The Rancher’s Bride Arrangement (Brides 0f Inspiration Book 1)

by Maya Stirling

  Nathan frowned. “Is it anything I should be getting worried about?”

  Zane thought for a few moments, debating what he should tell Nathan. Zane knew the Sheriff already had his eye on Calhoun. Now he’d likely be especially vigilant.

  Zane shook his head. “You know what Calhoun can be like. He’s all talk. Especially with his sidekick next to him as a witness.”

  “Barnes is getting himself in deep,” Nathan replied. “I wonder if he realizes he’s been made a fool of. Calhoun’s using Barnes and his connections to try and tie up as much of this town as he can.”

  Zane nodded. “He already owns too much land around these parts.”

  “And don’t forget his interests in the saloon and the ladies who work there,” Nathan added.

  Zane felt sick just thinking about that last part. He’d already made up his mind about one thing. “I’m going to call on Johanna tomorrow. I said I’d leave her alone for a day or two so her leg can get better.”

  Nathan’s brows narrowed. He looked puzzled.

  “Sophie can tell you all about it,” Zane said in way of explanation. In the meantime, can I rely on you to keep Johanna at home for a few days? Just use some gentle persuasion?”

  Nathan thought for a moment and then nodded. “I’ll have a word with Sophie. Once she gets an idea in her head, nothing can stand in her way,” Nathan said with a grin. He frowned suddenly. “I don’t like what you’re telling me, Zane.”

  Zane laid a hand on Nathan’s arm. “We’ll work things out with Calhoun,” he said. “He can’t go on like this for much longer.”

  “You’re right,” Nathan replied. “His luck will run out sooner or later.”

  “Let’s hope so,” Zane said and lifted himself up onto the buckboard seat. He took the reins and looked down at Nathan. “Don’t mention I’m coming tomorrow,” he told Nathan. “I want it to be a surprise.”

  “Okay,” Nathan said. He slapped his hand hard against the side of the buckboard. “You take care now.”

  “I intend to,” Zane said and glanced one last time toward the bank. He flicked the reins and the buckboard lurched forward and on up the drag of Main Street.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  It had been a long Monday morning. Too long, as far as Johanna was concerned. But, she was just following orders.

  She threw the book she’d been trying to read this past hour down onto the table by the side of the sofa. She was on her own in the sitting room. Sophie had left a half hour before, saying she had to go buy some things from the General Store. Sophie had insisted on Johanna remaining in the house.

  Johanna moved her ankle slowly and felt the slight pain which still lingered there. She knew it had probably been a wise decision for her to remain in the house for the morning. But it sure was hard to keep occupied, especially seated here on the sofa. All she had to look at, apart from the pile of books, was a view out the sitting room window.

  From where she was seated she could see a view up the narrow road leading toward Main Street. Although there were a few neighbors in the street, she hadn’t seen anyone through the window since Sophie had left.

  The grandfather clock in the hallway ticked loudly, making Johanna intensely aware of every passing second. Johanna stretched and yawned, closing her eyes. When she opened them again, and looked out the window, she saw a rider making his way up the street.

  Johanna clutched the high collar of her gown and gasped. It was Zane. But he’d said he wouldn’t call for at least a couple of days, hadn’t he? Why was he coming to see her? Clearly there was an obvious answer to that question, but she didn’t want to even think about that.

  Johanna shifted from the sofa and stood. She felt her ankle twist slightly and she flinched. Undeterred, she walked to the front door and looked at herself in the mirror. Surely he could have given her some warning before riding into town. Or maybe he was just passing and thought it would be a good idea to come see her.

  She smiled at herself in the mirror and shook her head. Judging by the way he’d been looking at her all day yesterday, Zane wouldn’t have needed any excuse to come see her.

  She straightened herself and drew in a deep breath, tidying some loose locks of her back into place. It would have to do, she told herself.

  Then Johanna turned and opened the door, giving in to the impulse to cover her face with a welcoming smile. Johanna looked out and saw that Zane had already tied up his horse at the post. He had opened the gate and was striding up the path. For a moment, she told herself he looked very fine. Handsome and with a kindly expression in his eyes. He stopped when he saw her standing at the entrance.

  “Johanna.” His gaze shifted down to her ankle. “How’s the foot?”

  She moved it and ignored the tightness in the tendons. “Fine. See?” she said wiggling her foot. In spite of herself, she felt her features scrunch up.

  Zane smiled. “Looks like it might need a bit more time.”

  “No really, it’s fine,” she insisted, taking a step onto the porch. It wasn’t her best idea of the day, she told herself. She just about managed to resist the impulse to lift her foot and yell out loud.

  “I’d invite you in, but Sophie is out at the store. She’ll be back soon, though,” Johanna explained.

  Zane shifted his hat from his right hand to his left. He tapped his foot impatiently. “Just thought I’d drop by. I was passing, and it seemed like the natural thing to do,” he said.

  “You were just passing?” she asked, not believing him for a moment.

  Zane nodded. “Sure.” She saw him think for a few moments. No doubt he was trying to come up with some convincing explanation. “I had to see someone.”

  “That sounds convincing,” she teased.

  He smiled and tilted his head. It looked like an admission of defeat. He pointed to her. “You shouldn’t be putting weight on that leg of yours.”

  Johanna glanced down at her ankle. To her right, there was a bench on the porch. “I’ll sit here. Maybe you want to join me.”

  Zane glanced up at the clear blue sky. “It sure would be nice day to do some jawing.”

  She narrowed her eyes, as she tried to guess what that might mean. “Is that what you call having a polite conversation?”

  “Isn’t that what it’s called on the farm?” he asked, playing along with her. “It is what we say up at the ranch when we want to get a load of our mind.”

  “And you came here to do some jawing?” she asked playfully.

  He shook his head emphatically. “No. I was just passing.”

  She smiled and shook her head as she made her way across to the bench and flopped down onto it. She patted the seat. “Join me,” she said.

  Zane walked up the steps and took his place alongside her. They were quiet for a while. A pleasant breeze swept up the street and settled on the front of the house. It felt good to be sitting next to Zane. He was dressed in the outfit he probably wore whenever he was out tending to the herd. Canvas trousers, bib shirt and sturdy boots. She thought he looked every bit the handsome rancher.

  “How long has Sophie been gone?” Zane asked suddenly.

  “Not long,” Johanna replied. “She said she’ll be back soon.”

  She saw him frown. “I’ll just hang around until she gets back.”

  Johanna shook her head. “No need to do that. She could be gone a long while. If she meets someone she knows, she could get caught up in some jawing of her own,” she said trying to lighten his sudden change of mood.

  Zane shook his head steadily. “I’ll just wait. I’ve got nothing better to do,” he said in a slightly offhand tone.

  She lifted a brow. “I assume that remark is meant to be flattering,” she said.

  Realizing he might have caused accidental offense, he looked quickly at her. “I didn’t mean it to sound that way,” he stated.

  She waved a hand. “I know you didn’t,” she said with a laugh.

  “I mean, I know I said I’d leave it a couple of
days before coming to see how you were doing,” Zane said. “ But, I was just passing.”

  Johanna shook her head. “You know that sometimes you just dig deeper and deeper holes for yourself when you talk, don’t you?”

  His shoulders slumped and he he laughed quietly, shaking his head. “You noticed?”

  “It is hard to ignore,” Johanna replied.

  “Ranch work doesn’t exactly make a man good when it comes to making conversation.”

  “I know,” she said. “Being outdoors makes a person feel solitary at times,” she said. “I remember when I used to work the farm, there were times when I just needed to talk to someone. Anyone.”

  “Lonesome days out on the spread can have dark times as well as good,” he said. “Long hours in the saddle can take their toll on a man.”

  “Being on a horse is a whole lot better than guiding a plough all day.” She stretched, feeling the memory of the back-breaking work. “Now, that’s real work. You boys on horseback have got it easy, if you ask me.”

  Zane smiled. “You being serious?”

  She nodded. “Sure I am.”

  “You saw what happened yesterday,” he replied. “It’s dangerous work.”

  “I know,” she responded. “I felt how dangerous it was when I got down off that horse.”

  “I thought you were amazingly brave to do that,” he observed.

  She felt her face flush with heat at his compliment. “It had to be done,” she replied.

  Zane narrowed his eyes and examined her for a long moment. “You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?”

  “In what way?”

  “I don’t think you’d feel out of place on a ranch,” Zane said. “Of course, the first day you came I didn’t think that at all. In fact, you were like a fish out of water.”

  “Now that is charming,” she said breezily. She shook her head in a good-natured manner.

  “I’m serious. I think you’d know your way around the ranch. You’ve got the skills,” he added.

  She tilted her head and examined him. “How do you know that? Farming and ranching are two different things.”

  “Not so different as you’d think,” he retorted.

  For a few moments, Johanna wondered where Zane was going with all of this. Was he trying to persuade her that she belonged on the Buchanan ranch? Was this just a roundabout way to bring up the subject of marriage? Maybe that was the real reason he’d dropped in today. Perhaps he’d discovered that Johanna was alone at the Cameron house and he’d decided to take his chance to ask her a question.

  The problem was, she wasn’t sure she wanted him to ask that particular, life-changing question. Johanna gazed off toward the houses on the right, trying to gather her thoughts as best she could. Had yesterday’s incident driven Zane to reflect upon the possibility of speeding up his courtship? Because courtship it was. There was no denying his interest in her. And Sophie had confirmed that interest to Johanna. She knew that was why she’d agreed to come out to Inspiration. To find matrimony. So why did she feel so reluctant to encourage him?

  Johanna saw a movement at the far end of the street. It was Sophie.

  “Looks like your host is returning,” Zane said. Was that disappointment she could hear in his voice?

  Nevertheless, Sophie had returned just in time, Johanna said to herself. She wondered where her conversation with Zane would have taken them. She knew the answer to that. Perhaps to an awkward refusal, she reflected.

  Johanna saw Zane look at her. For a moment, he appeared to be weighing up words. His eyes had an eager look in them, as if he was summoning up courage.

  Sophie pushed open the garden gate. Her brow rose in surprise as she saw Zane standing up.

  “Zane? How long have you been here?”

  “Not long,” he replied glancing down at Johanna. “We were just talking.”

  “So I see,” Sophie said, squinting at Johanna. This would take some explaining, Johanna told herself.

  “I’ll be getting along,” Zane announced. He looked down at Johanna. “It’s been a pleasure, Johanna.”

  “Make sure you call again,” Sophie said.

  Zane smiled. “I sure will. Tomorrow?”

  Sophie looked at Johanna, seeking a response. “That would be nice,” Johanna agreed.

  Zane made his way to his horse and lifted himself up. He tipped his hat, turned his horse around and rode quickly away.

  Sophie turned to Johanna. “That was a surprise,” she observed.

  “A pleasant one,” Johanna agreed.

  And it had been, she told herself. What she couldn’t tell Sophie was that there was a part of her which was also relieved that Sophie had spared Johanna a potentially awkward discussion with the rancher who was now riding away from the house.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Zane didn’t come to visit Johanna on the Tuesday. In spite of her reservations about what had happened on the Monday, she found herself feeling disappointed. Especially since her foot was feeling much better. If he had come, she was sure they’d have been able to walk out together. She longed to share the kind of pleasant experience they’d had at the restaurant. Now, that seemed like such a long time ago.

  By early Tuesday afternoon, Johanna had given up hope that Zane would be coming to visit her. She wondered why he hadn’t come. Maybe something had come up at the ranch. She knew he was always busy there, and that, if he wanted to come see her, then someone else would have to pick up the work that Zane would do.

  There was also another possibility, she told herself as she sat at the table in her upstairs bedroom. Zane had felt as if she’d rejected him yesterday. As if he’d stepped over a line by presuming to visit her like that. Maybe he felt he’d been too forward in leading the conversation toward the subject of matrimony. And Johanna’s frosty reaction might have given him the entirely wrong impression.

  Regret tugged at her as she gazed out at the street. She stood and tested her ankle, pressing down on it. It felt so much better, she felt a sudden need to be out of the house. She put on her overcoat and bonnet.

  Johanna found Sophie downstairs in the kitchen. She was rolling some pastry on the table.

  “I’m going out,” Johanna announced.

  To Johanna’s surprise, Sophie didn’t seem immediately pleased about the suggestion.

  “You are?” Sophie said tugging off her apron. “I’ll come with you.”

  “No need to come, Sophie. I can see you’re busy.”

  Sophie shook her head. “It’s no trouble.”

  “I’m only going to the general store,” Johanna said.

  Sophie frowned. “Is that ankle of yours healed?”

  Johanna stamped her foot noisily on the wooden floor. “See?”

  Sophie looked unconvinced. “You take it easy.” Sophie walked out into the hall and took her own coat off the rack. “I have to get something from the store.”

  “I can get it,” Johanna suggested.

  Sophie shook her head. “I couldn’t let you do that.”