The Texan (5 page)

“It was all handled legally. I took care of the paperwork,” Les assured her. “Your father made a good choice in Josh. Then, when the old foreman quit, Josh took on the job.”

Realizing there was no way out of the partnership, Emmie looked up at Josh and met his dark-eyed gaze straight-on. “It looks like we’re going to be working together from now on, Mr. Grady.”

“Since we are going to be working together, I’d appreciate it if you’d start calling me Josh,” he told her.

“All right, Josh, and you can call me Emmie.”

“We can meet later, if you’d like, and go over the books.”

“That’ll be fine.” Now that the introductions were over with, she wanted some time alone.

“And if you need me for anything else, just send word into town,” Les told them both.

Josh stood up to go, as did the lawyer. Emmie thanked the attorney again for all his help as she saw the two men from the house.

When she came back inside and closed the door behind her, she stood quietly in the front hall, just remembering all the laughter and love that had filled the house when her father had been alive. This was her first moment alone since they’d returned, and it was as painful as she’d feared it would be. Needing the sanctuary of her bedroom, Emmie hurried upstairs and locked herself in her room. She was glad Miss Harriet and Millie were in rooms at the other end of the hall. At that moment, she needed all the privacy she could get as she dealt with the harsh truth of her father’s death.

J
osh left the house and headed back to the stable to check on the stallion. He found Burley there waiting for him.

“How’d things go up at the house?” Burley asked.

“Hank hadn’t told her I was his partner yet, so she was upset when she learned about that.”

“I’ll bet she was,” Burley sympathized. “She and her pa were real close. These next few days will be rough, but she loves this place as much as he did, so I think she’ll make it all right.”

“Let’s hope so,” Josh said, wondering how difficult it was going to be to get things done with Emmie around.

Emmie spent some time alone in her room, getting freshened up and changing out of her traveling clothes. She took out a shirt, a pair of pants, and her boots—the attire she always wore on the ranch—and managed to smile as she got dressed. Her father had never criticized her for dressing so practically.
He knew she wanted to work hard when she was there, and he encouraged her.

Emmie was always glad her mother hadn’t been there to see her dressed this way. She would have been harsh in her criticism of her daughter’s choices. She would never have permitted her to wear pants, for that was something a lady just didn’t do. But Emmie had long known that deep down in her heart, she had no interest in being a lady. She loved ranch life and belonged here. Feeling a little more like herself now, she brushed out her hair and tied it back with a simple ribbon before going down the hall to her father’s bedroom.

Emmie let herself in and stood just inside the door for a moment, looking around. She’d feared Kate might have cleaned his room out, and she was relieved to find that the house keeper hadn’t touched anything. Her father’s gun and holster were on the dresser, along with his razor and other personal items.

Emmie moved farther into the room and closed the door behind her. Needing this time to accept what she could no longer hide from, she went to sit on his bed. It was then that she saw on the night-stand her father’s favorite tintype, a picture of the two of them together. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she grabbed his pillow to have something to hug. Her father’s scent surrounded her then, and thoughts of his horrible death assailed her. No longer able to control the sorrow she’d been struggling so hard to keep under control, she gave in to her grief.

It was some time later when she finally pulled herself together enough to leave his room. She went back to her own bedroom to bathe her face with cool water before going downstairs. She hadn’t seen Millie or Miss Harriet and thought they were probably lying down. She found Kate in the kitchen.

“Did you get some rest?” Kate asked as Emmie joined her there.

“A little.” She sighed. “Kate, I wanted to ask you…where is Papa buried? I need to see his grave.”

Kate gave her a sympathetic look. “You know how much he liked the view from out back? Well, Josh and the boys thought that would be the best place for him.”

Emmie smiled sadly, remembering all the times growing up when she’d sat with her father on the low rise, staring out across their endless acres, talking about the future of the ranch. “He did love it there.”

“Yes, he did,” Kate assured her.

“If Millie or Miss Harriet comes looking for me, tell them I’ll be back in a little while.”

She didn’t say any more as she left the house and made her way to her father’s final resting spot. The marker was a simple cross with his name on it, and she stood there in silence looking down at it, remembering what a wonderful, vibrant man he’d been.

“I’m here, Papa,” she said softly. “I came home just like you wanted me to, and I’m going to do what you wanted me to do. I’m going to run the Rocking R.”

She waited in silence, half expecting to hear an
answer from him, but there was only the faint sound of the warm breeze blowing across the land.

Emmie lifted her gaze to stare out across the endless miles of the Rocking R. It was a beautiful sight, and she was proud of what her father had accomplished. He’d made the ranch successful, and she was going to honor all his hard work and determination by keeping it that way.

After all, she told herself again, she was her father’s daughter. She could do this. Wanting to spend time with her father, she sat down to savor the peace of the moment. Emmie knew she had much to be thankful for. His love and the faith he’d had in her were the best legacy of all.

Millie had taken her time unpacking and changing her clothes, and then had rested for a while. When she got up, she was eager to go exploring. She left her bedroom and stopped at the chaperone’s room first to see if Miss Harriet wanted to go along, but the older woman didn’t answer her knock. Curious, Millie peeked inside to find her sound asleep in bed. The arduous trip had obviously taken its toll on her, so Millie quietly closed the door and went downstairs by herself, hoping to find Emmie. She was surprised when she found no sign of her friend or Kate. Thinking Emmie might have gone out to the stable to speak with the ranch hands, she headed there to see if she could find her.

Steve had been working, shoeing a horse, when he saw her coming, and he stopped to enjoy the view. The blond-haired Millie was one sweet-looking
woman, and he liked the way she moved. When she reached the stable, he was there to greet her, eyeing her with open interest. “Afternoon, Miss Millie.”

“Hello,” she returned, smiling a little uncertainly at the young cowboy who was so openly looking her over. “Have you seen Emmie? She’s not up at the house, and I was hoping she could show me around.”

“I saw her walking back toward her father’s grave,” he offered. “It’s behind the house a ways.”

“Thank you.” She started off in the direction he’d indicated.

“And if she don’t want to show you around, I’ll be glad to,” he called out, thinking there was a lot he’d like to show her.

Steve watched her until she’d moved out of sight before returning to his work.

As soon as Millie had reached the back of the house, she saw Emmie in the distance, sitting on the ground near the grave. She went to join her friend there.

“It’s beautiful up here,” Millie said quietly as she looked out across the vast Texas landscape.

Emmie smiled up at her friend. She’d seen Millie coming and was glad for her company. “My father and I used to come up here to just sit and talk. It was one of our favorite places.”

“I can understand why,” Millie said, glad to see Emmie was smiling a bit. She knew there was no easy or fast way to deal with grief, but Emmie seemed to have found some peace here.

“Sit down.”

“I think I will, but it looks like you’re better dressed for it,” Millie said, taking care with her skirt as she sat beside her friend. “Do you always wear pants when you’re on the ranch?”

“Yes, but I never let my mother know. She would be outraged. No lady would ever think of dressing this way.”

Millie grinned at her. “Did you ever really want to be a lady?”

Emmie gave her a conspiratorial grin. “No.”

“I thought so!”

They both laughed.

“Oh, that felt good.”

“What?”

“Laughing,” Emmie told her.

They both smiled and went quiet for a moment.

“So, what do you think of the Wild West?” Emmie asked, interested in Millie’s first impression.

Millie looked around and grinned. “Everybody talks about how big Texas is—well, they’re right. It is big. When you’re used to city life, this is quite a change. Aren’t you afraid you’ll get bored after a while? I mean, a visit once a year is one thing, but to think about living here permanently…”

“The ranch hands appreciate days like these. It is quiet right now, but that won’t last long. You’ll see. There’s always something happening on the ranch.”

They stayed there for a while longer, and then Emmie offered, “Would you like to take a look around?”

“You’re ready to give me the grand tour?”

“That’s right, but it won’t be anything like touring the Continent.”

“You’re right. It’s going to be better.”

They got up and started back. Emmie pointed out the bunk house and the small house near it that was the foreman’s. They went to the stable next to look at some of the horses. The black stallion was still in the corral, and they stopped to get a look at him.

Steve saw them and came out to talk to them. “That’s Buck.”

“Buck?” Emmie asked, wondering at the horse’s name.

“That’s what Josh named him this afternoon. The stallion bucked Josh off a few times, and that don’t usually happen,” he explained.

Emmie could believe that. Josh didn’t look like the kind of man who gave up easily. “Tomorrow we’ll need two horses. I want to show Millie around the place.”

“I don’t reckon you want me to saddle up Buck for you?”

“No,” Emmie said, and then she looked at Millie with a grin. “Not unless you’d like to ride him?”

“I think I need a less spirited mount,” Millie said. “I wouldn’t last very long on a horse like Buck.”

“Not many of us would,” Emmie agreed.

“Just let one of us know what time you want to ride out, and we’ll have two all saddled up for you.”

“Thanks, Steve. We’ll see you in the morning.”

“I get the feeling there’s not much your foreman can’t handle,” Millie said as they made their way
back up to the house. “What have you found out about him?”

“Not a lot, other than that everything was done legally regarding the partnership, and my father trusted him. Although…”

“Although what?”

“You remember how the storekeeper in town said he was a gunman?”

“Is he?” Millie’s eyes widened at the thought.

“Well…Josh admitted he was a bounty hunter. You know, the kind of gunman who goes after wanted men and brings them in.”

Millie was fascinated. “I wonder how he got involved in that?”

“I didn’t ask, and I don’t know that I want to find out. He’s left that behind him, and that’s fine with me. We’ve got to work together.”

“You said ‘we,’” Millie said softly. “So you’re coming to accept that you have a partner now?”

Emmie sighed. “I don’t really have a choice.”

“You know, he might be your guardian angel, even though you don’t realize it just yet.”

“A bounty hunter/gunman is my guardian angel?” She looked at her friend as if she were crazy.

“I’ve heard all your stories about the Wild West. What if there really was some kind of trouble, and you were out here all alone?”

“I can use a gun,” Emmie declared. “My father taught me.”

“And so can your Josh,” her friend said.

“He’s not ‘my’ Josh.”

“All right, let me put it this way: so can your partner, and I’ll bet he’s a better shot than you are.”

Emmie always liked a challenge. She glanced over at her friend, a spark of defiance in her eyes. “Have you ever handled a gun?”

“No!” She shuddered visibly at the thought.

“Well, if you’re going to be out here in the Wild West, I think you’d better learn how to use one.”

“Are you serious?” Millie was shocked and intrigued at the same time.

“Tomorrow you’re going to start learning how to shoot.”

Millie was quiet for a moment as she considered the prospect of actually learning how to use a gun. “Do you think I can do it?”

“I guess we’ll find out. We’ll have to get you some different clothes to wear if I’m going to transform you into a cowgirl.”

“I’ve never worn pants like you’ve got on,” Millie said. “Are they comfortable?”

“Yes, but if you don’t want to wear pants, I have a split riding skirt you can have.”

“I’ll try anything once,” Millie declared. “Has Miss Harriet seen you dressed this way yet?”

“No, not yet.”

“It’ll be interesting to hear what she has to say.”

“Maybe we can convince her to dress for ranch work, too,” Emmie said with a grin, trying to imagine the older woman out working stock dressed like a ranch hand.

They both laughed at the idea.

“I don’t think that will go over very well with her,” Millie responded.

“You’re probably right.”

They lingered there a little longer before returning to the house for the evening.

I
t was long after dark when Josh finally finished working in the stable and started up to the main house. He wanted to check the books and make sure all the paperwork was caught up. The house was dark, so he let himself in, not wanting to disturb anyone. He went straight to the study and closed the door. He lit the lamp and settled in at the desk. Tired as he was, he hoped he could finish quickly and call it a night.

For Emmie, the day had been long and exhausting, both emotionally and physically, but she was finding comfort in being home at the ranch. She had spent the evening at the house with Millie and Miss Harriet, enjoying the delicious dinner Kate had made for them, and then they had all retired early.

Emmie had fallen asleep as soon as she’d gone to bed, and it was much later that night when she was jarred awake by the sound of someone moving about downstairs. She got out of bed and quickly opened her bedroom door to check. She thought Millie or Miss Harriet might need something. She
was surprised when she found the house was completely dark.

Uneasy, she quickly donned her robe and silently went into her father’s bedroom to get his gun. She didn’t know who was downstairs, but she intended to find out.

Gun in hand, Emmie carefully made her way down the steps and looked around. She was surprised to see light coming from beneath her father’s closed office door, and her first thought was that someone was trying to steal the cash kept there. Her father had always locked what cash he had on hand in a small safe hidden in the office. She was frightened, but knew she had no time to go for help. Yelling would do her no good, since there was no one within earshot who could come to her aid in time.

Taking a deep breath, Emmie tightened her grip on the gun and in one smooth move threw the door open and rushed in to confront the thief.

“Hold it right where you are!” she ordered.

Josh had been hard at work when the door flew open. Startled, he looked up to find himself staring down the barrel of Hank’s revolver—but Hank definitely wasn’t the one holding it.

Shocked to find Josh sitting at her father’s desk, Emmie just stood there staring at him.

Josh tried to stay calm, but, in truth, he was furious. He was usually on the other end of a loaded gun. “I hope you know how to use that gun.”

“Oh!” Completely embarrassed, Emmie lowered the revolver. “It’s you.”

“And just who did you think it would be?” he demanded, glaring up at her. It was then that he noticed her robe had come untied and was gaping open, giving him a clear view of the pale blue silk nightgown clinging to her womanly curves. With her dark hair down and loose about her shoulders, she looked more like a seductress than Hank’s little girl. Josh immediately grew irritated with himself over the direction of his thoughts.

Completely unaware of her state of undress, Emmie heard the anger in his voice and returned it, challenging, “I heard a noise down here and came to check on it. When I saw the light coming from under the door, I thought someone was robbing us.”

Josh deliberately glanced down at the books spread out before him on the desktop before looking up at her again. It was then that he spotted Millie rushing down the steps out in the hall.

“The only thing anyone’s getting robbed of to night is sleep,” he growled, nodding toward the door.

Emmie turned to see Millie hurrying toward her, wide-eyed with fear.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Millie demanded as she entered the study. She was shocked to find that Emmie was holding a gun.

“Nothing’s wrong,” Emmie quickly assured her. “I didn’t know Josh was here working, so when a noise downstairs woke me up, I came down to see what was going on.”

“Did you really need to carry a gun?” Millie asked, unnerved.

“You never know.”

“Well, thank heaven it was only Josh,” Millie said, relieved, giving him a quick smile. Then she realized Emmie’s state of undress. “Emmie! Fasten your robe!”

Emmie glanced down at herself and was mortified. She quickly turned away, setting the gun aside so she could retie the belt to her robe.

“Ladies?” Miss Harriet’s call from the top of the staircase drew their attention. “Is everything all right?”

Millie stepped out into the hallway to reassure her.

“Very well,” the chaperone said, sounding calmer once she’d heard the explanation. “Good night, then.” She turned away from the railing and went back to her room, murmuring, “I suppose this kind of thing goes on often around here.”

“Well, now that I know you’re all right, I’m going back to bed, too,” Millie declared. “Good night, Josh.”

“Good night,” he told her.

“Are you coming?” she asked Emmie as she started from the study.

“I’ll be along.”

Millie could sense the tension between Josh and Emmie, but she said nothing more as she left them alone.

Once Millie had disappeared upstairs, Emmie glanced back at Josh to find him still watching her, his expression unreadable. She felt more than
a little awkward. They hadn’t gotten off to the best start. First she’d discovered he was the partner she never knew she had, and just now, in her haste to be vigilant, she could have taken a shot at him.

It was all very hard for her, and finding him at her father’s desk—working on the books, a job that her father always spent so much time on—just made it that much more difficult. This room had always been Hank’s sanctuary. His presence there reminded her once again that her father truly was gone.

“I’m sorry I came barging in on you the way I did,” Emmie said, swallowing her pride.

For the first time, Josh managed a wry half smile at her. “You’re definitely Hank’s daughter.”

“Why do you say that?”

“You’re not afraid of a fight—and I’d say you know how to handle a gun.”

“He thought it was important I learn how in case I needed to defend myself.”

“He was right. You never know what you’re going to run into in these parts.”

“Yeah—like you in the study in the middle of the night,” she said, finally relaxing a bit and managing a smile. “Do you do this often?”

“Work on the books this late?” he asked. At her nod, he explained, “I’ve been trying to get caught up, but it’s been so busy, I haven’t had a lot of time to devote to the paperwork. From now on, I’ll let you know before I come up to the house. I didn’t mean
to scare you to night.” He was glad she’d covered herself again. He didn’t need such a potent distraction.

“I know, and I appreciate what you’re doing. When you get time, I want to learn how to handle the book-work, too. I think it’s important I learn everything there is to know about the ranch.”

“Your father never went over any of this with you?”

“No. I’m sure he thought we had plenty of time to worry about that later.” Pain flared within her. “And he did like to be in control of all the finances.”

“I understand,” he said sympathetically. “As soon as things calm down around here, I’ll start showing you how he kept the books.”

“That’ll be good. We’ve got a ranch to run.”

“Yes, we do.”

“I’ll see you in the morning.” She started from the room.

“Good night.”

Josh watched as she picked up her father’s gun and left the study, closing the door behind her. He gave a shake of his head and pushed the image of her with her robe unfastened from his mind as he turned back to the books. It had been a very interesting day—and he wondered if Hank had known what he was doing when he’d insisted Emmie had to live at the ranch to gain her inheritance. Working together wasn’t going to be easy.

Emmie was more than a little embarrassed as she went back to bed. She’d thought she was being brave when she’d grabbed the gun to confront the intruder.
She’d thought she was protecting the ranch, but all she’d done was make a fool of herself. And then to have her robe fall open…She was so embarrassed. Closing her eyes, she sought sleep. If today was any example of what her life was going to be like on the Rocking R, she was going to need all the rest she could get.

Millie was up early, eagerly looking forward to the day to come. Emmie’s promise to take her for a ride and teach her how to shoot excited her. She knew her parents would frown on such unladylike behavior, but she had no intention of telling them.

Adventurous spirit that she was, Millie couldn’t wait to ride out and get a real look at the ranch. The carriage ride from town had given her an idea of just how big the Rocking R really was, but actually covering the miles on horse back would be even more exciting.

Last night had given her a whole new perspective on learning how to use a gun, too. When Emmie had first offered, she’d found the thought of learning to shoot entertaining, but after seeing Emmie in the study with a gun in her hand, she had changed her opinion. Her friend had thought someone was robbing them, and she had done what she’d needed to do to protect her home. That wasn’t entertainment; that was survival.

Millie wondered if Emmie was up yet. She was just about to dress and go knock on her friend’s bedroom door when a knock came at her own door.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me,” Emmie announced. “I’ve got something for you.”

“What?” Millie hurried to open the door and found her friend standing there with an armload of clothes and a pair of riding boots.

“Here—see what fits and meet me downstairs. We’ll have breakfast and go for our ride before it gets too hot.”

“I’ll be right down.”

Millie took the clothes from her and quickly set about sorting through them. She found a pair of pants just like the ones Emmie had on and decided to wear them, along with one of the simple shirts. It didn’t take her long to change, and after pulling on the boots, she turned to study herself in the mirror over the dresser.

Millie had to smile as she stared at her own reflection. She’d always considered herself a bit of a tomboy, and today she was going to be really adventurous. She grinned mischievously and grabbed a ribbon to tie her blond hair back out of the way before hurrying down to find Emmie.

“Don’t you look like you belong here,” Emmie teased when Millie entered the dining room.

“Do you really think so?” she asked, joining her friend at the table.

“Absolutely. How do you like wearing pants?”

“It’s rather liberating, don’t you think?”

“Very.”

They grinned at each other, knowing how the
girls back East would talk if they ever saw them dressed this way.

“Well, eat your breakfast. We’ve got a lot to do today” Emmie told her.

Millie was surprised by the amount of food Kate had made for them. There were eggs and biscuits and bacon. “Is breakfast like this every day?”

“No, sometimes she makes hotcakes, and they’re wonderful!”

“If she feeds us this way all the time, we’re going to need bigger pants.” Millie laughed.

“We’re going to need all the breakfast we can eat to get us through the day. You’ll see.”

They dug in, enjoying every bite of the delicious, homemade fare.

“Emmie…I wanted to ask you…did you and Josh get everything settled last night?” Millie had recognized that there was tension between them when she’d left the study, and she’d been wondering how the confrontation had turned out.

Emmie looked over at her. “Yes. I don’t think I’ll be breaking down the study door in the middle of the night anymore.”

“Is it safe for us to ride out alone?” Millie had heard the story of why Emmie’s mother had gone back East to live.

“We’ll be fine. There hasn’t been any trouble around here for some time now.”

“Good. Where are we going?”

“I want to take you out to one of my favorite places on the ranch.”

“Where is it?”

“You’ll see. I want to surprise you.”

“I love surprises.”

“I know.”

They finished eating and went out to get their horses.