A Place to Belong by Lauraine Snelling

Author:Lauraine Snelling [Snelling, Lauraine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Black Hills (S.D. and Wyo.)—Fiction, Women ranchers—Fiction, FIC042030, Brothers—Fiction, FIC042000, FIC042040, (¯`'•.¸//(*_*)\\¸.•'´¯)
ISBN: 9781441261076
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

19

How could Lucas do something so selfish as running off with Betsy when he had pushed Cassie to the point of agreeing to marry him? The part that frustrated Ransom the most was that he’d finally thought his brother had grown up a little and knew in his heart that Cassie was the woman he had always dreamed of. He could hear Lucas saying those very words: a woman I’d dreamed of.

Well, the fool had made a commitment now and there would be no backing out. Maybe Ransom ought to ride into Hill City and see if Lucas was indeed there. But why? What could he do? Other than deck the brother who’d made him furious so often through the years. There would be no pile of wood that needed splitting there.

All the plans they had made. The furniture building, the mine—well, that was his dream, not Lucas’s. But he wouldn’t be here for spring calving or roundup or branding or any of the other work that needed doing. Good thing Micah was such a willing worker and that Arnett was enjoying being back to work and planning ahead.

Ransom felt like slamming his fist into a wall . . . or into a face. He was just as angry today as the day he’d discovered Lucas had run off. Maybe he should go talk with Hudson and the two of them could form a posse of sorts and go searching for Lucas. The cow shifted her feet and swished her tail.

“Sorry, Rosy, I’ll be more careful.” He stripped her until she was dry and shifted the milk pail out to the side. He could have gotten Gretchen up to milk, but right now, keeping really busy was helping him with his temper. Forking hay onto the sledge was another good thing. He patted the cow and hung the three-legged stool up on the post. Arnett said he would gladly milk too. Whoever would have dreamed that the old man would lose ten years off his age just because he now felt he was needed and could still do the work? Age certainly hadn’t dimmed his mind. The workshop they were setting up in his barn was proof of that.

Cassie Lockwood did not deserve to be treated the way his brother had treated her. But she didn’t sulk or cry or do any of the other things he’d expected. She and Gretchen seemed to be having a great time sewing together. And Mor was glad Cassie hadn’t moved out. He never thought he’d see the day that he’d be feeling sorry for her. Not that she seemed to need that, but Lucas was a member of the family, and their mother and father had instilled in them certain principles, not the least of which was Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Sometime there would be repercussions from Lucas’s behavior, and right now, Ransom would not mind being one of those dealing out repercussions.

He poured some milk into the flat pan for the barn cats and some in another bucket for Rosy’s calf.

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