good.”
She picked up a pan and put a square of lard in it. Six cents for a pound at the mercantile was expensive when she could make her own. Well, depending on whether they ate meat or not. It was hard not knowing what he did or did not have.
Chapter Eleven
A month after their marriage, Steve announced at breakfast that they would go into Harris Junction for stores. She had been on the verge of telling him they were getting low on a few things.
“Will it take you long to get changed?”
“No.”
“I was thinking. Can you sew?”
She nodded her head.
“We could buy material in town and you could make yourself a dress.”
“I don’t want you spending your money on me.”
“You’ve earned it.”
Her hackles rose. “Doing what?”
“Well, um.”
“I keep you happy in bed.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
Tears filled her eyes. “That makes me feel like a whore.”
“Tarnation, I just meant, I mean you’re doing a lot around the place. I’m not good at expressing myself. I say things and it comes out wrong.”
“I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I feel weepy, sick and it’s not like me.” She pushed her pancakes to one side.
Steve stared intently at Katie. “Maybe you’re run down?” She did look pale and those big cow eyes of hers filling with tears really upset him. He had obviously been asking too much of her. She was a tiny frail looking gal who sometimes made him feel like an oaf.
He was no good at expressing himself, never had been. Did she really think he thought of her as a whore? Inwardly he cringed. He enjoyed what they shared in their marital bed. She worked hard inside and outside the house, he could see the difference. He had always been tidy, a legacy of his army days, but she had made his house a home.
“If you don’t feel up to it, we can go another time.”
“No, I’ll be all right. I’ve been feeling sickly on and off for a few days.”
“Maybe you’re working too hard? You don’t have to do everything at once, and the house looks nice.” He finished eating. “I’ll get the wagon hooked up. Do you have a bonnet, it can get hot as we need to travel across a couple of miles of open prairie? In summer it’s like passing through a desert.”
“No, I don’t have a bonnet. The Sawyers bought me a nice new one to wear, so I threw my old one out. When they sneaked off, they took everything they had bought me with them.”
“I’ve got a spare hat you can wear that.” How low could some people get. If he ever met them, he would be hard pressed not to give each of them a bullet between the eyes.
By not making any sudden movement, Katie’s queasy, unsettled stomach wasn’t too bad, and she did want to go into Harris Junction. She enjoyed being on the ranch, although an outing would be a nice change. She could tell Steve what stores they needed rather than have him buy what he thought. Other than basics, he had no idea what to get so he bought nothing.
She waited on the porch for him to bring the small wagon, which was pulled by two horses, out the front. As always, he jumped down to lift her on board even though she was quite capable of climbing up herself.
“Comfortable?”
“Yes, thank you.” They sounded like two over polite strangers.
“Here’s the hat.” He handed her a shabby brown hat that had seen better days. She took it and clamped it on her head. She would take it off before they entered Harris Junction.
They drove along in silence, heading in the opposite direction to Laramie and she was glad. She didn’t care if she never set foot in the place again. Raeburn, either.
A new town with a new husband meant a new life. She was happy with that and thanked God for his blessing.
The further away from the ranch they travelled, the flatter the countryside became. The grass was starting to look dry and brittle, little swirls of dust were whipped up by the wind. It was the end of spring and she was grateful Steve had taken the time from his chores. He had been busy with mares foaling and had let other chores go.
She had been able to help him a lot, but there were certain things he wouldn’t allow her to do. “You’re not strong enough,” he would say. “I won’t have my wife doing it.”
The wagon went over a bump in the road and her stomach somersaulted and a minute or so later she vomited over the side of the wagon.
He stopped. “Are you all right? He wet his handkerchief with water from the canteen he always carried and wiped her mouth and face. “Do you want to get down and rest?”
“No, keep going. It was the bump that did it.”
His eyes had darkened with worry. “Maybe we should turn back.”
“No, let’s keep going. I’m starting to feel better now. Maybe there was something sour in my stomach.”
A shimmering, treeless plain stretched out ahead of them once they passed through a canyon. “This is a perfect place for an ambush,” she said, trying to take Steve’s mind off her.
“Yeah, used to be an ideal place to holdup the stage. Giddup.” He flicked the reins on the horses’ rumps. “The railway going through near here put an end to it.”
It was quiet here. Except for the crunching sound of the wagon wheels on the hard ground, silence reigned. It was as if everything was dead. A shudder of apprehension shot through her. Steve wore his Colt and kept his Winchester behind the seat.
“This is a spooky place even in daylight,” she said, feeling the need to break the silence.
“Yeah, at night it’s even worse. A few people have died crossing here in the summer. Tenderfoots crossing at the hottest time of the year without water. Can you believe their stupidity?”
“The poor things probably didn’t know how dangerous it was.”
“Probably didn’t. Anyway, stories abound about restless souls wandering around at night.”
“That isn’t true.”
He laughed. “I know but there are some who believe it. Feel better now?” he asked with a grin.
“Yes, I told you it was just something sour in my stomach.”
After a time, the land started to become more hospitable, the grass became greener and a few bushes and trees appeared. She gave a sigh of relief. Even if she didn’t believe lost souls wandered around, the place did have a horrible aura.
It wasn’t long before she saw buildings in the distance and the train tracks gleaming in the sunlight. Another ten minutes and they were passing down the main street. Red Bull saloon, barber shop with bathing facilities so a sign said. All the usual stores in a small western town.
The pulled up outside Ernie’s Mercantile, which was only about half the size of the one in Laramie.
“We’ll get our supplies first. I’ve got an account with Ernie. I need a couple of things from the seed merchant, t
hen we’ll have lunch at the diner. How does that sound?”
“Good.”
“Okay, that’s what we’ll do.”
Inside, the store appeared well stocked. “I wrote out what I thought we needed,” she said.
She passed a piece of paper over to him. He gave it a quick glance. “Okay, don’t forget to buy material for a dress.”
“If I get a little extra and a few yards of lace trim I could make curtains.”
“If you want to. I need cartridges, too.
“I’ll have to get needles and thread.”
“Use mine.”
“Black cotton thread might be fine for mending your socks, but not for me.”
“Get whatever you want, and a bonnet.”
“I could make one.”
His mouth dropped open in surprise. “Can you?”
A thin young man hurried up to them. “Howdy, Steve, Ma’am.”
“Howdy. Ernie this is my wife.”
“I didn’t know you got hitched.”
Steve grinned. “It just goes to show you don’t know all the gossip in town.”
“I guess not. Howdy, Mrs. Colby.”
“Howdy, um, Ernie.”
“Ooh, she’s a real pretty gal, too.”
Katie felt herself blush.
“Anyway, I’ve got news I bet you don’t know about, Steve.”
“Yeah, and what would that be?”
“Doug Farrell is in town. He’s visiting the sheriff.”
“I’ll have to see if I can catch up with him.”
“Don’t worry, he’s coming here before he leaves. He’s put an order in. You know those special candies he always gets for his wife.”
“After we leave here, I’m going to the feed store then the diner. I could meet him there.”
“Give me the list, I’ll get the stuff ready for you while you conduct your other business. That way you won’t have to hurry with your meal at the diner.”
“Thanks.”
“What about my material?” Katie asked. “I don’t think I can trust your tastes.”
The men grinned.
“My tastes in women’s stuff isn’t real good,” Ernie confessed, “but Steve’s is much worse than mine.”
They all laughed.
Lost in Laramie (Yours Truly: The Lovelorn Book 4) Page 7