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Chapter 14
“What are you smiling about?” Nate asked as he led his horse out of the stable and climbed into the saddle. “You look like the cat who swallowed the canary. Was the whore house that good?”
“The sacrifices I make for this job,” Oliver said through his grin.
“I’m not in the mood for riddles,” Nate said with a scowl. “I’m glad we’re not staying in that poor excuse for a hotel. I’d been better off staying in the stables with the horses, I think. My back aches from the lumps in the mattress and I picked several critters off my person this morning.”
“Did you find out where the ranch is located?” Oliver asked.
“If you’d get on your horse, I’ll show you,” Nate practically barked.
“Be nice to me or I won’t share my news with you,” Oliver warned in a friendly tone.
“I hate it when you do this
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Paper Widow Chapter 15
Angus paced the porch nervously while he listened to Garth regale the new arrivals with stories of his growing up on the ranch under the watchful eye of rough and tough ranch hands. They seemed like a decent enough sort. He tested them with handling a few horses and some stock and they held their own just fine. Even so, there was something about the way they looked at him that made him uncomfortable.Maybe it was all in his head. After all, he had only just sent Tom and his gang of hooligans off with their hostage that morning. Maybe he was feeling a little guilty about forcing himself on that helpless widow like he did and then packing her off to be sold as a whore. Garth was sure furious with him. In fact, the boy promised never to forgive him for it. Then, he was young yet. Angus was positive that once he had a few whores under him he would forget all about that dainty widow and maybe even have a good laugh at the puppy
Paper Widow Chapter 16
Tom sent a few men ahead to the store at Doan’s Crossing with a supply list. Angus provided them with enough food to last a week. Because they were mostly traveling off the main roads, he expected the trip to Mexico to take almost a month and he wanted to make sure they could hold out at least during their weeks of traveling through Indian territory without having to search for a supply post. It was bad enough worrying about Indians without worrying about food as well.“Seems like every time I turn around she’s pukin’,” Mike said as he positioned his horse next to Tom’s. “If she keeps it up, I can’t think how much actual we’ll get for her below the border.”“She’s carryin’,” Tom said with a shrug, “it’s to be expected.”“I thought she was untouched?” Mike said with surprise.“Keep our voice down,” Tom urged.
Paper Widow Chapter 17
The few choice words Angus had for Nate and Oliver when they informed him that they were quitting, after only just arriving, sat sour in Nate’s craw. He could understand the man’s irritation over having to shift things around to accommodate the gap in the work detail, but, since he and Oliver were only hired the day before, it shouldn’t have been such an inconvenience to warrant the fit the overseer threw. This showed Nate yet another side of the overseer that he did not like; as if his forcing a poke from Elise was not enough.They were half way into town when they decided it was better to wait until they were in a town that was less apt to report back to Angus that Nate was the new ranch owner and he was wiring the lawyer for Angus’ replacement. It would not do to be absent when Angus learned of his dismissal plans. After seeing the temper Angus harbored, Nate did not trust what he might do if left to his own devices. He could
Paper Widow Chapter 18
Angus scowled as he watched Nate and Oliver slowly walk their horses up the long drive with the Paper Widow sitting snug in front of Nate. As they drew closer, he sucked in his breath at the sight of Elise and Nate. They were clearly in a fight of some sort. Was that blood from a battle with Tom and his gang? His body twitched with nervous anxiety as while he waited for them to get close enough to give him answers.“I’m surprised to see you fellas back here,” Angus growled as Nate and Oliver pulled their horses to a halt just feet away from him.“Help me with her,” Nate said to Oliver.Oliver quickly dismounted and held out his hands for Nate to carefully lower the still traumatized Elise to him. Although she could stand, it was not without assistance, so he held her close to his chest while he waited for more instruction from Nate.Angus watched with silent angst as Nate slid off his horse and r
Paper Widow Chapter 19
Elise sat on the porch of the great house and gently rocked in the rocking chair that was placed there just for her. Her eyes were locked on the doctor’s buggy as it made its way down the long drive toward town. She was given a clean bill of health and was now able to travel.The news that her parents had paid the ransom and not tossed her to the wolves invigorated her spirits and aided in her speedy recovery from the ordeals she endured over the last few months. She was anxious to leave the wild west and return to the more civilized east. If she never saw a cowboy or a cow again, it would be too soon. She longed for pretty dresses, beautiful hairdos, glittery jewelry, and elite balls filled with pomp and circumstance.The closer she got to full recovery, the less she saw of Nate and Oliver. In the beginning, Nate was practically glued to her side with Oliver not far away. After speaking with the doctor for a considerable lengt
Paper Widow Chapter 20
Joseph’s upbringing on the farm, combined with few opportunities to rub elbows with the Philadelphia elite gave him a different perspective of the ranch than Nate and Oliver, who were raised in the middle of social society and had no comprehension about the advantages of bonding with the land and had difficulty comprehending it. He was in such awe of the ranch’s grandeur and smoothness of operation that he could not stop complementing it. He spent a great deal of time mingling with the ranch hands while asking questions about the ranch’s general operation and learning all he could about how a ranch differed from a farm.He was surprised to discover that, at one time, cotton was grown on the ranch. Old man Kincaid got rid of it when he took Angus McCormick on as overseer. Angus had no idea how to grow cotton, nor did he have the desire for it. So, for the last fifteen years, the cotton fields lay fallow. Although Jose
Paper Widow Chapter 21
Nate, Oliver, and Joseph stepped off the train with a spring in their step. After a long and frustrating assignment out west, they were finally back in their homeland of Philadelphia. Joseph planned on heading to his farm just as soon as they checked in with the Philadelphia Pinkerton office, while Nate and Oliver had plans for long baths, good meals, and a visit to the gentleman’s club. They did their best to coerce Joseph to join them, but he was adamant about getting his family together and discussing their future plans. The more he considered Nate’s offer to oversee the ranch out west, the more attached to the idea he became. He wanted to waste no time getting started.Nate and Oliver quickly settled into their homes, kissed their families hello, made themselves feel and look human again, and then headed off to the Philadelphia club for a night of good food and cards. They were seated in the dining room at a table near
Paper Widow Chapter 22
“What are the odds of running into Elise Joselyn of the Boston Brahman in Philadelphia?” Oliver chuckled after he and Nate rode their horses far enough away from the Joselyn residence to insure their voices would not carry back for anyone outside to hear. “You did hear her introduced as Joselyn, correct? From what I gather, even Alexander isn’t aware of her little paper marriage. Tsk, tsk, such skeletons.”“I feel like I’m cursed,” Nate growled.“Seriously,” Oliver continued. “We’ve lived here all our lives and never encountered the Joselyns. Then, out of the blue, we befriend a dude from New York who just happens to be their nephew. He invites us to their home for dinner where we’re hosted by the Paper Widow, but we seem to be the only ones who know her as that. I mean, seriously, what are the odds?”“I wish you wouldn’t call
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