"What do you think?" Johanna asked brightly, obviously house-proud.
Honora sighed. "It's lovely," she said and nodded appreciatively. "Really beautiful," she added. "Can I help with getting the food ready?" she asked abruptly.
Johanna looked surprised for a moment. Honora looked at Zane and Reese, who were still huddled close, looking like there was something they wanted to talk about. "Sure," Johanna said to Honora. "The kitchen's small. But it has everything we need." Johanna frowned at Zane. "I take it you're hungry," she asked him.
Zane's eyes widened. He appeared unsure for a moment. Then he glanced at Reese. "We're going to step outside for a while."
Johanna jammed her fists against her sides. "I thought you might say that. Why don't you cut some logs for the fire. Make yourself useful," she said. Honora knew that Johanna was just teasing her husband. Zane nodded patiently and rested his hand on Reese's shoulder. "Let's go brother," he said to Reese. "We've got work to do."
Honora watched Zane and Reese make their way out of the cabin. She saw Johanna smile and shake her head. "Those two are cut from the same cloth," she stated. "All the Buchanan men are good at heart." Johanna glanced at Honora. "I suppose I don't have to tell you that."
Honora squinted at Johanna. "Why?"
Johanna tilted her head. "I see the way Reese looks at you, Honora," she said.
Honora felt her face flush instantly. "We're just good friends," she said defensively. "We still get on."
Johanna's brows shot up in a line. "Friends?"
Honora nodded firmly. "That's all."
Johanna paused a moment. Honora thought she was going to continue the conversation. Thankfully though, Johanna just shrugged. "Let's get to work. I think there are two hungry men out there."
Honora followed Johanna into the small kitchen area, and wondered if the first Buchanan wife was going to be the only person in this territory who'd tell her that Reese Buchanan was interested in courting Honora MacLeish.
CHAPTER EIGHT
In the late afternoon, the meal completed, and their bellies full, they all sat outside on the porch gazing out across the river. Reese sat alongside Honora, just as he had done at the dinner table inside the cabin. The talk on the porch was all about Inspiration, and what was happening in town. Reese knew that Honora didn't approve of gossip. He watched as she listened, tight-lipped, to some of the tales spun by Zane and Johanna. Still, Reese figured it might be good for Honora to get a sense of how things had changed in the town since she'd left.
The conversation had been going smoothly, with plenty of laughing and joking, when Honora announced she was heading back to the ranch. As if seized by an instinct, Reese immediately stated he was going to accompany her. There had been a long, awkward silence. Zane had exchanged glances with Reese and Johanna. For an excruciating moment, Reese had thought he'd taken a step too far. He'd expected her to refuse his offer. But, to his delight, Honora had simply smiled at him, politely, and accepted his suggestion. That had taken Reese by surprise. He'd seen Johanna smile at him. Even though Johanna had only been a member of the Buchanan family a short time, Reese knew that his sister-in-law already understood plenty about him.
Preparations were quickly made for Honora's departure. As she sat on the seat of the buckboard, holding the reins, Honora thanked Johanna and Zane for the pleasant afternoon and the meal. Reese mounted his horse. Honora bid goodbye and then flicked the reins and the buckboard sped forward with Reese trailing alongside.
He glanced back and waved at Zane and Johanna who were standing in front of their cabin. As far as Reese was concerned the impression his brother and sister-in-law created was one of picture-perfect bliss. In spite of all his doubts, all the reluctance that clawed at him every time he thought about his future, he couldn't help feeling a pang of envy at seeing the smile on his brother's face.
He'd never seen Zane look so happy. All through the meal, Zane had teased his wife, glancing at her continually with obvious affection. More than that, really. Out in the yard, when they'd been cutting the logs, Zane had admitted that life with Johanna was more perfect than anything he could ever have hoped for. To Reese's surprise, Zane had even admitted that he'd felt like God had graced him with a priceless treasure in the form of his wife. That had really knocked Reese off balance. The Buchanans all being churchgoers, Zane's faith had been of the practical kind. Regular church attendance had become a habit. But, it seemed that the arrival of Johanna in his life had made Zane feel that he'd been granted something he admitted he hardly even deserved. The gift of a precious and devout wife.
"What are thinking about?" Honora asked sharply as the buckboard eased around a bend in the trail, cutting away from the river and heading northwards.
"My brother," Reese replied. He tugged on the reins, keeping his horse close to the side of the buckboard. Luckily, Honora wasn't driving the horse too fast. It was proving tricky to keep on the trail while riding alongside the buckboard. But he wanted to keep close to Honora. There were things he wanted to say to her. And he figured he might not get a better opportunity than the ride back to the ranch.
"Zane sure seems different," she declared. "The last time I spoke to him he was thinking of heading out into the wild. On the trail," she said.
Reese shook his head. "That wanderlust got wiped away when he met Johanna," he replied.
"The love of a good woman," Honora said loudly above the sound of the rattling wheels. Coming from anyone else, the words could have sounded skeptical. Even insincere. But from Honora they sounded genuine. Maybe she'd seen what he had noticed back there at the cabin. True love.
"They sure look like they're in love," Reese said, trying to disguise the tone of approval in his voice.
Honora lapsed into a long silence at the mention of love. He realized he might have made a better choice of words. But, right now, he didn't care. Because, this was his chance to tell her what he'd been thinking since meeting her on that first day of her return. His mind was filled with a confusing torrent of thoughts. How come it was so hard to find just the right way to say what was important?
Honora drove the buckboard hard up a long hillside. Reese tried to keep up with her. Not wanting to crowd her, he managed to ease his mount onto the flat grass alongside the trail. Occasionally, he had to duck his head beneath encroaching tree branches. When he did so, he was sure he could see Honora glancing at him. Once, when a branch slapped him hard in the face, he was sure he saw her smile.
Honora slowed the buckboard at the crest of the ridge. Then she halted and Reese drew up next to the seat. He gazed at her with curiosity, surprised that she had stopped. "Why you stopping?"
Holding the reins tight, she frowned. "Because I've got something to say to you, Reese," she announced.
Reese felt his heart quicken. "Really?"
Honora thought for a moment and then peered up at him. "I saw how you were with me back there," she stated.
He narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"
"Trying to be the way you used to be with me," she explained. "As if nothing has changed."
"Nothing has changed, Honora," Reese declared.
She sighed. "I lost my parents, Reese."
"I know, Honora," he replied. "And you know how sorry I am about that. It cuts me up just thinking about it."
"You? What about me, Reese? How do you think I feel?" She gazed at the wide rangeland spread out in front of them. "And what about being back here? Everything has changed for me," she said. He could hear the emotion in her voice.
Reese shifted closer toward her. She stared at him for a long moment. "And you're just acting as if I came back with the sole purpose of marrying," she said. And then she added with a tone of finality. "Marrying you." There was no malice in her voice. Just a sense of disbelief that he could even contemplate such a thing happening.
The words hung in the air a long time. Finally, he found the words to respond. "I never mentioned any of that to you," he said. "Not a word."
Right now he wanted to be seated on the buckboard trying to comfort her. But he knew a move like that would be a mistake. He stayed right where he was. On his horse.
She gazed up at him. Now there was a penetrating look in her eyes. One he hadn't seen in a long while. "Why didn't you tell me about the situation with Calhoun?"
"I never had a chance," he claimed.
"Were you planning on telling me that you and your brothers are having to marry? To keep the ranch out of his hands?" she asked.
"I would have told you, Honora," he replied. "You and I never kept secrets between us. That hasn't changed a bit."
He saw her jaw tighten. "But, maybe you have changed, Reese. Time was, you wouldn't have kept something like this from me." Honora sighed. Her chin lifted, defiant and determined. "Is that all I am to you now? Some kind of marriage of convenience? No different than a mail order bride."
He was shocked at the harshness in her voice. "Johanna and Rosalind were both mail order brides, Honora," he countered. "There's no sense in talking about them like that. You saw what a good person Johanna is. And you'll see that Rosalind is the same."
As if realizing she'd gone too far, that her emotions had gotten the better of her, Honora nodded. "Forgive me." She breathed out heavily. "I didn't mean to speak harshly of them. It isn't my place to do such a thing," she said humbly.
She lifted her gaze up to him. Her eyes were moist with emotion. A single tear appeared at the corner of her left eye. He felt a sudden urge to run his thumb across her skin and wipe that tear away.
"You must understand," she continued. "I didn't come back here to marry." She peered compassionately at him. "I came back to heal, Reese. To get back in touch with what is important to me. And this is the only place in the world where I can have a chance to do what God wants me to do."
He gazed at her, scarcely willing to admit that what she'd just said could be the truth. "And what's that, Honora?" he asked. "What is God asking you to do here?"
She gazed at him. "I don't know the answer to that, yet. I'm here to discover that, Reese." She shook her head. "Back in San Francisco, I couldn't even begin to think. There was too much grief. Too much pain," she said. "Do you see that?" she pleaded.
"I'm trying to, Honora," he replied quietly. "I really am." He sat up tall in the saddle and searched his mind for the right words. He'd known she was hurting. But, right now, he'd been given a glimpse of just how unbearable that hurt must be for her. Suddenly, he saw that the last thing that mattered was whether he could pick up the pieces of the past and persuade her to become his wife. At this time, Honora had to be given the chance to renew her life. She didn't need him, and others, putting pressure on her to make such a momentous decision. Not while she was desperately trying to discover what her God wanted of her at this crucial time.
Reese leaned forward. "I want you to know I'll do whatever I can to help, Honora," he said.
"You will?" she asked, wide-eyed.
"You only have to say the word. Just name it."
Reese saw a sudden hesitation in her eyes. For a moment, he wondered what she was going to ask of him. Whatever it was, he could see it was troubling for her. Finally, she dragged in a deep breath and peered at him. "Stay away from me, Reese," she said.
The words were like a physical blow. He felt his gut sink as he gazed at her. "What?" he gasped.
Her gaze was steady. Unflinching. "Keep away from me. Until I figure things out."
"You want me to pretend you're not back?" Reese asked incredulously.
She nodded slowly. "We can't go back to the way it was," she announced carefully. She narrowed her eyes. "And I'm not even sure you want to."
"What do you mean?"
She tilted her head. "You seem like you're doing all this because you know you have to get married. It's just convenient that I came back at the right time."
He grunted. "How can you say that, Honora? You don't mean that, do you?"
She frowned. "Maybe I do," she said thoughtfully. "All I know is you had a chance to ask me before I left with my parents. And you didn't take it then." She frowned at him. "What's so different about you now, Reese?" she asked.
Had she just cut right through him and uncovered a truth he'd been trying to hide from himself? That was how it felt. Maybe she still knew him better than he thought she did, Reese reflected. Perhaps tragedy had made her less tolerant of his hesitations. His reluctance to commit himself to her. At least that was how he had been in the past. Was he still like that now? Was he fooling himself all over again?
"You want me to keep my distance, Honora?" Reese asked evenly.
She didn't say a word. Just looked at him, waiting for him to continue.
"Okay. I'll do that," he said in a steady voice. For a moment he could hardly believe what he'd just said to her. "I'll respect your wishes."
If he thought she'd look triumphant, then he was immediately proven wrong. She gave him an even look, dragged in a deep breath and seized hold of the reins.
"I said I'd take you back to the ranch," he stated firmly, feeling emotion roiling through him.
She paused a moment and then nodded. "Okay."
Honora flicked the reins sharply and the buckboard lurched forward. He moved his horse on, but this time he didn't ride alongside the buckboard seat. He saw her body, stiff and upright as she held the reins.
She didn't even look back to see if he really was following her.
CHAPTER NINE
Reese knew something was wrong when he and Honora arrived at the Ferguson ranch. As the buckboard rolled into the yard in front of the house, with Reese riding close behind, he saw a figure emerging from the ranch house. A very familiar and unwelcome figure. Reese almost cursed when he saw who it was.
Brett Calhoun paused on the porch and watched Honora bring the buckboard to a halt. From inside the house Reese could hear voices, raised and sounding angry. Then Mabel emerged from the house. She pointed a finger straight at Calhoun. "You get off this land, Calhoun," she barked. "You had no right coming here today."
Mabel's eyes widened when she saw Honora stepping down from the buckboard. Reese drew his mount to a halt and leaped down. Honora was walking straight toward Calhoun. And she looked real concerned, Reese told himself. He worried she might be about to do something they'd all regret.
Calhoun just watched as Honora advanced toward him. "Good afternoon," he said to her. Calhoun glanced at Reese, saying nothing. Reese thought that if Calhoun had dared to make some kind of snappy comment about him and Honora arriving at the same time, he would have found it hard to control the impulse to respond with a firm gesture of his own.
Honora reached the porch and halted in front of Calhoun. She jammed her fists against her sides and glared at him. "What do you want?" she snapped.
Well-dressed as usual, Calhoun waved a dismissive hand. "Rufus asked me to come out here so I could talk with him."
Rufus emerged from behind Mabel. His features were red, like he'd been raising a storm inside the house. "That ain't true, Calhoun. Just because I told you yesterday we would talk some other time, didn't mean I wanted you coming out here and bothering my wife."
Calhoun looked at Mabel. "Apologies if I've upset you, ma'am," he said, sounding not at all sincere. "I just thought it was important I come out here and present my proposal to you and your fine husband."
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