The Cowboy’s Bride Collection: 9 Historical Romances Form on Old West Ranches
Page 35
“You reckon y’all could come to supper Saturday evening?”
“Mrs. Hunter has two daughters, and my ma is here. You sure you want more females at your place?” Trey smiled to show he was teasing.
“I’d prefer a widow with sons or no children, but sometimes a man can’t be picky. Takin’ care of the house, laundry, and younger girls is keeping Emily from finishin’ school—and that was real important to her ma. Emily’s so far behind, I don’t know if she could ever catch up. Some men may not care that their daughters are educated, but I made a promise to my wife the day she died that I’d keep them in school.”
“I understand. We can come to supper, but let us bring something. Ma will insist. How about dessert? Would that be all right?”
Harley nodded. “Sounds fine.” He glanced toward the house. “You think I could meet ’er?”
Trey’s gut knotted. How many other men would want to make Sadie’s acquaintance? It wasn’t that he wanted her for himself, but it sure would interfere with his work if a regiment of men started passing through, all hoping to meet his pretty guest. “Uh… sure thing.”
He pushed his feet forward, surprised by his hesitance. He ought to be glad to introduce Mrs. Hunter to his friends. The sooner she met someone and received a proposal, the sooner she and her girls would be out of his hair.
Sadie added an herb mixture to the stew then glanced over to where Martha sat on the floor near the kitchen door, stacking some empty cans Ella had washed out. Abby and Betsy sat in the parlor, playing with Abby’s doll.
“You’d think those girls had known one another for years.” Ella smiled as she measured the flour for biscuits.
Sadie nodded and leaned closer. “Abby has missed her friends. Knowing she can make new ones here will make things easier for all of us.”
Trey walked through the open front door. Sadie turned back to the food and dumped the carrots into the broth. Why did he make her nervous? Was it because she and the girls had practically taken over his house? In all honesty, he didn’t seem to mind much. But every time he came near her, she found it hard to breathe.
“Time to be heading back, little bit.”
At the sound of a man’s voice she didn’t recognize, Sadie spun around. So this was Betsy’s father. Though shorter than Trey, he was a comely man with darkly tanned skin that looked nice with his light brown hair and hazel eyes. He glanced her way and smiled. Apprehension wove its way down her spine like an insect on a vine. Had the suitors started coming? But this man had a daughter, so maybe he also had a wife. She glanced at Trey, a bit surprised by his less than cordial expression. What had upset him?
“Aw, Pa. Do we have to go already?” Betsy cried.
“Yes. I have chores waitin’.” The man removed his hat and looked at Ella. “Nice to see you again, Mrs. Carpenter. You remember me?”
Ella nodded. “Mr. Biggs?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“How are your daughters? There are four of them, correct?”
He nodded. “Growin’ like wildflowers after a spring rain.” His gaze shifted to Sadie and clung there. “Harley Biggs, ma’am. Welcome to our part of Texas.”
Sadie swallowed the lump building in her throat. Ella hadn’t inquired about the man’s wife. Did that mean he didn’t have one? “Um… a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Biggs.”
Trey cleared his throat. “Harley has invited us for supper at his place on Saturday.”
Ella’s eyes lit up. “How nice. What can we bring?”
Trey lifted one hand. “Already worked that out. We’re bringing the dessert.”
“That’s fine. We’ll have to figure up something special to make.”
“Anything except apple pie would be welcome. It seems that’s the only dessert my Emily knows how to make.” The man’s neck grew red, and he flicked a glance toward his daughter. “Not that I’m complainin’, but it would be nice to have somethin’ different.”
Ella stepped forward. “Not to worry, Mr. Biggs. Your secret is safe with us.”
“Thank you, ma’am. We’ll look forward to seein’ you around five, then.”
Ella smiled. “We appreciate the invitation.”
Mr. Biggs gently tugged on one of his daughter’s braids. “Time to go, little bit.” His gaze sought Sadie’s again. “Very nice to meet you, Mrs. Hunter.”
As soon as the men and Abby and Betsy had left the room, Ella shoved her hands to her hips and grinned widely. “Looks like word has gotten around the area that there’s a pretty widow in town.”
“Ha-ha.” She busied herself by stirring the stew again. “Isn’t Mr. Biggs married?”
“His wife died several years ago, leaving him to care for four daughters. I’m guessing he came over here to inspect you.” She chuckled and went back to her biscuit dough. “Just imagine. If you and Harley married, you’d have a half-dozen daughters.”
Sadie stared at the simmering stew. She’d heard there were seven men to every woman in Texas. What if men started coming to see her? Would Trey be upset to have so much company? And how would she get to know a man well enough to know if she wanted to marry him or not? But then, she really couldn’t afford to be too picky. She couldn’t live with Ella much longer. She would have to make a quick decision, for the girls’ sake. Her eyes stung at the thought of a loveless marriage. Her first one hadn’t been what she hoped for, and now it seemed like the second one might not either.
Chapter 6
On Friday afternoon, Trey escorted Sadie to the nearest pasture that held his cattle. She seemed more comfortable riding after several days of practicing, but she’d done nothing but walk so far. How would she handle going faster?
“Are all of these your cattle?”
“This is only part of my herd. Most of mine are longhorns, but these are shorthorn.”
“Why does that big cow look different from the others? I like its white face.”
Trey struggled not to grin and failed. “Well, he’s a bull for one, and second, he’s a Hereford.”
“What’s that?”
“A breed imported from England. I bought this bull and another young one from Captain Ikard of Henrietta. Lost the younger one to tick fever last fall.”
“I’m sorry.”
Trey shrugged, although her sympathetic gaze touched something deep within him. “Loss is part of life here.”
“It doesn’t mean you can’t grieve over it.”
“You’re right, and I did… some. I’m just thankful God saved this bull and that he’s healthy and doing well.”
Sadie turned her horse and looked at him. “If you raise longhorns, why do you have these other breeds, too?”
“The longhorns have horns that spread six feet—or more—across. They’re fairly docile cattle, but the horns can be dangerous, and they don’t have as much meat as Herefords. But longhorns are a hardy stock and don’t require as much land for grazing as some of the other breeds.”
Sadie stared off into the distance. “I wouldn’t think land would be a problem out here. It seems to go on forever.”
Because of the wistfulness in her voice, he couldn’t tell if she thought that a good thing or not. “There is a lot of land here, but most of it is owned by others. I only own twenty-five hundred acres, so I have to be careful not to raise more cattle than I can feed or keep track of.”
Sadie’s eyes widened. “You own over two thousand acres?”
“Yeah, but the TC Ranch is small compared to most out here.”
“Small? It sounds huge to me.”
Trey glanced at her, noting she was serious. He’d worked hard to raise the money to buy his land and was proud of it. “It’s big enough for now, but I’d like to purchase more land one day and get more cattle.”
“Why would you want more? I mean, how do you keep up with them all when there aren’t many fences?”
“Some of my land is fenced, and the cows tend to stay near the ponds. We check on them every few days—or daily during calving se
ason.”
Sadie blew out a sigh. “There’s so much to learn.”
“You’re doing fine. Just look at you sitting that horse all by yourself.”
Her quick smile and glistening eyes made his gut tighten. Sadie Hunter was a pretty woman. He realized he was staring. “We… uh… best get on with your lesson.”
“What are we going to do?”
“You’re to ride near me. We’ll head over to the far side of the cattle then drive them closer to the barn. I don’t want them getting mixed with the longhorns.”
Her smile fled, but she nodded and reined her horse the direction he turned. “I saw some of those longhorns at the depot in Denison when we stopped there. How do you keep from getting stabbed by their giant horns?”
He guided his horse around behind the herd then turned back toward them. “Longhorns are gentle by nature, but you do need to be careful.” He checked on Sadie, and she looked comfortable in the saddle. “Stick to my side like a sandbur, and don’t get close to any cows with calves. They can be cranky. I’ll be making some noise and slapping my reins or lasso against my chaps, but don’t worry about that.”
She nodded, her eyes growing wide. The light breeze tugged wisps of hair from her bun, trailing them alongside her face in a beguiling manner. Trey swallowed hard.
He refocused on his task, clucking out the side of his mouth and slapping the end of his reins on his chaps. “Yip! Yip! Get along there. Move on now.”
The nearest steer bellowed then started walking. Several other cows joined it, and soon the herd was headed in the right direction. Trey kept an eye on his bull. Big Red was a good-natured beast for the most part and usually followed his ladies after a bit.
“Keep going, you lazy beast.” Sadie slapped her reins against her skirt, but it only made a muffled splat. She’d wandered about thirty feet away.
Trey grinned.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a cow rising up behind a Texas sagebush. He recognized the pattern of her hide as being one of the bred heifers—and from the looks of things, she’d delivered her first calf. This particular cow had given him problems in the past—and Sadie was almost upon her. The cow wailed a loud warning.
Sadie jumped at the caterwauling on her right. A brown-and-white cow lowered its head and bellowed again. On the other side of the beast, a tiny calf struggled to rise.
“Come here. Now!”
Her heart pounded at the intensity of Trey’s voice. The cow suddenly lurched toward her, charging. Her horse shied sideways. She grabbed the saddle horn and fought to stay mounted.
“Sadie!” Trey galloped his horse toward her.
The cow jerked to a stop, just short of ramming her horse, but her frightened mount now trotted toward the main herd. Sadie tilted to the right, struggling not to fall. Would that crazed cow charge her if she did?
“Hold on.” Trey turned his horse and rode alongside of hers. He reached over and plucked her off her horse. He stood in his stirrups, slid backward, then deposited her on his saddle with both her legs hanging down the left side. Trey’s right arm supported her back. “You’re safe now.”
She looked into his brown eyes, only inches from his face. She wanted to be brave—to show him she had it in her to be a cattleman’s wife, but the thought of dying and leaving her girls orphaned brought tears to her eyes. She ducked her head and wiped them away. “I’m sorry.”
“You had no way of knowing that cow had just given birth. I should have been more aware of her since I’d checked yesterday and knew she was getting close. She’s a first-time mother, and sometimes they can be mean after calving.”
His breath on her cheek loosed a herd of butterflies in her stomach. She could feel his gaze on her.
“Are you all right?”
“I was frightened, but I’m fine now.” Or she would be as soon as he put her down. Franklin had never held her close, other than when he wanted to exercise his husbandly rights. Being held in Trey’s arms confused her.
“You kept your head and didn’t panic.”
His surprising comment drew her gaze back to his. Trey held her gaze for a long moment, then his eyes lowered to her lips. Sadie’s heart thundered.
Suddenly, Trey looked past her and cleared his throat. “I’d best get you back to the house so I can check on that calf. Once in a while a new mama will refuse to let her calf nurse.”
Sadie worked to keep her voice from sounding crackly. “What do you do when that happens?”
“If I can’t get the cow to accept the calf, I’ll put the calf in the barn and bottle feed it.”
“That sounds like a lot of work.”
“It is, but it’s worth it to not lose a valuable calf.”
“Does that happen often?”
“No.”
They fell into silence as the house came in view. Sadie’s backside had gone to sleep, and she longed to move but was afraid to with Trey so close. She sat stiffly, no longer leaning against his arm. At first, his closeness had been welcomed, but now she just wanted down. He must think her completely inept to have something like this happen the first time she went riding. And what about her horse? She looked over her shoulder and saw it grazing a safe distance from the herd.
As she turned back, her gaze locked with Trey’s again. She was so close she could see several different shades of brown in his eyes.
Trey cleared his throat. “Your eyes are so pretty.”
She sucked in a breath. “Why… um… thank you. I like your eyes, too. They’re so dark.”
He lifted one brow, and she turned her head, studying her lap. Why had she said that? He’d think she was trying to woo him. If only he cared for her. It would make things so simple. She couldn’t deny her attraction to Trey Carpenter, but for some reason, he found her lacking. She couldn’t force him to like her—or could she?
If she confessed to Ella that she was drawn to her son, her friend would probably encourage Trey to see how much he needed her. Could she do that? Would the good Lord frown on such behavior? While married to Franklin, she’d learned how one-track minded a man could be—so focused on one goal that he missed other important things happening around him. Was Trey so focused on his ranch that he couldn’t see how a wife would benefit him? Dare she try to remove the blinders from his eyes?
Trey lowered Sadie to the ground near the porch. He tipped his hat then reined his horse around and rode back to the pasture. His heart still pounded after holding her in his arms in such an intimate manner. Had she been able to tell how her nearness affected him?
He shook his head. Why had he made that comment about her eyes? He’d done well to avoid becoming attracted to a woman, even the few who blatantly sought him out whenever he attended church in Sherman. His work kept him busy and tied to the ranch. He had plans that didn’t include a wife and children—at least not for a few more years. Sure, he wanted to be a father… one day. He thought of Sadie’s charming little girls and how beguiling they were. He couldn’t help liking them, especially Abby, who followed him around like a rescued pup.
He didn’t want to be attracted to Sadie, either. But when that cow had charged, he’d nearly come out of his skin trying to get to Sadie and keep her from getting hurt. He may not want her for his wife, but he didn’t want anything to happen to her either. Those girls needed her.
As he neared the herd, he realized that the idea of having her for a wife wasn’t nearly as distasteful as it had been when his ma first arrived and surprised him with three unexpected guests. Sadie was a lovely woman—kindhearted and a good mother. Any man would be proud to walk down the streets of Sherman with her on his arm. And she was a godly woman. He’d seen her bow her head in prayer and heard her reading Bible stories to her girls.
But as much as he was attracted to her, he wasn’t ready to be married. He had plans, and he’d always been the kind of man who walked out his plans. He rarely changed his mind once he had them on paper except when nature forced him to. And marrying was a hu
ge detour. And yet, the idea of Sadie in another man’s arms didn’t sit well, either.
He thought of her mesmerizing cornflower-blue eyes, then groaned and slapped his hat against his leg. No, he wasn’t ready to think of marriage, not even if he had to disappoint his ma.
He glanced up at the sky, remembering how Eve had ruined things for Adam in the Garden of Eden. “How come women always have to mess up a man’s life?”
What if Sadie had gotten badly hurt today? What would happen to her girls? A shudder ran down his spine at the thought.
Back at the herd, he lassoed the cow that had charged Sadie’s horse and tied her to a tree. She bellowed and fought the rope as Trey dismounted near the bull calf and checked him for problems. He looked healthy as he hollered for his mama. Trey released him, and the young fellow trotted to her side. She quieted as he drew near, nuzzled him, and allowed him to nurse, although she kept a hard eye on Trey. He smiled at the scene. Calving season was one of his favorite times of year, except for missing sleep when a cow decided to drop her calf in the middle of the night.
He stretched then remounted and released the cow. She lumbered back to the herd with her calf following. Too bad it wasn’t as easy to deal with a woman and her young’uns.
Trey returned to the barn. He needed to muck out the stalls before joining his men where they were rounding up the longhorns and herding them closer to home. He grabbed the wheelbarrow and pitchfork and started removing the soiled hay. He’d be glad when they’d finished fencing his land so his three workhands wouldn’t have to spend so many hours riding herd, but it was a slow process. After a man had visited the state last year, talking about the end of open ranging and the beginning of fenced property, he’d seen the wisdom in it and had bought three wagonloads of barbed wire. Once they got all of the posts in, the fencing would go much faster, but they still had hundreds of posts to set. Maybe he should sell off some of his herd and hire a crew to finish the task.