Noah (8 page)

“Careful of that fence there, Stiles, it may
get your suit dirty.” Noah drew several of the large planks from the back of
the wagon and carried them to the section of downed fence.

The fancy businessman shot to a standing
position and brushed vigorously at his backside.

“I don’t see why she doesn’t just hire more
ranch hands to do this kind of work.” Gregory Stiles removed his white boater
hat and wiped his forehead with the back of his wrist. “Once we’re married,
this type of labor will be a thing of the past. She’ll be able to take tea with
the other wives and…”

Noah stopped listening to the droll ramblings
of the older man. It was obvious the Easterner was only there for a claim on White
Willow. Having a wife that looked like Kate, however, would make him the envy
of society.

They had left Dell and Clifford with the other
wagon and supplies about a mile back to inspect the small group of Herefords
that had wandered down from the high country and congregated in a small, grassy
vale.

“So, we’re leaving tomorrow,” Levi said
quietly, joining Noah with a bundle of nails.

Noah held the plank firmly in place against the
top of the post still firmly planted in the ground and Levi drove three of the
metal stakes through the wood. They repeated the process for the bottom edge
and then Noah secured both sides with a string of wire, weaving them tightly
against each other.

“Don’t remind me. If I have to listen to one
more story about how wonderful it is in the east without having someone to
commiserate with, I may have to strangle him.” He looked up at the man who now
leaned against the edge of the wagon inspecting his fingernails.

If Kate was taken in by someone like Gregory
Stiles, then she wasn’t the kind of woman Noah believed her to be, nor someone
he wanted to settle down with. Somehow, he knew that riches and glamour were
not high on her list of priorities. She was nothing like his mother who had run
off on her husband and four small children to pursue an opportunity to sing on
some big, fancy stage.

As he headed back for the wagon, a splash of
color caught his eye in the dense cluster of trees jutting out from the side of
the mountain. He searched between the branches and locked eyes with Kate,
watching them from above.

“We’ve got company,” Noah said aloud, pointing
up with his chin.

Levi’s hand shot to his hip.

“Come on down, Kate!” Noah bellowed loud enough
she would be able to hear him.

Mr. Stiles snapped his head toward the spot and
immediately adjusted his black colonel tie. After a moment of quiet, the trees
rustled and he could hear the horse’s hooves as they headed away from them—Noah
guessed there was a back trail that would lead her down to them.

It took several minutes, but Kate finally came
into view from the east as she rounded the bend by the small watering hole.

He wondered how she had been able to get
herself up onto the horse and smiled at her ingenuity. When she’d lamented
being cooped up in the house, Noah had gone out to the large white willow and
found a broken branch, thick enough not to snap under her weight, but slender
enough she could hold it in her hand. He’d sanded it smooth, carved her
initials into it, and given it to her to help her get around the homestead.

From what Levi had told him, she was still a
little wary on a horse, but by what he could see, she’d learned pretty quickly.

“What ya doing?” he asked in an exaggerated
drawl.

She stared at him for a good while before
answering.

“I wanted to watch y’all work and didn’t think
you’d let me come along—that you might think I’d just be in the way.”

Honest. He liked that too.

“It’s your ranch, Miss Callahan. You’re welcome
to go where you please.”

Kate sat up straighter in the saddle. The smile
she offered him filled his soul with fresh air.

“Hmhmmm.” Mr. Stiles stepped toward her, bowed in
half, holding his hat, and reached for her hand, bringing it to his lips.

“You are looking very lovely this morning, my
dear. What a bright spot you’ve made on this ghastly day.”

“Why, thank you, Mr. Stiles.”

“I think he’s full of ‘ghas,’” Levi leaned in
and whispered over his shoulder, imitating the man’s slight accent.

Noah chuckled as he bent down and picked up
several pieces of the broken fence panel.

“We’re about finished here.” He looked up at
her and their eyes locked, nearly knocking the breath from him.

Stop it!

He glanced away as he tossed the wood into the
back of the wagon to be used as fuel for the fire. “We’ll just have to spread
out the rest of this hay for the cattle and then we could accompany you back to
the house. If you’re willing to wait for a few minutes.”

“That would be lovely.” Kate dipped her head.

Mr. Stiles finally slid his hands into the
gloves Noah had given him back at the house, his nose upturned, and walked over
to pick up the last piece of the splintered fence, pinching it by the end with
his thumb and forefinger. He raised it up, his lips curled into a grimace, and
dropped it into the back of the buckboard, dusting his hands together as if
he’d been slaving away all morning.

Noah rolled his eyes. He couldn’t help it. The
man was useless for any real ranch work.

“Come on.”

Noah looked up to see Levi extending his arms up
to help Kate down from the saddle.

“You’ve become quite a good rider, Katie. Your
father would be proud. But, my guess is that your ankle is still sore enough,
that you ought to ride in the wagon.”

“I’ll be fine,” she said stubbornly.

“Come on,” Levi said again, motioning with his
raised hands that she needed to dismount.

A twinge of jealousy settled in Noah’s gut as
Kate swung her leg around the saddle horn and slid into his cousin’s arms. He
threw his tools into the back a little harder than he’d intended.

When Levi reached him, he held her out to Noah
and winked. He gladly took the lovely Kate into his own arms, capturing her
gaze momentarily before lifting her up onto the high seat. He met Levi’s eyes
with an unspoken ‘thank you.’ His cousin patted him on the shoulder and walked to
the back of the wagon where he tied his mule-like gelding, then strode to the
chestnut mare Kate had been riding and mounted.

There wasn’t much Noah could do to make the
ride more comfortable for her, as she would still have to rest her foot against
the tilted plank in front of the seat, but he figured at least this way it
wouldn’t be wedged into a stirrup.

“Did you and the others come up through the
west pass?” she asked when he joined her on the bench.

“Cal told us that there were a few scattered
animals that had walked down into the ravine. Dell and Clifford are there
checking on them now. Why? Is everything all right?”

“It might be nothing, but I noticed that one of
the fences we mended last week is broken again and there are cattle corralled
in the east pasture.”

“How about I take you out there after supper
and we’ll have a look.”

Kate nodded. “I’d like that.”

She placed a hand on his forearm and Noah
sucked in a breath.

“Thank you,” she said with a smile that reached
her eyes.

The ride back was pleasant and Noah found that
he enjoyed her company even more than he’d remembered. Over the last several
days he’d tried to keep his distance to give her room to breathe as she
contemplated her decision—only seeing her when it was time to soak her foot and
occasionally at mealtime.

He’d delved into the work, which made it a
little easier, but he found that the more he got to know her, he wanted to spend
more time with her. He selfishly would have loved to spend every waking moment
with her. He was caught between all that needed to be done around the ranch and
his desire to hear her laugh, to see the light in her eyes when she was pleased
by something or someone.

No, keeping his distance would give the other
two suitors vying for her affections plenty of rope to hang themselves as they
stumbled all over each other to tell her how wonderful they were.

With only three ranch hands and the foreman, it
was a wonder the White Willow Ranch still functioned. They’d lost nearly eight
weeks’ worth of work when more than a dozen ranch hands had up and left their
employ to find work elsewhere after Emmett Callahan had been killed. So, Noah had
pooled the help of all of the men available to him and together they’d been
able to accomplish even more than he’d expected, regardless of Mr. Stiles’
ineptitude.

When they got back to the homestead, the other
wagon was already there. Noah jumped down off the seat and held his hands up
for Kate.

She placed her hands on his shoulders and as he
pulled her down into his arms, her face sat mere inches from his own. He
glanced down at her perfectly shaped lips, imagining for a moment what it would
be like to capture them with his own. He caught her eyes and stared at her for
longer than was appropriate, but he could not deny the draw between them.

He groaned inwardly, his jaw flexing.

“You are beautiful,” he whispered, surprised to
hear that he’d said the words aloud, but pleased when color flooded her cheeks
and a smile touched her lips.

“Are you two going to stand there all day
staring at each other or are we going to get these horses unhitched from the
wagon?”

Noah cleared his throat and breathed a laugh.
“Coming,” he called out in a two-note sing-song, then turned back to look at
her.

“Go!” Kate told him. “I’ll be fine from here.
Just set me on the stairs.”

Noah did as instructed and placed her down
gently on the top step where she could hold onto the railing, then turned back
to his chores. He led the horses and the wagon toward the barn. When he and Levi
finally emerged from their tasks, they headed out toward the bunkhouse. Noah
stole a glance at the veranda, biting back the disappointment that crept in at Kate’s
absence.

“Aaaaaaaa!” The shriek ended with a loud thud
and a horse’s whinny.

Noah and Levi scrambled in the direction from
which the scream had come. There, lying in a heap in front of one of the larger
corrals, was Clifford, his horse running amuck, saddle straps and reins
whipping about like lashes as the animal reared, pawing at the air, his eyes
wide, and his ears pinned back against his head.

“Something’s gotten under that horse’s saddle,”
Noah said, looking for something that may have angered or spooked the gelding.
It was the Arabian he’d met right after he’d arrived, only it was not acting
like the same horse.

There was no sign of a skunk or raccoon, and it
was too cold for a snake to be about. Nothing that would have spooked him.

Levi knelt down next to the man who’d been
thrown from his mount.

“He all right?” Noah asked.

“Hey, Thomas,” Levi called the man’s name as he
turned him over onto his back. His eyes were open, but there was no response.

“He’s dead.”

Noah looked down at the man whose neck was
twisted at an awkward angle and unexpectedly Henry’s face flashed through his
mind as did the events of that horrible day just eight years ago—his big
brother lying lifeless on the ground, his eyes open, blood oozing from his
head.

No!

His gut contracted tightly as if he’d been
punched hard, his heart wrenched in agony as he relived that life-altering moment,
dropping to his knees, tears blurring his vision. He squeezed his eyes shut,
gasping for air to fill his lungs.

Breathe
, he coaxed, forcing the memories of his
brother’s death back into the locked chest where he’d hidden them a long time ago.
With several deep, cleansing breaths, clarity returned and he bowed his head in
thanks.

“Look, Noah, if this is going to be too hard
for you…” Levi’s hand clutched his shoulder in understanding.