The Rancher (13 page)

small ornate box lying to the side of the vanity and wondered when Sophie had brought it in.  Mrs. Hutchinson followed her gaze and caressed the top of the box.

“I’ve held onto this for far too long

now.  It is time to pass it on to a real

Redbourne bride.”

When she opened the box, Abby staredat a beautiful silver hair comb.  It was

exquisite in design and had a singular rich, deep red jewel at the ridge.

“Garnet,” Mrs. Hutchinson said as she grazed the gem with her fingertips.

“What   do   you   mean   by
 
a  real
 
Redbourne bride?”  Abby’s curiosity was at the brink of turmoil.

Mrs. Hutchinson removed the combfrom the box and placed it securely at thecrown of Abby’s head.

“That is a story for another day, my

dear.”

Abby opened her mouth in protest, butthe   grandfather   clock   chimed   twoo’clock.  She would already be late.

“Thank you.”  Abby reached out andsqueezed Mrs. Hutchinson’s hand, whichrested on the closed wooden box.

Ms. Hutchinson smiled warmly andgently caressed Abby’s cheek.

“I think I will stay here, my dear.  Youdon’t mind going back to the churchunaccompanied, do you?  An old womanlike me can only handle so muchexcitement in one day.”

Abby nodded.  “Thank you.”

“Hold up there, Charcoal.”   Raine

matched his resolute speed and caught up to him in no time. “What has come over

you?”

Cole didn’t turn around.

“What do you want, Raine?” Cole was not in the mood for one of his big brother lectures and he continued his strict pace up the hill.

“What do I want?  What the hell has

gotten into you?” Raine tugged on his arm, effectively turning him about face. The rocks under Cole’s feet gave way and threw him off balance.   He nearly fell

forward into Raine.

Regaining his footing, Cole glowered athis brother, his fists tightened at his sides.

“Nothing.” Cole’s teeth clenched tightlyand he breathed heavily through his nose.

“Is it Granddad’s will? I thought you

didn’t care about the money.” Raine

baited him and he knew it.

Cole didn’t respond. He could feel theheat rising in his face.

“Please, tell me you didn’t agree tomarry her because she’s McCallister’sdaughter. It won’t solve anything.”

“Go back, Raine.   Shouldn’t you becharming the knickers off Abby’s friend, Lily?”

Raine’s fist slammed Cole in the mouth,just to the side of his chin, sending himsprawling  onto   his   backside.   Colepropped himself up onto one elbow andopened his mouth, trying to stretch histhrobbing jaw. He’d never been able tomaster the block of a left hook.

“Damn it, Cole.” Raine shook his handand walked in a short circle.  “When did

you become so bitter?”

“She’s Alaric’s girl, Raine.” Cole slumped back onto the ground, relief washing over him at the admission. “He’d planned to come back here and marry her.”

“You mean Abby is...?”

“The one and only.”

A loud guffaw burst from an otherwise solemn Raine.  “So, it wasn’t just some momentary lack of judgment that threw you at her feet.  You’re taking his place.” Raine reached his hand out to a prostrate Cole.

“I didn’t intend on marrying the girl.” Cole took Raine’s offered hand and sat up. “I was just supposed to give her this and tell her he loved her. I swore I would

protect her. To make sure she was all

right.”  Cole reached into his vest pocket and retrieved the bent horseshoe nail.  He

held it aloft in his hand.  “How the hell was I supposed to do all that if she was somebody else’s wife?” The calm in his voice hinted of exasperation and he knew it. He held the small trinket between his

thumbs and forefingers.

“This might complicate the job with McCallister.”

Cole nodded.   “Can we talk about it later?  I have a preacher to find and a woman to marry.” He pushed himself up off the ground, once again picking up the

course   he’d   left   off   with   more determination in his step.

He left the dusty road behind to follow a small trail, carved by much use, through the tall, grassy hillside meadow.   His

destination in sight, he stomped over the new morning glory and blue flax flowers that had crept onto the path.  The small wooden cabin was set high above the city of Silver Falls.  Back home the preacher had lived in a small room behind the church and Cole wondered why this parson had chosen to live so far away from his congregation.

The clouds were playing hide and seek with the sun and the wind vexed the trees

with its force.  Cole looked up into the

sky.  A storm was brewing.

He arrived at the front door to the

cabin.  The windows were off their hinges and an odd stench came from the space below the door.   Cole lifted his fist to knock, but froze before it touched the gnarled wood, and he dropped it to his

side.  He turned back to look at Raine, who’d always been there for him and had taught him a lot over the years. Not quite as forcefully in the past, but he’d learned a lot from his oldest brother.

Concern etched Raine’s brow.

“I really don’t care about the money.” Cole couldn’t quite meet his brother’seyes because he knew what he would findthere.

“Then, why now?   Why this girl?  Alaric would never expect you to marryher out of guilt.”

“Alaric loved her, Raine and if itweren’t for me they could have beentogether now.”

“Loved her?” Raine snorted.  “Maybe. And every other pretty gal between hereand Abilene.”

Cole’s stance became rigid. Alaric hadloved women.  And he’d never wanted for

female attentions.  Cole couldn’t deny that, but every time he’d talked about Abby, how different she was from all of the

others, Cole had known she was special to

him.

“I’m not sure Alaric knew what it meant to love a woman,” Raine said.  “Lily told me he left her here, waiting, nearly six

years ago.  He didn’t love her.  He loved the idea of her.  When Sarah and I fell in love, I didn’t want to be a single day away from her.”

Cole’s jaw flexed.   “Alaric wasn’tyou.” He lifted his hand once again to thedoor.

“Are you sure about this, Charcoal?”

“No.”

Raine placed his hand on Cole’sshoulder and both men turned to sit on the

stone slates that created a makeshift porch.   Cole lowered his head into his hands, his elbows resting on his knees.  He ran his fingers through his hair and then lifted his head to look out at the

wildflowers and brush growing in front of the preacher’s house.  He massaged his fingertips against his temples and forehead before he rested them, linked together, across his spread lap.

“I’m not accustomed to second guessing myself,” Cole stated flatly.

“When Sarah died, I thought my life was over. I imagine I felt much the same way you do now, and I started to mistrust my instincts.”

“How did you get over it?” Cole asked.

He had only been fourteen when Sarahdied.   He remembered one night inparticular, almost a year later, when he’dwalked into his house and had found his

eldest brother crying at the kitchen table.  He’d become himself again after that night.

Raine looked out over the valley. “I heard Sarah’s voice in my head telling me to get over myself.  That I had grieved long enough and I needed to move on and live a good life.   I can’t explain it, Charcoal, but I had to learn to trust myself again. And in time, I figured out what she’d meant. Life is a gift.”

Cole focused his attention on a spatter of red paintbrush decorating the hill. What Raine said made sense, and the first step in learning to trust himself again was to

follow through with what he’d started.

“I’m rea...”

“You chaps just hold it right there.”

Cole looked up to the end of a rifle barrel peering at them from around the corner of the house.

“Mr. Daniels?” Cole asked.

“Who’s asking, please?” The Brit asked without moving his eye from the sights.

Cole and Raine stood up together, very slowly, both with their palms flat and up in front of them.

“You don’t know us.   We’re new in town, but you might know my betrothed, Abby McCallister.”

He didn’t move.

“Look, we don’t want any trouble.  We’re just looking for the good reverend.”

The man took a step forward. A twig

snapped beneath his feet, startling a group of birds perched in the trees.   They scattered in all directions.  The gun fired.  Air grazed Cole’s jaw as the bullet whirred by, missing him by mere inches.

Cole instinctively reached for his gun, but Raine had already disarmed the man and had him face first up against the trunk of a tree, his arm twisted behind his back.

“You okay?” Raine asked, out of breath.

Cole nodded.

“I don’t think he is, though.” Colepointed at the trapped man.

Sweat trailed from his forehead, downhis nose, until it mixed the blood at thecorner of his mouth.

“You can let him go.”

Raine released his grasp on the man and

took two steps back, the rifle in one hand and his raised pistol in the other.

“Sorry about that,” he said.   “Didn’t mean for it to go off then, did I?”

“You Daniels?” Cole asked.

The man shook his head and wiped theblood from his mouth.  Then, he hunchedover and braced himself up with his handson his knees.  “Name’s Harris.”  He stood

up and offered his hand.

Neither Raine, nor Cole moved to take

it.

Harris looked at his hand and then

wiped it on his trousers.   “Well, then.  What did you want Mr. Daniel’s for?  He’s away for a time.   I’m the new associate pastor here.  Haven’t even met my congregation yet.”

His smiled looked rehearsed.

“Well, Mr. Harris, why the gun?”

“Daniel’s said there had been some

trouble.   You know, collectors taking more than their share, breaking things,” he pointed at the windows, “and the like.  I thought you might be one of them and honestly, I don’t have much to give.”

“Well, preacher, we’ll be needing you to come down into town with us.   I’m

getting married and your services are required.”

“Now?   I’m sorry, who are you exactly?”

Despite the fact that the Brit had nearly killed him, Cole didn’t think he proposed further threat and took a step toward him, his hand extended.

“I am Cole Redbourne, and this is Raine.”

Harris’s   face   turned   ash   white. “Redbourne?” He reluctantly took Cole’shand with a short, awkward laugh, thenremoved a rag from his pocket and wipedthe sweat from his brow. “I’m sorry, mydear man, but I won’t be able to performany ceremonies at this time.    I doapologize.  Wait for Reverend Daniels toreturn.  He should be back in a fortnightand has much more experience in thesematters.”

“As long as you’ll come, I don’t care

how inexperienced you are.”

Harris swallowed.   “Do I have a

choice?”

“Yes,” Raine said.  “Come willingly or

go to jail for attempted murder.”

“Just let me grab my bible.”

“We’ll wait,” Raine said.

The preacher pushed open the door tothe little house and closed it behind him.

Raine stayed put, but nodded for Cole tohead around back.  Cole quickly movedbehind the cabin and leaned up against thestone wall just to the side of an openwindow.  Sure enough, within moments asmall knapsack hit the ground, followedby the preacher climbing through thewindow.  When both feet hit the ground, Cole cleared his throat.