Cowboy 12 Pack Page 10

  At first blush, the Buchanan ranch looked pretty dang unremarkable, which made Jake wonder why a land baron would want it so much. But land was land, and as he got closer, he realized the spread was some prime property. In addition to the well-kept barn and good sized house, there were lush acres of grazing land that made the place perfect for raising cattle.

  Jake brought his horse to a stop in front of the two-story house and dismounted. He looked around as he took off his gloves and smacked them against his thigh to get the dust off. The two ranch hands by the barn had stopped pitching hay to look his way, and he gave them a nod as he shoved the gloves in his saddlebag. They nodded in return, watching as he walked up the steps and knocked on the front door.

  A man answered his knock. Older and shorter than Jake, he had salt-and-pepper hair with a mustache and beard to match. His hazel eyes appraised Jake.

  “You Jake Wagner?” he asked.

  Jake inclined his head. “That’s me.”

  The man held out his hand. “I’m Ned Jeffries. Come on in.”

  Jake accepted the invitation, taking in the striped wallpaper and vase of fresh flowers on the small table in the entryway. It had been a long time since he’d been in a house that had a woman’s touch.

  “We weren’t expectin’ you for a couple more days,” the older man said as he closed the door.

  “I was able to make good time across Colorado,” Jake answered.

  Ned started down the hallway. “Miss Sadie’s in the study. Follow me.”

  Jake hadn’t expected Sadie Buchanan to be so young—or so pretty—but the woman sitting behind the desk couldn’t be more than twenty-five. And with that heart-shaped face, those big, blue eyes and pillow-soft lips, she was most definitely a looker. On top of it, she was blonde. He’d always had a hankering for blondes.

  “Miss Sadie, meet Jake Wagner,” Ned said.

  Something that looked like surprise flickered in her blue eyes. Was she as stunned by him as he was her?

  “Mr. Wagner, I’m relieved you decided to come.” Her voice was soft and as sweet as the honey he’d poured on his hotcakes that morning at the boarding house where he’d spent the night. She gestured to the chairs in front of the desk. “Please sit.”

  Jake did as she asked, taking one of the chairs while Ned lowered himself into the other.

  “Your telegram didn’t say much other than that you have a problem you need fixing,” Jake said. “Someone after your land?”

  “I apologize for not being more forthcoming.” She gave him a small smile. “The townsfolk like to gossip, so I couldn’t say very much. There’s a land baron by the name of Harlan Boone who wants my ranch and since I won’t sell, he’s prepared to do whatever it takes to get his grimy hands on it.”

  That wasn’t unheard of out here in the territories. Jake had gone up against his share of land barons over the years. In his opinion, they were usually sons of bitches who used their wealth and power to get what they wanted and they didn’t care what they did to the people who stood in their way.

  “When did Boone first start terrorizing you?” he asked Sadie.

  “Last year. After my father died.” Her mouth tightened. “He said I was too frail to run a ranch on my own and that he’d be happy to take it off my hands. I told him to take his money and go to hell.”

  “Good for you,” Jake said. He liked a woman with spunk. “I’m guessing that didn’t go over too well with Boone, though.”

  “No, it didn’t.” She sighed. “A few days after that, he cut my fences and poisoned some of my longhorns. When that didn’t work, he chased off my ranch hands or hired them out from under me. My foreman was one of the first to leave town. I can’t really blame him. He has a wife and children to worry about. I wouldn’t put it past Boone to threaten them, and after that varmint scared Caleb off, it wasn’t long before the other workers left, too.”

  Jake slanted Ned a curious look. “You the new foreman then?”

  “Me? No.” The man laughed. “I’m a little too old to be runnin’ a ranch.”

  “Ned is my father’s friend. Was my father’s friend.” Sadie swallowed hard. “His closest friend, actually. He kindly offered to help me run the ranch in his stead. In fact, Ned is the one who suggested I hire you.”

  Jake eyed the other man again, wondering how Ned had heard of him. “Is that right?”

  “Miss Sadie needs someone who can stand up to that bastard Boone—pardon my language, Miss Sadie—and I told her you’re the only man around these parts who can do it.” Ned’s eyes narrowed. “Am I right? Because if you ain’t, we need to find someone else. The annual cattle drive to Cheyenne is comin’ up and she needs a foreman before that.”

  “You don’t beat around the bush, do you?” Jake’s mouth twitched. “I like that.”

  “Does that mean you’ll take the job?” Sadie’s soft voice, so calm and sure before, sounded almost desperate.

  “I’ll take it.”

  She let out a sigh of relief. “Good. I suppose we should talk about your fee then.”

  Clearly, Miss Buchanan didn’t beat around the bush, either. “Two-hundred-and fifty now and another two-hundred-and-fifty when the job’s done.”

  Sadie’s pretty blue eyes went a little wide at the figure, but she nodded. “I suppose that’s reasonable.”

  “As well as thirty-five dollars per week,” Jake added.

  She blinked. “You want me to give you a weekly salary in addition to the five-hundred dollars?”

  “That’s my usual rate.”

  “That’s highway robbery.” She lifted her chin. “I’ll pay you one-hundred-and-fifty up front, and another one-hundred-and-fifty when the job is done, along with twenty-five per week.”

  Jake almost laughed. He’d never had anyone haggle over his fee before. Mostly because people were too scared of him to attempt it. Sadie Buchanan, on the other hand, definitely wasn’t scared to stand up to him. He was liking this little filly more and more. “Two-hundred up front, two-hundred when the job’s done, and thirty-five per week.”

  Sadie’s eyes narrowed as she considered the counteroffer. “Make it twenty-five per week and you have yourself a deal.”

  If anyone else had offered him the same amount, he would have told them what they could do with it, but like he said before—he never could resist a damsel in distress. And Sadie Buchanan was one hell of a beautiful damsel. Too bad he had a rule about never bedding the boss. “It’s a deal.”

  Sadie must have been quite pleased with her negotiating skills because her lips curved into a satisfied smile. Taking a lockbox out of the drawer, she opened it, counted out two-hundred dollars, then handed it to him.

  “Ned will show you where the bunkhouse is, then introduce you to the hands,” she told him.

  Jake shoved the money in his pocket. He had some more details to iron out with Sadie, like what his daily duties would be in addition to saving her ranch, but he could talk to her another time about it. He wanted to get the lay of the land around these parts anyway. And those details that needed ironing out would give him a reason to seek out his lovely employer again.

  *

  JAKE WAGNER WASN’T at all like Sadie thought he would be. For one thing, he was younger than she’d pictured. And for another, he was more handsome. In fact, his rugged good looks, dark eyes and sinfully delicious voice had just about made it almost impossible to think. He even had that trace of stubble on his jaw she preferred rather than a traditional beard and mustache. She still wasn’t sure how she explained the problems she’d been having with Boone, much less managed to quibble about her new foreman’s fee. She was almost relieved when he’d left with Ned so she could get some work done.

  But while her pulse might flutter at the sight of his broad shoulders and manly build, Sadie couldn’t help having some misgivings about hiring Jake. For all his polite demeanor, he was still a gunslinger, and she wasn’t sure she trusted him.

  Sadie regretted telling Ned to telegram Jak
e the moment the words had left her mouth, and found herself hoping he wouldn’t agree to come. But he had agreed, and now that he was here, she couldn’t come up with a good reason not to hire him. Paying Jake two-hundred dollars up front was an expense she hadn’t anticipated, however, which meant she had to redo the account ledger.

  She was still doing the math when Ned wandered in an hour later. She looked up as he took a seat.

  “Did Mr. Wagner get settled in?” she asked.

  “He did. Showed him around and introduced him to everyone. Since the sun’ll be settin’ soon, I told him I’d give him a tour of the ranch tomorrow at first light.”

  She sat back in her chair. “What do you think of him?”

  “I think once Boone finds out Jake’s yer new foreman, he ain’t gonna be happy.”

  She frowned. “Which means Boone will probably try something again.”

  “Or back off completely.”

  Sadie didn’t think so. Boone would test Jake first, then worry about the gunslinger’s reputation later. “Where’s Mr. Wagner now?”

  “He went into town. Said somethin’ about going to the saloon.”

  The saloon? Her eyes narrowed. She didn’t pay him two-hundred dollars so he could drink himself into a stupor, damn him.

  Sadie snapped the ledger book closed with a bang and shot to her feet. Ned rose, too.

  “Is the wagon still hitched from my earlier trip into town?” she asked as she headed for the door.

  “I believe so.” Ned followed her down the hallway. “Why? Where are you off to?”

  “The saloon,” she said tersely. “I’m going to have a chat with Mr. Wagner.”

  “I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Miss Sadie.”

  She rounded on Ned. “My father never had any respect for drunken louts and neither do I. If Mr. Wagner wants to drink and whore, he’s not going to do it with my money.”

  Ned frowned at her less-than-ladylike language, but didn’t take her to task for it. Instead, he opened the front door for her and accompanied her to where the wagon sat waiting beside the barn. “If yer intent on doin’ this, I’m goin’ with you.”

  Sadie climbed up onto the seat and took the reins. “I appreciate the thought, Ned, but I can handle Mr. Wagner on my own.”

  “It’ll be dark soon,” he protested.

  “I’ll be back before then.”

  Unless Jake had disappeared upstairs with one of the saloon girls, of course. Then it might take her a bit longer. Not that it mattered. She would barge into every room in the place to find him if she had to.

  Fortunately, that wasn’t necessary. Jake was at the bar when Sadie walked in, a drink in his hand and a heavily made-up saloon girl on either side of him. The man was so interested in whatever the more buxom of the two women was whispering in his ear he didn’t notice Sadie march across the room to stand in front of him. She wrinkled her nose. Good gracious, he reeked of whiskey even from this distance.

  The chatter in the saloon all but ceased. Even the piano player had stopped tinkling the keys.

  The saloon girl who wasn’t attached to his ear gave her a haughty look. She had curly, dark hair and a beauty mark painted on her cheek. “Can we help you?”

  Sadie folded her arms and returned the woman’s superior gaze with one of her own. “As a matter of fact, yes. You can start by taking your hands off him.”

  She was surprised Jake heard her over the sweet nothings the big-breasted strumpet was cooing in his ear, but he jerked his head up at the sound of her voice.

  The dark-haired saloon girl lifted a brow. “And who are you to tell us what to do? His wife?”

  Sadie wanted to laugh. She’d rather end up a spinster than marry a no-good, drunken lout like Jake Wagner. “I’m his employer.”

  Both women looked confused at that. Which was rather surprising. Sadie thought for sure everyone in town would know she’d hired a new foreman. If they hadn’t before, they would after this.

  She glared at Jake. “I didn’t pay you all that money in advance so you could come to the saloon and drink it all, you know.”

  The good-for-nothing man had the nerve to flash her a grin that was both infuriating and heart-stopping at the same time. “Now, don’t go getting your pantaloons in a bunch, Miss Sadie. I didn’t spend all the money on whiskey.”

  His words were only slightly slurred, which was rather amazing considering how much he’d probably drunk. She clenched her jaw. “I didn’t pay you all that money so you could some here and spend it on saloon girls, either. I expect more from my foreman.”

  Jake regarded her lazily. “Why don’t you get along back to that ranch of yours and do what you do best, and I’ll stay here and do what I do best?”

  She clenched her hands into fists to keep from slapping that smug face of his. “And what exactly do you do best, Mr. Wagner? Get drunk?”

  The saloon erupted into laugher around them. Sadie was glad someone was amused.

  “I’m not drunk,” he said.

  She let out a snort. “Oh, please! You’re as drunk as a fiddler’s clerk.”

  That earned her more laughs from the saloon’s patrons.

  Jake pushed himself away from the bar. Sadie hadn’t realized how tall he was when he’d been sprawled out in the chair in front of her desk, but he positively towered over her. It was all she could do not to take a step back when he bent his head and put his mouth to her ear.

  “Stop this right now and go back to the ranch like I told you.”

  If Sadie had been paying attention, she would have realized his words weren’t slurred like before, but his nearness—combined with the feel of his warm breath on cheek—made it difficult to concentrate. Annoyed with herself for being so weak, she stepped back to give him a fierce look.

  “I don’t take orders from you, Mr. Wagner. You take them from me,” she told him coldly. “Is that clear?”

  Jake regarded her, his eyes locked with hers in a battle of wills, but Sadie wasn’t about to waiver.

  “Looks like the little lady put you in yer place, but good,” a man laughed from the other side of the room.

  The rest of the saloon must have thought it was just as funny. There were chortles and guffaws all around. Jake didn’t appear to think it was amusing at all, and if Sadie was smart, she would have stopped there. But pride and anger wouldn’t let her.

  “Pay your bar tab if you have one, Mr. Wagner, because we’re leaving. You’re coming back to the ranch with me.”

  Sadie didn’t wait to see if her new foreman followed, but turned and started for the door. She barely made it two steps before a strong hand caught her arm. She whirled around to see Jake glowering down at her.

  “I’ll go with you, but when we get back to the ranch, you and I are going to have a talk,” he growled.

  Sadie jerked her arm free of his grasp. Which was probably something she couldn’t have done if he hadn’t let her. She spun on her heel and headed for the door again. Jake stumbled after her. How could he seem stone-cold sober one minute, and drunk as a skunk the next?

  “I don’t know why I let Ned talk me into hiring you,” she muttered as she led the way to the stable where she’d left the wagon. The sun was low in the sky now, bathing the street in shadows. “Who ever heard of a gunslinger managing a ranch anyway? You’re nothing but an outlaw who will work for anyone who pays your outrageous fee.”

  She was in the stable before she realized Jake hadn’t made a single comment during her entire rant. The drunken lout had probably passed out in the street. Mouth tight, she spun around, prepared to drag him the rest of the way, only to stop short when she saw him standing behind her, arms folded across his broad chest, a scowl on his handsome face.

  “Are you finished?” he asked.

  Her brow furrowed. “How do you do that? Sound drunk one minute, and sober as I am the next?”

  “I told you before. I’m not drunk.”

  “Really? Then why do you smell like you just took a
bath in a tub of whiskey?”

  “Because I doused myself in the stuff before I went into the saloon.”

  She frowned again. “Why would you do that?”

  “So I could get the townsfolk to talk to me.” He shrugged his broad shoulders. “They won’t talk to a stranger, but they’ll sure as hell talk to a drunk.”

  Sadie considered the logic of that. She supposed what he said made sense. That didn’t mean she wasn’t still upset with him. “Well, you could have told me, you know.”

  “I did. I told you to go back to the ranch.”

  “I meant before I went in there and made a fool of myself.”

  Jake snorted. “I didn’t know you were going to follow me. I expected you to be at the ranch doing woman’s work.”

  Sadie’s eyes narrowed. “Woman’s work? You mean like sewing quilts and washing clothes?”

  “Exactly.”

  Chauvinist pig. “Because those are the only things a woman can do, right?” She tried to rein in her temper, but it was quickly nearing its boiling point again. “I’ll have you know I’ve been doing a lot more than sewing quilts and washing clothes out at the ranch since my father died, Mr. Wagner.”

  “Maybe that’s why you’re in the predicament you’re in.”

  The words cut Sadie more deeply than she wanted to admit, maybe because she’d often wondered if she was partly to blame for making the ranch such an easy target. But she’d be damned if she was going to let a gunslinger like Jake Wagner take her to task for it. Before she even realized what she was doing, she lifted her hand and slapped him hard across the face.

  The sound of it echoed in the stable, but Sadie barely heard it. Instead, she stood there, shocked by what she’d just done. She’d never hit anyone in her life.