inclusion of her as a means to getting himself an heir—made it very easy to tell him no.
"You've already got a dashed big spread."
He laughed, then gave a grin, surprisingly boyish against his gray hair and grizzled chin. “But with the Circle T, I'd have an outfit to rival Dunn's KD."
Wood's honesty about his unabashed rivalry with Dunn made it very difficult to dislike him.
"You'll have to find another way. I'm keeping the Circle T."
"Can't blame me for trying."
"Maybe not the first few times, but these proposals are trying my patience.” More sharpness edged her words than usual, and Rachel felt ashamed. Being tired and a shade uneasy was no reason to be rude to neighbors.
"All right,” he said slowly, eyes locked on her face. “I'll let it ride a spell. So long as you know the offer stands."
She nodded briefly, relieved.
"And I want you to understand that if you need help with anything, if Shag should have another of his spells, or if you have any trouble, you come to me, understand?"
"Thank you.” They'd had this conversation before, too. She wondered if he noticed she never said yes, she simply thanked him.
"Are you in trouble now, Rachel?"
"Beyond being behind on the work?” She smiled, dry and weak.
"Yes."
His abrupt answer brought her to attention. “What makes you think I might be?"
"Not you personally, the Circle T."
She waved off the distinction. “Why?"
"I'm hearing some things about a new hand of yours."
Rachel's heart beat harder; she knew without asking he meant Nick. While her mind acknowledged Nick had the air of a dangerous man, something in her prayed he wasn't.
"What about him?"
"He's asking questions."
Air streamed out of her in relief. “What kind of questions?"
"That's just it. Odd things. Some of my boys said he's asking how things got handled in spring roundup, and asking about the boys who came over to Natchez from the Circle T."
Rachel was hard-pressed imagining Nick talking enough to ask such questions, much less imagining why he might want to know. “Maybe things are done different here from what he's used to and he's trying to figure things out,” she offered.
Wood snorted. “They do roundups same way Texas to Montana. This ain't no different."
"You'd know that better than me."
He studied her. “Well, as long as he wasn't asking questions because you'd had trouble or—” his voice added a deeper note of warning “—wasn't thinking to make any trouble for you. You've got to be careful with some of these boys, you know, Rachel."
"Thanks for your concern, Mr. Wood."
First Thomas Dunn, now Gordon Wood. Why did these men seem to distrust Nick Dusaq? She had reason for discomfort around him, but did Dunn and Wood see something both she and Shag had missed?
Wood took his leave, while Rachel remained where he left her, turning over his comments.
For the first time, the question occurred to her that should have been the first asked before she and Shag offered Dusaq a job at the Circle T. It would have been the first, too, if she hadn't allowed their earlier encounter to throw her for such a loop.
With grim deliberation, she yanked a work glove over her right hand. She couldn't afford—the Circle T couldn't afford—to have her acting like a schoolgirl. For this ranch to survive, she needed to keep all her wits. At all times. Around all her men.
She pulled on the other glove and made a half turn toward the horses.
Nick Dusaq was not ten feet away, looking at her as if he knew exactly what was on her mind. He sat on an overturned tub, his back against the wagon wheel, his legs stretched out, shaded by a canvas awning. He'd been out of her line of sight, but she'd wager the next year's calf crop that he hadn't been out of earshot.
* * * *
Why this woman made him want to grin so. Nick would never figure out. Not when grinning was the last thing to do if he hoped not to rile her. Especially since grinning hadn't come natural for as long as he could
"You've already got a dashed big spread."
He laughed, then gave a grin, surprisingly boyish against his gray hair and grizzled chin. “But with the Circle T, I'd have an outfit to rival Dunn's KD."
Wood's honesty about his unabashed rivalry with Dunn made it very difficult to dislike him.
"You'll have to find another way. I'm keeping the Circle T."
"Can't blame me for trying."
"Maybe not the first few times, but these proposals are trying my patience.” More sharpness edged her words than usual, and Rachel felt ashamed. Being tired and a shade uneasy was no reason to be rude to neighbors.
"All right,” he said slowly, eyes locked on her face. “I'll let it ride a spell. So long as you know the offer stands."
She nodded briefly, relieved.
"And I want you to understand that if you need help with anything, if Shag should have another of his spells, or if you have any trouble, you come to me, understand?"
"Thank you.” They'd had this conversation before, too. She wondered if he noticed she never said yes, she simply thanked him.
"Are you in trouble now, Rachel?"
"Beyond being behind on the work?” She smiled, dry and weak.
"Yes."
His abrupt answer brought her to attention. “What makes you think I might be?"
"Not you personally, the Circle T."
She waved off the distinction. “Why?"
"I'm hearing some things about a new hand of yours."
Rachel's heart beat harder; she knew without asking he meant Nick. While her mind acknowledged Nick had the air of a dangerous man, something in her prayed he wasn't.
"What about him?"
"He's asking questions."
Air streamed out of her in relief. “What kind of questions?"
"That's just it. Odd things. Some of my boys said he's asking how things got handled in spring roundup, and asking about the boys who came over to Natchez from the Circle T."
Rachel was hard-pressed imagining Nick talking enough to ask such questions, much less imagining why he might want to know. “Maybe things are done different here from what he's used to and he's trying to figure things out,” she offered.
Wood snorted. “They do roundups same way Texas to Montana. This ain't no different."
"You'd know that better than me."
He studied her. “Well, as long as he wasn't asking questions because you'd had trouble or—” his voice added a deeper note of warning “—wasn't thinking to make any trouble for you. You've got to be careful with some of these boys, you know, Rachel."
"Thanks for your concern, Mr. Wood."
First Thomas Dunn, now Gordon Wood. Why did these men seem to distrust Nick Dusaq? She had reason for discomfort around him, but did Dunn and Wood see something both she and Shag had missed?
Wood took his leave, while Rachel remained where he left her, turning over his comments.
For the first time, the question occurred to her that should have been the first asked before she and Shag offered Dusaq a job at the Circle T. It would have been the first, too, if she hadn't allowed their earlier encounter to throw her for such a loop.
With grim deliberation, she yanked a work glove over her right hand. She couldn't afford—the Circle T couldn't afford—to have her acting like a schoolgirl. For this ranch to survive, she needed to keep all her wits. At all times. Around all her men.
She pulled on the other glove and made a half turn toward the horses.
Nick Dusaq was not ten feet away, looking at her as if he knew exactly what was on her mind. He sat on an overturned tub, his back against the wagon wheel, his legs stretched out, shaded by a canvas awning. He'd been out of her line of sight, but she'd wager the next year's calf crop that he hadn't been out of earshot.
* * * *
Why this woman made him want to grin so. Nick would never figure out. Not when grinning was the last thing to do if he hoped not to rile her. Especially since grinning hadn't come natural for as long as he could
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