Gabriel's Atonement (32 page)

A woman like Lara deserved to be cherished, not worked to death. Yes, he'd offered to hire her, not to work her day and night, but rather so that he could keep her close in hopes that she would come to care for him like he did her.

He pushed his feet into motion. Luke would wonder why he was standing in the same spot when he returned. Back at the buckboard, he checked to make sure Tempest's reins were securely tied to the tailgate. He patted the horse, thinking about how close he'd come to meeting his Maker.

Mark Hillborne walked back out of his tent. Gabe hadn't noticed the man had left after the shooting. He skirted around Tempest and toward the storekeeper. “I owe you my gratitude for standing up for me.”

Mark shrugged. “I was just telling it like I saw it. That man provoked you and deserved what he got.”

Gabe wasn't going to disagree. If not for Mark's statement, as well as Luke's, Gabe might be in the soldiers' custody and locked away somewhere right now. “I still thank you. Let me know if I can ever return the favor.”

Mark nodded.

As Gabe climbed up and took a seat on the buckboard's bench, he couldn't shake the thought of how close he'd come to dying. And he wasn't nearly ready for that. He swallowed the lump in his throat. He'd thought about changing his ways, and now he knew he had to. He didn't want to be responsible for tearing apart any other families. He'd done enough of that already.

L
ara dumped the load of firewood in the pile she'd been collecting. Finding the wood had helped her feel useful. She'd washed the bedding from the dugout and hung it over some shrubs to dry in the warm afternoon sun. She'd even decided where she wanted to plant her garden and had made a mental list of the vegetables she planned to grow. She glanced in the direction Gabe had ridden this morning, hoping to see him, but she didn't.

The sun would set in a little over an hour, and she had decided if he wasn't back by then, she'd make as big a fire as she could then go lock herself and Sunny in the dugout. She would feel safer than sitting outside alone all night. That was for certain.

She tried fishing in the later afternoon hours but had no luck. With nothing else to do, she walked up the closest hill to watch for Gabe. The grass swished as she passed through it, and grabbed at her skirts. She looked in all directions, and seeing no one, she hiked up her skirt and petticoat and trod up the hill, enjoying the freedom from clawing plants. At the top, she stopped to catch her breath and enjoy the view. The hill she stood on was taller than the others nearby, giving her a clear view for a long way. Everything looked the same—grassy rolling hills, with trees clustered sporadically, mostly near the creek.

A part of her felt sad for the Indians who never got to live there, but she was glad that her family would as well as so many others who needed land. Something moved in the bushes halfway down the hill, and Lara froze. She hadn't thought about the wild creatures that inhabited this land, but there were probably coyote and wolves. Sucking in a breath, she drew her gun and pointed it. Suddenly two rabbits hopped out from behind the shrub. Lara almost laughed out loud, but then she realized she had supper within her sites. Lifting the gun, she aimed and fired. The shot hit a rock close to one rabbit, and it shifted direction and fled. The other one froze, not realizing it made the perfect target. Lara sited the gun and fired. The shot hit its mark, knocking the hare several feet from its original spot. Lara holstered the gun and started down the hill. “Yahoo!”

The rabbit not only gave her a task to tend to, but she would have something for Gabe to eat when he returned, for she refused to believe he wouldn't. He had promised, and unlike Tom who couldn't keep a promise, she believed Gabe would. With supper in her clutches, she climbed the hill again, ready to take one last look around before heading back to camp.

Her heart jolted at the site of a rider on a Palomino coming her way fast. Right behind it was a wagon. Both seemed in a hurry. Her heart pounded. She didn't have time to run to the dugout to hide. And they already knew someone was around because they would have heard her gunfire. She dropped the rabbit and reached to pull out her gun when her gaze landed on the horse behind the wagon. Tempest?

Shading her eyes, she stared at the driver. Gabe? Oh, yes! It was him. Her pulse raced as she waved her hands. She couldn't express her joy that he had returned. He waved back and then slowed the buckboard.

The rider on the yellow horse galloped her way then slowed and stopped. “Are you Lara?”

She nodded. “And who are you?”

The handsome cowboy relaxed and grinned. “I'm Luke. I work for Gabe.”

“It's a pleasure to meet you.”

He tipped his hat. “Same here. Gabe's been mighty concerned that we wouldn't arrive before sunset. We ran into some trouble in town, but it turned out all right.”

She wanted to ask what kind of trouble, but Gabe was topping the hill. He pulled the wagon to a stop and smiled. “I told you I'd be back before dark.”

“That you did.” She couldn't help smiling in return and didn't bother to hide her delight. “And it looks like you brought a whole store with you.”

He shrugged. “We're starting from scratch and have need of many things. And, besides, I only bought half a store. I wish I could have brought more, but this will hold us for a week or two.” He glanced at the cowboy. “I see you've met Luke.”

She nodded then bent and picked up the rabbit. “I got something for dinner.”

Luke's brows lifted to his hairline. “She can shoot?” He chuckled. “You'd better be on your best behavior, boss.”

“Didn't I tell you that? Lara is an amazing woman.”

Lara's cheeks heated. Gabe had been talking about her? She wished she knew in what capacity. Was he merely telling Luke about his other employee? Or was there more to it?

She glanced at Gabe and caught him staring. He winked, making her stomach flutter. She smiled and ducked her head.

“You want to ride to camp?” Gabe stood and held out his hand as if he knew her answer.

She ought to walk, but she longed to hear about things in town, and she was rather tired after her busy day. She nodded and took hold of his hand, allowing him to haul her up into the wagon. Once seated, she glanced sideways. “I'm sure glad you returned before the sun went down.”

“You and me both. We had a bit of trouble finding our way back. Mile after mile of prairie that all looks pretty much the same can be confusing.”

She knew what he said was true. They hit a dip in the ground and Lara's shoulder bumped against Gabe's, sending her pulse soaring. She'd tried hard not to like him, but he was so kind and generous. Somewhere along the way, he had staked a claim on her heart. But she wasn't sure he felt the same.

Just because a man was kind to you didn't mean he was in love with you. Maybe Gabe pitied her. Felt sorry for her because her clothes were so shabby? She smoothed a wrinkle in her skirt. She'd wanted to travel light and hadn't packed an apron, which she sorely needed today when she was cleaning the dugout. “I found the piece of land I want,” she blurted without thinking.

“You did?” Gabe's gaze zipped toward hers. “Where is this land?”

“In the southwestern corner of your claim, on the border as you stipulated.”

He nodded, smiling wide. “Good. That means you're going to stay and work for me.”

“Yes, but tomorrow I need to go get Michael. He'll be worried. We've never been separated before.”

“I'm sure he misses you,” Gabe said. “I still miss my ma.”

“Where is she?”

“She died when I was a boy.”

Lara leaned against Gabe's arm as they reached the bottom of the last hill. “I'm sorry, Gabe. I know what it's like to lose a parent—both of them, actually.”

Luke jogged his horse down the hill ahead of them and out of earshot. He circled the camp and then dismounted. Sunny nickered a greeting to Luke's horse.

“I'm sorry about your parents.”

Lara shrugged. “It was a long time ago. My grandpa raised my sister and me—and my brother, but he left before a year was out.”

Gabe guided the wagon toward their campsite. “Where are they now?”

Lara scooted away from him, staring toward her small speck of land. She had decided she wouldn't tell him about her whole family until they were already here. Would he change his mind about hiring her if he knew they were coming to live here also?

He slowed the wagon then stopped it and set the break. Gabe turned toward her. “What's wrong, Lara? Did something happen to them, too?”

She swallowed and licked her lips, unsure how to explain. She cupped her fingers together, running her thumb over the back of one hand. If he sent her packing, they were in trouble. She should have told him from the start that she wasn't alone, but the topic had never come up.

His large warm hand rested atop hers, and she stopped fidgeting. “Whatever it is, just tell me. It can't be worse than what I'm imagining.”

She thought of how fussy Jo could be at times and the three goats and their antics, and she thought Gabe might be wrong, but she had to tell him. She pivoted to face him and looked into his dark, solemn eyes. “I…uh…they are watching Michael, except for my brother, Jack. I have no idea where he is.”

A crease formed between Gabe's eyes. “Who is watching your son?”

“My grandpa and my sister. They will be coming to live with me. They have nowhere else to go.”

He blinked, looking confused. “So, you're not alone? I thought you and your son lived by yourself.”

She shook her head. “No, but my grandpa suffers frequent bouts of swamp fever—malaria—and my sister can be…trying.”

Gabe surprised her by grinning. “She must be like you at times.”

“What?” She was trying? She thought of all he'd done for her and imagined that maybe she did seem that way to him.

He nudged her shoulder with his. “I'm teasing, Lara.”

She looked into his eyes and saw the truth. When she realized how close she was to him and that if he only leaned a few inches, he could kiss her, she jumped up.

Gabe tugged her back down. “We're not finished with our discussion.”

She flopped onto the bench beside him, catching the odor of the fire that Luke had started. “It's getting dark. I need to prepare supper, and don't you need to unpack?”

“It can wait. You're saying that besides your son, your grandpa and sister will be living here?”

She nodded, holding her breath. Praying he wouldn't cast them out.

He blew out a loud breath. “All right. I hadn't counted on feeding so many folks, but we'll make do.”

She turned toward him, her heart taking flight. “You mean, you don't mind? I was so afraid you'd tell us to hit the road.”

He glanced over his shoulder, and she looked at the camp. Luke squatted near the fire with his back to them. She jumped when Gabe's hand rested against her cheek. His gaze captured hers and held her prisoner. “Why would I mind? I'm glad you have some family and don't have to live alone with only your son.”

She blinked back the tears stinging her eyes. “You're a good man, Gabe Coulter.”

A sad looked stole his happy expression. “There are many who would disagree with you.”

“Why? You've been more than kind to me.”

His gaze hardened, and he dropped his hand, the tender moment lost. “I've done things in my past that I'm not proud of—” His voice caught, and he cleared his throat. “I want you to know that I'm changing my ways. I've quit gambling and intend on raising horses. It will be a slow go of things until I can acquire more land, but we'll make it. I have some savings, so that will hold us over during the thin times.”

He said
we
and
us
as if they were a family. As if she mattered to him. And yet she hated the way he had accumulated that savings—by winning money from men like Tom, who should have sent a portion of their earnings to their hungry families. She believed a man could change his ways and hoped Gabe truly had, but what if he couldn't make a go of the ranch? What if his savings ran out? Could Gabe live as miserly as she had back in Caldwell? Could she trust him not to go back to gambling if things here didn't go as planned?

And could she trust her rebellious heart when all she wanted was for Gabe to take her in his arms and kiss her fears away?

Tired from traveling since leaving Wichita, Silas halted at a campsite some previous traveler had used just across the state line. He dismounted and tended to his horse then reclined against a tree. He needed food, but the cheap marshal didn't send him off with any, nor did he return the coins Silas had in his pocket when he was arrested.

A bird flitted in the tree above him, and he glanced up. He'd eaten pigeons and starlings before, but they weren't his favorite. The bird flew up to another branch, and something blue caught Silas's eye. Someone had secured a bundle in the tree. More than a little curious, he rose and managed to climb the tree. He lowered the bunched blanket to the ground, almost praying there'd be food inside, but then he wasn't a prayin' man. He loosened the knot, tossed aside the rope, and flipped back the blanket, revealing a stock of canned goods that made his eyes bulge.