Reading the Rancher (Cowboys and Angels Book 28)

by Kit Morgan

  Squawk.

  Albert snorted. “Preposterous. How can you say that?” He sat next to Bob and sighed. “We are in so much trouble. None of the other angels went through this. They finished their assignments. But us? We’ll be lucky to get another one this century.”

  Bob cocked his head and peered at him with one eye.

  “Yeah, I am speaking for myself. Then again, just because you’ve had successful assignments doesn’t mean you can get away with this.”

  Bob settled himself more comfortably. Cluck cluck, cluck cluck.

  “I admire your confidence, my friend. But I think you missed the mark on this one.”

  Bob, unperturbed, closed his eyes and ruffled his feathers, preparing for a nap.

  “How can you sleep at a time like this? Wait a minute – you don’t sleep!”

  Bob opened one eye. Cluck. Then he vanished.

  Albert scrunched up his face, looked at the sky and yelled, “Traitor!” He sighed again. “Sometimes I want to pluck that bird, bread him and fry him.” He stood and, hands on hips, tapped his foot a few times. “Things aren’t going as I planned. If only I could speak to them.” He looked at the sky. “Just a few words?”

  Thunder boomed as dark clouds rolled in. Albert wished it was the Almighty’s answer, but no, it was just a storm. “I do hope Cooper gets Hattie inside where it’s warm and dry before the storm breaks. Poor souls.” He glanced skyward again. “Maybe I’d better get a few things ready for them.” And he vanished too.

  Hattie shivered next to Cooper as they continued. It had started raining minutes before and was already a downpour, the road ahead turning to mud. Thunder rolled across the sky, followed by flashes of lightning. She hated the noise and so did the horses, who snorted and jerked against the harness. Cooper spoke to them, trying to calm them down. But the storm was right on top of them at this point, loud enough that he had to yell. “Stu, Patches! Whoa!”

  Hattie screamed as another thunderclap sounded. The horses lurched into a gallop, and Cooper didn’t even try to slow them down, only to keep them on the path. “Are you all right?” he cried over the pounding rain.

  “Yes!” With one hand she gripped the wagon seat, with the other her coat. No, wait – she was gripping his coat!

  To her surprise he put her arm around her and pulled her close. “It’s not far now, honey. Don’t worry, I’ll get you to where it’s safe.”

  He let her go as thunder upset the horses again. Hattie wrapped her beaver coat – a birthday gift from her father – more tightly around her and hung on. Cooper was trying to protect her, keep her safe, and her heart melted at the thought. He was more man than Bart (who treated his own mother like a servant) would ever be. In fact, she’d never met a man like this before. True, he was in a much lower class than the men she knew. But that didn’t matter to her. She couldn’t read him at first, but now she could and she liked what she saw, a lot. And his kiss …

  She didn’t have time to think about that now. She looked behind them and couldn’t see a thing. The dark clouds and heavy rain made it almost impossible to see. But anyone following them wouldn’t be able to see either. She breathed a sigh of relief and faced front again. She wished she’d brought her satchel, but she didn’t want Millie or anyone else at Hearth and Home to know she was leaving. When she saw Cooper head across the street and enter the building, she’d just moved as fast as she could – no planning, no hesitation, just a headlong run for safety.

  But at this point, what difference did it make what Isla or Millie or anyone else thought? It’s not like she had a reputation to protect. And if she left town, she’d never see any of these people again …

  Hattie’s heart stopped at the thought. Cooper’s kiss was still fresh. It was a moment born of panic and fear, at least on her part. But she hadn’t kissed him. He’d kissed her – and she certainly hadn’t refused it. Did she really have to leave town?

  Cooper kept the horses moving as the sky grew darker. They were both soaked and she hoped neither of them caught their death. He was shivering at this point and she huddled against him, trying to help keep them both warm. He gripped the reins tighter and put an arm around her, welcoming the effort. As wet as they both were, it wouldn’t do them much good, but his intentions warmed her heart.

  She saw the faint outline of a house and barn about a hundred yards off the road. If it were any darker she wouldn’t see them at all. “There it is,” he yelled. “I’ll get you inside, then I’ll take care of the horses.”

  “All right,” she yelled back.

  They reached the house, and Cooper brought the wagon to the front porch. He climbed down, helped her do the same, steered her to the front door and opened it. “Hurry. If you can build a fire, the matches are on the hearth, and there’s a lantern on the kitchen table.”

  Hattie nodded and went in, closing the door behind her. At this point she wasn’t sure which storm was raging worse, the one outside or the one within her heart. She figured she could ponder that while getting the fire started.

  Then she turned to the hearth and found there was already a fire burning.

  Chapter Eleven

  Hattie stared at the flames in confusion before heading over to warm herself in front of the hearth. Had Cooper forgotten he’d left it burning before he came to town? But if he had, wouldn’t it have almost burnt itself out by now? She gulped and turned in a circle. The cabin was in shadows, the only light coming from the flames. “Hello?” Silence. She was alone.

  There was probably an innocent explanation. Perhaps Cooper’s friend Baxter had come by and built it up. He could be outside with Cooper even now. She’d ask him when he came in. She shrugged out of her coat and hung it over a chair near the fire to dry. The lower half of her dress was soaked, but she wasn’t going to worry about that now.

  She found the lantern and matches and lit it. After turning up the wick, she saw her surroundings. The house was sparsely furnished – a chair on either side of the hearth, a settee against one wall with a low table in front of it, and a worn rug in the middle of the floor. In the kitchen was a table with three chairs, a dry sink, a stove and a small hutch. A door near the hearth probably led to the bedroom. The place was masculine and … lonely, she thought.

  “Oh, Cooper, what have I done?” She shouldn’t have involved him in this. What if Bart managed to track her here? What would Cooper do? Let Bart have her? No, he’d defend her, perhaps even risk his life – that was who he was. She closed her eyes. She didn’t want to see Cooper get hurt. If he did, it would be her fault.

  She went to the window, pushed aside the simple blue curtain and peered into the darkness. She could barely see the barn through the raging storm, and there was no sign of Cooper. With a sigh she returned to the fire to wait. She’d have to figure out what to do – she couldn’t stay here forever. Being alone at Cooper’s ranch with him was bad enough to begin with. Not that she cared about her reputation, not if she was leaving, but what about Cooper’s? Tears suddenly formed and she didn’t know why.

  “Horses are taken care of,” Cooper said as he entered on a blast of wind.

  She spun at the sound of his voice. “Cooper,” she whispered.

  “Hattie?”

  She shut her eyes against the tears. He was so unlike the men she’d known back in Boston. She could read them and quickly got bored with their shallowness, but Cooper was like another language. She was learning to read and write it and liked how it sounded. She swallowed hard.

  He removed his dripping coat, hung it on a peg near the door and looked at the roaring fire with a smile. “You built that already?” He glanced at the few pieces of wood stacked near the hearth. “That’s odd.”

  “What?”

  He joined her, warming his hands toward the fire. “I was just thinking I should bring more wood in, since there were only a few pieces left. But …”

  “The fire was like this when I came in,” she interjected.

  He looked at her, eyes wid
e. “It was?” He turned, glancing around the cabin in suspicion. “What in tarnation?”

  “Could your friend have built it?”

  “You mean Baxter?” He glanced around again before his eyes fixed on the door next to the hearth. “Stay here,” he hissed.

  “Cooper,” she whispered, touching his arm and smiling faintly. “Be careful.”

  He smiled back. “Always.” He went to the door, listened a moment, then rushed inside.

  Hattie stood, her heart in her throat, wringing her hands. “Cooper?”

  He came out and sighed in relief. “Nothing in there.” He strapped on a gun belt he must have grabbed in the bedroom, smiling reassuringly. “Just in case.”

  She nodded as her heart plummeted. She couldn’t stay without putting him in danger. What had she done?

  “Hattie?” Cooper came closer. “What’s wrong?”

  “You have to ask?” She laughed, hearing the fear and desperation in her voice.

  He put his arms around her and pulled her close. “I’ll keep you safe. Besides, this storm isn’t going to let up anytime soon. Only a fool would ride in this weather.”

  She nodded and locked gazes with him. “Cooper, I can’t … I don’t dare stay.”

  He lowered his face to hers. “You have to.” His eyes softened.

  She thought she might faint. No man had ever looked at her with such concern, not even Father. The thought was disconcerting. “But …”

  He put a finger over her lips. “Stop. You’re staying here, with me, where it’s …” He looked into her eyes and she felt the sparks. She could tell he did too. “… safe.” His eyes darted to her lips, then away, breaking the spell.

  Hattie took a breath. He had been about to kiss her again, she knew it. And she wanted him to, more than anything. She wanted to be kept safe, wanted him to tell her again that he would. To think she’d walked through life without a care, protected by money and her father’s name. But he hadn’t protected her heart or watched out for her emotional wellbeing. If he had, he wouldn’t have arranged a marriage for her to the likes of Bart Sullivan.

  Growing up, she hadn’t known anything else, nor had anyone she knew among the so-called “Brahmins” of Boston. They went to balls and parties, shopped and socialized and little else. But that was her old world, and now she was in another one, Cooper’s and Millie’s and Isla’s world. She had so much to learn if she was going to survive here. The thought was overwhelming, and she slumped in Cooper’s arms.

  “Hattie,” he said with concern, tightening his hold. “Hattie, are you all right?”

  She nodded, unable to speak. But she wasn’t all right, not at all. She was alone, so alone in the world, and had just realized it. And maybe Cooper felt the same way – his eyes held the same longing she felt. They stared at each other, reality dawning on them both. She took a breath and closed the distance.

  The kiss that followed was a mutual bonding of two tired souls. How empty her life had been, how shallow. Money drove it, ruled it and she’d been perfectly willing to let it. But now she saw there were more important things – purpose and work and freedom and, oh, love …

  Cooper deepened the kiss as he wove his fingers into her hair, pulling it from its pins. Several fell to the floor with tiny pings like little alarms, but she ignored them. She was too caught up in the moment, too desperate to cling to the man willing to risk his own safety to protect her. She wasn’t sure what Bart would do if he found her here. He wouldn’t take kindly to someone he deemed his “property” being with another man. But she was not his property, and never would be.

  Hattie broke the kiss. “Cooper,” she rasped.

  “Hattie,” he said, his voice breaking. “I … I don’t know what came over me.”

  She shook her head. “I hope it does again.” She kissed him again, slower, gentler, and she melted against him. He made her feel safe, protected.

  But he couldn’t chase away the shame she felt at a life wasted. She thought of the women working at Hearth and Home, remembered Millie’s husband Edwin popping out of the kitchen occasionally to speak to her. They were a happy lot, working their jobs, serving their customers day in and day out, socializing. It was a simple life, but their marriage and friendships made all the difference. For the first time in Hattie’s life, she realized how little she knew about her own friends and family. It was sobering.

  “Hattie,” Cooper said as he pulled away. “I take that back.”

  “What?” she managed.

  “I know what came over me. I wanted to kiss you. I guess I have for a while now.”

  She smiled. “And I’m glad you did. I’ve been a fool. I should have told you what was happening …”

  “You were scared.”

  She saw the warmth and concern in his eyes and nodded. “Cooper, I’m so confused.”

  He pulled her close, resting his chin on her head. “So am I, to tell you the truth. I didn’t expect this.”

  She smiled. He didn’t know what she felt about her family or life just then. How could he? He was talking about their kisses. “I wasn’t expecting this either.”

  They stood for a time, just holding each other. She was warm now, wonderfully so, and didn’t want to move. She was also tired – fear took a lot out of a person. But she didn’t feel afraid anymore and for that she was grateful. “Thank you for rescuing me.”

  He drew back and looked into her eyes. “I’m glad I did. But until this man is taken care of, you’re not safe.”

  Hattie closed her eyes and hung her head. She didn’t want to think about Bart anymore.

  Cooper put his thumb under her chin and tilted her face up. “So who is he, and what’s he like?”

  She opened her eyes. “My so-called betrothed?” She shook her head. “His name’s Bartholomew Sullivan, Bart for short. He owns a distillery and some gambling houses. He’s powerful and rich. He’s also controlling, overbearing and a crashing bore, and he’s almost twenty years older than me. Shall I go on?”

  “No,” he said with a smile. “I can draw my own conclusions from there. But why would your father want you to marry him?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Money, power, position. It happens all the time in my world, now that I think about it. I just never thought it would happen to me, or not this soon. I was wrong, so I panicked and ran. Now the consequences are catching up with me.”

  “If they do, they’ll have to go through me,” he said sternly.

  She put a hand on his chest. “Cooper, please …”

  He took her hand and kissed it. “I don’t know what hit me, Hattie, but I won’t apologize for it. No one other than my family has tried to help me the way you have, and I’m much obliged.”

  She stared at him. She was still feeling overwhelmed with the reality of her situation. Cooper’s kisses only added to that. But she needed them, needed him. Was he saying his affection for her was only out of gratitude?

  Hattie closed her eyes again and rested her head against his chest. She didn’t want to think about it, only the warmth and safety of his arms, if only for a little while. And then, if she had to deal with leaving him, she would.

  But she hoped she wouldn’t have to.

  Cooper seethed. What sort of cad would hunt her down like this? Hattie was a human being, not some prized brood mare to be bought and sold. He held her close, fighting the urge to kiss her again. She was frightened, he could tell, and confused. The look in her eyes said it all: Rescue me! And he would, he swore he would, no matter what it took.

  Oh dear Lord, I think … no, I know! He’d fallen in love and hadn’t even noticed. But how could he, when he was so wrapped up in what she couldn’t do for him, like teach him how to read, that he missed what she had done? Only in the last few days had he gotten an inkling. Hattie cared enough to help him, and when she couldn’t, she went the extra mile and found those that could. No one had done that for him before. No one but his family had even offered.

  But then another thought
struck, one he didn’t like. What would a woman like Hattie see in a man like him, uneducated and with little to his name? Compared to her betrothed from Boston, he had no money or possessions. He was insignificant, unworthy of her time.

  Then why did she kiss you? his mind asked. Well … okay, maybe she saw things differently. If she’d wanted Bart Sullivan’s money, she’d be with Bart. She wasn’t – she was here with him.

  Hattie made a tiny sound, and he realized she was growing limp against him. Without thinking he scooped her into his arms. “What are you doing?” she asked weakly.

  “Hush, you need to rest.” He carried her into the bedroom, laid her on the bed and covered her with a quilt his mother had made him. “Sleep, Hattie. When you get up, I’ll make us supper.”

  She didn’t argue. The poor thing was overwrought and tuckered out.

  Cooper stood near the bed a moment, wishing he knew more about her and her circumstances. He could protect her if he kept her with him, he knew he could. But she was scared and might flee given half the chance. The thought of her leaving tore at him – he didn’t think he could stand it. Still, it was her choice – if she only wanted protection from this Sullivan fellow and left afterward, he wouldn’t stand in her way. Well, not much.

  Could she ever love a man like him? That was the real question. He had little money, no privilege, obviously no book learning. Why on Earth would she? And yet … and yet the kisses, and the help she’d given him, told another story. He closed his eyes, trying to sort it all out.

  When he opened them, he knew she was asleep. He drew in a shaky breath, left the room and closed the door behind him.

  He stood awhile and stared at the fire. He was dry now and needed to take care of his stock – the rain hadn’t let up, and getting soaking wet again didn’t appeal to him, but it had to be done. And the sooner he did his chores the sooner he could be back inside to keep Hattie safe. If someone was fool enough to follow them, they might have reached the ranch by now. He was banking on whoever was after Hattie not wanting to get drenched anymore than he did. Hopefully rich dandies didn’t like to get wet.