“Bad news?”
“No. The army wants more cattle. It’s a good thing, but I’ll have to go out with Jackson to bring in the right stock. It means money in the bank. The government doesn’t pay me much, but they are a good customer.”
“If you need some help, I’ll ride with you.”
Mr. Allred smiled. “Great. I’d like that. Give us time to get to know one another. I wish Cade was more like you. I can’t figure that man out. Sometimes, when he looks at me, I almost feel as if he hates me. I’d never seen him before, and I never forget a face. Until Cade can come to me and tell me the trouble between us, I’ll never give my blessing for him to marry Rusty.”
Sam wondered what Mr. Allred would think if he learned about his outlaw past. Well, it didn’t matter. Rusty believed that he and Ulyssa were married. It was a good idea for him to get out of the ranch house anyway.
Sam had found himself wondering about Rusty in ways he shouldn’t. He wanted to be with Rusty but was stuck with Ulyssa. Who knows what his partner would do to torture him in the future. Not like he could do anything to her since he was supposed to be the loving husband.
Shaking off the confusing thoughts, Sam grinned. “How long will we be gone?”
“Oh, a few days. It really depends on the cattle. Jackson usually keeps them in the higher valleys and meadows this time of year. So it will be a fairly long drive to the fort.” Mr. Allred looked at him. “Yes, sir. I wish Cade was more like you. I trust the honesty I see in your eyes. You’re hungry to make something out of yourself.”
Sam didn’t know what to say. If only. But then his life had been a list of if onlys. Now, he was pretending to be with a woman he didn’t like, and crazy as it sounded, he found himself thinking more and more of Rusty. And not because she was the case he was working on.
Roy stood and came around the desk. “Don’t you worry, son. You’ve got what it takes.” He puffed out his chest and drew in a deep breath. “Now, I am sure I smell the delicious dinner that Rosalie has prepared for us. Shall we go?”
Sam followed the big man down the hallway and had to admit, Roy had lifted his spirits. Being around Ulyssa and continually being told why she hated to be paired with an outlaw had been weighing on him.
Mr. Allred liked him, and that counted far more than the opinion of that hard-hearted woman. Sam corralled his thoughts when he saw the women were already at the table. Sam wished he could sit by Rusty, but Ulyssa was smiling and patting for him to sit by her. At least, he could sit and look at Rusty as she was across the table from him.
“I was wondering where you’d gone, dear.” Ulyssa smiled at him. Well, at least her lips curled up, but her eyes were icy. Then Sam thought he detected a bit of sadness in her. Well, that was different.
Sam took a sip of water and set his glass down slowly while he thought about what to tell Ulyssa. “I was visiting with Mr. Allred.”
“Roy, you call me Roy.” Mr. Allred bellowed loudly.
Sam nodded. “Roy. He was telling me about the operations on a ranch this size.” He looked at Roy. “I volunteered to go with him tomorrow to round up some cattle for the army. I hope you don’t mind, Lyssa.” Sam had to grin at his pet name for her.
Ulyssa put a hand on his arm. “Not at all. That will give me more time to visit with Rusty.”
Roy pounded the table. “Good. It’s all settled then. We leave early before the sun tops the ridge.”
“I’ll be ready.” Sam grinned. Boy, would he be ready. Not like he would get much sleep on that little couch. Thinking about how his legs hurt from being bent over the arm of the sofa, Sam decided he’d sleep on the floor. A short night was no problem.
***
Sunshine streamed through the window and woke Ulyssa. She looked on the floor, and Sam was already gone. At least, he had been a gentleman and let her have the bed. Maybe he wasn’t as bad as she first thought.
She dressed and found Rusty eating breakfast.
The young woman looked up and smiled. “I like breakfast. It’s my favorite meal. Bacon, biscuits and gravy, eggs fixed a dozen different ways. And fruit when we can get it. I love the oranges from California.”
Ulyssa tasted the orange and had to admit it would be her favorite, too. She’d never really thought what meal was her favorite. When she was young, she was happy to be able to eat. “This is wonderful.”
Rusty buttered a piece of toast. “I thought we could go riding today. If you don’t mind.”
“Fine. I’d like that.” Not really. The long ride to the ranch had made hidden muscles ache, and Ulyssa was sure they weren’t ready for another day of bouncing in the saddle. But she felt it important to stay with Rusty, especially while her father was away.
Besides, Ulyssa wasn’t all that sure that Rusty wouldn’t run off with Cade.
Rusty stared at her. “Ulyssa, do you mind me asking?”
“What?”
“Are you and Sam getting along?”
Ulyssa smiled despite another ambush. “Yes, why would you ask?”
“I hope you don’t get angry, but I was up early this morning to see Father off and walked by your room and saw that Sam had been sleeping on the floor.”
Ulyssa swallowed. “Oh, that. Well, sometimes, his back is sore. Especially before a long ride, he sleeps on the floor to straighten out his back.”
Rusty frowned. “I see. It will be a long ride.” She looked troubled. “It’s not like Father to take a stranger along on one of these drives.”
This time Ulyssa’s ears perked up. What was Roy Allred up to? She hoped they weren’t going to hunt down Cade and threaten him to leave.
Rusty must have had the same idea because she looked worried. “As soon as you’re finished, lets ride. I’ll get the horses ready.”
“I’ll be out in a few minutes.” Ulyssa went to her room and considered taking a pillow to ride on. Afraid to take too long, she grabbed her hat and went outside.
Rusty frowned and looked anxiously at the ridge to the north. “I want to go now while we have plenty of daylight.”
Ulyssa glanced at Rusty and saw that the woman had a rifle in the scabbard of her saddle. Well, good. Rusty must know enough to keep them safe.
Rusty patted the rifle. “Usually, Father sends someone with me or to watch over me, but most of the hands went on the cattle drive. Don’t worry, though, I am a good shot.”
Ulyssa nodded. “We had a run in with Indians on the way here.”
Rusty shook her head. “They leave us alone. Father gives them cattle when they need it. They never bother us.” She frowned. “I thought we might ride over toward Cade’s cabin. If you don’t mind.”
“That’s fine with me. You lead the way.” Ulyssa got a firm hold on the saddle horn and the reins and followed Rusty. Or tried to. The girl only rode at a gallop. Ulyssa tried to stay up with her, but Rusty was going too fast.
Ulyssa was used to carriages and buggies, not riding like a wild Indian over the land. Uneven land at that. After ten minutes of the ride, Rusty was but a blur in the distance. Ulyssa did remember that Cade’s cabin had been near the road. Trouble was, she didn’t see a road. Just miles and miles of nothing.
Reining the horse up a hill, Ulyssa stopped on the top and looked for Rusty. Nothing. The girl could be anywhere while Ulyssa felt like she was nowhere. A small nugget she’d read assured her that horses new the way home.
Of course, to this horse, home was in Colorado Springs.
Angry at herself, Ulyssa closed her eyes and prayed for help. She didn’t usually pray, but she was in way over her head and had no idea in which direction she’d just come. She might have a great memory when she saw something on paper, but that was where her gift ended.
With a huff, she reasoned that she should keep going in a straight line. She nudged the horse down the hill and went east, she thought. Clouds had covered the sun, so she had no idea where the sun was.
She kept the horse at a walk and listened for a shout or gunshot. Altho
ugh, if she heard a gun, she wasn’t sure if she should run to it or away from it. Rusty might think the Indians were friendly, but Ulyssa had witnessed something else.
After an hour of riding and seeing nothing familiar, she turned around and rode to the top of a small ridge. It didn’t look familiar, either. She was lost.
Not knowing which direction to go, she let the horse pick her own way. They meandered around. The mare stopped to chomp on the grass a few times. They came to a stream that Ulyssa hadn’t seen before.
She filled her canteen and let the horse drink. The clouds darkened, and the temperature dropped. Wishing she’d brought a jacket, Ulyssa rubbed her arms. Sam would be making fun of her by now.
She felt her pockets and then remembered her derringer was on the dresser. Ulyssa turned the horse around. The clouds were so low, she couldn’t even make out the mountain. Then the rain started.
Ulyssa rode to a jumble of boulders and ledges along one of the ridges. A flash of lightning up ahead convinced her to dismount and hide under the rocky cover. She took the canteen and looked in the saddlebags. Wrapped in wax paper were a few matches.
Feeling chilled, she tied the horse to a shrub and unsaddled the mare. Ulyssa took the saddle blanket and shaking her head, ignored the fact she’d smell like a horse, and wrapped it around herself.
Irritated at herself for not keeping up with Rusty, Ulyssa wedged herself under the ledge to try and keep dry. She’d worry about finding the ranch after the rain.
Chapter 14
Cade heard Rusty call to him. He was surprised she’d come so early. He’d told Pedro to tell her closer to noon. Cade made it a point to always get to the meeting place first. He’d like to say it was because he cared for her, but more to the truth was that he was lonely. This time, she must miss him. He wondered what book she’d brought for them to read.
He stood up and waved to her as Rusty rode toward him. At a gallop, of course. That was one of the things he admired about her. She knew what she wanted and went after it. Including him. But her father stood between them and Rusty wouldn’t budge without her father’s blessing.
“Cade, I wanted to see you.” Rusty slipped off the saddle and ran to him. She turned and looked behind her. “I lost Ulyssa. I was riding and thinking about you when I turned around, and she was gone. You have to help me find her.”
“Lost her? She doesn’t know anything about being in the wilderness. She could have fallen from her horse and been hurt. Rusty, you should have stayed with her.” Cade scanned the horizon looking for Ulyssa.
“I did, for a little while, but you know how I like to let my horse run, and it was such a beautiful morning. Anyway, Ulyssa is gone, and there’s rain coming.”
“Put your book in the saddlebag. Did you bring a slicker?”
Rusty nodded and took it from the back of her saddle. “Poor Ulyssa. I don’t think she is used to riding that much either. Oh, help me find her.”
“We’ll find her.” Cade took his slicker and put it on. “We should stick together. I don’t want anything happening to you.”
Rusty smiled, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed his cheek. “You are my knight in shining armor.”
Cade looked at her. She was so naive and innocent. Only a few years younger than he was, but in the ways of the world, she was still a babe. He wanted to protect her, but if he was honest, he’d have to protect her from himself. He was beginning to question how he really felt about Rusty. And most of the questions started when he first saw Ulyssa.
Rusty didn’t even know what he did. She’d probably be ashamed of him although she did like to read. That was their one bond together. The ranch came between them. At first, he’d only thought of hurting her father, but it wasn’t long, and he had feelings for her. That was when he decided if she married him, he’d take her away from her father, and that would be the greatest way to hurt Allred.
Now, he wondered how Rusty would feel back in Chicago. He was tired of the wilderness and felt the city calling him back. As he looked at Rusty, he saw what his heart had been telling him.
They weren’t suited to one another. Not at all. He was more comfortable in the city. Yes, he’d proved to himself that he could live in the wilderness. But it had always been with the idea that it was temporary.
Rusty had never said she wanted to live in Denver or Colorado Springs much less Chicago. She loved the wide-open spaces. He couldn’t take her from here, and he couldn’t stay.
“You’re quiet. I’m not sure I like what I see in your eyes.” Rusty buckled the last of the closures on her coat.
“I’m just worried about Ulyssa.”
Rusty’s eyes narrowed. “You care about her, don’t you?”
“Of course, this is no country to be lost and alone in.” He checked the cinch, trying not to arouse her suspicions.
She put a hand on his. “Cade, what’s happening to us? I feel like we’re drifting apart.”
He’d felt it too. The way she looked at Sam. The way he felt. Her father’s strong reluctance to allow them to be together. “Let’s find Ulyssa. We can talk later.”
Rusty frowned but mounted her horse and reined him up the ridge.
Cade followed her. “If it starts to rain, are there any places she could go to get out of the weather?”
“None she would know of. There are some caves and ledges, but I doubt if she could be that far from me. I really think one of us should go back to the ranch and see if she returned. The other one can weave in out the valleys and ridges. She’s on the black and white paint, so the horse will be easy to spot.
“You go ahead and go to the ranch. I’ll wander around out here. Fire shots if you find her.” Cade didn’t wait for her to answer and reined his horse along the ridge. He didn’t look back. He didn’t want to see the disappointment in Rusty’s face. Cade had never meant to hurt her.
Rusty caught up to him. “I’ll see you at the ranch. I want you to come to dinner tonight.”
He shook his head. “Your father—”
“Please. We need to talk.” This time she rode away without giving him a chance to say no.
That was fine with him. Cade needed to find Ulyssa. He called her name, stopped the horse, and listened. Nothing but the wind bringing dark clouds and rain. Cade hoped Rusty made it back before the storm descended upon them.
He turned the horse and rode west toward the ranch but stayed on the northern side of the trail. She more than likely didn’t get that far from the ranch. He remembered how sore she’d been at his cabin.
The rain came with a vengeance, and Cade stopped his horse, turned his back to the rain, and waited for it to pass on the sheltered side of the ridge. He’d stood close to the horse and let the animal’s heat warm him. Summer storms didn’t last long, so this one should go quickly. He hoped so anyway.
Cade flipped the reins in his hand and thought of Ulyssa. Strange name, she had. But she’d caught his interest. That she liked to read was a plus. He’d run into many nice-looking women who had no thought to read the latest books. Really, some had no thought.
Rusty had stolen his heart the moment he’d first seen her. He was riding over the wilderness, contemplating what he’d do to Allred, when this young woman came galloping over the ridge. Her blond hair flowing in the wind, and she had such joy on her face. Cade had fallen in love with her before he knew who she was. By the time he learned she was Allred’s daughter and only child, it was too late.
He hadn’t told her what he was doing, but soon, he’d so lost his head for her that he couldn’t think about leaving without her. Allred had taken one look at him, demanded they have a talk, and within minutes, Roy Allred had sized him up and found him unworthy of his daughter’s hand in marriage.
Cade had spent the last few months with one thought, and that was to make Allred pay for destroying Cade’s stepfather. But his goals had become confused. The revenge he’d rode out from Chicago with had cooled. Allred didn’t seem that bad of a man even if Allred woul
dn’t let Rusty marry him.
Tired of being at odds with himself, Cade was ready to go back to Chicago and pick up where he’d left off. Professor of literature. He’ leave Rusty with her father. She’d get over him. He had begun to realize that he was no more than a lonely naïve girl’s dream. She loved the idea of being loved, but she had no intention of leaving the ranch or her father.
It had been a nice dream while it lasted. Rusty would find a man suited to running the ranch with her. Cade yearned for civilization. Good dining, soft beds, and culture. Cade had to admit, he missed the city life. But he’d learned valuable information for his studies on the expansion of the United States. He had even grown to admire Allred. Everyone who worked for the man respected and liked him.
That was a far cry from the beast Cade had believed Allred to be. For all Cade new, there may have been a reason his stepfather lost everything. Allred didn’t seem the kind of man who would steal from another.
Well, Cade planned to write a book one day. Marrying Rusty and having the ranch would have made his life easy. But Cade wouldn’t hurt Rusty for the world. He did love her that much.
Cade looked out across the land and nodded. “Yes, sir. I love her enough to let her go.”
The rain finally stopped, and he mounted the horse and rode up the hill. His plan was to scout the ridges, staying high so that she could see him.
His gaze swept the vast open range, but he didn’t see anyone. Cade reined his horse down the ridge and rode to the next one. The land was rockier and took the horse a while to navigate the rugged terrain to reach the top.
The view was amazing. The storm marched on to the south, and a brilliant rainbow appeared in the distance. He grinned. There under that rainbow was a black and white horse and a rider.
With a grin, he urged his horse into a gallop and called out her name. Too far for her to hear him, she kept going. Cade kept his eyes on her. Poor woman. She was probably drenched and freezing.
An Agent for Ulyssa Page 8