The Rancher’s Spirited Bride

by Chloe Carley

  He could tell his comments had shocked Sara Jane. She was quiet for a moment and then shook her head in denial. “Wait! My brothers think we should be married? They’ve discussed this with you?”

  “Most of the town thinks the same thing,” Carl informed her. “As for talking to me about it, they just drop hints here and there.”

  “I can’t believe they would …”

  “Believe it.” He leaned a bit closer to her and lowered his voice. “In fact, I’m glad we’re having this discussion, but now … well, it’s about time you knew exactly how I feel. I plan to court you.”

  “But I don’t want to be courted,” Sara Jane fired back. “Haven’t you been paying attention to the suitor’s I’ve run off in the last few months?”

  “They’ve been kind of hard to miss. As for you not wanting to be courted—too bad,” Carl told her with a smirk. “My mind is made up. Just thought I’d give you fair warning.”

  With that said, he tipped his hat to her and left her standing in stunned silence beside the dance area with her mouth hanging open. She was surrounded by couples still enjoying the music and one another’s company. He wanted to turn around and see if she was still watching him, but he didn’t.

  Carl had said what he needed to say and starting now, Sara Jane had been put on notice. Carl intended to make her his, and she could fight and kick all the while, but she would eventually end up at the altar with him, saying her vows and taking his name. There had been a growing tension between them that they had been ignoring. But no more. Sara Jane was his soulmate and if there was one thing Carl had going for him, it was his tenacity. He and Sara Jane were meant to be, and nothing was going to stand in his way. Nothing.

  *****

  Sara Jane picked her way between the dancing couples and then headed for the place where her parents were talking with their friends. She was ready to go home and was hoping someone would let her borrow their horse and could take her place in the wagon for the ride home. She had no desire to linger in town a moment longer than was necessary.

  Shawn was standing with Jace and they saw her coming. They both wore funny expressions and she narrowed her gaze at them. “What?”

  “We saw you talking and dancing with Carl. You two finally going to stop going around each other in circles?”

  “Carl … well, he said …” Sara Jane couldn’t even put into words what she was feeling in that moment. Instead, she gave them both a disgusted look at which they lost their composure and started laughing. Not wanting them to see how much their laughter at her expense hurt, she rolled her eyes and headed to where Lily was sitting.

  “Men!” she stated as she sat down next to Lily.

  “What did Carl do now? Jace keeps telling him he needs to keep his opinions to himself if he ever wants to win you over.”

  “Jace talks to him about me?” Sara Jane asked in disbelief. “Is everyone at the ranch conspiring to get Carl and I together?”

  “Seems like it. You need a husband and that boy is head over heels for you.”

  “How do you know that?” Sara Jane asked. She spent more time with Carl than Lily did, and she knew nothing of the sort.

  “You haven’t seen the way he looks at you when he thinks no one is watching. He can’t take his eyes off you.”

  “He’s probably just waiting for me to mess something up so he can tell me about it,” Sara Jane replied.

  Lily just smiled and shook her head. “No. That boy is smitten. No doubt about it.”

  Sara Jane settled back to watch the others dancing. She allowed herself a brief moment of weakness and imagined what life as Carl’s wife might be like. She’d still live on the ranch in her own cabin. She and Carl could work the cattle and horses together, and she’ d have to find someone to deal with the housework and the cooking … she had no intention of becoming domesticated just because she decided to get married.

  Restless, she got up and smiled at Lily. “See you later.”

  “Where are you off to?”

  “I don’t know.” Sara Jane shrugged. “I just don’t feel like sitting.” She wandered away from where the dancing was taking place, finally sitting down on an abandoned bench and taking a moment to analyze her thoughts. She realized she was jumping way ahead of herself where Carl was concerned. Here she was envisioning what life as his wife might be like, and she still hadn’t gotten used to the idea that he actually liked her the same way she liked him. It was confusing and she didn’t have a clue as to how she should act now. She closed her eyes for a moment. Carl and she had rarely conversed in the last few months without disagreeing with one another. It was ludicrous to think that they could ever be more than they were right now.

  She looked up at the sky, seeing the clouds moving in from the mountains. Winter was here and it wouldn’t be long before there was snow on the ground; but today, the sun was still shining, even though there was a slight chill in the air. She loved this land and the changing of the seasons. Her own life felt like it was changing as well. Nothing was the same as it had been this time last year and she wondered what the coming weeks and months might have in store for her. Gideon was home and married now. Lily was going to have a baby. And Carl had just told her he intended to court her. This was the change that had her the most unsettled. She closed her eyes and offered up a simple prayer.

  God, it’s me, Sara Jane. I know I don’t talk to You as much as I probably should, but I need a little help right now. Thank you for blessing Gideon and Riley.

  “Sara Jane, are you ready to head back out to the ranch?” her pa asked from in front of her.

  Sara Jane opened her eyes and looked up into her pa’s eyes. She nodded and then silently ended her prayer. She pasted on a smile and stood up, dusting off her skirt before she answered, “Yes. I am more than ready.”

  “Good. The boys can come whenever they want but Lily isn’t feeling well and needs to head home.”

  Sara Jane looked over to where Jace was helping Lily toward the wagon, his arm around her back as he took small steps that she could easily keep up with. Sara Jane mentally chided herself for not having noticed that Lily was feeling poorly just moments before. Without another word, she followed her pa. Jace had already helped Lily up into the wagon and was talking quietly to her.

  Sara Jane climbed in, troubled and needing some serious sleep, and yet concerned for Lily at the same time. Jace finally kissed his wife on the forehead and then jumped down from the wagon with a promise to retrieve his mount and be right behind them. Sara Jane turned and met Lily’s eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t feeling good?”

  Lily shook her head once. “I’m just overly tired and in desperate need of a nap. I thought maybe I could go without a nap today, but it seems that was a misjudgment on my part.”

  “Is it the baby?” Sara Jane asked, eyeing Lily’s very round belly beneath her dress.

  Lily nodded and rubbed a hand over her stomach, grimacing for a moment before stating, “This little one keeps kicking me–I feel like I’m bruised from the inside out.”

  “The baby will be here soon enough.”

  “I know,” Lily told her. “I’m just a little too tired to not be whiny today. You didn’t have to leave …”

  “I was ready,” Sara Jane interrupted. “I’m happy to be heading back to the ranch.”

  “If you say so,” Lily told her, lapsing into silence.

  Sara Jane watched her pa climb up into the wagon, sitting next to her ma. She turned her face to the front, looking forward to a peaceful journey home. Carl chose that moment to ride up beside her with a smile meant just for her. She bit her lip to keep from returning it.

  He held her eyes and then tipped his hat before riding off. Lily hadn’t missed their silent exchange and leaned over, whispering, “What was that about?”

  Sara Jane hoped her face didn’t look as warm as it felt. For some odd reason, she was blushing. “Carl told me he intends to court me.”

  Lily smiled broadly an
d whispered, “It’s about time.”

  Sara Jane looked at her in disbelief. “You too?”

  Lily just nodded and then settled back on the seat with her hands closed peacefully across her burgeoning stomach. “We all want to see you and Carl happy. It’s obvious that he’s had you in his sights for years …”

  “Years?” Sara Jane asked.

  Lily smiled. “Carl’s a good man and would have never crossed your brothers or your folks by making his feelings for you known prematurely. Frankly, I’m surprised he waited till now to state his intentions. You are a good friend and I really wish you would give Carl a chance. You two make a very cute couple.”

  Sara Jane blew out her breath. “It feels like everyone is conspiring against me.”

  Lily wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Don’t feel like that. We care about you, that’s all.”

  Sara Jane nodded and lapsed into silence. She looked at the landscape passing by and really wished she’d brought her own mount. She needed some time alone to think through this day’s revelations. To decide how she felt about Carl and his intentions. On one hand, she was upset with Carl. How dare he threaten to court her?

  Sara Jane stopped herself, landing on the source of her confusion. Now I’m seeing courtship as a threat? That’s not right. The other men from town have always been a challenge to see how long it would take before they skedaddled right back home.

  Vexed as she was with Carl’s announcement to court her, a little spark of hope was burning in her chest. Maybe she’d finally have a chance to figure out why she felt nervous and slightly unsettled when Carl was near. It hadn’t always been that way, just in the last few months.

  Okay, God. I’m going to need some help here. Maybe there is one man out there that can handle how I like to dress and do everything else. I guess I’ll have to wait and see if there is a cowboy out there for me. And if that cowboy is Carl.

  He believes he is. I just don’t know. I want what Gideon and Riley, and Jace and Lily, have. Someone who loves me for who I truly am and not who they think I should be. I want a family of my own, I really do.

  I guess I need to be open to whatever plans You have for me.

  Chapter 2

  Several weeks later

  Sara Jane rode across the far pasture, the wind whipping through her hair, her hat hanging off the back of her neck, and a ready smile upon her face. The sky was blue and cloudless overhead, and she was doing what she loved best. Spending time outdoors with her horse and nature.

  It was the last week of October, and while the weather hadn’t turned yet, everyone on the Lazy L ranch knew it was just a matter of time before the snow started to cover the mountain tops and the watering holes would freeze over. November almost always brought a change in the weather, and even now the nights were getting colder and a hint of snow dotted the far peaks. Winter was fast approaching. With that in mind, it was imperative that all the cattle be moved into the pastures closer to the homestead. While they didn’t get lots of snow piling up in the lowlands of New Mexico, just a few inches could make finding adequate food difficult for hungry cattle.

  Shawn and Carl were to her left, spread out as they all searched for the missing twenty head of cattle, most of them this year’s calves and mothers. Sara Jane heard the sound of an eagle and looked up, shielding her eyes with her hand as she watched the giant bird circle overhead. When it continued to do the same, she turned her horse to the right, needing to see what the bird was watching on the ground. She didn’t have to go far before she found her answer. She heard the plaintive cries of the calf long before she rounded the scrub brush and saw the animal stuck in a mud hole.

  The mama cow was standing nearby, bawling as her baby continued to struggle, only serving to get itself more stuck in the mud. One look at the situation and Sara Jane knew she was going to need help getting the calf free. She wished it were otherwise but signaling for Shawn or Carl to come to her assistance was the only hope the calf had of surviving. She withdrew her revolver and fired one shot into the air. She counted to ten and then fired a second shot.

  The mama cow mooed loudly, taking exception to the noise, but Sara Jane couldn’t be worried about that. “Take it easy, Mama. We’ll get your baby out of there.”

  She immediately received an answer back in the form of two single shots, echoing right after one another. It seemed she was going to get help from both men today. She edged Shiloh closer. The golden mare had been hers since age thirteen, when she’d trained the horse to work cattle. “Easy, girl. We need to haul out the little fella before he sinks any further.”

  She wrapped her lariat around the saddle horn, and coiled a few loops before sending the rope singing out towards the calf. It dropped neatly over the calf’s head, and Shiloh stepped backwards to put tension on the line.

  Sarah Jane surveyed the exhausted calf while the cow stared at her suspiciously..

  “Well, fella, you picked a dandy place to get stuck.”

  Sarah Jane dismounted to untie another length of rope off her saddle, since it looked like the job would require two. Just putting a single rope around the animal’s neck wouldn’t work in this situation. The calf was too stuck.

  Since she was smaller than both Shawn and Carl, it only made sense for her to be the one to get muddy. She eased her way forward in the mud, feeling it come up over her boots and slither down inside of them. “Great. I’m going to need to stop by the creek when this is over.”

  She continued her slow progress forward, finally reaching the calf’s side and pausing to catch her breath. She was almost buried in the mud to her knees when she heard horses approaching and the scathing tone of Carl behind her. “What in tarnation are you doing, Sara Jane? Get yourself out of that mud.”

  Her brother added his opinion as well, “I don’t think she can. Sis, did you just get yourself stuck as well? What were you thinking?”

  Their criticism hurt and she thought about ignoring them, but they were both right. At the current moment, she was close enough to the calf to get the rope around its body, but she couldn’t move her feet even an inch, not without feeling her feet trying to come free from the boots themselves. She turned her upper body and glared at them. “And I suppose you two would have come up with another way of getting this rope around the calf without getting your boots dirty?”

  “That’s not the point,” Shawn told her. “You didn’t even wait to make sure one of us was on our way to help you.”

  “I heard your answering shots, why would I wait? Besides, this little guy is just about tuckered out and his mama is a might anxious. Now, are you two gonna help me, or find something else to criticize?”

  “Sara Jane, you know we’re just concerned for your welfare,” Shawn told her, sliding from the back of his mount and slowly approaching the mud hole.

  She turned back to the calf when it let out another scared bawl and placed a hand upon its neck. “Take it easy, fella. Let me get this rope around you and the guys will pull you out of here.”

  The calf’s front legs were still partially exposed, and she threaded the rope behind them, making a face when her hands came in contact with the gooey mud. “Next time you decide to go walking around, find a nice dry patch of ground,” she murmured.

  She managed to get the rope threaded through to the opposite side and was pulling it through, trying to get enough slack to tie off, when the calf swung its head toward her, knocking her backward. Her feet stayed put, but her upper body went sideways, landing in the mud with a loud sucking plop.

  Carl and Shawn, watching from a safe distance, chuckled as she threatened dire consequences to the calf.

  “Just you wait, fella. I’m gonna make sure you get fed really well, and then I’m gonna make sure you get served up for dinner. Lots of dinners.”

  With effort, Sarah Jane righted herself, tied off the rope and then huffed out a breath. “Would someone please have Shiloh back up so we can get this calf out of here?”

  “Sure thin
g,” Carl told her. She watched as he took her mare’s reins and spoke gently to her. Shiloh stamped her feet for a moment, but then she complied and began to back up, pulling the rope taut and exerting traction on the calf.

  “Sara Jane, get out of the way,” Shawn told her. “When that calf feels itself starting to move, there’s no telling what it might do if it starts struggling.”

  Sara Jane placed her hands on her hips. “Do you think I haven’t already thought of that? I would move if I could, but I’m stuck.”

  Both men shared a look and Carl stopped Shiloh’s backward progress. “You can’t move your legs at all?” Shawn asked.

  “No. Not without losing my boots,” she humphed. This wasn’t how she’d seen this scenario playing out. She’d imagined getting the rope around the calf and then retreating a safe distance to the dry ground before trying to dislodge the calf from the mud. Her current position was dangerous.