A Man to Call My Own

Chapter 10

WHEN THEY WERE A day away from Trenton, Chad began wondering whether he was ready to have it out with his father again. A confrontation was sure to take place if he rode into Trenton. Which was why he debated long and hard with himself whether or not to send the ladies into town with just Will, or to accompany them.

If he didn't go in with them, then he'd have to explain to them why, and the thought of that pretty much decided him in the end. Besides, three months away from home was long enough, more than enough time for Stuart to have cooled off. They should be able to discuss the matter of marriage calmly now, rationally, without each of them blowing off the handle ... Well, he could hope.

One more day and Stuart would know he was back in the county. And he'd find out if his father could be reasonable about his grandiose dreams of founding the biggest cattle empire around—at Chad's expense.

The ladies were settled into yet another hotel and would be dining soon. Chad left to find a saloon since he wasn't hungry yet. The sun had set, or at least the last tints of red would be gone from the sky in a matter of minutes. A storm was in the area, but would hopefully be gone by morning. He really didn't want any delays at this point.

He almost didn't see Marian standing in the shadows on the porch, staring at the storm clouds moving in from the west. She turned to see who was behind her, then turned back, ignoring him. He bristled only for a second over the cold shoulder, then gave a mental sigh of relief, since he didn't really want to talk to her.

"Is my aunt a—nice person?"

He stopped at the top of the porch steps, tilted his hat back. There was nervousness in that question. If it had been as abrasive as her usual remarks to him, he would have pretended not to hear her and kept going. It still struck him odd, what she was asking, considering Red was her relative, not his.

"What kind of question is that?"

"Well, my father had many faults, and she is his sister," she replied.

"Your father wasn't a nice person?"

"That's a matter of opinion—and whom you ask. Amanda would say he was the nicest person in the world."

She turned slightly now, not to face him, but so she could look at him sideways. Primed to ignore him again was how he saw it.

"But you wouldn't?"

"He wasn't mean or anything like that. Yes, I suppose I can say he was nice in a general sense. But the question was about my aunt," she reminded him.

"You haven't communicated with her at all since she moved west?"

She shook her head. "No, and I barely remember her from before she left."

"Well, she's a sweetheart. I can't think of a single person who knows her who doesn't like her."

"Really?"

She sounded like a scared little girl begging for some reassurance. Despite how much he disliked her, and that was a lot, he still found himself smiling and telling her what she needed to hear.

"Yes, really. She's kindhearted, generous to a fault. She'd probably give you the shirt off her back if she thought you needed it. And I wouldn't be surprised if she's as nervous about meeting you as you are about meeting her. She never had any kids of her own. Not that you can be considered a child ..."

An image of that luscious womanly body running out of his room the other night flashed into his mind. No, definitely not a child.

"What about her husband?" Marian asked. "I do remember Father mentioning once that she moved west immediately after she married."

Chad felt a moments discomfort, not liking having to be the bearer of bad news. And he couldn't help being amazed at the lack of communication in their family, that she hadn't already heard this particular news.

Red and her brother should have at least kept in touch over the years. Of course, for as long as he'd known Red, she'd never mentioned having family elsewhere. Not that that was odd, when a lot of folks came west just to forget what they were leaving behind.

To get the subject over with for his own sake, he was probably a little more blunt than called for. "Your uncle died last year. Your aunt has been running their ranch on her own ever since."

"Goodness, I had no idea."

She didn't seem sorrowful over the matter, so he guessed, "You didn't know him?"

"No, I don't recall ever meeting him. There was a mention once—" She paused, frowning as she sifted through her memories. "I think it was my mother who said it, that Kathleen married Frank Dunn just so she could leave Haverhill. I remember thinking at the time that that must have been a powerful desire she had, to see more of the world."

Or a powerful desire to get away from her small corner of it, Chad was thinking.

There could likely have been a rift between brother and sister. That would explain why neither had kept in touch with the other. Yet they were still family, and the only family each had left, thus Red got guardianship of his daughters.

"Well, you'll have lots of time to ask her all about it," Chad pointed out. "We'll be in Trenton tomorrow night, and at the ranch by late the next day."

When it occurred to him that he was standing there having a normal conversation with the spinster, a slight bit of color rode up his cheeks. But then full dark had arrived, and although he could still see her, because his eyes had adjusted to the darkness, he couldn't see her clearly, so it was easy to forget that she was the ornery sister with the wild imagination.

The rain arrived a moment later, a full downpour, with mist from it floating up onto the porch and urging the two occupants back inside. Well, hell, so much for finding a friendly saloon tonight, Chad thought.

In the small, well-lit lobby, he had just enough time to see Marian shove her spectacles up her nose and flounce off without another word. So much for normal. Her rudeness prevailed. She didn't even bid him so much as good night.