Heather's Choice

by Shirleen Davies

  Grinning, she shook her head. “You’ve no room for a clan our size, August.”

  “Then we’ll have a more intimate group.”

  Heather’s jaw dropped. She had no idea August had an interest in her aunt, and judging by the look on Kyla’s face, neither did she.

  Bay slipped past Heather. “Thank you for including me, Mrs. MacLaren. It’s been a while since I’ve had such a wonderful Sunday afternoon.” He glanced over his shoulder at Heather. “I hope you’ll consider including me again.”

  “Aye. You’re welcome anytime, Mr. Donahue.”

  Within minutes, August and Miranda drove away in the wagon, Bay beside them on his horse.

  Heather followed their retreating forms until they’d taken the trail to town, then shifted her gaze south toward the Evanston ranch. Caleb and Blaine would be eating their own supper, probably the stew Aunt Kyla sent over the day before. Or they’d be with the other two men, playing cards, learning more about the ranch. It wouldn’t take Caleb long to start improving the operation. The thought tugged at her heart.

  All the teaching from Mildred and Levi had helped her grow from a spoiled, selfish girl into what she now considered a woman who knew more of what she wanted. Too bad it had come too late.

  Caleb sat on the hill separating Circle M from the Evanston ranch. A couple miles north and he’d be able to see the ranch house, the MacLarens mulling about after a hearty supper. Every Sunday, the meal took place at a different house. He didn’t even know where they would’ve eaten today. It caused him a pang of regret. The meals were where everyone caught up with what happened each week, announcements were made, and plans for the future were discussed. Unless he chose otherwise, they’d always included him. Now he learned of decisions days later, if someone rode over to tell them.

  Blaine hadn’t even gone today, which came as a surprise. They both expected to hear about it from his mother, Kyla. She might even ride over herself to chastise her son, and possibly Caleb, about being absent. He chuckled at the image of Kyla, fisted hands on her hips, glaring up at the taller men, scolding them as if they were still young boys. Mothers and their children, he thought. Even when grown, they still felt a huge responsibility for keeping them on the right path.

  Caleb thought of his own mother. Considerate, caring, and completely subservient to his overbearing father. Unlike his mother, the MacLaren women didn’t hesitate to express their views. There wasn’t a shy woman in the family, and certainly not Heather. It had been what drew him to her and what ultimately pushed him away. A man could only take so much before the message got through. He’d been wrong to ever believe he had a future with her.

  At twenty-three, he had many years to consider marriage. The only other woman who’d held his attention for more than a few minutes was Miranda Harris. She’d left as abruptly as she’d arrived, returning to her home back east.

  Preparing to rein Jupiter back toward the ranch, Caleb looked west, his gaze halting on what appeared to be smoke coming from the direction of town. He stilled in the saddle, blinking a few times to clear his eyes, believing it had to be an illusion. It wasn’t.

  Reining his horse around, Caleb rode straight back to the ranch. If he could see smoke from this far away, the fire had to be huge, and most likely out of control. Brodie and Sam would need all available men, and Caleb had no intention of watching from the safety of the hill.

  Galloping to the barn, he yelled for Blaine, explaining what he’d seen. After saddling his horse and leaving quick instructions for the ranch hands, Blaine followed Caleb to town. Smoke led them to the scene of the fire, the mob, and the men trying to control both.

  “Brodie!” Blaine barely reined to a stop before jumping off and running to his cousin. “What is happening?”

  “I’ll be explaining later. Right now, I need you and Caleb to help Sam and Jack with the crowd.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out two badges. “Wear these.”

  Blaine saw the two shouting at a mob of men, who shouted back. Close by were his brother, Camden, and several cousins. “Aye. We’ll be taking care of those miscreants, then be back to help you lads with the fire.”

  Three hours later, twenty men filled the cells in the jail, and the fire had been reduced to cinders. Too late to ride back to their homes, the MacLarens and Caleb took beds at the Gold Dust with plans to meet for breakfast and talk about what happened.

  Waking after four hours of sleep, Caleb scrubbed both hands down his face. He wanted to see the damage to the shops in Chinatown before meeting the others for breakfast and the discussion of how to deal with mobs in the future. The bitterness of the crowd had surprised most in Conviction. There had been talk, mainly behind closed doors, of the resentment building against the Chinese. The town council thought they had time to deal with those most vocal, come to an understanding of how to work together. They’d been wrong.

  A number of those upset exploded into violence before anyone could stop them. It had taken several of the townsfolk, as well as a good number of MacLarens, to curtail the brutality and put out the fires in Chinatown.

  Dressing, Caleb secured his gunbelt, then grabbed his hat. If he hurried, he’d have time to see the damage in daylight and return to the Gold Dust by the time the others arrived.

  The sun had risen over the eastern hills when he stepped onto the boardwalk. Jupiter was boarded at the livery down the street. Walking would be quicker. Caleb didn’t know what to expect as he walked north toward the docks.

  Chinatown had started away from the original main street, far enough so the inhabitants could keep to themselves when not working in the restaurants, saloons, or at the docks. From what he knew, the fire had started at the corner of one building, an odd-shaped structure not attached to any others. The fact an open space existed between it and the next building had saved an entire block from going up in flames.

  The smell of smoke still hung in the air, reaching him before he made it more than a block. Caleb heard at least one person had died. He didn’t know if it was a member of the mob or one of the Chinese. Either way, it was one death too many.

  Picking up his pace, he traveled the next block in a couple minutes before coming to an abrupt stop. The building had all but collapsed, charred wood still smoldering. He didn’t attempt to walk through the rubble. Instead, he studied the damage, relieved it hadn’t been worse.

  A few Chinese picked through the contents. Fires were common. Those set intentionally were not.

  “Caleb Stewart.”

  He turned at the sound of the familiar voice. August’s driver pulled the carriage to a stop. “Mr. Fielder. I didn’t expect to see you here this early.” He walked up to the door, peering inside. A sense of recognition gripped him when he saw another person inside the carriage, head bowed.

  “I’m going to the Gold Dust to meet with the sheriff. I assume you’ll be heading there soon.”

  “Uh…yes, sir.”

  “I need to take my guest to the boardinghouse, then I’ll be along. Because of the violence last night, I had Miss Harris stay with me.”

  Caleb swallowed as Miranda raised her head, her gaze meeting his as she smiled. “Good morning, Mr. Stewart. I’d hoped to see you again.”

  Chapter Five

  Caleb checked the last of the herd, his thoughts on the outcome of the meeting a few days before and the fact Miranda had returned to Conviction.

  Breakfast had expanded to include most of the town council. It hadn’t taken long for an agreement to be reached. Brodie would do whatever it took to hire more deputies, including sending telegrams to every major city across the country if needed.

  The men who’d set the fire had been identified and would be judged for their actions. The rest, after a stern warning from Brodie, were sent home to their families.

  Reining his horse around, he took another look at the cattle grazing in the southern pasture, thinking of the pretty schoolteacher. He didn’t know how he felt about Miranda accepting a teaching job in town.


  She hadn’t tried to hide her interest in him. Even August seemed to notice the way she flirted in the few minutes he’d talked to them through the carriage window. Caleb hadn’t refused when August offered him a ride to the Gold Dust. One stipulation was they needed to stop at the boardinghouse first. The second was a request for Caleb to escort Miranda inside.

  Caleb had no intention of refusing August’s request, even if it might appear to Miranda he held more interest in her than he did. He shouldn’t have worried. She thanked him for his courtesy, then hurried up the stairs to her room without a backward glance.

  “Are you thinking about the lass in town?” Blaine reined to a stop next to him. Caleb wished he’d never mentioned Miranda or her apparent interest in him.

  Dismounting, he checked Jupiter’s hooves, dislodging a rock from one. “Thinking about what Brodie’s going to do about needing more deputies. He’s in a tough situation.”

  “Aye, he is. When Colin rode over here yesterday to see if we needed more help, he talked of one or two of the Circle M men working as temporary deputies until Brodie hires more.”

  “We’re shorthanded enough, Blaine.”

  Taking off his hat, Blaine shook his head, then ran a hand through his hair. “Aye. We sometimes forget we have lasses willing to help us. Emma is as good a cattle woman as most men. Geneen rides as if she were born on a horse. The same with Jinny. Heather…well, we all know she has as much experience as any of us.”

  A wry grin twisted Caleb’s lips. “And believes she’s better than all of us combined.”

  “Aye. The lass is not lacking in her high opinion of herself.” Settling the hat back on his head, his brows furrowed. “It’s a strange thing, though. Colin said she’s been doing well working with him and Quinn. No complaints, does all they ask.”

  Swinging back into the saddle, Caleb shook his head. “What about when she disagrees with them?”

  “Colin says the lass still speaks her mind when she’s thinking they’re wrong. But there’s been no sign of her anger, lashing out at the lads with the least provocation.” Resting his hands on the saddle horn, Blaine leaned forward. “Maybe the lass has changed, Caleb.”

  “The boys are fools if they think she’s lost her temper or arrogant ways. She’ll return to them once life settles back to normal at the ranch and she doesn’t have Widow Evanston to fall back on.” Caleb winced at the trace of bitterness in his voice.

  A part of him always thought if Heather had stayed at Circle M, they might have been able to settle their differences, maybe explore what they had together. In his opinion, she’d taken the coward’s route by riding south to live for close to a year.

  “I’ve been thinking it may have been the widow and her foreman, Levi, who might have set Heather straight. Most of the lads disagree with me on this, but maybe the lass needed to figure some things out for herself and not always be told what to do by everyone else.”

  Caleb sat back in the saddle, rubbing his tired eyes with the palms of his hands. What Blaine said made sense. Caleb had to get away from his own father. He’d traveled hundreds of miles to do it. Heather had only put a few miles between her and the rest of the MacLarens. Now she was back at Circle M. Caleb didn’t believe he’d ever return to Oregon and his family’s farm.

  None of it mattered. He’d put her behind him. Concentrating on building up the new operation kept him busy and his thoughts off the woman who’d haunted him for far too long.

  “Makes no difference to me if she figured things out or not. I don’t plan to work with her anytime soon. Besides…” Caleb’s voice trailed off as he tried to come up with another excuse.

  “Besides, you’ve the new teacher to think about.”

  Caleb glared at him. “So we are clear, I have no interest in Miranda Harris. It’s all I can do to keep up with the work around here. In case it’s escaped you, the budget for this place is non-existent. Unless we make a go of it, the family might be forced to sell it off, the same as they might have to call in the note on the Pearce place.”

  Blaine’s back stiffened, his nostrils flaring enough so Caleb knew he got the message. “It’ll not be getting that bad. Ian and Ewan won’t do anything to hurt the Pearce family. They might let Boyd Doggett go and send one of us over to foreman the place, cut other expenses, but they won’t be calling in the note from Big Jim and Gertie Pearce.”

  When Emma’s parents fell on hard times, almost had their ranch taken away by some questionable bank dealings, the MacLarens had loaned them the money needed to keep the place. Unfortunately, the small operation needed to be folded into the larger MacLaren ranch to become profitable.

  Right now, the cattle ranch made enough to feed the Pearces, pay Doggett and his men, and reduce the loan a little each month, but it couldn’t be considered profitable. It wasn’t the same as Circle M or the cattle ranch they and August had purchased from Juan Estrada. Even though they were his close friends, Big Jim might never recover if he had to sign his ranch over to the MacLarens to pay off the debt he owed them.

  “I wouldn’t count on that, Blaine. The family has expanded rapidly, maybe too rapidly. They’ll do what’s needed to keep Circle M together, even if it means some tough decisions involving friends.”

  “How would you be knowing such things?”

  Caleb scrubbed a hand down his face. “You and I sat with your uncles, plus Colin, Brodie, and Quinn, when they made the decision about buying the Evanston place. The numbers on the old Estrada ranch and the Pearce ranch were right in front of us. The Pearce place is bleeding money, Blaine.” He let out a breath. “It sounds cruel, and I’m not saying I like it, but it would be profitable right away if we incorporate the land into Circle M, use the men we already have, and let the house, barn, and corrals sit idle.”

  “I suppose you’re thinking it’s the same with the Evanston place.”

  Caleb nodded, watching Blaine’s reaction. “I do. The MacLarens made a wise decision years ago to keep all the family close by in their own homes, surrounded by open land where they could run cattle and breed horses. Now they’ve bought the Estrada and Evanston ranches, along with loaning Big Jim Pearce a substantial sum so he and Gertie wouldn’t be forced to leave their ranch. All have separate foremen and other expenses that wouldn’t be needed if everything was run from one location.”

  Blaine looked away, rubbing the back of his neck as he thought over Caleb’s words. After a while, he nodded. “Aye. I can see what you’re saying makes sense. Have you spoken with anyone about it?”

  “Colin and Quinn feel the same. They’re waiting for the right time to speak with Ian and Ewan. It’s hard with Quinn being Emma’s husband. Big Jim and Gertie are like second parents to him. The other problem is keeping all this within the family. If word gets out to the banks…” Caleb’s voice trailed off.

  “Aye. There’d be speculation on how strong Circle M is.”

  Caleb looked around, admiring the beauty of the southernmost boundary of the Evanston ranch. Buying it was a good decision. Anyone would be proud to own this prime piece of land. The MacLarens had to be smart about how they operated it.

  “I’m seeing no reason not to speak with Ian and Ewan about moving the cattle from here to the Circle M. We’ve only two men here. They could join the outsiders in the bunkhouse.”

  Caleb grinned. “Outsiders?”

  Blaine grimaced. “Aye. We’ve six men working for us who aren’t family, and most of them worked for Estrada. It was a hard decision to bring them on. The two men here would make eight. My pa never would’ve been agreeing to allow so many outsiders on the ranch.”

  Blaine’s face clouded. His father, Angus, and Quinn’s father, Gillis, had been murdered. Both were good men, set in their ways, and trusted their future to family. With their deaths, Ian and Ewan needed to look beyond the numbers in the MacLaren clan if they were going to expand and flourish.

  “The wagon train was a long time ago, but from what I saw, Angus was a good man, B
laine.”

  “Aye. As was Uncle Gillis.” He blew out a breath. “I’m thinking you don’t know about the latest deal Ian and Ewan got the family in.”

  Caleb’s eyes widened. “Another investment?”

  Blaine nodded. “They agreed to being minor partners in a new hotel and restaurant in Conviction.”

  Caleb groaned, mumbling a curse. “How’d you hear of this?”

  “Colin was here yesterday. You were working with the other men and he couldn’t stay, but he told me what he knew. He wasn’t happy about it.”

  “And Quinn?”

  Blaine shook his head. “Colin didn’t say. I’d be guessing Quinn isn’t too pleased, either. And Sean, well…who knows how all this will affect him.”

  Ian’s oldest son, Sean, had a gift with animals. His greatest desire was to attend the Highland Society's Veterinary School in Edinburgh. It would be a tremendous opportunity and a great honor for him. Students at the veterinary school also attended the lectures in human medicine at the University of Edinburgh and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. It would require a substantial sum and he’d be gone for several years. At nineteen, he’d hoped the family would be in a position to allow him to apply soon.

  “Does Sean know about how thin the money is?” Caleb asked.

  “He’s a bright lad, but quiet. Sean doesn’t talk much about what he’s thinking. If he knows, he’s said nothing to me.”

  Caleb looked up at the darkening sky, felt the air thicken as it did before a rain. “We should start back to the house.”

  Blaine rode beside him, their horses moving at a leisurely pace. “You know, lad, it’s been a while since you attended Sunday supper.”

  Caleb glanced at him and nodded. “I was thinking the same. Maybe we should go.”

  “Aye. I’m thinking we should.”

  Conviction

  “Please, have a seat, Mr. Delacroix. It’s a pleasure to have you back in town.” Philip Aunspach, the new manager of the San Francisco Merchant Bank local office, stood as Giles walked into the room. “I apologize for not meeting the stage.”