The Rancher’s Bride Arrangement (Brides 0f Inspiration Book 1) Page 3

  “Have you been on a ranch before, Johanna?” Zane heard Reese ask.

  She paused before replying, as if weighing up her words. “I have some acquaintance with the outdoors,” she replied. “I enjoy being outside.”

  Zane puzzled about that for a moment, and then took it to mean she’d never set foot on a spread in her life. Like most folks back East, the nearest she’d come to experiencing what it was like to battle with the land was during her weekend stroll in a park.

  Or maybe he was being unkind, coming to that conclusion. He peered at her a little closer, and saw that her skin, while clear and shining with health, didn’t look like she’d spent every moment of her life in a salon. There was a hint of color, as if her skin had been graced with the rays of the sun.

  After a short while they crested a hill and Sophie drew the buckboard to a halt. Ahead, nestling in the valley was the ranch house.

  “There you are,” Sophie said to Johanna. “The Circle Cross ranch house.”

  “The official Buchanan residence,” Zane added, with more than a hint of mock grandiosity.

  Johanna glanced censoriously at him and then looked back down at the big house. And it was big, Zane told himself. From up here it sure looked fine. On two levels, the house was solidly constructed of wood and stone. His family had spent years making it. The exterior had been partially fronted with white-painted wooden board that made the house shine like a jewel in the bright sunshine.

  Zane sighed contentedly. A beautiful big house. It had taken a long time to get to this, having been started years before by his parents with nothing more than a two room shack. Now it had five small bedrooms upstairs, a kitchen, a sitting room and dining room on the lower level. It was big enough for the entire Buchanan clan to live comfortably. And they had done just that for years.

  “What do you think?” Sophie asked Johanna.

  She nodded. “Impressive,” was all she said.

  Zane frowned. Was that it? One word was all she had to describe one of the finest ranch spreads in this part of Montana? It was so fine that there were plenty who would just love to get their hands on it. Like Brett Calhoun, for one, Zane reflected. He pushed all thought of Calhoun right out of his mind, for now.

  It wasn’t just the ranch house that impressed onlookers. It was all the additional buildings that surrounded the main house. There was the large barn, the cookhouse and the outbuilding where all the ranch hands slept. Zane could see one of the hands in the corral in front of the big house. He was trying to deal with an ornery horse, and not having much success.

  They headed on down the hill and drew to a halt in the yard in front of the house. The door opened and Zane saw his mother, Eugenie, emerging. Zane immediately saw concern on his mother’s face. She ran a hand across her silver hair and advanced toward the buckboard. His mother was dressed in a familiar plain, blue gown. She smiled at Sophie and Johanna.

  Introductions were made, but Zane could still see concern on his mother’s features, even as she made the effort to welcome Johanna and Sophie.

  Zane got down off his horse. Reese spoke quietly with Eugenie for a moment. His mother replied with softly spoken words. Reese frowned at Zane, and then quickly disappeared into the house. Whatever was causing concern must have something to do with what was awaiting him in the house, Zane concluded.

  Johanna and Sophie got down off the buckboard. For the first time since he’d met them back on the trail, Zane asked himself just why Sophie had brought the mysterious Easterner to the ranch. And so soon after her arrival in Inspiration.

  Eugenie chatted politely with Sophie and Johanna. Some agreement seemed to have been reached, because his mother strode over to Zane, while the other two women wandered off toward the corral.

  “Zane. You get in the house, right now,” his mother ordered in a quiet, steady voice that Zane knew all too well.

  “Sure, Ma,” Zane replied. He glanced at Sophie and Johanna. “What about the ladies?” he asked.

  “What about them?” Eugenie snapped.

  Zane frowned. “Aren’t they coming inside, too?”

  Eugenie shook her head. “Sophie is going to show Johanna the ranch for a while. We’ll be inside while they’re having a look around.”

  “We will?” Zane asked.

  Eugenie squinted at Zane. “Where were you, earlier?” she asked. “I had to send Reese to find you.” She didn’t sound pleased.

  “I had work to do, Ma,” Zane explained, although he knew the excuse didn’t sound too convincing. His mother lifted a brow and shook her head. Eugenie knew every one of Zane’s tricks.

  “Never mind. Get inside. Your pa is waiting,” Eugenie said. “And he’s got words to say.”

  That sounded ominous, Zane told himself. Zane fussed with his hat. “About what?”

  “You’ll find out soon enough,” Eugenie said sharply.

  “Okay, Ma,” Zane agreed. He went over to where Sophie was standing in front of the corral with Johanna. Inside the corral, the hand was still struggling to hold onto the reins of the wild black stallion which was bucking nervously. Zane saw that Johanna seemed fascinated with what was going on inside the corral. He figured she’d never seen anything quite like it before.

  “The horse needs calming,” Johanna observed.

  Zane nodded. “You can say that again. But Ray is one of our best. He’s got the horse under control.”

  “It doesn’t look like it,” Johanna said. “He’s got those reins at the wrong angle.”

  Zane glanced at her and frowned. “How would you know that?”

  Johanna’s face paled slightly and she shifted awkwardly. She cleared her throat. “Something I read in a magazine article, I guess.”

  “Really. You like to read magazine articles about wrangling?” Zane asked incredulously. He saw Sophie narrow her eyes. Even she looked puzzled by Johanna’s confession.

  “Zane!” his mother called out to him.

  Zane turned and waved at Eugenie. “Coming.” Zane smiled at the women. “Hope you enjoy your look around. Any questions, be sure and come ask me later.”

  Sophie smiled. “We’ll do that, Zane. I’m sure we’ll have plenty to talk about.”

  Sophie gave Zane a look. One that puzzled him.

  Now what had she meant by that? Zane was on the verge of asking Sophie for an explanation, but he saw his mother standing at the door to the house. Her hands were on her hips and she was scowling right at him.

  Zane said his goodbyes and headed over to the house. As he did so, he couldn’t help wondering whether the newcomer to Circle Cross, Miss Johanna Henderson, was all she seemed to be.

  CHAPTER THREE

  “You finally decided to join us, did you?” Caleb Buchanan declared from the head of the table where he sat. His father’s powerful voice filled the confines of the dining room. The long table took up most of the middle of the room. At the table sat Zane’s three brothers. Each of them had their eyes set on Zane.

  Zane dropped his hat down on the table and took his seat opposite Reese and Gideon. Eugenie sat to the right of Caleb and placed a hand on her husband’s arm. “Now, dear. We’re all here, now. Let’s get down to business.”

  Caleb shook his head and ran a hand through his dark hair. His brows were furrowed and his features were grim.“Some strange kind of business it is when a man has to explain all of this unholy situation to his sons.”

  “You know what we discussed, Caleb,” Eugenie said. “I’m sure the boys will all understand,” she added, turning to face all four of them.

  Gideon glanced across at Zane. Worry flashed in his brother’s eyes. Next to Zane, Micah, the youngest of the Buchanan brothers made as if to say something, but a stern look from Zane cut him short. Zane figured it would be best to let his pa tell them all about it.

  Whatever it was.

  Although, Zane had heard some grumblings recently, especially about the activities of Calhoun, and his land dealings, he couldn’t imagine what could be making
both his parents look so worried. This wasn’t like any family meeting he’d ever attended, Zane told himself.

  Caleb sighed. “I might as well get to it,” he stated. He peered down the length of the table. “You boys know what’s been going on in town, lately. How things have been playing out with the bank and all.”

  “You talking about Calhoun?” Zane asked, cutting to the chase.

  Caleb narrowed his eyes. “Why don’t you tell us what you know, Zane.”

  “Only what I heard when I was in the saloon last week.”

  “And what was that?” Caleb asked.

  “Calhoun’s been in cahoots with the bank this past year. And with the changes to the land rules after the railroad came through, seems Calhoun thinks he can get his hands on pretty much anything he takes a fancy to around these parts.”

  Caleb nodded, and his mouth turned down appreciatively. “Sounds like word has been getting around more than I thought,” he said.

  “He’s had Barnes in his pocket since he came to Inspiration,” Gideon observed.

  “Barnes has been corrupt for ages,” Micah exclaimed. “The way he’s been running that land office hasn’t been legal. Not to mention his involvement in the bank.”

  “But he has some powerful friends, Micah,” Caleb said. “You know we tried to get the law involved, but it just didn’t take. And that was even with someone like Sheriff Nathan on the case. If someone as sharp as him couldn’t get to the bottom of what was going on, then maybe we need someone from out of town to look into things.”

  “Can’t we do that, Pa?” Reese asked.

  Caleb shook his head. “Nothing doing, Reese. Not for now, at least. It’ll take too long to get a judge to look into things. We got to take matters into our own hands. If we’re to hold on to what we’ve got.” He sighed heavily. “And if the Good is going to prevail in Inspiration.”

  Zane felt a stab of anxiety shoot through him. He knew his father was a godly man. He was used to saying that evil wouldn’t find its way into the town. Not while he was here. If his father was this worried, then it must be serious. “What do you mean, Pa?” Zane asked.

  “Since we can’t prove anything against Calhoun or his buddies, then we’re going to have to take a different tack.”

  “We must have enough evidence of Calhoun’s wrongdoing, Pa,” Gideon said. “You ain’t telling us there’s nothing we can do to send him packing, are you?”

  Eugenie shook her head. “Your father’s right, boys. Calhoun’s as bad as they come. And you know he’s had his eye on this spread for a while.”

  “But, this belongs to us, Ma.” Micah said. “There ain’t nothing he can do to get his hands on the place, is there?”

  Caleb leaned back on his chair and hammered his hand down onto the thick wooden surface of the table. The sound was sharp and shocking. Everyone jumped and stared at Caleb.

  “Sons. I have a confession to make,” Caleb announced.

  Zane didn’t like the sound of that. Not one bit. He exchanged looks with every one of his brothers. They all looked like they felt the same as him. Zane glanced at his mother. All she did was smile weakly back at him. But there was a sudden sadness in her eyes. Something he hadn’t seen in a long while.

  Caleb paused a few moments, as if gathering his thoughts. Then he looked at everyone in the room. One by one.

  “When I took this land, there were conditions attached,” Caleb said. “At the time, I didn’t give them any thought. Things were different back then. Inspiration was a tiny place. Barely big enough to call a town.”

  “What kind of conditions, Pa?” Zane asked. He felt a knot forming in his gut, even as he asked the question.

  “Neither Calhoun nor Barnes were here, at the time. I had my dealings with a man who has now passed. He was a good man. Straight and honest.” Caleb sighed. “But, even someone as good as that man didn’t see any dangers in the clause.”

  “Clause?” Gideon asked. “What clause?”

  Caleb smiled weakly at his son. “The Development Condition Clause,” he answered in a heavy voice.

  The words sounded thunderous in the stillness around the table. All eyes were fixed on Caleb, waiting for an explanation. But, Zane already knew exactly what his pa was talking about. That knot in Zane’s gut twisted even tighter. Now the sensation was rising to his chest. He wasn’t sure he wanted to hear what was coming next.

  “The what?” Reese demanded.

  “What in tarnation is that?” Gideon asked.

  Zane saw Caleb glance at him. “You want to tell them, Zane? Or will I?”

  His brothers looked expectantly at Zane. It wasn’t unusual for their father to defer to the eldest son in some matters. It was the way Caleb shared some of his authority with Zane. And also the way Caleb placed responsibility on Zane’s shoulders. He’d been doing that since Zane had been little. Over the years it had been something Zane had gotten used to. He even felt proud that his father thought so highly of him that he would do such a thing.

  And now that Zane was all grown up, Caleb had continued to make Zane feel as if he had a part in managing the family’s affairs.

  But with that sense of responsibility came something else. Doubt. Uncertainty about the future.

  Was that why, sometimes, Zane felt the need to bust loose, to break free? At least, just for a while?

  Zane shifted on the hard chair and prodded at his hat on the table. He knew he had to say something. Even if he could only guess at what his father was hinting at.

  Zane cleared his throat. “There was a small condition attached to the granting of the land for the ranch. Small, but important. It forces the owner to develop the land in a suitable way. Or take the consequences.”

  “Like what?” Gideon asked.

  Zane glanced around the table. “Or else the land is forfeit.”

  “What!” Micah exclaimed.

  “You mean we could lose the spread?” Reese gasped.

  “What does it mean by suitable development?” Gideon asked.

  Zane glanced at his father. Caleb nodded imperceptibly, as if he approved of the way Zane had just spoken. Zane felt he’d done enough in giving his brothers the bad news. But, it looked like they were all struggling to understand. Time for his father to take over, Zane told himself.

  “That’s the thing,” Caleb said. “Back when I took the land, we all assumed “suitable” meant working the land. Like real ranchers do. Like all of us,” Caleb said looking proudly around at his family. Zane felt a surge of emotion as he saw the expression on his father’s face.

  “However, it seems that’s not what it meant. Not at all,” Caleb added. “There’s a small detail that has mighty big consequences for us all.”

  Eugenie wrapped her hand around Caleb’s forearm. He looked at Eugenie and placed his hand over hers. Zane saw his parents love, right there. There was so much genuine affection between his parents that, at times, Zane told himself he would do just about anything to preserve that. He wouldn’t let anything stand in the way of that love which, through God’s grace, had created this family.

  The Buchanans. It was all he wanted to preserve. All he’d ever known.

  “What is it, Pa?” Gideon asked.

  Caleb looked at Gideon and then at the rest of the family, one by one. “It seems the land we got was split into parcels on the deed. It wasn’t just one huge spread. In the deed it states that all five parts of the spread need to be occupied.”