Audrey and the Maverick (11 page)

Julian went back to the bar. He ordered a bottle of whiskey and took up his seat again in the far corner. What the hell was it about Audrey Sheridan that made him so crazy? Perhaps it was her persistent refusal of him. Perhaps it was that she represented all he was giving up in thinking to settle down with some woman who was little more than a bloodline to him. Whatever it was, he determined he would avoid her when he returned to the ranch. Hell, he might as well go back to Virginia, spare himself the frustration.

He didn’t like that option either. A day wasn’t complete if he didn’t hear her laugh, see her smile, watch her hug little Amy, catch her blush when one of his men complimented her cooking.

Julian tossed back the whiskey in his glass. As he refilled his glass, a shadow crossed his table and another glass banged down next to his. He looked up to see the unwelcome face of Sheriff Kemp. Julian poured a measure of whiskey into the sheriff’s glass, then leaned back in his seat. The next best thing to a good screwing was a bar fight. He slowly smiled. Maybe there was something yet to be redeemed from this wretched night.

“What can I do for you, Sheriff?”

The sheriff sat across the table. “Don’t suppose you’re inclined to sell the Gulch, are you?”

Julian shook his head. “Don’t suppose I am.”

“That’s a shame. I wouldn’t want things to get ugly around here. I’m doing what I can to keep folks calm, but they’re not taking to having a sheep ranch fouling up their livelihoods.”

“And how does that concern me?”

“I’m just passing along a warning, friend. Seems the ranchers hereabouts are forming an association. They’re offering to buy you out. They want to pasture their cattle on Gulch land, like they used to. And they’re afraid your sheep will strip it bare and foul the water with their urine.”

“That so? Well, I’m not interested in selling. And it’s no concern of theirs if my sheep strip my land. I’ll do all the worrying about that that needs to be done. And to spare them a snit about fouled-up water, how about I dam it up? I could use a few reservoirs. Then they wouldn’t need to worry about the quality of the water on the other side of the Gulch, because there won’t be any.”

“So your answer’s no?”

Julian grinned and shook his head. “My answer’s ‘hell no.’”

Sheriff Kemp gave him a hard look as he came to his feet and shoved his chair back under the table more forcefully than was needed. “Well, boy, thank you for the whiskey. I’ll pass your response along.” He touched his hat. “It’s been nice knowing you.”

The next morning, Julian was awakened by the sound of Amy banging the breakfast bell. Instantly alert, Julian focused on the unfamiliar décor of his room at Maddie’s Boardinghouse. He must have dreamt the chow bell. He sighed as he sat up and put his feet on the floor. He braced his elbows on his knees and dropped his face into his hands. He felt like hell. He had a two-day growth of beard on his face. He wasn’t sleeping well anymore. He had an impending range war to deal with, yet all he could think about was one curvy, proud, audacious, golden-haired woman.

The breakfast bell sounded again. He hadn’t dreamt it, then. Going over to the bowl and pitcher, he did a quick wash, then shaved and cleaned his teeth. He dressed, packed up his saddlebag, and went downstairs. He was completely unprepared for the wall of noise that hit him when he entered the kitchen.

Half a dozen loud, unwashed children were gathered around Maddie’s kitchen table. They saw him and went quiet, the sudden silence as bruising as the noise had been a moment earlier. Seven children, he counted. Where were their parents? They must have come in during the night, though how they had done so without his being aware of it, he couldn’t imagine.

Maddie was at the stove, frying chopped potatoes, sausages, and eggs. Julian went over to the coffeepot and poured himself a cup. He didn’t want to talk to her, and he didn’t want to be around the kids, but the smell of breakfast was too tantalizing for him to leave without eating. He snagged a biscuit and slathered it with butter, staying near Maddie at the stove. The biscuit was flakey and light and made him painfully aware of missing Audrey.

“Maddie, this is delicious. It tastes like Audrey’s.”

“Well, it ought to. I taught her how to make them. In fact, I taught her everything she knows about cooking, ’cept bread baking, I guess. I reckon she learned that from Leah. Leah’s our town baker, like her mother before her. Never been a finer bread or pastry than what that gal can come up with.”

Maddie filled platters of food and set them on the table for the kids to pass around. The two older boys helped the younger ones fill their plates from the heavy platters. As he watched, seven little heads bowed at once, and one of the older boys said a quick and heartfelt grace. It was humbling, and made Julian regret his harsh judgment of the kids. Noise descended on the table once again as they dug into their food.

“Where are their parents? Still upstairs?”

Maddie gave him a strange look. “These are the town’s children, Mr. McCaid, the ones you bought shoes for. I’ve been teaching them since the school closed.” She glanced at the table. “There’s no sense me trying to teach them on empty stomachs. Even the brightest among us can’t learn when he’s hungry.”

She handed him a plate, and they took their seats at one end of the table. “How are things at the ranch, Mr. McCaid?” she asked him conversationally. The dark-haired older boy looked up from his plate, his attention focused on Julian’s answer. The intensity of his gaze was unnerving.

“Things are pretty busy right now. The shearer team’s helping us collect the wool. The lambing is about finished.”

“And how are Audrey and Amy doing?”

Julian wasn’t comfortable having so many children focus on him. It felt predatory. He did not understand children, and he did not understand people who did. He looked around the table. Most of them dropped their gaze, except the two older boys, who watched him unblinkingly. He moved a piece of sausage around his plate with his fork. “She is well. Amy has taken to helping one of my men tend the animals. She’s growing like a weed. I believe she eats more than two of my men put together.”

Maddie smiled. “We miss them. It will be good to have them back.”

“Mr. McCaid, I’m Luc,” the dark-haired boy spoke up. “I’d like to come work for you. I’m stronger than I look. Kurt and me, we tend Maddie’s stable when she’s got guests and help out at the livery too.” He jumped, then turned angrily to the towheaded boy next to him. “What’d you kick me for, Kurt?”

“I didn’t kick you.”

“You did.”

Kurt turned his back to the table and leaned toward Luc. “You ain’t supposed to be talking to
him,
” he said in what was more stage whisper than true whisper.

Luc shoved him. Kurt shoved him back. And as fast as that, they came to blows, falling out of their chairs and pounding each other fiercely as they rolled around the floor. Julian hurried over to their end of the table and yanked them both up. Holding them by fistfuls of shirt and suspenders, Julian looked from one to the other with disgust.

“You boys are out of line. And you owe Miss Maddie an apology. She’s brought you into her house to feed and educate you, and you repay her kindness with this nonsense.”

Unable to set feet flat on the floor, their arms and legs dangling uncomfortably, the two boys glared at each other. They had no choice but to do as he bid in order to regain their freedom. Fortunately, their apologies sounded sincere. Julian set them on their feet, but did not dismiss them. Folding his arms, he stared down at them from his considerable height.

“You’re too young to come out and work for me. Maybe if things were different, if my ranch were just a regular working ranch. But it’s not. I’m raising sheep. We’ve already had our share of trouble, and there’s more on the way. It’s not a good place for children.”

“Or for Audrey either,” Kurt said.

“And Amy. What good are they gonna be when the trouble comes, mister?”

Julian made a face. Leave it to a kid to cut to the chase. “That’s a true concern of mine. I haven’t decided how to handle it. For now, you kids need to stick with your studies. In a couple years, if you’re still wanting to work for me, and are willing to work hard, I’ll give you summer jobs. But only if Miss Maddie says you’re doing well with your schoolwork.”

Luc glared at him and scrubbed the back of his wrist against his nose. Kurt answered for both of them. “Yessir. We’ll take that offer. You’ll see.”

Julian was still thinking of that exchange a few minutes later when he went into the general store. He had Jim send a wire to his man of business to forward the money he would give to Audrey. It helped his conscience a little, but not nearly enough.

Outside again, he mounted up and went to the eastern edge of town where the road dead-ended into a larger dirt trail that ran north–south. He looked to the south, where Hell’s Gulch was just a four-hour ride. And Audrey. Thoughts of her filled his gut and made his nerves edgy. He wasn’t ready to face her yet, so he turned north. A few more days away from her wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Night came fast on the heels of the long spring evening. The cool breeze carried the sound of crickets and distant coyotes. Julian paused on a slight ridge overlooking the Crippled Horse Ranch, absorbing the peace of the night air. He would miss this when he left for home.

He turned his horse toward the stables, intending to put him up and then find a cozy patch of hay to bed down in. No need to wake the household this late at night. He turned up the lantern and was unsaddling his horse when a ranch hand came in to see who was in the barn.

“Mr. McCaid!” Digger, one of the younger cowboys on the ranch, came over and eagerly greeted Julian. “What’re you doin’ way up here? Got trouble at yer spread?”

Trouble in spades, Julian thought. “Thought it was time for a friendly visit. I wanted to meet Sager’s son.”

“Well, I’ll just go let the boss know you’re here. The missus will rustle you up some dinner.”

“No, don’t bother them. I’ll see them in the morning. It’s too late tonight.”

“Can’t do it, Mr. McCaid. The boss won’t like you spending the night out here.” Without another word, Digger hurried out of the barn.

Julian was finished rubbing down his horse and had just given him some oats and water when Sager came in. “Son of a bitch!” he exclaimed. “It is you!”

The two men shook hands. Sager’s smile was genuine and made Julian glad he had come. “I told Digger not to wake you up.”

“We weren’t asleep.” Sager put a hand on Julian’s shoulder and led him out of the stable. “Rachel’s putting a dinner plate together for you. Don’t you offend her by turning it down.” They paused outside the kitchen at a wash station where a fresh pitcher of water was set up. Julian rinsed the trail dust off his hands and face, and then they entered the kitchen. The room was a huge space with a long table where two dozen ranch hands could eat. The chairs and benches were tucked neatly against the table and a lone place was set at one end of it. A lamp burned cheerily toward that end of the table and another two were lit over by the stove. The scent of meat in the frying pan filled the room. Coffee brewed on the stove. Julian’s stomach growled; he hadn’t eaten since he left Maddie’s.

Sager’s wife, Rachel, set her spatula down and hurried over to give Julian a hug. She wore a light wrapper over her nightgown with a starched white apron on top. Her long blond hair was still tied in a braid for the night. He felt bad disturbing them this late, yet her welcome was as warm as Sager’s had been.

“You look great, Rachel. I’m sorry to arrive so late and without your expecting me.”

“Nonsense. You two sit down. I think the coffee’s ready.” She returned with a pitcher of milk and the coffeepot, then poured two cups and went back to the steak and potatoes she was frying.

Julian looked at Sager. Gone was the anger that had simmered just below the surface all the years they’d known each other. In its place was something resembling contentment. Julian sipped his coffee, hot as it was. “Nice to see you set roots down, Sager.”

“There’s something to be said for it, believe me. You should try it.”

“I think I will.”

“That’s great news! I’m happy for you. Who’s the lucky girl?”

Julian couldn’t hide his grin. “I’ve narrowed the field down to six. Any one of them will do.”

Sager leaned back in his seat as he regarded his friend. “Still looking for that pedigree, McCaid? Thought you would have grown out of that by now.”

Rachel served Julian his fried steak and potatoes and a roll left over from supper, then refilled their coffees and sat at the table. “Julian, you deserve to be happy, to marry for love.”

Sager exchanged a look with Rachel. Julian’s parents did that, talked with a look, embraced with a glance. It was an intimate exchange he wished he hadn’t seen. He changed the subject. “You heard Jace was in town? The marshal in Cheyenne sent him in.”

“Why the sudden interest in Defiance?” Sager asked.

Julian explained what was happening. “Might be best to avoid the town for a while.” Just then a strange sound entered the room, guttural like a howling cat. Julian frowned, but Rachel smiled.

“Jacob’s up. I’ll just go feed him, then bring him in to meet you!”

Julian dug into his meal, glad for the distraction eating gave him as he tried not to think of Rachel in the next room, breast-feeding her son. It was sexy, in a circle-of-life kind of way. He wondered if any of the women he was planning on pursuing would nurse their children, but quickly discarded that notion. They would have to hire a wet nurse for the babies.

He could, however, imagine Audrey nursing her children. She’d find quiet time in the mayhem of her life to sit with her babe and suckle him. But Julian would not be there to see them, would not be a part of her life after the next couple of weeks. He wished suddenly that he was at Hell’s Gulch. He didn’t want to waste a single day of their remaining time together.

Rachel returned carrying a small, blanket-wrapped bundle, which she was talking to as if it could understand her. “This is our good friend, Julian. He helped protect you before you were even born.”

Julian leaned forward to get a look at the infant, half afraid he would hear it answer Rachel. She smiled at Julian and handed the baby to him. He lurched to his feet, not at all pleased to have to hold the thing. Babies leaked and made strange noises and invariably screamed once they got a look at him.

But not this one.

He looked solemnly up at Julian, his face the only part of him not covered by the blanket. He had intensely blue eyes and a thick covering of black hair that the blanket couldn’t hide. His nose was tiny, his mouth just a small bow, his eyes bright and intelligent. Julian held him in two hands—one would have been enough, but two were safer. No one spoke in the room; no one broke the silence.

This infant, Julian realized, was what life was all about. He lifted the bundle to his face, breathing in his scent—a sweet mixture of milk and soft infant skin. He would have one of these. A son of his own. With sage-green eyes and golden curls. He could see Audrey smiling as she tended their baby. Julian’s heart grew, swelling as it recognized what it most desired.

And then reality returned.

His son would have dark blue eyes and pale blond hair—a trait he was selecting in the women he had chosen to court. Through his mother, Julian’s son would have ancestors who could be traced back to the country’s founding fathers. No one would ever call him a mulatto and detain him as an escaped slave. No one would ever doubt his son’s heritage with so much pure, white blood in him. It was the best he could do for his children. And if the woman he chose to be the mother of his children was not the warmest parent a child could have, well, Julian would take up the slack.

This was the answer he’d sought in coming out here. Julian handed Jacob back to Rachel. “He’s beautiful, Rachel. Something to be proud of.”