“Can I help unharness the horse?” Ellen asked as they started down the front steps.
“You ought to stay inside where it’s warm. I expect it’s going to rain soon.”
“I don’t care. I like rain, and I like horses. I bet you got hundreds.”
Salty halted at the bottom of the steps. “Not that many, but we probably have close to forty counting the foals we had last year.”
“Sam—he was one of the men who worked for us—said big outfits had hundreds of horses.”
“We only need that many when we do a cattle drive. You need to ask your ma if you can go with me to the barn.”
“She won’t mind.”
“She doesn’t know me or anybody else here. You’ve got to ask her.”
Ellen’s shoulders sagged and she turned back to head inside to the parlor. Salty assumed that meant she thought her mother wouldn’t let her go, but she was back in less than a minute with a smile on her face.
“Mama says I can help you as long as I don’t make a pest of myself. She’s going to ask you later, so you got to tell her I was good.”
Salty’s eyes crinkled in amusement. “What if you’re not?”
“I will be,” Ellen assured him. “If I’m not, Mama will make me stay inside and wear a dress.”
“Come on. I want to get done before the rain hits.”
On the short walk from the house to the barn, Ellen barely stopped talking long enough to take a breath. Salty had never had a little sister or even a young female cousin. His father’s farm had been rather isolated so he’d never met a girl like Ellen. All the females he knew wore dresses, and rarely talked about anything except babies and taking care of their men. Unless she changed a lot, Ellen wasn’t going to be much interested in either.
“Hold up,” Salty said when they reached the barn. “I want to put your ma’s wagon inside.”
“I wish we had a barn,” Ellen informed him. “I could sleep there instead of in the house.”
Salty opened the two big doors. “You wouldn’t like it much. In summer it doesn’t smell too good. In winter it’s cold, and sometimes mice and snakes like to snuggle up for warmth.”
“You’re trying to scare me,” Ellen said.
“Nope. Lead the horse in. We’ll unharness him inside.”
Once inside, Ellen’s attention was caught by the stalls and the sections that housed ranch equipment. While Salty unharnessed the horse, she checked saddles, bridles, and harnesses. She spent longer inspecting several pairs of chaps before moving on to a wagon unlike any she’d ever seen. “What’s this?” she asked.
“It’s a chuck wagon,” Salty told her. “It’s for our drive this spring.”
“I wish I could go on a cattle drive. Have you ever been on one?”
“Nope. The boys can’t wait, but I’ll take care of things here.”
“Why would you do that?” He’d obviously come down a notch in Ellen’s estimation.
“Because I don’t like sleeping on the ground, breathing dust, eating food with grit in it, spending the whole day in the saddle, fighting off Indians and rustlers, or trying to break a stampede.”
“Did you really fight Indians and rustlers?” Her eyes glowed with excitement.
“Yes, and it’s not something I want to have to do again.”
“Why not?”
“I did enough shooting and saw enough killing during the war. Do you want to see the bull? He’s the reason George built this barn.”
They went through a door at the far end of the barn. A chute led from the barn to a large pasture. “It took the better part of a month to fence in the pasture,” Salty explained, “but the bull is too valuable to let roam free. We bring him in every night to keep him from being stolen.”
Over the next twenty minutes Ellen peppered him with questions that made it clear she had become accustomed to doing the work that would normally have been her brother’s. What’s more, she seemed to like it. That confused Salty. He’d never seen a female who acted like she wanted to be a man. There wasn’t much Rose couldn’t do, but she didn’t like cows and she was perfectly happy to confine herself to work around the house. He had no problem with a girl wanting to ride a horse or chase cows, but he didn’t understand why a girl wouldn’t want to be a girl. It would be tragic if doing what her brother couldn’t do made her think of herself as more of a man than a woman. There was no place in Texas society for a woman like that.
“I think it’s time you headed back to the house,” Salty said after he’d explained a cattle drive in as much detail as he could provide. “If you want to know more about cows, ask Monty when he comes in. Hen can tell you everything you want to know about fighting Indians and rustlers. They’re George’s twin brothers. I’m just a cowhand who likes working around the ranch.”
He was sorry if that disappointed Ellen, but he never wanted to have to defend his ranch against Indians or rustlers. He didn’t have to worry about that because he didn’t have a ranch. Or the prospect of getting one. He didn’t even have enough money to buy a pitifully small farm. He would probably end up working for George Randolph for the rest of his life.
* * *
“Now that my wife has satisfied her curiosity,” George said to Sarah when she’d finished recounting her journey, “would you like to tell us what prompted you to undertake such a long trip? Am I right in assuming you meant to arrive here, that we’re not merely a stop on a longer journey?”
Sarah had known this moment was coming. She had prepared what she was going to say, but she hadn’t expected to meet a couple like George and Rose Randolph. She’d been invited into their home, had her comfort and that of her children made a priority. She didn’t have to be told to know they would take a personal interest in her story.
“That’s rather awkward to explain, and a little embarrassing.”
“Then don’t explain.”
“I have to, or you won’t understand why I need your help.” She picked at an imaginary string on her dress. “I live on a large ranch I inherited from my father. My husband didn’t come home from the war. I’ve hired several men over the last six years, but that hasn’t worked out. I don’t even know the size of my herd because they never had time to count them. Now I can’t afford to pay anyone enough to work for us. If something isn’t done soon, I’ll lose the ranch.” She paused. Once she uttered the next sentence, she could never take the words back. “My only alternative now is to marry again. A husband won’t require the wages I can no longer afford to pay.”
“Are you sure you have to do this?” Rose asked. “Don’t you have family you could turn to?”
More embarrassment. It wasn’t her fault Roger’s family had abandoned her, but it felt like it. “My parents are dead, and Roger’s family has turned their backs on us.” She refused to embarrass Jared by disclosing that he was the reason for the estrangement.
“I would have thought you’d have had better luck finding a suitable husband in Austin,” George said. “There are only a few single men working on ranches this far from town.”
Sarah wanted to avert her gaze, turn away, leave the room, but she had come this far. There was no point in losing courage now. “I interviewed quite a few men for the job without letting them know that I had something more in mind. I stayed in Austin for nearly a week without finding a man I felt I could accept as a husband.”
“It’s not as simple as that, is it?” George asked. “You want someone who can help bind the family together.”
“That’s right.” Sarah was immensely relieved that George understood. “I need someone who can help me make Ellen believe she might be happier growing up as a young woman than the son she thinks I need her to be. I’m more guilty than anyone else because I’ve depended on her so much.” She turned to Jared. “And I need someone who can understand that Jared is a wonderful boy even though he
can’t do the things most boys can.”
“That’s what Rose did for my family,” George said. “We wouldn’t be here without her.”
“Yes, you would,” Rose contradicted. “Probably still fighting, wearing dirty clothes, and choking down Tyler’s cooking, but you’d still be here.”
Sarah wondered if it would ever be possible for a man to look at her the way George looked at Rose. She could cook, clean, wash, mend, and sew. She could work in the fields, put up food for the winter, dress meat, and make sausage. She could dance, sing a little, and carry on a conversation if it didn’t wander too far from ordinary life. She believed she was capable of satisfying a man’s physical appetites. Surely no man could expect more.
“Go on,” George encouraged. “I didn’t mean to interrupt you.”
Sarah jerked her thoughts away from the impossible. “When I asked if there were any other men I might interview, I was told you employed the most capable and dependable men in the area. So that’s why I’m here, to ask if you will help me convince your most capable and dependable man to marry me.”
“Why should I do that?” George asked.
“You have no reason at all,” Sarah said.
“Yes, we do,” Rose said. “You need help, and we can give it to you.”
“How?” George asked. “We don’t have anyone who fits her requirements.”
“We have the perfect man.” Rose flashed a very satisfied smile and announced, “Salty. If you choose him, nothing will go wrong.”
Sarah hoped her face didn’t show her surprise. She’d found him attractive, but she didn’t want a man she found appealing. That wasn’t supposed to be part of the bargain. She didn’t want any emotional attachment while they were married…or any emotional entanglement to deal with when she divorced him. Divorce wasn’t common, and divorced women were often looked upon with a jaundiced eye, but Sarah was willing to take that risk rather than find herself and her children bound to a second husband like her first.
“I had someone older in mind, someone who’ll be willing to commit to at least five years,” Sarah said. “Salty is young enough to want to marry and start his own family.”
“Salty’s twenty-seven,” George said. “There’s only one older on the ranch. All the men who work for me were soldiers during the war.”
She didn’t want a soldier, either. The two she’d hired had been bitter, cynical, and given to drinking up their small wages. Worse than that, they’d had no understanding of Jared’s handicap. They acted like he was faking. Their scoffing had driven him to a dangerous attempt to saddle a horse. He’d fallen in the corral, unable to get up. It was a miracle he hadn’t been stepped on or kicked. She’d fired both men immediately, but the real damage had been done to Jared’s self-esteem. How could he respect himself as a man when he couldn’t saddle or ride a horse, something his sister did every day?
“I admit I barely know Salty,” Sarah said, “but I don’t think he’s the kind of man to be interested in taking such a job.”
“Why not?” Rose asked.
What to say? No one knew she didn’t want to be married again. She’d been forced to marry Roger who’d mistreated her, turned his back on his son, then deserted his family. The physical side of their marriage had been a painful and humiliating experience she never wanted to repeat. The men in her life, from her father through to the men who’d worked for her, had been hard and unemotional with no respect for women beyond the creature comforts they could provide and no interest in children beyond the free labor they supplied.
Salty was different. He didn’t have the age and experience necessary and didn’t appear to have the gravity she preferred, but he had been respectful to her and kind to the children. A man like that would be dangerous. She might come to like him, to hope he wouldn’t leave.
“I can’t give you a concrete reason,” Sarah said. “It’s just the feeling I got.”
“I think we ought to ask Salty,” Rose said.
“Ask me what?”
Flushing with embarrassment, Sarah turned to see Salty standing in the archway.
Three
“Mrs. Winborne is looking for someone to help her on her ranch,” Rose explained. “I told her you were the perfect man for the job.”
“Why me?” Salty asked, turning to George. “Are you dissatisfied with my work?”
“Of course not,” George said. “I’d hate to see you leave, but I wouldn’t want to do anything that would stand in your way.”
“Stand in the way of what?”
“Mrs. Winborne’s offer is a little out of the ordinary,” Rose said. “I’ll let her explain it. George, why don’t you take Jared into the kitchen? I made gingerbread, which he might like. Then you can round up Zac and Tyler to help me with dinner.”
Salty would have been happy to look for George’s two youngest brothers himself, but it looked like there was no way out of this interview. He didn’t know whether it would be kinder to tell Mrs. Winborne right away that he wasn’t interested in leaving the Circle Seven, or allow her to explain her offer and then turn her down.
“I can tell you’re uncomfortable with being put on the spot,” Sarah said.
“A little,” Salty agreed.
“I am, too, because I don’t think you’re quite what I’m looking for.”
Salty had been prepared to say just that, but hearing the words coming from someone else affected him quite differently. Much to his surprise, he found himself saying, “Maybe not, but why don’t you explain your proposal? I might be able to offer some suggestions.”
What was he talking about? He knew nothing about this woman and her situation. Still, he entered the parlor and sat down in a straight back chair at a safe distance. He had a weakness for people in trouble, but he didn’t want that to get him tangled up with Sarah and her brood.
“I own one of the largest ranches in Caldwell County,” Sarah began. “My husband didn’t come home from the war, and it’s too big for me and the children to operate alone.”
That was a familiar story, but most women in Sarah’s position would have married again or sought refuge with family. He wondered why she hadn’t.
“I’ve hired a succession of men to help with the ranch, but they never worked out for a variety of reasons.”
“Why?” Knowing the problems she’d encountered might help him find a logical reason for turning her down.
“Some didn’t want to work hard. Others were rude or rough with the children.” She averted her gaze. “Some appeared to be more interested in me than in their work.”
He had no trouble believing that. She was a very attractive woman. Any man working on a secluded ranch and seeing no other woman for weeks on end could be forgiven for becoming more than interested in her.
“Couldn’t you find anyone in Austin to work for you?”
Sarah kept her gaze averted. “I’m not in a position to pay a wage that would induce anyone to work for me.”
“Have you offered to let the men share some of the profits?”
“There haven’t been any profits to share. Unless the situation improves, I’m going to lose the ranch. The bank president has done everything he can to hold off, but he can’t much longer.”
“Maybe it’s time to ask your family for help.”
Sarah’s gaze locked with his. “My husband’s family will only help if I put Jared in an institution. If you’ve ever seen one of those places, you know why I could never do that.”
Salty did know, but he also knew what it was like to have to deal with a handicapped person day after day. “So what do you propose to do?”
Sarah glanced away before turning back to Salty. He could practically see her gather her courage. That stiffness in her jaw returned. She sat up straighter, her back firm, her head up. “I’m proposing that the man marry me.”
If she w
as willing to remarry, why hadn’t she done so before now? From the look in her eye, the thought either frightened her or was repugnant. He felt sorry for any woman forced to barter herself in this fashion, but he couldn’t think of a better inducement for a man to take on the responsibility of a failing ranch. Knowing he would have such a woman in his bed at night would be more than enough incentive for hundreds of men. He didn’t understand why she hadn’t been able to find anyone to accept her offer.
“There are two conditions,” Sarah said. “First, the man will not share my bed.”
Salty’s eyebrows rose. Now he understood why she didn’t have any takers. Working like a farm horse all day and being denied the comfort of your legal wife’s body at night would be enough to drive a lot of men to do something drastic.
“Sorry, ma’am, but I don’t see that you have any incentive to offer. It sounds like all work with nothing in exchange.”
“That’s not all. The man must agree to divorce me when the ranch has reached a certain degree of profitability.”
Salty threw up his hands. “Whoa. You’ve just given a man every reason not to accept your proposal.”
“In exchange for the divorce, I will give him half my ranch.”
Surprise caused a quick intake of breath, a sudden jump in Salty’s heart rate. What was left of his parents’ farm had been directly in the path of General Sherman’s march through Georgia. When the Union army moved on, they left nothing standing. Salty had been trying to accustom himself to the prospect of working for someone else for the rest of his life. He wasn’t a tradesman and had no desire to live in a town. He’d saved everything he’d earned working for George, but the only land he’d be able to afford in the foreseeable future was much farther west where the Indians still roamed and it was too dry to farm.
“I can’t believe you can’t find anyone to take you up on your offer. Most ex-soldiers will never get the chance to own land.”
“I haven’t made the offer because I haven’t found anyone I felt I could trust.”
“Do you trust me?”
No One But You Page 3
