A Man to Call My Own

Chapter 23

THE HERD WAS GRAZING nearby, so the ride really wasn't that long, less than a mile. Tomorrow it might be much farther away. Lonny explained to Marian that the herd got moved around a lot, from water hole to water hole, to the river and back. It was fortunate that the herd was close by because Marian ended up having to sit sideways on the back of Lonny's horse, and the position was precarious, even nerve-wracking.

She hadn't considered the trouble her long skirt would cause when she'd accepted Lonny's invitation to ride out. He hadn't either. But she was loath to beg off because of that, would have been really disappointed if she'd had to, so she made do.

When the herd came into view, Marian was surprised. She'd heard more than once that Kathleen's herd was small in comparison to others, yet spread out as it was grazing, it looked like a tremendous number of cattle to her.

There was one odd animal in the midst that caught her eye. "What is that?" she asked.

Lonny didn't know what she was talking about, so she pointed. He chuckled then. "That's Sally. We don't see too many buffalo down this way, ain't too many herds of them left. But this one wandered in one winter, probably lost, and decided to stay. The cattle tolerate her because she doesn't cause any trouble. She's been here so long, the old girl probably thinks she's one of them."

Marian continued to stare. The buffalo was nearly twice the size of the other cows. And ugly. There was no better word to describe it. Well, it was ugly in a majestic sort of way. It was like nothing she'd ever seen before, and ...

It happened too quickly. One minute she was riding along nicely, and the next she was being dragged through the dust. She shouldn't have taken her hand off of Lonny's back to point at the buffalo. She should have been paying attention and seen that they were about to cross a small ditch.

It wasn't that wide a ditch, but the horse must have figured it was and decided to leap across it—and unseat Marian in the process. At least she was able to grab Lonny's arm on the way down, not that that could have stopped her from landing in the dirt. But he was quick enough to clasp her forearm and hang on to it, so although she was completely off the horse, she didn't ex-acdy land on the ground. She was pulled along a few feet while he fought to stop the horse, which turned about in circles with her weight and Lonny's, who was leaning over to keep his hold on her, dragging it to the side.

She was facing backward, her legs stretched out, so when he finally got the horse to stop, it was easier just to lower her the rest of the way to the ground. Easier for him, but sitting on the ground at a horse's feet didn't give her the feeling that she was safe yet. Not that she leapt to her feet. She was too dazed. Her arm felt like it had been pulled out of its socket. The oversize hat she wore had slipped forward, dislodging her spectacles, so they were sitting crookedly, halfway off her nose. And she was coughing from the dust she'd stirred up dragging her boots across the ground.

"Damn, that was close," Lonny said as he dismounted, acting as if he'd saved the day.

He had kept her from landing hard in the dirt, but she'd still fallen off and gotten the wits scared out of her, so she wasn't feeling especially thankful yet. "Maybe you should shoot that horse," she just about growled. "He's dumped two of us off his back today. He's probably thinking it's a fun thing to do now."

The burst of laughter came from her other side, and unfortunately, she recognized it and felt her cheeks explode with hot color. "I was going to ask if you're all right," Chad said as he reached for her hand to help her up. "But if you can say something like that, I guess you are."

Marian didn't take his hand, not immediately. He'd come out of nowhere—well, she had vaguely heard another horse charging toward them. But that meant he'd witnessed her tumble, so her embarrassment was complete. He already thought she was as clumsy as you could get. She didn't have to reinforce that impression.

She took a moment to adjust her spectacles and put the hat back on straight before she accepted his hand. And got yanked to her feet. It was a good thing she'd given him her left hand because her right arm still smarted and she would have screamed if it had been pulled that hard. As it was, her borrowed hat got dislodged again, slipping backward this time. But it got caught on her bun and dislodged that, too, not completely, but enough that her hair was no longer tightly contained.

She was about ready to scream at that point, and, finally looking at Chad and seeing how amused he still was, it was all she could do to restrain herself.

"I was admiring your buffalo a little too long," she said tightly by way of excuse.

He tipped his own hat back. "She ain't my buffalo. She's Red's buffalo. Your aunt allowed Sally to stay. Had I been here at the time, I would have just brought her home for dinner."

Lonny started snickering at Chad's double entendré. Marian would have missed it otherwise.

"It's too ugly to eat," she pointed out.

That caused both men to laugh again. Lonny explained, "It don't have to be pretty to eat. But cattlemen prefer cattle. Buffalo is too tough. And Chad was just kidding. He's as protective of Sally as Red is. Figures the old gal has survived this long, she deserves to live out her days in peace."

Marian found that sentiment rather admirable, but she wasn't going to say so. She was still annoyed with Chad for laughing at her.

Chad finally got around to asking Lonny, "What's she doing out here?"

"She came out to see Red. She back yet?"

"No, but you know how she is. She won't give up until she finds those cows. Weren't you helping her?"

Lonny blushed at the stare he was getting from Chad. "I needed a change of clothes after my horse got spooked by a floating branch in the river and dumped me. I'll make another round now."

Marian suddenly found herself alone with Chad. There were cowhands nearby, some working with the cattle, some sitting around a campfire, but none of them close enough to keep her from feeling alone with him.

She was flustered, and not just from her fall now. "What are they doing?" she asked, trying to get Chad to take his eyes off of her.

He looked in the direction she nodded. "Branding some of the new calves."

"May I go watch?"

"If you can stand the stink."

She wrinkled her nose. She hadn't immediately associated branding with the burning of cow hair and flesh.

"Never mind. I probably should get back to the ranch, since my aunt isn't here. Will the cook with the wagon be here soon? Lonny mentioned I could ride back on the wagon."

"Carl's already left. He came by early, made us up a pot of chili, and took off to haggle for some fresh cheese from one of the farmers in the area."

She frowned, glancing behind her in the direction of the ranch. "I suppose I could walk back. The house isn't that far away."

He lifted a black brow at her. "You'd rather walk a mile than ask me to take you back?"

The answer was absolutely yes, but she wasn't going to embarrass them both by saying it. At least she had an excuse to avoid such close contact with him, which she really didn't think she could handle. Being this close to him was bad enough because it was reminding her about that kiss the other night...

"I'd rather not get back on a horse just yet," she admitted.

He grinned, appeased. "Riding double when you can straddle the horse is one thing, but trying it sitting sideways, and behind the rider who's holding the reins is just asking for a fall—as you found out. The best way to learn that a horse isn't as dangerous as you're probably thinking it is now, is to get right back on one. I'll put you up front. There's no way you'll fall out of my arms."

He didn't wait for her to decline again. He mounted his horse, moved it closer to her, and held out his hand. She stared at it, chewing on her lip some. She knew she had the gumption to get back on the horse. That wasn't the problem. What scared her were her own desires. But what made her take his hand and mount the horse was her picturing herself walking across that open range, past cactus and scrub brush with him following along behind her on his horse, laughing at her supposed cowardice.

He did squeeze her in between the horn on the saddle—and him. It was a tight squeeze. She felt way too much of him, his leg, which both of hers were forced to rest over, his chest, and his arms closing her in.

"Relax," he said, amused by her stiffness. "I don't bite. And this won't take long."

He took off at a gallop. It was actually a fluid movement that didn't bounce her much at all. But all she could think about was him. Her heart was racing, and not because of the ride. She knew very well she wouldn't fall again.

His arms had her boxed in on both sides, one supporting her back, the other across her front. He held her tightly, probably to give her a feeling of security. At one point he flicked the reins and his arm brushed across her breasts. She nearly gasped out loud and hoped he didn't realize what he'd done, or what he was doing to her newfound desires.

"How do you like it here, now that you've settled in?" he asked her.

She was grateful for the distraction. "I love it, actually," she admitted. "But then there isn't much about this part of the country that I don't like."

"Really?"

She heard amazement in his tone, which wasn't surprising. He'd overheard a lot of Amanda's complaints and had probably thought she felt the same way, but just wasn't as vocal about it.

"Yes, really," she replied. "The people are so friendly—well, aside from the unlawful element. And the scenery is magnificent. The vast openness is so different from back East, and the sunsets are so pretty they take my breath away."

"Okay, I believe you," he said with a chuckle. "I take it you're getting along with Red?"

"How could I not? She's as wonderful as you said she was. She's made me feel right at home, as if I'd always lived with her."

Chad had managed to distract her enough that they arrived at the ranch before she knew it. Instead of dismounting though, his arm wrapped tightly across her middle so he could just lower her off the horse. Even though he leaned over as he did so, his arm still ended up sliding up her chest and over her breasts before her feet touched solid ground again. She sucked in her breath, and her pulse leapt again, as her thoughts scattered and a swirling sensation started in her belly ...

Suddenly she was on solid ground again, next to the porch, and Chad was saying, "You look silly as all hell in that hat."

That was just what she needed to hear to get her mind, and senses, back on an even footing. "Thank you for pointing that out," she said indignantly. "I would have used a parasol, but Lonny said I'd look silly as hell in that as well. Actually, those weren't his words. He said it more kindly."

"I was teasing," Chad said.

"Sure you were," she replied, yanking the hat down as far as it would go.

She tried to ignore his laughter as she marched stiffly into the house. Worse, she almost ran into Spencer and Amanda, who were just leaving the dining room.

Marian ran up the stairs so she would miss them, but not before she heard Amanda pout, "Must you go so soon?"

"I've already dallied longer than I should have, dar-lin'. But I couldn't leave without seeing you again."

Marian paused at the top of the stairs to watch them walk arm and arm to the front door. Their behavior seemed much too familiar for such a short acquaintance, but then Amanda occasionally dismissed formalities when she favored someone. And Spencer was an ideal candidate for her sisters favors. He was handsome, debonair, and a property owner. The mention that he had relatives back East would also make him suitable in Amanda's mind to marry and take home, if her first plan failed, and she couldn't sufficiendy exasperate their aunt into sending her home to Haverhill with her inheritance in hand.

After watching his behavior last night, Marian had no doubt that Spencer was interested in her sister. And today he'd stuck around just for the chance to see Amanda once more. Now he was going to have to ride hard to get back to town before dark, and he'd have to leave the carriage behind. So much for his excuse for coming out to the ranch. But the main thing was that Amanda obviously liked him. Now if she would just think along the lines of matrimony where he was concerned .. .