Page 11 of The Forever Cowboy (Noble Ranch #1)

Violet huddled against Hyacinth in the bottom bunk bed.

They’d piled on every blanket they could find and curled up together.

However, they were still cold, since they hadn’t been able to start a fire in the stove, and the temperature in the cabin had gotten colder, especially once the storm had blown in, bringing snow and wind.

Violet pinched her eyes closed as if that could somehow make all their problems disappear.

But the pain in her swollen and bruised ankle was the constant reminder that their current situation was all too real.

The chill in the air was the other reminder of how dangerous their predicament was and that it soon could become life-threatening.

She shuddered, only to have Hyacinth, in front of her, squeeze her arms tighter.

“You’re still awake?” Violet asked.

“I am.” Wearing her coat and layers of clothes and boots, Hyacinth was heavily bundled, just like Violet.

“Try to sleep,” Violet said softly. They’d gotten so little sleep last night, and they were both exhausted.

“You do know I’ll have to leave in the morning and go for help.”

“No, absolutely not.” Violet didn’t want to think about sending Hyacinth out into a snowy wilderness by herself. Too many things that could go wrong already had, and she didn’t want to take any more risks.

Hyacinth seemed about to protest, then expelled a breath. “I suppose there’s no sense in fighting about it since we’ll probably be snowed in by morning.”

They lay quietly for a moment, the wind rattling the windows and even the roof, as if agreeing with Hyacinth.

“I’m sorry,” Violet whispered. “We shouldn’t have come out here.”

“You were only trying to save us.”

“But now look. We’re in worse trouble.”

“I’d rather die here than dance in a saloon with strangers.”

Violet didn’t want to say that there was a very good chance they could die out here without heat.

If only they’d been more careful with the few remaining matches in the cabin when they’d been trying to start a fire. But they’d quickly used them up in their futile efforts, not worrying because they had more in their bags.

Violet blamed herself for the mistake. She’d been in so much pain by the time she’d reached the cabin that she hadn’t been thinking straight.

They’d been in a hurry to get her boot off and tend to her ankle.

Hyacinth had always been the more medically minded of the two of them and had elevated Violet’s leg and then made a cold compress out of snow to try to reduce the swelling.

By then, heavy, wet snowflakes had been falling.

When Hyacinth had gone back to get their valises, everything had been snow-covered and damp.

They hadn’t realized the matches they’d brought along had gotten wet until too late.

By that point, it had been snowing too hard to attempt to return to the ranch.

So they’d resolved to get through the night. Somehow. Violet could only pray that in the morning, her ankle would feel better, the weather would be clear, and they would both be able to leave together.

At least the cabin was sturdy and the chinking solid. It had two sets of bunk beds with flimsy mattresses held by box frames. A long table with benches took up most of the rest of the room, with a rusty old stove in the corner along with two scuffed chairs.

A couple of large trunks contained supplies—one with linens, blankets, towels, and soap, and the other with the few matches they’d used up and some canned foods—although not as much as Violet remembered from the last time she’d been here.

She winced as she moved her foot, which was too swollen to fit back into her boot. “We’ll have to go back to the Noble Ranch.”

“No.” Hyacinth’s response was filled with loathing. “After the way Sterling treated us, I refuse to go there.”

“It’s the closest place.”

“I don’t mind traveling farther to get help.”

“We might not be able to make it farther.” Violet didn’t exactly want to see Sterling ever again either.

She’d already humiliated herself enough with him last night.

Of course, she deserved every bit of his bitterness and scorn toward her.

But she had expected a little more kindness and concern.

Maybe even some fondness. After all, he’d once declared his love so ardently.

If he’d truly loved her as much as he’d professed, how could all of that love disappear?

Unless it had never really been as deep as he’d made it seem.

Wasn’t that the way it had been with her father too? He claimed to love her and Hyacinth. But when difficulties arose, his love wasn’t reliable.

Hyacinth released a mirthless laugh. “I hope you weren’t thinking that you would get back together with Sterling.”

“No, that hadn’t crossed my mind at all.

” She could admit that during the carriage ride up the pass to Breckenridge, she had thought about him—what he was doing, how he was faring, and if he’d moved on with another woman.

She’d wondered what it would be like to see him in passing, how he would act toward her, what he would say.

Well, she didn’t need to guess any longer. He couldn’t stand being in the same room with her—so much so that he’d hardly even looked at her or talked to her.

Another gust of wind shook the cabin, sending a whistle down the stovepipe and rattling the hollow metal tubes.

If only Mother hadn’t died. She’d been their solid rock amidst the chaos that Father had always brought to their lives.

At a thud against the door, Violet’s eyes flew open to darkness—because, of course, they hadn’t been able to light the lantern either.

Hyacinth stiffened, while Violet pushed up to her elbow and stared through the dark in the direction of the door. Was someone there, or had the wind blown a branch or icicle against the cabin?

The door rattled harder. “Open up, Violet,” came a muffled voice.

She sat up all the way, her heartbeat racing. Who was it, and how had the person known she was here?

Hyacinth thrust off the covers and sat on the edge of the bed.

“It’s me. Sterling.”

A strange wave of emotion rushed through Violet, making her weak and sending tears to the backs of her eyes. Sterling had come after her. The good and decent man she’d gotten to know last year was still there inside him after all.

She blinked hard to keep the tears from flooding her eyes, then she nudged her sister. “Go let him in.”

Hyacinth didn’t move. “I despise him.”

“We need him. And he came all this way to help us.” She knew it deep in her heart.

Hyacinth scooted forward but hesitated.

The pounding on the door grew louder.

Violet pushed her sister again, and this time Hyacinth rose and shuffled forward slowly. A moment later, Violet could hear her jiggling the lock. As the door swung open, light filled the cabin along with swirling snow.

Sterling shook the snow from his coat and hat, then stepped inside and shut the door. He locked it before turning and lifting the lantern so that the light spilled across the cabin, revealing Hyacinth standing by the table, glaring at him.

Sterling examined her quickly before scanning the rest of the cabin. His gaze was almost frantic until it landed upon Violet in the bed. As he took her in, some of the tension seemed to ease from his face.

Once again that strange emotion welled inside her. Maybe he did still care about her more than he’d let on. At the very least, he was a decent man who was willing to help her during her moment of trouble.

She wanted to sit up and prove to him she was capable and dependent and just fine. But she couldn’t get her injured leg to move, so she remained motionless. “Hi, Sterling.”

He didn’t respond. Instead, his gaze went to the unheated stove and the pile of damp matches on the floor beside it. He hung the lantern on a hook in the beam above the table, then he shed his mittens, dug in his pocket, and produced a match.

Grabbing a handful of shavings from the wood box, he opened the stove door and set to work adding kindling to the small pile Hyacinth had formed earlier. Within seconds, he had a blaze going, then he continued to add wood from the stack beside the door.

Hyacinth had edged closer to the warmth but held herself stiffly away from Sterling.

When finally the flames were crackling high, Sterling stood, glanced at Violet, and motioned toward the stove. “Come get warmed up.”

Embarrassment pulsed through her. She didn’t want Sterling to know how utterly helpless she was and how she’d gotten into an impossible situation. So she did the first thing she could think of. She changed the subject. “How did you know we were here?”

“I saw the missing food and skis.”

She should have guessed she couldn’t get anything past Sterling. “I’m surprised you braved the storm to travel here.”

He took off his hat, then he nodded at the stove again. “Come on. You need to warm up.”

“Don’t misunderstand me. I’m grateful you came, since we had no dry matches left. But you took a big risk heading up here in this storm.”

“It’s a good thing I did.” His eyes were dark and filled with frustration.

She wrapped the blankets tighter around her. “We would have been fine for one night.”

“Do you think you could have skied out of here tomorrow?”

“Maybe.” Probably not. But she wouldn’t admit that to him.

He shook his head, his expression grave. “I barely made it here. There’s no way we’ll make it out tomorrow.”

She didn’t quite know how to respond. One way or another, she and Hyacinth probably would have frozen to death if Sterling hadn’t come after them.

As he held her gaze, the seriousness in his eyes only confirmed the danger.

A shiver raced up her spine.

He pulled a bench closer to the fire. “Sit here.”

She tried to move her leg again but winced.

“What’s wrong?” His voice was sharp.

“I’m fine—”

“She injured her ankle.” Hyacinth spoke at the same time as Violet.