River Lady Read online

  Linnet’s daughter Georgina soon lost her shyness when she saw an older woman walking beside twin girls, and Georgina ran ahead to meet them.

  “That’s Justin and Oliver’s mother, Esther,” Linnet said with some sadness in her voice as they approached the woman. “Doll’s nearly worn her out with having so many children. The twins are her granddaughters. Their mother, Lissie, died in childbirth.”

  Leah was introduced to Esther Stark and the six-year-old twins, and afterward Linnet led Leah to the Macalister store. “It’s grown some in the last few years,” Linnet explained, “and now I do the bookkeeping so Devon has more time off. It’s all worked out quite well,” she said in a dreamy way that seemed private to Leah.

  Before the empty fireplace sat an old, thin man, idly whittling on a stick.

  “This here the new one?” the man asked.

  “Allow me to introduce Doll Stark,” Linnet said. “This is Mrs. Leah Stanford.”

  Leah nodded to the man, all the while remembering everything Justin had said about his father.

  Doll looked at Leah for a long moment and seemed to sense her dislike of him. “I think I’ll go see to some things,” he said, rising.

  When they were alone in the store, surrounded by shelves of merchandise, Linnet spoke, a small frown on her face. “He’s a very lonely man now since Phetna and old Gaylon died.” At the puzzled look on Leah’s face, she explained. “After Devon and I were married, Doll used to sit in here with his friends, Gaylon and Phetna, but when they died, most of the life went out of Doll. Devon has been trying to find someone to sit in here with Doll but no one nowadays seems to have quite such a capacity for inactivity. Perhaps it’s all the travelers passing through here. Everything seems so much faster now.”

  Leah could hear all the love in Linnet’s voice and it was the same as hearing another side to the story. Justin despised his father for his laziness while others loved Doll for it.

  It was while they were inside the store that they heard a woman’s screams outside.

  “That’s Miranda,” Linnet said with a gasp and started running.

  Outside, tearing down the main street, was a runaway team of horses pulling a wagon that lurched drunkenly from one side to the other. On the seat, trying her best to hold on, was a pretty young girl with wild, frightened eyes, hair flying about her face.

  “Devon!” Linnet screamed as the wild wagon ran past Leah and her. The next moment the two women started running after the wagon, Linnet’s face a mask of terror.

  Neither Mac nor Wesley was in the street to see the wagon, but Bud and Cal were. It was amazing that men so big could act so quickly. As if they’d planned their actions together, Bud ran to the back of the wagon while Cal spurted ahead to the front.

  Bud jumped on the back of the wagon and agilely made his way to the seat and the frightened girl. With one hand he caught her about the waist while steadying himself with his powerful legs wide apart.

  Miranda, with a little scream when Bud first touched her, turned and clung to him, instinctively trusting him with her life.

  Meanwhile Cal ran in front of the horses, grabbed the harness, and used his big body to create resistance. For a few seconds he was pulled under, his heels tearing into the dirt, then the horses began to slow and Cal gained control.

  Mac and Wesley walked out of the feed store to see Bud standing in the back of the wagon, Miranda clinging to him with all her might, while Cal gathered the loose reins and secured the horses.

  “Miranda,” Mac said breathlessly, and in one step was at the foot of the wagon. “Come here, princess.” He held up his arms to her.

  Miranda, obviously shaken and still frightened, looked from her father to Bud, who still held her; she closed her eyes and remained where she was.

  “What—?” Mac began, but Linnet put her hand on her husband’s arm as Bud walked to the edge of the wagon.

  Cal put up his arms for Miranda.

  “Two,” was all Miranda whispered before sliding into Cal’s massive arms and snuggling against him.

  Everyone around this trio could do little more than stare. Leah wondered if young Miranda was always so forward, and she also wondered why the boys had said people, especially women, were afraid of them. This young lady certainly didn’t seem afraid of them.

  “Miranda!” Mac said sharply as she gazed up into Cal’s big brown eyes.

  With seeming reluctance Miranda turned to her father.

  “Are you all right? You’re not hurt anywhere?” Mac asked, stiff-jawed.

  “No,” she said slowly, making no attempt whatsoever to leave Cal’s arms. “I’m quite all right.” When Bud stood beside them she reached out her hand to his.

  They were a striking trio, Miranda so small, Bud and Cal so large, the three of them wrapped together, unaware of anyone outside their tight circle.

  “Miranda,” Wesley said, laughter in his voice, “may I introduce Bud and Cal Haran.”

  “You’re Cal and you’re Bud,” she said softly and was rewarded with a nod from both of them. “Thank you for saving my life.”

  Before a word could be said Miranda astonished them all by climbing onto the wagon underpinnings, slipping her arms about Cal’s neck, and kissing him thoroughly. Again Linnet put her hand on her husband’s arm while Miranda moved to Bud and kissed him too.

  Moving back, Miranda put her hand on each big shoulder. “Come with me and I’ll fix you something to eat.”

  Together they walked away, leaving an astonished group behind them.

  “Well, that should kill the romance.” Wesley broke the silence. “As soon as she finds out how much those two eat she’ll run from them.”

  “I don’t like it, Linnet!” Mac said explosively. “I don’t like it at all. She’s never acted like that before. How come you raised a daughter that’d act like that about two strangers?”

  Quite calmly, Leah thought, Linnet ignored her husband’s temper. “I’m afraid it must run in my family. I believe your daughter has just fallen in love.”

  “In love!” Mac snapped at her. “She doesn’t even know them. Sometimes, Linnet, you say the—.”

  “Devon,” Linnet said sweetly, “may I remind you that I fell in love with you when I first saw you? Why should your daughter do any differently?”

  Mac stiffened. “There’s a lot of difference between me and those two! I was rescuing you and—.” The anger suddenly went out of him. “Which one do you think she’s in love with?” he asked heavily.

  With a sigh Linnet looked toward their store. “I hope I’m wrong but it looks as if she wants both of them.”

  Before Mac could speak, Wesley slapped him hard on the shoulder. “Congratulations, Mac. Two sons-in-law at once. And believe me, you’ll need all the supplies in your stores to feed them.”

  Mac cast Wes a black look. “No daughter of mine—,” he began but stopped with a look of disgust. “Women!” he said between clenched teeth. “Come on, Lynna, let’s see what she’s up to now.”

  Glumly Mac escorted his wife toward their store.

  Turning, Leah smiled up at Wesley. “I don’t know if that solves something or starts new problems. Bud and Cal certainly did seem to take to Miranda, didn’t they?”

  “Are you jealous?” he asked, half-serious, half in jest. “From now on you may not be the only woman in their lives.”

  The sunlight on his face, his eyes shadowed by his broad-brimmed hat, made him look especially enticing. Her eyes went to his lips.

  “Leah,” Wesley said huskily. “You’re singeing my eyebrows.”

  Embarrassed, she looked away.

  A crowd of people had gathered when Miranda’s wagon had torn down the street and many people had stayed, chuckling, to watch Miranda reward her saviors, but now they were moving away.

  “That’s her!” gasped a heavyset woman, looking straight at Leah.

  Leah froze where she was. Never would she forget that woman’s face. When Revis had shot her husband, the woman