A Rancher for Rowena Read online

  “Are you supposed to be trotting around like this?” Fiona asked, waving a hand at Margaret.

  “Dr. Wayment gave me this week’s checkup while he was here for the party, and he says I can move around a bit more freely now,” Margaret replied. “As long as I’m careful and don’t do anything foolish, the danger should be past.”

  “That’s wonderful news,” Cora said.

  “What constitutes doing foolish things?” Fiona wanted to know. “If we see you out gardening or wrestling with one of the cows, should we stop you?”

  “Yes, I think those would qualify,” Margaret replied with a smile.

  “Here,” Wynonna said. “Come sit down over here by the fireplace. There’s no fire, of course, because it’s hot outside, but it’s still a good place to rest.”

  Margaret lowered herself into the rocking chair by the hearth. “Oh, this is nice,” she said. “The men really did a fine job.”

  “We were just talking about that,” Rowena said. “They added quite a few things that weren’t in the original plan.”

  “They just want you to be comfortable.” Margaret looked around with a smile on her face. “You girls will make this a lovely little home. I can hardly wait to see it after you’ve each added your personal touches.”

  “And we’ll enjoy every minute of it,” Rowena added. She glanced around and noticed that the other girls were discussing where to put the cups. Now was the first good chance she’d had to talk to Margaret alone all week. “So, tell me about the wagon driving idea.”

  Margaret smiled. “You still want to talk about that, do you?”

  “It’s burned into my brain. I must know what you were thinking,” Rowena replied.

  “Well, it’s a bit silly, I suppose.” Margaret shifted her weight a little. “But if Sully drove the wagon, you and Billy would never have had the chance to talk. You would have had a wonderful time with Sully, but that wasn’t the purpose of the trip. By putting you in the driver’s seat, someone would have to save you eventually, and what better choice than Billy, who was already crazy about you?”

  “I’m still not sure I understand your reasoning, but the outcome was certainly nice,” Rowena replied.

  “I’m not sure I understand my reasoning either. I will say, though, that I’m very effective.”

  “That you are. Now, I think you need to lie down for a bit—your eyes look tired.”

  “They are. I think lying down is a wonderful idea. Will you walk me back to the house?” Margaret asked.

  “Of course.”

  Rowena told the other girls she’d be back soon, and walked with Margaret across the compound. “When you and Wade were courting, did you ever doubt his feelings for you?”

  Margaret looked over at her, a worried expression on her face. “Are you having doubts about Billy?”

  “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I just keep thinking that this is too impossible to be real, that we’ve only just met and I can’t be in love with him after such a short time. It feels like it’s all about to be snatched away.”

  Margaret reached over and squeezed Rowena’s arm. “You’ve been disappointed in love before, haven’t you?”

  “Yes, but it’s been an awfully long time, and I thought I’d put all those feelings behind me.”

  “I don’t think you have—I think they’re causing your doubts now. Trust Billy, Rowena. He wouldn’t have confessed feelings for you if they weren’t real—he’s not that sort of man. If he tells you something, you can count on it.”

  Rowena pulled in a breath. “Deep in my heart, I know that’s true. It’s just . . .”

  “Your head keeps getting in the way?”

  “Yes.”

  Margaret smiled. “Then it’s a good thing we don’t fall in love with our heads.”

  Rowena made sure Margaret was safely inside before heading back to the new cabin. She did trust Billy. She trusted him more than she’d ever trusted Old What’s His Name, the boy she’d known when she was sixteen and had stars in her eyes. Now it was a matter of pushing those memories aside and stepping forward with the faith she’d need in this new relationship in a whole new part of the country.

  ***

  “That was a delicious dinner,” Jack said, placing his napkin on the table. “Thank you for inviting us over.”

  “We had to celebrate our new cabin, and this seemed like the perfect way to do it,” Wynonna replied.

  Rowena looked around the room at her friends. Billy, Jack, and Zeke had been their guests on their second official night living in the cabin. The girls had gotten everything situated the way they wanted, and it was fun to show off their hard work.

  “I just wish there was a way to thank all the men for everything they’ve done,” she said. “We could have them over for dinner in shifts, I suppose, but we can’t fit everyone here all at once.”

  “Fact is, they were happy to build the cabins as a way to thank you for everything you’ve done,” Billy replied. “The cooking, the laundry, the general cheerful attitude—you’ve done a lot of good here whether you know it or not.”

  “Well, now I’m getting a little teary-eyed,” Fiona said. “And I don’t like getting teary-eyed, so I think it’s time for dessert.”

  They each enjoyed a slice of cake, and then Billy took Rowena by the hand and asked her to go for a walk with him. “And you too, Zeke,” he added.

  That was an odd request, but Zeke seemed to be expecting it. He got to his feet and followed them out the door.

  Billy threaded his fingers through Rowena’s as they strolled, behaving as though they were completely alone. Rowena kept glancing over her shoulder at Zeke. Was he acting as their chaperone? If so, why didn’t Billy just say so, and why did he want a chaperone now when they hadn’t had one before?

  “It’s a beautiful night,” she said at last, trying to break the awkward silence. At least, it was awkward for her—neither of the men seemed bothered in the slightest.

  “It really is, especially with the moonlight. I would tell you how beautiful you look in the moonlight, Rowena, because it’s definitely true, but right now, it’s serving another purpose.”

  “It . . . it is?” She was so confused.

  “Yes. Right now, it’s our giant lantern in the sky.” Billy stopped walking and turned, holding out his arms. “If you could choose a spot for your very own cabin, where would you like it built?”

  “But I just moved into a new cabin,” she replied.

  Billy chuckled. “I mean, your very own cabin that you would share with me.” He took both her hands in his, which was a good idea because she’d suddenly lost her balance. “I love you, Rowena. Even when I was too hesitant to say anything and too shy to do anything, I’ve loved you, and now I’m brave enough to say it out loud a million times over. And I don’t want to wait weeks on end to propose like Jack because I want the knowledge and assurance right this minute that this is real.” He dropped to one knee. “Will you marry me, Rowena?”

  “Yes. A million times yes.” She almost couldn’t say the words because her heart was beating so fast, she couldn’t breathe.

  Billy came to his feet again and snatched her up into a hug. As much as she would have enjoyed a kiss, she was glad for a moment to catch her breath first. He lifted her up into the air and swung her around, then set her back on her feet again.

  “I just have one question,” she said, looking up into his eyes.

  “Yes?”

  “Why did you bring Zeke along to propose to me?”

  Billy threw his head back and laughed. “To be honest, I forgot he was there for a minute.”

  “Thank you,” Zeke said dryly.

  “He’s here because you still need to answer my first question. Where would you like your cabin built? And then he’ll tell you if that’s a good spot of land.”

  “I’ve never surveyed by moonlight before, but I figure I know this compound well enough, it should be somewhat accurate,” Zeke replied. “Of course yo
u realize, I’m mostly for show right now. I’ll come back again tomorrow and double check.”

  Rowena laughed. “So, you’re Billy’s version of bringing a horse out into the middle of a party?”

  “Essentially, yes. I’m here to make this proposal more memorable.”

  She laughed again. “It’s getting more memorable by the minute. All right, what if I wanted the cabin to go there?” She gestured toward the southern end of the compound. “I’d like to be the farthest away from the bunkhouse so we have a bit more privacy—there’s so much coming and going through here. And I’d like the porch to face west so we can sit out there and watch the sun set.”

  Zeke nodded. “I know the perfect spot,” he said. “The ground gets bumpy a few yards past it, but we’ll place the cabin just right for you.”

  “Thank you, Zeke,” she told him. “I appreciate it.”

  “You’re welcome. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll leave the two of you to finish up this proposal all by yourselves. I can find my way back.” Rowena could hear him chuckling as he walked off.

  “You wanted him to survey the land in the dark?” she asked Billy teasingly.

  “Well, I wanted your input on where the cabin should go, but I didn’t want to wait until sunup. I’m an impatient man when there’s something I want, and I’ve never wanted anything in my life as much as I want to marry you.”

  “Hmm. In that case, I might have to forgive you for dragging Zeke all the way out here.” She wrapped her arms around Billy’s waist. “Thank you for wanting me so very much. I’m not used to that.”

  “I’m not used to being wanted either, so that makes us perfect for each other—we can spend our lives showing each other just how very wanted we are.” He bent down and kissed her, and she closed her eyes. It might not have been the way she’d always imagined a walk in the moonlight would go, but it was so much better than her imagination.

  The End

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  About Amelia C. Adams

  Amelia traces her family tree right back to the settlement of the Old West—her great-great-grandmother even drove a wagon to her new home. Amelia is a wife, a mother, and a novelist. She spends her days dreaming up stories and her nights writing them down. Her biggest hero is her husband, and you might just see bits and pieces of him as you read her novels. She loves all things historical and enjoys learning about days gone by, but she's glad she was born in modern times because the Internet is awesome, and she's glad she doesn't have to wash her clothes by hand in a galvanized tub. She’s an eater of tacos, a taker of naps, and a dreamer of dreams.

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