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When two women peered over the gate of the pen, Sybil introduced Jayne.
“I heard about your misfortune,” Jayne said. “So sorry.”
“You’d be the other young lady who recently came from England.”
“That’s correct.”
Mercy gave a teasing grin. “She’s already married, though she had to shoot Seth to catch him.”
“Mercy, at least tell the truth.” Sybil’s voice held shock. “I can’t get over how you make things seem other than what they are.”
Brand swallowed the accusation. Wasn’t that exactly what he was doing? She’d be just as shocked to learn the truth he hid.
Mercy wrinkled her nose. “It is the truth, isn’t it, Jayne?”
“It’s sort of true,” Jayne confessed. She fixed Brand with her confident smile. “I did shoot him, though it was an accident.”
Brand chuckled. “I think the three of you might put all the young men in the area at risk.”
Mercy grinned. “I’d never shoot a man to catch him, but I might rope him.” She swung her arm to illustrate. “I’ve been practicing.”
Sybil sighed. “Have you got someone in mind?”
Her friend appeared to study the question. “I’ve got it under consideration,” she finally said.
“I would never stoop to such things.” Sybil’s voice was filled with caution. “I’m content to let God do the work for me.”
Well, that left Brand out—if he’d ever considered he was in. God would not be working out anything, not even an accidental shooting, or a roping. He grinned at his foolish thoughts.
“Sometimes God expects us to do a little work ourselves,” Mercy replied.
“Well, I’ve no intention of shooting a man nor of roping him.”
Mercy and Jayne both considered Sybil with determination in their eyes. She shifted and studied a board at the bottom of the gate as if it held important information.
The two other women turned to each other.
“There are equally effective, gentler ways, don’t you think?” Jayne said.
“Oh, indeed. Some men are best caught by kindness. You know—” Mercy tipped her head toward the dog “—like helping out in a tough situation.”
Sybil bolted to her feet, her cheeks red enough to ignite the hay on the floor. “I’m only...” She lifted her skirts and prepared to depart. But she hesitated at the last moment, as if reconsidering. “I’ll be back to check on Dawg.”
She accompanied the others down the aisle.
Brand chuckled softly. Seems her friends thought she might be a little interested in him.
He let the notion flit about in his head like a sun-struck bird, then shot it down.
Even if he hadn’t been a Duggan, he had nothing to offer a fine woman like Sybil.
“You and me will do just fine together,” he told Dawg, who fluttered his eyelids in acknowledgment. Or was it in disagreement? Dawg had made it clear he didn’t want to leave the ranch. In fact, if it wasn’t so far-fetched, Brand might think Dawg had challenged the cougar so they would be forced to return.
His dog wasn’t that stupid.
And Brand wasn’t dumb enough, nor reckless enough, to consider staying.
Chapter Nine
The next few days fell into a sort of pattern. Brand stayed at Dawg’s side at night. During the day, he worked on the few horses left to break. If not for Dawg, Brand would have joined the other cowboys at the cookhouse for his meals. Or so he told himself. And tried to believe it.
Well, he might have if it wasn’t his habit to stay away from human company as much as possible.
And—he tried to ignore the real reason—if Sybil didn’t bring him supper most nights.
He was seven kinds of stupid for looking forward to her visits. Ten kinds of reckless. Should Pa or Cyrus learn of his friendship with her—
It didn’t bear thinking about.
But how often did he scan the horizon, searching for any sign of them? Or listen in the hours just before dark for a familiar sound?
Each time he saw nothing, and heard nothing, he let his breath out slowly. Maybe this time they had decided to let him go.
He shook his head. He dare not hope.
The other cowboys had eaten and left the cookhouse. Eddie and Grady had disappeared inside the house some time ago. Brand waited at Dawg’s side, hoping against all reason that Sybil would bring him a meal.
