The Rancher (7 page)

Movement out of the corner of
his eye caught his attention. The summer yellow of Laurel's dress
drawing notice. She was walking between the mercantile and the
telegraph office at a fast clip. He watched her disappear around
the corner before looking back at Edna. The disapproving look on
the woman's face said it all. She wasn't any more pleased with the
silence than he was.

He lifted his hand, drawing her
attention and she smiled, raising the bid price. No one spoke but
several people turned to look at him. Then someone from the front
of the crowd matched the bid until it was raised again.

The bidding war began and Holden
couldn’t have been happier.

* * * *

Laurel looked up from the book
she was reading when someone knocked on her door. Dread settled
like a weight in her stomach. It was probably Edna, come to berate
her for sneaking off from the festival.

She sighed and debated on just
not answering but she knew the woman wouldn't go away. Standing,
she laid her book down and crossed the room and opened the
door.

Seeing Holden Avery standing
there didn't surprise her much either. He'd never knocked on her
door but she knew it was only a matter of time.

He smiled and Laurel had to
force herself not to return the gesture. "Are you lost?"

"No Ma'am." He thumbed up the
front of his hat and gave her a look that said he knew he wasn't
welcome at her door and was choosing to ignore it. "Abigail and
Sarah packed a picnic lunch enough to feed half the town. We'll be
taking it out by the creek. Just wanted to know if you'd like to
join us."

Her pulse leaped. He was asking
her to a picnic? The sincere look in his eyes and that handsome
smile on his face caused that small voice in the back of her mind
to scream, yes. It begged her to accept. To not worry about her
stupid reservations for once. To just go spend the day with this
man, who obviously went out of his way to try and talk to her, but
the thought of doing it sent fear coursing through her body. She
couldn't get attached to this man, no matter how much she wanted
to. "Thank you for the offer, but I must decline."

He gave her a slight nod of his
head, the smile that had been on his face dimming just a fraction.
"Somehow I knew you were going to say that."

"Yet you still found your way to
my door to ask. Why?"

The smile remained and filled
his blue eyes, the mingled greens and purple catching her
attention. "Can't blame a man for trying."

"I don't suppose you can but it
really is pointless, I can assure you."

He blinked up at her, bid her a
good day, and it wasn't until he left her standing there on the
back porch steps of the school house, alone, that she realized how
utterly miserable her life was.

And she only had one person to
thank for that.

Thinking of him, she sighed and
walked back into her little room, looking at the bleak walls.

Why had her life turned out to
be so dire? She'd had such high hopes for her future a year ago.
Now she was reduced to being rude to people who, in other
circumstances, she would have enjoyed talking to, and living out
her days in silence while trapped within four walls of a
schoolhouse in order to protect her heart.

This wasn't living. It was
existing and somehow it didn't seem to be the answer to all her
prayers like she thought it would be. Instead, it was the very
worst of hell.

Add in the fact that Holden
Avery was the most tempting thing she'd seen in ages. Thoughts of
him plagued her every moment of the day and the misery piled on
until she felt as if she was drowning.

Something had to change. She'd
tried, honestly tried to set a course for her life but one reckless
night in Missoula had changed all her carefully laid out plans. She
couldn’t ignore Holden regardless of how much she tried so why was
she still trying? She liked the man, aggravating as he was at
times, and memories of him caused her to lay awake more than one
night with her body aching for his touch.

But was that reason enough to
lay all her plans aside? To spend her life as a spinster and die at
a ripe old age, pleased with herself because she'd done exactly
what she wanted to do, not something a man told her she had to
do?

She sighed. It was too confusing
to think about. Her heart and head needed to act as one but her
heart was screaming the loudest at the moment. She needed to make a
decision and stick with it but what if she chose the wrong
path?

Chapter Five

Holden saw her when he turned
the wagon and started for the other end of the street. She was
standing in front of the schoolhouse, a straw hat in one hand while
she draped a shawl over her shoulders. She was staring at him, the
look on her face telling him she was trying to decide if turning
around would be the better option.

He smiled and pulled the reins
when he neared her, the horses stopping and giving Alexandra time
to start protesting. "Why does she have to come along, pa? I don't
want to spend the day with her."

When they came to a complete
stop, he ignored Alex, set the brake with his foot and jumped to
the ground before crossing the road. "I hope this means you've
changed your mind." Laurel's cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink
and he felt his pulse leap at the sight of it.

"Don't think more into this than
there is." She glanced up at him, her cheeks darkening. "I'm just
bored is all."

Holden grinned. He didn't care
what her excuse was, as long as he got to spend the day with her,
he'd let her make up any ole' lie she felt like telling.

He offered her his arm and
walked her back across the street, lifted her into the wagon and
gave Alex a look that spoke volumes. His daughter's mouth tightened
into a thin white line, her eyes narrowing to show her displeasure
and he ignored it, climbed up into the seat and had the horses
moving again before his pulse stopped racing.

They rode in silence until they
reached the prairie and ventured off the main road. He followed
behind Morgan and Abigail's wagon as they jostled across the
yellowing autumn grass. His father's shock of white hair glinted in
the sun as he sat in the back of Morgan's wagon and when he turned
his head to look back at them, Laurel asked, "Who is that?"

"My father." He saw her look at
him out of the corner of his eye and smiled. "His name is James but
don't worry about trying to talk to him. Chances are, he wouldn't
hear you."

"Is he deaf?"

"No." Holden shook his head and
gave the reins another small tug to get the horses to turn toward
the creek. "He's sick. We're not really sure what's wrong with him
but he keeps to himself most of the time. Talks to people no one
can see and pretty much tunes the rest of us out."

She turned to look at the wagon
in front of them, back at his father, and Holden glanced over at
her. The sun made those whiskey colored eyes shine, her complexion,
flawless. Small tendrils of hair had escaped the confines of the
bun she'd pulled it all into and those stray curls kissed her
cheek, sweeping low to tease her lips.

They reached the creek and Alex
wasted no time jumping from the back of the wagon and running
toward the thin ribbon of water winding its way through the trees.
She was shucking her boots as Holden jumped to the ground and
turned to help Laurel down.

He reached up, placing his hands
about her small waist and she stared up at him when her feet
touched the ground. Just being this close to her again sent waves a
need through him. The tantalizing scent of roses filled the air and
he remembered their one night together, of burying his face into
the curve of her neck and finding that tantalizing aroma there. How
he'd wanted to drown in it and couldn't pass by his mother's rose
garden without being reminded of Laurel. He stared down at her, her
lashes sweeping against her cheek as she blinked up at him. His
gaze traveled her face and if they hadn't been surrounded by his
family, he would have kissed those raspberry lips until she begged
him to stop.

He tightened his hold on her
briefly before reluctantly letting go of her. Glancing over at
Morgan and Abigail, he saw them both grinning at him. Inviting
Laurel to the picnic had been their idea. He'd agreed with them
until he found himself walking to the schoolhouse. Laurel refusing
him hadn't come as a surprise and he'd be lying if he said her
initial refusal hadn't torn at his heart a bit. The pain didn't
last long though. Not once he saw her by the road, nervously
looking his way.

She turned away from him and
walked toward the creek and Holden watched her until Morgan walked
over to him and laughed.

"I never thought I'd see the day
you'd go all moon-eyed over a woman."

"You forget I was married
once."

"No I haven't." Morgan reached
around him and lifted the blankets from the back of the wagon. "I
know you loved Maggie but trust me when I say, you never looked at
her like you do that little schoolmarm."

Holden watched Morgan walk back
to Abigail, his words whispering inside his head. His brother was
right. He had loved Maggie, had the first time he saw her, but it
felt different from what he felt for Laurel. He wasn't sure why but
as he turned his head to look over at her, his body tightened, his
pulse leaped and he knew he'd do anything to win her heart.

* * * *

"You are such a fool." Laurel
sighed at her own whispered words. She'd walked away from Holden
with her heart in her throat. The way he'd looked at her when he
lifted her down from the wagon sent chills racing up and down her
spine and if they'd been alone, she was positive he would have
kissed her.

And she would have let him.

She still wasn't sure why she'd
even stepped out of the schoolhouse and accompanied him on the
picnic. Common sense told her to leave him be, to ignore him and
he'd eventually leave her alone. But that secret place in her
heart, the one that craved the sight of him, wouldn't let her.

As much as she hated to admit
it, she looked forward to seeing him everyday. Just looking into
those so-blue eyes caused her pulse to race. To see him smile at
her like he had secrets he wanted to share sent her heart soaring
and her thoughts racing.

And she was powerless to do
anything about it.

She stopped by the bank of the
creek, turning to look at Alexandra. She was in the water to her
knees, the hem of her dress swaying in the current. The need to
tell her to get out of the water, that it was too late in the year
to be wading in the creek was strong but she ignored it. The child
despised her and wouldn't appreciate being told what to do outside
of school. The fact her father had asked her along for the picnic
was upsetting to the girl enough as it was. She'd seen the look on
Alexandra's face when she reached the wagon. She hadn't been the
least bit happy. Laurel couldn't really blame her. She probably
wouldn't have wanted her teacher along for a family outing either,
especially one her father seemed to spend his time trying to talk
to.

Alexandra turned to look at her
as if she could hear Laurel's thoughts. Laurel stared at her, her
facial expression passive. Alexandra's blonde curls swayed in the
breeze and Laurel knew with just a glance, the girl took her looks
after her mother. She shared none of the dark looks her father had,
except for the blue of her eyes. When Alexandra didn't move, or
blink, but continued to stare at her, Laurel sighed. "It's rude to
stare, Alexandra."

"I know. My pa told me that
years ago." She turned and started out of the water, climbing onto
the bank, the hem of her dress dragging on the ground and
collecting bits of grass and dirt. When she stood on solid ground,
she lifted her chin, her eyes narrowed. "You like my pa, don't
ya?"

Laurel wasn't sure how to
answer. "Define like."

Alexandra lifted one eyebrow.
"You want him to court you?"

"No." There, the first question
she'd been asked where she could give an honest answer. "Why do you
ask?"

"Cause I think he wants to court
you."

He wants more than that, Laurel
thought to herself. Thinking of him saying he intended on marrying
her caused her heart to slam against her ribcage and those
butterflies in her stomach danced in erratic patterns until she
felt dizzy. That little voice in her head she'd been trying to
ignore, yelled at her to let Holden know it was okay to come
calling on her and that she'd be waiting with bated breath until he
did.

Laurel blinked instead and
chased the thoughts away, choosing to ignore his whispered
admission. "What makes you think that?"

"Cause he's always looking at
ya. He goes all funny too. He don't listen to me when I talk and
when he does answer, he makes no sense."

"That doesn't mean he wants to
court me, Alexandra. Maybe he's just preoccupied."

She shook her head, her curls
bouncing across her shoulders. "No, he likes you. I can tell. He's
never courted a woman and as far as I know, he don't go near the
saloon and those women who live there and I know from what my uncle
Tristan told me that every man wants a wife. So my pa likes you all
right but what I want to know is, if he tried to court you, would
you let him."