“Why don’t you tell him?”
“It’s tempting, but the old man has serious lung problems, and I think he’s memory is failing too. He’s better off not knowing his son will eventually ruin the ranch.” Waves of anger bounced off him.
“Edward is a stupid little upstart who thinks he knows everything. In reality, he knows very little. He’s just proved this by firing the two men who could have helped him keep the ranch profitable once I left.”
The hotel, a double storied place built of upright boards, had a brick façade. Inside it was clean, if shabby looking. Double doors to the left had ‘Dining Room’ written on the glass. Rowan pressed the bell on the reception desk.
A short, overweight man wearing a white apron popped out from behind a door. “I’d like a room for the night,” Rowan said.
“A double?” The man leered at Miranda.
“No, a single, thanks. I’m not staying here.”
Miranda signed the register and the man handed her the key. “I’ll come upstairs with you, then I’ll leave.”
“I know you’ve got a lot to do, Rowan, you go. I can climb up the stairs and find the room by myself.”
“No, I’ll see you to the room, then I’ll know everything is okay.”
“All right, thanks.” She was starting to feel bone weary now. Not getting much sleep on the way here, combined with her heightened state of anxiety, was starting to take a toll.
He opened the door of her room and poked his head inside. “Looks okay, basic but clean.” He dumped her saddlebags on the floor.
“It’s all I need. Will I meet you at the church tomorrow?”
“I was going to meet you here, but I guess it would save me a bit of time. Will you be able to find the place on your own?”
“I think I can manage.”
“Don’t be late.”
“I won’t be, Rowan. You make sure you don’t leave me standing at the altar.”
He gasped in shock. “You think I’d do such a despicable thing?”
“Well, I…”
“You must have a very low opinion of me.” He swung away.
“Wait! I didn’t mean it to sound nasty.” She grabbed his arm. “I just meant, I’m so worried about losing the ranch I can’t think straight.”
“Sorry, I overreacted.” He pulled her into his arms. “I want this marriage to be successful, but what if it proves to be a disaster for both of us?”
Suddenly he whipped off her hat and kissed her on the mouth. “See you in church tomorrow.”
By the time she recovered her wits he was halfway down the stairs.
Chapter Ten
Next morning after breakfast, Miranda strolled up to the livery stable to collect Audrey. She had taken a bath at the hotel and was able to wash her hair. She had no dress to wear for her wedding, but at least wouldn’t be grubby and sweaty smelling for her new husband.
She could scarcely believe she was worrying about clothing, having never done so before. Was it an unconscious need to impress Rowan? Their marriage was probably only going to be a temporary one to save her ranch and his cattle. It sounded harsh when put this way. Still, no point in painting a rosy picture if there wasn’t one.
The livery owner had Audrey saddled and waiting. Her Winchester was in its scabbard, her bedroll neatly tied on.
“Thanks. How much do I owe you?”
“Nothing, Rowan paid me before he rode out of town. Edward Baker ought to be horsewhipped for what he did. He knew full well his father wanted Rowan to have the land and the cabin he built on it. Congratulations on your marriage, you’re getting yourself a fine man.”
“Thank you. I can see you took good care of my horse; she looks rested and happy.”
Miranda mounted and with a wave rode toward the church. Her heart dropped to her boots when Rowan’s horse was nowhere to be seen. Now what was she supposed to do? She dismounted and tied Audrey to the hitching rail and waited.
Time ticked by causing her anxiety to escalate. If he had suddenly changed his mind, he would have let her know. She closed her eyes and muttered. “Please, God, make him come.” On opening her eyes, she could have cried with relief on seeing Rowan riding toward her. She lifted her hand and he returned the salute.
As he dismounted, she noticed he had recently shaved, and had changed into clean work clothes. “Good morning, Miranda.”
“Good morning, Rowan. You didn’t get cold feet at the last minute?”
“No. Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, thank you, I was exhausted.” They exchanged the pleasantries like two over-polite strangers as they headed toward the preacher’s house.
“Sorry if I was late, I’ve got the cattle with me.”
“You’ve what?”
“Not exactly with me.” He grinned. “They’re on the trail with Hank and Tom, we can easily catch up with them after the wedding.”
“Oh, you were eager to be off.”
“I didn’t have much choice. When I told Edward last night I was leaving, he turned real nasty just as I feared. He threatened to kill me. Luckily, I was wearing my guns, so he quickly backed down.”
“What a horrible man.”
“He told me to get my cattle off the place or he’d shoot them. Unbeknownst to him Hank, Tom and I had got the cattle ready even before I’d spoken to him, and we were up at daybreak and started moving them. They’ll be a couple of miles up the by road now. We’ll have to take it slow as a few of the cows are in calf.”
“In calf? Now?”
“Not by my choice. When I was away from the ranch, that stupid Edward put one of the bulls in the same pasture as some of my heifers. By the time I found out it was too late, the bull had had a fine old time of it.”
“I can imagine. Pa always believed in summer calving.”
“Yes, the summer growing season is best.” He knocked on the door. “Depending on what the pastures are like on your place, I’ll probably have to supplement the feed to keep their nutrition up. Everything Edward touched he messed up.”
The door swung open and the preacher stood with a smile on his face. “Good morning. All ready?”
“Yes, thank you,” Rowan said.
Miranda nodded and smiled. She was now eaten up with nerves.
“I’ve got two witnesses lined up, so come inside and we can begin. You both look anxious.”
“I don’t know about Miranda; I sure am.” Rowan surprised her by saying as they stepped inside.
“Me too. I’ve never done anything like this before.”
The preacher chuckled. “I wouldn’t be happy if you had. Have you got the wedding ring?”
“Yes.” She undid the leather thong around her neck and handed him the plain gold band her mother had once worn.
***
After only ten minutes or so, Miranda left the preacher’s house as Mrs. Rowan Carstairs. The brief kiss Rowan had given her when the preacher said you may now kiss the bride, sent excitement spiraling through her. She had never dreamed a man’s mouth on hers could elicit such a response.
They walked to their horses without speaking. Once they were mounted, they turned and waved to the preacher who then closed his front door. As they started to move away, Rowan kneed his horse closer to hers, leaned across and kissed her again longer and harder than before. A million stars exploded inside her head. They were both breathing heavily by the time they parted.
“We better be off,” he said with a grin. “We’ll have to finish this another time.”
“Will we?” She gave him a saucy smile.
“We sure will. I think we’re going to have a lot to talk about once we get to your ranch.”
“I’m glad Tom and Hank agreed to come and work for me, well, us now?”
“They were hoping they could come with me, but they reckon they could follow the grub line if they had to.”
“It wouldn’t be fair. I don’t have much money to pay them, although they will have free food and accommodation for as lo
ng as they like. What Edward did to them and to you, was nothing short of sinful.”
They quickly caught up with the slowly moving herd of around two hundred cattle. “Hank is riding point,” Rowan said. He knows the country out here, used to be a bounty hunter. Did you come through the canyon?”
“What canyon?”
“There’s a canyon we can go through on the second day, and Hank reckons it will cut more than ten miles off our journey. Slow going, but we’re doing that anyway.”
“I’ve never been out this way before.”
“You rode all the way to Mountview and you hadn’t travelled this way before? You shouldn’t have done such a dangerous thing, Miranda.”
“I had no choice. I was so desperate to find you and save the ranch, I would have crawled here if need be.”
The breath hissed from between his clenched teeth and she could not understand why he was so angry.
Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of a tall slim man who rode as if he and the horse were one. His tanned face was as wrinkled as old leather.
“Howdy, Mrs. Carstairs, I’m Tom.”
“Howdy, Tom, call me Miranda.”
“What a nice, polite old man, and to think that horrible Edward had wanted to fire him after years of devoted service to his father. “I’m glad to have a man of your experience working for me. Never thought I’d get so lucky.”
Rowan smiled his approval of her letting the old man keep his pride. He probably had little else left.
“Miranda, you and Tom do the flanks. I’ll go see Hank and find out how things are going.” He rode off looking tall and proud in the saddle, and she watched him until the herd hid him from view. The cattle were strung out more than she would have liked, although it didn’t take long for her and Tom to collect the stragglers.
They stopped at midday to rest the herd and to share coffee and beans. The trail they were on was different to the one she had taken. Hank lit the fire. He was a thin, wiry looking man who would probably be in his late fifties. Hard to tell with his weather-beaten face and grey hair. What a tragedy for two good men to lose their jobs. She never doubted for a moment they would be excellent cowhands.
“Howdy, Mrs. Carstairs, I’m Hank.”
“Howdy, Hank. I guessed who you were. I’ve already met Tom. Oh, and please, call me Miranda.”
“Thank you for taking me and Tom on. Rowan explained how things were with you, so food and lodging and a small wage is fine for now.”
“I’ll pay you what I can. With men around the ranch it should become more profitable. We had to cull a lot of stock when my pa died, then my brother met this woman and lost interest in it.”
He nodded. “We’ll probably have to take turns at night herding.”
“I can take my turn. It’s not as if I haven’t done it before.”
“You’ll have to talk it over with Rowan. I don’t like the chances of him letting you. He can be stubborn when he wants to be.”
So, can I, she thought. I won’t be treated like some useless little hot house plant by him or any other man. She had done a man’s work for years and had no plans on changing just because she’d been wed.
“We’ll have to eat in shifts, Rowan won’t leave the herd unattended.”
“I noticed you’ve only got your bedrolls and saddlebags.”
“Yeah, Tom and I don’t have much. Rowan packed a few things in a trunk. One of the men at the ranch he could trust, promised to take it town and put it on the stagecoach for Twisted Creek.”
“Good, I’m glad he didn’t have to leave all his possessions behind.”
“Rowan was more of a son to George than Edward ever was. A real shame what happened. Black coffee be okay? No sugar, we had to leave in a hurry. Tom and I reckon Rowan should have burned the cabin down before we left. He wouldn’t do it though, too honorable.”
“Black will be fine. I would have been tempted to burn the place, too.” She fumed every time she thought about the unjust treatment Rowan had received. Thinking about the man must have brought him to her.
“I came back for a quick coffee. The cattle are quiet.”
“What did you mean you don’t want me taking my turn as night herder? I’ve done it before.”
“I prefer you didn’t, not on your own. It’s rough country out here and isolated. It could be dangerous for a woman if some no-good varmint comes along.”
A chill ran down her spine. What he said was true, particularly as there were only three men to ward off any attack.
On thinking about it, she had probably been lucky to make it to Mountview without any mishap.
Chapter Eleven
Late in the afternoon they came upon a small well grassed valley with a creek running through it. It was almost sealed off at one end by a rock fall, and there was an old fence erected to fill the gap. There was a stone fireplace, so obviously others had camped here before.
While the men settled the herd down, Miranda cleared out the old ash from the fireplace, gathered wood and got the fire going.
When Rowan returned, he said. “This is a good set-up,” Hank remembered it from a few years back. It didn’t take us too far out of our way, either.”
“It’s perfect. The cattle should be fine here.”
“Yeah, unless something spooks them,” he said, with a slight droop to his lips.
The loss of his cabin had cut deep. Had he not agreed to marry her, she could have been in the same position and her heart bled for his lost dreams and aspirations.
She walked up to him and touched his arm. “I’m sorry you lost so much, and it’s easy for me to say this, because thanks to you I didn’t lose my ranch. Look forward not back. We could have a good life together if we stop dwelling on past betrayals.” She stood on tiptoe to kiss him on the lips then hurriedly stepped back.
He looked stunned for a moment and she felt embarrassed. Heat surged into her face. When had she become so forward?
Suddenly, he dragged her in to his arms and kissed her, not just a quick brushing of lips like hers had been. His was long and passionate, leaving them both gasping for breath once they parted.
“You fire up my blood.” His voice was husky. “A pity we aren’t out here on our own.”
“I wish we were, Rowan.” There was something, well almost magical about this place she thought.
His eyes widened, then he gave her such a tender smile her bones almost melted.
“I guess I should get supper going,” she finally said.
“Yes, get the grub on, we should have an early night. I want to start at first light tomorrow. It will be a grueling day Hank says, but much easier from then on. What supplies are you carrying?”
“Tins of beans, strips of dried beef, potatoes, coffee and sugar.”
“The boys and I have similar stuff. You get us some food, whatever you think, and get the camp set up.”
She was nearly going to argue then decided against it. What he said did make sense. He turned back to the herd and rode off with the wave of one hand, leaving her to prepare supper.
They had eaten only cold beans washed down with water at midday. What she wouldn’t give for a nicely set up little chuck-wagon to work from.
She buried several potatoes in the coals at the side of the fire, filled the frypan with water and laid strips of dried meat in it. Once they softened up a little, she would add the beans. There was too little time for anything else as the men would be starving when they returned.
The men arrived back as dusk fell. She had laid her bedroll to one side of the fire and watched as the men took their bedrolls to the opposite side. It pleased her when Rowan laid his out near hers. She had hoped he would want to be close to her yet feared he might favor staying with the men.
Each of them had their own eating utensils. “Food’s ready,” she called.
“Smells good,” Rowan said.
“It isn’t much with the meager supplies I had to work with.”
“I’ll h
ave a quick feed then start my watch,” she was disappointed to hear Rowan say. He must have seen her expression. “It’s the way the boys wanted it.”
“Oh?”
“Well,” he lowered his voice. “You being a woman and all, they wanted me to be here during most of the night.”
She glanced over at the two men and smiled. Old cowhands they might be to some, yet to her they were true gentlemen.
They sat around the fire to eat. Everything had turned out well under the circumstances. Once the burned skin on the potatoes was peeled away, the insides were soft and tasty with a hint of smokiness adding to the flavor.
As soon as he finished eating, Rowan left them sitting around the fire.
“Have you only worked with beef cattle?” she asked as they shared a second cup of coffee and stared at the flames.
“I spent the first fifteen years of my life on a dairy farm,” Hank surprised her by saying.
“Really? We used to run a dairy herd when my pa was alive. It got too much for my brother and I when he died. Jacob’s heart wasn’t in it. A Swiss cheesemaker who lived near us used to take most of our milk because he said it had something extra in it.”
“The milk yield often depends on what type of grazing there is,” Hank mused.
“Yes.” She went on to tell him about the minerals in the ground under some of their pastures.
“I’ve heard of this before,” he said. “The quality of the milk is apparently important in cheesemaking.”
After a short time, the men retired to their bedrolls and she did the same. Not that she would sleep until Rowan returned. She liked him more with every passing hour and feared she was developing feelings for him too quickly. What he felt about her she had no idea. He was obviously attracted to her, or why would he kiss her like he did?
He had said little about his feelings. If only she knew more about men, it would help her to know how to behave toward him. She would hate him to think she was too forward or too cold. It was fine line she had to walk. Staring into the darkness she heard the murmur of voices from across the glowing orange of their fire.
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