slavery. He’d argued with his pa about it before taking off to enlist in the Union Army.
“I’ve met no one by that name, and I’d say I’ve met everyone. And he surely isn’t ranching in these parts, because no one is ranching except Greer. We’re a long way off the main trail out here, and with restless Indians still around, it’s not a welcoming place for a family,” Vince said.“I can’t think of a way to explain Ruthy here to anyone. No woman has ever come riding in, for any reason in the weeks I’ve been here. If one did, she couldn’t come in alone and expect to be treated right. So, Miss Ruthy, you’d need to come from somewhere. You’d need to have a reason to happen by here. We’d need to find someone to ride in with you and it can’t be Luke, because he’s a known man with trouble to face. And if you came in with him, then his trouble is yours. It isn’t that easy to show up in a town this small. Dare or Jonas or I could ride out and stay away a few days, then come back with you. Or we could take you somewhere safer, get you to Fort Worth maybe. But we’d have to push hard to get you down there, then get back in time to help Luke. I doubt we could do it in a week, even if we pushed our horses until they near to dropped, it’s that far south and east.”
“Is there a stage in town? Could I somehow—?”
“No stage.” Vince shook his head. “Freight wagons come once in a while. But there ain’t no rhyme nor reason to their coming. I suppose we could ride out in four directions and watch the trail. When a wagon comes along, if we could get the driver to stop and wait while we fetch you from Dare’s house and you get on their wagon with some story as to why you’re coming into town, that might work. Except a freighter’s always a man in a hurry and all kinds of men work as mule skinners. Not all decent. We’d have to get him to go along with a lie about how you came to be on his wagon. Then you’d need to—”
“Okay,” Rosie said, cutting him off. “I get it. There’s no way for me to be in town. So what do we do?”
Rosie stood from the chair and went to Dare’s desk and started tidying. Luke couldn’t decide if she just needed tomove because she was nervous or because the untidy desk really bothered her.
“We hide you.” Luke sat back down, bothered by the womanless town. What had happened to Gil and his family? Greer had a lot to answer for.
“Where?” Ruthy made tidy stacks of Dare’s doctor supplies.
“Probably here,” Dare said. He kept moving, circling the room.
Ruthy’s hands stilled. “I can’t stay in a house with a single man. That’s not proper.”
“And I suppose that plank you were floating on in the stream was proper?”
“I couldn’t help that.”
“You can’t help this, either.” Luke was done with this discussion. “Listen. We need to figure out how to get those papers to Greer without getting shot out of the saddle. I know the ranch well. I think if I—”
A loud rattle of wagon wheels clattered toward Dare’s house. He shot out of the room and was back in seconds.
“Oh, good night. It’s that crazy woman again, Lana Bullard. And her husband is just as much of a lunatic.”
C HAPTER 5
“I thought you said there weren’t any women in town.” Ruthy plunked her fists on her hips.
“Well, there’s one. No, actually there are two,” Dare said. “Greer is a married man and has a couple of children.”
“I don’t remember Greer having a wife.” Luke was on his feet.
“She’s a mail-order bride.” Dare had a tone to his voice when he mentioned Mrs. Greer that distracted Luke for a second. “Someone said she’s only been here about a year. Has a couple of half-grown kids, one of ’em a girl, so if you count the girl, there’s a third woman in the area.”
Ruthy raised her hand. “Four.”
“Women everywhere you turn.” Vince smiled at Ruthy. Luke saw her blush at Vince’s attention and he didn’t like
“I’ve met no one by that name, and I’d say I’ve met everyone. And he surely isn’t ranching in these parts, because no one is ranching except Greer. We’re a long way off the main trail out here, and with restless Indians still around, it’s not a welcoming place for a family,” Vince said.“I can’t think of a way to explain Ruthy here to anyone. No woman has ever come riding in, for any reason in the weeks I’ve been here. If one did, she couldn’t come in alone and expect to be treated right. So, Miss Ruthy, you’d need to come from somewhere. You’d need to have a reason to happen by here. We’d need to find someone to ride in with you and it can’t be Luke, because he’s a known man with trouble to face. And if you came in with him, then his trouble is yours. It isn’t that easy to show up in a town this small. Dare or Jonas or I could ride out and stay away a few days, then come back with you. Or we could take you somewhere safer, get you to Fort Worth maybe. But we’d have to push hard to get you down there, then get back in time to help Luke. I doubt we could do it in a week, even if we pushed our horses until they near to dropped, it’s that far south and east.”
“Is there a stage in town? Could I somehow—?”
“No stage.” Vince shook his head. “Freight wagons come once in a while. But there ain’t no rhyme nor reason to their coming. I suppose we could ride out in four directions and watch the trail. When a wagon comes along, if we could get the driver to stop and wait while we fetch you from Dare’s house and you get on their wagon with some story as to why you’re coming into town, that might work. Except a freighter’s always a man in a hurry and all kinds of men work as mule skinners. Not all decent. We’d have to get him to go along with a lie about how you came to be on his wagon. Then you’d need to—”
“Okay,” Rosie said, cutting him off. “I get it. There’s no way for me to be in town. So what do we do?”
Rosie stood from the chair and went to Dare’s desk and started tidying. Luke couldn’t decide if she just needed tomove because she was nervous or because the untidy desk really bothered her.
“We hide you.” Luke sat back down, bothered by the womanless town. What had happened to Gil and his family? Greer had a lot to answer for.
“Where?” Ruthy made tidy stacks of Dare’s doctor supplies.
“Probably here,” Dare said. He kept moving, circling the room.
Ruthy’s hands stilled. “I can’t stay in a house with a single man. That’s not proper.”
“And I suppose that plank you were floating on in the stream was proper?”
“I couldn’t help that.”
“You can’t help this, either.” Luke was done with this discussion. “Listen. We need to figure out how to get those papers to Greer without getting shot out of the saddle. I know the ranch well. I think if I—”
A loud rattle of wagon wheels clattered toward Dare’s house. He shot out of the room and was back in seconds.
“Oh, good night. It’s that crazy woman again, Lana Bullard. And her husband is just as much of a lunatic.”
C HAPTER 5
“I thought you said there weren’t any women in town.” Ruthy plunked her fists on her hips.
“Well, there’s one. No, actually there are two,” Dare said. “Greer is a married man and has a couple of children.”
“I don’t remember Greer having a wife.” Luke was on his feet.
“She’s a mail-order bride.” Dare had a tone to his voice when he mentioned Mrs. Greer that distracted Luke for a second. “Someone said she’s only been here about a year. Has a couple of half-grown kids, one of ’em a girl, so if you count the girl, there’s a third woman in the area.”
Ruthy raised her hand. “Four.”
“Women everywhere you turn.” Vince smiled at Ruthy. Luke saw her blush at Vince’s attention and he didn’t like
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