Mail Order Bride: Westward Dance (9 page)

“It came up on her slowly, moving one
huge foot at a time, putting it down so quietly that it didn’t even
make the grass rustle. It was big with a hump on its shoulders and
black as onyx. Dead skunk smells better than its
breath.”

Maddie wrinkled her nose as she
imagined what that would be like.

Seth lowered his voice. “It was only a
few inches away when Tessa felt that stinky breath on the back of
her neck. She went to turn around to see what was there, but she
wasn’t fast enough. It grabbed her hair!” he said
loudly.

Maddie jumped and made a little
squeaking sound.

Seth leaned forward a little. “It
started dragging your sister away, trying to take her back to its
lair. She started screaming and hitting at it, but it was way too
powerful.”

“How did she get away?” Maddie
asked.

“She remembered she had her pencil and
stuck it up its nose. It roared with fury and leaped back letting
go of her. Then it thundered away, back where it had come,” he
said.

“My sister fought off a monster with a
pencil
?” Maddie said.

“A monster?” Seth shook his head.
“Nope. Just a Texas longhorn bull.”

“A bull?” Maddie was confused for a
moment before realizing that he’d pulled a fast one on her. She
would have hit him if it wasn’t so funny. “You said it was some
creature that’s not seen everywhere, not a bull!”

Seth laughed. “Not just any bull. How
many people do you personally know that have seen a Texas
longhorn?”

Maddie realized that he was right. She
doubted that many in her social circles would have any reason to
visit the Midwest, much less have anything to do with a Texas
longhorn. The thought of some of her friends meeting one was
amusing.

“You’re right, of course. I don’t see
them strolling along in a pasture where they could possibly be
trampled,” Maddie said.

Seth chuckled. “Thanks for not getting
mad at me for having a little fun with you.”

“You may have grown up with brothers,
but you have no idea what havoc three sisters can wreak on each
other. Ask Papa, he’ll tell you,” Maddie said. “On that note, I’ll
bid you goodnight. Thank you for the story and the
company.”

Seth inclined his head. “Likewise, Miss
O’Connor.”

As she rose, Maddie found that she
didn’t want to leave him. She worried about how he was going to get
to bed, but then figured that they must have an arrangement worked
out. They had been doing this ever since Seth had been hurt, after
all.

Maddie was an intelligent woman and
though she was all for having fun and dreaming about an exciting
and wonderful future, she wasn’t quite as fanciful as Tessa.
Inside, however, she felt that a connection had been made with Seth
as surely as she stood in a beautiful, rustic house in Montana. It
had started with that first letter Seth sent. That letter was the
beginning of Maddie’s healing process and though she had a ways to
go, at least she wasn’t still lying in bed buried under the
covers.

She owed Seth a debt of gratitude and
intended to repay it somehow. As these deep emotions moved through
her, tears came into Maddie’s eyes. She moved closer to Seth and
held out a hand. Seth looked up at her with a quizzical expression.
Their eyes met then and she gave him a small nod and a smile and he
understood. Sometimes saying thanks was hard, especially when so
many feelings were attached.

Seth took her hand and shook it as he
gave her a smile and a nod back. Her skin was smooth and warm in
his large hand. It had been a while since he’d felt a woman’s
touch, but it was Maddie that ignited a hunger that hit him out of
nowhere. Before he knew what he was doing, Seth brought her hand to
his mouth and pressed his lips against the back of it.

Maddie gave a small involuntary gasp of
surprise. She hadn’t been expecting that gallant gesture from Seth
and she had never been as affected by a man kissing her hand as she
was by Seth’s kiss. His lips were surprisingly soft and his touch
was gentle. Then he pulled back and released her hand.

“Goodnight, Maddie. Sleep well,” Seth
said.

Maddie looked into Seth’s eyes and saw
the same storm of emotions mirrored in them. It scared her and she
stepped back. She gave him a brief smile. “Goodnight,” she said and
left the room.

“I want to go outside,” Seth said to
Dean the next morning. “I’m tired of being inside. Bring over one
of my chairs from my bunkhouse and put it on the flat part of the
yard under the oak tree.” He remembered Marcus’ admonishment from
the previous day about asking nicely and said, “Please?”

Dean blinked once or twice. Seth must
want to go outside very badly if he was being polite. He usually
barked orders, which Marcus tended to obey and Dean usually ignored
or responded to with a sarcastic remark. That dynamic had been
started when they were kids. Seth and Dean had given the orders and
Marcus had grown up following them. They weren’t cruel but did
expect him to do what they said.

As they grew older, Marcus figured out
that he had a different type of intellect than his siblings and
began to use it. He started pitting them against one another or
using his sharper sense of humor to make them forget what they’d
wanted him to do in the first place. It became apparent to Dean and
Seth that Marcus was better at scholarly pursuits than they
were.

Their different personalities and
skills blended well and helped them to keep the ranch going. Over
the last year they were starting to turn real profits which they
intended to reinvest in their operation. The Holsteins were one
such investment.

“All right. We can to that,” Dean
said.

Geoffrey came into the parlor. “Top o’
the morning, lads,” he said. When he was in a good mood, Geoffrey
sometimes let his Irish brogue loose. When he’d first come to the
United States, it had been thick but he’d lost it some over the
years.

Seth laughed. “Aye and a fine one it
‘tis.”

Geoffrey smiled. “Not bad, not
bad.”

“Thanks.”

“So what are you doing?” Geoff
asked.

“Moving this guy outside for some fresh
air. Might blow some of the stink off him,” Dean
answered.

“I’ll help. Just tell me what you want
me to do,” Geoff offered.

“All right. I’ll take you up on that
offer since Marcus isn’t here yet.” Dean frowned. “He was probably
up reading all night again and slept late.”

“Don’t worry about him right now,” Seth
said. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

Geoff laughed. “Is he always this
cranky?”

“Yup. Ok, Geoff, follow me, please,”
Dean said.

“We’ll fix you up. Not to worry,” Geoff
told Seth and left with Dean.

Tessa came in the house, Mikey in tow.
Trouble followed them and jumped up with Seth.

“Seth, my husband informs me that
you’re going to sit outside for a while,” she said.

“Yeah. I’m going crazy in here, Tessa.
I’m not used to this,” he said.

Tessa had come to know her
brother-in-law as the rugged outdoorsman who would sleep out in the
open as long as the weather was nice. Like Dean, he was used to
being in constant motion during the day and playing hard at night.
She knew his reputation with women around the area, but also knew
that he was a good man. Her heart went out to him. She couldn’t
imagine how hard this must be for him.

“Well then, you’re going to need a few
cushions to put on those chairs they’re bringing over from your
bunkhouse. Come, Mikey, and help your Mama, ok? We’re going to help
Uncle Seth.”

“’
Kay. Help, shush,” Mikey
said. He went over to Seth and gave him a hug. “Unc
Shush.”

Seth hugged him back and kissed his
head. “Thanks, buddy. Now go help your mama.”

“’
Kay. Mama, me help.”
Mikey went to her.

Tessa took his hand. “Let’s
go.”

Seth watched them leave and thought how
lucky his brother was to have such a wonderful woman for a wife and
three beautiful kids. He had a sudden wish for a family of his own
and then wondered where it had come from. Seth had never planned to
settle down. It just wasn’t his style. He was perfectly happy
running the cattle drives and traveling around and that didn’t fit
in with having a wife and family.

Maddie came into the room and her
beauty mesmerized him again. She was wearing one of the simple
dresses like Tessa wore and she’d put her hair in a long braid that
she wore over one shoulder. With her hair down like that, her blue
eyes seemed even bigger and Seth could well imagine getting lost in
them forever.

“’
Morning,” Seth said. “Did
you sleep all right?”

Maddie wasn’t going to tell Seth that
she hadn’t been able to sleep for a long time. The sensation of his
kiss on her hand had stayed with her and brought about conflicting
feelings. She’d had no contact in that respect with a man ever
since the attack and wasn’t sure how she felt about it. On one
hand, Maddie had enjoyed it very much, but on the other, it had
been unexpected and she hadn’t been prepared for the rush of
emotions it invoked inside.

“I slept very well, thank you. How are
you today?” she asked.

His face, handsome as it was, showed
his fatigue and pain. “About the same. The army is assembling and
moving me outside. It’ll be a good change for me.”

Maddie nodded. “Yes. I agree. What can
I do?”

“Ask your sister. I’m not sure what
they have up their sleeves,” Seth said. “Um, I’m sorry about last
night. Not the story; that was too much fun. I’m talking about the
other thing. Not sorry I did it exactly, but sorry if it bothered
you.”

He watched as her eyes lowered in an
indication that she had been affected, but he couldn’t figure out
if it was a good thing or bad.

Maddie wasn’t sure how to answer him at
first. She didn’t want to offend him, but felt that she should be
honest. “I was surprised; however, it was also pleasant. That’s the
first contact of that sort that I’ve had since…” Her words trailed
off because she was too bashful to finish the sentence.

Seth smiled. “I get what you’re saying.
Don’t worry, it won’t happen again.”

Maddie gave him a small, coy look. “I
didn’t say that it couldn’t. I’m just asking for
patience.”

Joy surged through Seth at her words.
“I’m not usually much for patience, but in this case, I’ll make an
exception.”

Maddie chuckled. “Thank
you.”

Tessa came out of her and Dean’s room
lugging some cushions. “Oh, Maddie, can you please help
us?”

“Certainly,” she said.

After breakfast, Seth was safely
ensconced under the oak tree. They’d sat three chairs in a row and
laid cushions on them. Physically moving Seth had been an arduous
task, especially for him. However, he’d been determined and was
glad that he’d made the effort.

Tessa and Maddie had spread a blanket
on the lawn and they played with Mikey. Seth was enjoying the fresh
air and watching his niece and nephews run around having fun. The
breeze was lazy and kept them from getting too hot. Seth looked
around the ranch and realized how much he loved it.

He glanced at the kitchen window and
remembered their mother sitting her baking on the wide windowsill
to cool. Nostalgia swept over him for the days when their parents
had been alive. His pa had taken him and Dean on their first cattle
drive when they were sixteen and fifteen respectively. The brothers
had been so excited about the trip. Marcus had refused to see them
off because he was angry he couldn’t go along. He’d only been
eleven and too young to do the arduous work required.

Maddie noticed that Seth had retreated
somewhere inside himself and wondered at the cause. He didn’t seem
upset; in fact he was smiling. His thoughts must have been
pleasant. She was curious and said, “A penny for your thoughts,
Seth.”

Seth heard his name and turned his
attention back to the world around him instead of the past. “Oh,
just reminiscing about when I was younger. I was just remembering
my first cattle drive.”

“Really? What was it like?” Maddie
asked.

“Nah. You don’t want to hear about
that,” Seth said.

“If I didn’t want to know, I wouldn’t
have asked. Now, out with it,” she responded.

Seth thought her stubborn expression
was pretty and adorable. He saw the same formidable will in Maddie
as in her sister. Some men wanted women who were meek and easily
managed, but Seth appreciated women who knew their own minds and
weren’t afraid to speak them.

“All right,” he agreed.

Tessa was ecstatic about more possible
writing material and could have kissed Maddie for being persistent.
She pulled out her small tablet and pencil, which were always in
her apron pocket and found some empty pages.

Seth said, “You crack me up, Tessa. It
always amazes me what you’re going to find interesting to write
about or use in one of your stories.”