I’ll take a strong, opinionated female over a silly, pampered flibbertigibbet any day of the week.”
“As will I, but that doesn’t explain how you managed to get her to go so quietly.”
“A good sergeant never reveals his secrets, Captain. Besides, I have a hunch you’ll figure out how to handle her. Half the fun of courting my Sally was figuring out how to deal with her strong temperament.”
“Sorry to disappoint you, but a lawman’s life doesn’t leave room for courtin’.”
“Are you still stuck on the notion you have to have a ‘safe’ job before you can have a wife?”
“It’s not a notion. I saw more than one bride-to-be hightail it back East when she saw her future living quarters. I saw wives leave their husbands because they couldn’t handle the long absences, and I saw women devastated when their husband rode in draped over the back of a horse. I won’t do that to a woman.”
“You saw a couple of bad examples and focused on them instead of the good ones. What about my Sally?” Jonah sounded a bit offended.
Wyatt hurried to soften his remarks. “You were the exemption to the rule. Sally was special.”
Memories glistened in the tough old sergeant’s eyes. “That she was, that she was.”
Wyatt changed the subject. “Back to the reason I rode out here—what do you have to tell me that you didn’t want Miss McIsaac to hear?”
“You always were one of the sharper knives among that lot of army brass. We did have a horse go missing for several days before showing up among some of our cattle all covered in dried sweat. I don’t want Miss Meri to be worryin’ about it just now since there’s nothing she can do. I’ve questioned all our hands, but no one noticed anything unusual, and I trust our men. We’ve got a few who can be a little wild occasionally, but they’re all honest fellows. Mr. McIsaac has given all of us a hand up when we were down on our luck, and not a one of us would do anything to hurt him or Miss Meri.”
“Are any of the men available that I can talk with them?”
“Barnaby, our foreman, and most of the hands are out doing various chores. If you’re hungry, we can grab a sandwich from our cook, and I’ll introduce you to the ones in for lunch. Barnaby should be back in as well, and you can ask ‘em any questions you have. Afterward, I’ll take you out and show you where we found that horse.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
Over lunch Wyatt met the handful of cowboys that assembled for food. None of them knew anything more than what Jonah had already told him, and to a man, they had nothing but concern and well wishes for their wounded “Boss man.”
When everyone drifted back to their various tasks, Jonah brought up a couple of fresh, saddled horses. “Ready to ride, Captain? Barnaby hasn’t made it back, but I’ll wager we’ll run across him before we return to the ranch.”
Wyatt mounted the horse. “You’ve probably told me as much as he can, but I’d appreciate getting a chance to meet him. And I thought I told you to call me Wyatt?”
“Too many years in the army. Captain comes easier to the tongue.”
Jonah led the way across the ranch yard, and as they passed the main house Miss McIsaac stepped out on the porch. “Hold up! I’m going with you,” she called out.
“No. Stay put. Jonah’s going to show me around, let me get a feel for the land out this way and maybe catch up with your foreman. I’ll be back to escort you to town before it gets dark.” Wyatt lifted his hat and loped his horse away, ignoring the protests from the woman on the porch and Jonah’s sardonic snort.
Chapter Five
J onah waved a hand toward the land in front of them. “This is where we found that horse day before yesterday. He’d been ridden hard and still had the dried sweat, saddle and spur marks to show for it. Made the boys livid. Not only had someone stolen one of our remuda from under our noses, they also used it badly in the process. Our
“As will I, but that doesn’t explain how you managed to get her to go so quietly.”
“A good sergeant never reveals his secrets, Captain. Besides, I have a hunch you’ll figure out how to handle her. Half the fun of courting my Sally was figuring out how to deal with her strong temperament.”
“Sorry to disappoint you, but a lawman’s life doesn’t leave room for courtin’.”
“Are you still stuck on the notion you have to have a ‘safe’ job before you can have a wife?”
“It’s not a notion. I saw more than one bride-to-be hightail it back East when she saw her future living quarters. I saw wives leave their husbands because they couldn’t handle the long absences, and I saw women devastated when their husband rode in draped over the back of a horse. I won’t do that to a woman.”
“You saw a couple of bad examples and focused on them instead of the good ones. What about my Sally?” Jonah sounded a bit offended.
Wyatt hurried to soften his remarks. “You were the exemption to the rule. Sally was special.”
Memories glistened in the tough old sergeant’s eyes. “That she was, that she was.”
Wyatt changed the subject. “Back to the reason I rode out here—what do you have to tell me that you didn’t want Miss McIsaac to hear?”
“You always were one of the sharper knives among that lot of army brass. We did have a horse go missing for several days before showing up among some of our cattle all covered in dried sweat. I don’t want Miss Meri to be worryin’ about it just now since there’s nothing she can do. I’ve questioned all our hands, but no one noticed anything unusual, and I trust our men. We’ve got a few who can be a little wild occasionally, but they’re all honest fellows. Mr. McIsaac has given all of us a hand up when we were down on our luck, and not a one of us would do anything to hurt him or Miss Meri.”
“Are any of the men available that I can talk with them?”
“Barnaby, our foreman, and most of the hands are out doing various chores. If you’re hungry, we can grab a sandwich from our cook, and I’ll introduce you to the ones in for lunch. Barnaby should be back in as well, and you can ask ‘em any questions you have. Afterward, I’ll take you out and show you where we found that horse.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
Over lunch Wyatt met the handful of cowboys that assembled for food. None of them knew anything more than what Jonah had already told him, and to a man, they had nothing but concern and well wishes for their wounded “Boss man.”
When everyone drifted back to their various tasks, Jonah brought up a couple of fresh, saddled horses. “Ready to ride, Captain? Barnaby hasn’t made it back, but I’ll wager we’ll run across him before we return to the ranch.”
Wyatt mounted the horse. “You’ve probably told me as much as he can, but I’d appreciate getting a chance to meet him. And I thought I told you to call me Wyatt?”
“Too many years in the army. Captain comes easier to the tongue.”
Jonah led the way across the ranch yard, and as they passed the main house Miss McIsaac stepped out on the porch. “Hold up! I’m going with you,” she called out.
“No. Stay put. Jonah’s going to show me around, let me get a feel for the land out this way and maybe catch up with your foreman. I’ll be back to escort you to town before it gets dark.” Wyatt lifted his hat and loped his horse away, ignoring the protests from the woman on the porch and Jonah’s sardonic snort.
Chapter Five
J onah waved a hand toward the land in front of them. “This is where we found that horse day before yesterday. He’d been ridden hard and still had the dried sweat, saddle and spur marks to show for it. Made the boys livid. Not only had someone stolen one of our remuda from under our noses, they also used it badly in the process. Our
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