The Rancher’s Bride Surprise

by Maya Stirling

  "That's quite a handful you've got to look after," he observed. His words were spoken awkwardly.

  "Today we're stopping at lunchtime," she explained. She glanced up at the blue sky. "It'll be nice for them all to spend some time out in the good weather."

  Micah grinned. "Montana sunshine is the best," he declared. Once again, just seeing that brightness in his expression triggered something inside her. A warm sensation settled in her middle and she pressed a hand gently against her midriff, hoping he wouldn't know why she'd just done that.

  Micah nodded. "I'll just be out here taking a good look around," he explained. He seemed almost embarrassed that Rachel had revealed a part of her private life to him. It was almost as if he didn't want to know any more about her. Was that how it was going to be out here? Once it became common knowledge that Rachel was the guardian to her sister's daughter, that she had a child to look after, would she become a pariah in this quiet little town? Would it be impossible for her to find an acceptable husband? Someone who would be willing to care for a young teacher and her ward.

  Micah backed away from Rachel and strode gingerly down the schoolhouse steps. She watched him carefully, seeing that he was still surprised at her revelation. Hadn't Sophie told anyone about Lily? Rachel told herself she would have a talk with Sophie about how to handle the situation. Sophie seemed capable of dealing with just about anything, Rachel reflected. Maybe Sophie had decided to be cautious when it came to telling people about the new arrivals. Perhaps Sophie was simply respecting the privacy of Rachel and Lily.

  "Don't let me disturb you while I'm going about my business," he stated. "I'll try and keep any disruption to the minimum."

  "I appreciate that, Micah," she replied.

  Micah planted his hat on his head and touched the brim. "You have a good morning, Rachel," he said abruptly and gave her a gentle smile. He sounded like he'd meant it, she reflected. There was genuine good nature in those dark eyes. But there was also a sudden distance. A cautiousness which hadn't been there a few moments ago.

  "You too, Micah. Thanks for coming by," she said.

  He lifted his gaze up the height of the schoolhouse. "I think you and I will be seeing a lot of each other over the next few days," he said.

  "I expect we will," she replied. She nodded and turned back toward the open doors. As she did so, she told herself that maybe that wasn't such a bad prospect.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Standing at the foot of the steps, Micah watched Rachel walk back into the schoolhouse. As she closed the doors, he couldn't help noticing that she glanced at him and gave him a little smile. Inexplicably, his heart leaped when she did that. He stood on the dusty yard, feeling the early morning sun on the back of his neck, and set about trying to compose himself.

  After a while, Micah started to walk slowly around the schoolhouse building, inspecting it. He had to admit that the tall, white-fronted structure did look dilapidated. Paint was flaking off in parts and he could see loose wood paneling. It was the size of a small house and consisted of a main hall with one little annex at the back. It was a basic structure, much like one of the barns up at the ranch. But, it served its purpose.

  It had been a schoolhouse for as long as Micah could remember. He'd come here himself. Memories of happy school days flooded into his mind as he walked around the building. It was set in open ground on the eastern edge of town. Trees surrounded the building and there was a small stream at the back. He paused at the edge of the stream and thought about what had just happened.

  The first meeting with the town's new schoolteacher hadn't gone the way he'd expected. Not at all. When he'd got the request to come to the schoolhouse to see about making some badly needed repairs, he'd figured it would be just another of those routine jobs that came up from time to time. Micah had a reputation for being helpful around town. He liked it because it gave him a chance to get off the ranch, and to get to know the folks of Inspiration.

  He'd been doing these odd jobs ever since his father, Caleb, had taken him aside one day when Micah had been younger. His pa was a big believer in giving all his sons as much responsibility as he figured they could handle. It was the way he'd brought them all up. And, in Micah's case, that had meant using all the skills he'd learned around the ranch to help out the folks in town whenever there was a need. His father had called it character building.

  But there were times when Micah saw it differently. At times he'd felt less like a rancher, and more like an odd job man. Being the youngest of the four Buchanan brothers meant he didn't always have the last say in matters. And, Micah understood that. He knew he had some growing up to do. His life on the ranch was good. He was happy. But he knew he had a lot to learn.

  There had been plenty of changes these past few months. Three marriages. All of his older brothers had taken wives. And now it was Micah's turn. Just thinking about getting married caused Micah's chest to tighten. The prospect filled him with worry. But there was an urgent need. Everyone knew it. His whole family had had to make sacrifices. And now it was his turn.

  From inside the classroom he heard an excited cheer from the children. He smiled, thinking about the woman he'd just met. Miss Rachel Ellsworth was a fine looking young woman. She had pretty, even features, high cheekbones that had more than a hint of dignity about them, a rose-like mouth, and the bluest eyes he'd ever seen on a woman. Her inquisitive eyebrows had arched repeatedly during their conversation betraying a wit and intelligence he sensed would be formidable. Micah figured she was a few years younger than him, perhaps having turned twenty only recently.

  The previous schoolteacher had left town in a hurry, apparently going back East for family reasons. Although, Micah had heard whispers that there had been other reasons for the sudden departure of the schoolteacher. But the new schoolteacher had also revealed another surprise. It seemed Rachel was the guardian to her niece. Micah wondered how that had come about. What tragedy had compelled Rachel to take on that responsibility? Maybe there had been a death in the family and Rachel had ended up being a mother to her niece.

  Micah drew in a sharp breath as he thought about that. He'd seen a steady determination in Rachel's eyes. She looked like the kind of woman who could stand up for herself. But he'd also seen a hint of unease, perhaps even a sadness. He figured it must have been hard for Rachel to come all the way out here to Montana with her young niece to look after. Maybe she was looking for a new life for Lily. Since Sophie Cameron had been involved in bringing Rachel out to Inspiration, Micah already knew that Rachel was a potential bride for someone in town.

  Micah's pulse quickened as a vague thought floated into his mind. Rachel Ellsworth a bride for him? He sighed and kicked a loose stone into the slow-running stream. This whole thing about taking newcomers as brides was taking a lot of getting used to, as far as he was concerned. Although it had worked out for his three brothers, Micah hadn't really thought about what it meant for him. To save huge parts of the Buchanan spread from being lost owing to a change in the government regulations about occupation of land grants, each of the four Buchanan brothers had to be married by the end of summer. If they weren't all married by then, large parts of the spread would be sold off to the highest bidder.

  And that meant whoever had the deepest pockets and could pay the highest price would ruin years of hard work and labor. If that happened they'd be left with a fraction of what they owned at present. It all had to be resolved before the end of summer. Since it was still June, Micah calmed himself with the thought that there was still plenty of time to find someone he could marry. It wasn't necessary to rush into things. He'd put off thinking about that for a while longer. He'd do what needed to be done, but he still had to have time to make sure the right choice was made.

  His attention was caught by the sound of thundering hooves out toward the front of the schoolhouse. Walking around to the yard, he was surprised to see his brother, Reese pulling his horse to a sliding halt.

  "You're wanted up at the hous
e, Micah," Reese announced jabbing a finger back the toward the north of town.

  Micah squinted up at his brother. He could see concern on Reese's features. "What's up?"

  "I don't know," Reese replied. "But pa sure is worked up about something. He got a letter this morning."

  "What does it say?"

  Reese shook his head. "Pa wouldn't say. He wants a family meeting."

  Micah knew that those kind of meetings often meant trouble. He felt a tightening in his gut, recalling the family gathering earlier in the year where they'd all found out about the need to take wives. The chaos caused by that announcement had unleashed a tidal wave of trouble in the life of the Buchanan family.

  Micah got up onto his own horse which was tied up to the hitching rail at the foot of the schoolhouse steps. He followed Reese back in the direction of town. The town was quiet this early in the morning. A few townsfolk were making their way up the boardwalk. Some of the stores in Main Street were opening. There were some other riders on the dusty street. As they passed the saloon, they saw one lone, bleary-eyed customer push open the batwings and step out into the sunlight. He squinted his eyes as if he felt physical pain.

  Reese and Micah exchanged looks and shook their heads. The saloon had only recently reopened after being closed down when illegal gambling had been discovered. Reese had been instrumental in making that happen since he'd worked with the sheriff in exposing the card cheats who'd been fleecing men, mostly outsiders, who'd been tempted by the lure of easy money. Micah regretted the fact that the saloon had reopened. He figured activity like that had no place in a good town like Inspiration. But, Brett Calhoun, the owner of the saloon, had pulled strings and now the place was up and running again.

  They headed out of town and on up the trail which led to the Circle Cross ranch. The family spread was one of the biggest in the area. Although there were other ranches within short riding distance of Inspiration, the Circle Cross was the biggest. They had some cousins who owned a nearby ranch. This whole part of the territory was Buchanan land. And Micah knew that soon it would be his turn to make sure it stayed that way. His thoughts drifted to Rachel Ellsworth. As if reading his mind, Reese spoke. "Did you meet the new schoolteacher, this morning?" he asked.

  Micah nodded. "Sure did."

  Reese shifted his horse so that it was riding just a bit closer to Micah's. "And?" Reese asked, quirking a brow.

  Reese frowned. "What do you want me to tell you?"

  "Is she as pretty as they say she is?" Reese countered.

  "Who's saying that?" Micah demanded, holding on tight to the reins of his horse. He picked up the pace, but Reese matched him, moving his horse on in perfect unison with Micah's.

  "Everybody," Reese replied and smiled "So, is she pretty?"

  Micah shrugged. "I guess so. She's nice."

  Reese fixed Micah with a stern look. "What's that supposed to mean?"

  "Just what I say," Micah insisted. "Rachel is a fine looking woman. Seems decent, too."

  Reese lifted his head. "Rachel. So you're already on first name terms? That's a good start."

  Micah scoffed. "Using first names is just courtesy, Reese," Micah said. "I'm there to do a job. The schoolhouse needs fixing, and it seems I'm the only man in town who can do that job. Strange how, all of a sudden, everyone else is too busy to help out. I'd quite happily give it to anyone else who wants to do it."

  Reese shook his head. "Why do I think you don't really mean that?"

  "I do mean it," Micah replied. "You know there's plenty to do around the ranch." Micah peered across at Reese as they crested a ridge. "Speaking of which. How's that cabin of yours coming along?" he asked desperate to deflect attention back onto Reese.

  "Honora was putting the finishing touches this morning before I left," Reese replied.

  "Shouldn't you be there with her?" Micah asked.

  Reese tilted his head and smiled ironically. "You obviously don't know my wife. She has a mind of her own when it comes to how she likes things to look around the house. Even in such a small house as the cabin. I decided it would be wise to give my new wife the freedom to do as she pleases." Reese smiled. "It's a habit I intend to stick to in the coming years."

  Micah knew that Reese was absolutely sincere in what he'd just said. Reese had confided in Micah just how close he'd come to losing Honora. It had been a close thing.

  Reese frowned. "She's still hankering to spend some time on her aunt and uncle's ranch."

  "That's only to be expected," Micah replied. "She did spend years living there before her parents died. She must feel a powerful attachment to the place."

  "We'll be spending more time at the ranches," Reese explained. "We've got two to choose from, now that we're married. The Buchanan and Ferguson spreads. Right now, she's waiting for us at the big house."

  Micah thought about how Reese and Honora had finally wed after years of hesitation and a temporary separation. It had been traumatic for Honora losing her parents to disease when the family had moved to San Francisco last year. Honora had been forced to come back to Inspiration. Then she and Reese had gone through a tough time, until finally they'd realized just how much they'd always loved each other. The wedding had been a few weeks ago, and already they were settling into the cabin which had been constructed on the plot of land adjoining the ranch owned by Honora's aunt and uncle. That meant that three of the four sections of the ranch were now occupied in such a way as to satisfy the new legal requirements. Only one remained. The one designated for Micah and whoever would become his wife.

  They arrived at the ranch house and made their way in. All the family were congregated in the main wood-paneled sitting room. The brothers and their wives. Zane and Johanna were seated on a couch; Gideon and Rosalind were on another longer sofa alongside Honora who patted an empty space next to her for Reese to claim.

  Micah glanced across at his father, Caleb, who was perched on the edge of a chair in front of the fireplace. Caleb gave Micah a steady look. Across from Caleb sat Micah's mother, Eugenie. As always his mother's expression was perfectly composed, although Micah thought, on this occasion, he could detect the barest hint of concern in her eyes.

  Micah went to his father. "What's all this about, pa?" he asked.

  Caleb lifted his hand revealing a piece of paper. "This, Micah," he said. Caleb's brows furrowed into deep ridges. Micah sat down on a chair alongside his father. It looked as if it had been set aside just for Micah's benefit, almost as if Caleb wanted his son next to him.

  Caleb cleared his throat and gazed around at the family faces. "Now that we're all here, I'll get right to the point." He lifted his hand and waved the piece of paper. "I got a letter, and I have to tell you all, it isn't good news," Caleb announced in a deep growl.

  Everyone exchanged concerned looks. Caleb continued. "Seems like the deadline we were all assuming has been changed. I thought we had until the end of summer to get this whole business sorted out." He sighed heavily. "Seems I was wrong." He grunted. "But, that's the government for you."

  "What's happened, pa?" Zane asked.

  Caleb glanced at Micah. "We've got two weeks. Or else we stand to lose most of the spread."

  For a moment, there was a stunned silence. Glances were hastily exchanged. Then, voices exclaimed loudly, shocked ejaculations were uttered, and the room was filled with a sudden cacophony. Caleb raised a hand and silence descended quickly. He squinted disapprovingly at the letter. "I won't even bother reading this out to you all. It's from the land office. They're sending a man out here in two weeks. If any part of the spread doesn't fit the legal conditions, then all four parts will be put up for sale the next day. All we'll have left is what we're sitting on here at the big house. And what we can see from the windows."

  Yet again, voices exclaimed, this time with a mixture of outrage and shock. Micah saw the looks of consternation on the faces of his brothers and every one of their wives.

  "I thought we had until the end of summer," Gideon s
tated.

  "So did we all," Caleb admitted. "Seems like the government has brought forward the deadline. And they're serious about it, judging by the fact that they're sending their man out here to see that things are wrapped up one way or another." Caleb shook his head. "I don't know what changed their mind. All I do know is he'll be here in a couple of weeks."