AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Mr. Garrity, the old man who’d once kept watch over the place, had passed on, along with his faithful dog. Kristin remembered the day Alvar had been working at the mill when a log had splintered under the blades and driven a shard of pine through his leg. With Alvar’s mother gone, Kristin had been called to treat the injury. It had been Garrity, a veteran of the Indian wars, experienced in extracting arrows, who’d talked her through the process of removing the shard. That had been the day she and Alvar had fallen in love.
Even now, Kristin found herself wondering if she would ever love anyone as much as she’d loved Alvar. They’d been so young and innocent, heedless of the forces that would tear them apart. She was no longer young and no longer innocent. She’d learned through sad experience that love—like a song or a summer day—is good only for the brief time it lasts.
Could she love Webb? Did she want to let him back into her life? Tonight, there were no answers. All she wanted was rest.
The road had changed over the past weeks, with the heavy log wagons passing over it every few days. The ruts were cut even deeper, the weeds in the high center worn away. For the safety of the horse, she chose a parallel course along the right-hand bank. The night was quiet, the moon-silvered grass whispering in the breeze. From somewhere in the darkness, a coyote called. Farther away, another answered. The chaise swayed gently with the motion of the wheels over the ground.
Kristin was getting drowsy by the time she saw the light, faint with distance, like a fallen star below the eastern foothills. Impulsively, she swung the horse to the right and headed in that direction. Logan’s ranch was out here somewhere. The light was most likely coming from there. But in case she was heading into danger, she reached behind the seat, retrieved the Winchester, and laid it within reach.
She and Logan hadn’t parted on the best of terms, and it was mostly her own fault. First, she’d warned him against getting involved with Webb. She’d even walked out of the room when he’d announced that he was buying the ranch Webb had chosen. Then, the next time he saw her, he’d learned that she and Webb were courting—or at least appeared to be. If Logan wanted nothing more to do with her, she could hardly blame him.
But tonight’s clash with Blake had brought home the need for a calm, impartial friend, someone who would demand nothing from her. She had some fence mending to do—if only Logan was in a mood to accept her apology.
As she neared the light, she could see the frame of the unfinished barn and the fenced pasture with its grazing cattle. Reflected moonlight gleamed on their white faces as they turned to look at her.
The house lay beyond the barn. A lantern, hanging from a post by the door, cast shadows across the yard. Halting the chaise, she climbed down and hitched the horse to a leg of the windmill tower. She was about to start for the house when a voice out of the darkness riveted her in her tracks.
“Stay right where you are, stranger. Both hands in the air, now.”
Even though she recognized the voice, Kristin did as she was told. “It’s me, Logan,” she called. “For heaven’s sake, don’t shoot!”
He stepped into sight, lowering his rifle. “Making a house call, are you, Doctor?”
She chose to ignore his tone. “I was taking the short way home from my brother’s house. When I saw your light, I decided to stop by.” She paused, scrambling for a way to break the ice. “I don’t suppose you have any whiskey, do you? I could use a drink right now.”
“Sorry, not a drop. But I know somebody who does. Maybe you should’ve gone that way.” He exhaled a long, slow breath. “If you’ll settle for coffee, I can brew some. It won’t take long.”
“Thanks. I was getting sleepy.”
“You’re welcome to come in, but there’s no place to sit except the kitchen table.”
“That’ll do. I don’t plan to stay long. I was just hoping you’d give me a chance to clear the air.”
“No need for that. I figure everything’s been said. But if you’ve got something to get off your chest, I’ll listen. Since you saved my life, I owe you that courtesy.”
She followed him through the empty living room and into the kitchen, where he set the lantern on the table, then pulled out one of the two wooden chairs and seated her. Turning, he added a stick to the stove, measured a scoop of Arbuckle’s into the enameled coffeepot, and added water.
“For whatever my opinion’s worth,” he said, talking as he worked, “Webb is a good man. True, he can be pushy when it comes to getting his own way. But his heart’s in the right place. When I congratulated the two of you, I meant it. You could do worse. So could he—in fact I can’t think of how he could do any better than you.”
Kristin gazed down at the wood grain in the table. She knew the words were well meant, so why didn’t they give her any satisfaction?
“Logan, I can imagine what you’re thinking,” she said. “But I’ve made Webb no promises. We’re friends. He’d like to be more than friends. But I didn’t go to medical school, survive a war, and come back to Blue Moon just to be a rich man’s wife. In fact, I’m not even sure that a wife is what Webb wants. I’m giving it time, but I honestly don’t know what’s going to happen.”
“Do you love him, Kristin?” He kept his gaze fixed on the coffeepot.
“Not yet. Maybe I could if I were to let myself. But I’m not ready to take that step.”
“Then why are you here?” He turned to face her. “What makes you think that I’d give a damn what you and Webb decide to do with your lives? It’s not as if I can help you make up your mind.”
The words hit Kristin like a slap. She stood, her voice quivering as she spoke. “You can move that coffee off the heat. I won’t be here long enough to drink it. I came because I thought you were my friend. And I didn’t plan to talk about Webb. I only wanted to apologize for the way I behaved at his house when you said you were going to buy this property. Now that I’ve said it, I’ll be on my way.”
He slid the coffeepot to the cooler side of the stovetop. “I’ll take the lantern and walk you to your buggy,” he said. “We’ve got boards and nails scattered around the yard. It’s not safe to be out there in the dark.”
He came around the table and took her arm, his hand cupping her elbow as he steered her toward the front door. “It’s probably best that you don’t come out here again,” he said. “Especially at night. You don’t want talk that could damage your reputation—or give your boyfriend the wrong idea.”
“Stop it!” Temper flaring, Kristin pulled away and spun to face him. “You sound like my brother, and I’ve heard enough. I’m tired of being lectured and judged by men who have no business telling me what to do.Youwere the one who brought up the subject of Webb. And when I gave you an honest reply, you started in on me. If I didn’t know better, I could almost believe you were jealous!”
“Jealous?” His dark eyes burned into hers as he loomed over her. “You’re damned right I’m jealous! Watching the two of you that night at the Roadhouse, every time he touched you, every time you looked at him, I had to grind my teeth. And short of starting a fight, there wasn’t a blasted thing I could do about it. So let’s get you on your way before I lose control and do something I shouldn’t.”
