The Rancher’s Spirited Bride Read online

  Carl set her down on a chair and then tipped her chin up to make sure she was going to be okay. “Your Ma and Riley are here to help you now. Get warm and rest up. I’ll see you at supper.” He turned to her Ma and quietly informed her, “She tried to wash the mud off in the creek and didn’t build a fire first. She was mostly frozen when I found her. She hasn’t said more than a single word here or there since I put her up on her horse.”

  Pearl nodded and then shooed him out of the kitchens. “We’ll take care of her. Scoot now.”

  Carl did so, taking one last look at the woman he still planned to make his wife one day. But days like today just reminded him that he had his work cut out for him. He didn’t mind that Sara Jane wanted to wear men’s trousers and would rather herd and brand cattle than cook and clean, but she needed to realize there were limitations and that her safety came first. If she’d only have waited until he and Shawn had gotten there, she wouldn’t have had to get stuck in the mud or subsequently soaking wet.

  And now she’d be mad at him and everyone else because she’d shown weakness. It seemed he was going to have to come up with another plan to convince Sara Jane he was serious about the two of them becoming a couple. He’d backed off after the wedding, knowing he’d scared her and having that confirmed by Shawn and Jace. He didn’t want her running scared, he just wanted her receptive to his ideas. So, he’d backed off the last few weeks, but he was no closer to having a plan together on how to court Sara Jane Lawson than he was on how to rope the moon.

  He was definitely going to have to enlist more help and come up with a new plan of attack. Sara Jane needed to know she was his and the sooner, the better. He headed for the bunkhouse and after washing up, he went in search of Gideon and Shawn. He found them in the barn, cleaning up the calf who’d gotten itself stuck.

  “The little fella gonna be okay?” Carl asked as he joined them.

  “He’s got a few scratches and he’s pretty tired, but mama didn’t seem too worried when we separated the two of them.”

  “Did you leave her out at pasture?” Carl asked.

  “No. She’s in the corral. We needed to get this guy away from her so we could check him over. We’ll put them both together in one of the larger stalls for the night and then take them back to the rest of the herd in the morning.”

  “Snow’s coming,” Carl mentioned.

  “I saw the clouds building in the west,” Gideon murmured.

  “I doubt we’ll get much snow down here, but the mountains will for sure,” Shawn said. “How’s my sister?”

  “Stubborn and upset with me because I rescued her. The fool girl sat down in the creek and tried to wash the mud off of herself.”

  “She built a fire first, right?” Shawn asked.

  Carl shook his head. “No. She didn’t.”

  “Does she have a death wish?” Shawn asked. “She knows better than to do something so foolish.”

  “I think she was so focused on getting rid of the mud, she just didn’t think things through.”

  “That’s precisely why she needs a keeper,” Gideon interjected. “I don’t know how many more times we’re all going to have to save her before she realizes she’s not invincible.”

  “I think she knows that deep down, but she does tend to act before she thinks things completely through,” Shawn stated.

  “It’s like she’s always trying to prove something to everyone around her. Any idea of why she feels that way?” Carl asked, his gaze moving back and forth between the two brothers. Carl knew Sara Jane was strong willed and very determined, but she tended to act rashly and on a ranch the size of the Lazy L that could be deadly. If only she would ease up and let someone take care of her from time to time.

  They shook their heads and then Gideon sighed. “Actually, it might have to do with the incident when she was five.”

  “What happened?” Carl asked. Carl had come to live at the ranch with his uncle just before his teen years, which would have made Sara Jane seven, almost eight.

  Shawn said, “Sara Jane was always following us and Pa around. More times than not, she’d convince one of the ranch hands to saddle up her horse and she’d follow us into the pastures. We purposely snuck out of the house one afternoon, hoping to get away from the buildings before she could follow us. There had been a report of Indians camping down by the southern creek and several of the surrounding ranches had mentioned they were missing livestock.

  “The assumption was that the Indians were ignoring the fences and killing the cattle for food and their hides.”

  “What happened?” Carl asked.

  “Pa took us and a party of other men from the town out to find their camp. No one realized that Sara Jane had heard us and was following us. Our ma didn’t even realize she wasn’t in the front room practicing her needlepoint.”

  “Did you find the Indian camp?”

  Shawn shared a look with his brother and nodded. “We did. To say they were a mite unfriendly would be an understatement. They met us with bows drawn and in full war paint.”

  “What kind of Indians?” Carl inquired, having come across several tribes during his earlier travels and always having found them somewhat accommodating.

  “Apache,” Shawn informed him quietly.

  Carl drew silent as the implications of that one word brought forth horrible images. The Apache were a fierce group of warriors who hated the white men. They routinely attacked white settlements and wagon trains, and they almost never left behind survivors. There had even been reports that they had captured white women and children and taken them as slaves.

  “What happened?” Carl asked, puzzled as to why he’d never heard about this story before.

  “We found their camp and it was only a small hunting party. Six adult men and a few women. We didn’t see any children or older adults.” Shawn shook his head. “I was still a kid but I remember sensing the danger in the air.”

  Gideon nodded and continued the story. “We rode up to their camp and were met by two of their warriors on horseback. The remaining four were walking behind them, bows drawn and arrows at the ready.”

  Shawn nodded. “I think the only reason they didn’t attack us was the fact that the men all had their rifles drawn and pointed at them. They were sure we meant to kill them, but Pa managed to convince them we didn’t mean them any harm, we just wanted to protect our livestock.”

  “There were a few tense moments before they managed to come to an agreement. The warriors were supposed to be hunting enough food to keep their tribe alive throughout the winter. Pa offered to let them hunt as much wild game as they liked, but they had to leave the cattle alone.”

  “How was he able to communicate with them?” Carl asked.

  Shawn and Gideon shared a look and then shrugged their shoulders. “We don’t know. Pa doesn’t know. He doesn’t speak any Indian languages and used English words and hand signals. Anyway, when we left their camp, they had agreed to move on by the end of the week and everyone headed back home. Pa instructed everyone to keep away from that part of the ranch for the time being and a few of the men put up the dividing fences so that the herd wouldn’t wander in that direction.”

  “What about Sara Jane?”

  “None of us knew she was missing. Not at first. We unsaddled the horses and got to work on our chores.”

  “Didn’t anyone see her on their return home? Or realize she was missing?”

  “No.” Gideon took a breath and then shook his head. “We didn’t realize she’d snuck out until it was time for supper, and no one could find her. Ma found her needlepoint lying on the chair where she’d last seen her, and not a single new stitch had been completed. That’s when we knew she’d followed us.”

  Shawn took a breath. “By that time, it was dark, a moonless night, and Sara Jane was somewhere out there with a half dozen Apache warriors. We hoped that maybe she’d just gotten lost, and in the dark couldn’t find her way back home.”

  “Your parents must ha
ve been frantic,” Carl surmised.

  “We were,” James admitted as he came forward out of the shadows. “I blame myself. When we got back to the stables, we were all so caught up in meeting the Indians, no one even noticed that Shiloh was not in her stall or in the corral. Even at the age of five, Sara Jane took responsibility for her own horse along with her other chores.”

  “Pa, you didn’t know.”

  James nodded. “I realize that, but still … she was my daughter. I immediately took a group of ranch hands with torches and rifles drawn and we went looking for her.”

  “You obviously found her. Where?” Carl asked.

  “We found Shiloh first. She was grazing and nervous as all git out at the edge of the pasture where the Indians had made their camp.”

  “Her horse threw her?” Carl guessed.

  “No, but something must have spooked her for her to take off and leave Sara Jane behind. That horse and girl are bonded.”

  “So where was Sara Jane?” Carl asked, fearing he already knew the answer.

  “In the Apache camp. She’d evidently tried to sneak up on them, supposedly just to assuage her curiosity, and they hadn’t taken kindly to being spied upon by a female, especially one that dressed like a boy. They assumed because she wasn’t dressed like a female, she’d been trying to trick them.”

  “Did they hurt her?” Carl asked, his hands clenching into fists.

  “When we got there, they were taunting her with pointed sticks, and she wasn’t backing down one bit. I rode straight into their camp, which didn’t go over very well. In the end, I agreed to let them take three cows in return for Sara Jane. They agreed to take the cattle with them, alive, and only butcher them when their meat was needed. They also agreed to leave the next morning.”

  “God was watching over Sara Jane that day,” Shawn added. “I don’t think any of us has ever prayed so hard as when we saw her in the middle of their camp.”

  “Was she terribly upset?” Carl asked.

  “No, but she was angry that she’d not been strong enough to meet their challenges and that she’d cried in front of them. Sara Jane was convinced that real cowboys didn’t cry, even though I cried most of the way back to the ranch house. Her ma and I tried to get her to tell us everything that had happened, but she refused to talk about it.

  “From that point forward, she did whatever was required to make sure she was the best. Shooting. Riding. Roping. Schooling. She acted as if everything was a competition that she needed to win. She spent hours with a lasso and a couple of bales of hay, mastering the art of roping. She spent hours with Shiloh, learning how to ride her up and down ravines, jump over obstacles, and race across the land. She was fixated on everything except the things her ma wanted her to focus on. Cooking. Cleaning. Gardening. Sewing. Sara Jane became completely disinterested in womanly pursuits.”

  “She still hasn’t stopped trying to best everyone,” Carl surmised.

  “No. She hates showing any sort of weakness. I know it probably has something to do with what happened between her and the Indians before we got there, but she still refuses to talk about it. She never snuck out again and we always made sure she felt included so that we wouldn’t ever have a repeat of that experience.”

  Carl thought about what he’d been told, trying to figure out how her time with the Indians had resulted in her feeling of needing to challenge every man on everything. When the supper bell rang out hours later, he headed for the house, needing to see for himself that Sara Jane had survived this morning’s adventures none the worse for the wear. He wasn’t any closer to forming a plan to court her, but there was always tomorrow. He’d start then in earnest.

  Chapter 4

  The next day

  Sara Jane left her bedroom, trying not to pull at the high neckline of the dress she was voluntarily wearing. She wanted to go into town this morning and, per her father’s dictates, she wasn’t allowed to do so unless she was dressed in ladylike attire. That meant no trousers or men’s shirts. Her pa had spouted all sorts of reasons for the rule, none of which actually mattered to Sara Jane. She didn’t care what the old ladies from the church said behind her back, not really, and attracting the interest of the single men in town had only ended up with Sara Jane becoming vexed with them. No, today was about the unfortunate women living in the brothel.

  She’d awakened early this morning, her mind stuck on the unfortunate events of the day before. She was happy that the calf had been rescued, but everything that had happened after that had her feeling unsettled and upset. Not with Carl, if she was honest with herself. Carl had only tried to save her from her own foolish actions. As she’d looked out her bedroom window, watching the sky lighten as the sun came up behind the clouds, she’d decided she needed to get away from the ranch and focus on something else for the day. The brothel…

  No—I’ve got to quit thinking about it like that. It’s a boarding house now. Or… it will be by the time Riley and I get finished with it.

  She entered the dining area, totally unprepared for the shock she created in those gathered there. Shawn and Pa were eating breakfast, and Ma was coming in from the kitchen with a platter of flapjacks. She was so startled upon seeing Sara Jane, she almost dropped it.

  “Sara Jane?” Pa asked in surprise.

  “Good morning, Pa. Shawn. Ma, you needn’t look so surprised.” She took a seat at the table, ignoring the strange looks everyone was giving her.

  “You’re wearing a dress,” Ma told her, almost as if she was afraid Sara Jane hadn’t been aware of what she was putting on a few minutes earlier.

  “Yes. I am. I’m taking the wagon into town.”

  That drew even more surprised looks from everyone. Pa was the first to recover. “May I ask why?”

  “Riley and I came up with a plan to help the women of the brothel become respectable. I’ve decided that today is a fine day to put that plan into motion.” Her statement caused mouths to open again, and she braced herself to argue her case, only to give a relieved sigh when a response became unnecessary.

  The front door opened just then, and Riley’s voice rang out, “Hello.”

  James looked at his daughter and asked quietly, “Does Gideon know his new wife is going into town with you? I’m assuming that’s why she is over here so early?”

  Sara Jane nodded and then cleared her throat. “I spoke to her earlier this morning just as it was getting light outside.” She paused for a moment and then added, “Actually, Lily is coming with us as well.”

  “Now, Sara Jane,” Ma began. “Lily shouldn’t be leaving the ranch with her time so near.”

  “The baby’s not due until after Christmas. That’s almost two months away.”

  Shawn gave her a confused look, “Ma, are you sure that’s right? She’s getting awfully big.”

  Sara Jane gave him a dirty look and then shook her head. “Shawn Lawson, don’t you dare let me hear you say something so mean around Lily. You’ll hurt her feelings.”

  Riley entered the dining area and nodded her agreement. “If you make Lily cry, Gideon and Jace will both be after you.”

  Shawn held up his hands and backed away from the table. “Hey, I was just making an observation. When cows get big that early it’s usually because they’re gonna have twins. Since no one has mentioned Lily having two babies, I just thought maybe the timing was off.”

  The three women exchanged a look and then Pearl nodded and clapped her hands. “That’s got to be it. Lily has to be having twins.”

  “Twins?” Jace’s voice came from the kitchen doorway, the color draining from his face.

  “Jace. We didn’t see you there,” Pearl told him. “We were just discussing Lily and well, Shawn said about the cows, and it all makes sense … Lily must be having twins.”

  Jace shook his head as he stepped into the room. “I don’t know how to take care of one baby, let alone two.”

  Sara Jane chuckled and told him, “You’ll be fine. You’ll have all of us aro
und to help.”

  Jace scanned her from head to toe, looking shocked. “Why are you dressed like a girl?”

  “Firstly, because I am a girl. Secondly, because I’m taking your wife and Riley into town to stir up the old buddies who have appointed themselves judge and jury of everyone else.”

  Jace shook his head. “No. Absolutely not. Lily’s not leaving the ranch. Not now. Not after I…”

  “Not after what?” Lily asked, tapping her husband on the shoulder.

  Sara Jane and the others turned and looked at her with new insight. She was very big for having two months yet to go on her pregnancy. Two babies only made sense.

  “Well?” Lily demanded. “Hi girls. I’m ready to go as soon as my husband explains why he thinks to keep me here.”