The Rancher’s Marriage of Convenience Read online

  Zane gazed out across the wide flat plain and sighed. "The river's just over that ridge there," he said pointing. "And there's a handy copse of trees nearby." Zane looked at Johanna. "We were thinking that would be a good place to make a start. Plenty of logs for the cabin. And I like fishing," he added with a smile toward Johanna.

  She shook her head. "You're going to be too busy ranching to have any time for that," she said.

  Gideon saw Zane shake his head and smile.

  "Let's go see," Zane said. He coaxed his horse into a steady trot. Johanna followed and Gideon rode behind, trying to keep up.

  Johanna said something that Gideon didn't hear. Zane roared with laughter. This was what it was like between the two of them, he told himself. They'd only been married a few weeks, but already they seemed to have formed a real bond. Could he call it love? Gideon thought about that a moment, and concluded that maybe it was love. He'd seen their affection develop from the moment when Johanna had arrived at the ranch.

  And that had been on the very same day when Gideon's father, Caleb had announced the unthinkable. All four Buchanan brothers were going to have to marry. And soon. Because if they didn't, and each of the four parts of the spread weren't occupied by married Buchanans, then most of the family spread could be lost to other owners.

  In order to avoid a loss which would hurt all his family, especially his father who'd built it up from nothing, Gideon knew that he would have to agree to a marriage.

  An arranged marriage of convenience. That was what it would be.

  Just the thought of that made Gideon's gut twist with unease. He'd always figured he'd find someone on his own. Someone who would be devout. A woman who had faith. Just like Gideon himself.

  But, maybe this had been taken out of his hands, he told himself. Perhaps it was time to allow God's will to be done. And Gideon was always fine with that. He'd built so much of his life around trying to figure out what God wanted from him. And doing it to the best of his ability.

  The whole family believed in God. That was a given. They'd all been brought up to believe, and to have that belief dictate their deeds, their actions towards others. But, for some reason, over the years, growing up on the ranch, it had been Gideon who had developed the strongest faith amongst his brothers.

  Maybe God would grace him with such a wife, Gideon told himself. Perhaps, soon, a woman would come to Inspiration and she would be a godly woman, with a strong faith. That was what he was hoping for, even if he knew it might be an impossible wish.

  The three riders crested the ridge and rode down into the hollow through which ran the narrow river. As Zane had described, on the far side of the river there was a dense thicket of trees which stretched a long way alongside the course of the river.

  They drew their mounts to a halt by the riverside and tied them up on a solitary tree. Gideon had to admit there was something idyllic about this place. It was a beautiful part of the spread. Zane and Johanna wrapped their arms around each other as they wandered casually alongside the riverbank. They chatted quietly, seemingly lost in the beauty and the potential of the place.

  Seeing them like that, Gideon suddenly felt like an intruder. He knew that Zane valued his opinion about almost everything. And that was why he said he'd invited the second youngest Buchanan brother on this special visit.

  But, Gideon also suspected that Zane and Johanna had another reason for asking Gideon to come along. Pressure was building for another Buchanan wedding. And Reese, the second eldest brother seemed determined to hold out for some reason he wouldn't say. During the last two weeks, Reese had stood his ground, steadfastly refusing to consider anyone from Inspiration as his own arranged bride.

  So, next in line was Gideon.

  Zane and Johanna halted and turned to face Gideon. "What do you think little brother?" Zane asked.

  Gideon gazed slowly around, breathed in deeply and nodded. "This is about as good as it gets," he replied. "You've got all you need here. Water. A sheltered area. And you're not too far from the ranch."

  Zane looked at Johanna. "See? I told you," he said. "My brother is a man of great wisdom."

  Johanna shrugged. "I suppose you two are the experts. What do I know?" She folded her arms and gazed out toward the trees on the other side of the river. "I guess that settles it. Here it is."

  Gideon saw Zane grin. Zane went to Johanna and wrapped his arms around his wife, snuggling close in and kissing her on the cheek. "I knew you'd come around to it," he said.

  Not wanting to intrude on their moment of privacy, Gideon turned away. Moments later he heard Zane call out his name. "Gideon. You still haven't told us what you think about the news."

  "News?" Gideon asked, even though he knew exactly to what news Zane was referring.

  Johanna squinted at Gideon and walked straight up to him. "Gideon Buchanan. You ain't going to tell me that you're going to be like Reese, and get all difficult about this."

  "Reese seems to have his own reasons for not getting married now," Gideon replied. "He still hasn't told us what they are."

  Zane frowned. "I figure it has to do with that letter he got a couple of weeks ago."

  "Letter?" Gideon probed. "I didn't know about that."

  Zane nodded. "I got a look at the envelope. It came from California."

  "Really?" Gideon was intrigued. That could explain a whole lot, he told himself.

  "But, Reese is staying tight-lipped," Zane said. "And you know how stubborn he can be when he wants to keep his business private."

  Johanna scoffed. "You just need some good womanly persuasion," she said. "Do you want me to ask him?"

  Zane was suddenly deadly serious. He shook his head. "I think we should leave things alone. For the moment."

  Johanna pouted. "You don't think I could find out?"

  Zane gazed at his wife. Gideon saw Johanna's expression alter as she saw the gravity of Zane's demeanor. When Zane spoke his voice was low and even. "Let's just leave Reese alone for a while. Okay?"

  Johanna hesitated and then frowned. Her lips formed into a tight line. She nodded. "Okay, Zane," she agreed after a long, thoughtful pause.

  The awkward pause didn't last too long, though. Johanna turned to Gideon. "So I've arranged for you to visit Sophie Cameron tomorrow."

  Gideon felt the color drain from his face. "What?"

  Johanna nodded. "We figured it would do no harm for you to pay a call on this lovely young newcomer."

  "But, I've got plans," Gideon croaked. "My schedule is worked out for the next few days. I don't have time."

  Johanna shook her head. "It's all been arranged. Caleb has given your duties to some of the other men. And he thinks it's a great idea for you to pay a call."

  Gideon's eyes widened. "That's what pa said?"

  Johanna nodded. "You got nothing to worry about, Gideon. It'll be fine." She gazed up into Zane's eyes. "Remember that first meal we shared at the hotel?" she asked.

  Zane snorted. "How could I forget? Let's say it was unique. What with Calhoun poking his nose into our affairs."

  At the mention of Brett Calhoun's name, Johanna sighed heavily. "I thought we had an agreement not to mention that man's name around here?" she said.

  Zane shrugged. "It's going to be hard avoiding him until we're all married."

  Gideon knew that Brett Calhoun wanted the Circle Cross spread. Or at least as much of it as he could get his hands on. He'd tried every dirty trick to fool Johanna into thinking that Zane wasn't interested in her. And he'd almost succeeded in persuading Johanna to leave Inspiration. Luckily, sense had prevailed, and Calhoun had been denied an easy victory which would have put the spread in danger.

  Ignoring what Zane had just said, Johanna turned to Gideon. "Sophie has everything arranged," Johanna explained. "She's expecting you, Gideon. At noon. You can't be rude and let her down. Me and Sophie had a hard time persuading the young lady in question. But she eventually agreed to meet you. So you be on your best behavior, okay?"

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sp; Gideon frowned and gazed from Johanna to Zane. "Inspiration is a small town," he said. "How come it needs more than one matchmaker?"

  Johanna thrust her hands onto her hips. "Are you calling me a matchmaker?" She glanced at Zane. "I thought I was a rancher's wife," she added with a cute smile at her husband.

  "Well, it sure looks like you're getting involved," Gideon said. He glanced at Zane but, from his brother's raised eyebrow, Gideon saw he wasn't going to get any support from him.

  "Do you need me here, anymore?" Gideon asked abruptly.

  Johanna glanced at Zane. "Do we?"

  Zane shook his head. "I think we'll stay a while longer. I want to show you where we're going to build that cabin."

  Gideon frowned and sighed. "I know when I'm not wanted," he complained. "In any case, I don't think I can stand watching you two smooching like that."

  As he turned to make his way back to his horse, Gideon saw the looks of pretend shock on the faces of Zane and Johanna. He mounted up and gripped the reins, turning away. With one last look at the couple who were now gazing out across the river, Gideon spurred his horse into a brisk trot.

  He had some ranching to do. And the last thing he wanted to think about was the meeting which had been set up for him tomorrow. In spite of that, he couldn't get the appointment out of his mind. His thoughts drifted to wondering about the stranger who just arrived in town. If she was staying at Sophie's place then she must be already known to the sheriff's wife, who was starting to bring mail order brides into Inspiration. She was treating it like a business, but Gideon had heard her saying that she was also doing it to make sure that Inspiration kept growing into the sweet-natured town that everyone wanted it to be.

  As far as Gideon was concerned that was a good thing. He figured there weren't enough religious-minded folks in Inspiration. He'd talked about that to the pastor on many a Sunday. They both agreed there was a shortage of godly couples in the town. Being on the edge of the wilds of Montana, the town was starting to attract a mixture of types. Some good. But, also some not so good. Gideon reckoned an effort was needed to right the balance on favor of the good and respectable.

  Gideon rode hard across the flat plain until he came in sight of the herd. Seeing that, he felt a peace settle upon him. The cure for troubling thoughts was good, honest, hard work. And that was exactly what he planned to do until he returned later to the big ranch house where he would share his customary dinner with his family.

  One of the ranch hands called out to Gideon. He rode in the man's direction and tried to empty his mind of any thoughts about the following day.

  CHAPTER THREE

  "He'll be here in a little while," Sophie Cameron said to Rosalind. Upon hearing those words, butterflies tumbled in Rosalind's belly. It wasn't the first time she'd felt nervous since arriving in Inspiration the day before yesterday. There had been so much to get used to, not least the kindness and generosity of the sheriff's wife.

  She and Sophie were seated on the sofa in the sitting room of the Cameron house.

  Nathan Cameron, the sheriff of Inspiration, and Sophie's husband walked into the room, his boots sounded loud on the wooden floor. He was all dressed up, ready to head over to the jailhouse and another day of work. Rosalind thought he looked mighty fine with his jeans, his dark waistcoat, white shirt, carefully pressed by Sophie, and his wide-brimmed hat which he played with idly in his large hands. The tin star on his waistcoat glinted in the soft light which streamed in through the sitting room window. Nathan's eyes were bright and his smile wide.

  "Do you mean Gideon Buchanan?" Nathan asked.

  Sophie nodded, went to her husband and started fussing with the buttons on his shirt collar. "He's the punctual type," she said examining her handiwork.

  Rosalind saw Nathan glance in her direction. "The Buchanan's are a good family, Miss Grover," he said. "And Gideon is probably the most sensible of the brothers."

  Rosalind smiled at Nathan. "That's nice," she said, wondering just what Nathan could mean by describing her caller in that way. Did that mean there was something regarding the Buchanan family she should be concerned about? If Gideon was was the most pleasant, what did that mean about the others?

  Sophie crinkled her nose at Nathan. For a moment, Rosalind thought the pair were going to kiss. But, thankfully, they didn't. The Camerons obviously loved one another. It was clear to anyone who saw the way they looked at one another.

  Rosalind thought about how wonderful it must be for a woman to have that kind of happiness in her life. She knew that Sophie had been a mail order bride herself, and that Nathan was a lucky man to have such a resourceful and good-natured wife.

  And it was clear that Nathan knew just how lucky he was. Every time he looked at Sophie his gaze seemed to soften.

  The sheriff adored his wife. It was that simple.

  They were a perfect couple, Rosalind told herself. She wondered if she would ever find that kind of happiness for herself.

  Nathan and Sophie walked out through the open front door and onto the porch. Rosalind heard them exchanging quiet words. And probably that kiss they'd done so much to resist, she told herself.

  While they were out there, Rosalind reflected on the last forty-eight hours. The train from the city had left on time, and she'd felt a great relief as the train had powered its way out into the countryside, leaving Helena well and truly behind.

  The journey to Inspiration had taken a few hours. When the train had finally arrived, Rosalind had felt a tremendous relief sweeping over her. As she had walked down Inspiration's dusty main street, Rosalind had been struck by how pretty the place was, especially in comparison to the settlement from which she'd just escaped. In the light of the early afternoon sun, the town looked almost too perfect. Like her dream of what a little Montana frontier town should look like.

  When she'd asked where she could find the house of Sophie Cameron, folks had been so kind and friendly to Rosalind she had been momentarily taken aback. Surely people couldn't be so warm-hearted, particularly to an obvious stranger, she'd told herself.

  Rosalind had arrived at the Cameron and knocked on the door. Sophie had opened the door and squinted inquiringly at Rosalind. When Rosalind had held out Sophie's letter and explained who she was, Sophie had greeted her warmly and bundled her into the welcoming coolness of the house.

  After seating the new arrival on the sitting room sofa, Sophie had made quite the fuss over Rosalind, making her feel instantly at home, even while she grilled Rosalind with questions about how she had come to Inspiration. Sophie had been under the impression that Rosalind had decided against coming to Inspiration. Rosalind hadn't explained the circumstances of her previous days in Helena, deciding that the time for that would be later, once she had gotten to know Sophie a little more.

  The two women had chatted, and Sophie had brought a simple lunch to Rosalind, insisting, in the nicest way possible, that she eat. Sophie had explained that Rosalind was the second young woman to come to Inspiration looking for matrimony. She recounted the story of one of the Buchanan brothers, from a family of ranchers, and how he and a young woman from back East had recently wed.

  At the conclusion of her account, Sophie had said that another of the Buchanan brothers was interested in finding a wife, and that she thought he would be a perfect match for Rosalind.

  As she'd sat there, listening to her new friend, Rosalind could hardly believe the sudden change in her fortunes. It was as if a hidden hand had guided her to a safe place, a refuge where she might find the happiness she had been sure, only hours before, would be denied her.