The Lady and the Cowboy Read online

  The Lady and the Cowboy

  By

  Christine Anne Wenger

  Copyright © 1997 by Christine Anne Wenger

  E-book Copyright © 2011 by Christine Anne Wenger

  www.ChristineWenger.com

  These stories are works of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from Christine Wenger.

  Cover art by Shutterstock.com/

  E-book formatted by Jessica Lewis

  www.AuthorsLifeSaver.com

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  NEWYORKCITY

  MAY l880

  “A letter for you from Wyoming, Miss Trask.” The gray-haired postman handed her a white envelope. Caroline’s heart lifted when she saw her father’s big, bold handwriting.

  She took a deep breath and opened the envelope carefully. The letters from her father brightened her lonely days. He would tell of the latest calf or foal being born. He would tell funny stories about the cowboys who worked the ranch. Maybe, just maybe, this letter would say that she could come home. How she wished.

  In every letter she wrote to her father, Caroline begged him to let her come home to Wyoming Territory. To their ranch, the Lazy Circle T. Right after her mother died, her father had sold some cattle. He used the money to send Caroline to boarding school in New York City.

  Her parents had come to Wyoming from New York years before. When she turned l7, the headmistress found Caroline employment at the home of Lewis and Mary Foxworth. She was the governess to the two Foxworth children.

  It had been seven years now that she had been away from the Lazy Circle T. Seven long years. Though she begged her father to let her come home, he always gave the same reason why she couldn’t, He was afraid the hard life would kill her as it did her mother. He always said that in his letters.

  With a sad smile, Caroline carefully unfolded the new letter and read:

  My dearest daughter Caroline,

  Your last letter was a comfort to me. But I can’t change my mind. I know you want to come home, but New York City has so much to offer you. Wyoming is a harsh land. Your mother died because of this land, and I don’t want that to happen to you.

  I lost a lot of cattle this past winter, and the ranch needs a lot of work. This year will not be an easy one. It’s not a fit place for a lady like you are now. It wasn’t fit for you: mother. It’s a place for cowboys, not ladies.

  There is some good news. During spring roundup, there were more calves than usual. I’m hoping that when the little critters grow up they’ll bring a good price.

  My beautiful daughter, in this envelope is some money for you. It’s never as much as I would like to send, but buy yourself a pretty dress or whatever else you need.

  I almost forgot. Your horse, Rosebud, had a fine colt last week. We are calling him Buddy.

  Old Doctor Bites stopped by when I was writing this letter, and he sends you his best. He said he’d mail this letter for me when he goes to town.

  All my love, Your father,

  Carl Trask

  Tears streamed down Caroline’s face as she read the letter again and again. Something was wrong.

  Caroline was 11 years old when he sent her away, but she could ride and rope as well as the best cowboys. Her father had taught her how to shoot a gun, too. He joked that she’d be able to shoot the eye out of a rattlesnake 20 feet away, They’d been so happy together.

  Then her mother died, and she was sent away.

  Caroline looked down at her light blue satin dress with the ruffled sleeves. She felt the dark blue satin bow at her neck that kept her hat in place. She didn’t care about these fancy things. She longed to be back in Wyoming, wearing her brown split skirt and riding her horse, Rosebud, She longed to see the new colt Buddy, too.

  She wondered how many cattle had died during the winter. It had to be a lot, because her father sounded worried. The money he sent was less than usual.

  Caroline read again the part about the doctor stopping by. She knew without a doubt that her father must be sick. Her father would never let a doctor get within a foot of him. He was sick, or Doc Bite would never have been at the ranch.

  She had to know what was wrong, and she couldn’t wait for another letter.

  “I must leave right away,” she said, putting the letter back into the envelope. “Right now. I have to go to him.”

  * * *

  Caroline stood and hurried toward the Foxworth home to pack and to announce her departure. It was a huge house—the Foxworths were very rich. She was well taken care of—in fact, she lived like a lady, as her father said.

  But all she wanted—all she’d ever wanted—was to go home and be with her father on the ranch.

  She had saved some money over the years, money that her father had sent her. She hardly spent any of it. She saved most of her governess stipend, too. With the money her father had just sent, she had enough at last.

  Caroline packed some traveling dresses and a few items she would want in Wyoming. Then she slipped her father’s last letter under the blue ribbon that held together all the letters he sent over the years. She carefully put the bundle into her carpetbag.

  She took a last look around at her room. It was beautiful, but she never felt at home in it as she did at the Lazy Circle T with its colorful Indian blankets and its walls made out of logs.

  Caroline took a last look out of the window. She had made many wishes on many stars from that window. All the wishes were to return home.

  New York City couldn’t compare to the rugged mountains, the open spaces, the deep blue sky, and the sight of cattle grazing on long grass

  Wyoming

  She was going home at last!

  Chapter Two

  THE LAZY CIRCLE T RANCH

  WYOMING TERRITORY

  “We’ve been over this before, Raven. The ranch is yours, and that’s my final word on it.”

  “Leave it to your daughter, Carl,” the younger man answered.

  “You know that I don’t want her anywhere near this place,” the dying man said. “Now get the heck out of here, and let a man die in peace.”

  Raven turned to leave. He hated to see his friend looking so old, so sick.

  “Raven…wait. I had a will made out. The lawyer in town has it. I left it all to you. Promise me that you’ll do as I ask?” Carl Trask looked up at him from his bed. Raven saw that his friend’s eyes were red and that he was breathing hard. He wouldn’t live much longer.

  “Look, Carl, I’ve written those letters to Caroline for you for seven years now. I’ve read the letters she wrote back to you. You know she wants to come home. She asks you in every letter.” Raven sat down next to the bed.

  “You know why I don’t want her to live here,” Carl said. “Look what it did to her mother.”

  Carl started coughing. Raven picked up a tin cup full of cool water. He held the cup up to Carl’s mouth, and Carl took a deep sip.

  “She’s eighteen years old.” Raven ran his fingers through his long, straight black hair. “She’s a woman now, Carl. I can tell by her letters. She can make her
own choice.”

  Raven was thinking how much he liked Caroline from her letters. He understood her. He, too, was very lonely. He knew he wanted her to come home.

  Raven waited until Carl stopped coughing. “Get some rest, you old snake. I’ll be back in the morning.”

  Raven got up and pulled another blanket over his friend. No, not just his friend. The man was more like a father to him. He turned to leave. “I’ll be back in the morning, Carl. Sleep now.”

  “Raven?”

  “Yes?”

  “Just see that Caroline never wants for anything. Promise me?”

  Raven didn’t answer. “Answer me, Raven. I ain’t dead yet.”

  “You should leave it to Caroline. You know how much she loves this ranch. It’s her home. But I don’t want to fight with you about it. I promise.”

  “Promise me something else,” Carl spoke so quietly, it was hard to hear.

  “Just name it,” Raven said.

  “Tell Caroline I love her. Tell her for me in the next letter.”

  “I tell her in every letter. Get some rest now, partner.”

  Raven heard Carl’s heavy breathing and knew he was asleep.

  “All Caroline wanted was to be with you, Carl. That’s all. Looks like she’s not going to get that wish,” he whispered. “Good-bye, my friend.”

  Raven shut off the lantern and left the cabin. He decided not to ride back to his own ranch, Raven’s Nest, tonight.

  He had inherited the ranch after his father died.

  Raven was surprised that he got the ranch. He and his father, Charles, had fought when Raven was a teenager. Charles had forced Raven to leave.

  Raven always thought that his father felt guilty about the fight. Perhaps the ranch was his way of making up for all those lonely years.

  Raven sighed. Soon he was going to own two ranches: one left to him out of guilt and one out of love. He, John Raven, was going to be the owner of one of the biggest spreads in Wyoming Territory.

  He knew he should be happy but he wasn’t. Caroline Trask called the Lazy Circle T home. It was hers by rights.

  He took a deep breath to clear his head. Spreading out his bedroll, he lay down and looked up at the stars. He wanted to be nearby in case Carl needed him.

  Chapter Three

  DRY CREEK

  WYOMING TERRITORY

  The train pulled into Dry Creek’s small railway station. Caroline was glad that the long train ride to Wyoming was over at last. She stood up and stretched her tired muscles as the train stopped. She stepped down onto the crowded platform of the train station.

  Slowly Caroline looked around, drinking in the landscape she had dreamed of. She smiled at the snow on the mountains in the distance and took a deep breath of the fresh, clean air. The sun was shining and the sky was a beautiful blue, just as she knew it would be.

  A tall, dusty cowboy in a big hat spit on the dirt near Caroline. “Why howdy, young lady,” he said to her. “What’s a pretty lady like you doing alone in Dry Creek?” He leered at her.

  Caroline didn’t answer and stepped back from him. She wasn’t used to these rough ways any longer.

  She felt afraid, and locked around in panic. Suddenly another man was standing beside her.

  Caroline looked at the tall man who had appeared. He wore a black linen duster, a black shirt unbuttoned at the neck, and black pants. Brown boots came almost up to his knees. Hair as black as night blew around his shoulders in the breeze. His eyes were as blue as the spring sky above.

  He is handsome, so very handsome, Caroline thought. And somehow wild looking. Yet she felt safe again. She hoped he was the sheriff.

  “Zeke, what’s going on here?” The man’s blue eyes sparked with anger. “It looks like the lady wants to be left alone,” he said. His voice was low and deep, and he spoke in such a way that no one would dare cross him.

  Caroline smoothed down the sleeves of her dress. She looked up, and her eyes met those of the handsome stranger. She felt her heart skip a beat. He touched the brim of his hat, and nodded at her. “I’m sorry about that, Miss…?”

  “Trask. Caroline Trask. Are you the sheriff?”

  His tanned face paled. “What did you say your name was?” he asked.

  “Caroline Trask.” Caroline wondered what she had said to upset him. “Are you the sheriff?” she asked again.

  “No, I’m not, Miss Trask. I’m just a simple cattle rancher.” He let out a long, low whistle and shook his head.

  She wondered why he was acting so strangely. “My father is Carl Trask. He owns the Lazy Circle T ranch. I haven’t seen him in a long time, and I’m eager to get home.

  He stared at her. “My name is John Raven, but almost everyone just calls me Raven.”

  Raven. The name fits him, Caroline thought. His hair is as black as a raven. “If you’ll excuse me, Mr. Raven, I must get to my father’s ranch before sunset.”

  “It’s just plain Raven,” Miss Trask. “There’s no Mister in front of it.”

  Caroline smiled. “Thank you for coming to my assistance, Raven.”

  He tipped his hat. “He’s not a bad man, Miss Trask. Just a little…rough. Men around here are just not used to seeing a pretty lady like yourself.”

  She felt the warmth rush to her cheeks. “Thank you.”

  “How are you planning to get home, Miss Trask?” he asked.

  “I was planning to rent a wagon from the livery.”

  “Why not use mine? It’s right here in town,” Raven offered. “I’ll help you get to the Lazy Circle T safely,” he added.

  “You know where the Lazy Circle T is?” Caroline asked.

  “Everyone in these parts knows the Laze Circle T.”

  “Do you know my father?” Caroline asked.

  “Yes. Very well,” Raven said, then turned quickly and walked away before she could ask any more questions. And before she could refuse his help.

  A short time later, he returned with a buckboard pulled by two chestnut horses.

  Caroline insisted she could find her way home without his help. In her mind, she had pictured it a million times. The flat, green land. The mountains in the distance, the pine trees. This part of Wyoming was rugged, rough land. The people who worked the land and ran cattle had to be just as rough and rugged.

  Like Raven.

  She looked up at him. His smile was friendly, but his eyes held some sorrow.

  Raven put his hands on her waist and helped her into the wagon. His hands were big and strong, and the feel of them made her heart beat wildly. She brushed back the curls that had escaped her hat and smoothed down her dress, trying to steady her breathing

  When he handed her the reins their fingers touched. What was it about this man that warmed her blood so and made her heart pound hard in her chest?

  Caroline stammered a “thank you” before she lightly snapped the reins on the horses’ rumps. The wagon creaked as it moved forward.

  She smiled. This wasn’t so hard.

  Caroline looked back. Raven was watching her.

  She forced her eyes back on the dirt road and pushed the handsome man out of her mind. Her thoughts turned back to her father instead. How she longed to know he was well. She couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when he saw her after all these years.

  Her thoughts were broken by the sound of a horse galloping. Fear hit her until she saw who it was. Raven. He slowed his big black horse to a trot alongside the wagon.

  He touched the brim of his hat again. “Miss Trask, you’d get there faster if you went in the right direction. The lazy Circle T ranch is south, and you’re heading east! Let me ride with you.”

  Chapter Four

  Raven didn’t know how to tell Caroline her father was dead. He could see how happy she was to be going home at last. He didn’t want to make her sad so soon.

  He could tell by the way Caroline raised her face to the spring sun that she loved this land. She had pulled her hat off, and most of her golden hair had esca
ped from her bun and was blowing in the breeze. The dust from the road didn’t seem to bother her one bit. Her green eyes twinkled with joy.

  “Isn’t it just beautiful here, Raven? Only horses and cattle as far as the eye can see. No high buildings to block your view. Just this land rich with wildflowers that spring up out of nowhere, and mountains so close you feel you can touch them,” Caroline said.

  If Carl had just let her come home for a visit, he would have seen how much she loved this land, Raven thought.

  “Father always said that this land killed my mother, and I tried to convince him that he was wrong. She loved it here as much as I did. He said he should never have taken her away from New York City and brought her to Wyoming after they were married. Then there would have been a doctor close by when she needed one.”

  Caroline wiped a tear from her eye. “She died giving birth,” she said. “Both my mother and the baby died.”

  “I know,” Raven sighed. “Carl told me.”

  Raven just couldn’t find the words to tell Caroline that her father was dead now, too. Nor that he was the new owner of the Lazy Circle T.

  Finally, when the log cabin was in sight, he knew he couldn’t wait any longer.

  “Um…Miss Trask…Caroline…I have to tell you something,” he said.

  But Caroline didn’t hear him. She had already jumped down from the wagon and started running toward the house. “Father!” she called out. “Father! It’s me! It’s Caroline! I’m home!”

  Raven jumped off his horse and hurried toward Caroline. “Wait! Caroline, wait!”

  Caroline looked up at the top of the hill beside the house and stood still.

  Raven saw her shoulders shake with sobs the second she saw the fresh grave next to her mother’s grave. She knew.

  “I’m sorry, Caroline. I tried to tell you,” he said. “I tried, but I just couldn’t.” She stared at him and said nothing. She looked back at the grave.

  Raven walked toward her. “I buried Carl next to your mother. He died just one week ago today. I sent you a telegram, but I guess you had already left New York.”