Noah, page 1
Noah
Linda Ford
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Epilogue
Sneak peek of Adam
Exclusive invitation
Dear Reader
Also by Linda Ford
1
Circle A Ranch, 1887
He’d done the right thing. Of course, he had. Then why did he have this burning urge to ride into the hills and camp there until he could sort out his thoughts?
Noah Murray and his horse rode like they were one. Except for a major difference. Unlike Noah, the horse had no concerns except for stretching his legs for a few miles then settling down to munch grass at the end of the day.
The pack horse carried enough supplies for a lengthy stay. Supposedly, this trip was to check on things on the west side of the ranch. Noah wondered if anyone had truly believed his desire to make that journey was solely a concern for the ranch.
The reins were slack in his hands. Poncho was a nondescript buckskin-colored horse. Nothing about him to draw a man’s attention but, from the first, Noah and the horse had a special bond. The horse responded to the slightest change in Noah. Now, sensing that the rider was lost in thought, the faithful animal sauntered along, allowing Noah to think of other things than guiding his mount.
Noah pulled the letter from his breast pocket. But he didn’t take the page from the envelope. He didn’t need to. The words were blazed into his mind.
I do not seek love. Or a marriage that includes the normal favors between a man and a woman. I would not seek marriage at all except I find myself growing weary of looking for ways to provide myself a home. What I propose is a marriage in name only. Each of us can reap the benefits of having someone to share a home with. I am a fine cook, a good housekeeper, and well able to tend chickens, a milk cow and a garden. In return, I would expect a warm, dry house and freedom to purchase the supplies needed to run a home. I await your decision on this matter.
There’d been a few letters exchanged between them. But this correspondence was strange. The proposal even stranger. Having no desire to marry or share a home with a woman, he wouldn’t have given it a passing thought until Maude made her offer. Seven years ago John and Maude had taken in Noah and his brother, Adam, along with four other almost grown lads. With John being confined to a wheelchair, Maude had taken over running the ranch and taught the young men to be cowboys. She’d turned the rag-tag bunch of boys into a family of sorts. For that, he owed them respect and affection and to give their offer proper consideration.
“John and I have seen how much you admire that bit of land down by the creek.”
He’d nodded at Maude’s observation. How often had he gone to that particular place and wandered around, in his mind seeing a barn there, a house over by the trees, a garden behind the house…all the things he’d dreamed of when he was much younger and the possibility existed. Before his mother had remarried and her new husband had kicked Noah and Adam out saying he didn’t need two more mouths to feed.
Noah had appealed to his mother, reminding her that Pa had promised that both Noah and Adam had a part of the farm. His mother had shrugged. “Your father is dead. I must move on.” Except it was Noah and Adam who moved on with only the clothes on their backs and a small sack of personal belongings.
Maude had continued. “We know you’ve been in correspondence with Miss Cynthia with a view to matrimony. We’ve decided that when you marry we’ll deed you that bit of land. Forty acres of your own.”
A marriage in name only in order to get the land he admired? To live up to the plans he and Pa had made together?
Seemed reasonable enough.
So he’d written to Miss Cynthia, agreeing to her suggestion. He’d given her some details and said if they met her approval, he would send her the money for a ticket. He hadn’t told John and Maude of his decision for fear Cynthia would have second thoughts and refuse him.
No cause for him to have second thoughts.
Why then was he riding away from the ranch?
Well, shucks, a man planning to give up his freedom deserved a bit of time to mourn that loss. He’d told Maude and John he wouldn’t be back for a spell. In his mind, he thought a month might be long enough to come to grips with his decision.
From the letters they’d exchanged, he thought Miss Cynthia would be a nice person to share his home with. A spinster. No family. Desperate enough to want to take a chance with someone like him.
They were at the top of a hill and he reined in to study his surroundings. The sight in the valley below caused him to narrow his eyes. Adam had informed them at Sunday dinner that some travelers had camped by the creek. No one objected to that. It happened often enough.
A tent was set up near the trees. The covered wagon stood nearby. He could see where a cookfire had been. None of those things caused him any concern. But the fence holding the two horses and one cow did. Travelers did not build a fence.
Squatters did.
There was only one way to deal with squatters. Make them leave.
He watched for a bit. A woman pounded on one of the fence posts. A half-grown boy squatted beside her. A smaller female child sat cross-legged on her other side.
Where was the mister?
Noah sat back to watch and wait. A few minutes later, he shifted in the saddle. Could be the mister was away hunting. Might be a while. Noah had nothing to do but wait.
The boy stood up, reached for something and straightened. He pointed toward Noah. The others rose and looked in his direction.
Nothing for it now but to ride down and speak his bit. They weren’t going to like what he had to say. But they couldn’t stay there. No squatters allowed.
As Poncho moved forward, the woman reached for something. A rifle that she held at the ready. Casual yet prepared.
Noah hoped this encounter wasn’t going to lead to gun play. He proceeded slowly, cautiously, ready to gallop away should the rifle be raised to the woman’s shoulder and aimed at him. He had no desire to die. Or be injured.
She spoke to the children and they hurried to the wagon. At least she gave a thought to their safety.
He stopped when he was close enough to holler. “Howdy, ma’am. Fine day, isn’t it?”
“Can’t complain.”
He was close enough to get a look at her. Medium blonde hair in twin braids over her shoulder. Dark eyes. He’d guess they were brown but couldn’t be certain at this distance. Younger than he expected.
“Did you come to discuss the weather?” she asked.
He wasn’t fooled by the calm way she spoke. This woman was defensive. Might even be dangerous with that gun in her hands. He’d heard that mothers could be fierce when protecting their children. Though his mother had failed on that accord.
“Ma’am, I’d like to speak to your husband. Is he around here somewhere?”
She didn’t answer. Her expression barely changed except for a slight narrowing of her eyes.
He shifted and gave the place more study. The boy peeked out from the canvas on the wagon. His hair was darker than his mother’s. His expression less guarded. If Noah had to guess, he’d say the boy was ready to jump into any adventure without much forethought. Might be a challenge to his mother.
Noah barely glimpsed the little girl behind the boy. Just enough to know her hair was wheat-colored.
Chickens scratched in the dirt around the wagon. Nearby cages suggested she shut them in at night.
He turned back to the woman. “When do you expect your husband back?”
“Lainie don’t got a husband.” The boy shouted the words.
Lainie must be the young woman who held up a hand at the boy’s words. “Boyd, please be quiet.”
“Well, ya don’t.” Having defended his statement, he sat back.
The young woman lifted the rifle. “I’ll ask you to move along.”
“’Fraid I can’t do that.”
“’Fraid you have no choice.” She cocked the gun and held it to her shoulder.
“Ma’am, I don’t think you want to shoot me. If you kill me, you’ll have to deal with my body and I outweigh you by a good deal. Might be a little awkward.”
She squinted down the gun barrel.
“And if you injure me, I see one of two things happening. Either you’ll have to put up with me until I heal enough to ride or if I’m able, I’ll ride back to the ranch and get reinforcements.”
The rifle wavered.
“Don’t shoot him,” the boy called.
The little girl poked her head past the boy’s. “You can’t hurt him. Mama wouldn’t like it.”
While the woman hesitated, Noah dismounted and strode closer, Poncho at his heels.
She lowered the gun and deepened her scowl. “What do you want?”
“To tell you you can’t stay here.”
“Of course, I can. I bought the place fair and square.”
Noah had to wonder what she meant by place because there was nothing here to qualify as anything but bare land. Now with a tent and wobbly-looking fence. The animals had to be plenty docile to stay inside that pen.
“Place wasn’t for sale.” They stared at each other. It reminded him of a game he had often played with Adam. The first one to blink was the loser. Only this time, there was only one loser.
She blinked. “Boyd, bring me the papers.”
The boy ducked into the interior of the wagon and emerged with a folded sheet of paper that he handed to the woman.
She flipped the page open and flapped it in front of Noah.
He barely looked at it.
“It’s signed and sealed,” she said with some heat. “Look at it.”
He took the paper. “Must be some mistake.” The description of the land fits this place. “Who is this Anthony Jensen?”
“He’s the man who sold me the land.”
“Lady, I hate to tell you this but you’ve been hoodwinked. The land belongs to the Circle A ranch and wasn’t for sale. Not back then, nor now or anytime.”
She snatched the paper from him. “I paid good money for it.”
* * *
Lainie Elmore clutched the document in her hand. Had Frank taken advantage of her vulnerable state? He’d never paid her much attention until her parents died. She’d appealed to him for help. Let him know that Pa had left money to buy the land he sought. Getting his own place in the west had always been his dream and as he lay dying, he asked Lainie to fulfill his dream. Frank seemed to know what to do. Said his uncle bought and sold land in the west and soon Lainie had bought a few acres of land that sounded ideal.
Had she been duped?
She studied the cowboy before her. Blond hair, blue eyes, his expression warning her not to mess with him. Although he wasn’t very tall, he was solidly built. All in all, he gave the impression that he expected her to listen to him and moreover, to jump to obey.
Huh. She’d listened to Frank. And if what this man said, Frank had proven to be a skunk. She wasn’t about to so easily heed the words of another man.
“Wait a minute. Why should I believe you? I don’t know you from a hole in the ground.” She handed the document back to Boyd. “Put it away carefully.” She had a feeling she was going to need that bill of sale to prove ownership of this land.
Boyd ducked inside the wagon to return the paper to the writing desk where it was secure.
Missy hovered at the back, all eyes as she studied the stranger.
“Missy, you stay there and be still.” She wouldn’t put it past her little sister to blurt out something inappropriate. Like—
“But aren’t you gonna offer him tea like Mama would?”
Lainie sighed as she turned back to the man. No, she wasn’t going to be hospitable. Not to someone who was trying to drive them away. But she could at least learn his name. Could be she’d need it for future reference. “I’ve forgotten my manners. Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Miss Elmore. These are my brother and sister, Boyd and Missy.”
He nodded a greeting to the children. “My name is Noah. Noah Murray. And as to whether or not I am trying to trick you, I work for the Circle A Ranch. And this is part of their land. I’d know if they sold it and I don’t. So they didn’t.”
“I’m afraid I can’t take your word for it.”
“Ma’am, miss, you’ll have to.”
Even if she believed him, and she didn’t, what was she supposed to do? She’d spent all but a few pennies buying this land, getting supplies, and transporting them here.
She returned to the fence post she was driving into the ground. Or at least trying to. No matter how many times she whacked it with the hammer, it continued to wobble.
Mr. Murray dropped his reins, leaving his horse standing and followed her. “There’s no point in putting up a fence. You can’t stay.”
Whack! The hammer skidded off the post. Or at least what passed for a post. It was really only a dead branch she had found in the nearby woods. Just like all the posts she’d used to make a pen to hold her livestock. Mr. Jensen had assured her there was a small house, a decent barn, and some sturdy fences. Mr. Jensen either lied or was ignorant of the truth.
“I can do this,” she grunted.
Mr. Murray caught the hammer before she could hit the post again. “You cannot build a fence on land you don’t own.”
“Well, there you go. According to that bit of paper, I own this land. The sale was witnessed by a lawyer. Did you see his seal?”
“I can’t say if he was a lawyer or not. Where did you say this sale took place?”
“I didn’t.” But if he’d looked more closely at the paper, he would have seen.
“Fort Macleod? Right? Why didn’t you ask one of the Mounties to witness the sale?”
She grabbed the post and wiggled it. Her fence wouldn’t keep in anything. Pa would be disappointed in her. He always believed she could do anything she set her mind to. And so help her she would.
Why hadn’t she taken the papers to the Major or one of the constables? She could blame it on the shock of losing both her parents. In hindsight, she knew it’d been foolish. Not that she was going to let this man know. Please God, don’t let this purchase be a mistake.
“The lawyer said he would register the sale with land titles.”
“If he was a lawyer, he took advantage of your innocence.”
“At least you didn’t say I was stupid.”
He shrugged. “That remains to be seen.”
She straightened and faced him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’m riding into the hills. When I get back, I expect you to have moved on. No squatters allowed.” He strode back to the pack horse, grabbed the lead rope, mounted, and rode away, lifting his hat in a goodbye salute.
Boyd and Missy rushed to her side.
“Is he right?” Boyd asked. “Is this land not ours?”
“I guess I’m not ready to believe him.”
Missy stared after him as he rode over the crest of the hill and soon dropped from sight. “I think he’s a nice man.”
“You think everyone is nice,” Boyd scoffed.
Lainie rested her hand on Boyd’s shoulder. “It’s a good way to be.” She considered her situation. They couldn’t leave. So that left her one option.
“Come on. We’re going to make that fence as solid as rock and then we are going to build us a house.”
“A house?” Boyd looked around. “We got no lumber or anything.”
“You remember how Pa would say there’s nothing you can’t do if you put your mind to it. Well, we’re going to put our mind to building a house. It doesn’t have to be fancy.”
It was true that she’d been told there was a house on the land. And corrals and a barn. It left her wondering what else about the sale was false. Or was the seller mistaken about the house and other improvements. That didn’t mean the land wasn’t rightfully hers.
She simply couldn’t believe she’d been tricked.
But on the off chance she had been, a house would solve the problem.
Surely if they had a house no one would chase them off the land.
2
Noah rode westward, his glance sweeping the countryside as he rode. It was too bad about Miss Elmore and her brother and sister. Bad luck for them but John and Maude were firm about squatters. Like John said, “Let one bunch settle in, and soon our land will be taken over by sod busters.”
He rode toward Logan Creek to water the horses and rest a spell. A circle of rocks indicated where a fire had been built. He knew it wasn’t built by anyone from the Circle A. The ashes were too fresh. Another traveler. He studied his surroundings but saw nothing to cause him concern. Whoever had built a fire there had moved on.
He chowed down on biscuits and jerky. There was fresh water available if he stayed near the creek. But it never hurt to be prepared and he refilled his canteen before he remounted and continued westward toward the mountains where he planned to camp for a few days. Living off the land.
A mound of relatively fresh horse droppings on the trail ahead brought him to attention. It couldn’t have been there long. Someone was ahead of him. Or beside him. He shifted to look to his right and then his left. Saw nothing to concern him. A traveler. They weren’t common but not unheard of either.
