Royce stroked his hand down her cheek; Marta reached up and caught his hand, turned her head and placed a kiss on his palm. He turned and put his arm around her waist; she rested her head on his shoulder as they walked. Neither felt the need to speak. They just enjoyed each other’s presence as they walked. As they topped a ridge, they saw a large oak tree beside a fenced area with a single carved headstone. Royce led her up to the grave. “This is where I laid her. I come up here on occasion and talk to her. I know she isn’t really there, but I feel closer to her when I come here.”
Marta looked up at him. “Do you want me to go and leave you alone with her?”
Royce shook his head. “No, I brought you up here so I could do what I need to do. I want to introduce you to her and then say something to her.”
“Okay.”
Royce led them right up to the headstone. He released his hold on Marta’s waist and took her hand as he knelt down by the tomb. “Hey Lucy. This is Marta, the woman I was telling you about the other day. She’s taking good care of your babies. She even makes sure they hear stories about you and shares their memories of you. She’s taking good care of us; I don’t want you to worry about that.” Tears ran down Marta’s face as he stroked Lucy’s name just like he’d done her cheek just a few minutes ago. “I love you, Lucy. I always will; but I’ve come to say good-bye. This will be my last visit. I’m married to Marta now. You know that but I had to tell you again. I’m letting you go, and I’m going to let my heart move on to Marta now. She deserves my love as much as you do. So, good-bye, my love. I’ll see you when I get to the kingdom someday.” He stood and started to lead Marta away, but she hesitated. “Can you give me a minute with her?”
Royce looked at Marta with something like surprise on his face. Then he nodded and walked away to stand outside the fence. Marta knelt down and laid her hand on Lucy’s name. “I promise, Lucy. I'll love your family just like you did. Thank you for letting me be part of the family. I’ll love him just as much as you did. You rest in the arms of Jesus. I’ll take care of our family.” She patted the stone and stood. She walked over to Royce, and he wrapped his arm around her again. She sighed as her head went back to his shoulder. They walked back toward the house with several stops along the way for even more romantic kisses.
When they walked through the door to the house, Marta saw the look Grace gave her and the smile that she couldn’t contain. Marta’s face burned, knowing that the older woman could tell she had been well kissed. Grace winked and then motioned for them to take a seat at the table. She leaned close to Marta and whispered. “Doesn’t look like I need to teach you anything, honey.” Marta kept her head lowered to hide the blush that she couldn’t control.
Royce couldn’t take his eyes off of Marta. Now that he had allowed himself to admit that he was attracted to her, he couldn’t seem to think of anything except finding time to be alone with her. Nighttime became the most frustrating for him. He was still taking it slow to let Marta get used to the physical aspect of marriage. But when she snuggled up against him to be kissed and held, he didn’t want to take it slow. No, what he wanted was to make Marta his wife in every sense of the word. Yet he knew she needed time to get used to the thought of anything more intimate. He’d go slow and fall more deeply in love with his wife every day.
They’d had a week of peace after the meeting with the other ranchers, but during the second week the rustling and attacks on other ranchers had increased. Nathan and his men were spread over several ranches, following trails and trying to get a line on where the rustlers disappeared. Royce and his hands were busy moving their herd in closer by utilizing the winter grazing fields. This would make it more difficult when the snows came because the fields would have already been grazed. As much as Royce disliked the idea, he was going to have to buy extra hay for the winter and pray that his herd didn’t suffer too many losses.
It was Saturday night and he’d promised Marta that they’d go to church the next day. She didn’t push him often, knowing that the two hours to Bachelor weren't something they could do every week. But he had always tried to go once a month and he’d told Marta they’d go this week. They could probably go more often now that Reverend Theodore was opening the church in Creede again. He’d informed everyone that the doors would be open the next Sunday. Royce thought he might better go just to make sure the young zealot didn’t get strung-up on his first Sunday.
He watched as Marta showed Rachel how to heat the iron on the stove to press everyone's Sunday clothes. He had to agree with Grace Ryder; his daughter seemed to have blossomed under Marta’s care. With Lucy, she had been well behaved and helpful; with Marta, she seemed to come alive under the fun games and tricks Marta used to teach the children to help with the chores around the house. At first, he’d been a bit leery of her getting RJ and Randy to help with dishes, laundry, and even mending. RJ was also learning how to help with cooking, just like Rachel. While he wasn’t sure about the boys learning how to do women’s work, he had to admit that Marta had a point. She’d told him if he’d learned how to cook and do some basic cleaning and mending, then he wouldn’t have been so overwhelmed when Lucy had passed.
Marta had pointed out that the cowboy cook was a man and that the cowboys all needed to be able to mend their own shirts and socks. It wasn’t something that Royce had ever thought of. He’d worked for his parents until he got married to Lucy, and then they had moved and she’d done all that for him. He was happy Marta also encouraged the boys to spend time helping in the care of both the stable and the horses. She wasn’t Lucy, she was different in many ways, but she was exactly what he and his children needed. She was even trying to encourage Rose to walk more and to speak.
She caught him watching her, and her face blushed red. He loved that her face was so responsive. He wondered if she knew how lovely he found her. He’d wait until she sent Rachel to get something and then he’d tell her. He was so blessed. God had given him a second gift of love, one that was exactly what he and his children needed. A woman who longed for a family and a home and completed theirs.
Just as he got ready to tell her to send the children to bed and spend time alone with her, there came the sound of hooves and the shout of men looking for him and Nathan. He watched as she smiled at him and nodded. He grabbed his gun belt and Stetson on the way out the door, then came back quickly and kissed Marta. “I’ll be back when I can.”
She smiled at him. “I know; go find these rustlers so we can move on with life.”
He nodded and slipped out the door. Another night he’d not get to hold his wife as they drifted to sleep. It seemed that since he’d decided to let his heart love her, everything that could get between them, had. Now rustlers again. They had to figure out where they were hiding and put an end to this before someone gave up and sold out to Thrilway, or Jasper White pushed too hard and someone's family was hurt.
Eleven
For two weeks, Marta had been watching for the return of Royce. He and Nathan had returned early Sunday morning and immediately grabbed gear for an extended search through the high country. They’d followed the tracks of the cattle and rustlers up the mountain until the grass and trees became scarce and the rocks made tracking more difficult. The two men had decided that the only way to figure out where the rustlers were taking the cattle was to search the whole peak and surrounding areas; they were getting supplies and gear for an extended stay in the High Lonesome. Royce agreed with Nathan that the rustlers must have found a hidden valley to graze the cattle because they weren’t taking enough at any one time to be running them to a buyer. While Marta hated the thought of Royce being gone for so long, she knew that if they could catch these rustlers, life at the ranch would return to normal. She knew Nathan was anxious to find the rustlers and missing cattle before he had to head back to his own ranch in New Mexico.
She missed her husband. They had finally broken through the walls that were separating them. She had been sure that Royce would make her his wife in every way if th
ey hadn’t been split by the needs of the ranching community in Creede. While part of her once again felt like she wasn’t an important part of someone's life, she did admire that her husband took his responsibilities to his neighbors as seriously as scripture told him to. There was no denying that Royce Clark loved his neighbors as he loved himself. Now if he’d just get home and love his wife the same way, she’d be thrilled.
She heard the sound of horses coming up the trail. If it wasn’t Royce and Nathan returning, then it was trouble. She quickly dressed and grabbed the rifle from its pegs. Unlike the first time she’d taken the gun in hand, she now knew how to use it. Grace Ryder had taken it upon herself to teach Marta the things she thought every woman in the west should know. Marta could now load and shoot the rifle, a shotgun, and even a small revolver. Grace had gifted her with a set of throwing knives, had taught her how to use them, and where to hide them on her person so she was always prepared to defend herself. She still remembered when Grace had told her, “Next time someone tries to grab you and shove you in a root cellar, you’ll be ready for them.”
She stepped out on the porch and leaned the rifle against the wall as she saw her husband and Marshal Ryder dismount in front of the ranch house. They had six men tied to horses between them. Marta raced down the stairs and threw herself into Royce's arms. “Well now,” her husband laughed as he caught her, “What a nice way to be welcomed home.”
She smiled up at him and wrapped her arms around him. “I’m glad you’re home. We’ve missed you.”
Royce looked down into her eyes and smiled. “I missed you, too, but we got them. Not all of them, but we got these who were watching over the herd. Nathan’s men are driving them to the back fields. I’ll ride out to the other ranches later today and tell them to pick up their cattle. I don’t think anyone will have lost any significant numbers once they claim their beeves.”
“So it’s over?”
Royce shook his head. “It’s not over, but Nathan figures that there won’t be any rustling for a while. Especially since we know where they were keeping the cattle. He's going to go kiss his wife and get Deputy Wheeler and they’ll take these rustlers over to Topaz. Apparently, Nathan doesn’t think it would be wise to put them in the Creede jail. He plans to leave Wheeler here in Topaz to keep an eye on things when he heads back to Redemption.” Royce watched as Deputy Wheeler came out of the bunkhouse and walked over to the outlaws still tied to their horses. “I’ve got them, Mr. Clark. Nathan said for you to go see your family. We’ll take it from here.”
Royce wrapped his arm around Marta. “So what kind of tasty treat are you going to make me for breakfast? I’m tired of eating Nathan’s mountain man food. I swear his Grandpa taught him how to cook every critter in the woods.”
They walked in the house and Royce kicked the front door closed. He pulled Marta into his arms and his lips claimed hers. She sighed and wrapped her arms around him, giving as good as she got. When she thought she was going to pass out from lack of air, Royce pulled back and stared into her eyes. “That’s a good start. I’ve missed your sweet kisses, Marta honey.”
She smiled and laid her head against his chest, breathing in the smell of campfires and horse, and under it, all her husband’s own unique scent. “I’ve missed you, too.”
He kissed her again and then she pulled away. “Sit down. I’ll have some bacon and French toast in just a little bit. The children will be up soon, too. I know they’ll be excited to see you as well.”
She practically skipped into the kitchen her heart was so light. She pulled on her apron and got to work. She wasn’t really surprised when she turned to put the plater of bacon on the work table to see Royce leaning against the door frame watching her. The look in his eyes said more than any words, and she felt her face beginning to warm with another blush. She sauntered over to him, rose up and placed a quick kiss on his lips. “Stop standing there staring at me. Make yourself useful and go wake the children. I’ll have food ready by the time you get them to the table.”
When she turned her back on him, he grabbed her, pulled her back around, and kissed her soundly. “That should hold me until later. Now I’ll see about the young’uns.”
She smiled as she thought about what later might entail. Would tonight be the night he finally made her his wife in every way? She hoped so and felt her face heat again at her own thoughts. Then she smiled as she heard Rachel’s cry of, “Pa! You’re back,” followed by the sound of happy children welcoming their father home. She carried the food out to her family. The smiles on their faces were mirrored on her own as she took in the sight of the six people she loved the most in the world. Her family.
Royce and Marta watched as Nathan, Grace, and their children waved to them from the back of their private Pullman car. He hated to see them leave. Grace and Marta had become good friends, and Nathan was a great lawman. Still, he understood their need and desire to go home. He thanked God for sending them. Even more than that weird angel, Nathan had helped him see that he was hurting Marta as much as himself by holding on to the vows he’d made to Lucy. He also was grateful to Nathan for helping them catch some of the rustlers and for arranging for the newly promoted Marshal Wheeler to become the official U.S. Marshal for their area. Topaz had a jail but no lawman; it was the perfect place for Wheeler to operate. The six rustlers they caught insisted that they had worked alone, but Nathan, Wheeler, and Royce all suspected that they’d worked for Thrilway with Jasper White giving the orders.
The question that Nathan told Wheeler to work on answering was who Thrilway and Jasper worked for. Someone was directing the attempted buy out of all the ranches in the area. Royce was glad that wasn’t his job to figure out. He figured he’d leave the work of justice to the lawmen. He had cattle to round up in another week and decide how many to drive to Denver. But until then, he had other plans. He was going to woo his new wife and let her know once and for all how much he loved her. That’s what he’d come to realize while looking for rustlers with Nathan up in the Tall Pines. He loved Marta. Not he was learning to love her, but that he already loved her with as fierce a love as he’d loved Lucy. Tonight he planned on showing that love.
As the train carrying the Ryders pulled away, Royce wrapped his arm around Marta and led her and their children back to the wagon. He helped them all up into the wagon and only paused for a moment as he saw Jasper White watching them from in front of the Golden Nugget tent. The gun hand just stared at Marta and it angered Royce. He wanted to walk over and knock the man on his rear. Instead, he climbed up beside Marta and pulled her close against him. Then snapped the reins sending the team toward home.
Twelve
Marta was content. When they’d gotten home from seeing the Ryders off in Creede, Royce suggested that they take the children for a picnic in the back yard. She had quickly gathered some leftover fried chicken, made a potato salad, and sliced fresh fruit and vegetables. She poured lemonade into several jars and sealed them. The food, along with plates, forks, and bread went into a basket. She grabbed a quilt that they could spread on the ground and met her family on the back porch. She and Royce walked with the three older children between them, all of them holding hands, making a chain from her to Royce. Marta carried Raeann and Royce had Rose. They walked down to the spring that ran through the west side of the ranch. When they found the perfect spot, Marta let RJ, Randy, and Rachel spread out the quilt. Marta laid a very sleepy Raeann on the edge of the quilt and started to lay out the food. Royce took the other four children down to the spring and let them cool their feet from the early August heat. Once the food was laid out, she called Royce and the children to sit and eat.
They ate, talked, and laughed. Marta had never felt more a part of a family than she did today. Without any of them having said anything, she knew she was loved by each one of them. She looked over at Royce and caught him staring at her like she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever laid eyes on. She felt her face heat with a blush. Royce leaned close, took
her face in his hands, slowly pulled her near, and kissed her. The boys made yuck noises, and Rachel giggled. Royce let her go and leaned right up to her ear. “Tonight, Marta. Tonight I’m going to make you my wife in every way.” Marta’s heart raced as she looked into his eyes. The passion she saw there sent tingles racing through her. She was finally the one someone wanted. No longer was she the one no one wanted; this wonderful man made it plain in words and looks that he wanted her.
Before she could fully recover from that revelation, little Rose climbed up on her lap and imitated her father by placing her cubby little hands on each side of Marta’s face and leaned forward to give her a slobbery toddler kiss. “Lub you, mama.”
Marta gasped and looked over at Royce. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know where she heard that. I’ve never told her to call me that.”
Rachel giggled. “I taught her to call you that.”
Marta and Royce looked at the girl. "What?"
“Back when you first came, you said we needed to find a name to call you. The boys and I talked. You might not be our ma, but you're our second ma. So we agreed we’d call you mama; two ma's."
Marta’s hands flew to her mouth as she stifled a sob. But she couldn’t stop the tears that raced down her cheeks. Royce leaned forward and pulled her into his arms. Rachel looked at them, her face stricken. “Did we do something wrong?”
Royce smiled at her. “No baby. You did something very right. I think that’s a good thing for you and your brothers and sisters to call Marta. From now on, we’ll all call her mama. Okay?”
They all nodded, but Rachel wasn’t convinced. “Why is she crying then?”
Marta reached out and pulled the girl into her arms. “These are happy tears, Rachel. You’ve made me very happy. This tells me you want me to be part of your family and that makes me very, very happy.”
Rescuing the Rancher (Cowboys and Angels Book 3) Page 10
