She sort of missed being in charge. Then she thought of Shadow and wondered who’d really been in charge at her place.
Belle had wanted to start out before daylight, hoping to make the trip in one day. But she was afraid to wait for fear the cattle would come back, so they left just before noon and pushed hard.
Silas and Tanner had saddled eight horses, and they’d cut time by switching saddles and pressing on. The horses needed to shed the weight of a rider in order to keep moving fast, but it appeared that, with the saddle switched and the rider gone, the horses could rest while they galloped flat out.
Debba couldn’t quite believe that was true—sure, a saddle and a person weighed a fair amount, but, well, it seemed like the running would be tiring regardless of the weight. But the horses—and the Hardens—kept going, so she did, too.
It was late in the afternoon when Debba saw evidence that they were nearing someone’s property. The trails were widened, and there were magnificent black cattle grazing in herds. They were much rounder than her longhorns. And no horns anywhere. She’d seen a few of the Hardens’ cattle, red and black and black with white faces, but these were all shining black.
Shadow would fit in here well, except of course for the horns.
About the time the trail became hard packed, they veered away into a faint trail that led into the woods. Debba was relieved because she thought that wide trail probably led to more people than she wanted to see.
They rode deep into a densely crowded forest, and when Silas, who led the way, reined back his horse, Debba was awhile figuring out why.
They were only a few feet away when she finally saw a house. It was almost a door in the woods, then behind the wall of trees, she saw a real house.
The door swung open and a woman with white hair stepped out. Debba knew she was an Indian by her clothing and old stories she’d heard of native folks. She wore two long braids and a brownish dress with fringe and leather decorations. This had to be Wise Sister, and the look in her eyes made Debba wonder if that wasn’t the perfect name.
Right behind her an older man stepped out. Probably her husband, Buff. He had long hair around a bald head, with a full beard, more white than gray. He wore brown pants and a light-colored cotton shirt buttoned up the front.
Both of them nodded without speaking.
Silas said, “Buff, Wise Sister, howdy. Is Luther around? We’d like to talk to the three of you.”
Another man came out of the woods just then, dressed much like Buff.
“Howdy Silas, Belle.” His eyes shifted from Tanner to Debba.
“This is Tanner.”
“Knew it was your boy, but I wasn’t sure which one.”
“And Debba is a young woman who lives in the high-up hills, and I’d like to talk with you about her.”
“Light and set.” Luther must do all the talking for the three.
They dismounted and headed inside, and Debba wondered where Luther’s house was.
Debba was shocked to see a huge painting on one wall that didn’t seem to fit with the otherwise simple but pretty house. The house was small, but there were benches along the table and they almost fit. Debba ended up next to Tanner, and it was a tight squeeze. They sat across from Belle and Silas. Wise Sister stood at the stove, leaning back, arms crossed, and when Silas offered her his chair she waved a hand and Silas didn’t push it.
Belle said, “Debba lives in a canyon so high up we didn’t even know it existed, and Tanner lives close. We’d never seen the keyhole pass that leads into it. She’s lived there alone since her father died several years ago. Tanner found her and brought her to our place. She loves her canyon and wants to go back, but not alone. I’ve heard you speak of not liking to be so near people, and I wondered if…” She looked from one to the other, studying all three of them. “If you’d consider living up there.”
She stopped talking.
Debba wondered if they’d even speak enough to say no.
“I’ll help you get a cabin built, two cabins like you’ve got here,” Silas added.
“Buff,” Wise Sister surprised Debba by having a voice, “I am going.”
Buff nodded. “Yep, we’ll go.”
Luther said, “Me, too. No decent fur to trap. No hunting. People everywhere.”
Debba hadn’t seen a single person, but she could feel them. She knew just how he felt. Of course, maybe she’d like them if she met them, but they all seemed so dangerous. And yet she felt no danger in inviting these three into her canyon. They looked like about the most dependable people in the world. And they wouldn’t fill her ears with talk.
“Give us an hour to pack.” Luther rose from the table.
“Hour?” Buff gave Luther a confused look. “I can go now.”
“So can I, but I’d better ride over and tell Mandy we’re leaving.”
“She won’t be surprised.” Wise Sister stopped leaning and grabbed a pack and started loading it. Then she stopped and frowned at the huge painting. “We can come and visit that.”
“Tell Mandy bye for me.” Buff started filling his own pack. “We’ll come for the picture.”
“Shouldn’t we tell them about the cattle?” Tanner asked.
“What’s there to tell?” Debba couldn’t imagine.
“No matter. Whatever you tell, I am going.” Wise Sister didn’t even pause in her packing. Neither did Buff.
“I’ll pack your food.” Belle headed for the cupboards and the icebox.
“I’ll saddle the horses. Tanner, help me.” Pa left and Tanner, too.
Debba hated to see him go. She’d have followed if Belle wasn’t still in the house.
Buff seemed to be finished because he slung a pack over his shoulder, grabbed a rifle, and followed the men.
Once there were only the three of them, Belle started talking and working at the same time. Debba was the last up from the table and did her best to help.
There were details about what Debba’s life was like. Wise Sister stopped packing and looked over her shoulder during the part about Shadow.
Then Belle talked about how fast Debba could skin a wolverine, and Wise Sister’s black eyes flashed and she gave her chin one hard nod of approval.
“I will teach you to sew a dress in a different way. There are many things I could teach you. There are things you can teach me, too.”
Which was about the nicest thing a wise old woman could have said. Debba decided she liked Wise Sister very much.
Suddenly going home wasn’t quite so upsetting.
She decided it was time for her to talk. “My Pa always taught me that the world outside my canyon was dangerous.”
“It is.” Wise Sister dropped a pack by the front door and began filling another.
Belle was nearly done with the kitchen cupboards. She was leaving most things behind, and Debba had no idea how she was choosing.
“There is danger inside the canyon, too. And danger in being completely alone. You have been lucky to never fall and break a leg. With no help you might lie there until you died. There are bad men outside the canyon, but being alone can make you forget the joy of love and friendship.”
This from a woman who was packing as fast as she could to leave a cabin that seemed very remote.
“We will talk of those dangers, and you can consider if a trip outside once in a while would suit you. Yes, there is danger to be faced, but you are strong enough to do it.”
“You think I’m strong?”
Wise Sister quit packing. Belle, too. They both looked at her as if she surprised them.
Finally Belle said, “Debba, to have lived alone, cared for yourself in every way, all these years, is an act of strength. You may be the strongest woman, no, strongest person, I have ever known.”
And all Debba could see was that she was scared.
Belle and Wise Sister went back to work. Debba noticed Wise Sister take rolled-up tubes of paper from a shelf and pack them with great care. She was taking only the minimu
m things. Debba wondered what those tubes of paper were.
Luther was wrong about it taking an hour. They were on the trail in forty-five minutes, and Wise Sister had been tapping her moccasined toe for fifteen minutes before Luther was ready to go.
She muttered about men who talk too much.
Chapter 8
Ma had been fretting about being gone overnight, but as Tanner had expected, they got home. It was full dark, but they slept in their own beds.
The next morning they all set out. Si and Cade were most likely at Debba’s canyon already. If not they’d find the herd on the way there and lead them home.
The long days in the saddle were wearing on Tanner, mostly because he hadn’t had a chance to take a walk with Debba or hardly even talk to her. They’d set a blistering pace yesterday, and today was little better. The land they were riding into was so rugged they made far slower time, and Pa had five pack horses with all the tools he needed to build a house. But slow didn’t mean Tanner could ride side by side with Debba and talk to her.
Everyone was too busy making sure they didn’t tumble off the steep, rocky trail.
As they neared that wall of rocks, Tanner didn’t have to worry for one minute about finding his way in. They were following the footsteps, out and back, of a herd of cattle. That hidden trail wasn’t so hidden now. A herd of cattle couldn’t walk through a trail and not leave plenty of evidence that they’d come this way.
Tanner couldn’t wait to see how Si and Cade had handled those critters.
“I hope my grouse are all right.” Debba hadn’t done much talking. Most likely she was weary to the bone.
They rounded the curve to that keyhole pass, and Pa said with wonder in his voice, “I never suspected this was here.”
They went straight on in, and Tanner smiled to see that his brothers had already chopped down a stack of trees. They were good men.
Debba visited her grouse and satisfied herself as to their survival.
Luther and Buff did some hiking around with Pa to hunt for a place to build cabins. Si and Cade went along.
Wise Sister looked around, almost glowing at the beautiful meadow surrounded by high walls. She didn’t seem like a woman who wanted to be walled in, but apparently it satisfied her to wall the rest of the world out.
In a few minutes, Buff came back and said to his wife, “Come see if this suits.”
Wise Sister followed him into the woods.
“I thought they would be living right next door to me.” Debba wove her fingers together, almost as if she were praying.
“Did you want them to?”
With a weak smile, she shrugged and said, “I like that they are here with me.”
She gave Tanner a wide-eyed stare that he was sure meant she wanted him here, too. But he might be wrong. And it was too soon to propose.
She went on, “But I was wondering if we’d get to bothering each other. I like that we have a bit of space between us.”
Pa came out and showed them where the first cabin went so they could get on with building. Then he left to explore some more.
“How deep does the snow get in winter?” Ma and Tanner, along with Debba, who followed orders with a sweet spirit, began dragging logs to the building site by hooking a chain to each log then to their saddles and hauling them along.
As they worked, Ma and Debba talked quietly. Tanner wanted to hear every word Debba said, but there was no time now, just like he hadn’t had time to talk to her since they’d ridden out to fetch Buff and Luther.
The ring of an axe echoed out of the woods. Tanner’s brothers were back at work.
The cattle and horses had spread to the far end of the canyon, some of them over the rise so they couldn’t be seen. A few had watched the newcomers with placid curiosity for a time, but now they went back to crunching grass.
Tanner couldn’t wait for Wise Sister to meet Shadow.
They’d gotten to the canyon with plenty of sunlight left. They burned it all and worked well into the dark. All the logs they needed were cut, and the first few feet of the walls of Buff’s cabin were started before they quit for the night.
Ma and Wise Sister showed Debba a few cooking tricks. Tanner knew they used ingredients Debba hadn’t worked with for years, like flour and sugar and coffee.
They next day went on at the same relentless pace, and the next. Finally on the fourth day, Si and Cade rode away. They needed to check the Harden place.
As he watched them go, Tanner decided he should do the same thing. He hadn’t been to his place for nearly a week.
He asked Pa, who agreed he needed to check his cattle. Tanner rode for the pass out of the canyon, and as he neared it, he had a flashing memory of hauling Debba out of here against her will.
Somehow he felt like he was doing the same thing, only this time, with himself.
He slowed his black down, then down again. He drew closer and it echoed in his head, the way she’d protested. He pulled the stallion to a halt.
He couldn’t make himself go. He turned his horse back and looked at the pristine beauty of this hidden meadow. A rise concealed Debba’s cabin. Her cattle and horses weren’t in sight. The new buildings were tucked back in the woods.
He thought of the dangerous longhorns as gentle as kittens. The wild grouse tamed into barnyard chickens. If he gave her half a chance, he wondered if Debba could make a lion lie down with a lamb.
It was as if he were the only man on earth and he was abandoning Eden. Even Adam was too smart to walk out on his own. God had to kick him out. The thought brought a smile to his face and helped clear up every confused thought in his head. He rode right back the way he’d come.
As he neared the top of the rise, Debba came running, her red hair loose and tangling in the wind. She saw him and stumbled to her knees. She was crying.
Swinging down, Tanner ran to her. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” He caught her shoulders and lifted her to her feet.
She flung her arms around him and hung on like clinging vine. He held her just as tight.
Finally he was able to speak through his panic. “Did something happen?”
“Yes, something happened.”
Tanner thought of Ma and Pa. Had there been an accident? Had—
“You left me.” The grief in her words, the raining tears. They said to him exactly what he wanted to say to her.
But before he got to talking, he lowered his head and kissed her.
The moment stretched. The clouds overhead rolled by. A soaring eagle screamed on the wind. Babbling water and lowing cows, aspen leaves quaked and danced.
He was here, with her. The perfect woman in the perfect place.
At last he broke the kiss and looked at her, those deep-blue eyes that carried secrets and fears and loneliness, and a lifetime of hard-won knowledge of how to live in this harsh land.
The swollen lips that she so generously shared with him.
“Debba, I love you.”
The fear faded. Her loneliness turned to hope.
“I love you, too, Tanner. That’s why when your pa said you left—”
“I was leaving to go check my cattle. My land is low on water, and I might need to do some scouting. But only a bit today. I intended to only be gone an hour or two. I didn’t think you’d even know.”
Debba shook her head frantically. “The sun dimmed and the birds quit singing. The trees wept and the wind turned cold. I knew you’d gone out of my life.”
He smiled and felt his heart fill—and he’d thought it was full before.
“I couldn’t go. Not even for an hour. We’ve been together ever since we met. And Debba…” he kissed her again, long and hard. “I don’t ever want to be away from you. Marry me. We can live here, or we can give the canyon to Wise Sister, Buff, and Luther and live at my place and come in here to care for your critters.”
“Drive your cattle in here with mine and let them drink from my sweet-water creek. And I’ll ride with you to scout for more,
outside this place.”
Nodding, Tanner said, “Thank you. Yes, I think I can go check my cattle now, if you’ll ride along. I was thinking I couldn’t leave this perfect place, but the truth is, I couldn’t leave you. We’ll live wherever you want, because my only wish in life is to find a way to make you the happiest woman who ever lived.”
“Then marry me, soon. Because that would make me blissfully happy.”
Tanner smiled and hugged her close. “We’re going to have to hit the trail for a bunch more hours.”
She pulled back just far enough to meet his gaze, her eyes wide and worried. “Why?”
“Because we need to find ourselves a parson.”
Her furrowed forehead smoothed, and she smiled. “And say some vows before God.”
“That’s right. We need to get married, and I don’t want to wait another day.”
This time she kissed him first. They were a long time thinking of anything else.
Tanner said, “Let’s go tell my ma and pa they’ve got another long ride ahead of them.”
Debba laughed, and they walked arm in arm back to tell everyone the good news.
Epilogue
They didn’t manage to get married that day, nor the next.
And when they did ride away, Tanner had no trouble leaving the canyon, not with Debba along. Pa built a fence across the keyhole pass that was so sturdy it just might keep Debba’s cattle in.
They didn’t get married that day, either, because, before Ma set to cooking, she sent Si and Cade and Pa in different directions. Tanner, too. His job was to get Red Dawson to come and perform a ceremony.
The rest of them were gathering family.
They had about the biggest wedding any of them had ever seen. Especially when Tom and Mandy Linscott showed up. Red brought his wife, Cassie. Wade and Abby Sawyer came over, too. All of them brought their young’uns and a bunch of food.
All Tanner’s brothers and sisters and his sisters’ husbands rode in. They all brought a passel of children.
Red smiled as he held his prayer book and had them speak their marriage vows.
Ma managed to get a side of beef roasting while the family gathered, and they had a feast, though Debba was horrified that they’d cooked a cow.
The Lassoed by Marriage Romance Collection Page 23