“I don’t want anything to do with men. I especially don’t want to be a wife.”
Laurie knew she needed to get herself under control before she left the bank, or she would attract unwanted attention. But rather than rein in her emotions, she itched to tear up that wicked will and tell Norman he was a slimy toad. It would have given her great satisfaction to scatter papers and pull down books he’d never read, anything to destroy the obsessive orderliness of his office, but that wouldn’t have changed anything. She had to think, and she had to calm down before she could do that.
“You don’t have to accompany me home,” she said to Cassie as they headed down the boardwalk. “I don’t want you to lose your job.”
“Norman won’t fire me. He likes money more than he dislikes having a woman work for him. Besides, Frank Oliver made giving me a job part of the memorial to Toby. Frank lost a son in that Indian attack, but I lost a husband and father-in-law.”
It was a shame the Indians didn’t get Norman instead. Everybody had liked Toby, but they were all grateful to Norman for the loans to build their homes and start their businesses. Laurie didn’t understand how he could be so generous to everyone else and so miserly to her. It wasn’t his money. If he got his way, she wouldn’t be allowed to spend even a quarter of her income. What was he planning to do with the rest?
“Why don’t you ask Sibyl to stay with you a while?” Cassie asked when they reached Laurie’s house.
“I’d rather Naomi. I don’t want my anger with Norman to spill over onto Sibyl. She suffers enough having to live with him.”
“Beats me why you two let your fathers force you to marry men you couldn’t stand.”
Cassie was nothing if not forthright. “Now that you mention it, it beats me, too. But what’s done can’t be undone. Now if you don’t mind, see if you can find Naomi.”
But that wasn’t necessary. Laurie barely had time to remove her coat and move into the parlor before Naomi was at the door.
“Sibyl said you came out of the bank looking like you were going to be sick. What’s wrong?”
“Norman is what’s wrong,” Cassie informed her. “What did you expect? Now that you’re here, I’m going back to work. I might even give Norman a piece of my mind.”
“Tell me what happened,” Naomi said as soon as Cassie had gone.
Naomi let Laurie talk without interruption, which was a great help. By the time she’d finished, she’d talked out her rage and was in a better frame of mind to think rationally.
“You know what I think of Norman,” Naomi said, “but I never thought he could be that cruel.”
“He insists he’s following the spirit of Noah’s will, and I think he probably is.”
“That’s still no excuse. What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know, but I won’t allow him to ruin the rest of my life.”
“You could always get married. Then Norman would have to hand over your money to you or your husband.”
“Who do you suggest I marry? As far as I know, Jared Smith is the only eligible man this side of Fort Verde. I hope you aren’t going to suggest I marry a soldier.”
“I’m not suggesting you marry anyone in particular. I just meant that marriage would free you from Norman’s control.”
“Getting married would be no more than transferring control from one man to another. I want to be free to make my own decisions about what I eat and what I wear. I wouldn’t be surprised if Norman expects to approve of my undergarments.”
That caused both women to laugh, which made Laurie feel better.
“Why would you mention Jared Smith?” Naomi asked. “I thought you didn’t remember him until you met him at the wake.”
“He’s not an easy man to forget.” Naomi didn’t need to know about Laurie’s visit to his ranch. “You don’t have to be young and single to think he’s attractive.”
Naomi’s gaze intensified. “Are you interested in him?”
“Just because I think he’s attractive doesn’t mean I’m interested in him. I don’t even know him.”
“I remember you said you wanted a ranch, and he’s a rancher.”
“Just because I want a ranch doesn’t mean I want a rancher to go with it.”
“You don’t know anything about running a ranch.”
“You learned how to lay out a town and sell lots. Cassie learned to work in the bank, and Amber could manage the store if my father would give her the chance. Why couldn’t I learn to run a ranch?”
“Cassie’s job is to attract men, which she can do just by waking up each day. Amber knows what people want because she’s known them all her life. You’ve never been on your own, you don’t ride, and you don’t know the first thing about cows. I didn’t know anything about laying out a town, but I had Colby to help me. Who would you have?”
Jared. The name came unbidden.
“I have to do something. It’s not just the money. I can’t live the rest of my life under Norman’s thumb. I’m not sure I can last the next month.”
“I’ll try to think of something. Maybe Colby will have some ideas.”
Laurie shrugged. “All he can think about when he gets back from one of his trips is you and the children.”
Naomi grinned like a lovesick schoolgirl. “I suspect he’s going to have another baby to think about before long.”
Laurie was excited for her cousin despite being envious of her happiness. “Does he know?”
“I didn’t begin to suspect until after he left on this trip.”
Naomi had three children and a husband she adored. Sibyl wasn’t in love with Norman, but she had a precious daughter everyone in town was determined to spoil. What did Laurie have? A house that didn’t feel like it was hers, and a dead husband who had managed to find a way to ruin her life from the grave. No matter what she had to do, she wasn’t going to let that happen.
***
“There’s a woman driving up to the house,” Steve announced when he came into the kitchen. “A damned good-looking one, too. What does she want coming here?”
Jared nearly stumbled over his own feet getting to the front door. He got it open in time to see Laurie Spencer drive into the ranch yard. He scrambled down the steps to tie her horse to the hitching post and help her down from the buggy.
“I didn’t expect to see you back.”
“I didn’t expect to be back, but I am. Can we go inside?”
He was so shocked he hadn’t realized he was standing staring at her. “Of course. Would you like some coffee?” he asked once she was settled in the parlor.
“Please. It’s rather cool out today.”
“There’s some on the stove. I’ll be right back.”
Steve was standing in the hall, his jaw dropped so low it practically touched his chest.
“Keep your eyes in your head and your mouth closed,” Jared told Steve. “She’s not some trollop to be ogled by a horny boy.”
“You were doing some ogling yourself,” Steve shot back. “The way you stumbled getting to the door, I’d think you hadn’t been walking more than a week.”
“We don’t get many female guests, especially not ones like her.”
“We never had one like her,” Steve declared. “There ain’t a female at the fort who can touch her. Who is she? What’s she doing here?”
Jared searched for a coffee cup that wasn’t chipped or cracked. “Her name is Laurie Spencer.”
“Is her husband that sidewinder who wouldn’t give you a loan?”
“That’s her brother-in-law. Her husband has just died, and she’s looking to invest some money. I’m hoping she’ll invest it in our ranch.”
“What does a woman like that want with a cow ranch?”
“I don’t know, but I intend to make it sound like the most wonderful place in the Territory. Now I’m going to take her this coffee before it gets cold. You keep out of sight.”
“If she’s thinking about investing in the ranch, I should meet her
. This is my ranch, too.”
Jared had to agree with Steve, but he would have preferred to introduce the boy later. He didn’t know why Laurie had changed her mind, but she didn’t look happy about it. It might not take much to cause her to change it again.
“Give me fifteen minutes. If she agrees to give us the money, I’ll introduce you. If not, there’s no point in you meeting her.”
“Can’t I just sit and listen? I’ve never been this close to a woman who looks that good.”
“She’s already nervous about coming here. Having you stare at her like you’d never seen a woman before would scare her away for sure.”
“I haven’t seen one like her.”
“Neither have I, but we can’t act like it. Now I’ve got to go. I promise I’ll introduce you no matter what she decides.”
Laurie was sitting rigid as a hitching post when Jared returned. “I brought sugar,” Jared told her. “The cream is fresh from the cow this morning.”
“Thank you.”
Laurie didn’t look at him or speak while she fixed her coffee and took the first sips. Jared decided to wait for her to speak first, but the suspense was terrible. Was it really possible he would be seeing her in his house every day of the week? She would have to stay here. Surely she wouldn’t consider driving back and forth each day. Where would he put her? There wasn’t enough room in the house to give her any real privacy.
Laurie finally looked up at him and broke her silence. “I’m sure you’re wondering why I’ve come back. You need to know I didn’t want to, that I consider this a last resort.”
He didn’t like knowing she was so unhappy, but he couldn’t be sorry that something had forced her to return. “Why did you come back?”
“My husband left control of his estate in the hands of his brother. Norman is determined to impose conditions I find intolerable.”
“More unbearable than cooking and cleaning for us?”
“I never said cooking and cleaning for you would be unbearable. I said it was certain to cause a lot of talk and speculation, neither of which would do my reputation any good. Members of my family are bound to oppose it as well.”
“But you’ve changed your mind?”
“If we can come to a mutual agreement.”
Jared thought he’d probably agree to anything, no matter how foolish. He shouldn’t allow this woman to affect him so powerfully, but he couldn’t help it. “I’ve already told you what I want. Now it’s your turn.”
“I’ll give the house a thorough cleaning once a week.”
Laurie didn’t look like she’d ever had to do more than dust a table or wash a plate. How was she going to manage the heavy work she was taking on?
“I will also prepare two meals a day, six days a week. I won’t be here on Sunday.”
“That’s more than fair.”
“In exchange, I want a full partnership in the ranch. I want to know what you’re doing and why. I want to know about any significant financial transactions and have a hand in making the decisions.”
That was more than Jared was ready to give up, but he expected she’d lose interest after one or two discussions. “I’m afraid you’re under the mistaken impression that I’m the sole owner of this ranch. My nephew and I own it together. He should be part of this decision.”
The apprehensive look she shot him told him he should have told her about Steve sooner, but he wasn’t able to think clearly when he was with her.
“He’s young,” Jared said as he got to his feet, “but you can depend on him to honor your request for privacy.”
As he expected, Steve was hovering just outside. He was through the door before Jared could invite him in. Once inside, however, Steve couldn’t do anything but stare.
“Mrs. Spencer, this is my nephew, Steven Smith. Steve, this is Mrs. Laurie Spencer. She’s going to buy a full partnership in our ranch. As part of the bargain, she’ll cook and clean for us.”
Steve attempted to speak. His lips moved, but no sound came out.
“Steve is nervous around strangers,” Jared said. “We grew up in Texas, in a small town where we knew everybody.”
“I did the same,” Laurie said to Steve, “but I find I like meeting new people.”
“I like meeting you,” Steve managed to say in a reverential voice. “I like it a lot.”
Laurie blushed. “I’m sure you would like meeting some of the young people in Cactus Corner. Maybe you can come with your uncle the next time he comes to town.”
“He’s not my real uncle,” Steve said. “He was adopted.”
Jared ruffled Steve’s hair. “Adopted or not, I’ve been your uncle your whole life.”
Steve ducked away from Jared but didn’t take his eyes off Laurie.
“Do you work with the cows?” Laurie asked.
“I have to with Jared being locked away in the office all the time.”
“I’ll be cooking breakfast and supper,” Laurie told him.
“She’ll be cleaning and washing, too,” Jared added. “From now on you’ll have to keep your room neat.”
“You can have my room, ma’am,” Steve offered. “I’ve been aiming to move into the bunkhouse.”
“I won’t need anyone’s room,” Laurie said. “I’ll go back to town each night.”
“You can’t do that.”
Four
Laurie reacted as though he’d made an improper suggestion. “Under no circumstances will I stay here. I’m surprised such a possibility would even occur to you.”
Jared hadn’t meant for his objection to sound like an order. He certainly didn’t mean to suggest anything improper. “Despite the presence of soldiers at the fort, it’s not safe for a woman to travel alone at night. You’ll have to set out in the dark to get here in time to get breakfast on the table before we head out to work.”
“Then I shall prepare the midday meal instead.”
“We don’t usually eat then. Most of the time we’re on the range, and it’s a waste of time to ride back just to eat.”
“Then I will limit myself to supper.”
“But breakfast is the best meal of the day,” Steve protested. “But not when Odell fixes it.”
“Can’t you eat breakfast later?”
“No.”
Laurie thought for a moment. “Suppose I do the washing?”
“I do that,” Steve told her. “I had to learn when Mama got sick.”
“Do you have a suggestion?” she asked Jared.
“I know!” Steve danced with excitement. “I can go home with you. That way you won’t have to drive here by yourself.”
“But you would have to get up in the middle of the night to get to my house each morning,” Laurie pointed out.
“I meant I would stay at your house,” Steve explained. “That way you’d have somebody with you both ways, and Jared wouldn’t have to worry.”
An objection was on Jared’s lips, but he swallowed it. He didn’t know if Laurie would agree, but there was too much at stake for him to raise any objection that didn’t have to do with her safety. Laurie didn’t appear to find the idea appealing, but she seemed to be considering it.
“Can’t nobody object to somebody as young as me staying in your house,” Steve eagerly buttressed his solution. “It’d be like having your own nephew. I could do stuff like chop wood and haul the heavy stuff.”
The longer Laurie remained silent, the more the tension in the room grew.
“A nice lady like you shouldn’t be alone in a house.” Steve watched Laurie intently. “You never know what might happen.”
“Cactus Corner is a small town. I have neighbors close by.”
“They won’t do you any good if you’re in no position to call them, will they?”
Laurie turned to Steve. “Why are you so willing to stay at my house? You’ll have a long ride twice a day.”
Jared thought the boy was going to melt under Laurie’s gaze, but he managed to keep his wits about him.
That was not the way Jared would have put the argument, but Laurie hadn’t rejected it outright. He could almost hear the arguments going through her mind. Did she want to make such a long drive twice a day? Would she be comfortable with a boy she didn’t know sleeping in her home? Was investing in his ranch worth this much trouble? What would family and friends say about her decision?
What would he do if she changed her mind? The ranch wouldn’t be profitable if he couldn’t change over to Herefords. Limited land meant a limited herd. It would take four hundred longhorns to produce as much meat as two hundred Herefords, and the Herefords would require only half the grass.
But he needed to do more than just make a profit. Steve wasn’t cut out to be a rancher. He should go to school back East before deciding what to do with his life. He had to have Laurie’s money. Steve’s future depended on it. Jared wanted a bigger house in preparation for the day he would marry the girl of his dreams—a shy, upright girl of unimpeachable morals, a girl different from the kind of woman his adopted mother turned out to be. But Laurie was so beautiful he couldn’t even picture another woman.
Laurie’s voice cut through his abstraction. “I’ll do it.”
A smile split Steve’s face, and he shouted, “Yippee!”
Jared had been so deep in thought it took a moment for Laurie’s words to register. “Are you sure?”
Having made up her mind, Laurie favored him with a smile so glorious he was in danger of losing his ability to think. “I’ve said for many years that our community needed more new people, particularly people who weren’t related to us.”
“We’re not moving to town, are we?” Steve asked.
“I’m not, but it looks like you are.”
“I’ll just be sleeping there, not moving there, right?”
Steve wasn’t the secure, self-confident boy he pretended to be. The humiliation caused by his grandmother’s behavior had scarred him as deeply as it had Jared. Jared had insisted Steve join him in Arizona to get him away from the taunting and scorn from people who should have tried to help him.
To Love and to Cherish Page 6