A Heart Renewed (19 page)

Julia shook her head as Hannah said, “No, nothing new.”

Snake entered through the front door and Hannah rose to get his plate and a mug of black coffee.  He smiled a toothy grin when he saw Julia.  The men were bound to notice her.  She was a woman—beautiful or not, there weren’t many women in the area. Will tried to temper his protective instincts as Hannah set the plate in front of Snake.

“Who is this lovely lady, Boss?” Snake said, taking a sip of his coffee.

“Julia, meet Daniel Raulings, although we call him Snake.  Snake, this is my sister, Miss Julia Colter.”

“You’re a mite finer to look at than yer big brother,” Snake said in his usual cantankerous way.  “Pleased to meet you Miss Colter.”

“Mr. Raulings,” Julia acknowledged, barely making eye contact.  Again, odd behavior from his sister.

As Snake shoveled the food into his mouth, he winked at Julia and asked, “She always this shy, Boss?”

Normally he would have teased right alongside Snake, but for some reason his directness set Will on edge.

“You don’t have to worry Miss.  I don’t bite.  Ha, get it—snake bite.”  He laughed at his own joke.

Julia stood abruptly.  “Please excuse me,” she said before rushing out the front door.

Snake’s jaw went slack.  “I’m sorry, boss.  Didn’t mean to offend.  Just being my usual ornery self.”

Will started to stand, perturbed at Snake and confused by Julia.  He stopped when Hannah placed her hand on his arm.

When she spoke, she looked directly at Snake, “No harm done, Snake.  Julia has had a long journey and is undoubtedly trying to adjust to her new surroundings.  I’m certain no offense was taken.”

She stood.  “If you’ll excuse me gentlemen, I would like some fresh air.  Please leave your things on the table.  Rosa and I will clear them away later.”

All four men rose to their feet amidst murmurs of “Thank you, Mrs. Colter.”

Hannah gently latched the front door behind her.  She scanned the area and found Julia standing by the horse corral, gently rubbing a mare’s muzzle. 

Leaning against the rail next to her, Hannah said, “You know Snake is harmless.  He feels terrible and thinks he offended you.”

Julia nodded.

As the mare grew tired of the attention, she snorted and trotted away.  Julia’s gaze followed her around the corral.  “When he said I was shy—I have been called many things in my life, and shy has never been one of them.  Growing up, I was unconventional.  Will taught me how to rope and ride.  I would rather be out in the field or in the stables than cooking over a stove.  And all because it was a great adventure, something new to learn and discover.  My father was the same way, full of ‘spunk’ as he put it.”

Her voice grew distant journeying back to another place and another time.  “Father let me be free, until I was fourteen.  Then he started insisting that I stay in the house more, learning to cook and clean.  It wasn’t that I didn’t know how to do those things, for I did.  I just wanted to be free and for me that meant being a cowboy.  So, from the age of fourteen until the day Father died, I tried to be a proper lady.  I learned to be a charming hostess when called upon.

“Then he died and he left me to…”  Her voice cracked.  Clearing her throat she continued, “To Reuben’s care.”

Julia turned so abruptly it almost startled Hannah.  Holding her gaze steady, she frowned.  “If he had any idea what would happen, I doubt very much that he would have left me with Reuben.”

“What happened?” Hannah asked, wondering if she was ready to say.

Julia turned and looked back out at the horses in the corral.  “I know I should be telling Will all of this, but I can’t.  I…he…”  She sighed, the burden of the situation weighing heavily.  “I told you last night that he beat me, but there is more.  Something terrible.  Evil.  I…cannot bring myself to speak of it.”

Hannah placed her hand on her shoulder.  As she did, Julia sought refuge in Hannah’s open arms.  She held her as she cried for several minutes until Julia hiccupped and pulled away, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief.

“This,” she said, waving her hand by her red-rimmed eyes, “is all I can manage these days.  I have lost my desire for adventure, that love of life.  All I do is cry, night and day.”

Hannah could feel her pain, although it was not entirely the same.  “When Drew died, I thought I would never stop crying.  The grief and loss would hit me at the oddest times and months later.  Even after I met your brother, I still grieved for Drew.  But, this too will pass.”

“I don’t feel like it ever will.”

“Give it time, Julia.  When I worked with Drew, I saw flesh wounds that took months to heal, while other wounds took but a few days.  Your wounds are deep, and they will take time to heal.  Do not put pressure on yourself to be somewhere other than where you are.  Will and I will love you no matter what.”

Turning to go back to the ranch house, Hannah said, “If you ever want to talk to me or Will, please do so.  We are here for you.”

Reuben’s stomach dropped to the floor as he re-read the letter for the third time. 
She married Larson
.  Three simple words that would be his death sentence—the end of everything he held dear.

He was going to lose the ranch.

Crumpling the letter in his hand, he tossed it on the floor, letting out a wail of anger and desperation.  His shoulders dropped in defeat.

Maybe he could pack his things and start over somewhere else.  He had a little money left.  Not much.  But it would get him someplace where no one would know him.  Slowly, he could work his way back.  He still had his most valuable asset—his wit and charm.

Yes!  That’s what he would do.

Leaving the comfort of his office, he headed down the hall to his bedroom.  The house was quiet, as the children were napping.  No sounds came from the kitchen, so he hurriedly grabbed his carpet bag and stuffed several changes of clothes into it.  On his way back to his office, he confirmed that Mary was outside hanging the laundry.  Taking the last of his money, he shoved it in the bag.

Walking out the front door, he made his way to the stables and saddled the best horse he owned.  Who knows, he might need to sell it later for some cash.

Once the horse was readied, he led it from the barn, wondering if he should have at least left Mary a note to let her know he would not be returning.

A click of a gun cocking snapped his attention to two men on horseback.

“Going somewhere, Reuben?” Hiram Norton sneered.

At the nod of his head, Hiram’s companion dismounted and walked towards Reuben, gun leveled at his chest.

“Hope you weren’t thinking of running off,” Hiram said, steely look in his eyes.  “You still owe me a good sum of money for that shrew sister of yours.  And you’ve put me off long enough.  It’s time to pay up.”

“What did you have in mind?” Reuben asked, trying to buy some time to figure some way out of this.

“Only thing you have left is land and blood.  Think I might just take both.”

Chapter 14

The first few days at Colter Ranch passed quickly for Adam.  While he bunked with the cowboys, he spent very little time with the men, except for meals and an hour or so in the evening.  Breakfast and supper were served at the long table in the main room of the bunkhouse, with all the men vying for seconds.  While the cowboys were sent to the field with packed lunches or jerky and bread, Adam ate the midday meal in the ranch house with Will, Hannah, Julia, Ben, and Snake.  If any of the other boys were in for the day, they would join the group.

The stables were better than he hoped—for such a remote place in the wilderness.  Well, they were fairly close to Prescott, but other than the town and the fort, there was no one for miles.  Adam was pleased with the choices Will made for the building, the corrals, and the equipment.  It was evident he spared no expense on equipment or horses. 

At least three horses were four to five years and would need broken soon.  Another handful were two to three years.  They were at the perfect age as far as Adam was concerned.  Young enough that they would learn to trust him long before he put a saddle on their backs.  Three of the mares were foaling.  Will told him he bred them in the summer so they should foal early next year.  Several of the horses should already be ready for sale according to Will.  He just wanted to make sure they met Adam’s expectations.

With so many horses requiring his attention there was so much work to be done.  Back home, his pa never had more than two or three at a given age since Adam was the only one working them.  There would be no time for him to ease into his responsibilities.

Taking the training bridle down, he took it with him as he led Percy from his stall.  Percy was a jet black colt sired by one of the studs Will purchased.  Both the sire and the colt were solid animals.  Yesterday, he spent time getting Percy used to the bridle.  Today, he would continue the training.  Once in the corral, he placed the bridle over Percy’s head.  The horse handled it well, just a flick of his ears to let him know he was at least thinking about what was going on.  Speaking in soft tones, he led Percy through a series of exercises walking him in circles and lines.

While he worked, he thought of Julia, as he often had since arriving at the ranch.  After having spent so much time with her on the trail west, seeing her only at dinner seemed like nothing.  He wondered how she was doing and if she told Hannah and Will what really caused her to leave Texas.

He flinched as he remembered the day she took his horse and he witnessed Reuben beat her.  He prayed for her every day, wanting God to free her from her misery.  Yet, he could tell during those brief encounters over dinner that she was still struggling.  She was so quiet, so distant.

Percy snorted bringing his attention back to the horse.  He finished the circle and Percy was waiting for the next instruction.  Zigzagging back and forth through the corral, he led him through the next series.  Once Percy completed the steps, Adam removed the bridle and let him run free for several minutes.  When he gave the signal, Percy stopped and approached him.  This horse was a fast learner.

As he finished brushing down Percy and returning him to the stall, Hannah rang the supper bell.  Adam wished, probably for the fifth time that day, that he could have supper at the main house.  But, growing up on the ranch, he knew the protocol.  The main house was for family only.  Will was breaking those same unwritten rules by even allowing them to eat there midday.

Washing up outside the bunkhouse, he paused before jumping into the fray.  Sometimes he found it difficult to go from the serenity of working with the horses all day to the noise and activity of the bunkhouse.  He opened the door to see Rosa already setting out the heaping plates of food.

“Hey, Adam, you better take a seat quick,” Jed said.  “Before cranky old Whitten here decides to take all the food.”

Whitten jabbed the younger man in the ribs with his elbow.  “Least I’m not some young pup still being weaned.”

“I’d rather be a young pup than a cranky old man!” Jed shot back. 

Hawk whispered so only Adam could hear, “Careful of the gravy.  Saw Pedro hanging around it.”

Adam nodded, biting the inside of his cheek, trying not to smile.  Pedro, one of the Mexican cowboys that worked the night shift, was known for his practical jokes with jalapeños.  It was funny, as long as it was not your mouth on fire.  Last night Adam warned Hawk when he figured out which dish contained the surprise pepper, so it seemed Hawk was returning the favor.

The friendly banter continued around the table until all the food was gone.  Many of the boys were younger than he was.  Covington, Jed, and Hawk were all younger.  Owens was Adam’s age and Whitten was just a year older than him.  Then there was Snake.  He must have been close to Will’s thirty years.  Ben, of course, was old enough to be their father, maybe even grandfather.  The Mexicans were less forthcoming about their ages, but Adam put them all between twenty and twenty-four.

When Rosa came around to gather up the dishes, Diego jumped to his feet to help.  Adam smiled at the thought of a romance budding on the ranch, though he longed for it to be him and Julia.  The thought sobered him, but he knew it was true.  He came to care for her deeply during their time on the trail.