The Widows Choice

by Hildie McQueen

  Within a few weeks, he'd find a place of his own and get his bank in Texas to wire money for the purchase.

  He wasn't a wealthy man, but he had accumulated more than most. Enough to get a couple hundred acres and livestock.

  The night’s sounds wafted through the open window, and restless, he got up and looked out.

  Lights were still on at the house.

  Chapter Four

  Charlie stood at the kitchen window looking toward the bunkhouse. The men had gone there right after dinner, Joe following Rafe and Jerrick after they invited him to play cards. Joe had taken to the two newcomers and they'd fallen into an easygoing rapport of sorts.

  Both Rafe Preston and Jerrick Black were very handsome men. It still astounded her to find so many good-looking men in one town. It was as if the beauty of the area attracted them. The local McKade men where a striking bunch, all of them with the same devilish green eyes and tall muscular build.

  Her thoughts returned to the new ranch hands. They were as different in looks as night and day. Jerrick was blond with light eyes that caught attention. He had a playful edge to him, as if always holding back from teasing.

  Rafe was the more serious of the two, seeming to measure his words before speaking. With black hair and the darkest brown eyes, he made one take notice. Taller than Jerrick, he shrunk a room when entering. Of the two, she took more notice of Rafe. Whenever his dark eyes met hers, it was as if he could see deep inside. To the most intimate areas, she'd rather keep to herself.

  "There's too much work to be done for daydreaming," Mary Ellen, Charlie's friend chided her with a soft smile on her lips. "You thinking about our new ranch hands? They are a handsome duo, aren't they?"

  "Honestly, I barely noticed," Charlie lied and avoided looking at her friend who carried a cup of tea to the kitchen table. The cool breeze blew in through the open windows helping air out the overheated kitchen. She glanced once again outside. The sun's setting always gave a beautiful glow to the valley.

  "I hope they are trustworthy. Joe sure seems to like them." Charlie wasn't convinced Jessup Winfrow didn't send the two men to sabotage her efforts and spy on her. The man was evil enough to do something like that. Hire men to work for her and undermine what work needed to be done. It seemed convenient that only days after Joe went to town to look for help, the two appeared.

  It made her suspicious, they did not negotiate at all on the wages, seeming to be more interested in room and board. Something was off.

  During supper, days earlier, she'd overheard Jerrick ask about her family and husband. But when Joe had not replied in full, they'd not asked anything further. Could it be because they already knew the answer?

  There was too much on the line right now. It would be the perfect time for the underhanded man to plan something against her. It was uncanny how he seemed to know everything that went on at Horseshoe, more than he should, had spies everywhere when it came to her property and her.

  If the cattle sale the following month did not go through for whatever reason, Winfrow would swoop in and buy them, just to prove a point. To hold something over her and she'd owe him. There was no way she could survive the winter without the money.

  He'd already asked about buying them for a lower price than she had arranged with the buyer. He claimed he'd have to turn around and sell them himself and would barely turn a profit. Charlie closed her eyes, tired of having to devote so much thinking and effort to Winfrow. If only he'd leave her be. Find someone else to torment.

  Yes, it would have been easier to sell the cattle to him and be done with it, but she didn't trust the man enough to go into business with him. Besides she had a buyer of her own. And it was more than Winfrow offered her, and yes, it was still not as much as her husband would have negotiated for, but enough that she'd not have to worry about maintaining her ranch for the next year.

  A month earlier, Winfrow had been enraged when she'd turned down his marriage offer, stating she'd run Horseshoe ranch into the ground without a husband. Jessup Winfrow's cruel streak was well known.

  She'd heard rumblings of how he mistreated his workers and rarely had a kind word for anyone. The man was both admired and feared in town. But she refused to back down. Somehow she'd make it on her own, she had no immediate need of a husband.

  She'd been married to a gentle and honest man; Daniel Kennedy was a good man who'd cared for her and she for him. Their relationship had not blossomed to a love or passion, but she'd been content and well provided for. Her life was predictable, yet comfortable, never needing for anything. Then one day it all changed. Daniel was thrown by his horse and hit head first into a pile of rocks. He'd died instantly and she'd been left alone with all that had been his.

  Mary Ellen looked to her. "You have the melancholy look about you. Missing my brother?"

  "He was so kind and gentle. Caring to a fault," Charlie replied with a soft smile. "All I could hope for when leaving my home was getting away from that old man my parents insisted I marry. Never expected to be blessed by marrying a man like Daniel."

  Mary Ellen laughed. "Although he did have his faults. The man loved the outdoors."

  "Spent more time out on the trail than home. He never understood why I complained about the countless days he was on drives and such. It was a blessing when you came to live with me. Saving me from loneliness and boredom." She patted Mary Ellen's hand. "As much as I cared for Daniel, his quiet ways were a bit annoying."

  "Yes, it was hard to hold a conversation when his only responses were one word at a time."

  They both became silent lost in their memories of Daniel Kennedy, who'd died a little over a year earlier. Three years after Charlie arrived in Colter Valley.

  After helping Mary Ellen clean the kitchen, Charlie moved to the window and once again looked toward the bunkhouse. Earlier that day she'd watched as Rafe Preston had washed up for supper.

  From her bedroom window she'd caught sight of him going to the side of the bunkhouse. Shirtless, wearing only his long drawers, he'd caught her attention. The man was the most fetching she'd ever seen. Tall and broad shouldered, he towered over Joe, yet at the same time, she didn't find him intimidating. On the contrary, she found herself enticed to know him better.

  Mortified at spying, she'd tried to turn away, but became mesmerized by his body. Wide shoulders, chiseled chest with a light feathering of hair that narrowed to a trim waist, he was built perfectly. The man was tall, well over six feet. His traveling companion Jerrick Black was attractive as well, but it was Rafe who'd appealed to her.

  "Stop it," Charlie mumbled and turned away from the window. Daydreaming like a schoolgirl over a man who'd probably been sent by Winfrow to spy on her was not exactly the smart thing to do.

  The next day, she felt strange. Her balance was off and a headache threatened. Charlie went about her day, gardening and such until late in the afternoon.

  "Are you hungry?" Mary Ellen said from the table where she and Joe drank coffee. They normally remained at the dinner table discussing things after the meal. Often times Charlie joined them. Today she'd not been up to sitting at the table with everyone. Unable to eat with men who could be there under the guise of helping, only to do the opposite. Her stomach had turned at the idea of so much treachery. Ever since Daniel died, she was left vulnerable, easy prey to men like Winfrow.

  There was the other problem of attempting to do business in a man's world. As a woman alone, no one took her seriously when it came to dealing with purchase and selling of her cattle. Joe did his best, but he was a simple man who didn't have a head for business. If she were to be honest, neither did she. She was only married to Daniel for two years and had never dealt with any of the business side of things.

  She slid onto a chair at the kitchen table, her mind on how to handle the current situation.

  "They ain't from around here, Charlie, no need to fret. Don't think they know Winfrow." Joe told her, his eyes roaming her face. "You look like death warmed over. You sic
k?"

  "Got a bit of a headache," she replied. "Joe we can't be too trusting." She winced when her temples tightened, the headache threatening to return. "I'm not going to ask you to send them away. I know we need the help. Are desperate for it, to be honest. Just keep an eye on them."

  She ate a small amount of stew and nibbled on a biscuit before pushing away from the table. "I am going to lie down. Mary Ellen, thank you, but I can't eat. This headache is just unbearable." When she rose, her legs buckled and she collapsed to the floor. Joe rushed to her as well as Mary Ellen who cradled her head. "We've got to call Doc. Something is not right. This is twice you've fallen out like this."

  Charlie wanted to object, but she could not form a cohesive sentence. It was almost impossible to keep her eyes open. Everything swam in front of her, Mary Ellen and Joe became hazy and her temple throbbed. Darkness loomed as she felt herself being lifted and jostled about. Too weak to speak, she allowed the fog to take over. Her last thoughts were that if she died, no one would grieve for her and in that moment a great sadness enveloped her.

  "The doctor is here." An unfamiliar deep voice permeated through slumber. "Would you like me to greet him?"

  "No. Thank you, Rafe. Please stay with her. I need to speak with him first and while I'm downstairs I’ll get fresh water. She's asleep, so just keep an eye on her," Mary Ellen replied.

  Rafe murmured a reply and Charlie attempted to tell Mary Ellen not to leave her alone with him. What was she thinking? Rafe Preston was a stranger and a single man.

  Charlie forced herself to wake fully and pried her eyes open. Sunlight shined through the window, the light burned her sensitive eyes and she squeezed them shut again. Her temples were not throbbing as hard now and for that she was thankful.

  Knowing better this time, she turned her head away from the window and opened her eyes. In the doorway stood Rafe Preston. He leaned against the doorframe and watched her. His gaze although soft, was still as penetrating. "Mary Ellen is downstairs. She went to see about the doc."

  "Why is the doctor coming?" her throat was dry and she wanted water, but didn't dare ask him. He unsettled her too much, and it wouldn't do for him to step into her bedroom. It felt too personal, not to mention, it was not proper.

  She almost laughed at the direction of her thoughts. Who gave two fiddlesticks about propriety at a moment like this? Certainly not the people of Colter Valley, with its two saloons and rowdy population, it was a good town, but mostly a place where people from all walks of life had settled. Everyone was too busy concentrating on making it through life and although the gossips tried their best, even they had a hard time keeping up with the entire goings on of the bustling town.

  "You fainted, did not come around all night. Miss Mary Ellen is worried. She sent Joe to fetch the doctor." Rafe straightened. "How do you feel?"

  Charlie closed her eyes again, not daring to keep his gaze. The man was too attractive and it made her feel vulnerable to lay upon the bed in his presence. She pulled the blankets up higher. "Better, thank you. You may go. I'll be fine until Mary Ellen returns with the doctor."

  "Glad to hear it." He didn't move, instead studied her with curiosity. "My mother had such headaches. She got better during the winter, but when spring came she was forced to bed many days."

  She considered what he said. "I thought I was going to die." Unsure why she'd blurted the words to the man, Charlie wished them back. If only to pull them from being uttered and erased from his memory. She groaned. "I mean it was so painful and all."

  "Seemed Ma felt the same way many times."

  "Did they ever go away?" She needed to know. If it was the same illness perhaps he had the answer to her troubles. "Anything that worked?"

  He looked pensive, his brow furrowed in thought. "Some herbage seemed to bring her relief. I'll think about it and see if I can remember."

  "I would appreciate it."

  Without another word he turned away and left.

  Before she could call him back to beg him to do his best to remember, Mary Ellen and the doctor bustled in. Her friend placed a drink in her hands and a bowl of water on a side table. She dipped a cloth into it and brushed it over her heated face. The cool water was refreshing and much welcome.

  Doctor Mitchell was an older man who rarely smiled. Of course, with a full mustache and beard, if he did, Charlie figured it would not be visible. He placed his black satchel on the end of the bed and pulled a chair to sit next to it. "Did you take the tonic I prescribed for you upon feeling the headache coming?"

  "No," Charlie admitted. "It wasn't so bad. My head did not hurt as much as before, so I thought I could withstand it. I don't think it was the headache that made me pass out. I did not eat all day. My stomach was upset all day yesterday."

  He nodded and took his stethoscope out. Listening to her heart and breathing, he then looked down her throat and studied her eyes and ears. "What other symptoms do you notice of late?"

  Mary Ellen interrupted. "She's always tired, is clumsy and barely sleeps. When she does anything that requires too much exertion, she gets the headaches."

  The doctor looked to Charlie. "What about your appetite?"

  "I mostly eat bread and vegetables. Don't care much for meat." She knew it was absurd, owning a cattle ranch and all. But after seeing calves grow up, she couldn't stomach eating them.

  The doctor frowned. "Like it or not, I'd like for you to try a diet rich in red meat for the next few weeks." He winked at her. "Try to follow my instructions this time, young lady."

  Charlie smiled and nodded. "Yes, Doctor. I'm sorry to have troubled you to come this far. I am fine, just a bit under the weather. I'm sure you have more urgent things to attend to."

  "Surprisingly it's been quiet of late. It's not a bother at all. As a matter of fact, I'm heading over to Winfrow's now. Seems one of his hired men hurt his leg."

  Mary Ellen escorted the doctor out, promising to bring Charlie tea and the doctor's tonic.

  In the quiet of her room, she let out a breath. This was not the time to be sick, to have the miserable headaches and dizziness. She hadn't been eating enough, she knew better. But with everything that happened, and all the work needing to be done, Charlie worried.

  Worry led to lack of appetite which she paid for now. For days she'd pretended to eat, moving the food around her plate, taking only a few nibbles to keep Mary Ellen and Joe from suspecting. A stupid mistake, with so much to do, she felt foolish at becoming ill when she could have prevented it.

  With the arrival of the new men, things would be easier. If they weren't sent by Winfrow, which she hoped wasn't so. Perhaps there was a chance they and Joe would get everything done in time for summer and the ranch would be taken care of through the winter.

  It would be easier to sell it and move to town. She wouldn't have any worries. Sometimes she contemplated it for long moments. Considered living in a small house with only her garden and self to worry about. But she loved her home, the views of the mountains and the large expanse of unspoiled land.

  Charlie let out a sigh and closed her eyes. No more worrying. She'd do her best to eat better and maybe even plenty of meat.

  Rafe Preston's presence unsettled her, but she'd push that aside. It wasn't as if she'd never seen a handsome man before. Although if she were to be honest, never one as good looking as this man. He was breathtakingly attractive, which in itself made her stomach tumble.

  Today she'd rest and tomorrow it would be a new start. More time to herself since Joe had help, which meant she could get things done around the house and spend time in the garden.

  With a smile curving her lips, she allowed slumber to take over.

  Chapter Five

  A man could get accustomed to good food. Rafe wiped his mouth and picked up his cup of coffee. Ranch work was hard and steady, a constant stream of things to be accomplished. And while it was exhausting, Rafe enjoyed having full days and after a good meal relaxing until bedtime.

  Each day Mary Ell
en outdid herself, ensuring they ate their fill for two meals a day. In the early afternoon, they'd eat leftover bread and whatever she sent out with Joe to sustain them until the evening meal.

  Although he saw Charlie on occasion, she was quite adept at avoiding both him and Jerrick. Once again that day, she was absent during the meal and other than asking about her health the day before, he'd not found it easy to gather any other information about her. For whatever reason, he hoped to see her every day when going to the house for breakfast and supper, but it was rare to even catch a glimpse.

  They made their way toward the stables, Jerrick walking alongside him. "I don't know how they'll manage once we leave. Joe needs to hire more help." They watched the wiry man, already heading to whatever chore needed to be done. He rarely gave more than a couple instructions, trusting them to see to whatever work was required.

  "He asked me if we'd stay through next month to help with calving. Said he'd talk Charlotte Kennedy into selling me cattle once I buy land," Rafe said.

  Jerrick scratched his head, then replaced his hat. "I'm heading to town tomorrow. Looking into finding out about land for sale and such. And I want to get familiar with the local townsfolk."

  "Or perhaps the town’s womenfolk?" Rafe said knowing Jerrick enjoyed the company of the fairer sex. "I suppose it's good to know what families live here and such."

  "Since you got your eye on the Misses, I don't reckon I can step in there. Although it would be interesting to see if the elusive woman would come around if we both vied for her attention." Jerrick chuckled at Rafe's scowl. "Don't give me that look. You constantly keep an eye out for her. And when she does appear, you sit straight as a board."

  "I'll get the horses," Rafe walked faster, doing his best to ignore Jerrick's chuckle.