Page 32 of The Rancher's Bride
“What can I do for you, Mr. Mitchell?”
“I bought the five hundred acres on the other side of you.”
Ben let out a low whistle. “I didn’t know they were for sale.”
“Call me Ted. I realize you didn’t otherwise your goats wouldn’t be on my land.” Groaning, Ben closed his eyes. “You have goats, don’t you, Mr. Kendrick?”
“Yeah. I have goats.” He might not have them after today, but for now, he was still responsible for them.
“Good. Good.” Ted pulled off his gloves and slapped one against his hand. “I think there is a way we can amicably resolve this.”
“How’s that?” It was unclear to Ben what the stranger’s intentions were with this statement.
Ted inhaled deeply. “I’ve not had a home cooked meal in nearly two months, and whatever your wife is cooking smells delicious. How about we talk business over dinner?”
Ben couldn’t help but notice the man mistook Tessa for his own wife. He didn’t see the need to correct this assumption right now.
“What kind of business?”
“I came out here to learn to ranch, Mr. Kendrick. With no knowledge about ranching, I find myself owning five hundredacres. I’d like you to teach me, possibly even strike a business arrangement.”
Ben nearly dropped his rifle. “There are plenty of other ranchers who are far more experienced. Why not go talk to one of them?”
“Seems you have a small ranch here. Wouldn’t it make more sense for you to grow?”
“What’s in it for you?”
“Right now? A home cooked meal and no one pointing a shotgun barrel at me.”
“Stay here. Let me put my horse up, and we can talk.”
As Ben returned the rifle to its scabbard and led the horse back towards the barn, he couldn’t help but wonder what else the Lord might have in store for him this week.
Chapter Ten
Bethany sat cross-legged on her bed, absently picking at a loose thread on her handmade quilt. She twirled the thin strand around her finger, watching as it cut off circulation and turned her skin a deep purple before loosening it again to reveal her pale flesh. She repeated this process for several minutes, lost in thought, before finally letting go of the thread and returning to reality.
It had been almost a week since she’d last laid eyes on Benjamin and Tessa, and the emptiness in her chest grew with each passing day. She longed to see them again, yet a part of her was hesitant about what their reunion might bring. Would they still feel the same for her after all this time apart? The uncertainty gnawed at her, but she couldn’t deny how much she missed them.
She delicately lifted Millie’s beloved doll, its yarn hair matted and tangled. She ran her fingers through it, gently untangling the knots, before carefully smoothing down the dress made from scraps of a once-beautiful calico gown. Millie’s favorite toy was showing signs of wear and tear, but she couldn’t bear to part with it.
“What do you think, Mabel?” Bethany whispered to the doll. “Is it possible to love someone so deeply after such a short time?” It was more an admission than a question. She gazed at Mabel, the doll’s lifeless button eyes barely clinging to the delicate linen material of her plush body as it stared back. “Benjamin and I barely know each other, so how can I be sure these feelings are true? He practically bolted out of the Chapmans’ house like a frightened jackrabbit. I have a feeling that everything he told me was most likely a lie.”
Bethany’s thoughts churned like the muddy waters of the creek Ben rescued her from. How she longed for his powerful arms around her and his warm lips claiming her once more. There was something about him that spoke to her as a woman. It set fire inside her veins. She had experienced nothing like it before.
But she wanted to experience it again…
…and again.
What would her mother think?
What would Pa think?
Good thing he didn’t know Ben kissed her passionately. Otherwise, Pa’s shotgun wouldn’t still be over the fireplace.
Bethany sighed deeply, setting Mabel down as she stood up from the bed.
She wondered what Tessa was doing. Glancing at the small clock sitting on the dressing table, she smiled. Tessa wasprobably baking something sweet for Ben, and then she’d take Marigold for a walk just outside the house.
