The other man stood up away from the wall. “Martha told me to ask if you would like to eat supper with us. She didn’t feel too good yesterday, so she didn’t go to the shindig in town, and she’d like to meet you.”
Joshua stuffed one hand into the front pocket of his dungarees. “I wouldn’t want to be any trouble.”
Nathan hooted a loud laugh. “Trouble for Martha would be if she didn’t get to meet you today. Besides, she likes to cook.”
Joshua pulled out a pocket watch. “It’s already four thirty. Do you have any work for me this afternoon?”
The foreman shook his head. “Naw. Everyone’s off on Saturday afternoons.”
“What time do you want me to come, and you’ll have to tell me which house.” Joshua slipped the timepiece back into the small opening just below one of his belt loops.
Nathan started toward the front door. “We usually eat at six.”
Joshua followed the foreman. “I won’t be late.”
When they reached the porch, Nathan pointed toward the largest of the cabins behind the main house. “India’s father built that house for Martha and me when he hired me to be his foreman.”
After Joshua watched the man amble toward his home, he went to the wagon and retrieved his carpetbag. He stowed it on top of his trunk, then drove the wagon and King to the wagon yard beside the main stable. First, he took King to the stall Nathan had told him to use. He soothed the stallion and filled his trough with feed. He rubbed down the two horses that pulled the wagon and returned them to their stalls.
A flurry of activity around the bunkhouses indicated that the other cowboys were cleaning up. A few even made use of the outdoor shower. Joshua hoped they didn’t use all the water in the tank, because he wanted to get rid of some grime before he went to eat with Nathan and Martha. Of course, it was a large tank, and probably the men knew how to conserve water so everyone could have a turn.
By five thirty, all the cowboys had ridden out in groups of three or four toward town. He took a quick shower, wishing he had asked Nathan about how to get hot water for shaving. He’d just have to go to supper with stubble on his face, something he never would have done in San Francisco, but he really didn’t like a cold shave.
When he left the bunkhouse to start toward the foreman’s home, he noticed India step from her porch. He stopped and waited to see if she was headed toward him, but she didn’t even look his way. She did, however, go straight toward Nathan and Martha’s. Evidently she hadn’t recognized him, and he’d told Nathan his name out of her hearing. Maybe Joshua could keep it a secret from her until he knew the lay of the land. Tonight could be interesting.
Nathan answered his knock. “Since all the other hands are gone, Martha invited Miss India to eat with us, too.”
The older man stepped back, opening the door wider. Joshua searched the room until he saw India standing in the archway between the kitchen—where another woman bustled around—and the dining room.
Her startled gaze collided with his, and a slight blush colored her cheeks. “I thought you went to town … with the other hands.” The last phrase was almost a whisper.
She glanced at Nathan before looking at Martha.
The other woman wiped her hands on her apron. “I told Nate to ask him for supper. I didn’t get to meet him yesterday.” She smiled at her husband. “He didn’t tell me how handsome the new hand is.”
The blush on India’s cheeks deepened and bled across her neck. Joshua almost laughed. So she wasn’t the self-possessed woman she seemed to be yesterday at the barbecue.
“I don’t know any of the men yet, so I decided to stay on the ranch tonight.” He wasn’t ready to tell her that he wouldn’t be caught dead in a saloon.
Maybe he was being too harsh in his judgment. Perhaps the hands had other things in mind for their evening entertainment, but he doubted it.
Nathan laughed. “Some of them won’t ever want you trailing along with them. I believe they’ve gone courting.”
Okay, so he was being too harsh about some of them. Time would tell about the others.
“Come on. Let’s be seated.” Martha set a couple of bowls on the almost full round table. “Don’t want the food to get cold.”
Joshua planned to pull out India’s chair for her, but she slipped into the nearest seat before he reached the table. After they were all sitting down, Nathan pronounced a word of thanks to the Lord. Joshua was glad the foreman shared his faith. He wondered about India. He couldn’t remember them going to church when he was here as a boy.
While they passed the food, Nathan started the conversation. “I haven’t seen any of the other hands carry timepieces, and that’s a really fine watch you have.”
Joshua pulled it out of his pocket and stared at the etching on the cover. He opened it and peered at the face. “This was my father’s watch. It belonged to my grandfather before him. He gave it to me for my eighteenth birthday.”
“May I see it?” India reached her hand toward him, and he snapped the timepiece shut and unhooked it from his belt loop before giving it to her.
She studied it on one side, then turned it over. “The workmanship is beautiful. It reminds me of something I’ve seen before, but I can’t remember when or where.”
When she returned it to him, the gold felt warm. Joshua was sure her hand would feel just as warm, only much softer. For a rancher, her hands were exceptionally smooth with no calluses. Either she wore gloves, or she didn’t do much of the heavy work.
The next morning, India hurried to dress for church. She hoped she would see the new hand riding to town for services, too. But when she harnessed one of the horses to the surrey, no one besides Nathan and Martha headed the same way.
Jody had invited Anika, Elaine, and her for dinner after church. She hoped being with her best friends would take her mind off that man. Unfortunately, during the service, her thoughts often wandered. She was sure Pastor Gavin preached a wonderful sermon as usual, but she hoped no one asked her what he said.
Soon the four women sat around the small kitchen table. Jody’s cooking was legendary, and today was no exception. While they partook of the bounty, the friends talked about inconsequential things. All too soon, someone asked the question India didn’t want to hear.
“So did you see the stranger who came to the barbecue on Friday?” Jody made eye contact with India.
After swallowing what she was chewing so she wouldn’t choke, India nodded. “He was hard to miss.”
“Aren’t you glad you went back to the hotel and changed clothes?” Elaine’s auburn hair was pulled up into its usual bun on top of her head, and it wobbled when she turned her head quickly.
“Of course.” India tried to make light of her answer. “I wasn’t really wanting anyone to notice me while I took care of the meat.” She shoved another bite into her mouth, hoping the other women would change the subject.
Jody picked up on what she said. “Did the man notice you?”
“He’d be crazy if he didn’t.” Anika scooped some mashed potatoes onto her fork.
Jody stared at her. “So you noticed him, too.”
“Just because I believe in women’s suffrage doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a good-looking man, does it?” With a dainty motion, Anika placed the food in her mouth.
“I didn’t mean anything by what I said.” A look of contrition wrinkled Jody’s brows.
India decided she might as well tell them the rest of the story. “He came to the ranch yesterday looking for a job … and Nathan hired him.”
Three pairs of eyes stared at her.
“I suppose Nathan knows what he’s doing, but that man has secrets.” By their raised eyebrows, India could see that her statement surprised her friends.
Jody clasped her hands in her lap. “What do you mean?”
India thought a minute so she would get all the details right. “For one thing, his clothes are too new. If he’s been working as a cowboy, why aren’t his clothes broken
in?” Jody looked as if she might defend the man, so India rushed on. “And he travels with a trunk and a carpetbag. How many cowboys have you seen carry more than just their saddlebags?”
With a deflated look, Jody leaned back. “He came into the freight office yesterday and bought Goldie from Mr. Brody. It seems odd that he didn’t already own a horse. If he’s a cowboy, why didn’t he ride his horse to town?”
“Martha invited both of us for supper last night. I had hoped to learn more about him, but even though we talked a lot, and Nathan asked him a lot of questions, he didn’t give us any information in his answers.” Each time India said something else about the man, she felt worse and worse. “He even carries a pocket watch. A very elaborate gold one. Have you ever seen a cowhand do that? I just know I’ll have to keep an eye on him to make sure he’s who he says he is.”
Anika, ever the lawyer, stood and took her plate to the dry sink. “I could have him checked out for you. What’s his name?”
India stared at each of her friends before she answered. “I don’t know,” she whispered with a sinking heart.
Chapter 4
Joshua Dillinger. His name was Joshua Dillinger. For some reason that sounded vaguely familiar, but India couldn’t remember why. That vagueness only added to her discomfort with the man. When he was around, all her old insecurities flooded back. Because her father never had a son, she had done all she could to prove to him that she was just as good, but Daddy had never recognized that fact.
Then after he was gone, India had to prove herself all over again. The regular hands who stayed on the ranch year-round knew her abilities, but every time they had to hire extra hands, the discrimination happened again. No one wanted to work for a woman. If Nathan hadn’t been so loyal, she never would have been able to run this ranch. He gave her the respect she needed, and the other men finally followed his lead.
India looked down at the ledger spread open on the desk in front of her. She should work on the books, but that new man distracted all her thoughts. She huffed out a deep breath and picked up her last stubby pencil. The next time Nathan went to town, he would have to buy her some more.
A knock sounded at her open office door, and she looked up. “Come in, Nathan. I was just thinking about you.”
The man crossed the waxed hardwood floor in a few long strides. “I hope I didn’t put those frown lines on your forehead.”
India laughed. “No, you didn’t.” She held up the flat wooden pencil. “I need you to get more of these when you go into town for supplies.”
Nathan sat with one hip on the front corner of her desk. “I’m thinking about sending Joshua for the supplies.”
She leaned back in her wooden swivel chair. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”
He crossed his arms. “I’ve seen you watching him like a hawk. Almost as though you’re waiting for him to make a mistake. You’re not usually like this. How long has he been here now?”
“Two weeks and four days.” After she said the words, she regretted them. She didn’t want her foreman to know how often she thought of Joshua, and that answer made it sound as if she had counted every day. So what if she had?
“Right, and he’s a hard worker.” The grooves between Nathan’s eyes indicated his seriousness. “When are you going to give him a break?”
India rubbed the ache in both sides of her forehead with the thumb and middle finger of one hand, then looked straight at her foreman. “Okay. You’ve told me more than once that you trust him. I promise I’ll take your word for it.”
Nathan stood up. “Good. I’ll send him to town right away.”
After the foreman exited the house, India went to the window and watched him walk across to the corral. Joshua was helping one of the younger hands practice roping the cows that milled around inside. When Nathan reached him, they started talking. She knew exactly when Nathan told him that he was going to town, because Joshua’s gaze turned toward the house as if he questioned whether she agreed.
Before Joshua made it to the barn to hitch up the wagon, India opened the ranch house door. He hoped she wasn’t coming to tell him that she didn’t want him to run this errand. He planned to check if there was anything in the mail for him, especially from his partner telling him how everything in San Francisco was going.
Joshua turned toward India and smiled. She hadn’t said anything about remembering who he was, and he hadn’t brought it up yet. Perhaps it was time, but he didn’t want to rush the moment. He hadn’t found out as much as he wanted about how well she was doing with the ranch. When his anonymity was destroyed, he felt sure the other hands would clam up around him.
India stopped in front of him. Remnants of the girl he remembered still lingered, but the woman had almost overtaken them. She shaded her eyes with one hand. “I have a few more things I’d like you to pick up for me.” She thrust a list toward him.
When he took it from her, he nodded, tempted to grasp her fingers in his. All kinds of feelings ran through him, but he couldn’t pursue them until he finished the job he’d come to do. Joshua stuffed the paper into his shirt pocket before climbing up on the wagon seat. He could feel her gaze boring into his back as he rode away.
After Joshua picked up all the things on both lists and left them on the counter for the clerk to add up, he headed toward the post office in the back corner of the general store. “Got anything for the Cunningham ranch?” He couldn’t believe how quickly he’d slipped into the vernacular of a cowhand. No one in his law office would believe it if they heard it. He was known all over northern California for his oratory skills.
“Sure do.” The sandy-haired man reached for a packet tied with twine. “It’s been a while since anyone from the ranch came to town. Miss India usually helps at the orphanage a couple days a week.”
As Joshua walked back toward the counter in the store, he pondered that information. Why had she stopped? Was something wrong with the ranch? Or did she not trust him and want to keep an eye on what he was doing? He chuckled at that thought. If she only knew.
On the ride back to the ranch, Joshua stopped the wagon when he was far enough from town for no one to see what he was doing. He picked up the mail and carefully untied the package. Sure enough, a fat envelope was addressed to him. He stuck it inside his shirt and retied the packet. He would take time to study the papers later.
India must have been watching for him, because she came out on the porch before he reached the house. “Did we get any mail?”
Joshua held it up before stepping over the side of the wagon. She met him halfway with her hand outstretched. After he placed the bundle in her hand, she quickly untied it and began to shuffle through the pieces of mail before looking up.
“Do you know where Nathan is?”
“When I left, he was going to help the hands get ready to ride out for the calf roundup in the morning.” Joshua waited to see if she wanted anything else from him.
Instead, she turned and strode toward the large bunkhouse.
India forced herself not to look back as she walked away from Joshua. She tried to force him from her thoughts, too, but had less success with that. She almost regretted her last trip to town, but she hadn’t been in a while.
She hadn’t wanted to talk about Joshua. But her friends had asked about him the whole time she was with them. She had attempted to avoid all that questioning. When she had answered, the three of them seemed greatly amused about something that completely eluded her.
She didn’t know what she felt. On the one hand, he worked hard, but she still didn’t truly trust him. He was keeping some secret from her. And that bothered her … more than she wanted to admit.
Another thing India didn’t want to admit to anyone was her attraction to the man. Not just to his good looks, and he had plenty. Something about him tugged at her heart, while her mind wanted to push him away because of his air of mystery.
Her boots kicked up dust as she stomped toward the bunkhouse. Nathan had a letter,
and she needed to give it to him, but sometimes she felt that he could see what was going on inside her. That would never do. How would she keep control of the ranch if he knew that she was so double-minded about Joshua? All the men, including Nathan, needed to see her strength and leadership, not some dreamy-eyed woman. India didn’t even notice Nathan coming toward her until he stopped right in front of her.
“Did you want to see me for something?” He hooked his thumbs through his front belt loops and studied her face from under the brim of his hat.
She nodded and shuffled through the envelopes again before pulling out one of them. “This letter came for you. I thought you might like to see it.”
He took it and smiled. “It probably could have waited until I came to the office.” However, Nathan quickly tore the end off of the letter, blew into it, and slid out the paper.
India watched him a moment before turning toward the house.
“Wait a minute, Miss India.” Something in his voice stopped her. “This here has some bad news in it.”
She whirled around. “I’m sorry, Nathan. Who is it from?”
The paper in his hand shook. “My brother.” He gulped, and his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. “He says Dad’s dying. He says I need to come home quickly, or I might not see him again.”
India put a comforting hand on his arm. “Then you and Martha must go.”
A lone tear made its way down his wrinkled cheek. “It’s time for calf roundup. I can’t go.”
India could take over the complete running of the ranch if she had to. She could be the foreman in his place. “I can do it.”
“You shouldn’t have to.” He covered her fingers with his calloused hand. “You’re the ranch owner, and there are plenty of men who can do the work.”
“And I can ride and rope with the best of them.”
Nathan stood in thought for a long moment. “Joshua could fill in for me while I’m gone.”
India’s heart thumped out of rhythm. She worked very closely with her foreman. Could she work that closely with Joshua? “Isn’t there anyone else who could do it?”
Love Is Patient Romance Collection Page 29
