Innocent Hearts Page 5

  Hannah had more than understood. She had been packing lunches when Martin and Kate arrived, explaining that she had volunteered to watch one of the food tables. When Kate promised to help her later that day, Hannah had shooed her off with John in tow, saying, "You go on then. I'm 'most done here, and I've seen plenty of roundups. I don't mind missing a few hours of this one."

  So by late morning Kate was eagerly searching the crowds for a sign of Jessie Forbes. She was beginning to despair as she wended her way through throngs of men, down one dusty aisle after another, corral after corral of animals that all looked alike surrounding her on every side. The cowboys looked all of a kind, too. Broad-brimmed hats, vests over faded cotton shirts, dusty levis and the ever-present leather chaps. Most had smudges of trail dirt on their faces, too, rendering them nearly interchangeable. Until Kate saw her.

  Then Kate wondered how she had ever mistaken her for one of the cowboys just a few weeks before. Jessie stood talking with a burly fellow, her face in profile to Kate. Even with the brim of her hat tipped down, throwing shadows over her eyes, Jessie's subtle grace was apparent. She was lean and taut, much like some of the younger men, but the gentle arch of her neck and the elegant curve of her jaw were inherently beautiful in a way that even the handsomest youth was not. Jessie loosely clasped her gun belt in a pose Kate recognized, and Kate studied Jessie's hands, fixing on the long, slender fingers. She remembered the careful way Jessie had held her hand the previous afternoon in the hotel and her heart tripped a beat, her stomach making a sudden turn at the same time. Kate caught her breath, feeling suddenly, unaccountably, warm.

  At that moment, Jessie turned and looked her way. Jessie smiled, and Kate smiled back, wondering at the rush of happiness that winged to her on that glorious smile. Jessie said something to the man she was with and hurried to Kate's side.

  "Why, Kate! I didn't expect to see you here again today." She surveyed the nearby crowd. "Are you alone?"

  "John Emory walked me down," Kate replied. "He's off with one of the wranglers just now."

  Jessie grinned. "That boy has a real itch to be a cowboy. His father has something different in mind for him, I'll wager."

  "Didn't yours?" Kaye asked as they began to walk back towards the main arena where the auctioning was about to begin. Her own parents had allowed her far more leniency than many of her girlfriends had enjoyed, letting her pursue her interest in photography and history and literature and other subjects considered inappropriate for young women, but Kate couldn't imagine that Jessie's parents approved of her working on the ranch. Even in this demanding place where women were forced by circumstance to labor in ways their eastern cousins would find unthinkable, Kate had quickly recognized that women did not, as a rule, determine their own destiny.

  For a moment Jessie looked puzzled. "Not that he ever said. Out here settlers' children always work the land in some way or another. The littlest ones carry water and feed the stock, and the older ones rope and ride or plow, whatever needs to be done."

  "The girls, too?" Kate asked carefully, thinking of the newspaper accounts she had read of the suffragettes in New York State who were speaking out for a woman's right to vote and even own property. It wasn't a popular concept. Her mother had declared that these gatherings were unseemly, and that no woman with any sense would want to take on the problems that went along with having that kind of say in things. "Some things are best left to men," Martha had said with a frown.

  "Hello, Josiah," Jessie said to a man who spoke to them as they passed. "Well," she continued, "if there's work to be done, everybody does it. Boys cook, and men help with the wash if need be, and come harvest time every able body in the house, man, woman, or child, is in the field."

  "And shooting game and herding horses?" Kate persisted.

  Jessie grinned. "I've seen some women who were damn fine shots with a rifle. As to the riding, that's almost required if you're going to get anywhere further than town." She was suddenly serious. "My father taught me to be a rancher because I wanted to be. I don't remember much about my mother. She died of influenza when I was three. From the time I was small I wanted to be like my father. Jed says I was riding before I could walk, and by the time I was seven I had my first rifle. I liked school well enough, but I'd rather have been tending the herd out on the range. My father made me stay in school until I was fifteen, which is longer than any of the girls usually go. I'm glad now that he did."

  Kate listened to the wistful tone in Jessie's voice and heard how much she missed her father. Kate ached for her loss, but she was struck, too, by Jessie's simple certainty. Jessie lived the life she loved. What an amazing thing. Kate walked along in silence, wondering why, until now, she had never though to question her own life and the path that had been preordained for her.

  They stopped by the fence surrounding the main show ring, and Jessie leaned her back against the rail, studying Kate. Kate's dark eyes were distant, a touch of sadness clouding her usually animated features. "What's bothering you, Kate?"

  Kate blushed. "Nothing. I was just thinking how much I envied you."

  Jessie laughed, that deep melodious sound Kate found so lovely. "I doubt that you'd envy me after a night sleeping out in the cold, up some canyon with nothing for company but wolves and mountain goats!"

  Kate laughed, too. "You'll have to take me some time so I can find out for myself." She hesitated, then went on boldly, "Would you? Take me up there sometime?"

  "Kate," Jessie said softly. "It's rough country but a few dozen miles from here. Beautiful, but heartless. It's hard even for those of us who have done it all our lives." She hated the look of disappointment that flickered across Kate's face. "But I'd be happy to show you around the ranch. Not much to see but the bunkhouse and the cook cabin and a bunch of pens, but if you'd like..."

  "Oh, I'd love that," Kate affirmed, "very much."

  "Well, then, it's settled." Jessie pulled a watch from her pocket and frowned. "I'd better get along, Kate. I've got business waiting on me."

  "I promised I'd help Mrs. Schroeder, too," Kate admitted reluctantly. "Good luck with the auction. I'll be thinking of you."

  Jessie smiled, pleased. "Thank you, Kate."

  "Goodbye, Jessie," Kate said softly as she watched her walk away, thinking that the rest of the day could hold nothing as pleasant as these last few moments.

  * * *

  Kate had no chance to speak with Jessie again, although she looked for her constantly. Once Kate spied her at the corral deep in conversation with another rancher; the next time, Jessie was leading a horse around the pen while several men looked the animal over. Kate waved to her on several occasions when she could catch her eye, and Jessie smiled back and tipped her hat. Most of the time Kate was too busy at the refreshment tables or with her photography to keep track of anyone. There was no photographer in the territory and people were constantly stopping to ask her questions. Many were skeptical that she could actually master such a complicated process, but that didn't stop them from asking if she could take their pictures. Kate found herself promising to take family shots for a number of neighbors after roundup ended. She had been working steadily much of the afternoon and finally stopped when the direct heat of the sun began to make her increasingly uncomfortable. She folded the camera's legs and dragged it over to one of the food stands nearby.

  "You're going to take a stroke standing out there with that black cloth over your head," Hannah warned as Kate joined her. She handed a lemonade to Kate, who took the drink gratefully.

  "You might be right," she gasped, chasing the dust from her throat with the tart drink. "I've never had a chance to take photographs like this before. I don't want to miss a thing."

  Hannah nodded. "I remember feeling that way, too, when we first arrived. When I wasn't scared to death, anyhow."

  "What was it like?" Kate asked.

  Hannah smiled wistfully. "Thaddeus thought he would be a homesteader, but one season on that damn prairie cured him of that. The
winds in the summer blow hot enough to parch every blessed thing, and then in the winter you freeze." She shook her head and moved the basket of food into a shadier spot on the table. "That land out there will kill you quick if you don't have a special love for it. And if it don't love you."

  Kate immediately thought of Jessie, and the way she talked about her ranch, and nodded. "Some people belong to it, I imagine."

  Hannah looked at her oddly, recalling Kate and Jessie Forbes strolling about that morning. She had thought then that it was a strange friendship. "Don't you be listening to the stories those damn cowboys tell. It ain't so pretty when you're hip deep in snow and starving. It's bad enough that John Emory's got stars in his eyes about wanting to be a wrangler! Don't you go getting ideas!"

  "Oh, don't worry," Kate laughed. "I have no intention of becoming a cowboy!"

  As to listening to the cowboy stories ... Kate thought she could listen forever if it was Jessie telling the tale.

  CHAPTER NINE

  AFTER THE THIRD day of the roundup, Martha gave up trying to dissuade Kate from spending time at the auction stands. She contented herself with Kate's promise to keep out of the sun as much as possible.

  "You'll ruin your skin," Martha warned.

  Kate had kissed her cheek fondly, reached for the bonnet hanging on the coat tree by the door, and called, "I'll wear it, don't fret!" as she hurried down the walk to the street.

  She was eager to get there early, because she wanted to find Jessie before the business of the day became too hectic. She was taken with an idea that had come over her suddenly the night before and couldn't wait another minute to talk to Jessie about it. She headed straight for the area where she knew that Jessie's stock were corralled, searching for her distinctive form. When Kate saw her astride a great beast of a horse, she stopped to watch, standing back under the shade of a tree.

  Jessie's face was all but indistinguishable under the low brim of her hat and the bandanna that covered her neck and mouth. She rode the horse hard from one end of the coral to the other, pulling back on the reins quickly several times to change direction, and then leading his head in a tight circle so that his body nearly twisted on itself. He was powerfully built and gleamed black in the bright sunlight, a glorious mass of muscle and might. Kate was captivated by the sight of Jessie commanding him with the subtlest turn of her hands and the swift kick of her heels against his huge sides. She stared at the way Jessie's thighs lifted slightly from the sweat-stained saddle as she leaned forward over his arching neck, urging him to run with the sheer force of her own will. Kate's breath quickened and she was suddenly flushed, even though the air was still cool. Her heart hammered and she bit her lip to still its trembling. She had never felt anything like this twisting, falling sensation in her belly before, and she would have been frightened if it hadn't been so terribly pleasant at the same time. She leaned against the tree, welcoming its sturdy pressure against her back and struggled to steady her shaking legs. Maybe Hannah was right. Maybe she was suffering from heat stroke.

  * * *

  Jessie swung one leg down from the saddle and dropped easily to the ground, walking to the fence with the reins in one hand. The horse followed, snorting noisily from his run.

  "He's a dandy, Jed," she announced to her foreman. "He'd be a great line horse. He's got good legs and he never tires. I'm for buying him."

  Jed nodded, chewing thoughtfully on a plug of tobacco. "If we could get us a mare or two like him, we'd have a solid start of a working brood line."

  She slapped her hat against her legs and great clouds of dust rose from her chaps, then wiped her sleeve across her face, her expression distant. "The railroads won't come this far north for a lot of years, and we'd have plenty of market for working horses with the stagecoaches running through here. I say we do it."

  "Yep. Me, too."

  "I'll go talk to Josiah Bradley about his mares this..." She stopped abruptly, staring past his shoulder. She tossed the reins over the fence rail and in the same motion braced both hands on the top rung. She vaulted up and over in an instant, bolting across the adjoining pasture, leaving Jed to stare after her in astonishment.

  "Kate!" Jessie cried anxiously, skidding to a stop by her side. Kate appeared pale and shaken. "Are you all right?"

  Kate gave a tremulous smile. "Yes," she said just a bit uncertainly. "I think so. Perhaps a little too much sun."

  Jessie glanced at the clear sky, and felt the skitter of a breeze across her cheek. "It's not that warm, Kate," she said with concern, her fingers brushing Kate's hand. Her blue eyes darkened with worry. "You're shaking."

  Kate took a deep breath, smiling for real. "I'm fine. Truly." She felt foolish now, appearing fragile when it wasn't that at all. She tried not to think about the fact that Jessie's light touch on her hand had started up the falling sensations all over again. She pointed towards the corral, wanting to change the subject. "What was that you were doing in there?"

  Jessie followed her gaze to where Jed was pulling the saddle off the stallion she had been riding. "Just working him out under saddle. I'm planning on buying him, and a few others with similar bloodlines. I wanted to see how he'd handle."

  Kate was afraid that anything she said would sound inane, but she didn't think she had ever seen anything as beautiful as Jessie Forbes on that horse. "I want to take your picture," she blurted without thinking.

  "What?" Jessie exclaimed. "Me?" She stared at Kate, astonished. Then she laughed. "Oh, Kate! Why on earth would you want to do that? With all this beautiful country around here, you want to take a picture of a dusty trail hand?"

  "You're beautiful, too," Kate said quite seriously. When Jessie blushed, Kate hurried on. "You are - I mean, the way you look on that horse, like the two of you were born connected. It's - it's -" she stopped in frustration. Why was it so hard to put words to the way she felt about Jessie?

  "Kate," Jessie said quietly. "If it would please you to take my picture, then I won't say no."

  Kate's brilliant smile was Jessie's reward. "This afternoon?"

  Jessie laughed again. "Whatever you want. Should I change my clothes? I'll be riding all morning, and by then I'll be a sight."

  Remembering how Jessie had looked in a sweat-dampened shirt, Kate shook her head. "No," she said softly, shyly now, "I want you just like that."

  * * *

  "Millie, could you let me have two of your sandwiches?" Kate asked. "I'll take over here for you tomorrow morning in return."

  Millie was a new bride, the young wife of the town Marshal. She was rumored to make the best brisket in town, and her stand was a popular one with the cowboys. She had been one of the first women in town to befriend Kate, and being of a similar age, they made easy companions.

  "Of course, Kate." Millie regarded Kate with a knowing smile. "Two, is it? You aren't trying to bribe your way into some man's heart with one of those, are you?"

  Kate colored self-consciously. "No, I'm taking one for Jessie Forbes."

  "Well," Millie announced, packing a basket, "if she's anything like my Tom after a day on a horse, you'd best take three."

  "Thank you, Millie," Kate said, gathering the basket of food.

  "Of course, silly. Oh! Don't forget the dance tomorrow night. Everyone will be there."

  Kate smiled, her eyes fixed on the auction yard, her mind on Jessie. "I won't forget, Millie."

  It was the biggest auction day of the week and the yard was packed. Kate walked to the edge of the crowd surrounding the auction platform. She watched as several prize steers, or so the auctioneer claimed, were auctioned off at apparently high prices. Kate found it hard to follow the bidding because men seemed to signal without saying anything.

  "Now, gentlemen," the auctioneer called, "the last sale of the afternoon, and the one you've been waiting for, I imagine. I'm offering the best brood mare this side of the Mississippi. She's gonna throw the finest foals this territory has ever seen. Do I hear an opening bid?"

  Kate heard
a murmur pass through the crowd and she saw Jessie, across the yard, touch her hat brim nonchalantly. Jessie had one heel up on the railing and was leaning an arm over the top post, looking relaxed and casual. The bidding became rapid and Kate lost track of the amount, but every now and then she saw Jessie touch her hat. Finally the bidding slowed and the crowd quieted.

  "Do I hear another bid, gentlemen?" the auctioneer called. "Any other bids? Going once, going twice, SOLD!" He looked Jessie's way and shouted, "To the Rising Star ranch."

  Jessie broke into a smile and turned to the cowboy beside her who pumped her hand vigorously before walking off toward the holding pens. As the crowd started to disperse, Kate picked her way carefully across the yard. Jessie watched her approach, too happy to contain a wide grin.

  "Hello, Kate."

  Kate was always surprised at the deep, mellow quality of Jessie's voice. She tilted her head back to look up into Jessie's face and said a little breathlessly, "Is that the horse you wanted?"

  "She is. I've been waiting almost two years to find the right animal, and this is the one!"

  "I'm glad for you," Kate said, meaning it. She lifted her napkin draped wicker basket. "I brought some sandwiches. If you're going to pose for me, I thought I should feed you first!"

  Jessie looked surprised, and then pleased. "I could do with something to eat! I've been so worked up over the bidding today I think I forgot all about my stomach." She frowned. "Where's your camera and all?"

  "I left it back at the tables. We can get it after we eat."

  "I'm about ready for that right now."

  Impulsively, Kate threaded her arm through Jessie's. "Good. Then let's find a nice quiet place to celebrate your new purchase."