A Bride for Ransom Read online

  It seemed to him that she was choosing her words very carefully. “I am not ravenous, thank you for enquiring. I would love a tour of your property.”

  “Our property, now,” he reminded her before adding, “We cannot tour the entire property as our lands do extend pretty far back, but I will show you around what’s nearby here.”

  “How far back does it go?”

  “About a mile.” Ransom tried not to sound too proud, but he loved his land.

  “Really? How do you maintain it all?”

  Ransom had to laugh. “We aren’t in a city, so it doesn’t all require maintenance. Some of it is merely forest. It’s where I got most of the wood for the house. The rest is fields for the cattle.”

  “Do you have a large herd?”

  He was happy that her questions revealed a degree of knowledge, surprising for a girl so clearly from the city. “Enough for our use and some to sell. I don’t concentrate on farming or ranching. But they serve our needs.”

  She nodded but didn’t appear to fully understand his words, however he didn’t feel like telling her everything at that moment. She would find out soon enough. He led her to the barn while his ranch hand hurried out of it.

  “Welcome home, Delaney,” the man greeted him with a hand to the brim of his hat while his curious gaze remained glued to Hannah. Ransom felt his ire rising even though the man was his friend.

  “Scott, meet my wife. Hannah, this is my right-hand man around here. Scott Cooper. He’ll be happy to lend you any assistance you might require.” Ransom could here himself getting stiff by the end of his speech. He avoided Scott’s gaze.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Hannah replied with sweetness, offering her hand to shake.

  Scott grinned, shaking her hand and glancing at Ransom to enjoy his discomfort.

  “The horses could use your attention, Scott,” he reminded.

  “It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miz Delaney,” Scott declared as he walked away.

  Hannah turned her attention back to Ransom. “Do you have much hired help?”

  “Only Scott,” he answered. “As I said, while I love the land, it isn’t my primary concern, so we just do enough to fill our needs and have a little extra to share or sell.”

  “That seems generous of you.”

  Ransom enjoyed her tone of approval. He doubted it would remain long, once she heard of his plans. He took her into the barn. “This is where we keep the horses. The cows mostly stay in the pasture. There’s another barn for them further back.”

  “So, your cows are only for meat?” she asked. “Not for milk?”

  “We can get some milk from them for our own needs, if we choose. We’ve been needing it more since Francine came to live here, and I suppose you’ll want some, too, but previously, I just took enough from them to add to my tea or coffee.”

  He was surprised by her quick smile. “Oh, I’m glad to hear you drink your tea and coffee like a civilized person! On the train, they were surprised I asked for milk for my tea. It had me worried.”

  Ransom smiled at her words. “Totally civilized, I promise you.” He continued the tour.

  “We have hens over here. They happily provide us with eggs as well as meat when they are no longer able to produce.”

  “Does Francine have a problem with that?”

  “No, but she’s young. Your brother and sister might if they’ve never really thought about where their food comes from.”

  Hannah nodded. “I didn’t think to talk to them about it.” She sighed but then tried to cover it up. “I will cross that bridge another day.”

  Before long, Ransom had showed her everything he thought she needed to know except how to shoot. He glanced toward the sun. He figured there would be enough daylight after they had eaten. She was starting to look a little worn out and it would be best if she weren't completely exhausted when he taught her.

  “Let’s head to the kitchen now. You can keep me company while I finish preparing our meal, or you can start your unpacking if you would rather.”

  She moaned slightly. “I would rather ring for a maid,” she said with a laugh before following him to the kitchen. “I think the unpacking will have to wait. I’m relieved to see that your home seems to be in quite a good state so I can ease into my responsibilities here. Thank you for that.”

  “Again, it’s our home,” he reminded her, trying to hold onto his patience. He needed to eat or his mood would sour completely. “Why don’t you go ring the bell on the porch? The children will need some time to get in and clean up.”

  His wife looked surprised at the concept but did as he bade. It only took a minute before Ransom could hear the bell. The first strike was tentative but then she got the hang of it and rang with zeal.

  “That is spectacular,” she declared with a grin as she stepped back into the house. “I’m not sure if Maryanne and Brent will know what it meant, but I would imagine they could hear it even from quite far away.”

  “If they haven’t abandoned Francine, she’ll make sure they know what it meant. You did well with it.”

  Her smile remained broad. “I think it will be an excellent way to relieve any tensions I might be feeling before the family assembles for meals.”

  Ransom laughed but then warned, “Be sure you don’t abuse it though. It needs to be understood that the bell means to come straight away.”

  Now it was her turn to look annoyed. “Well of course, I wouldn’t abuse it. But if I’ve had a rough day, you might be called quite vigorously.”

  Ransom found that he quite liked her sense of humor. He hoped she would be able to hold onto it after the morrow.

  The children arrived in a tumult of noise and energy, wanting to fill Hannah’s ears with everything they had seen, but she quickly organized and tidied them and before long they were all sitting around the table. Ransom was filled with satisfaction. His house had needed filling.

  The meal passed quickly. Hannah insisted on cleaning up.

  “It’s only fair since you cooked. Before long the children will be able to take over this duty, but for tonight, I will do it.”

  Ransom hid his amusement at the dismay written across the children’s faces at her words, but he allowed her to take away his plate while he sipped his tea. The children scampered off to look through the house, Francine hurrying to keep up with her new, bigger companions.

  In moments, Ransom was ushering Hannah back outside after telling the children to remain in the house.

  “Can this not wait for a few days? I really haven’t seen anything that could be so very dangerous that I would have to shoot it.”

  Ransom could hear the fatigue and complaint in her voice, but he remained firm.

  “No, it cannot wait.” He didn’t elaborate.

  Despite her fatigue and disquiet around the weapon, Hannah was a bright, fast learner. Ransom felt his breath hitch as he put his arm around her to adjust her stance. She was a beautiful young woman, and she smelled like sunshine despite her seven days of travel. His attraction toward her grew, but he ignored the sensation.

  He ignored too how adorable he found it when she bit her lip and scrunched her nose as she tried to sight down the barrel as he had instructed. “Don’t forget to keep the butt firmly against your shoulder or you’ll get quite a kick.”

  She adjusted her stance once more, sighted again, then pulled the trigger as he had taught her. She shouted with glee and did a little dance as the pumpkin on the fence post fell over.

  “I did it!” she shouted while rubbing her shoulder.

  “It was a very large pumpkin and you only skimmed the side, but it’s better than I did on my first try.”

  Hannah laughed. “Were you five?”

  Ransom laughed with her, appreciating her humor and humility. “No. Seven.”

  “Well, I really doubt I will find the need to be shooting at anything. Could we not just agree that it is to be your assignment?”

  “If I’m aroun
d, I will gladly defend you with all that I have. But if you are here on your own, it will be your responsibility to protect the children. And yourself.”

  “But from what will I be protecting them?”

  “You cannot expect me to be tied to your apron strings at all times.”

  He could see that she was getting flustered. “Well, no, of course I don’t expect you to be by my side every moment, but I really don’t like the thought of needing to shoot anything. Are there really so many dangers about?”

  Ransom shrugged but could see that did not please her. “I’ve never had a woman on the property. Surely you must realize that a beautiful woman such as yourself could draw unwelcome attention.”

  Now her eyes were huge and horrified. “You aren’t actually trying to say that you would expect me to point that thing at a person, are you? I thought we were possibly talking about bears or something.”

  “Bears are a distinct possibility.”

  “I have to say, I don’t have much experience in the matter of bears, but I would think they aren’t too partial if you’re male or female.”

  Ransom raised his eyebrows in question.

  “You mentioned my needing to know how to shoot is because you’ve never had a woman here before,” she explained, her tone revealing her exasperation. “That leads me to think your expected threat is human rather than animal.” When he didn’t answer right away she added, “I have to say, you aren’t really inspiring me with confidence in the wisdom of my choice to head West. I feel like my brother and sister and I would have been safer staying in Boston and facing the wolves there. At least I knew what I was up against there.”

  “I apologize, Hannah. I didn’t mean to scare you with this exercise. I don’t know what kind of threat you might face, and I need to know you can protect yourself. It’s my responsibility to make sure you have the tools you need to make your way successfully.”

  She tilted her head and gazed at him with intelligence shining in her eyes. Ransom had to work at not squirming under her examination.

  “I’m trying to decide if you are being literal or philosophical,” she finally stated. “But this discussion will have to wait for another time. I am about to fall over with fatigue, and I’m almost certain my aim will not be improving until after I have slept. If you could just tell me where you keep the blasted thing, I will try to practice some other time when I know the children aren’t likely to be about.”

  “This one stays by the door.”

  “By the door? In the house? Are you sure that’s wise with children in the house?”

  “Where do you think you would like it to be if you find you are in need of it? Would you like to run to the barn when there’s a threat on the porch?” His questions sounded sarcastic, but he hadn’t meant them to be.

  “Do you not have solid locks on your doors?” she countered.

  Ransom took a deep breath. She was right; she was too tired for this. She would realize soon enough why he had needed to show her this tonight.

  “Never mind about this now. As you said, we need some sleep. I will see you in the morning.”

  Again, she gazed at him assessingly for a moment before she nodded her head. “Good night, Ransom.”

  Ransom allowed his gaze to follow her as she made her way toward the house. He was pleased with her and believed she would be excellent for Francine. She was such a dainty, graceful little thing. His eyes narrowed. He supposed she wasn’t so very little. It was just in comparison to his own great height that she seemed thus, but he remembered as he had his arms around her demonstrating the proper stance for holding the gun that she had fit perfectly within his hold. His stomach clenched at the memory but he forced himself to ignore the attraction. She would hate him soon enough. If he survived, he wasn’t certain if they would be able to salvage a real marriage from the situation, so he shouldn’t let his feelings get all stirred into the quagmire.

  Feeling positive that he had done all that he could to leave his responsibilities in good hands, Ransom checked that the doors were locked tightly as she had mentioned and made his way to bed. Tomorrow would dawn early before a long day.

  Chapter Six

  “Where are you going?”

  She stood at the counter with a towel in one hand and the cup she was drying in the other. Ransom liked her domestic look as one ringlet she must have missed with her pins slid onto her shoulder. She looked gentle and comfortable in his kitchen. But her tone was confused. He had just tried to tell her goodbye, but she hadn’t really been paying attention. She had obviously thought he was just leaving the house, perhaps to the barn for chores, until she had spotted the satchel in his left hand. The left hand that now sported the shiny gold ring she had brought him from Boston. She had given it to him the night before, explaining it had been her father’s. Ransom should have thought of rings. Guilt had assailed him, but he ignored it.

  “I’m leaving. I have to be in Oregon by Sunday. Monday at the latest.”

  “Oregon?” She was blinking at him like a baby owl. It would have been cute if he didn’t realize that she would be furious when she finally realized what he was saying. “You’re going away? To Oregon? A few days away? You’re leaving today?” Her voice was rising as she spoke.

  “I have a claim out there. I was doing quite well with it when I got word that my brother had died. I’ve been back here looking after Francine until you could get here.”

  “Why the urgency? Why didn’t you take her there with you? Why don’t you take us all there with you? Fred mentioned you had business you had to take care of, but he didn’t say it would be immediately. Why would you leave the day after we’ve arrived?” There was a pause. “That was why I needed to learn to shoot. You realize you’re being a deserter, but you don’t want me left completely unprotected.”

  “You aren’t completely unprotected. Scott will be here.”

  “So, you’re leaving your brand new wife in the care of another man?” She was incredulous. “That sounds like a recipe for disaster.”

  “Fred has assured me that you’re a reliable woman.”

  “I am. But I was not provided with a reliable man, apparently.” She huffed. “Have you told the children or were you planning to leave that task to me?” Her eyes were widening in horror. “Tasks. I don’t even know how to do anything! You’re leaving me in charge of a house, three children, and a farm? Don’t you realize I was a socialite in Boston? My parents died a month ago. Until I got on the train to come here, I had maids and a butler and a cook and all sorts of hired help. I don’t actually know how to do anything useful, and you’re leaving me here to fend for myself and care for three children?” Her voice was no longer rising. It had reached the point where she was marveling at the situation. As though she thought she were in a bad dream.

  Ransom had suspected she was from a wealthy background when she stepped down from the train. When Fred had telegrammed him about Hannah, he hadn’t provided a great many details. Ransom had trusted Fred’s judgment and expected an experienced woman to be sent to him. He knew she was intelligent and was certain she’d be able to figure everything out. He didn’t have the luxury of time to stay home and help her settle in. He needed to catch the next train heading further west.

  “You probably shouldn’t have taught me to shoot,” Hannah noted, her voice turning cool as her emotions settled deeper into anger. “I hadn’t thought I would ever be willing to point that gun at a person, but I’m beginning to think that if I ever see you again, it’ll be through the sites of that thing.”

  Ransom wanted to laugh but restrained the impulse. She was beautiful in her ire. But he had to go.

  “I’m sorry that it is so sudden. And I’m sorry there hasn’t been time to explain it all to you. But I need to be on the train. Scott is driving me to the station so none of the horses are left there. I’m sure you will be fine here.”

  “I just don’t understand why you’ve done this. I could’ve married someone else. And you co
uld’ve left Francine with a neighbor. Why did you marry me if you knew you would be leaving right away? It just doesn’t make any sense.”

  “I needed to marry someone so that if I don’t come back, all that I’ve worked for goes to someone.” He could see that he had caught her attention firmly now. She was still staring at him in horror, but she was no longer blinking like an owl. Her wide-eyed gaze was glued to him. He continued his explanation. “If something happens to me, Francine is yours, and all that I own is yours. You will care for her. I can already see that about you. You will not shirk your responsibilities. You’ve proven that in what you were willing to do to protect your siblings.”

  “But I thought I was gaining a partner that would help me, at least for a few days.” Her voice was calm as she made her statement, but Ransom could hear despair in her words. He hated leaving her like this but he had to go.

  “I’m sorry, Hannah. I’ve left all the paperwork you might possibly need on the desk in my room. I also wrote down an address to which you can mail any letters you might want to send me. I will try to be back as soon as I can, but it might be a few months.”

  “A few months,” she repeated dully. “A lot can happen in a few months. I could burn down your house and barn and move away with your niece somewhere you’ll never find her. Have you thought how she will feel about being left with a stranger? Have you thought about what it will do to all the children’s feelings to be abandoned again so soon after their previous losses? What about Francine? Are you not even going to say goodbye to her?”

  Ransom ignored the guilt her words caused. He couldn’t think of the sweet child’s feelings. He had waited long enough. He had to go. If he waited to try to stay goodbye to the child, he knew he wouldn’t be able to do it. Ransom was actually glad that the children were already outside. He wanted his departure to be as easy as possible.

  “I don’t have a choice, and I don’t have time to discuss it any further.”

  “Discuss it any further? But you haven’t discussed it at all!”