Suddenly it came to her. Rowan Carstairs had promised to marry her, and he would. She was desperate enough to ride over to Mountview and drag him to the altar by the scruff of his neck if necessary. She could bring him back here, get everything fixed up with the bank, then they could pretend he was going back to his own ranch to sell it. After a while they could discreetly have the marriage annulled. He owed her this much at least. Building up her hopes and dashing them without even having the decency to let her know. The most galling thing was she had liked him in the letters they had exchanged. Bob had said he was a decent man, so what had gone wrong?
She nodded her thanks when her order arrived. All she had to do was get one of the neighbors to watch the ranch for a couple of days. The Hobson boys were thirteen and fifteen years old and experienced ranch hands who could do the essential chores for her. Amos, the older boy, had done casual work for them before and was always looking to make a few extra dollars. She would promise them at least three days of work, probably more, depending on what happened in Mountview.
They were trustworthy and their father would keep an eye on things as well. She really could not afford the money to pay them, but it was better than losing the ranch to Clem and his rotten bank. Even if the boys offered to work for nothing, she would never accept their offer. Having always been fiercely independent, she was not prepared to change her stance because she was short of money.
How dare Clem sit at his desk, presiding like God on judgement day, as he played with people’s livelihoods? The man had such an intense dislike of women, she wondered whether some woman had let him down in the past.
The apple pie tasted delicious now she had made up her mind to confront Rowan in Mountview. She would ride over even if it meant spending a couple of nights on the trail. Much cheaper than paying a stagecoach fare, not to mention accommodation for the night at the hotel, because it was too long a trip to make in one day.
***
After an uneventful two-day ride, Miranda found herself on the outskirts of Mountview by late morning. Now all she had to do was find out where Rowan Carstairs lived and confront him in his lair. She wore a wide brimmed hat, her usual buckskin pants, and a blue work shirt covered by a black and white, tanned cowhide vest. Her hair was tied back with a leather thong and tumbled down her back. She had been tempted to squeeze a dress in her saddlebags, so as to look more feminine, then decided it would take up too much space.
She might look like a man, but at least she was clean, having been able to wash in a stream earlier in the morning. What Rowan Carstairs saw was what he was going to get. The sheriff would be the best person to ask directions from. Knowing small towns as she did, anything out of the ordinary could generate gossip, something she had never been in favor of.
She tied Audrey to the hitching rail out the front of the mercantile because a large tree offered the mare some shade from the sun. Taking her Winchester with her, she made her way to the sheriff’s office and opened the door.
A tall, thin man sat at the desk reading a newspaper. By the tin star pinned to his chest he was the one she wanted.
“Howdy, I’m looking for Rowan Carstairs.”
“Oh?”
“My name is Miranda Kingston, I’m a friend of his cousin.”
“Bob Tait?”
“Yes, he used to be the sheriff where I live.” She decided only to give him the barest amount of information. The less people who knew about her situation the better. No woman liked to advertise the fact she was so desperate for a husband she had to resort to marrying a man she had never met.
“How is he doing these days?” Rowan had obviously not mentioned him getting married to Lotte, or maybe the sheriff was just trying to make sure she was telling the truth.
“Didn’t Rowan tell you he went to Wyoming and got married?”
“No, he didn’t mention it.”
“Oh. Well, what about Rowan, is he married now?” She waited with bated breath.
The sheriff laughed. “Are you kidding?”
“Look, I’ve ridden a long way to see him.”
“He’s down at the horse sales.”
“Oh?”
“Go down to the end of the main street, turn left and you can’t miss it. I can’t understand why he’s interested now.”
“Thanks.” She turned on her heel and walked out. How would she recognize the man? His description of himself had been sketchy at best. She had not been any more forthcoming, though. Someone at the sale yard would be able to point him out.
She mounted her horse and set off. “Well, Audrey, this is it.” Was she crazy, talking to her horse? Audrey was smarter than a lot of humans, didn’t answer back, either. She inwardly chuckled wondering what was wrong with her. She always acted idiotic when she was nervous or upset. Her heart pounded and she broke out in a cold sweat on thinking about her impending confrontation with Rowan Carstairs. “I wouldn’t do it only I’m desperate,” she muttered.
Quite a few horses were corralled together, with numerous ranchers and cowboys inspecting the stock, obviously buyers. A crowd of spectators
