"What was Rufus doing down at the valley trail?" he asked. "Last I knew, the herd was out on the western edge of the spread."
Earl passed his Stetson quickly from one hand to the other. For a moment, he looked lost for words. "One of the cows made a run for it from the herd." Earl turned to Rufus. "Ain't that right, Rufus." Earl added peering at the younger man.
Rufus hesitated a moment. A moment that was far too long to calm Noah's suspicions. "Sure did, Earl. Took an age to catch up with that beast." Rufus ran a hand through his lank hair and smiled hesitantly. "Sure was an ornery one."
The man was lying, Noah told himself. And it wasn't the first time he'd been sure one of the ranch hands wasn't being straight with him. It had been happening ever since the men had settled into the ranch, and gotten down to work. He knew it was his own fault. He hadn't listened to Caleb. Nor to Abigail. He should have accepted the offer of Ray and his crew. But, as was so often the case, Noah's pride had gotten the better of his judgment.
Noah nodded, trying hard to mask his unease. He flicked a thumb. "The stuff is in the shed behind the barn." When he'd been on the ranch, Ray had suggested Noah buy in some extra supplies.
Earl advanced toward Noah. "Rufus here will need some help fixing the fence. Shouldn't take too long. A morning at most. Maybe we'll make a start tomorrow."
Noah waved at Earl. "Fine. You boys know best when it comes to fixing fences."
Rufus smiled, revealing yellowed teeth. "We sure do, Mr MacKendrick. Like we said when you took us on for this job. We had to do the same kind of things on our previous ranching jobs."
Having seen the way the men worked, Noah was beginning to doubt the men had, in fact, ever worked a ranch before. He knew he had a problem to solve. One of his own making. But now wasn't the time to deal with it.
He was about to tell the men to get back to work, when he heard the sound of another rider. Looking over at the entrance gate, he saw Abigail, on Rebel, coming into the yard. Immediately, Noah felt an unstoppable lifting of his heart. He felt the impulse to smile, race over to greet her, but held it under strict control. He wondered why Abigail had come to visit. Especially after the way they had spoken to one another outside the church.
Abigail drew Rebel to a halt and dismounted. She was dressed in a brown riding skirt and tight-fitting white shirt which emphasized her petite figure. Her wide-brimmed hat was tied beneath her chin. She stomped across the dusty yard on well-worn brown boots. Noah thought she looked like just about the most beautiful sight he'd ever laid eyes on.
He strode straight to meet Abigail, seeing the stern expression on her features. She was looking warily at the two men behind Noah. Finally, he reached her and halted in front of her. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
She halted, jammed her fists against her side and tilted her head at him. "I came to teach you a lesson," she declared.
For a long moment,. Noah was utterly speechless. All he could do was peer at Abigail. His mind was a whirlwind of warring thoughts; his heart was pounding furiously; his throat was tight and he wondered what she could possibly mean by such a provocative statement.
Finally, he managed to murmur. "Lesson?"
Abigail nodded and, once again, fixed her gaze on Earl and Rufus. "These your new men?" she asked Noah.
He turned and peered at Earl and Rufus. "Two of them," he explained.
Abigail took a step toward the men. "Howdy, boys," she said tipping the front of her hat upwards. "Taking a break?" she asked in a brittle tone of voice.
Earl and Rufus advanced toward Noah and Abigail. "Miss Buchanan?" Earl asked.
Noah saw Abigail's brows furrow. "That's me. I don't believe I've met you boys before."
"We've heard all about you. And the Buchanans," Earl explained. "You folks are big around these parts." Noah flinched. "Real big in ranching," Earl added. He wasn't sure that was the right kind of thing to say to Abigail. It sounded like he was taunting Abigail. Noah wondered why Earl would even think of doing such a thing.
When he saw her scowl at them, he knew for sure the man's words had been ill-advised. "Have you, now," Abigail said sharply. "Ain't that interesting, because I'm not sure I've even seen you men in my life."
Noah could hear the irritation in Abigail's voice. Any moment now, she was going to say something she might regret. "Abigail, come into the ranch house. I'll get Mrs Lucas to make us some coffee." Abigail looked severely at Noah. She didn't move an inch. Just stared at Noah as if she wasn't planning on going anywhere. Her defiance triggered a familiar delight in him. Until now, he hadn't realized how much he'd missed her being around.
Noah rested a hand against Abigail's left arm. He gestured to the men. "I reckon you two can get back to work," he ordered.
Abigail peered at the men, brows furrowed, her mouth set in the cutest pout, as if she was waiting patiently for them to follow Noah's orders. Finally, Earl nodded. "We'll come back for the fencing posts, Mr MacKendrick."
As the men got back on their horses, Abigail kept a watchful eye in them. Giving Noah and Abigail one final nod, Earl and Rufus rode off.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
"What are you doing hiring men like that?" Abigail asked Noah. He still hadn't removed his hand from her arm. Now he was gazing at her, a mildly puzzled expression on his face. "Can't you see those men aren't interested in working this ranch?"
"How do you know that for sure?" Noah asked.
Abigail scoffed. "They've got a look in their eyes."
Noah squinted at Abigail. "What look?"
When she took a step away from him, his hand slid from her arm. She watched the two riders as they headed south away from the ranch. How could he not see those men weren't right? Abigail had been around ranch hands most of her life. And those two looked like the most unlikely ranch hands she'd ever set eyes on.
"Is the sly-looking one the boss?" Abigail asked turning to face Noah.
"Earl?" Noah nodded. "Yes."
She thought it was revealing that Noah knew who she was talking about when she'd mentioned the older man's sly looks. "You know you should have taken up Caleb's offer. Why didn't you?"
Noah took a step closer to her. "I have to make my own decisions, Abigail. I can't be relying on other people, all the time."
She looked disbelievingly at him. "But you only just got here. You need all the help you can get."
Noah shook his head. "That's not true."
She folded her arms and groaned in frustration. "You're impossible." Fixing him with one of her most deadly looks, she added. "Noah MacKendrick, I do believe you are the most stubborn man I have ever met."
She might have expected him to react with outrage. But he didn't. Instead, annoyingly as far as she was concerned, he grinned at her. "Let's not pretend, Abigail. Isn't that why you like me?"
She sighed heavily. "Who said I like you?"
He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes at her. "You did. Right now."
She gazed at him. Incredulous. "You've been spending too much time on the ranch on your own, if that's what you believe, Noah."
"I haven't been alone since the weekend. The men came here on Monday. And Mr and Mrs Lucas have been here the whole time." Noah glanced over toward the ranch house. "Mrs Lucas insisted the new men needed her extra-special care. So she and her husband have been staying here, in the ranch house."
That didn't make her feel any better, even if it meant Noah hadn't been completely alone with the strange men. If that had happened, she didn't like to think about what would happen to Noah with no-one else around as witness.
Still, he'd read her like a book. Even trying to pretend to be angry with him was proving almost impossible. If anything, she was relieved to see him looking so well. He still looked as strong and healthy as ever. And the way he was gazing at her was making her heart beat faster than it had done at any moment since Sunday.
He looked so fine dressed in his ranching outfit of tight-fitting blue jeans, boots, plaid wool shirt and
Stetson. In fact, she figured he looked like the perfect picture of a Montana ranch owner. There was a hint of satisfaction in his eyes, as if he was secretly relieved she'd come to visit him.
"Why did you come to see me?" he asked.
"I told you. I promised to teach you how to use a gun," she said, glancing down at his hip and seeing he was still not even wearing a holster. She thrust her fists against her hips. "Don't tell me you're going to refuse my kind offer."
Noah thought for a few moments. Surely he wasn't going to send her packing back to her family's ranch. "Remind me why I need to be able to handle a gun," he said slowly.
Abigail opened her arms and spun around, taking in the sight of the ranch and all the rangeland. "You have to ask me that? Look at where you are. There isn't any law enforcement for miles."
"Who's going to want to cause me trouble?" he asked in a mild voice.
Abigail gasped. Either he was pretending to be crazy, just to annoy her, or he really was more foolish than she realized. "Those men, for starters. And anyone else who wanders onto the ranch."
Noah shook his head. "I thought long and hard about those men, before I hired them." He smiled. "They aren't going to cause me any problem. They know they've got a good deal going here. They're getting paid better than they would anywhere in the territory." He glanced again at the ranch house. "And Mrs Lucas is feeding them like kings."
Abigail advanced toward Noah, scowling at him. "You really don't get it, do you?" She pointed toward the fast disappearing riders. "The fact you're paying them so much is probably only going to encourage them to think about causing mischief."
Noah laughed. "Mischief? Is that what you're frightened of?"
"Everyone in these parts knows about you," Abigail said. "They all know you're this wealthy dude from back East."
He shrugged. "So?"
Abigail groaned and then glared at Noah, hardly believing what she was hearing. "Some folks will do anything to get rich. Including breaking the law."
Noah's brows furrowed. He glanced upwards. "I have Him to watch over me. Isn't that right?"
Abigail nodded. "Sure, it's right. He's always standing over us, watching everything we do. Making sure we don't stray from the right path. But it's also up to us to do our part. Accept that there is an enemy in this world who wants to draw us away from Him."
"I don't need to learn how to shoot a gun to stay on the right path," Noah retorted.
"Is that why you're refusing?" Abigail asked.
Noah thrust his hands into his pockets. She could see he was listening to her arguments, but there was still resistance in him. She could see it in his eyes; in the tightness of his shoulders; in the thoughtful downturn of his mouth. "I still doesn't feel right," he countered.
Abigail thought for a few moments. Maybe she'd have to accept his reasoning. In the world he had come from, folks didn't have to resort to violence in order to protect what they had. At least not the kind of violence she knew existed out on the frontier.
An idea floated into her mind. Abigail sighed. "At least let me show you how to wear a gun and take it out of the holster."
He narrowed his eyes. "What good will that do?"
She shrugged. "It'll make you look like you belong out here. Like you know what you're doing. That you're not a complete greenhorn."
His eyes widened with surprise at her use of that word. Abigail knew Noah was no greenhorn. He was a man of the world. But, just a different kind of world than the world in which he'd chosen to spend the rest of his life.
"Do it, even if you don't have any intention of using the gun," she continued. "It'll make troublemakers think twice before trying to cause you any harm." She leaned forward. She gazed into his eyes, seeing doubt there. But also the stirrings of understanding. Acceptance. "At least do it for me, Noah," she pleaded softly.
Abigail moved her face closer to Noah's. She peered imploringly into his eyes. Raw emotion welled up inside her. Uncontrollable and suddenly intense. "I'm being serious, Noah." Her voice cracked. "If anything happens to you, I don't know what I'll do."
The words were out before she had a chance to stop them. Before she could even think if that was what she really meant. Noah's face turned pale and all the doubt drained from his expression. His features became impassive. There was a steady look in his eyes. He swallowed and drew in a deep breath. She knew he could see how badly she felt about this situation he'd put himself in. The danger. The uncertainty.
Abigail's breathing had become quicker. Her pulse was racing and, for a moment, she contemplated getting up on her horse and riding off. Leave him there with plenty to think about, she told herself. To make his own decisions. If that was what it would take, then so be it. Anything to show him how serious she was about this.
Abigail sighed and turned away from him. She needed to think for a moment. Needed to figure out how to get him to take her seriously. Then it came to her. The memory of what Jake had revealed to her earlier in the morning.
Abigail turned her face to Noah. He was watching her carefully, as if he already sensed she had something important to say to him. "If you care for me, like you said you do, then you'll let me show you how to at least wear a gun." She watched him steadily for a long moment. Hesitating about whether she could say her next words. "You do care for me, don't you, Noah," she murmured.
Noah's gaze softened along with the expression on his wonderfully handsome face. A smile creased the corners of his mouth. Tenderness flooded his gaze as he advanced toward her. When he took her arms gently in his hands, he leaned forward, drawing her nearer to him. Suddenly, everything had changed. Now there was no resistance left in him.
"Of course I care for you, Abigail," he murmured in a low voice. "Deeply," he added with a finality she didn't doubt for even a moment.
Abigail felt her mouth open and saw his gaze drift to her lips. She knew what he wanted to do. Knew she also needed his kiss. Had wanted another kiss ever since the first one down at the river.
When he dipped his head and caressed her lips with his, softly and gently, she felt a warm wave of emotion sweep through her. She gasped when he drew her against him, sensing the strength of his touch. All thought vanished from her mind. Every harsh word she'd uttered to him moments before now seemed suddenly wrong. As if she hadn't really understood why she had come here. Of course now she knew why she was standing in front of the ranch house. Why she was being embraced by this handsome, kind-hearted, sometimes proud man who'd become the center of her whole world.
His kiss was tender and frustratingly brief. When he lifted his head, she gazed up into his eyes. There was affection and sweetness in that gaze, she told herself. She thought about how well he'd been hiding that tenderheartedness from her. And how expertly she'd been in hiding her own feelings for him.
Almost as quickly as she'd been swept into his arms, she felt herself being released. The sudden separation felt abrupt. Almost painful.
Noah ran a hand around the back of his neck and sighed. Was he embarrassed by what he'd just done? She hoped he wasn't about to try and apologize. Because, as far as she was concerned, he had absolutely nothing to apologize for.
Noah looked momentarily confused. Thoughtful. Then he looked at her, his eyes narrowing. "Maybe you're right, Abigail." he announced. "Maybe it is time I learned how to wear a gun."
The Rancher’s Bride Blessing Page 18
