A Rancher's Honor by Linda Lael Miller

Author:Linda Lael Miller
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2021-06-25T16:17:59+00:00

1919

While Doc Willaby’s nephew was getting his medical gear together, Doss took the opportunity to slip into the church down on the corner. He hadn’t set foot inside it since he and Gabe had come back from the army, him sitting ramrod straight on a train seat and Gabe lying in a pine box.

He’d had no truck with God after that.

Now they had some business to discuss.

Doss opened the door, which was always unlocked, lest some wayfarer seek to pray or to find salvation, and took off his hat. He walked down front, to the plain wooden table that served as an altar, and lit one of the beeswax candles with a match from his pocket.

“I’m here to talk about Tobias,” he said.

God didn’t answer.

Doss shifted uncomfortably on his feet. They were so cold from the long drive into town that he couldn’t feel them. Cain and Abel had been fractious on the way, and he’d had all sorts of trouble with them. Once, they’d just stopped and refused to go any farther, and then, crossing the creek, the team had made it over just fine but the sleigh had fallen through. Sunk past the runners in the frigid water.

He’d still be back there, wet to the skin and frozen stiff as laundry left on a clothesline before a blizzard, if three of Rafe’s ranch hands hadn’t come along to help. They’d given him dry clothes, fetched from a nearby line shack, dosed him with whisky, hitched their lassos to the half-submerged sleigh and hauled it up on to the bank by horsepower.

He’d thanked the men kindly and sent them on their way, and then spent more precious time coaxing Cain and Abel to proceed. They’d been mightily reluctant to do that, and he’d finally had to threaten them with a switch to get them moving.

The whole day had gone like that, though the frustrations were at considerable variance, and by the time he’d pulled up in front of the doc’s house, the worthless critters were so worn-out he knew they wouldn’t make it back home. He’d sent to the livery stable for another rig and fresh horses.

Doss cleared his throat respectfully. “Hannah can’t lose that boy,” he went on. “You took Gabe, and if You don’t mind my saying so, that was bad enough. I guess what I want to say is, if You’ve got to claim somebody else, then it ought to be me, not Tobias. He’s only eight and he’s got a lot of living yet to do. I don’t know exactly what kind of outfit You’re running up there, but if there are cattle, I’m a fair hand in a roundup. I can ride with the best of them, too. I’ll make myself useful—You’ve got my word on that.” He paused, swallowed. His face felt hot, and he knew he was acting like a damn fool, but he was desperate. “I reckon that’s my side of the matter, so amen.”

He blew out the candle—it wouldn’t do for the church to take fire and burn to the ground—and turned to head back down the aisle.

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