Linda Ford (17 page)

Now she clung to Eddie’s side trying to calm herself. Together they’d evaded the attack. He’d finally seen her as suitable for pioneer life. Her heart should dance with joy, but she felt vulnerable, shaken. As much by the way she found strength and comfort pressed next to his heart as from the threat of being torn to shreds by the wolves.

She sucked in air, pushed her turmoil away and carefully examined her emotions, skipping the terror part, which was understandable and explainable.

He’d said the words she’d longed for. But they didn’t satisfy the way she’d expected them to. She wanted his offer to marry her. But she wanted more. No. She shook the thought away. All she wanted or needed was a marriage that would allow her to live in this new country and establish new rules for how a woman could conduct herself.

She pushed upright, pulled the furs around her. “Until we get safely home I’ll be keeping a close watch for them to reappear.”

“Indeed. So shall I.”

She squinted into the deepening darkness, concentrating every thought on the shadows around them.

The wagon clattered down the hill. The barn door opened and four of the men stood with lamplight behind them. Ward reached for the horse. “Beginning to worry about you, boss. Didn’t know if we should go looking or not.”

“Thanks, boys. It’s nice to know I can count on you. We ran into wolves on the way home.”

Several talked at once. “How many?” “They attack?” “Where?”

“I’ll tell you about it in the morning. I need to get Linette to the house. Ward, send two more men to help watch the herd.”

He jumped down from the wagon. When he reached for Linette she couldn’t make her limbs move. He lifted her down and carried her to the cabin as Ward took the wagon away to the barn.

Cassie threw open the door. “Is she hurt?”

“I’m fine. I can stand.” But her protests sounded weak even to herself.

“She’s cold.” Eddie carried her to the stove, grabbed a fur from his bedroll and wrapped her tight. “Cassie, is there tea?”

Cassie brought a cup, but it was Eddie who held it to her lips and urged her to drink.

The warm liquid eased down her throat. She hadn’t realized how cold she’d grown. Terror had driven away such ordinary concerns. “I’m fine.” She reached for the cup with stiff fingers.

He pressed his fingers over hers, holding the cup steady as she took another swallow.

Their eyes caught over the rim and his gentle smile threatened to take the fragile strength from her hands.

“You did well,” he said. “Real well.”

Before she could reply, Grady crowded close to her side.

Cassie hung over Eddie’s shoulder. “What happened?”

Eddie told the story, making it sound even more adventuresome and Linette more heroic than she had been. His gaze flashed back and forth between Cassie and Linette. Each time, she felt something wrench inside her—a strange twist of both hesitancy and eagerness.

She shifted her attention to Grady, whose eyes had grown wide as Eddie retold the events.

“Eddie save you?” He looked at Eddie with newfound awe.

Eddie laughed. “No more than she saved me.”

His approval warmed her as much as the tea and the fire and she let the fur slip from her shoulders. “Thank God we made it home safely.”

“Amen.” Eddie’s voice deepened and against her better judgment she glanced at him. The depth of emotion in his eyes stunned her, left her struggling to find equilibrium.

It was only because they had shared a frightening experience. Only that he’d finally admitted she would make a good ranch wife. Only that they were both grateful to be safe and sound.

Later, in bed, Linette could not fall asleep. Each time she almost did, she’d jerk awake with a wolf lunging at her throat.

She heard Eddie moving about in the other room and wondered if he was having the same difficulty.

His arms about her would calm her fears. Would it be appropriate to put on her heavy robe and go to him?

Appropriate or not, she would not do so. She’d proven her courage to him. Now she had to prove it to herself.

She would not seek or desire anything from Eddie but a marriage offer. She would not allow her heart to overrule her head. Nor would she let her emotions turn her into a weak, needy woman.

* * *

The next day Eddie and his men hunted wolves. They found one dead where he and Linette had encountered the animals and tracked half a dozen others. The trail headed toward the wintering herd.

Eddie urged his horse to a trot. “If they’ve attacked the herd—”

There was no need to say more. The men with him kept pace. They met Ward and the others before they reached the herd. Two wolves hung from Ward’s saddle.

“What happened?” Eddie asked.

“A pack of them came at us last night. Good thing we were prepared and able to stop them. Got these two. The others slunk away.”

“What direction?”

Ward pointed.

“I’ll track them. Blue, you come with me. Ward, head back to the ranch.” He gave Ward the wolf carcass he’d picked up earlier. “The rest of you keep a sharp eye out for more attacks.”

Blue was the steadiest man, the most accurate shot of those who worked for him, and together they followed the tracks for the better part of two hours.

“Boss, looks like they’ve left the area.”

“For now.” There wasn’t any point in going farther. “Let’s head on home.” The shadows had lengthened and covered the feet of the trees. He would be glad to get out of the saddle and have a hot drink. And some food.

They retraced their steps. By the time they reached the barn, darkness had settled in.

Ward knelt outside the barn, working by lantern light. He’d already skinned two of the hides and nailed them to the wall. He worked on the third carcass.

He looked up as Eddie and Blue approached. “Everything okay?”

“The rest of them have hightailed it to the mountains.”

“Glad to hear it.”

Eddie grunted agreement and led his horse inside. As soon as he took care of the animal he headed for the cabin and flung the door open to warmth and gentle lamplight.

Linette sprang forward. “I was getting worried. Here, let me help you.” She assisted him as he unwrapped his woolen scarf and removed his heavy coat.

“I’m fine.” Though it felt nice to have someone fuss over him.

Cassie sat by the stove knitting and Grady played at her side.

“You must be cold,” Linette said. “Sit by the stove. Have you eaten? I saved soup for you.”

Home sweet home. He sat by the warm stove and took the bowl of soup she offered.

She sat at the table watching.

“The wolves seem to have moved on,” he said in answer to her silent question. “I killed one last night and Ward killed two later. He’s at the barn skinning them.”

“So everyone and everything is safe?”

He nodded.

“Thank God.”

“Amen to that.” He finished the soup and handed the bowl to her as he failed to stifle a yawn.

“I expect you’re tired.”

“It’s been a long day.”

“Well, we’ll say good-night.” The three of them departed to the bedroom and a few minutes later he threw himself on his bedroll and put out the lamp.

Despite his concern about wolves stalking his herd, he felt warm and content. He had almost fallen asleep with a smile on his lips when he recalled what he’d said to himself earlier. Home sweet home.

The thought was very close to what Linette had promised. And that he would be begging her to stay before winter ended. He clamped a lid on such errant ideas.

The big house would be every bit as welcoming. Margaret would take equally good care of him. Or would she assign the task to a servant? He didn’t have the energy to think of an answer.

* * *

Linette lay on the bed praying her gratitude for Eddie’s safe return. Throughout the day, Cookie and Bertie had told tale after tale of disastrous encounters between men and wolves to the point Linette thought she’d run into the cold and bury her head in the snow to block the words.

After they left the cookhouse and returned to the cabin, the minutes ticked by with the reluctance of a boy headed for a whipping.

She spent much of her time staring out the window hoping, praying for a sign of Eddie’s safe return.

Cassie watched her. “Aren’t you the one always saying God will take care of things? So why are you worried?”

“You heard Cookie and Bertie. He could be hurt. Or killed.”

“And then what would you do? Isn’t that what’s bothering you?”

Linette had jerked around to face Cassie. “Of course. What else would it be?” But deep inside, she wondered if her concern went beyond the marriage she hoped for, planned for.

How absurd. She simply wasn’t thinking straight because of the tension. That’s all it was. All it could be.

And now he was back safely. Likely sleeping while she lay in the dark reliving each waiting moment.

She made herself think of something else. The shawl she worked on. Her attempts at bread making. What had she done wrong? Were the wolves as big as she imagined?

One way to find out. She’d ask Eddie if she could see the dead animals.

She waited until after breakfast. “I’d like to see the wolves.”

Eddie set his cup down with a crash. “They’ve left for good, I hope. Besides, didn’t you see enough of them the other night? One practically leaped at your throat.”

She clutched her throat and cast a look at Grady. Thankfully he seemed occupied playing beyond the stove and didn’t appear to have heard the comment. “I meant the dead ones.”

“Oh.” He gulped the last of his coffee. “They’ve been skinned out.”

“I’d still like to see.”

“Then come along. I’ll take you to the barn.”

She scurried into her coat and followed him out the door. Before they reached the barn, she saw Ward admiring the pelts stretched out on the wall.

Her steps slowed. She’d never seen death this close.

Ward stepped to one side as they reached the pen. “These are prime pelts.” He brushed the fur beside him. “See for yourself.”

She moved closer, pulled off her mitten and stroked the fur. The wolves had beautiful heads. Like a majestic dog. “It’s a shame they had to be killed.”

An explosive noise came from Eddie and she jerked about to face him. He scowled at her. “Don’t be feeling sorry for them. That one—” he indicated the pelt farthest to the right “—tried to kill us.” His anger filled the air like a blast of hot air. “I suppose you’d prefer I rescued them. Turned them into pets.”

“I meant nothing of the sort. I only admired their beauty.” She kept her tone neutral though she wanted badly to answer him in kind.

He scrubbed his chin. “I just can’t stop thinking of how close we came—” He shook his head and shifted his attention to something beyond the barn, though she guessed he saw nothing.

“Eddie, we’re safe. Everyone is safe. You said so yourself.” She pressed her hand to his arm in an attempt to comfort him.

He shrugged, forcing her arm to drop. “Yes. Everyone is safe.” He ducked into the barn.

Linette didn’t follow. He needed time alone.

Ward cleared his throat. “I know what you mean about killing such noble animals, but sometimes it’s necessary.”

“I understand.” All kinds of things were unpleasant but necessary.

Ward leaned against the wall and tipped his hat back. “Too bad it’s snowed again. I’d hoped to take you to see my ranch.”

Eddie stepped from the barn. “You could put runners on the wagon and take it in the snow.”

Linette shot him a look fit to curl the leather on his boots.

“Boss, you wouldn’t mind?”

“Not at all. I think Linette would enjoy it. Wouldn’t you?”

“Perhaps another time.” She spoke to Ward, keeping her voice as gentle as possible when inside she burned like a raging forest fire. How dare Eddie encourage Ward? “Cookie promised to give me another lesson in baking bread.” She turned to Eddie and made no attempt to disguise how she felt. “I am determined to learn that skill.” Just as she was determined to convince Eddie she would make a good pioneer wife. For him. Not Ward.

His expression remained stony, as if to inform her nothing she said or did would change his mind.

“Good day to you both.” She strode toward the cabin as if hurrying could put out the fire within. But it only fanned it hotter. What was wrong with the man? How could he be so blind? So stubborn? Yes, he’d said she’d make a good pioneer wife, but not for him. For anyone but him. It burned clear to the depths of her marrow to think he continued to reject her.

Chapter Eleven

“B
oss, I get the feeling she’s still got her hopes pinned on you. She barely sees me.” Ward, like Eddie, stared after Linette’s departing figure.

Eddie grunted. He’d made a mistake in telling her she’d make a good pioneer wife. He’d given her hope, when he only meant to compliment her. Although, if he was honest, in the heat of the moment, his heart pounding with fear, he’d been glad enough to hold her. No reason she should read more into that than two brave, frightened souls helping each other.

“Take care of—” He didn’t finish. Let Ward figure out for himself what to do. He crossed the bridge and went to the wintering pens. With a practiced glance he checked on the animals till he felt satisfied they were in excellent condition. Come spring he’d begin his new breeding program. In the coming years he expected to see the results in healthy, hardy cattle that brought top dollar. Leaning his arms on the top rail of the fence, he relaxed as he watched the cattle eating the hay he’d insisted the men put up during the hot summer months.

His sense of balance returned and he ambled over to the barn, where Slim worked alone on the harnesses.

“Where’s Ward?”

“Gone to check on his ranch. Said to tell you he’d be gone for a few days. Hoped it was okay.”

“Fine by me.” He joined Slim at the workbench. Eddie relaxed further. Ward would not be sending Linette adoring eyes. Until he returned. In the meantime...

Slim wasn’t much for talking just to hear his voice, so they worked in companionable silence for the most part.

Far too soon it was time to return to the cabin for dinner. If his stomach wasn’t so demanding he would forgo the meal rather than face Linette.

Slim left the barn, paused to look over his shoulder. “Boss, time to eat.”

Eddie nodded and strode for the door. He’d faced floods, snowstorms, angry drunks and attacking wolves. No way would he hesitate to walk into his own cabin because he’d offended Linette. Yet his steps lagged as he headed across the yard. He paused with his hand on the doorknob and listened. All quiet. He sucked in air and opened the door.

The aroma of roast beef greeted him. Along with a smile from Linette. He tried to believe the smile reached her eyes. But she turned away quickly. “It’s right ready. Grady and Cassie, come to the table.”

He shucked off his coat and sat with the others. “A very nice meal,” he offered.

“Thank you. Like I promised, I’m a fast learner.”

He nodded. If he wasn’t mistaken, her voice carried a note of warning. Which he chose to ignore. He’d made himself clear from the beginning and if she refused to listen, well, that was her problem.

He finished his meal and prepared to leave the cabin.

“I’d like to walk with you,” she said as she put on her coat.

“You aren’t asking, are you?”

“How astute of you to notice.”

He looked at Cassie, who poured hot water into the dishpan.

She shrugged.

No sympathy from her.

Linette stepped outside. He closed the door gently behind her. “Where would you like to go?”

She tipped her head toward the big house. “That way is fine.”

They passed the cookhouse. She said nothing. They reached the bottom of the hill. She said nothing. They climbed the snow-covered path. Still nothing.

The roast beef sat heavily in his stomach. Whatever she meant to say, he wished she’d get it done with.

They reached the front doors of the house and she stopped, turned slowly and faced him, her eyes burning like hot embers.

“Do not think you can toss me off on some poor unsuspecting cowboy. My father would have no regard for such a marriage. He would send his henchmen to drag me home.”

“What about the convent?” He knew before he spoke the words how she’d react.

Her look practically scalded him. “I came West to start a life free of artificial restrictions. I mean to get it.”

He leaned closer, not giving her fury any quarter. “Miss Edwards, I told you from the beginning I mean to marry Margaret. So how, pray tell me, do you intend to live this life?”

“I will find a way.” She spat the words out like bitter seeds. Then the fight left her. She shifted as if to hide the fact from him and looked at the far mountains.

“Linette.” He touched her arm. “You’ll make someone a fine wife. A fine pioneer wife.”

She blinked, brought her gaze back to him. “Someone like Ward, you mean?”

He began to nod then changed his mind. It was exactly what he meant. But he couldn’t say it. He didn’t want to upset her further. But something more than concern about her reaction stopped him. He would not give it a name.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured. Though for the life of him he couldn’t say what he was sorry for. He swung his attention to the house. “Did you want to come in?”

“I don’t think so, thanks. I plan to spend the afternoon with Cookie.” She sauntered down the hill and into the cookhouse without so much as a backward look.

He jerked about. It wasn’t as if it mattered what she thought. Only he hoped— What? What could he hope for? He toured the house, reminding himself of all the plans he and his father had discussed. Tried to forget the eagerness Linette showed for certain rooms. How she meant to use the extra rooms to help those in need. He came to a halt in the room that would be the family parlor. The room where Linette had exclaimed over the view and helped him put up trim. Where she’d pointed out the good job he’d done and likened it to him being an honorable man.

He tossed aside the piece of wood that he held, having no idea when he’d picked it up or why. She saw him as an honorable man but he’d acted like a scoundrel trying to force her into Ward’s sphere.

All because she had succeeded in making him confess she was a pioneer woman. And in the confessing, he’d allowed himself to see her working side by side with him, building a new life in a new world.

In effect, he’d punished her for his own wayward thoughts.

He meant to make up for it. But how?

Linette liked pretty things. She liked color. All part of her artistic nature. If he thought the store in Edendale would have artist’s paints, he’d ride into town and purchase some for Linette. But so far as he could recall, the shelves had only necessary supplies.

Surely among his books to be shipped there’d be one or more that she’d enjoy. But they wouldn’t be arriving until spring.

Except he had a box he’d never opened because he didn’t have room or need for anything more in the little cabin. A box his mother had packed to help him set up housekeeping.

Eddie jogged down the hill, past the cookhouse, kept his gaze from the cabin and went to the storage shed. The crate stood in the far corner. He pried the lid up and began to pull out items. Some pretty dishes and an assortment of table linens. No doubt Linette would enjoy the whole lot, but there was hardly room for them in the tiny kitchen. He dug farther. Miniature portraits of his parents. He set those aside. They belonged in the big house, not in the log cabin. He lifted a fine woolen blanket and wondered if the ladies had need of it. When he saw what lay beneath it he laughed. Mother’s dancing lady. A porcelain figurine of a woman in a swirling pink gown holding a china rose to her nose.

Eddie held the figurine in his hands. It was one of his mother’s most prized possessions. She’d had it since before she married Randolph Gardiner. Why had she sent it with Eddie?

Memories of his mother and other family members filled him with loneliness. Sighing, he turned the dancing lady over. He studied the bottom as if hoping for clues as to why his mother had sent it.

Nothing but the name of the manufacturer.

He sat back on his heels. She’d never said where she got it. He’d always assumed it was a gift from someone. But if from her parents or a friend, wouldn’t she have said so?

That left one possibility he’d never considered.

His real father had given her this. He almost dropped the figurine. Who was the man? Eddie would never know because his mother refused to discuss it. She must have endured so much shame and ostracism until Randolph Gardiner married her. His position in society forbade anyone from treating her, or Eddie, poorly.

He owed his father a great deal. There was one way to repay the kindness—fulfill his father’s expectations.

Deciding the figurine belonged in the big house next to the likenesses of his mother and father, he set it aside and dug deeper.

A china teapot. Plain brown but so much superior to the tin pot they’d been using. He returned everything else, nailed the lid down again and headed for the cabin.

* * *

Since her return to the cabin Linette had renewed her plan to make herself invaluable to Eddie. She’d already tried everything she could think of—learning to make meals, helping at the house. She’d even helped fight off wolves. How much more could she do? Learn to make bread, but she knew it would not influence his thoughts any more than the cookies and biscuits and roast beef had.

The door opened and Linette glanced up. Her heart caught on its next beat.

Eddie! Had he changed his mind?

“I brought you something.” He held out a china teapot.

“A Brown Betty teapot!” Cassie sprang to her feet and set the kettle to boil. “Finally. Some decent tea.”

Wild hope rushed through Linette. Surely this meant something more than tea without the tinny taste. “Thank you, Eddie. Where did you find it?”

“There’s a crate of things out in the shed. Thought I’d poke through it and see if there was anything we could use.”

We? He’d been thinking of them. Her hope settled in to stay.

He put the pot on the table and leaned back on his heels, grinning as if all was right with his world.

She smiled back, feeling as if her world returned to balance.

Their look went on and on until Cassie grabbed the teapot from under Linette’s elbow. “I am going to enjoy a cup of tea.” She paused and gave Linette and Eddie a serious look. “If no one has any objections.”

Linette jerked away to stare at the stove. “I’m going to try making bread again. This time I’m going to succeed.”

“I’m sure you shall.” He sounded so confident she stole another look at him.

His smile faltered. “I was afraid I was rude earlier today, so I—” He pointed toward the teapot and shrugged.

“You brought a gift.”

He nodded, then with a wry smile shook his head. “My way of apologizing.”

“Apology accepted.” Surely her voice didn’t quiver, but she feared it did.

“Tea is ready. Who cares for some?” Cassie asked, handing them each a cupful.

The three of them pulled chairs around the stove as Grady played with his growing assortment of toys. No one seemed impatient about supper. Linette certainly wasn’t. This bit of kindness and concern filled her heart with hope.

And something more that she wasn’t prepared to look at too closely for fear she would be alarmed at what she saw. A growing fondness for the man.

Eddie finished his tea and strode the three steps to the window, peered out then turned. “Linette, would you like to go for a walk?”

She’d been staring at the mixing bowl she’d used for the failed bread dough, wondering what she’d done wrong. She’d asked Cookie to explain the procedure again and still could not understand where she’d veered from the woman’s instructions. She gladly pushed the task aside and grabbed her coat to join Eddie.

They walked past the barn, past the wintering pens as he explained the advantages of the cows he’d chosen, the way he fed them and a bunch of things that had never before mattered to Linette but now seemed the most important information on the face of the earth. They climbed the rough trail beyond the pens. He took her hand to guide her over the rocky path. They came to a grove of dark pines where they stood with the sun on their cheeks.

Still hand in hand, they watched a raven rise from the trees, squawking at the intrusion.

“Every time I came up here during the summer, if I sat real quiet, I could watch a deer and twin fawns,” he told her. “They tiptoed from the trees to nibble at the grass.”

“Maybe I’ll get a chance to see them in the spring.”

He faced her, an inscrutable expression on his face. Was he imagining her at his side throughout the changing seasons? The thought strengthened her resolve. She would, with God’s help, prove her value to Eddie’s plans. She intended to tell him so, but before she could say anything, he spoke.

“I need to help the boys repair a fence the bulls broke down, but I thought you might enjoy seeing this place.” He dropped her hand and led the way back down the hill then strode off, leaving her at the cabin staring after him.

Why had the walk ended so abruptly? It was as if he regretted taking her there. Or perhaps he regretted taking her hand to assist her? Or...dare she hope he was beginning to see how suited they were to one another and the thought frightened him?

She clung to the notion as she returned to the cabin. Perhaps all her efforts were bearing fruit. A smile curved her mouth. By spring he’d be rejoicing over her presence rather than fighting it.

* * *

“I’m going to work on the house,” Eddie announced the next day as he pushed from the breakfast table. “I could use a hand measuring the baseboards.”

Her heart took off like a horse freed from a pen. Her eyes jerked toward him. He had asked her to accompany him. Surely that meant he had changed his mind about her. She calmed her racing heart. “I could help.”

“You might want to bring your sketchbook.”

She couldn’t force her eyes away. Her father had scoffed at her art as useless. But Eddie seemed to appreciate her drawings. Even his comments made her realize he understood the emotions she tried to capture. Try as she might, she couldn’t stop pleasure from blossoming in her heart at his approval.

“The sun is shining. The mountains glisten with fresh snow,” he said. “Might make a good picture.”

He wanted her to capture the sight? She certainly itched to see the view and draw it. But even more, she anticipated discovering what this change in him meant.

Cassie reached for her coat and handed Grady his. “I’ll take the boy with me to see Cookie.”