A Rancher for Rowena Read online

  Billy slowly nodded. He didn’t quite believe that his words could make so much of an impact on someone else, let alone a girl, but he was willing to consider it because Miss Margaret said so, and he trusted her.

  “And what if I say somethin’, and it turns out that she doesn’t think it’s very important?”

  “Then she doesn’t deserve you.” Miss Margaret smiled at him. “Billy, the right girl will think it’s important because it’s important to you. Gracious—do you have any idea how many hours I’ve sat here listening to Wade talk about branding the baby cows or choosing out which ones to sell? Personally, I could do without one single minute more of it, but I listen and I ask questions because I love my husband. At the same time, he listens to me talk about knitting and booties and how tired I am of sitting around. It’s part of showing you care about the person, even if you don’t care about yarn.”

  “I heard that,” Wade said, coming in from the kitchen with a mug of coffee in his hand. “And I agree, even if I am a little sad that you aren’t interested in hearin’ me talk about shovelin’ manure out of the barn. Frankly, I thought that was fascinatin’.”

  “Not even slightly, my love, but I’ll listen for hours because I love talking to you.” She smiled at him, then turned back to Billy. “Your words are important, and they’ll be even more important to the right people. The trick is finding those people, and that means saying a little more and seeing how it’s received.”

  Billy shook his head. “I was afraid you were gonna say somethin’ like that.”

  “It’s the way of it. I’m sorry.”

  “I understand.” He came to his feet. “I appreciate it, Miss Margaret. You’re goin’ out of your way to help us, and I promise, I’ll think on everythin’ you said.”

  “I hope so. I believe a certain young lady would very much enjoy the chance to chat with you on your long drive tomorrow.”

  Billy had suspected there was a reason for the timing of this lesson, and that had just been confirmed. At least he had a heads-up. “I’ll do my best. Night, Miss Margaret. Night, Wade.”

  And now to see if he could get any real sleep, or if he’d spend the night trying to think of something—anything—he could talk to Miss Rowena about the next day.

  Chapter Five

  “Have a good time today, and be safe—don’t have the same sorts of adventures Helen and I did last time we went into town,” Wynonna advised as she pushed a heavy picnic basket into the back of the wagon.

  “Oh, we’d better not,” Rowena replied. “I don’t think we could handle another set of adventures like that.” She turned to Fiona. “And I can’t wait to hear all about your day.”

  Fiona grinned. “I’m looking forward to it, actually. I’ve cooked with beef plenty of times, but I’ve never seen it butchered before. Jack says he’ll show me all his tips and tricks.”

  Cora shuddered. “I’ll stay with Margaret and keep her company until you’re done with all the gruesome parts.”

  At the sound of a whip crack, the girls turned and saw Billy and Tenny heading for the road, driving a few cows in front of them. Old Sully rode up next to the wagon and nodded toward the men. “They’re gettin’ a head start because you’ve gotta keep cows movin’ once they’ve made up their minds. Are you ready, Miss Rowena?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “Let’s get going, then. You’ve driven a wagon before?”

  She looked at him and blinked. “No. Never. Was I . . . Are you expecting me to drive this thing?” A knot formed in her stomach. “Maybe I’d better stay behind today.”

  “Naw, no need for that.” Sully nodded toward the wagon. “Climb on up there and I’ll talk you through what needs doin’.”

  “But why aren’t you driving? If Billy and Tenny have the cows under control …”

  “Thing is, they might not,” Sully replied. “If one of them animals takes off, they’ll need my help.” He studied her, one eye squinted. “Seems to me you’re a bit terrified, Miss Rowena. We can call this off—”

  “No,” she blurted. “I can do it.” She didn’t know why she’d said that—it was likely her pride. Her very stupid, inconvenient pride. “If you tell me what to do, I’m sure I’ll be fine. And it’s just until we reach town, right? Someone else will drive the wagon once the cows are dropped off at the hotel?”

  “Of course,” Sully assured her. “Now, go ahead and git yerself up into that driver’s seat.”

  “All right, I will, but I have the strangest feeling there’s been some conniving going on here.”

  Sully’s eyebrows rose nearly to his hairline. “Conniving? Miss Rowena, I’m sure I have no idea what yer talkin’ about.”

  “You and Margaret didn’t get together and come up with this little scheme to force me and Billy into a situation where we’d have to talk to each other?”

  “Now, the thing you’ve gotta understand, Miss Rowena, is that I’m not that smart. I’m no good at comin’ up with nefarious plots and whatnot. I promise, I had nothing to do with this.”

  “Oh, so it was Margaret’s idea?”

  His face turned beet red.

  “I see. She thought of the idea, and you’re just helping her go along with it.” Rowena shook her head. “Sully, Sully, Sully. I thought your days of matchmaking were done.”

  “I don’t recall sayin’ that exactly, Miss Rowena. I might still have a trick or two up these old sleeves, and that bein’ the case, it seems a real shame not to use ’em, don’t you think?”

  Rowena sighed. “I think I’d better climb up on that wagon seat before the cows are so far down the road, we can’t see them anymore.”

  She had climbed into plenty of wagons before, but always from the passenger side. She wasn’t sure how to go about it from the driver’s side. She gathered up her skirt in her left hand instead of her right, then tried to hoist herself in, but the handles were in the wrong places and she wasn’t sure where her feet should go.

  “Yer doin’ fine. Just fine,” Sully told her.

  She glanced behind to see her friends trying to hide their snickers. “I really can do this,” she said. Throwing all her weight forward, she finally managed to clamber up, then took a moment to rearrange her skirts and smooth her hair.

  “Not one word of this to anyone,” she said, shaking a finger threateningly at Sully.

  “Oh, no, ma’am,” he replied, a twinkle in his eye. “Far as I’m concerned, you did that all on your very first try.”

  “Good. Now, tell me what to do next.” She was concerned by the fact that Billy and Tenny were so far ahead, but she supposed that actually didn’t matter much. They’d be busy with the cows all the way into Topeka, and it wasn’t like there would be much of a chance for conversation until later anyway.

  “Next, you’re gonna gather up those lines there, one in each hand, makin’ sure not to cross ‘em. That’s right—the left one in the left hand and so forth. When you’re ready to go, you just give ‘em a little shake, and when you’re ready to stop, you pull ‘em. It’s really as easy as anything.”

  “As anything?”

  “Well, maybe I’m bein’ a little optimistic, but truth is, these horses know what they’re doin’, and I’ll be nearby the whole time. Unless the cows spook, in which case I won’t be. But you’ll do just fine, Miss Rowena. Just fine.”

  “I just realized why you’re the one giving me wagon driving lessons, Sully.”

  “Oh? Why’s that?”

  “Because you’re the one I’m least likely to strangle.”

  He threw his head back and laughed. “Well, it’s nice to know I’m sorta safe. Let’s go.”

  Rowena wasn’t sure if the horses were responding to Sully’s voice or to the tentative shake of the reins she gave, but with a lurch, they were off, and it was both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. She felt as though she might go sailing right off the seat and land out there between the horses somewhere. She wedged her feet under a lip of wood in front of her, a
nd that did help somewhat, but it was for certain—she wasn’t in control of this wagon. The horses were.

  Sully rode alongside her, shouting encouragement. “You’re doing just fine, Miss Rowena! Just fine! Now, when you’re ready, you can go a little faster—”

  “Faster? Are you teasing me? There’s no way—just no way!”

  “Wait until you get used to it. You’re doing great.”

  Her hands had already begun to ache from gripping the lines so tightly. She realized she didn’t need to squeeze so hard and tried to relax her fingers, but that was difficult. After taking a deep breath, she finally managed it, keeping just the right tension on the lines without causing herself bodily injury while she was at it.

  “Now, when we get up here to the road, you’ll need to turn right,” Sully called out.

  “Turning? You never said anything about turning!”

  “Well, I figured we all knew that had to happen, seein’ as how we’re not on the main road just yet,” Sully pointed out.

  “But . . . but how do I do it?”

  “Pull on the right line there. They’ve made this turn hundreds of times—they’ll know what you want.”

  A horrible thought suddenly crossed Rowena’s mind. “One of these isn’t the horse that kicked Zeke, is it?”

  “No, ma’am. Wouldn’t dream of it.”

  So, he had the foresight not to hook up a skittish horse to her wagon, but he didn’t have the foresight to have someone else drive the silly thing? Oh, yes—a conspiracy was afoot, and she’d have some words for Margaret when they got back to the ranch.

  Assuming, of course, that she didn’t drive the wagon off the road altogether and get killed in the process. That would make a conversation very difficult.

  “Pull right!”

  At Sully’s command, Rowena pulled on the right-hand line, and miraculously, the horses turned. It had nothing to do with her skill whatsoever because she didn’t have any. The horses were simply doing what they’d been told to do over and over again—thank goodness.

  “See? There ya go. You’re a natural, Miss Rowena,” Sully called out.

  “Yes, I’m sure you mean that without any sarcasm whatsoever,” she replied.

  He laughed, then pointed ahead. “We’ve got nothin’ but a straight road for miles. This is a good chance for you to start feelin’ comfortable up there.”

  “Comfortable? I don’t think so—not unless you’ve got a seat cushion tucked away here somewhere.”

  “Nope, although now that you mention it, that’s a mighty fine idea. I’ll have to take that into some consideration.”

  Some hair had come loose from Rowena’s braid, and after a moment, she felt confident enough in her handling of the team to reach up and tuck the strands behind her ear. And to scratch her nose, which had been bothering her for over a minute, but she hadn’t dared move even a muscle. Now, with the horses plodding along in a straight line and really needing very little from her, maybe she could get comfortable. At least, comfortable enough to scratch her nose when necessary.

  Sully rode ahead to check on the cows, then came back to report that all was well. “Billy and Tenny seem right impressed that you’re driving the wagon,” he said. “They said to keep up the good work.”

  “You didn’t need to tell them, did you?” Rowena asked, suddenly embarrassed. What would they think? That she was too citified and would likely crash, or that she had become too countrified and wasn’t much of a lady anymore?

  Then again, how did she want them to view her? She honestly didn’t know.

  “Well now, if I’m ridin’ horseback, someone’s got to be drivin’ the wagon, don’t they? These things don’t drive themselves.”

  A sad truth—it would certainly be nice if they did. “I suppose you did have to mention it,” she called back. “I just . . . well, where I’m from, women drive small buggies if they drive at all. A wagon like this . . . it’s unheard of.”

  “It’s good for women to learn how to do these sorts of things for themselves,” Sully told her. “Just think about the war—how many womenfolk suddenly found themselves without any men on their land at all? They had to learn to make shift for themselves—plantin’ and harvestin’ and gettin’ their goods to market. They got in there and did what needed doin’, and that saved their children from dyin’ of starvation.”

  Rowena felt a little ashamed of herself for complaining. “You’re right, Sully. I should be eager to learn everything I can—I live on a ranch now, at least until fall, and I want to be an asset, not a liability.”

  “Whooohooo! It’s a good thing Gallagher’s not here to make a joke out of that.” Sully couldn’t stop chuckling. “Of course, you’re too much of a lady to know what I’m talking about.”

  “Sadly, yes, I do know,” Rowena replied. “I’ve heard my fair share of bawdy jokes, and I shouldn’t have said it anyway. Now, please, let’s be serious for a moment. What other jobs do you think I should learn to handle? I could milk cows or collect eggs, for instance.”

  “True, true, you could. And I don’t see any harm in you learnin’, neither.” A moment of silence passed, and then Sully was nearly doubled over in the saddle with laughter.

  “Are you all right?” Rowena asked when the man didn’t seem to recover for several seconds.

  “I’m fine,” he gasped out. “I was just thinking . . . the irony . . .”

  She had no idea what he was talking about. At last, he explained, “Miss Margaret’s giving the men etiquette lessons, and those are doing pretty well. I was just thinkin’, what if she expanded that idea just a freckle and had lessons for the girls? You could learn how to shoot a rifle or skin a rabbit or . . .”

  It took all Rowena had not to shudder when she thought about skinning rabbits. She didn’t even know if Fiona would be able to do it, and Fiona was twice as brave as she was. “That’s not a bad idea, Sully,” she replied. “At least, teaching us how to do the basic things—I’m not sure about butchering.”

  Sully nodded, looking thoughtful. “I bet there’s a heap of stuff you could learn that would come in handy—not just on the ranch, but wherever you go after that.” He scratched his chin. “’Course, there are those of us who’re hopin’ you just stick around and don’t leave after all . . .”

  “Yes, I know Margaret will miss us when we leave,” Rowena said teasingly.

  “Oh, it’s not just Miss Margaret. I’d miss you myself.” He gave her a grin. “I’m gonna go check on the cows again. You’re doin’ fine with this wagon, Miss Rowena. Just fine.”

  She chuckled as she watched him ride up ahead. She knew he was teasing about missing her, and yet, there was truth there as well. She knew she’d always look back on him fondly. His down-to-earth ways, his open and friendly demeanor—he’d made her feel right at home from the start. She would definitely miss him.

  If she left.

  Her arms were getting tired, but she wasn’t about to complain. She’d been asked to drive this wagon for a reason, and she was going to prove herself up to the task. What would she gain from it? She had no idea—except that it would be a little fun to brag about it. She’d never liked the notion of being entirely dependent on other people, and this made her feel . . . well, a little heady. Even if the horses were the ones doing all the work.

  Her mind flickered back to Sully’s idea for classes for the girls. He came up with it in a moment of levity, but the more she thought about it, the more she liked it, and she thought the other girls would too. Hadn’t leaving their homes back east and coming to Kansas been a sign of their quest for independence? Learning these new skills could only help them in the long run.

  And if some of the men on the ranch were teaching those skills . . . there was definitely more matchmaking afoot here.

  Chapter Six

  Billy turned in his saddle as Sully rode up. “How far behind is the wagon, Sully?”

  “Not far. ’Bout a quarter mile, I’d say.” Sully scratched his chin. “She’
s a real determined little gal, that Miss MacDonald. I can see why you picked her out.”

  “Just wish she was a little more eager to be picked,” Billy replied. “So, she’s doing all right back there?”

  “Better than I would have dreamed. Almost like she’s been drivin’ a wagon her whole life.”

  Billy shook his head, still a little irritated. When he’d first found out that Rowena had been put in charge of the wagon, he’d wanted to ride back and get her down from there, but Sully had convinced him that she wanted to give it a try. Something had seemed a little odd about the whole situation, though, and he wanted to find out for himself if she’d really made that request or if she’d been put up to it.

  “Think I’ll ride back and check on her myself,” he said.

  Sully held up a finger. “Before you go, remember what Miss Margaret said about talking to girls. Be open. Be yourself. Share your feelings.”

  “Any advice from those romance novels of yours?” Billy asked. He loved to tease Sully about the dime novels the old cowboy carried around in his pocket all the time.

  “Well, let’s see.” Sully pulled out his recent read and flipped it open. “In chapter nine, there’s a real nice scene where Captain Fredericks tells Miss Augustina—”

  “Don’t any of these people have real-sounding names?” Tenny asked. “I feel real sorry for all those little tots in grammar school tryin’ to figure out how to write their names on their slates.”

  “You aren’t supposta be thinkin’ about stuff like that,” Sully said. “You’re supposta just read the story.”

  Tenny shook his head. “I don’t know how not to think about stuff like that. It just pops in my head.”

  “Well, I’m not talkin’ to you right now anyway.” Sully turned back to Billy. “The captain’s a real good example of how to talk to ladies. He compliments ‘em quite a lot and tells them how lovely they look in the moonlight—”

  “It’s full-on daylight right now,” Tenny pointed out.

  “If there is moonlight, you talk about it,” Sully said, giving Tenny a scowl. “And if there’s not, you don’t. You’ve gotta use your brains.”