To Tame a Cowboy (Colorado Cowboys #3)(6)

CHAPTER

3


She’d made it to Fairplay. But now what?

Savannah started to pack her supplies, but she moved slowly, hesitantly. The cowboy next to her—the one someone had called Brody—didn’t seem in a big hurry either, although the lean man standing above them was fidgeting with his leather gloves, slapping them lightly against his palm.

The others who’d stopped to watch her interaction with the injured horse had moved on. Even so, she was still drawing plenty of stares from men passing by.

Yesterday after starting up the wagon road with the teamsters, she’d tried to devise a plan for what she’d do when she reached South Park. But the traveling had been rigorous, and even when she’d been resting, she had to stay alert and fend off undue attention. Last night when the freight wagons stopped at a cabin that hosted travelers, the woman of the house had given her a spot inside away from the teamsters who set up camp outside. After the strain of the day, Savannah had fallen asleep the moment she’d lain down.

Today, as she’d journeyed, she’d tried again to plot how to convince the area ranchers to use her as their veterinarian—at least temporarily.

But she’d been distracted, too riddled with guilt over running away from home to think ahead. She’d pictured Daddy finally reading her letter, collapsing into his chair in despair, and Momma pressing a hand over her mouth to hold back her distress.

But now, she had to put the self-reproach aside. She was here. She’d bought more time, and now she needed to use it wisely.

She glanced toward the businesses lining the wide, dusty street. From the signs painted in bold letters on the buildings or on false fronts, the mountain town had more to offer than she’d expected. Fine establishments were interspersed with the taverns—McLaughlin’s Livery and Feed Stable, Hyndman Bro’s General Merchandise, Simpkins General Store, Hotel Windsor, and Fairplay Hotel.

To the west of town, the sun started to drop behind the bold peaks still draped in winter snow. The shadows cast a purple hue and turned the sky lavender and the thick pines on the mountain slopes a dark blue. Night would settle soon, which didn’t leave much time to figure out what to do.

Although she’d brought along the cash she’d earned in her animal doctoring, she had to use it sparingly. It would cover the hotel stay and food, but not much more. Hopefully, after she started working, she’d be able to find a way to pay Brody back for what he’d spent on the mustang. If she started working . . .

Maybe he could put in a good word for her. “I assume you live on a ranch in the area?”

“Yep.” He sat back on his boot heels and crossed his arms. Just as quickly he uncrossed them and braced them on his knees for the span of two seconds before crossing them again.

For the first time since she’d slid off Molasses and intervened to help this man save the horse, she took a good look at him. He was handsome in a rugged sort of way. He wore the typical heavy-duty, dark-colored wool trousers tucked into his boots, a blue cotton shirt with an unbuttoned vest over it, and a blue neckerchief worn loosely and tied with a square knot.

With how thickly muscled and brawny he was, she could see why he’d easily managed his opponent. She guessed he was in his early to mid-twenties, although something in his expression aged him beyond his years. The layer of dark unshaven scruff covering his jawline and chin lent him a haunted fierceness.

But it was his eyes, the rich dark mahogany, that drew her in. They were windows to his soul—a badly damaged soul—crying out for help. She could see it in him the same way she’d sensed the hurt in the mustang.

“Do you mind my asking which ranch you call home?”

He started to uncross his arms again but then, as though using extreme willpower, dug his fingers in and held his hands in place. “Healing Springs Ranch. To the southwest about an hour’s ride.”

Healing Springs Ranch. She’d heard Daddy and Chandler talk about the booming South Park cattle ranch owned by the McQuaids and how it was becoming one of their biggest competitors for the cattle markets in the East. A ranch like that would surely be interested in having a veterinarian on location. Maybe instead of staying in a hotel, she could use the ranch as a base, just like Mr. Pritchard used the Double L as his main residence while branching out and attending to the needs of other ranches.

“Do you think there’s a chance your boss might consider . . .” She hesitated. She’d always had everything she ever needed or wanted handed to her, and asking for help was new and uncomfortable. She took a deep breath, then forced the words. “Do you think your boss would hire me on as the ranch veterinarian? Not permanently, but for a short while?”

He glanced up at the lean man standing above them. Though his hair was a lighter brown than Brody’s, the resemblance in the shape and cut of their handsome features was too strong for them to be anything but brothers. His attire was similar but slightly newer and better quality, like the clothing Chandler wore. Nothing pretentious but enough to set them apart.

She could see lines of protest creasing the brother’s forehead. She had to finish making her case before he shot down the idea. “I heard the ranchers in South Park have a tremendous need for a veterinarian.”

Brody nodded. “Yep.”

At the same time, his brother shook his head. “Don’t rightly know.”