by Barbara Goss
“I don’t mind the work,” Spence said. “At home it was my job to clean our stables. It’s one of the joys of owning horses.”
Rory smiled, but it faded just as quickly. “I need to have a talk with you. Can you come to my office now?”
Spence put his tools down and removed his gloves. “Sure.” He wondered what could be so urgent that he needed to pull him off the job in the middle of the day to talk, but he followed the man into the house.
Rory’s serious expression made him nervous. Had he found out about his mission?
Rory finally spoke. “It’s about Glenna. You’re a fine man, Spence, and I’d be proud to have you court my daughter, but she’s already spoken for.”
Spence was confused. He shrugged. “I’m aware that Asa Livingston is courting Glenna.”
Rory blurted, “Are you also aware she has her eyes on you?”
“No, I’m sure she doesn’t. We’re friends. She comes out to the stables to see her horse, and we talk. We rode our horses together that one time.”
Rory shook his head. “I’ve known my daughter her whole life, and she’s sweet on you, and it isn’t helping. Now it seems as if she doesn’t care for Asa. That puts me in a delicate situation.”
Spence was a bit angry, but he tried to hide it. “Do you mean your daughter hasn’t the right to choose who courts her?”
Rory pulled at his collar as if it were too tight, or maybe was he uncomfortable with Spence’s words.
Rory sank back into his chair and sighed. “Asa is protecting our ranch, but only if I allow him to court Glenna with the intention of marrying her.”
All Spence could do was stare at the man, speechless.
“Now, wait—before you say anything, he’s a very rich and successful man, and he can give my daughter a wonderful life.”
Spence stood. “Rest assured—I have no plans to court your daughter or encourage her in any way.” He started for the door but stopped when something dawned on him.
He turned to Rory. “What do you mean Asa is providing protection for your ranch? What exactly is this protection?”
“Why, he has men guarding my place. He’s paying them.”
Spence was close to telling Rory that other farms and ranches paid money to get protection from Asa, who probably was the culprit, ordering the damage himself. That there were no men guarding the house. That the house was safe because he never gave orders for it to be destroyed. That he’d get the ranch by marrying Glenna. Instead, Spence simply nodded and left the house.
Spence returned to the stables to finish his work. Glenna was in Athena’s stall grooming her.
“Hello, there,” she called.
Against his better judgement, Spence stopped and leaned against the stall. “Hello,” he said.
Glenna was kneeling on the straw, cleaning Athena’s hooves. She stood and walked over to where he was standing. “I rode in the meadow this morning but didn’t see you.”
Spence’s heart went out to her stronger than ever before because of the way her father was treating her. She deserved better.
He smiled at her. “I arrived too late to ride this morning.”
“How was Mead?”
“Boring. It’s a tiny place.”
“Do you know people there?”
“Just an elderly, widow woman. She’s a friend of the family.”
The smile Glenna gave him made him realize she thought he was seeing a woman there. It also made him realize that Rory was right: Glenna wanted more than a friendship with him.
“I’d better get back to work. I’d hate to be fired,” he said with a laugh.
Chapter Six
Glenna skipped up to her room, sat on her sofa chair, and filed her nails, smiling all the while. She’d listened in on the conversation between her father and Spence in the stables. Spence had visited a family friend in Mead. Glenna’s heart dropped to her feet when he’d referred to the friend as “she.” She couldn’t explain the joy she’d felt when Spence later told her that the friend was, in fact, an elderly widow.
She felt that Spence was warming to her. He smiled and stopped to chat with her more often, too. How she wished it were Spence who had owned half of Salt Creek, and not Asa Livingston. She wondered why her father thought she’d be happier with a rich man like Asa rather than someone she loved. She’d rather wake up in the morning on a straw bed with someone like Spence than on satin sheets with Asa. Glenna shivered.
She didn’t know Spence well enough to proclaim her love for him, but it wouldn’t be as far a stretch to fall for him as it would for Asa.
Glenna changed into her riding outfit, walked down to the stables, and saddled Athena. As she led her horse through the stables’ back door, she saw Spence with Lightning. She mounted Athena and rode near the corral.
“I’m going to give Athena a run; would you care to join me?”
He turned and called, “No, I have work to do yet. Do you have your rifle with you?”
Glenna lifted the rifle so he could see it. She waved, rode out to the meadow, gave Athena her head, and leaned forward, Athena’s mane blowing in her face. How she loved riding. She’d just about made it to the woods bordering the north boundary of their land when Athena stumbled, and Glenna felt herself flying out of the saddle.
~~~**~~~
Spence had just one more day before the deadline to ride Lightning and win the bet with Rory McKay. He’d gotten as far as saddling him, but he hadn’t tried to mount him yet. He led Lightning back to his stable and finished his duties. He planned to get up at sunrise the next morning and try to mount the stallion. It would be all right if he lost the bet, he’d still have his pick of several good horses to ride, but Lightning had been a challenge and he loved a good challenge. It was probably what had prompted him to accept the job in Salt Creek.
He was prepared to lock the stables up for the night when he noticed Athena’s stall was empty. He realized with a jolt that Glenna hadn’t returned. It was nearly dinner time. Where was she? He couldn’t lock up when a horse was missing. He saddled the nearest horse and bolted out to the meadow to look for her. He hadn’t heard any shots, but he might have missed it with the neighing of the horses, and she could be lying out in the fields somewhere, wounded.
He rode quite a way out before he saw Athena grazing near the woods, and he galloped over to the horse as quickly as he could. The horse was alone, reins flapping in the breeze. He turned and scoured the area, but he didn’t see Glenna.
Spence led the horse behind his, and that was when he noticed she was limping. His heart felt like it had fallen into his boots—Glenna had been thrown, and he had to find her. He proceeded around the area slowly, calling her name. He hadn’t felt that scared since his brother, Geoff, had nearly drowned in the river and he’d had to jump in to save him.
Finally, he slid from his saddle and led his horse on foot through the tall grass. It was growing dark, and he had to decide if he should continue to look or go back to the ranch and get Rory to help him, but then he saw the red scarf Glenna had worn around her neck, caught on the bushes by the woods. He hurried in that direction until he spotted Glenna lying face down. He scrambled over to her, turned her over, and felt her wrist for a pulse. Spence let out the breath he’d been holding when he realized she was still alive.
Spence feared picking her up—what if her neck or back was injured? He could wind up doing more damage to her by picking her up. When he stooped beside her, it occurred to him that he should get Rory or a doctor, but he hated leaving her there alone. He didn’t know what to do. He gazed down at her and rubbed the back of his hand against her cheek. She must be unconscious. He gently tapped her cheek a few times, calling her name. He heard her moan and thought it a promising sign. She opened her eyes and stared at him blankly. He began to worry she didn’t recognize him.
“Spence?” She shook her head as if she thought she was dreaming.
“Glenna,” he said, “where do you hurt?”
; He watched as she closed her eyes and grimaced. “Everywhere.” She sat up and held her hands to her face. “I’m so embarrassed.”
“Embarrassed? That’s nonsense. Tell me—where do you hurt the most?”
“My ego. How could I have been thrown? I’ve been riding since I’ve worn nappies.”
“I’ll ask one more time: where do you hurt?”
“My elbows.” She brushed the dirt from them. “My right leg and ankle.”
“I need to get you back to the house. You can’t ride Athena; she’s lame. Do you think you can manage sitting in front of me on my horse?”
“If you help me up, I can.”
Spence put his arms beneath Glenna’s, picked her up, and put her on his horse.
She ended up sitting sidesaddle. “I can’t get my right leg over the horse, Spence.”
Spence mounted the horse, picked the reins up with his left hand, and put his right arm around her to keep her in place.
While it relieved him that her injuries weren’t life-threatening, he worried about her foot and leg. He wondered if her foot had gotten stuck in the stirrup and twisted when she’d fallen. He focused his mind on getting her back to the house and looked at by a doctor, but the smell of her hair and her proximity pulled his mind in another direction. She felt so good in his arms. He shook off the thought and made himself think about her injuries and what her father would say when he carried her into the house.
Chaos ensued when Rory saw Spence carry Glenna into the house. Between him and Glenna trying to explain what had happened and Rory’s excited questions, poor Rosa could only stand there, nervously awaiting orders.
“Get her to her room,” Rory finally yelled to Rosa. He turned to Spence. “Ride to town and get Doc Bradley. His office is next to the general store.”
Spence followed Rosa up the stairs to Glenna’s bedroom. He placed her on the bed and turned to fetch the doctor, but Glenna held onto his wrist. “Thank you, Spence.”
He smiled at her, and she let go of him. Spence scurried down the stairs, passing Rory on his way up, carrying a bowl of water and rags.
“Hurry,” Rory called out.
Spence found Doctor Bradley and brought him to the ranch, leaving him in Rosa’s capable hands before riding out to look for Athena. It would break Glenna’s heart if she had to be shot. He rode slowly and carefully in the dark, found her, and led her back to the stables before lighting a lamp and examining her foot. It was bad and walking her to reach the stables hadn’t helped. If she’d have been his horse, he would have shot her right then and put her out of her misery, but she wasn’t his property, and he had to wait for Glenna or Rory to give him permission to shoot her.
The doctor had just ridden down the lane. Spence was thinking about approaching the house when he saw Rory walking to the stables.
“What happened?” Rory asked.
Spence pointed to Athena. “She’s lame. I’d say she stepped into a gopher hole or something and threw Glenna.”
“Thank you for finding her and bringing her home. I owe you.”
“No, you don’t. I was closing up the stables and noticed Athena was missing, and I remembered seeing Glenna ride off earlier. I went looking for her and found her unconscious on the ground by the north woods.”
“Just the same, Lightning is yours whether you can ride him tomorrow or not.” Rory turned to the horse and examined her leg while Spence held the lantern for him. He straightened and said, “I’ll have to shoot her. This will be hard on Glenna.”
Spence knelt down and examined the horse again. “Is there a good vet in town?”
Rory rubbed his chin. “You know, there is one. A young fellow came here about a year ago. He treated one of my calves a few months ago. Do you think he could perform a miracle?”
Spence patted the horse’s nose. “She doesn’t seem to be in much pain. How about we give her a tiny dose of laudanum and see if we can get a second opinion from the vet tomorrow? It will make Glenna feel better knowing we did our best to save her.”
Rory nodded and turned to Spence. “An excellent idea.”
“How’s Glenna?”
“Besides the mild concussion, the doctor thinks her ankle is merely sprained. She won’t be walking about for a while, though. Her knee is bruised, but it’s not fractured.”
“Good. So, if you have the laudanum, I’ll sedate Athena for the night.”
“I’ll bring it right out. Thank you, again, Spence.”
Rory rode out early the following morning and brought back Marcus Keller, the local vet. Spence and Rory stood, leaning against the stall, waiting for Marcus’s verdict. His examination seemed to take forever.
Finally, the doctor stood and turned to Rory and Spence. “I’ll shoot her. I know just where the bullet should go to cause her an instant death without pain.”
Rory nodded. “Do it quickly, then.”
The vet pulled the revolver from his holster, put it to the horse’s forehead, and pulled the trigger.
Marcus explained, “The bullet travels through the brain and down the horse’s spine, causing instant death. If shot anywhere else, she might have suffered.”
Rory thanked Marcus and paid him. “Now, the hard part: we have to tell my daughter.”
With the help of a few neighboring farmers, Rory and Spence were able to bury Athena.
“Have you told Glenna yet?” Spence asked.
“Yes, I told her. She’s dealing with her grief better than I thought,” Rory said.
Spence asked, “Can I go up and see her later?”
“You’d better see her soon because Asa’s coming for dinner, and he plans to visit with her, too.”
Glenna responded to Spence’s knock on her door. He walked in to find her sitting in bed with pillows propped up behind her. Her leg was resting on two pillows and covered with a sheet.
“Spence,” she said, “I’m glad you came.”
“It’s good to see you looking so well. How are you feeling?”
“I’m all right, I suppose.” She nodded at the chair beside the bed. “Have a seat.”
Spence sat. “I can’t stay long. I just wanted to see how you were doing.”
Glenna took a deep breath. “Thank you for saving me or I might not be here today. How can I ever thank you?”
Spence felt himself blush. “It was nothing. I’m sorry about Athena.”
“I’ll miss her, but my father told me it was your suggestion to call in the vet. I appreciate you trying to save her for me.”
“Once a horse’s leg is injured that badly, there isn’t much that can be done. Truth is, I didn’t want to be the one to do it. I’ve never been able to shoot an animal.”
Glenna looked at him with glistening eyes and said, “You’re a very special man, Spence Blackwood.”
Chapter Seven
Glenna endured Asa’s visit. She made a decision after he’d left: she couldn’t allow him to court her anymore because she was in love with Spence Blackwood. She’d talk to her father as soon as she could, especially while he was still feeling bad about her fall and losing Athena. They must have enough money to guard their own ranch. It shouldn’t be much longer for the cattle drive crew to return with plenty of money, besides.
Asa and her father were her biggest worries, but she also worried about her one-sided love for Spence. He was going back to Arkansas and didn’t even plan on staying in Salt Creek. If that was the case, why didn’t he just leave now? Why had he stayed on to clean the stalls?
Glenna was already bored from staying in bed, and it had only been one day since her fall. Rosa took care of her personal needs.
Her father visited briefly that morning. He’d promised to look in on her later, and she planned to tell him her plans then.
She missed going out to the stables and especially seeing Spence. She very much doubted he’d come for another visit. He seemed to be careful around her father, which was smart on his part. Her father had to see that Asa was not the man for
her. You can’t force a person to love who you want them to. She had to make him understand.
She didn’t remember the fall, but she remembered Spence as he picked her up and placed her on the horse. She remembered his arms around her as they rode home. She’d been in pain, but what she’d felt most was the comfort of his arms.
She punched her pillow. Why did she have to fall in love with a man who had no interest in her and was not planning on staying in town?
~~~**~~~
“Well, did you ride him?” Rory said as he walked up behind Spence in the corral.
Spence had been lost in thought, and he jumped at the sound of his voice. “No. I saddled him, and then, with Glenna’s fall and all, I haven’t had a chance to try to ride him.”
Rory clapped his back. “Take your time. We don’t need another accident. Lightning is yours.”
Spence’s mind whirled. There was something he desired more than the horse. “Thank you for the offer of the horse, but there’s something I need more.”
“Whatever it is, I’ll try to oblige. I appreciate your saving my daughter.”
Spence leaned on the fence post behind him. “I was thinking of maybe buying some land here and settling down, but with all the ‘accidents’ to a good number of farms and ranches, I’m having second thoughts. Do you mind answering a few questions for me?”
“Not at all. I hope I can help. I know you’d love it here.”
“You said Asa Livingston was protecting your ranch—just how is he doing that?”
Rory shrugged. “I’m not sure. I just took his word for it. I never asked him how he would do it.”
“There’s no one protecting your ranch. I’ve checked.”
Rory looked surprised. “Are you certain?”
“I rode out to where the dogs are and they barked and barked, but no one came to see why they were barking. And what about the shot that was fired at Glenna and me?”
