The Rancher's Perfect Bride

by Caroline Clemmons

  She laughed at his assessment. “In some places that’s true. My grandfather had a cottage on one of the little islands off Georgia’s shore. Since it was private, the beach was nice and clean and the breeze was straight from the ocean. I loved it there.”

  She looked around her. “I’m sure I’ll love it here too.”

  “I sure hope you do. I aim for this to be a permanent arrangement between us. Should have asked if you want children?”

  She supposed she had a puzzled expression on her face. “Of course I want children. Otherwise, I probably would have remained single.”

  “I’d like a couple or three children or however many we happen to have. We can always build on to the house.” He gestured to the wide expanse before them. “That’s what’s good about living out like this. We can do things our way as long as we stick to the rules laid out by Montana Territory.”

  Callum showed her different plants as they passed them. He pointed out roads that were little more than trails to various ranches and told her where each one led.

  She confessed, “I can’t keep all the names straight.”

  “You’ll get acquainted with everyone soon. Easier to remember names when you have faces to go with them. We don’t make it to church every Sunday but we go as often as we can get away from the ranch.”

  “I suppose you can’t go in winter.”

  “Not often, although we have sled runners for the wagons. Sometimes leaving home just isn’t safe because it’s easy to freeze if anything goes wrong.”

  A horrified expression crossed his face. “Now don’t be frightened. Andrew and I are old hands at living here. We won’t let anything happen to you and Marcy. Our homes are right snug and comfortable in winter.”

  “That’s reassuring. I read up on the territory. I know the winters can be too cold for people to survive without shelter.”

  “Lost a lot of stock last winter. Doing all right this year. You need anything, you just let me know. We have an account at the mercantile in town.”

  “I saw the store when we got off the train. In fact, it was the only brick building I saw. Are there others?”

  “Not so far, but I reckon some will be going up this summer. Sean Murdoch said they’ll be bricking the millinery shop. New lawyer coming is building a brick office with rooms overhead.”

  He pulled the horses to a stop and gestured to a beautiful valley below them. “You can see our place from here. I always enjoy stopping here.”

  From the back Andrew called, “Callum likes to pause and survey his domain. You can’t see the other place from here.”

  Zenobia looked over her shoulder. “Marcy and I thought you lived next door to one another. Did we misunderstand?”

  Callum took her hand. “No, our ranches touch. The houses are almost two miles apart. That’s pretty close for out here.”

  Zenobia brought her free hand to her throat. “Oh dear, we had no idea how far apart everything is here. I see we’ll have to make major adjustments in our thinking.”

  Callum clicked the reins and the horses moved into the valley below. “Do you ride? If you do you can easily visit one another.”

  “That’s a relief. I love riding although I’m used to an English saddle.”

  “You’ll find a western saddle is a lot more comfortable. I hope you’ll learn to ride astride. Even though it’s frowned on in the East, it’s much safer.”

  “Since it won’t embarrass you, I will.”

  She and Marcy had already planned how they could alter their riding habits into split skirts. Two miles would not be a long ride. As soon as she learned the route, she could visit Marcy.

  Oh, dear, now Zenobia recalled Marcy had never been on a horse. The two of them were going to be learning a lot of new things to survive. This had to work because they had nowhere else to go if it didn’t.

  Chapter Seven

  Callum couldn’t believe his good fortune. His wife was beautiful, cultured, and appeared agreeable to his suggestions. Her clothes were the best quality. Worry reached out and bit him.

  Likely she’d lived in one of those giant houses he remembered from Georgia. What was she gonna think about his cabin? He didn’t even have beds in the spare bedrooms—why would he? Hopefully, they’d need a child’s bed in the next couple of years.

  He wished Ma and Pa could see what a fine bride he’d married. They sure wanted Andrew, Colin, and him to marry well. He pushed away the sadness such thoughts brought and focused on this new phase of his life.

  As they drew closer to the ranch, a faint trail of smoke rose from the chimney.

  He glanced at his new wife. “Looks as if the hands have a fire going in the fireplace.”

  She pulled her shawl tighter. “The idea of a fire this time of year is surprising. I suppose I’ll soon get used to the climate.”

  Did that mean she was displeased? He had a lot to learn about women, especially being married to one. “Nights are still cool and I reckon ours will be a lot different from Georgia. Hope you won’t find that a problem.”

  She smiled at him and her blue eyes sparkled. “I welcome the lower humidity. Sometimes the heat in Atlanta was so stifling, doing anything active was almost impossible.”

  “Whew, I was worried you might not like cold weather. That’s mostly what we have.”

  “I studied a little booklet about Montana Territory before I left Atlanta.” She nudged him with her elbow. “Callum, saying you have cold weather is an understatement, isn’t it?”

  Hearing her use his name was nice. So was having her tease him. “Last year was the coldest ever recorded after a record hot, dry summer. This year is better so far. We’ve had some rain so the crops are doing well. In addition to ranching, I grow oats, corn, hay, and sorghum as well as have a large vegetable garden. We irrigate with water from the river.”

  “Please be patient with me. I’ve never lived anywhere but the city and the only gardening I’ve done is cut flowers to arrange and display in the house.”

  “I’m glad you’re willing to learn. We also have chickens, swine, cattle, and I just bought two milk cows so we’d have plenty for cooking and drinking.”

  A wary expression came over her face. “Am I supposed to milk the cows or feed the pigs and chickens?”

  So, she didn’t know how to do either of those things. “I’ll show you how to milk cows and feed the chickens and gather eggs. Those chores are usually done by the woman of the house. Neither is hard once you get the hang of it. The men take care of the pigs.”

  “I’ll try to learn quickly.”

  “The most important thing is to keep varmints out of the hen house. All the critters like to eat chickens and eggs.” He pulled the wagon to a stop by the porch. His men came timidly to meet them.

  He hopped down and came around to help Zenobia. “You’ll have to show us which are your trunks and which are Marcy’s.” He held her a few seconds after he’d set her feet on the ground. If they hadn’t had an audience, he’d have kissed her.

  She met his gaze and spoke quietly, “Won’t you introduce me?”

  “What was I thinking? Ladies, Pete Roberts is this tall galoot. The bearded redhead is Brandon Granger and he goes by Brand. Max Darden has the mustache and acts as my foreman. Men, my wife will show you which trunks to unload here.”

  Zenobia smiled at each. “I’m pleased to meet you. Some of the trunks are quite heavy. This brown one here and that matching one go in the kitchen. The black one goes in the bedroom and the other black one goes in the parlor.”

  Andrew helped Marcy from the wagon.

  Marcy walked to the porch. “I’m happy to meet you gentlemen.”

  Andrew pitched in to unload the food basket and Zenobia’s valises.

  Zenobia went inside, either to see her new home or to supervise. Probably both. Marcy followed her into the cabin.

  ***

  Zenobia could hardly believe the state of her new home. She whispered to her new sister. “Look at all this grime.
Good heavens, will I be able to get this clean?”

  Marcy laid an arm around her shoulders. “I suspect mine will be the same. We’re unprepared for this life. What will we do?”

  Zenobia put her hands on her hips. “Get busy. I’ll heat some water and clean off the table so we can eat the food Mrs. Moore sent. I wouldn’t want to set it on that table.”

  “As soon as I use the privy, I suppose we need to get on our way. Andrew said it’s around back.” Marcy left the house.

  The men trooped back through and Callum stopped. “The trunks and valises are delivered. Andrew is eager to get home.”

  “Marcy will be ready in a minute. Um, she’s around back.”

  “Let’s go on the porch and wait.” He took her hand.

  She would have preferred getting the table clean but accompanied her husband outside. The wide porch ran the length of the house and included chairs and benches. She lowered herself to a chair and Callum sat beside her.

  “You do have a beautiful view from here. I’ll bet it’s pretty any time of year.” The forest at the foot of the mountains looked just as far away as it had from town. Even now, the mountain tops were white with snow.

  “I enjoy sitting here early or late with a cup of coffee. The sight always brings me peace.”

  Andrew paced on the ground beside the porch as if ready to dart for the wagon when Marcy appeared.

  “Andrew, is that your wagon or do we share it?”

  Her question appeared to catch him off guard and he jumped. “Wha…yes, yes, this wagon and team are mine but there’s a wagon like this in Callum’s barn and a matching team.”

  She wondered why Callum was driving if the wagon was owned by Andrew. Maybe because he was eldest. Or, had Andrew driven on the way into town and then Callum took his turn?

  Marcy rounded the corner and Andrew’s face split in a smile.

  She hurried toward them. “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting.”

  Andrew held out his hand toward his wife. “Guess you ladies hate to part, but we should get going.”

  Marcy clasped Andrew’s hand then let go of it to hug Zenobia. She whispered, “What have we done? Can we make this work?”

  Zenobia reassured her even though she had her own doubts. “Everything will be all right, you’ll see. I’ll ride over for a visit as soon as I can.”

  The women broke apart and Andrew helped Marcy onto the wagon bench. He climbed up beside her, released the brake, and snapped the reins. Marcy looked back at Zenobia.

  Marcy’s expression conveyed her worry but she gave a small wave as they drove away. With misgivings, Zenobia watched her friend disappear down the road. For the first time in her life, she was on her own.

  Chapter Eight

  When Marcy and Andrew were no longer visible, Zenobia turned to her husband. “I’ll clean the table then set out our supper. I hope there’s enough for five.”

  He opened the door for her. “Knowing Mrs. Moore, there’s probably twice that. If there’s not, we can add to it from the stuff stored in the cellar. Let me show you around the cabin before we eat.”

  Callum guided her across the kitchen and pulled up a trap door. “This is our root cellar. One of your jobs will be to keep food from rotting by removing anything that appears to be getting spots on it.”

  After taking a lantern from a hook, he lit the wick. “Come with me so I can demonstrate.”

  Zenobia followed him down a ladder, suppressing her shudders in the creepy space that smelled of mold and dirt. She picked out the scent of apples but couldn’t identify the others.

  Callum hung the lantern on a beam. His pride in the cellar was evident. “We have this arranged so the root vegetables last months and months. Some of the fruit does, too.

  Straw padded the bottom of each bin that lined one wall. Inside were potatoes, carrots, beets, turnips, parsnips, apples, and pears. Shelves covered the opposite wall and contained jars of food and canned goods.

  He picked up an apple. “This has soft spots so it has to come out along with any straw that touched the bruise. Otherwise, the rest will go bad.”

  She couldn’t help the eerie sensations creeping around her. “Do you have mice and snakes down here?”

  “Occasionally, so you have to watch where you put your hands and feet. I picked up a potato once and a rat jumped out.”

  “I expect if that happens to me people will hear me all the way to town. I’m sorry I interrupted. Please continue showing me what I need to know.”

  He laid a hand on her arm. “This life takes getting used to. Don’t worry because you can’t learn everything at once. Now, about the apple. We’ll take it and any like it up to the kitchen and use them to make a pie or fried apples or something to salvage what’s not spoiled.” He checked the remaining apples.

  She jumped about a foot. “Eeeek! What is that?”

  He looked at her feet. “Pay no attention to that little salamander. I don’t like having them but they’re harmless. They keep down insects. Think of it as a fly-swatter on legs.”

  He could think of the thing any way he wished. She preferred to think of it as something to be avoided and took a step in the direction opposite the creature.

  “Oh, I’ll check the pears.” She examined each pear but they appeared healthy. “I’ll check the potatoes. What do you do about the sprouty things? Do I pull them off or take the potato upstairs?”

  He checked the one she held. “Those ‘sprouty things’ are called eyes. We’ll have to use that one so take it up to the kitchen.”

  He reached out to touch one of the jars on the shelf. “I don’t know how to can fruit or vegetables so we went halves with Mrs. Jordan and she canned for us. It’s hard work I’m sure. We save the jars so she can use them again. Perhaps she can show you how to preserve food if you don’t already know how.”

  Zenobia looked at the rows of processed vegetables and fruit. “I don’t know how but I’m certainly willing to learn. Having these all year must be a boon. Perhaps Mrs. Jordan won’t mind showing me, especially if we tell her we’ll continue to give her fruit and vegetables.”

  Callum unhooked the lantern from the beam and indicated she should go up the steep steps. He carried the light while she carried the apples and potatoes in a burlap sack he had found. She was delighted to leave the dank cellar.

  He extinguished the lamp and hung it on the wall where it had been. “Put the bag somewhere and let me show you the rest of the house.”

  She deposited her small load on the table.

  “Don’t forget I only finished the house a few months ago. So far, I haven’t had time or cash to build or buy all the furniture. I expect you’ll want to have a say in what else we get.”

  “I’m glad you have water inside the house. The book I read gave the impression that everyone had to carry water to their home. That would add a lot of work.”

  He indicated the range. “You can see that there’s a hot water reservoir beside the oven. Even though this looks like one big room I thought it could be arranged so that it was like a parlor and a kitchen separately.” Callum rubbed at his jaw. “Things didn’t turn out exactly like I’d planned.”

  Zenobia didn’t know what to say. This house was so different than any she’d ever seen but she knew Callum was very proud of it.

  “I’m impressed that you did this yourself. I’m sure your cowboys and Andrew helped but I find it amazing that so few of you were able to build such a sturdy house without outside help.”

  He grinned at her and put his hand at her waist. “Sure am glad to hear you say that. I’ve been a mite worried that you wouldn’t like this place or wouldn’t think it nice enough.”

  Gesturing to a large fireplace, he said, “Andrew and I built the fireplace from river rocks. We ordered the windows and they were hauled in from the railroad station. Glass is hard to come by out here and not everyone has glass windows.”

  “Seeing the shutters on the inside as well as the outside is a surprise. I g
uess they make the place warmer in the winter.”

  “Right you are. Reckon they raise the temperature at least ten degrees in a snowstorm. Sure makes the house dark when they’re closed, but better than struggling from being too cold. Now let me show you the other rooms.”

  He opened a pantry-like door. “This is our cold space. We’ve diverted water from the irrigation ditch here. The water freezes in winter, but obviously that functions to keep things cold, too.”

  Until then she hadn’t processed that ice couldn’t be delivered to homes out here. So many things she took for granted were not available.

  He guided her to a short hallway. “The first two rooms don’t have any furniture yet. This last one is our room and the largest of the bedrooms. It’s the only one with a fireplace. We built it on the inside wall so the other bedroom could share the warmth. If we build on, I’d planned to do the same and have a fireplace between the third bedroom and the room we add—or maybe we’ll build several rooms if we need them.”

  Her trunk was at the foot of the bed. The room was no more than half the size of her former bedroom, but he didn’t need to know that. She suspected the nicest house in this area was much smaller than hers in Atlanta.

  Zenobia knew she shouldn’t feel embarrassed but standing with him in the room they would share that night gave her a strange sensation. Instead of turning and running to the kitchen as she was inclined, she forced herself to stand her ground. This was her home now and Callum was the man with whom she’d share tonight and the years to come.

  “This is a nice room and I like that you have windows on two of the walls.” In spite of herself, she took a step toward the hall.

  Callum turned. “Guess you’re getting hungry.”

  “A little. I’ll have to clean off the table before we have our meal and that will take a few minutes. I’d better get busy and see what Mrs. Moore sent.”

  He walked with her to the kitchen. “We’ve been awful busy lately and I kind of let the house go. Sorry, but I did the best I could.”

  Hearing his apology softened her reaction to the messy home. “Obviously, you need a wife and here I am.”