Harnessed Passions (48 page)

Julia knew he was proud of his inheritance
and all that came with it, and until last night, she hadn't
considered herself among any of them. Now she felt as strong and
confident of his love for her and as unbendable as the wood binding
the walls of Daniel's creation. She knew beyond a doubt he was the
mortar binding them together; he was her foundation.

The new stables were massive compared to the
ones that had been destroyed by the fire. There were over forty
stalls in the front half of the building and another thirty in the
back with a hay loft large enough to hold feed for a good two
years. There were two huge rooms at the side each equipped with ten
bunks for the hired hands. Near the back of the stables was the
tack room where Daniel had insisted all rakes, pitch forks, saddles
and reins were to be kept so they wouldn't be in the way. The roof
was nearly completed with the frame sloping to a perfect ninety
degree peak. A couple more days and the shingles would be laid and
then the exterior would receive several coats of whitewash before
Daniel would feel comfortable to say they were finished.

The corral behind the stables were divided
into three sections; one for training, another for holding and the
third for mating. Years ago, Victor had set up a race track to run
the horses around the west end of the property, which Daniel was
using daily to train Roustabout. It was only half a mile, but it
proved to be enough to get the horses’ legs strengthened and enough
to test out those being sold.

Turner Stables had produced four winners of
the Beaumont Cup over the past six years; a tradition Daniel was
eager to keep going. He invested a great deal of his time in
running the horses personally and even more effort in making
certain only the best were ready for the annual sale. With the
recent loss of two of their prize horses he planned on putting into
the sale, he was forced to rethink which ones were ready and how
many could be listed. It was a task he worked on every night after
Julia fell asleep.

The smell of new lumber filled the open
spaces around her and Julia closed her eyes enjoying the pleasant
aroma. The sound of horses could be heard in the distance as well
as those in the corrals. The mares ready for mating were left in
the stalls at the back of the stables while those stallions young
enough to be used for mating were placed in the holding corral out
back. The anxiety of the animals filled the air with snorting and
stomping hooves as they waited their turn for the debauchery. Julia
listened to the noises around her, and she opened her eyes at the
faint sound of gravel crunching under foot.

She opened her eyes and frowned, expecting
to see Daniel but found instead a ranch hand walking toward; his
eyes locked on her. He was tall and muscular, yet smaller in frame
and stature than Daniel. Funny, she thought, how she was suddenly
comparing every male she saw with her husband. This one was wearing
a thin blue work shirt, unbuttoned and left open down the front to
reveal a hairless brown chest. His pants were faded and in
desperate need of repair, with large rips on the knees of both
legs. His boots were covered with horse dung, caked mud and dried
hay. His hair was dark and tousled, as though he hadn't combed it
in days and his chin was covered with light stubble of a beard. He
seemed to glared at her with cold unforgiving blackness, like the
night itself.

"Hello," Julia said, hoping her voice
sounded friendlier than she felt. The sudden rush of fear chilled
her bones; her blood began to pump through her veins with the rapid
pounding of her heart. "You must be new here?"

"Yep," the man replied, stepping closer. The
smell of whiskey, a woman's cheap cologne and sweat filled the air
replacing the sweet smell of morning with that of rancid filth.

"I'm Julia Browning," she told the man,
feeling a slight flutter in her stomach for having used her married
name for the first time.

"Dourn," he answered, still eyeing Julia as
though she was last night's leftover desert.

"You look familiar; how long have you been
with us, Mr. Dourn?"

"A few weeks; I's hired on, 'bout the time
ya had yer accident at the swimmin' hole." Julia lowered her eyes.
If there was one thing she didn't want to think about today, it was
that dreadful night she was nearly taken away from Daniel's
love.

"How did you know that pond is called the
swimming hole?" she asked, urgent to distract him before the
memories stole her away.

"People talk."

"Of course," she replied with a frown. How
was it, the swimming hole and this man seemed to fit together in
her mind?

"Rumor has it, ya'all was attacked by
outlaws. I's be more careful, if'n I were goin’ out again at
night."

"Thank you for the advice, but it's not
necessary. I have no plans on riding off alone again." Silence fell
between the two as Dourn continued to examine the woman. Julia felt
uncomfortable with this man standing so close to her, inspecting
her as though he were judging everything she did and said.

"How do you like working here, Mr. Dourn?"
she asked at last, hoping to distract the man's attentions from
her.

I's like it right fine."

"Where is it you said you come from?"

"I’s didn't." Julia fell back into an uneasy
silence. There was something about this man that made her certain
she'd met him before, but where and when she couldn't remember.

"Have we met somewhere before, Mr. Dourn?"
she braved.

"No ma'am, not right out. I's were at yer
weddin' though. I's the one who caught yer weddin' garter."

"Oh," Julia said, a slight blush coloring
her delicate features.

The sound of Daniel and Rally Overton's
voices sliced through the silence, forcing both Julia and Dourn to
turn in their direction. Daniel walked beside the foreman, issuing
instructions of all sorts. They discussed the future mating of
Biscuit and Roustabout and the three mares they had already mated
over the past week. Daniel's eyes met Julia's and he smiled
seductively at her then caught sight of Dourn standing only inches
away from his wife. The idea of any man being so close to her made
his blood boil, but thinking of this man in particular, made him
see red.

"Dourn," Daniel snapped, walking closer to
the man. "I've been trying to talk to you for weeks. Where have you
been?"

"I's been busy. Wayne and I’s just got back
from the south end," the man explained, his eyes - much to Julia's
relief - no longer fused with hers as he answered his employer.
"We's found some tracks 'n thought it mighta been the fellers who
attacked Miss Julia 'ere. So we's went lookin'."

"Did you find anything?"

"Nothin' but a couple a strays."

"Well, when you have the time I want to have
a word with you. I should be back by sunset, we'll talk then. Don't
leave the ranch, I don't want to have to come searching for
you."

"Y’sir." Daniel slid his hand protectively
around Julia's waist lifting her into the carriage. He turned back
to Dourn and Rally and nodded at both before climbing into the seat
next to his wife.

"What were ya talkin' 'bout ta Miss Julia?"
Rally asked Dourn, when he was sure the carriage was out of ear
shot.

"Nothin' but niceties, Pa." Dourn looked
straight at Julia, his eyes never straying from their target while
Rally frowned his disapproval.

"I's don't want no more trouble, ya hear?
I's gettin' too old ta be cleanin' up yer mistakes."

"What's that supposed ta mean?"

"Just ya stay away from that there gal,
less'n ya be wantin' yer past ta catch up with ya. She's not right
fer ya son, no matter how much ya may think so."

Rally turned and went back to work, leaving
his son to stare after him. Dourn didn't understand his father; he
knew he'd been far from being the ideal child, hell raising came
second nature to him, but he couldn't ever remember his father
'cleanin' up' behind him. He'd usually just high tailed it out of
town before anything really troublesome happened. That is, with the
exception of Kentucky. He didn't get the chance to leave before his
world came to a crashing end.

He glanced back in the direction the
carriage that disappeared down the road and grunted. It was Julia's
fault he didn't get away in time. Her fault he had lost everything
that meant anything to him and he was damned well going to make her
pay for it.

Daniel pulled the buggy's team around and
headed out toward town. He didn't look at Julia for a long time, he
just sat there whistling and clicking his tongue at the horses. She
waited patiently for him to say something, but as the silence wore
on, her nerves began to wear thin, forcing an unfamiliar feeling of
insecurity to rise in her voice.

"Did I do something to upset you?" she
asked, bringing his attention to her.

"Of course not; why do you ask?"

"You're not exactly the best company right
now. You're just sitting there ignoring me. I could have stayed
home for all the attention I'm getting."

"I'm sorry Princess," he apologized, leaning
back in the seat and pulling her close beside him. "I guess I just
had other things on my mind."

"Like what?"

"Like that Dourn bloke. I swear I've seen
him before, but I just can't put my finger on where."

"That's odd, I had the same feeling, but I
don't remember his name being Dourn."

"Do you know what it is?"

"No, but I'm sure I know him. I know I've
never met anyone called Dourn before; it’s an odd enough name, I’m
sure I’d remember it. And he knows we call the pond our swimming
hole. It's strange, but somehow I relate him with that place."

"Why?"

"I don't know for sure, but I'm certain I've
seen him there before."

"Could you have seen him the night you
nearly drowned?" This could be the link he'd been searching for,
Daniel thought.

"I told you I only saw...I didn't see him
there." Julia cringed. She didn't want to go over all of this
again.

"Perhaps he was an acquaintance of your
father's," Daniel suggested, the need to avoid any further
arguments was shared mutually.

"I haven't the slightest idea. My father
never introduced me to anybody related to his business. He thought
a woman needed to be pampered and looked after. I was just in the
way at the stables."

"I can't imagine you ever being in the way,"
Daniel chuckled, kissing her forehead. "But I do agree with your
father. You should be pampered and spoiled and very well
protected."

"Is that advice from my husband or my
knight?"

"Is there a difference?" Daniel smiled and
Julia wound her arms around his waist, hugging him tight, causing
him to smile. Having a wife wasn't quite as bad as he had always
imagined it would be.

"Did you know Dourn caught my wedding
garter?" Julia announced, a few minutes later. Daniel's eyes
narrowed as he looked at her.

"He did what?"

"He said he was at the wedding and he caught
my garter."

"I'll have to have a word with our Mr.
Dourn," Daniel's eyes held a spark of warning Julia had never seen
before. She'd seen him angry, usually with her, but she'd never
seen him like this; quiet and tense. He looked like he was
teetering somewhere between dangerous and lethal.

"Why are you so upset? It's just a garter
and I have more. You knew somebody had to catch it when you threw
it."

"Not him," Daniel snapped sharply. "He has a
piece of you and I don't like that."

"He has no such thing," she argued. "He has
a piece of material, nothing more. You don't see me getting upset
about Sharon Farnsworth catching my bouquet, do you?"

"Why should that upset you? It's just
flowers."

"But they're mine dammit and she has them,"
now it was her turn to get angry and Daniel's look turned to
concern when she pushed away from him and sat with her arms across
her chest.

"She really bothers you doesn't she?"

"I hate her," Julia admitted, looking out
across the open space of land. Daniel looked at his wife before
falling back into silence. He understood the animosity she felt for
the woman, but it wouldn't do any good to talk to her about it.
Julia would feel as though he was trying to pry personal
information from her about the seductive brunette, rather than
information to help with his investigation.

"Do you really think there could have been
outlaws at the ranch?" she asked, hoping to distract both of their
attentions from less than nice thoughts.

"I don't know,” he answered gently. “There
have been rumors going around that several of the hands have seen a
stranger lurking about the stables. We haven't been able to find
any proof to support their sightings though."

"Daniel," she asked again, this time more
solemn and reserved. "Do you really think it could have been
somebody playing a trick on me, at the pond?"

"I don't know Princess, but I do know it
wasn't a ghost you saw. There's too much evidence to indicate a
live person was there that night and possibly responsible for your
injuries."

"But who? Daniel I swear it was Heather, she
spoke to me. I couldn't have imagined all of it...it was so
real."

"Honey please; I don't want to get into all
of that again. I'll find out who's behind this and once I do, I'll
have their hides nailed to the barn door. Just give me a chance to
pull everything together, alright?" Julia nodded softly, but the
feeling of doom still weighed heavy on her shoulders. She knew what
she had seen and no matter how much Daniel insisted otherwise,
Julia would never believe it wasn't Heather Farnsworth at the pond
or at the stables the night of the fire.

"Tell me honestly," Daniel began, anxious to
change the subject. "What are you and Margie going to do while I'm
at the office?"