Groom For Hire (Pioneer Series #3)

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  She opened her eyes, and he quickly averted his gaze, hoping she hadn’t caught him staring at her. She sat up and stretched her arms above her head. He really wished she wasn’t doing that because it only brought his attention to her breasts. Forcing his eyes off of them, he drank the rest of his coffee.

  “What time is it?” she asked.

  He dared a peek at her and was relieved to see she’d put her arms back down to her sides. “It’s four-thirty. You should go back to sleep.”

  “I don’t think I can,” she replied. “I still can’t believe you’re letting me do the lookout. It makes me feel useful.”

  He shook his head but poured her a cup of coffee since it didn’t look like she’d be going back to sleep. He held it out to her and waited for her to take it before he said, “Everyone has a use on a wagon train. The women who make food and take care of the children have as important of a role as you do right now.”

  “I know. I’m not saying they don’t. I just think it’s more fun to be here. Next time the men hunt, I want to join them.”

  “We already discussed this. You can’t be alone with a group of men while they’re hunting.”

  “But if one of them tries something they shouldn’t,” she gave him a pointed look, “which I don’t think will happen, I can threaten to shoot him in the foot. That’ll stop him.”

  “Not if more than one goes after you.”

  She let out an exasperated sigh. “The men are honorable, Joe. No one is going to try something.”

  “One of them would like to get a chance to kiss you if he could.”

  Her eyes lit up and she moved over to him.

  Startled, he scooted away from her. “What are you doing?”

  “It’s you, isn’t it?” she asked. “That’s why you asked me to keep this lookout with you. It wasn’t because you wanted the help. You wanted to be with me.”

  It was a good thing he wasn’t trying to drink coffee when she said that because if he had been, he might have spit it out. “No! It’s not me.”

  She frowned. “Oh.”

  “Why do you think it was me I was talking about? I don’t go hunting with the men. I stay here and keep watch over everyone.”

  She shrugged. “You’ve been glancing my way a lot more than usual lately, and you’ve been nice to me. I thought it meant something.”

  “Well, it didn’t. This is a temporary marriage. My place is out on the trail. Yours is at a ballet watching men gracefully prance around in tights.”

  He thought this might deter her, but she only smiled at him. “But you’re letting me help you keep watch, and that means we have to spend time together.” She scanned their surroundings where everyone slept except for Brandon, who was too far to hear them. “You didn’t ask any other woman to do this.”

  “No other woman wants to do it,” he reminded her. “They’re smart enough to want to sleep all through the night.”

  “Alright, you have a point. However, you could have paired me up with Brandon, but you didn’t.”

  “I couldn’t do that. I can’t risk something happening between you and Brandon. Your father would have me hung if I risked your virtue.”

  Her enthusiasm diminished, and he almost felt sorry for her. Almost. There was no sense in giving her false hope. There was nothing between them. There never would be. The sooner she came to grips with that, the better.

  “Danny likes you,” he said. “I told you that before, but you didn’t believe me. Well, guess what? It’s the truth. The day we left Omaha, he asked me if he could court you.”

  “He did?”

  He couldn’t tell if she was intrigued or disappointed by the announcement, but he said, “I told him to wait until you’re in California. It’s important I get you there before you accept his offer for your hand.”

  “Hmm…” She brushed the edge of her cup with her thumb. “He doesn’t like being out here.”

  “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “A lot. I don’t think I can go back to ballets now that I’ve been out here. I like shooting the gun and keeping watch during the night. I think it might be fun to ride a horse, too.”

  “Ride a horse?”

  “Yes. I didn’t get to ride one nearly enough back in Omaha because I had too many lessons to tend to. Horses are wonderful animals.”

  Joe couldn’t argue her point. His own horse, Buck, was more like a friend than an animal. They’d been through a lot together, and sometimes, he felt like Buck understood him better than any person ever did.

  “Can’t I leave with you when you return to Omaha?” she asked. “Then we can do these wagon trains together as a team.”

  She couldn’t be serious! “Don’t you know why I signed a contract with your father? It was for the explicit purpose of getting you to California.”

  “I know, but I’d rather be doing this.”

  “That isn’t for you to decide. I signed a contract with your father, and I’m bound to honor that.”

  “Then let me write him a letter when we get to the next town. I’ll explain everything, and then I don’t have to stay there.”

  “It’s not that easy.”

  “Sure, it is. He might be my father, but you’re my husband. My first obligation is to you now.”

  Why was it that ever since they got married all she wanted to do was argue with him? He hadn’t said anything to her about wanting to stay married to her. He’d made it clear that theirs was a temporary marriage. So why did he have to keep saying it?

  “No, your first obligation is to your father,” he said. “This marriage is based on a contract. That’s it.”

  “Why don’t I get a say in any of this?”

  “Because it was the agreement your father and I made.”

  “Without consulting me.”

  “You’re telling me that if you’d been there when we made the agreement, you would have insisted that you and I stay married?”

  “I wouldn’t have insisted on it, but I would have marked it down as an option,” she said. “Joe, you’re the first person who’s actually let me do something I wanted to instead of telling me what to do. It’s nice to have the freedom to make some of my own decisions for a change.”

  Oh, so that was it. She didn’t want to be with him, per se. She liked the fact that he was allowing her to try some things she’d never been able to do before. In that case, maybe picking her to help him with the lookout was a mistake. Maybe he should have listened to Alice.

  “We have time before we get to California,” she finally said. “Will you at least consider the possibility of staying married to me? I’m not that bad once you give me a chance.”

  He finished his coffee and stood up. He never said she was a bad choice for a wife. She just wasn’t the right choice for him. “Michelle, we come from two different worlds. I will never belong with the wealthy crowd.”

  “Maybe I don’t belong there, either.”

  His eyes went heavenward. There was no reasoning with her. She only heard what she wanted to hear, and quite frankly, he had more important things to do than to waste his time going in circles with her.

  “I’m going to take care of some personal business,” he told her, hoping that by adding the “personal” part, she wouldn’t follow him.

  She had a surprising ability to argue her point. A lot of what she said made sense, and it didn’t help that she insisted on looking at him in a way that threatened to weaken his resolve. He had to get away from her and clear his head. He couldn’t let this conversation interfere with sound judgment. Without waiting for her response, he headed to a spot along the prairie where he could be alone.

  Chapter 13

  Two weeks later when Joe passed by the Taylor wagon during his rounds of making sure everyone was ready to go, he saw Michelle and Henrietta inspecting a pistol.

  Since Danny was caring for the animals and Mrs. Taylor was putting something in the back of the wagon, Joe hurried over to them. “What are you
doing with that?” he asked the two women.

  Michelle and Henrietta glanced up at him, but it was only Henrietta who looked embarrassed.

  “We found it in one of the trunks in the wagon,” Michelle told him. “Now that I know how to shoot it, I can help protect the camp.”

  “You plan to carry a gun with you?” Joe asked, hoping he misunderstood.

  “Not in my hand,” she said. “We found this in the wagon, too.” She lifted the hem of her skirt and showed him the holster she’d tied to the rope she had wrapped around her leg.

  He didn’t know what was worse: the fact that she was showing off her leg to anyone who happened to be looking or the fact that she was determined to carry a weapon at all times. No. He knew. It was the whole thing with her leg. How dare she be showing all the men in the camp so much of her body like that?

  “Put that down,” he demanded as he tugged on her skirt so that the hem was back at her ankle. He straightened up and gestured to the pistol. “And you should put that back in the wagon.”

  “Why?” she asked, her eyes wide as if she couldn’t believe what he was saying. “This is perfect if we get attacked. No one will suspect I have a gun.”

  “We aren’t going to get attacked. In all of my years of doing this, the worst danger I’ve ever faced is the threat of an illness that might spread to everyone. Michelle, these trails are well traveled. There’s no reason to worry.”

  “What about wild Indians?” Henrietta asked.

  “Indians aren’t wild. They like to trade things. They aren’t interested in attacking.”

  “But I heard stories about them stealing white women and making them one of their many wives,” Henrietta argued.

  He shouldn’t encourage this nonsense, but something in him couldn’t resist. “What stories?”

  “The ones Alice keeps saying.”

  “Alice? You mean the same Alice who is on this trail with us?”

  Henrietta nodded.

  “Alice doesn’t know what she’s talking about,” Joe replied. “She’s trying to scare you.”

  “Then maybe some other group will attack us,” Michelle spoke up. “I heard outlaws like it out West. It’s not as tame out here as it is in the cities.”

  “Outlaws get caught pretty fast.” Then, before Michelle could think it was people on the wagon trains doing the catching, he added, “By deputies and marshals. The men whose jobs it is to do it.”

  Undeterred by his logic, Michelle said, “Just because you haven’t had an attack while on a trail before, it doesn’t mean one can’t happen.”

  “It’s very unlikely,” he replied.

  “But it’s possible,” Henrietta pressed.

  He was ready to protest but thought better of it. The two women seemed to be intent on arguing with him. Nothing he said was going to work. Finally, he opted for, “Yes, it is possible. But that’s what the men are here for. We’re supposed to protect you and the other women.”

  “But she knows how to shoot a gun,” Henrietta said. “The attackers will never expect it, and since they won’t, she’ll be at an advantage.”

  He let out an exasperated sigh, hoping they understood just how annoying they were being.

  It did no good, however, because Michelle said, “Exactly! If our attackers take away guns, it’ll be from the men. They wouldn’t expect me to have one. Then, when the attackers have their backs turned, I can surprise them by shooting at them.”

  “Not that this will ever be an issue,” Joe said. “But let’s say you two are right. Let’s say we do get attacked. Your plan might work if there’s one attacker. But chances are, they’ll be more than one, and if that happens, a lone woman with a gun isn’t going to do any good. You’ll probably get shot right on the spot.”

  “Not if there’s more than one woman who can shoot a gun,” Henrietta replied.

  Michelle’s eyes lit up. “That’s an excellent idea!” she told her friend. “I should teach you and other women how to shoot a gun.”

  What? Michelle couldn’t be serious! It was enough that he’d been letting her take over most of the duties he’d only reserved for the men. He couldn’t let this go further than that.

  He took Michelle by the hand and led her away from Henrietta so he could talk to her in private. “I can’t let you teach the women how to shoot. Alice is already upset that I’ve been letting you do so much around here. You start teaching women how to shoot, and you’re going to face her wrath.”

  “Who cares what Alice thinks? She’s not happy with anything.”

  “I want this trip to be as peaceful as possible. The last thing anyone needs is for Alice to start causing problems around here.” Again.

  “If Alice stirs up any trouble, then I’ll deal with it. I can handle women like her.”

  “Can you?”

  “Sure. I’ve been around similar women in Omaha when I had to attend the boring social engagements. Sometimes all it takes is one person standing up to them to make them stop.”

  He was ready to ask her why she insisted on arguing with him about everything, but it’d do no good because she’d only argue that she wasn’t arguing with him. Setting his hands on his hips, he glanced over at Alice who was, predictably, telling Stuart how to properly hitch up the oxen. The poor man never got a break from her nagging.

  Well, maybe if he let Michelle do whatever she wanted, Alice would leave him alone for a change and bother her instead. And, if Michelle was as good at handling people like Alice as she thought, then she’d be doing everyone a favor.

  “Alright, you can do it,” he told Michelle.

  Michelle’s eyes lit up. “You mean it? I can teach the women how to shoot?”

  “Yep.”

  Without warning, she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a big hug. “Thank you, Joe!”

  He gently pushed her away from him. He didn’t need to be so close to her. It was enough he could see the outline of those wonderful breasts through her shirtwaist. He didn’t need to feel them, too.

  Smiling as if all her dreams were coming true, she asked, “Will you let me ride a horse today?”

  What? She couldn’t be serious. He’d just said she could teach the women how to shoot a gun. Wasn’t that enough? “You have a habit of asking for way too much.”

  “Well, asking works.” She shot him another smile that was meant to weaken him and added, “Wouldn’t it be great if I could ride your horse? Then you could take a break from time to time while I ride up and down the wagon train to see if anyone needs something.”

  “I already have help.” He motioned to Brandon who was sitting by himself, away from the group—doing absolutely nothing. He grimaced. Why did Brandon have to choose this moment to ruin his argument?

  “I can do everything he can,” Michelle insisted. “In fact, I bet I’ll do a better job because I want to do the work and he doesn’t.”

  So the others could tell Brandon didn’t want to be working on this trail, too. He was going to have to talk to Brandon about this later. Right now, they had to head out for the day.

  Turning his gaze back to Michelle, he said, “No, you’re not riding my horse.” He started to walk away from her when he heard her following him. With a groan, he faced her again. “If you don’t think the things I’ve given you to do are enough, then help the men hitch up their animals or help the women put things away in the wagon. Those are tasks that are a part of my job. I don’t just keep lookout and ride a horse.”

  She paused then nodded. “Yes, that’s true. I’ve seen you do those things. Alright. I’ll do that then.”

  Surprised she hadn’t argued that those tasks weren’t as fun as riding a horse, he watched as she headed off to one of the wagons. She stopped on the way there, lifted her skirt, and slipped the gun into the holster on her leg before she continued on her way. He scanned the area to make sure none of the men had seen her, and fortunately, no one had.

  Hadn’t her father taken the time to explain how inappropriate s
howing off her legs were? Or did she assume that since they weren’t in town, she was free to do whatever she wanted? He shook his head. There was no doubt about it. She was going to be the death of him if she kept this up.

  * * *

  Things were surprisingly quiet for the next two weeks. Joe kept expecting Michelle to take Henrietta outside the camp to practice shooting, but it seemed as if Henrietta wasn’t as eager to learn as Michelle had been. Henrietta came up with all kinds of excuses on things she needed to do, and personally, Joe was relieved. Maybe now Michelle would settle down and focus on helping Henrietta with the cooking before she joined him for the lookout in the evenings.

  But any notion that Michelle was going to give up on trying to talk Henrietta into shooting a gun came to a screeching halt one afternoon during one of their breaks. The day had been hotter than the others preceding it, and Joe was with most of the other people who were washing their faces and arms in the stream they’d found.

  He had just rubbed cool water on the back of his neck when a gunshot rang through the air. He bolted up and turned his gaze to the direction of the wagons. Surely, they weren’t being invaded. When he ordered everyone to take a break, there hadn’t been anyone else on the prairie.

  “Are we in danger?” Sherry called out to him from where she and her family were collecting water into their canteens.

  “No, I don’t think so,” he replied.

  However, to find out why someone had shot a gun, he hurried to the wagons that were lined up not too far from the stream. The oxen, cows, and horses were all chewing the grass. No one was screaming or crying. So evidently, the group wasn’t in any kind of danger.

  His footsteps slowed as he slipped between two wagons.

  His gaze went to Phillipa who was hugging Michelle, and in Michelle’s hand was the gun he’d no doubt heard. “Thank you, Michelle,” she was saying. “I didn’t even see it!” She pulled away from her and put her arm around her ten-year-old daughter’s shoulders. “I don’t know what I would have done if she got bitten by one of those things.”