Chapter 5
Savannah stepped onto the veranda, coffee in hand, and stretched. Having found Pa’s will filled her with more hope than she’d had in a long time. She grinned and mouthed a “thank you” heavenward. While her heart ached for Mama, knowing the wealthy banker had only wanted her for the ranch, Savannah couldn’t help but feel relieved.
She glanced toward the corral where Wyatt, Lincoln, and Lee all stood as rigid as soldiers. The empty corral. She set her coffee cup on the top step and dashed to their side. “Where are the cattle? The horses?” The missing section of railing answered before they could.
“They’re gone.” Tears poured down her cheeks. “We’re ruined.” She covered her face with her hands and sobbed.
Wyatt pulled her hands down then drew her into his arms. “You aren’t. We’ll find them.”
“They’re stolen,” she mumbled against his chest. A very solid chest, she might add. She peered up at him. “What will we do?”
“We go after them.” With his thumbs, he wiped away her tears. “They can’t have gone far. Lincoln said they were here when he went to bed last night.”
“That’s right, missus. I came out to use the necessary and the animals were here. That was five hours ago.”
She nodded and stepped back, embarrassed at her emotional outburst. “What would I do without you, Wyatt? Without your ideas and support for making this ranch prosper in the future, I’d have no hope and would have given up.” No truer words had ever left her lips. Their foreman wasn’t only a hired hand, he was the one to save them. She knew without a doubt that he’d do everything humanly possible to keep her from losing her ranch. She still had the land to sell. Now that the shock was gone, she knew they would be fine.
“We could plant more crops, but this isn’t a farm. It’s a ranch. It’s always been intended to be a ranch. We need those animals. Please saddle my horse.” She turned and marched to the house.
Inside, she made a beeline for the mantel and took down Pa’s rifle. While she kept it cleaned and ready for use, she hadn’t shot it since before he’d passed. She wasn’t going after rustlers unarmed. She took down his holster and pistol from a nearby peg, hooked it around her waist, and joined the men in the barn, thinking it best not to tell Mama where she was going.
Wyatt handed her the reins to Bullet. “I know it’s useless to ask you to stay behind.” He eyed her guns.
“Yes, it is.” She slid the rifle into a sling and swung into the saddle. “I trust the rest of you are also armed.”
“All but Lee.”
“Then leave Lee behind to watch the women and children. He can bang the supper bell if trouble comes. We’ll hear it.” She kicked her horse into motion. Tears were over. It was time for action. Once she had her property back, she’d pay a visit to the sheriff and demand justice be done.
Wyatt pulled alongside her. “Don’t go running off on your own.”
She shrugged. “I’m sorry for my weak behavior earlier. Please pretend it never happened.”
“I’d rather cherish the moment. You felt good in my arms, Boss Lady.” He gave her a smug grin.
Her face heated. “This is not the time for flirtation, Mr. Jamison.”
He flicked the reins and moved ahead of her as they traveled through a narrow pass. “Do you know where we’re going?”
“Follow the trail. It leads to the canyon I mentioned the other day. If the cattle aren’t there, then we check Morrillton’s ranch.” She wasn’t sure what she would do if the animals were found on the Lazy M, but it wouldn’t be good.
Wyatt held up a hand for them to stop then slid to the ground. “I hear cows. Stay here while I scout it out. If you hear gunfire, ride back to the ranch.”
“I will not. If shots are fired, we’re coming to help. Right, Lincoln?” She glanced over her shoulder.
He swallowed audibly. “Yes ma’am. But I’m not accustomed to shooting.”
“Just aim and pull the trigger.” She switched her attention back to Wyatt. “We’re waiting and ready.”
He shook his head and stepped into the bushes.
“You scared, Miss Worthington?” Lincoln’s shaky whisper told her he was terrified.
“More angry than anything. Have you ever had something taken from you? Something that would alter your future?”
“Yes ma’am. My firstborn son was sold out of my arms.”
“Oh.” Shame flooded through her. Her trials were mild in comparison. “Do you know where he is?”
“He’d be fifteen now. I’ve put out the word I’m looking for him. His name is Abraham.”
She glanced back again. “I give you my word, Lincoln, that I will help you find your son.”
Tears sprang to his eyes. “You’d do that for me?”
“In a heartbeat. Let’s save my ranch, and then we’ll find your boy no matter how long it takes.” She choked back tears. “We’ll pray, Lincoln. Without ceasing.”
“Thank you, ma’am.” He ducked his head, but not before she saw his tears fall.
She had just started to get off her horse to approach his and offer more consolation when Wyatt returned. “Are they there?” she asked him.
“Yes, along with two armed guards.”
“Can we take them?”
He narrowed his eyes. “No, we cannot.”
“They wouldn’t dare shoot a woman.” She slid from her horse. “If I can just go talk to them—”
“You’re plumb loco.” Wyatt took her by the shoulders and shook her. “What if they will shoot a woman, or worse? Who will care for your mother? We’ll head into town and get the sheriff.”
“No.” She yanked free of his grasp, grabbed her rifle, and darted into the bushes. She would have gone to the sheriff if they’d found the cattle on the Lazy M, but they were right here, within arm’s reach. Before going to the sheriff, she needed to know who was responsible for the rustling.
Wyatt groaned, told Lincoln to secure the horses before following, and then headed after Savannah. He was going to wring her pretty little neck. He watched in horror as she stepped in sight of the rustlers, her rifle nestled in her arms.
“Good afternoon, gentlemen.” Her voice would have melted butter. “I want to thank you.”
“For what?” The two men stood, hands on their holsters, while the dark-bearded one spoke.
“Finding my lost cattle and horses. I’m Savannah Worthington of the Rocking W. My fate lies with these animals. I am forever in your debt.”
The two men exchanged glances then started to laugh. As they hooted at her, their rifles loosened in their grips and pointed at the ground.
“You alone, little lady?” Dark Beard asked.
“My hired hands are waiting for me. Is that coffee on the fire? I sure could use a cup.”
Wyatt had to admire her spunk, even if he disapproved of what he considered foolishness. He put a finger to his lips as Lincoln joined him. “I think she’s trying to distract them,” he whispered. “We’ll wait for an opportunity then jump out.”
“I ain’t never done nothing like this before, Mr. Jamison.”
“I just need you for moral support, Lincoln.” He hoped. If things erupted into a gunfight, he wasn’t sure he could count on the man to actually pull the trigger.
“Yeah, it’s coffee,” Dark Beard said. “But it’s old and bitter. We got some hard tack, if you’ve got something to trade.” The way he glanced up and down Savannah’s body made Wyatt want to start shooting.
“That’s all right. I’ll take my animals and head on home.” She took a couple of steps backward.
“Hold on, little lady.” Dark Beard took a step forward. “Me and my brother think you should visit awhile longer. Now, he don’t talk much, but he knows how to treat a woman.”
Savannah shouldered her rifle and aimed it at his head. “Who paid you to steal my animals?” Gone was the soft, Southern lady. In her place was an irate woman ready to fight.
Wyatt grabbed Lincoln’s arm a
nd pulled him out of the bushes. They stood on either side of Savannah, their own weapons aimed at the rustlers.
“I suggest you keep your hands away from your guns,” Wyatt said. “You’ll be dead before you get them out of the holsters. Now, answer the lady’s question.”
“Some man in a suit.” Dark Beard shrugged. “Looked like a rich man. Said if we took these animals and held them here until he sent someone for them, we’d be paid real good. Doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.”
“No, it does not. Toss your guns over here real nice like and my friend will collect them. Then, you two skedaddle and tell your rich friend he isn’t going to run the Rocking W into the ground. Got it?” Wyatt lifted his gun just a tad to help get his point across.
“You’re letting us go?”
“Hurry, before I change my mind.”
The men dropped their guns, jumped on their horses, and rode off.
Wyatt turned to Savannah. “Don’t ever do anything like that again.”
“It worked, didn’t it?” She smiled. “Lincoln, would you fetch the horses so we can herd these animals home? Wyatt, I think you need to hire guards when we visit the sheriff.”
He agreed, even though he had no idea how they were going to pay them. Plus, he needed to find honest, hardworking men that would work well with Lincoln and Lee. Not an easy task in this part of the country.
The ride back to the ranch was a busy one, with the three riders circling the animals. Wyatt didn’t mind. It kept him from dwelling on what could have happened to Savannah with those rustlers. Boss or not, his feelings for her were growing. He didn’t know whether to rejoice or run away in fear.
What if he failed her? What if she shared his feelings, then something happened to separate them? There were so many variables that could pull a man and a woman apart. He admired her spirit, but could he live with a woman who would charge recklessly into danger? He wasn’t sure his heart could survive the loss of another person he loved. He needed to spend a lot of time in prayer before deciding whether he wanted the life of a bachelor or of a family man.
Lee had the corral fixed by the time they returned to the ranch and a makeshift one next to the barn. “I figured it might be more work for the rustlers if we split the animals up,” he said. “Horses in the smaller corral, cattle in the larger one.”
Wyatt agreed. Once the danger from Morrillton was past, the cattle would range free. But until then, the future of the ranch needed to stay close to home.
Savannah handed the reins of her horse to Lee and marched to the main house, where Mrs. Worthington stood, arms crossed. Wyatt couldn’t see clearly that far, but he figured a scowl marred the woman’s face. After all, her daughter had left for hours and taken the guns from the house.
He chuckled. She was a pistol for sure. Maybe a life with Savannah would be worth the trials and possible heartbreak. He’d speak to God before bed and see if he couldn’t find an answer in his father’s worn Bible.
Chapter 6
On the way to town the next morning, Savannah tilted her head and cast a coy glance Wyatt’s way. “Still mad at me?”
“I was never mad at you. I was scared for you. There’s a big difference.” He continued looking straight ahead.
Which told her he was lying. No matter. His not looking at her gave her a clear view of his strong, and very handsome, profile. “What are your dreams, Wyatt? Everyone has one. Lincoln’s is finding his son. I promised to help him.” She told him of the sad conversation from the day before.
“How do you propose to keep that promise?” Now he looked at her, his brilliant eyes narrowed. “I doubt you’ll find paperwork telling us who the boy was sold to. But I’ll put some posters up in nearby towns.”
“That would be wonderful. Thank you. We’ll ask around, spread the word. I have faith we’ll find him, Wyatt. Your dream?”
He shrugged. “I want to live a good life, leave a legacy so my days on this earth will be remembered when I’m gone. It’s a simple dream, but every morning when I set my feet on the floor I ask myself, what can I do today to further that along?”
She knew that if he were to leave, she would never forget him. Without Mama’s hiring of this wonderful man, Savannah would still be mired in worry about the safety of the ranch. “You’ve definitely made your mark here. You’ve helped the ranch, given the hope of a better life to Lincoln’s and Lee’s families ….” And stolen her heart, if she were honest with herself. “Do you want to marry someday?”
“Is that a proposal?” He flashed the crooked grin that set her heart racing.
“No.” She turned her face so he couldn’t see the heightened color in her cheeks. “Just a question to pass the time.”
“I’ve thought about it, but I don’t have a lot to offer a woman. I came from a successful family. We had one of the largest plantations in Georgia. But the war changed all that. Now I’m little more than a drifter.”
“Oh, you are far more than that, Wyatt.”
Their conversation halted as they crossed the town line and tied their horses to the hitching post in front of the sheriff’s office. Savannah had never had reason to meet the sheriff before, but she’d heard stories that the man was on the take and lazy. To him, the least amount of work for a dollar was the best policy. Her heart thudded. Surely the stories were false. A man of the law should be fair and unbiased. She took a deep breath and pushed open the door, grateful for Wyatt’s presence at her side.
A man as tall as Wyatt’s six feet, but outweighing him by at least forty pounds, sat behind a scarred desk, scuffed boots propped on the desktop. “Sheriff Webster?”
“This is the sheriff’s office.” The man blew a puff of smoke from the cigar in his mouth and lowered his feet. “What can I do for you folks?”
Savannah waved her hand in front of her face. “I need to file a complaint.”
“You don’t say. Who against?”
“Mr. Morrillton. He has dammed my creek and hired men to steal my property.” She lifted her chin.
“That’s a serious statement about a prominent citizen of this town.” He stubbed out his cigar on the bottom of his boot. “You got any proof?”
“Just a threat from the man’s own lips.” She crossed her arms. Why wasn’t Wyatt saying anything?
“That’s not enough for me to arrest a man, but I can have a talk with him.”
“Talk is cheap, Sheriff. While you’re talking, you might want to mention to the scoundrel that me and mine have taken to wearing our weapons. We won’t be threatened again.”
“Now, it sounds like you’re threatening an officer of the law. But then, a pretty little thing like you wouldn’t do that, would she? What about your silent bodyguard here? He got anything to say?”
Savannah glanced at Wyatt. A muscle ticked in his jaw. His eyes shone with a steely glint.
“Only that I’ll do what it takes to keep this little lady safe. Thank you for your time.” He took Savannah’s arm and practically dragged her to the sidewalk. “That was a waste of time.”
She glared at him. “You stood there like a tree.”
“I was assessing the situation. He’s a crooked sheriff.”
“What do we do now?”
“We have a slice of pie.” He led her toward the diner.
“How is that supposed to help us?”
“It has a big window with a perfect view of the street.” He opened the diner door for her and informed the waitress they wanted a table by the window. “Two slices of apple pie, please.”
She wasn’t sure of his point, but breakfast was a while ago. She wouldn’t turn down pie if someone else was buying. Settling onto a chair, she glanced out the window. “Oh,
I see.”
Sheriff Webster wasted no time marching down the sidewalk and into the bank.
“Wyatt, you’re brilliant. But what are we going to do about it?”
“How flirtatious can you be?” He winked.
“Not very.” She gav
e him a stern look. “What crazy plan are you cooking up? Because if it involves me being all soft and sweet to either one of those porcupines, you can forget it.”
“All right, let’s try the soft and helpless approach. I’ll pretend to have quit employment at the Rocking W. We can get by for a few days with Lincoln and Lee caring for things. I’ll be close by, but once Morrillton hears I’m gone, I bet my hat he’ll come calling. Not on your mother this time, but on you. You can be all upset and flustered, batting your eyelashes and whatever it is that women do when they want a man to follow their whim. You can get him to confess in no time.”
“We’ll need a reputable witness for the sheriff to believe us.”
“I’ve got that covered, too. Another army buddy of mine is a marshal. I’ll get him to come here, you’ll ask all the right questions in this very diner, and he’ll hear everything.”
She took her bottom lip in her teeth. The idea might be crazy enough to work. “You promise you aren’t really leaving me?”
“I promise. I’ll never leave.”
They’d just finished their pie when Webster exited the bank. “Time to act.” Wyatt took Savannah’s hand. “Remember. You’ll be hurt and outraged by what I say, but I’m pretending. Don’t take any of it personally.” He dragged her outside.
“I cannot work for such a scatterbrained female that doesn’t know her horse from a cow’s behind!”
Savannah’s eyes widened. Her mouth opened silently. Then, realizing they were the center of attention and that the banker and the sheriff were watching, she said, “Then don’t! I didn’t hire you in the first place. I didn’t want you here.” She stomped her foot. “Pack your things and be gone by nightfall.” She marched to her horse, swung into the saddle, and galloped away.
Wyatt stood there for a second then realized she was riding off alone. He leaped onto his horse and took off after her. Their plan was now in action. He prayed it wouldn’t backfire somehow.
Savannah waited for him a mile down the road. “How exhilarating! I should be on the stage.” She grinned. “Did you see the smug looks on their faces?”
The American Heiress Brides Collection Page 37