Jack shook his head. “It was plenty bad, make no mistake. I wouldn’t go through that again if you paid me.”
“So, what are the ladies like?” Abel asked. “Are they all shriveled and puny?”
“No, sir,” Tenny replied. “They’re right pretty, every one of ’em. It’s too bad we hafta send ’em back.”
“Do you have to send them back? You could say they got lost on delivery or something, couldn’t you?”
Jack gave Abel a look. “They’re people, not items out of a catalog.”
Abel shrugged. “I was just thinking, maybe they could stay after all. I mean, sure, this situation isn’t what they were expecting, but we live in a right pretty place, and they could be happy here, couldn’t they?”
“That’s neither here nor there,” Jack replied. “Thing is, they were lied to, and no one deserves to be lied to.” Most certainly not Miss Westcott. He couldn’t forget the expression on her face when she realized the real situation there at the ranch. She’d rallied pretty quickly, but she’d been frightened and worried, and it had pulled at his heartstrings.
“Suppose you’re right.” Abel took off his boots and shoved them under his bunk. “So, what’re you going to do about it?”
“For now, we’re gonna let ’em sleep. Tomorrow, we’ll figure all that out.” Sully dropped a long curl of wood on the floor. “Can’t help but feel it’ll all turn out how it’s supposed to.”
“You’ve said that before, but I’m not sure what you mean,” Jack replied.
“Just what I said. There’s such a thing called destiny, and it works in mysterious ways.”
“I thought it was God who works in mysterious ways,” Gallagher said.
“Destiny, fate, God—pretty much all the same thing, to my way of thinkin’.” Sully guided his knife along another plane. Jack couldn’t tell yet what he was making, but he knew it would be pretty. Sully’s things always were.
“So, one thing I was wonderin’,” Billy said. “We never talked about who would get which bride.”
“True. I don’t suppose it matters now, though, considerin’ they aren’t stayin’,” Sully replied.
“Well, if they were stayin’, how would we choose?” Billy asked.
“You’d spend some time together and see who hit it off.” Sully folded up his knife and put it back in his pocket. “Same as you would meetin’ any other young lady.”
“I’d have to put in my two cents for Miss Westcott,” Jack said. “She and I chatted the whole way back from town, and I think we’d have gotten along real well together. If she was stayin’, of course.”
“I noticed the two of you were gettin’ to be about as thick as thieves,” Sully replied. “I think we can take Miss Westcott off the table. What about it, Billy? Did any of them catch your eye?”
“Maybe,” Billy replied, not looking up.
“Out with it, then! Who would you pick?”
“It don’t matter if they’re leavin’,” Billy said. He stood up and walked over to the window, pulling the curtain down to block the moonlight that was streaming in.
“Let’s get some sleep, men.” Mike looked around the room, his hands on his hips. “With that dam breaking and all, we worked hard today, and we’re worn out. Things’ll look better in the morning.”
Jack hoped that was true. As he lay back on his bunk, all he could think about was Miss Westcott, how he’d spent the afternoon falling in love with her only to lose her within a matter of hours. It just didn’t seem fair.
***
“Good morning,” Margaret greeted Wynonna and Rowena when they came out of the guest room the next morning. “I’m making breakfast, and Wade has gone over to the other cabin to invite your friends to join us.”
“Thank you. I apologize for the extra work we’re giving you. May we help with anything?”
“Of course not. You’re our guests. Please have a seat.”
The two girls sat at the table, which had a small bouquet of wildflowers in the center and was set with blue-and-white china. “This is lovely,” Rowena said.
“It’s taken me a few months to introduce a woman’s touch to this place, but I think it’s coming together nicely.” Margaret set a platter of bacon on the table. “Mr. Barker, the previous owner, wasn’t married, and it showed. Everything was so brown and dim.”
“So, how long has your husband owned the ranch?” Wynonna asked.
“Not long at all. He used to be the foreman, but Mr. Barker bought a larger spread up north, and Wade was able to get a reasonable price. He has big plans for this place.”
The door opened, and Helen, Fiona, and Cora entered, Wade trailing behind.
“How did you sleep?” Margaret asked by way of greeting. “Did Mike make up the beds nicely?”
“Yes, he did a good job,” Fiona replied.
“I’m glad. I should have come out to check myself, but I was so angry last night, I knew if I didn’t rest soon, I’d regret it.” Margaret smiled. “I’m expecting, you see.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful,” Cora said. “I’m sorry that we’ve added to your burden.”
“To be honest, looking at the situation in the clear light of day, it’s almost funny,” Margaret said. “It’s such a shame that you’ve been dragged across the country on false pretenses, but when I think about Sully and his complete lack of preparation—not even building cabins for you—it does make me chuckle.”
“We started to see the humor as well,” Helen said. “It will certainly be a story we’ll tell for years to come.”
Wade pulled out a chair and sat at the head of the table. “So, ladies, now that you’ve rested up a bit, what do you think we should do next?”
“We’d like to send a telegram to Miss Green, the matchmaker,” Wynonna replied. “She said that if we weren’t happy with our match, she’d pay for our tickets to go somewhere else. I think we need to hold her responsible for this. She lied to us—or at the very least, grossly over-exaggerated—and she needs to understand that’s an unfair way to do business.”
“Agreed,” Wade said. “Now, there’s another decision to be made, and that has to do with your lodging for the time being. The Brody Hotel there in town is comfortable, and I’d be more than happy to cover your stay there if you’d prefer it over this place. On the other hand, I was cornered by five young cowboys while I was out in the barn this morning, and they all looked sadder than hound dogs. Wondered if you’d consider stayin’ here until you’re able to make your arrangements. Seems they’d like to get to know you better before you take off again.”
“But the choice is entirely yours,” Margaret added. “You’ve already seen that we’re a bit rough around the edges here, and we weren’t prepared for company. We’re more than delighted to have you, though.”
Wynonna looked over at her friends, then turned back to Wade and Margaret. “I think we’d like to stay here,” she replied. “Mr. Milton was telling me about some of the ranch operations, and I’d be interested to learn more about them.”
“And we could hardly disappoint five sad cowboys,” Rowena said with a chuckle, and the other girls laughed.
“Then welcome to the Lazy Q,” Wade said. “I’ll ride into town and send that telegram, if you’ll write down what it should say—or you could come with me, if you like.”
“I think sending you would be fine, if you don’t mind,” Wynonna said. “You’d make better time if we weren’t slowing you down.”
“I don’t mind at all,” Wade replied. “I’ll head out as soon as I’ve eaten this nice breakfast my wife made. It’s a welcome treat.”
“He makes it sound like I don’t cook very often,” Margaret said, patting his arm. “The real story is that our ranch cook . . . well, he’s supposed to keep the men fed and happy, but he’s just not very good. The beans are always burned, the corn bread is always dry, and while the men aren’t complaining, I can tell they’re not satisfied.”
“I’d be happy to help with the cook
ing while we’re here,” Fiona said. “That’s what I did the most when I lived in Miss Prudence’s Jail for Reprehensible Females—not its real name.”
Margaret chuckled. “Thank you for the offer, Fiona. It’s most welcome. In fact . . .” She turned to Wade. “We’ve been talking about this for a while now—why don’t you go ahead and place an ad for a new cook while you’re in town?”
Wade rubbed his hand across his chin. “Because that means letting this one go, and I’ve had a hard time bringing myself to do it.”
“You’re a good boss and a kind man, Wade, but we’ve got thirteen hungry men out in that bunkhouse, and we owe them solid meals.”
Wade sighed, then smiled. “You’re right. I’ll place the ad today, and I’ll fire him on my way out.”
“Thank you, sweetheart.” Margaret turned back to Fiona. “See? You’re already helping.”
Fiona laughed. “I just hope I fill in well. Do the men eat in this kitchen?”
“No, there’s one on the south end of the bunkhouse, along with a dining room,” Margaret replied.
Wade finished eating sooner than anyone, then rose and kissed Margaret’s cheek. “I’ll head out and saddle my horse. If I stop back in around fifteen minutes, could you have that telegram ready for me, Miss Westcott?”
“Absolutely,” Wynonna told him.
Figuring out what it should say, on the other hand . . .
Margaret fetched her a paper and pencil, and she stared at them, trying to decide how to phrase her message. It would be simpler if there weren’t so many emotions involved—frustration, anger, fear. She pushed those to the side, determining that her best bet was to remain professional.
Our agreement was misrepresented stop we request train tickets to our new destinations as per our contracts stop please reply soonest.
There was so much more she could say, and she would if Miss Green requested additional information, but this would at least inform the matchmaker that action needed to be taken. Wynonna stood from the writing desk and handed the page to Margaret.
“Do you think this will do?” she asked.
Margaret read it over. “You did well. Now we’ll see how this woman honors her word.”
Yes, that did remain to be seen.
***
Wynonna and her friends helped Margaret clean up the kitchen, then went outside to find their used-to-be fiancés. Wynonna wondered if it was wise, getting to know these men just to turn around and leave again. She didn’t want any of them to become attached when the girls had no intention of staying—it wouldn’t be kind or fair, and there had already been a great deal of unfairness in the situation already.
“Heads up,” she heard a voice call as they approached the stables, and a moment later, the men they were looking for exited the building.
“Mornin’,” Mr. Milton called out. “We trust you all slept well?”
“We did,” Wynonna replied. “Thank you for asking.”
“Turns out, we didn’t sleep much at all,” he went on. “We were thinkin’ about you and wishin’ there was somethin’ we could do to make up for all this, and we decided it would be nice if we showed you around a bit. If you’re interested, that is.”
“We’d like that, Mr. Milton,” Wynonna replied on everyone’s behalf. They seemed content with letting her take the lead, which surprised her because she wasn’t generally the leading type.
“Well, first off, better call me Jack,” he said, his blue eyes twinkling. “And second, how many of you have ever ridden a horse?”
“I have, quite a bit,” Fiona replied. “I can saddle one, too.”
“I’m . . . I’m actually terrified of horses.” Cora took a step backward.
“That’s all right, Miss Cora. I’m more’n happy to show you what to do,” Tenny said, motioning toward one of the horses, but she shook her head.
“I won’t get on one. I just won’t.”
Tenny scratched his head. “Well, I suppose we could do somethin’ else. How ’bout a walk?”
“I . . . guess that would be all right,” Cora replied.
Helen said she’d walk with Cora and Tenny, and Zeke volunteered to go with them. That left Wynonna, Rowena, and Fiona saddling up to ride with the remaining three men.
“I’d be glad to give you a hand, Miss Fiona,” Big Mike said, stepping to her side. “First thing is to get the blanket—”
“Yes. The blanket goes on first, to protect the horse’s hide from the chafing of the saddle.” Fiona grabbed a blanket from a stack in the corner and draped it over her horse’s back.
“That’s right. Make sure it’s nice and smooth—”
“Which I did,” she pointed out.
“And then you take the saddle—here. I can lift it for you.”
Fiona exhaled and turned toward Mike with her hands on her hips. “Mr. Big Mike or whatever your name is, I appreciate your help, but I honestly do know how to do this. I had chores out in the stables at Miss Prudence’s Home for Wild Animals and Children—not its real name. I mucked out stalls, I saddled horses, I curried them and fed them—please allow me to do this, all right?”
“I’m sorry, Miss Fiona. Of course.” Mike stepped back and leaned against the stall door, chagrin on his face. Wynonna felt bad for him. How was he to have known that Fiona knew so much about horses?
“And you, Miss Rowena? Do you know how to saddle a horse?” Billy asked her.
“You’re lucky that I know what a saddle is,” she replied. “I’ll need help from start to finish.”
Wynonna supposed that she should have been preparing her own mount, but she was finding herself rather amused watching Fiona. Her movements were quick and sure, and each time she moved on to the next step, Big Mike looked even more sheepish. That hadn’t gone well at all.
At last, all three girls had a saddled horse, and the men brought their horses out so they could all ride together.
“Now, where shall we go?” Jack asked. “Anywhere in particular you’d like to see?”
“You mentioned needing to repair a dam yesterday,” Wynonna replied. “You could show us that.”
Jack turned his horse’s head and spurred it on, leading the way, and the other riders followed.
Within a matter of minutes, Mike and Fiona had taken the lead, leaving the others a distance behind. Wynonna smirked as she watched them try to outdo each other. Fiona seemed determined to show Mike that she was perfectly comfortable on a horse, and he didn’t seem to like her demeanor. A glance over her shoulder showed her that Billy and Rowena had fallen back, but they were deep in conversation, so at least one couple was enjoying their outing so far.
“Do you often have problems with dams and flooding?” she asked, suddenly feeling awkward. It had been so easy to talk to Jack the day before when she didn’t know he was one of the grooms who had sent for them. Now there was a weight of expectation behind everything she said, and also the pressure of knowing how much these men had been disappointed. She found it interesting that she was focusing more on their disappointment than her own when she was the one who’d traveled across the country—the girls should by rights be feeling sorrier for themselves than they were.
“We have a bit of floodin’ every year when the spring rains come because the river usually swells up and over the banks, but we only have to repair the dam once in a while,” Jack replied. “Thankfully, this time it was a simple fix. If a dam washes out entirely, we have to start from the bottom up, and that’s difficult work.”
“I can imagine.” Well, she could imagine that it was difficult. She didn’t actually know what all would go into building a dam, so as to the rest of it, no, she couldn’t imagine it. “You’re right—this is a lovely area.”
“If you’re still here in a few days, I’ll take you on a ride up into the hills. We’d likely see some deer, elk, rabbits, and all kinds of birds—it’s one of my favorite places. Gotta get the breedin’ done first, though.”
“You’ll be doing it soon
, then?”
Jack nodded. “Sully wanted to get it done this week.”
Wynonna pasted on a smile. She hoped she and her friends would be gone by then—of all the things she didn’t want to see . . . Time to change the subject. “Everyone seems to have split up into couples fairly easily. I wonder how they all chose their partners for the day.”
“Don’t know about them, but I staked my claim for you right off,” Jack replied.
“You . . . staked your claim?”
“That’s right. You and I got along so well yesterday, I didn’t want anybody else tryin’ to take you over.”
“Take me over?” Wynonna tried to control the rush of irritation she felt, but she wasn’t having much success with it. “Mr. Milton, I’m not sure whether you’re talking about a homesteading claim or a human being. There doesn’t seem to be much difference in your mind.”
He looked over at her. “Of course there is. I’m sorry, Miss Westcott—I don’t mean to cause offense. If I sound like a cowboy . . . well, maybe it’s because I am one.”
She gave a short nod. She’d allowed herself to become upset for no reason—she’d have to blame that on lingering travel fatigue. “I understand. It’s just difficult to feel that one is being compared to a piece of property.”
“Not property, ma’am, not at all. But we did talk about which young ladies caught our fancy and who we’d like to get to know better.” He paused. “Was that a better way of puttin’ it?”
“Yes, I believe so.” He was trying so hard—she needed to give him more leeway. “I wonder how everyone’s getting along.”
Up ahead, she saw Fiona say something to Mike before wheeling her horse and heading back toward them. As she passed them, she slowed. “I need to get back so I can start the noon meal,” she said. “I promised Margaret.”
Wynonna nodded. “I’ll come with you.” It was an easy way out of the awkward situation she found herself in, and she figured that Fiona could use an extra hand, considering that she’d be cooking for the first time in an unfamiliar kitchen.
“Thank you. I appreciate it.”
A Wrangler for Wynonna Page 7
