by Woods, Emily
* * *
Alex had slept well enough in the bunkhouse. There were five other men besides him, but he was comfortable enough. Living in a dormitory had accustomed him to housing with other people. After some discussion last night, Luke had agreed to hire him on a conditional basis. At the end of three months, they would meet and decide how things were going.
“You're lucky,” Cole, one of the ranch hands, informed him. “I only had one month to prove myself.”
“That's a deal you made on your own, boy-o.” This came from Charlie, the oldest of the hands, but the comment had no malice in it. Alex could see there was a well-established friendship among the group, the kind he'd been anticipating when he came out.
The other men—Mark, Boone and Austin—all chuckled at the comment.
“We never had such a deal,” Boone snickered, jabbing Cole in the ribs. “We just got hired on no problem.”
“That might be true,” Austin added quietly, “but none of us are engaged to the boss's daughter either.” There were a few laughs at that, but not from Mark, Alex noticed. He wondered about the history there.
At breakfast, Luke outlined the duties of the day. The hands were working on a fence that would enclose the entire homestead, all two thousand acres. They would spend part of their day riding and checking on the cattle, especially the cows that were due to give birth anytime or those who had recently given birth. Additionally, they were adding another paddock to train horses.
Alex was impressed at how organized everything was and how each person listened carefully to his duties. However, he felt surprised that Luke allowed his daughter Maddie to work alongside the men. Even though she wasn’t technically related to him in any real sense, he felt a bit protective of her. She should be inside doing more feminine work, not out here with rough cowboys. Still, he kept his thoughts to himself. Who was he to judge?
Luke decided that Cole and Austin should give him a tour of the homestead. However, he gave him a strong horse to ride and promised to talk to Jimmy next time he went to town about Lady, the horse he bought. She was kindly allowed to wander the range now, pleasing only herself.
They were barely out of the barn when Cole spied a couple of riders coming from the direction of the Wells' house.
“Looks like Val and her sister. She got here the same day as you, Alex, on an earlier train,” Cole commented.
A cold chill raced up his spine as he watched the women approach. What were the chances? Please God, he begged, don't let it be her. The words had barely registered in his brain when he saw his prayer had been in vain. Valerie's sister was the pretentious woman he’d met and then avoided on the train. Just don’t let her recognize me, he pleaded. She could ruin everything! However, she wasn't looking at him in particular, but took in the sight of the three of them.
“Ranch hands from Triple Range, I presume?” she asked haughtily.
Alex let Cole do the talking. “Yes, ma'am. I'm Cole, this is Austin, and the young one in the back is Alex.”
Alex thought it was rich that Cole was calling him young considering he was barely two years older.
“Do you know if your mistress is occupied at the moment? We'd like to stop in.”
If they were with any of the other hands, there might have been a bit of snickering, but Cole and Austin were much too polite, and he wasn't about to do anything to draw attention to himself.
Thankfully, she looked right at him during the exchange and didn't even bat an eyelash. It was clear that she had no idea who he was. Alex wasn't sure if he was grateful or offended.
“She's in alright, Miss. I don't expect she'll mind the company,” Austin drawled, smiling charmingly. Valerie smiled back, but Miss Christina only nodded coolly and tugged on the reins to let the horse know she wanted to be off.
“Wow, Valerie and her sister aren't too similar, are they?” Cole asked when they were out of earshot.
“Doesn't seem like it,” Austin replied. “But never judge a book by its cover. You don't know what circumstances she's coming from.”
Alex didn't want to reveal anything he knew about her, so he refrained from commenting. It wasn't his business anyway. The only reason he'd come out west was to get to know his father and see if there was even the slightest hope of having a relationship with him. He was not going to get embroiled in the distress of an over-privileged girl from the East. He'd known many of them, and he wasn't eager to know another. Christina Hillcrest found him inferior? Well, that was fine with him.
4
“And you've lived here for over twelve years now?” Christina asked, her eyebrows shooting up in disbelief. “And never once thought about moving back to Connecticut? Or you just couldn't?”
Kate's eyes softened as she smiled. “I never wanted to, honestly. There was nothing for me there.”
Christina couldn't fathom it. “Hmph, I have to say I'm surprised to hear that. I understand your situation of course and why you stay, but you never thought about selling and moving back?”
“We don’t have your desire for the city,” Valerie interrupted. “Of course, the West isn't for everyone, but most people who come out here find this way of life rewarding.”
Kate's aunt also added her opinion. “And then there are those who want to live her but can't adjust. We’ve known a few of those too.”
With a small sniff of disapproval and disbelief, Christina decided to say no more on the matter. She picked up a cookie and took a tiny bite. Of course she had to eat something to be polite, but there was no way she could eat the way her sister did if she wanted to keep her figure.
“I've noticed the men out here are rather direct. It's not what I'm used to at all. They stare quite openly.” The looks of the hands she had met unnerved her. Were they taught no manners?
Both Kate and Valerie laughed a little.
“It's really no surprise that they stare, little sister. You're a beautiful woman, and they don't have many chances to see one.”
A trickle of alarm raced through her. “What do you mean?”
“Well, surely you've noticed the lack of women out here. The ratio is something like fifty men to one woman,” Valerie informed her.
Now she was truly shocked. “And you're never afraid?” Her cookie and tea lay forgotten on her plate. Was she in any danger? Perhaps she should attempt to look less attractive.
Marge answered this. “For every man who would do a woman harm, there are a hundred who would keep him in his place. I think a woman has less to worry about out here than anywhere else.”
The other two agreed heartily.
Their mid-morning visit was suddenly interrupted by a door being flung open.
“Ma!” a desperate voice shouted. “I need help!”
Kate jumped up just as a young woman stormed into in the dining room. Christina physically shrank back in alarm.
“Oh, sorry. I—I didn't know anyone was here.” The woman was clearly distraught, her eyes darting from Christina to Valerie. “Cole's hurt.” The woman was attractive, but had taken some pains to hide it with men's clothing and a layer of grime. Her hair, which looked to be some shade of blonde, was pushed up under a large hat.
“What do you need?” Kate asked.
“Bandages, and lots of them!”
Kate rushed to the kitchen and reappeared with a pile of cloth. “What happened?”
“Cole got in the way of the bull. He says it's not bad, but Austin went for the doctor.” She grabbed the cloths and dashed away, tipping her hat to Christina as she went.
Shock at the situation prevented Christina from responding.
“I hope Cole's alright,” Valerie said, rising from her chair. “Should we take a look?”
Kate bit her lip. “I'll go see what I can do, but you stay here. There's no need for us all to go.”
“Never mind that,” Marge replied, following Kate out the door. “Cole is one of ours.”
The other three women scurried out of the room, and Christina felt she h
ad no choice but to follow, if only from a distance.
Several people were in the dusty bunkhouse already, so she decided not to push in. Instead, she lingered outside and looked around. When one of the hands emerged, she was about to ask how the patient was, since that was what civilized people did, but he rushed past her to a barrel and used a bucket to scoop out some water. As he ran back in, she caught a glimpse of his face and thought for a second that he looked slightly familiar. However, she quickly brushed aside the notion that she might know him. How would that even be possible?
The commotion inside the bunkhouse combined with the groaning that reached her ears was a bit overwhelming, so Christina decided to walk a few steps away. She was only ten feet away when the same man burst out of the bunkhouse and nearly plowed right into her.
“Sorry, miss,” he mumbled, reaching out to steady her. “Perhaps you'd better go inside the house. This scene might upset you.”
As he let go and gave her a quick nod, she tried to place his accent. His voice was much more cultured than those of the other hands, so she suspected that he was not from the West. Indeed, he sounded much more like someone from New York.
Wouldn’t that be a wonder?
* * *
Alex tried not to think about the startled look on Christina's face as he nearly toppled her. With the haughty look erased, he once again noticed how beautiful she was. However, that didn't matter. With Cole bleeding, he had to set his mind on fetching more bandages. Kate had told him where to look, and within a few minutes, he found them and ran back to the bunkhouse.
Christina was standing where he'd left her, but he did no more than give her a quick nod, attempting to tilt his face away from her in the process. He didn't like the way she was looking at him. It was as though she was trying to remember something about him. Could she really recognize him from their brief encounter on the train where she'd barely acknowledged his presence? He didn't think so and hoped that she would find something else to occupy her mind.
“Is he going to be okay?” he asked breathlessly as he handed over the bandages.
Kate nodded as she wrapped his ribs. “I don't think anything's punctured. Thankfully, the wound isn't deep.”
“It's just a scratch,” Cole said bravely, even though sweat beaded his upper lip. “I'll be out riding again by this afternoon.”
“You most certainly will not!” retorted Aunt Marge. “You'll be in bed for several days. Don't even think about moving. Now, how did this happen?”
Alex hung his head and wished the ground would open up. Now everyone would find out just how inept he was. He only hoped that Cole would forgive him for his stupidity.
“Aw, it was nothing. Just a case of wrong place, wrong time...wrong animal.” He gave a little laugh, then gasped. “Okay, no laughing for a couple days.”
“Well, someone's going to have to sit with you to make sure you're okay,” Kate said, a little frown on her face.
“Of course it will be me,” Maddie declared. “As his fiancée, I'm the most obvious choice.”
Alex saw an awkward look pass between Kate and Marge. “Well, dear, that's not really a good idea,” her mother said. “Not that we don't trust you, but...”
“Seriously? He's injured and you're worried about, what, my reputation? We're going to be married in the spring, Mother.” Her look of indignation would have cowed any man, but not her mother.
Since this was clearly a family conversation, Alex tried to slip out when Cole spoke up. “I'm sure Alex wouldn't mind checking on me every so often? I don't think anyone needs to sit with me exactly. I'm not on the brink of death.”
Although it wasn't exactly helpful to his plan, Alex knew that it was reasonable since he was responsible for the accident. Of course, he didn't know that the bull was dangerous and that he should have steered clear of it. But Cole didn't seem to hold a grudge, so he nodded.
“Of course I will. I'd be happy to.”
Kate, Marge, and Valerie looked relieved, but Maddie was still annoyed. “I don't see what the fuss is about. We could leave the door open the whole time,” she groused.
“Never mind, dear,” Marge said comfortingly. “Alex is happy to help out. Now, don't you have something to do?”
Maddie clearly wanted to linger, but then she seemed to remember that there was something she had to take care of.
“Yes, I suppose,” she replied. “Okay, I'll stop by later when I can. Alex, take good care of him.”
“I most certainly will, Miss Maddie.”
When the women were gone, Alex went over to Cole's side and sat on the bunk beside him.
“I am so sorry about all this. I didn't know the bull would react like that. I shouldn't even really be on a ranch.”
Cole looked at him curiously. “Then why are you here?”
The question was so direct, so unexpected, that Alex couldn't formulate a reply right away.
“Uh, well, you see...it's like this.” And then he paused. To his surprise, Cole laughed a little.
“Look, we all have our reasons for doing what we do, and I'm not one to judge. Just a year ago, I came here in the hopes of learning the business so that I could start my own ranch. There's some land just southwest of here that is prime. Luke helped me purchase it, but I still need to learn more. By the time Maddie and I are married, I'm planning to have a house built and some horses.”
Alex leaned forward in interest. “And Luke helped you with this? He wasn't worried about the competition?”
“Nope. He said there's enough business for all of us. He's a great boss.”
So it seemed. More and more, Alex wanted to tell Luke who he was, but he had to make sure the timing was good. He just wanted to know that he was doing the right thing. Also, he didn't want to cause problems for Luke. Did his wife even know that he had a son before they met? That was another factor to consider.
“How long have you worked here?” he asked Cole, partly to make conversation, but also to try to get a better idea of how well he knew Luke.
“Oh, more than a year ago. Luke says I'll be ready by next summer. He's even going to let me choose a few foals from his own stock to buy. He says buy, but I suspect he's going to make a wedding present out of them.”
“Really? What makes you say so?”
“Well, each time I ask him how much he wants for them, he brushes me off and says we'll talk about it closer to the time.” Cole shifted a little, winced, and reached for the water. Seeing what he wanted, Alex jumped up to get it for him.
“Thanks for sharing your plan with me, but I'm not quite ready to talk about my reasons for being here. They're a little personal.” That was an understatement, but he didn't want anyone to guess until he was sure he was doing the right thing.
“That's okay. I shouldn't pry, but it's hard not to be curious. It's obvious that you're well-educated and probably come from as far away as I do. There has to be a powerful motivator to make a man move clear across the country.”
“Yes, there is,” Alex agreed, then tried to change the subject. “I suppose everyone's curious about me, aren't they? Were they like that with you too?”
“Well, maybe not too much. I wasn't as well-spoken as you are, but Maddie was onto me pretty quickly. When she found out the truth, she made me tell her dad. I don't know why I waited so long. He was really good about it. I guess I was worried he would kick me out.”
“But he didn't.”
“Not at all. In fact, he was better about it than I could have imagined. Not only did he offer me special training, but he didn't even object to me courting his daughter.”
Alex was on the brink of opening up to Cole when a knock sounded at the door. It was Maddie with a tray of food.
“You shouldn't move for a little while, so Mama let me bring you a tray of food. There's enough for you too, Alex.” She put the tray on a chair between the two of them and then pulled up another to sit on. “I hope the doctor will be here soon.”
“Really, Mads,
don’t worry. I feel fine.”
“Maybe, but I can’t help but worry.”
It was clear that the two were in love, and he very much felt like an outsider.
“Maybe I should step out for a bit?” he asked.
Maddie nodded, but Cole shook his head. “Nah, you're fine where you are. I don't want to do anything to get on Kate's bad side, nor Luke's. You can be our chaperone.”
Even though Maddie didn't seem to like that idea, she conceded to her fiancé.
“So, what did you think of Val's sister?” she asked the two of them. “Doesn't seem like she'll stay here too long, not if she can help it anyway.”
Cole quirked an eyebrow. “You're mighty quick to jump to conclusion, Maddie,” he said quietly. “That's not like you.”
To her credit, Maddie blushed a little. “I'm just saying that she doesn't seem too impressed with life out here.”
Alex liked that Cole didn't encourage Maddie to gossip, and it helped him keep his tongue silent as well. He knew he couldn't really contribute without giving himself away in any case.
Maddie stayed a little while longer before taking the now-empty tray back up to the house.
“You don't have to babysit me,” Cole informed him with a grin after Maddie had left. “I think I'll just take a nap. I'm feeling kind of tired now anyway.”
“Um, well, I think I'll stay until the doctor comes, just in case.” He looked around the room for something to occupy him while Cole rested. “Any books around here?”
Cole waved in the direction of the bedside table. “You can read my Bible if you want. Best book I know.”
Since Cole already had his eyes closed, he didn't witness the surprise on Alex's face. Cole was a Bible reader? He wouldn't have guessed that.
There really was nothing else to do, so Alex picked it up and flipped through idly. He remembered there were some interesting stories about Jesus, so he turned to the back of the book and was about to read when Cole spoke again.
“Alex? Whatever it is that brought you here, whatever you're hiding, don't sit on it too long. Take it from me. It's better to have things out in the open.”
