“Is Tyler around?” Laney stopped in front of the guy. He acted as if he’d never seen a girl before.
“No, ma’am,” he stuttered. “Him and Gabe and a few others is roundin’ up the colts from the north pasture.”
“A horse roundup?” Laney’s eyes widened, and her heart fluttered in her chest. How she wished she could have ridden out with the men to take part in that.
“Yes ma’am.” The shy guy swallowed. “Ty’ll be bringin’ in the batch of two-year-old for inspection and cuttin’. . .” His voice trailed off, and his cheeks turned beet red. “Sorry, ma’am. I shouldn’t be talkin’ like that in front of no lady.”
Laney smiled. Good grief. It wasn’t like she’d never seen a castration before. “It’s okay. I’ve heard worse, believe me.”
The wrangler shot her a quick wide-eyed look.
“When will they be back?”
The cowboy shrugged. “Sometime before sundown, I expect.” He raised his head. “I’m s’posed to let you know that Eddie’ll be makin’ sure you got supper tonight.”
Laney’s forehead scrunched. “Eddie? Is he the cook?” He must be the guy who brought her dinner the last two nights. Maybe she could seek him out today and ask him for some pointers.
“Yes, ma’am. He’ll be back from town this afternoon.”
Damn. So much for a cooking lesson.
“Please, call me Laney. And you are?” She flashed him a friendly smile.
“Sammy, ma’am,” he said hesitantly.
Laney looked around, and pointed toward the corrals. If she couldn’t learn how to cook today, perhaps she could find out about Tyler’s horse.
“So, how many horses does Tyler own?”
Sammy squared his shoulders and stood taller. He actually flashed a quick smile, as if he was proud of what he was about to say. “Tyler breeds some of the best stock in this territory. He has a band of about fifty broodmares, and the finest stud anywhere. There’s usually anywhere from a hundred to hundred and forty horses on the ranch.”
“I’d love to see the stallion,” Laney said, sighing dramatically. “Is he here on the property?”
“No, ma’am. He’s usually a range horse, out with the mares.”
Strike two for today. The reverend certainly hadn’t made her task easy. Both the man and his horse seemed to be unattainable.
“Pardon me, ma’am, but I’d best get back to work. Ty’ll have my hide if I don’t finish this fence before he brings in the colts.” Sammy shot her an apologetic look, and reached for the nails he’d dropped.
“Can I help?” Laney flinched inwardly. The words came out before she had a chance to even think. The reaction from the ranch hand was nothing less than she expected. His eyes bulged and he stared at her as if she were an alien.
“On second thought, maybe I should go and scrub the floors in the house,” she said quickly. She turned on her heels, and walked briskly away from the barn, back toward the ranch house, grinding her teeth. So much for trying to blend in. And so much for finding out anything useful. How was she ever going to make some progress, either with Tyler or with the horse, if neither of them was around?
After spending some time at one of the corrals, observing and petting several of the horses, Laney lumbered back to the house. For lack of anything else to do, she spent the better part of the day cleaning Tyler’s home. After thoroughly dusting her bedroom, she found several stiff brushes among the tack lying around in the living room.
She piled the saddles outside on the front porch, and filled the washpan with water. Using one of the brushes, she scrubbed the floor on her hands and knees as she’d seen it done in the movies. If she couldn’t please Tyler in the bedroom, maybe he’d appreciate that she could at least scrub floors. It seemed a safe enough activity, and should definitely qualify as ‘woman’s work.’
Laney pressed a fisted hand to her aching back, and swiped the sweat from her forehead. Strands of her hair that had come loose from the ponytail stuck to her damp face. She stood from the floor at the sound of hoof beats outside. Was Tyler back? Her heart sped up at the thought. Her eyes quickly scanned the room. She would have liked to go over parts of the floor one more time, but she’d definitely made a huge dent in the mess.
A loud knock startled her. She swiped her hand across her forehead one more time, then rushed to the front door. Tyler wouldn’t knock, would he?
A middle-aged man stood before her when she opened the door. He appraised her silently, and a slow smile spread across his face.
“Mrs. Monroe. A pleasure to see you again,” he greeted. His voice sounded too friendly to be genuine.
Again? Laney was sure she hadn’t met this man before. He didn’t look like anyone she’d seen in town the day she arrived. His eyes lingered on her dress.
“I don’t think we’ve met,” she said stiffly.
“I don’t think you’d remember me,” he laughed. “My name is Ian Frazier. I’m Tyler’s neighbor. I was at the shivaree the other night.”
“Oh,” Laney stammered, and her cheeks flamed. “Is there something I can do for you?”
“I came to talk to your husband,” Ian said, peering into the house.
“He’s not here.”
Ian’s brows rose. “By the looks of him on his wedding night, I would have expected him stay home for a few days. Looked like you two were getting along well. Remarkable, considering . . .”
“Considering what?” Laney asked, her hand on her hip. She didn’t like this man’s smug tone.
“Considering how Tyler acquired you.”
Acquired? He made it sound like she’d been bought. What was the appropriate response to that?
“I’m sure Tyler had a very good reason to send for a mail order bride, Ian.” Laney glared, her temper rising to the surface. His first name escaped her clenched jaw.
Ian flung his head back, and laughed. “You don’t know, do you? He hasn’t told you?”
Butterflies churned in Laney’s stomach. “Told me what?”
“Tyler married you because of some cockamamie bet his foreman made with the hands that Tyler’s stud couldn’t be beat in a horserace a few months back. A bunch of the neighbors joined in, too. Guess no one counted on my horse winning that day.” He stroked his moustache. He didn’t do a good job of covering up the smirk on his face.
Laney’s chest tightened. Tyler hadn’t wanted a wife? He had to marry her because of some stupid bet? No wonder he was so mad, and it certainly explained his behavior.
“I must say,” Ian continued, his perusal of her growing bolder like he was inspecting some prized broodmare. “Gabe made a good choice. No doubt Tyler’s forgiven him about the bet. You sure are a fine looking woman.”
If the guy pried her mouth open next to check her teeth, Laney wouldn’t be surprised. She swallowed back the choice words she wanted to spit out at this jerk, but she held back. She gritted her teeth, then raised her chin.
“I can assure you, he’s more than happy with me,” she lied.
Ian laughed again. “I’m sure he is.” He tipped his hat to her, and turned to leave. “Please let your husband know I need to speak to him. It’s rather urgent.”
Ian Frazier mounted his horse that was tied to one of the porch posts, and tipped his hat to her again. “Good day, Mrs. Monroe.”
Laney stared after the man, then closed the door, and leaned up against it. Was Tyler hiding his reason for marrying her? She’d asked him that night if he was trying to hide something, and he’d reacted in anger. It was probably best if she didn’t let him know what Ian had said to her.
What game are you playing with me, Reverend?
What had seemed like such a simple idea a few days ago was turning out to be a bigger challenge than she ever imagined. How was she going to please a man who didn’t want her? Her attraction to Tyler scared her.
And there was still the problem of the stallion. How was she going to get near the horse, if he was out on the range?
&nbs
p; Laney ran a trembling hand across her damp forehead, swiping back her hair. She’d just settled into her work again, when a sound like rolling thunder reached her ears. She pulled herself up from kneeling on the floor in the living room, and opened the front door. A thick cloud of dust rose from a distance, and horses became visible through the haze. The wranglers were back with the colts!
Laney stood, gripping the porch post. She counted nearly twenty horses galloping toward the ranch. A gray, nearly black colt immediately caught her eye. Several riders surrounded the bunch, herding them toward the corrals. Sammy sprinted across the yard and pulled open one of the gates. Men whistled and shouted, and drove the animals into the enclosure. Laney scanned the riders. Tyler brought up the rear of the group, sitting on his horse as if he was part of the animal. She couldn’t stop staring, her heart fluttering in her chest.
Tyler shouted something to one of the other riders, then his head turned toward her. Their eyes met, and Laney forgot to breathe.
Chapter 10
Tyler reined his horse in next to Gabe’s, and watched the band of nineteen colts move nervously around their enclosure. This was the first time in their young lives that these horses had been confined, and they’d need a day or two to get used to being off the range. He followed the movement of the gray colt that he’d last seen as a yearling the previous fall.
“That gray is going to make a nice addition to the herd. He’s even better looking than Rap,” Gabe commented, pointing a gloved finger toward the corral.
“He looks good,” Tyler agreed.
“Might be a good replacement for Rap. Seems to me he’s not performing as well as he’s done in the past. Losing the race and all, and now he won’t breed mares.”
Tyler frowned. He’d have to think of something soon, if Rap’s interest in breeding didn’t return. The best he could hope for at the moment was that his stallion’s performance improved to where he could cover some mares for a late foal crop next summer. It wasn’t the end of the world, but a second breeding stallion might not be a bad idea. He’d simply have to run two bands of mares on different pastures.
Gabe nudged his arm. “There’s your pretty wife, Ty. Looks like she ain’t gonna let you pay the horses more attention than you do her.” A wide grin spread across his face.
Tyler’s head turned toward the house. He’d already seen Laney standing on the porch, one arm wrapped around the support post and watching him intently when he rode in. He had to force his gaze away from her and pay attention to the job at hand. Seeing her standing there, her dress fluttering around her legs in the breeze, had brought a tightening to his chest. Concentrating on the roundup all day had been a real challenge when his thoughts kept wandering to the woman who now came walking across the yard toward the corral.
He’d been such a mule’s ass the day before. He’d judged her without giving her the benefit of a doubt, and he’d manhandled her. It wasn’t her fault that she’d been brought here under false pretenses. He’d chosen to marry her, and it was his job now to honor those vows.
Memories of her in his arms had dominated his thoughts at night and filled his days. His unbridled attraction to his wife was something he would have to learn to control, but there was no reason he couldn’t be cordial to her and make the best of the situation. He didn’t have to worry about Laney betraying him, like his mother had betrayed his father. Laney didn’t own his heart. If she up and left one day, it wouldn’t really matter.
“She sounded real proper in her letter, Ty. I had no idea she’d be such a . . .” Gabe’s words trailed off. Tyler tensed. He held tight to the reins in his hand.
“What are you implying, Gabe?” Tyler turned a cold stare on his foreman.
Gabe adjusted his hat on his head, and he ran his hand over his face. “Look, Ty, I know how you feel about your mother, and all. The agency assured me all the women they send as brides have a solid reputation. After what she did on your weddin’ night . . . she sure surprised us all with her show. Most of all you, I expect.”
Tyler gripped his saddle horn or he would have sent his fist into Gabe’s face. An overwhelming urge to protect Laney, defend her against other men’s insinuations, rushed through him. He drew in a deep breath to calm the rage brewing within him. Hadn’t he thought the same thing about her? Part of him still did believe it.
“Laney isn’t like my mother,” he forced from his mouth. “And if you imply otherwise again, Gabe, we’ll settle this behind the barn. I whooped your ass before, I’ll do it again.”
Gabe’s eyes widened, and so did his grin. “Glad to see you’re so taken with your wife. Maybe I did something right after all.” He reached over and slapped Tyler on the back. He laughed, and kicked his horse toward the barn.
Tyler cursed under his breath. He was ready to fight his own foreman, or anyone else, for making rude remarks about his wife. He pulled his eyes away from Gabe’s retreating form, and nudged his horse in the sides. He reined the gelding toward Laney. She had stopped just before she reached the corral, a wide smile on her face as she watched the horses. That odd squeezing feeling in his chest gripped him again. She looked different today. Different than the morning she’d come to watch him work with the young colt. The gingham still didn’t fit her right, but there was nothing improper about her appearance or demeanor. Her golden hair was tied back with a ribbon. Some of it had come loose and fluttered around her face.
She turned her head to look up at him when he stopped Charlie next to her. The smile on her face froze, and uncertainty swept through her eyes.
Tyler dismounted, and yanked his hat from his head. Now that he was right beside her, he couldn’t remember a thing he wanted to say. He fingered the reins in his hands. Charlie blew hot air at his neck, as if reminding him what he wanted to ask his wife.
“You mentioned the other day that you ride.”
Laney’s blue eyes stared up at him. “Yes,” she whispered. She swiped the hair back from her cheek. Tyler gripped the reins tighter, his eyes following the motion of her hand.
“I have some free time tomorrow. These colts need a few days to settle down. I’d . . . ah . . . it would be my pleasure to show you around the property, if you’d care to go for a ride.” Damn. He sounded like a little boy who was wet behind the ears.
Her face lit up in a bright smile. Tyler groaned inwardly.
“I’d love to go riding and see the rest of the ranch.” She bounced on her heels like a little girl at the candy counter, and her hand reached out toward him, but then she dropped it quickly at her side.
“I think we got off on the wrong foot. I’d like to make amends.” Tyler gripped his hat in one hand, the reins in the other.
Laney’s forehead wrinkled and her eyebrows shot up, disbelief written on her face. She seemed genuinely surprised at his attempt to apologize.
“I’m sorry, too. I didn’t exactly make a good first impression.” She laughed nervously. “I’m . . . I guess I’m just not used to the way things are done here in . . . out west.”
“I keep forgetting that you’ve traveled a long way.” Tyler studied her eyes, mesmerized by the way the light from the late afternoon sun played with the colors, changing them in hue from a dark blue to the pale color of the sky.
“You can say that again.” She laughed softly.
Tyler forced his gaze to the horses in the corral, not really seeing them. Charlie’s bridle jingled behind him. He should really get his horse unsaddled and rubbed down, but it was as if he’d grown roots. He didn’t want to leave Laney’s side just yet.
“They’re beautiful.” Laney’s soft words broke into his thoughts. Tyler turned his head to look at her. She nudged her chin toward the colts in the corral. “Absolutely breathtaking.” She took another step closer to the fence, watching the nervous two-year-olds.
So are you.
Tyler cleared his throat. He mentally shook his head. “We got some good ones in the bunch.”
Laney pointed into the corral. “E
specially that gray colt. He’s magnificent. You really should consider him for your breeding program. Even for a two-year-old, he looks very well balanced. I bet if you . . .” Her voice trailed off, and her eyes grew large with panic. “I mean, it’s none of my business,” she mumbled hastily, and glanced at the ground.
Tyler stared at her. She spoke like a well-versed horseman. He glanced from her to the colt. Hadn’t he been thinking the same thing about that particular horse? Laney hadn’t seen the animal for more than a few minutes, and she’d immediately picked him out of the entire bunch.
“Where did you learn so much about horses?” Tyler studied her profile. It required a practiced eye to spot exceptional conformation in a horse. She couldn’t have picked the colt because of his coloring. He looked rather ugly at the moment, like most grays did during their second year. Several of the chestnut colts would catch someone’s eye first. But conformation-wise, the gray was by far the best out of the lot.
Laney spun toward him, the panic back in her round eyes. It was almost as if she felt she’d been caught in a lie. She shrugged, and avoided looking directly at him.
“I . . . lived on a horse farm once.” A haunted sadness replaced her panicked expression. She darted a quick glance at him, a half-smile on her face. “I should probably get back up to the house.”
Laney swiped more wayward strands of hair from her face. Tyler caught her hand before she could drop it. He lifted it closer to his face. Her knuckles were red, and the skin looked as if it had been submersed in water all day. Tyler frowned, and turned his eyes to her face. His thumb grazed across the back of her hand. He fought the urge to raise her fingers to his lips. Laney stiffened.
“I was scrubbing floors,” she supplied the answer to his unspoken question.
“You did what?” His eye narrowed. He cringed at the harshness in his voice. As his wife, Laney had every right to make herself at home, but something didn’t sit right with him at the thought of her scrubbing floors when she was barely settled in.
Ain't No Angel Page 10
