Humming a merry tune, Libby went about her morning chores.
After a very practical shopping spree in Bannon’s only general mercantile store, Rayna waited in the wagon while Meade finished filling the supply list.
She had purchased enough clothes to get by on and had impulsively picked up presents for Jenny, Lucas, and Libby.
The ride home was as uncomfortably silent as the ride into town had been, and the raw tension between them became the cornerstone in the foundation of their relationship for the next two weeks. They spoke to each other only when necessary and managed to keep their arguments to a minimum for the sake of Libby and the children.
Six area ranches had joined forces for the roundup, and Jedidiah was ram-rodding the Eagle Creek contingent. Once he realized what an excellent cowhand Rayna was, he made full use of her services and very quickly came to respect her. She got along well with the other hands and there was no job she considered beneath her. From sunup to sundown, she was on the range searching for small herds and driving them to the holding pens where they were separated into various herds according to their brands and earmarks.
She could cut a single cow out of the herd as well as any man Jedidiah had ever seen, and she was absolutely fearless. In fact, the only problem he had with her was that he couldn’t pair her up with Meade, who was also helping with the roundup. In the beginning, Jedidiah had tried to keep both of them close to him because he knew Meade had a lot to learn and Rayna needed evaluating.
The three had ridden out together every morning, but Jedidiah quickly learned the folly of that. The first time Meade had seen Rayna charging at 208
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breakneck speed through the brush and over a hill after a stray, he had left the herd to go galloping after her. Long before he caught up with her, Rayna had reappeared on the rise with the docile steer trotting in front of her. The argument that ensued had spooked the cattle and kept Jedidiah’s ears burning for the rest of the day. The next morning he had wisely paired Meade with one of the other hands.
The arrangement had worked out to the satisfaction of everyone except Libby. She had tried to persuade Jedidiah to force her brother and Rayna to stay together as much as possible, and when he asked her reason, Libby had finally confessed that she was playing matchmaker. Though Jedidiah loved Libby like a daughter, he seriously questioned her judgment—and her sanity.
Never in his life had he seen a less likely couple than Rayna Templeton and Meade Ashford, and he was too busy with the roundup to dabble in playing Cupid for a totally lost cause.
The result of the working arrangement was that Rayna and Meade usually saw each other only at breakfast and supper. They were generally so exhausted from their labors that they turned in early, having barely spoken to each other the entire day.
Though the work kept Rayna busy, she had plenty of time to worry about how the roundup at Rancho Verde was faring without her, and far too much time to fret about Skylar. Every day that passed without word from Case Longstreet drove another spike into the coffin of fear that imprisoned her.
And the situation with Meade wasn’t adding to her peace of mind. He wore his disapproval of her like a badge for all to see, and kept any kinder feelings well hidden behind a suit of armor that nothing could penetrate.
Despite her exhaustion, the frustrating combination of emotions made it increasingly difficult for Rayna to sleep at night. She was tired of fighting with Meade, and she resented him because he couldn’t see that she needed his strength, not his disapproval. She needed his love, not his intractable hostility.
Only Libby seemed to understand what she was going through. Meade’s sister was kind and encouraging. At odd moments Rayna would catch a glimpse of her concern for her husband, but her faith in his ultimate success was unshakable. Rayna needed desperately to believe that all would be well, and though she didn’t quite have Libby’s conviction, her new friend’s faith kept Rayna going.
Two weeks to the day after she’d arrived at Eagle Creek, Rayna lay in bed tormented by fitful memories of her night with Meade and fearful imaginings about what Skylar was suffering. Everyone else had long since turned in, too, and the quiet house closed in on her. Finally she gave up pretending to sleep altogether, put on her robe, and silently made her way downstairs.
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The instant she opened the front door, she realized that she’d been wrong; not everyone had turned in for the night. The faint smell of Meade’s cheroot filled her senses, and her first instinct was to close the door and return to her room before he noticed her. The thought of spending another hour alone, tossing and turning, changed her mind. She saw him silhouetted in the moonlight as he stood leaning against the pillar at the top of the porch steps.
“Couldn’t sleep, either?” she asked as she moved onto the porch.
Meade turned and stifled a groan at the sight of her. He’d come out here to escape the tormenting sound of her tossing and turning in the room next to his. He didn’t need yet another reminder of her nearness. “No . . . I couldn’t sleep. Too tired, I guess.”
He faced the yard again, and Rayna sat on the steps. When he made no attempt at conversation, the silence became too much for her. “It’s not exactly life as you had it planned, is it?”
The question startled him. Surely she wasn’t referring to his obsession with her. “What do you mean?” he asked with a scowl.
“Your image of yourself as a gentleman rancher. It’s not all sipping fine wine on the veranda, is it?”
Meade remembered their conversation in Santa Fe when they’d discussed his plans. That was the first time he’d seen Rayna genuinely amused, and he’d been deeply affected by her smile and the sparkle in her eyes. He shored up his armor against the return of those feelings. “Frankly, I didn’t expect it to be.
I’m not afraid of hard work, if that’s what you’re insinuating.”
Rayna sighed regretfully and stood up. “Sorry to disappoint you, Meade, but I’m weary of arguing with you. I’ll find some other place to sit, and let you enjoy your cigar in peace.”
She started down the stairs, but Meade couldn’t let her go. “Rayna, wait,”
he said, stopping her with a hand on her arm. “There’s no reason for you to leave. Sit down.”
She hesitated a moment, but when he lowered his long frame onto the top step, she joined him.
“I’m sorry,” he told her. “I suppose striking the first blow has become a habit.”
Rayna found a tired smile. “You could always just duck and run.”
“You’re not serious? I wouldn’t give you the satisfaction. In fact, one of these days, I plan to get in the last word.”
“Good luck.”
Meade chuckled. “I’ll need it.”
They looked at each other and became ensnared in the web of emotion that always trapped them the moment they lowered their guard. Meade was the first to look away, and Rayna felt a sting of disappointment.
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“How long do you think your brother-in-law will be gone?” she asked, moving the conversation to neutral territory.
“I’ve been wondering that myself,” he answered. “I know Case won’t give up until he finds Skylar, particularly since he suspects she might be his sister.