As he led the horses to Harley’s corral, his heart ached for Sadie and the choice she had to make. Would she marry a man she didn’t love just to make a home for Abby and Martha? It seemed so unfair.
He patted the rump of his bay gelding then closed the corral gate. Harley was a good man, but the idea of Sadie and him together didn’t sit well with Trey. But for the life of him, he couldn’t understand why. And the Barker brothers weren’t right, either. They were younger than Sadie, and a bit too irresponsible for his taste.
When he turned back toward Sadie, she looked up and smiled. As if someone had shot him in the chest, his heart bucked. He suddenly realized that somehow he’d started to care for her. But to what degree?
Sadie frowned, and he realized he still stood there, staring at her. He pushed his feet forward. Now wasn’t the time to be analyzing his feelings for Sadie. He’d all but handed her over to Harley. Would it affect his friendship with the man if he suddenly declared that he cared for Sadie?
He fell in step with her, catching a whiff of her fresh lavender scent. His stomach tightened, and he had the oddest urge to reach for her hand, but he didn’t. Instead, he flicked a sideways glance at her and noticed her nibbling her lip. Why was she so nervous? This was just a gathering of neighbors, but he supposed it was much more than that to her.
A loud clanging drew his gaze to the porch, where Harley rang the dinner bell. The crowd moved toward him. “Welcome, everyone. I’m glad y’all could come on such short notice. I hope you’ll enjoy the food and fun tonight.” Harley’s gaze scanned the crowd as if searching for someone. “Mrs. Hunter, would you please come up here?”
Sadie gasped and took a step closer to Trey, her gaze jerking toward his. “Why does he want me to go up front?”
Trey lifted a hand to her shoulder. “I imagine he only wants to introduce you to all of our neighbors at once, rather than one at a time.”
She blew out a loud breath. “I prefer one at a time.”
Trey smiled. “Too late for that. You want me to come with you?”
Her grateful glance and the light touch to his arm warmed him. “Yes, please.”
Feeling chivalrous, he offered her his arm and escorted her toward the front porch. “Excuse us, please.”
The crowd parted, tossing curious looks their way. As he drew near the front of the group, he saw his mother beaming at him, and a niggle of apprehension skittered down his spine. Was he falling right into the trap his mother had laid for him?
They reached the porch steps, and he assisted Sadie to Harley’s side. The man smiled at her but cast an odd glance at Trey. He smiled, hoping to reassure Harley, then stepped back.
Harley took Sadie’s hand with more familiarity than Trey liked and turned her to face the crowd. “I’d like to introduce Sadie Hunter. She is a guest of Ella Carpenter, Trey’s mother, who is visiting from Kansas City. I hope y’all will introduce yourselves to both ladies.” He flashed Sadie a wide smile. “I’m of a mind to keep Mrs. Hunter—a widow with two darling daughters—in these parts.”
Sadie looked as if she wished she could turn into a vapor and disappear down a hole in the porch floor. Poor thing. He understood not wanting to be the object of everyone’s attention.
A motion near the barn caught Trey’s attention as four girls jogged toward the crowd with a fifth one—the biggest—following more slowly. Abby and Martha looked to be having fun. Would they be happier here with Harley as their father and the other girls to play with? Or was their place at his ranch with him?
His mouth went dry at the surprising thought. He not only had feelings for Sadie, but he cared for her daughters, as well. Maybe it was time he rethink this whole marriage thing.
Chapter 8
Five days after the gathering at Harley Biggs’s ranch, Sadie lay in bed, unable to sleep. Her thoughts kept bouncing back to the shindig. Harley had been a kind, friendly host, and she couldn’t quit thinking about his request to court her—his, along with several others, including both of the Barker twins. She flipped over, wishing Trey had been the one to ask. She’d caught him looking at her more than once, but he’d never said anything that made her think he might be interested. He hadn’t even danced with her once.
Sighing, she forced him from her mind. Of all the men who’d expressed interest, Harley was the only one she had seriously considered. Maybe it was being at his ranch and seeing that her girls would have a nice house to live in. Or the fact that his girls and hers got along as if they were old friends. Or that Harley was a good provider. His girls were nicely dressed and happy. They obviously adored their father. But would having a home and provisions for her daughters be enough for her? Could she be the wife Harley wanted and deserved?
Her marriage with Franklin had not been what she’d hope for, but she’d been a bit desperate then, too. Her father had died, and she needed to support her frail mother. Franklin had to marry to secure his inheritance, but he soon lost it all because of bad investments. Unshed tears burned her eyes, but she fought them away. She didn’t want another loveless marriage, but her daughters’ welfare was more important than her longings and desires.
Sadie sat up, wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her nightgown. She didn’t want to wake the girls with her crying. She stared out the open window at the sliver of moon. “What would you have me do, Lord,” she whispered. “I have to give Harley an answer soon.” Ella would be returning home in less than two weeks.
If only there had been a man back in Kansas City who was interested. At least the town was home to her. Texas seemed so far away from all that was familiar. But she liked the warmer temperatures and friendly people.
A peace settled over her. God knew what she needed, and He’d always provided. She slid under the sheet, folded her hands, and lay her cheek on them. She still had a few days to decide. Right now, Harley was her best choice. Truly, her only one.
Trey led the green broke colt he’d been working with back into the barn. He poured some feed into the trough and brushed the colt while he ate. His thoughts shot back once again to what he’d overheard Sadie tell his ma. She was going to accept Harley’s offer to court her.
The brush stilled. He’d been praying ever since the party about Sadie, but he still didn’t know what to do. She’d upset his plans. He’d had them written down for years and was well on his way to achieving all of his goals. But a wife wasn’t on the list.
Someone cleared her throat, and he glanced up. “You need something, Ma?”
Ella folded her hands in front of her. “I need to talk with you, James. Privately.”
She must have something serious to talk about since she’d used his first name. “Ain’t no one here but us.”
“Then put that brush away and come out here. I don’t want to talk to you while looking at a horse’s behind.”
He grinned. “Yes, ma’am.”
He returned the brush to its place on a shelf and joined her at the front of the barn.
“Let’s take a walk so we won’t be disturbed.”
Trey offered her his arm, and she looped hers around it. He turned them away from the house, walking past the barn then out to the pasture fence. He watched several young foals frolicking in the clover, a satisfied smile on his face.
His ma was silent for a long while, then she turned to him. “Are you going to admit to Sadie that you care for her, or are you going to stay silent and let her make the biggest mistake of her life?”
His eyebrows shot upward. “How do you know I have feelings for her?”
His ma rolled her eyes. “Because you can’t quit looking at her whenever you two are together.”
“Well, she’s pretty. And there ain’t a lot of pretty things to look at out here, except horses and cows.”
“Don’t say ain’t.” She smacked his arm. “I know you, Son. You make lists. You keep charts. And you don’t like change. But if you let Sadie marry Mr. Biggs, you’re making a terrible mistake. Can you not tell that she’s got feelin
gs for you?”
She does? “How is that possible when I haven’t done a thing to encourage them?”
Ma shook her head. “I declare, sometimes men can be as dumb as a mule when it comes to romance. A person can’t help who they love.”
Trey stared up at a hawk drifting on the warm breeze. “You think she loves me?”
“I think she could with just a tiny bit of encouragement from you.”
“But how do I know if it’s the right thing for us? What if Harley is a better match?”
Ella blew out such a loud sigh her lips fluttered. “Son, there’s not a thing wrong with you, other than you’re too inflexible at times. You can’t plan for every little detail of life. Haven’t you learned that in ranching?”
He had, even though he’d tried to prepare for everything. A man had no control over weather, wild animals that attacked a stray steer, or, it would seem, his own heart.
“I like Harley Biggs. He’s a nice man, and I believe he’d be good to Sadie and the girls, but let me ask you this. When you think of her marrying him, what’s your gut reaction?”
He didn’t like it. His ma was right about Harley, but he was not the right man for Sadie. “I see your point.”
“So you’ll talk to her?”
“I’ll pray about it.”
She rested her hand on his forearm. “Don’t take too long to pray, Son. There comes a time when God expects us to act on the things He’s telling us to do. I’d hate to see you miss out on the amazing blessing God has in store for you.”
He stared down into her warm, brown eyes and nodded.
She patted his shoulder. “You stay here and ponder what I said. I’ll see my way back to the house.”
That evening after supper, Trey sat down at his desk in the corner of the parlor. He took out his list of goals he’d made when he’d first arrived in Texas. Several things had been checked, showing that he’d achieved them. He’d found the land he wanted and bought it. At first, he built a small cabin, and later his house. He’d met his first goals of owning one hundred head of cattle, and then his next goal of two-hundred-and-fifty head. The only things remaining were acquiring more land, fencing off more of his land, and building a bigger barn.
He stared at the list in the flickering lamplight, tapped his pencil on the desk, then scratched in two new goals: Get married and become a father.
Trey rode back to the ranch, tired, hungry, and exhausted. The morning after he’d added to his goals list, Willy had ridden in fast to tell him that rustlers had stolen over fifty head of his cattle. Now, a week later, he reined his horse toward the house as it came into view, anxious to finally get a chance to talk to Sadie and tell her how much he’d missed her and the girls.
As he neared the porch, Abby burst out the front door, waving. “You’re home, Mr. Trey. Where have you been?”
His ma stepped out the door with Martha in tow. “I’m glad you’re back. Did you catch the rustlers?”
He dismounted and dropped the reins. “We did. Took awhile, but we managed to track them and catch them before they got to the stockyards in Denison. Fortunately, Sam Holbrooke was in town and vouched for me with the marshal. The thieves are locked up, and the cattle are back in the pasture.”
“That’s good.” His mother looked past his shoulder and frowned.
He turned to see a buggy approaching with Harley driving and Sadie as the passenger. Trey’s heart tightened. Had he missed his chance with her?
He felt something beside him and looked down. Abby leaned against his leg, scowling.
Harley smiled. “Welcome back. You catch the rustlers?”
Trey nodded, his throat tight at seeing the two together. He glanced at Sadie, who squirmed in her seat and offered a sad smile.
His neighbor helped her down and then wrapped his arm possessively around Sadie’s waist. Though she seemed uncomfortable, Harley beamed in a manner Trey had rarely seen, setting his gut on edge. “We have an announcement to make. Sadie has agreed to marry me.”
Abby gasped then spun around and ran into the house. Trey wished he could follow, because with the way he felt at the moment, he didn’t want to be around anyone. Why hadn’t he said something before he left? Let Sadie know that she’d sneaked in and stolen his heart? It ached at the thought of her in Harley’s arms. Still, being the gentleman his ma raised him to be, he forced a smile and stepped forward, hand extended. “Congratulations.” He slid his gaze to Sadie’s, but she’d ducked her head. “I know Harley will be good to you and your daughters.”
He moved back. “I… uhh… need to see to my horse.” Quickly, he turned and grabbed his gelding’s reins and led him to the barn. Trey’s feet felt as if they were trapped in quicksand. How had this happened? He’d prayed and felt God leading him to ask Sadie to marry him. Why had God allowed Harley to beat him to the punch? He must have heard wrong.
In the barn, he leaned against the stall gate, head down. He’d waited too long, and now another man would marry the only woman he’d ever loved.
Sadie turned to Harley. “Thank you for the ride, but I need to see why Abby’s upset.”
Harley frowned. “You don’t suppose it’s because we’re marrying, do you?”
Sadie shrugged. “I hope not, and I don’t see why she would be. She adores your girls. I need to talk to her.”
He nodded. “Go on. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Sadie smiled and hurried away before he could kiss her again. The one kiss he’d given her after she’d agreed to marry him had done nothing to excite her. In fact, it made her feel as if her decision had been a mistake.
She glanced at Ella as she passed her on the porch.
“I’ll keep Martha with me while you talk to Abby. I think we’ll walk out and see the horses.”
In the house, she found Abby crying on the bed. She sat down beside her and rubbed her back. “What’s wrong, sweetie?”
“I don’t want you to marry him. I want Mr. Trey to be my new papa.”
Sadie’s eyes burned. She, too, had hoped Trey would come around and want them for his family. “Mr. Trey didn’t ask me to marry him.”
Abby rolled over. “Why can’t you ask him?”
“I… well… that’s not the way it’s done.”
“Why not?”
“Because it isn’t.”
Abby crossed her arms. “That’s not a good reason.”
Sadie stared out the window. She didn’t love Harley, and it wouldn’t be fair to him or his girls. Dare she talk to Trey? He’d seemed upset. Did the idea of her marrying Harley bother him? A tiny flame of hope flickered in her chest. What did she have to lose?
She hopped up.
“Where are you going?”
“To talk to Trey.”
Abby squealed and clapped her hands. Sadie wanted to warn her not to get her hopes up, but she was afraid if she turned back, she’d lose her courage. At the front door, she peeked out to make sure Harley was gone. Ella and Martha were on the far side of the barn and not likely to see her. She all but ran to the barn doors then stepped inside, allowing her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting.
Trey stood bent over a stall gate, his still-saddled horse behind him. He groaned. Sadie walked toward him, surprised he didn’t notice, then she touched his shoulders. He jerked up and swiped his sleeve over his moist eyes. “Sadie? I didn’t hear you.”
She felt awful to see him upset, but the fact that he was fed her hope. “Can we talk?”
He looked away then back. “Uh… sure. When do you plan to”—he cleared his throat—“marry?”
Sadie muttered a prayer for God’s will and strength to say her piece. “Are you sure you don’t mind if I marry Harley?”
He shrugged and patted his horse. “Why should I?”
Her heart plunged. This was a mistake. “Oh, never mind.” She spun around, tears burning her eyes. She thought she’d seen longing in his gaze before he left to track the rustlers, but she’d been wrong. Abby would be disappoi
nted again. And Sadie was doomed to another loveless marriage. She sucked back a sob and quickened her pace. She wouldn’t let Trey see her cry.
Footsteps sounded behind her, and she ran for the porch.
“Sadie, wait. Please.”
She didn’t want to talk to Trey, but after his hospitality, she owed him that much. She stopped but didn’t face him.
“I’m a muttonhead.”
His unexpected comment surprised her so much that she turned. “What?”
He gazed at her with—dare she hope?—affection.
“I allowed my goals and my lists to be more important than what my heart was telling me. I’m stubborn and inflexible at times, but I can’t let you marry Harley.”
“Why?” she uttered on a whisper.
“Because I love you. I want you to marry me—that is, if you feel the same.”
“Oh, Trey! I do.” She leaped into his arms, tears again trailing down her cheeks, but this time they were happy tears.
He pulled her against him and swung her around. She laughed at the joy flooding her.
The front door banged, and Abby ran out. “What’s happening?”
Trey set Sadie down, smiled at her, then looked at Abby. “I just asked your ma to marry me, and she agreed.”
“What about Mr. Biggs?” Abby asked.
“We’ll have to tell him, of course, but I think he’ll understand.”
“So, you’re gonna be my new pa?” Abby’s eyes glistened, and she held her hands to her mouth as if afraid to believe it was true.
Trey nodded. “I want nothing more than to marry your ma and be your pa.”
Abby squealed, rushed down the steps, and ran to Trey. He lifted her up and twirled her around, while Abby yelled, “Wheeee!”
Sadie smiled as Ella hurried toward them. “What’s going on?”
The Cowboy’s Bride Collection: 9 Historical Romances Form on Old West Ranches Page 37
