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Chapter 26
Melody’s refusal to abandon their boss and the courage she showed during the ordeal earned her a new and permanent respect with the men; even the newly hired ones. Jackson smiled with a heartfelt warmth in her direction as he watched her pamper Ian back to health. There was no denying that she’d make him a good wife.
It was decided that the old Indian would sleep until the light of day, after which he insisted that he be taken back to his people. He was exhausted from the ordeal, the tension of fetching the old man and what happened afterward, but how could Roy refuse? He made his excuses and fell onto his cot to grab what little sleep he could manage before he’d be called upon to return the medicine man to the Blackfoot encampment. His only consolation was the old woman he knew the chief would send to his tent as a gesture of hospitality. It wasn’t even the sex that he was thinking of. It was simply the comfort of a warm, loving body
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Ghost Love Prologue
Spring 1889“Miss Bellamy! Miss Bellamy!” The teenage boy called, breathlessly, as he raced up the hillside as fast as his long and lanky legs would let him. When he reached the top, he placed his hand on his thighs to support his torso as he focused on regulating his breathing. “Miss Bellamy.” He swallowed hard while speaking. “Your father is mighty angry to find you left the settlement, once again. I fear you will not fare well if he discovers that you wandered this far away.”“Call me Lucille or Lucy. Anything, but Miss Bellamy. This is not the first time I have asked this of you, Charles.”The young man’s face reddened. “I will try to remember, Mi… Lucille.”Lucy looked down upon the valley below her. Patches of green grass as far as the eye could see struggled against the melting snow as winter made way for spring. Off in t
Ghost Love Chapter 1
Early Summer 1899The settlement of Muddy Creek had long been destroyed, but that didn’t stop Ian from traveling there to inspect his newly acquired property. It was part of the parcel he’d recently purchased. The Union Pacific purchased it on speculation that the railroad would go through. When a more forgiving and favorable terrain was acquired, this land was considered good for very little and, thus, sold to Ian for a very appealing price. It may not have looked like it was worth much to the railroad, but to Ian Murry it had the makings of a good and solid sheep domain to add to his already established cattle ranch.The remains of the burned and abandoned settlement were positioned on the far west of his newly acquired thousand acres. More mountainous and hilly than his five-thousand-acre cattle ranch, it was the reason he intended to raise sheep on it. For a cattle rancher to pair his stock with sheep was unheard of
Ghost Love Chapter 2
Melony Jameson paced the porch in nervous agitation. Ian was late. He’d promised her father that he’d come for dinner. She’d spent days scheming for ways to hint marriage to him and finally came up with a viable plan. Her friend, Sally Conway just got engaged to the eldest son of the Bar X ranch. It was the perfect bit of news to lead into a conversation that would hint on him asking her for since she’d returned home from school in the east. It was time to take things further. She’d worked it all out in her head, but how could she put it into motion if he didn’t show up?With summer on the horizon, the sun was setting later and later. For a young woman who came from means with time on her hands, this wasn’t always a good thing. Life could prove lonely. Any man worth a grain of salt would take advantage of the extra daylight to squeeze in a bit more work. For most ranchers, days wer
Ghost Love Chapter 3
Ian was so tired from the grueling schedule he’d kept in making ready for the arrival of the sheep that he stumbled just a bit when he got off his horse in front of the little house he’d decided he’d occupy while in the newly cleaned up, former settlement of Muddy Creek.Roy, his cook’s helper who was sent there a few weeks earlier to cook for the clean-up crew, limped out onto the front porch of the house they’d salvaged for him. It was slightly larger than the one Ian would occupy, which was good since it was to serve as a mess hall as well as a bunk house for Roy. By the expanse of space that looked like it once had structures on it between that building and the one that Ian would occupy, he guessed two, possibly three buildings had once stood. Opposite the cook’s mess house was a freshly repaired house that would serve as the bunk for the eight hands. “Over here’s the cook’s hut, boss. I got a pot of
Ghost Love Chapter 4
Ian refused to succumb to the desire to stay in bed when he heard his men rousing outside. He sat on the edge of the narrow cot and focused on getting his bearings straight while he watched Roy fill the pitcher on the washstand with warm water.“Mornin’, boss. Looks like it’s gonna be good weather for the sheep delivery.”“Your job is to cook, not be my manservant.”“Jackson put the word out for a housekeeper to tend to the cleaning and stuff like this, but nothin’ yet. I don’t mind helpin’ out.”Ian ran his fingers through his thick, brown hair. “Finding a man willing to do that type of work won’t be easy and I’m not sure a woman would want to come this far away from civilization.”“We heard tell of a widow some miles up north who might work. Her man was killed by a bear last winter. She’s got three
Ghost Love Chapter 5
The old cook had removed Ian’s coat and covered her with a clean sheet. “I don’t feel right washin’ down such personal parts, boss. I ain’t no doctor. It don’t seem fittin’ touchin’ her there.”“It’s good of you to respect the lady’s modesty, Roy, but if we don’t get her cleaned up, she’ll surely die. Those bites look angry.”“Ya’ve got blood on yer coat. If I don’t tend to it right away, it’ll stick,” the old cook whined.Ian heaved a sigh. “Okay. You tend to my coat and I’ll clean the girl up as best I can.”“I’ll wash her for ya, boss,” said a young man who Ian had yet to be formally introduced to. By the lecherous look in his eyes, Ian knew he’d have to refuse the help.“You men get back to business. I’ll tend to things here. Let me
Ghost Love Chapter 6
The crew may have been smaller than Ian intended to start out with, but they settled the sheep into their new home with remarkable speed and competency. Ian felt even more confident about his decision to raise sheep by the end of the day than he had in the beginning. The satisfied smile he’d worn during their evening meal stayed put right up until he entered his house and came face to face with a very beautiful, but frightened, young woman crouched in the corner of the room.He chastised himself for getting so involved with his sheep that he forgot about the poor girl. He couldn’t believe how callous and self-indulgent his behavior was. He hadn’t even been thoughtful enough to bring her dinner. When he spotted the remnants of the same meal he’d just eaten on a plate sitting on the small table, he breathed a sigh of relief. At least Roy kept his presence of mind and looked out for the girl. He’d also provi
Ghost Love Chapter 7
The smell of fresh coffee permeated the air as he dragged his lean, muscular body out of bed the following morning. Fresh water was in the bowl and pitcher on the washstand and, if his nose was correct, bread was baking. He had a pump in the kitchen section of the main room, so the water was easily explained. As for the bread, since he had no oven, he couldn’t imagine how this could be.He quickly washed up and headed out to the main room His face lit up when he saw the old, cast iron bread roaster that hung on the wall being used in the large fireplace.The young woman was putting the fireplace to good use by scrambling eggs in bacon grease in a large cast iron frying pan that had also been pulled from its hook on the wall.“Smells good,” Ian said as he accepted the mug of coffee she offered. “We have a cook and a mess house for food. You don’t need to put yourself out like this.”“It feel
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