Ana Leigh (6 page)

“I think you’ve figured that out for yourself.”

“Whether you believe it or not, I’m not going to let you spoil my plans. I told you my future—”

“Does not include a saddle tramp like me,” he said scornfully.

“That’s exactly right. I think I’ve finally met that man who can make my plans come true.”

“You talking about Rayburn?”

“You bet I am. He’s interested in me, and I’m not going to let a drifter like you spoil it for me. So why don’t you return the money you stole, and get out of here? I’ll tell Mr. Billings that I found it on the floor.”

“I’ve already told you that I didn’t steal the money.”

“Get out of here, Zach. Get out and leave me alone.”

She opened the door, and he followed her out. After locking the door, she walked away hurriedly.

He closed the gap between them. “I’ll walk you back to your rooming house. The street’s not safe.”

“Not as long as you’re around,” she sniped. “And who’s going to protect me from you?”

“I’m no threat, Rosie. I’d say the only one you need protection from is yourself. I figure you’re gonna lose that battle.”

They’d reached the boardinghouse. “If I do, it won’t be with you, MacKenzie.”

He grasped her by the arms, his gaze intense as he looked down into her eyes. “You and I are alike, Rosie. We both know what we want when we see it. I can feel you trembling now, fighting what your body is crying out for. You’re too much woman to keep all that passion contained much longer.”

“We’ll see about that.” She made no effort to conceal her contempt. “By the way, why are you still in town? Did Mr. Rayburn get wise to you already and kick you off his ranch?”

“Why should you care, Rosie?” he taunted.

“I don’t. I’m just curious why you didn’t go back to the ranch with Mr. Rayburn today. If he hasn’t fired you, could it be you remained here because you had a restaurant to rob?”

“Rayburn didn’t go back to the ranch.”

His statement took her by surprise. She was sure when Stephen Rayburn left her earlier that he’d mentioned he was returning there. “Really? And what kept him in town?”

“Her name is Rita. She’s a wh . . . ah, local resident.”

Rose wanted to cry, seeing all her expectations draining away. If Rayburn really cared about her, how could he leave her to go and spend the evening with a whore? Then again, why should that surprise her? Just when you let your guard down long enough to trust a man, he showed his true colors. Men thought of nothing but satisfying their lust; she’d been naive enough to think that Rayburn might be different. Well, the one person to whom she’d never reveal her disappointment was Zach MacKenzie.

She looked him squarely in the eyes and smiled broadly. “Well, since I intend to marry him, I’m glad to hear that he’s a healthy, virile male. It should make our marriage considerably more pleasurable. Wouldn’t you say, MacKenzie?”

Then she marched up the porch stairs.

Chapter 6

T
o everyone’s relief the breakfast and lunch meals passed swiftly the next day, since the Tait gang didn’t appear for the second day in a row. The consensus among the girls was that Stephen Rayburn’s warning must have made some impression on the lawless bully.

Now with lunch out of the way, the next three hours were free. With high spirits Rose left the restaurant, planning to answer Emily’s letter. As she neared her rooming house a buggy rolled up alongside her.

Rose glanced up and discovered Zach MacKenzie at the reins. A saddled horse was tied to the rear of the buggy.

“I thought after your experience the other day, you could use some lessons.”

“I had that team under control until your friend intentionally spooked the horses.”

“Rose, it’s not only Tait who can spook a horse. There’s a dozen things that can do it: a tumbleweed, thunder . . .”

She debated briefly. “All right, Mr. MacKenzie, I’ll take you up on that offer. If we don’t have a repeat of what happened last night.”

He grinned wickedly. “Who can make that kind of guarantee, Rosie? Do you have a split skirt?”

“Yes, I do. Why?”

“You’ll need that to learn how to ride a horse.”

“I have no desire to learn how to ride horseback. I thought you meant a carriage or wagon.”

“How do you expect to live out here without knowing how to ride?”

“That’s what buggies are for,” she sniffed.

“Rose, not all trails are wide enough for a buggy.”

“I see no reason why I’d be traveling on such trails; therefore, I have no need to climb on the back of a horse.”

“This is the West, Rosie. There aren’t always carriages and railroads for transportation. Texas is full of narrow trails and ravines. You’ll find a horse is your best friend out here.”

What he said made sense. And since it appeared horses were the main means of getting around out here, if Zach MacKenzie was willing to take the time to teach her, she could only profit from it.

“Okay. It’ll take me a couple minutes to change my clothes.”

“I can wait; I’m the patient type.” His wicked grin indicated the innuendo referred to more than a change of clothing.

Rose changed quickly into a split skirt, riding blouse, and boots, and hurried out to the buggy.

By the time Zach drove to a spot on the outskirts of town where they’d have more privacy, Rose had begun to lose her nerve and wasn’t sure if she still wanted to go through with climbing onto the back of a horse.

She was convinced of it when she stood beside the horse. The animal seemed as big as an elephant to her.

“The important thing is to get as close to the horse as you can,” he said.

“But it’s so big, Zach. How can I ever control it?”

“This is a mare, Rose. They’re much smaller than stallions.”

She was so conscious of his nearness as he stood close behind her that she had to force herself to concentrate on what he was saying.

“Rule Number One is that you always mount from the left side of the horse.”

“Why is that?”

“Because you have to swing your right leg over the saddle.”

She turned her head and their faces were only inches apart. “Why can’t I swing my left leg?”

“Because you have more control of your right leg.” He nudged her nearer to the mare with his hips. “Gather both reins in your left hand and grasp the saddle horn, or the horse might shy away from you when you try to mount it. Then comes the tricky part. You have to step up into the stirrup with your left foot and swing your right leg over the saddle.”

Tricky was grossly understated; impossible was more realistic. He literally had to put his hands on her bottom to swing her over.

After several attempts, he said patiently, “Rose, try to do it all in one motion. Hop and swing. It’s kind of like a square dance, honey. You pick up the gal and swing her around in the same motion without losing the rhythm. This would be the same. Think of the beat of a tune. Om-pah-pah. Om-pah-pah. Hop, left foot, right leg.”

“Maybe we should have brought along a tuba player to mark the rhythm,” she said.

His grin crinkled the corners of his eyes. “Try it again. I’ll hold the mare still while you mount her.”

Grasping the reins and saddle horn as he had taught her, Rose om-pah-pahed herself onto the mare’s back. Now, astride the horse, she felt as if she’d be pitched forward over the horse’s head.

“Let me adjust those stirrups so that they fit your legs.”

“You mean you’re going to let go of the horse!” She felt the rise of panic.

“Relax, honey. The mare’s not going anywhere until you tell it to.”

Rose clutched the saddle horn with both hands, and by the time he made the adjustment her legs were resting comfortably and her feet had a good foothold in the stirrups. She felt a little more relaxed.

“Maybe this isn’t so bad after all,” she conceded.

“The rest is easy, Rosie. Now you talk to the horse—and I don’t mean ‘giddup’ or ‘whoa.’ You talk to it with the reins and the pressure of your knees. So let go of that saddle horn, and hold the reins lightly in your hand. Don’t jerk or pull on them.”

“Which hand?” She was feeling the flutter of butterflies in her stomach.

“Your left. Always keep your right hand free—in case you have to draw your Colt, for instance.”

“Oh, yes. I expect to do a lot of that,” she said nervously.

“Out here, a man needs two things to stay alive: a fast horse and a faster gun.”

“And what does a woman need?” she asked.

He grinned. “A man with a fast horse and a faster gun.”

“Are you suggesting a woman can’t exist out here without a man to protect her?”

“She can in a larger city, but there are too many towns like Brimstone that still have a lot of taming to do.”

“I won’t argue about that.”

“That’s refreshing. Now, gently nudge the horse with both knees.”

“Oh-h-h,” she shouted, when the mare took several steps forward.

“Now suppose you want the horse to turn right: tighten up on the right rein and nudge the mare with your right knee.” She tried it, and, miraculously, the mare turned right. “Now do the same with the left rein and knee.”

“I think you’ve got this horse trained, MacKenzie,” she said when the horse obeyed.

The more she experimented, the more confident she became. In no time, she lost her fear of falling off, and soon Zach had her trotting away a short distance, turning the horse, and returning to him.

“I never realized how easy this is,” she said.

“Just remember: the harder you nudge the horse, the faster it will run.”

“You needn’t worry about that. I have no intentions of running any races.”

“But it also applies to the reins. The tighter the rein, the sharper the turn, and if you rein up suddenly, the horse will come to a quick stop and you could get thrown.”

“I understand. Now how do I get down from here?”

“Same way you got up. Shift forward a little, put your weight on the left stirrup, and swing your right leg back over the saddle.”

She did it effortlessly and smoothly. “You’re a good teacher, Zach.”

“Just don’t get overconfident,” he warned. “This is a docile mare who’s used to being ridden often. Not all horses are that predictable, so don’t take any chances on an animal you’re not familiar with.”

Rose felt quite confident by the time they returned to her boardinghouse. After she said good-bye to Zach and stepped inside, Mrs. White handed her an envelope.

“Rose, dear, while you were gone, Mr. Rayburn came to see you. He left you this note.”

“Thank you, Mrs. White.”

Dismayed, Rose hurried to her room. She had missed an opportunity to see Stephen because of that stupid riding lesson. And even worse, if he should ask, how would she explain her absence?

She tore open the envelope. The short note said he regretted having missed her and hoped she would be available the following afternoon if he came to call.

It was a relief to know that Stephen hadn’t given up on her; but in the future she would be wise to avoid any future contact with Zach MacKenzie. She put aside the note, and changed into her uniform.

Rose was halfway through serving the dinner meal when the pain set in. Muscles that she didn’t even realize she had ached from her knees up. Even the cheeks of her rear end were sore, and the simple movement of taking a step caused excruciating pain.

She pushed herself to get through the dinner hour, and as soon as the shift ended Rose went back to the boardinghouse and soaked in a tub of hot water, despite the day’s ninety-degree temperature.

As she sat in the tub with vapor steaming the mirror, Rose vowed that in the future she’d stick to stagecoaches and buggies. Leave the narrow trails to the more intrepid. She’d never climb on the back of a horse again.

Surprisingly enough, she slept peacefully.

As promised, Stephen called on her in the afternoon, and they went for another carriage ride. He was his usual pleasant self, but she discovered he lacked a sense of humor—far different from Zach MacKenzie, who often succeeded in making her laugh.

And when Rose went to bed that night, she lay and thought about the outing with Stephen. He had begun to ask her questions about her past. She had hedged most of the answers. Somehow it had been easier to tell Zach the truth about her childhood than it had been Stephen. She’d merely told him she’d been orphaned at seventeen.

You’re trying too hard to please him,
she told herself, just before she fell asleep.

By the time they parted after the next day’s carriage ride, she could tell Stephen had more than a casual interest in her, though he had made no attempt to kiss her.

Yet somehow, Rose found herself wondering what Zach MacKenzie had been up to. There’d been no sign of him for two days.

Zach hugged the shadows as he waited for Will Grainger. Tait had kept him busy for the last two nights, and this was the first chance he’d had to slip away to meet Will in their usual spot.

Will suddenly appeared like a specter out of the darkness.

“I was beginning to think I’d have to come looking for you,” Will said.

“These past two days Tait’s had me doctoring the brands on those cattle in that box canyon.”

“I went to Zanesville,” Will said, “and you were right. There’s been a lot of cattle shipped out of there lately.”

“Was it a Lazy B brand? That’s how we’ve been doctoring those cows.”

“Yeah. Looked up the brand in the Stockgrowers’ Book. It’s a brand registered to an S. Breakman. A month ago, five hundred head of Lazy B were shipped to Kansas City. Last week, another five hundred. But none of the locals are familiar with this brand, or with any Mr. S. Breakman.”

“And you can bet that now that we’ve finished venting those brands, there’ll soon be another five hundred shipped. Tait won’t say who he’s taking orders from, but Rayburn’s leaving town tomorrow. That’ll give me a chance to get into his house, and maybe I can find some evidence. But I’d better get back now. Take care of yourself, old man,” Zach said in parting. “Things are beginning to heat up here.”

“You don’t have to worry about me, sonny,” Will replied. “I’ve forgotten more about being a lawman than you’ll ever hope to know.”

As Zach rode back to the bunkhouse, he thought of Rose’s hope of marrying Rayburn. Zach hoped that for her sake, Rayburn wasn’t involved in this rustling.

To Rose’s surprise, Stephen appeared at the restaurant during the breakfast hour the following morning. She had little time to talk to him while serving her tables, but they did manage to exchange a few words. He told her he was leaving on the morning train and would be gone for several days.

Sadly, she waved good-bye to him as the train pulled out. The next day Brimstone was holding a Fourth of July celebration, and Fred Harvey had ordered the restaurant closed for the day. Rose had been looking forward to spending the holiday with Stephen; now that wasn’t going to happen.