Pioneer Passion (36 page)

Feeling anxious, Rusty jumped from the seat.
“Oh! I must go and see him.”

Mattie placed a firm hand on her shoulder.
“Yo’ll do no such thing!” she ordered, her tone was sharp, but she
smiled. “Honey lamb, it’s sho’ not wise. He’s sleepin’ peacefully
after a fretful night. He’ll be fine, but he needin’ his rest. Yo’
have plenty of time later to talks with him.”

Frustrated, Rusty frowned. Her brother was
all right but she still didn’t know what would happen to him for
his part in the rustling. Mattie didn’t know the whole truth so she
held her tongue and asked about Guy and Susan instead.

“Susan’s in de barn with her new four-legged
friend. De men are back on de range, and Guy, he gone to town. Now,
yo’ eats somethin’, chil’!”

Taken aback again by the woman’s sharp tone,
Rusty looked up seeing her small dark eyes crinkling with
concern.

Mattie sighed. “Ah knows yo’ should be eatin’
fo’ two, youn’ lady. Guy tol’ me de good news, and he also tol’ ol’
Mattie to makes shore yo’ eats a healthy breakfast.” She laughed.
“Ah ‘spected yo waz with child long afore yo did.”

A soft moan escaped Rusty’s throat, she
wouldn’t be able to leave the kitchen without eating all the food
that was being placed before her. Relieved somewhat that Scott was
all right; she forced some nourishment down and prayed it would
stay. As she swallowed the last bite, Susan came into the room
smiling. Rusty figured that was a good sign but she wanted to talk
to her friend, hoping she had some information. Mattie left to do
the laundry, giving her the opportunity she needed to query Susan.
Before she opened her mouth, Susan sat down, her face glowing.

“Isn’t it wonderful?” Susan commented, filled
with excitement.

“What?” Rusty looked at her friend wondering
what could make the girl so happy, especially after all that
happened.

“Love, you silly goose.”

Love?

“How can you be so perky and think about love
after what took place here, yesterday? So that’s why you’re so
bubbly?”

“What’s the matter, Rusty? Aren’t you happy
everything turned out great?”

Too confused to think, she replied, “Yeah, I
guess so.”

“Why are you looking so depressed? Surely Guy
told you everything. Yesterday must have taken more of a toll on
your nerves.” She leaned her elbows on the table and shrugged.
“But, in truth,” Susan confessed. “I didn’t sleep a wink last night
worrying over Scott and the fact that I had killed one of the
outlaws.”

Rusty knew just how her friend was feeling
but she’d rather not talk about it again.

“I guess it’s best to put the horror of
yesterday behind me,” Susan sighed dreamily, “now that life
promises to be wonderful. Especially since I’ve discovered Scott
feels the same way about me.”

“Susan, Guy left for town before I had a
chance to talk with him. Please tell me what’s going on around
here?” she probed. Susan quickly explained everything to her,
setting her mind at ease about Scott.

When Guy returned, Rusty went to him with
open arms, drained by worry over the unanswered questions that
rested heavily on her mind. She put her arms around his neck and
rested her weary head on his chest and asked, “Why didn’t you wake
me before you left? And where were you all day? I was so worried
about Scott and upset to find you gone this morning. Is it true
that Scott isn’t going to jail?” she asked winded but continued
breathlessly, sucking in some needed air. “When I finally got to
talk to him, he knew nothing about the good news; it was Susan who
told me.” With a heavy sigh, she pushed herself from his tight
embrace, feeling exasperated and annoyed with him. But instead of
looking into a concerned face, she found herself staring at that
silly grin of his and he swiftly produced a bunch of flowers from
behind his back, hoping to soothe her. She stood completely
confused, her heart swelling with so much love; she no longer cared
about anything. And, damn it anyway, she couldn’t resist the boyish
look on his face and all the love she saw in his eyes. She flung
herself back into his arms where she wanted to stay forever.

“I had to go into Sweetwood and sign papers
to collect the five hundred dollars reward that’s on Yates’ head.
The money will be Scott’s and Susan’s. I thought it would make a
nice start for them.”

Rusty showered grateful kisses all over his
grinning face. Between delightful kisses, he told her he had
received a wire informing him that his cattle would arrive in a
week’s time. And they did, including Rusty’s horse,
Butterscotch.

It pleased her that the mare remembered her
and after supper, she and Guy rode their horses into the valley.
She also began spending part of the mornings taking knitting
lessons from Mattie. Though her first attempt produced many rows of
dropped purl stitches, she soon got the hang of it and was well on
her way to knitting her first bootie. If only her father could see
her now. Her eyes misted thinking about him, but her lips smiled.
He wouldn’t have believed this of his daughter either.

One morning, when her fingers had grown sore
and tired, she went into the barn to see the new colt, Duke. She
presented him with a big carrot that he ate almost nibbling her
fingers off.

“Hey! Greedy aren’t ya,” she giggled and
marveled at his dark shiny coat, while she patted the grateful
animal with affection. Laughing playfully with the colt, she
decided to take him out of the stall for a brisk walk. She as well
as the colt could use the exercise and the day was mild and sunny
with the promise of spring around the corner.

Rusty walked Duke around the yard for awhile
before she spotted a rider approaching. She squinted in order to
see better, then shielded her eyes from the sun, but the rider was
too far away, and she didn’t recognize the horse. It wasn’t anyone
from these parts. She tethered Duke to the hitching post and
continued to squint, waiting for the rider to come closer. The
stranger was only a few yards away when she realized it was a
woman.

The newcomer was small and dressed in an
expensive brown riding outfit. A matching hat sat askew on her
small head, its large while feather dancing in rhythm with her
bouncing head. The rider halted the horse a few feet from Rusty as
she thoughtfully regarded the woman who was scrutinizing her. The
beautiful stranger spoke first.

“Hello! Is this Guy Strong’s ranch?”

Speechless, she stared at the woman. Wisps of
silver hair fell unchecked around her oval face and her doe eyes
were light purple, a color Rusty had never seen before. The woman
held her long thin nose proudly in the air, as she licked her
red-heart-shaped lips. Rusty’s innards constricted, feeling an
instant dislike for this person. The woman’s eyes were beautiful
but very cold, like the false smile she flashed. When Rusty
realized she was being rude for gaping, she recalled the question
about her husband and nodded her answer wondering why she found it
hard to speak. And, she didn’t miss the fact that the woman lost
her smile when she spoke to Rusty again, saying, “Then you must be
his pretty bride, Mrs. Strong.” This stranger seemed impatient and
wiggled her small backside on the fine leather saddle. The smile
reappeared, belied by her icy stare.

“Oh, please excuse my manners. I should have
introduced myself. I’m Cynthia. Cynthia Winthrop, a friend of your
husband’s.”

Rusty drew in her breath feeling as if
someone hit her square in the stomach and she croaked, “Yes, I’m
Rusty, Guy’s wife.”

“I hope I’m not coming at an inconvenient
time?” She now laced her voice with honey. “But I had business in
Sweetwood, so I decided to ride over and say hello to Guy.”

“My husband,” emphasis on husband, “is out on
the range and won’t be home till late tonight.” She stood a mite
taller to feign confidence.

The hussy puckered her lips into a pouting
frown and sighed, “Oh, I’m very sorry to have missed him. You see,
I’m here only for the afternoon. I have more business to take care
of in Sweetwood.”

Rusty believed the shrew lied very
nicely.

“Well, I hate to have come all the way out
here and not say hello to my old friend,” she screwed her features
into a disappointed scowl. “We were once very close. When Skye
Strong informed me that her brother had wed a pretty little gal
from California, I was very happy for him. I just wanted to come by
and congratulate him. Do you think...?” She paused to pat the
horse’s golden mane. “Do you think I could find Guy if you pointed
me in the right direction?”

Rusty bristled not liking the way Miss
Winthrop purred her husband’s name and not liking the way those icy
doe eyes seemed to melt when she talked about Guy. She gulped,
nearly choking. The last thing she wanted was Guy alone with this
creature. It wasn’t as if she didn’t trust him, but she surely
didn’t trust this Cynthia Winthrop! More to the point, this bitch!
She was annoyed at herself for letting this Cynthia intimidate her
so. It wasn’t like her to lose her composure so easily. She felt
like a bottle of champagne ready to pop its cork.

“I -I don’t mind taking you,” she offered.
“It’s about a half hour’s ride from here, and I can use some
exercise. If you give me a minute, I’ll saddle up my horse and be
right back.” Without hesitating, Rusty untied Duke and practically
ran into the barn. Minutes later she rode out on Butterscotch.

His sling was finally removed and Scott
complained to Susan about the soreness in the shoulder but his arm
was moveable and his headaches had stopped. As usual, she and Scott
ate lunch together, and then sat in the parlor planning their
future. That day she was preoccupied, thinking deeply about the
nuptials. It was to be a surprise for Rusty. Guy told her that he
planned a wedding for his wife, one she deserved, and his parents
were coming for the surprise. Susan paced then passed the parlor
window, and stopped in her tracks. She frowned at what caught her
attention.

“Hey, sweetheart, you look as if you just
lost your best friend. Why the long face?” Scott teased. So
obsessed in her thoughts, Susan didn’t hear his question. “Hey!
Kiddo, wake up!”

Startled hearing the command, she felt
embarrassed for being caught daydreaming. But she had noticed a
woman sitting on a horse and went over and pulled back the drapes
to get a better look. Seeing the stranger sitting alone made her
curious and was about to see to the woman’s needs when Rusty rode
out of the barn. As the two rode off she shrugged and sat across
from Scott. She knit her brows in thought, puzzled by the
appearance of the woman. There was something familiar about the
female, but for the life of her, she couldn’t recognize the face or
where she had seen it before.

“I’m sorry, Scott, it’s just that I saw this
pretty woman sitting outside, and I know I’ve seen her somewhere
before. She and Rusty rode off.” She bit her lip concentrating. “It
had to be back on the Strong’s ranch since I’ve never been anywhere
but there in my life, until I came here.” She rubbed her temples in
deep though; it bothered her that she couldn’t recall. There was
something about the woman she didn’t like. Then it hit her and she
leaped from the chair.

“Yes! That’s it! I remember! I was only ten
when Guy brought her home for the first time. But I’ll never forget
her haughty airs and her better-than-thou attitude. I saw that he
was infatuated with her; she was the most alluring creature I had
ever seen. But whenever he brought her around again, I could feel
the tension in the house.”

She snapped her fingers. “As I recall, his
parents didn’t care for her either. Skye and I would hide behind
the door and giggle, watching Guy make a complete fool of himself
over her. He would try and kiss her and she’d pretend she was
offended by his actions. Then she’d tease him.” Tapping her
forehead, she asked the question for her own benefit. “What was her
name?” She pulled her brows together in thought. “It started with a
C. Christina?” Susan shook her head. “No. Calarissa? No. Cin-
Cindy? Cynthia!” She clapped her hands and cried, “Yes, that’s it.
Cynthia Winthrop!”

Scott smiled at her antics but she was
serious. And at the mention of the woman’s name, his smile quickly
vanished. He leaped to his feet, grabbing her roughly but
apologized.

“W-what’s the m-matter?” she stammered.

“Which way did they go?! Susan you must
listen to me. I think Rusty may be in great danger. In which
direction did they go?!”

“They rode off towards the range. What’s
wrong?” she cried.

Scott couldn’t take the time to explain and
raced from the barn, determined to reach his sister in time. As
soon as Susan uttered the woman’s name, he remembered Yates
mentioning her connection to the gang. She must be still out for
revenge but this time her target was Rusty. He whipped his horse
into frenzy, praying he wasn’t too late. He could never forgive
himself if anything happened to her but this was not the time to
ponder over regrets; he was fifteen minutes behind them.

His heart pounded along with the thundering
of his horse’s hooves as he sped across the valley. His shoulder
gave him renewed pain when he gripped the reins and the jolting of
the speeding animal rattled his teeth, causing his head to throb.
He wasn’t sure he could make it. His eyes blurred and he barely
made out the forms in the distance. Dizziness surrounded him as he
galloped closer, praying he would remain on his mount.

Chapter Thirty-Six

The sun began its downward decent and the air
lost some of its warmth. Rusty rode along with Cynthia Winthrop at
a steady pace, feeling a chill, but not from the descending sun.
She didn’t like this new turn of events. Oh, that lady was up to
something, making her feel uneasy. The lady hadn’t come all this
way just to say hello.