Noah took another step toward Abigail. He hadn't meant to offend her. Hadn't realized that, beneath her feisty, spirited exterior she could be so easily affected by his words. Did her quickness to insult betray a need to win his approval?
His gaze met Abigail's. For a moment, a silent, unspoken exchange passed between them. He felt like he'd touched a barrier which separated himself and Abigail. Was this how it was going to be? One step forward and two steps back?
But, before he could utter a word, he heard Ray's voice calling out to them from around the cooking fire.
Noah saw Abigail glance over his shoulder. He followed her gaze and saw Ray waving at them. "Looks like its time we ate something."
Abigail folded her arms and continued to gaze at the men. Noah could tell she was still hurting. As she turned and started back to the men, Noah told himself he'd need to work hard this afternoon to help her understand that he really appreciated everything she and her family were doing for him. Because if he didn't, he worried he might have undone all the progress he'd made so far in trying to win the favor of the beautiful ranch girl.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
After midday, the cattle drive resumed soon after everyone had finished having beans and coffee. Abigail's appetite had vanished after her exchange with Noah down by the river's edge. She'd satisfied herself with a cup of coffee, and nothing else. She thought about what he'd said, earlier. Recalled his apparent indifference to her family's assistance.
How could Noah be so ungrateful? Didn't he realize how much had been offered to him by her family? How welcoming they'd been? Maybe it was his lazy Eastern ways that made him so unappreciative, she told herself. Perhaps he'd always been accustomed to people giving him what he needed. And without having to ask for it.
As she sat on Rebel, riding alongside Noah, Abigail wondered if she'd completely misjudged the newcomer. He'd done so much to endear himself to her. So much to convince her he was a good man. Someone she could trust.
Had she allowed herself to be won over too easily? Or maybe she'd been tempted by the fact that he was an outsider who'd come from a more elevated part of society. That very society she told herself, over and over, she wanted for herself. Was this what the people who lived in that world were really like? Was Noah MacKendrick typical of the kind of people she'd find if, somehow, she ever did follow Lydia's lead and move into that part of society?
Abigail felt as if she'd mishandled the whole conversation down by the river. Perhaps she'd been too quick to take offense. At first, she'd enjoyed the teasing, the friendly joking. Their light-hearted, playful taunting had given her a genuine delight. And, judging by the brightness in his eyes, she'd been convinced he'd enjoyed their gentle teasing just as much as she had.
She hadn't felt like this with any of the other young men in Inspiration who'd taken the time to try and court her. There had been a few casual suitors in town who, over the last year, had tried to gain Abigail's attention. Even tried to woo her, she'd realized. But, she'd resisted their advances as politely as she could. She'd told herself she wasn't ready for such a step. She was waiting for someone else. Someone different. And, when Noah had arrived, in the depth of her heart, Abigail had wondered if he was the one she'd been waiting for.
Maybe she'd been wrong, she reflected as she watched Noah ride up ahead and begin to talk with Ray. Watching him talking animatedly with Ray, Abigail told herself Noah's enthusiasm for this morning's work hadn't diminished. But, maybe his enthusiasm for her had lessened.
Perhaps she'd allowed foolish ideas to influence her judgment, she told herself. Maybe Jake was right, Abigail thought. Perhaps she was getting ideas above her station. Jake had warned her often enough. Told her that, in his opinion, ranch life was good enough for all of the Buchanans. And that included Abigail.
For the next hour or so, the herd moved slowly and steadily along the trail. The ranch hands worked patiently, keeping the herd in a narrow group. Eventually they reached a narrow, grassy pass with a rocky escarpment to their right and the river to the left. It meant that, in order to negotiate the pass, the herd had to be bunched closer together, kept in a tight group. It took all the skill of the ranch hands to achieve this. Abigail watched with an appreciative gaze as the men herded the cattle into a narrow line between the ridge and the river.
Having made their way halfway along the narrow pass, Abigail heard the sound of splashing water and the neighing of horses. Realizing unknown riders were coming around the bend in the river, maybe even coming along the shallow edge of the river, Abigail dug her heels into Rebel's side and rode to Noah's side.
He glanced inquiringly at her. "Who can that be?" he asked.
She shrugged. "Can't say for sure."
The cattle were clustered together, four or five deep, in a group with the gray rocks of the escarpment on one side and the river on the other. Judging by their movements, they looked like they weren't too happy with the arrangement. Worried there might be a stampede, especially once the newcomers had made their presence known, Abigail rode over to Ray. "What do you think, Ray?"
He frowned as Abigail saw five riders emerge from around the river's bend. Concern tightened a knot in Abigail's middle. Ray rode down to the river's edge, easing his mount into the shallows, aiming to meet the newcomers. The riders came to a halt, the shallow river water flowing around the horse's ankles.
The man in the lead, a lean cowboy in jeans, dark shirt and Stetson, fixed Ray with a stern look. "You're trespassing, stranger," the man stated in a deep voice laced with suspicion.
"Reckon that ain't so," Ray countered. "We got permission to drive this herd all the way to the Double T."
The other man shook his head. "That's not what I heard."
Ray leaned forward in his saddle and tilted his head as if examining the man opposite. "You ain't Jed from the Bar Z." Ray flicked a thumb in the direction of the ridge to the north. Abigail knew they were passing by the southern border of the Bar Z spread. "I know Jed. He's the foreman at the spread up there. And you ain't him. Or anyone I've ever seen on the Bar Z."
The other man stiffened in his saddle. "You calling me a liar?"
Ray nodded. "I sure am. I don't think you work at the Bar Z." Ray twisted in the saddle, gazing up and down the length of the river. "I'm wondering what you're doing here. And who you are, mister."
Behind the man, the other four cowboys all dropped their hands to their waists in perfect unison. It was almost as if they were following instructions, Abigail told herself. She glanced across at Noah. He looked concerned. Worried, in fact. Like her, Noah must be wondering what was going on. They'd agreed with the owner of the Bar Z that they could drive the herd across their spread. And without any impediment. The appearance of these men didn't make any sense.
Then Noah did something which took Abigail completely by surprise. He rode slowly forward and halted his mount on the grassy edge of the river. He peered down at the lead horseman. "You trying to stop this herd from passing through?" Noah demanded.
"Who are you?" the other man blurted out.
Noah leaned his arm casually on the pommel of his saddle. "I own the Double T."
The man's brows shot up. He smiled. "You're the fool outsider we've heard all about in town?"
Noah jerked upright in his saddle. "Who are you calling a fool?" he snapped.
Recalling the conversation earlier, and knowing Noah didn't possess any means of self-defense, Abigail moved Rebel past some of the cattle and toward the river's edge. She had a pistol of her own. Between herself and the other ranch hands, she figured they'd have enough to deal with these unwanted intruders. She saw the other ranch hands stiffen on their mounts, readying themselves to deal with any trouble.
Ray stretched out a hand. "Hold on there, Mr MacKendrick. Reckon we can deal with this in a civil manner." Ray turned and faced the man. "Isn't that right, stranger. I didn't catch your name."
"I didn't give it to you," the man replied sharply.
"Now
why would you go and do such an unfriendly thing?" Noah asked, giving the stranger a stern look.
The other man's mouth turned down in visible disgust. "This ain't intended to be a friendly visit, mister. More like a warning."
"Warning?" Ray snapped, reaching down to his gun. Every other man did the same.
The sudden movement of the men made Abigail's heart quicken. Some of the cattle started to moan louder. She glanced urgently toward Noah. He sat still, gazing at the man, unmoved by the casual threat. Abigail could feel the tension in the air. Any time now, something bad was going to happen. She knew how quickly ranching disagreements could get out of hand. But, who were these men? And what gave them the right to interfere in an harmless cattle drive?
"You still haven't answered our question, stranger," Noah insisted. "Who are you? And what gives you the right to be on someone else's land and stand in our way?"
The man lowered his head, gazed down at the flowing river water, and then back at Noah. "In case you hadn't noticed, mister, we ain't standing on no-one's land. This here river don't belong to anyone. It flows all through these spreads." He narrowed his eyes. "Yours at the Double T. And the main Buchanan spread, too. At least, that's what we've been told. It's for common use. No-one owns it. And because of that, we can't be trespassing. We can go where we like, provided we stay in these shallows."
For a terrible moment, Abigail was sure there was a threat buried deep in those remarks. Why had the man even mentioned the Buchanans? Why would it even be of any importance that the river was a vital source of water for the ranch?
"Me and my boys can stand here all day, if we like," the man said turning to face his men. "And there ain't nothing you can do about it. Isn't that right, boys?"
They all muttered their agreement. A long moment passed. No-one said anything. The only sounds were the murmuring of the river and the gentle lowing of the cattle.
Finally, Ray guided his horse back up onto the river's grassy verge. "We best be on our way," he ordered.
From the river, the five mounted strangers watched, silently as Ray, Noah and the other hands readied the herd to resume its passage along the narrow pass between the ridge of hills and the river. After a few minutes, during which the herd needed some gentle persuading, the cattle finally started to move in the right direction.
Abigail glanced nervously at the five strangers, who were watching with menacing, steady gazes. No-one said a word as the herd moved off slowly. The riders remained standing, just watching the herd. Finally, the herd moved around a corner of the ridge and the unwanted intruders were finally out of sight.
Noah came up alongside Abigail. "What was all that about?"
Abigail thought for a moment. "They were trying to spook us."
"Why?" Noah asked.
Abigail shook her head. "I don't know. But they were definitely doing it for a reason. Thing is, I don't recognize those men. They must be new in town"
"They were clearly trying to threaten us," Noah observed.
Abigail gazed at Noah. "I think it was meant for you."
"Me!" Noah exclaimed.
Abigail nodded. "They knew you'd be here. And when. It was planned to give you something to worry about."
Noah frowned. "Why would anyone want to do that?"
She shook her head and narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. "I don't know, Noah," she replied. "I might speak to Sheriff Cameron. See if he knows anything about the men. Who they are. When they came to town. He keeps track of just about every stranger who comes to Inspiration."
"Everyone? Including me?" Noah asked as if he couldn't quite believe he'd be a subject of interest to the local lawman.
"Nathan likes to know who's new in town. Keeps a list of folks he thinks he needs to keep an eye on." Noah's eyes widened. She smiled. "I don't think you're on that list, Noah. You don't have to worry."
"I hope not," Noah said.
Abigail thought for a moment and then glanced at Noah. "You handled that pretty well, back there," she told him.
He lifted a brow. "You think so?"
Abigail nodded. "Especially for a man who doesn't carry a gun."
"Most men respond to reason," Noah said. "All they need is a chance to see what they're doing is unfair and unjustified."
Abigail shook her head. "Out here, not everyone sees it that way, Noah. You might find trying to use common sense doesn't always work out the way you'd like."
"Apart from which, the Lord wouldn't allow anything bad to happen. He protects us from men like that," he said, his voice filled with a sudden certainty.
She was taken aback by his sudden shift in the conversation. Of course, she knew he was right. The Almighty protected those who did his Will. When she spoke, Abigail's voice was filled with gravity. "Those men had evil in their hearts, Noah. Didn't you see that?"
"Sure I did," he replied. "But the righteous have to stand up for what they believe in."
"And that's why you were prepared to face them down. Without a gun?"
He shrugged. "Ray and all his men were by my side." His gaze settled softly on her. "And so were you. That gave me all the hope I needed."
Abigail's pulse quickened. His eyes were filled with a sincere appreciation. It was a real contrast to the way he'd looked at her earlier.
Up ahead, the ridge swept down to a flat plain. The going would be easier now, she told herself. Well, maybe with the herd, she thought.
But, when it came to Noah MacKendrick, she asked herself if things were ever going to be easy.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
"Ray said we'll be at the Double T within the hour, Noah," Abigail said to Noah late that afternoon. She'd ridden up to him and was matching the slow pace of his horse. From the top of a low ridge, Noah gazed out across the flat rangeland to the north. The course of the river, and the heavily grass-covered trail wound its way through a series of cliffs, low ridges and gorges. The land here was rougher in nature, rocky promontories exposed by erosion. It presented a real challenge to the ranch hands. Noah was glad he could trust the men completely. They probably knew every piece of this land.
"This was quicker than I thought it would be," he admitted.
Abigail smiled. "Put that down to Ray and his men. They know their way around these parts."
Noah nodded. Even with the necessary stops along the way to let the cattle graze for a while, they'd made good pace throughout the journey. Except, of course, when they'd been held up by the strangers at the river. He knew how close they'd come to trouble. But, Noah had held firm to his confidence that He wouldn't allow evil to stand in his way, today. Throughout the long day's journey, Noah had raised his heart to the Lord, thanking Him for the grace of protection. For all of them on the cattle drive.
The herd wound its way down into the flat valley floor. Noah saw the trail veer off to the north, away from the river, cutting a narrow gorge between two high cliffs. Ray rode up to Noah and Abigail. "That's the way to the Double T," Ray told Noah, pointing in the direction of the trail. "The rangeland is just beyond the end of that canyon. Reckon we'll make it before sundown."
Ray sounded pleased, Noah thought. He had every right to be. The trail boss had done a great job, confirming every bit of faith Noah had had in him. "We're going to give the herd some grazing time before we make the last leg of the drive," Ray explained.
"Sure thing, Ray," Abigail said.
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