To Love and to Cherish (4 page)

Yet he couldn't stop looking. His adoptive parents had been loving and kind, but he'd always felt incomplete, like a part of him had been lost when his parents died and their boys had been adopted by three different families. Maybe he just wanted to know his brothers were alive. At thirty-two, he'd already lost two sets of parents, a brother, and a sister-in-law. All he had left of his family was Steve. Maybe he was reaching out because if something happened to Steve, he would be alone. There was no single reason. It was simply something he had to do.

But right now he had a desk covered in work that needed to be tackled.

Jared didn't know when he became aware of the sound of a buggy approaching the house. That in itself was unusual. The trails through the valley were so rough that many could only be navigated on horseback. That meant the buggy must have come from Cactus Corner. That name immediately conjured up an image of the young widow, Laurie Spencer. He'd tried without success to put her out of his mind. He'd had two dreams that were so real he'd come awake in a state of arousal that was as uncomfortable as it was impossible to gratify.

It was foolish to taunt himself with thoughts of her. He had nothing to offer such a woman. She was related to half the people in Cactus Corner and was a wealthy and beautiful widow. He wouldn't be surprised if she left Arizona altogether. Endowed with looks and money, she would be a success just about anywhere. He should put her out of his mind. He needed to finish this last letter so he would be ready to greet his visitor. He was the only one in the house.

When he stepped out on the porch, he was convinced the sun had to be in his eyes or that he was seeing who he wanted to see. But it took only a minute before he realized he wasn't mistaken. Laurie Spencer
was
driving the buggy that even now was slowing down as it approached his house. His mind went blank. What could she possibly want with him, and why was it so important that she would have driven all the way from town by herself?

Rousing himself from his stupor, he hurried down the steps. When the buggy came to a halt, he tethered the horse to the hitching post and moved to help Laurie alight.

“Welcome to Green River Ranch.” He held out his hand to help her down. “You shouldn't have come alone. There's still danger from Indians.”

“I didn't want company. I have business to conduct with you alone.”

Jared couldn't imagine what business she could have with him, but he'd have listened to the most outrageous proposal just to sit and look at her. It was pathetic, it wasn't good for him physically or emotionally, but nothing could have caused him to tell her to get back in the buggy and go home.

“I'm surprised. You know nothing about me.”

“My cousin, Naomi Blaine, spoke well of you. I trust her judgment.”

“You'd better come inside and get warm.”

A weak winter sun struggled to shed some warmth, but a harsh wind swallowed it. Laurie was wrapped up head to toe in a heavy driving coat. She had wound a thick woolen scarf around her neck, but her hat and veil provided little protection. She had to be chilled to the bone.

“Thank you. It was a chilly drive.”

He didn't know if she was just being polite, or if she really didn't mind the cold. After growing up in south Texas, he had suffered during the winters he spent in Virginia. He hoped he'd never see snow again.

He felt self-conscious about the state of his house as they went inside. The army had taught him to be neat and organized, but two men lived here who didn't have the time or interest in furnishing their home attractively or in keeping it clean.

“I apologize for inviting you into my office, but it's the only room with a fire.”

“You don't have to apologize. You had no way of knowing I would be coming.”

Nor any idea why she had. “Can I offer you some coffee? There's still some in the pot on the stove.”

“No, thank you, but I would appreciate some water.”

What did you put water in when you served it to a lady? All he had was an assortment of coffee cups, tin and earthenware. He returned, embarrassed to present her with a cup and saucer. “Sorry, but we don't have any glasses.”

She smiled and his knees nearly gave out under him. “I don't mind. After what we endured on the trip to Santa Fe, I'll never quibble about what I drink from as long as it's clean.”

He couldn't be absolutely sure the cup was clean, but he thought it best not to mention that.

She took a long drink before setting her cup down. “Thank you. That's just what I needed. I still haven't gotten used to the weather being so dry.”

“You're from Kentucky, aren't you?” That's what one of the people in her train had told him.

“Nearly everyone in Cactus Corner is from the same village, Spencer's Clearing. It was all we could do to keep Norman from naming our new town Spencer's Corner.”

He could believe that. “He's your brother-in-law?”

“He
was
my husband's brother.”

He wondered why she'd chosen such an odd way to answer his question. “Your husband must have been well thought of. It looked like everyone in town turned out for his funeral.”

“As I said, nearly all of us came from the same place. We've known each other for years. It would have been odd not to attend the funeral.”

Again, she'd avoided answering his question.

“Do you mind if I take off my coat? I'm getting rather warm.”

“Not at all. I should have asked you if you wanted me to take it when you came in.”

“I was still cold then.”

She stood and shrugged out of her coat before he could offer to help her. Next she removed her hat and veil. “Your office is very cozy.”

The potbellied stove didn't qualify as
cozy
in his mind, but maybe she was talking about the warmth and its small size. “I don't spend a lot of time here, so I don't need much space.”

“What's it like being a rancher?”

Normally he wouldn't have had any trouble answering that question, but normally he was not in the room with a beautiful woman whose lush body caused his brain to turn to mush. Not even her relatively modest clothes could hide the generous curves that belonged to a woman at least a decade older. It was her face that said she was young, probably no more than early twenties. Yet there was something about her eyes that said all her years hadn't been happy ones. But how could he concentrate on her eyes when her mouth was so wide and her lips so full and red? It was enough to cause a man to do something stupid.

“I suppose being a rancher is a lot like other jobs,” he said, trying to concentrate on her question and not her body. “I get to spend a lot of time outdoors on a horse, but I still have to pay bills.”

“You don't make it sound very exciting.”

“It's not, but I grew up on a ranch in Texas. Cows aren't much fun.”

“Would you rather do something else?”

Why all the questions? It was like she was questioning him to see if he passed some sort of basic requirements before she decided whether to discuss her business. Still, what kind of business could this young widow have that could concern him? He had no connection with her late husband's mercantile or her brother-in-law's bank.

“I've spent seven years in the army, four fighting a war in Virginia, and three fighting the Comanche in Texas. Fighting and ranching are all I know. Of the two, I much prefer ranching.”

“How much land do you have?”

“That's difficult to say. I can't
buy
enough land to ranch, but I can use all I can claim and control.”

“How much is that?”

“Twenty thousand acres. Thirty if I need it.”

She seemed surprised. “Isn't that a lot?”

“Not when it takes thirty-five acres to support one cow.”

She paused only briefly before replying, “Then your twenty thousand acres could only support something over five hundred and fifty cows. Is that a lot?”

She might not know much about ranching, but she was certainly good with math to be able to figure that out in her head so quickly. “It's not a lot by Texas standards, but Texans have longhorns. I'm hoping to buy Herefords.”

“Why?”

“Because they gain weight quickly on grass, are hardy, mature early, and reproduce quickly. They carry more weight and the meat is a better quality than a longhorn. For the same investment of time and resources, I can get twice the profit.”

“Do you have any of these cows? What do they look like?”

“They're red with white faces, but I don't have any yet.”

“How do you plan to get them?”

“A man will be passing through Arizona in a few weeks with a herd he's taking to California. I've heard tell he now realizes it was a foolish thing to do, but he's come too far to turn around and go back. If I can buy his whole herd, I believe he'll sell it rather than attempt to make the rest of the journey and risk losing more of his cows.”

“How many cows does he have?”

“He started out with five hundred. I expect he has fewer than four hundred left. He got hit by Indians and stampedes, wolves got a few, and some just died.”

“How much will they cost?”

“If he makes it to California, they'll go for more than thirty dollars a head. He'll sell them to me for twenty, but I'm hoping to get him down to fifteen.”

After another quick calculation, she said, “At twenty dollars, it would cost you eight thousand dollars to buy four hundred.”

“That's why I'm hoping to get him down to fifteen a head.”

“That's only six thousand dollars, but you don't have that much money, do you?”

Jared was finding it difficult to concentrate. Being so close he could reach out and touch her was driving him nuts. It had been years since he'd been with a desirable woman, but no woman he'd ever been with or seen could compare to Laurie Spencer. Arizona weather was much harder on women than Texas, yet her cheeks were soft and pink, her skin as creamy and rich as a magnolia blossom. The skin around her eyes might reveal hardship and unhappiness, but the eyes themselves were large orbs of pure white and the most vivid blue he'd ever seen. She faced him with a wide-open gaze that invited confidence yet demanded distance.

He forced his thoughts back to her question. “No, I don't have all the money I need. I had hoped your brother-in-law would give me a loan for the rest, but he won't.”

“I would prefer that you not refer to Norman Spencer as my brother-in-law. That connection ended with my husband's death.”

“Anything you wish.” He imagined Norman Spencer could be a difficult person to have in the family. “Why have you come to see me? Why are you asking these questions? We can't possibly have any business to conduct.”

She paused and lowered her gaze to her lap before raising it again. “I would like to invest in your ranch. I've asked these questions because I need to know whether my money would be invested wisely.”

“Why haven't you asked your brother-in…Norman Spencer to advise you? He would know a lot more about potential investments than I do.”

“Norman doesn't know I'm here, and he knows nothing of what I intend to do. If he did, he'd do everything in his power to stop me. Part of our agreement, if we are able to reach one, will be that you can never tell anyone the details of our arrangement.”

That made Jared uneasy. “You're going to have to explain that. What you've told me makes me reluctant to enter into any arrangement with you.”

Laurie twisted her hands in her lap and looked resigned. “I was hoping you wouldn't require an explanation, but it's only fair that you receive one. I have some money of my own. Norman doesn't know about it, and you're not to tell him where you got it. Except for my house, my husband left his entire estate in his brother's control to manage for my benefit. He will use that to force me to do what he wishes. I refuse to be under Norman's thumb. If I don't invest my money with you, I'll look elsewhere.”

Jared had never seen a woman look more determined. If Laurie hadn't been so controlled, he wouldn't have been surprised if she'd shouted the words at him. “Any business deal between us would be private. No one would have a right to know the details.”

She relaxed visibly and took another drink of water. “How much money do you need? I'm not a rich woman.”

“You've already done the calculations. I will probably need eight thousand. I have five.”

When she smiled, he knew that she had at least three thousand.

“I can provide the difference and a little more. When will you need it?”

After her businesslike approach, he hadn't expected her to jump to the end so quickly. “Don't you want to talk about a contract, know what you can expect in return?”

“Certainly I will require a contract. I shall go over it most thoroughly. I merely asked because I wanted to know when you expect the herd to arrive.”

“It's still in New Mexico. I won't need the money until it reaches Arizona. Will it be in gold or bills?”

“It'll be in bills.” Her laugh was unexpected. “You couldn't hide that much gold from Norman. He could smell it.” She sobered quickly. “Norman has been exceedingly generous in providing loans to everyone in our town, but my husband was quite different with me. Norman will be the same.”

“Do you know anything about ranching?”

“No.”

“How do you know I won't try to cheat you?”

“You are an honorable man.”

“You can't know that.”

“I know you've been staring at me in a manner that indicates you have some very improper thoughts in your head. Yet you've done your best to make sure it doesn't show.”

Jared was disgusted that he'd been so transparent, but he was impressed Laurie was so forthright. “You're a very attractive woman. No, you're a beautiful and voluptuous woman. Surely you're so used to men staring at you that you no longer take offense.”