Honora knew she had asked him to stay away. And she knew she should probably be angry at him for finding a way of getting around their agreement. But, the events of the previous night had changed all that. When she came to think of it, she would have been surprised if, after hearing about the intruder, Reese hadn't done something to make sure he was close to her.
But, all of that didn't change one thing. She was not going to marry Reese Buchanan. He might see himself as her protector. For the moment. Or at least until the identity of who had come onto the ranch had been discovered. Even who was behind it all. Once that had been done, it would be time for Reese to leave the Ferguson ranch. And then they both could carry on their lives.
That was what she wanted. And that was what she was going to get, she told herself.
They crested a ridge and she drew her mount to a halt. Reese drew up beside her. They both gazed down into the valley. She saw the herd down there. The lowing sound of the cattle drifted up in the cool air.
"Beautiful," Reese said quietly.
She assumed he was talking about the herd. But when she turned to look at him, he was gazing straight at her. She felt her cheeks flush with heat, and it had nothing to do with the sun high above their heads. Was this how it was going to be for the next few days? She suddenly felt a need to speak her mind.
"Let's get one thing straight, Reese," Honora said.
"Uh oh," he said and grinned at her. "Why do I think there's some bad news coming my way?" He tipped his hat back and leaned in his pommel, gazing at her, waiting for her to continue.
She cleared her throat and stared at him. "You and I need to talk."
"I thought we did that yesterday," he replied.
"We had an agreement, Reese," she said. "Or have you forgotten already."
His gaze darkened visibly. "Things have changed, Honora," he said grimly.
"Last night was just some unfortunate who thought he could steal some horses," she insisted.
Reese shook his head. "And cover it up with a fire? I don't think so. Whoever it was, meant to burn something down. You were lucky it wasn't the ranch house."
"What do you mean?"
"Last night was designed to be a warning," Reese said. "There was no intention of killing anybody. Whoever arranged that little spectacle sent a message loud and clear."
"Which is?" Honora asked. She had to admit that Reese had a point. It had occurred to her that it would have been as easy for the intruder to have done something much worse than setting fire to an outbuilding.
"I'm not sure yet," Reese admitted. "But, I know that Nathan will find out. And quick. There's a familiar feel to all of this. But, Nathan needs proof." Reese leaned forward. "In the meantime, I'm staying here. I ain't going anywhere. No matter what you're about to say to me."
There was a firmness in Reese's voice which Honora found strangely reassuring. When he wanted to, Reese could be decisive and strong. In that sense he would make a good protector. She hadn't forgotten those strong parts of his character. The ones which had been forged by years of ranch work and discipline. It had been those which had drawn her to him when they'd been getting to know each other.
Honora tightened her jaw and felt her own inner fortitude grow. It was just that she didn't want him to be her guardian. She was confident she had a protector of another kind. One that was always present. Even in the darkest moments. Like those she'd endured in recent weeks.
"Can we at least agree that you're not going to follow me around all the time?" she asked.
"I'm not just here for you, Honora," Reese said. That statement took her aback for a moment. "Nathan asked me to take care of all of you. Mabel. Rufus. And you."
"You're going to have your work cut out with Rufus," Honora exclaimed.
Reese shrugged. "He'll come around. Provided he stays away from Calhoun."
"What are you going to do if he turns up again?"
Reese narrowed his eyes and sighed. "I'll figure something out." He smiled at her. "For now, let's just try and enjoy the day."
She squinted at him. "I thought you were the sheriff's deputy."
"That means I can go anywhere I like on this ranch," he declared. "And that I can hang around with anyone I choose." He moved his horse closer to Honora. His eyes were suddenly filled with obvious appreciation. And longing. For a moment, she felt a brief panic seize her. Was the deputy about to claim a kiss? That prospect sent her heart racing. She clutched at her reins and drew her mount well away from his.
Disappointment clouded his features. "No?" he asked in a playful tone of voice.
Honora tugged on her reins. "I've got a herd to attend to," she declared.
He quirked a brow at her. "Miss Rancher?" he joked.
She glared at him. "You trying to give me a nickname? You know that you can be the most infuriating person in the world, don't you."
He shook his head and grinned. "And you wouldn't have me be any other way, would you?"
She groaned and pulled hard on her reins, sending her mount racing down the slope and toward the herd. She heard the pounding of the hooves of his horse behind her. As they neared the herd, some of the hands looked up and saw the two riders approaching. Honora pulled to a halt. As Reese drew up beside her, she saw some of the hands recognizing who was accompanying her. A Buchanan wasn't a welcome sight on this ranch. At least to some of them men.
Honora hooked a thumb in Reese's direction. "This is sheriff Cameron's deputy."
One of the hands spoke up. "That's Reese Buchanan. How come he's a deputy?"
"It's a long story," Reese said. "Just take your time and get used to me being around for a few days. Okay?"
Honora saw some concerned expressions on the faces of the ranch hands. She knew there had been plenty of disagreements over the years. And she also knew that ranchers had long memories.
She turned and faced Reese. "As he said, boys. Just get used to him being around." Reese's brows rose in a straight line. Was he surprised at her defending him? She's soon correct that, she told herself. "Don't worry. Deputy Buchanan won't be around for too long," she added.
Reese's brows dipped as quickly as they'd risen. He squinted at her. But, before he had a chance to respond, she turned her back on Reese and spoke to the ranch hands. "Now. What's been going on with this herd?" she asked loud enough so that Reese could hear every word she'd said.
As he'd said to her up at the ridge, she was a rancher and she had some work to do.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Reese observed Honora working with the cattle during the rest of the morning. He was impressed. His own experience confirmed that Honora knew what she was doing. Reese admired the confident way she dealt with the herd and the obvious respect she'd won from the ranch hands. How much of that was sympathy for her recent loss, Reese wasn't sure. But, as he watched from the outer edge of the herd, and saw the way she worked, Reese couldn't help admiring the way she dealt with everything that was thrown at her.
Sometimes she glanced over at him, almost as if she wanted to make sure he was paying attention. Seeing him watching, she sometimes acted deliberately to demonstrate her competence. Whether it was giving an order to the ramrod, or riding out to bring in a stray animal, Reese was sure that every one of her little gestures was meant for his benefit. That made him think that her earlier show of defiance, her declaration of independence, was just a show.
Reese let his mind wander as he watched her. He knew the real Honora. The one he'd foolishly let go once before. Inside that feisty outer shell was a warm-hearted woman. Someone Reese had once adored. He didn't believe she'd cut herself off from everything, and everyone, she'd once valued. His feelings for her were undeniable.
He caught himself at that thought. What was he saying! He still thought highly of Honora. More than that, really. So why was it that he was still holding back? Still hesitant to take that one final decisive step into commitment to her. It wasn't just that she was holding him back. Because she was keeping him at
arms length. He understood why she felt the need to do that. She'd been hurt and disappointed so many times that it must have seemed inconceivable to let anyone in close again. He really could understand that, because there had been times when he'd felt like that himself.
Now, though, they might have a chance to get closer to each other. This situation might just give them both a chance to discover, once and for all, whether or not they had a future together. He hoped it might, although he wasn't fooling himself about the barriers they'd both still have to beat down to claim their happiness. He was willing to give it a try.
Near lunchtime Honora came riding over to him. "You want to go back to the ranch house and have some food?" he asked her.
Honora shook her head. "I've still got some work to do," she said.
Reese let his gaze settle on her cheeks. Her skin had taken some of the sun. There was a pleasing flush of color to her skin now. It made her seem more alive, more cheerful than she'd been earlier. Or maybe that was how she looked every time she did some work. As if this was what she was meant to do.
He noticed a smudge of dirt on her face and reached out a hand, quickly cleaning it off her skin with his thumb. She didn't have time to withdraw her head from his touch. Her eyes widened as he touched her. She turned around and glanced nervously at the ranch hands, some of whom had just watched what Reese had done.
"Why did you do that?" she snapped.
"There was some dirt on your face. I just wanted to clean it off," he explained.
"Please don't do that again," she ordered. "Especially in front of them."
"Worried they might think you and I have something going?" Reese teased.
She pouted her mouth and quirked a brow at him in a way he recognized. In a way he'd always found irresistible. Her features were exquisitely pretty. The fiery glint in her eyes was captivating. He felt emotion flare into life within himself. It felt good to be out here on the rangeland with her. It was just a pity she was doing everything she could to pretend she didn't feel the same way. Because he was sure her resistance was all an act for the benefit of the ranch hands. There was only one way to check that out, he told himself.
"Why don't we head off and have ourselves some food somewhere quiet," he suggested.
"We don't have anything to eat."
Reese patted his saddlebag. "Mabel insisted I bring something for the two of us."
Honora didn't seem the slightest bit surprised. "My aunt is always one step ahead of me."
"What do you say?" he prompted.
She sighed. "Okay. But I'm not going too far."
"Any suggestions where we can go?" he asked, feeling suddenly eager to put some distance between them and the herd.
She thought for a moment. "I remember we used to go to that nice place with the view. How about that?"
"The rock?" he asked.
She nodded. "I haven't been there in a long while."
Memories flooded back into his mind. Recollections of sweeter times. Private moments he'd spent with Honora around the ranch. He knew the place she was talking about. It was perfect. "Okay," he told her.
She rode off quickly and he followed behind. They made their way across the rolling grassland until they came to the eastern border of the ranch. The fencing curved over ridges and cut through valleys. Finally they came to a high ridge, close to the border fence. On the ridge was a flat stone big enough for them both to sit on. They halted and dismounted. Reese unpacked his saddlebag and carried the wrapped packets containing chicken and potatoes. He also had a flask of water and two metal cups. He'd come prepared. Just in case she said yes.
They sat alongside each other and he opened the packages of food. The both helped themselves and pretty soon they were munching on the food and gazing out across a landscape view they both knew well.
She was quiet for a while, and he didn't force the conversation. He'd done enough of that yesterday at Zane's to know that wasn't what she wanted. Right now, she looked like she was enjoying the sounds of the birdcall, the gentle rush of water from the river beyond the nearby border fence. The wind made her blonde hair move hypnotically. Once or twice, loose strands fluttered across her face and she swept them gently away with an easy move of her hand. In contrast to how she'd behaved down at the herd, Honora appeared relaxed, even happy, sitting alongside him.
Finally he broke the silence. "You looked like you were in charge down there," he observed.
"Aunt Mabel told me I should just be myself," Honora said. "She said if I did that maybe the men would respect me." She smiled. "Seems like she was right. Some of the men worked here when my parents owned the place. That helps, too."
The mention of her parents made him think carefully before continuing. He knew that, no matter what he said, there was the risk he could upset her. Ruin the peace of the moment. And he didn't want to do that.
"I figure, you put in enough shift for two ranch hands," he said.
"I like working hard," she replied. She glanced up at the sky. "He wants me to keep busy. Work hard. Every day, if possible. And I've never gone wrong by following His will. Now is no exception."
She glanced at him. Reese nodded and smiled politely. He didn't say anything. He felt she'd just issued him with a challenge. He'd just seen a glimpse of her rock hard faith. She was trying to draw him into talking about that faith. She knew she would have the upper hand if the conversation went in that direction. The question of his lukewarm faith had always provoked heated exchanges. But, having brought her all the way out here, for once he figured he'd accept the challenge. He'd been doing plenty of thinking of his own on the matter. Since she'd come back, he hadn't shared any of it with her. Maybe now was the time.
"While you were gone I did plenty of thinking about how strong your faith is." He saw her eyes widen with interest. He smiled. "I remember the last time we came to this place. You shared a whole lot about what you believe. And, I have to admit, I found it daunting."
"But you didn't change your mind," she said.
He shook his head. "You know I didn't."
And that had been a problem, Reese admitted to himself. Holding back had been his problem for far too long. Holding back from Honora. Holding back from God.
"Faith is an important thing," she said. "It's the root of our lives. If we choose to make it that way." She smiled. "It brings so much joy into our lives. You can't imagine."
He sighed and smiled at her. "I always knew you were a strong believer.
"I always will be, Reese," she replied. "That's one thing that will never change."
"My opinion has changed on that in recent times."
Her brows lifted. "Are you saying your faith is stronger now than it was?" she asked.
Reese thought long and hard about the answer to that. He wanted to tell her the truth. And he was sure she might be surprised with what he was about to tell her. "You know what? I've been talking with my brother Gideon a lot. Especially since he and Rosalind got married. And Gideon told me that Rosalind had to make a journey of her own back to faith."
Honora lifted a brow and shook her head. "We never make that journey on our own, Reese. He always guides us to Him. Even if we don't know it."
Reese nodded. "That's what Rosalind told me. She said that somehow or other she felt that she was fighting God all the time. Resisting the call, is how she described it. But then, one day in church, everything became clearer to her. She didn't tell me why. Just that it was true. And all she had to do was accept His will and do what she felt He was asking her to do."
The Rancher’s Second Chance Bride Page 11
