The Rancher’s Spirited Bride

by Chloe Carley

  “Mark,” she replied, “I have many duties at the ranch …”

  “But surely the other men can take over those. Your father has the biggest spread around and plenty of ranch hands, who–from what I saw yesterday—don’t have enough to do right now. They don’t need your help and you have a reason to come to town now …”

  “We’ve already accomplished so much with the ladies from the boarding house …”

  “I wasn’t talking about those women. I was talking about you. And me. I would like to see you as often as possible, but with needing to be here for the school children, I will not have the time to be travelling back and forth to the ranch. I was hoping you might consider moving into town so that we might see one another on a daily basis.”

  Sara Jane was stunned at his boldness. “What?”

  Mark nodded. “I’m sure the boarding house has an extra room you could use and you wouldn’t have to dress like a boy any longer or worry about chores …”

  Sara Jane couldn’t believe what she was hearing. They’d met one another only two days prior, and yet it seemed that Mark Lawry was already trying to stake a claim on her time and affections. “Mr. Lawry … Mark, we’ve only just met.”

  “That may be, but I really like you and want to get to know you better. You could help me in the school …”

  “I’m not a teacher,” Sara Jane reminded him.

  “Well, that doesn’t matter. I’m sure I can find something for you to do.”

  “I think it probably does, matter that is. Especially to the parents who will be sending their children to the school.”

  “I didn’t say you’d be teaching them,” Mark tried to explain.

  “Then what exactly would I be doing here in town? I have plenty to do at home.”

  Mark smiled at her and then rubbed his thumb across the back of her knuckles. “What if you could find things to do here? I’m sure if you put your mind to it, you could come up with a variety of things to apply yourself to.”

  “Mr. Lawry, I don’t have any intention of finding something new to apply myself to. I enjoy helping at the ranch and plan to continue doing so.”

  “Sara Jane, I only meant that moving to town would enable you to dress appropriately every day and you wouldn’t have to worry about the dangers of the ranch.”

  Dress appropriately? “And what does your mother think about your plan?”

  Mark had the grace to look down before answering. “She doesn’t like this town, and she’s not known back home for keeping quiet about things that offend her. I was hoping that having her come West with me would give her a chance to start anew, but it doesn’t seem to be working.”

  “So, why keep her out here?” Sara Jane asked, feeling a bit of empathy for the handsome young man who was trying to not only find his own future, but make his mother’s last days happy ones.

  “She cannot live alone. After my father’s untimely death, Mother became depressed and prone to bouts of crying and feeling sorry for herself. There were days she didn’t even want to leave the house, but I kept pushing her to live. I was afraid that left to her own devices, she would become a recluse again and just slowly fade away to nothing.”

  “That’s sounds horrible and you are to be commended for being such a good and loving son.”

  Mark smiled at her and squeezed her hand. “Thank you for saying that. To be honest, I know Mother can be hard to put up with at times, but she means well.”

  Sara Jane doubted that but kept her opinion to herself. Instead, she stated, “If she truly wants to live a full life, she needs to quit offending everyone around her. Everyone in Rio Arriba is aware of the fact that their homes and businesses don’t measure up to her standards. She’s made that blatantly obvious.”

  “See, that’s why I want you to be with me. Maybe spending some time with you will help Mother realize she needs to keep her opinions to herself.”

  Sara Jane thought about what he wanted, but when they made the final turn heading for the ranch, she knew there was no way she could do what he wanted. Her home was on the ranch, not in Rio Arriba. Not to mention the fact, his mother was horrible. There was no way Sara Jane could spend time alone with the woman without wanting to give her a piece of her mind.

  Then there were her feelings. She didn’t have any deep affection for Mark. She was mostly certain that she would never have deep affection for him. Not like the affection she had for Carl. And there was the main reason she was going to stay put.

  Carl. He didn’t mind her wearing trousers, or the fact that she could outshoot and outride him. Her family was at the ranch and they liked Carl, even treated him like part of the family. And then there was the fact that he’d told her she was going to be his and that he intended to court her.

  She’d had a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach at Carl’s words. She wasn’t feeling like that when she considered Mark. She looked down to where he still held her hand and she wished she could feel something. A tingle up her arm. Anything besides the knowledge that his palm was sweaty.

  She was relieved when she saw the large wooden beams that marked the entrance to the ranch up ahead. She made a slight attempt to pull her hand free, but Mark simply squeezed it and gave her a warm smile. The wagon finally came to a stop and Mark let go of her hand. She resisted the urge to wipe her palm on her skirt and instead placed it in her lap.

  “Sit still and I will come around and help you down,” Mark told her, hopping down from the wagon and making his way around the front of the horse.

  Sara Jane sighed, knowing she could have just hiked her skirt up and gotten herself down, but Mark had seemed very insistent in getting her to act like a young lady. “Thank you for the ride home,” she told him as he helped her down to the ground.

  “This was not how I envisioned our afternoon turning out,” he told her, keeping hold of her hand, even when she tugged lightly on it.

  “Mark, thank you for lunch and the ride home, but my duties lie here at the ranch.”

  “They could change,” he murmured, stepping closer to her.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw both Shawn and Gideon step out of the barn and she tried to move backward, but the wagon was directly behind her. Instead, she sidestepped, pulling hard on her hand and then putting several feet between them both. “I don’t think so. Polly and Jasmine,” she turned her head to see them watching the interaction between her and Mark closely. She gave them a tight smile. “Thank you for acting as my chaperones. I will be in town to see how things are progressing sometime later in the week.”

  Mark once more stepped toward her and lowered his voice. “Might I also ask for the pleasure of your company at that time? You could stop in at the school and perhaps we could share lunch?”

  “I’m not sure …”

  “Sara Jane,” Mark shook his head, stopping her from talking. “I’m sorry if I was a bit forward, but you are a beautiful young lady and I truly do wish to spend more time with you. Say you’ll give us a chance to become friends.”

  “Friends?” she asked with a raised brow. She felt another set of eyes on her back and without even looking, she was sure Carl had joined her brothers. The sound of their booted feet moving across the hard-packed earth told her Mark had overstayed his welcome. She nodded and offered hastily, “I will stop in at the school the next time I’m in town. I look forward to meeting your pupils. You should get the ladies back to town. That storm is almost here.”

  The sky above had grown grey and the air had changed in the last few minutes, a wind kicking up and the temperature dropping rapidly. Mark glanced up and then frowned. “That was quicker than I anticipated. Perhaps we should wait out the storm here …”

  “I wouldn’t chance it,” Shawn told him as he came up beside Sara Jane, his gaze on the sky above. “By the look of that storm, it’s going to last a while and I’m sure your mother and the other ladies at the boarding house would be extremely worried were you all not to return in short order. Have a safe
trip back.”

  Shawn’s gaze went to the two women in the back of the wagon and Sara Jane was almost certain she saw Polly blush before she intentionally looked away. When she glanced back at Shawn’s face, she was shocked at his expression. Was he the answer to the current mystery?

  Interesting. Maybe Shawn isn’t destined to be alone forever. This bears more looking into.

  Mark said to her, “Sure you won’t change your mind?”

  “I’m positive,” she told him with conviction.

  Mark sighed and then with a single nod, he rounded the horse and climbed back into the wagon. “Until next time we meet.” He tipped his chin to her and then slapped the reins against the horse’s back.

  “Bye, Sara Jane. Thank you for everything,” Polly called out with a wave.

  Sara Jane waved and then turned to see three sets of eyes watching her. “What?”

  “That Mr. Lawry is too forward,” Gideon told her with a frown.

  “He needs to find his manners,” Shawn added with a nod. “At least he had the good sense to bring chaperones along on the ride. And pretty ones at that.”

  Sara Jane tried to hide her expression but knew she’d failed when Carl narrowed his eyes and asked, “Whose idea was the chaperones?”

  Sara Jane shifted her feet and then replied, “Mine. His mother was feeling tired and was unable to accompany us.”

  Gideon’s frown increased and he asked, “Did Mr. Lawry suggest he return you without chaperones?”

  “He did, but I quickly informed him how that would look to others. He’s just starting as the new schoolteacher here. It wouldn’t do for anyone to be questioning his moral fiber right now.”

  Shawn shook his head and Carl burst out, “You’re concerned for his reputation, what about your own? It wouldn’t do for you to be seen traveling with him all alone. Not at all and I’m sure he knew that.”

  “Someone should talk to him,” Carl suggested and Gideon and Shawn both nodded in agreement.

  “No one is going to talk to him.” Sara Jane placed her hands on her hips. “I took care of it.” The wind had kicked up even more while they were talking, and she shivered. “I’m going inside to change. I’ll be ready to go in ten minutes.”

  “Sara Jane, the storm is coming …” Shawn told her. “I think maybe we should postpone our ride.”

  “Shiloh needs some exercise and who knows what tomorrow will be like. If you boys don’t want to go, that’s fine. We’ll stick to the first two pastures.” She turned on her heel and headed indoors. Her head was still spinning with the comparisons between Mark and Carl. She was happy that her brothers and Carl had come to her defense. Mark hadn’t been concerned about her reputation. It was only when she’d mentioned the damage to his own moral standing in the town that he’d seen the wisdom in bringing along two chaperones.

  She could tell that her brothers and Carl didn’t like the new schoolteacher, but a slight lapse in good judgment on his part wasn’t enough of a reason for Sara Jane to share their dislike. Everyone needed friendship and as long as Mark was content with them just being friends, Sara Jane couldn’t see any harm in continuing to associate with him from time to time. After all, he worked and lived in town and she rarely went to town aside from Sunday church services. She wouldn’t see him very often at all, leaving her more time to figure out what the future held for she and Carl. She hoped it was more than what they’d shared so far.

  Chapter 11

  Sara Jane changed into her trousers, a heavy button-down shirt, and then grabbed her boots and some heavy wool socks. Her sheepskin duster was hanging by the front door and she grabbed it a few minutes later as she prepared to leave the house.

  “Sara Jane? Is that you?” Pearl called from the kitchen.

  “Yes, Ma. I’m going to take Shiloh out for a ride.”

  “Hold up a minute,” Pa called to her and she heard him get up from his chair by the hearth and come to the front door. “There’s a big storm rolling in …”

  “I already heard about it from Shawn and Gideon, but Shiloh hasn’t been out of her stall today. I won’t go far or be gone very long.”

  James stroked his chin and then shared a look with his wife. Pearl was wiping flour off of her hands and she asked, “How was your lunch with Mr. Lawry and his mother?”

  “Fine. We ate at the boarding house with the other women.” She paused for a moment and then stated, “I’ve invited them all to join us for Sunday church services next week. The women, that is,” she clarified.

  “And will the Lawry’s be joining us again, as well?” Pearl asked.

  Sara Jane replied, “I couldn’t really say. I only discussed Sunday services with the women.”

  Pearl said, “Stirring the hornet’s nest, aren’t you?”

  Sara Jane shrugged but grinned. “There’s no reason those old biddies should have all of the fun. And look at it this way, at least they won’t be making stuff up to gossip about. I’m actually doing them a good turn by providing them something noteworthy to discuss

  “Sara Jane it’s not nice to tempt others to sin,” Pa reminded her.

  “Oh, I know that. I’m not tempting anyone to do anything. The women expressed a desire to attend church services and what better place for them to be than in God’s house. I plan to ask Pastor Russell to pay them a visit sometime this week and issue a personal invitation to them.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Ma agreed. “Everyone should feel welcome in the House of the Lord.”

  “That was my thought, also.”

  “Well, best not keep Shiloh waiting. Are the boys going with you?”

  “I think so,” Sara Jane answered, not wanting to worry her folks if she didn’t have to. She left the house and headed for the barn. She hoped she’d find at least one of the boys ready to ride with her. She’d told them she didn’t need company, but she’d not been thinking about the Indians they’d seen the night before when she made that bold statement. The thought of running into them again, all alone, sent tendrils of fear through her veins.

  She hated feeling afraid. Her mind went back to when she was a little girl and had wandered too far away from the ranch. She’d been trying to keep up with Pa and her brothers, but hadn’t realized the danger she was putting herself in. She heard them whispering about going to visit the Indians camped on Lazy L land and she just wanted to see them. She’d never seen an Indian up close, just heard stories about them and seen pictures on the wall outside the sheriff’s office when in town with Ma.

  She convinced one of the newer ranch hands to saddle up her mare, promising them she was only going to venture as far as the corral. She’d hidden in Shiloh’s stall until the others had left, including the ranch hand who had saddled her horse. She’d tried her best to keep up with them, but men from town had come to join them and they were riding really fast.

  That hadn’t bothered Sara Jane, even when she realized she was further from the barns and ranch house than she’d ever been before. Even with her pa or brothers. She’d continued on, not really comprehending the dangers that were all around her. A few hours later, she’d seen tendrils of smoke rising and she’d been elated. When she’d discovered the smoke coming from the Indian camp, her curiosity had caused her to try and spy on the large warriors.

  Some of them wore paint on their faces. All of them had long hair, and a large band of cloth wrapped around their foreheads. A few of them had feathers braided into their hair and beaded jewelry around their necks. It was exciting and she’d watched them move about the fire, sharpen their spears and even practice shooting arrows into a leather-clad basket at the edge of their camp.

  She’d been so caught up in watching them, she hadn’t realized that Shiloh had wandered off quite a ways. She stood up to call her mare to her, not considering that in doing so, she had also given away her hiding place. The Indians had rushed toward her, scaring Shiloh into running away, and then they had forcibly taken Sara Jane back to their camp. She hadn’t been able to
understand anything they said, but she’d known from the tone of their voices that she was in a lot of trouble. She’d been terrified.

  She didn’t let them see that, however. She had put on a brave front, but they had only laughed at her. And then they’d started taunting her. She’d been wearing a discarded pair of her brother’s trousers and her hair had been tucked up beneath one of their old hats. She’d not been concerned about her appearance, but at one point the Indians had started shoving her around and the hat had come off. Her long red braids had fallen down her back and everything had changed.

  The Indians had started chattering amongst themselves, gesturing toward her and she’d grown even more fearful. She’d attempted to dart away from the camp, only to have one of them chase after her and push her to the ground, holding up a leather thong. When he’d shaken it at her, she wasn’t sure if they been going to tie her up with it or beat her with it. Either way, Sara Jane had lost control of her emotions and she’d started crying.