The Rancher Takes a Cook (21 page)

A whistled tune echoed from outside. Anna
jumped into action. She hadn’t even started the coffee yet, and she
was already late this morning. The door opened behind her and boots
strode across the floor as she filled the metal containers with
water. A clunk echoed in the quiet room as Jacob heaved the heavy
milk bucket onto the counter.

“G’morning,” she called, but kept preparing
the coffee with her back turned away from him. How was she supposed
to thank him for the rose and the note? Should she just come out
and say she loved it? Or wait for him to bring it up?

When the coffee was prepared, she placed the
pots on the front of the stove and turned around, clutching the
rose behind her back. Jacob stood next to the counter, studying
her. His face was unreadable.

“I’m sorry I don’t have the coffee made yet,
but it’ll be ready soon.” A playful tone crept into her voice. “I
got a little side tracked when I reached for the coffee pots.”

He quirked a brow. “Really? If I’d thought
it would interfere with my coffee, I might have held off on the
present.”

She cocked her head with a smile and pulled
the rose from behind her back, holding it to her nose. “Thank you.
This is one of the nicest gifts I’ve ever received.”

He shrugged and looked down at the floor.
His boot scraped against the wood. He resembled a nervous
schoolboy, and Anna couldn’t resist the impulse. Three steps
brought her in front of him and she stood on her tip toes to plant
a soft kiss on his cheek. Jacob’s head popped up and his brows
arched, then his blue eyes darkened.

“If you’re going to thank me, Anna, you
might as well do it right.” The words were husky, and he wrapped
his arms around her waist then gently covered her lips with his
own. His kiss was sweet, tender, and only lasted for a few moments.
He separated from her, only to rest his forehead against hers. His
hand cupped her face, thumb stroking her cheek with a tenderness
that made her chest ache. Anna couldn’t think with him so close,
couldn’t breathe. Surely he could hear her heart beating like a
drum. He was so close.

“Anna.”

“Hmmm…”

“Would you do me the honor…of allowing me to
court you?”

Anna leaned her head back so she could gaze
into eyes. Did he mean that? Had he said what she thought he’d
said? “Really?”

The corners of his mouth quirked as he
tapped her nose. “Really.” He paused, as if thinking how to word
his thoughts. “I never thought I’d marry. Always focused on the
ranch and the cattle. It’s not a life many women can handle.” He
pulled her back to him and tucked her head under his chin, rubbing
her back with a possessive touch. “But I think I’ve realized it’s
not all that important without the right woman by my side.”

They stood there for several moments, Anna
relishing his strong arms around her. At last, Jacob leaned back
and tipped her chin up. “Well, are you going to keep me in
suspense?”

Anna grinned up at him. “Jacob O’Brien, I
would enjoy being courted by you.”

* * *

Later that afternoon, Anna left the Wallace
farm with a spring in her step. She’d been concerned about not
seeing Ginny and her family at the celebration yesterday, so she
paid them a quick visit to make sure all was well. It turned out
they’d only been suffering from a passing stomach ailment. The
entire family was much improved today and regaining strength. Anna
had enjoyed playing with new baby, Lilly, while she shared her news
with Ginny.

Anna couldn’t fight back the smile that
spread across her face as Bandita jogged along.
Jacob asked to
court me.
It still seemed surreal.

She kept the mare in a steady jog, too
wrapped up in her thoughts to canter like they usually did. After a
while, Bandita seemed to be frustrated with the slow pace and
tossed her head, jerking on the reins. The disruption was enough to
pull Anna from her reverie and she patted the mare’s shoulder.

“Easy, girl. Are we moving too slow for ya?”
As if in response, the mare bobbed her nose, and Anna couldn’t help
but smile. She glanced around, searching for a familiar landmark.
All around her was open pasture, except for a tree line far ahead
and to the right. Anna nibbled her lower lip. It didn’t look like
the woods she usually followed. Maybe she’d gone too far west and
ended up on the other side of those trees. She aimed Bandita toward
the east side of the woods and pushed her into a lope.

They rode for a while before Anna pulled the
mare back to a walk to let her rest. She followed the tree line on
her right, but things were still not familiar.

“I think we just need to go through this
patch of woods and we’ll be on our normal trail,” Anna said, half
to herself and half to her horse. She turned the mare toward the
trees and they made their way through the pines, oaks, and walnuts,
weaving as they went to clear low limbs and vines. Anna possessed a
good sense of direction and did her best to keep going in a fairly
straight line. The woods weren’t very large here, so they should
break through onto pasture land soon.

After a few minutes, a noise drifted across
the breeze. The low mooing of cattle? She reined in Bandita and
cocked her head to listen. Yes, it was definitely cattle. She must
be close to the pasture where the ranch hands would be. She pushed
on, turning a bit to the left toward the sound of the animals.
Pretty soon, light shone through the trees ahead and a wave of
relief washed over Anna.

As she broke through the tree line, Anna
found herself on the edge of the herd of longhorns. She scanned the
clearing for the men. If she was honest with herself, she was
really looking for one particular tall, blue-eyed cowboy. But his
familiar figure wasn’t there. In fact, none of the figures were
familiar. Confusion muddied her thoughts, and her mind struggled to
make sense of where she might be. The cowboys all had dark features
like Monty and his family, but she couldn’t see them very well from
a distance. A thread of unease crept into Anna’s stomach.
Who
were these men?

Anna lifted her reins to turn Bandita back
toward the trees but a rope settled around her shoulders and pulled
tight. An abrupt stop and a yank, and she flew through the air. She
hit the ground with a thud. A loud grunt pierced the air, but her
mind focused on trying to draw breath into her empty lungs. It came
in short gulps at first. When she was finally able to inhale a full
breath, a man leered over Anna. A boulder-sized knot formed in her
stomach.

Jacob trudged toward the barn, his mount
limping along behind him. Poor thing just had a stone bruise, but
it had been a long walk back from the east pasture and the horse
hobbled slower the farther they walked. It was still early
afternoon, so he planned to catch a new mount and head back out.
He’d stop in and see Anna for a minute, though. Maybe get a few
cinnamon cookies if she had any left.

Jacob removed his hat and placed it on the
hall tree then turned to greet Aunt Lola. He planted a kiss on her
weathered cheek and peered down the hall toward the back of the
house.

“Is Anna in the kitchen?”

“No, lad. I thought maybe you rode back home
with her.”

“Me? I came back because my horse is lame.
Where’d she go?”

“She went avisitin’ to the Wallace farm.
Been gone since late mornin’ so I ’spect her back any time
now.”

Jacob grabbed his hat and headed back out
the door. Something didn’t feel right. The chill bumps on his arms
weren’t there because it was cold in Texas in July. He’d just head
out toward the Wallace farm and check into things.

An hour later, Jacob sat atop Marshall and
scanned the horizon. He’d been over the trail to the Wallace’s, but
Everett said Anna had left there two hours ago. There was no sign
of turkey vultures in the sky to signal a dead or distressed
creature. Where should he start looking now?
Lord, where is she?
I can’t shake the feelin’ that something’s not right. Please keep
her in Your hand, Lord. Keep her safe. And help me find
her.

An image of the Guadalupe River flickered
through Jacob’s mind. That was her favorite spot, but it was unlike
Anna to be gone all day. Of course, she knew the cattle were being
pastured near the river, so maybe she had gone to find the men.
That sounded like a good place to start, so Jacob urged Marshall
into a canter moving toward the southeast. He followed the tree
line for a while then finally found the old shortcut through the
woods. The trail was a bit overgrown, so they had to slow to a
walk. After an eternity, daylight shone through the trees
ahead.

Just then, voices drifted from behind Jacob.
He halted Marshall and focused his attention in the direction of
the sound. In the distance, cattle lowed, along with male voices
calling to each other in Spanish. The little hairs on his neck
prickled. The cattle and cowpunchers belonging to the Double
Rocking B were still about a half mile to the east. Any men here
most likely did not belong. He eased toward the sounds then
dismounted and tied Marshall when he was getting close. He moved in
on foot and crept to the edge of a clearing.

Exactly what he’d expected. About fifty head
of cattle munched grass or milled around, while a few men sat on
horseback around the outskirts of the herd. Jacob counted six
dark-skinned cowboys but found no sign of Anna. Panic welled in his
chest, but he smashed it down like the lid on a Dutch oven.

He needed help, more men. And he needed to
find Anna. Each of the cattle thieves before him carried a revolver
on both hips along with a rifle in the scabbard strapped to their
saddles. Jacob’s own six-shot revolver was not enough bullet power
to take on all the men. Even if he retrieved his rifle from his
saddle, he would need back-up.

Slipping back through the woods, Jacob
mounted Marshall and urged the animal through the trees faster than
he would have if he’d been thinking straight. The minute they
reached open pasture, he pushed Marshall into a gallop, heading
straight for the area where the rest of his men worked.

Monty loped out to meet Jacob.

“Bandits…” he panted, trying to catch enough
air to speak. “I think they have Anna. Send Edward for the sheriff.
The rest…mount up…come with me.”

“Bo knows the way to town from here. Knows
where to find the sheriff, too.” Monty’s voice was calm, fueling
the fury in Jacob’s chest.

“Send Edward.” He spat the words.

“Bo’s a better choice.” Monty’s voice held
an edge now, but Jacob didn’t care.

“Monty, if that boy gets anywhere near this
mess, so help me, I’ll…” He didn’t finish his sentence. What would
he do? He sure couldn’t face Anna. “We’re wastin’ time. Send Edward
for the sheriff, gather the boys, and come now.” He ground out each
word like he was flattening them into the dirt.

Monty raised his voice then, fighting back
like a true brother. “Edward’s a man now. You know that better than
any of us. We need a strategy here, and Bo’s the best one to go for
the sheriff. Edward will be fine. You’ve taught him well.”

That last line leveled Jacob like a blow to
his gut. He had been teaching Edward how to be strong, think like a
man. Didn’t he always tell Anna she needed to let Edward grow up
and let God take care of him?

He leveled his gaze on Monty, who returned
it with a calm strength. “All right then.”

Monty gave a nod, then spun his horse and
cantered back toward the men, releasing a long whistle. The men
must have been watching, because they immediately jogged their
animals near, careful to skirt around the herd. Moving too quickly
would only spook the cattle.

Monty barked a few commands, and the men
began loading rifles. Bo tore off in the direction of town. Within
minutes, although it seemed like hours to Jacob, they were all
moving at a quick canter back the way he had come.

* * *

Anna twisted her arm, trying again to get at
the knot that held her wrists tight. She only succeeded in scraping
a layer of skin on the rough bark of the tree that held her
prisoner. Perspiration ran in slow beads down her face and soaked
into the filthy rag they had used as a gag. In the scuffle, she’d
lost her bonnet, and already the skin on her forehead and cheeks
flamed from the hot sun. It felt like she’d been tied out here for
days, but this was still better than what that foul-smelling
low-life who’d tied her up had alluded to happening after the men
returned to camp for the night. A shiver ran down Anna’s spine
despite the scorching heat of the day. She had to figure out how to
get away from here.

She had no idea where she was, but it was
definitely not a place she’d been before. The men had secured her
to one of the trees where it appeared they’d been camping, in the
woods not far from the clearing where the cattle grazed. Eight
bedrolls lay around the cold ashes of a campfire. A skillet and
coffee pot sat next to the fire ring, but otherwise the place was
empty. The thugs must keep their food and supplies packed in their
saddle bags. Snippets of male voices called to each other, but they
spoke Spanish and the words were too quick for her to catch any of
the phrases she’d learned.

God, please help me!
Anna struggled
against the rope around her wrists again, trying in vain to loosen
it even a little.
What time I am afraid, I will put my trust in
Thee.
The verse dropped into Anna’s mind, leaving calming
ripples that spread throughout her body. That verse was in Psalms
if she remembered correctly.

Cast your burden on the Lord and He shall
sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.
Anna had not yet cast this burden on the Lord. She had no idea how
she could get out of this terrible situation…but God could do it.
There was no doubt. If He could help Gideon and his three hundred
men destroy an army of hundreds of thousands of warriors, He could
certainly save Anna from a few thieving renegades. A peace like
never before settled over her, and she almost smiled. “Thank you,
Lord,” she whispered the simple prayer but meant the words with
every fiber of her being.