Rafferty: Cowboy Trail Boss: Christian Historical Western Romance (The Kavanagh Brothers Book 9)

by Kathleen Ball

  His men all gave him questioning glances, and he needed to step up and take control of the situation. It was a mess of his making.

  He rode to the wagon and was surprised to see her still sitting by the fire. The men were sleeping. It didn’t seem to bother her. There was something about her that attracted him. Dismounting, he dropped the reins. Maverick wouldn’t go far.

  He liked the surprise he found in her big eyes. She quietly stood and walked to him.

  “I assumed you’d be asleep,” he said.

  She didn’t glance at him, but at a spot over his shoulder. “I had a long nap, but if you want me to, I’ll go lie down in the wagon. I didn’t think I was bothering anyone.”

  “Would you like to ride Prairie tomorrow? We could ride up ahead and determine how you two get on.”

  “I’m not sure. Can I let you know tomorrow?”

  “Of course. Did I mention you are beautiful?”

  Frowning, she gazed into his eyes. “I don’t want to be liked for my appearance. It really means nothing in the long run. I’m going to bed. I’ll give sleep a chance, but truthfully a troubled mind has no rest. My father used to take advantage of people, but this is the first time I was the target. I knew it wrong, but I never realized how hurt the people probably were. I benefitted from his schemes so I’m just as guilty. Do you think this trip has taken a toll on me because of my sins?”

  He longed to take her into his arms and comfort her. “Talk to God. I believe if you seek forgiveness, God gives it to you. I don’t expect you are guilty of your father’s actions, though.” He smiled at her, trying to be reassuring. “We’ll talk more tomorrow.”

  She shook her head. “I think it best if we don’t talk for a while. If you need me to do something, that’s fine, but I can’t pretend we’re friends. I’m ashamed to say it, but my heart is torn and I don’t know how to mend it.”

  “I understand,” he responded quietly. “Good night.” He stood and watched her climb into the wagon. Any other time he would have lifted her. She wouldn’t welcome his help now, though. He’d push the cattle hard. He wanted the trip over with. He couldn’t wait to get home.

  “Brother,” Shea said as he stood at Rafferty’s shoulder. “Don’t you think it’s time to tell her how you feel? I can see it on your face every time you look at her. Your eyes light up when you see her. I know there isn’t a woman waiting for you back home. I don’t understand what is going on. Married is married, and I’ve been waiting for you to claim your bride.”

  “I broke her heart, and my chance is gone.”

  Shea shook his head. “You two are married, and you need to make this right.”

  Rafferty sighed. “You’re right. She doesn’t want me to talk to her for a while, though.”

  “So, she can talk herself out of loving you? That is crazy and you know it. She is your wife. You are her husband and tomorrow is a great day to start acting like it.”

  “Thanks for getting into my business and setting me right,” Rafferty told Shea with a grin.

  Chapter Seventeen

  She’d asked him to not talk to her, but he talked to her more than usual. It had been like that for over a week now, and she couldn’t stop her head from spinning. He’d even demanded she ride Prairie. It had been fun, but he was making it futile to dislike him.

  They were also the topic of the outfit. Conversations stopped when she walked near the men, and they stared at her more than was comfortable. Maybe she was crazy. She had craved Rafferty’s attention, but now it made her mad. Actually, she was furious with herself for secretly liking it when he searched her out. He always managed to touch her in some small way on her hand or shoulder.

  Somehow, she was too aware of him, and his touch lit her heart. All she’d done the last week was war with herself. Part of her was still hurt, and another part wanted to feel loved. He acted as though he liked her, but did he love her? Probably not. Nights were so hard. So many questions were in her head, and she didn’t have the answers.

  There was tension in the air. The next river was the Cimarron River. Cookie had lost someone he had cared about a great deal at the river some years ago, and he’d confessed to her that it made him edgy, though he had not gone into detail. He was gruff, and he wore an angry expression. Everyone seemed to know to keep their distance.

  After she cleaned the plates, she sat next to Rafferty near the fire. If she hadn’t, he would have just gotten up and made a show of sitting next to her. “How long until we get to the Cimarron?” she asked Rafferty. “I’d rather get it over with.”

  “We should be able to see it late tomorrow, but we won’t cross until the next day. No sense making Cookie even more upset.”

  She opened her mouth, but before she could say anything Rafferty stood. “Let’s take a walk.” He offered his hand, and she stared at it. Being brave was hard. She grabbed his hand, and he helped her up. They strolled toward a small group of trees.

  “It was our second trail drive, and there was a boy named Eddie. He was younger than Shea by a few years. Too young to be in the war, but not old enough to find work anywhere but the ranch. He was a curious fellow who liked to know how everything worked, how everything was put together. Cookie took him under his wing, and I think Cookie thought of Eddie as a son. We were crossing the Cimarron when the wagon wheel on the side where Eddie was sitting wobbled. Cookie told him to just leave it until they got across. But Eddie stood and bent to look at the wheel while the wagon was smack in the middle of the river. Eddie fell, and he scared the horses who took off across with the wagon. Eddie was run over by the wagon wheels and was killed.”

  She covered her mouth as tears sprang to her eyes. “How awful!”

  “It was. We buried him, but Cookie didn’t want to go on and leave Eddie behind. We stayed an extra day, and I’ve never seen such anguish from a person before. Cookie never got close to anyone after that… until you.” He reached over and wiped away a tear from her face with his thumb. His gentleness surprised her.

  “Tomorrow you’ll ride across with me on Maverick. No arguments.”

  Mae nodded and took a step toward him until he enfolded her in his arms and her head lay against his heart. She wasn’t sure who was more surprised by her actions, but it felt perfect. He hadn’t mentioned once that they were not married. He hadn’t said they were wed either. He told her all about the ranch. Mostly she just listened to what he had to say and didn’t bother to ask questions.

  “No arguments. If I can make matters easier for Cookie, I will.”

  “That’s my girl,” he murmured.

  It was on the tip of her tongue to ask if she really was his girl, but she was afraid of ruining the quiet moment they were sharing.

  She longed to have that moment back the next day when Cookie was raising his voice to everyone, including her. He threatened to never feed them again, and poor Griff didn’t get to have any coffee.

  No one protested; they just went along with it. Everyone seemed to know. They traveled in silence. She didn’t know what to say to Cookie. Once they made camp, she had to bite her tongue to keep from yelling at him. Doing all the work was probably keeping him from thinking about the accident. He refused to allow her to haul water or wash anything in the river.

  She wished she could give him a hug and tell him it was fine, but Cookie wasn’t a hugger, and it wasn’t fine. She could see his grief in his eyes.

  It was still light out, but she had nothing to do, so she sat by the fire. She suppressed a grumble when Phil approached her.

  “I watched you walking with the boss last night. May I request a turn? It’s not dark yet.”

  Cookie flew to her side. “She isn’t going anywhere. I don’t want her out of my sight or better yet, out of my reach. In case you weren’t there, she’s a married woman!”

  Phil cocked his right brow. “Is she? I don’t think that’s been decided on yet.” He tipped his hat to her and walked away.

  “Thank you, Cookie.” She waited u
ntil she was alone to frown. Her face warmed, and her stomach plunged. Phil had a point. Rafferty had never claimed her.

  “Hey Phil, I need to speak with you,” Rafferty called out.

  Phil frowned, not bothering to hide his annoyance. “I only asked her to go for a walk. Last I heard, you didn’t want her.”

  “I’m claiming her now.”

  Phil smirked. “Is that so? You sleeping in the wagon now?”

  “You can find me by the fire as expected if I’m not on guard duty. Mae is safer in the wagon. I don’t want any misunderstandings.”

  “You claimed her, so you won’t have any trouble from me. You might be more concerned in the man riding this way.”

  Rafferty snapped his head in the direction Phil was pointing. With his long stride, he was at the fire in no time. “Mae, get in the wagon.” It was a relief she didn’t ask questions like she usually did. “Cookie?”

  “Got my rifle trained on him.”

  Tension built as they waited for the rider. He didn’t look dangerous, but you never knew. Appearances are deceiving.

  “You Kavanagh?” the man asked.

  “Who’s asking?”

  “I have a telegram from your brother and a wanted poster for the girl.”

  Rafferty stiffened. A wanted poster? This man wasn’t taking Mae anywhere. He snatched the telegram and took his time reading it while he sought to determine a plan to keep Mae safe. Texas Rangers had the cattle. His brothers were all fine.

  “What is it?” Cookie asked.

  “The cattle are with Texas Rangers somewhere, and the brothers are safe.”

  “That don’t tell us anything. Where are the cattle? Why didn’t your brothers catch up to give us a hand?” Cookie shook his head. Then he turned and glared at the man on the horse. “Let me see the poster.”

  The man took a folded piece of paper out of his front pocket. He leaned down and handed it to Cookie.

  “This here poster is for some girl with the last name of Swing. That’s a relief, ain’t no Swing with us.”

  Rafferty took the paper from Cookie and swallowed hard. It was a sketch of Mae. “What did she do? It says here she’s a cattle rustler. I’ve never known a woman cattle rustler. She must be a tall one and strong too. Working with cattle is hard work.” He turned to Cookie. “You ever seen any females drive cattle, let alone rustle them?”

  Cookie laughed. “It might be more exciting around here if we encountered such creatures. Was it just one woman or is there a gang of them?”

  The man squinted at them both. “Are you sure? I’ll just take a look around.”

  Cookie pointed the rifle at the man while Rafferty drew his gun.

  “Listen, mister. This is my outfit, and you will not be riding around the cattle. Stampedes can get you killed. If I were you, I’d ride on out of here while we’re still acting calm.” Rafferty practically snarled his warning.

  “Maybe I could just look in the wagon. I’ll leave after that.”

  A few of the men rode up, making noise and blocking the view of the wagon.

  “What’s going on, Rafferty?” Shea asked.

  “He’s searching for female rustlers and he wants to check the wagon.”

  Shea stared at Rafferty and nodded.

  “This is keeping us from our work. Take a look if you want and then be off.”

  Cookies eyes went wide, and he faked a couple coughs before he stepped away from the back of the wagon.

  The man jumped off his horse and with triumph in his eyes he stepped up into the wagon. He quickly turned. “Where is she?”

  Shea pulled back the hammer on his gun. “I suggest you leave now. Humoring you is done. Don’t even think about following us. We made our deal with the Kiowa and the Comanche, but you’ll need to make a deal of your own to travel through this land.”

  Cookie nodded.

  The man ripped the wanted poster from Rafferty’s hand then mounted up and rode off.

  Cookie waited, then he turned to Shea. “What did you do with her?”

  “Hank took her away on his horse. Jeb rode with him.”

  “Well, just don’t stand there, bring her back!” Cookie yelled.

  “Griff, will you find my wife please?” Rafferty’s face heated when he realized everyone was watching him. “You heard it right, she is my wife.”

  Griff took off.

  “Now where do you guess they got her likeness from? You think maybe it was those three brothers?” Shea asked.

  Rafferty shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. It’s odd, though.”

  Hank rode right up to Rafferty and handed Mae down to him.

  “That was a good thing you did,” Cookie told Hank.

  Rafferty took Mae in his arms and hugged her. “Are you all right?”

  She nodded. “Just a little shook up. Did the poster look like me?”

  “Maybe a little. Don’t fret about it. You’re safe.” He held her tighter to him.

  “Rafferty, I can’t breathe.” She started to struggle, and he let go.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “I’m fine. Do you expect he’ll be back?” Her hands shook.

  “I think he’s convinced you’re not here. We’ll be in Abilene before you know it.”

  “Donald, have you noticed any sign of an outfit behind us?” Rafferty took one of Mae’s hand in his.

  “No dust kicked up behind us. I dare say we’ll be first to sell our cattle.”

  “Good, I’m thinking about staying outside of Abilene for a day or two to get the cows fattened up a bit. Though they really haven’t lost all that much weight.”

  “It’s getting late,” Mae commented. She pulled away from Rafferty. “Good night.”

  “You’re a lucky man,” Donald said with a hint of envy in his voice.

  “Yes, I am.” Rafferty couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face or the feeling of joy that took over his heart.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The next day Mae finally had to get away from the wagon. She felt bad for Cookie, but he was driving her insane. He wouldn’t allow her to fish or get water for washing clothes. Sitting idle wasn’t in her.

  She didn’t walk far. She asked the Lord to grant her patience. The wind kicked up and blew her hair wildly around her head.

  “You look lost in thought,” Rafferty commented.

  She smiled, and it felt nice that she didn’t have to give him fake smiles. He’d shown her again and again he wanted her safe and that he cared.

  “I’m out of sorts. I want to wash my clothes and anything else that needs washing, but Cookie refuses to allow me to haul water, and he won’t do it for me.” She sighed. “You probably have bigger worries.”

  “No. I’ll haul the water, and we’ll make a separate fire for you to use. Don’t go asking the men for their clothes. We wear the same set of clothes until we get near Abilene. Then we change after washing.”

  “I noticed most of the men smelled very…”

  “Ripe?” His grin was contagious.

  “You know what I like about you, Rafferty? You make me smile. I am washing Cookie’s clothes since I have to be near him all day. How about you?”

  He chuckled. “Shea and I were brought up a bit differently. We put changes of clothes in the wagon. No washing our drawers. The men would never stop laughing at us.” When she stared at him, he relented.” Fine, go ahead. Gather the men’s clothes while I make the fire. Then I will make sure Cookie sees you not hauling water. It’s hard for him.”

  Mae touched his forearm. “I know.”

  They went their separate ways, and she gathered as much as the men allowed her. Bandanas were allowed, but not socks. Cookie was spitting mad, but he gave her all his dirty clothes. Her pile grew big enough. Shea put up a clothesline for her, and Cookie frowned as he handed her the lye soap.

  Then the fire was ready and the metal tub was on top. Rafferty poured the river water in, bucket after bucket, until it was more than halfway full. “Don’t
empty that yourself. I’ll get the cold water for rinsing.”

  First thing, she changed into her trousers and shirt. She wanted to wash her dress so it would be dry enough for her to put on when she was finished with the rest of the washing. Cookie handed her the washboard, and she started washing the clothes.

  Why couldn’t she be as confident as Rafferty that the man who was looking for her wouldn’t be back? She added the soap, stirred the water with a wooden paddle and then put her dress in. She went gently with the washboard. The fabric was already thin in areas. The clean smell spurred her on. Soon all she had left to do was wring the clothes and then hang them. The clothes billowed in the wind when she hung them.

  She’d gotten most of her agitation out and was ready to spend time with Cookie again.

  “That was a good thing you did, offering to wash all the clothes. You are kind and generous.”

  “Yes, she is!” Rafferty agreed. He pulled her into an embrace and kissed her cheek. “I’m a lucky man.”

  Her face heated, and she wondered what was going on. She’d gotten a bit closer to her husband, but she’d held herself back, wary she’d get hurt.

  “Does that mean you’re keeping her?” Cookie asked.

  “I’m not letting her go.” He let her go and stepped toward the horses.

  “You can close your mouth before it fills with flies. He loves you and has for a long while now,” Cookie told her.

  She sat down on the tail gate. “Are you sure?”

  “Sure, I’m sure.”

  Her chest was about to explode. It was true, Rafferty really did love her. It was about time.

  Rafferty watched her as she took the dry clothes down and folded them. She even folded the bandanas into nice little squares. How she remembered whose was who baffled him. He enjoyed watching her, but he enjoyed being near her more.

  He had a feeling she felt the same. He’d spotted her watching him the last few days. What would his brothers say when he brought her home? He couldn’t wait for Dolly to meet her. It was going to be a long wait until they could share a bed. He refused to shame her while on the trail.