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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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Roy stretched his legs out in front of him as he sat on the bench that was positioned beneath his window on the porch. “Mornin’, boss. Did the gal manage yer breakfast ok? I didn’t have the heart to say ‘no’ when she asked for supplies.”Ian stopped in front of the mess house and propped a foot onto the edge of the porch that was only inches above the ground and lit a cigarette. “It was damn fine. A real surprise.”“I ain’t gonna lose my job to her, am I?” Roy asked, worriedly.“This camp is no place for a pretty young girl. I’m off to see if I can track down who she might have been with. They probably got separated and are worried sick.”“Does she remember anything, yet?”Ian shook his head. “She didn’t even know she was attacked. It’s a damned shame. It’d be a lot easie
Ghost Love Chapter 9
Angel was sitting in front of the fireplace drying her long, blonde mane when Ian entered the house. His breath caught in his chest when she turned and smiled at him. She looked so sweet and lovely. She’d found a piece of rope to use as a belt to keep her pants in place. The oversized clothes made her seem even younger than he guessed her to be.“You’re moving with ease today,” he said as he hung his hat on a hook by the door and then did the same with his gun belt. “That salve must have done the trick.”“That, plus the care you gave me after you found me. I took a good look at the wounds while I applied more salve after bathing. Some are deep. I have no doubt they would have gotten infected enough to cost me my life if you hadn’t been kind enough to care for me. Instead, they’re healing so nicely, I doubt I’ll see signs of them in a few days.”
Ghost Love Chapter 10
Ian entered the mess house and sat at the long harvest table.Surprised to see his boss in the middle of the day, Roy wiped the flour from his hands and joined him. “How’s the babysittin’ goin’?”Ian chortled. “It does kind of feel a little like that. I’m walking on eggs trying not to upset her.”“She was real skittish about goin’ to the river.”“Can you blame her? She’s a young woman in a camp full of men.”“Don’t know how I’d feel in that situation. Does she give ya a hard time about sleepin’ alone in the house with ya?”“I can’t imagine that young thing giving anyone a hard time about anything,” Ian said as he rolled himself a cigarette. “I got engaged while in Fort Benton,”“Congratulations, boss. I was wonderin’ when ya planned on startin&rs
Ghost Love Chapter 11
Roy couldn’t help noticing how domestic Ian and Angel behaved. It was odd after having known each other for such a short time and under circumstances such as these, but he knew better than to say anything. Instead, he busied himself with gathering the ingredients she’d need to make the boss’ evening meal.He watched as Ian loaded up his arms with the dinner supplies and followed Angel back to his house like a loyal puppy dog. If he didn’t know better, he’d think she’d put a spell on him. Maybe, in a way, she did. A young and beautiful woman can have that effect on a man. Even a man as solid as Ian Murry.Roy was the assistant cook at the ranch since before it was bought by Ian. He came with the package; as did that old coot of a head cook, Jasper.The widow Masterson did her best to keep things running after her husband died, but she just didn’t have the head for it. By the time Ian arrived on the
Ghost Love Chapter 12
Ian sat in the rocker and sipped his coffee while he watched Angel busy herself in the kitchen area of the main room of his little house making biscuits. The weather was warming up outside enough that a fire in the fireplace wasn’t warranted, but it was the only means of cooking until he purchased another stove. Even though the fireplace worked surprisingly well for cooking, practicality told him to stick with his plans of purchasing a small stove. Angel might be fine with the heat of the stove on nice days, but that didn’t mean that whoever finally settled in as his housekeeper would. Even though his main meals would be in the mess house, there would be times when he’d want something cooked in his house and he had to consider the comfort of his staff. He’d moved the chair close to the open window and was enjoying the crisp, late spring breeze coming off the mountain.The more time he spent with Angel, the closer he felt t
Ghost Love Chapter 13
Two Weeks LaterMike sauntered into the mess house and looked around. “Anyone home?” he called out as he hung his hat and holster on the hooks near the door.Roy came out of the room he slept in. “It ain’t dinner time.”“It’s only three in the afternoon. I was hopin’ for a cup of coffee.”“Ya’re in luck. I’m expectin’ the boss, so I made a fresh pot.”Mike scowled in thought while he helped himself to the fresh, hot coffee. “Got a minute to talk?”Roy looked surprised, but simply nodded as he pulled a cup from the shelf and poured himself a coffee as well. “What’s on your mind?”“It’s the boss. Have ya noticed a change in him? I mean, he hardly leaves that little house and the woman he keeps inside it. When he does, he seems distracted; n
Ghost Love Chapter 14
Roy would have to go to the medicine man himself, so the men needed to agree to go without a cook for a few days. Since all of the men agreed that there was something wrong with the boss, they were eager to cooperate.“I understand that woman cooks,” Jacob said to Harold. “Maybe we can make up a lie about where Roy is, and she’ll cover for him.”“I hate the thought of eating beans and biscuits for the better part of a week. It might be worth a try.”Melody strained to listen to the whispers of the men, from across the room in her place in the far corner, in hopes of hearing some tidbit that might explain what was really happening. She’d known Ian for far too long to believe that he meant what he said about calling off the engagement. He was too much a man of honor for such a thing. She wouldn’t believe it. She couldn’t believe it.She slowly approached th
Ghost Love Chapter 15
With Roy gone, Melody was given his bedroom. Ian purchased a surplus of supplies when setting up the camp in anticipation of Mike hiring more hands, so there were a few extra cots to select from in the corner of the bunk house. A cot was taken from that corner and put into the main room just outside the bedroom door for her father. Unhappy with the state he found Ian in, and not trusting the men he knew little about, he pulled the cot to block the bedroom door before curling up into a deep sleep.It was black as night when he felt something shake his bed. It was as if someone walked into it. A low curse that was just above a whisper sounded more in his head than in his ears. He sat up with a start and struggled to get his eyes into focus. “Who’s there?”When only silence greeted him, he lit a match and searched for a lantern. When it was sufficiently lit, he inspected both the inside and the outside of the building.
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