Winter touched his first two fingers to the brim of his hat and backed away. He had to give the lady credit, she must have read a book somewhere on how to be a wife. The kiss had been almost believable. The invitation to breakfast sounded just like what Miss Allie would have said in her day.
He’d about decided he’d made a good bargain when he and Cheyenne entered the barn to saddle fresh horses.
A moment later he reconsidered as they pulled his buckskin-clad sister-in-law out of the hay and out of a young man’s heated embrace. She cursed worse than he’d ever heard a man swear, and the boy looked scared as he fought to slow his breathing to normal and straighten his clothes to presentable. But neither of the young folks, much to Winter’s disappointment, looked as if they had given even a passing thought to marriage.
FOUR
WINTER RODE ALONG THE SOUTH BORDER OF HIS land with Cheyenne half a length behind him. The two men rarely talked, not seeming to have the need. Cheyenne was a few years older and had shown up at the ranch soon after Winter arrived. The captain used to say Cheyenne was the best man with a horse or a gun who’d ever ridden into Texas, but a smile never broke the hard line of his mouth.
To be honest, Winter could never remember Cheyenne being overly friendly to anyone. He didn’t eat with the others in the bunkhouse and had never invited Winter or
anyone else to share his campfire while they were on the ranch. Even though Winter had told Cheyenne his mother was of the Cheyenne people, it didn’t seem to matter. Most of the hands had no idea where Cheyenne slept or if he had another name other than that of his people. They only knew he could usually be found a few feet behind Winter, standing at attention as though silently waiting for trouble.
Sometime over the years, Winter had learned to trust the man as he did no other. The lessons came in a hundred small ways. Winter trusted Cheyenne with his back… with his life. Now Winter could feel two facts seeping clear through to his bones. Trouble was coming and, when it did, Cheyenne would be the one he could depend on.
Winter pulled his hat low against the icy wind. It was good to have the man on guard with him tonight, for he was having trouble concentrating on his turn at watch. The face of the woman he’d married kept slipping into his mind.
She wasn’t ordinary as he’d first thought. When he’d taken the time to look at her, she’d been pretty. Not the kind of beauty like a saloon girl all made up, but a kind of quiet pretty that was easy on a man’s eyes. She had a grace about her that made him want to shelter her. Even now, after hours in the cold, he could still feel the weight of her touch on his shoulder. For the first time in all the years he’d ridden the land, he was in a hurry to get back to the ranch house. Kora would be waiting for him. He wanted to know more about this woman who shared his name.
Pulling his collar up against the first few drops of rain, Win swore beneath his breath. Who did he think he was fooling? She wouldn’t be waiting for him. She’d married him for a house to live in and the promise of tickets to California. He’d better get any thought of the possibility of more out of his mind. She seemed to be playing her part, acting as though they were true husband and wife, but that was all he could expect. If he let himself hope that they’d become lovers, mates, or even friends, he was only setting himself up for a fall. Men like him didn’t have time for foolish things like love.
Besides, something in the way Jamie only glanced around gave him the impression she thought they wouldn’t be staying long. For all he knew they’d be packed and on the road by the time he got back.
Kora had told him she didn’t want a husband. She only wanted a place to stay. That was all he cared about also, the house, he reminded himself. And as of tonight, it was all his… the ranch, the house, everything he’d ever wanted. The dream of a little boy twenty years ago, with nothing to claim as his own, had come true.
‘‘Want to head back?’’ Cheyenne broke through Winter’s thoughts. ‘‘The weather’s turning bad. No cattle drive will be moving tonight.’’
Winter slowed so he wouldn’t have to yell. ‘‘No. If I was going to cross another man’s land, I’d want a night just like this when everyone would be around their fires or in bed. The wind would muffle any sound of a herd. If they’re near enough to cross, they’ll cross tonight.’’
‘‘My guess is everyone will be in bed but us,’’ Cheyenne mumbled. ‘‘Even that sister-in-law of yours is probably back in the hay by now.’’
After what he’d seen in the barn just before they left, Winter agreed. She didn’t seem the type to wait long. ‘‘Put the word out that the man who gets her pregnant marries her. That should keep all but the serious bridegrooms away.’’
‘‘Anyone who gets her with child will probably run for the territories,’’ Cheyenne said pessimistically.
‘‘Got any other ideas of how I could get her married off fast? She’s more irritating than a rattler in a well. My new brother-in-law is invisible, and she’s the town crier and a bossy hooker rolled into one.’’
Cheyenne touched his Colt. ‘‘I could shoot her. Or we could toss her in a sack and throw her in the river like the runt of the litter she is. She’d be so far downstream within a few hours that we’d never hear about who found the body.’’
Winter laughed, not completely sure the man was kidding. ‘‘No. I don’t want to upset Kora.’’ He took a long look at the cowhand who rode at his side. ‘‘I don’t suppose you’d consider marrying her?’’
Cheyenne shoved his hat back and let the rain hit his face as he stared directly at Winter. ‘‘I’d rather shoot myself.’’
‘‘She’s not that bad-looking.’’ Winter’s hope was fading. Cheyenne had been with him when he’d pulled Jamie out of the hay and off the young cowhand. He’d heard her swearing and threats. ‘‘She’d settle down after a while. She might clean up fine, and judging from the bite she took out of my hand, she’s got all her teeth.’’
‘‘When we were dragging her back to the house, she kicked me’’-Cheyenne paused-‘‘in a place no one should kick a man. Any woman who will do that when you first meet her… there’s no telling what she will do once she knows you better.’’
‘‘Well, help me find the woman a husband. Preferably one who’s on the move and planning to settle down at least a few states away.’’
‘‘No’’-Cheyenne shook his head-‘‘I don’t have that many enemies. Just let me know if you reconsider shooting her.’’
The rain worsened, ending one of the longest conversations Winter could ever remember having with the man.
Kora pulled the dusty curtain aside and stared out into the rain for the tenth time in less than an hour. The ranch was like a small town made up of a huge bunkhouse, a barn, and several other smaller buildings. The center ground was starting to look like one big mud puddle.
‘‘He ain’t coming back in this storm,’’ Jamie complained as she set the table. ‘‘You might as well stop cooking. If that cowboy you married last night is dumb enough to try to ride home in this rain, he deserves to be struck by lightning.’’
Jamie laughed to herself. ‘‘Knowing that crazy witchin’ luck you have, he probably won’t live any longer than the last husband. You could make a habit of changing from wedding dress to mourning clothes if he’s no heartier than Andrew Adams.’’
‘‘There’s no such kind of luck,’’ Kora corrected her little sister.
‘‘Well, Mother sure used to believe in it. She said she was hated by a witch of a neighbor before you were born. That’s why you’re left-handed and that’s why trouble follows us like a slow-moving cloud. If we ever light one place too long, it’s bound to catch us.’’