The Cattleman's Bride: A Golden Valley Story (The Brides of Birch Creek Book 4)

by Laura D. Bastian

  ***

  Cora felt light and calm. A sensation she hadn’t felt in so long. She had missed the warmth of a man and knowing that he was right there next to her, keeping her safe and warm allowed her weary soul to relax. A gentle rocking motion soothed her into sleep and she just let it take her away.

  The next thing she knew, a strong arm was wrapped around her and rested on her waist. She leaned in closer to her husband and gave a sigh of relief. Oh how she had missed him. Sweet dreams and memories of Matthew washed over her and she allowed the dreams to keep her company as they continued in the wagon.

  Eventually the movement stopped and she felt herself being hugged tighter.

  “Cora?” the deep voice said.

  Cora lifted her sleep filled head and felt the warm breath of her husband against her cheek. She had missed that so much. Cora lifted her hand and brought it to his neck, then up to his face. It felt different, but so warm. So right.

  Kissing him was all she wanted. Everything was better in his arms.

  As her lips touched his, she sighed in pleasure. He returned the kiss, pouring more into it than usual.

  Sensations washed over her as her body awakened to his touch. Then her mind started sorting through all the thoughts and emotions.

  The beard tickled against her cheek and she paused. A beard was so different.

  Her arms were wrapped around his neck and the shape and size of the man she held was different as well.

  Levi!

  Cora froze then pulled back with a gasp of surprise. This wasn’t her husband. Well, actually he was, just not who she had thought she’d been kissing.

  Her eyes filled with tears and a broken sob tore through her as once again she was reminded of her loss and the new circumstances.

  She covered her mouth with her hands, trying to still the crying and as Levi seemed to realize what she had obviously been thinking he turned to stone in front of her eyes. Slowly he pulled away and got off the wagon.

  “Levi, w-wait,” Cora called, stumbling on the last word.

  “I’ll show you into the house. Then I’ll unload the wagon.”

  “Let me help,” Cora said. She stood and tried to climb off the wagon on the same side he stood on, but he put his hand up.

  “No.” His voice was quiet, but there was so much hurt and betrayal behind that one word. He grabbed a box from the back of the wagon, then headed toward the house almost disappearing from view in the building’s shadow.

  The night was dark, but a partial moon allowed her to see they had pulled up in front of a decent sized home. It looked as if it might have two or three rooms instead of just a one room cabin she’d worried she might find coming out here into the wilds of the west.

  There was no light on inside. Either the other residents of the house were all asleep, or still out working somewhere. Levi ducked into the house and after a moment, a soft glow from a lantern inside cast shadows of him moving back toward the door. Without so much as a glance at her as he exited the house, Levi walked to the back of the wagon, hefted out her trunk with little effort and carried it into the house, disappearing from her again.

  Cora climbed down from the wagon and moved to the back to grab the carpet bag she had traveled with. She entered the house in time to see Levi come out of a room and pause in the doorway.

  “This is your room. Get to bed. There will be a lot to do in the morning.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want my help to unload the wagon?” She took a hesitant step toward him, trying to smile and show him she was here for him.

  “I’m sure.” Levi walked past her without giving her another glance.

  “Will you be joining me tonight?” Cora asked softly, unable to keep the tremble in her voice from making the last word almost inaudible. She had hurt him, even though it had been accidental. And while she wasn’t eager to forget her first husband, she owed Levi all the respect and duties as his wife now.

  “No.” The curtness to his reply was like a slap in the face. “Just get to sleep and I’ll show you around the ranch and garden tomorrow.” He turned and left the house without another word.

  She waited for a few minutes to see if he’d come back inside the front door, but instead she heard the wagon creak as it began to move. In four steps, she was at the window. The wagon had almost passed the edge of the house and before long, it disappeared behind the house and toward where she remembered seeing another building.

  Cora took a few slow, calming breaths. What should she do? She didn’t want to take her things into the room he’d said was hers. She wanted to talk to him. To apologize and explain what had happened. Though that would be incredibly awkward.

  Sounds from beyond the door to the left of the main room made her spin around. She listened and realized it was Levi bringing in more crates and supplies from the wagon. The room was probably a kitchen. For long minutes she heard nothing, then more boxes and crates being placed inside the room and the sounds of his heavy footsteps going back and forth.

  Oh how she wished she dared go inside the kitchen to help him. Flashes of the look of betrayal she’d see in his eyes kept coming to mind and his gruff refusal to her invitation sent knives straight into her heart. This would take some serious thinking on how to fix her mistake.

  ***

  Levi finished unloading the wagon’s supplies into the kitchen and cellar of the house then took the horse and wagon to the barn to put it all away. He should have known the woman wouldn’t forget her first husband. His own father couldn’t forget his mother. Of course, Levi hadn’t expected to have Cora pull away in disgust when she woke up to kissing him.

  He hadn’t even been the one to start the kiss. But he had enjoyed every second of it while it lasted. He was probably a fool to have chosen a widow. If he’d married a maiden, then there would be no other memory to work past.

  But in all honesty, he hadn’t sent for a wife just to kiss, hold, and love. He had needed help on the farm and to care for the house. His father was still pretty spry, but it was obvious he wasn’t pulling as much weight as he had even the year before. With the increased size in their herd, and more land to fence in and keep repaired, the less time either of them had for taking care of the house and garden.

  He would leave Cora alone and give her all the time she needed. Hopefully, eventually, she would be more welcoming to his touch and presence.

  Tonight, his father must have decided to stay out on the range with the other hands and give him the house to himself with his new wife. Part of Levi wanted to sleep in his father’s room, and leave Cora to herself for the night, but he knew she would have to get used to him being in the same room.

  And if his father did come home to see Levi hadn’t spent the night with his new wife, there would be all kinds of questions he didn’t want to deal with.

  Of course, Levi was not in any hurry to get into the house. He took his time with the horse and cleaned out the wagon bed completely. Then he checked out the wheel with a lantern to see what kind of work it would need to make sure it was in prime condition for future use.

  Then he checked the other animals and milked the cows since it looked as if his father had been gone most of the day.

  Levi was certain it was past midnight when he finally returned to the house. He slipped into the bedroom quietly and was relieved to see Cora was asleep. Though she was rather small, she seemed to take up a lot of room in the bed and Levi doubted he’d be able to climb into it as well without waking her, and he wasn’t ready for any kind of conversation.

  Fortunately, there was a chair in the room, and a quilt in the chest at the bottom of his bed, so Levi pulled it out as quietly as he could. Once he’d removed his boots, he sat down in the chair and pulled the blanket up around him.

  He would spend the night here and then tomorrow, the two of them could figure things out.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Cora woke to a sound she had come to dread. She sat up, fearing something was wrong with Matthew
, but then realized it was only Levi snoring. After a few breaths to calm her troubled heart, she turned to study Levi as he slept in the chair. The blanket had fallen to the floor, and it was a good thing the night hadn’t gotten too cold. But she couldn’t understand why he had chosen the chair over the bed next to her. There was room enough in the bed. Though he was a larger man than Matthew had been, she was sure they would have both fit with no difficulty.

  Unless of course he wanted to keep his distance. He must still be bothered about the kiss last night. It was the only thing that made sense.

  If only she knew how to fix it.

  The sun was not far from rising above the horizon and the early morning light would allow her to get up and get started on her day. She figured it would be easy enough to find materials and supplies for making some breakfast. And a kitchen was pretty straight-forward. She wouldn’t need him to explain how to use the cook stove.

  She slipped her outer dress over her head and on top of the under dress she’d slept in, then buttoned it up and walked out of the bedroom as quietly as possible, glad she had pulled out her apron from her trunk before climbing into the bed last night. She worked her way through the main room and appreciated the size and decor. The house was a lot bigger than she had realized as they arrived last night in the dark. She moved to the door on the other side of the room and opened it, not surprised to find it was the kitchen. The crates and items that had been picked up from the mercantile were placed on the table and on the floor near the wall. She checked the stove and was pleased to find some kindling nearby. Once she’d found some matches she soon had a fire started that would allow her to begin preparing a warm breakfast.

  As the fire built slowly inside, Cora looked through the cupboard and the shelves to find the things she would need to make a meal.

  There was some flour and sugar as well as a handful of eggs. She moved around quietly and gathered the things she’d need then began mixing up some flapjacks and eggs.

  She wasn’t sure if she should head out to the barn and check on the cows to milk them, or if she’d be better off waiting until after she fed Levi before going out.

  She looked out the window to see the barn not too far away. That would make things handy. She could go feed the animals, milk the cows, then find the chicken coop quickly every morning. She looked out the other direction and was sure she had found the garden. It looked to be doing well, but she knew there would be weeds she’d have to pick out and by this time of the summer, there would be vegetables that were ready to pick and care for.

  She wondered if there were any fruit trees in the area. Nothing was obvious from the back window, but it was possible they were either on the other side of the barn, or blocked by the house.

  “Morning,” Levi’s voice said as the door of the kitchen opened. Cora turned around quickly, not frightened at his appearance, but when she saw the hesitant look on his face, she hurried to the table.

  “Good morning, Levi. I have some breakfast ready for you. I hope this will do.” She wasn’t sure what kind of mood he’d be in after sleeping on a chair. And there had been so little time to really get to know him before she’d become his wife.

  “Looks fine,” Levi said.

  He pulled out the chair and sat at the table where Cora had placed the dishes. She carried over the skillet with the food and placed it on a block of wood that sat in the center of the table.

  She wasn’t sure if she should dish it up for him, or pass him the spoon, so she placed the spoon inside the skillet and turned back to the counter where she’d brought in a pitcher of water from the pump outside.

  “I put the milk from last night in the cellar. Should I get it?” Levi asked.

  “I’m all right with water this morning. Unless you want the milk?”

  Levi shook his head and motioned for her to pour him a drink. Cora filled his tin cup and put the pitcher down.

  “When you’re finished with breakfast,” Cora said, “you can show me where everything is. Do you have anything particular you want me to do with the milk? I didn’t see any cheese or butter. Should I work on making something like that?”

  “That would be good to have,” Levi said. “We haven’t had time to start any cheese lately. We’ve mostly made do without anything fancy. I’m looking forward to what you’ll do for us.”

  Cora smiled, happy he wasn’t still upset with her. She could feed him, and she’d do her best to make things right. Of course, she’d have to come to terms with her conflicted emotions about this new husband and the way she missed and remembered Matthew.

  ***

  Levi took a bite of the breakfast and sighed in pleasure. “This is incredible,” he mumbled with his mouth full.

  “Thank you,” Cora said as if relieved for the praise. He’d have to remember to say nice things as often as possible.

  “Pa and the other hands are out with the cattle. They’ll be coming back around throughout the day is my guess. So don’t be surprised to see some visitors.”

  “I’ll see if I can whip up some bread or something sweet. If you have all the supplies for it.”

  “I got sugar and flour with my order at the mercantile yesterday. We have a bee hive out past the fruit trees.”

  “Oh good,” Cora said as she sat down. “I was wondering if there were fruit trees. What kind do you have?”

  “Apple, pear, and peach. We also have some berry bushes.”

  “I’m excited to see them,” Cora said. “And if you’ll go over what my duties will be here while we walk around the house and ranch area, I’d appreciate that.”

  “Will do.” Levi took another bite of his breakfast and was surprised to see he’d eaten most everything on his plate. But there was still more in the skillet, even after she had dished up some for herself. Since no one else was here, he took another scoop and happily filled his belly.

  Cora stood from the table after a moment and went about cleaning up the table and kitchen area while he finished his second helping. When he brought his plate to the sink, she quickly washed it up then wiped her hands on her apron.

  “I’m ready to see the farm and property,” Cora said, looking up at him.

  He stepped outside and she followed close behind so he didn’t slow his steps. With the daylight in full force and the sun beginning to warm the area, he knew it would be a hot afternoon.

  “You obviously found the water pump. Under that tree over there is where we usually set up the wash basin. It’s kept just inside the shed there with the scrub board. The lines to dry the clothes on are attached to the shed and go over to that post.”

  Cora nodded as she looked over at the shed he’d pointed out, but didn’t say anything. He continued on past the laundry area.

  “You can see the fruit trees over there. It’ll be another month or so before they’re ripe enough. The beehives are that way.” He looked at her. “Have you ever harvested honey before?”

  “No.” Cora looked at him, then quickly away as if ashamed.

  “We’ll teach you. We only do it once a year. Come on. I’ll show you the barn.”

  When Levi pushed the door of the barn open, the sound Cora made was obviously impressed.

  “It’s a big place,” Cora said. “How many animals do you have?”

  “Three cows, one sow and a couple of her last litter to fatten up. There is a goat and we’ve got the chickens out in their coop. The horses are out with Pa and the men, all except mine and the one we use for the wagon or for the plow.”

  “Will I need to feed them?” Cora asked. “Or just milk the cows and gather the eggs?”

  “To start with, I’ll have you do the milking and eggs. Then we’ll see how things go. Before long, we’ll be prepping the herd for the drive to the market, and when I’m gone, you’ll need to do the feeding as well.”

  “I can do that,” Cora said.

  “Good.”

  Levi showed her where the feed was and then they walked out to the coop and she gathered
the eggs while he explained more about the chores around the house.

  “The garden is over here. It’ll need weeding soon.”

  “I’ll get on that after I get some bread mixed and raising.”

  “Good,” Levi said, more and more impressed with the type of hard working woman she was turning out to be. Sending for a wife was definitely a good idea. And except for the fact that she didn’t seem interested in him as a husband, he was rather pleased with her arrival.

  ***

  Cora listened as attentively as she could to Levi’s explanations and all the details about the farm, and her job here. She wasn’t worried about caring for the animals or garden. She just hoped that he wouldn’t be bothered if she did things a little differently than he did.

  As soon as they’d finished a tour of the grounds, Levi informed her he’d be heading out into the fields to check the wheat, corn, and alfalfa.

  “I’ll be back before dark. I’m guessing Pa will return by then, too.”

  “I’ll make sure I’ve got something for dinner then,” Cora said. “Did you need a lunch?”

  “I’ve got some jerky in my saddle bag. I’ll be fine.” He gave her a nod then turned around sharply and entered the barn while Cora watched him for a moment. She figured he wouldn’t need her for anything else right now so she readjusted the eggs she held in her apron and turned toward the house.

  Cora was happy to get started on making bread. At least he had some bread pans and all the ingredients they’d need for making it. When she got it mixed up and ready to rise, she found her way into the cellar and took inventory on everything there. Once she knew what was in the storage cellar, she took a fast tour through the house on her own. She could tell the room that belonged to her new father-in-law would need some cleaning up, but she was a little leery of going in there without permission first. She had no idea what the man was like and she didn’t want to upset anything if he had things set how he liked it.