{Chapter} 4
Toni watched as the deputy sheriff Adam Sterling rode back toward town after a long talk with her foreman. Wade had a pinched look on his face, and that was never a good thing.
“What did he say?” Toni asked.
“We talked about the rustlers” Wade said.
“And?”
“Well, he says that he might be familiar with this gang” Wade shoved his muscular hands into his pockets.
“Uh huh” Toni said, urging his to continue.
“He said that -if they were the men he thought they were- that they go around looking for ranches who are poorly guarded or have women running them or any ranch that might be easy to steal from and take their best livestock” Wade said.
Toni’s temper flared. “The low-down cowards!”
“Hey now, he said that he might have a solution. It’s a strange solution, but it might work” Wade said.
“Keep going” Toni urged.
“He said that they might not keep coming after you if you were married. He said that they see you as an easy target because you’re a woman” Wade explained.
“I resent that remark!” Toni grew infuriated.
“Calm down, Boss. There’s a solution, remember?” Wade said calmly.
“And what’s that?” Toni asked, narrowing her eyes at the foreman.
Wade took a deep breath and held it for a moment. “Marriage.”
“What!” Toni screeched.
“Wait, wait, wait” Wade held up his hands, palms forward. “It doesn’t have to necessarily be permanent.”
“How do you mean, Wade? It’s marriage” Toni rolled her eyes at the absurd suggestion.
“Why not a temporary marriage? Just until the rustlers know that you mean business” Wade said.
Toni shook her finger at him a few times. “This could work” she said as she began pacing the ground in front of Wade. “We could even fake it for the cowpokes. The more they believe, the more likely the rustlers will, too. I could even get that land con off my back.”
“Exactly” Wade smiled.
Toni’s eyebrows furrowed. “Who could I get to be a fake husband?”
Wade looked over toward the corral where Erik was watching the saddled mustang.
“Erik?” She felt her whole face contort. “No, no, and no. Not happening, Dylan.”
“Why not?” Wade asked, crossing his arms.
“Because he… he…” Toni stammered for the correct word.
Annoys?
Upsets?
“He…” Wade pressed.
“He… irks me” Toni said.
“I see. Can’t you endure a little irking for the sake of your ranch, Boss?” Wade asked with a smile.
“Well…” Toni was indecisive.
“Why don’t you at least go and ask him?” Wade said.
Toni looked back toward Erik. “I will” she said with sudden newfound decision.
She turned on her heel and walked toward the corral fence to stand beside Erik.
“What’s this horse’s name, anyway?” he asked without looking at her.
Toni thought up a name quickly. “Prince.”
Erik nodded and Toni decided to cut to the chase.
“I have a business proposition” she blurted.
“Business? What further business could you have with me?” Erik asked, turning his head toward her.
“It’s a little strange, so brace yourself” Toni warned.
He narrowed his eyes at her so she just said it as it was. “I need you to fake marry me so I can get these rustlers off my back.”
“What? Have you lost your marbles?” Erik exclaimed, turning to fully face her.
“No, I assure you I haven’t” Toni said in a tone to match his.
“Why can’t you get anyone else to fake marry you? No… I can’t do it” Erik shook his head with decision.
“How about twice your normal wages?” Toni offered.
She knew it would be tight, but with selling a few horses and saving her ranch, it would pay off.
**********
Twice his wages. His sister, Emily, could have the wedding of her dreams. Being married, but not really, to a woman like Toni wasn’t very tempting. Not very tempting at all. Yet imagining Emily having the wedding that a sweet girl like her deserved seemed to make the idea not so horrid. He thought a moment.
“Are you sure you wanna do that?” he asked.
She diverted her eyes for a moment before fixing those brown pools of attitude on him again. “Yes” she stated.
Erik nodded. He was going to regret this.
“Boss, you’ve got yourself a deal” he held out his hand.
She took his hand and shook it hard. “No funny business?”
“Absolutely not. This is temporary” Erik said.
“Good.”
“Just don’t get any ideas about staying married after this is over” Erik teased.
Her eyes flashed. “Oh, that’s funny. So funny.”
**********
Katie shifted in her side-saddle and looked over the Texas landscape filled with tiny shrubs and grass but not an outbuilding in sight, let alone any sign of a ranch. The rolling hills seemed to never end as the heated sun beat down on her unmercifully. She should have asked for directions to the BF Ranch back in town. Her instinct had been to follow the road but now the road had fizzled out and she was…lost. Admitting it to herself gave her even less confidence than she had initially started out with. Bluebonnets dotted the land in front of her, waving in the warm breeze that was not helping Katie’s feelings in the least.
She looked around her for some sign of movement other than the waving of the grass in the wind, but there was no sign of people anywhere.
Her traveling dress was uncomfortable, but her corset was nearly unbearable in the heat. Sighing and wiping perspiration from her forehead with the back of her hand, Katie nudged her rented horse, Champion, forward.
No sooner had they got going than a rider was seen topping a rise with a horse in tow. Feeling the relief sweep over her body, Katie relaxed in the saddle. She urged Champion to walk toward the rider, who sped up at the sight of her.
“You lost, lady?” he asked in a long, Texas drawl as he neared her.
“I think so. Do you know where the BF Ranch is?” Katie asked the stranger.
He had unruly dark hair and pale green eyes that twinkled in a genuine smile that reached his whole face. He was dusty, but that did nothing to hinder his handsome, though somewhat boyish face.
“You’re on it, Miss” he said.
Katie looked around. It had been so long since she had been to the ranch that she didn’t even recognize it.
“Really?” was all she could say.
“You’ve been on it for a few miles if you came by way of the south road” the cowboy said.
Katie did a face palm. This was terrible. “A few miles?”
“Yep. I can take you to Boss if you want me to after I put this rebel back with the herd” the cowboy said, motioning to the horse at the end of the lead rope he held.
“Really? That would be great. Do you work here?” Katie asked.
Surely his wasn’t one of the rustlers.
“Yes, I do. The name’s Ben” The cowboy held out his free hand to her.
She shook it oddly, not used to a man offering his hand to her. “Katie. I’m Toni Curtis’ cousin.”
“Oh, really? She’s mentioned you a few times” Ben smiled.
Katie smiled. Maybe her cousin wouldn’t be disappointed to see her after all.
**********
Zach Gage paced the secluded campsite he and his two men hand set up, rubbing his black mustache thoughtfully.
“We have good horses, patron. Why can’t leave?” one of his men, Jose, asked in broken English.
“Jose, you must be patient. All good things come in time” Zach said.
“But I’m hungry” His other hire, J.T., whined out.
“Oh, please shut your mouth, J.T. You can eat all you want when we get the rest of the horses” Zach said, trying to keep his annoyance at bay.
“I’m kinda scared of that woman. She nearly killed the both of us once. You know what she did to Mark” J.T. said.
Zach pinched the bridge of his nose. He was surrounded by stupidity. If only there were a way that he could successfully capture the rest of the beasts, accost Miss Curtis and scare the loving sense out of her, and make it away free of the threat of law without the two men at his side.
“Why not take horse tonight, and leave tomorrow” Jose suggested.
“Because there is more to my master plan than that, Jose” Zach said.
Jose nodded more out of acceptance than understanding. Zach shook his head and pulled his pocket watch out of the pocket in his brocade vest. I would soon be dark and then he could put the next step of his plan into action.
**********
Toni rode back toward her shack opposite the bunkhouses that evening after working with the herd for half of the day. Sweat had plastered the dirt and dust to her body, but she loved the feeling. It was a feeling of hard work, the only thing that had kept her ranch alive this long. Sighing, she collapsed onto her little porch and looked out over her ranch. Two bunkhouses sat across from her with no one in them, the kitchen where they all met for breakfast and supper sat to her left, silhouetted by the setting sun that bounced light off of every surface. The humidity was nearly unbearable and made her black hair stick to her neck.
She glanced up and saw two figures riding up to the ranch. It was probably Tiny and Ben coming in from the herd.
Wait just a cotton pickin’ minute, though!
Either Tiny had grew some wacky hair, or had found a woman’s hat out in the hills.
Or was that a woman?
“Well, flatten my face and call me a hoot owl” Toni muttered. “Katie?”
How did she end up with Ben and what was she doing here?
“Toni!” Katie squealed as she dismounted her horse with all the propriety of a field rat and ran toward her.
Toni threw caution to the wind and hugged her cousin in a warm greeting. She couldn’t believe that she even recognized her cousin.
“What are you doing here?” Toni asked.
“Oh, I had to come after seeing your last letter” Katie answered.
“You shouldn’t have bothered, especially in those clothes” Toni smiled and shook her head.
“I know. The real mistake was that side saddle” Katie said with a grimace.
They both realized that Ben was still sitting astride his horse, and Toni looked at him.
“So how’d you find her?” she asked of him.
“She took the south road and got lost” Ben said, swinging his leg over his horse as he dismounted.
Toni grinned at Katie, the feeling strange on her lips. She hadn’t smiled in a while.
“You must be hungry” Toni said, walking to Katie’s horse to retrieve her saddlebags and duffel bag.
“You bet I am. Feeling stranded drains a person of their energy” Katie smiled. She looked to Ben. “Thanks again for saving me from my sure grave among the bluebonnets.”
Ben smiled. “No problem.”
He took the horses toward the barn to unsaddle them, and Toni led Katie inside the kitchen.
“How are things in El Paso?” Toni asked as she began gathering the ingredients to start supper.
Katie sighed. “Fine, I guess. Same old thing, I guess.”
“I’m afraid that you didn’t escape that by coming here” Toni said.
“I’m afraid I did. Rustlers taking horses from a woman. What is this world coming to?” Katie said.
Toni inwardly groaned. “I wouldn’t want them not taking my horses just because I was a woman.”
“I know.” Katie sighed. They had had the “women verses men” discussion before, and they ended up with nothing resolved.
Directing the conversation elsewhere, Toni smiled at Katie. “Ben has the starry eyes disease.”
Her teasing tone brought an appalled look to Katie’s face. “What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean. Ben always has a twinkle in his eye, but it’s more mischievous. This here is love” Toni drew out the last word and grinned. She would never act like this around the cowboys, but she felt at ease around her cousin.
“No, it is not! He’s a cowboy, Toni. Please spare me that look, too” Katie cut her eyes at Toni.
Toni arched an eyebrow and resisted a grin. “What look?”
“That look you have plastered on your face right now that says ‘I know I’m right and that you’re just protesting because you know it’s true’. I don’t like him, so stop doing that” Katie removed her frilly purple hat and stuck a hatpin through it.
“Me thinks the lady doth protest too much” Toni let her grin loose.
“Oh, Toni! Do you mind?” Katie was much too irritable to be innocent.
Toni dropped the subject as the door opened. The four men entered, looking, smelling, and sounding more like a herd of oxen rather than a bunch of dusty cowboys.
All of them spotted Katie at the same time and stopped, their expressions blank for a moment.
“Katie?” Wade was the first to speak, a smile sprawling out across his face.
Katie and Wade had grown up together in Sundance, but once Katie moved away, they had lost all contact.
“Wade? Goodness, you’ve changed” Katie grinned.
“I could say the same about you, little lady” Wade said with his usual charming grin directed at their guest.
“Boys, this is my cousin Katie from El Paso” Toni introduced.
Rawhide, Tiny, Ben, and her future counterfeit husband took off their hats and smiled.
“Nice to meet you” they all said.
After introducing all of them, except for Ben, Toni sent them all outside to wash up while she fixed supper. They all gave her strange looks before filing out of the door.
“What’s with the weird looks?” Katie asked.
“Usually it’s every man for himself around here, but tonight is a special occasion” Toni grinned.
“Okay-” Katie brought her hand down to slap the table and put on a scandalous look. “-so Wade has always been handsome, but that Erik guy is a dreamboat!”
“Oh, Katie” Toni shook her head and mixed up a bowl of drop biscuits.
Erik got on her nerves. So what if he was good looking, or had amazing eyes, or had silky-soft looking hair.
She looked over at Katie, who was sporting a knowing grin.
Oh, no. Surely she didn’t just say that out loud?
“I didn’t say that out loud, did I?” she asked, stopping in her stirring.
“Sounds like you’ve put in some thought on the subject” Katie said.
Toni did a mental face-palm. She had just voiced the very words that she had sworn to keep from every breathing thing.
“I’ve had to” she said before vigorously continuing her stirring.
Something told her that Katie wasn’t about to forget about Erik or the words she had just voiced about him.
So what do you guys think of the story so far? I need advice on Toni. Are you sensing her softer side? How important do you feel her ranch is to her? Do she and Katie seem close?
Also, how about the new book cover? I love it so much! I just had to share my joy:) Thanks-like a bunch- for reading this far! I adore you now!!!:)
~Caitlyn