Mae: Book Six: The Cattleman's Daughters Page 14

  Reese tucked Mae's hand into his and guided her along the street toward the store with the large sign that read General Store. He felt out of place in his everyday suit and flat brimmed hat as he passed sheepherders, cowhands, and farmers in their earthy garb.

  A tall blonde woman, escorted by her burly black-haired husband, smiled at him as she passed, still chatting happily to the man at her side.

  "People seem friendly here," Reese commented.

  "Mostly," Mae replied, "and you're supposed to tip your hat to a lady." Her voice was teasing, but he took the advice to heart.

  A small bell hanging above the door jingled as they stepped into the mercantile and Reese stopped to look around a large square room that contained everything you could possibly need.

  Unlike the shops in Boston, which each had their own specialty; this one was filled to the brim with food, fodder, clothing, and tools. One wall even sported a collections of rifles standing on end on a low shelf.

  "Can I he'p ya?" a friendly voice called from behind the long counter at the back of the store.

  "Hello," Mae said brightly as she wound her way around tables full of clothing and other articles.

  "That you, Miss James?" A portly man with a shock of white hair around his bald pate asked, squinting through his spectacles.

  "Yes Mr. Tubbs, it's me, Mae." She smiled and reached to take his hand. "And this is Reese Middleton," she added, introducing her companion.

  "You must be that fella Mae married up in Boston," The older man said, shaking Reese's hand enthusiastically. "Seems like Josh won't have to worry 'bout none of his girls now."

  "Married?" Mae asked, blinking.

  "Yep, Joe got a telegram just ta' other day. Said you was on your way home with your new husband."

  Mae turned to Reese, bewildered, "But..." she began.

  "Was it signed?" Reese asked, cutting across Mae's thoughts, "The telegram, I mean."

  "I got it right here," the storekeeper said, rummaging under the counter. "Joe an' me figured it was pretty important like, so I was gonna send it out to the ranch with the next wagon headed that way. Here ya are."

  "But..." Mae tried to speak again only to have Reese take her arm and drag her back to the front of the store.

  "Ssh,” he hissed, “Let's see who sent it." Carefully he unfolded the note.

  MAE ARRIVING SOON: STOP

  ACCOMPANIED BY HUSBAND R MIDDLETON: STOP

  WILL EXPLAIN ALL: STOP

  MEL MIDDLETON: STOP

  "Reese what does it mean?" Mae asked, taking the paper from his hand. "I mean we're not married. Why would Mel send this?" She fluttered the paper, her dark eyes full of questions and Reese couldn't help but laugh.

  "The little minx," he chortled. "Mae, it wouldn't be appropriate for an unmarried man and woman to travel together unaccompanied. Mel's sent this so that people won't ask questions."

  "Oh," Mae giggled, "Mel is very clever, isn't she?"

  "Oh yes, she truly is very clever."

  Mae laid her hand on Reese's sleeve, "Do you think she told my aunt?" Her question was direct.

  "I'd bet my life on it."

  "That means she won't come after me now that we're, well-married." She laughed again as if the idea were the most hilarious thing in the world. "Mel really is the most wonderful friend."

  "Hm." Reese said noncommittally, as his heart fell. It was all a lovely joke to her that was all.

  "Come on we need to get the supplies." He turned her back to the counter. "Order what you think we'll need for the trip while I look around."

  "What are you looking at?" Mae's question caught him by surprise as she bounced up beside him.

  "Nothing," he lied, even as she craned around to look over his shoulder.

  "A rifle's more practical," she stated, taking in the pistols displayed in the case before them. "Besides, I'm a much better shot with a rifle than a revolver."

  "You can shoot?" Reese queried, his eyes growing large.

  "Of course, everyone at the ranch can. Why? Can’t you shoot?"

  "I've been shooting many times with my father," Reese looked offended.

  "Good, then get the rifle and we can go. I can't wait to get home. I find the last leg of the journey the longest. It's as if time slows down to thwart you. It's even worse when you're almost home."

  Chapter 21

  Reese shifted on the hard bench seat of the wagon for the hundredth time, but couldn't get comfortable.

  Driving the covered buckboard over the rough terrain of the Wyoming prairie was taking a toll on his posterior. He was even starting to think that Mae had been right and that they should have simply ridden.

  "One more day," Mae spoke, looking out across the sweeping grasslands. "Just one more day and I'll be home." Her excitement was palpable.

  Reese looked at her. They'd been on the trail for nearly three days already and she hadn't complained once. He thought about the first night they'd made camp. It hadn't taken him long to realize he'd be in a bad way if the energetic young woman sitting next to him were gone.

  "What are you thinking about, besides the fact that I was right about the horses," Mae chirped.

  Reese could not help but laugh. "Why would you think that?" he asked.

  "Because you've been squirming all day. We could get down and walk a while."

  Reese considered it for a minute but declined. "I was thinking about our first night out here on our own."

  This time it was Mae's turn to laugh. "You should have seen your face when I pulled the shotgun out of the wagon." Mae's bright smile was contagious even if he could feel his cheeks getting hot.

  "Did you think I was going to use it on you?"

  "I had no idea what you were going to do with it and you didn't tell me, you just trudged off into the wild leaving me all alone, with nothing but the horses for company. Not to mention that when you fired that first shot, I nearly jumped out of my skin."

  Mae was giggling now, holding her sides and rocking on the seat. "I guess I should have warned you," she said through bouts of mirth. "I never thought, I saw signs of prey and did what was always normal."

  Reese shook his head. "That second shotgun blast nearly undid me," he grumbled. "I didn't know if you were fighting red savages or being attacked by a bear."

  Mae stopped laughing. "I really am sorry, I didn't think."

  Reese looked at her skeptically. "I know you didn't mean to scare me Mae, but confound it, I'm supposed to protect you."

  Mae sobered, but the gleam didn't leave her eye. "I promise to let you shoot any outlaws that come our way. Will that do?"

  Reese shook his head, sending Mae into peels of laughter. She was work, but it would all be worth it if she just once would see him as something other than Melissa Middleton's brother.

  "I thought you were going to keel over when I came back carrying those two sage grouse."

  Reese narrowed his brows. "Who ever heard of a woman hunting," he grumbled, still smarting from the fact that she seemed to need him less and less the closer they got to the ranch. Soon he'd be forgotten altogether.

  "Women can do anything men can," Mae stated, "and sometimes more."

  Reese blushed again, knowing that she was referring to his distinct lack of camping skills. "I did get the fire going," he protested.

  "Yes, you did," Mae acquiesced, laying a gentle hand on his arm. "You know I'm just teasing, don't you? You'll learn. After all it's not your fault you were born in a city."

  "You are something, Mae, and truth be-told, I'm glad you're just the way you are."

  Mae looked out across the prairie, her face suddenly serious. "When I got to Boston, I didn't have any idea how hard it would be to fit in. Everything was new and different." She was quiet for a while but then continued.

  "I've never been a good student, but I didn't even know where to start. Aunt Jemma had all sorts of things for me to learn. There were tailors, tutors, maids." She sighed heavily, slumping in her seat. "I was useless."


  Reese resisted the urge to wrap his arm around her and pull her close.

  "It wasn't until I met Mel that things started to get better." Her bright smile had returned and she sat up straight. "I'm just saying I know how it feels to be out of place, and at least you have a friend in me here in Wyoming." She paused again, looking at him, her head titled like a curious dog.

  "We are friends aren't we?"

  Something in Reese's heart turned over. "Yes," he said softly. "Yes Mae, we're friends."

  ***

  Mae squirmed again, but in the close confines of the covered buckboard there wasn't much room to squirm. Something was poking her in the back, but she didn't want to disturb Reese by getting up.

  Reese Middleton was dreaming. It was a special dream.

  "We'll always be friends." His dream self was saying as he looked down into the upturned face of the enchanting Mae James. Her eyes were bright with hope and love; her lips parted and glossy in the light of a setting sun.

  He leaned into her, placing his lips softly on hers as their bodies met, entwined, merged. She tasted sweet, like summer plumbs, and her body was warm and vibrant where it pressed against him. He moaned as his tongue reached to fill her mouth.

  "Reese?"

  "Hm?" He hummed against her lips.

  "Reese, did you buy that pistol in Casper?"

  "Hm?" He pulled back, looking at her face. Her eyes were closed, his mind befuddled.

  "Did you buy that pistol? And if so why is it in your pocket?"

  Reese Middleton woke with a start, jumping away from where moments ago he'd been pressed against Mae.

  "Pistol? No, I don't have a pistol." His voice was sharp as he scrambled out of the wagon. The dream still fresh in his mind, his blood still hot in his veins.

  "Oh," Mae sounded bewildered. "Something was poking me so I thought..." She trailed off. "Well, we're up now, might as well get started."

  She climbed out of the small space, her skirts sliding up as she pushed herself off the tail gate, exposing slim white ankles.

  Reese groaned.

  "Are you alright?" the girl asked, turning to look at him.

  "Need water," he croaked, striding off toward the stream they had camped near the night before.

  Chapter 22

  Joshua James sat in his little cart behind the pinto pony and surveyed the range from the small rise to north of the ranch compound. From where he sat, he could see across the wide, green prairie and to the far blue mountains beyond. Smiling, he looked down the slope at the large ranch house in the distance.

  He was proud of the work he and his partners had done over the years. The ranch yard was wrapped in a sturdy, stick and pole fence that extended behind the big, weathered barn and on to the other side of the ranch itself in a neat rectangle.

  On the far side of the two-story house, the galvanized roof glinting in the golden rays of the sun, a long squat building backed up to that same fence. The bunkhouse, built of solid logs, seemed to have settled deep into the soil over the years, becoming one with the earth, but a bright light glowed in one window welcomingly.

  The Broken J had been born out of dreams and hopes and heartache, and it kept growing. A sturdy little house with a wide front porch now stood outside the fenced property and he imagined he could just make out a child playing in the yard of his oldest daughter’s home.

  Further, past the bunkhouse, nestled in the trees near a wide stream, stood another house, smoke from its cook stove filtering through the summer leaves. Was Fiona cooking dinner? Had Eric ridden home on his ridge-backed mule?

  He turned his head again, squinting to make out the quiet form of another small house sitting in one of the large barbed-wire fenced enclosures, the dark forms of horses dotting the field as they grazed.

  Joshua breathed deeply of warm summer air, filling his lungs with the scent of dry grass, warm sunshine, and home.

  With a lurch the cart he sat in moved as the pony made a wide turn and headed toward the well-worn track leading toward Casper and the other towns that now dotted the area.

  “Whoa, Callie,” the cattleman called, grasping the reins in his good hand, but the little mare had the bit between her teeth and was picking up speed as she headed away from the ranch.

  Joshua braced his feet against the foot rail and gathered in the reins, calling for the pony to stop but to no avail; the crazy horse was headed east as fast as she could travel.

  Together horse and cart made the turn around the last bend in the road and the old man could see a strange covered wagon coming his way. The wind in his face threatened to take his hat and he pressed it down on his head, squinting to see who was coming his way.

  A shrill, excited whinny from the pinto split the air and was returned by the low nicker of the approaching team.

  Seconds later Josh’s little cart came bumping to a rough halt as the mare slid to a stop next to the wagon.

  “Mae?” Joshua James asked bewildered, “Baby is that you? It can’t be.” Hot tears sprang to his eyes and his vision blurred as a beautiful young woman, black hair tucked under a small hat, swam before his eyes.

  “Pa! Pa!” the young woman cried, laughing and crying at the same time. “Callie, move,” Mae said, trying to get down from the wagon but blocked by the tan and white pony with the black mane and tail.

  Laughing loudly, the girl finally slid from the seat onto the pony’s back. “You missed me, too, didn’t you?” she said, throwing her arms around her childhood friend’s neck. The little mare tossed her head and nickered deep in her chest.

  After a few moments, Mae climbed over the horse’s back and turned toward her father where he sat, a look of wonder in his streaming eyes.

  “Oh Pa,” Mae wailed, running to him and wrapping him in her arms. “I’m home, Pa. I’m home.”

  It took several moments for them to break apart again, smiling through their tears.

  “Mae Lynn, what in the world are you doing home? How did this happen? Is something wrong?” Too many thoughts to manage tumbled through his mind.

  Reese sat on the hard bench seat of the wagon, shocked and amazed at the sudden reunion. He watched as pure joy filled Mae’s face. She’d thrown herself out of the wagon without thought of injury, embracing the moment as if once gone, it could never be taken back.

  At the onslaught of questions, he knew it was his turn to step in, though, and he climbed down from the wagon before striding boldly toward the cattleman and his daughter.

  “Mr. James,” he said politely, trying to brush some of the dust from his new denim pants.

  Joshua turned toward the young man, a slightly crooked smile stretched wide across his face.

  “Pa, this is Reese Middleton. He is my best friend’s brother and he has seen me all the way home. I don’t know what I would have done without him.” She smiled at Reese, who still looked serious.

  “Pleased to meet you, son,” Joshua said offering his hand, but noticing the shadow that passed across the handsome young man’s face.

  “Sir,” Reese said, shaking hands. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

  For a few minutes the two men continued to study each other, each one trying to get their thoughts and emotions under control.

  Reese could see the same glacial eyes as Jemma Johnson’s staring back at him, but instead of cold criticism, these blue eyes held love.

  “I have a feeling that this is going to be a long story, isn’t it?” Joshua finally spoke, turning to his daughter for confirmation.

  Mae nodded, dropping her head a little.

  “We’d best head back to the ranch then, and save the telling of it ‘til we get there.” He pulled the reins and Callie made the wide turn with ease, her nose now pointed down the track to the ranch.

  Reese helped Mae up into the wagon, wondering what would happen next. He wasn’t sure how he would respond if a strange man turned up on his doorstep in the company of his sister, let alone a daughter. The image of ice-blue eye
s made him shiver.

  The sound of galloping feet caused him to stop as he lifted the reins of the team and looked up to see an undersized mule racing toward them, a long-legged boy of about eleven or twelve bearing down on them with a grin.

  “Grandpa, Grandpa. What’r ya doin’ all the way out here?” He pulled the mule to a halt with the flip of his hand, then stared between the cart and the wagon. “Ma saw Callie runnin’ like the devil himself was after you and sent me to see what was going on.”

  “Mind what you say, Eric,” Josh chided gently. “I’m fine, your Aunt Mae’s returned.”

  The lean mule ambled closer to the wagon. “Mae, is that really you?” The boy took his hat off and scratched his head, exposing a shock of golden hair.

  “Yes, Eric, it’s really me,” Mae said, smiling.

  “By Jiminy, you sure have changed.”

  Mae laughed, “I think I could say the same about you. There’s twice as much of you as before I left.”

  The boy grinned.

  “Where’s Kip?” Mae asked.

  “Him and all the dogs are with Uncle Clay, he’s teachin’ them to hunt.” The boy replied.

  “You two can catch up later,” Joshua complained, “Let’s get home.” He looked at the wagon then back at Eric. “Son, you ride on ahead and tell your Nona that we’ve got company. Let her know Mae’s back with a…” he hesitated for a moment, “with a friend.” Again, his eyes raked Reese critically.

  “Come on Scooter,” the boy called, laying the reins across the neck of the blue roan mule and galloping away.

  Joshua James chuckled. “I don’t have the heart to tell the boy he’s getting too big for that mule.” With a click of his tongue, he started down the road at a brisk trot.

  Reese shook out the reins in his hands, setting the team to follow the old man toward the sprawling ranch. He couldn’t help but wonder what he’d be walking into in the next few moments.

  Would the family be happy that he’d brought Mae home or would he be blamed for her leaving Boston? A cold shiver ran down his back. He’d found it hard enough to keep track of Mae’s family when she’d talk about them in Boston. What would it be like to actually meet them?