A Headstrong Woman (32 page)

She had said the wrong thing.

“The only option open to you?” Lane exploded. “I want to marry you, instead you insist on ruining your good name!”

“She has done
nothing
to ruin her good name; it’s busy bodies and gossips who are hurting her reputation,” Jonathon stepped in.

“
You
stay out of this! You’re almost as much to blame after yesterday!” Lane shook his finger in Jonathon’s face.

Alexandria wasn’t sure that was wisdom after what she had seen him do to Nick.

“This is between me and
Alexandria,”
Lane emphasized the use of her first name.

“When you start yelling at
Alexandria,
I make it my business,” Jonathon’s tone was cool and even.

Alexandria took in the hard glint of his eyes and stepped in. “Lane, I appreciate your concern but it’s unnecessary.”

“Is he
just
your foreman, Alexandria?” Lane demanded.

“No, I told you he’s my friend and I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t talk down to him.”

“Friend? Don’t be foolish, Alexandria, men and women are never just
friends
,” he spat at her.

“Lane, I think you’ve said enough, in the future if you decide to come and yell at me, please refrain. Good day,” she said and turned to enter the barn; her hands were shaking.

Jonathon followed her and allowed silence to reign for a few minutes.

“You’re pretty intimidating when you’re mad,” he teased to break the tension.

Alexandria sighed, “I didn’t want to fight with him but he was making me angry. Making comments about me and treating you like… like…”

“A common cow hand? I am, Alexandria.”

“No, you’re not! Besides that, what makes him any better than a common cow hand? Certainly not his manners!” she said in indignation.

“I agree,” he told her. “But he’s part of the upper class. I’ve seen it my whole life. To your class I am a cow hand and before that a farmer.”

“My class?”

“Alexandria, sweetheart, you own the largest ranch for miles around, you’re not in my class,” he informed her and watched her frown deepen. She was so unpretentious. It was no wonder the ladies of her own class looked for reasons to scorn her, she had never deemed their social clubs worthy of her time.

“It may be the biggest, but right now it’s not the most profitable,” she sighed.

“It will be again in no time, Alexandria.”

“I hope you’re right. Want to join us for lunch?” she offered.

“I thought you’d never ask,” he smiled.

***

Alexandria watched Anna closely as she filled her plate. Anna was keeping her eyes on her plate, and wouldn’t join the conversation. As soon as the meal had ended, Anna busied herself. Alexandria decided she would confront her sister as soon as they were alone. Before she could follow through, however, a knock sounded on the front door. Millie answered it and returned a moment later with a deep frown.

“Mr. Moody is here to see you, Alexandria,” she informed her boss. Alexandria frowned and hurried to her room to change. She traded her work clothes for a deep burgundy day dress and asked Millie to see Mr. Moody into her office. She stood as he entered. His eyes skittered over her bruised face but he made no comment.

“Mrs. Morris, you look lovely today,” he reached for her hand to press a kiss to the back of it.

Alexandria repressed a shudder.

“Mr. Moody, won’t you be seated?” she invited as she reclaimed her own seat.

Simon frowned but sat as asked. “I was hoping to speak somewhere less formal,” he admitted.

“I apologize; I assumed you were here on business.”

“That really depends on your answer to an important question,” he was watching her speculatively.

“Then I suppose I should hear your question first,” she suggested.
              Simon nodded, “Mrs. Morris, I have come to care for you deeply and have admired you even longer. Will you honor me by becoming my wife? I must warn you that I am quite insistent that we make it so,” Simon informed her and watched her frown.

Alexandria wanted to know how he could have come to care for her deeply when they barely knew one another. Her married to Simon Moody? She could not and would not marry the man!

“Mr. Moody, I am flattered, however, I must decline. I really have no desire to remarry,” she said as politely as she could.

“Then you leave me no choice, Alexandria. I am afraid that I will be forced to foreclose on your loan if you don’t marry me or pay the balance in full,” he informed her and laid a sheaf of papers on her desk.

“This isn’t legal,” her voice was shaking with anger.

“Oh but it is, there is a clause in all my contracts stating that an unmarried woman may not hold the lien on land,” he informed her as he stood. “It’s frowned upon for a lady to own property, I doubt any judge would contradict me. Think about it, Alexandria,” he breeched good manners by using her given name without her permission.

“Get out of my home!” she shot around the desk and held open her office door. “You think I could possibly love you after you pulled this?” she was barely keeping her anger in check.

“Who said anything about love?” Simon asked her. “I want you to warm my bed at night and decorate my arm by day, you have four weeks to make a decision, Alexandria; good day,” Simon replaced his hat and calmly walked through the front door.

Alexandria returned to her office and collapsed into her chair. What was she going to do? Maybe she should ask Jonathon for advice. Alexandria immediately discarded the idea. She depended on him too much as it was. This she had to do alone.

***

Jonathon watched Simon Moody leave; Jonathon was filled with a sense of foreboding. He had never liked the man and the satisfied look on his face did little to relieve Jonathon’s concerns. He turned from the bunkhouse window and sat down to write a message to his brother; he had sent a letter a few weeks earlier and had yet to hear back. He was now anxious for some report or word so he could begin making plans. He had decided that if he ever returned to South Dakota it would be for a visit only. Montana was now his home and he had asked his brother to sell his farm. He wasn’t certain why he felt it was an urgent manner.

***

Looking for a loophole, Alexandria read the papers in front of her three times. She was beginning to think there wasn’t one. She would never give Simon Moody the satisfaction of marrying him but the thought of losing the ranch made her sick. She needed a way to beat him at his own game. She scanned the papers again and sat up straighter. Who said she had to marry Simon? If she married someone else it would satisfy the clause. The court would back her husband up, whoever that proved to be, if he could prove no payments had been late and that Simon was foreclosing without cause.

But who would she marry? Lane had proposed but the thought of marrying him held little more appeal than marrying Simon. Tristan might propose with a little encouragement. Did she want him proposing? She knew he visited saloons and brothels.
What man didn’t visit those places?
a nagging voice asked.
Jonathon doesn’t, she answered; then pushed the thought away. Jonathon wasn’t the topic here.

Her eyes fell to a newspaper on her desk and she picked it up. Many men placed ads for wives, why couldn’t she advertise for a husband? She pulled a sheet of paper forward and started composing an ad to place in nearby papers.

Wanted:
Christian man to wed nineteen-year-old widow and mother of one and help run ranch. Must be of upstanding character and a letter of recommendation from family minister preferred. Need response soon. Please respond at:

Alexandria wrote in her address and surveyed the letter. Did she really want to do this? It was almost like selling herself. She cringed at the thought. She couldn’t think like that or she would lose her nerve. What would her
husband
expect of her? Would he expect children right away? The thought of sharing her bed with a man, any man really, made her shudder. Just considering it so soon after Nick’s attack on her brought horrible memories to the surface. Maybe the man would allow her a little time to get to know him. That would work. She had never really been kissed in a way she could call pleasant. That’s not true, she amended to herself. Jonathon had kissed her and she had enjoyed it.

Annoyed at her own thoughts, Alexandria shoved them aside. She didn’t want to be hurt and she didn’t want to hurt anyone. This way neither she nor her husband would go into the marriage blindly and no one would be hurt, she told herself. She would not marry a man who loved her knowing she didn’t love him as well. Alexandria stiffened her resolve, changed into an appropriate dress to wear to town and went in search of Jonathon. Her rest would have to wait. She found him already preparing to go to town. He hitched the buggy rather than saddling Raven and escorted her to town.

***

Jonathon studied Alexandria where she sat beside him and wondered what her business in town had been. She had parted ways with him, been gone for over an hour, and still hadn’t said what Moody had wanted. Unless he was mistaken, Jonathon had seen her go in the attorney’s office just after arriving in town. What business did she have with a lawyer?

“What’s going on, Alexandria?” he finally asked.

Alexandria sighed, “Mr. Moody is threatening to foreclose on me if I don’t marry him,” she answered honestly.

“What?” Jonathon’s face turned scarlet with rage. “Alexandria, that’s not even legal…”

“Maybe not but I can’t hold the lien and that is; in fact some would say that I shouldn’t own the property at all,” she pointed out.

“You aren’t considering it? Please tell me you aren’t considering it?” he all but begged.

Alexandria frowned at him, “No, nor would I.”

“That’s a relief,” Jonathon was able to breathe again.

“I asked for some advice, I think I may have it figured out,” she explained evasively.

“If you need my help, advice, just an ear to listen, or a shoulder to cry on, you know where to find me,” he reminded her.

“Thanks, Jonathon.”

“Sure. You okay?”

“I’m exhausted,” she admitted.

“I want you to eat and go straight to bed,” his orders made her smile.

“Yes, sir, will do,” she tried saluting him but it came out on a yawn and she giggled.

“I rest my case,” Jonathon chuckled.

“Why is Anna suddenly not interested in you? Have you noticed that?”

“We had a heart to heart last night.”

“When?”

“When she came in the parlor, confessed that she was in love with me, and kissed me,” he answered calmly.

“What?” Alexandria’s eyes were wide. “What did you do?” she tried to be casual. The thought of Jonathon kissing her sister didn’t settle well.

“Gently extricated myself, told her that she was a good friend and that was all that would ever be between us.”

“No wonder she’s avoiding you. Not to imply that you did… that you handled it wrong. I just know that had to hurt,” Alexandria empathized with her sister.

“I hated to do it, but she cornered me.”

“No, it’s better that she knows. Now she can go on and start healing and looking elsewhere, as painful as it was, she needed to know.”

“Thank you for saying so, Alexandria, I really felt bad about hurting her.”

“You can’t help how you feel any more than she can help how she feels. If you don’t mind my asking, and not to sound odd but I can’t help but wonder…why don’t you like my sister?” Alexandria queried.

“She’s an attractive woman but more immature than I’d like in a potential wife. Furthermore, she’s not my type.”

“Oh, just wondered,” Alexandria shrugged. “Most men chase her.”

“I’m not most men,” Jonathon said with a grin.

“I’ve noticed that,” she admitted.

“Was that a compliment or an insult?” his tone was teasing.

“You mean you’re asking rather than assuming it’s a compliment?” she feigned surprise.

“Now that, I believe, was an insult,” his expression was slightly hurt.

“I was teasing, Jonathon; it was a compliment,” she sobered and reassured him.

“Thank you,” he responded and fell quiet.

Alexandria felt herself relaxing despite the events of the day and evening before. There was something about Jonathon’s presence that she found very reassuring.

“Thank you, Jonathon. I really don’t know what I’d do without you,” she said quietly.

Jonathon glanced at her but didn’t comment. When they arrived at the ranch, Jonathon climbed from the wagon and went around to help Alexandria down only to find her yawning. He smiled and plucked her from the seat. Alexandria let out a startled cry; then locked her arms around his neck in reflex to being airborne. He didn’t rush to set her down and release her.