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Authors: Linda Ford
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stairs after her and sat beside the big doors. Being idle weighed heavily but at least he could watch people coming and going.
Jayne and her friends passed the barn toward the bridge. They had said they were going exploring.
He hoped the exploring didn’t involve a pistol. Surely she would wait for the lessons he’d promised… Unless she was too bullheaded to listen to reason.
* * *
Jayne pressed her lips together as she joined Mercy and Sybil. Seth was just like Eddie, barking out commands and expecting her to jump. Yes, she wanted to learn to shoot. But she would have liked it better if he’d offered rather than ordered. Like she’d kill anyone! Her eyes narrowed. Was he any different than her father, or Eddie or Oliver? Did he see her as simply a foolish young woman who needed him to protect her?
She snorted. “I don’t need him protecting me.” She spoke the words aloud without regard to her friends.
They stopped and waited for her to fall in between them.
“Who?” Mercy demanded.
“Why, Seth, of course,” Sybil said. “Jayne, accept it. There is something about you that brings out the chivalry in men.”
“I don’t want chivalry.”
Sybil made a protesting noise. “Who doesn’t want a man who is courteous and considerate, honorable and loyal?”
“Put that way, I have to agree but he thinks he can order me around. He acts like he has to take care of me or I’ll cause a disaster.” She shuddered, remembering how her lack of action had caused a terrible death. “I don’t need a man taking care of me, thank you very much.”
“What did he say?”
“He said he would give me shooting lessons.”
Mercy and Sybil ground to a halt. “Isn’t that what you want?”
“Yes. But I’d like to be asked not told.” She wondered if her words sounded as petty to her friends as they did to her.
“Either way, seems to me you’re getting a gift,” Mercy said. “The lessons you want from a man whose eyes darken when he looks at you.” She sighed dreamily.
“They do not,” Jayne protested. At least Mercy hadn’t said Jayne’s eyes got all starry when she looked at him. As if they would. Seth was proving to be rather annoying and overbearing. “I don’t need that kind of man in my life.”
“Oh?” Sybil’s voice was sweet. “What kind of man do you need?”
“Right now? None. My heart is locked up tightly. I won’t open it again. It’s like asking to be hurt.”
“You’ll change your mind about that one day,” Mercy said.
“Nope. Not me. Now let’s go follow the river and see where it goes.”
Sybil laughed. “It goes to the ocean. Are you planning to go that far?”
She laughed at Sybil’s nonsense. “So maybe I’ll see where it comes from.”
Sybil pointed toward the mountains. “From the snow up there.”
“But it’s August. Surely the snow is all melted. So where does the water come from that keeps flowing past the ranch?”
Mercy flung her arms wide. “Who cares? It’s a lovely day. Let’s enjoy it.”
Jayne sighed her agreement. The sun glistened off the rugged mountains and dappled the deciduous trees. A gentle zephyr tickled her skin and danced along the grass. Birds rejoiced from every direction. She breathed deep. “It smells so good. Like the air is full of a thousand wild flowers.”
They followed the river past the pens and along a grassy slope. A few steps farther and they entered a grove of trees.
“We should have brought a gun,” Mercy said. “You could practice your shooting.”
“You don’t think there are enough injured cowboys already?” Sybil asked.
“We could go for one each.”
Jayne knew Mercy was teasing but Sybil gave them both a this-isn’t-amusing look.
Mercy pushed past some prickly bushes and led them into an opening. “Look at the little waterfall.”
It hardly qualified as such. It was only the river flowing over some big rocks and making a cheery noise.
Sybil perched on a fallen tree. “It’s so
Jayne and her friends passed the barn toward the bridge. They had said they were going exploring.
He hoped the exploring didn’t involve a pistol. Surely she would wait for the lessons he’d promised… Unless she was too bullheaded to listen to reason.
* * *
Jayne pressed her lips together as she joined Mercy and Sybil. Seth was just like Eddie, barking out commands and expecting her to jump. Yes, she wanted to learn to shoot. But she would have liked it better if he’d offered rather than ordered. Like she’d kill anyone! Her eyes narrowed. Was he any different than her father, or Eddie or Oliver? Did he see her as simply a foolish young woman who needed him to protect her?
She snorted. “I don’t need him protecting me.” She spoke the words aloud without regard to her friends.
They stopped and waited for her to fall in between them.
“Who?” Mercy demanded.
“Why, Seth, of course,” Sybil said. “Jayne, accept it. There is something about you that brings out the chivalry in men.”
“I don’t want chivalry.”
Sybil made a protesting noise. “Who doesn’t want a man who is courteous and considerate, honorable and loyal?”
“Put that way, I have to agree but he thinks he can order me around. He acts like he has to take care of me or I’ll cause a disaster.” She shuddered, remembering how her lack of action had caused a terrible death. “I don’t need a man taking care of me, thank you very much.”
“What did he say?”
“He said he would give me shooting lessons.”
Mercy and Sybil ground to a halt. “Isn’t that what you want?”
“Yes. But I’d like to be asked not told.” She wondered if her words sounded as petty to her friends as they did to her.
“Either way, seems to me you’re getting a gift,” Mercy said. “The lessons you want from a man whose eyes darken when he looks at you.” She sighed dreamily.
“They do not,” Jayne protested. At least Mercy hadn’t said Jayne’s eyes got all starry when she looked at him. As if they would. Seth was proving to be rather annoying and overbearing. “I don’t need that kind of man in my life.”
“Oh?” Sybil’s voice was sweet. “What kind of man do you need?”
“Right now? None. My heart is locked up tightly. I won’t open it again. It’s like asking to be hurt.”
“You’ll change your mind about that one day,” Mercy said.
“Nope. Not me. Now let’s go follow the river and see where it goes.”
Sybil laughed. “It goes to the ocean. Are you planning to go that far?”
She laughed at Sybil’s nonsense. “So maybe I’ll see where it comes from.”
Sybil pointed toward the mountains. “From the snow up there.”
“But it’s August. Surely the snow is all melted. So where does the water come from that keeps flowing past the ranch?”
Mercy flung her arms wide. “Who cares? It’s a lovely day. Let’s enjoy it.”
Jayne sighed her agreement. The sun glistened off the rugged mountains and dappled the deciduous trees. A gentle zephyr tickled her skin and danced along the grass. Birds rejoiced from every direction. She breathed deep. “It smells so good. Like the air is full of a thousand wild flowers.”
They followed the river past the pens and along a grassy slope. A few steps farther and they entered a grove of trees.
“We should have brought a gun,” Mercy said. “You could practice your shooting.”
“You don’t think there are enough injured cowboys already?” Sybil asked.
“We could go for one each.”
Jayne knew Mercy was teasing but Sybil gave them both a this-isn’t-amusing look.
Mercy pushed past some prickly bushes and led them into an opening. “Look at the little waterfall.”
It hardly qualified as such. It was only the river flowing over some big rocks and making a cheery noise.
Sybil perched on a fallen tree. “It’s so
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