A Windswept Promise

by Brandi Boddie

  “My mother says those are very good qualities in a man. It makes him more apt to listen to a lady.”

  “Lucretia is wise.” Mrs. Hooper stirred honey into her cup. “But I think you will make a fine match for Chad. Your conversation and effervescent spirit are sure to please.”

  Too bad Dusty didn’t find her conversation pleasing. She remembered him as she looked to the window. Her view of the tethering post was blocked by a hedge in the garden.

  Mrs. Hooper clinked her spoon against the teacup. “But Chad is stationed at the bank here in town, so you will not have to worry about him leaving again.”

  “No, I would not.” Sophie ate a scone. Dusty was going to have to get used to Chad being a fixture in her life, plain and simple.

  She sat with Chad’s mother until the tea was finished. After Mr. Shaw showed her the door, she walked with apprehension back to the tethering post. Dusty leaned against the frame of the picket fence, waiting.

  “How’d your meetin’ go?”

  “What I had to say was well-received.” She searched for traces of previous anger in him, but Dusty had returned to his normal nature, carrying himself in an unhurried, relaxed stance. “Dusty, about what I said to you before I went inside the house—”

  “Let it be. I forgot about it.”

  Sophie wasn’t sure he did, but did not press the matter. She was learning that even Dusty was not immune to constant jibes, particularly where it involved her choice of beaus. Better to tease him on gentler subjects, or not at all, for the time being.

  This time she waited dutifully for him to help her back upon the horse. “I need to make a purchase of stationery at the general store before we return home. Mayor Hooper wants me to get a petition started.”

  “For what?”

  “For women to vote in school elections, of course. You think women should be able to vote on the state of our schools, don’t you?”

  He climbed astride his own horse and set the pace for them. “Never thought about it much, to be honest.”

  “Why not? You don’t seem the kind of man to want to keep women from the polls.”

  “No, I never said that. I just always had other things to do, like helping my family or working. Most of the time, I didn’t get out to the polls myself.”

  “You mean while you had your ranch?”

  “Not my ranch. My parents’.”

  Was he finally willing to talk about his past? Sophie deliberated whether to encroach upon the subject as they rode the horses back to town square. “You can tell me about your ranch and family if you want to.”

  He sat astride the stallion as if he were bored, looking out at the people walking in the streets. He rested a hand at his hip. In that moment he appeared out of place among the shops and busy chatter, better suited for riding the open range. “Not much to tell. My family owned a ranch. Now we don’t. They still live in Texas. I’m up here.”

  He didn’t say that he lived in Kansas. How odd, that after being here for three years, he still didn’t consider it home.

  “Maybe your family can start over. That’s what my father and mother did.” What was Dusty staring at, that he refused to let his eyes meet hers?

  “Cattle costs more at the start than purchasing seed to plant. Anyway, you’d better get what you need at the store so you can make it back home before noon. I’ll be out here, waiting.”

  Sophie gave up for the moment. He couldn’t be pressed no matter how gentle her persuasions. Maybe he thought she was incapable of understanding, but as the oldest, she had known hard times. Her parents too. The Charltons just made sure to not let anyone else know.

  “Sophie.”

  She turned to view Dusty’s half-smile. “I’d like to be the first to sign that petition. After you, of course.”

  CHAPTER 14

  W AS HE A fool to be so nice? Dusty wondered after signing Sophie’s petition.

  He was doing her another favor, right after taking her to town to see the mayor and waiting outside the house like a loyal hound dog. Sure, part of his job entailed looking after members of the Charlton family if need be, but that didn’t make it any easier to accept that the girl he was sweet on accepted the courtship of someone else.

  He was glad he didn’t run into Chad while waiting for Sophie’s meeting to end at Mayor Hooper’s house. Things would have been said that shouldn’t and he’d find himself in trouble with somebody, be it the mayor, Chad, or Mr. Charlton.

  “I can’t keep doing this,” Dusty said to his stallion as he groomed the horse in the barn stall later that week. “I wasn’t raised to keep my head down and be wary of folks talking about me, trying to threaten my work.”

  Gabe agreed, or seemed to, by shaking his black mane. Dusty fed him a handful of oats before brushing the horse’s back.

  “I’ll go to that ranch on Saturday,” he promised for the fifth time in four days. Saying it aloud made him feel better about his choice.

  What harm was there in touring the ranch? He might learn something and put it to good use on his own ranch someday. It was just the thing to liven his spirits. “Never hurts to store things away for the future.”

  Gabe smacked loudly on the oats.

  “You’ll be glad to see herds again too, won’t you, boy?”

  Inside, he felt like a liar. It was going to take more than seeing cattle to make him happy. The discontent started small, and moved to settle on his insides.

  “Do you always talk to that horse?” Sophie appeared in the open doorway, leading Bess.

  Dusty smirked. She never missed an opportunity to berate him for talking to Gabe whenever she caught him doing so. “Not always, but he was my only company on the trails.”

  “I don’t believe that. You couldn’t have driven cattle north all by yourself.”

  “Those other cowhands weren’t as sociable as Gabe.” He put aside his humor and considered the potential consequences of the situation. “What did you hear me say?”

  She shrugged and walked Bess to her stall. “Nothing important, since you’re talking to an animal. Just that he or you would be happy seeing herds again.”

  Good. She didn’t hear the part about him going to the ranch. “Do you want me to groom Bess for you?”

  “I can do it.” Sophie wore her work calico, a simple brown dress that had seen better days. Bess clopped behind her as she went to get a brush from the tack wall.

  Dusty waited for her to make another remark, to jest about his equine companion or rib him on being a silly cowboy. When no quip came, he was let down. So this was to be the extent of his interactions with Sophie while Chad was courting her. All primness and no sass. Not much of it, anyway.

  “Will you help me make rounds on Saturday to get my petition signed?”

  He paused at the question. She waited with a pleasant, unassuming smile. “I had something else to do that day.”

  Her smile faded into a nod of resignation. “I suppose I did ask at a moment’s notice. You sure have become busy in the past few weeks.”

  He hoped to deflect her curiosity before she asked where he was goin
g on Saturday. “Naturally. Can’t expect me to sit around by my lonesome while you have all the fun, now can I?”

  She marched back to him with brush in hand. Her mare gazed after her in possible bewilderment before entering the last stall to find hay to eat. “Are you calling upon a lady in town, Dusty?”

  “A gentleman never tells his business.”

  Sophie made that puckered face where it looked like she swallowed a mouthful of mustard greens and vinegar. “You are seeing someone, aren’t you? Who is she?” She followed him from the barn, waving the brush. “Is it Margaret?”

  “You’d best go back and close that stall door on Bess. You don’t want her wanderin’ the fields at night.” He increased the speed of his stride. Behind him, her footsteps quickened into a light run.

  “Answer me. Are you seeing Margaret Rheins?”

  “You’re asking me more than I need to tell you.” He walked faster to the bunkhouse. The soles of Sophie’s boots slapped the dry ground twice for every one of his steps.

  “It is her, isn’t it?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  She sprinted in front of him. Out of breath, she stopped and bent over, resting her hands on her knees. “Don’t try to fool me . . . I talked to Margaret at church Sunday. . . She said she didn’t plan on entering the town belle contest again next year.”

  “And?”

  “And . . . that must mean that she has a gentleman caller now. One who is very, very promising.” She peered at him through the heavy gold fringe of her lashes.

  Was that supposed to intimidate him? Dusty had seen scarier looks on cornered rabbits, and those downy little creatures could growl if the need arose. “Just never you mind about Miss Margaret. You have your own beau.”

  That gave her pause. Her pink lips trembled. He wanted to kiss them again. “If you are courting Margaret, I will find out. I’ll know something tomorrow when I go to her house with that petition.”

  “Do what you think you need to. I’m going to clean up for supper.” He veered around her and climbed the two steps to the bunkhouse, leaving her in the field still holding the grooming brush. “Let me know how that petition signing goes.”

  Dusty saddled Sophie’s horse for her before he left for town on Saturday morning. She and David came out of the house after breakfast. Sophie moved with a nervous energy, clasping her petition and pencil case, while her brother trudged along beside her, yawning and doing his best to appear bored and bothered.

  “I don’t care whether women can vote. How come I have to go with you?” he asked with petulance not yet outgrown.

  Sophie wore her gray riding habit today and had pinned her hair back in a severe bun underneath what was fashioned to look like a gentleman’s top hat. Her gloves were black to match her shoes. In Dusty’s opinion she made herself look too solemn, but he guessed that was the whole point. If Sophie wanted to be taken seriously, dressing in her usual colorful frilliness wasn’t a smart way of going about it.

  “I cannot go to town unescorted, that’s why. It’s unseemly. Dusty would go, but he has other things to tend to today.” She shot him a crushing look. Dusty tipped his own hat to acknowledge her greeting.

  David lost interest in sparring with his sister. “Where are you going, Dusty?”

  “He won’t tell you. He won’t tell anyone. Dusty’s become a man of secrets.” Sophie’s skirt swished as she walked up to him. Dusty presented her mounting block so she could climb in the sidesaddle. He offered to assist. She held onto him for half a moment, her dainty fingers resting on his hand just long enough for her to get on the horse. She pushed her own foot through the stirrup.

  “You look pretty today, as always.”

  She adjusted her skirt before peering down her pert nose at him. “Flattery will get you nowhere.”

  “All the same, though.” He knew she was burning up inside, wanting to know his plans for the day, hating that he kept mum. He patted the horse’s flank. “I’d better get goin’, too. Wouldn’t want to miss my engagement.” Dusty held back a chuckle as Sophie bit down on her lips to hide a nervous tic.

  “I’ll see you in town.”

  “Maybe. Have a good day, Miss Sophie. You too, David.” He felt Sophie’s eyes on him as he turned to the barn to saddle up Gabe. He’d give Sophie and her brother a head start before leaving. They should be onto the first house by the time he rode through and out of town.

  He considered simply bypassing Assurance and following the Katy tracks, but that was out of the way. Zephyr Ranch was close to the main road, if he remembered Eli correctly.

  He had dressed in a different style that day, and was surprised Sophie hadn’t said anything. He wore a blue and white striped chambray shirt with a thin necktie, black pants, and boots with his best spurs. The rowels flashed silver in the sunlight. The shanks were engraved with a calligraphic S for Sterling.

  An heirloom passed down from his father, the spurs jingled softly as he walked. Perhaps he could put them to good use again soon and do his family name proud.

  After thirty minutes he rode into Assurance. Knowing Sophie, she probably started her petition in the more affluent section of town near the mayor’s house and close to the square. He maneuvered his horse through the square as quickly as he could, not stopping to greet anyone.

  Outside of Assurance the main road was a narrow dirt path, just wide enough for a schooner to push through. Maybe next year it would be expanded for more travelers, but Dusty doubted it. With the new train station in town there wasn’t much need for wagon travel.

  Tall green grass waved him onward as dandelions drifted in the air. He broke his stallion into a trot, and then a full-on gallop. Dusty held on to his hat as the horse ran into the wind. It felt good to race across the plains, away from the ever-increasing number of shops being built and people coming into town. Assurance was getting more cramped by the day, and he felt trapped.

  He wondered why he didn’t feel that way when he lived in San Antonio, a city ten times the size of Assurance. His family had miles of land to roam on outside the city. He enjoyed going into town in those days, when he had money to spend and cattle to bring to market. Now his ventures into town consisted of playing errand boy and chaperone.

  To a girl who knows you exist, but doesn’t care. The wind whipped through his shirt and threatened to take the hat off his head. Dusty pressed the top of his Stetson down further.

  He wouldn’t go so far as to say Sophie didn’t care. She did express curiosity as to his whereabouts today. She played right into his teasing by assuming that he was out courting another girl, and she wasn’t pleased about it.

  It doesn’t mean anything. Sophie will still keep Chad as her beau whether you court a girl or continue to chase after her.

  Dusty let go of a sigh. The Zephyr Ranch showed up ahead on the left, the first of several fenced-in areas. He pulled on the reins to slow his horse down and led him off the road.

  A sign hung from a newly built gate. Letters spelling out Zephyr Ranch in iron-wrought curlicues resided next to a figure of a wild mustang standing on its hind legs, mane and tail carved to appear as though they were blowing in the breeze. Dusty couldn’t help but grin.
Mr. Mabrey wasted no time in making sure his ranch had flair.

  Dusty scanned through the front fence and saw men riding out among the cattle in the fields. The reddish-brown Herefords lumbered out of the way when a cowhand rode his horse by.

  Should he just mosey on in or tether Gabe to the fence? Dusty tried to get the cowhands’ attention by waving. When that didn’t work, he cupped his hands over his mouth. “Hey, there.”

  One of the men raised his head, saw him, and steered his horse in the direction of the front gate. “Howdy,” he called back.

  Dusty waited for him to reach the gate. The man got off his horse and strode up to him. “What can I do for you?”

  Dusty was momentarily struck by the cowhand’s appearance. He was a big man, easily over six feet tall with a wide, muscled neck and shoulders that stretched his gingham shirt. More striking than his build was his skin color. The man swiped a large hand across his black face to wick away the sweat.

  “My name is Dusty Sterling. I’m here for a tour of the ranch. Mr. Mabrey said to ask for him when I got here.”

  “The boss headed to town for more supplies. You lookin’ to get hired?” The man rumbled in a deep voice, although his tone was friendly.

  “We’ll see. I’ll look around before I make a decision. I’m working for someone else right now.”

  “Who?”

  Dusty didn’t want to give away the name. “A farmer back in town.” He jabbed his thumb in the direction of Assurance.

  The man nodded. “Don’t mind me for askin’. We get folks coming this way to be nosy. Last week we caught a dairy farmer from Claywalk sending one of his workers out to see whether we were in competition.”

  “That’s not why I’m here.”