The Rancher’s Spirited Bride

by Chloe Carley

  Ma had come in at some point and helped her crawl beneath the covers, at which time she’d fallen right back to sleep. A blessedly dreamless sleep.

  Sara Jane grabbed her hat off the hook by the door and then headed downstairs.

  “Ma? I’m heading out.”

  “Not before you eat,” came the reply.

  Sara Jane’s stomach grumbled again, and she headed for the kitchen. Ma set a bowl of oatmeal in front of her and Sara Jane smiled. “Thanks.”

  “You need to eat before you head to the barn. You didn’t eat nearly enough last night.”

  “You’re right.” She ate quickly, her mind busy with the list of chores she needed to get done before afternoon arrived. “What are the boys up to today?”

  “Your pa rode into town with Jace. Lily had an appointment with Doc Matthews and Pa wanted to have a word with Pastor Russell.”

  “Is everything okay with Lily?”

  Ma nodded. “Jace was concerned because she had some pains last night. They were gone this morning, but he was still worried this morning. Pa went to speak with Pastor Russell about visiting the women over at the bro—boarding house.”

  Sara Jane was pleased when Ma used the correct words. “Thank you. I appreciate Pa doing that, but I could have gone.”

  “He knew that, but you also have been doing plenty for those women. Pa figured his support for your idea might help put the pastor in the right frame of mind.”

  “Well, I appreciate his help. Everyone should be able to attend the Lord’s house.”

  “I agree.” Ma paused for a moment and then asked, “Do you think they’ll be dressed appropriately? I understand they may have few options, but dressing like harlots whilst attending church and trying to win over the gossipmongers in the congregation is probably not in their best interest.”

  Sara Jane nodded and finished eating. She took her bowl and spoon over to the wash basin, but Ma intercepted her, making a shooing motion with her free hand. “Go get your chores started. I’ll take care of this.”

  “Thank you again,” Sara Jane told her with a smile. She headed for the front door, pulled on the heavy leather duster and a hat, and opened the door to see a sea of white covering everything. It hadn’t just snowed a little bit during the night: there was almost a foot of new snow on the ground. Deep tracks led from the ranch house toward the barn, veering off toward the yard and bunkhouse beyond. The ropes that were tied between the various buildings during the winter snows swayed gently in the cool breeze. Grabbing hold of the rope attached to the front porch, Sara Jane used it to help keep herself upright as she descended the porch steps.

  Sara Jane did her best to step in the previously made tracks, but the distance between them was hard to manage. She had almost made it to the edge of the yard when she lost her balance and found herself flailing sideways. She landed with an oomph in the soft snow, her body sinking down several inches as she struggled to keep her face out of the icy wetness.

  “That was very graceful,” her brother Shawn’s laughing voice reached her ears.

  Sara Jane pushed herself up with one gloved hand to see Shawn standing ten feet away, a broad grin on his face. “A little help here?”

  “You seem to have things handled just fine,” Shawn told her, coming forward as he dodged the snow Sara Jane tossed his way. “Here,” he reached down to help her up, but Sara Jane had other ideas.

  She reached up for his hand, but instead of allowing him to pull her up, she gave a big jerk on his hand and sent him falling, face first, into the snowdrift next to her. She laughed at the look on her brother’s face and then scrambled to get up and away from him before he could retaliate.

  She almost made it to the barn before the first snowball hit her in the back. She turned around to confront Shawn, but her feet slipped, and she once again felt herself headed for a fall. Strong arms reached out and caught her just before she could sink into the soft powder a second time.

  “What are you two up to?” Carl asked with laughter in his voice. “You aren’t planning to throw that snow at her, are you?”

  Shawn’s grin spread as he nodded. “That’s exactly what I plan on doing with it.”

  Sara Jane appealed to Carl for help. “Protect me. He already hit me once.”

  Carl’s face clouded and he asked, “He hit you?”

  “With snow,” Shawn replied, making tsking noises at her. “Nice try, sis.”

  Sara Jane smirked and then turned to Carl. “Don’t let him throw that at me. I need to get started on my chores.”

  Both men shared a look and suddenly she felt anything but safe. She tried to extricate herself from Carl’s arms, and after a small struggle, he let her go and she scrambled away from them both. She took refuge behind a stack of hay bales and began making her own arsenal of snowballs.

  Shawn and Carl were conferring and kept glancing at her. Not wanting them to get the upper hand, Sara Jane stood up and lobbed two snowballs in their direction. The first one landed a few inches away from their feet, but the second one hit its mark: Carl’s chest. Snow sprayed his face and the light of challenge flared in his eyes.

  Sara Jane gathered another handful of snow and looked for a new place to take refuge. When Carl reached down for some more snow and took a step toward her, she gave a squeal and darted for the side of the barn. Her boots slipped in the deep snow, but she didn’t care. She needed a new vantage point.

  “Sara Jane,” Carl sing-songed after her. “Where are you going? Don’t run away.”

  “She’s heading for the barn,” Shawn called out.

  “You go around the far side. We’ll catch her in the back,” Carl called, causing Sara Jane to move even faster.

  She reached the side of the barn and could have kissed a frog when the side door opened beneath her hand. She quickly darted inside and pulled the door closed, latching it and then holding her breath while she listened for Carl’s feet to pass by. Her eyes adjusted to the dimness. There was a bucket to her left and she quickly picked it up. She listened and then opened the door and peeked out, smiling when she saw Carl’s back going around the corner of the barn.

  She quickly filled the bucket with snow and then darted back inside, latching the door once more. She headed for the ladder, barely able to contain her giggles as she thought up a plan of attack. The barn had a large door at both the front and the back of the loft, and she would be high enough up there that she could easily launch snowballs down upon her unsuspecting targets.

  She eased toward the back door, opening it slightly and then tipping her head out just far enough to see both Carl and Shawn edging toward one another. They were studiously checking behind anything she might have used to hide behind, totally unaware that she was preparing to attack. From above.

  She made several snowballs, pleased with the way the wet snow held together. She had to take a moment to compose herself when the urge to giggle became almost too much to contain. Finally, she felt in enough control that she could go through with her plan. She took a deep breath and then picked up the snowballs.

  “Okay, let’s see. Who gets the first one?” she murmured quietly. Shawn was the closest and while she didn’t want to give Carl time to take cover, getting her brother was too much of an opportunity to pass up. She picked up a second snowball and then took careful aim with the first one. She lobbed the snowball at Shawn and silently rejoiced in the look of surprise on his face when snow rained down upon his head. Before he could alert Carl, she then turned and threw the second snowball, covering her mouth in shock when Carl turned at the wrong moment and the snowball hit him square in the face. His look of shock was something she would never forget.

  “What the…?” Shawn exclaimed, wiping snow from his face.

  Carl nodded up and both men turned to see her giggling silently. She gave a little wave and then quickly darted back inside to pick up the entire bucket of snow. She was hoping the back door of the barn was latched as she patiently waited for them to get close enoug
h to dump the remaining snow down upon their heads. She didn’t have long to wait.

  “Sara Jane! You’re going to pay for that,” Shawn called up to her. “I’ve got snow down my shirt!”

  “Did she just dump a bucket of snow on our heads?” Carl asked, his voice rising with each word.

  Sara Jane lost the battle to stay quiet and laughed out loud. She needed to seek the refuge of the kitchen before they caught her. There was no telling what they would do otherwise.

  Her feet hit the barn floor and she ran for the front doors just as they were opening, and Gideon came wandering inside.

  “Whoa! What’s the hurry?” he called as she brushed past him.

  “Snowball fight,” she called out, not slowing for a minute.

  She made it almost all the way to the house before she heard someone closing in on her. She laughed as she pushed herself to move through the deep snow faster, but it wasn’t to be. A large hand reached out and grabbed her arm, spinning her around at the same time her feet slid out from beneath her and she felt herself falling backward.

  The hand belonged to Carl and he lost his own footing, turning his body slightly at the last minute so that he didn’t end up crushing her.

  “Oomph!” Sara Jane’s breath rushed from her body and she lay there for a moment, looking up at the blue sky and giving way to the laughter that bubbled forth.

  Carl rose up on an elbow and smiled down at her, shaking his head and laughing along with her. “You thought you were pretty smart with that barn trick?”

  “I got you, didn’t I?” she fired back, still laughing.

  Carl nodded and then his smile grew as he loomed over her. He reached above her head and gathered up a handful of snow. “That you did. Now, the smart thing for you to do about now would be to apologize.” He showed her the handful of snow and started to move it toward her face.

  She tried to move backward, away from his approaching hand, only to sink deeper into the snow. “Carl, you don’t really want to do that?”

  “I don’t?” he asked, his smile growing.

  Sara Jane met his eyes and shook her head. “No, you really don’t. “

  “Oh, but I think I do,” he whispered as his hand edged closer to her.

  “No. That’s faulty thinking.”

  “Really? I don’t think so.” With that, he turned his hand over and laughed as the snow rained down upon her face.

  She reached up, but only succeeded in getting her arm as far as her shoulder before he moved her arm up and out of the way. “Carl, it’s cold,” she sputtered, trying to be serious and not break out in more laughter.

  Carl leaned forward and whispered, “I know.” He dumped the rest of the snow just above her head and then used his gloved hand to wipe the remaining snow off her face. “I like seeing you like this.”

  “Like what?” she asked, meeting his eyes and then biting her bottom lip when they wandered to his own and froze there. She didn’t realize she was transmitting her thoughts in her expression until Carl leaned closer.

  “Like you’re happy and haven’t a care in the world. I like seeing you smile and hearing you laugh.” His eyes searched hers and then he lowered his head until his lips were just a fraction of an inch from her own. “I want to kiss you.”

  Sara Jane whispered, “Why don’t you?”

  That seemed to be all of the permission he needed, and his lips met hers. It wasn’t like the previous kiss he’d given her on the forehead. This was the kind of kiss that couples exchanged. Sara Jane closed her eyes and just allowed herself to feel. For the first time she could remember, she wasn’t in control and she didn’t want to be. She wasn’t scared or worried about failing.

  When Carl lifted his head and met her eyes, she couldn’t help but ask, “Why?”

  Carl lifted a gloved hand to his mouth and pulled the glove off, tossing it aside a moment later and then smoothing his finger along her brow. Her hat had fallen off when she’d fallen, and the feel of his fingertips on her skin sent a shiver down her spine that had nothing to do with her current position in the snow.

  “You are very beautiful,” he murmured. He opened his mouth to say more, but Shawn’s voice came from the yard.

  “Carl? Where are you?”

  Carl grimaced and then lifted himself off the ground, reaching down for her and pulling her to a standing position. “Your brother…”

  “… is a nuisance,” Sara Jane finished for him. “I’ve been saying that for years.” She smiled at Carl, breaking the tension around them, and then she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek in a bold move. “Thank you for the snowball fight.”

  “Speaking of which,” Carl gave her a sly grin, “you dropped your hat.” He reached down, picked up his discarded glove, and then carefully set her hat on her head. She saw him quickly backing up before she realized why.

  Sara Jane squealed as the snow filling the hat fell down around her face and shoulders. “Carl!”

  “I owed you one for that barn trick. See you around, Sara Jane.” He gave her a broad smile and then winked.

  She watched him round the house, slapping her brother on the shoulder as he explained filling her hat with snow. She was thankful that Carl kept their kiss to himself, but when she turned to head back to her chores, she happened to glance in the kitchen window and saw Ma standing there with a broad smile on her face. Great! That’s just what I didn’t need.

  She gave Ma a tight smile and then headed back for the barn. She opened up the doors and headed for the first stall, only to stare in confusion at the fresh hay in the manger. She walked to the next stall and found the same thing. Someone had done her chores for her this morning and she had a feeling it wasn’t her brother.

  Chapter 15

  Later that afternoon

  “Sara Jane, Lily is back. I’m going over to see what Doc had to say,” Ma called up the stairs.

  “Wait and I’ll go with you.” Sara Jane tucked the blanket she was making under the quilt on her bed and then headed downstairs. She was almost finished with the first blanket, and now she needed to make a second. She didn’t have much time, for the babies would be here soon, and she made a mental note to get some more fabric from the mercantile in the next few days.

  She pulled her duster on and then shoved her feet into her boots. She wrapped the knitted scarf her ma had given her for Christmas the year before around her neck and pulled her gloves on. Ma was all bundled up and had a large bundle beneath her arms. “What’s that?”

  “I had your pa bring the chest in from the barn and went through it and pulled out a few things. A couple of blankets. A few baby gowns. Lily’s having twins and the doctor thinks the babies might come earlier than expected.”

  “That’s not a good thing. Right, Ma?” Sara Jane asked as they crossed the yard and headed for the house Jace and Lily lived in. It was only a small two-bedroom house, with a kitchen and a living area, but it fit Jace and Lily just fine.

  “No, that would not be a good thing. Babies born too early have a rough time. I tell you, Sara Jane, I’m a little bit worried, what with winter coming so soon this year.”

  Sara Jane was quiet for a long moment, and then an idea started to form in her mind. “Why don’t you teach Riley and I what to do so that we can help? When the time comes?” The idea seemed perfectly logical to her as she’d been helping during calving season for years.

  Ma shook her head. “Sara Jane, birthing babies is a lot different than birthing calves.”

  Sara Jane shrugged. “It can’t be that different.”

  “Trust me, it is,” Pearl told her with a grimace. “I’m just worried that something will go wrong and …”

  “It will be alright, Ma. I’m sure of it,” Sara Jane promised, doing her best to sound confident.

  “And how can you be so certain?” Pearl asked.

  Sara Jane answered, “Because you’re here to help deal with everything. Nothing would dare go wrong.”

  “I appreciate your confidenc
e; however, I would feel better if Doc Matthews lived on the ranch instead of in town.”

  Sara Jane lapsed into silence while she tried to come up with a solution. There had to be …. “How about asking Tara to come out here? She was a nurse at a real hospital back East before coming West.”

  “Tara? Is that one of the women living at the boarding house?”

  “She’s the older woman I told you about. Tara Johnson. She’s delivered lots of babies, including twins.”

  Ma nodded as they reached Jace and Lily’s house. “I’ll go into town tomorrow and ask her. We have an extra room she could use.”

  Sara Jane grinned as Lily opened the door, looking half asleep. “Did we wake you up?”