Colorado Courtship Page 12

  And they were, too.

  For a short while anyway.

  For a short time that now seemed like a blink they were able to keep the ranch going on what little livestock had been spared. Then things had taken a turn for the worse when Pa had gotten sick and she’d been forced to sell the few remaining head of cattle to buy his medication and to pay for supplies in order to survive.

  But Pa hadn’t survived. Fresh pain assaulted her heart again. All her efforts to keep him and the ranch alive had failed. Uncle Emmett had taken the news real hard that his only brother was gone. Like her he’d hoped Pa would beat that Rocky Mountain spotted fever. They’d all been praying for just that, but whatever the good Lord’s reasons were, He obviously had other plans. Plans she would never understand as long as she lived.

  Her thoughts spun back to the day Uncle Emmett had asked what her plans were now that her folks were gone. He’d offered for her to come live with them, but she’d told him she wanted to find a way to make her and Pa’s dream of building up the ranch again come true. Her uncle had said he understood and had even offered to lend her the money to do just that, but respectfully she’d turned down his offer.

  Pa taught her to never go into debt. To pay for everything and to owe no man nothing as the Bible said. Her neighbors thought she should take the money or sell the place. But they didn’t know how it was, being unbelievers and all. Plus they didn’t know how determined she could be.

  In that determination and desperation she’d come up with a plan to ask her uncle for a job instead. It’d been real hard to do and just as hard for him to say yes. After all, he and Aunt Minnie were the only kin she had left, and they struggled with the idea of her working for them. Said she was family and family helped one another. She assured them they were helping by giving her work. They did a heap of talking trying to convince her into letting them provide her with a home instead. Well, she had a home. And it was up to her alone now to keep it. Working for her uncle would help with the money she needed to get it going again.

  She couldn’t wait to get to the Flying W to see the aunt and uncle who had always made her feel as if she were someone real special. She only wished it was under better circumstances.

  Because the snow swirled like a menacing fog around the horses, she could barely see the pack animal next to her. She huddled closer to her ride. In the very next minute, Rascal, her more sure-footed horse of the two, dropped forward, plunging head-down into the deep snow and nearly toppling her with him, but she grabbed the saddle horn and hung on.

  When he got his footing back, he and Rowdy continued to struggle forward, plugging through the sixteen inches of freshly fallen snow. She knew their hooves had to be filled with hard-packed snow by now, making it even more difficult for them to walk.

  That thought no more slipped through her mind, when both of her horses stopped, unwilling or unable to continue. She nudged the heels of her boots into Rascal’s side and tugged on Rowdy’s lead rope attached to her saddle horn. Both fought hard against her—not turning, not moving, just giving up—but she refused to give up. Giving up was never a consideration before, and it wasn’t going to be one now. “C’mon, boys. We’ve only got a little bit farther to go. I promise once we get there you’ll be rewarded with a nice warm barn, some good mountain hay and a huge scoop of wild oats.”

  Rascal let out a long whinny, shimmying Sunny’s body in the saddle. She knew it wasn’t in response to her promises. She strained against the thick snowfall to see what caused Rascal to get so excited. In the distance a hazy shadow of a horse and rider came into view. She pressed her eyes shut to clear her vision, and when she opened them again, the rider was still there. Uncle Emmett must’ve decided to come meet her after all even though she’d told him not to. “Thank You, Lord.” She raised her hand to greet him, but no greeting came back to her. How odd.

  The rider drew closer. One look at the cowboy and Sunny realized the man on the horse was too stout to be her uncle. With a quick turn she yanked her loaded Winchester lever-action .30-30 rifle out of the scabbard, ready to use it if necessary. She’d never killed anyone before, but after her pa had died, she’d wounded a man. She’d had to, to protect herself, and this time would be no different if the stranger made any troublesome moves.

  “Miss Weston.” The man’s voice floated along on the snowflakes drifting toward her. The closer he got, his bundled image got clearer. He sat tall in the saddle, wearing a brown sheepskin coat, brown cowboy hat and woolies chaps.

  Right about now she wished she had a pair of those leather woolies chaps with the long hair still on them. They would’ve kept her half-frozen legs warm. Unlike the two pair of woolen underdrawers, split woolen skirt and long woolen coat she had on.

  Sunny warily eyed the cowboy when he reined his horse within a few feet of hers.

  “Your uncle Emmett will be relieved to know you’re safe. He sent me to escort you home.”

  So, the cowboy knew Uncle Emmett. That settled her heart enough for her to lower the gun. Sitting taller in the saddle, she squared her shoulders and lifted her chin, a move that let cold flakes drift far too close to her nearly exposed skin. “Thank you just the same, but I don’t need no escort. Besides, who might you be?” she asked.

  He chuckled, a nice, deep sound, and his lips turned upward in an amused grin. “That’s what your uncle Emmett said you’d say. And I might be Jedidiah Cooper, at your service.” He touched the brim of his hat and gave a brief nod. His blue eyes twinkled with humor.

  Indignation lit into her at the thought that he might think she was incapable of doing something like this on her own. Who needed a man to be “at your service”? Certainly not her.

  “Foreman of the Flying W ranch,” he continued.

  Her uncle’s ranch. She pursed her lips together but made no reply.

  “And now, miss, if you will allow me, I’d like to escort you home.”

  “I done said I don’t—”

  “I know, I know.” He raised his hand. “You already said you don’t need an escort. No disrespect, ma’am, but I don’t work for you. I work for your uncle. And he sent me to fetch you. And fetch you I will.”

  Too cold and tired to argue, she placed her rifle back in its scabbard, coaxed her horses forward and slogged past him. Thankfully Rascal and Rowdy willingly moved forward. “Then you’d best get to it. You coming?” she hollered over her shoulder.

  * * *

  Jed stared at the cowgirl’s back as it disappeared into the blinding snow. Her uncle had warned him about her, and he wasn’t kidding. Spirited. Uh-huh. Independent. Right again. Sassy. Sure enough. But then again, Emmett said not to let that tough exterior fool him, that she was a real sweetheart.

  Tough exterior? Tough something, but there wasn’t much exterior to her.

  From what he could tell, the woman wasn’t any bigger than a flea on a cow. Still, Jed couldn’t wait to get a glimpse of that sweet side. In all fairness to Miss Weston, she was allowed to be a bit cranky since she’d been out riding in this weather for hours. He knew he would be.

  Even in her cantankerous state, judging by the view of her eyes, which was all he could see in their brief encounter, there was no mistaking she was a pretty little thing. A pretty little thing he needed to guard his behavior around because earlier that morning her uncle had held a meeting, warning the hired hands if he caught any of them trying to woo her or anything of that nature, he would fire them instantly. When Emmett had finished talking to them, he’d taken Jed aside and asked him to keep an eye on Sunny for him, to make sure the men left her alone and all. The last time Jed had been thrown together with a woman like that was at the last ranch he’d worked on.

  At only seventeen Louisa had thought herself to be in love with Jed. One day she had caught him off guard and kissed him, and her father had come into the barn at that exact moment. Jed had taken a beating that day and had been sent away.

  The sad part was, he didn’t even know what he’d said or don
e that had encouraged Louisa where the two of them were concerned. But, according to her, he had.

  Well, he might be thrown together with Miss Weston, but he would be mindful of how he behaved around her. He would be friendly, but not too friendly; polite, but not too polite. After all, he couldn’t afford to lose this job. It paid better than any other around. Because of Emmett’s generous wages, it would only be a matter of time before Jed had enough money saved to buy his own spread.

  Realizing Sunny was yards ahead of him, he tapped his horse’s sides and trudged through the snow until he pulled up alongside her.

  She glanced over at him but didn’t say a word. Frost covered her eyebrows, ice and snow covered her shoulders, and her leather gloves were wet. The woman had to be freezing from her long ride down the mountain. Twenty miles, to be exact. Twenty miles of trudging through thick forest, sagebrush, badger holes, rough terrain with no trails, and adverse weather conditions to boot. One thing was clear—she wasn’t made of anything soft.

  Another thing even clearer was, he wouldn’t be any kind of man if he didn’t offer her his gloves. He prided himself on being a gentleman, and wasn’t about to go and ruin that reputation just because she was as welcoming as a porcupine. He peeled his elkskin chopper mittens off and handed them to her. “Here. Put these on.”

  She glanced at his wool-lined mitts. “I can’t take those. You need them.”

  “Not as much as you do. Besides, we’re almost there and my hands aren’t cold. Take them.” He stretched them even farther toward her, hoping she would give in and take them before frostbite set in.

  Her eyes never strayed from them as they rode forward, one rocking step at a time.

  Jed couldn’t stand it any longer. He stopped their horses and without her permission removed her gloves, revealing beet-red fingers and colder-than-icicles hands. As fast as his large fingers would allow, he slid her tiny hands into his sheepskin-cuffed mittens, knowing the wool lining would warm them quickly.

  At first she moved to protest, but when her hands were sunk deep into the mittens, she let out a long sigh. “Thank you. I must admit, that feels nice.” She glanced at his hands and concern replaced the relief he’d seen in her eyes just moments before. “You sure about this?”

  Oh, he was sure, all right. “Yes, ma’am, I am. Now let’s get going.”

  Off they went, trekking their way through the blue spruce pine and aspen trees. Round about ten minutes later the long L-shaped log cabin came into view. Minnie, Sunny’s aunt, stood at the window peering out. When she spotted them, the curtain dropped into place. By the time they pulled their horses up to the hitching post in front of the house, the door to the mudroom flew open. “Oh, Sunny. Thank God you’re all right. Come. Get inside here where it’s warm.”

  Jed hopped off his horse and went around to the side of Sunny’s horse to help her down.

  “I don’t need no help. Thank you.”

  “I know. But let me help anyway.”

  She shook her head and rolled her brown eyes at him. A glance toward her aunt must have convinced her to let him, though. When her feet met the ground, he released her, towering over her by at least ten inches or better.

  “You coming?” Minnie’s voice rose above the wind.

  “You’d better hurry.” Jed yanked his head her aunt’s direction. “They’ve been waiting since early morning.”

  Instead of going toward the door, Sunny walked to the front of her steeds. “I’ll be in as soon as I unload my things and take care of my horses.”

  Minnie rubbed her arms. “Let the boys take care of that, child. You come inside where it’s warm.”

  Jed reached for the reins. “I’ll take care of things for you. Go ahead and go on inside.” Jed gazed down at her, hoping she’d take him up on his offer. Being half-frozen and all, she needed to get inside as soon as possible.

  Instead of agreeing to let him, she cupped her hands over her mouth and hollered over the wind that had picked up even more now, “Don’t wait for me, Aunt Min. I’ll only be a few minutes.”

  Mrs. Weston’s shoulders rose and dropped. “All right. If you’re sure.”

  “I’m sure. Thank you.” The door closed, and Miss Weston faced him for all of two seconds before retrieving the reins from his hands.

  Emmett had said she was stubborn. This went beyond stubborn.

  “I promised Rascal and Rowdy hay, oats and a warm barn. I aim to keep that promise as soon as I get this here packsaddle unloaded.”

  Jed wanted to argue. Oh, how he wanted to argue. But from the little he’d seen and from what her uncle had told him about her, he just shook his head and walked over to her packhorse and got to work helping her unload her belongings into a corner of the large mudroom. When they finished, the two of them leaned into the wind as they headed to the barn. Once again she refused his help with her horses. Hard as it was, he left her to it while he tended to his own.

  While she brushed her horses down, he went ahead and hauled water into all the stalls.

  “Where do you want me to put my boys?” Her voice was as soft and smooth as a rose petal now that it wasn’t being drowned out by a blizzard.

  “In here.” He led her to the stall he’d readied for her horses earlier that day.

  Hay already filled the manger, but she kept that promise of hers and gave her horses a nice helping of oats, too. Both geldings dove their mouths into the fare, greedily munching their oats. A sound he enjoyed. Something about it always seemed so soothing.

  “See you boys tomorrow.” She patted their necks and closed the gate on them. “Hoo wee. Sure glad that’s done. I can’t wait to get inside.” She rubbed her hands over her arms. Then all he could see was the top of her cowboy hat. “Thanks for getting their water and for helping me unload my things.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  She raised her face and gazed up at him with those big brown eyes. Some of that sweetness showed up really pretty in them.

  They stood there for a moment.

  “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow.” She opened the barn door and headed toward the house before he even had a chance to open it for her.

  Jed caught up to her, amazed at how fast those short legs of hers could move.

  She glanced over at him as she crunched through the snow. “I don’t need no escort for sure now. Never did need one.”

  “I got that.” He couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’m not escorting you. I’m going home.”

  “Oh. You live near the house?”

  “No. I live in the house.”

  “You do?” She yanked her head his direction and tripped at the same time.

  His arm shot out to steady her and neither one of them lost stride when he did. “Uh-huh. Sure do.”

  “Oh.”

  She probably thought it strange the hired help lived with the boss and his wife, so he’d just go on ahead and explain why. “When I was first hired on, there wasn’t a bunkhouse. It was just me and your uncle doing all the work at the time. When he started expanding, we built the bunkhouse for the extra men he’d hired. I went to pack my things to move out to it, but Emmett insisted I stay right where I was. Which is the room they added onto the side of the house when I first arrived here.”

  “Oh, I see.”

  Did she? Did she really know how it was between her relatives and him? Every time he’d heard she’d visited over the past three summers, he’d been at cow camp. So how could she know?

  They arrived at the front door. Jed reached around her and opened it, then moved out of the way for her to enter first. She stepped inside the small mudroom far enough to let him in. He shut the door, grateful to be out of the wind and bitter winter weather. He would never tell Sunny, but his hands tingled from the cold.

  They removed their outer wraps and wiped the snow from their boots and once again he opened the door for her to step inside the cabin.

  She turned to thank him, and his breath hitched. He’d only been able to see swatches
of her face earlier. Now he had a full view of it. Her uncle had mentioned she was an attractive woman, but he didn’t mention just how beautiful she really was, with those big brown eyes, slightly rounded face, high cheekbones, bowed lips, and white and fairly even teeth.

  He swallowed hard. Attractive didn’t begin to describe her. He felt mesmerized by her beauty. His feet remained glued to the spot. When he realized he was staring, he forced himself to look away.

  He needed to talk to Emmett about having someone else to watch over her. Jed no longer trusted himself to keep his distance.

  Or to keep romantic inclinations far from his mind, which had just taken a trip in that direction.

  That wasn’t good.

  No, siree.

  That wasn’t good at all.

  Chapter Two

  “Precious!” Aunt Minnie’s voice broke through the howling wind’s barrier as it buffeted the outside of the house.

  Sunny’s attention yanked from Jedidiah to Aunt Minnie. At fifty-one years old her aunt didn’t look a day over thirty. Not one gray hair anywhere in those buttercup tresses. In fact the only gray thing on her aunt was her deep-set eyes. “Aunt Minnie, I sure have missed you.” Sunny gave her aunt a big hug.

  “It’s so nice to see you again. It feels like it’s been forever since I saw you last. August 29, to be exact.” She looped their arms and all but dragged Sunny into their living room, which was twice the size of the one at her family’s ranch house.

  “I wish I could’ve come more often, but with Pa sick, I didn’t want to leave him alone.”

  “We meant to get up there to your place, too, but it just seems like time’s gotten away from us lately.”

  “I know what you mean.” They both smiled.

  Heat from the open rock fireplace drifted around Sunny. Worn out from her long day of travel, all she wanted to do was sit, remove her boots and stick her feet as close those hot flames as possible without catching her woolen stockings on fire. Her toes were close to being numb, same as the rest of her body.