An Uninvited Bride on his Doorstep by Ava Winters
Chapter Twelve
Logan swung with a grunt. The mallet struck the fence post with a low, heavy whump, driving the fence post two inches further into the dirt.
He couldn’t believe Jay! Logan knew he was still more child than man, but he never expected this degree of foolishness! How could he speak to Winona like that? What would Ma think?
He swung the hammer again, driving the fence post down another two inches.
He knew Jay was angry. He even understood it. He and Jay clearly didn’t see eye to eye on the ranch. Jay wanted to raise cattle and Logan wanted to remain a horse ranch. Jay was wrong but he clearly didn’t see it that way. He was passionate about cattle and Logan wasn’t, and in the end Logan had the final say. It made sense for Jay to be angry with him. From his perspective, Logan was shutting him down and denying him a say in the family business.
Logan swung again. The mallet slipped and only glanced against the fence post. Logan adjusted his grip and swung hard. This time it landed true, and the fence post gained another two inches of depth.
Well, maybe he was shutting Jay down, but he had good reason. The Foley Ranch was the finest horse ranch in West Texas and had been for twenty-five years. Sure, there were bigger outfits, but none finer. Logan couldn’t allow Jay’s harebrained schemes to threaten their reputation. Their business was at stake. Jay was just too young to understand.
That’s not really why you’re fighting with Jake, the small voice in his head retorted. The truth is, it doesn’t matter to you if Jay is right or not. You just can’t handle the thought of Heath Ross winning.
Logan swung the hammer again. The dirt was more hard packed below the surface and the fence only sunk another inch. He sighed heavily and rested a moment, leaning against the handle of his mallet.
That was the truth. If the Foley Ranch left the horse business to become a cattle ranch, then Heath Ross won, and Logan couldn’t stand the thought of Heath Ross winning.
Well, so what? What was he supposed to do? Their father broke his back building this ranch. He worked tirelessly to establish their reputation and then kept working tirelessly to maintain it. He poured his heart and soul into this ranch and then Heath Ross stabbed him in the back.
Most men would have given up, but Dale Foley didn’t. He kept working tirelessly and though they’d nearly gone under several times since Heath Ross stole the contract from them, Dale managed to keep them afloat through blood, sweat, and tears. He’d kept them afloat in spite of Heath Ross’s betrayal and Logan wasn’t about to betray his father’s legacy by admitting defeat now. If Jay couldn’t understand that then that was Jay’s problem.
His conscience spoke again. Strangely, it spoke in Winona’s voice this time. If this ranch goes under because you’re too stubborn to know when it’s time to make a change, then that’s your problem.
He swung the hammer with all his might. The impact reverberated through Logan’s arm and jarred his teeth. It also split the post down the center all the way through.
Logan cursed loudly and kicked the two halves of the broken post. They flew through the air, landing a few yards away. Logan landed heavily and nearly rolled his ankle. He stumbled and lost his balance, falling onto his backside and rolling onto his back. He remained where he fell, staring up at the sky. The mallet lay a few feet from him.
“I’m so tired,” he said, “I’m just so tired.”
Jay shouldn’t have talked to Winona like that. He was justified being angry with Logan, whether or not he was right about the ranch. That didn’t give him the right to insult Winona. Logan recalled the look on Winona’s face when Jay insulted her meal and guilt and anger flooded him in equal measure. He should talk to Jay. He should make Jay apologize to Winona.
He wasn’t going to, though. What would be the point? Jay would just yell at him a little more until they both stormed off. Logan couldn’t do it anymore. He couldn’t keep fighting. He just wanted to keep the ranch afloat. He was so sick of barely scraping by. He wanted to be comfortable. He didn’t care if they were never rich. He didn’t need to be wealthier than Heath Ross. He just needed the ranch to do well enough to give him, his brothers and his wife a nice, comfortable life free of hardship and worry.
“I’m so tired,” he repeated.
He recalled his plan to sell some of the cattle to pay for the supplies needed to repair the ranch. He’d hesitated, unsure about acting without his brother’s consent. He’d never get that. Gregory would just shrug or make some smug comment and Jay would fight him every step of the way.
He would have to do it without them. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. He would sell the cattle. Just a hundred head. It wouldn’t leave them a surplus and it wouldn’t let them buy more horses, but it would cover the repairs and shore up their food pantry a little. There was a buyer in town representing an Arizona outfit that was looking to branch out from dairy to beef.
He knew from Darrell that the buyer was rooming at the Westridge Inn. He didn’t relish going into town, but he could move quietly and avoid notice. He would head in, meet the buyer and leave right away. On the off chance anyone noticed him, they would probably just avoid him anyway.
If he hurried, he could wash up and meet the buyer that afternoon. Hurrying was the last thing Logan wanted to do right now but he allowed his desire to stop scraping by to motivate him.
He reached the ranch just as Winona was heading outside to refill her cleaning bucket. Despite the awkwardness of the past few days, Logan couldn’t help but admire her work ethic.
She’d barely healed when she began cleaning and already she’d nearly cleaned the entire house! He couldn’t believe her discipline. He expected her to be a soft, spoiled rich kid unused to the rigors of working on a ranch. Instead, she’d proven a tough, resilient hard worker—harder working than some of his hands. He felt a pang of guilt over his earlier complaint of exhaustion.
“Mornin’, Winona,” he said.
“Morning, Logan,” she replied, her voice ice-cold.
Logan’s heart sank a little. “I think I might go into town a little.”
Winona tensed. “Do you want me to come with you?” she asked, her tone carefully measured.
Logan’s heart sank further. “No, no, it’s just for business.”
“I see,” she said. “Well, take care.” She began to lower her bucket into the well, avoiding Logan’s eyes.
He stared at her a moment, unsure how to reply. He started to walk away but that didn’t feel right, so he turned and said, “Right nice what you done with the place. I haven’t seen it this clean since Ma was alive. Thank you.”
Winona didn’t look at Logan but the tension in her shoulders eased slightly and her tone was softer when she replied, “Thank you.”
Logan’s spirits lifted a little. “You want me to help you with that bucket?”
Winona hesitated, but only briefly. “Thank you, that’s very kind.”
“Don’t mention it,” he said. “It’s the least I can do, especially after … well, it’s the least I can do.”
She didn’t reply as he took the crank and began hauling the bucket out of the well. She glanced at him once, but her expression was unreadable. Still, this was the most contact they’d had in days. Logan was surprised how good it felt to spend time with her, even doing something as mundane as this.
When he finished, Winona accepted the bucket and thanked him, glancing briefly up at him before lowering her eyes. They stood awkwardly for a moment before Logan cleared his throat. “Well, I should go wash up. It’s good to see you, Winona.”
He may have imagined it, but he thought he saw the faintest trace of a smile as Winona replied, “Thank you.” A moment later, “Will you be home in time for dinner?”
Hearing those words was like a fresh infusion of strength for Logan. His shoulders straightened and he stood taller. His head even seemed to clear. “I reckon I will,” he said.
She nodded and met his eyes. “I’ll make something hot then. Goodbye, Logan.”
“Goodbye, Winona.”
She headed back for the house. Logan watched her until she disappeared behind the front door.
“Blast it,” he said when the door closed. “I should have carried the bucket back for her.”
He washed at the spring near the vegetable garden behind the house, lingering longer than he should have. The water was cool and soothing on his dusty, parched skin and he closed his eyes, wishing he could simply lay there and rest and allow the water to flow over him. He heard a branch snap and looked around quickly. No one was there and he chuckled to himself. Now he was getting jumpy. He needed to get more rest.
He dressed and nearly left when it occurred to him that his clothes were covered in dust from a long day of work. He headed back to the house, a little anxious. The sun would set soon, and it was impolite to bother a man after sunset.
He reached the house and nearly bowled Winona over. She jumped back in shock, a pretty pink blush coming to her face as she did so. He felt his own face grow hot and said, “Sorry. I forgot a change of clothes.”
“I laid them out on your bed,” she said. “I figured you’d want to change before you left for town.”
Logan stared wonderingly at her. “Thank you,” he said. “That’s awfully nice of you.”
She smiled. It was faint and brief, but it was unmistakable. She smiled at him and for a brief moment, the world was right again. He couldn’t believe her happiness should mean so much to him but there it was. For one crystalline instant, everything was okay, and he was content. “You’re welcome, Logan.”
They stood silently again but this time the interaction was much less awkward. Finally, Winona said, “You’d better hurry. The sun’s going down soon.”
“Yes,” he said. “You’re right. Thank you again.”
“Happy to help,” she replied.
He headed to his room to find an outfit laid on the bed. His trousers and shirt were brushed and starched, and his belt buckle polished to a gleaming shine. “That woman sure is something,” he said to himself.
***
“I confess, Mr. Foley, I was hoping to negotiate for substantially more than a hundred head.”
“Well, we’re not really a cattle outfit,” Logan replied. “We happened on a small herd but we’re primarily in the horse business.”
The buyer, Joseph Baker, represented the Double Bar S Ranch, a growing outfit in Arizona Territory, raised his eyebrow. “That’s an odd thing to say to a potential business partner.”
“Well, like I said, we’re a horse ranch. Truth is, we’re just trying to unload some of the herd to make room for more horses.”
“These are quality cattle?” Baker asked.
“They are.”
“How much are you asking per head?”
“Ten dollars.”
Baker nodded, “That’s a fair price. You understand we’ll need to inspect the cattle before accepting delivery?”
“Of course,” Logan said. Inwardly, he felt anxious. He had no idea how he would manage to keep Jay from noticing people poking around his cattle.
Baker nodded again. “Well, then it’s settled. I’ll be in contact when I’m ready to inspect the purchase. We’ll remit payment upon delivery. I assume you bank with the Wells Fargo?”
Logan reddened slightly. “No,” he admitted.
“Oh. Well, that’s no trouble. I’m sure First Bank of Westridge will be able to accommodate your deposit.”
“Actually, we don’t … We’d prefer a cash payment.”
Baker didn’t respond at first but gazed at Logan with an unreadable expression. Logan knew the man was sizing him up, trying to determine if Logan was simply a con man and if this deal was worth completing. Evidently, he decided in Logan’s favor because after a while, he smiled. “That will take a little longer to secure but it can be done.” He stood and extended his hand. “Thank you, Mr. Foley. I look forward to doing business with you.”
“Likewise,” Logan said.
On the way back to the ranch, Logan wrestled with his emotions. On one hand, he was relieved to know they would soon have the money to repair the ranch. On the other, he felt far more guilt than he cared to admit about going behind Jay’s and Gregory’s backs. Gregory could be made to see things from Logan’s side – if he cared enough to take a side – but Jay may never forgive him for this.
Well, Logan would just have to hope for the best. He was leaving Jay four hundred head of cattle—a hundred more than he’d initially planned to leave. He wasn’t being greedy. He was only taking what they needed. Jay would be angry but maybe he could be helped to see this was best for the ranch. He knew he was right to sell those cattle. He was.
Repeating that to himself didn’t help to alleviate the guilt.