AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Thank you. Some women look at me like I have lost my mind. Not every woman wants to be a mother.”
“I agree with you on that.” Siobhan glanced at her. “How do you do it? The hours your husband is gone.”
“I have seen that man practically crawl into the house because he was so tired, but he’d get up the next day and do it again. He’s been working on ranches since he was fifteen. He knows what’s involved, and he loves it.”
“Did it ever cause tension?”
“Not for us, but I’ve seen a few divorces with other ranch hands.”
“I bet.”
“I love this ranch too. Even though it’s not ours, we feel like a part of the family. When Terry and I wanted to get married, we didn’t know where we would live. We couldn’t get a home loan, and the apartment was too far from the ranch. Joseph built us a home on a few acres down the road.”
“Joseph?”
“Liam’s father,” Margie said with a frown.
“We haven’t talked much about families yet. I know Liam was pissed at having to take that vacation.”
Margie laughed. “I believe it. That man works harder than anyone else on this ranch. Because of him, the ranch is one of the best in Montana. It’s not the largest, but has one of the best reputations.”
“It looks like his men respect him.”
“They do. He’s a great boss. Not to mention one fine-looking man.” Margie laughed.
“I agree with you about that.”
They rode in silence for a while. The sun beat down on her shoulders, and dust kicked up from the cattle. She waved her hand in front of her face and coughed.
“Didn’t you bring a handkerchief?” Margie asked her.
“No.” Siobhan wondered why Liam hadn’t told her.
She saw him riding back to her… wearing a bandana. He rode alongside her.
“Your bandana is in your saddlebag, Irish. I meant to tell you earlier, but forgot.”
“Oh, good. This dust is bad.”
“It will get worse. I’ll see you in a while.” He nodded, then rode off.
Once they reached an open field, Liam held his hand up for everyone to stop and turned in the saddle.
“We’ll stay here tonight. Let’s settle the cattle, and then we can set up the tents.”
Siobhan watched as the men moved the cattle a little away from the camping area. She smiled when she saw the creek and the cattle drinking from it. She needed to. Her nose felt like it had a pound of dust and dirt inside, and her mouth was dry.
When she saw others dismounting, she did, then led her horse to where Liam sat on his, overseeing the herd.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hi, darlin’.” He pulled the bandana down. “I’ll set our tent up in a few minutes.”
She smiled. “I’ve never done it in a tent.”
Liam laughed. “Do you think you could be quiet? We don’t need a stampede.”
She gasped, making him grin.
