"Are you suggesting I've been hiding out here, on the ranch?" she asked tentatively.
Landon shook his head. "You and the children have been through so much, it's no wonder you felt reluctant to make yourself a part of the town." He narrowed his eyes. "Maybe the time has come for you to start something new."
"The pastor thinks we belong in the church," Beth said.
"That's what he wants for every living soul in these parts," Landon agreed. "You and I know not everyone accepts the Lord. Some men and women are just determined to turn their backs on Him. That's their free choice." Landon gaze intently at Beth. "But I'm sure it isn't the choice you've made."
Beth shook her head. "I've never really turned away from Him."
"I know you haven't," Landon said. "And I know you never will."
She seemed calmer now. Beth smiled softly at Landon. "You understand me, don't you." Tilting her head, she added: "You really do."
Landon's heart warmed as he listened to her words. A thought drifted into his mind. For a moment, he hesitated before saying it out loud. But then it seemed like the most natural thing in the world for him to say. "I understand you, Beth Russell. But there's more than that. I feel a whole lot about you, too. I showed you how I felt over by that cottonwood tree. If anything, my feelings are even stronger today."
Landon saw her swallow. Her cheeks flushed pink and her lashes looked suddenly heavy as she lowered her gaze away from him. A soft wind blew in from the rangeland, casting her scent across him. As before, the exquisite aroma made his senses swirl.
Lifting her gaze to him, she spoke quietly: "And I have feelings for you, Landon." Landon's breath hitched in his chest. Before he had a chance to respond, she lifted her hand, forcing him to wait. "I can't deny these past few days have been real special to me. Having you around has meant a lot. To me and to the children."
Landon felt a burning need to say something else. He wanted to make a declaration which had been on his mind since yesterday. He wanted to take one more step closer to claiming Beth's heart. But, right now, he figured Beth had more than enough to deal with. She was feeling vulnerable, having been through so much. It wasn't the right time for those words. But the moment would come soon. He was sure of it because she'd just given him hope.
For a moment which seemed to stretch forever, Landon gazed into Beth's eyes. His heart was pounding and his mind was racing. He wanted this moment to never end. Bu he could see she was tired.
Beth stood quickly. "Thank you, Landon. You've helped me see things more clearly. I know what I must do."
Standing he faced her. "You do?"
Glancing at the side of his head where the wound was, she said: "Do you figure you're fit to travel?"
Landon grinned. "Of course I do. I've been telling you that for days."
She quirked a brow at him. "I know. But I wasn't sure. Until now, that is." She held her hands at her middle and regarded him carefully. "Do you think you could accompany me and the children to the church on Sunday?"
Landon felt his spirits leap. "Do I?" he exclaimed. "Why, sure. It would be a great honor."
Beth smiled. "Then that's settled. We can leave early on Sunday morning. We might need to use the buckboard."
"The ranch trail is in good condition," Landon said shaking his head. "The carriage should manage the journey easily enough. And the weather looks like it's holding up for the next couple of days."
"Do you think so?"
Landon nodded. "It shouldn't be a problem." He lifted his brows. "Does this mean you want me to help around the ranch? I mean, tomorrow is Friday. It's still a working day."
Beth looked at him skeptically. Her lips pouted as she considered his suggestion. She nodded. "Okay. I'm sure I can find work for you to do."
Landon felt a surge of energy course through his body. Things were definitely looking up, he told himself. Beth dipped her head. "Goodnight," she said and gave him one last, parting smile as she turned around and headed for the ranch house door.
Once she'd closed the door behind her, Landon fought hard to contain the joy he felt. The prospect of himself and Beth and the children going to town together filled him with delight. It would be an important day for all of them. It would be a true return to the Lord for Beth. It would be the beginning of something wonderful for Max and Katie.
Landon felt a warm sensation in his middle as he considered what it would mean for himself and Beth, It would be the first time Landon would show the good folk of Inspiration that himself and Beth were stepping out together and that they both had feelings for each other.
Sunday promised to be a wondrous day.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Friday morning, soon after breakfast, Beth was looking out the kitchen window and saw Jack, the ranch hand who'd ridden with Landon to the Harding spread, drawing his horse to a halt in front of the ranch house. The young ranch hand looked worried about something as he dismounted. Beth went out onto the porch and met Jack. "What's wrong?" she asked him.
Jack held his wide-brimmed hat in one hand. His face was flushed as if he'd been riding fast. "Got something important to tell you, ma'am," he said breathlessly.
From inside the ranch house, Landon stepped out onto the porch. Beth saw Landon frown when he saw Jack. "Is something wrong?" Landon asked.
Jack glanced from Beth to Landon. "There's a problem with the herd."
Landon strode up and stood beside Beth. "What kind of a problem?" he asked.
Jack hesitated, almost as if he was scared to say what it was. "Tick fever."
Beth heard Landon groan. "No!"
"This morning, we noticed some of the cattle weren't acting right," Jack said. "Doyle took a closer look. Told us some of the herd is coming down with it."
"What's tick fever?" Beth asked, looking up into Landon's concerned features.
"It's serious," Landon replied.
Drawing in a sharp breath, Beth turned to face Landon. "If it's going to affect my cattle, I need to know what it is."
She saw Landon and Jack exchange looks. "It's a disease of cattle which can destroy a herd," Landon explained.
Beth gasped. "Destroy? How did they get it?"
"It's carried by a parasite," Landon explained. "A tick passed between the animals. All it needs is one of the cattle to be infected. Then they can all get it."
"Can they die from that?" Beth asked urgently, feeling panic well up inside her.
Landon's brows furrowed. He nodded. "They can. Before they do, they can get real sick and infect every other member of the herd."
Beth's chest tightened. "You're saying I could lose my entire herd?"
Landon sighed loudly and thrust his hands against his hips. He nodded, and said nothing more. From the worry in Landon's eyes, she could tell this might be a catastrophe for the Circle D.
"Isn't there anything we can do to stop it?" Beth asked. "Can't we clean the ticks off the cattle."
Landon's jaw tightened. He thought for a moment and then peered at Beth. She prepared herself to hear a harsh truth. Maybe this was the end of the cattle on the Circle D. Instead, he nodded. "There is one way to treat the cattle. We can only hope we've caught this early. Before it gets out of control. We had this problem a couple of years ago over at the Baxter ranch. We dealt with it then. And, luckily, we got it under control."
"How did you do that?" Beth asked.
"Oil and water," Landon stated.
Beth frowned at Landon. "How does that work?"
Landon drew in a deep breath. "We dig a pit deep enough for the cattle to go into. Then we fill it with water and a layer oil. The cattle have to be forced to submerge themselves up to their necks. That'll take every ranch hand we have. Hopefully, that'll get rid of the ticks. And stop us from losing the whole herd."
When she heard the way he'd referred to the herd belonging to them, Beth thought it was a hint that Landon was beginning to consider the Circle D as more than just a place for him to recover. She ignored the remark tho
ugh. For the moment, the cattle were the real problem.
"Where do we get the oil?" Beth asked.
"I'm assuming you don't have any on the ranch," Landon said.
Beth shook her head. "I've had no call to have such a thing."
"Well now we do," Landon declared. "Jack. Take a buckboard and go into town with another of the ranch hands. The mercantile should have some oil. Buy as much as you can and get back here pronto." Landon peered at Jack. "Have you seen this done before?"
Jack shook his head. "I ain't be ranching long enough, Landon," he explained.
"Get as much oil as you can stack on to the back of the buckboard. Murchison at the mercantile usually keeps some."
Arrangement were made regarding payment, and then Jack rode off to get one of the ranch hands to go with him.
"It'll take him hours to go there and get back here," Beth observed.
Landon sighed with obvious frustration. "I know. But we've got no choice. In the meantime, I'll get the men to dig the pits. We'll need more than one. And they'll need to be near the river, so we can have enough water for dipping the cattle." Landon started to roll up the sleeves of his plaid shirt. She could tell he meant business.
Beth laid a hand on Landon's arm. Gazing up into his eyes, she asked: "You don't think we're going to lose the entire herd, do you?"
Landon's eyes narrowed. "I told you before, I won't lie to you, Beth. And I'm not going to start now." His features became grim. She felt her heart sinking. "This is serious. And I'm not promising I can fix this for you. But, I'll do all I can." He glanced toward the stable. "I need to get down to the herd. See what's going on."
"I'm coming with you," Beth stated.
He smiled at her. "Of course you are. You can keep me company so I can get used to being back on the saddle of my horse."
Beth knew this wasn't the right time for herself and Landon to be playing the kind of games they'd been playing with one another over the last couple of days. But, his smile was so appealing, so attractive, that she found it impossible to drag her attention away from him. Even though she knew this was a serious crisis, at least she had Landon to rely on.
They readied the horses and led them out of the stable. Landon lifted himself up onto the horse and watched Beth as she mounted her horse. "Ready?" she asked him.
He lifted his head and peered out across the rangeland. She told herself he looked wonderful, sitting there atop his own horse. He looked like he belonged there. He looked well, this morning. His face had good color, flushed pink with health and vitality. His posture was firm and upright as he grasped hold of the reins. Landon looked like a changed man, today, she told herself. And now he had a purpose. One he knew and understood. Maybe their conversation the previous night had lifted his spirits.
They started out across the rangeland. For a while, Beth was silent, enjoying the simple act of riding alongside Landon. She was pleased to see that he'd been telling her the truth. He was feeling better. After a few minutes riding, she concluded that Landon was completely recovered. There had been no sign of him losing his balance as they'd made their way across the undulating slopes of the grassy rangeland.
For the first time since Landon had arrived, Beth felt as if she was seeing Landon as he truly was. He was a rancher, through and through. Listening to him back at the ranch, she'd realized how experienced he was when it came to dealing with ranch business. Thoughts drifted into her mind as she held her course alongside Landon. What would it be like to have Landon beside her every day? What would it be like to share her life with him on the Circle D? Another, even more shocking thought seized her mind. What would it be like to be his wife? And to share her life as a mother with Landon as father to the twins.
Glancing across at Landon, she saw a powerful, confident man. One who was used to this kind of life. But he was much more than that. He was a man possessed of a deep well of kindness and compassion. And perhaps even love. Did she dare dream that Landon Baxter could love her? Last night, he'd come close to saying that to her. She'd sensed he'd been holding himself back from making a bold declaration. But, she'd seen the emotion in his eyes. She'd felt her own heart glow warmly as he'd gazed into her eyes. Her growing conviction that Landon was a man who could be a part of her life had come to dominate her every waking moment.
"There's the herd," Landon said and pointed down into the wide valley. She saw the herd and felt nerves ignite. He looked across at her. She saw determination in his eyes. There was a job to do. And she was going to work alongside him to save the Circle D.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
"Doyle, do you know where this came from?" Landon barked at the ramrod.
The man shook his head. "I can't say, Baxter," Doyle replied. Landon ignored the way Doyle said his name. There was enough to deal with without making things personal between himself and Doyle.
They were standing in the flat of a wide valley next to a group of men each of whom was holding a shovel or pickaxe. Between where they were all grouped together and the river was the herd. The massive herd moaned loudly, as if it recognized the seriousness of the problem everyone faced. Some riders were moving around on horseback, making sure the herd stayed together.
Work hadn't yet begun on the pits they'd need to clean the cattle of the infectious ticks. Landon figured it would take the rest of the afternoon to dig the six foot deep pits. Then they had to set up makeshift channels for the water to be brought to the pits from the nearby river. That would mean even more digging. Extra men had been drafted in from other parts of the ranch. Word had gotten around. Landon examined the concerned faces. These men knew what it meant to deal with diseased cattle. If the sickness got out of hand, there would be dirty and dangerous work to be done. And it wouldn't be pleasant.
Landon looked across and saw Beth talking with one of the ranch hands. She was giving instructions about where she wanted the pits to be dug. Jack and the other hand still hadn't returned with the oil from Inspiration. Landon reckoned it would be near dark before the men returned. The washing of the cattle would have to be done tomorrow, Saturday. It would be a hard day for everyone. Beth had already insisted to Landon that she wanted to be a part of the whole thing. Landon had tried to persuade her to stay at the ranch house, but Beth had a mind of her own. She really wanted to see the job to its conclusion.
"How many of the cattle have got it?" Landon asked Doyle.
"It's hard to tell. A few are showing signs. We've separated them from the main herd."
"They'll need to be dealt with tomorrow," Landon told Doyle. Landon ran his gaze around the main herd. "Have you checked the other cattle?"
"Not yet," Doyle replied.
"Why not?" Landon demanded. "You know we have to get control of this. We're not going to do that unless we quarantine the infected cattle from the clean ones."
"You're talking about a big job," Doyle objected.
"We have the men. And some of them have seen this before," Landon stated. "I spoke to them. They know what to look for."
Doyle pointed toward where the pits were going to be dug. "Men will be needed to dig those holes."
Landon scoffed and shook his head angrily. "That can wait. Take anyone you can and tell them what to look for."
Doyle's brows furrowed. He took a step closer to Landon and lifted his chin, peering down his nose at Landon. "I don't remember you being appointed foreman on this spread."
Landon dragged in a deep breath and scowled at Doyle. "I'm not the ramrod here, Doyle. You are. For now. And this wouldn't have happened if you'd been paying attention to doing your job."
The Rancher’s Frontier Family Page 15
