The Cowboy's Unexpected Family

No, she told herself. Such feelings were a weakness she would never allow herself. She’d learned far too well how they made her vulnerable. She shook free from his grasp. “Guess I’m granny now.” Surely he wouldn’t notice the trembling in her voice.

“Guess so.” His voice grated as if his throat had grown tight.

They returned to play although she had little interest. She wasn’t a bit sorry when Pansy’s cry brought an instant end to their game as Daisy rushed back to get the little one.

The rest trooped after her.

“I’m going to take biscuits over to Macpherson’s and see if he can sell them.” Cassie headed for the little shack as if she had a sudden deadline.

“Come on, boys. Let’s get that cellar dug.” Roper sounded as cheerful as ever.

Why had she wasted so much time? It was Roper’s fault. Something about him enticed her to forget her responsibilities and goals.

All winter she’d avoided him as much as possible without being rude. Or maybe sometimes, especially at first, she hadn’t cared if she happened to be rude. All she could remember of the first few weeks at the ranch was the pain of her losses and despair at how desperate her situation was.

When Linette had found her sleeping in the train station in Montreal she’d cajoled, enticed and begged Cassie to accompany her West on her trek to meet her future husband. Cassie had agreed because it had seemed better than her current situation. Anything would have been better. She didn’t know she would end up in a tiny log cabin, barely big enough for one adult let alone three adults and a child. Even worse, Eddie was not expecting to marry Linette and said he had no intention of doing so. Not that Linette was deterred. She said she would prove to him she’d make an ideal pioneer wife.

Cassie smiled. The attraction between Linette and Eddie had been obvious from the first but it had taken the pair most of the winter to acknowledge what the rest of them saw.

She pressed her palm to her chest. She missed Linette. And Grady.

She missed Cookie, too. From the beginning, the big-hearted woman seemed oblivious to Cassie’s sharpness and showed her nothing but kindness. Slowly, between Linette and Cookie and the gentle attention of the cowboys at the ranch, Cassie’s wounds had healed. She’d gone from thinking she had no choice but to accept whatever kindness and protection a man would offer to knowing she could live life on her own terms.

It wasn’t something she meant to give up. She had a life to live. Work to do. A business to establish.

She filled a large bowl with biscuits, covered it with a clean tea towel and headed over to Macpherson’s store. A couple of cowboys lounged against the counter as she stepped inside. Within minutes most of the biscuits had been purchased.

Macpherson snagged one of the biscuits for himself and tested it. “These are good. Reminds me of my daughter, Becca. She used to bake the best biscuits. Many a man stepped into the store solely to see if she had any baking on hand.”

Cassie couldn’t remember much of what she’d heard about Macpherson’s daughter. “She moved away, didn’t she?”

“Married herself a fine young man, Colt, and adopted two orphaned children. They have themselves a little ranch northwest of here. I expect them to visit this summer.”

Cassie chuckled. “You’re obviously proud of them.”

“A fine bunch.” He indicated the crumbs of biscuit on his fingers. “Bring me more of these as soon as you can. You set up to bake bread yet?”

“I’ll start today.”

Glowing with satisfaction she returned to her place. Oh, didn’t that sound good! Her place. A business about to take off. A house soon to be constructed, thanks to Roper’s help.

She ground to a halt at the corner of the shack and watched Roper digging her cellar. Her house. Her cellar. Her land. It seemed Roper was contributing far more to this arrangement than she. What would she owe him? Nervousness quivered in the pit of her stomach. She didn’t like to owe anyone. She sucked in air to calm the fluttering, and reminded herself that it was a business agreement. So he could help the children.

Or was it an excuse so he could take care of her?

He glanced up, saw her watching and slowly straightened.

Her eyes must have given away her doubt and confusion for he climbed from the hole and strode toward her.

She shook her head to clear it, and ducked into the shack where she made a great deal of noise pulling out a bowl so she could set the yeast to rise.

“Cassie? Something wrong?” His voice came from the doorway.

“The biscuits sold like hotcakes. Macpherson was very pleased. Asked if I could start providing bread.” No doubt she sounded falsely cheerful.

It took only three steps for him to close the distance between them. “That’s good news. So why do you look so troubled?”

She could deny it, tell him he must be imagining things. But her doubts had a tenacious grip on her thoughts. She straightened and slowly faced him. “Why are you doing this?”

He looked around, not knowing what she meant and searching for a clue. “Doing what?”

She waved her hand around the little shack, then pointed to indicate the activity beyond the canvas walls. “Everything. Why are you digging a cellar? Offering to build my house? What do you expect in return?”

He stepped back and his eyebrows knotted. “Cassie Godfrey, you are one suspicious woman. I told you what I want—to help the children. I grew up in an orphanage. Never knew anything about family. I saw kids ripped from their siblings. Do you think I could stand back and let that happen to these youngsters when I could do something to prevent it?” His voice had grown harsh. “I’m more than willing to dig your cellar and build your house if it enables me to help them. I thought you understood that.”

She sighed. “Family isn’t the ideal dream you seem to think it is.”

“And yet I doubt it’s the curse you seem to consider it.” He swung about and strode from the shack.

She stared after him. Was that what she thought?

Her earliest memories had been pleasant enough but then... She shook her head. She didn’t know what she thought. Except that she intended to have a batch of bread ready to deliver tomorrow.

She set to work, pausing only to make supper and hurrying through the meal so she could return to her baking, though, if she admitted the truth to herself, she wasn’t half as busy as she acted.

She simply did not want to face Roper any more than she must and feel guilty about his accusing looks. No. She’d keep busy running her business and she’d not allow anything to divert her from her purpose.

* * *

As soon as breakfast was over the next morning, Roper headed for the cellar hole, his insides burning with frustration. Prickly Cassie, always seeing ulterior motives. She’d avoided him last evening. He’d hoped for a change in her behavior at breakfast but she’d slid her glance over him as if he were invisible.

“I hope my bread turns out,” she murmured as if nothing else mattered.

Before he reached the cellar, he veered off toward the river. In his present frame of mind he wasn’t decent company for a young lad. He grabbed his rifle. They could always use fresh meat. On second thought...

He hitched the horse to the wagon.

Neil appeared at his side. “Whatcha doing?”

“Need to take the wagon back to the ranch and get my saddle horse.” Eddie had told him to help Cassie if she’d let him so he wouldn’t have been concerned when Roper didn’t immediately return.

“You coming back?”

At the sound of fear and uncertainty in the boy’s voice, Roper’s anger fled. “I’m not about to ride out on you.” He clamped his hand to Neil’s shoulder. “I said I was going to build Cassie’s house and I will. I said I would look after you until your uncle came and I will. Never doubt it. But I need a saddle horse to hunt meat for us.”

Neil nodded.

Billy and the girls watched him from the trees. “I’ll be back. Take care of yourselves and help Cassie.” He spoke out of his own heart’s desire. He wanted to take care of them all...but Cassie didn’t want his help.