The Rancher Takes a Cook Read Online Free

and
you’re going to keep yourself quiet as a kitten, do ye hear? One
little sound and you’ll regret it for the rest of yer short life.”
He snickered in the darkness as she nodded. She had to pacify him
as much as possible until she found the right time to make a
move.
    His hand slid off her mouth and he brushed
her arm as he reached for something in the darkness. Anna sucked in
a breath of clean air, but the arm still cinched around her waist
restricted her lungs from filling completely. As the man moved,
something metallic-sounding clattered to the ground. The arm around
her waist loosened just a fraction as the man bent to retrieve the
object, but it was the moment Anna had been waiting for.
    Like a nitroglycerine explosion, she slammed
both elbows into the man’s ribcage and kicked at his knee as hard
as she could. She wasn’t sure if it was the shock or the pain that
caused his hold to loosen, but Anna writhed out of his grip and
bolted for the door. He recovered too quickly, though, and grabbed
her hair in his fist, jerking her back to him. Anna let out the
loudest scream she could muster, freedom slipping away from
her.
    The man again clamped a hand over her mouth
and nose, cutting off her air supply. But it was too late. Heavy
boot thuds and men’s voices drifted from outside the tent, then the
flap opened and lantern light illuminated the area.
    * * *
    Over the next week, Anna kept Edward close
to the Mercantile, and she was too shaken up to venture farther
than the backyard herself. Major Barnes had informed Uncle Walter
that the Corporal had received punishment and been transferred to
Virginia for his misconduct, but Anna still worried that another of
the soldiers might have taken up his vendetta.
    She couldn’t stay holed up in her aunt and
uncle’s house forever, though. More than anything, Anna wanted a
home of their own and a livelihood. A purpose . How could she
earn enough income to maintain a roof over their heads and still
have enough for food? Without a large amount of capital to start a
new business—which she didn’t have—it was impossible for a woman to
support herself alone, much less support a fifteen-year-old
brother, too. Edward’s odd jobs earned pocket change but certainly
not enough to live on. Anna had become an excellent cook and
housekeeper over the years since Mama passed away, but most
housekeeping jobs were live-in positions, and she had to find a way
for Edward and her to stay together. Lord, please send me
something. I need to figure out what to do now.
    * * *
    Edward came in for supper that night fairly
glowing. He fidgeted during the prayer, and as soon as Uncle
Walter’s deep baritone voice said, “Amen,” Edward looked up at Anna
with the shine of a schoolboy who’d just won the spelling bee.
    “Guess what?” Without waiting for a
response, Edward rushed on. “A couple of cowboys were at the smithy
today when I was holdin’ horses to be shod. One of ’em noticed how
good I was with the animals and asked if I wanted a job as a
cowpuncher. His name’s Monty and he said he’s the foreman on the
Double Rocking B Ranch and they need a good cowboy. He said he’ll
teach me everything I need to know. Isn’t that great, Anna?”
    Edward’s eyes looked at her with brows
raised and grin wrapping his face. She didn’t have the heart to
tell him no right then. But that was certainly what she planned to
say. Absolutely not. The life of a cowboy was far too dangerous.
She’d heard the stories of cowboys being horned to death by the
crazy longhorn cows or bitten by rattlesnakes or sucked into
quicksand or attacked by mountain lions. No doubt about it, Edward
would not be a cowboy.
    He eyed her with brows lifted, waiting for
an answer. She looked at him with her most placating smile and
began, “That’s quite an honor, Eddie, that he thought so highly of
your skills as a horseman. I hope you were polite when you told him
no.”
    “No? Why would I tell him no?” A