Page 20 of Wrangling the Wandering Rancher (High Country Ranch #4)

20

At the squeak of a nearby door, Maisy awoke with a start. Though the horse stall was shrouded in shadows, low light filtered in from the lanterns that were hanging from the rafters in the center aisle.

And sunlight. Beams were slanting in through the cracks in the boards nearby, which meant it was way past dawn, and she’d missed her chance to sneak off before anyone was awake.

“Shoot.” She’d had every intention of borrowing a horse to ride into town last night. But when she’d finally made it to the barn, she’d been winded from the effort and her shoulder had ached from the exertion. So she’d stumbled into an empty stall, telling herself that she’d rest for a little while before heading out.

But a little while had turned into hours, and she’d wasted the cover of darkness and still hadn’t made her escape.

Surely by now Tanner had realized that she’d run off and left the pillows and blankets under the covers. So where was he? She’d expected him to discover her absence last night, sound the alarm, and race off to search for her.

But she hadn’t heard his voice or any horses coming and going from the ranch.

Either he hadn’t noticed she was gone, or her disappearance hadn’t bothered him as much as she’d thought—hoped—it would. Or maybe he’d ridden off while she’d been asleep, and the commotion hadn’t awoken her. That was possible, since she’d been exhausted.

She pushed up from the hay pile where she’d buried herself for warmth, and the cool air nipped at her cheeks. Her body was stiff, and her shoulder ached, but otherwise, she wasn’t any worse off after sleeping a night in the barn.

She sat up higher, hay sticking to her hair and face and wool coat. She blew at a strand hanging over one eye but only managed to make it flop down and tickle her nose.

A sneeze escaped before she could cover it.

She froze and waited, listening for any voices or sounds that would indicate someone being in the barn. By this time of the morning, she guessed there were workers who’d been in and out of the barn to tend to all the mares and foals.

So how would she be able to sneak away now? Especially without being detected. Would she have to wait another whole day before attempting to leave again?

She flopped back down and let out a frustrated huff. A hungry growl rumbled low in her belly, reminding her she’d skipped eating most of yesterday because she’d been too upset by the turn of events. And now she was famished.

At a soft tap against the stall door, she glanced around frantically, trying to find a place to hide. Should she burrow into the hay? But even as she lifted a hand of hay and tossed it over her head, she realized the silliness of her action. She’d never be able to bury herself thoroughly enough. And obviously, whoever was knocking knew she was there. Why else would he knock?

Was it Tanner? Had he tracked her to the stall? Of course he had. There likely wasn’t any place where she could go that he wouldn’t be able to track her.

She sat up straighter and shook her head, her hair having loosened from her single plait and become full of hay too. No doubt she looked as ragged as she felt. But what did it matter? She didn’t need to impress Tanner anymore. Not that she’d ever wanted to impress him before.

That wasn’t entirely true. From the first day she’d met him, she’d always wanted him to notice her and think she was pretty and find her attractive. And in the most forbidden of her secret dreams, she’d always imagined him wanting to be with her too.

What she’d never imagined was that he’d have to marry her in order to save his life. And even hours later, she was still mortified by the whole ordeal.

The door opened a crack.

She covered her face with her hands. She was being silly and behaving like a child, but apparently she would have to face Tanner now whether she was ready or not.

“Maisy?” A woman’s voice greeted her.

Maisy shifted her fingers so she could peek between them and found herself peering up at Clementine.

“Thought I heard you stirring in here,” the young woman said with a smile. She was attired in a pretty, dark-green skirt and matching bodice, much too fancy for mucking stalls and shoveling feed into troughs.

In fact, in the few interactions Maisy’d had with Clementine, she’d gotten the impression that the woman wasn’t interested in the horses or the ranch the same way Hazel and Maverick were. Instead, she spent most of her time at home either baking or making the candy that she sold in town.

Clementine had her pretty blond hair pulled up into a knot and a green hat perched on top, accentuating the reddish tones that highlighted the hair. She was such a lovely woman, so feminine and polished compared to Maisy.

Maisy moved her hands from her face, pretending to wipe the hay off her cheeks as she did so. “I was just resting for a bit out here because...” Maisy fumbled to find a plausible reason for staying in the barn. “Because even though Tanner and me are married, I didn’t wanna share the bed with him.”

As soon as the excuse slipped out, Maisy could feel her cheeks heating.

Clementine’s brows lifted above her rounded eyes.

“What I mean is that me and Tanner aren’t gonna stay married.” There. She’d said it. The truth. Maybe she didn’t need to run away. Maybe she just had to be honest and tell everyone she didn’t intend to hold Tanner to his vows—not when her pa had forced him to say them at knife point.

“My pa was a brute, and he shouldn’t have made Tanner marry me. That’s all there is to it.” Her pa had been more than a brute. He’d been obnoxious and overbearing. Her chest squeezed with the same pain that had been holding her captive since yesterday, since he’d told her goodbye and ridden away.

“Tanner looks like he had a fight with a meat cleaver.”

“He does?” Maisy had avoided him since the unfortunate wedding. But she could only imagine how cut up he was. A burst of anger rose up to swirl with the pain. “Good riddance to my pa. I hope I never have to see him again.”

“I heard the whole story from Maverick.” Clementine’s gaze strayed around Maisy’s face, lingering there tenderly. “I’m just sorry I had to miss the wedding.”

“You’re lucky you weren’t there.” The ache in Maisy’s chest shifted into her throat. “It was awful. And I feel terrible that it happened.” She’d cried too many tears to count yesterday about everything—about losing her pa, about losing Tanner, even about losing Nelly. It had been the day to think sad thoughts and wallow in her despair.

But she couldn’t go on like that. She was too strong to let everything destroy her. She had to find a way to push forward and make a new life. Maybe that wouldn’t be with Ma’s family in Minnesota, but she’d figure out something.

“Well, I for one am happy to see that Tanner is finally married.” Clementine’s smile widened, making her utterly vivacious and enchanting.

“Finally?”

“He was too obsessed with finding his family and never made the time for a woman in his life.” Clementine paused and pressed a finger to her lips, as if in thought. “Or maybe he already had you and wasn’t interested in anyone else.”

“He didn’t have me. We’re just friends, that’s all.”

“Sure. Just friends.”

Maisy knew she wasn’t fooling Clementine any more than she was fooling herself. Tanner was much more than a friend. “It doesn’t matter. I’m not staying married to him, because he’ll end up leaving me just like my pa did.”

“Oh, honey,” Clementine said with a wave of her hand. “I know Tanner pretty well, and he’s the last man who will leave you.”

“He’s a wanderer.”

“Only because he hasn’t found a home yet.”

“And because he loves the wilderness.”

She shrugged. “He needs a good woman to wrangle his heart, and then he’ll be just fine.”

Maisy wished that were true, but he’d already rejected her once. “Men like him never settle down.”

Clementine paused, her smile fading. “Not all men are like your pa, Maisy. And Tanner is one of the most dependable and trustworthy men you’ll ever meet.”

Maisy couldn’t disagree. Tanner had always visited regularly, had always looked out for her, and he’d been the one to rescue her on the cliff and help her bury Nelly.

“You know what I think?” Clementine continued. “Tanner’s always been hesitant to get into a relationship because when he does, he wants to be there and make it forever.”

Was that why he was hesitant about committing? “I don’t know.”

“I do. Tanner once lost his family, and he never wants to lose another.”

He had always been angry at Pa for leaving her and Nelly behind, had always insinuated that he’d never do that to his women. Was it possible she’d been too quick to assume he’d be like her pa and now needed to give him a chance to prove he was different?

Longing stirred deep inside. Oh, how she ached for him to be different. But how could she set aside her mistrust of men?

She doubted there was an easy way to let go of her hurt and all the rejection she’d experienced from her pa, but she guessed that was the first step. If she wanted to learn to trust again, she had to heal her old wounds.

“Tanner never would have married you yesterday if he was planning to walk away,” Clementine said, softening her voice so that it was reassuring.

“Tanner never would have married me yesterday if my pa hadn’t been torturing him with a hunting knife.”

“Not true. Maverick said Tanner could have gotten free from your pa.”

“Pa would have killed him—”

“Maverick saw Tanner pull out his revolver but then put it back.”

Maisy’s heartbeat gave a hop.

“No one made Tanner marry you. He chose to. Maverick would have intervened if he’d sensed Tanner wasn’t willing.”

Had Tanner really chosen to marry her? Had he wanted it? Maisy’s heartbeat hopped again, this time faster. Could she really allow herself to hope Tanner cared enough about her to make the choice to marry her?

Clementine extended a hand. “Come on. Let’s get you inside and get you something to eat and something clean to wear.”

An objection pushed to the tip of Maisy’s lips. She couldn’t stay at the Oakleys’ any longer than she already had. But Clementine was already helping her to her feet and tugging her forward.

Maisy was halfway across the ranch yard before she halted. What was she doing? She wasn’t ready to see Tanner. Not yet.

Clementine arched a brow at her. “What’s wrong?”

She didn’t want to interact with him looking as though she’d just wrestled with a goat in a gunnysack. “Maybe I should clean up before... well, before going inside.”

A twinkle lit up Clementine’s eyes. “Would it help to know that Tanner’s not home right now?”

“He’s not?” Maisy scanned the log home, then the ranch yard.

Clementine started tugging her toward the house again, and Maisy didn’t resist this time.

“Where is he?”

“He had to run an errand.”

Maisy halted again at the base of the porch steps. “Is he out looking for me?”

Clementine laughed again. “Do you really think Tanner wouldn’t have found you by now?”

Of course he’d easily tracked her to the barn. “So he left without wanting to talk to me?” She obviously had a different standard for Tanner than for herself, since she’d been willing to run away without talking to him just yesterday.

She’d been wrong to do so. And even though she wanted to blame her lapse in judgment on all the emotion that had overwhelmed her yesterday, she couldn’t make excuses. She should have talked with Tanner before sneaking out of the house.

Clementine didn’t answer her question. How could she?

With a sigh, Maisy followed Clementine inside. She allowed Clementine to help her into clean garments, borrowing a pretty blue skirt and matching bodice that apparently Clarabelle had left behind when she’d gotten married. Clementine also combed and styled Maisy’s hair, so that when Maisy looked into the mirror above the dressing table in Clementine’s room, she was surprised at how grown-up she looked. And even pretty.

They were just finishing up a cup of coffee and toast at the large kitchen table when the rumbling of wheels in the ranch yard announced a visitor.

Clementine arose with an eager smile and rushed to the window. As she swept aside the curtain and peered out, her smile faded, and her forehead wrinkled. “What on earth is Grady Worth doing here?”

Maisy pushed away from the table and stood, trying to quell the disappointment that the newcomer wasn’t Tanner returning from his errands. Now that she was gussied up and had prepared herself for talking to him, she needed to do it before she lost her resolve.

Clementine spun away from the window and hurried into the large front room of the cabin. Maisy followed more slowly, hesitating by one of the sofas.

Clementine reached the front door and halted. She smoothed a hand down her skirt before tucking a loose strand of hair back away from her face. Were her cheeks flushed now? Or had they been that way before?

Maybe Grady Worth was someone special to Clementine.

Clementine stared at the door, folding her arms across her chest, then relaxing them by her side only to fist them on her hips in the next instant.

When several quick thuds resounded, Clementine jumped and then smoothed her skirt again before reaching for the doorknob. She cleared her throat, bent her brows into a frown, then threw open the door.

A stocky, well-built fellow stood on the porch. He wore a Stetson over his dark-brown hair, shadowing his eyes and a handsome, clean-shaven face. He didn’t seem to be surprised to see Clementine any more than she was surprised to see him.

“What are you doing here, Grady Worth?” Clementine asked, her voice laced with a hostility that Maisy hadn’t expected.

“Hello to you too.” Grady’s answer was casual and almost irritatingly cheerful. “Nice weather we’re having, wouldn’t you say?”

“It would only be nice if it rained ice—specifically on you.”

Grady snorted. “No need—not when I have to face your frigidness. You’ve already frozen me with just one look.”

“Good.” She continued to glare at him. “Now, tell me what you want. I’m busy and don’t have the time to waste speaking to you.”

Maisy couldn’t keep from gasping at what was turning out to be a brutal exchange between the two.

Clementine’s green eyes swung to her, followed by Grady’s dark ones—which were thankfully filled with humor and not anger.

“I came to collect Maisy,” Grady said with a nod in her direction.

“Why?” Clementine’s question was sharp.

“Because I want to carry her away and marry her.”

“She’s already married to Tanner.”

“I know that.”

“Then what do you want with her?”

Maisy finally closed her mouth. She’d never witnessed grown adults acting like ill-mannered children, but Clementine and Grady were sure coming close.

Grady’s expression still remained casual, but there was an intensity in his expression that he couldn’t hide. “Tanner hired me to bring Maisy into town.”