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After thirty minutes or so all she’d put on the page besides that question were a series of doodles—circles that went round and round. Exactly how she felt as her thoughts returned again and again to the cowboy in the corrals. Why had he returned?
And why does it matter to you?
Only because I feel like it’s an answer to a prayer if he changed his mind about being a nameless, rootless cowboy.
And why would that matter to you?
Annoying, persistent voice.
Because.
Yes?
She closed the notebook and put it in her pocket before she answered. Because it gives me a chance to learn more about him for my story.
Oh yes. The story. The one you haven’t added a word to in half an hour of sitting here.
“I will.” She silenced the inner voice by speaking aloud. “I just have to learn more about him.”
She pushed herself to her feet and dusted off her skirts. She didn’t know how long Brand would stay around, but she would find an excuse to visit him and talk to him and get the information she needed to flesh out her story.
Right then she returned to the house to help Linette with kitchen chores. The afternoon sped by as they made pickled beets and filled dozens of jars. The kitchen grew hot and steamy. Sybil’s nose stung with the smell of vinegar.
Finally, the bottles of burgundy beets sat in neat rows on the cupboard shelves and Linette rubbed her hands together. “These will be so tasty during the winter months.”
Sybil was about to excuse herself when her friend pulled out potatoes for the evening meal. She couldn’t leave Linette to prepare supper on her own. They finished just as Eddie and Grady came in. Mercy followed, and they gathered around the big wooden table in the kitchen.
Sybil joined the others for the meal. Would Brand be gone by the time she got a chance to leave the house?
After supper there were dishes. Finally, she dried the last pot and hung the towels to dry. She looked around the kitchen. “I thought I’d go see if Brand is still breaking horses if you don’t need me for anything more.” She hoped her words sounded casual. As if it didn’t matter one way or the other.
Mercy winked at Sybil. “I’ll help Linette if she needs anything. You run along.”
Sybil ignored her and waited for Linette’s reply. “Yes, you run along.” And if Linette grinned at Mercy as if they shared a secret, Sybil pretended not to notice.
As she left the house, her gaze went immediately to the corrals. No bucking horses. Was he done, and gone already? She hurried, but not enough to make anyone think she was desperate.
Brand was still there, talking to Buster, the youngest cowboy on the ranch.
Sybil moved to the fence.
“Mister,” Buster said, “you know a lot about horses. Maybe you can help me with mine.”
“Certainly will if I can.” His words were gentle, his tone kind.
Just as she thought—a good man. A good man on the run? She shook her head. She moved closer to catch every word. Listening to this conversation might provide valuable information for her story.
“What seems to be the problem?” Brand asked the young man.
“He always backs away when I try and mount him.” Buster hung his head. “Makes me look stupid in front of the others.”
Brand clapped a hand to the younger man’s shoulder. “Anything else?”
Sybil’s throat tightened at the comfort that gesture offered. She’d certainly include that detail.
Although a loner, perhaps an outcast—she liked the word for her story, but cringed at using it to describe Brand—the cowboy never turned his back on those who were weaker, younger, more vulnerable. Whatever had sent him on this lonesome journey, it hadn’t destroyed the cowboy’s compassion for others.
Buster pushed his shoulders back at Brand’s touch, then continued. “Yeah. When I try and lead him anywhere, he walks too fast, as if he’s gonna run over me. Sometimes I get a little nervous.”
“Sounds to me like he’s trying to find out if you’re the boss or not. Bring your horse here and I’ll show you what to do.”
Buster trotted into the barn and led out a shaggy-haired horse that indeed seemed to be pushing him rather than following.
Brand took the rope from Buster. “You can teach him to follow you by doing this.”
