The Rancher's Fiery Bride by Amelia Rose

Author:Amelia Rose
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mail Order Bride Western Frontier Clean, mail order western romance, mail order brides mystery suspense, pioneer women, montana mail order brides series, Cowboy Historical Western Romance
Publisher: Gold Crown Publishing
Published: 2019-05-20T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

Over the next few days, Jenny began settling into her new home. Always thirsty for knowledge, she eagerly soaked up information about all things related to running the ranch. Since she’d never done that kind of work before, she paid close attention to Cecilia’s instructions on gathering eggs, milking cows, and cooking.

It surprised her how much of the manual labor fell to women. Cecilia did everything from throwing down hay for the milk cows to carpentry work when something minor broke. She also did all the usual women’s work such as sewing, mending, cooking, and cleaning. Jenny didn’t know where the older woman got all her energy.

When she commented on it, Cecilia said, “It’s different for women out here. Lots of times, the men are working far from the house or away on cattle drives, so we have to fend for ourselves. We have to be able to move the steers to different pastures, mend things when they break, and keep the place going. If we have heavier work that we just can’t do, sometimes we ask our closest neighbor fellas to help, but there’s no guarantee they have time. So, we have to find ways to do it.”

Jenny’s appreciation for pioneer women had grown even greater after this explanation, and she became determined to become as proficient as possible at ranching life. Her curiosity about the work extended to the business and financial side of the operation. At first, she’d been hesitant to broach the subject with Mason. But she thought that, since she’d have to help with all the manual work when the men were busy or out of town, she’d also need to be familiar with their finances.

One night after supper, she and Mason took a walk, enjoying the cooler night air, and she took the opportunity to bring it up.

“Mason, do you think I’m intelligent?”

He gave her a sidelong glance as they strolled up the lane toward the main road. “Of course I do. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have hired you as the schoolteacher.”

She nodded. “In that case, I’d like to learn more about our finances and how to run our ranch.” Mason grinned and chuckled, making Jenny bristle. “Are you making fun of me?” she demanded.

His eyes widened and he raised a calming hand. “No, I’m not. I just like hearing you call it our ranch, that’s all.”

Jenny’s irritation faded and she smiled. “Oh, I see. I’m sorry for being so touchy, but where I come from, women are often treated as delicate creatures with no minds of our own. We’re good enough to marry, have children with, and so on, but it’s rare for women to be allowed an education beyond a certain point. I was fortunate to have a father who thought that women’s minds are just as capable of higher learning as men’s.”

One of the herd dogs had accompanied them. Mason found a stick on the side of the road and threw it for the dog before answering. “As you’ve seen, Aunt Cecilia is a strong, smart woman.

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