Untamed Journey

by Eden Carson

  “Why do you think that?” she asked.

  “You’ve both got more nerve than a dozen men put together.” He turned to help Ruth dismount.

  As she slid down the side of her mount, straight into Jackson’s arms, she was unsure if her feet would hold. The feel of his hands surrounding her just inches below her breasts made them swell in anticipation. The look in his eyes held her motionless, while her thoughts raced and her heart began to pound, wondering if he’d kiss her again. She barely noticed her surroundings, feeling only the flex of his strong fingers against her heated skin and the chill of the wind against her flushed cheeks.

  Jackson could see the wary heat enter Ruth’s eyes and wondered how he’d force himself to let her go. He could see her nipples tighten and strain against his too thin shirt, which she had borrowed that morning. His fingers ached to stroke up her sides and over her lush curves to slowly caress those nipples into awareness of him.

  He fought the temptation, as he heard footsteps approaching, but still he took his time watching Ruth’s body respond to him. He didn’t bother to hide where his gaze lingered, and slowly raised his eyes to Ruth’s dilated pupils, letting her know what he’d been thinking about. While he might not be able to touch her out in the open any longer, now that they were on his ranch, he could certainly let her know how much he wanted to break that rule. Ruth’s imagination could be his biggest ally in convincing her to stay and marry him.

  As Jackson stepped back from her, he thought he should have been more surprised at how easily the thought of Ruth as his wife sat with him. But he had always been brutally honest with himself, and knew he’d made up his mind to claim this woman as his own the night she’d stood her ground and guarded his back against three of the most dangerous men in the state.

  He tipped his hat to the future Mrs. Jackson. He figured if he’d made the decision to help his cousin hunt down train robbers barely an hour after the request, then deciding on a wife in a week was down-right conservative. He grinned at Ruth before turning to greet his foreman.

  Ruth interpreted Jackson’s smile to be at her expense, seeing as her traitorous body had so easily responded to him. Still, she was determined to rest here and regain her strength before deciding on a course of action. She had come after Jackson and his men to find a way to distance herself from her mysterious husband and her recent crime.

  And now she’d discovered yet another reason to be on her way as quickly as possible, she thought, as she found herself watching Jackson’s every move as he greeted the men approaching from the corral.

  “Jackson. Glad to see you back safe. And might I say that old Mike has improved since last we laid eyes on him.” The youngest hand on the ranch made up in brashness and charm what he lacked in patience. And Jackson just that minute decided he didn’t care for that quality in Charlie, as the young man was straining his skinny neck to get a better look at Ruth over Jackson’s shoulder.

  “Aren’t you going to introduce us to the lady?” Charlie prompted when Jackson didn’t immediately respond.

  “No, I’m not. You’ve got to put the pack animals away now, and we’re hungry.” Jackson tossed the reins to Charlie, thinking it would be best for all involved if the young man kept his hands well-occupied, and far away from Ruth.

  Charlie looked confused, as Jackson always took care of his own mount. The young man then handed the reins off to Sammy, a boy of twelve who ranked even lower than Charlie amongst the men.

  “Ma’am, allow me to introduce myself, since our grand leader has lost all the manners his mama taught him. I’m Charles Xavier Crenshaw. But you can call me Charlie.”

  Ruth couldn’t help but return the young man’s unabashedly flirtatious smile. He looked to be near her age, with sparkling blue eyes full of humor and good cheer. Here was an easy-going, likeable fellow that tempted Ruth not one bit, the way Jackson’s intensity and force of character did. She held out her hand in greeting, which Charlie bowed over with an exaggerated flourish.

  “Miss, you’re as pretty as a spring meadow,” Charlie flattered. “Welcome to North Creek. Allow me to show you around.”

  “The lady already has an escort, Crenshaw,” Jackson interrupted, tossing his tack into Charlie’s arms with more force than necessary. Charlie might have lost his footing entirely, if his friends hadn’t caught him.

  Silence reigned as the hands stood around the men, waiting on Charlie’s reaction, knowing he had a tendency to be hot-headed.

  The sound of a woman’s voice broke the tension in the air. “Watch yourself, Crenshaw. You’re bound to fall and crack that thick skull of yours, tripping over your own tongue as you gawk at this nice lady. Next thing you know, you men will be drooling over her like a bunch of greenhorns catching sight of their first female.”

  The woman’s melodious voice contrasted sharply with her steel grey bun and firm grip, as she stepped between the still-unsmiling Jackson and off-balance Charlie to take Ruth’s hand.

  “Don’t mind the men, Miss. They never had enough manners among them to charm a goat. I’m Sue Hamilton. Welcome. Jackson, I imagine once you find your good sense again you might have the decency to introduce your guest, but from the look of you, I’ll just take matters in hand. Come along, Miss…?”

  The fiftyish woman stared expectantly at Ruth.

  “Jameson.” Ruth finally muttered, quickly remembering to use her maiden name. “Ruth Jameson.” She barely had time to glance over her shoulder at Jackson’s scowling face before being dragged along in Sue’s wake.

  Chapter 43

  “Come along my dear,” Sue coaxed, as she pulled Ruth along behind her in a beeline for the house. “You must be exhausted – and in need of a good, hot meal. Now how on earth did you manage to meet our Jackson? I grew up with him you know, so I can’t imagine you’re related.”

  “No, no we just met on the train.” Ruth hesitated, suddenly reminded of what else had happened on that train. “It was robbed, and Jackson and his men rode in to stop the outlaws.”

  “Oh dear, I’m so sorry. Was anyone hurt?” Sue asked. “Those bastards have been robbing that rail line for months now, and Jackson was finally sent to hunt them down for good.”

  “Yes, there were several passengers shot and killed,” Ruth replied. “Even some of the women were wounded.”

  “My God, you must have been terrified! Were your traveling companions harmed?” Sue asked.

  “No, I was traveling alone. I was on my way to meet my fiancé.” Ruth supplied the story she had begun with Jackson on the trail.

  “You poor thing,” Sue commiserated. “Where is this fiancé of yours? It’s somewhat unusual for a young woman to be traveling alone. Is Jackson taking you to him?”

  “Um, my fiancé is a sailor in San Francisco.” At Sue’s raised eyebrows, Ruth quickly added, “His family has known mine for some time. Our parents arranged it long ago, but with the War and all, he wasn’t able to safely come to me. So after my parents died, my aunt wrote to him and decided it would be best if I went to him.”

  “Well, please don’t mind my endless questions,” Sue said. “I know you must be exhausted from your journey and we’ll get everything straightened out later. I’ll start some bath water heating for you while you eat, and then find you a place to rest. Sit yourself down at the kitchen table, while I start the water boiling.” Sue bustled out a back door, and quickly returned to put a plate of leftovers in front of Ruth.

  Ruth gratefully dug in, satisfying both her appetite and her desire to stop talking. She hated lying to the people around her, especially when they had gone out of their way to care for a perfect stranger. Jackson and Sue deserved better from her, Ruth knew. But she hadn’t been able to think of a way to avoid lying, not when she was so tired. Maybe she’d take Sue’s well-intended advice and put off all thought and decisions until tomorrow.

  With a full stomach and a pacified conscience, Ruth nearly fell asleep at the table, until Sue led her up to the softest bed she’d eve
r imagined.

  Chapter 44

  Ruth stirred fitfully in the soft feather bed, thinking for a dazed moment that she was dreaming the sound of giggling children. A high-pitched screech of protest – at a volume only a small female can achieve – quickly dispelled any thoughts of turning over and sinking back into her lovely dreams.

  Now that Ruth was fully awake, she could hear the sounds of men working mixed in with the voices of playing children. Someone started hammering diligently below her window, so she gave in to curiosity and pulled herself out of bed to look down.

  Ruth’s gaze immediately settled on Jackson, who was laughing with several men as they hammered and sawed what looked to be framing for a new building. She watched a small tow-headed boy dart into the path of two men carrying several heavy beams.

  Jackson quickly snatched the unwary boy out of harm’s way, before he tripped up the laboring men. Kneeling down to the little one’s level, Jackson started speaking.

  Ruth cracked the window open so she could hear. She listened to Jackson deliver a stern lecture on watching the road ahead when running, before ruffling the boy’s mop of hair in obvious affection and sending him on his way.

  As if he could sense her watching him, Jackson looked up and locked eyes with Ruth. She was looking down from his room, and he liked the thought of her there – more than he would have imagined.

  She realized she was still in nightclothes, standing in an open window with Jackson’s unapologetic gaze taking in her flimsy borrowed nightshirt. She quickly stepped back, and shut the window for good measure, which did nothing to block out his laughter or appreciative gaze.

  Ruth suddenly realized that her hand was resting against real glass – not a common sight out West, she’d been told by Montgomery during her stay at his trading post. She didn’t linger on the oddity, as her bare feet were quickly becoming chilled against the wood floors. She hopped over to the rag rug lying next to the bed, and wondered if she could bear the thought of donning one of her now quite-filthy dresses. She hadn’t had anywhere to wash clothing in several days, unless she counted their last river crossing.

  A brisk knock on the door turned out to be her savior. It was Sue, bearing a clean wool dress in one hand, and a most welcome cup of coffee in the other. “I thought you might be awake, with the hammering of the men. They are building more grain storage for me. We got a late start this year, but I’m hoping if I bribe them with enough homemade pies, they’ll finish before the snow sets in and I risk losing some of my crop.”

  Ruth remembered Jackson’s story about Sue’s new enterprise, and was filled with so many questions, she didn’t quite know where to start. “Jackson mentioned you had been growing a new kind of grass to sell as feed.”

  “Yes,” Sue replied, eyes lighting up. “I got the idea a few years back when the army was visiting. It had been a particularly long winter, and the camp had run dangerously low on horse feed that year. The Captain was complaining that they’d had to trade whiskey for horse feed from one of the local tribes. It got me thinking this might be a long-standing problem, as we’re still pretty isolated out here–especially in winter, when the roads are all but unusable.”

  Sue handed Ruth the dress she had brought. “Catherine – she’s our school teacher – sent some clothing over. I wasn’t sure how long you two had been on the trail, but figured you might be in need of something clean to wear. Catherine seems a close fit to your size, so I sent one of the kids over before breakfast to borrow some things.”

  Ruth took the offered clothing with a smile. “I can’t thank you enough. I only have a few dresses with me, and they are all in need of a good scrubbing.”

  She wanted to ask where, and more importantly, how, she’d gotten dressed last night in a man’s nightshirt. But she was too embarrassed to ask Sue, fearing the answer might involve Jackson.

  “Give yourself the day to settle in, and I’ll show you where you can do your wash. We’re all pretty self-sufficient out here, but I don’t mind feeding one more.”

  “I’m happy to help cook,” Ruth quickly offered, sensing she was about to start off with a bad impression. “I did all of it for the past several years, for my aunt. And before that, my mother was ill quite often for the last years of the War. I kept a garden, too, and a few pigs we could hide in the woods from the soldiers. I don’t imagine I’ll be staying long, but I’m happy to help out wherever it’s needed.”

  “The men care for the pigs here, don’t worry,” Sue explained. “But I can always use some help with my business. My crop was better than expected this year, so I need to start a better inventory, and might need to find some more buyers, too. Don’t want Colonel Roe to be my only bidder. He’s known to be a cheap bastard.” Sue cracked a smile.

  Ruth smiled in return, sensing a kindred spirit. She’d had to bargain for every scrap of food near the end of the War, when things were at their worst, and her mother was ill. “A good price is better for all involved. If you get fair market value, you’ll be able to grow even more next year, and this Colonel Roe should benefit from a reliable supply.”

  Sue smiled fully at that logic. “I like you Miss Ruth. You’ll fit right in here.”

  Ruth’s own smile wavered a bit at that thought. “I’m just here temporarily, I’m afraid. Jackson explained that it was too dangerous to travel this close to winter.”

  She wasn’t sure why she blurted this out, but she wanted to be honest in this, since she couldn’t offer the whole truth. She already regretted not being able to befriend this woman as if they would be neighbors for life.

  “Spring’s a long way off, Miss, especially here in Colorado. Catherine and I figure you’ll have at least two or three proposals to consider long before the first thaw.” Sue added mischievously, “We have a bet on the numbers, Catherine and I. But I’m sworn to secrecy on the count. Catherine says I have an unfair advantage since you’ll be staying here with me.”

  Ruth couldn’t stop herself from laughing. Her life had taken one bizarre turn after another since the day she stepped foot on that train. She was hardly shocked any more at the plain-spoken nature of the people out West.

  “I’ll share a small secret with you,” Ruth said. “I’ve already had one. A gentleman—well, a man named O’Malley, who came by Montgomery’s trading post.”

  Sue scoffed in response, “That old coot! Thinking he could catch a fine lady such as yourself. Imagine. You should set your sights on someone like our Jackson. He’s a bright boy and as loyal as they come. And he’s not too ugly by most standards.”

  Ruth caught herself before blurting out how handsome she thought Jackson was. But her blush gave her away.

  “Not too ugly indeed,” Sue laughed. “It’ll be a real long winter, for sure, this year. You wait and see. Now, let me give you a tour of the house and my growing business. Don’t be shy about asking questions. You could gain a great deal of independence here, if you wanted to help me out or start your own homestead. And while we’re at it, I’ll run down the available men in the area. I bet high, you know–so the more proposals you get, the better.”

  Ruth had no idea how to respond to that, so she took the safer course and started in with questions about how a woman could support herself in Colorado Territory.

  Chapter 45

  After peppering Sue with questions for the better part of an hour, Ruth was unceremoniously handed over to Jackson to finish the tour. Sue beat a rapid retreat, insisting she had work to do and no time to chatter.

  “Have a seat over here, Miss Ruth,” Jackson invited, leading her to a flat rock at the edge of the creek where he’d been working half the morning.

  “I’d rather watch you.”

  At his raised eyebrows and teasing invitation to admire his naked chest, she quickly amended, “I’d rather watch you work. Sue has been teaching me about her business. She said you designed the irrigation system.”

  “I had help,” Jackson offered. “If you really want to learn how things operat
e around here, pick up that bucket of pine tar over there, and I’ll put you to work. I have ten more lengths of clay pipe to fit together before lunch.”

  Ruth picked up the bucket, and Jackson showed her what to do. He watched her seal three lengths of pipe together until he was satisfied she understood.

  He returned to cutting more lengths of pipe, working alongside Ruth in companionable silence for the next hour.

  When she finished, Jackson motioned her over to a shade tree and offered her his canteen.

  After she drank her fill, Ruth asked, “How much pipe are you planning to add? It seems like Sue’s fields have already been set up.”

  “This expansion is for the neighbors,” he explained, offering Ruth a leftover biscuit from breakfast. “Everyone has their own well, of course, and there are seasonal creeks. But the Jones brothers are hand watering two months of the year. If we can pipe water from this creek, which runs year round, it’ll save them a lot of time and back-breaking work.”

  “I’m impressed.” At Jackson’s questioning look, she clarified, “That you’re willing to share the water on your land. Folks back home used to fight over every last scrap of food and drop of water after the army passed through.”

  “If you argue over water with your neighbors, how can you expect them to come to your aid?” Jackson explained. “This is still rough country. A man alone won’t last long without help.”

  “Speaking of help,” he continued, “we could use a larger kitchen garden. I’ve been meaning to find some different crops that will store better over the winter. Sue’s too obsessed with feed for horses and cattle to spend much time on our food supply. You could stay and grow a business out of it, if that’s what you want. I can help you file a homestead claim.”