The doctor had left Abel with no misconceptions as to the seriousness of Allie’s situation. “I fear she will have damaged her heart. You’ll need to limit her activities for the rest of her life or...” At this point, he’d shaken his head as if expecting the worst.
Abel had vowed on the spot that Allie would be treated as gently as a fragile china doll. He couldn’t lose her. If anything happened to her he would never forgive himself. Any more than he forgave himself for the fact the children had been abandoned by his wife while he went in search of work. Ruby had never wanted to settle down and from the beginning had found the children a heavy burden, while Abel discovered they gave him reason to leave off being a wastrel. He regretted having started down that wayward path in the first place. The only good thing to come of it was his children and his determination to live a responsible, careful life from now on. He was twenty-nine years old and would devote the rest of his life to the well-being of his children. Never again would he allow his foolish emotions to lead him down the slippery path into the arms of a woman. Any woman. He would not risk his children’s health and happiness by trusting a woman to settle down and be wife and mother.
Another thud. No mistaking the sound. There was a horse in the nearby clearing. His heart thumped him in his ribs hard enough to cause him to catch his breath.
He broke into a gallop and headed for the spot.
If anything happened to either of the twins...
He saw Allie ahead, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, her hands clasped together as if she tried to contain some emotion. Already her cheeks had turned rosy—a sure indication of her excited state. A danger sign.
He raced toward her and scooped her into his arms. He brushed strands of her long blond hair off her face. “Baby, are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Papa. Isn’t she glorious?” She twisted and pointed.
Abel jerked his gaze from his precious daughter and followed the direction she indicated. His eyes lit on a woman who reminded him of those he’d seen in saloons. Only instead of bright-colored, revealing dresses, she wore a dark red shirt, fringed gloves and riding pants. It wasn’t the clothes that brought those other women to mind—it was the look of sheer abandon on her face. Her mahogany-colored hair rippled down her back, held in place by a small cowboy hat secured under her chin. She sat on a beautiful palomino gelding.
She waved a hand over her head and the horse reared on its back legs.
Abel clutched Allie tight. “She’s going to be hurt.”
“Oh, no.” Allie’s voice was round with awe. “She does it on purpose. She’s a trick rider. She’s going to join a Wild West show.”
“She is, is she?” The gal made a beautiful picture of horse and rider but she posed a threat to his children if she hung about, filling Allie’s head with admiration.
The horse returned to all fours and clapping caught Abel’s attention. Ladd stood on the other side of the horse, his eyes round with awe. “Can you show me how to do that?”
“It’s not hard.” The woman’s voice rang with humor and what he could only explain as love of life.
That was all well and good. He had no objection to her joining a Wild West show, loving life or doing dangerous things on back of a horse, so long as she stayed away from his kids.
“Can you show me?” Ladd asked.
“Sure thing. All you do—”
Abel crossed the clearing to clamp his hand on Ladd’s shoulder. The boy jerked, surprised, no doubt, at the sudden appearance of his father. Hopefully he was also feeling a little guilty at having brought Allie out to the woods when she was supposed to rest. “Ladd, take your sister back to the cabin. Allie, you know you shouldn’t be here.”
Allie patted him on the cheek. “I’m okay, Papa. You worry too much.”
“Maybe I do. Maybe I don’t. I only want you both to be safe.” He set his daughter on her feet, patted them both on the back and sent them on their way. He didn’t turn until they were out of sight.
Sucking in air, he tried to calm the way his insides rolled and bucked at how this woman had intruded on his hope of peace and quiet. He didn’t want to say anything he’d later regret, so he pushed aside his inner turmoil as he slowly faced the woman. “You’re trespassing.”
She lounged in her saddle as if she meant to spend her entire day there. “I think you are mistaken. This land belongs to Eddie Gardiner. He’s given me permission to be here.”
“That might have been so at one time, but I’ve rented the cabin and the surrounding land from Mr. Eddie Gardiner.” He planned to raise cows. His ranch would be insignificant compared to the Eden Valley Ranch, but it was all he wanted. Besides— “I want peace and quiet for my children.” At the cold way she studied him, his resolve mounted a protest. “I don’t want them learning reckless ways. Nor do I want my daughter overexcited by witnessing your activities. What you do in your own time and space is your business. But what you do around my children is my business.”
The grin she wore plainly said she didn’t take him seriously.
His spine tingled as he held back a desire to tell her exactly what he thought. He mentally counted to ten then widened his stance, narrowed his eyes and gave her his best don’t-mess-with-me look, the one that made the twins jump to obey. “I suggest you leave and don’t come back.”
She laughed. A cheerful-enough sound, but one that dug talons into his backbone. It reminded him of Ruby and the way she laughed when he suggested she should settle down and be a mother to the children. And it filled him with something hard and cold. But before he could put words to his feelings, she spoke.
“Pleased to meet you. Nice to know there’ll be a kind neighbor nearby.” She reined her horse into a two-legged stand and let out a wild whoop. “I’ll no doubt be seeing you around since we’re neighbors.” She drawled out the last word in a mocking way, then rode away at a gallop, bent over her mount’s neck as they raced through the trees.
“You won’t be seeing more of me and my family if I have anything to say about it,” he murmured then headed for the cabin and his kids. He had to make sure they were unharmed after encountering the crazy wild woman on horseback.
* * *
Twenty-year-old Mercy Newell galloped through the trees, not slowing until she reached the barn on the Eden Valley Ranch—her home in Canada. She’d come from London to this raw new country a little more than two months ago with Eddie’s sister, Jayne, and their mutual friend, Sybil. Both were now married and living in small log cabins on the ranch though both said they and their new husbands would be starting their own ranches come spring. She wished them all the best, but she didn’t intend to marry and settle down. Not when there were things she wanted to do. Number one on that list was to join a Wild West show. Since the day she’d seen one in Benton, Montana, on their trip here she’d known she wanted to be part of such a show. The excitement, the thrill, the roar of the crowd’s approval...
While there, she’d even managed to get a few lessons in doing the stunts and instructions on more things she could learn. Since her arrival at Eden Valley Ranch, she’d also been taking lessons from anyone who would help her.
She reined in, pulling Nugget to a halt, getting him to rear up. She jumped from the saddle before he returned to all fours and led him to the barn where she brushed and fed him.
All the while she muttered about the man in her clearing. “Who does he think he is? Telling me to leave like I was common trash. As if he has the right. He says he rented the cabin. I’m not about to take his word on it, though. But even if he did, that doesn’t give him the right to chase me away.”
Nugget nudged her aside as if to say he was tired of her grousing.
“Fine. You’re not