If Caleb signed the deed over to her, he would be leaving her at Kirkpatrick’s mercy.
It made him wish he’d handed the deed over to the sheriff upon his arrival in town and kept on riding. Then, he wouldn’t know the particulars and wouldn’t be bogged down by this unwanted sense of responsibility.
But nothing about this godforsaken situation was straightforward. He was halfway up the creek and his paddle was still sitting on the shore. If he was smart, he’d jump out and swim to it. But like a fool, he was letting the current take him farther upstream.
“Guess maybe I’d like to see the ranch.”
Tension tightened her rose-tinted lips and robbed her cheeks of color. Her dark eyes grew starker in contrast. “Yes...of course.”
“We could ride out this morning. If you feel up to it,” he added. Last thing he needed was her fainting again, tumbling to the hard ground and injuring herself. He didn’t need to add anything more to his already full conscience.
“I will require transportation. I sent Freedom and the boys on ahead with the wagon.”
“I have mine. We can take that. I can pick you up at the hotel in an hour.”
She nodded absently, wandering over to the stall. Jasper greeted her with a bob of his head before nestling his muzzle into her outstretched hand.
“It’s a beautiful horse.” She stroked the bridge of his nose. Jasper nickered in response, arching his neck. The horse was a world-class Romeo. Next thing, he’d be rolling over in his stall and expecting her to scratch his belly.
“I won him in a card game,” Caleb said, without thinking.
She stopped mid-stroke. “Of course you did.”
Her hand dropped away and she stepped away from Jasper. The horse glared in Caleb’s direction, holding him responsible. He couldn’t fault the horse, he supposed. Mrs. Sutter was a beautiful woman, a strange mix of resilience and vulnerability that made a man want to—
He stopped the thought there. He would not be falling into that trap again. Marianne had taught him where that kind of thinking got a man. His business with Mrs. Sutter was just that—business. He’d do well to keep that in mind and not let himself waver while he figured a way to get them both out of this mess.
“I will be ready to leave in an hour,” she said, brushing past him without a second glance.
Caleb closed his eyes, his resolve shaken by the sweet scent of violets left drifting in the air after she passed.
What had he gotten himself into?
Caleb had never been to this part of the country before, and as they rode out of town toward the mountain range rising against the sky, he was staggered by the beauty that surrounded him. Tree-lined horizons with purple peaks stretched heavenward, while endless meadows of determined wild flowers poked their heads out of the raw earth anxious to erupt into full bloom.
They followed a winding creek, the sound of the gurgling water a balm to his battered soul. For a few blissful seconds Caleb closed his eyes and allowed himself to breathe deeply, taking in the fresh air and the feel of wide open spaces and peace.
A man could die happy here.
Why Sutter, who’d had everything a man could ask for, had gambled it all away baffled Caleb. A man like that didn’t deserve a good woman like the one sitting next to him. Then again, neither did Caleb.
Man is born to trouble. And you most of all.
Caleb opened his eyes, his grandfather’s words lingering in the air around him. It galled him to admit the old man had been right.
As much as the land called to him, staying would lead to problems he couldn’t fix. He might hold the title to the Circle S ranch, but it didn’t belong to him.
It’d be best all round if he got himself gone.
Out of the corner of his eye he caught Mrs. Sutter looking at him. He gritted his teeth. He’d let his guard drop.
She watched him as if she were searching for something in particular. Caleb resurrected his defenses. There was nothing there she needed to see, nothing that would give her any ease.
Mrs. Sutter turned her attention back to the rutted road and pointed to her right when they reached a divide. “This way.”
He steered the buckboard, shifting the reins in his hands. He tilted his head in the direction they hadn’t taken. “Where’s that lead?”
“Shamus Kirkpatrick’s land.”
Kirkpatrick. He guessed the man would be in for a bit of a shock when he realized his plans for getting the land had been undercut. Caleb considered the outstanding debt owed Kirkpatrick by the widow. Likely he could pay it if she’d let him. He’d accumulated a fair bit of savings between winnings in card games and odd jobs as he traveled from town to town. With no home of his own and no one to spend it on, he’d socked money away and let it grow. He may as well put it to good use. Maybe the good turn would help atone for past sins, balance the ledger slightly.
“I understand Kirkpatrick was pressing you to sell him your land to pay off debts,” Caleb said, venturing into territory the firm set of her mouth told him she didn’t want to tread. The scowl did nothing to detract from her beauty.
“Where did you hear that?”
Caleb shrugged and adjusted the reins in his hand. “People talk.”
“Does no one in this town know how to mind their own business?”
“Might be they’re concerned.”
“Could be they need to pay more attention to their own affairs and less to mine.” Her voice turned hard, but underneath he recognized a current of shame. She had a lot of pride, likely it was the only thing keeping her going right now.
“Planned how you’re gonna pay that?”
She turned to face him, her dark eyes smoldering with unspent anger. “My only source of income was my land, Mr. Beckett. Without it I’m left with nothing and no means to pay anyone anything.”
“Will Kirkpatrick forgive the debts?”
The muscle near her jaw twitched. “Shamus is not a man to relinquish what he’s owed.”
Shamus. Her use of his given name made Caleb wonder how close their relationship was. “Then he’ll want his money.”
“He’ll want something,” she whispered, her composure slipping enough to reveal what that something would be.
A cold, animalistic anger clenched its sharp claws around Caleb’s chest. Would Kirkpatrick expect her to pay off her debt with her body? The very thought rankled him in a way he couldn’t shake. She deserved better than that.
“I could pay the debt—”
“You’ve done quite enough already, thank you. I don’t want or need your charity.”
The unspoken truth hung heavy in the air. She may not want it, but they both knew she needed it.
“Do you have family?”
“Just the boys. Robert’s parents passed away several years back.”
“And your own people?”
Her features tightened. “Dead as well.”
Just his luck. Rachel Sutter had no one to turn to.