Читать книгу Lone Star Bride - Carolyn Davidson - Страница 10

Benning, Texas, Spring 1903

“I’ve been your deputy, working in this office with you for eight years, Sheriff.” Jamie leaned against the door frame and managed to roll up his life over the past eight years into a neat bundle. A bundle he no longer wanted to live with.

“I assume you’re about to quit,” Brace said. “And I don’t like it, not one little bit. Unhappy with me? Or the wages? Or just the life of a deputy, in general?”

“None of the choices you’ve just pulled out of the hat,” Jamie returned quickly. “I just don’t feel that I’m getting anywhere. I’m a whiz at breaking up fights in the saloons, I’m up to date on all the wanted posters and to tell the truth, I’m sick and tired of standing on the sidelines while you’ve managed in the past four years to put together a life with the prettiest girl in town, along with you and Sarah adopting her nephew.

“But I’ll have to admit, it’s been a real education watching you with Sarah and Stephen. Hope I can do as well as you when I get a family of my own.”

“I’ll have to admit that marriage agrees with me.”

“Hope I can say that someday. But for now I’ve about decided I need to be doing something different with myself.”

Brace leaned back in his chair and surveyed his deputy. “To tell the truth, I’ve been thinking about a proposition I’d like to toss in your direction. See what you think of it.”

“Does it include my moving on? Leaving Benning?”

“You don’t sound happy about that idea,” Brace said. “You haven’t put down any roots here, Jamie. You got a problem with living somewhere else?”

“No. But I tend to be a creature of habit.” He paused and stood erect, facing the man who had been his mentor and friend. “If you’ve got something to offer me, let’s hear it. I suspect you wouldn’t put me on the wrong track, Sheriff.”

“Well, to tell the truth, I don’t know much myself about the place I’d like to send you. But clear across the state is a piece of property that belongs to my son, Stephen.”

“The ranch he inherited from his birth father’s family?”

“The very one,” Brace said. “There’s a man running things on the ranch on a temporary basis, but I’d feel better about the whole thing if I knew more about what was going on behind the letters I get from him. He was the ranch foreman before Stephen’s grandfather died three years ago and I’ve let it go long enough the way it is. The judge ordered us to put a man of my own in place as manager when Sarah and I adopted Stephen legally. It’ll give me more control over the ranch, and there’ll be a better chance of Stephen taking over a thriving concern when he’s old enough.”

“Are we talking about me running the ranch?”

“Well, I always did say you catch on quick,” Brace said with a chuckle. “Didn’t take you long to figure that one out, did it?”

“Let me think about it, Brace. I’ll need to know what’s expected of me to begin with.”

“Just be yourself, get to know the men and make the ranch successful. I’m laying odds you can do that.”

“Anything else I should know if I decide to do this?” Jamie felt there was a gap in the information. Something he couldn’t put his finger on.

“I’ve heard that there’s a fly in the ointment,” Brace admitted. “The daughter of the foreman has been causing some problems among the men. Her daddy is right fond of her, but in one case a couple of the men have come to blows over her, and things are unsettled right now. Sort of a state of armed warfare.”

Jamie shook his head. “You’re talking about sending me into a full-fledged battle, aren’t you?”

“If I didn’t think you could handle things, I wouldn’t have brought it up or made you an offer. There’s a nice, big raise in pay attached, son. Enough to make it worth your while.”

“I’ve kept my nose clean here in Benning, Brace. Learned that dealing with a female is mighty wearing on a man. Especially if it’s a woman who already has a string of admirers a mile long and would no doubt like to add another one to her list.”

“You can handle it. You’ve managed to handle yourself pretty well here. Not a woman in sight has complained about you.”

“I’m pretty boring these days. Kind of a reformed scamp, Sheriff. I learned a long time ago to behave myself with the ladies.”

Brace leaned back in his chair and shot Jamie an inquiring look. “Maybe you really did learn your lesson, son. I haven’t pried too much into your past, but I’m sure you’ve got one worth talking about.”

“I’m not much for making a fuss over something I can’t erase from my record. I’ve told you before about my brother and his wife and their two children. They’re still in Oklahoma, and we’re on good terms,” Jamie said. “That’s the extent of my family, except for my mother, who lives near Dallas with her sister.”

“Well, I’ve found you to be honest and capable. If you want the job, it’s yours.”

Three weeks later Jamie arrived at his destination. The ranch looked to be a prosperous one, he decided. He rode up to the sign, hanging over a long lane that obviously led to the house and a series of outbuildings beyond it. The name on the sign was simple: Clark & Sons. It would have to be changed, Jamie thought. The present owner was still related to the Clark family, but Stephen was officially named Caulfield, and as the legal deed holder to the land and buildings on it, even though he was underage—just twelve years old—he deserved to have a say in the name of his property.

Maybe he’d write to Stephen and let him figure out a name; perhaps the boy would want to consult with Brace and Sarah before he made up his mind. On the other hand, it wouldn’t hurt to come up with a new sign for the place, something that would reflect a new owner. In the meantime, there were folks to meet and a job to do right here. His horse turned eagerly up the lane and Jamie took note of a smoke house, chicken coop and a large barn. As if the gelding scented hay and oats in his future, he broke into a quick trot.

It had been a long ride from Benning, north of Dallas, but finding the ranch in good condition and catching sight of a herd of healthy-appearing cattle in the verdant pasture beside the lane made Jamie feel he’d come home here near the border between Texas and New Mexico. And with that in mind, he rode up to the house and around it to the back door. A watering trough with a pitcher pump next to it, which would provide fresh water for his horse, drew his attention, and he rode in that direction, past a woodshed whose open door revealed a good supply within.

Removing the bit from his gelding’s mouth, he watched as the horse drank deeply, then led him to a nearby hitching rail to tie him firmly in place. A ranch hand came from the barn as Jamie lifted his saddlebags from the animal’s back.

“Hi there, mister,” the tall, lanky cowhand called out. “Who you lookin’ for?”

“Whoever’s in charge,” Jamie answered, knowing well that the foreman’s name was Hank Powers.

“That would be Hank,” the cowhand said. “He’s in the house. Can I walk your horse for you?”

“Sure thing. He’s had a long morning, and he needs to be cooled before I feed him.”

“Yes sir, I can do that. My name’s Chet Dawson by the way.” He looked Jamie over with apparent interest. “You wouldn’t be the new man from Benning, would you?”

“The very one,” Jamie said. “Were you expecting me?”

“Yeah, Hank told us you were on your way. Welcome to the ranch.”

“Thanks,” Jamie answered agreeably, and turned to the house.

The back door opened and a young woman stood on the threshold, looking at him with interest. She stepped back as he approached and he followed her into the kitchen. A man sat at the table, a full plate of food before him, a fork in his hand.

“Mr. Powers?” Jamie asked, removing his hat and standing just inside the doorway.

“That’s me, son,” the man answered. “But the name is Hank. And you’re Jamie, unless I miss my guess.” After a moment’s pause, he looked up at the young woman beside him. “This is my daughter, Alexis.”

The woman had eyes like none he’d ever seen before, green as grass, with a sparkle built in, Jamie decided. They glittered in the light from the open door as she allowed her gaze to sweep over him. “I understand you’ve been sheriff for some time, east of here,” she said, her voice low, with a tinge of humor touching her words.

“No,” Jamie replied honestly. “I’ve been a deputy, and that’s a long way from being a sheriff, ma’am. But I’ve done the job for eight years.”

“Your boss seems to think you qualify for a chance at running this ranch,” Hank said, his cool eyes doing a once-over on Jamie, making him feel like a prize pig at the county fair.

“That’s what he told me. It was a mighty appealing offer or I wouldn’t have left a sure thing in Benning to ride clear across the state to come here.”

“Well, welcome,” Hank said expansively. “You’ve just freed me up to handle my own concerns, instead of minding the store here.”

“Where do I put my gear?” Jamie asked, feeling a need for coffee and a chair that would receive his tired body. Riding as he had, he’d come to appreciate the comfort of a soft bed and cup of fresh-brewed coffee, neither of which he’d been offered for several days. Sleeping under a tree and drinking the dregs of last night’s coffee for his breakfast was a vivid memory as he scented the freshness of the cup delivered to the table before him.

“Just drop your saddlebag on the floor and we’ll fix you up with a place to put it once you’ve had some food,” Alexis told him, watching as he pulled the sugar bowl toward him and spooned a heaping teaspoon of sugar into his black coffee.

“No cream?” she asked.

He shook his head as he picked up his cup. “No, this is fine.” And fine it was, dark, thick and sweet, tasting of fragrant coffee beans, freshly ground.

Alexis filled a plate from the skillets on the stove, lifting pancakes from one, sausage from another, then positioned it squarely before Jamie. “I hope you’re hungry,” she said, placing a fork beside his plate.

He looked up at her, noting the cool flash of silver in her green eyes, contrasting with the warmth of full lips that revealed even white teeth as she spoke. Her hair was golden, drawn up at the back of her head, small wispy curls escaping to frame her face. It was no wonder the men were ga-ga over her, he decided. Pretty as a picture, and no doubt more than aware of it. Her features were just short of being considered beautiful, with a small cleft in her chin and a birthmark on her right cheek, just beneath her temple.

Not that either of those defects would put off a determined man, set on seduction. He was no exception to the rule, given his lack of female companionship over the past little while. Longer than that. He’d not been out courting or even walking a young lady home from church or one of the dances held in Benning in months. As he’d promised the sheriff there, he’d kept his hands to himself and not been a hand with the ladies even when the opportunity arose.

For some reason, his energy had gone into his work, women taking a backseat to his job in the sheriff’s office. Now he had a whole new set of circumstances staring him in the face, number one being his new job. There wasn’t time to be looking at a woman, even one as pretty and appealing as Alexis Powers. But he might just consider the matter. Sometimes a man needed the warmth of a woman and unless he missed his guess, this one was a prime specimen.

He tucked into his plate of food, relishing the light pancakes especially. “Tastes like the pancakes my mama used to make me for breakfast.” His approval was apparent, and Alexis offered him two more, balanced on her pancake turner. Jamie nodded his thanks at the offer, and buttered them lavishly, then poured on a generous helping of syrup.

Across the table from him, Hank finished up his own share of the food and leaned back in his chair, as if assessing the young man who’d come to take over the running of the ranch. “What are your plans, Webster?” His query was nicely worded, but his eyes told a different story, flashing fire in Jamie’s direction.

“Haven’t got any yet,” James answered. “I just got here, Hank. Give me a week to settle in and I’ll answer your questions.”

“Is Brace Caulfield unhappy with my work here? He hasn’t given me any grief up until now,” Hank said. “I’ve kept him up to date on everything that goes on.”

“He’s pleased the ranch is thriving, but he seems to want someone in charge who’ll have a vested interest in the ranch. And that’s me. I answer directly to Brace, with an eye to presenting a first-class operation to the boy when the time comes for him to take over.”

“He’s a Clark,” Hank said quietly, and yet Jamie caught a hint of bitterness in the words.

“Yeah, he is. And just what do you mean by that?” Jamie asked, on the alert for the man’s negative attitude toward Stephen. The boy might have been born a Clark, but Brace and Sarah had given him more than just a new name.

Hank shrugged, a slow movement of his wide shoulders. “Just that old man Clark was pretty much a rascal, and so were the sons. I suspect blood runs true in the family, at least from what I’ve seen for myself, and I don’t look for much in the boy.”

“The boy, as you call him, is named Stephen and is being brought up by Brace Caulfield and his wife, Sarah, Stephen’s aunt. Even though he came from a father who abused him, he has a good home and will have a top-notch upbringing. I don’t think he’ll be a disgrace to his folks, and one day he’s going to take over this ranch and run it well, contrary to what his heritage suggests might be the case. Sarah’s twin was his mother and he’s gonna do her proud.”

“You ever consider bein’ a lawyer?” Hank asked with a grin. “You do a dandy job of defending the boy.”

“I suspect he’s too honest to be a lawyer,” Alexis said quietly, the coffeepot in her hand as she approached the table and the two men sitting there. “More coffee, Mr. Webster?” she asked.

“Thanks, I believe I will,” Jamie said, careful not to pay any particular attention to the girl. Woman is more like it, he thought glancing down to where her booted feet stood beside his chair. It was understandable that the men on this ranch were squabbling for the chance to court her. Causing discord among the men was forbidden, though, and he would not stand for it.

“And what do you do with your time, Miss Alexis?” he asked, picking up his cup.

“I cook a bit, ride a lot and in general do whatever needs to be done. I’m more interested in the young foals, but that job is pretty well already taken by men probably more capable than I am. My father won’t let me work on the roundup or in the branding pens, but I lend a hand with the orphaned calves when necessary. I’m real handy with a bottle when the mama has lost the battle and a calf is left alone.”

“A lot of those for you to tend?” Jamie asked, looking up at her with bland interest. At least he hoped his look didn’t hold a shred of the attraction he felt for the girl.

“Usually several in the spring, only two this year. We were lucky.” She turned and set the coffeepot back on the stove and hesitated.

“What do you plan on doing with your time, Mr. Webster?”

“Can we make it Jamie, or James?” he asked with a bland smile. “Whichever you like will do.”

She turned then, gave him a long look as if she read his thoughts, and her answer was what he had expected. “If you’ll be informal enough to call me Alex or Alexis, whichever you like.”

“I can do that,” Jamie answered quickly. “If it’s all right with your pa.”

“She’s her own woman,” Hank said, leaning back in his chair and smiling at his daughter. “I quit tellin’ her what to do when she started puttin’ her hair up.”

Jamie looked at Alexis, whose hair hung in golden splendor around her shoulders and halfway down her back. “And when was that?” he asked.

“Well, most of the time she’s all gussied up with that mop of hair on top of her head or hanging in a braid down her back. It’s usually only at breakfast time that we see her this-a-way.” Hank laughed and shot a tender look at his daughter. “I kinda like breakfast,” he said softly.

Alexis left the stove to fend for itself and circled the table to stand next to her father. “He’s a bit prejudiced,” she told Jamie, bending to plant a kiss on her father’s temple.

“I can see why.” Jamie swallowed the rest of his coffee and stood, wondering how those lips would taste against his own. “I’m gonna take a look around, if you don’t mind,” he said to Hank. “Kinda get the feel of things.”

“No problem with that. It’s all yours now, Webster.”

“Not really,” Jamie said, contradicting the man. “You’ll still have a bundle of work to do, keeping up with all the numbers and giving me tips. Right now I’d like to meet the men who are working close-by.”

“I wrote to Caulfield and told him I’d give you my support. I’ll be happy to do whatever you have in mind for me.”

It was almost too easy, Jamie thought. Too slick a turnover, with a stranger coming in and the foreman stepping back without an argument. And yet, maybe Hank was tired of the hassle involved with dealing with men and a ranch of this size.

“I’ll come out with you and we can ride around to where the men are working,” Hank said. “You want a different horse, or are you planning to use your own?”

“My gelding is pretty worn-out from crossing Texas in the past few days,” Jamie said. “What do you have in the barn?”

“A couple of nice mares and a hot-blooded stallion that’ll give you a run for your money. I guess you get to choose any horse you want, boss.”

Jamie lifted an eyebrow and hitched up his trousers, feeling his gun as it thumped against his thigh. “I’m not much for being the bossy type, Hank. I hope you know right off the bat that I’m not here to make any sweeping changes or chop any heads off. I’m just doing a job for my boss. And that’s the man I answer to in the long run.”

“I’ve already exchanged ‘howdies’ with Chet,” Jamie said. “Just haven’t shaken his hand yet.”

“Here’s your chance then,” Hank said as their horses moved to stand beside that of the ranch hand in question.

Jamie stuck out his right hand and Chet did not hesitate, grasping it in a friendly manner. “Yes sir, I’ve taken a gander at this fella before, Hank. He rides a right pretty horse.”

“Pretty horse?” Hank repeated, lifting his eyebrow as if he mocked the phrase.

“You know what I’m sayin’,” Chet said with a laugh. “If it was a mare, I’d call her a beauty. Since he rides a gelding, and a nice-lookin’ pinto at that, he’s simply pretty.”

“Chet’s our number one hand around here,” Hank said with a grin in Jamie’s direction. “He’s an old-timer. Been around for more years than I have.”

“This is home,” Chet said, with a trace of smug satisfaction in his voice. “I was raised here by my pa after my mother died.”

“Who else do we have working out here?” Jamie asked, nodding at Chet’s words. “I’ll warrant there’s no one else with your record.”

“Nope. But Slim comes right close,” Chet told him. “He’s been here since he was sixteen or so. A good man with horses. He’s out back with the horses right now.”

The girl had mentioned horses, he remembered, stating her liking for them. “You’re running a big herd of horses, along with your cattle here?” Jamie asked.

Hank nodded. “If it’s a bad year for cattle, drought or flood conditions or whatever might happen along to give us problems, we can rely on the horses to take up the slack. We had a big storm a few years ago in February, snowed us in for three days, and all the time we had cows calving out in the back forty. Lost twelve of our heifers and most of their calves. We’d just as soon not see that happen again. Winter storms can be disasters for us.”

“Why hadn’t you brought the cows in closer to the barn, knowing they were at risk?” Jamie asked, his words a blunt criticism of Hank’s actions.

“The storm hit before we were prepared for it. It had been warming up right well for a couple of weeks, and no one looked for snow, least of all me.”

“Maybe we’ll bring the pregnant cows in close next winter and keep them within sight. I’d hate to see that sort of thing happen again,” Jamie said firmly.

“You’re right,” Hank told him. “In fact, I’m beginning to think you’ll be good for the Clark ranch. You’re young and you’re bound to have fresh ideas.”

“That’s another thing. We’re gonna change the name of the ranch,” Jamie told him. “Until I get other instructions from Brace Caulfield, we’ll call this place the Double C. I’d like to see a sign put together and hung down at the county road. What do you think?”

“Clark and Caulfield, huh? Sounds all right to me.”

“Who can make a sign? A big one on a slab of hardwood,” Jamie asked.

Chet spoke up quickly. “That would be Woody, and you get one guess why we call him that.” His chuckle was short and he underlined his words. “The man is a whiz with anything to do with building stuff or working with wood. He’s been around for years, and the big house has a bunch of his furniture inside. Take a look at the tables in the parlor, Webster,” he said, his pride audible, as if he were, in some way, responsible for Woody’s reputation.

“I’ll do that.” Jamie looked around, back toward the barn. “Where is he now?”

“Working on new mangers for the standing stalls,” Chet told him. “We went over the barn pretty good, and Woody said they needed to be replaced. And what Woody says, goes, as far as fixin’ up the barn is concerned.”

“Sounds like a handy fella to have around.” Jamie said, thinking he’d like to meet this paragon of woodworking today.

“You’ll find out,” Chet told him flatly. “We all depend on Woody.”

Jamie turned his mount in a tight circle and headed back to the barn. “I’ll take a look here before we go any farther afield,” he told Hank. The stallion he’d chosen to ride was skittish, but Jamie held him in with a firm hand, and, once he’d dismounted, led him into the barn, seeking the man in question.

The sound of a hammer drew him down the aisle and toward the farthest stall. A big man, easily six inches or so past six feet tall, backed into the aisle ahead of him and turned to face Jamie.

“You must be Woody,” Jamie said. “I’ve been hearing about you.”

“Well, don’t believe everything you hear,” the big man said. “I don’t make magic with my saw and hammer. In fact, I just do what I enjoy most, and the boss thinks I’m a wonder child.”

“If the interior of this barn is a tribute to your skill, I’d have to agree with him,” Jamie said, surveying the well-built stalls. “Can you work as well with the livestock as you do with wood?”

“You better believe it,” Woody said. “I was raised on a horse by my pa. Been herding cattle for twenty years or so.”

Jamie stuck out his hand. “I think we’ll get along just fine, Woody.” In a few words, Jamie told the man what he wanted, measuring the length and width of the sign he had in mind with outstretched arms, and Woody only nodded agreeably. “Does that sound like something you can put together in a few days?” Jamie asked.

“Send Miss Alex out to print the letters you want on the sign, so I can chip them out and paint them black, and I’ll have it done by tonight.”

“Alexis?” Jamie was surprised by the request.

“Yeah, I don’t read or write real good and she’s always a good one to lend a hand.”

“I’ll ask her, then.”

“Ask me what?” From behind him, the woman’s voice spoke a challenge and Jamie turned to her.

“Will you give Woody a hand with a sign he’s about to make for the ranch?”

“He knows I will,” she said, shooting a wide smile in the ranch hand’s direction.

Woody was a bit old for her, but she obviously enjoyed practicing her feminine wiles on any handy male. “I’ll leave you to it, then,” Jamie said, leading his horse past the girl and out the door. She turned as he passed her by, and he was struck again by her eyes, which seemed as bright as the new leaves on a maple tree in the spring.

“Anybody ever tell you you’ve got eyes that could tempt a man to lose his head?” he asked her quietly, lest Woody hear him. It was bad enough he was flirting with the girl, but to let someone else be privy to his words was not quite the thing, he thought.

And as if she had heard such a flattering query on a daily basis, Alexis only nodded. “Among other things I’ve been told,” she said, “such as hair like sunshine and a face likely to draw men like flies. I’m not impressed.”

He’d never been scorned quite so readily, Jamie thought, and yet it made the pursuit all the sweeter, knowing he had to overcome the girl’s distrust of him and the male sex in general. At least that was the message he’d gotten from her remarks.

“I wasn’t trying to impress you,” he told her with a grin, “merely stating a fact.”

“It takes more than a smart remark about my green eyes to make me sit up and take notice of a man. I’m not much on men, and certainly cowhands aren’t my first choice as suitors.”

“Who said I was aiming to be a suitor? I had more in mind a few minutes in the moonlight or on the back porch, rocking the swing back and forth.”

“A few minutes in the moonlight? I don’t think so. I’m particular about who I spend my time with, and my nighttime hours are spent in the house.”

“Your pa watches over you pretty closely, I’ll bet,” Jamie said. “I could relieve him of the chore a couple of evenings a week. Maybe I’ll approach him and see what he thinks of the idea.”

“I think you’d better keep your ideas to yourself, and leave me alone. I’m not in the market for a man.”

Jamie tipped his hat and walked on, circling his horse and then springing into the saddle with an easy movement. “We’ll see,” he said, tipping his hat and offering a small salute in her direction.

Her mouth was drawn into a prim line and he was sorely tempted to pick her up and sling her across his saddle. His mouth twitched as he thought of kissing her into submission. She offered a challenge, and he was never one to turn his back on such a thing. Yet, making his way here with care was important. He couldn’t do anything to cause Brace’s temper to flare in his direction no matter how tempting the woman was.

This job was made for a man like James Webster, working with cows, horses and a handful of cowhands who were already in place and doing a good job. A woman could not be allowed to gain his attention to the extent that he neglected his duties here.

No matter that she was pretty. No, make that lovely, for her golden hair and tempting form were enough to bring James, or any man, he decided promptly, to attention. Features that might grace a statue formed her face, a trim nose, wide eyes that made his gaze veer back to her again, not to mention her lithe and lissome body that filled out the shirt and trousers she wore in an elegant fashion.

He felt an urge to lay his hands on her, and he turned aside, dousing it firmly. She was marriage material and he wasn’t ready yet. The memory of one girl in his past still haunted him. Loris, his first real love, a girl he had hurt, almost beyond repair. A woman he should have married. Now she was wed to his brother, and he could only ruefully regret his actions that had lost him her love.

He’d do well to keep his hands and his hungry eyes off Alexis. She was trouble.