Ain't No Angel (9 page)

You’re insane, Laney. Get a grip on yourself
!  Her eyes popped open. Tyler stopped his actions, and the colt stood still once more. There were no restraints that kept the animal from running off if it wanted to. The bridle lay on the ground in the center of the pen.

“Beau, quit gawking up there on the fence, and help Ty with that colt,” Gabe called next to her. The wrangler who’d been sitting on the fence rail darted a quick glance down at Gabe, then his gaze lingered on Laney. His eyes widened briefly, then he jumped down into the pen, and strode toward his boss. He scooped the bridle off the ground, and held it out to Tyler.

“Just stand at his head,” Tyler said, while slipping the bridle over the colt’s ears. “This one wants to be gentled. He’s not going to be any problem at all.”

Beau held the reins, and Tyler stepped up to the side of the horse. He held the saddle horn, and placed his foot in the stirrup. With one quick and fluid motion, he swung his right leg over the animal’s back, and eased into the seat. He picked up the reins, and nodded to Beau, who stepped aside.

Laney held her breath. Was she going to witness a real bronc busting now? To her surprise, the colt didn’t move. Tyler patted his neck, and just sat quietly for a moment. He nudged the colt with his legs, and for a split second, the young horse raised its head and pinned its ears. Its tail swished, but Tyler squeezed with his thighs, and the horse stepped forward.

“That is amazing,” she whispered under her breath.

“Something he learned from the Injuns,” Gabe said next to her. Laney peeled her eyes away from Tyler. She’d been so engrossed in watching his display of horsemanship, that she forgot Gabe standing next to her. The guy stared at her. Why did he have such a smug look on his face?

Laney took a step to the side to put some distance between them. He probably remembered her little display of skin from last night. Heat crept up her neck in sudden embarrassment.

“Ty knows how to handle himself in the saddle. He’s good at sweet talkin’ even the most ornery filly into submission.”

Laney glared at the guy. His double meaning was clear as crystal. She plastered a smile on her face, lifted her chin, and shook her head to let her hair fall around her face.

“Yeah, he sure knows how to rock’em,” she remarked casually, and sighed dramatically.

Gabe’s grin widened. He nodded in apparent satisfaction, and his eyes perused her with a smug leer. Laney ground her teeth. Her hands clamped and unclamped into fists. Obviously, guys who only had one thing on their minds existed in the nineteenth century, too. 

“He sure seems a bit quiet this morning,” he remarked.

“Quieter than usual?” Laney couldn’t help but ask. So far, Tyler didn’t strike her as the loud and boisterous type.

“That was . . . ah, quite a performance last night. You must have made some impression on him yesterday.” Gabe’s eyebrows rose expectantly.

You can say that again. Definitely not the right impression, though
.

Laney didn’t bother to answer. Let him think that she and Tyler had shared a good roll between the sheets. That had been her intent with her little display, after all.

Her gaze returned to the round pen. Tyler dismounted the colt, and handed the reins to the other wrangler. He pulled his hat from his head, and he looked straight at her.

****

Tyler slapped his hat against his leather chaps. “Be sure to rub him down good, Beau,” he said to his wrangler, while his eyes were drawn to the woman standing outside the pen. He’d been painfully aware of her the entire time she stood outside the fence, watching him. An odd sense of some emotion he could only define as jealousy consumed him when Gabe walked up and started talking to her. It was best to stop his training session with the colt now, before the horse fed off of his tension and decided to be uncooperative. The session had gone well, and Tyler didn’t want to end on a bad note.

He opened the gate for Beau, who led the sweaty colt out of the pen, then followed. Time to get his first meeting with Laney out of the way, after what had happened last night. 

“Mornin’,” he said casually, nodding toward her. His eyes darted to Gabe, who grinned broadly. Tyler glared at his foreman, then turned his attention back to his wife. She stood, gripping one of the fence posts, her eyes wide and full of wonder. Her eyes roamed over him boldly and appreciatively, and Tyler’s stomach tightened. He swallowed. After his mishandling of her last night, it surprised him that she would even be out here.

“That was absolutely amazing,” Laney said, her lips widening in a radiant smile. Tyler groaned silently. He glanced over his shoulder toward the retreating colt. He cleared his throat.

“Yeah, well, lucky for me that I didn’t get thrown this time. They don’t always take as easily to the saddle.”

Gabe coughed loudly beside Laney. “Nice goin’, Ty. Your wife was just telling me how much she enjoyed your ride.”

Tyler’s eyes narrowed on his foreman. Would Laney recognize the implied double meaning in Gabe’s words? Clearly, he wasn’t referring to the colt.

“I’ll, ah, just head on over and see if Beau needs any help.” Gabe scratched the back of his neck, and adjusted his hat on his head. He walked past, and slapped Tyler on the back. Tyler cursed under his breath.

Laney stepped up to him. “And here I always thought you cowboys broke your horses by having bucking competitions, especially in the nineteenth . . . ah, out here in the west. What you did was beautiful.”

Tyler’s eyebrows furrowed. Beautiful?

“Anyone can get on an unbroke horse and beat the fight out of it,” Tyler scoffed. “Getting a horse to trust you, so it does what you want it to do willingly takes some patience and time, but is well worth the effort in the long run.”

Sort of like gentling a headstrong female,
his father would have told him.

Tyler mentally shook his head. Why was he having such a discussion with her? She was a woman. Certainly she wasn’t interested in hearing about his ways of saddle-training his young stock.

“I’ve only heard and read about the things I saw you do. It’s always fascinated me.”

His eyebrows shot up. “You’ve read about how the Indians gentle their horses?”

A look of panic shot through her eyes. “Well, um, I don’t know whose training methods they were, but it described something similar to what you were doing.” She avoided looking at him.

“I apologize for my foreman’s remarks,” Tyler said for lack of something better to say to clear the awkward silence that followed. He couldn’t make sense of what she’d said. To the best of his knowledge, there was nothing documented about how the Indians gentled their horses. In fact, his methods were scoffed at by many, who argued that it wasn’t a practical way to break a horse to saddle.

 Tyler leaned up against the fence. “Gabe likes to talk. He also likes the . . . ah, ladies in town, so he tends to shoot off at the mouth a lot. I’ll have a talk with him to watch his manners around you.” He gazed at her for a reaction.

Laney laughed. “Don’t worry. I’ve met plenty of guys like him. I already figured he likes the ladies. I wasn’t sure what you’ve told him, so I kept him guessing, you know, after last night.” Her eyes darted to his for a moment, then she averted her gaze, as if she were suddenly self-conscious.

Tyler frowned. What did she mean by what she said? Her odd wording was downright perplexing. His suspicions about her from yesterday flared to the surface again. He tried to shake off the unease that settled in his stomach.

“What I told him?” Tyler echoed.

“Yeah, you know. Guys like to talk. I didn’t know what you told him or your other wranglers about our wedding night.”

Tyler perused her face for any hint that she was joking. She met his gaze, and her eyes widened in an expectant look.

“I didn’t discuss my . . . our wedding night with my men, Laney.” Tyler ran a hand through his hair.  It was a night he’d rather forget. Trouble was, he hadn’t been able to forget. The sight of Laney standing before him in only his shirt haunted him all night. Her bare legs, and her soft curves pressed to him, and the way her soft lips felt against his had left him wishing for a dip in the creek for hours. Although he regretted the rough way in which his kiss had started, he didn’t regret how it felt to have her in his arms.

Tyler cleared his throat. “Is there anything you need to get settled?” He pushed himself away from the fence, and started for the barns.

Laney laughed softly, and fell in step next to him. He perused her out of the corner of his eye. Her hair fluttered loosely around her face, and cascaded down her back. He gripped his hat to curb the urge to reach over and touch it. It would be smooth as silk. His fingers tingled from the memory of lifting her hair aside the day before in order to loosen her corset.

Dammit! He needed to get his head on straight. Everything she’d done yesterday, whether intentional or not, had fueled his desire for her unlike anything he ever experienced.

“Is something funny?” he asked.

Laney glanced up at him. “There are a lot of things I need, cowboy, but I don’t think you’ll be able to supply me with any of them.”

Tyler closed his eyes for the briefest of seconds. How was he supposed to interpret those words? Was she flirting with him, or was there another meaning to what she’d said, other than the obvious. Damn! He was no better than Gabe with the direction his thoughts kept wandering where Laney was concerned.

“Well, make me a list, and I’ll see what I can do,” he offered. He stopped in front of the new barn. He had to put some distance between himself and his wife, or he might not be able to control the urge to kiss her right here in the open. There was something almost unnatural about his attraction to this woman. Or, was it the most natural thing in the world?

“I’ve got work waiting, Laney. I’m sure you’d like to get settled up at the house.” His sudden abrupt words obviously stung. Her lips set in a tight line, and she almost glared at him. A hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes. He couldn’t . . . didn’t want to be in her company any longer. He’d keep his mind occupied with his horses for the remainder of the day, and enjoy a game of cards with Gabe and his men this evening. Avoiding Laney was his best recourse to remain in control of his sanity.

She smiled, but it wasn’t genuine. “Sure, Tyler. I get the hint. I know when I’m not wanted around.” Her tone was as icy as a blast of winter wind. Without another glance at him, she turned, and nearly tripped in her haste to rush up the path toward the house.

“Damn,” Tyler muttered under his breath, staring after her.

Chapter 9

Laney paced in her room. The dull floorboards would have a well-worn glossy sheen to them by the time she settled down. Either that, or the stockings on her feet would have holes in them. Not that the floor couldn’t use a good scrubbing. She chewed on her already short fingernails, a nervous habit from childhood that she’d never been able to break. She’d never had any use for long nails anyway.

Blowing air through her mouth, she stood by the window and moved aside the lace curtains. Even they needed a good washing. Why had no one ever bothered to clean this room? And more important, why had Tyler shoved her off in here? Did he expect to just forget about her existence, like he seemed to have forgotten everything else in this room?

Today marked the beginning of her fourth day on the ranch. Her fourth day in the past. She’d barely spoken to anyone. Tyler was always gone from the house long before she woke, and she hadn’t talked to any of the wranglers except for Gabe. The foreman was too much like many of the guys she was used to dealing with, and she preferred to keep her distance from him.

“Tyler sure keeps a grudge for a long time,” Laney muttered under her breath. Why else would he be avoiding her? He was still mad at her for her little show on their wedding night. She laughed. Some wedding night. Eventually he was going to have to talk to her. He was definitely the strong and silent type, but he couldn’t avoid her forever. He’d seemed cordial enough the next morning, when she watched him work with that young horse, but his abrupt dismissal had stung.

You’ve already been dumped before anything even happened. A new record for you, Laney.

How was she ever going to hope to get close to him?

First, you need to actually interact with him
.

Laney wasn’t even sure if Tyler came to the house to sleep. The evening after their wedding, he’d brought her some food, and apologized that he couldn’t eat with her. Supposedly he had some pressing business at the bunkhouse with his employees. Yeah, right.

The following night, someone else brought her dinner. When she asked the burly guy where Tyler was, he had responded that his boss hadn’t returned from the range, and would most likely be camping out for the night.

Laney gave a bitter laugh. She didn’t know what to believe. She’d stayed cooped up in the house, or more precisely, in her room, for the last two days. She kept busy organizing her trunkful of clothes, in many cases trying to figure out what a certain article was even used for. She was sorely tempted to take some scissors to those long white cotton bloomers, and try and make them resemble underwear she was used to, but of course, she couldn’t find any scissors.

The walk to the outhouse a short distance behind the main house was the most tedious thing she’d endured so far. There was no way she could get used to something like that on a permanent basis. She thanked the heavens that this outhouse seemed to be separate from the one the cowboys used. She could only imagine what it must look and smell like inside. She wrinkled her nose. The discovery of a large oval pot under her bed, something she ventured to guess was a chamber pot, was a small blessing. She guessed it was used when one didn’t want to make the hike to the outdoor toilet, but she didn’t relish having to take that thing to the actual outhouse to dump its contents every day. 

Laney moved away from the window. She didn’t plan to stay locked up in the house today. Even if Tyler wasn’t on the property, she was itching to go visit the horses. Being in a barn full of equines would definitely calm her frazzled nerves. It was time to find out more about the stallion she was supposed to be helping.

“I can’t get close to the guy I’m supposed to make happy, so I might as well try and find the horse,” she said out loud.

“Some mission you’ve sent me on, Reverend.” She swiped an agitated hand through her loose hair. It would have been nice if the old man had been more forthcoming with information.

With a deep sigh, Laney pulled on her shoes, and left her room. The guy who did the cooking left biscuits on the kitchen table, just as he had done yesterday morning. At least she assumed it was the cook. There was no note from Tyler like there had been the first time. Hot water was ready in the kettle on the stove, and she poured some over some tea leaves she had found. Thank goodness she didn’t need to drink coffee.

After a hasty breakfast, Laney left the house. Her eyes roamed the grounds, then settled on the bunkhouse. Would it be wise to show herself there again? She was determined not to get on Tyler’s bad side anymore. He hadn’t liked it when she’d shown up at the bunkhouse any more than he wanted her displaying herself wearing his shirt. Obviously, that was a men-only only domain.

The sound of a hammer striking wood caught her attention, and Laney followed the sound around the newest looking barn. A rail-thin young man pounded nails into a board that looked like the beginning of a new corral.

“Good morning,” she called cheerfully, and headed toward the man. He straightened immediately, and dropped several nails from his hands. Yanking his hat off his head, he gaped at her with an open mouth.

“Ma’am,” he said. His eyes darted around nervously, and Laney had the distinct impression that he tried hard not to look directly at her. The straw-colored hair on his head fluttered in the breeze, and he ran a nervous hand through the strands.

“Is Tyler around?” Laney stopped in front of the guy. He acted as if he’d never seen a girl before.

“No, ma’am,” he stuttered. “Him and Gabe and a few others is roundin’ up the colts from the north pasture.”

“A horse roundup?” Laney’s eyes widened, and her heart fluttered in her chest. How she wished she could have ridden out with the men to take part in that.

“Yes ma’am.” The shy guy swallowed. “Ty’ll be bringin’ in the batch of two-year-old for inspection and cuttin’. . .” His voice trailed off, and his cheeks turned beet red.  “Sorry, ma’am. I shouldn’t be talkin’ like that in front of no lady.”

Laney smiled. Good grief. It wasn’t like she’d never seen a castration before.  “It’s okay. I’ve heard worse, believe me.”

The wrangler shot her a quick wide-eyed look.

“When will they be back?”

The cowboy shrugged. “Sometime before sundown, I expect.” He raised his head. “I’m s’posed to let you know that Eddie’ll be makin’ sure you got supper tonight.”

Laney’s forehead scrunched. “Eddie? Is he the cook?” He must be the guy who brought her dinner the last two nights. Maybe she could seek him out today and ask him for some pointers.

“Yes, ma’am. He’ll be back from town this afternoon.”

Damn.
So much for a cooking lesson.

“Please, call me Laney. And you are?” She flashed him a friendly smile.

“Sammy, ma’am,” he said hesitantly.

Laney looked around, and pointed toward the corrals. If she couldn’t learn how to cook today, perhaps she could find out about Tyler’s horse.

“So, how many horses does Tyler own?”

Sammy squared his shoulders and stood taller. He actually flashed a quick smile, as if he was proud of what he was about to say. “Tyler breeds some of the best stock in this territory. He has a band of about fifty broodmares, and the finest stud anywhere. There’s usually anywhere from a hundred to hundred and forty horses on the ranch.”

“I’d love to see the stallion,” Laney said, sighing dramatically. “Is he here on the property?”

“No, ma’am. He’s usually a range horse, out with the mares.”

Strike two for today
. The reverend certainly hadn’t made her task easy. Both the man and his horse seemed to be unattainable.

“Pardon me, ma’am, but I’d best get back to work. Ty’ll have my hide if I don’t finish this fence before he brings in the colts.” Sammy shot her an apologetic look, and reached for the nails he’d dropped.

“Can I help?” Laney flinched inwardly. The words came out before she had a chance to even think. The reaction from the ranch hand was nothing less than she expected. His eyes bulged and he stared at her as if she were an alien.

“On second thought, maybe I should go and scrub the floors in the house,” she said quickly. She turned on her heels, and walked briskly away from the barn, back toward the ranch house, grinding her teeth. So much for trying to blend in. And so much for finding out anything useful. How was she ever going to make some progress, either with Tyler or with the horse, if neither of them was around?

After spending some time at one of the corrals, observing and petting several of the horses, Laney lumbered back to the house. For lack of anything else to do, she spent the better part of the day cleaning Tyler’s home. After thoroughly dusting her bedroom, she found several stiff brushes among the tack lying around in the living room.

She piled the saddles outside on the front porch, and filled the washpan with water. Using one of the brushes, she scrubbed the floor on her hands and knees as she’d seen it done in the movies. If she couldn’t please Tyler in the bedroom, maybe he’d appreciate that she could at least scrub floors. It seemed a safe enough activity, and should definitely qualify as ‘woman’s work.’

Laney pressed a fisted hand to her aching back, and swiped the sweat from her forehead. Strands of her hair that had come loose from the ponytail stuck to her damp face. She stood from the floor at the sound of hoof beats outside. Was Tyler back? Her heart sped up at the thought. Her eyes quickly scanned the room. She would have liked to go over parts of the floor one more time, but she’d definitely made a huge dent in the mess.

A loud knock startled her. She swiped her hand across her forehead one more time, then rushed to the front door. Tyler wouldn’t knock, would he?

A middle-aged man stood before her when she opened the door. He appraised her silently, and a slow smile spread across his face.

“Mrs. Monroe. A pleasure to see you again,” he greeted. His voice sounded too friendly to be genuine.

Again
? Laney was sure she hadn’t met this man before. He didn’t look like anyone she’d seen in town the day she arrived. His eyes lingered on her dress.

“I don’t think we’ve met,” she said stiffly.

“I don’t think you’d remember me,” he laughed. “My name is Ian Frazier. I’m Tyler’s neighbor. I was at the shivaree the other night.”

“Oh,” Laney stammered, and her cheeks flamed. “Is there something I can do for you?”

“I came to talk to your husband,” Ian said, peering into the house.

“He’s not here.”

Ian’s brows rose. “By the looks of him on his wedding night, I would have expected him stay home for a few days. Looked like you two were getting along well. Remarkable, considering . . .”

“Considering what?” Laney asked, her hand on her hip. She didn’t like this man’s smug tone.

“Considering how Tyler acquired you.”

Acquired?
He made it sound like she’d been bought. What was the appropriate response to that?

“I’m sure Tyler had a very good reason to send for a mail order bride, Ian.” Laney glared, her temper rising to the surface. His first name escaped her clenched jaw.

Ian flung his head back, and laughed. “You don’t know, do you? He hasn’t told you?”

Butterflies churned in Laney’s stomach. “Told me what?”

“Tyler married you because of some cockamamie bet his foreman made with the hands that Tyler’s stud couldn’t be beat in a horserace a few months back. A bunch of the neighbors joined in, too. Guess no one counted on my horse winning that day.” He stroked his moustache. He didn’t do a good job of covering up the smirk on his face.