by West, Everly
He didn’t wait for Tildie to answer, and chances were, he wouldn’t have liked anything she had to say if he had. He marched toward the riverbank, his chest puffed up with pride.
“This isn’t going to turn out well,” Tildie sighed. She climbed over the supplies to reach the back of the wagon and to hop down as Clint secured the reins and hopped down himself. “Do we have anything, like a pole or a long branch, that we can extend to him when he gets in trouble?” she asked Simon.
“I’m already looking for something,” Simon said, heading off to a stand of willowy trees near the edge of the bank.
“Now you’re going to see something,” Jay said with a huge grin that showed his teeth as he stepped into the rushing water.
Tildie was certain she was going to see something, but she doubted it would be what Jay thought she would see.
“Here’s some rope,” Joe said, stepping up behind her with a large coil in his arms. Even he didn’t think Jay would be able to swim across the river.
“Tildie, watch this,” Jay called as he waded knee-deep in the river.
Tildie was watching, all right. She watched as Jay made a big show of how cold the water was. She watched as he waded out until he was thigh-deep in the raging current. And she watched when something under his feet shifted, his expression snapped to alarm, and he fell into the swelling water. In an instant, he went under.
“I’m ready,” Simon called from farther down the bank. He’d managed to cut down one of the tall saplings growing on the bank with the knife that was now in his belt, and he stretched it out over the water.
Tildie and Joe broke into a run, sprinting to join Simon farther downriver. Seconds later, Jay managed to lift his head above the water. He let out an almighty yell of fear and flailed. Whether he was trying to swim or gain some kind of footing, or whether he was just in a flat panic was impossible to tell.
“Grab hold of the branch,” Simon shouted as Jay was pushed closer to him.
Joe unraveled a length of rope as Jay’s wild flailing took on a bit more purpose. He saw the sapling and was doing his best to position himself in the current so that he could grab it as he was washed past.
To Tildie’s relief, Jay did manage to grab the sapling. To her surprise, Joe had fashioned a quick lasso out of the rope and threw it with amazing accuracy, landing the loop around Jay’s head. Of course, if he pulled the lasso tight, he’d strangle Jay, but at least they had him relatively secure.
Jay had enough sense to realize the situation he was in. He caught himself on the sapling and wriggled until the lasso was around his shoulders. As soon as he pulled his arms up, Joe yanked on the rope, tightening it around Jay’s chest. From there, it was simply a matter of effort to pull Jay to shore.
By the time they reeled him in, Clint had joined them. He scooped Jay up and hauled him all the way onto dry land. “What did you think you were doing?” he shouted. “You could have been killed.”
“You would have liked that, wouldn’t you?” Jay panted.
“No,” Clint continued to shout. “I wouldn’t have liked that at all. I don’t want to see anyone dead, no matter how stupid they’re being. Now get on back to the wagon, change into some dry clothes, and wrap up in one of the blankets. There’s another bridge on the horizon that way.” He pointed off toward the west.
“There’s another bridge?” Tildie asked, stepping over to Clint’s side.
“Yes,” Clint said, still irritated and not hiding it. “If this fool had stopped to look around, he would have seen it before risking his neck.”
Tildie let out a breath and turned, raising a hand to her forehead, to search for the bridge in question. Sure enough, there it was, outlined against the clear, blue sky. She shook her head and murmured, “Showing off for nothing.”
Clint stomped back toward the wagon, Tildie a few steps behind him. She’d never seen him in a temper before but didn’t blame him one bit for being angry. She sensed he was the sort of man who needed to chew on his own frustration without interference, so instead of bothering him as he checked the horses and brought the wagon around, she did what she could to help Jay.
By the time they were all piled in the wagon once more, Simon back on the seat with Clint and Joe hunkered down, his hat pulled low over his eyes, near the front of the wagon, Jay was back at it again.
“Thanks for your help, Tildie,” he said with a slightly more exhausted version of his usual, sly grin. “It means a lot to me that you would care to rescue me like that.”
“I didn’t do anything,” she said. “Simon cut down the sapling and Joe fetched the rope.”
“But your support means the world to me. I knew you had feelings for me deep down.”
Tildie stared incredulously at him. “I didn’t want to see you die any more than Clint did.”
At the mention of Clint, Jay’s face pinched. He scooted closer to her, and since they were already at the back of the wagon and there was nowhere else for her to go, she had to put up with it.
“I don’t understand why you’re so sweet on him anyhow,” Jay said. “He’s just a drudge, a worker who will never make anything of himself.”
“I think we’ll have to disagree on that one,” Tildie said with a nervous laugh.
Jay scooted closer to her, their sides touching. “You know that the Ladies Club in Laramie thinks the two of us should be together.”
Tildie blinked in genuine surprise. “Do they?” If they did, then they were not just a harmless bunch of meddling mamas, they were delusional as well.
“Well, Mrs. Fiona Quinn said that I would make some lucky girl a wonderful husband. And Mrs. Lila Delcroix mentioned your name.”
“In the same conversation?” Tildie arched one eyebrow suspiciously.
“Close enough,” Jay said. He took in a breath and pretended to stretch, then slung his arm around the edge of the wagon, or more importantly, Tildie’s shoulder.
That was it. Tildie was done dealing with Jay’s ridiculous forwardness. She pushed away from him, pivoting so she sat against the other side of the wagon, facing him without touching him.
“Listen here, Jay,” she said firmly. “I am not now nor will I ever be interested in you. You’re a braggart and a fool.”
“Tildie,” Jay said with an expression like her words hurt him.
“Don’t you Tildie me,” she said. “It’s Matilda to you, from now on. And I’m telling you for the last time, I’m with Clint. I will always be with Clint. I want to be with him, and just as soon as we can, we’re going to get married. So you can stop all this nonsense with trying to win me away from him because it’s not going to happen.”
“You say that now, but—”
“No.” Tildie pointed a finger at him. “I said no more of that. I’m tired of listening to you talk about some pie in the sky plan for a business that you’ve got no proof of. I’m tired of seeing you nearly kill yourself trying to show off. And I’m especially tired of you assuming that I don’t know my own mind when I most certainly do.”
Jay opened his mouth, but instead of launching into another round of nonsense, he snapped his mouth closed again. His expression sank into a frown, then darkened even further. “You don’t have to be so prissy about it,” he grumbled.
“Yes,” Tildie went on, “I do. Because you aren’t getting the message any other way. So for the last time, I’m not interested in you, Jay Lehmann, and I never will be. So keep your comments and your antics to yourself, do you hear me?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Jay grumbled, then glanced sullenly off toward the horizon.
Tildie wasn’t content to let it lie there. She stood, making her way slowly through the supplies to the front of the wagon. “Simon, we’re switching places,” she said in a demanding voice.
“Yes, ma’am,” Simon said with a grin.
He immediately stood and climbed over the back of the seat and into the wagon bed. Once he was there, he gave Tildie a boost up so that she could crawl into his place.
As soon as she was seated properly, arms crossed, staring forward at the wild, Wyoming landscape, she began to relax.
She peeked sideways to Clint only to find him wearing a grin from ear to ear. He didn’t say a word, but his shoulders shook as though he was fighting not to laugh out loud. The rest of the tension that had gripped Tildie vanished, leaving her on the verge of laughter too, especially when Clint reached one hand to take hers. He gave it a squeeze and everything felt right in Tildie’s world again.
She only wondered how long that would last with Jay still riding along with them. Instinct told her she’d kicked a hornet’s nest and the worst was still to come.
Chapter 5
The rest of the trip was tense, irritating, and tedious, but at last, they made it to the Yates ranch, just outside of Billings.
“Heavens, you all look like you’ve been rode hard and put up wet,” Mrs. Yates exclaimed as the wagon rolled up to the front porch of the house that formed the focal point of the ranch. “Get down from there at once,” she went on, striding across the yard between the ranch and the stable, a motherly look on her face. “We’ll get you cleaned up and fed and rested, and then you can do your business.”
Tildie liked the woman immediately. She was older but still appeared as tough as nails. She wore trousers and a vest, like the rest of the men who went about their business on the ranch, and instantly set to work helping Clint unharness the horses from the wagon.
“I appreciate your help, ma’am,” Clint said with a grateful smile.
Mrs. Yates snorted. “It’s Greta, not ma’am, and it’s no trouble at all.”
Tildie burst into a smile at the woman’s informality. When Greta and Clint finished with the horses and Greta led them off to the stable for a rub-down and meal, Tildie walked up to Clint’s side and said, “I think I want to be Greta when I grow up.”
Clint laughed and slipped his arm around her shoulders as they took in the sights of the ranch. “I wouldn’t say no to that,” he said.
Tildie leaned against Clint’s side, but when he turned his head to grin at her, a zip of excitement cut through the exhaustion of the journey. Neither she nor Clint were in a fit state for snuggling, but even with the dirt and the grime of the trail and not having bathed for over a week, Tildie wanted nothing more than to stay nestled against Clint’s side forever.
“I hate to interrupt such a lovely picture.”
Tildie jumped away from Clint as an older man with a handlebar mustache and twinkling eyes approached from the side.
Clint turned to him, extending a hand. “Are you Mr. Yates?” he asked. “The owner of this ranch?”
“I am,” the man said with a smile, taking Clint’s hand. “You must be the clever fellow Mason Mayfield told me about.”
Clint answered with a self-deprecating laugh. “I don’t know about all of that, by I am Mason’s liaison.”
“Perfect.” Mr. Yates glanced past Clint to Tildie. “And who is this lovely lady?”
Clint stepped back to Tildie’s side, sliding his arm around her waist. “This is Miss Matilda Masterson.” The way he smiled at her did more to identify what Tildie was to him than any words could have.
Mr. Yates touched the brim of his hat to her. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”
“The pleasure is all mine, I’m sure,” Tildie said. “And Clint here is every bit as clever as Mason says he is.” She winked up at Clint.
Mr. Yates looked delighted by the exchange. “I sure hope so. Mason wrote a lot about you and this livery you’re hoping to expand in Laramie. I think I might have a few ideas that I’d like to talk to you about in that area.”
Clint lit up in such a way that made Tildie feel excited for him. “Do you, sir?”
Mr. Yates snorted. “Don’t call me ‘sir’. I’m no knight. But I might have a business proposition for you.”
He gestured for Clint to walk with him toward the corral, where a good many horses were enjoying the sunlight. A strong, positive feeling filled Tildie as she watched them go. It would be perfect if Clint could find another connection to help build his business. And anything that helped him helped them.
She turned back to the wagon, but her smile and feelings of elation dropped like a brick in a well when she spotted Jay watching her with a dark scowl. The man’s jealousy was palpable, but at the same time, Tildie’s instincts told her it wasn’t really her that he wanted. He just wanted to best Clint somehow. Which, as far as she was concerned, was far more dangerous than a man in love where he shouldn’t be.
“Something tells me that a bath is the first thing you need,” Greta said as she strode back across the yard to Tildie. “I’ve got a tub set up in back of the house that will be ready in less than half an hour, just for you.”
Tildie forced herself to turn away from Jay and to push her uneasiness aside. She smiled at Greta. “That does sound amazing. And I’m more than willing to help out in any way I can, both with the bath and with feeding everyone or anything else you need.”
Greta laughed and motioned for Tildie to follow her around the back of the house. “You’re a guest here. As long as you’re under my roof, you’re going to let me pamper you. We get so few guests out here, and even fewer of them are women.”
Tildie relaxed a bit as she walked with Greta, but before they turned the corner, she glanced back to the wagon. Jay was still staring at her. More unnerving still, Joe had walked up to his side and the two of them had their heads together, like they were plotting something. Fortunately, Tildie also caught Simon’s eye. He looked to Jay and Joe, then nodded to her as if telling her he would keep an eye on them.
The bath Greta promised her turned out to be a huge, brass tub situated behind a clapboard partition off the back of the main house. It took a little bit of effort to fill it with buckets of water from the well, and then to heat enough water in Greta’s kitchen to warm the tub up to a relaxing temperature. By the time Tildie took off her clothes and sank into it, it was like immersing herself in a slice of pure heaven. Greta even had a cake of rose-scented soap for her to use and a fluffy towel waiting for her along with clean clothes when she was done.
Tildie leaned back, letting out a long breath and staring up at the sky. She could get used to that kind of luxury. She could get used to having Clint around day and night too. In spite of the frustrations and trials of the journey, it had been wonderful to spend so much time with him. She was really getting to know him, and she liked everything she’d discovered. Clint was charming and mischievous, which she already knew, but he was a capable leader as well. The other men looked up to him, even Jay from time to time. It made Tildie feel confident about the direction Clint’s business was headed in and excited for their future.
She was still wrapped up in those happy thoughts, scrubbing the dirt of the trail off her arms and back, when a flicker of movement between the boards surrounding the tub caught her eye. She frowned and squinted at the spaces between the boards, but when she didn’t see anything, she went on scrubbing herself.
She dunked under the water to wet her hair, then set to work rubbing the soap through her long locks. But when she reached for the pitcher on a stool beside the tub she saw the flash of movement again. Again, there didn’t seem to be anything there when she looked closer, so she continued scooping up pitchers of water and pouring it over her head to rinse her hair.
It wasn’t until she was almost completely rinsed and wiping the water out of her eyes that she caught the movement for a third time. This time, there was no mistaking what she saw. Jay was leaning against the partition, eyeing her through the narrow gaps in the board, ogling her as plain as day.
“Hey!” she shouted, rubbing her face one more time then crossing her arms over her chest. “Get away from there.”
A shuffle of movement followed, but instead of leaving like he should, Jay pulled open the rough door that closed off the bath partition and stood there, boldly looking at her. “You don’t really want me to go away now,
do you?”
“Yes, I do,” Tildie continued to shout. Panic quickly rose up to overtake her anger.
Jay shook his head. “Looks like you’re longing for company in that tub.” He stepped forward, shrugging out of his suspenders. “Especially since you’re all clean and smell so pretty.”
“You get out of here,” Tildie yelled as loud as she could.
Blessedly, her shouting had the desired effect. Half a second later. Clint dashed into the doorway. He grabbed Jay’s shoulder, spun him around, and punched him square in the face. Jay reeled, his head snapping back. Clint took hold of him with both hands and yanked him out of the bath partition. Tildie didn’t see what happened next, but she heard another sickening punch, followed by Clint growling, “If I ever catch you near Tildie again, I’ll rip your head off.”
Jay didn’t reply. Footsteps stumbling away were the only indication Tildie had of what happened. A moment later, Clint stepped back into the bath partition and closed the door behind him. He looked as mad as Tildie had ever seen him.
“Thanks,” she panted, her fear and anger dropping away. She was glad the bath was still a little warm since the whole incident made her shiver.
“I’ve just about had it with that fool,” Clint said in a hard voice, one Tildie wasn’t used to. “I have half a mind to leave him here when we take the horses back to Laramie.”
“Can we?” Tildie asked, still hugging herself.
Clint answered with a wry, frustrated grin. “I wish, but five eager, young horses, two of them stallions, will be hard enough to handle with four men, let alone two.”
“I can handle one of them,” Tildie said, sitting up straighter.
The movement brought her breasts right up to the top of the water level. Clint’s frustration melted into a teasing smile, desire clear in his eyes. Tildie wrapped her arms tighter around herself.
“Don’t you start too,” she warned him, feeling far friskier about Clint getting an illicit look at her than she could ever feel about Jay.
