Swept Away (35 page)

“Nope, there’s nothing here tonight that rest won’t heal. You go on home. Get started ranching, boy.” Dare slapped Luke on the back and managed a weary smile.

Luke walked into his house. His home. A wave of such pleasure washed over him, it brought the burn of tears to his eyes.

He held them back, of course. No sense shaming himself in front of his wife. He looked around—away from her—until he had himself under control. By the front door, cast blue in the moonlight, he spotted a lantern hanging from a hook. Right where it had always been. He lit it and recognized most of the furniture in the rooms to the right and left of the stairway.

It brought back such powerful memories of Ma and Pa. Of Callie when she’d been a sprite. The years melted away and Luke felt like a boy again. A boy, just like Dare and Vince and the rest of them always called him.

He almost expected his pa to come charging in, scolding everybody. Ma had been the calm one, who poured oil on troubled waters. Once she was gone, there was little peace.

In the flickering light he saw that his ma’s nice womanly touches were all gone, yet he couldn’t blame that on Greer. Most of them had worn out and been thrown away before Luke had gone to war. Callie had no sense of being womanly, wanting to ride the range with him and Pa every minute. The three of them had lived a spartan life. He hoped Ruthy would go to dragging in fancy fixings. He’d enjoy every moment of that.

“You’re home, Luke.” Ruthy wrapped her arms around his waist. “You did it. You reclaimed your ranch and got justice for your father.”

He pulled her into his arms as they stood, side by side, looking at the house. So many memories washed over him, he couldn’t move for a while. Ruthy seemed to realize that and let him soak in the pleasure and pain of being home.

Dare had told of finding Glynna unconscious at the base of the steps. It was no wonder she hadn’t wanted to return.

“At a terrible price,” he said, “but yes, we did it.”

“Dodger must’ve cleared things out a bit. Greer had the place ripped apart this morning.”

“Things seem fine now. Let me give you a tour.” He plucked the lantern off its hook and led the way. The moon was bright, and he could see well enough he could’ve almost left the lantern behind, but he liked the warmth of it.

Walking into the kitchen, Ruthy stepped ahead of him
and pointed at a boarded-up window. “Greer busted the glass. The table was tipped over. The chairs were broken. Pans thrown all over.”

Luke could see the chairs had been repaired. Not pretty work but sturdy. Good enough to suit him. If Ruthy wanted something nicer, he’d see to it. “It looks like Dodger restored order after you left.”

“Yes, and then he couldn’t stay here.”

“I reckon he couldn’t stand sitting it out, not even if it meant putting Glynna in danger. But she’d have been in danger anyway. Greer wouldn’t have quit looking for her. I should have asked for his help. I just didn’t want anyone else getting hurt. But Dodger’s a man who cares about right and wrong. I remember that about him.”

A rap at the back door almost sent Luke grabbing for his gun. He realized then how on edge he still was.

“That you, Luke?” Dodger rapped again.

Luke let more of the day’s tension go. He swung the door open and saw his hired man, coming to the door to talk business, just like the foreman had always done for his pa.

“It’s me.” Luke smiled. “Thanks for everything you did today. Come on in.”

Dodger stepped into the doorway, pulling his hat off to hold it in front of him. “Good to have a Stone back in this house, boy. And I’m pleased to see you’ve brought your wife along.”

Ruthy came up beside Luke. “I’ll get some coffee on.”

Shaking his head, Dodger said, “Reckon not tonight. I just saw the light and thought it best to see what was what. I’ll come by in the morning to talk ranching. Tonight I’ll let you young folks keep to yourself. It’s a courtin’ moon.”

Dodger replaced his hat, spun around, and left, striding
toward the bunkhouse. High above him, the full moon gleamed.

Luke swung the door shut and turned to face his very own wife. He wasn’t real used to the notion of having one yet, but he found he liked the idea well enough. “Dodger says it’s a courtin’ moon.”

“What do you think he meant by that?”

Luke leaned down and kissed her, hoping she’d take the hint.

After a minute, she pulled away. “Well, I should get to work. I need to get this house cleaned up so it’s presentable when Dodger comes by in the morning. Get a batch of bread rising.”

Maybe she thought a courtin’ moon had something to do with it being light enough to work by.

Deciding he hadn’t made things clear, he kissed her again and did a better job of it this time. It wasn’t long before she was clinging to him as if she were afraid of oncoming floodwaters.

Finally she pulled back just a few inches and smiled. Her red corkscrew curls caught the lantern light and shimmered and danced as she tossed her head and wrinkled her little freckled nose. “I think I figured out what a courtin’ moon is.”

“Then you probably also figured out that the next step of this tour is upstairs.” Luke slid his arm around her waist and swept her away.

Mary Connealy
writes romantic comedy with cowboys. She is the author of the acclaimed K
INCAID
B
RIDES
, L
ASSOED
IN
T
EXAS
, M
ONTANA
M
ARRIAGES
, and S
OPHIE
’
S
D
AUGHTERS
series. Mary has been nominated for a Christy Award, was a finalist for a RITA Award, and is a two-time winner of the Carol Award. She lives on a ranch in eastern Nebraska with her very own romantic cowboy hero, Ivan. They have four grown daughters—Joslyn, married to Matt; Wendy; Shelly, married to Aaron; and Katy—and two spectacular grandchildren, Elle and Isaac. Readers can learn more about Mary and her upcoming books at:

maryconnealy.com

mconnealy.blogspot.com

seekerville.blogspot.com

petticoatsandpistols.com

Books by Mary Connealy

From Bethany House Publishers

THE KINCAID BRIDES

Out of Control

In Too Deep

Over the Edge

TROUBLE IN TEXAS

Swept Away

C
HAPTER 1

N
OVEMBER
10, 1868

A breeze fluttered Glynna Greer’s skirt. The nearest horse reared, sending the buckboard rolling backward. The other horse in the team whinnied and shifted nervously.

“Whoa there.” Jonas Cahill jumped for the rolling wagon and scrambled up, pulling on the brake.

“Mama!” Janet cried out and grabbed at the wooden seat. Terror flashed in Janny’s golden hazel eyes, which were a match for Glynna’s.

Glynna had sworn she’d never let her children feel another moment of fear. A stupid oath to take as it turned out.

Janny and Paul were tucked into the bit of empty space right behind the driver’s seat in the back of the small buckboard. Glynna took one step to go to them and protect them.

“Stay back.” Dare Riker caught Glynna by the arm and dragged her to a halt. “Let Jonas calm the team first.”

Dr. Riker’s strong hand and raspy voice struck a chord in her. She pushed the sensation away as the near horse tossed its head and snorted, fighting the bit.

“We shouldn’t have used that thoroughbred filly to
pull.” Luke Stone hurried down his front porch steps, where he’d stood beside his wife of one month, Ruthy, and headed for the horses. “I’ve been breaking her to the harness and I thought she was doing well.” He turned to Vince. “Your horse is as steady as they come. Switch my mare for your gelding.”

“No, wait.” Glynna was so eager to get out of there, it wasn’t rational. “There’s no need for that.”

It had taken her weeks to come out and get her meager possessions. In the end, it was pure necessity that drove her to Luke and Ruthy’s ranch—Glynna’s former home. No one knew what was hers. They’d have hauled everything in to her, but Glynna didn’t want anything that was once her dead and unlamented husband’s.

Luke and Ruthy didn’t want it either. Glynna hadn’t thought to gather so much. But the Stones started loading until it had added up to a buckboard stacked high with crates. They’d given it to her over her protests, and she had to admit the very sparse rooms she lived in with her children could use a lot of these things. Avoiding detestable memories was a luxury she couldn’t afford.

Jonas, Broken Wheel’s parson, quieted the horses. Dare, with his shaggy blond hair, and Vince Yates, tidy and dark, each had a horse, and they were ready to ride. These men had risked their lives to save her from her husband and they were still helping her, surrounding her with support when they barely knew her.

“My skirts spooked the mare.” She glanced from the horse to her young’uns. She had to sit up on the high buckboard seat beside Parson Cahill, as there wasn’t room for her in the wagon box. “Are you sure she won’t run away?”

“An animal’s a living critter.” Luke shrugged. “No one
can predict for sure what they’ll do, but I’d have thought the horse was okay. I admit I’ve never trained it with a woman wearin’ a skirt. Never thought of it.”

“We can begin work on it right away.” Ruthy, Glynna’s best friend—well, her only friend if she didn’t count the men—stood in the doorway to the house, frowning at the fractious horse. There was no situation that Ruthy didn’t try to solve by working. Although Glynna had thought Ruthy was moving a bit slower today, and she was more pale than usual. Glynna had a good idea why a new bride might be feeling a bit puny.

“Changing the horse you’ve got hitched up will take a while. I’d just as soon get going.” Glynna caught her skirts as the wind gusted. “Can we give the mare another chance?”

Dare rubbed one hand thoughtfully over his mustache, then strode to the horse’s head and held her reins. He moved so his body blocked the horse’s vision of Glynna and her skirts. “Alright, give it a try. Move easy.”

Glynna gathered her skirts securely against her body and stepped toward the wagon. The horse wasn’t fooled, however. It tugged on the reins, trying to watch Glynna. Its eyes were white all around, wide with fear.

Retreating until the horse calmed, she crossed her arms, disgusted with the delay of hooking up another horse.

“Can you ride?” Vince asked.

Glynna looked back at the handsome lawyer. “Yes, I’ve been riding all my life.”

“Instead of switching the teams, you take my horse. I’ll go with the buckboard.” Then he added a warning: “You’ll have to ride astride.”

The chance to leave without delay made her almost giddy. She gazed at Dare. She shouldn’t look to him, she
knew it, but how often had she caught herself doing just that? “I’d enjoy riding. It’s been a long time.”

In fact, it had been a very long time since she’d had any kind of enjoyment.