The Lassoed by Marriage Romance Collection

by Bell, Angela; Breidenbach, Angela; Carter, Lisa

  Pa dished up steaming chicken stew. Ma put a plate of biscuits on the table and a bowl of mashed potatoes.

  “Put the milk pitcher out, Tanner, and get the pie.”

  It was apple pie. Tanner had been smelling it ever since he’d come in. Ma always bought a bushel or two of apples in Helena after the cattle drive in the fall. They feasted on them, and when they began to wither, Ma diced what was left for pie and applesauce. There weren’t many to put up, and the apples were hard to find and costly. She must really want Debba to like being here.

  It lifted Tanner’s spirits. Despite his ham-handed tactics hauling Debba here, Ma was on his side.

  Tanner took the chair straight across from Debba. Pa sat on Tanner’s right at the head of the table, and Ma on his left at the foot and closest to the stove, so she could refill the serving dishes.

  “Let’s ask the blessing.” Pa did a nice job. His prayers were always sincere but brief. But today he mentioned Debba, and it felt right and good to pray for the lonely woman.

  Figuring a hard talk was coming, Tanner dug into his food and so did everyone else. He couldn’t figure out if they were just dreading what had to be said or if the food was better eaten warm. Maybe some of both.

  Tanner had his pie half eaten when Ma said, “Debba, have you thought about what you want to do?”

  Debba stopped chewing and fixed her eyes on her dessert like she thought it held the meaning of life. Silence hung thick in the room. Tanner regretted it. He didn’t want her upset. Ma was trying to let her make her own decisions. None of her daughters had ever had much trouble taking charge of their own lives. Ma was a whole lot nicer than he’d been.

  Finally Debba lifted her chin as if her head weighed fifty pounds. Her skin was pale as milk. She looked at Tanner until she’d chewed and swallowed her bite of pie. “You asked me if my pa was a cruel man.”

  Ma reached across the table and slapped him in the back of the head. He’d be building fence in the moonlight if Debba didn’t mind her words.

  “I have never considered him cruel, but compared to whom?” Debba bit her bottom lip, and her eyes lost focus. Tanner thought she was looking into the past.

  “I think we might have gone to town a couple of times a year when I was really little. But once Ma died, we probably went to town three times in my memory.”

  “Were you born in that canyon?” Ma asked.

  “No. We moved there before Ma died, though. Pa told me we found that canyon when I was four.”

  “Do you know where you came from? Do you have aunts and uncles who might take you in?”

  “No one.” Debba answered slowly, and Tanner wondered if she was even sure of that.

  “My birth is recorded in our family Bible, and Ma’s death is, too. If there is other family, I might find names in there, but I don’t know them and I’ve never met them.”

  There was silence for a time, and then Tanner spoke up with a notion. Chopping wood had a way of clearing a man’s thoughts. “Did you see Luther when we were in Divide last spring?”

  Pa nodded. “He had to be eighty years old.”

  “He’s not as old as we think,” Ma said. “That long gray beard puts years on a man. Mandy Linscott told me Tom built a cabin for him on their land and told him he’d earned some easy years.”

  “And did Mandy tell you that Buff and Wise Sister were coming to stay, too?”

  Frowning, Pa said, “I didn’t hear that.”

  Ma shook her head.

  “Well, I talked with Luther for a while and he said he don’t like it. He’s been put out to pasture. His knees ache and he has to sit for longer between jobs, but he hates the thought of a rocking chair gettin’ him in his old age. And he said Buff and Wise Sister have always roamed. They like the high-up hills, but it’s a hard life, and coming down to live near Luther is what’s ahead of them. They don’t like it, either.”

  “This is all interesting, Tanner, but—”

  “I wonder,” Tanner cut Ma off, which was always dangerous, “if Luther, Buff, and Wise Sister would consider living in Debba’s canyon.”

  With a little gasp, Debba said, “You want to give someone else my home?”

  “No, I mean they could live there with you.”

  Debba blinked her eyes, as if stunned by the idea. As if shocked to think her choices might include going home.

  “The thing is, Debba, I think you do need to consider coming out of there. And I think…” Tanner hesitated to say this in front of Pa and Ma, but he doubted they were going to give him much choice. “I think there is something between us.”

  Debba was watching every breath and word.

  “I’d like to get to know you better, since we haven’t known each other long.” Tanner had worked hard all day and been slapped twice. He thought he’d learned his lessons well. It wasn’t wise to say one of his misgivings about her was that she was furiously mad. He liked her, but before he proposed, he oughta make sure she wasn’t a lunatic. That’d get old fast in a wife.

  “We can ask them. I think they might like the idea of living up there. They’ll have the wilderness, but they might need some taking care of. I’m not sure if they’re up to much hunting anymore. And there might be days when keeping enough wood chopped will be too big a job. We’ll lay up a good supply, but I’m not sure if I can get in and out through that narrow pass when the snow gets deep. I’ll do everything to help I can, and I’ll be in during the spring, summer, and fall.”

  He was surprised at the pang he got from thinking he might not see her for months. “If the idea suits you, you can go home. And since I live close, we can get to know each other and see if we’ll suit.”

  “I—I don’t know if I want three strangers in my canyon.”

  No one responded for a time. It was up to her.

  She seemed incapable of deciding.

  Finally Ma said, “Would you like to meet them? Talk with them? They are fine people, and you’d be much safer with them around. Of course, they may object to the idea.”

  Tanner doubted it. Linscotts’ ranch was two hours out of town, and on an earlier visit, Tanner’d heard Buff claim he could smell people. Luther fussed that the whole Rockies had been hunted out. Wise Sister, a Shoshone woman, had gotten quiet…even for her. She rarely left the cabin, and she sure as certain didn’t come into Divide.

  Debba smiled her quiet smile. “I appreciate this. I’m worried about it, but all afternoon I’ve been thinking I had no choice. Now maybe I do. Thank you.”

  Tanner nodded in satisfaction. “Good. Tomorrow we’ll go find them and see what they say.”

  “Do you mean we’re going to see more people?” She looked terrified.

  “We’ll skirt around town,” Ma said. “You’ll see the Linscotts but few other people. We’ll have to hit the trail early. On a fast horse it’s a five-hour ride—and just as far back. We can make it in one day, but it’ll be as long a day as one of our cattle drives.”

  With a sigh, Debba shrugged and said, “I’ll meet them.”

  Tanner sighed with relief, and then, his dessert gone, he said, “Debba, as for getting to know you better, would you like to step outside and take a walk with me?”

  He glanced left and right at his parents and asked, “Is that all right with you?”

  It was more than all right, they practically shoved the two of them out the kitchen door.

  They walked a few steps, and, feeling like the world’s clumsiest oaf, Tanner took Debba’s hand. She smiled and hung on. Not acting crazy at all.

  “You know, it’s a funny thing, my folks fought it every time one of my sisters got married.”

  “Fought it, you mean they didn’t like their husbands?”

  “Well, no they never have met a man they thought was good enough for one of the girls. There was always a fuss. And my brothers-in-law are fine men and all live close around. But they don’t seem to have much concern about you.”

  The smile melted off her face, and Tanner felt h
is eyes go wide. He could almost feel Ma slapping the back of his head.

  “No, I don’t mean to be insulting. I’m just stupid around woman. I’ve never been around a woman.”

  “Well, I’ve never been around a man, either.”

  “Then you know what I mean? You don’t know what to say or how to act when you’re trying to get to know a man better. How could you? You’ve never gotten to know anyone at all.”

  The hurt look faded off her face, but it wasn’t exactly a cheerful expression.

  “What I’m talking about has nothing to do with you.”

  “It doesn’t?”

  “Of course it does.” Tanner covered his eyes with his free hand and sort of hoped he stepped into an open well. “I mean my folks are just treating me real different than they treated my sisters.”

  Then he got a bright idea. “Or maybe you’re just so nice that they don’t have any worries.” He squeezed Debba’s hand. “That must be it.”

  She smiled again, and Tanner considered shutting his mouth and never opening it again so he wouldn’t say anything that hurt her feelings.

  And then he realized they’d come a fair distance from the house, way outside of Ma’s range of vision. He pulled Debba to a stop, turned her, and kissed her.

  No talking now.

  Finally he felt brave enough to say just about anything and believed she’d like to hear it.

  “Debba, I—” A rush of something moving fast in the dark spun him around. He couldn’t see what it was, but something was coming fast and quiet.

  He’d come out without a gun, no way to protect them.

  “Run!” He grabbed Debba’s hand and ran toward the house as whatever came at them gained, running twice as fast as he could. He wasn’t going to make it. He veered to the side and sprinted toward the barn, much closer. Whatever it was, all motion and silence beyond thudding hooves. No shout for them to stop.

  “What is it, Tanner? What’s going on?”

  “Someone’s after us.” He couldn’t talk and run at the same time, so he just dug in deep, getting every ounce of speed he was capable of. Debba kept up and he was grateful; he’d hate to drag her, and if he pulled her off her feet, whoever was out there would be on them.

  They got close enough to the house that Pa was within earshot. “Pa, come quick!”

  The pounding hooves closed on them. A horse, he thought. There was something eerie about it, but he didn’t know what. It had to be someone on horseback. He braced himself for the sound of gunfire and prepared to grab Debba and throw her to the ground, shield her with his own body. Then they reached the barn and he wrenched the door open, hauled Debba in, and slammed it shut.

  The hooves kept pounding for long minutes. Finally the sound stopped. Dead silence. He had the fleeting thought that Debba had been right. The outside world was dangerous.

  Tanner pressed all his weight against the barn door. There was a heavy latch on the outside of it, but that did them no good.

  From the house, Pa shouted, “Tanner, what is it?”

  “Pa, look out. Someone’s out there chasing us. We barely made it to the barn.”

  The silence lasted too long. Had the riders run off when Pa came out? Had they turned their attention to Pa? Tanner’s stomach twisted to think he’d put Pa in danger. Taking a walk with Debba had appealed to him so strongly that he hadn’t armed himself. He hadn’t shown a lick of caution.

  Then Pa shouted in fear, and the door to the house slammed.

  Whoever it was scared Pa.

  “Debba, my pa isn’t scared of nothin’.”

  Which really sent him to thinking. He edged along the barn wall, keeping hold of Debba’s wrist. He reached a window with a tight shutter, but not so tight he couldn’t see out into the yard.

  Nothing showed in the small crack. Then a rectangle of light appeared. The house. Pa stood, rifle in hand. He saw Ma behind him. They both just stood there. Not acting scared at all now.

  “Pa, what’s going on?”

  Just then, Tanner heard a loud moo.

  “Uh…there is a huge longhorn bull in our yard. Black. And he’s just standing there. He came toward me earlier, but now he’s standing right outside the barn door, staring. Uh…he has friends.”

  Debba slipped away and got to the barn door and flung it open.

  “Shadow!” She rushed outside.

  Tanner stepped out, and there wasn’t a tame-as-a-house cat, two-thousand-pound bull in the yard. No, that would be too simple.

  There was a whole herd of longhorns. They’d all missed their mama. Who had wrapped her arms around Shadow’s neck and was kissing him on the cheek.

  The yard was full of cattle, the whole herd came. They were really dangerous animals, all acting like they’d taken part in a parade from their mountain canyon to the Hardens’.

  If Debba ever let them take her pets on a cattle drive, it’d be mighty simple. She’d just ride to Helena and they’d all follow.

  Tanner would probably follow, too.

  He gave them a wide berth as he walked to the house. He’d told his folks about the canyon. But honestly, how could a person believe it until they saw it?

  “Is she hugging a longhorn bull, Tanner?” Ma asked, sounding confused to a point that could only be described as reasonable.

  “Yep.”

  “That bull could turn on her and stomp her into the ground,” Pa said. “You can’t trust longhorns.”

  “Look, there’s one of her Belgian horses. She said he’s as old as her memory. Her folks had them already when they moved into the canyon.” Tanner kept watch. “Just be glad her grouse didn’t join the parade.”

  “Grouse?” Ma asked.

  “Yep, she caught them and tamed them for their eggs. Leastways, I suspect they’re just for eggs. She talks to them like they are family, so I’m not sure if she’s up to eating one of them. But she shot a wolverine, and I watched her skin it. As fast as anyone I’ve ever seen with a skinning knife.”

  Ma whispered, “I like this girl more every minute.”

  “What are we going to do with that herd of cattle?” Pa scratched his head with the hand not holding his rifle. The yard was still filling.

  “Not much you can do. They like Debba. They tracked her all the way here.”

  “That’s the truth,” Ma said, sounding like she wanted to laugh.

  “That’s the biggest longhorn I’ve ever seen. I wonder how old it is?” Pa was a cattleman to his bones. “I saw the ridges on Shadow’s horns and the length.”

  “He’s twenty years old at least, I’m guessing.” Some of Debba’s mustangs were here now. They mingled with the longhorns like a reunion of old friends. Pa usually kept the horses and cattle separate because the horses had some instinct to start herding and the cows didn’t like it.

  “I had one born on my place when I first started out that lived to be twenty-seven years old.” Ma took the rifle from Pa, who gave it up without a fight. “An old cow who had a baby every year.”

  Ma stepped inside to return the rifle to the hooks over the door.

  “I’m gonna bet this one don’t drive worth a hoot.” Pa stared, and then finally he made a decision. “I think I’ll ride out right now and get Si and Cade home.”

  Tanner had to agree with that decision. Reinforcements were definitely in order.

  Chapter 7

  It took some wrangling, but they finally came up with a plan to get the cattle to go home.

  Debba felt like she was lying to her cattle, but they really were inconvenient milling around the Hardens’ ranch yard. She started out riding for her canyon, along with Si and Cade and Tanner. Si and Cade carried the clothes that Debba had worn down the mountain the first day and rode two of Debba’s mustangs.

  They got ahead far enough they were out of sight of her herd, her best friends, so when they reached a stream, instead of crossing, Tanner and Debba turned into the water and rode fast—hopefully out of smelling range since they hadn’t had to see De
bba to follow her.

  Si and Cade rode on up toward her place. Tanner had given them careful directions to the canyon. He was hoping the horses knew the way and would take the trail with good spirits. If not, they’d just go to Tanner’s house and let the cattle congregate there for now.

  Debba listened carefully, in case she needed to get herself home later.

  Tanner rode on, and Debba followed him. They eventually got back to his parents’ house, and then they all headed out for the Linscott place.

  Belle had promised to avoid Divide because Debba wanted no part of a town. Belle seemed to agree, so that was a promise easily made.

  Silas had a gate across the trail they were taking to Divide. He’d spent some time reinforcing it in case the longhorns figured out they’d been tricked and came hunting Debba. She hoped it held.

  “I hope that gate holds.” Silas sounded glum. Like he doubted it.

  Since Debba doubted it, too, it gave her a friendly feeling toward Silas.

  “We could go tomorrow.” Debba was pretty sure her heart was going to pound out of her chest—due to fear—which would kill her. Meeting new people was a terrible idea. Inviting them to live with her even worse. Thanks to her cattle and horses, they’d already put the trip off two days.

  “Do you think Si and Cade will remember to feed my grouse?”

  “You reminded them fifteen times, Debba.” Tanner sounded tired and it wasn’t even noon yet. “And besides, they know ranch life. They’d’ve thought of it on their own.”

  Putting this trip off a day wouldn’t be so bad. Tanner had taken a walk with her both nights since the cattle had come. Shadow kept them company. The bull seemed to blame Tanner for taking her away, as well he should. And now he was guarding Debba so close she was afraid he might end up in the house with them.

  The Hardens were good builders, though. The cabin door was sturdy and withstood all attempts by Shadow to breech it.

  “Nope, no sense delaying.” Belle seemed to be in charge in this family.

  Debba had been in charge in her canyon for years. She was certainly no such thing now. She found herself surrounded by people with much stronger wills than her own.