River Song (18 page)

"It's all right," Cole assured. "Charlie trimmed his hooves and rubbed him down. He's a little worse for the wear, but he won't have any problem carrying you to the ranch. He can wait to rest up until then."

"You do not understand." Sunny shook her head as she moved to the shaggy horse's side. "It is not the animal
. 'Tis the saddle."

His brows knotted, Cole examined the leather seat and shrugged. "It looks fine to me. It's a standard sidesaddle. What's the problem?"

"The problem," Sunny glanced around then lowered her voice. "The problem is that I don't know how to ride on one of those. I would prefer to ride Paddy out of here the way I rode him in."

"Is that all?" Cole laughed. "The way you can handle a horse, this is going to seem like a buggy ride. Come on, I'll help you up."

But Sunny wasn't convinced. She eyed,
then
fingered the long horn protruding off the side of the saddle. "Cole, I really don't think I can do this."

"You just hook your right leg over the horn and sit back and let the horse do all the work. That's all there is to it."

Still skeptical, Sunflower lifted her arms and allowed him to hoist her into the strange saddle. After sitting there a few minutes, her leg dangling off the side of the horse, she nodded, hoping her sense of balance would return before they started moving. "I suppose I am ready."

"Good." After a quick wink and a squeeze of her ankle, Cole turned, thanked Charlie, and mounted Sage.

The pair traveled down the dusty street slowly as Sunny familiarized
herself
with the odd rhythms atop the sidesaddle. They stopped at the edge of town long enough for her to send wires to her father in La Paz and Fort Mohave, and considered sending a message to Yuma as well, but thought it a waste of money. A wire to her hometown wouldn't be read for at least three months. She would have her hands full repaying Cole for the clothing before she returned to Yuma and didn't need any more extra expenses. Proud of her good sense, Sunny allowed herself to be hoisted onto the sidesaddle for the journey to the cattle ranch.

Back on the trail again, Cole urged her to join him in a slow trot, then onto an easy lope as she became more comfortable. But even with his concern and several rest stops along the way, by the time they reached the arched gates of the Triple F ranch, she was stiff and chafed, her waist crimped on one side and sorely stretched on the other by her unnatural posture.

When they slowed to a stop and Sunny took her first good look at Cole's home in the lower Verde Valley, she forgot about her discomfort. Tall, gnarled junipers lined the endless white fences leading to the house, their twisted branches waving as if to greet her. In between these, bright green
palo
verde
trees bent gracefully in the light breeze, their thick leaves a welcome respite from the setting sun.

"
Ohhh
," she breathed. "This is even more beautiful than I ever imagined."

Coaxing her down the path beneath the arched branches, Cole glanced around the property. "I suppose it is beautiful," he acknowledged, noting how the much-needed rain had filled the pastures and meadows with lush, tall grass. "Sometimes you have to go away from your home before you can appreciate it."

"Oh, I would never find this place to be anything other than beautiful. Is it always so green?"

Impatient to be off the trail, Cole nudged Sage and the outlaw's mount into an easy lope as he answered. "If there's green to be found in these parts, it'll be here in Verde Valley, but the last few years we've been damn near as dry as Yuma."

Tired and giddy, Sunny laughed and nearly lost what little balance she had. Gripping the saddle horn more tightly, she glanced up the road and spotted a small dust storm heading their way. Inclining her head, she said, "What is that?"

Squinting
his eyes against the fireball of a rapidly setting sun, recognition spread a grin across his tired features as the rider approached. "Looks like we've got a welcoming committee," he said as the oncoming horse skidded to a halt and a petite young woman flung herself off the saddle.

"Cole," she called, racing towards Sage.

Swinging his long leg over the saddlebags, Cole dismounted and spread his arms wide. The woman flew into his arms, and the two twirled like a top, laughing and muttering words of welcome to one another.

Elizabeth?
Sunny wondered, wishing for a reckless moment she had her grandfather's war club in her hand. Or was that another admirer of the handsome rancher? She watched them, a cold knife twisting in her gut, until they finally broke apart.

His arm still wrapped around her shoulder, Cole and the woman approached the outlaw's mount. "Sunny, I'd like you to meet my sister, Nellie." He looked down at the beaming woman and continued, "Nell, this is Sunflower Callahan. She's going to be staying with us for a while."

"Sunflower?"
Nellie glanced at Cole, then up at Sunny. "What a pretty name.
Nice to meet you."

"I am pleased to meet you, also." Sunny's smile, one of relief at first, quickly became genuine as she regarded Cole's sister. Instantly she felt at ease, as if she'd just met an old friend. Nellie's expression sparkled with eyes more hazel than green, reflecting sincerity and kindness along with a disturbing hint of sadness.

Nellie turned back to her brother and patted his shoulder with a delicate hand. "Dad's at the ranch. I told him it was you coming up the road, but he didn't believe me. Let's go show him he's not always right."

"That'd be a first. Let's get going." Cole laughed as Nellie skipped back to her horse and remounted, but when the trio started down the path again, his amusement quickly faded to apprehension. He'd meant to warn Sunny about his father, at least give her a general idea of the way the old man looked on Indians,
any
Indian.

Somehow, he'd never found the right moment or the right words. Now, he thought with a heavy sigh, it was too late.

 
CHAPTER
SEVEN

Nathan Fremont filled the doorway of his sprawling home, his hawklike eyes darting from Sunny to Cole and back to Sunny again. Speaking fluent Texan, his voice big and bold, the words hot and spicy, he drawled, "Been a hell of a long time, son.
Mighty nice to see you again.
What did you brought home?"

"A houseguest, Dad."
Hoping his father read the clear warning in his
eyes,
Cole reached for Sunny's hand and pulled her inside the doorway. "Miss Callahan, my father, Nathan Fremont."

"Callahan?"
The elder man shook his head, grumbling, "That don’t make much sense."

"Excuse us, Dad," Cole sliced in as he coaxed Sunny past his father and into the foyer. "Miss
Callahan
has had quite an ordeal.
Nellie's going to take her upstairs for some rest now.
You two can make your acquaintances later."

Sunny planted her feet at this. "But Cole, I am not tired."

"You really should rest." He speared her with a meaningful gaze,
then
inclined his head towards the stairs. "Please go with Nellie and let her help you get settled."

Cole exchanged glances with his sister, then removed his hat and sailed it toward a set of steer horns mounted on the wall. Turning back to his father, he raked his fingers through his hair. "We've got some catching up to do. Why don't we down a couple in your office?"

Nathan stroked his busy beard and narrowed his scarred left eye until it was a slit. "I reckon we should, Cole. And I reckon we'll be doin' a lot more talkin' than
drinkin
', too."

Sunny couldn't keep her eyes off the two men, could actually feel the frigid blast of air surrounding them, and realized with a shiver that her presence had everything to do with it. She tore her gaze away and followed the young woman up the gracefully curving stairway to the second floor of the huge home.

"You can have the room next to mine," Nellie said as she opened the door to a luxuriously feminine suite and gestured for Sunflower to enter. "This used to be my room until I got married."

Temporarily ignoring the scene she'd just left, Sunny's brows raised as she studied Cole's sister. "You look so young to have a husband."

"I'm already eighteen," she laughed.
"Certainly past marrying age, but thanks anyway."

Nellie's words echoed in Sunny's head, but the voice was that of Moonstar. She thought of her mother, of her insistence that the marrying time was upon her. Sunny lowered her head and closed her eyes, wondering if her own nineteen years were
beyond
the marrying age.

"Sunflower?"

Nellie's voice, soft with concern, snapped her back to the present. "Oh, I am sorry. I suppose I am more tired than I thought."

"That's understandable from what little I heard about your adventures on the trail. Why don't you just forget all that and come look around your room." Nellie spread her arms wide. "What do you think?"

Accepting the invitation, Sunny made a visual sweep of her accommodations and sucked in her breath. Everything seemed made of clouds and gold, flowers, and sunshine. The brass bed was covered with a puffy quilt of ivory and decorated with several lavender pillows. Yards of purple velvet fringed with ivory satin tassels draped the twin windows on either side of the bed and set off the ornate brass headboard. An ivory and gold dressing table with a high curving mirror, and a large wingback chair covered with sprigs of violets on a creamy background, completed the elegant bedroom.

Sunny turned to her
hostess,
hands clasped at her waist, and said, "This is very beautiful. You are lucky to live in such a home."

"Thank you. This room has always been like a refuge to me. I'd still be in it, but Bucky says it's too frilly and girly for a man." Her guard down, Nellie's eyes dulled as she stood silent for several seconds. Then she shook off the trance and went on. "It's become the guest room."

Bright-eyed again, Nell swept over to a large closet featuring twin doors and swung them open. "I still keep a few dresses in here and there's a nightgown on a hook at the back wall." She turned, mentally measuring Sunny, and flashed a broad grin. "I'm sure the clothes will fit you except for the length. All we have to do is add a couple inches of lace or a flounce, and we can build you a whole new wardrobe."

"Oh, no," she objected. "I cannot accept,"

"Excuse me for arguing the point," Nellie said as she lightly touched Sunny's arm, "but Cole asked me to make sure you have everything you need. I can see you don't have a thing to wear but the dress on your back, and I can also see my brother cares for you very much."

Sunny's thick lashes brushed her cheeks as she lowered her lids. She began to fidget with the yellow satin ribbons at her waist. "Cole has been very kind to me."

"Yes, well," Nellie laughed, "I'm not saying Cole isn't a kind man—he is—but that's not what I'm talking about. He seems very attentive, almost protective of you."

Sunny fingered an emerald green dress of pure silk, thinking back to the way Cole kept his father from addressing her when they first arrived at the ranch, and wondered what kind of exchange Nathan Fremont might be having with his only son at this moment.

A twinge of guilt spun her around to face Nellie. "You and Cole have both been very kind and generous with me, but what of your father? Perhaps he is not so pleased to offer me a bedroom in his home."

"Oh, just try to ignore him." Nell brushed the remark off with a wave of her hand. "He's set in his ways, but his bark is a lot bigger than his bite. I'm sure Cole can smooth him over."