Cowboys and Highlanders (101 page)

Train pushed the horse into a full gallop. The force of the hooves hitting the ground traveled up powerful legs and pounded into Train’s body. He closed the distance to the ranch house in record speed. Sliding from Legacy, he entered the shack to see familiar faces sitting at tables eating breakfast and drinking coffee, the hum of their chatter familiar to Train. His eyes scanned the line of men looking for one face in particular.

Train spotted Charlie first. Fierce anger gripped him, threatening to take him to the edge of reason. He was more than ready to take on anyone who interfered with his need to get to Jack.

“Get some breakfast,” Charlie said, standing in front of Train to block his visual search of the room.

His gaze refocused on Charlie. “I’m not hungry.”

“Then go for a walk. Don’t come in here looking for trouble.” He pushed Train toward the door.

“I’m not looking for trouble. I came for Jack. He’s a damn liar and I’m going to prove it.” He easily shoved Charlie to the side. Twenty years Charlie’s junior, the smaller man was no match for Train.

“Train!” Cake’s commanding tone stopped him again.

“Don’t get involved in this.” He pointed to the old cook who had been his friend since childhood. “She’s my wife!”

“And she hasn’t done nothing,” he bellowed. “Jack hangs around with his tongue waggin’, and she couldn’t care less.”

Train blinked several times trying to soothe the burning sensation in his eyes.

“You’re so sure she hasn’t changed, you haven’t noticed a damn thing she’s done for you.” He put his chubby finger in Train’s face. “Men look down their noses at whores, husbands put their wives on pedestals. Ask yourself how you see Marion.” Cake put a scoop of scrambled eggs on a plate and shoved it at Train.

Train declined the eggs, deciding he needed Allison. He need to talk to someone he trusted.

“Morning,” he said, stomping through the kitchen door. Sissy jumped from her chair and ran into his outstretched arms.

Train stood behind Allison and looked over her shoulder as she fried steak and eggs in an enormous frying pan. “Smells good, mama.” He touched her distended belly when she thrust it forward. “How’s the one in the oven?”

She laughed. “He’s been quiet. Funny how my belly seemed to pop out over night.”

“He? You’ve decided you’re having a boy.”

“Wishful thinking,” she said then smiled.

He sat at the table while she fixed him a plate. “You know why I’m here.”

She nodded. “You’re hoping I’ll talk about Marion.” She set a cup of coffee in front of Train, then sat across from him. “Joseph, you either trust her or you don’t. I don’t follow her around during the day. Nor do I inquire about her love life. I assume you’re the only one with those details.”

Train took a sip of coffee. “I know Marion. She likes to talk. If she were getting on with Jack, she’d tell you.”

Allison’s smile gentled. “Then I guess you don’t have anything to worry about. She’s only bragging about you.” Her cheeks turned pink. “I have to admit, at first I thought she was exaggerating, but Marion isn’t easily impressed.”

Train ran his hands down his face. “She tells me she spends her afternoons with you, does she?”

Allison returned to the stove unwilling to look him in the eye. She flipped the steak. The sizzle filled the heavy silence between them. “I’ll only answer if you promise not to jump to conclusions.” She glanced over her shoulder. “She likes spending time in the shack.”

Train stood from the table, clenching his hands into fists. “To be with Jack?”

“No! It isn’t what you think.”

“I think it is.” He was out the door, across the yard, and heading down the path before Allison could stop him.

“TJ!”

Panic in Allison’s voice spurred his movements.

“Joseph is after Jack,” she said when he appeared at the top of the stairs.

TJ flew down the stairs, vaulting past Allison, and rushing out the front door.

A loud ruckus erupted inside the shack. TJ flung open the door in time to see Train launch himself into Jack, pinning him up against the wall.

“Go near my wife again,” he said, applying more pressure to Jack’s throat with his forearm. “And you won’t recognize your pretty face in the mirror.” He released Jack.

“There are a dozen men in here who have bedded your wife,” Jack said, rubbing the front of his neck.

“Shut up,” TJ said, stepping between the two men. “Go home, Train.” He pointed to the door.

“Not until I’m finished--”

“You are finished. Go home.” Train released his clenched hands. “This isn’t over.”

“For today it is.”

Chapter Fourteen

Marion watched Train ride toward the house from the window. Changing quickly into her maroon dress, she went out and stood on the porch in her bare feet, indifferent to the cold, and waited.

With slumped shoulders, Train dismounted. “We can talk inside,” he said, moving toward Marion. He gently touched her arm, sending warning bells straight to her brain.

She took a step backward, then turned and went into the house. “Coffee?”

Train put his hat on the peg by the door and led her to a chair. “I’ll get the coffee. Sit down.”

He paced across the floor. Her heart sank into her stomach. She must be at the center of whatever bothered him. He wouldn’t look at her. The muscle ticked in his jaw. Even angry, he sent shivers of desire over her skin. However, beyond the longing to be a good wife, she feared she failed. One day he’d come home and tell her she wasn’t enough. It had happened before and the uneasiness around Train told her it was happening again today. “Just tell me, Train. Obviously you’re upset. What did I do?”

“The shack.”

The statement was explanation enough. She stood and went to the window.

“I threatened to kill Jack if he ever touched you again.”

“You had another fight?”

Train went to the fire and threw on a log. “He didn’t put up much of a fight. Jack’s mostly talk.” He looked over his shoulder.

“Mostly?”

“Was he telling the truth?”

Marion sat down on the edge of the bed. “It’ll never be enough,” she solemnly stated. “I’ll never be enough. It won’t matter what I do or what I say, you’ll believe the worst while claiming you want the best for me.” A cold sinking feeling filled her chest. “I was right all along.” She shrugged. “You don’t love me. You wanted to rescue a whore.

“I’m going to stay with Allison and TJ until I decide what I want to do with my life. I know I don’t want this.”

“Please don’t leave. You’re wrong. I do love you.” He slid his hands into his front pockets. “I doubt your love for me.”

“Not only do you not trust me, but you’re so intent on catching me with another man that you’ve imagined relationships that don’t exist.” She took her dress from the peg on the wall beside their bed and rolled it into a ball. Then she tossed her make-up into her carpetbag with the dress and hurried to the door. “Good luck with your horses, Train.” She closed the door and began the long walk to the homestead.

* *
*
* *

Marion spent the next two weeks avoiding Train. He’d come to the house to speak with her, but Marion slipped outside when she could escape and hid in her room feigning sleep when she couldn’t. 

Days were spent helping Allison prepare the nursery. Michael moved to a room near his sister. The house was full of laughter, but in the evenings, Marion went to her room alone and pined for what she couldn’t have. She harbored some regret that she most likely wouldn’t be around to see the baby born. Allison needed a midwife, not a reformed whore who didn’t know the first thing about caring for children.

Yet, Allison trusted her. TJ seemed to have found away to overlook her past. Why couldn’t Train? Her husband.

Marion put her hands on her stomach to quiet the rioting emotions. It wasn’t fair. Life on the Bester Ranch was the closest she’d ever been to having a real family. Her entire life had been a battle for what she wanted and she didn’t know if she had any fight left.

Marion found Allison playing with Michael on the floor in front of the fireplace. Sissy read her a story.

“I can’t do this anymore,” Marion said dejectedly. “I’m miserable.”

“Have you talked to Joseph? You need to know what happened.”

“I don’t need the details,” Marion said, then sat on the couch. “It’s all the rumors about Jack again. More talk.”

“Jack has told anyone who will listen that you’re sleeping with him. All Joseph knows is that you’ve been sneaking around and spending most of your time in the shack. What conclusion would you jump to if you were in his shoes given your history?”

“You know what I’ve been doing! All I’ve done is try to fit into the mold of a good wife.” She threw up her hands.

“But you haven’t told your husband! You’ve learned to cook, sew, and clean. He’d be proud. Tell him.”

“I want it to be a surprise.” She leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

Allison raised her eyebrows. “Then deal with his suspicions. Play out your hand and hope you come out on top.”

Marion’s lips rose into a quirky smile.

“I didn’t mean it like that.” Allison rolled her eyes and rubbed her hand across her distended belly.

“How’re you feeling?”

“TJ went for the doctor. I still can’t feel the baby. It’s been days.”

“Are you worried?”

Allison blinked several times, but kept the tears in check because Sissy and Michael were watching her closely. “No, I’m sure the baby is fine.” She took Sissy by the toe and gave her foot a shake.

“I have something for you.” Marion disappeared upstairs and returned with a long boa of died red feathers. “How would you like to play with this?”

Sissy sucked in her breath and rushed to take the boa from Marion. “It’s beautiful.” She draped the feathers around her neck and rubbed her cheek against the soft down.

“TJ is going to kill you,” Allison whispered when Marion sat back down. “He hasn’t seen half of what you’ve given that child to play with, but this--” She shook her head. “This Sissy will parade in front of him with glee.” They both laughed.

“I’m not ready to leave. Can I stay with you a bit longer?”

“That depends on whether you’re biding your time until you leave or if you’re giving Joseph time to come for you.”

“I need him to see me as a woman, not remember I was a whore.”

Allison looked at the dress Marion wore. “Maybe it’s time you stop looking like one. I don’t want to be hurtful, but sometimes the truth is hard to hear.”

“Allison, I’m willing to concede many things, but I will not give up my burgundy dress.” She stood and flipped her hair. “I feel much better.” She took a deep breath. “I guess I’m learning another lesson in marriage. I need to consider his feelings.” She straightened her dress, smoothing the folds. “No one has ever wanted me the way Train does. I’m going to make it right. Don’t worry.”

“Good.”

Later that afternoon, TJ returned with the doctor. Marion waited in the living room with Sissy and Michael while TJ stayed with Allison for the doctor’s examination. Whether the doctor felt it inappropriate or not, he wouldn’t have dared reprimand Mr. Bester.

“Hi.” Train stood in the doorway with his cowboy hat in his hand.

“Hi.” Marion’s breath caught in her throat.  She was unprepared for his sudden appearance.

“What did the doctor say?” He came into the house with his jeans covered with black sticky mud. He tracked mud across the floor and stood at the bottom of the stairs. “They’re still up there?”

Concerned about bigger events than their argument, Marion pretended she hadn’t walked away from her marriage. She needed time to fit all the facets of their relationship together. Because he also seemed willing to set aside their differences and put pressing matters first, she said, “It’s been quiet. Do you think we need to be worried? It’s taking a long time.”

Train shrugged. “I know less than you do about babies. At least you’ve seen a few born in the brothel.” He squatted in front of her. He momentarily rested his hand on her knee, then as if realizing he touched her, he moved away and took a few steps back.

“I’m worried.”

“Don’t put the cart before the horse. First, we find out if anything is wrong and then we worry. Allison is young and strong. Both her and the baby are going to be fine.”

Marion glanced anxiously at the stairs. “I hope you’re right.”

“How are you?”

Tightness constricted her throat. She swallowed hard trying to force down the lump. “Scared.”

He tapped his hat against his thigh. “I’ve got to get back to the branding. I’ll stop by and check on Sugar later. If the news isn’t good--” He looked at Sissy watching him intently. “I’m sure everything is fine.” He ruffled Sissy’s hair.

“I’ll find you,” Marion finished. Train gave her a nod. “If I’m not here, I’ll be with Cake.”

He gave her a quirky smile. “Perhaps I’ve been jealous of the wrong man. I’m going to have a talk with the cook.”

Marion stood and put her hands on her hips. “You don’t talk. You fight.” Her eyes narrowed although her face still expressed the humorous bantering in her words. “Don’t you touch one greasy hair on his head!”

He tipped his hat in lieu of saying goodbye. Sissy giggled as he bowed out the door. “I like Train.” She turned and looked at Marion. “I was going to marry him until you did.”

“He would have been lucky to have you.” She took Sissy by the hand. “What do you say we get you and your brother cookies and a glass of milk?”

Sissy ran into the kitchen with Michael desperately trying to keep up on his chubby, toddler legs.

A few minutes later TJ found them. The color had gone from his face, his cheeks hollow. He swallowed hard. “Will you take the children to Betty?” His eyes slowly rose to meet hers. He didn’t hide the moisture glistening on his lashes. “Tell her I don’t know for how long.”

“Train and I will keep them.” She put her hand on Sissy’s shoulder.

“Marion…” A tear spilled onto his cheek. “She needs you.” He went to the cupboard and took a bottle of whiskey from the shelf.

Marion scooted the children through the kitchen door. “I’ll be out in a minute to take you to Betty,” she said to Sissy. “Keep an eye on Michael.” She closed the door and turned to TJ.

“What is it?” She folded her hands across her chest.

“He can’t find the heartbeat.” TJ drank from the bottle as if it were water. “He says he’s going to take the baby out of her.”

“Oh no!” Marion covered her mouth with her hands.

“Doc told me to get out. Said a husband shouldn’t see what he’s about to do.” His eyes were bloodshot when he looked at her. “She doesn’t want to be alone.”

“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Marion went out the back door and took the children to the shack. The tables were deserted. Men who had sons were showing them the finer points of castration and branding. B.R. burned into the flanks of the cattle not going to auction. “Cake, TJ would like Betty to keep Sissy and Michael.”

“Sunshine, what’s wrong?” He came around the stove wiping his hands on his belly.

Marion started to cry. “It’s not good. It’s the baby,” she whispered. “I need to tell Train.”

Marion went around the shack and headed in the directions of loud voices and screaming animals. She hadn’t really wanted the image of castrating bulls in her mind. The air smelled of charred hair and flesh.

Dozens of men circled the paddock where the branding took place. Children hung on the rails of the fence watching in wide-eyed fascination as the work of a rancher passed on to the next generation. In the middle of all the commotion, her husband directed the procession of livestock. Engrossed in his work, he didn’t see her approach.

“Can’t let you in,” Charlie said, keeping her from Train. “One of those bulls gets fired up and you’ll never outrun him in that dress.” His eyes scanned the swell of her breasts.

“I’m not here to disrupt his work, but I do need to speak with him. It’s important.”

Charlie put his pinkies in his mouth and whistled above the noise. “Train, your wife.”

Train had his knee in the neck of a feisty, little calf. The branding only took a couple of seconds before the calf ran down a shoot and into the adjacent pasture. He wiped his hand on a bandana as he approached her.

“Don’t get her all dirty,” one of the hands heckled. He acknowledged the comment with a wave.

“They don’t know you’re already dirty,” he said, leading Marion away from the group. How she wished communication between them could always be easy. In front of the men, he played the attentive husband. Dare she venture into the shack, he’d be full of accusations again.

“Can you leave someone else in charge here? TJ didn’t ask me to come, but he needs you. Allison lost the baby. Her body should have miscarried. The baby is still inside her. The doctor is going to remove it. He won’t let TJ stay in the room so I’m going to be with her. I think you should help TJ finish off the bottle he’s already started.”

Marion waited for Train while he apprised Charlie of the situation. Then they quickly returned to the house. Marion went straight up the stairs to find Allison and the doctor while Train went to TJ to offer emotional support.

* *
*
* *

Train jumped onto the kitchen counter and rolled a cigarette. Words weren’t necessary. The simple fact that he could sit quietly and get a little corned said there was more between them than friendship.

TJ poured a glass of amber colored liquid for Train. “Did Marion go upstairs?”

Train nodded as he took the glass. “Dropped the kids off with Cake, then came and got me from the branding. Charlie took over.”